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YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan sent a congratulatory telegram to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyyed Ali Khamenei on the occasion of Iranian new year, Nowruz.

As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of the Republic of Armenia Presidents Office, the President wished them good health and longevity, and lasting peace and welfare to the friendly people of Iran.
During the ceremony, the kiap explained at great length the meaning of Anzac. The war had never come to Enga so the historical context needed to be framed for us.

Each year for four years, I carried the wreath of flowers on behalf of my school and placed them at the foot of the flagpole after a lone policeman had blown Reveille on the bugle.

It was a serious occasion, with the local kiap officiating. Also participating in the parade were government employees and singsing groups.

Years ago, every 25 April - Anzac Day - we schoolchildren and our teachers marched to the government station to remember the fallen soldiers.

TRY asking a school child in Papua New Guinea about Anzac Day and what it stands for. Chances are they wont know. Should they?

Several years later, I had the opportunity to take this a step further.

I organised a seven-person team to make the three-day trek through the Finisterre Range from the Ramu Valley to Madangs Rai Coast.

I knew about the existence of the wartime trail but it had been obliterated by decades of vegetation growth. Not even an animal track was left. But I was determined that we should persevere.

The first day, we stood at the foot of Shaggy Ridge. Above us was an almost vertical slope and we were awestruck at what it must have been like for soldiers with weapons and heavy packs as they manouevred to engage the enemy.

Years past, and I found myself halfway around the world in the US city of Seattle talking to a brave World War II fighter pilot.

He had been with the US Air Force and based in Port Moresby, from where he flew dozens of missions to Lae and Madang. We became good friends.

Over time, he showed me photos and notes he still had and shared incredible stories with me. I was able to thank him for his service to my country. Sadly, he recently passed away.

Having laid wreaths for my school, trekked through the Finisterres and met my USAF friend, I felt I had a good understanding of the war in PNG.

World War II affected my people in different ways. Some did not know about it, let alone engage in it. Others died so the rest of us could be free.

It is a pity that we no longer celebrate Anzac Day as we used to. History needs to be taught and made real for our young people.

The Allied forces defeated the enemy and, in doing so, handed us our destiny.

We were given the wonderful opportunity to reach our full potential as a people.

We need to believe in ourselves as Melanesians and understand our resilience and capacity so we can act to build our nation and not succumb to political greed and corruption.
AUBURN | Taras Hrynyk, 86, of Richardson Ave, Auburn, passed away at his home, surrounded by his family, on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.

Mr. Hrynyk was born in Drohobych, Ukraine on March 29, 1929. He was the son of the late IIya and Kateryna Borys Hrynyk. Taras came to the United States as a teenager, attending schools in Philidelphia, West High School in Auburn and Onondaga Community College, becoming a certified toolmaker and draftsman. Taras enlisted in the U.S. Army during the 1950s and was honorably discharged. He was then employed locally by General Electric as a technician, Alco as an inspector and Columbian Rope as a tool maker.

Taras was proud of his Ukrainian heritage; he was a member of the National Ukrainian Association and past president and trustee of the Ukrainian Sicz Club. He was a communicant of SS. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Taras is survived by his loving family, his wife, Catherine Miner Hrynyk; his son, Greg Hrynyk and his wife Susan; his beloved grandchildren, of whom he was so proud, Melissa (Adam) Potter, Nicholas Hrynyk and Christina Hrynyk; his great-granddaughter, Amelia Potter; his sisters-in-law, Mary Arlene Cuddy and Mary Ann Miner; many nieces and nephews in the U. S. and Ukraine, whom he loved like his own children.

He was predeceased by his parents; his two sons, Larry and Michael Hrynyk; his siblings, Lupco Hrynyk, Nadiya Fegetsyn and Maria Prymyak.

Funeral services will be held Monday, March 21 at 10 a.m. in SS. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, 136 Washington St., Auburn, and burial will be at St. Josephs Cemetery. Friends are invited to visit with the family Sunday (today) from 2 to 5 p.m. at the White Chapel Funeral Home Inc., 197 South St., Auburn.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Taras Hrynyk may be made to either Hospice of the Finger Lakes, 1130 Corporate Drive, Auburn, or SS. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, 136 Washington St., Auburn 13021.
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The student housing complexes built by Core Campus, all known as The Hub, are getting mixed reviews across the nation.

Core has Hub complexes in Eugene, Ore., Oxford, Miss., Columbia, S.C., Tucson and Madison, Wisc. It sold its first Arizona apartment high-rise in Tempe in 2013 for $103 million to Inland American Communities Group. It is currently working on new complexes in Flagstaff and Corvallis, Ore.

In Flagstaff, the company is proposing a 664-bed apartment complex geared toward students on Mikes Pike. The company is asking the city to flip/flop the zoning on the site to allow it to build retail shops on Mikes Pike instead of Phoenix Avenue. It filed an additional site plan with the city on Monday that would allow the company to build using the existing zoning on the site. The Arizona Daily Sun has not seen the details of the alternative plan.

The company typically builds multi-story apartment buildings made of concrete, glass and steel geared toward college students. However, in a number of cities, such as Flagstaff, it has modified its typical building exterior to blend with local materials and colors. In Oxford, it built a campus of one- and two-story buildings. The Hub buildings typically hold 300 to 800 students depending on the location and are usually located in more urban areas.

DENIAL IN CORVALLIS

Cores other new project for Corvallis is currently in limbo. According to the Corvallis Gazette-Times, Core Campus withdrew its application to build a Hub there in April 2015, after Corvallis city staff and the citys planning commission recommended denial of the project.

Corvallis is similar in size to Flagstaff with about 55,000 residents and about 25,000 college students from Oregon State University.

Corvallis city staff raised concerns about the cut and fill standards for grading the land for the project, transportation and stormwater issues. Neighbors raised concerns about noise and the compatibility of the project with the surrounding residences.

The topic was supposed to go before the Corvallis City Council at the end of March 2015 when the developers withdrew their request. Core and the land owner, GPA1, may bring their request back to the city of Corvallis sometime this year.

Curtis Wright from the Northwest Alliance Corvallis, a community group formed to oppose the project, said the project would have covered 30 acres of a 200-acre site that represents one of the citys last open space areas. The Hub portion of the project would have been very close to a number of single-family homes and townhomes.

The area is zoned for multi-family residential projects, he said. But, like Flagstaff residents who agreed to the special transect zoning overlay for Mikes Pike and Phoenix Avenue, Corvallis residents were not expecting such a large and dense project to be built there.

The reason that Corvallis city staff recommended denial of the project was because of a development overlay district on the property, Wright said. The overlay detailed a number of restrictions to protect natural features and animal habitat in the area. The particular 30 acres that The Hub Corvallis is planned for also has a lot of wetlands, which would also require Core and GPA1 to get permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Oregon to disturb during construction.

Wright and Corvallis Gazette-Times reporter Jim Day said if the project were to come back, it would have to be substantially different in order for it get approval from the city.

TIGHT PARKING

In Columbia, S.C., the city is dealing with a tight downtown parking situation similar to Flagstaff caused by the rapid growth of its downtown area. According to the Columbia, S.C., newspaper, The State, local businesses are saying that parking has become worse since The Hub has moved in.

However, the Columbia Regional Business Report reported in June 2015 that while parking remains a concern, business owners are liking their new, younger neighbors. The paper reports that the students have brought in more business for existing shops and are attracting new shops to the area.

Core typically provides less than one parking spot per bed for each of its complexes. It also usually charges its residents a fee for a parking spot. Fees range from $45 per month in Eugene to $85 per month in Columbia.

In Tucson, Core had a different problem: students throwing things from balconies.

Core opened its first Hub in Tucson in 2014, according to the Arizona Daily Star. A second Tuscon Hub is slated to be built next door.

According to the Daily Star, in March 2015, the city had problems with college students in multiple high-rise apartments, including The Hub, throwing beer bottles and other items from the balconies of their apartments at a nearby mosque. Students were also caught yelling at people attending the nearby mosque or just walking by the buildings. All three complexes, including The Hub, installed cameras to monitor balconies and the Hub fines students caught throwing things $1,000.

Core also built a Hub in Tempe, which it sold shortly after the building was finished in 2013, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. According to AZCentral.com, that building, now known as University House, also had a history of students throwing items from its balconies.

The tossing of items from balconies on student high-rise complexes in the Tempe area got so bad that the fire department at one point refused to respond to the high-rises without a police escort. The company that owns University House has closed the balconies and restricted window access at the high-rise.

MIXED REVIEWS

College students living in the various Hubs around the country also have mixed reviews of the apartment complexes. A search of Google or Yelp reviews for any one of the projects will show numerous comments in favor of the high-rises.

Cores apartments, while pricey, do have their perks. Many of its developments have rooftop pools and hot tubs, tanning salons, study areas, conference rooms and private gyms. Their apartments typically come fully furnished, including big, flat-screen TVs, washers and dryers, walk-in closets and showers, private balconies, stone countertops, some include private saunas and hot tubs. Each Hub is different and offers different perks.

Rents run from $610 per month to more than $1,600 per month, depending on the location of the building, size, number of bedrooms and luxury package included with the apartment.

Yelp and Google also list numerous complaints about the various Hubs, including lack of heat in some apartments in Madison, slow Internet, unfinished apartments, students being overcharged for repairs to apartments after they leave, loud neighbors, thin walls, cheap furniture and unresponsive staff.

Core attorney Lindsay Schube has told Flagstaff City Council previously that the company takes all complaints from neighbors and Hub residents seriously. And most online complaints from Hub residents have responses from Hub staff.

Flagstaff Council will hold its final reading on The Hub rezoning request at 6 p.m. Tuesday, at City Hall, 211 W. Aspen Ave.
100 YEARS AGO

Monday night it was Santa Fe all the way. First, the Night Marshal was called to arrest two men who had built a fire to warm themselves in an empty box car. Later on another box car ditched itself near the east block signal. It was too dark to see how come. Still later Conductor Wood ran into two men who were looting a box car of its contents.

County Engineer W. H. Powers reported that the bridge over Walnut Creek has washed out due to overflow from Lake Mary. While two culverts have been replaced near Williams another two have washed out. The snow is 4 feet deep on the highway near Maine Station.

Bottomless Pit is full and not taking any more water from the River de Flag. The river crossing is 4 feet deep. The bridges are still in place but may go soon. The snow is melting so rapidly that every water runway is taxed to upmost. It is not possible to care for all the problems.

An F. L. M. Co. logging engine left the soft track in 4 feet of water from Lake Mary which is still rising.

75 YEARS AGO

An Arizona Highway 66 Association has been formed here by boosters to secure a just an adequate share of State Highway funds. George Mosher of Oatman was elected President

Lightning Delivery owned by F.L. Christensen has been granted a Special Permit authorizing transportation of general commodities used incident to the production of motion pictures in Northern Arizona with the understanding that the legitimate contract in the field of Le Doyle will not be involved except to meet emergency demands by the movie companies with the intent to provide the greatest measure of efficiency to the movie industry in Northern Arizona.

Sears has increased it floor space to make room for a display for new lines, including gasoline engines and dairy supplies. The whole store has been completely redecorated. H. Stewart Houston, Manager.

PRESTO ! From petroleum to silk. The new SANITIZED SHELL gasoline, the finer fuel for 1941 will improve your Step and Go. Try a tankful today.

Snow Bowl is on with dry firm crust. Chains not required. Hot lunches Sunday only. H. Mon. & Tues. 59 L. 17 Sun. Rain 0.98 Thurs. & Fri.

50 YEARS AGO

Our City Wheels are getting old and showing their age. Our only ladder truck is a 1923 model and has major problems as well as can only reach up to 3 stories. The Arizona Fire Underwriters call for a 100 foot aerial ladder or a snorkel that will reach to the top of the new 9-story dorm at Arizona State College. Although most of the equipment is in pretty fair shape we have four 1959 dump trucks which with constant use are just plain worn out. The 2 backhoes get rigorous use with digging all our malpais rock. Cost of replacement is problem.

Another good week at the Snow Bowl with both the Poma and the Chair lift running. Wing Mountain Whirly Bird weekends only. Chains are not required. H. 64 Mon. L. 21 Fri. Clear all week.

25 YEARS AGO

The Weather Service says do not count on our dry spell being over just because of our big storm, even though we had another 6 inches of snow on Saturday night. We are still well below average in snowfall and Lake Mary is at only 30 percent of capacity. Remember water is precious. Keep a brick in your toilet tank.

There was no blarney about the Annual St. Patricks Day parade which began at Thorpe Park and ended at City Hall. There were 30 floats with everything from rafters & canoes to Kazoos. Ziemskis Leprechaun Paddlers Association tossed gold foiled candies from their End of the Rainbow Pot of Gold

New snowfall 3.5 inches  the Snow Bowl expects to remain open through the end of the month.
For Alissa and Michael Marquess, the old laundry at 7 S. Mikes Pike is more than a building. Their paths crossed with the white facade often enough in the past. But it was a chance trip during a 2010 ArtWalk that sealed the deal for the then-vacant space to become the home of their business.

Mother Road Brewing Company opened in late 2011 as one of the new businesses revitalizing Southside  the scene of some of Flagstaffs most monumental changes.

Ive always loved Southside because its kind of funky, he said of the neighborhoods appeal. Southside would allow us to be who we are.

Altering aesthetic

Renaissance catalyzed slowly with the existing bars, coffee shops and cafes linking Northern Arizonan Universitys campus and Downtown. Restaurants and breweries helped reinvigorate a culture of cuisine in the area.

Evan and Winnie Hanseth jumped in 2008 with Lumberyard Brewing Co., followed by Kevin and Scott Heinonen with Tinderbox Kitchen in 2009.

Mikes Pike  the original alignment of Route 66  saw renewed interest first with Flag Bike Revolution opening in the laundry complex in 2010. Shortly after, Caleb Schiff took over the tip of the wedge-shaped building with Pizzicletta.

Interest washed over Southside again and again, with the Heinonens opening The Annex and, later, Tourist Home. Historic Brewing Co.s Barrel + Bottle House, Ewas Thai Cuisine and Proper Meats + Provisions now share a renovated former bar and strip club. Across the street, Southside Tavern, Street Side Saigon, Currans Tea Place and more enlivened South San Francisco.

Flood control

Southside received much needed TLC in 2010, too, with the City of Flagstaffs Southside Restoration Project. Realigned and widened sidewalks on South San Francisco and Beaver streets offered cleaned-up thoroughfares in tandem with the Rio de Flag flood control project.

Karl Eberhard, the Citys Community Design and Redevelopment Manger, who led the restoration effort, noted revitalization has been a boon.

This is testament to the best of redevelopment, he said. The area looks better; its more vital; and tourists frequent the Southside much more now. The biggest events taking place right now are the private investment.

The area with a once seedy reputation now sees incredible foot traffic thanks to the entrepreneurial business owners. Mikes Pike sidewalks are still narrow and buckled, but the Marquess duo said thats part of its charm.

Restaurant renaissance

But with more businesses setting up, another wave of rejuvenation has arrived.

Phoenix-based La Santisima Gourmet Taco Shop will open later this month between Streetside Saigon and Southside Tavern.

At the end of the block, Firecreek Coffee Co.s roasting facility now occupies the south end of the former Mad Italian Public House. And right next door, a new concept will see a grand opening no later than early June.

Dave Smith and business partner Jeremy Meyer have been searching for a location to offer their New American cuisine for about a year. The former chef-partner of Brix, Criollo and Proper Meats and the longtime manager of Rendezvous, respectively, will mix their experiences into Root Public House.

Building on the sustainable, local, organic philosophy, they will offer a complementary experience to what the Heinonens have brought Southside, Smith said, and elevate the idea of the public house

The best way we can shake it is by creating a different atmosphere and a different vibe, especially in our location, than I think what people are used to, Smith said of contributing to Southside.

Artistic swing

More than eateries, access to public art has drastically improved the neighborhoods aesthetic. Large-scale murals in Trust Your Struggle by the Native Movements Collective and Dave Loewensteins collaborative piece, What Flows Beneath Our Feet on the side of Flag T-Company, both stand as testament to walkable art south of the tracks. The newest piece is Mural Mices reflective Route 66 on the back side of the Lumberyard.

Eberhard said no other public art projects are currently slated for Southside, but added the Beautification and Public Art Commission has long sought to do a significant sculpture in the area, but has been challenged to find a location.

But Smith noted the San Francisco corridor has turned into a restaurant row. From Brix and Criollo, he saw First Friday ArtWalk offer the months best sales and traffic. Smith said hed like to work with surrounding businesses on a new idea: Southside Second Saturdays.

I think we need something like that Southside, he said, noting art venues are largely absent.

Shopping is driven largely by Full Circle Trade & Thrift. Zani Cards & Gifts, operating since 1993, has led ArtWalkers to its Phoenix Avenue location since 2011.

Artistic venues like Flagstaff Modern and Contemporary Gallery and the Center for Indigenous Music and Culture offer exhibitions and events. And while The Pike Gallery at 100 Mikes Pike, owned by Jeff Maurer, no longer operates as a revolving art gallery, filmmaker James Q Martin uses the space.

Smith said if surrounding businesses continue Southsides success, more artistic fare will move in. Though, he added, Im sure its just a matter of time.
The announcement last month that the Forest Service would be ramping up manpower and money on the regions Four Forest Restoration Initiative was perhaps most anticipated and most desperately needed in an area far from Flagstaff.

Loggers, mills and wood products businesses on the eastern portion of the projects footprint are teetering on the edge of survival, according to a Feb. 17 letter sent to U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell.

The letter stated that 90 percent of the log utilization industry in the White Mountains has had to temporarily shut down due to a lack of wood supply. The cause, the letter said, was inadequate acreage being made available by the Forest Service in the form of thinning contracts in the area.

The ramp up effort could not be more timely, said the document, which was signed by supervisors of Gila, Greenlee, Navajo, Apache and Graham counties. This situation threatens the very survival of the (White Mountains) industry.

Since then, the situation has improved only marginally.

FOREST SERVICE

RESPONDS

For its part, the Forest Service said it has heard the operators on the states east side loud and clear.

In an exchange with Sen. Jeff Flake during a senate committee hearing earlier this month, Tidwell outlined various ways the agency hopes to boost 4FRIs east side, including dedicating more staff to preparing thinning contracts and working through necessarily environmental analyses as well as creating larger contracts that will provide several years of wood supply.

If we can get a few of those going on the east side then I think you and I would be having a different discussion, Tidwell told Flake.

At the same time however, the situation is more complicated than one where supply simply needs to be increased to meet demand.

Not all timber sales and stewardship contracts the Forest Service offers are located exactly where purchasers would like or consist of the particular mix of material most profitable to them, and thats because 4FRI must accomplish certain restoration objectives, 4FRI Spokesperson Brienne Pettit wrote in an email. The Forest Services challenge is to balance those forest health goals with the economic viability its offerings, she wrote.

All of us  Forest Service and industry alike  must make changes to the way we approach restoration, Pettit wrote.

DESPERATE SITUATION

The Feb. 17 letter to Tidwell was based on a meeting the week before of industry, local government and Forest Service representatives where wood products companies outlined a grim picture. The Novo Star sawmill in Snowflake was shut down for six weeks and 40 percent of the staff laid off. Both of the Reidhead Bros. Lumber Mills in Eager and Nutrioso were closed. Show Low-based wood pellet company Forest Energy went through two layoffs and had no current production. The list went on.

These guys are past survival mode, these guys are literally in dying mode, said Pascal Berlioux, executive director of the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization.

The letter also lays out 16 potential solutions for the Forest Service to consider, including one to reevaluate biomass removal requirements in some contracts and another to offer east side acreage to local contractors instead of Good Earth Power AZ. Good Earth holds the largest 4FRI contract but so far has thinned only 12 percent of the acres it has been awarded. The industry in the White Mountains on the other hand has implemented approximately 55 percent of all 4FRI mechanical treatments in fiscal year 2015, according to Forest Service figures.

Most urgently, the letter requested that the Forest Service immediately prepare and offer 4,000 acres in thinning contracts on the Tonto and Apache-Sitgreaves national forests in order to justify the re-hiring and restart of the processing plants. After that, the letter said the industry needs 15,000 acres per year minimum in thinning contracts to keep their doors open, based on historical production. For comparison, in fiscal year 2015, about 7,500 acres on the Apache-Sitgreaves were offered as thinning contracts.

If that acceleration doesnt happen starting now, Berlioux said, by the time the Forest Service has completed its second 4FRI environmental analysis and thinning plan we wont have second industry to implement it.

Its not an issue of needing to be paid to complete the forest thinning contracts, said Steve Reidhead, president of Tri-Star Logging and a partner in the Novo Star saw mill. Companies have figured out how to make the economics work, they simply need a more secure supply of wood, agreed Brad Worsley, CEO of the biomass plant Novo Power and partner in the Novo Star mill. Larger contracts of 15,000 acres instead of 1,500 would be one way to do that, Berlioux said. A variety of offerings with different types of trees and in different places that experience different weather and moisture conditions also would make the situation more economically viable for loggers, Worsley said.

SLOW MOVING DISASTER

The situation facing White Mountains timber industry is one the Forest Service should have seen coming, Worsley said. It started with the 2011 Wallow Fire that wiped out 50,000 to 60,000 acres of timber that had been cleared for timber offerings, Berlioux said. Then, the focus and resources of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative turned to the west side of the project near Flagstaff and Williams in order to push out a massive, 1-million acre environmental analysis, released last year, Berlioux said.

The Forest Service concentrated on the west side first in order to spur much-needed investments in equipment and infrastructure so that timber harvested in the area could be processed, Roberta Buskirk, director of acquisition management with the Forest Service, wrote in an email last fall.

But while that happened, loggers on the east side were thinning acres faster than they were being readied by the Forest Service, Berlioux said.

Since the letter was sent, the situation of a few businesses in the White Mountains has improved slightly, but thats due to timber coming from the White Mountain Apache Reservation, not the national forest, Berlioux said.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump can insult hecklers at his rallies, tell em to go home to mommy and even suggest they should have been roughed up.

But the increasingly heated, intense protests and insults at his events raise important questions about free speech, a cornerstone of American democracy: How far can a candidate or his opponents go?

After all, the political process is one where everyone has a right to be heard. Still, there are restrictions.

As long as a candidates events are in a private place, or a public venue the candidate has reserved and paid for, no one can legally interrupt the event. Doing so would be akin to disrupting a wedding or screaming in the middle of a movie. Its Trumps show, and he can holler get him out of here all he wants.

Technically there arent free speech rights that apply, said Rodney Smolla, a First Amendment expert and dean of the Delaware Law School.

But.

Speakers also are subject to some limits. They cant specifically urge violent or criminal behavior. Once outside the venue, in a public place, protesters have considerable rights  though if they get too disruptive, their behavior can become criminal.

Walk outside and the First Amendment is in full force, said Lee Rowland, senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Unions Speech, Privacy and Technology Project.

The Trump campaign is clear that it knows where the lines are and it adheres to them.

People have the right to protest outside. There are designated peaceful protest areas at our large events, spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in an emailed response to McClatchys questions. Trump has repeatedly said he does not condone violence, though he routinely mocks protesters and has said hed like to punch one in the face.

Protesters have disrupted plenty of rallies during this election season. Last summer, Black Lives Matter activists interrupted the rallies or speeches of Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin OMalley. Such disruptions have become almost routine at recent Trump events.

At a March 9 Trump rally in Fayetteville, N.C., police arrested John McGraw, 78, for allegedly punching a protester. A video shows a man being escorted out by law enforcement officials as the audience jeers. The man raises his middle finger to the audience, and suddenly an older man in a cowboy hat punches him in the face. Five deputies were disciplined for not properly controlling the situation.

Two days later, hecklers interrupted Trumps St. Louis speech at the downtown Peabody Opera House six times, at one point holding up the rally for nearly 10 minutes.

During the St. Louis disruptions, Trump insulted the protesters, calling them young, spoiled kids, urging them to go home to mommy or get a job. At one point he smiled and told the audience, Isnt this more exciting than listening to a long, boring speech? You can hear that from the other candidates. They dont say anything, anyway.

Tensions were building. That evening, the billionaire businessman postponed a Chicago rally because of concerns about safety.

Trump has every right to be heard, to mock hecklers and to offer sarcastic asides at his events  and the hecklers have fewer rights inside the room. Eugene Volokh, who teaches free speech law at UCLA, cites state laws such as one in California that says, Every person who, without authority of law, willfully disturbs or breaks up any assembly or meeting that is not unlawful in its character is guilty of a misdemeanor.

There is a line that speakers at private events cant cross, but its hard to do. If a candidate or speaker were to call for some sort of immediate, violent action that could not be justified as self-defense, he or she would probably risk legal jeopardy.

Trump has not gone that far. In November, a man interrupted a Trump rally by shouting, Black lives matter. A fight erupted, and Trump demanded that the man be removed. The next day, Trump told Fox News, Maybe he should have been roughed up, because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing.

Last month, after a protester interrupted him in Las Vegas, Trump told the audience, Id like to punch him in the face.

In Fayetteville this month, the Cumberland County Sheriffs Office considered whether the actions of Trump or his campaign were inciting a riot, and concluded they were not.

But is Trump coming close to the line? I think youd have riots, Trump told CNN on Wednesday, if he were close to winning the nomination at the Republican convention in July but was denied.

He was careful not to condone or specifically urge such behavior. I wouldnt lead it, he said, but I think bad things would happen.

Thats not a call to arms. But if he says at a certain point he wants to create problems, riots might be attributable to him, said Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow in constitutional studies at Washingtons Cato Institute, a libertarian research group.

Trumps campaign would have a tougher task controlling hecklers outside private venues. The Supreme Court has a long history of upholding free speech challenges in public places.
In your recent article, Nonprofits have big economic footprint, the Arizona Daily Sun perfectly captured the essence of a recently released report on the economic impact of Arizona nonprofits.

Upon hearing the findings of Arizona Nonprofits: Economic Power, Positive Impact, nonprofit leaders in Flagstaff realized that theyre much more than warm and fuzzy do-gooders.

We could not say it better ourselves. The power of the findings of this report should give everyone who has ever supported a nonprofit organizationwhether as a volunteer, donor or staff member  a renewed sense of pride.

At an event hosted to release the report locally in Flagstaff, Steve Peru of the United Way of Northern Arizona said he hoped this report would change the way we all think about nonprofit organizations. We think it should.

We hope the findings of this report help us as potential donors to understand that the majority of nonprofit organizations seeking our support do so from a position of strength. While our contributions are important, we must remember that we are contributing to something much bigger than ourselves, and much more productive than we probably imagine.

The research found that the nonprofit sector in Arizona is the states fifth largest employer. That means that one in every 16 working Arizonans is employed in the nonprofit sector. With a labor force of more than 165,000 people, the nonprofit sector employs more people than the construction, agriculture and mining sectors combined. This segment of the workforce includes nurses at hospitals, social workers in shelters, maintenance staff at churches, fitness instructors at community centers and event coordinators at museums.

The findings of this report show us that the nonprofit sector is not primarily composed of organizations relying exclusively on volunteers and operating on shoestring budgets. The sector is a sophisticated and thriving network of more than 21,000 social-purpose organizations that account for 8 percent of the gross state product.

For example, nonprofit organizations paid out some $7.7 billion in wages and generated $22.4 billion in economic activity in 2014. This activity is the result of organizations employing people and patronizing local businesses to cater events, maintain their inventory of office supplies and, yes, producing annual fundraising appeals.

Perhaps the most exciting trend identified in this report is that the nonprofit sector has grown significantly in the last five years. Since 2009, the nonprofit sector has added nearly 18,000 jobs, and these gains in employment are directly supporting critical needs in our state: health, education and the environment.

The social returns of the nonprofit sector are invaluable in how they enhance our quality of life and enrich our community. But its worth reminding ourselves that these benefits are the result of hard work and energy put in by a large segment of the Arizona workforce that drive our economy.

With a labor force of more than 165,000 people, the nonprofit sector employs more people than the construction, agriculture and mining sectors combined.
Another week at the Arizona Legislature, another insult to municipal sovereignty.

This time it is drones and the right of businesses anywhere in the state to deploy unmanned aircraft without worrying about crossing into the forbidden airspace of some drone-unfriendly city.

We get that part  although allowing a drone to hover over our back yard snapping photos seems too much of an invasion of privacy even for laissez-faire Republicans. But setting consistent rules for commerce, whether inter- or intra-state, is a reasonable federal and state function.

But then there is the rider that also tells cities they cannot ban drones in city parks, as if they were just wind-up toy airplanes. Parks are meant to be natural oases from motorized, urban encroachment. You even must have your dog on a leash  but apparently not your drone. And when a jogger at Buffalo Park is run down from behind by a drone making a crash landing on the dirt path, does she sue the state for reckless endangerment?

BURDEN ON STATE

The larger point, as we have said before, is this: Charter cities in Arizona have a right under the state constitution to promote the health and welfare of their citizens in the service of a municipal common good. And since they are paying the bills for everything from police protection to trash collection, the burden is on the state to show why a citys home rule should be pre-empted.

Instead, we get a Legislature and governor who not only ignore and undermine the prerogatives of charter cities but want to withhold state-shared tax revenues that are generated by the cities themselves if cities are deemed to be out of compliance.

Coming from a Legislature that rails against federal oversight of health insurance, land management and immigration, such state intrusions into municipal home rule open them up to charges of hypocrisy and worse. How would state legislators react if the White House told them when to hold their elections, how to enforce traffic laws at intersections and which state buildings can or cant have guns inside? And for good measure, require drones to be allowed at Slide Rock State Park.

TOO MANY RULES

The comeback by Gov. Ducey and Republican leaders is that cities have become too restrictive of business and private property rights. The new economy, they say, will be built around entrepreneurs like Uber and Airbnb that mobilize on-demand labor and capital  business models that are disruptive of trade guilds and neighborhood parochialism aimed at protecting property values. Further, they say, cities and their restrictive land use and licensing codes stifle small-business startups.

We might buy that if we werent living in Flagstaff, with both a city-funded small-business incubator and accelerator. And when we look at the full-court press by the legislative majority on behalf of major utilities vs. the startups in rooftop solar, its hard to see how Republicans are looking out for the little guy in the energy sector.

The more plausible explanation is that the utilities and their lobbyists have longstanding relationships with veteran lawmakers and the Corporation Commission. They are monopolies that need the protection of government to limit competition within their industry, and crony capitalism is how they get it.

PULLING THE LEVERS

In other words, Ducey and the less-government Republicans are not above using the levers of government when they see a political or economic benefit. And charter cities, under the Arizona constitution, have access to similar levers. Instead of painting them in black-and-white terms as enemies of the new economy, what if the governor and his allies treated them as partners and entered negotiations?

How would that work? On the Airbnb issue, what if lawmakers sat down with the Arizona League of Cities and crafted a bill that defined by type of land use and neighborhood where short-term rentals would and wouldnt be allowed, and the level of use. Health and safety standards are always subject to broad interpretation, and we imagine the two sides could come up with some criteria that both free marketeers and neighborhood traditionalists could live with.

Or take higher minimum wages. The assertion that every state and city has to have the same minimum wage to allow for the smooth running of commerce is defied by experience  minimum wages across the country are consistently inconsistent.

But there are economic studies that caution against raising wages too far too fast, depending on the size of the market and the profile of its low-wage workers. Rather than oppose all changes in wages and benefits at the city level, what if Ducey convened a state-local study group to look at specific wage markets within Arizona, then came up with recommendations?

NEW BUSINESS MODEL

As for utility rates and rooftop solar, the future of a sustainable planet almost certainly will depend on more renewable energy combined with conservation. Utilities that earn profits on how much electricity they sell will need a new business model, just as doctors have been forced to switch from wasteful fee-for-service medicine that paid them by the procedure to payment based on suitable outcomes.

Utilities need a similar rate structure that rewards less, not more, use of electricity from nonrenewable sources like coal and gas. Government, in this case, has the power and duty to bring the players to the table, not try to tilt the playing field toward the side with the biggest campaign contributions.

Republicans who are determined to assert state primacy at the expense of cities also might benefit by looking to the inevitable shift in political fortunes that comes with democracy. A future Democratic legislature might tilt state laws toward tighter regulation of the free market, yet cities would face penalties for opposing them under a law just signed by Gov. Ducey. How would Republicans in those cities feel about that?

Cities by themselves are not the enemy  indeed, many have been called the new laboratories of democracy for their public investment, policy innovation and attractiveness to Millennials.

A state like Arizona, which is already struggling to attract new industry and talent, cannot afford to treat its municipalities as second-class citizens when partners would be much more productive.
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Call 281-422-8302 or email sunnews@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

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ALGIERS, March 20 (Reuters) - Algeria's army has killed four militants authorities believe were responsible for Friday's attack on the Krechba gas facility operated by state oil company Sonatrach with BP and Statoil, a security source said on Sunday.

Al Qaeda's North Africa branch claimed responsibility for the rocket attack on the gas plant in central Algeria that caused no casualties or damage. BP had initially said the plant had been shut down as a safety precaution, but a top Sonatrach source said on Sunday production was unaffected by the assault.

"Output in Krechba's site was not affected, and Sonatrach's CEO visited the gas facility to support workers and encourage them to maintain production," the Sonatrach source said on condition of anonymity.

Algeria's oil and gas facilities are heavily protected by the army, especially since Islamist militants killed 40 oil workers in an attack on the In Amenas gas plant near the Libyan border.

An Algerian security source who also did not want to be identified told Reuters that four militants were killed and three others wounded by the army in the desert region of Ain Saleh, where Krechba is located.

The Algerian defence ministry has not yet confirmed the operation.

The Krechba site produces 2 billion cubic meters of gas a year, and fields in the region of Ain Saleh produce around 9 billion cubic meters.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed several attacks across north and west Africa recently, including an assault on a resort in Ivory Coast last week that killed 18 people. The group said the attack was revenge for a French offensive against Islamist militants in the Sahel.

Algeria fought a bloody civil war in the 1990s that pitted government forces against Islamists and killed 200,000 people. In recent years, the country has become an important partner in the Western campaign against Islamist militancy. The OPEC nation is also a major gas supplier to Europe.

(Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Editing by Patrick Markey and Raissa Kasolowsky)
http://www.afr.com/news/world/asia/beijing-accuses-us-of-making-a-second-middle-east-with-south-china-sea-deal-20160320-gnmlv2

Beijing accuses US of 'making a second Middle East' with South China Sea deal

Lisa Murray by China has reacted angrily to an agreement between Washington and Manila which will allow American military forces access to disputed areas of the South China Sea. State-owned news agency Xinhua accused the United States of fuelling tensions after Washington announced five locations that its forces can have access to under a 10-year security deal with the Philippines. "Muddying waters in the South China Sea and making the Asia-Pacific a second Middle East will do no good to the United States," Xinhua said in a commentary posted on its website on Saturday. "Implementing a defence pact signed two years ago with the Philippines, one of the most aggressive South China Sea claimants, and designating an air base facing the Nansha Islands as one of the five locations which American forces will have access to have fed speculation about Washington's real purpose behind the moves."

China caused controversy in November 2013 when it declared a special air defence zone over most of the East China Sea. Bloomberg

The security pact was signed by Washington and Manila in 2014 but faced legal challenges in the Philippines. In January, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that it was consistent with the constitution, paving the way for Friday's agreement. In announcing the five bases where US forces can operate, the State Department said that "no other nation in the region should take any other message away from this new agreement". COURT RULING IMMINENT However, relations between the US and China have been strained amid strong criticism of Beijing's construction activity on a string of reefs in disputed waters and Washington's decision to sail its ships close to these artificial islands in two recent "freedom of navigation" operations.

Australia has also been under pressure from the US to take a stronger stance on China's building activities and conduct its own "freedom of navigation" operations. The agreement between Manila and Washington comes just weeks before an international court is expected to hand down a landmark ruling over China's claims in the area. The head of US naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, said he was concerned the ruling could be a trigger for Beijing to declare a special air defence zone over the South China Sea. China caused controversy in November 2013 when it declared a similar zone over most of the East China Sea, including the airspace above the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands. Beijing also claims those islands, which it calls the Diaoyu, and the declaration ramped up tensions with Tokyo and even caused a diplomatic spat with Canberra, after it strongly criticised the move. Admiral Richardson also said last week the US had seen "some surface ship activity" and "survey type of activity" around Scarborough Shoal in the disputed Spratly chain, which suggested China could be about to reclaim more land in the area.
TORONTO, March 20 (Reuters) - Canada's Bankers Petroleum Ltd , one of Albania's largest foreign investors, said on Sunday it has agreed to be acquired by affiliates of China's Geo-Jade Petroleum Corp for C$575 million ($442.34 million).

Bankers Petroleum said it will be bought by firms owned by the Chinese oil and gas exploration and production company for C$2.20 ($1.69) per share.

Shares of Bankers Petroleum closed at C$1.11 in Toronto on Friday.

The Canadian company said its corporate and technical headquarters will remain in Calgary. The deal is subject to shareholder approval at a meeting before the end of May. Bankers Petroleum said the company will be delisted after the sale.

Bankers Petroleum began exploration in Albania in 2004 and operates the largest onshore oil field in continental Europe, according to the Albania Energy Association.

The Albanian government has accused Bankers Petroleum of understating earnings to avoid its 50 percent profit tax. It announced in January it will renegotiate its oil output-sharing contracts and impose a limit on expenses that oil companies can use to offset tax liability.

($1 = 1.2999 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Ethan Lou in Toronto; Editing by Alan Crosby)
SANTIAGO, March 20 (Reuters) - The Chilean government has shut down the water system attached to the Maricunga mine operated by Canadian company Kinross Gold, citing environmental damages, the SMA regulator said in a statement.

Maricunga produces 230,000 ounces to 250,000 ounces (6,520 to 7,090 kg) of gold per year. The regulator said on Friday that the company may no longer take water from wells in the Pantanillo area, near the mine, due to environmental harm caused by the operation.

The SMA said the mine cannot operate without access to the wells.

Local newspaper El Mercurio on Sunday quoted the company as saying that environmental damage in the area had been caused by drought rather than extraction operations.

(Reporting by Felipe Iturrieta)
donald trump

Donald Trump defended his embattled campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, on Sunday against accusations that Lewandowski grabbed a protester.

During an interview on ABC's "This Week," Trump denied that Lewandowski grabbed a protester during a rally in Arizona on Saturday, and praised his campaign manager for going into the crowd to supposedly remove signs that were critical of Trump.

"I give him credit for having spirit," Trump said. "He wanted them to take down those horrible, profanity-laced signs."

Host George Stephanopoulos asked Trump why his campaign manager was in the crowd interacting with protesters to begin with.

"Security at the arena, the police were a little bit lax, and they had signs up in that area that were horrendous," Trump said.

The former reality-television star has stood by Lewandowski despite several allegations that the campaign manager forcibly removed reporters and protesters from campaign events.

Earlier this month, Lewandowski allegedly grabbed Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields while she attempted to ask Trump a question during a campaign event.

During a speech at his primary-night party on Tuesday in Florida, Lewandowski stood next to Trump onstage while he delivered his remarks. And when Trump thanked his family and his supporters, he also congratulated Lewandowski.

"Corey, good job Corey," Trump said.

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Former Vale CEO Roger Agnelli poses for a photograph during an interview with Reuters in London in this April 19, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Files

By Tatiana Bautzer and Guillermo Parra-Bernal

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Roger Agnelli, the former chief executive officer of Vale SA, the world's largest iron ore producer, was among seven people killed when a small plane crashed on Saturday in the northern suburbs of Brazil's largest city, a source close to aviation authorities told Reuters.

Emergency services confirmed to Reuters that the pilot and six passengers were killed when the plane slammed into two homes shortly after takeoff from the airport of Campo de Marte in northern Sao Paulo around 3:20 p.m. local time (1820 GMT).

The 56-year-old Agnelli, his wife Andreia and their two children, Anna Carolina and Joao, died in the crash, said the source, who asked not be named because of the sensitive nature of the information.

One person on the ground was also injured when the 7-seater CA-9 aircraft crashed into the homes, but other residents were removed unharmed, a spokesman for the local fire department said.

Weather in Sao Paulo was sunny and clear at the time of the crash.

Records for the National Agency of Civil Aviation (ANAC) showed the plane was owned by Agnelli, who ran Vale for a decade until 2011. A spokesman, however, said he could not confirm the list of passengers.

Four senior sources in Brazil's financial industry also told Reuters that they knew Agnelli was on the plane together with some relatives.

Known for his discipline and hot temper, Agnelli clinched Vale's top job in July 2001 after 19 years as an investment banker with Banco Bradesco SA (BBDC4.SA), one of Vale's controlling shareholders.

At the mining giant, he instilled a culture of meritocracy that turned Vale into Brazil's No. 1 exporter for most of last decade and he became one of the country's most well-known executives at home and abroad.

In 2012, he partnered with independent investment bank Grupo BTG Pactual SA to create B&A Mineracao, an investment company focused on the mining sector.

(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer and Guillermo Parra-Bernal; Writing by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Mary Milliken)
donald Trump

As Donald Trump hurtles closer to securing the Republican presidential nomination, GOP leaders are mounting a major, last-ditch push to try to stop him.

The New York Times reported Saturday that a cadre of GOP leaders and donors are scrambling to mount a 100-day campaign to deny Trump the delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination ahead of this summer's convention.

Trump had several overwhelming victories in key primary states last Tuesday.

Many anti-Trump Republicans now believe that the only way to stop him is through a combination of factors that includes stripping way delegates to force a floor fight at the Republican National Convention in July.

Republicans opposed to Trump are already working to woo delegates who will enter the convention bound by party rules to support Trump during the first round of voting. Many of those delegates will become unbound should Trump be unable to reach the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot.

While other campaigns have already made overtures to the unbound delegates free to support any candidate, Trump's campaign appears to be playing catch-up in that area. The Boston Globe reported recently that Trump's campaign is beginning to reach out to unbound delegates in US territories like Guam and Puerto Rico to try to win over their support.

Meanwhile, several Republican-affiliated advocacy groups have upped their fundraising and spending efforts against Trump.

The Club For Growth, a right-leaning, antitax group, has increased its fundraising significantly in the past month. It reportedly plans to continue spending millions against Trump in states like Wisconsin, which holds its primary April 5.

And many prominent Republicans have in recent days thrown their weight behind Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Trump's top remaining GOP primary rival, despite his deep unpopularity among many in the GOP establishment.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, said in a Facebook post on Friday that he would vote for Cruz in Utah's contest next week. And Sen. Lindsey Graham  a former candidate who joked earlier this year that picking between Trump and Cruz was like choosing between being shot and being poisoned  said he would fundraise for Cruz's bid.

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Trump still needs to win approximately 53% of future delegates to win, a somewhat steep climb with three major candidates  Trump, Cruz, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich  still vying for delegates.

But the design of the nominating process actually appears to work in Trump's favor.

The real-estate magnate has a significant structural advantage in delegate-heavy "winner-take-most" states like California, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. These states award a portion of the delegates to the winner, as well as a portion to winners of individual districts.

These kinds of contests benefit Trump. The mogul showed last week, for example, that even though his overall margin of victory in a state like Missouri was slim, his support was distributed so that he won the majority of the state's districts. He took home around 70% of the state's delegates.

Cruz's backers are hoping that the senator can win smaller "winner-take-all" contests in Montana and South Dakota. But Trump appears stronger in the delegate-heavy "winner-take-all" contests like Arizona and New Jersey, where wins could put him more than 100 delegates closer to winning the nomination.

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isis oil attack libya

Libya has become ISIS' new frontier as it faces territorial loses in its stronghold in Iraq and Syria, but it faces major roadblocks to establishing a true back-up capital there, according to a new report.

The Combating Terrorism Center report, published Thursday, said the terrorist group ISIS suffered "setbacks" in Libya and is struggling to expand there.

The West Point center noted that there's no doubt that ISIS will remain a "violent threat" in Libya as it's targeted in Iraq and Syria.

But the center also said ISIS' Libya base would be a "poorer and more constrained organization deprived of personnel, revenue, and the fundamental narrative tropes of governance and sectarianism that is has used to 'remain and expand.'"

US officials have reacted with alarm at how much ISIS (also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh) has grown in Libya over the past year. And as the US-led anti-ISIS coalition continues hammering the group with airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, ISIS has directed foreign fighters to travel to Libya instead of the group's main base in Raqqa, Syria.

The effort paid off for ISIS in some ways. It now has an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 fighters in Libya, and it has been able to seize territory, establish "media points" to distribute its propaganda, and set up Sharia courts to enforce its strict version of Islamic law.

But ISIS' numbers in Libya still pale in comparison to their ranks in Iraq and Syria, where the group is estimated to have about 18,000 fighters, the report pointed out. Libya is three times the size of Iraq and Syria combined, but much of the country is desert.

And while ISIS has declared three "provinces" in Libya, some of them are its territories in name only. The Combating Terrorism Center noted that ISIS only really has control over areas around Sirte, a coastal city.

ISIS was able to capture Sirte with relative ease because it wasn't highly contested by other militias. Some of those rival groups took over parts of Libya in the chaos that followed longtime autocrat Muammar Gaddafis death in 2011.

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Libya's landscape left "little room" for ISIS, the report stated. The country is mostly wide-open deserts that offer fighters little protection and cities in which many militias are fighting for control.

Libya Dawn fighters look at Islamic State militant positions near Sirte March 19, 2015. The Libya Dawn armed group backs the self-declared government in the capital Tripoli. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

"When the Islamic State has tried to expand beyond Sirte to the east and to the west, it has run into towns that are controlled by other militias that rebuff them, such as Abu Qrayn in the west and Ajdabiya in the east," the report noted.

It continued:

In a recent interview, the Islamic State's new leader in Libya, identified as Abdul Qadr al-Naajdi, acknowledged as much, saying that "the number of factions [in Libya] and their disputes" had prevented the Islamic State from expanding its control beyond Sirte.

ISIS also might be running into financial problems in Libya. While the country has oil resources, which have been profitable for ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the group's volume of oil sales in Libya has been low, according to the center. But the largest share of ISIS' revenue in Iraq and Syria comes from taxing the local population and selling antiquities  not oil.

Additionally, the UN noted last year that ISIS wasn't yet organized enough in Libya to generate the revenue to sustain itself independently there. It's unclear how long ISIS could sustain its Libyan franchise if its bases in Syria and Iraq collapsed.

The Combatting Terrorism Center wasn't alone in its assessment of ISIS' strength in Libya.

Hassan Hassan, an expert on ISIS and resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, wrote last month that ISIS is "still a minor player among the constellations of armed groups" in Libya and "can be defeated if the few factions committed to fighting it are supplied with the necessary aid."

Sirte, Libya

Still, ISIS' expansion in Libya has been alarming, and the country's civil war and lack of a coherent government structure provide a fertile ground for extremism.

Europe is particularly concerned about ISIS's growth in Libya because of the country's proximity to the continent. Sirte is only 400 miles away from Sicily and other parts of Libya are close to Greece. US officials have said that ISIS now has the capability to organize attacks on Western targets out of its base in Libya.

Accordingly, Western countries might be drawn into fighting ISIS in Libya.

"I suspect that the Europeans are going to push more and more from the US to take action inside of Libya, so it's possible that we could see more airstrikes as well as possibilities of more special forces type of raids," Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said in a podcast this week.

Zelin further said he doesn't think there will be some "grand invasion" of Western forces into Libya and that local forces need to be the ones to drive out the extremists.

Local militias have seemed willing to fight ISIS in other parts of Syria. And ISIS could have trouble drumming up popular support, as The Wall Street Journal reported last year that ISIS was having a hard time meeting the basic needs of the population. Gas stations and hospitals aren't functioning, and checkpoints make travel difficult.

As a civil engineer who recently fled Libya told The Journal: "Sirte has gone dark."

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Oman's Oil Minister Mohammad bin Hamad bin Saif al-Rumhi attends during the opening session of the first Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit in Doha November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous

MUSCAT (Reuters) - Oman has not yet been invited to a meeting in Qatar on April 17 at which oil producers plan to discuss a global pact to freeze production to support prices, the Omani oil minister said on Sunday.

"We have been exchanging some views with other oil producers. We have not received an invitation to attend the meeting yet, but we will attend if we receive it," Mohammad bin Hamad al-Rumhy told a news conference in Muscat.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers will meet in the Qatari capital Doha next month, following an initial deal in February between Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Venezuela and non-OPEC member Russia. It remains unclear whether all 13 OPEC members will attend the Doha meeting, and which non-OPEC producers will do so. Oman is a small non-OPEC producer.

(Reporting by Fatma Al Arimi; Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Andrew Torchia)
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.

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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





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Tucson Donald Trump rally fight

Another campaign rally for Donald Trump turned violent on Saturday as some apparent protesters were removed from the venue.

Video showed a pair of demonstrators, one of whom was wearing a Ku Klux Klan-style hood, being led out of the event in Tucson, Arizona.

At one point, a rally attendee got physical with the protester not shown wearing a hood. The attendee was filmed kicking the person as others looked on.

Police officers quickly took him into custody:

VIOLENCE at another Donald Trump rally, this time in Tucson, AZ. Man hits and kicks protester: pic.twitter.com/7FWuSeE0Jt  Frank Thorp V (@frankthorpNBC) March 19, 2016

Here's another angle:

Went to the Trump rally just to see how crazy it would be........this is insane pic.twitter.com/QFwSwmNoI0  Alex Satterly (@alex_satterly) March 19, 2016

In what appeared to be a separate incident, a person standing among protesters holding "Dump Trump" signs was grabbed by the collar. CBS News' Jacqueline Alemany and other reporters described the man grabbing the person as Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski.

Here is Donald Trump's campaign manager in the Tucson crowd grabbing the collar of a protester. pic.twitter.com/JZ9RntWlHY  Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) March 19, 2016

The Trump campaign issued a statement denying that Lewandowski had gotten physically involved in the protest.

Here's that statement:

Corey Lewandowski was speaking with a protestor at today's rally in Tucson, Arizona when the individual he was speaking with was pulled from behind by the man to Lewandowski's left. The video clearly shows the protestor reacting to the man who pulled him, not Mr. Lewandowski. Mr. Trump does not condone violence at his rallies, which are private events paid for by the campaign.

Last week, Lewandowski was accused of manhandling a reporter at another Trump event. He and the Trump campaign accused the reporter of fabricating the incident, which the journalist said left bruises on her arm.

Story continues

Trump protests spread nationwide on Saturday. A group of anti-Trump demonstrators reportedly blocked a road to one rally in Arizona, and about 1,000 protesters gathered at Trump Tower in New York.

Similar anti-Trump demonstrations have picked up momentum after a large, organized protest in Chicago forced the Trump campaign to cancel a planned rally last week. Fistfights and other violence broke out at that Chicago event.

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Ohio Gov. John Kasich will be playing spoiler on Tuesday when he tries to prevent Sen. Ted Cruz from scooping up all 40 delegates in Utah and narrowing Donald Trumps lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Still riding high from his solid, favorite-son victory over Trump last Tuesday in the Ohio primary, the moderate conservative Kasich is trying to figure out how best to position himself for a long-shot bid for the GOP nomination in Cleveland this summer.

Related: Conservative-Backed Third Party Push Will Have to Wait

With many establishment Republicans including Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina now holding their noses and supporting Cruz as part of a stop Trump at any cost movement, Kasich is the fly in the ointment.

Cruz has beaten Trump more than a half dozen times so far in the 2016 primaries and caucuses and rightfully portrays himself as the best hope for derailing Trump. Kasich, meanwhile, will be hard pressed to find another state where he could actually carry a majority of votes this spring, as he did in Ohio.

But the former House Budget Committee chair and one-time investment banker desperately needs to somehow to build on his Ohio victory to make the case that he is electable  and can raise money  in a political season almost totally dominated by Trump and his populist, anti-immigration and anti-establishment messages.

I dont think there is a Kasich path that doesnt involve [a brokered] convention, said Nathan Gonzales, a political analyst with the Rothenberg-Gonzales Political Report.

Related: How Far Will Republicans Go to Stop Trump?

Under current GOP party rules, Gonzales notes, candidates must win majorities in at least eight states in order to be considered in the first round of voting for the nomination at the national convention. Short of a change of rules or an absolute miracle, theres no way Kasich will be able to overcome that hurdle.

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In order to stay relevant, he needs to stay in the race, Gonzales said. And for those Republicans who are complaining about Kasichs role in Utah, even Cruz supporters might need Kasich [to slow Trump] in some of the New England and Northeast states to come.

Kasich, 63, a late entrant in the campaign, has held himself out as a common-sense, highly experienced moderate conservative with a proven record of job creation and budget-balancing. While Trump, Cruz and others have engaged in some of the ugliest political theatrics seen in a long time, Kasich, the son of a McKees Rocks, Pa., mailman, stressed his optimism and a proven record for government problem-solving.

Related: The GOP's Last, Best Hope to Stop Trump?

"Let me tell you, neither Cruz nor Trump can win the general election," Kasich said on NBCs Today show the morning after his one and only victory. "They can't come in to Ohio with the philosophy they have and win. You can't win Ohio, you can't be president."

Kasich said he was determined to ride his campaign all the way to his partys convention in mid-July because neither he nor the other two contenders is going to have the minimum votes to claim the nomination. Trump insists that he will have enough  or nearly enough  delegates, and he warned last week that there would be riots among his supporters if party leaders attempt to deny him his rightful due.

Trump currently leads the field of three candidates with 678 national delegates, more than halfway to the required 1,237, compared to 413 for Cruz and 143 for Kasich. There are still 1,059 delegates available.

Cruz  arguably the most reviled member of the Senate  insists that he is now the only one who realistically stands a chance of outright beating Trump. "A vote for John Kasich is a vote for Donald Trump," Cruz said Saturday while campaigning in Utah.

Related: Trump Moves to Take Control of the Republican Party

But in order to keep Trump from winning the nomnation, Cruz must gather together the broken shards of the GOP and win over Republicans who have long despised him for his arrogance and self-serving tactics. Thats why he has been engaged in serious fence-mending in recent days and has lined up a series of prominent endorsements to bolster his campaign.

Graham, who fell by the wayside in the presidential contest after losing to Trump in his home state of South Carolina, once said that choosing between Trump and Cruz was like choosing between poisoning or being shot. But on Thursday, Graham pledged his allegiance to Cruz because he found him far preferable to Trumps menacing rhetoric and polices.

Then on Friday, Romney wrote on Facebook that he would vote for Cruz in Utahs GOP caucuses Tuesday, while stopping short of giving the Texan a blanket endorsement. "Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism, wrote Romney. 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 Mr. Trump is to have an open convention, Romney added. 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  beginning with the potentially winner take all contest for Utahs 40 national delegates.

Related: The Brutal Economic Truth Behind the Rise of Trump

As for Kasich, Romney said that while he likes the governor and campaigned with him in Ohio last week, A vote for Governor Kasich in future contests makes it extremely likely that Trumpism would prevail. Others, like right-wing broadcaster Glenn Beck, who despises Trump as a pony conservative, had much stronger words for Kasich to get out of Cruzs way.

Kasich, I mean, excuse my language, but, you son of a bitch, the republic is at stake, Beck said on his show last Wednesday. This is not like a normal race. The republic is at stake.

University of Virginia political scientist Larry J. Sabato said late last week that Kasich won't be influenced by criticism from Cruz and his allies, but yes, he's probably making it easier for Trump to claim the nomination.

There are only three candidates left, and wild scenarios notwithstanding, one of them will be the nominee, Sabato said. Kasich just has to hang in there and hope the other two self-destruct. Not bloody likely, but it's a wild year.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
(Recasts, adds quotes, changes dateline; previous MOSCOW)

By Alexander Reshetnikov and Gennady Novik

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia, March 20 (Reuters) - Relatives gathered to mourn the 62 victims of a passenger jet crash in southern Russia on Sunday and officials warned an investigation could take weeks to determine the cause of the downing.

At Rostov-on-Don airport about 400 people paid their respects to the 55 passengers and seven crew who died when the Boeing 737-800, operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, crashed in the early hours of Saturday.

Bereaved relatives laid red and white carnations on a growing pile of flowers, candles and children's toys, framed by photos of the dead. "We mourn," read an inscription listing the victims' names.

"What happened cannot be expressed with any words. I can't comprehend how the relatives of the victims will go on living," Rostov resident Marina Bondar told Reuters.

"The whole world is expressing its condolences to us. But it is impossible to forget this."

At the crash site, Russian workers finished their search of the snow-covered wreckage, having sifted more than 200 pieces of the victims' bodies scattered across the airfield, Russian TV reported.

Russia's airline regulator said work had started extracting information from the doomed plane's flight recorders, which were badly damaged in the crash.

"The received recorders are badly damaged mechanically," Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) said in a statement on its website, alongside a photo of a crumpled recorder.

"Specialists ... have started the inspection, opening and removing the memory modules from their protective coverings for further work to restore the cable connections and prepare to copy the data," the IAC said.

RIA news agency cited an IAC official as saying it could take one month to decode information from the recorders.

STRONG WINDS

Under international aviation rules, the investigation will be led by Russia's air safety investigation agency with representatives from the United States, where the jet was made, and the United Arab Emirates, where the airline is based.

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Flydubai's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said on Saturday it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, but officials have suggested it could have been caused by pilot error, a technical problem or strong winds at the airport.

Speaking at a news conference in Dubai on Sunday he said: "We have high confidence in the Russian authorities who are capable of managing local conditions for flights," he said. "We fully trust the Russian authorities in this."

"The airport was open. It was good enough to operate and good enough to land, as per the authorities," he added. "The weather conditions were good enough for the flight."

Flydubai said in a statement it was organising hardship payments to families of the victims amounting to $20,000 per passenger, in accordance with its conditions of carriage.

The airline has not cancelled or delayed any flights because of the crash, it added, and Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said the airport would reopen on Monday morning.

Security services in the Middle East and Russia 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.

(Additional reporting by Sylvia Westall in DUBAI; Writing by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Spanish Finance Minister Luis de Guindos Jurado addresses the United Nations Security Council after the Council voted to approve a resolution to cut funding for Islamic State during a meeting of the Council where Finance ministers of member countries attended at U.N. headquarters in New York, December 17, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's acting government aims to enforce stricter controls over regional financing as it seeks to convince Brussels it can keep the country's budget deficit in check, Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said in an interview published on Sunday.

Spain, which has yet to form a new government after an inconclusive election on Dec. 20, has been warned several times by the European Commission that it needs to do more to cut its deficit this year.

The Commission deemed that a 2016 budget plan passed before the election by the centre-right People's Party (PP) was based on overly optimistic growth forecasts and needed to be revised.

Under EU rules, Madrid has to bring its headline budget deficit below the EU threshold of 3 percent of gross domestic product, cutting it to 2.8 percent from a goal of 4.2 percent for 2015.

Luis de Guindos said in an interview with the ABC newspaper that overspending by Spain's 17 autonomous regions was the main risk to the country's overall deficit targets.

The regions were already likely to have overshot their own goals by a wide margin in 2015, he said.

"In the stability programme that we have to send to Brussels by the end of April, the government will include a series of measures to correct that deviation," De Guindos said.

Spain is already likely to have missed the 4.2 percent goal.

Asked if Spain would seek more time from Brussels to meet its 2016 deficit goal, as advocated by rival parties including the Socialists, De Guindos only said: "What is important now is that our plan to reduce the deficit at a regional level should be seen as credible."

Madrid has tools to fine regions if they miss deficit targets, though it has shied away from using sanctions. It could also impose stricter conditions on the funding it hands out to local governments.

Parties on the right and left in Spain are still struggling to form a viable coalition after all fell short of a majority in the wake of an uneven recovery from recession. Spaniards could yet have to head back to the polls in June.

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De Guindos told ABC that Spain was well placed to achieve economic growth of close to 3 percent this year after expanding by 3.2 percent in 2015.

Quarterly growth would slow slightly in the January to March period to 0.7 percent, from 0.8 percent between October and December, largely due to faltering global prospects, he said.

(Reporting by Sarah White; Editing by David Goodman)
By Ece Toksabay and Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish member of the Islamic State militant group was responsible for Saturday's suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed three Israelis and an Iranian, Turkey's interior minister said. The attack in Istiklal Street, Istanbul's most popular shopping distict, is the fourth such bombing in Turkey this year and the second one by Islamist militants. In January a suicide bomber blew himself up in Istanbul's historic heart, killing 12 German tourists. NATO-member Turkey is on heightened alert after the bombings, which have killed more than 80 people. A soccer match between Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce and Galatasaray was cancelled on Sunday and the stadium evacuated on what appeared to be a security threat. Interior Minister Efkan Ala identified Saturday's bomber as a man from a southern Turkish province, adding that five people had been detained so far in connection with the blast. "We have determined that Mehmet Ozturk, born in 1992 in Gaziantep, has carried out the heinous attack on Saturday in Istanbul. It has been established that he is a member of Daesh," Ala told a news conference broadcast live on television, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Israel has confirmed that three of its citizens died in the blast. Two of them held dual citizenship with the United States. An Iranian was also killed, Turkish officials have said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is trying to determine whether its citizens were deliberately targeted. Eleven of the 36 wounded were Israelis. In his first public appearance since the bombing, President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not give in to militants. "We will never surrender to the agenda of terror. We will defeat the terrorist organisations and the powers behind them by looking after the unity of our nation," he said. SPATE OF BOMBINGS As part of a U.S.-led coalition, Turkey is fighting Islamic State in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling Kurdish militants in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. The spate of bombings has raised questions about its ability to protect itself from a spillover of both the Syria and Kurdish conflicts. An offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for two recent car bomb attacks in the capital Ankara that killed a total of 66 people. Turkey sees the Kurdish insurgency as fuelled by the territorial gains of Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria. Police were questioning the father and brother of the alleged bomber Ozturk and had determined his identity by checking a DNA sample from the blast scene against one taken from his father, security sources said. Ozturk's family reported him missing after he went to Istanbul in 2013, the security sources said. Police were on also on alert due to concerns about potential clashes between security forces and Kurdish militants during a spring festival this weekend that is widely celebrated by Kurds. The United States and some European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant before the Newroz celebrations. Interior Minister Ala said authorities had put 200,000 members of the police and gendarmerie on duty, some of whom would set up checkpoints. Hundreds of bomb control devices had also been dispatched. But he acknowledged the difficulty of catching lone suicide bombers. "We have to take all measures to prevent any terrorist acts," he said. "But sometimes there are suicide bombings that are hard to prevent." 'WE ARE HERE' Streets across the city, usually bustling with traffic and pedestrians on Sundays, were eerily quiet apart from the sound of police helicopters buzzing overhead. Although Istiklal was quiet earlier in the day it was no longer deserted by afternoon. Crowds gathered at a makeshift memorial at the site of the bombing, where mourners laid carnations next to handwritten signs that read: "We are here. We are not afraid." Ahmet Merkit, who was carrying a Turkish flag near the site of the blast, described the bombing as an attack against all Turks. "Those who did this cannot call themselves Muslims. They have no religion," he said. "We must remain a democratic society. We are a nation that has never surrendered, we will not surrender now to terrorism." Dutch Consul General Robert Schuddeboom, who had come to lay flowers at the site, said there could be more such attacks. "With terrorism, even the best of security agencies and the best of information cannot prevent it from happening... The general analysis is that we can expect more attacks," he said. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook were not readily accessible, local users reported. Authorities have blocked access after past bombings, usually because graphic images have been shared online. It was not immediately clear whether Germany, which closed its diplomatic missions and German schools last week citing a security threat, would open them on Monday. A foreign ministry spokeswoman said the decision would be made at short notice. (Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Murad Sezer, Osman Orsal and Can Sezer in Turkey; Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem and Hans-Edzard Busemann in Berlin; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
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.
Screen Shot 2016 03 18 at 5.06.23 PM

Recessions usually come from a series of dominoes falling: The housing market crashes, and then the tech bubble bursts, and so on.

Right now one of the biggest sources of fear is the credit market.

As oil prices have collapsed, the fear that energy companies would go bankrupt and that any negative impacts from this would spill into the broader economy has risen.

And according to Michelle Meyer, US economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the fear of contagion from bankruptcies in the energy sector to a broader economic slowdown is just that  a fear.

"It is important to note that if defaults rise due to non-macro events  which means without being triggered by a recession  there seems to be somewhat limited feedback into the economy," said Meyer in a note to clients on Friday.

This basically means that the bankruptcies from energy companies are not in and of themselves problematic. Investors should be far more worried if a slowdown in the economy away from just a decline in oil prices were triggering these bankruptcies.

According to Meyer, high-yield-bond defaults will reach 6% this year. And even if that leads to layoffs at those companies, the tremors won't be enough to knock the economy off its solid footing.

Here's Meyer:

If we assume the companies who default are average size, this would mean that 600,000 workers are vulnerable. However, many bankruptcies result in restructuring rather than the demise of the company, suggesting a portion of the workforce would likely be retained.

For arguments sake, lets say half of the workers in companies going through bankruptcy proceedings become unemployed over the course of a year. This would result in 25,000 job cuts a month. As we have seen in the energy sector, a lot of these layoffs may already be happening so the incremental layoffs would presumably be less than 25,000 per month.

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This is clearly just illustrative and assumes that bankruptcies are narrow and do not spread to the broader economy.

And so with recent economic data indicating an economy that  while not doing great  is still growing, defaults seem likely to have a limited broader impact.

According to Mark Durbiano, senior portfolio manager of high-yield debt at Federated Investors, the worry over contagion showed up in a sell-off of high-yield bonds to start the year, and current moves, however, show the risks have faded.

fredgraph (16)

"People were looking at energy as a microcosms of the whole debt and credit market," Durbiano told Business Insider.

"It really was just an industry-focused event. Corporate-credit quality is solid. The US economy is solid. There's no reason to think that's going to change anytime soon."

Durbiano, who oversees $51.1 billion in fixed-income funds, said that the likelihood of contagion is incredibly low, and he thinks there is little risk from either increased defaults or tightening bond-lending standards more broadly.

Meyer is of the same view.

Outside of the direct negative effects such as layoffs and bankruptcies, Meyer doesn't see the defaults making much of an impact on companies taking out loans, thus doing little to slow investment behavior and general economic growth.

"While it is still early, there is little evidence of bank credit tightening thus far," wrote Meyer.

"[Commercial and industrial] loans utilized continue to grow at around 10% yoy, based on the Feds aggregate H8 data. Our internal data show that Bank of America domestic C&I loans are growing at a solid pace ... This implies that both supply and demand of credit are increasing, implying we are not seeing higher utilization rates that would signal greater stress."

Screen Shot 2016 03 18 at 3.52.18 PM

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Chenot | Getty Images, left; Carlo Allegri | Reuters. President Obama is going to Cuba with one arm tied behind his back  by Republicans, says Mike Coates.

With Secretary of State John Kerry canceling his trip to Cuba just two weeks before President Obama 's scheduled visit to the country, the pressure is on for President Obama to convince President Raul Castro to embark on meaningful economic and political reforms. Unfortunately, he's going with one arm tied behind his back by an intransigent, Republican-led Congress that refuses to consider lifting the economic embargo the United States imposed on Cuba more than 50 years ago. This embargo is the single biggest obstacle to bringing the real change in Cuba that so many Republicans say they want to see.



Over the past year, President Obama has positioned the United States as a good faith partner for Cuba, reopening the U.S. Embassy in Havana and promoting trade and tourism, among other watershed actions. His policies reflect a shift in U.S. perceptions of Cuba, with most Americans  including a majority of Cuban Americans  now favoring normalized relations. According to a recent Florida International University poll, 68 percent of Cuban Americans favor re-establishing diplomatic relations, with even greater numbers among the younger generation. American businesses also want better relations with Cuba, as I saw first-hand during my recent trip there, where I encountered dozens of American businessmen, including a delegation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, all interested in exploring more opportunities with Cuba.

Regrettably, despite President Obama's efforts, President Castro has shown no signs of relaxing his repressive policies on human rights, transparency or economic freedom. His intractable stance is rumored to be the reason that Secretary Kerry canceled his trip. In fact, President Castro has repeatedly slammed the United States for maintaining the embargo, including during his first speech to the United Nations last September, even though he knows that his refusal to introduce real reforms means that the chances of lifting the embargo are extremely slim.

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That's because a small group of Republicans are dead set against normalization. They continue to treat Cuba as a Cold War pariah and are intent on settling 50-year-old compensation claims arising from expropriation of U.S.-owned businesses following the Cuban revolution. Interestingly, these cold warriors seem out of step with the traditional Republican mantra of free trade and open borders that President Ronald Reagan astutely pursued with a Communist-led China in the 1980s. Sen. Marco Rubio suggested that, had he won the presidency, he would have not only maintained the embargo but rolled back President Obama's reforms, too. (While he's no longer in the race, he's still a senator.)

This stance plays right into President Castro's hands.

It is no secret that the Castro government blames most of Cuba's economic problems on the U.S. embargo, using it to garner sympathy from the international community, including getting nearly all member states of the United Nations to call for its repeal. It doesn't seem to have dawned on Sen. Rubio that, without the embargo, President Castro can no longer blame the United States for Cuba's lack of economic progress.

The truth is, current Cuban laws and policies  such as compulsory partnering with state-owned firms, an artificially imposed waiting time to establish a corporate presence, paying labor through state recruitment agencies, and mandatory use of state-owned law firms  are more problematic for Cuban growth than the embargo. By removing the embargo as an excuse, the pressure falls squarely on the Cuban government to demonstrate to its people that it can grow through the existing socialist system and policies.







Cubans are also increasingly aware of what's missing. They know that Cuba provides an attractive climate for U.S. business  its proximity to the U.S., a competitive tax regime, an educated workforce, social safety nets and low labor costs. With health care, education and even food paid for by the government, what Cubans want most are jobs and economic growth. Without the embargo to hide behind, the Cuban government will be compelled to meet the demands of the people if it wants to avoid a demand for governmental change.

It will take a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans to repeal the embargo. Ultimately, that vote will do more to force change in Cuba than anything President Obama can do when he visits the island in a few weeks' time.





Commentary by Mike Coates, president and chief executive officer of Hill+Knowlton Strategies Americas.



For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.







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2000 - 2022   24 .-   .       focus-news.net,                 () .                  24 .                 24      .       .       24 .
Dau Tieng

Cu Chi

Nui Ba Den

It's like going to confession every time I hear you speak

You're makin' the most of your losin' streak

Some call it sick, but I call it weak

You drag it around like a ball and chain

You wallow in the guilt; you wallow in the pain

You wave it like a flag, you wear it like a crown

Got your mind in the gutter, bringin' everybody down

Complain about the present and blame it on the past

I'd like to find your inner child and kick its little ass

Get over it

Get over it

All this bitchin' and moanin' and pitchin' a fit

Get over it, get over it

Glenn Frye and Don Henley

Take my word for this. That is much easier said than done.

Knowing where you are is very important when you need fire support, but it is more important that theMy recent post about the calligraphy master prompted Stan to mention that he was once in the drafting and Surveyor business. Here is the link to that article. It reminded me of some of the hand drawn maps I have in my Vietnam File. I am reluctant to publish some of my Vietnam diaries here but this may help to illuminate the old days before GPS and pinpoint bombing became the norm.Every army since time began probably used some form of map todetermine their location as well as the enemy's location. Long before GPS was the standard, the map was the most important part of planning and executing maneuvers. It may still be.During my time in Vietnam, we used the Army tactical maps to mark and plot our unit's missions. Unit operations were coordinated using maps that displayed terrain, vegetation, and structures on a scale of 1:50,000. At that scale, one and 1/4 inch represented approximately one mile. Each map grid square is 1,000 x 1,000 meters (usually referred to as a Klick for kilometer). The rule in map reading is to "read right and then up." For example, the coordinates XT304296 on the map to the right is used identify the location of a major battle on April 4, 1968. The six digit coordinate would locate a point within 100 meters. The precision of a point location is shown by the number of digits in the coordinates: the more digits, the more precise the location.That's why you usually call for a marking round before unleashing the HE (High Explosive) rounds. After all 100 meters leaves a lot of room for error. Click here for a larger version of the Tactical map. 3029- a 1,000-meter grid square.304296- to the nearest 100 meters.30452965- to the nearest 10 meters.Here is a tactical map of my Area of Operation (AO) while in Vietnam. I have plotted several of the major battles my unit was involved in during my tour.Below are some hand drawn maps of various base camps that were in our AO.There are maps and there are maps. Here is a map of our one of our Base Camps in Vietnam, which I think was drawn by our resident artist, Wild Bill Hauser (I could be incorrect here as my memory is faded). This was drawn free hand using the topo maps of the Army as a guide. He drew it after he returned from Vietnam based on memory and consultation with othersWild Bill also drew caricatures of most of the guys in the unit, but unfortunately, I lost mine during the years of denial and repressed memories.Naturally, the Army in all its wisdom decided that Wild Bill was more valuable as a grunt than a mapmaker or cartoonist.Here is a map of Cu Chi, which was much more detailed and based on some Army maps. I am not sure that Wild Bill drew this one This was the Headquarters camp of the 25th Infantry Division and was like a mini city. I have forgotten the details of how this map came to be but I am sure it was not done in country since it would be a great mortar plot map for the enemy.There was a mountain in my AO (Area of Operation) in South Vietnam that stood out because it was the only high ground for miles around. Vietnam had such a diverse terrain but my AO was mostly rice paddies, jungles, and rubber plantations. The mountain was The Black Virgin Mountain based on some ancient Vietnamese legend. It real name was Nui Ba Den and it was 986 meters high. It was a communication and relay center. Because of its height, it was a coveted military target. We controlled the base and the top and the VC controlled the middle. It was heavily vegetated with jungle and forest.It was a constant target of the VC and was over ran several times during my tour. The VC would often probe the perimeter during the night. There was a series of bunkers around the mountaintop. In the center was a mortar pit where we would fire H&I's (Harassing and Interdiction fire) randomly during the night. One such time was May 1968. I was part of the relief unit that was sent to reclaim and secure the mountain after it was over run. Here is a link to a short video showing some scenes on the mountain. The bunkers were numbered and connected by landlines to the FDC (Fire Direction Center) as well as by Radio. During the night, a bunker could call in for illumination flares, which would light up the area for observation. If they saw something, they would call in for HE (High Explosive) fire in the area.The FDC plot boards mapped the entire area with azimuth and distance fire parameters documented. A good mortar crew could set up and execute a fire mission within less than a minute after receiving the call. They could adjust the fire in a 360-degree circle to cover the entire mountaintop.Some would ask how one would remember such things? The best way to cement something in memory is to attach some emotional baggage to the memory. Think about your childhood neighborhood, I will bet most could sketch the two-mile radius without consulting a map.Several of my comrades have revisited Vietnam in recent years and visited the locations using their old maps as reference points. Vietnam today is nothing like it was in the 1968 era, but then nothing much else in the world is the same either. I never had an urge to revisit Vietnam. When people ask me if I ever wanted to revisit Vietnam my answer is "Nope! I did not lose anything there but my innocence, and I am pretty sure it is not there anymore".Today Nui Ba Den is an amusement park with a gondola system people can ride up and down the hill. There is also a slide way, which is winding track ride that drops 1700 meters around the mountain. Good for them, the Vietnamese needed a break from the endless wars that tore their country apart.As you might suspect, many Nam Veterans have tried to research the battles and places of their tour. I am guilty of this as well. I think it is part of trying to exorcise the demons as well as document what was for most, the most traumatic time of their lives. Most non-combat veterans get tired of hearing about the experience and just wish you would stop living in the past.The Eagles had a song on their album 'Hell Freezes Over' released: 1994. The song "Get Over It" expresses the advice to just grow up and move on. Here is an extract of the lyrics to that song.
Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Former Vice President Vincent Siew () will lead Taiwan's 33-member delegation to the Boao Forum for Asia that is kicking off in China March 22, and none in the delegation will serve as Cabinet members in the Tsai Ing-wen () administration to be sworn in on May 20, said an executive of the Cross-Strait Common Market Foundation Sunday.
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Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Unstable weather is expected to continue throughout Taiwan for the coming week, with all parts of the country likely to see intermittent showers or heavy rain as moisture increases due to the development of a series of convective systems that could affect the country, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Sunday.
Senator Tillis Delivers the Republican Weekly Address

Tillis on the Supreme Court Vacancy:



"For the good of the nation, I hope the President and the Democratic leadership do not repeat their mistakes of the past. I hope they'll accept, however reluctantly, the fact that the American people will have a voice in this Supreme Court decision, and start focusing on the issues that concern hardworking Americans."



WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) delivered the Weekly Republican Address, during which he discussed why the American people deserve to have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court Justice and the need for the Senate to focus on bipartisan efforts to help hardworking Americans.



"The President and Democratic leaders aren't exactly thrilled with giving the American people a voice. And contrary to their claims, the Senate is doing its job and fulfilling its constitutional obligation by deferring consent in order to let the people's voice be heard," said Senator Tillis. "Both sides can respectfully agree to disagree, but it's now time to move on to address the many pressing challenges facing our nation."



The Weekly Republican Address is available in both audio and video format. The audio of the address is available here, the video is available here, and you may download the address here.



A full transcript of the address follows:



"Hi, I'm Thom Tillis, Senator from the great state of North Carolina. I want to speak with you today about the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.



"It's a topic that has generated a lot of attention-and frankly, a lot of misinformation, especially since President Obama named a nominee earlier this week.



"There are a couple of things that make this vacancy unique.



"First, the seat became vacant in the middle of an election year, literally as Americans are casting their ballots to help choose the next President of the United States.



"Second, the seat will determine the balance of the court for generations to come, as we're replacing the incomparable Antonin Scalia.



"Justice Scalia was widely admired and respected for defending the original intent of the Constitution and its prescribed separation of powers, and he served as a critical check on President Obama's executive overreaches.



"While the Constitution allows the President to nominate a Supreme Court justice, our Founding Fathers also made sure to give the Senate advise and consent authority, to help protect the integrity of our system of checks and balances.



"The Senate can confirm a nominee, we can reject a nominee, or we can simply choose to withhold consideration of the nomination altogether so the American people can weigh in on this important decision.



"This is about principle, not the person the President has nominated.



"And it's why the majority of the Senate has chosen to use this unique situation as an opportunity to let the American people have a voice.



"The President and Democratic leaders aren't exactly thrilled with giving the American people a voice. And contrary to their claims, the Senate is doing its job and fulfilling its constitutional obligation by deferring consent in order to let the people's voice be heard.



"Both sides can respectfully agree to disagree, but it's now time to move on to address the many pressing challenges facing our nation.



"We know good things happen when both parties in Washington cast aside their areas of disagreement and instead focus on identifying areas of common ground.



"We saw that last week when the Senate passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, bipartisan legislation that gives states and local communities vital tools they need to combat the painkiller and heroin epidemic.



"It's a great accomplishment, but there is still much more work to be done this year.



"We need to fund our military and make sure our brave men and women have the equipment and training they need to keep themselves and our nation safe.



"We need to ensure veterans are receiving the best health care possible and more healthcare choices. And we need to hold VA bureaucrats accountable.



"This year, I'll be leading an effort to reform the military's health insurance program-and work to ensure that military families with autistic children have access to the care and the therapy they need.



"Senate Republicans already have their sleeves rolled up and we're ready to get this and much more done.



"The question now is what choice the President and Democratic leaders will make.



"Will they join us in doing our jobs on behalf of the American people? 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?



"Senate Democrats should remember the message the American people sent, during the 2014 election, which resulted in a new Republican Senate majority and 12 new Republican Senators, including myself.



"American voters made it clear they were sick and tired of the bitter partisanship and inaction of the then Democrat-controlled Senate. And they were frustrated with the President's overreliance on executive orders to bypass attempts at compromise and cooperation with Congress.



"For the good of the nation, I hope the President and the Democratic leadership do not repeat their mistakes of the past.



"I hope they'll accept, however reluctantly, the fact that the American people will have a voice in this Supreme Court decision, and start focusing on the issues that concern hardworking Americans.



"I hope the President's final months in office will be spent working with both parties to do great things for our nation.



"That's what the American people want. That's what the American people deserve.



"Thank you for your time, God bless you and may God continue to bless the United States America."


Abraham Lincoln

I HAVE worked for the United Nations for most of the last three decades. I was a human rights officer in Haiti in the 1990s and served in the former Yugoslavia during the Srebrenica genocide. I helped lead the response to the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Haitian earthquake, planned the mission to eliminate Syrian chemical weapons, and most recently led the Ebola mission in West Africa. I care deeply for the principles the United Nations is designed to uphold.And thats why I have decided to leave.The world faces a range of terrifying crises, from the threat of climate change to terrorist breeding grounds in places like Syria, Iraq and Somalia. The United Nations is uniquely placed to meet these challenges, and it is doing invaluable work, like protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian aid in South Sudan and elsewhere. But in terms of its overall mission, thanks to colossal mismanagement, the United Nations is failing.Six years ago, I became an assistant secretary general, posted to the headquarters in New York. I was no stranger to red tape, but I was unprepared for the blur of Orwellian admonitions and Carrollian logic that govern the place. If you locked a team of evil geniuses in a laboratory, they could not design a bureaucracy so maddeningly complex, requiring so much effort but in the end incapable of delivering the intended result. The system is a black hole into which disappear countless tax dollars and human aspirations, never to be seen again.The first major problem is a sclerotic personnel system. The United Nations needs to be able to attract and quickly deploy the worlds best talent. And yet, it takes on average 213 days to recruit someone. In January, to the horror of many, the Department of Management imposed a new recruitment system that is likely to increase the delay to over a year.During the Ebola epidemic, I was desperate to get qualified people on the ground, and yet I was told that a staff member working in South Sudan could not travel to our headquarters in Accra, Ghana, until she received a new medical clearance. We were fighting a disease that killed many thousands and risked spinning out of control and yet we spent weeks waiting for a healthy colleague to get her forms processed.He leaves the rapes and killings for further on down the column."The U.N. is as useless as tits on a bull".
Canadian missionary organization based in Stoney Creek is facing allegations that nearly $94 million in charitable donations purportedly sent to India in the past eight years can't be properly accounted for by either the Indian or Canadian governments.Gospel for Asia Canada's filings with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) show $93.5 million was transferred to India between 2007 and 2014, but Indian government documents show that no money from Canada was received by the charity's Indian affiliates during the same period.Pat Emerick, the head of Gospel for Asia Canada, is now named as one of the defendants in a U.S. class- action lawsuit launched last month in Arkansas alleging the multinational Gospel for Asia charity, which is based in Texas, has engaged in racketeering and fraud.Gospel for Asia was created and is controlled by K.P. Yohannan, who was born in the southern Indian state of Kerala and is now based in Wills Point, Texas, about 30 kilometres east of Dallas. Yohannan is also listed as the founder and president of the board of Gospel for Asia Canada.Much of Gospel for Asia's international work is focused on Kerala and a significant part of the charity's stated mission is to help the Dalits, members of India's lowest caste.In written responses to a lengthy list of questions submitted by The Spectator, Emerick strongly denied Gospel for Asia Canada is involved in any financial impropriety."This is entirely false, even absurd," Emerick stated. "For more than 30 years, this ministry  with its partners overseas  has provided humanitarian assistance and spiritual hope to millions upon millions of people."Bruce Morrison, a Nova Scotia pastor whose church has raised money for Gospel for Asia for more than 20 years, has filed formal complaints about the charity with the CRA and the RCMP.more
Medieval barbarity in the heart of Britain: Hardline Muslims spill blood in their London mosque by flaying their skin with chains in a practice so extreme it is banned in Iran

By Nick Craven and Omar Wahid For The Mail On Sunday 20 March 2016Daily MailWielding 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.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.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.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.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.A source close to him said: Sadiq does not think flagellation should be practised in this mosque or anywhere else.
CapitaLands wholly owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has unveiled its new Tujia Somerset brand of serviced residences.

The new brand of serviced residences will cater for the booming segment of middle class travelers in China.

Ascotts joint venture company with Tujia.com International (Tujia), Chinas largest online apartment sharing platform equivalent to Airbnb, has sealed contracts to manage six serviced residences to be operated under Tujia Somerset brand, giving a significant boost of 1,005 units to Ascotts portfolio in China.

Mr Lee Chee Koon, Ascotts Chief Executive Officer, said: Ascotts investment in Tujia is providing us with a new pipeline to manage apartments for a growing number of Chinese corporate asset owners as well as individual homeowners with multiple properties. By leveraging our Tujia Somerset brand, we will be able to spur the growth of Ascotts management and franchise business in China.

The group will rapidly increase its scale in China with the new Tujia Somerset brand along with our established Ascott, Citadines and Somerset brands. Their aim is to have 2,000 units under Tujia Somerset by the end of 2016.

Two of the six Tujia Somerset serviced residences, the 76-unit Tujia Somerset Baiyue Dalian and 355-unit Tujia Somerset Xinhui Shenyang, are in operation. The other four properties are the 154-unit Tujia Somerset West Coast Haikou, 140-unit Tujia Somerset Shining City Wuxi, 102-unit Tujia Somerset Weilian Tianjin and 178-unit Tujia Somerset South Nanjing. The addition of the six Tujia Somerset properties will further reinforce Ascotts leadership position as the largest international serviced residence owner-operator in China, with more than 15,000 units across over 85 properties in 25 cities.

The launch of the new Tujia Somerset brand comes at a time as China shifts to a consumption-led economy driven by the burgeoning middle class and with innovation and the Internet being major growth areas as announced by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the recent National Peoples Congress. The growth of the Chinese middle class consumers will continue to drive demand for domestic and overseas travel.
JESUP  Reed Havlik can be a bit bashful around new faces, so he relies on a little help from his superhero friends.

Theres Iron Man, Batman, Captain America and a few other muscled action figures from whom he draws courage.

But to his parents, 3-year-old Reed needs no courage from anyone.

Hes a superhero on his own, battling the forces of a disease thats slowly stealing his abilities and, eventually, his life.

A little more than a year ago, Reed was diagnosed with vanishing white matter, a degenerative, terminal brain disease. The disorder is among a category known as leukodystrophies, a group of rare genetic disorders that affect the central nervous system.

Reed is only one of about 170 cases of VWM worldwide, mostly all children, said his mother, Erika Havlik. He is losing his basic motor skills and has gone from running around like a normal toddler to not being able to walk, and will continue to lose other fine motor skills.

The average life expectancy of a VWM patient of Reeds age is five to 10 years from onset of symptoms. Reed was diagnosed in November 2014 at the age of 2.

He was acting and playing normal and went down for a nap, Erika Havlik said. When he woke up, he couldnt bear weight on his right foot.

Multiple tests over the next three months produced no explanation for Reeds symptoms. In February 2015, an MRI at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was conclusive for VWM, for which there is no treatment or cure.

This is a genetic disorder that falls into the leukodystrophy category that affects the white matter of the brain, said Dr. Seth Perlman, Reeds pediatric neurologist at UIHC. Gray matter mainly is the outermost folded part, the part that you see. White matter is a little deeper under that. Its primarily the connection from one area of the brain to another.

Gray matter is the microchips; white matter is the wiring that connects the chips, Perlman said. With VWM, over time, the actual (white matter) tissue degenerates and gets replaced by spinal fluid.

The result is a gradual loss of motor function, a loss that can be accelerated by a bump to the head, fever or stress.

We had been prepared to hear cancer or tumor, and then chemotherapy or surgery; something that can be cured, Erika Havlik said. We never expected this.

Perlman has seen only one other case of VWM in his career, during training in St. Louis. It is believed, Erika Havlik said, that Reed is the only VWM patient in Iowa.

Reed can no longer walk on his own. He crawls where he wants to go. He may need a wheelchair within the year, his parents say, and eventually his speech, vision and organ function will diminish.

His cognitive abilities, however, are and will remain sharp as a tack.

Hes got his daddys brain, Erika Havlik said.

Jesse Havlik is a network engineer at Farmers State Bank in Waterloo.

He knows so much and understands concepts well beyond his age, but physically he tries so hard and you can see he gets frustrated, Jesse Havlik said.

Although there is no cure for VWM, Reed is involved in extensive speech, occupational, physical and aqua therapies to preserve as much of his motor function for as long as possible.

The treatments in general we rely on are supportive treatments  physical therapy, rehab, medications to treat symptoms. ... It helps make life better but it doesnt change the underlying disease, Perlman said.

The Havliks say they have tremendous support of family, friends and their faith community. Two fundraisers, a 5k run and a golf tournament, are in the works to raise money for VWM research.

Since VWM is very rare ... not many scientists are interested in studying it. Because of this, funding for the doctors and researchers that are doing research surrounding VWM disease is quite limited, Erika said.

Currently, there are two researchers working on VWM  one in Israel and another in the Netherlands. Funding largely comes from families affected by the disorder. Perlman helped the Havliks send blood samples to the researcher in the Netherlands to help determine where the genetic mutation lies.

You need people willing to share their own information, Perlman said. Thats the only way to push forward and find treatments for specific diseases. You need people on all levels of this in order for the science to advance and for treatments that dont exist now to become reality.

The Havliks say the more funds they can raise, the sooner researchers can start doing human clinical trials, which are still three to five years away, Erika Havlik said.

We are trying to save our sons life, she said. But we leave it in Gods will, whatever Reeds path is. As time goes on it gets easier, but we still have weak moments. You have hopes and dreams for your child. You just modify those dreams.
Sides were clearly drawn and arguments heated back in 2011-12 when Mason City officials proposed a development in which a Colorado-based company planned to build a plant to use trash headed for the Landfill of North Iowa waste to create energy. It would have employed 50 jobs in what seemed like a nice, tidy project for this energy-conscious area.

However, many people  including neighbors in the area of the proposed plant  voiced environmental concerns. The landfill board, whose vote was necessary for the project to proceed, said no. There was some grumbling that officials were rushing the project without all the facts. We saw nothing that would have caused us to believe that, but once that sort of talk starts, it can be hard to slow or stop whether true or not.

Thats why Mason City and local economic development officials must be as open and forthcoming as possible at every turn in the long, detailed process that could lead to a pork processing mega-project on the citys south side.

If delivered as promise, the project will create 2,000 jobs an average salary of about $40,000, with an annual payroll in the tens of millions of dollars. Just building it would pump millions more into the economy, according to city and economic officials.

To their credit, city officials have done a very solid job of research and presenting of facts in the early stages of this project. Yet as is logical with a project of this scope and nature, questions have arisen.

Certainly the fact that the company name hasnt been made public has something to do with that. But city officials have been enthusiastic about what theyve found so far. They choose not to reveal the name because of the delicate nature of economic development, and we get that. One slipup and the company could go elsewhere, and Mason City would be the bridesmaid. Clear Lake and Mason City were bypassed in 2007 when Target chose to build a distribution center in Cedar Falls despite the North Iowa communities best efforts.

So while the secrecy grates at our journalistic nature, we understand what the citys going through and will wait patiently for the company to be identified  which cant come any too soon to suit us.

Then the questions will intensify as residents seek more details in key areas:

Jobs. Where will the workers come from? What kind of jobs will these be?

Environment. What will the impacts be on air and water? Who will monitor them and how?

Infrastructure. Whats the citys plan for long-term storage and use of water? How will stressors in transportation be addressed?

Incentives. What were they and what do they mean to taxpayers?

Education. If officials anticipate an influx of students, how will funding be impacted, particularly as some state money wont reflect enrollment changes for another year or two?

Community. With the addition of this facility, what does Mason City look like in five years? Ten years? Twenty years?

There seems to be great enthusiasm for this pork-processing plant by many. It will be a boon to our region and communities where workers will live and raise families.

George Andy Andersen, mayor of Nora Springs, remembers like many others the days when meatpacking was a major industry in Mason City and how that era was good for all of North Iowa for many years.

What is everybody talking about? Jobs, he told reporter John Skipper. This may have 2,000 jobs.  When it gets started its likely to start a lot of other things. People will look at Mason City and say, That city is starting to pop. 

Added Casey Callanan, chairman of the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors: Like anything else, communication and education are key components when addressing concerns.

Driving all of this, of course, is economic development, which at its most basic form is work force development. The region touts its STEM initiatives in schools, and wed welcome those industries, as well. But to attract that balance, we need a boost.

Some of the questions outlined above will be difficult for company and city officials to answer, but Mason City needs to have these discussions as we move forward.

Only then can we all decide together  as is best  whether this project is right for Mason City.

On the surface, we believe it to be so. Now, as more details become known, we look forward to open, honest and engaging discussions on a project that, if approved, will change our city forever.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., March 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpine Vision announced that Dr. Audrey Merryman has joined the Colorado optometry practice. Dr. Merryman graduated with honors from the New England College of Optometry in 2004 and joined Alpine Vision in 2015. Dr. Merryman's training included externships in ocular disease at the US Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Service and the US Department of Veteran Affairs. In addition, Dr. Merryman completed integrative public health training at Boston's Dimock Community Health Center.



According to Dr. Christopher J. Arbaugh of Alpine Vision, "Dr. Merryman's resume is impressive. In addition to her work in Boston and for the U.S. health services, she also completed pediatric training at Colorado Optometric Center which makes her an excellent addition to our family vision practice. She has great experience working with young children and addressing their specific vision needs. In addition, her impressive externships trained her to work with patients of all ages with very difficult vision problems. We believe that parents can feel confident that Dr. Merryman will always provide the highest level of care possible no matter the age of the patient."

At Alpine Vision, Dr. Merryman specializes in pediatric vision, contact lenses, and the management and treatment of dry eyes. "Her skills complement our practice well," stated fellow Alpine Vision doctor Tyson D. Reuter. "We are proud to call her our colleague. Our primary focus is to provide excellent care for each of our patients and the addition of Dr. Merryman will allow us to do so, even as our practice expands. Her expertise is greatly valued."

Alpine Vision has three locations in central Colorado where they provide comprehensive eye services. In addition to comprehensive eye exams, the practice works with patients who are seeking LASIK vision correction. The doctors of Alpine Vision provide pre-surgery evaluation and post-operative care for LASIK and other eye surgery patients. As with all procedures and treatments, the doctors counsel patients on the recommended procedures as well as the risks of any complications.

"I'm excited to be part of this practice," stated Dr. Audrey Merryman. "Alpine Vision not only offers excellent vision testing with state of the art technology, but we also help our patients manage chronic vision conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. These diseases require early detection and professional treatment in order to prevent or slow the rate of vision loss. I believe that this practice has a lot to offer the central Colorado community."

To make an appointment or inquire about optometry services, contact Alpine Vision at 719-520-3333. Regular office hours vary by location with extended hours one day a week and morning appointments on Saturdays. For more information on locations, hours, and services, visit them online at http://alpinevision.com/
Serial mass transit thief Darius McCollum ostensibly never met a train or bus he didn't want to steal, a, uh, quirk that's earned him infamy, jail time, and most recently, a deal with Hollywood. Indeed, McCollum's life story might soon take the form of a movie starring Julia Roberts, but the MTA says they may deserve a cut of the deal, thanks to a law that prevents felons from making money off their criminal activity.

Last week Variety reported that McCollum, who has been arrested over 25 times for impersonating transit employees and stealing subway trains and Greyhound buses, sold the rights to his life story. The ensuing film, called Train Man, was written by British screenwriter Simon Stephenson and is expected to star Julia Roberts as McCollum's attorney. But the Post reports that this week the MTA board will discuss whether or not they'll be able to take legal action against McCollum.

In 1977, New York State passed the first so-called "Son of Sam" law , which allowed the state to take proceeds a criminal earned from profiting off his crimes through a book, movie, television show, or other depiction. The MTA, which says its lost a lot of money thanks to McCollum's predilection for transit thievery, claims the agency should be able "to receive compensation" from McCollum, thanks to those laws.

McCollum, whose attorneys say has Asperger's syndrome, was most recently arrested in November, after he stole a Greyhound Bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal. McCollum pleaded guilty to the charge and is currently serving time in Rikers Island. Attorney Sally Butler, who is expected to be portrayed by Roberts in the future film in question, argued at the time that McCollum was unable to find a job and had no money when he stole the bus: "That's where he really has difficulties, when he gets scared, and any person facing homelessness without a dime in their pocket is going to be scared," she said at his arraignment in November.

Butler also argued that McCollum could potentially help law enforcement officials pinpoint weaknesses in the transit system, but instead, he was being targeted. "What if they acknowledge what skill he has and utilize it?" she said at the time. "Here&'s a guy that obviously they need some help from, and instead, he's going to be sitting in Rikers Island for a couple years wasting everyone's money."
A 44-year-old woman walking with a cane was killed early this morning by the driver of a yellow taxi, who sped away after striking her, according to witnesses.

According to the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad, police got a 911 call at about 3:39 a.m. about a pedestrian struck on First Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets. The CIS investigation thus far has revealed that she was struck by the driver of a yellow cab speeding north past Stuyvesant Town. The driver had fled by the time police arrived.

Police found the woman lying in the bus lane on the east side of First Avenue with trauma to her body. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The NY Post reports that the driver of the Toyota Camry sedan merged into the bus lane to pass another vehicle when it ran the woman over and dragged her for a block. According to the Daily News, police found her cane and a piece of the vehicle's front grille at the scene.

First Avenue reportedly shut down at 16th Street for about an hour early this morning during the investigation.

Police said that preliminary evidence indicates the woman was lying in the bus lane before the taxi driver struck her. It's not known at this time why she was lying down in the road. Her identity has not yet been released, pending the notification of her family.

No arrests have been made, and police are actively searching for the driver of the taxi.
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A hit-and-run taxi driver was arrested after he allegedly fatally struck and dragged a woman who was lying in the street in Stuyvesant Town yesterday.

Police say the incident happened around 3:35 a.m. Saturday morning, when 44-year-old victim Kenya Flores apparently lay down in a bus lane on the east side of 1st Avenue between East 16th and 17th streets. Yellow cab driver John Bangura, 68, apparently swerved into the bus lane to veer around a stopped vehicle, struck Flores, and dragged her down the street. Bangura then fled the scene.

Flores was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. It is unknown why she was lying in the street before the incident happened, but a cane believed to belong to her was found at the scene.

A piece of Bangura's bumper was also found, and he was later arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
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East Helena Schools plans a Community Relationship Meeting for 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 21, at East Helena City Hall, 306 E. Main St., to listen to community members discuss what they see as major issues facing schools.

The meetings purpose is to find ways to strengthen our community, said school superintendent Ron Whitmoyer. Its about strengthening the community and making it more resilient to deal with the challenges of our society in a more proactive and positive way.

It needs to be members of the community, who help us identify what those social ills are, said Whitmoyer.

He also wants to hear suggestions about possible solutions to these challenges, he said

Were talking about a myriad of things happening in society, he said, violence, bullying, drug use, those kinds of things, as well as suicide.

How do we turn the tide, he said, and how does the community use its existing strengths to be stronger.

How do we reach out to kids and adults? This is not about kids alone, Whitmoyer said, but adults and children.

The community meeting will include a panel discussion. A few of the panel members include mayor Jamie Schell, school counselor Kevin VanNice, and parent Karen Goldsberry and possibly others.

Whitmoyer will be in the audience to listen, he said, rather than be a panel member.

We dont want this to be a top-down-driven decision, he said. Were asking what can we do? What strengths can we rely on that can move us in a positive direction?
Justin Morin knows how Iraq changed the lives of those who served and fought there.

Our wives and our kids see what we go through day by day, Morin said. They see the frustration, the stress and the anger sometimes, things they dont need to see.

He wants to do something to help those who have returned and are coping with lives shaped by memories of trauma.

Morin, 29, who enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Kirkuk, Iraq, from 2007 to 2008, is trying to raise $250,000 to help five veterans -- himself and four others -- build Harley Davidson motorcycles and ride them across the country.

Operation Hard Ride, as the fundraising effort is called, plans to use the donations to pay for the motorcycles and two recreational vehicles that will allow the veterans families to accompany the motorcycles on the journey.

My goal is to start changing lives, he said on his GoFundMe webpage thats found at www.gofundme.com/4kshr45m.

22 veterans commit suicide every day in the United States. What would happen if we took 5 veterans and gave them the opportunity to build their own motorcycle as a team? What would they learn about themselves?

What would happen if those individuals traveled the United States visiting other soldiers battling the same things? Inspiring others can create a snowball effect, the website page continued.

In early March, Morin was just beginning the online fundraising effort and far from the financial goal. He had also to find the help he hopes to receive from those willing to donate motorcycle parts, supervise the construction and provide a place to build the motorcycles.

Im optimistic because well never quit on it, he said, seated across from his wife, Shanna, in a Helena coffee shop as two of their three children that they had with them played and the other one slept in a portable car seat/carrier.

It may take a couple of years, but its going to get done, he added.

I know well never quit on it.

The last stop for the caravan of motorcycles and recreational vehicles is to be Ground Zero, the site where the twin towers of World Trade Center stood before being toppled by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.

I just think we need to go there to pay our respects, Morin said.

The attack claimed the lives of more than 2,600 people in New York and the surrounding area.

This is a place that hes said hes always wanted to visit but been emotionally reluctant to go there.

Attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and a failed attack on either the Capitol or the White House resulted in the death of nearly 3,000 people, according to online sources, and propelled the nation into war.

9/11 for me was a huge deciding factor in my military career, said Morin, who tallied more than nine years of service in active duty, reserves and the Army National Guard.

Morin served 465 days in Iraq and was an all-wheel vehicle mechanic whose duties also included security work at the front gate to his base.

You dont know whos driving up or whos walking up, he said of what risks those guarding the gate faced.

Stress wasnt something handled while serving in Iraq, he said.

The most stressful part is now, he explained. In Iraq you get comfortable with the fact that you might not make it back. You do what you have to do.

But once returning home, veterans can see how Iraq changed them, Morin said and added, Im still learning stuff about myself today and fixing things for my family.

Thats one reason why we run Fish On Montana, said Morin, who is a hunting and fishing guide and grew up in Great Falls before moving to Helena in 2009.

Fish On MT takes firefighters, veterans, active duty personnel as well as law enforcement officers and emergency medical service providers on hunting and fishing trips that are funded through donors and sponsors.

Being outdoors and hunting or fishing is a way to help set aside some of the daily traumas these occupations contain instead of bringing them home to family life, Morin explained.

Operation Hard Ride was born out of a realization that something needed to change not only in his life, Morin said, but for the families that support veterans.

He sees the ride as a trip that may help veterans and others who deal with traumatic stress.

The camaraderie and the team building, thats the thing were shooting for, he explained.

There are veterans standing on the sides of roads because theyre homeless, Shanna said, or they go from job to job.

Creating this ride in Montana and taking the motorcycles and RVs across the nation will raise awareness of what veterans face and that the government isnt doing enough for them, she continued.

We want others to join us on the ride, her husband said.

Its about raising the awareness and letting others know theyre not alone in what theyre battling, he said.

Operation Hard Road, he explained, its to make an impact in someone elses life.
First, let me thank the IR editorial board for allowing me to respond to Fridays editorial. Let me be very clear: Washington Governor Jay Inslee needs to visit Montana.

And to the dedicated state employees in Helena, thanks for your service to this state. We recently heard the unfortunate news that the Otter Creek coal tracts will not be developed. Imagine what we could have accomplished with the extra $100 million Montana would have received every year had that project moved forward.

Now, imagine all that we will lose if we lose Colstrip.

I met a couple impressive young ladies from Colstrip recently. Lori Shaw and Ashley Dennehy are childhood friends. Together, they started Colstrip United in an effort to save the community they love. Ashley shared her story. Shes a young woman who grew up in Colstrip. Newly married, her and her husband recently bought a home. Now, they wonder if the biggest investment of their life will go down the drain. Will the family hardware store go out of business if the coal plant shuts down? Will they be forced to leave Montana to find opportunity elsewhere?

At our rally in Billings, we stood up for Colstrip. We also sent a message to Governor Inslee, who was scheduled to be attending a fundraiser with Governor Steve Bullock and anti-coal donors in Big Sky.

As Fridays editorial noted, I felt it was a slap in the face that Inslee would be invited to Montana for a big money fundraiser at the same time he and the Washington Legislature are trying to shut down Colstrip. Theres a bill right now awaiting Inslees signature that would pave the way for the closure of the coal-fired powered plant in Colstrip.

Whether Governor Inslee was at the base of Lone Peak, or back in Olympia, we sent him a clear message: Mr. Inslee, strike down this bill -- 7,100 jobs, one and a half-billion dollars in economic activity, and the entire community of Colstrip, Montana, hangs in the balance. This bill needs to be vetoed.

It's also important that we send a message to Governor Bullock. If he had the time to invite Inslee to his big money fundraiser, then he had the time to call on Inslee to veto this bill. And, he has the time to invite Inslee out to Colstrip to see first-hand all of the lives affected by his reckless actions.

Its not just folks in Colstrip whove been harmed. The Crow Tribe has been working tirelessly to develop a port in Washington state in order to create jobs on the Crow Reservation.

Its important that we make this very clear: were not here to attack Governor Inslee, nor to call him names. We simply want to make our case. Were asking Governor Inslee to come visit Billings and see how Montanas largest city benefits from coal production miles away. Visit the Crow Tribe and see the people and the programs that are supported by the very coal that could be shipped to terminals in Washington state. And, come visit Colstrip. Look into the eyes of the families who will be put out of work as a direct result of YOUR decision.

There is no reason to shut down Colstrip. It will do basically nothing to lower global temperatures, and thats according to Barack Obamas own Environmental Protection Agency.

The Colstrip families are the families whove been keeping the lights on for Washington state for decades. Montana and Washington state should be partners in clean coal technology. We should author our energy futures together.

Im an engineer. When we started RightNow Technologies, a globally recognized high-tech company in Bozeman, we were told it couldnt be done in a rural state like Montana. There is absolutely no reason that the land of Microsoft and the land of RightNow cannot join together and engineer the energy of our future. Together, we can lead the way on clean coal and energy technology.

In the meantime, we cannot kill the goose that is laying the golden egg. And, there is no reason that the folks whove been heating homes in Washington state for decades should be left out in the cold.

Greg Gianforte is a Republican candidate for governor in Montana.
LINCOLN  Health care services here are kind of hit and miss anymore, Joyce Cheney said after sweeping the strip of carpeting in front of the cash register at the Mountain View Co-op store where she works.

Shoppers were intermittent on Thursday evening, so she had time to reflect on what local health care means to her community, which is losing its one and only doctor at the end of June.

Health care, provided by PureView Health Center in Helena, has become a divisive issue in this town thats isolated in the mountainous country between Helena and Missoula.

Cheney, a Lincoln resident for eight years who has been working at the store for about seven months, said its uncertain these days if anyone will be at the local clinic when she calls.

You call out there to make an appointment and you get the answering machine, she said. Sometimes you get a call back. Not very often.

Local criticism of PureView Health Center has been particularly sharp lately, and a local group has called for terminating the organization's services in Lincoln.

Incomplete or incorrect information being spread by critics fuels the unrest that is polarizing the town, say those who want to retain medical services from PureView.

Adding to the distrust is a lack of understanding about the complex relationship that governs how health care in Lincoln is provided.

All PureView employees except the director are county employees, Lewis and Clark County officials have said, and PureView is managed by a board on which the county commission has but one vote.

The county also doesnt have authority over PureViews budget, as this too rests with the organizations board.

The Lincoln Hospital District has no authority over PureView and only leases the Parker Medical Center building to PureView.

If the clinic were to close, it wouldnt be good, Cheney said.

Its just kind of peace of mind for people out here, way in the middle of nowhere, basically, she continued. Its just kind of nice to know theres a medical facility close if anything happens.

Mary Ann Mailloux, manager of the D & D grocery store for more than a decade and a Lincoln resident for 23 years, also recognizes the importance of local health care.

Having local medical care, she said, its extremely important. Not everybody here can drive and get themselves to see someone.

Retired people, younger people who are unemployed and families with children all rely on local health care, Mailloux said.

We didnt have (a clinic) for a long time, and it was very hard for a lot of people.

Mailloux didnt know of that nights town meeting on health care until reading a story in the towns paper, the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch, the day the meeting was to be held.

Hopefully it will be well attended, she said.

Talk of the town

Gray hair and older age are common denominators among many of the roughly 30 people who came for the discussion that was organized by the Upper Blackfoot Community Council.

Others who filled the chairs were younger. Audience comments to those who organized the meeting and those who were there to explain how medical services are provided emphasized the need for medical services if Lincoln was to have a future.

There are enough boarded-up buildings in town, one person said, and added he didnt want to see another empty building -- a fear for the fate of the clinic building leased to PureView.

PureView represents a makeover of the Helena-based medical provider and its leadership. Prior to PureViews creation, health care criticism was perhaps louder and even included the hospital district.

Thats changed. Jim Bosshardt, the hospital districts chairman, is vocal in his support of PureView and its director, Jill Steeley, who was hired in March 2015 and began work in May.

The hospital district has the best working relationship with the Helena clinic that its had in 10 years, he said.

So too did he endorse the relationship with Lewis and Clark County and the services PureView provides.

I feel really confident, he said.

Weve really got something good, and its just going to continue to be better, Bosshardt added.

But in an editorial response in January to an article in the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch, Anthony DiPietro, spokesman for Citizens for Responsible Medical Care, leveled an array of accusations at PureView Health Center.

He also called for the Lincoln Hospital District and the county commission to sever its relationship with PureView as the communitys medical provider.

If the clinic were to close, town residents would have to travel to Missoula or Helena, options that Cheney and Mailloux said they didnt see as realistic or convenient.

There was little criticism of the clinics operation Thursday night and none of the fiery rhetoric thats come from the Citizens for Responsible Medical Care.

Eric Bryson, the countys chief administrative officer, expressed his surprise that none of these vocal opponents of PureView were at the meeting.

These are the people that actually care about their medical services, he said of the audience.

Laura Nicolai, a Lincoln resident who represents her town on the PureView board and is a Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance emergency medical technician, called on those at the meeting to stand up to the vocal minority of critics.

Stand up and dont be afraid, she said. You have all of us behind you.

After the meeting Nicolai said, Im grateful that theyre not here so the voices of the others in the community could be heard.

Intent to provide care

County Commissioner Susan Good Geise is a PureView Health Center patient and sought to reassure those at the Lincoln meeting of PureViews intent.

PureViews here to stay unless the people of Lincoln dont want PureView here, she said.

That was the message from Eric Schindler, chairman of the PureView board, who said one of the organizations missions is to provide health care services for those who are underserved.

We want to be here to help you, he said, but explained if the community didnt want service from PureView, the organizations board was ready to move on.

There is no federal requirement that PureView serve Lincoln, and there are no provisions that attach any of the federal funding to Lincoln, Schindler added.

PureViews budget for fiscal year 2016 -- the fiscal year began July 1, 2015 and ends June 30, 2016 -- anticipates a nearly $130,000 loss between revenue and expenditures for its Lincoln operations.

The loss is expected and said to reflect PureViews mission to serve those who lack access to health care.

Patient revenue is anticipated to be a little more than $244,000, and grant and other medical revenue will add nearly $285,500 to the bottom line that falls short of the projected operating cost of more than $658,600.

Concern exists that community unrest could add to the deficit, however, if fewer people come for health care.

The Lincoln clinic sees about eight patients a day, the audience was told. Dr. Leonard Blinder, who is the PureView doctor in Lincoln, announced earlier this year that he would be ending his relationship with PureView in June.

Physicians who come to Lincoln are eligible for loan repayment through the National Health Services Corp. that will pay $25,000 a year for two years toward a doctors education loans.

A husband and wife, both doctors, served the community for two years prior to Blinder. This two-year cycle has created concern in the community about the continuity of medical care.

Blinder, who will go to work at the VA in Helena, has said he will remain the medical director for the Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance, which resolves one of the significant uncertainties the community faces.

Domino effect

The ambulance service is required to have a physician as its director or it will be limited to only transporting without providing care for patients.

Aaron Birkholz, the ambulance service president and part of its crew as an advanced emergency medical technician, is among those who clearly understand the consequences of losing the clinic.

The Lincoln ambulance service is supported solely by the revenue it receives when patients are able to pay for calls, Birkholz said, explaining each call costs the service between $500 and $1,000.

If PureView leaves and there is no medical provider at the clinic, the ambulance service wont be able to financially withstand the demand for services, he said.

Birkholzs prognosis for the ambulance service was it would last about a year before shuttering its doors without a clinic operating in Lincoln.

And if the town rejects PureView, emails indicate there may be few if any options for local health care.

A March 15 email from Mary Jane Nealon, director of innovation at Partnership Health Center in Missoula, said federal Health Resources Services Administration grants are distributed in what they call service area competitions and require a medical services provider to be part of a defined geographic area to provide service there with grant funds.

Lincoln falls under the Lewis-Clark service area so we are unable to work with the clinic in Lincoln, Nealon wrote. Even if Lincoln was in our service area there may have been other concerns, but at this point, it is moot since we are unable to operate in that area.

The emails dont come as a surprise to Bosshardt, the Lincoln Hospital Districts chairman, who said I know theres no place else to go.

Plan for the future

Recruiting doctors to come to Lincoln is difficult, as they see few patients compared to busier medical facilities where there is more diversity each day.

And with the certificate to practice medicine comes significant debt that challenges repayment by those who go into primary care, said Schindler, the PureView board chairman.

Another difficulty noted by Steeley, PureViews director, is to then tell that prospective doctor that the job comes with also being the radiologist, the pharmacist and handling the front desk when necessary.

PureView is trying to recruit a doctor, but its also interested in a nurse practitioner, Steeley said, explaining the two roles can provide the same services that are needed at the Lincoln clinic.

A nurse practitioner would also be more comfortable with the slower pace of the clinic, she added in response to concerns about the recent turnover in clinic doctors.

Lets just think about whats going on here and not get sucked into the misinformation, said Zach Muse, vice chairman of the Blackfoot Community Council, who explained that misinformation from day one has been the problem.

A lack of factual information has created the community rift, said Bill Frisbee, the community councils chairman who retired from the Air Force in 2004 and moved to Lincoln as his parents lived there.

Despite the divide thats been created by this lack of knowledge, he said hes optimistic of what will come from the community meeting.

This, I think, will go a long way, Frisbee said. Its a step in the right direction.
MISSOULA -- The Australians have Ned Kelly. The Scots have Rob Roy MacGregor. How come Americans havent elevated Thomas Meagher to the status of national folk hero?

Tim Egan recalled feeling flat-footed when asked the identity of the man on horseback rampant before the Montana Capitol in Helena. At the time, he was unaware that Montanas first territorial governor had a backstory with more thrills than a Die Hard movie and better taste in sequels.

What Im trying to do is rescue Meagher from the mist of history, Egan said during a break from a cross-country book tour celebrating publication of The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero. At one point, he was easily the most prominent Irish-American in the United States. Not until John F. Kennedy came along was there a bigger one. But when he went to Montana, he kind of fell off the map.

Or was pushed, both figuratively and literally. Meagher spent his entire adult life cheating death from authority figures, before falling off a riverboat stateroom balcony into the Missouri River at Fort Benton on July 1, 1867. His body was never found. Egan cites extensive research indicating Meagher was probably assassinated by an agent of the Vigilantes, whose secret-society power he threatened by convening a publicly elected Legislature.

Most of Montanas early history was written by the people who may have killed him, Egan said of Meaghers first biographers. They described him as a drunk and a whoremonger, and did not give him his due at all. But the official history of Yellowstone gives Meagher credit as one of the first persons suggesting it might be a national park. The Legislature he convened got the road system going, got the ferry system going, and then enemies got his legislation removed by Congress in an unprecedented act. But everywhere Meagher went, he stood against injustice.

And it got him into constant fights.

Radicalized by hunger

Meagher was the son of a wealthy merchant family in County Waterford, but became radicalized during the Great Hunger of the 1840s when a million Roman Catholic Irish starved to death while their Protestant English landlords exported shiploads of food to foreign markets. While his speaking and writing skills roused a huge popular protest against English rule, Meagher realized an emaciated nation of paupers stood no chance in battle with the British Army. Nevertheless, he was captured and sentenced to death for fomenting rebellion.

The sentence was commuted to transportation, the English euphemism for exile to the island of Tasmania for the rest of a prisoners life. Meagher was allowed to live there like a parolee, in his own cabin but with regular appearances before a local magistrate and a ban on any contact with other exiles in neighboring districts. Egan wrote that Meagher flouted that rule by meeting a fellow revolutionary across a table the two men placed in a small stream that bounded their territories.

After about two years of enforced inactivity, Meagher put together a daring escape involving rowing across a swift ocean channel to a deserted island, where he waited for weeks for a rescue ship to pick him up for a trip to the United States. He arrived to a heros welcome in 1852, and soon became wealthy in New York City as a public speaker and writer touting the free Ireland cause.

At the time, the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing Party was waging a loud and violent campaign against Irish presence. Its members were suspected of starting riots in Philadelphia that left more than 30 people dead, along with churches, homes and even a fire station burned down.

Egan quoted one direct stab at the man known as the Tribune of Ireland:  As there is no word in the Irish language synonymous with Scoundrel, went one takedown, anonymously written and widely reprinted, henceforth let us use the name of Meagher. 

They were the second-biggest party in America, and they said the Irish were scum, Egan said. Take the exact same things that were said about the Irish, and substitute the word Mexican, and you can see this strain you think was gone is still alive today. You saw it with the Italians in the early 20th century. You saw it with the Asians and closing the door on China. And now you see it with the call to build a wall on the Mexican border. That nativist streak is not gone. It comes and goes.

Irish Brigade

Meagher opted to fight for Irish rights on someone elses battlefield.

As the titular United States lurched toward Civil War, Meagher reached out to President Abraham Lincoln with an offer to raise an Irish army for the Union. Lincoln made him a general, and Meaghers Irish Brigade went on to win bloody distinction in the battles of Bull Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg.

The Irish Brigade also logged the third-highest casualty rate in the Union Army. In the middle of the war, a new military draft law triggered days of rioting in the Irish neighborhoods of New York. The success Meaghers fighters won in battle got recomposed into an example of how a bigoted wealthy class was using the poor Irish as cannon fodder to free African slaves who would steal their jobs.

Meagher argued back publicly, endorsing the Emancipation Proclamation and comparing the plight of Southern slaves to the Irish under British rule. But he had also lost his taste for war. The South surrendered on April 9, 1865, and three months later, Meagher was betting that a move to the West would reveal his new fortune.

The luck of the Irish might have been coined for Meaghers life. While in Minnesota preparing for the trek to the Rocky Mountains, he got a telegram confirming that he was appointed acting secretary of Montana Territory by Lincolns successor, President Andrew Johnson. Departing jobless and nearly broke, Meagher arrived in Virginia City a federal dignitary.

He immediately got crossways with Montana Post Editor Thomas Dimsdale, the Oxford-educated, short, sickly and humorless  (and) strong supporter of a secret society that ran Montana Territory without formal recognition or adherence to the Constitution. Dimsdale is also the namesake of the Montana Better Newspaper Contests award for best weekly newspaper.

While the Vigilantes hold a heros status in many Montana history books for opposing allegedly crooked Sheriff Henry Plummer and his Innocents robbery gang, Egan said his research paints a very different picture.

Those guys were murderers, Egan said. They didnt let people have trials, they just grabbed whoever they wanted and hanged them. This was a constitutional democracy protected by the U.S. Constitution, and those are the people youre celebrating? I think Meagher brought the old struggle of the Know-Nothings to Virginia City. There was a North-South, Reconstruction part of it, but the Vigilantes were Freemasons and Protestants, who clearly didnt like the Irish and Catholics.

***

Egan credits Bozeman attorney and historian Paul Wylie for diligent work correcting the record on Meaghers time in Montana, including a 2012 coroners inquest into the facts of Meaghers death that found for murder.

But Meaghers own supporters started the rewrite decades before. Butte miners, largely Irish and including Egans great-grandfather, raised money in 1905 that paid for the equestrian statue of Meagher in Helena.

They placed that statue the way they did deliberately, Egan said of the sword-waving general and horse facing away from the Capitols front door. It meant only one thing: You can kiss my Irish ass.
Recent decisions by the city council and the school board have led to a lot of discussions about open records and open meetings.

Thats healthy and its always encouraging when citizens are filing requests for public records and wanting accountability for whether closed meetings have been properly called.

Without talking about any specifics, imagine a moment if the law was simple: Everything that government does -- every meeting, every document, every email, etc. -- is a public record. There are no exceptions. If a governmental body discusses it or writes it down, the public has access.

The idea seems crazy, but thats because weve been conditioned to believe that there are some things that government just has to deal with in private.

Every states open meetings and records laws are different, but almost all start with the premise that everything should be public, unless it meets certain exceptions. Those exceptions vary from a few to a wide range, with Illinois having several broadly-written exceptions.

But sometimes operating in the public view isnt all that intimidating.

When I was at the newspaper in Corvallis, Ore., the union representing the teachers and the school district decided to hold all of their bargaining sessions in public. In Illinois, such bargaining sessions are not open to the public and when the governmental body discusses strategy or whether to accept a contract that can also happen in closed session.

Several "experts" advised against the school district and the union taking such a step, but the superintendent and association leadership decided to give it a try.

It turned out to be a non-event. In fact, the biggest lesson most of us learned was that bargaining sessions are incredibly boring. A contract was reached with little acrimony and both sides said having the public and the media attend the sessions made little difference.

Personnel matters have been in the news lately and many governmental units believe those matters should be handled in private. There are good reasons for that but imagine, for a moment, if such records were available to the public. Taxpayers and other citizens would have the opportunity to judge whether the employment practices were fair to both employees and those paying the bills. Also, in at least some cases, it would clear up confusion over why disciplinary action was taken. Public employees would argue that their personnel records shouldnt be exposed to public scrutiny. Thats a solid argument, but what if that became one of the standards of being employed by a public body? Every job has certain advantages and disadvantages. For public employees, one of the disadvantages would be that your personnel record could be examined by the public.

Another possibility is to make the personnel records of only those that report directly to an elected body subject to public disclosure. So, for example, the personnel records of a superintendent or city manager would be public, but the records of a teacher or a police officer would be protected.

What would happen if there were no closed meetings? There may be some circumstances where closed sessions are necessary, for example if purchase negotiations are the subject. But I guarantee that most closed sessions are held for the convenience of elected officials. During my time in Oregon the open meetings law had a strange provision. The meeting could be closed, but members of the media could be present, as long as they promised not to report what happened in the meeting. It was a ridiculous law, but most reporters found that what happened in a closed meeting could have occurred in open session.

Opening records and meetings completely will never happen, especially in Illinois. There are too many officials that prefer to operate in the dark. But the more sun that shines on our government, the better the government serves the citizens.
JOHANNESBURG  Speaking in an old fort and prison from South Africa's era of white domination, a former anti-apartheid leader hinted that he would like to see the country's scandal-hit president quit by referring to the 1974 resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon.

"I wish we can have a long nightmare over in this country," said Mathews Phosa, echoing a similar phrase by Gerald Ford, the vice president who replaced Nixon after the Watergate scandal.

The barb aimed at the South African president, Jacob Zuma, drew chuckles from a crowd celebrating the 20th anniversary of the constitution adopted after the end of white minority rule in 1994. It reflected frustration among many older South Africans who campaigned for a multi-racial democracy decades ago and feel those earlier ideals are being cheapened by corruption allegations enveloping the presidency of Zuma, who denies any wrongdoing.

Accusations that Zuma, himself an ex-activist who was jailed during apartheid, is being manipulated by a wealthy business family are all the talk in South Africa these days. The Guptas, an Indian immigrant family, say they are scapegoats and victims of hate speech.

The phrase "Guptagate" is making the rounds. Blending Zuma and Gupta, an opposition party released "Zupta must fall," a song with an electronic beat.

Besides humor, though, there is a wistfulness among those who recall, with rose-colored glasses in some cases, a heady time when sacrifice, morality and, ultimately, reconciliation seemed clear-cut.

Phosa, who helped negotiate apartheid's end, spoke Thursday night at Constitution Hill, a downtown Johannesburg site that houses South Africa's highest court as well as the Old Fort prison complex, whose inmates included Nelson Mandela. The event marked the opening of "It's a Fine Line," an exhibition of pencil drawings of key figures on both sides of the fight over apartheid, as well as historical images and video footage screened in an old cell block.

Guests included Albertina Luthuli, daughter of Albert Luthuli, who was awarded the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize for opposing white rule; Limpho Hani, widow of assassinated anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani; and Pik Botha, a former foreign minister seen as one of the more liberal defenders of apartheid.

"I read about him in my textbooks and here he is in the flesh. Oh my goodness!" the moderator, Ayanda-Allie Paine, said of Botha. Also attending was Roelf Meyer, chief negotiator for the apartheid government during the political transition to majority rule in the early 1990s.

While the venue and VIP list were rich with history, South Africa's current political uncertainty, stirred by allegations that the Gupta family has had influence over some appointments to Zuma's Cabinet, seemed to be on everybody's mind.

"A good leader is a leader who knows when it is time to go," said Phosa, former treasurer general of the ruling African National Congress party. He referred to recent comments by Kgalema Motlanthe, a former deputy president under Zuma. Motlanthe, who was in the audience, had talked to the City Press newspaper about nurturing new leaders. Asked about calls for Zuma to resign, he reportedly said: "When we lower the bar, it means we settle for the lowest option."

The speech-making at Constitution Hill ended with Ivor Ichikowitz, a South African businessman whose family foundation sponsored the exhibition. Ichikowitz, head of the Paramount aerospace and defense company, said South Africans should have pushed harder for basic rights such as education after apartheid.

The industrialist concluded with a Mozambican revolutionary slogan used throughout southern Africa in the fight against white minority rule: "A luta continua" which, translated from Portuguese, means "The struggle continues."
Overseas, and especially in the African continent, Armenian aviators are up to their ears in scandal.

The latest came to light on March 10 when the Wall Street Journal wrote about a United Nations report showing that various companies and countries have been violating an international arms embargo placed on Libya.

While this is not the first time that aviation companies registered in Armenia have been caught up in tangled international stories of intrigue, the government of Armenia seems to turn a blind eye to it all. Such an approach can lead to unforeseen consequences given the strong possibility that one day Armenia may face U.N. sanctions due to the exploits of Armenian aviators.

United Nations Panel of Experts monitors developments in Libya

In February 2011, when mass protests against the Kaddafi regime in Libya began, the despot instructed the army to quash the popular uprising. On February 26, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1970, demanding an immediate end to the violence and implementing an arms embargo on Libya.

U.N. member states were prohibited from selling arms to Libya or purchasing the same from Libya. The resolution also called for the creation of sanctions committee to monitor implementation of the measures imposed (arms embargo, travel ban, asset freeze). A Panel of Experts would also assist the sanctions committee in a fact-finding role, following events on the ground in Libya and reporting on an annual basis. The document referred to by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is report filed by the panel covering 2015 and has yet been publicized.

The report notes that the arms embargo on Libya has been violated in 2014 and 2015; in particular, by the UAE, Egypt and Turkey. According to the WSJ, the Security Council will study the report and decide what penalties will be applied to U.N. member states having found to violate the arms embargo.

The report notes that arms were sent to the two of the warring government factions in Libya. In 2014, a new civil war broke out in the country. In the accompanying map, the reddish area is controlled by the internationally recognized Council of Deputies (also known as the Tobruk/Libyan government) which enjoys the support of the Libyan Army. The green area is controlled by the Islamist government of the General National Congress (backed by the wider Islamist coalition known as "Libya Dawn") based in the capital Tripoli. In December 2015, these two factions issued a decree regarding a joint government. Another player in the conflict is the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; see grayish area on map. The yellowish area is controlled by the Tuareg militias of Ghat. Currently, Libya is led by two separate governments, with Tripoli and Misrata controlled by forces loyal to Libya Dawn and the new General National Congress in Tripoli, while the international community recognizes Abdullah al-Thani's government and its parliament in Tobruk.

The authorities in Tobruk told U.N. experts that they have received vital defensive armaments from overseas allies. Authorities based in Tripoli stated that they had received armed personnel carriers but denied obtaining arms. While the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and other countries were supporting the authorities in Tobruk, the countries backing the Islamists include Turkey, Sudan and Qatar. While the U.N experts have amassed evidence (photos, documents, etc.) that all these countries have supplied military assistance to this or that Libyan faction, none of them have confirmed their participation in the Libyan armed conflict.

Armenian carrier Veteran Avias participation in the Libyan conflict

According to the WSJ, the as yet unpublished report by the Panel of Experts notes: Arms and armament continues to be sent to various Libyan factions, in which U.N. member-states and a large network of intermediary companies are involved.

The WSJ writes that the report mentions the Armenian aviation company Veteran Avia, which transported arms and armaments from the UAE to the Tobruk government via Jordanian airspace. Based in Sharjah, Veteran Avia was unavailble for comment, however the Armenian government informed the U.N. experts that Veteran did indeed fly from the UAE to Libya via Jordan, but that it transported humanitarian cargo and not weapons.

This claim by the Armenian government was repeated by Veteran Avia Director Artashes Gevorgyan in a March 14 interview with tert.am. There were no arms; just humanitarian aid. They asked us about this issue several months ago and we responded, Gevorgyan is quoted as telling Tert.am. However, Gevorgyan doesnt specify who inquired. Nevertheless, based on the WSJ article it is clear that the Armenian government inquired and that the experts had gotten in touch with the government prior to this.

Google Maps measured the time not based on a direct flight, but with stops

In the U.N. Panel of Experts 2014 annual report, dated February 23, 2015, and submitted to the Security Council, we read the following regarding the Armenian company:

Furthermore, the Panel was provided with information regarding flights operated by Veteran Avia 46 in October and November 2014, from Al-Minhad Military Air Base in the United Arab Emirates to Tobruk, which had allegedly transported military materiel. The Panel contacted the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, where a number of these flights stopped on their way to or from Libya, requesting further information. While Jordan responded that it did not detect any entry of a United Arab Emirates aircraft to Jordan that was destined to Libya, the United Arab Emirates authorities have not responded to the Panels letter. (See Chapter 4, p. 42)

We will refer to another episode involving Veteran Avia later. Now, lets talk about other Armenian aviation companies that have been embroiled in similar stories.

The Armenian signature

This story is quite similar to the one involving the Armenian company V-Berd Avia. Owned by Vahram Simonyan, from the village of Vahramaberd in Armenias Shirak Province, is also based in Sharjah, UAE. According to U.N. experts, the company was involved in the Sudanese civil war. Starting in 2005, the U.N. Security Council issued an arms embargo and a ban on rebel military flights on the Sudanese region of Darfur. Three of the experts on the sanctions committee regarding the Sudan, who had left the panel, wrote in their 2012 letter that an Il-76 aircraft (EK-76592) operated by the Armenian carrier flew 17 flights from the capital Khartoum to Darfur between April and June 2011. During the flights, the Armenian airplane employed the Gadir 101 call-sign. Gadir is the call-sign of Sudans military air force. The plane, according to a contract made available to the experts by Simonyan, was leased to the Sudanese ministry of defense.

Armenian EK-76592 in Khartoum (May 24, 2011)

Due to restrictions placed by the Sudanese government, the experts werent able to immediately confirm what the cargo of the Armenian plane was. In several cargo manifests provided by Vahram Simonyan the items were listed as foodstuffs or general cargo, but this wasnt the case with all the manifests. The experts revealed that the plane had also transported people. It wasnt clear if the passengers were military personnel or civilians. The experts stressed that Simonyans ignorance on the matter was no basis to claim that the Security Councils resolutions or even the planes lease agreement (stating that the plane would not be used in conflict zones and would not transport arms, explosives or other hazardous items) hadnt been violated.

Vahram Simonyans old Russian passport showing his UAE residency permit

A Hetq source states that Russian citizen Simonyan, during the 2011 Libyan civil war, despite the U.N. arms embargo, transported weapons to Benghazi (under the control of Kaddafi opponents) from Albania with NATO permission. Its alleged that Simonyan also transported arms to Puntland, an area in Somalia which declared its autonomy from the central government in 1998. This too contravened a U.N. arms embargo.

We should also mention that in 2010-2011, Sudans air force leased another Armenian Il-76 airplane (EK-76300). In this case, the plane was owned by Lieutenant-General Stepan Galstyan, Deputy Chief of Staff of Armenias Armed Forces. We can only guess what role Galstyans airplane played in conflict-ridden Sudan. (This plane crashed in the Congo on November 30, 2012, resulting in more than thirty deaths) Both the EK-76592 and the EK-76300 planes operated with documents provided by Armenias Department of Civil Aviation. The pilots and technical staff were Armenian.

In 2013, Vertir Airlines, an Armenian company owned by the uncle of the man who heads Armenias Civil Aviation Department, was accused by the U.S. Commerce Department for acting as a middleman for an Iranian airline in order to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Veteran Avia: Armenian-Arab cooperation

Founded in 2010, Veteran Avia was originally 52% owned by the Sona Gevorgyan, daughter of Artashes Gevorgyan (the current company director), and Russian citizens Muhammad Amir and Malik Bilal. They each owned 24%. In 2014, Bilal transferred his 24% to Sona Gevorgyan.

Veteran Avia has temporarily suspended operations and Artashes Gevorgyan told tert.am that the company hasnt flown for more than a year.

Veteran.aero website under construction



Armenias Veteran Avia is part of a wider network with the same name. Companies with the name exist in Greece, India, Pakistan and Great Britain. The same man stands behind all of them - Jaideep Mirchandani, a resident of the UAE. (the man on right in accompanying photo)

In September 2014, the Industry and Security Bureau (ISB) of the United States blacklisted a number of aviation and other companies, including Veteran Avia, for acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.

The ISB ruling states: Specifically, these companies owned, operated, or controlled by Jaideep Mirchandani (Mirchandani) and his family members, Indira Mirchandani and Nitin Mirchandani, have been involved in activities in support of the Syrian regime. In addition, Mirchandani and certain other entities were attempting to export a U.S. aircraft that would be used to further support the Syrian regime.

The ISB also charged the Mirchandanis and their corporate officers/employees as havingengaged in transactions with individuals involved in weapons trafficking as well as individuals and companies named on the U.S. Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) list, including Mahan Air of Iran and its affiliates. Persons designated as SDNs were so designated for supporting the terrorist activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.

In 2016, the names of Mirchandani, two family members, and several companies they own, were removed from the blacklist. Veteran Avia wasnt removed.

P.S. Hetq sent an inquiry to the Armenian government, asking if it had done anything to avoid such embarrassments in the future. Have Armenian aviation officials looked into the above-mentioned scandals and is the government at all concerned about the activities of airline companies it has licensed? We are still waiting for an official response.

Top photo: Veteran Avias Boeing 747-200 cargo plane (EK-74723) on the tarmac at Sharjah International Airport; November 16, 2011.
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ROSENDALE  Im sure you have heard the radio ads attacking U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, for his views on trade.

As a corn farmer here in Fond du Lac County, I want to set the record straight about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and what it would mean for farmers like me, as well as rural communities, businesses and consumers throughout our state.

The TPP is a trade agreement between the United States and 11 countries along the Pacific Rim, which represent 40 percent of the worlds economy. This agreement is vital for farmers in Wisconsin and across the United States because it will break down trade barriers and allow farmers to compete on a level playing field in one of the fastest growing regions in the world. With 95 percent of consumers living outside the United States, the future of American agriculture depends largely on the ability to sell to foreign markets.

With TPP, United States agriculture exports will grow significantly, particularly for pork and beef. Thats important to me as a corn farmer, because most livestock feed includes corn and corn co-products. More exports mean more farm income, more rural economic activity, and more job growth. TPP will have a real impact here in Wisconsin: $15.1 billion more in exports, supporting more than 300,000 jobs.

Without the TPP agreement, American farmers and ranchers risk losing market share to competitors in the Asia-Pacific region. Right now, we are at a disadvantage because of regional and bilateral trade agreements our competitors have, and will continue to negotiate.

For example, countries such as Australia, Vietnam and Chile already have trade agreements with Japan and receive preferential tariff treatment on agricultural exports to the Japanese market as a result. The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement also means that countries party to this agreement, which does not include the United States, receive preferential treatment when exporting to the Vietnamese market.

In the years ahead, we can expect more agreements like these in the Asia-Pacific region, with or without the United States. TPP will help level the playing field and give us a chance to compete.

Despite what you might hear in campaign attack ads, the benefits of the TPP agreement are clear. Supporters of the TPP are a diverse group that includes Wisconsin farmers like me. We hope Sen. Johnson will stand with us in support of this historic trade agreement.
Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-03-20 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/> CONTENTS [01] President Pavlopoulos: The refugee crisis proves the center of EU is the human being [02] NBG head Katselli rules out deposits haircut and banks recapitalization [03] Representatives of institutions to leave Athens on Sunday; return after March 27 [01] President Pavlopoulos: The refugee crisis proves the center of EU is the human being "The strident refugee crisis proves that the center of the European Union is not the currency, but the human being," President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said during his address to the President and members of the Permanent Synod of the Church of Greece on Sunday. "On this basis it will ultimately be determined whether the European Union will continue to exist or it will dissolve," he underlined. Referring to the role of the Church in the Greek society and especially in the current difficult times, the President underlined that in our country, it is the Church that has prevented the rupture of social tissue and our society. [02] NBG head Katselli rules out deposits haircut and banks recapitalization Hellenic Bank Association president and National Bank's chief Luca Katselli on Sunday in an interview with Kathimerini newspaper ruled out the possibility of a deposits haircut and a new banks recapitalization. "Greek systemic banks just came out from a successful recapitalization process ... and offer a very strong capital base," she reassured. On non-performing loans, she said that this is a priority for the Greek banking system and important initiatives are being taken towards that direction. Katselli estimated that capital controls can be lifted in 2016 provided that all conditions are met and added: "The restoration of confidence in the banking system takes time. The successful recapitalization is a first important step. Political and financial stability are also needed as well as a signal that the economy returns to normality and is financed like other European countries, through the usual ECB liquidity channels. These conditions can be met within the next few months." [03] Representatives of institutions to leave Athens on Sunday; return after March 27 Greece's economic staff had a meeting with the representatives of the institutions earlier on Sunday. Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Labour Minister George Katrougalos participated in the meeting. According to a government official, the representatives of the institutions are expected to leave Athens in the afternoon and come back after the Catholic Easter (March 27.) Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Amid reports of Bihar government not having enough funds to pay salaries of various school and university teachers in the state the state education department has gifted microwaves to 243 legislatures.

By India Today Web Desk: Amid reports of Bihar government not having enough funds to pay salaries of various school and university teachers in the state the state education department has gifted microwaves to 243 legislatures.

On Friday, March 18 the education department gifted microwave ovens worth 30 lakh to the members of both the houses of the legislature. The tradition of giving gifts as a token of appreciation had started many years ago with gifts like diaries and bags.

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Education Minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary said the tradition of giving gifts has been going on for several years. "This time we have gifted microwave ovens to them to help them heat up their food," he said.

While defending the act, Choudhary said the legislators had been getting dairies, bags, watches, etc in the past; but, now they were being given more useful items. The minister said that certain profitable institutions under the education department have been giving gifts to the legislators.

Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav did not see any wrong in the legislators receiving some small gifts. He said that legislators were not crorepatis in a poor state.

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 .

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Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter today to launch a biting attack on the BJP and said,"Toppling elected governments by indulging in horse trading and blatant misuse of money and muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar."

By India Today Web Desk: As the Harish Rawat-led Congress government is battling for survival in Uttarakhand, Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of using money power to sabotage his party's rule.

Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter today to launch a biting attack on the BJP and said,"Toppling elected governments by indulging in horse trading and blatant misuse of money and muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar."

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"This attack on our democracy and Constitution, first in Arunachal and now in Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modiji's BJP," Rahul Gandhi said in a series of tweets.

"Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy," he added further.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Uttarakhand crisis should not be attributed to the BJP as there were deep division within the Congress in state.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Jaitley said that a majority of MLAs voted against the controversial finance bill but the Speaker declared it passed. "In Uttarakhand, Speaker considered a failed bill as passed. This is happening for the first time in the country," he said, adding, "If you make one CM, the other gets annoyed."

Yesterday, Uttarakhand Governor wrote to Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove majority in the Assembly before March 28. The Congress government in the state is under threat with 9 MLAs rebelling against Rawat and the BJP, which has 27 MLAs, staking claim to form the government.

The 9 rebel MLAs include former Chief Minister Vijay Bahugana and cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat, who was expelled from the cabinet on Saturday evening. "Harak Singh's conduct is against the party," Rawat told reporters on Saturday evening after a Cabinet meeting.

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: Harish Rawat has time till March 28 to prove majority

Free speech and nationalism coexist, says Arun Jaitley





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Disturbing footage of a serial dog killer stabbing three puppies with a knife outside South Delhi's Green Park Metro station, under Hauz Khas police station, emerged on Tuesday.

On examining CCTV camera footage of the Metro station, the police found a youth was stabbing dogs mercilessly.

By India Today Web Desk: In the aftermath of BJP Lawmaker Ganesh Joshi's reported attack on police horse Shaktiman, another instance of animal cruelity has been caught on CCTV camera in south Delhi.

Chilling CCTV footage shows a youth luring stray dogs with food and stabbing them with a knife outside South Delhi's Green Park Metro station, under Hauz Khas police station. The same video was also recorded by a CCTV camera installed at a shop in the market.

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The Hauz Khas police has registered a case under Sections 428 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code against unknown persons and is investigating the gruesome killings and sudden disappearance of dogs with the help of NGOs working for animal rights.

The police on Tuesday morning got a PCR call about the death of puppies outside Green Park Metro station Gate No. 1. When the police reached the spot, it found three puppies lying butchered. On examining CCTV camera footage of the Metro station, the police found a youth was stabbing dogs mercilessly.

Animal lovers and NGOs working for animal rights took four other injured dogs to a veterinary clinic for treatment.

Locals said the area has witnessed the disappearance of more than one dozen dogs in the past two weeks and more dogs in the locality have stab wounds on their bodies.

ALSO READ:

BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi sent to 14-day judicial custody for attacking police horse

Dehradun: Shaktiman's leg amputated, BJP member arrested for attack



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"We are in the favour of freedom of expression. The freedom of speech and the feeling of nationalism coexist. We are in the support of dissent and disagreement. The Constitution gives the freedom of dissent but not the destruction of the nation," Jaitley said.

By India Today Web Desk: The ideology of nationalism is the driving force behind the BJP, senior party leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. Jaitley was talking to the media about what was discussed during the two-day BJP National Executive meet, which ends today.

"We are in the favour of freedom of expression. The freedom of speech and the feeling of nationalism coexist. We are in the support of dissent and disagreement. The Constitution gives the freedom of dissent but not the destruction of the nation," Jaitley said.

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The BJP leader's statement comes in the backdrop of a raging debate over nationalism and freedeom of speech in the country.

Jaitley also said that development remains the prime focus of the Modi government and that it was working to achieve the target it has set for itself. "Progressive governance, determined leadership is the focus," he said.

Uttarakhand crisis should not be attributed to BJP

Commenting on the political crisis in Uttarakhand, Jaitley said that a majority of MLAs voted against the controversial finance bill but the Speaker declared it passed. "In Uttarakhand, Speaker considered a failed bill as passed. This is happening for the first time in the country," he said.

He blamed the ruling Congress for the Uttarakhand crisis and said that there is "deep division with the party in the state." "The crisis should not be to the BJP," Jaitley said.

Referring to the deadlock over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Jaitley said that the BJP is "still committed to agenda for governance" which the party had formed with the PDP.

Also read:

Uttarakhand crisis: Harish Rawat has time till March 28 to prove majority





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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a doting mother to her four-year-old daughter Aaradhya. This mother-daughter duo are almost inseparable and Aishwarya goes that extra mile to take care of her little bundle of joy. But this time it's Aaradhya, who has done something for Aishwarya, which made her emotional.

By India Today Web Desk: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a doting mother to her four-year-old daughter Aaradhya. This mother-daughter duo are almost inseparable and Aishwarya goes that extra mile to take care of her little bundle of joy.

ALSO SEE: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan visits Golden Temple with daughter Aaradhya

ALSO READ: Aaradhya to accompany Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to London for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil shoot

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But Aaradhya too knows how to take care of her mother. Aishwarya has been keeping unwell and even the shoot of her upcoming film Sarbjit had to be postponed. Even in her busy schedules, Aishwarya makes it a point to drop and pick Aaradhya from her school. The four-year-old made a get well soon card for her mother and gave it to her at the school gate, which made Aishwarya emotional.

According to DNA, a parent from Aaradhya's class said, "Aaradhya did something so sweet at school that it melted all out hearts. Aishwarya has been unwell for the last few days with a very bad viral and bad throat infection. In fact, she has been so unwell that a couple of days shoot for Sarbjit had to be postponed till next week. But despite that, Ash has still been going to drop and fetch Aaradhya from school as she always does. Aaradhya made a get-well-soon card in class and when the actor went to fetch her on Thursday as usual, she gave it to her at the gate. Aishwarya was so touched that she become emotional as did some of the other parents who had come to fetch their kids."

Recently, Aaradhya accompanied Aishwarya for Sarbjit shoot and also visited The Golden Temple. In an earlier interview, Aishwarya had said, "Aaradhya accompanies me. All my shooting schedules will be planned as per her convenience."

In Sarbjit, Aishwarya is essaying the role of Sarabjit Singh's sister, Dalbir Kaur. Directed by Omung Kumar, the film is slated to release on May 19 this year.

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"Women think they are treated with dignity with a man. But I had more respect when I was single. It was my biggest mistake," Reham Khan said.

By Lipla Negi: How do you think more women can participate in politics? What sort of changes do you think it will bring?

I can't stress enough that we need more representation. But then who makes it to the assembly? What is the process that is used to select those women?

Fifty years ago, we had better representation. Six women were directly elected to the assembly in 2013 and that is depressing. On the reserved seats, we have a most abominable selection, where we could actually choose the creme de la creme of society but it tends to be the worst depiction. Last year, when I was married to the chairman of a party, I tried to get younger, professional women to join the ranks. And they turned around and said to me "Look Reham, what the media is doing to you, who is apparently the wife of a strongman. If media would write such nasty things about us, our mother-in-law would get a heart attack."

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So young professional women find places like the judiciary, media and politics very scary. They know they would be asked to compromise on their principles.

Women, who are selected and not elected, are representing the problem of a larger group of women because they are not one of us. There must be transparency. There is no merit in our political parties. We must find ways to encourage more professional women to participate in politics.

How can women play a significant role in promoting peace and understanding between people of both countries?

When there is war, I know I am going to be kidnapped, raped or forcefully married. But in that peace negotiation, I will not be given a voice. I will not have any role to play. And that's the problem. Women who are living near the borders are never included in peace talks. It's the woman, who sits in her air conditioned room and never leaves Lahore or Delhi, who participates in such talks. What does she know about what life is like for women who have had 10 children by the time they are 30? You cannot represent someone whose life you have not lived or at least lived closer to them.

Do you think women in Southeast Asia, India and Pakistan are often forced to give up their career and live under the shadow of their husbands?

I think women do that to themselves as well. I have been single for 10 years and fought for my independence and freedom. So I walked out of my marriage and went for a divorce. My family did not support me. The women in my family were worst critics. In fact, for six years, my mother wouldn't refer to it as a divorce, she would call it a separation. It's 'us', women who discourage other women.

It's also because we are conditioned that way from childhood. I know my rights and all the laws. But I did not register my nikaah. I didn't ask for prenuptial and continued to compromise. I was financially independent but chose to live in the shadow of the man I chose. I did not pursue things legally because I was told it's not the right thing to do.

So my voice was not crushed by other people, I chose that. And now I regret it, retrospectively.

How hard was it to restart after your bitter divorce with Imran Khan?

Through the marriage, I had only one issue - that why is everyone attacking me and why is this man not doing anything about it. And then at the time of the divorce, people said so many things about me, like poisoning him and hitting him. Some of my friends said that it was good for me because I will be more controversial and make more money, which is logical and true. But what they do not understand is that ultimately, I had to pay a hefty price.

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I married for life. I thought I would be married forever. What could be more embarrassing than this? The only thing I regret is that for 10 years, I kept my personal life private. Nobody knew I was divorced, have three kids and about my age (42 years). But the marriage that made me felt confident to come out and talk about my personal life didn't last like the way I had wished. This is the fantasy women are fed on. They think they are treated with dignity with a man. But I had more respect when I was single. It was the biggest mistake I made.

ALSO READ

RSS does not believe homosexuality is a crime: Dattatreya Hosabale at India Today Conclave 2016

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The JNU administration has issued notices to five students asking them to explain their position in connection with the burning of the copies of Manusmriti despite the varsity administration denying permission for it.

By Mail Today: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (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 near Sabarmati Dhaba has been received at the Chief Proctor's office.

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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 leftbacked 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 allegedly read out 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 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.

Meanwhile, the university has appointed a new registrar, Pramod Kumar who was an associate professor at DU's Aurobindo College. He has been selected by a three-member panel to take over the position from Bhupinder Zutshi, whose tenure is coming to an end on March 31.

Kumar, an alumni of JNU, will take charge on March 21. "I have been informed of my selection for the post and I will take charge from Monday," he said. Zutshi, who was an officiating official on the post, will continue to work as a professor.

In the 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-recognise 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.

A sessions court had on Friday granted six-month interim bail to JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who were charged with sedition by Delhi Police, with the judge stating that the accused are "highly educated".

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ALSO READ

Anupam Kher at JNU: Those out on bail are not Olympic heroes



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Anirban was granted interim bail by a Delhi court and is back to the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus after spending three weeks in police custody.

By Astha Saxena: Dr Nanda Madhav Bhattacharya, the 68-year-old father of Anirban Bhattacharya is relieved, though not completely. On Friday, Anirban was granted interim bail by a Delhi court and is back to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus after spending three weeks in police custody.

This however, is not enough to bring complete satisfaction to his ailing mother and for his father, who has been waiting anxiously for the son to come back. Anirban and Umar Khalid were booked for organising an event on February 9 in which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

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"I am relieved. Though, I have not met him yet, but we (his mother and I) are really happy that he has been released. We have been praying for him and finally our prayers have been answered," Dr Bhattacharya told Mail Today.

No comments

Over the ongoing debate on nationalism, Anirban's father distanced himself from making any comments. "I don't want to comment on all these issues. Right now, I am just very happy and emotional at the same time. There is this rush of feelings inside me," he said.

A teacher by profession, Dr Bhattacharya has come all the way to Delhi from Cooch Behar in West Bengal to meet his son.

He recalled the early student days of his son in West Bengal before he moved to the JNU. Though interested in politics, Anirban never got indulged in political activities. "He never indulged in any such trouble and we wish the same for him in future. We discussed the current political scenario but he maintained a distance from politics," Anirban's father said.

Umar Khalid, who has been found guilty by the university for arousing communal violence and disrupting communal harmony, was in custody along with Anirban for three weeks. The duo walked out of Tihar Jail on Friday.

They were accorded a huge welcome at the JNU campus, where they addressed the gathering and asserted that they are proud of the fact that their name has been added to the list of the freedom fighters and activists who have been booked under sedition for raising their voice.

"I am extremely proud of my son. He has always been a good student. Many might not know, but he recently topped the Indian Society for Historical Research's merit list. He might have his views but I am sure those points can't be against the country," the senior Bhattacharya said.

Anirban's mother, who had fallen sick after the news broke in, is now doing fine. She was recently taken to the hospital but is happy and recovering well.

"She is back to home. She is equally happy," Anirban's father said.

When asked about what advice he would give Anirban when meets him, Dr Bhattacharya said "I have nothing in my mind. I will first speak to him and understand the entire situation and only after that I would be able to say anything. I have still not got a chance to speak to him at length."

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Meanwhile, Umar on Saturday presented a paper at the Young Scholar's Conference at the university. The Centre for Historical Studies (CHS), was to organise its annual Young Scholars' Conference on February 18-20, however, the meet was postponed following the sequence of events that unfolded in Jawaharlal Nehru University after the controversial February 9 event.

Umar, who is pursuing his PhD in the department, presented a paper titled Changing Village Authority in the Adivasi Hinterland: State, Community and Contingencies of Rule in Singhbhum (1830-1893).

"Umar presented a paper and Anirban will have to start writing the last bit of his PhD thesis. This is what we do in JNU. We study and we struggle. We fight in the streets, brave your water canons, and come back to debate mode of production," one of the students said.

ALSO READ

Anupam Kher at JNU: Those out on bail are not Olympic heroes



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The Army is in the process of taking his body to the base camp in Kargil from where it will be taken to his native place later.

By India Today Web Desk: On the third day of a gruelling search operation, rescue teams of the Army today recovered the body of the soldier who went missing in Kargil after an avalanche earlier this week. Sepoy Vijay Kumar K's body was recovered from under 12 feet of snow.

The search operation continued for three days despite adverse weather conditions and upto fifteen feet of snow in the area of avalanche. Avalanche rescue dogs, deep penetration radars and metal detectors were also pressed into service in the rescue operation.

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The martyr, who belongs to Vallaramapuram village of Thirunelvelli District of Tamil Nadu, is survived by his parents and two younger sisters. Army is in the process of evacuating the jawan's mortal remains from the area and taking his body to the base camp in Kargil after which they will be moved to his native place where the cremation ceremony will take place with full military honours. Lt Gen DS Hooda, Army Commander, Northern Command, has expressed his deep condolences to the family of Sepoy Vijay Kumar.



An avalanche triggered by a mild earthquake had hit an Army post located at an altitude of 17, 500 feet in Kargil Sector of Jammu and Kashmir at about 10.45 am on March 17, 2016. Two soldiers were on surveillance duty when their post was hit by the avalanche.

Rescue operations were launched in which one soldier was rescued. Sepoy Sujit, the soldier who was rescued on the first day itself is medically stable and recovering well.



Last month, 10 Army personnel were killed in when an avalanche hit the Siachen Glaciers in Jammu and Kashmir close to the Line of Control. Lance Naik Hanamanthapa was found alive buried under 30 feet of snow after 5 days of the incident. He later died at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi. The Army had recovered the bodies nine other jawans after two weeks of incessant rescue work in the tough terrains of the region.

Also read:

Kargil: Soldier goes missing at 17, 500 feet after avalanche hits Army post



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The couple - Shyam Mohan and his wife KA Anju, both aged 27 - worked in an ayurvedic resort in Russia.

By Indo-Asian News Service: 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 am.



The couple - Shyam Mohan and his wife KA Anju, both aged 27 -- worked in an ayurvedic resort in Russia and had left from here on Thursday. CV Issac, a resident of Vengoal in Perumbavoor, who reached the home of the Mohans told IANS it was around 2 pm that they got the tragic news of the air crash.

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"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.

Also read:

Two Indians among 62 dead in FlyDubai plane crash in Russia





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By Ankur Sharma: Passengers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport may come in for a serious threat in case of a real emergency.

While lack of coordination among multiple agencies is primarily responsible for this, the problem can also be gauged from the fact that despite a bomb threat at the IGI Airport, it took nearly 1.5 hours for security agencies to get two aircraft evacuated.

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On Thursday, when two flights were grounded following bomb scare, passengers were made to sit inside the planes for 60 to 90 minutes during an emergency.

While passengers of the Royal Nepal flight remained seated inside, various agencies including CISF, Delhi Police were waiting outside the plane for an hour. The evacuation process began after getting clearances.

This is not the only instance that has exposed coordination problems; earlier, passengers of two aircraft of International airlines were witness to the lax attitude of staff during emergency situations. According to a Delhi Police officer, such attitude was also observed during an emergency landing at the airport, putting the lives of passengers in danger. On the other side, CISF also admitted to its poor response but claimed that all concerned agencies have been told to be on constant alert to deal with emergency situations.

"On Thursday, a flight of Royal Nepal had a bomb threat. Immediately, the process initiated and CISF officials reached the designated place where the security check of aircraft was to take place. When the flight was taken to an isolated area, officials asked to initiate the process of disembarkation but it didn't start. We came to know that disembarkation process will start after getting approval from ATC, though there was no role of ATC. Various security officials were waiting outside the aircraft while passengers were inside. After almost an hour, the process started and passengers came out. Later, we got to know that the airline lacked a ground handling team that delayed the process," said a senior CISF official who was part of the aircraft's security check. According to the standard operating procedure for such situations, the disembarkation process must start as soon as possible and without any delay.

Officials claimed that the delay in disembarkation of the passengers was also noticed when three airlines received a threat call on the same day last year. "Last year, one caller claimed that there were bombs in three aircraft. Out of the three, passengers of two aircraft had to wait inside for at least 40 minutes as officials waited for approvals while security officials waited outside the planes. The matter was later discussed but nothing happened," an official said. According to sources, there is a coordination problem during emergency situations. "The Bomb Threat Assessment Committee has the power to take decisions during these situations. There have been cases where airlines had to cancel the flight due to delay in process of checking the aircraft," a senior official said.

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ALSO READ

Bomb scare on 2 flights at Delhi airport, hoax caller claimed to be CBI officer



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They are among those parliamentarians who have been most active in the House and asked the maximum number of questions in the 16th Lok Sabha.

By Amit Agnihotri: Wonder what is common between lawmakers from diverse political backgrounds like Supriya Sule of Nationalist Congress Party, Dharmendra Yadav of Samajwadi Party, Shivaji Adhalrao Patil of Shiv Sena, Rajeev Satav of Congress and Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM?

They are among those parliamentarians who have been most active in the House and asked the maximum number of questions in the 16th Lok Sabha.

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PRS legislative research puts Sule, who represents Baramati in Maharashtra, on top of the list with 509 questions with Patil a close second with 497 queries. Not far behind are Satav with 459, Yadav with 453 and Owaisi with 414 questions.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress' chief whip in the lower House, is next on the list with 380 questions and his BJP counterpart Arjun Ram Meghwal is close behind with 309 questions.

All these lawmakers come from diverse backgrounds. While Sule is NCP chief Sharad Pawar's daughter, Yadav is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's cousin. Patil is a Shiv Sena veteran and Satav, a first-time lawmaker and a former Youth Congress head, is also a part of the team Rahul Gandhi. Owaisi has been representing the Hyderabad seat for quite some time and is known for his strong views on various issues, especially those related to the minority community.

Though Satav has asked more questions than Scindia, the latter's profile is much stronger as he is a former Union minister and is the son of late Congress veteran Madhavrao Scindia, who was close to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Experts say the high number of questions asked by these lawmakers suggest that they choose to play an active role in the House despite their busy schedules

They further said lawmakers asking questions is a healthy democratic trend and ensures a system of accountability on part of the government of the day. This also helps the government managers keep a tab on the issues of public importance being raised by the elected representatives.

Generally, the first hour of a sitting of the Lok Sabha is devoted to questions and is called the Question Hour. It has a special significance in the proceedings of Parliament.

Asking questions is an inherent and unfettered parliamentary right of members. It is during the Question Hour that the members can ask questions on every aspect of the administration and governmental activity. Government policies in national as well as international spheres come into sharp focus as the members try to elicit pertinent information during the Question Hour.

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The government is put on trial during the Question Hour and every minister, whose turn it is to answer questions, has to stand up and answer for his or his administration's acts of omission and commission.

Through the Question Hour, the government is able to quickly feel the pulse of the nation and adapt its policies and actions accordingly. It is through questions in Parliament that the government remains in touch with the people and are enabled thereby to ventilate the grievances of the public in matters concerning administration.

Questions enable ministries to gauge popular reactions to their policy and administration. They bring many issues to the fore which would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Sometimes questions may lead to the appointment of a commission, a court of enquiry or even legislation when matters raised are grave enough to agitate the public and are of wide public importance.

Lok Sabha speaker has often expressed her concern over disruption of the Question Hour and has urged party leaders to restrain their members from disrupting the House proceedings during the crucial session.

ALSO READ

In Modi's appeal for Parliament to run, a reference to Rajiv Gandhi Rahul vs Modi: Who has won the battle of speeches?



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India's victory against Pakistan in the T-20 match was celebrated all across the country yesterday (March 19). And Preity Zinta, who is known for her love for the sport, also had a Holi party to celebrate India's success with husband Gene Goodenough.

By India Today Web Desk: India's victory against Pakistan in the T-20 match was celebrated all across the country yesterday (March 19). And Preity Zinta, who is known for her love for the sport, also had a Holi party to celebrate India's success with husband Gene Goodenough.

ALSO READ: Preity Zinta confirms her marriage with Gene Goodenough

ALSO READ: Preity Zinta and Gene Goodenough to auction their wedding photos?

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Preity took to micro-blogging site Twitter to share the picture of the Holi party.

Preity Zinta tied the knot with boyfriend Gene Goodenough in Los Angeles on February 28 this year. This is the first picture of the newly weds, post their marriage. In this collage of pictures, Gene, Preity and her mother Nilprabha Zinta are all smeared in the Holi colours.

The Veer Zara actor missed this T-20 match as she was in Los Angeles with husband Gene. In a her Twitter chat with a fan, she confessed that after she got to know that India's win over Pakistan, she was grinning ear to ear.

Sorry missed it ?? But when i heard we won I was grinning ear to ear ?? https://t.co/p6wsWg3k3J Preity zinta (@realpreityzinta) March 20, 2016

Preity Zinta will soon be back to India and throw a reception party for her B-Town friends.

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Under the scheme, loans will be provided at the lowest possible rates so that the target beneficiaries can get maximum assistance.

By Kumar Vikram: Boosting entrepreneurship among women is going to be the next priority of the Narendra Modi government. Stand Up India - the scheme aimed at turning women into job-creators from job-seekers, will probably be launched by the prime minister next month.

According to officials, the action plan for the ambitious scheme is in final stage and the scheme Stand Up India will be the launched sometime in April. "The scheme will benefit at least 2.5 lakh borrowers and the main focus will be on women entrepreneurs including those from SC/ST backgrounds. As per the initial estimate, the expected date of reaching the target of at least 2.5 lakh approvals is 36 months from the launch of the scheme," said an official.

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The Union Cabinet, chaired by the prime minister, has already approved the 'Stand Up India Scheme' to promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.

The scheme is intended to facilitate at least two such projects per bank branch, on an average of one for each category of entrepreneurship.

Under the scheme, the loans will be provided at the lowest possible rates so that the target beneficiaries can get maximum assistance.

"Women would be provided with proper training on entrepreneurship. For this, government might take assistance of private existing women entrepreneurs. The aspirants will be informed about the challenges in starting business. They will also be taught about respective sectors they are interested in. There will be different sessions for different sectors of businesses," said an official.

The overall intent is to reach out to these underserved sectors of the population by facilitating bank loans repayable up to seven years and between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore for enterprises in the non-farm sector set up by such SC, ST and Women borrowers. Moreover, the government can also provide tax benefits for a certain period, as it is doing in Start Up India scheme, to promote youth entrepreneurs.

In Start Up India, the tax benefit is for three years, and it can be five years for women entrepreneurs in the Stand Up India scheme, added the official.

The loan under the scheme would be appropriately secured and backed by a credit guarantee through a credit guarantee scheme for which Department of Financial Services would be the settler and National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd. (NCGTC) would be the operating agency.

Moreover, male members from SC/ST can also get assistance under this scheme on the name of their wives.

But, the women members will have to actively participate in the business as well besides getting training, added the official.

The Stand Up India initiative was first announced by the Prime Minister in his address to the nation on August 15, 2015.

The Stand Up India component is anchored by Department of Financial Services (DFS).

ALSO READ

PM Modi warns against repeat of law and order breach in Haryana



Modi at World Sufi Forum: Allah is Rahman and Rahim, Islam means peace



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By AP: Pop icon Prince is writing a memoir to be released next year.

Publisher Spiegel & Grau announced Friday it has acquired Prince's book, which will be released in the fall of 2017. Prince said at an event in New York City that the book's working title is "The Beautiful Ones" and that the publishers made him "an offer I can't refuse."

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He added that the book will start with his first memory. "This is my first (book). My brother Dan is helping me with it. He's a good critic and that's what I need. He's not a 'yes' man at all and he's really helping me get through this," Prince told the audience, which included Harry Belafonte, Trevor Noah, journalists and music industry players.

"We're starting from the beginning from my first memory and hopefully we can go all the way up to the Super Bowl," he said.

At one point Prince asked the crowd: "You all still read books right?" The audience roared loudly. Prince said he just got off a plane, and said he was going home to change, but that he would return.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to go home and change real quick and come back and party with y'all," he said.

According to a press release about the memoir, "Prince will take readers on an unconventional and poetic journey through his life and creative work." It says the book will include stories about Prince's music and "the family that shaped him and the people, places, and ideas that fired his creative imagination."

The 57-year-old Minneapolis-born Prince is one of the most successful musical acts of all-time. He has released four albums in the last 18 months, including two on the Tidal streaming service last year.

New York-based Spiegel & Grau is an imprint of Penguin Random House.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the party is open to criticism against government but not against the nation. Addressing the press conference, Singh claimed that BJP party is different from all other political parties in terms of ideology and leadership.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressing the press after the conclusion of BJP executive meet( Photo: ANI)

By India Today Web Desk: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the party is open to criticism against government but not against the nation.

Addressing the media after the conclusion of BJP executive meet in Delhi, Rajnath asserted that BJP is a progressive party and accepts political dissents but there is no place for anti-nationalism.

" We have progressive policies and nationalist thoughts. We can accept political dissent, but not anti-nationalism," said Rajnath Singh.

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At the conference, Singh claimed that BJP party is different from all other political parties in terms of ideology and leadership.

"We are different from other parties because we have progressive policies, decisive leadership and nationalist ideology," said Singh.

Singh praised the government performance and pointed out that there has been no allegations about corruption for past 22 months. He also said the Prime Minister has clearly advised all the party members to not be distracted by

the negative forces and concentrate on their work.

"PM has asked the workers to not get involved in any controversy but only focus on Govt's development agenda," said Rajnath Singh.

Further extending his appreciation towards Union Budget 2016, Singh said, " The budget presented this year is good, many big and small issues have been kept in mind."

Rajnath Singh also discussed BJP's political resolutions and policies which were decided during the BJP's top brass meeting. However, he refused to speak on any other issue.

BJP had called a executive meeting, which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and senior leaders and ministers, ahead of assembly polls in five states to discuss and adopt political and economic resolutions.

ALSO READ:

JNU row: Rajnath Singh's claim baffles intelligence agencies

Rajnath Singh: Centre examining Tamil Nadu government's plea to free Rajiv's killers





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Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor were spotted on the busy streets of Mumbai, shooting one of the romantic scenes of their upcoming film, OK Jaanu. The film marks the return of Aditya and Shraddha together on the silver screen after the 2013 film Aashiqui 2.

By India Today Web Desk: Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor have started shooting for their upcoming film OK Jaanu. Aditya and Shraddha's dating rumours have been doing the rounds ever since the duo worked together in Aashiqui 2.

ALSO SEE: Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur recreate Aashiqui 2 magic in OK Jaanu's first look

ALSO SEE: Rumoured lovebirds Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor start shooting for OK Jaanu

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Aditya and Shraddha's first look for their film OK Jaanu has created a stir among their fans. And now the two were spotted on the busy streets of Mumbai, shooting one of the romantic scenes of their upcoming film. In the pictures, Aditya and Shraddha are seen enjoying a bike ride.

According to Bollywoodlife.com, a source said, "Aditya and Shraddha have started shooting in Mumbai at Marine Drive. The couple were filming for one of the romantic scenes where Aditya is taking Shraddha for a bike ride. The shoot continued till the evening. However the makers have beefed up security on the sets, so that no trespassers can leak the pictures of the shoot".

A remake of the Tamil film OK Kanmani, OK Jaanu marks the return of Aditya and Shraddha together on the silver screen after the 2013 film Aashiqui 2. In an recent interview, Shraddha told, "I am very excited for the film. This is the first time (after Aashiqui 2) that Aditya and I will be coming back together. Shaad will be directing, and I loved his 'Saathiya'. I think it'll be very interesting to be directed by him. It'll be amazing."

Directed by Shaad Ali, OK Jaanu is story about a young couple in a live-in relationship in Mumbai but are reluctant to get married.

(Photo Courtesy: Viral Bhayani)



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While most members attend Parliament fairly regularly, there are some who find it difficult to be present.

By Amit Agnihotri: While most members attend Parliament fairly regularly, there are some who find it difficult to be present.

Among the lawmakers in the Lok Sabha who have clocked below 10 per cent attendance are Bharatiya Janata Party's Sanwar Lal Jat with just 3 per cent, Congress' Captain Amarinder Singh with 7 per cent, TMC's Deepak Adhikari with 8 per cent and PDP's MH Baig with 10 per cent.

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Interestingly Captain Amarinder Singh is deputy leader of the party in the lower House where the Congress members often keep trying to punch above their weight to counter the government.

He is now the face of Congress in Punjab which will go to polls in 2017 and has been busy cultivating voters, said the sources.

Sources said, party affairs has kept Baig busy in Jammu and Kashmir ever since PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away plunging the BJP-PDP alliance into a whirlpool. Those lawmakers whose attendance is in the 20 per cent range are YSR Congress' SPY Reddy with 22 per cent, BJP's Ramchandra Hansdah with 22 per cent and BJP's Vitthalbhai H Radadia with 20 per cent.

Sirajuddin Ajmal of the AIUDF from poll bound Assam has 31 per cent attendance, Shrimant Bhonsle of NCP has 34 per cent while actor-turned-politician Hema Malini of the BJP has an attendance of 38 percent in the 16th Lok Sabha so far.

JMM's Shibu Soren, who spends most of his time in Jharkhand, has 31 per cent attendance while TMC's Subrata Bakshi has 27 per cent and BJP's Anoop Mishra has 44 per cent. Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who is at present the Congress chief in the state, clocked 49 per cent attendance probably due to his preoccupation with state politics.

Experts said parliamentarians ought to attend the House as much as possible but it was for the various party leaders to question the members who have low attendance.

Usually, when the lawmakers remain absent, they miss the daily allowance, as part of their perks. A member desiring permission of the House to remain absent from the sittings thereof under clause (4) of article 101 of the Constitution has to make an application in writing to the Speaker.

An application under subrule (1) specifies the period for which leave of absence is required, indicating also the date of commencement and of termination of such leave of absence and the grounds for it. Provided that leave of absence applied for at any one time shall not exceed a period of sixty days.

ALSO READ

In Modi's appeal for Parliament to run, a reference to Rajiv Gandhi Rahul vs Modi: Who has won the battle of speeches?



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Sufi leader and founder president of All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board urged the government to promote Sufi literature, Sufi culture and music and also rectify 'historical blunders' against Muslims, toay on the final day of World Sufi Forum at Ramlila Ground, New Delhi.

PM Narendra Modi shakes hands with AIUMB Founder President, Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichhowchhwi at the opening ceremony of World Sufi Forum at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)

By India Today Web Desk: All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board urged the government to promote Sufi literature, Sufi culture and music and also rectify 'historical blunders' against Muslims, today on the final day of World Sufi Forum at Ramlila Ground, New Delhi.

Sufi leader and founder president of AIUMB, Hazrat Syed Muhammad Ashraf, at the event expressed his concern over declining state of Sufism in India and founds the situation alarming.

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"Over the last few decades, there have been concerted efforts to weaken Sufism in India and replace it with an extremist and radical ideology. This recent phenomenon is dangerous not just for the Muslim community, but also for the country itself," Ashraf said.

Calling for the centre's intervention in safeguarding the fading Sufism in India he said, "We request our Prime Minister to rectify these historical blunders and meet the demands of millions of Sufi followers in India," he added.

He also demanded that the home ministry to spell out what steps had been taken with regard to the small and big communal incidents that have taken place in different parts of the country.

Voicing the concern over low Muslim representation in various minority institutions Ashraf urged for increased of Indian Muslims in various state and national bodies.

"Indian Muslims having faith in Sufi traditions should be given representation according to their share in population in various bodies such as Central Waqf Council, State Waqf Boards, Central and State Hajj Committees and

National Minority Finance Development Corp," he said.

AIUMB, the apex body representing Sufis in India, unveiled its 25-point charter on the occasion.

AIUMB appealed to the government to establish a Sufi university in the name of revered Sufi saint Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz.

It said a central Sufi centre should be established in New Delhi and in all capital cities to promote Sufi literature, Sufi culture and music.

In order to promote Sufi tourism, it suggested that a 'Sufi corridor' be created to connect all the shrines in the country.

ALSO READ:

PM Modi to inaugurate World Sufi Forum today

None of the 99 names of Allah stand for force, violence: PM Narendra Modi





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Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said India and Pakistan should introduce counter-radicalisation curriculum in schools, colleges, universities, madrasas and religious institutions to shield youths from being brainwashed into taking up arms and doing evil things in the name of religion.

By India Today Web Desk: Powerful Pakistani cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that use of religion to drive terrorism should be considered an act of "high treason", and India and Pakistan must act tough to check radicalisation and spread of extremism.

Tahir-ul-Qadri, whose massive protest in Islamabad a-year-and-half ago had shaken the Nawaz Sharif dispensation, said India and Pakistan should introduce counter-radicalisation curriculum in schools, colleges, universities, madrasas and religious institutions to shield youths from being brainwashed into taking up arms and doing evil things in the name of religion.

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"Wherever terrorism is promoted in the name of faith and religion should be considered an act of high treason," he said.

The cleric said terror outfits exploiting religion to spread terrorism must be dealt with very strongly and that they should not be forgiven at all.

"This is a criminal act. If Jaish (Jaish-e-Mohammed), if Lashkar (Lashkar-e-Taiba), if Al Qaeda, ISIS or if there is any Hindu outfit using religion in order to perform terrorism, then very strong action should be taken," the 65-year-old cleric, who has a strong support base in Pakistan, said.

Identifying terrorism as the biggest threat facing India and Pakistan, he said the time has come to effectively deal with terrorists as well as those who spread mischief and violence in the name of religion.

"Wherever terrorism exists, wherever are the roots, whatever are the groups, everybody knows about it. Both India and Pakistan should take common action. Unless terrorism is uprooted, the region will be deprived of development," Qadri told PTI.

Strongly pitching for a dialogue between India and Pakistan, Qadri said both the countries must decide whether they want to continue nearly seven decades of hostility or would prefer a path of peace, economic growth and development.

"This is not the way to live. Both countries should realise that about 70 years have passed. They should decide whether to live like enemies forever or they will become friendly neighbours. If they decide this basic point, then only a new chapter of good relations can start," he said.

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The Congress government in the state is under threat with 9 MLAs rebelling against Rawat and the BJP, which has 27 MLAs, staking claim to form the government.

By India Today Web Desk: Uttarakhand Governor has written to Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove majority in the Assembly before March 28. The Congress government in the state is under threat with 9 MLAs rebelling against Rawat and the BJP, which has 27 MLAs, staking claim to form the government.

The 9 rebel MLAs include former chief minister Vijay Bahugana and cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat, who was expelled from the cabinet on Saturday evening. "Harak Singh's conduct is against the party," Rawat told reporters on Saturday evening after a Cabinet meeting.

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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.

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.

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.

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."

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

Harish Rawat on Uttarakhand crisis: In touch with some rebel MLAs, ready to prove majority



--- ENDS ---
Notices have been issued to the nine rebel Congress MLAs following a request from party chief whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking action against them for violating the party whip in the state Assembly during voting on the Finance Bill.

By Press Trust of India: Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the House even as Arun Jaitley and Rahul Gandhi sparred over the political crisis in the hill state.

Main opposition BJP has, meanwhile, claimed that 35 MLAs including 26 from the party and 9 from Congress had already given a notice for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker to the Vidhan Sabha Secretary for his alleged failure to conduct the House in an impartial manner even before he issued the notices to the rebel Congress MLAs.

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Chief Minister Harish Rawat while training his guns on the BJP said they are "killing" democracy.

"BJP party with the support of their party at Centre is trying to destabilise the state governments. They are killing democracy. They talk about cooperative federalism and they are targeting the opposition governments selectively," he said.

Notices have been issued to the nine rebel Congress MLAs following a request from party chief whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking action against them for violating the party whip in the state Assembly during voting on the Finance Bill.

The notices have been pasted on the walls of the houses of the MLAs concerned which asks them to submit their replies to the Speaker by March 26 evening.

However, Pradesh BJP president and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajay Bhatt said as a notice of no-confidence has already been moved against the Speaker he should quit his post.

Using the Uttarakhand crisis to escalate his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP, Rahul Gandhi said it has exposed the "true face of Modiji's BJP" and that "toppling" governments by "blatant use of money" seems to be the ruling party's new model.

"Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar".

"Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy.

This attack on our democracy & Constitution, first in Arunachal & now Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modiji's BJP," the Congress Vice President said in a series of tweets.

Senior BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley blamed the Congress for the crisis, claiming there is "deep division" and said it cannot be attributable to the BJP.

"There is a deep division in the Congress in Uttarakhand... it cannot be attributable to the BJP," Jaitley told reporters in Delhi. The Congress had earlier accused the BJP of engineering split in the party.

Jaitley said that a majority of MLAs voted against the controversial Finance bill but the Speaker declared it passed.

"In Uttarakhand, Speaker considered a failed bill as passed.

This is happening for the first time in the country," he said.

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Chief Minister Rawat said the BJP strategy to topple his government is a type of an encounter and referred to how police horse Shaktiman was brutally attacked during a protest by BJP workers in Dehradun and had its hind leg amputated.

"First they broke the leg of the horse and now by doing horse trading, they want to break the leg of Uttarakhand."

Before the crisis unfolded, the Congress had 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of 6 members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while opposition BJP has 28 MLAs.

ALSO READ:

Toppling governments using money, muscle BJP's new model: Rahul Gandhi

Uttarakhand crisis: 9 Congress MLAs rebel, BJP stakes claim to form govt

--- ENDS ---
By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: Music was an integral part of Sharat Chandra Srivastava's childhood. There would always be some or the other kind of music being played at his house. Learning to play the violin at the age of seven, therefore, was quite natural for him.

It was his grandfather, Pandit Joi Srivastava, who decided to mentor him and become his guru. Thus began the age-old custom of guru-shishya, which was this time sweetened by the fact that it was a man teaching his grandson the same craft he had once been taught by his own guru. Srivastava says, "The guru-shishya parampara is the only way to learn Indian classical music in India. This is a string instruments legacy which is followed over the years, where the student lives in the guru's house and learns the art form. It requires genuineness of the guru and respect, dedication, commitment and obedience of a shishya to gain knowledge in the best possible way."

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After he gained the requisite knowledge, Srivastava used his musical prowess to become a part of not just one but two critically-acclaimed bands - Parikrama (with whom he played for 12 years) and Mrigya (the fusion group he now leads). Apart from his work with bands, the violinist has also curated quite a few noted musical events. He was the music composer and conductor for UNDP's 'Stand Up, Make Noise' programme in 2010, which featured a 100-piece Indian instrumental orchestra, and recently he also composed the music of the finale of the cultural programme of the India Africa Summit that was held last year at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Srivastava has had a lot of experience managing musical events of a large scale. After all, he is the one behind the 'Strings of the World' festival which happens in the Capital every year. He says, "This will be the fifth time 'Strings of the World' will be held in the Capital, this November.

The main idea of the festival is to feature a whole variety of string instruments under one roof. This has now become an annual festival that happens every year in November where musicians from different parts of the world come and collaborate with our Indian musicians. We have had musicians from Scotland, Slovenia, Holland, Norway, Russia, China, and Germany. This year I am planning to bring orchestras from Italy and the United States." Having spent close to 30 years in the profession, Srivastava has quite the definite advise for those wishing to become a violinist. He says, "Find a good teacher and learn the proper way with full dedication and passion without seeking short cuts. Success can only be achieved with constant practice."

--- ENDS ---
anterior

Judios de origen etiope marchan en Jerusalem en contra de la reduccion de alia
Mr. Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, recently snubbed the president of our country by cancelling his visit to the White House. The irony is that such behavior has no consequences for Mr. Netanyahu who gets over $3 billion of our tax dollars every year which he uses primarily to make life miserable for the Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied Gaza and West Bank. Furthermore, our government bribes Egyptian government with couple of billion dollars a year so that it helps Israel in its blockade to keep the Palestinians confined to the open air prison called Gaza.
Who has inspired you?

The people who inspire me look out for others and act for the common good. I see examples of this on my street: for years, neighbors shoveled snow from the driveway of the most elderly couple on our block. One of my Lincoln heroes, Roger Larson, used to say, We all drink from wells that we did not dig, as he encouraged us to pay it forward for our city. Vanessa Diffenbaugh, a friend, used proceeds from the sale of her first novel to found a national organization that supports foster youth. A 1960s Mississippi civil rights activist I studied in college, Fannie Lou Hamer, inspired me because she was one courageous woman who stood up for equality and never gave in despite great personal cost.

Whom do you hope to inspire?

One reason I ran for City Council sprung from the fact that, at the time, no other women were in the race. I didnt want my kids or anyone elses to look up at the dais and see only men behind the microphones. If girls see me at a City Council meeting, they might think to themselves, I could do that, too. Ill never forget the day my daughter Ava, when she was 7, informed me that only men are doctors. Wasnt I raising her to believe she could be anything she wanted? Yet she still came to that conclusion because shed never actually had a woman doctor. So often, seeing is believing. All you young girls out there: your turn on City Council is coming!

What is your favorite quote or motto?

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.  Oscar Wilde

How would you describe a great day at work?

It begins with a warm cup of tea and a to-do list Im excited to tackle. At the top of that list is getting answers for people who seek my help. Also on the list is uninterrupted time to think about big-picture ideas and research the pros and cons of policy decisions the Council faces. Casting votes in favor of things that make Lincoln an even better place  from new park playgrounds to an expanded trails network to improved emergency response times to high speed internet service to wrap-around services for the homeless  definitely makes the list. I also enjoy teasing Carl Eskridge about how impossibly nice and polite he is to everybody! A great day at work has to include some fun.

Whats the best advice youve ever received, and who gave it to you?

My dad, who moved through life with the relaxed style of an accomplished athlete (he played college basketball and competed in international tournaments into his late 60s), was fond of saying, Start slow and taper off. Im still trying to learn how to follow his advice.

Whats the highlight of your career (so far)?

When I worked as the director of a Boys & Girls Club, a quiet and modest 8-year-old girl named Michelle caught my notice with her winning, buck-toothed smile and clear academic promise. I got to know her parents  a house cleaner and a house painter with no college education themselves  and worked with them to apply for special academic opportunities and scholarships for their daughter. Years later, after I had left the club to start my own family, I got a call from Michelle asking if I would write a recommendation for her college application to Stanford. I still remember beginning that recommendation with the words, This is a letter Ive waited 10 years to write ... Then came the call that she had been accepted. We had tears of joy on both ends of the phone line.

How have you changed over the course of your career?

Throughout my career, Ive proven to myself time and time again that I can do things that at first seem daunting. Theres a confidence born from experience, one that builds over time.
Vintage Easter style

Check out ways to celebrate Easter in true throwback style. The fun of this decorating look is to mix new, old and repurposed. Dont let Grandmas glassware and china collect dust! Honor your familys history and lovingly use what they cherished.

Hearing loss quiz

See how much you know about hearing loss, from the biggest cause to how to prevent it.

25 Obama facts

From pet gorillas and inflation to drone strikes, we explore facts about Barack Obama. The legacy that Obama will forge remains hotly contested. The team at InsideGov found key data points regarding the president.

12 things famous people say about Nebraska

Check out what celebrities are saying about the Cornhusker state, good and bad.

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BURLINGTON  An accident blocked traffic on Highway 36 in Lyons for more than five hours Saturday, police said.

The accident occurred near the intersection of Highway 36 and Creekside Drive in Lyons, just west of Burlington in Walworth County, at 12:22 p.m., according to state Department of Transportation officials.

Traffic on Highway 36 was blocked in both directions and re-routed, officials said.

The Walworth County Sheriffs Department responded to the accident, which did not result in any fatalities, sheriffs deputies said Saturday night.

Reports said the Town of Burlington fire department responded to the accident and assisted with an extrication, officials said.
RACINE  Dominic A. Cariello is a man filled with military precision, missionary zeal, and memories of the Racine Unified School District being the envy of the educational world.

Born and raised in Racine, Cariello attended Jerstad Junior High and graduated from Horlick High School in 1981. He recalls when school officials from Europe visited Racine to admire and appreciate the school district.

We were once a world class school district, Cariello said. What happened?

What happened was this, according to Cariello: Ineffective leadership, infighting, short-sighted decisions and shrinking public confidence eroded the district into a place of average achievement with a major perception problem.

We cant have a school district that people want to ignore, said Jim Ladwig, executive director of the Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce. You cant ignore the elephant in the room. To me, we have no choice but to address this issue.

The mission

Cariello, an engineer and executive at Badger Meter who also spent more than 31 years in the Army National Guard before retiring as a brigadier general, has taken on that mission.

He is working to convince local governments  and anyone else who will listen  that Racine County needs an education master plan: an overall, nearly unalterable strategy to guide Racine Unified at first, and the entire county at some point, for the next five to 10 years.

The plan would be compiled by a school administrators, teachers, parents, residents, business leaders, community groups and local government officials. Once developed, the plan could not be altered by school superintendents or school board members.

No one individual or select few will be able to change the construct, metrics or implementation of the programs mutually agreed upon," Cariello said.

Cariello is taking his proposal on the road, seeking support for the master plan concept from local governments. The Caledonia Village Board voted this month to support it, and Cariello plans to appear at Sturtevant and Mount Pleasant meetings in April.

This is about assessing where we are and where we want to go, Cariello said. I will tell people what they need to hear and not what they want to hear.

What people dont like to hear, Cariello says, is that Racine Unified seems to have lost the confidence of the general public, that at least two Racine County villages want to secede from the district, that some businesses leaders believe they know how to run the district better than educators, and that the School Board is viewed as ineffective micromanagers.

Were Americans, so we need someone to blame, he said. Well, blame me. Its my fault. But now Im moving forward. I want to be part of the solution.

The solution starts with fixing Racine Unified by incorporating the academy model that district administrators have been working on for several years, Cariello said.

The academy model

The academy model is designed to prepare students for college or careers by combining classroom work with real-world knowledge and skills from business partners to link learning to life.

Racine Unified plans to begin phasing in academies at its three main high schools this fall.

The program is based on a successful academy structure used at 12 high schools in Nashville, Tenn. Cariello has seen the Nashville system first-hand and believes it can work in Racine.

Academies have achieved success," he said. "Ten years ago, the state was threatening to take control of the Nashville high schools. Today, they have increased graduation rates almost 24 percent.

The Racine academy plan will require teachers to switch to block scheduling, which has been a contentious issue between the district and the Racine Education Association, the teachers union.

The REA has asked the district to slow down the block scheduling implementation and allow more time for training. Cariello said teachers will get the proper training. We dont expect anyone to be thrown into the coals, he said.

Reactions to plan

In general, Cariello's plan seems well-intentioned, but it trivializes the role of the elected School Board, said REA President Aaron Eick.

"There are solvable problems in RUSD, but minimizing educator, voters, parents and student voices will not put the district on the right path," Eick said.

Unified Superintendent Lolli Haws said a master plan would acknowledge and respect the educational expertise within Unified, and give voice to businesses and other groups so the community can join in a common, continuous effort to prepare students for the future.

"By preparing our students to be career- and college-ready, our Racine-area businesses, community and economy will thrive," Haws said.

Moving past any differences, angst and anger is a key to making the master plan work, Cariello said. Another critical part is for the community to let teachers  professional educators  do their jobs, he said.

"RAMAC and the business community don't want to take over the education process. That's the last thing we want to do," he said. "We dont want to lord over anyone. We want to work shoulder to shoulder and move in the same direction.

A new direction for the district is critical to create a sustainable, vibrant community, said RAMACs Ladwig.

We need improved outcomes. While they are improving, theyre not good enough, Ladwig said. The needle is moving in the right direction. Now is not the time to stop moving the needle.

Cariello is a bundle of energy, speaks plainly, makes his points with military sharpness and purpose. He's also realistic about the chances of this plan succeeding.

Theres probably a 40 to 50 percent chance it wont happen and thats OK, he said. You plan missions and you hope they are successful. You always know there are going to be risks. If this one fails, I will know that I did everything I possibly could to make it a success.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [official website] addressed the agreement between the European Union (EU) [official website] and Turkey on Friday, stating [press release] that it is important to ensure safeguards in executing the agreement and to respect international and European law in the process. EU leaders agreed to a deal [JURIST report] with Turkey on Friday, effectively turning the country into the regions migrant holding center while receiving 3 billion assistance from the EU and an additional 3 billion by 2018. The agency is also reminding all parties of the importance of committing to this agreement and that resettlement of Syrian refugees should not disregard resettlement of refugees from other areas of the world.

The rights of migrant populations has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issue around the world. Last week Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] Executive Director Kenneth Roth urged EU leaders to reject [JURIST report] a proposed EU Joint Action Plan with Turkey to handle the influx of migrants due to the disregard for international law covering the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, expressed concerns [JURIST report] over a proposed migrant exchange program between the EU and Turkey, arguing it may violate international law. The Joint Action Plan [text, PDF], was proposed to decrease human smuggling along the shores of southern Europe and to help alleviate the massive influx of refugees hosted by Turkey.
Bhutanese minister visits Tilaurakot

Foreign Minister of Bhutan Lyonpo Damcho Dorji on Saturday visited Tilaurakot, ancient Shakya capital city where Siddhartha Gautam spent 29 years of his princely life before he embarked on a journey to become Buddha.
Egypt: 'IS attack' kills 13 policemen in Sinai

The Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 13 policemen in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula.
Govt to sign $216m deal with China bank

The government will sign a $215.96 million loan deal with China EXIM Bank to build a new international airport in Pokhara during Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis visit to Beijing that begins on Sunday.
Nepal to organise Int'l Conference on Buddha and Buddhism in May

In a bid to develop Nepal as the centre for Buddhism, a three-day-long International Conference on Lord Buddha and Buddhism is to be held on 19-21 May in Kathmandu.
Security agencies to be mobilised to stop protests

The government has decided to mobilise security agencies to stop obstructions at the Khimti-Dhakebar Transmission Line project.
Seven Nepali women rescued from Saudi Arabia

Seven undocumented Nepali women migrant workers working as domestic helps have been rescued from Saudi Arabia.
Three friends

Fear of Chinese influence has placed Nepal at the receiving end of many reactions by New Delhi
Unearthing stories in statistics

Hitmaan Gurungs work at the Dhaka Art Summit speaks of an obliteration of identities, and comments on the Nepali governments indifference to the hardships that millions of Nepali migrant labourers
1. Yes. Its important to cast my votes early and avoid the lines on Election Day.

2. Yes. With nearly two weeks of early voting, its a more convenient way to take part.

3. No. Its better to wait until Election Day, in case any last-minute information surfaces.

4. No. Im not planning to vote early or on Election Day. It isnt worth my time.

5. Unsure. It depends on how the campaigns are shaping up. Ill play it by ear.

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Calls for peace and reconciliation have today dominated Palm Sunday celebrations and messages.

Christians have been asked to pray for peace and justice as they mark Palm Sunday.

Retired Bishop Zac Niringiye says when Jesus Christ rode on a donkey it signified peace and so it should be mirrored in our lives today.

He adds that there cannot be peace without justice, asking believers to be at the forefront in the fight for social justice.

At Rubaga Cathedral, the Vicar General of Kampala diocese Charles Kasinbante has reechoed the call for peace and reconciliation.

While delivering his Palm Sunday sermon this morning, Kasibante said conflict hinders development and so as Christians prepare to celebrate Easter, they should all work towards reconciliation.

He adds that this must start at family level in order to groom responsible and peace loving future leaders.

The Palm Sunday mass started with a process from the archbishops residence to the cathedral.

In Lugazi, the vicar general of Lugazi diocese Mgr, Richard Kayondo has urged Christians to remain resilient as they enter the holy week in which Jesus was crucified.

Meanwhile the retired Bishop of Lugazi Diocese Matthias Ssekamanya has urged parents to guide their children and bring them up in the fear of God.

He was presiding over the 49th anniversary of St. Joseph Nagalama School in Mukono.

Citing the bible story Joseph and Mary who had the fear of God, the Bishop said they were a sign of good up-bringing.

In Busoga, the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has asked the Basoga to use Palm Sunday to pray for and welcome positivity in their lives and work for the development of the region.

Palm Sunday is a Christian feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter to commemorate Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Worship services on Palm Sunday include a procession of the faithful carrying palms, representing the palm branches the crowd scattered in front of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem.

Story By KFM Reporters
National prayers for the Uganda Cranes continue in selected places of worship today.

The meant to call for Gods blessings as the cranes prepare for their double 2017 AFCON Qualifiers against Burkina Faso.

The prayers that started on Friday at the Old Kampala Mosque continued this morning at Rubaga Cathedral, before being concluded later this afternoon at Victory Church, Ndeeba.

FUFAs Financial Director Decolas Kiiza says the special prayers are meant to seek Gods blessings ahead of Cranes games.

The Cranes play Burkina Faso in Ouagadougu on March 26th before playing host on 29th at Namboole stadium. Uganda tops group D with 6 points.

Story By Moses Ndhaye
Female members of the legal fraternity in Uganda have expressed concern over their lack of interest in matters of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights.

The concern is raised as the Court receives names of nominees to replace the four judges whose term of office expires in July 2016.

According to the African Union Commission, the current gender representation at the AfCHPR is very low with just two female judges; Justice Elsie Thompson from Nigeria and Ugandas Justice Salome Bbosa.

Speaking to KFM, the Uganda Law society president Ruth Ssebantidira blamed this on the lack of confidence among women lawyers.

Its sad to see that none of our female members has expressed interest, but when you talk about womens challenges they are not peculiar to the rural woman. These issues cut across all spheres of life including professional women and women in business, Ms Ssebatindira told KFM in an exclusive interview in Kampala.

The legal profession is no exception where there are not many women leaders even in law firms, so those are challenges we are still grappling with, Ms Ssebatindira added.

According to a statement issued earlier by the African Union Commission, in order to ensure adequate gender representation, AU member states are asked to nominate atleast one female candidate with experience in more than one of the principal legal traditions of Africa (Civil Law, Common Law, Islamic Law as well as Custom and African Customary Law).

The deadline for receiving candidates names is April 30th while the election and appointment of new members will be conducted during the 29th Ordinary session of the executive council and 27th ordinary session of the assembly, respectively in June 2016, in Kigali, Rwanda.

Article 11 of the protocol that establishes the AfCHPR requires it to have eleven judges who must be national of the AU members states and each state party may propose upto three candidates.

The judges to be replaced are Algerias Mr. Fatsah Ouguergouz re-elected in July 2010 for a six- year term, Tanzanias Mr. Augustino S. L. Ramadhani-, Malawis Mr. Duncan Tambala and Nigerias Ms Elsie Nwamuri Thompson (all elected in July 2010 for a 6-year term).

Story By Catherine Ageno
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Gloria Dawn (Matiak) Dagendesh, 76, of La Crosse passed away Friday, March 18, 2016, at Bethany-Riverside Nursing Facility.

She was born Sept. 8, 1939, to LaVerne and Vivian (Cottone) Matiak. On Oct. 3, 1964, she married Jerome Jerry Dagendesh, and in their 51 years together, they were blessed with five children and eight grandchildren who were her pride and joy.

Gloria had a love for all things nature, animals, gardening, boating, camping, cooking and playing her favorite card game, 500 rummy.

She is survived by her loving husband, Jerry; her five children, Robert (Barb) Dagendesh, Daniel Dagendesh, Tammy (Butch) Fellenz, Sandra Oleniacz, and John (Angie) Dagendesh; her eight grandchildren, Mark, Jennifer, Chris, Chelsey L., Dan, Steve, Chelsey M., and Preston; and her great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brothers, Richard (Shirley) and Leonard (Rosemary); sisters, Ruthie and Margie (Bob); and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends.

She joins her parents; brother, Ronald; and twin sons, Jerome and George, in heaven.

Gloria will be remembered for the loving, kind and compassionate wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend she was.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 22, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 1333 South 13th St., La Crosse. The Rev. Rick Roberts will officiate. Burial will follow in the Catholic Cemetery, La Crosse. Family and friends may call from 4 until 7 p.m. Monday, at Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, 200 West Ave. So., La Crosse, where a prayer service will be held at 6:30 p.m., and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service on Tuesday at the church. Online condolences may be submitted at www.schumacher-kish.com.

In gratitude for the wonderful care, Jerry and his family request that contributions be given to Bethany-Riverside Memory Care Center (The Lighthouse) in Glorias memory.
OULU -- There were Christmas dinners around the kitchen table, the meal cooked in an oven fueled with wood.

Cold winter nights were interrupted with alternating visits to the sauna and dips into the deep snow partly sourced from nearby Lake Superior. A trip to the bathroom could be shared thanks to a two-seat outhouse just beyond the clotheslines.

The memories of his grandparents house in far northwestern Bayfield County are vivid and special for Duane Lahti.

So, the retired longtime field biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources and baseball coach set out in 1997 to preserve the familys ancestral farm, established in 1910 by John and Justina Palo near the corner of Muskeg and Eastview Road.

John Palo died in 1949, but Justina lived in the home until 1977 when she died at the age of 92. At the time, the home was still heated by wood and coal but ultimately sat empty for 26 years and fell into disrepair.

In 2002, Lahti and his family completed substantial renovations to Justinas log home (that had been covered with wood siding), a spring house and a low-slung building that contained a woodshed, shop and sauna. The barn was beyond repair, but the property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This one mile of road here, when I was growing up, there were six farms with intact barns, now there are zero, Lahti said. And every town road was like this. Everybody had 40-acre farms and every farm had several kids. I mean, there was no birth control back then and farming was labor intensive so you needed people. Oulu was densely populated.

But the six-year project to restore the family farm was only the beginning for Lahti and others in this Finnish enclave north of Highway 2, between Brule and Iron River, far removed from the sailboats, art galleries and restaurants of Washburn and Bayfield and the Apostle Island National Lakeshore all to the east.

Since 2011, part of Lahtis grandparents farmstead has been slowly transformed into the Oulu Cultural and Heritage Center. The non-profit effort is a partnership with the Oulu Historical Society to preserve and share the stories of the Finnish immigrants who came to this part of the state to carve out a life in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The property, which opened to the public in 2013, includes a stable and has the restored five-bedroom, 1899 log home from the 160-acre John Pudas federal homestead. The impressive home was built seven miles to the northwest in the early 1900s and was a gathering place for many in the Oulu community. Other buildings moved to the site include a renovated smoke sauna built in the late 1800s and the Northern Co-op Society building, constructed in 1931 about five miles to the north of the Heritage Center.

The original sign on the building, which operated as a co-op until the mid 1950s, had been in a bookstore in Bayfield for years. But last summer Lahti, 67, traded old commercial fishing gear he had in his garage in order to bring the sign back to the co-ops facade.

It was a communist store, Lahti said. There was a major socialist movement in these communities back in the late 20s and early 30s. There was a co-operative store over here but the commies wanted to have their own operation. Its part of the history here.

According to the Oulu Historical Society, Finnish immigrants began arriving here in the late 1880s. Swedish, German, Norwegian and other European immigrants were also among those early homesteaders but nearly 75 percent were of Finnish descent. Many had briefly settled in northern Minnesota or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Originally a part of the town of Iron River, the Finns lobbied to create their own town and in 1904 the request was granted by the Bayfield County Board. The name Oulu was chosen in respect for the homeland region and a city in Finland that had been the birthplace of Andrew Lauri, who led the effort to create the town, according to the historical record.

Even in the 1950s, there were students in school who also spoke Finnish, while Lutheran church services were more likely to be in Finnish than English. In the 2000 census, about 40 percent of Oulus population identified, at least in part, to a Finnish heritage.

In April, according to Lahti, linguists from UW-Madison are scheduled to visit Oulu to interview residents who still speak the language. They also will research writings and learn more on how the language has evolved and been retained here.

Kathy Mattila met her husband, Nigel, in Minneapolis but in 1987 moved from Duluth, Minnesota, to Oulu, where Nigels grandfather had settled decades earlier. She is now an active volunteer at the Heritage Center and is looking forward to teaching children how to use a loom this summer.

Its so we dont lose our skills from our heritage. This is a community place where we can connect and share skills, said Mattila, who worked in banking, at a hospital and paper mills in Duluth before retiring. We just enjoy it here. I feel like Im home because its so much like where I grew up.

Other topics and skills scheduled to be taught this summer include local and Wisconsin history, sewing, ice cream and root beer making and an introduction to hard tack.

But more renovation work is underway.

In February, the more than 100-year-old Fairview School was moved to the property. The one-room schoolhouse was constructed in the nearby town of Tripp in 1915 but moved to Port Wing in the 1950s and attached to the high school for use as a music room after consolidation closed many of the rural schools.

When a new high school was built in the late 1970s for the South Shore School District, the old Fairview School was moved a short distance for use as a law office but sat unused for years.

The 900-square-foot building, which still has its chalkboards and an outdated world map on a wall, was donated to the Heritage Center but needs to be set on its new foundation and needs improvements to the roof, floors, ceiling and its siding. There are also plans for a new bell tower after the original was removed in the 1950s.

Fundraisers, donations and grants are being sought to cover the costs but so far, the vast majority of the work at the Heritage Center has been paid for by the Lahti family in their effort to save the communitys history.

But some of the buildings that have disappeared from the town are in good hands.

In the 1970s, several structures from Oulu were moved nearly 380 miles south to Old World Wisconsin near Eagle with the help of Ed Pudas, the son of homesteader John Pudas. They included a dairy barn, granary, stable and sauna from the Heikki and Maria Ketola farm a mile north of the Pudas homestead and buildings from the farmstead of Jacob and Louisa Rankinen who settled in Oulu in 1897 about three miles to the west of the Heritage Center.

This is where everything happened. Were not trying to compete with Old World Wisconsin, obviously, Lahti said. We want to tie in with them. People go to Old World Wisconsin to see whats there but people can also come to Oulu and see a mini-version of Old World Wisconsin.
Wouldnt it be nice to make rules that apply to everyone but yourself? Thats kind of what we have done in Madison. Whether it is open records, open meetings or even ethics laws, our state politicians have carved out exemptions for themselves that leave me wondering what the heck is going on in Madison.

You probably already know that Wisconsin legislators cant give themselves a raise. Instead, legislative pay raises can only take effect after the next election. You dont get the benefit unless you get rehired by the voters. That makes sense.

But in this past year, the Legislature gave all of our campaigns a pay raise, effective immediately. Apparently, politicians didnt like how much money we were able to raise off individual donors so they doubled the contribution limits across the board. Imagine what we can do with all that money, how many thousands more robo-calls and TV ads we can barrage you with. Oh, and dont forget the unlimited corporate money that weve opened the floodgates for. Did I mention that the Legislature has dismantled the entire watchdog agency tasked with overseeing our campaign spending and replaced it with partisan loyalists? I guess for some reason it seemed like a better idea to put the foxes firmly in charge of the hen house.

Seriously, is this how democracy is supposed to work?

Here is another example. In Wisconsin, we have something called the Open Meetings Law. It means that our government meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend and watch democracy in action. We have to follow that rule on the County Board, as does every local unit of government. But inside the Capitol, we play by a different set of rules. We can have closed caucus meetings where no one else is allowed to attend. No reporters can monitor our activity, no outsiders can watch what deals get cut, and no cameras can record what we say.

And even when we are on the floor of the Assembly, politicians still are pulling every trick out of the bag to discourage the public from finding out what really happens down here. A citizen of Wisconsin can sit in the gallery, but they cant make any noise, carry a pen or pad of paper, take pictures, hold a sign or wear a political T-shirt. Parents cant even bring coloring books to occupy their kids. You can, however, bring a gun. Go figure.

We have always prided ourselves in Wisconsin on an open and transparent form of government. How is that supposed to continue if we are actively cutting off every avenue our constituents have to oversee what we are doing? The attitude seems to be, just write us big checks, but keep your nose out of what were doing. Thats just plain wrong.

One of the things I worry about the most for the future is the proposed destruction of our Open Records law. Every document in our offices is subject to an open records request; anyone can write in and request information. You want it, you got it. Sometimes this is used by reporters to investigate legislators. Other times it is used by our opponents to find our weaknesses. But it is the law and it is an important tool in keeping us accountable.

However, for the past year, some of our leaders have been trying to destroy the law or at least weaken it, so that it doesnt apply to legislators. Their belief is that everyone else in government should be subject to it, except us. You deserve better than that.

Maybe next year will be different. Each session, we hear candidates say they are committed to clean, open and transparent government. I certainly hope so. And lets start with making us more accountable to the voters. After all, we work for you. At least thats the way its supposed to be.


The alcoholic drink most people call Scotch has been around for hundreds of years.

According to the Scotch Whisky Association of Great Britain (known as the SWA), there is an entry in Scotlands tax records from 1494 that shows an order of malt used to make 1,500 bottles of something called water of life.

The SWA says this means distilling was already a part of daily life more than 500 years ago.

Whisky is produced all over the world, and there are many variations.

For example, some whisky is aged in barrels that used to hold wine, beer or bourbon. Other than in Scotland, there are well-known distillers the United States, Japan, Australia, France and other countries.

Judges have been choosing the best whiskies in the world each year since 2007 at an event called World Whiskies Awards.

The title for worlds best single malt whisky was won by Scotland four times, Japan three times and Australia once. Then in 2015, there was a big surprise.

The best whisky in the world came from Taiwan.

It came from a distillery called Kavalan, owned by King Car, a big beverage company.

The name of the winning whisky is Solist Vinho Barrique. That means it is aged in a barrel originally used for wine.

If you want to buy this whisky, be prepared to spend more than $100.

Distilling is the process of producing and extracting alcohol by combining roasted barley (known as malt) or another grain, with water and yeast. The reaction of the yeast with the other ingredients is called fermentation. That is how alcohol is produced.

The mixture is then heated, and the alcohol, which evaporates before water, is captured and cooled, producing whisky.

The whisky is stored for many years in barrels before it is bottled and sold. The barrels are usually crafted from oak, and their insides are toasted, or burned slightly by fire. This adds flavor and character to the whisky. Most of the time, the longer a whisky is aged, the better it tastes. Because of the aging time, an older whisky is usually more expensive than a younger whisky.

There is a world shortage of old single malt scotch, according to a recent story on CNNMoney. That is because over the past 10 years, a lot of people started buying aged whisky. But distilleries did not prepare for the boom in popularity.

And since you cannot produce an 18-year-old Scotch in half the time, there is a shortage that may last for another 10 to 15 years.

This is a problem for whisky fans.

But whisky from Taiwan provides a solution. Whisky experts say the warm and humid weather in Taiwan helps whisky mature faster. That means it may taste better than a whisky of the same age made in a cooler climate.

Ian Chang is the master blender for Kavalan. He says Taiwans climate is perfectly suited for making whisky.

"With the heat in summer and the cold air in winter we can make sure that we have plenty of extraction and oxidation and the whisky is therefore very mellow and very mature in a very short time.

Another whisky reviewer, Jim Murray, called Kavalans original single malt whisky the Asian Whisky of the Year in the 2015 edition of his book called Whisky Bible.

These awards are making Kavalan whisky popular in the United States. It has only been available for two years.

Bill Thomas owns Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, D.C. It is a restaurant known for its large whisky collection. It has more than 2,000 bottles.

Thomas says he does not have very much Kavalan whisky in stock because the demand is too strong.

"Its available here, but we only get really some of the basics. A lot of their premium, they have like different levels of whisky, and a lot of their premium stuff, were not getting here. Were not getting all of their finishes, or not in enough quantities for us to keep it on the shelves. Weve got a couple base ones. Their sherry wood, their cask strength, which are fantastic, but we would love to get access to the complete breadth of all of their whiskies. And I think that will come, but I think demand has outpaced their production right now.

Chang says Kavalan is aware that some places in the U.S. do not receive very much of his whisky right now. It is available in 38 of the 50 states. In two years, about 27,000 bottles have been sold. He is hoping that number will rise as the whisky becomes available in more places and more people learn about his brand.

The distillery is trying to increase production to meet the demands in North America and around the world. Chang says one problem with exporting to the U.S. is that different rules about alcohol in each state make it, in his words, a bit difficult to import our whisky into the U.S.

Voice of America Learning English went to the recent WhiskyFest event in Washington, D.C. to see what people know about Kavalan whisky.

It was the first taste for some.

Mickey Kaminsky of Baltimore came to the event to try a number of rare whiskies from all over the world.

So, its very smooth. You can taste the wine influence. Its a very gentle single malt. Very gentle. You easily drink this. Very nice. Its not superb.

He thought he might buy a bottle of Kavalan in the future.

Kyle Kennedy is from Georgia. He came to the event and made a special point to taste some of the different Kavalan whiskies.

For example, there is an original single malt, and some aged in barrels that once held wine, sherry, port and bourbon. The alcohol content, or proof, differs, too. Varieties of whisky from the same distiller are called expressions.

Really, Ive got to say after going to a few other places, it didnt stand out. It wasnt bad. It wasnt good. It just didnt leave a mark like some of the other things that Ive tasted before.

Cassie Fullington is part owner of a bar in State College, Pennsylvania called Local Whiskey. She was at WhiskyFest looking for new whiskies to offer her customers. She had not tried Kavalan before.

Not too sweet. Its very mellow. Its very nice to drink. I would probably introduce it to somebody that was just starting to drink scotches. If they were converting from bourbon to scotch.

Ian Chang says there are some challenges ahead. But he and Kavalan are happy with the way the whisky has been received in North America so far.

First, the distillery must find a way to send more bottles to the United States. Second, it needs gain fans at home. Chang says drinkers in Taiwan find the whiskies from Scotland to be more exotic. And finally, he and his colleagues need to keep teaching people about why whisky from Taiwan can taste good.

We dont really feel like an underdog. But we understand that there are consumers who dont understand why Kavalan can be produced in the heat of Taiwan. And therefore we think that it takes time for us to communicate with consumers. We are very confident that once they have tried it they will like it. And therefore I think that it just takes time for the global consumers to know about Kavalan.

Im Dan Friedell.

And Im Caty Weaver.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

Are you surprised that a company from Taiwan produces one of the best whiskies in the world? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

malt  n. grain, especially barley, that is soaked in water and used in making alcoholic drinks (such as beer and whiskey)

distill  v. to make (a liquid) pure by heating it until it becomes a gas and then cooling it until it is a liquid again; to purify (a liquid) by distillation

single malt  n. a kind of whiskey that comes from one place and that is not blended with other kinds of whiskey  often used before another noun

proof  n. a measurement of how much alcohol is in an alcoholic drink

expression  n. a variation of whisky that is different from another

underdog  n. a less powerful person or thing that struggles against a more powerful person or thing (such as a corporation)

consumer  n. a person who buys goods and services

extract  v. to remove (something) by pulling it out or cutting it out

evaporate  v. to change from a liquid into a gas

toast  v. to make (food, such as bread) crisp and brown by heat

boom  n. a rapid increase in growth or economic success

oxidation  n. the process of combining with oxygen

exotic  adj. very different, strange, or unusual

variation  n. something that is similar to something else but different in some way  often + on

mature  v. to continue developing to a desired level

mellow  adj. having a pleasing rich flavor that develops over time

sherry  n. a strong wine with a nutty flavor that is made especially in Spain

port  n. a strong, sweet, usually dark red wine that is made in Portugal

rare  adj. not common or usual; not often done, seen, or happening


In Thailand, a commission writing a new constitution is set to consider proposals by the military government.

The proposals include a non-elected senate and an appointed prime minister over a five-year period until the new constitution takes effect.

The proposals have led to sharp criticism from major political parties.

The commissions draft version of the constitution calls for a 500-member House of Representatives. Those seats would be filled through elections in Thailand. A 200-member senate would be chosen by interest groups and other organizations.

However, the governments proposal calls for a 250-member appointed Senate. It would include seats for the permanent secretary of defense, supreme commander, and commanders of the army, navy and air force and the chief of police.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said the militarys proposal was aimed at preventing a military overthrow of the government.

But Thailand observers and politicians from major parties say the proposal will weaken parties and harm democracy.

Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee is a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University. She said such proposals will take power away from the elected government. She spoke at a conference on constitutional reform.

What Thailand will have is elections without democracy, she said. When we create institutions that violate basic constitutional principles, like allowing a non-elected prime minister, we lay the groundwork for tyrannical decisions. That is a very sensitive point for me.

The military has said the proposals are needed to avoid political unrest. Thailand has had years of conflict between supporters and opponents of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He was ousted from power in 2006 and now lives in self-declared exile to avoid a jail sentence.

Ake Tangsupvattana is dean of political science at Chulalongkorn University. He said the commissions proposals may provide a way for moving Thailand beyond past political conflicts.

Ake says Thailands Cabinet and the commission will attempt to negotiate a compromise before March 29. That is when the constitution is to be sent to the Cabinet.

Thailands attempt to write a new constitution comes at a time when the 88-year-old king, Bhumipol Adulyadej, is in poor health. He has ruled for more than 60 years and is the worlds longest serving monarch. His son and likely replacement has yet to reach the level of respect given to his father.

Thailands current draft constitution, if approved, would be the 20th charter adopted since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

A vote on the new charter is set for August 7.

Im Mario Ritter.

Ron Corben reported on this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

charter  n. a document that describes basic laws and principles of a group

tyrannical  adj. using power over people that is unfair or cruel

adopt  v. to accept or approve something
Christina McCoy is a professor who loves teaching 16th and 17th century Spanish literature.

But after only one year of teaching at a university in southern Virginia, she is leaving.

McCoy received her doctorate degree, or Ph.D, from the University of Texas at Austin in 2015. She immediately looked for a teaching position.

But McCoy quickly learned that finding a full-time job at any university was almost impossible.

"When I entered graduate school in 2007, people were picking what city they got to live in. They had multiple offers  and now there are four jobs in the whole country."

For McCoy and others like her, the world of higher education has changed. Tenured positions, or university teaching positions that last as long as a person wants to keep them, are disappearing.

The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (or TIAA Institute) is an organization that studies financial issues for educators. A 2013 TIAA Institute report stated that over the past 30 years, U.S. colleges and universities have changed the types of jobs they offer.

The report said 70 percent of all faculty positions are now part-time, adjunct, temporary, or full-time. But these jobs are not tenure-track.

Johns Hopkins University published a book in 2006 about higher education called "The American Faculty." That book stated that in 1969, 80 percent of faculty positions across the country were tenured or tenure-track.

Teresa Politano has taught media studies part-time at Rutgers University in New Jersey since 1999. Politano says the university has never offered her a full-time, tenure-track position.

She also says the change in the kinds of faculty positions universities are offering is a big problem.

"Its always been a poorly paid position, but in the past I think the employee and the university viewed the position differently. It had an added value.  Now  what were seeing is not only do we have a greater reliance by the university on part-time faculty. But were also seeing a lot of part-timers who are working two or three or four or sometimes eight to 10 different classes, and sometimes over three or four different universities in order to piece together a living."

Politano is also the president of the union representing part-time faculty at Rutgers. She fights so full-time and part-time faculty can receive equal pay for equal work. The union was able to negotiate a 5 percent pay increase from the administration in December.

But, Politano says, not all faculty are so lucky.

David Chatfield teaches graphic design at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Cumberland County College in New Jersey. He also helps organize faculty for the American Federation of Teachers (or AFT). The AFT is a union that represents teachers across the country.

Chatfield says being a part-time professor at more than one school is not only difficult financially. It also divides his attention and prevents him from having a relationship with his students.

"Im just a body that the administration puts in front of a class because they need to fill the class and thats about it. So I dont feel like they value me, because I dont have an office ... I dont get paid for any extra stuff that I do for my students outside of class."

Chatfield adds that his schools limit the amount he can teach so they can legally avoid giving him benefits. He also said other part-time faculty he has met through working with the AFT are tired.

"Youll get exhausted from commuting between several schools and teaching more than what is normally expected of a college professor."

The University of California Berkeley Labor Center is an organization that studies labor issues. A 2015 Labor Center report said 25 percent of part-time faculty across the country use some form of public assistance program. These programs help people with little money pay for basic needs, like food and health care.

Faculty in the California State University (or CSU) system are now fighting their administration for greater pay. There are 23 campuses and 25,000 teaching faculty in this system.

About 60 percent of CSU faculty are temporary.

The California Faculty Association (or CFA) is the union that represents a majority of the CSU faculty. The CFA is asking for a 5 percent pay increase for all faculty. If the administration does not agree, the CFA says its members will strike on April 13.

Jennifer Eagan is a professor of philosophy at California State University at East Bay. She is also the president of the CFA.

Eagan says the CSU administration is trying to cut costs by hiring more temporary workers. The CSU reports the average pay for full-time faculty is $96,000 per year. The CFA reports the average temporary faculty member earns $28,000 per year.

Toni Molle is the Director of Public Affairs of the CSU system. She says the system only has enough money to provide a 2 percent pay increase. She also notes the administration takes great efforts to care for its teachers. For example, faculty only need to teach two classes for them and their families to receive benefits.

But, Molle says, the administration has many priorities it must consider.

"These are essentially fixed costs and we have other fixed costs, such as infrastructure, technology, building and equipment..."

Molle adds the CSU budget is $135 million below what she calls pre-recession levels. The U.S. economy went through a recession from 2007 to 2012. In January, California Governor Jerry Brown promised $152 million for the CSU system in 2016. But Molle says that does not solve their current problems.

Eagan argues that the problem of underpaying faculty has existed for 10 years. The administration gave the faculty a 1.34 percent pay increase in 2013 and a 1.6 percent increase in 2014. But Eagan says this does not meet the rising cost of living.

Eagan, Politano, Chatfield and McCoy all agree the real problem is more money going to paying administrators. Administrators are moving away from education and towards a corporate model, Eagan says.

"I think it is a matter of choosing what you want to prioritize. Do you want to prioritize the experience of students and who works with students on a day to day basis?

Or do you want to prioritize executives and other priorities that are further away from the student experience? It really is a choice that are made by managers. So maybe their lack of experience in the classroom recently is influencing their decisions.

Molle said 49 percent of CSU employees are faculty; 12.5 percent are management; 38 percent are staff; 0.3 percent are executives. She did not provide the average yearly pay of administrators.

But Rutgers president Robert Barchi received a $97,000 bonus in February. He also received a 2 percent pay increase, making his yearly pay $676,260.

Rutgers is not the only school that pays its administrators high wages. The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (or CUPA-HR) is an organization that studies employment in higher education.

The CUPA-HR released a report on the average pay for 191 administrators at 1,227 schools in 2014 and 2015. The report said the average pay for a chief academic affairs officer, or provost, was $187,120. The average pay for the chief executive officer of a university system was $388,000.

McCoy did not want to give the name of the school where she teaches. She said she does not know what new career she will choose.

McCoy says most professors stay in higher education despite pay issues because they love teaching. But she does have a warning for anyone thinking of becoming a professor.

"I would tell them not to."

Im Pete Musto.

Pete Musto reported on and wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Now its your turn. Are you a teacher who does not receive benefits? Should part-time and full-time faculty make the same amount of money? Let us know in the comments section and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

doctorate degree  n. the highest degree that is given by a university

full-time  adj. done during the full number of hours considered normal or standard

graduate school  n. a course of studies taken at a college or university after earning a bachelor's degree or other first degree

faculty  n. the group of teachers in a school or college

adjunct  adj. added to a teaching staff for only a short time or in a lower position than other staff

tenure-track  adj. relating to or having a teaching job that may lead to tenure

reliance  n. the state of needing someone or something for help or support

benefit(s)  n. something extra such as vacation time or health insurance that an employer gives to workers in addition to their regular pay

exhausted  adj. to have used all of someone's mental or physical energy

commuting  v. traveling regularly to and from a place and especially between where you live and where you work

campus(es)  n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school

priorities  n. the things that someone cares about and thinks are important

infrastructure  n. the basic equipment and structures such as roads and bridges that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly

bonus  n. an extra amount of money that is given to an employee

provost  n. an official of high rank at a university


President Barack Obama has arrived in Cuba, becoming the first American president to visit the island nation in almost 90 years while still in office.

Moments after the presidents plane landed at Jose Marti airport in Havana in the rain, he sent a Tweet that said Que bola Cuba? Just touched down here, looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people. Que bola? is an informal Cuban expression that means How are you?

At the airport, American and Cuban officials met Obama. CNN reported that some of the Cuban officials who greeted Mr. Obama had been forced to leave the United States after being accused of spying for Cuba. Cuban President Raul Castro did not welcome President Obama at the airport.

Michelle Obama and their two daughters joined the president for the three-day-visit.

A new beginning

The president says the trip will be a new beginning in the relationship between the former Cold War enemies. At the State Department last week, he said diplomacy -- including having the courage to turn a page on the failed policies of the past -- is how weve begun a new chapter of engagement with the people of Cuba.

In Havana, workers put up American and Cuban flags along with a new coat of paint in Old Havana.

Cubans have eagerly awaited the presidents visit as a sign of change for the country.

Yohana is a 45-year-old lab specialist in Havana. She says that the embargo has caused much damage to the Cuban health system. Jan Carlos, a 14-year-old student, hopes the visit will lead to improved communications between countries and better access to the internet and social media.

Hector Artigas is a 70-year-old retired worker in Havana. He says Cuban should be alert despite improved relations with the U.S.

Obama hopes his visit to Cuba this week will strengthen efforts between the two countries to improve their diplomatic and economic relations 55 years after they ended.

The two countries restarted diplomatic relations eight months ago.

Obama believes the restarting of relations with Cuba is one of the most important foreign policy decisions of his presidency. He has said that the policy of trying to isolate Cuba has failed.

Obama to meet Raul Castro and to address Cuban people

On Monday, the president is to meet with Cuban President Raul Castro. He will then meet with Cubans who are operating their own businesses to talk about economic ties between the U.S. and Cuba.

Tuesday morning, he will speak to the Cuban people on state-run television. He will tell them how he wants the relationship between the two countries to develop.

Ben Rhodes is the presidents deputy national security advisor. He told reporters that the speech will also be a chance for the president to discuss the difficult history of relations between the United States and Cuba. Rhodes said the president will tell how the United States and Cubans can work together (and) how the Cuban people can pursue a better life.

Obama will meet with human rights activists during his trip. The Cuban government opposes the meetings, but the Obama administration said it refused to negotiate with Cuban officials about who the president would meet and what they would talk about.

The Cuban government recently released some political prisoners and has let some people use the Internet. But in 2015, Human Rights Watch reported that Cuba continues to rely on arbitrary detention to harass and intimidate individuals who exercise their fundamental rights. The rights group said detentions had increased since the two countries restarted diplomatic relations.

Continued opposition at home

Some of President Obamas political opponents also say Cuba is guilty of rights abuses. They have strongly criticized the presidents visit to the Communist nation.

Representative Ed Royce is the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In a statement, he said canceling the embargo will further prop up a communist regime in Cuba that has a long record of brutal human rights abuses.

On Friday, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said this is a regime that provides safe harbor to terrorists and fugitives."

Because the presidents political opponents control both the House and Senate, experts say it is not likely that Congress will approve the cancellation of the embargo.

But five Republican lawmakers are traveling to Cuba with Obama. And at least 15 Republican senators have said restrictions on travel to and trade with Cuba should be eased.

Im Jonathan Evans.

VOA Correspondents Mary Alice Salinas, Kathryn Gypson and Michael Bowman contributed reporting. JC of the Havana Medical University contributed information from Havana. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do 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

turn a page on  expression to restart a relationship

chapter  n. a period of time that is very different from the period of time before it

engage  v. to become involved with (someone or something)

isolate  v. to put or keep (someone or something) in a place or situation that is separate from others

spur  v. to cause (something) to happen or to happen more quickly

pursue  v. to try to get or do (something) over a period of time

arbitrary  adj. done without concern for what is fair or right

harass  v. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way

intimidate  v. to make (someone) afraid

fundamental  adj. forming or relating to the most important part of something

regime  n. a form of government (usually negative)

safe harbor  expression a place of safety and comfort


A United States military leader says he is concerned about the ability of the U.S. to wage conventional war against countries like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

U.S. Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, told American lawmakers that focus in the Middle East has spread military resources thin.

The general told Congressmen if a conflict took place somewhere other than the Middle East, preparing for battle would be a challenge.

If that [a conflict] were to happen, I would have grave concerns about the readiness of our force to deal with that in a timely manner, Milley said.

The concern about readiness comes while tensions heighten on the Korean peninsula. North Korea conducted a nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch in February.

The U.S. has moved more troops into Asia. South Korean and American troops are conducting joint-military exercises.

North Korea calls the exercises rehearsals for invading the north.

North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un, has threatened to launch nuclear missiles against South Korea and the United States.

Even with American forces widely divided, the U.S. and South Korea combine to have superior conventional forces in the region, according to the website Global Power.

There are close to 28,500 American troops in South Korea. America has maintained a military presence in South Korea for more than 60 years.

Im Mario Ritter.

Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

conventional war  n. the waging of war in a manner which does not use nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

conflict  n. a struggle for power

tensions  n. a state in which people, groups or countries disagree with and feel anger toward each other

launch  v. sending or shooting - something, such as a rocket - into the air or water

peninsula  n. a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water and is attached to a larger land area

rehearsals  n. events at which a person or group practice an activity

superior  adj. high or higher in quality
LEXINGTON, Neb.  The Lexington Community Foundation hosted the semi-annual meeting of the Heartland Council of Community Foundations Wednesday afternoon at Lexington Middle Schools former cafeteria.

The members of the Heartland Council of Community Foundations are executive directors and board members from community foundations across Nebraska. The purpose of the organization is to provide a network of resources for all things related to community foundations  board development, charitable giving, organizational structure etc.

Twenty-four people representing 11 different community foundations attended the meeting. A panel of Lexingtons professional advisors to the Lexington Community Foundation held an informal question and answer talk.

Panel members were Steve Heldt, a retired attorney with Heldt and McKeone in Lexington, Jed German, an accountant with Contryman Associates and Dan Clark, an investment advisor with Edward Jones in Lexington.

All three panel members agree that the provision making the IRA rollover permanent in 2015 would be a good thing for foundations and those looking to donate to them. The IRA, individual retirement account, allows a person to save money on a tax-free basis.

Heldt advised foundation representatives to ensure their donor class was aware of the wide-range of giving possiblities. He also stressed that it was well worth the time to use the personal touch with potential donors.

Dont be afraid to ask, many people wont donate unless they are asked to do so, Heldt said.

Having moved to the Lexington area from the Panhandle, German said he was inspired to get involved within the community after attending the Key Event.

A foundation needs to make people aware of what is available. German said.

Another role of a foundation is to promote fundraising activities.

Most people who donate do so from time to time when the need arises. In Lexington these days, the big events, are the Key and Give BIG Lexington, Heldt said.

Both Clark and Heldt agreed that having well-established communications and trustworthy ways to donate will make giving a way of life.

With the Key event, people of all ages attend. Its important for young people to see what is possible and to see what they can do when they grow up. Its the foundations role to educate people in how to give, Clark said.

Heldt said there was a common sense of unity in Lexington, where residents are inspired to give when the need is present.

Our culture now is you will donate, it doesnt have to be a large sum of money, it can be your time or your talents, Heldt said.

We need to inoculate into our younger generation that over time you give back to your community. The community has provided you (young person) with a base to prosper, Clark said.

Other ways to donate are through gifts of grain, donation of farm equipment, stock transfers or naming a charity as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy.

Heldt said that life insurance policies are often taken out to provide funds for a persons family in case of death and to help cover estate taxes. As the tax climate leads to less worry about estate tax payments, Heldt said those wanting to make a charitable contribution could change their life insurance beneficiary and name their local foundation as the beneficiary.

Sarah Peetz, vice president for community outreach for the Lincoln Community Foundation, said the Heartland Council of Community Foundations is an informal organization made up of 25 foundations from rural and urban areas across Nebraska.

Peetz said the organization meets twice a year and decided to visit Lexington because it hadnt visited here in a long time. Also, it provided a more centralized location for foundation representatives in western Nebraska. The Heartland Council has been meeting for 16 years, she said.

We meet to share information about best practices of community foundations and to learn about new ideas and success programs, Peetz said.

Peetz said community foundations are unique entities in their towns because they act as both a fundraising outlet and a redistribution outlet. Foundations redistribute donations to their communities in the forms of grants, she said.

Peetz commended the efforts of Lexington Community Foundation Executive Director Jackie Berke to promote giving days and social media.

All community foundations are using social media to raise awareness and communicate with the younger generations. Giving days took off with social media about five years ago. Jackie was one of the first to do that (start an online giving day), Peetz said.

Lindsay Divan, executive director of the Custer County Foundation in Broken Bow, said she got a lot of ideas and inspiration from attending the meeting.

Its important to stay up to date with what other foundations are doing and see what more we can do. The panel discussion was very helpful; I was not too familiar with a charitable remainder trust. So hearing about it helped me become more knowledgeable, Divan said.

When one foundation representative asked Heldt how to better communicate with estate planning donors, Divan said she found his answer very enlightening.

He said a foundation has to prove its worth. That really hit home because residents need to know what we do and how it impacts the community, Divan said.

Divan said she enjoyed hearing what other foundations across Nebraska are doing to connect with donors and address their communitys needs.

Its interesting to see how other foundations are different from us. Its very inspirational to see if we can implement some ideas in our community from other foundations to improve the quality of life, Divan said.

Divan said the Lexington Community Foundation is a trendsetter and great resource for other foundations.

The Lexington Foundation seems to be the go to place for groups trying to fundraise. We should all strive to be that go to foundation, that place where people go for fundraising, she said.
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By Deepa Gupta

When I meet Muzaffar Ali, he has just finished directing a ballet  Radha Kanhaiya ka Qissa, written by the last Nawab of Awadh  for the Wajid Ali Shah festival in Lucknow. He is also intensely involved in promoting tourism and skill development in this city.

Meeting Ali is similar to meeting a quiet river  his demeanour is that calm. His words flow with an intellectual alacrity. Ali is an artist who not only wields the brush and the pen, but also expresses his master strokes on celluloid and through fashion. Be it the larger-than-life persona of Rekha or the earthy talent of Shabana Azmi, the glamour of the ramp or the drudgery of the artisans lives, Ali handles it all with poise and humanity.

Director, musician, painter, designer, writer  which role would you say gives you the maximum satisfaction as a creative artist?

I don't know. Possibly I am a seeker in quest of spiritual balance in beauty and the human situation. Art comes in an organic medium to express my feelings which are deeply rooted in my culture. I am drawn to music and poetry to experience the truth of this human predicament. This takes me to the threshold of the language of moving images in which I try to express myself. I am not clever but certainly impulsive. The visual language as a painter comes easy to me and gives sensitivity to my films. This is a holistic creative process, whatever it could be defined as.

Do you think you would like to make another film on the lines of Anjuman with the current scenario as the backdrop, talking about the problems of chikan embroidery artisans and their lives in present times?

Anjuman is timeless in its essence so the need to address the issue as a film is not needed. What is needed now is redesigning the lives of artisans and reinventing the craft and repositioning it as a contemporary world product with a story weaved into it.

Were you to think of making Zooni today, who among the current brood of stars do you feel would fit the roles that Vinod Khanna and Dimple Kapadia were to play in the film?

Zooni today is a new dream altogether. There is big gap today between women who inspire finance and who tell a story. I have suffered to such an extent that I don't dare to dream of Zooni till a powerful inspiration arising from the larger environment arises. Casting is a spiritual alignment of person with a character and one cannot take it casually by assigning actors to roles.

The beauty of meaningful lyrics is lost in the noisy Bollywood songs that have become the norm. Will the Hindi film industry ever feel the magic of yesteryear songs again? Or are we really short of fine lyricists?

Lyrics are the driving force of a film. They express the voice of the soul, a resonance of the characters emotions. I don't wish to generalise what happens in Bollywood. I can only talk of my journey of using poetry in my films as a comment or working with poet characters such as Umrao Jaan, Anjuman, Zooni or Wajid Ali Shah.

It has been a very elevating journey and I hope I have taken people with me on this. Jaanisaar too was a poetic journey and hopefully those who got the chance to see it will agree. There is no shortage of lyricists but giving them an inspirational position is missing. It is a soul devouring journey for them in Bollywood. And Bollywood unfortunately doesn't explore poetry or give respect to poets. Commercial milieus are not conducive for poetry.

Sufism seems to be ingrained in your soul. In todays times especially, do you think the Sufi ideology could give us a better world?

Sufi is a manzil I have arrived at both out of the quest of my soul and the socio-cultural circumstances of the world we live in. In this journey I have discovered unlimited ecstasy in lyrics, voices, instruments and rhythm which now resonate in my life and art. The quest is on. The search is endless as we are nothing in this universe full of wonder.

Hairat mara ze har do jahan be niyaaz kard, Ein khwaab kar e daulat e bedaar meekunad  Rumi

(Bewilderment has absolved me of both the worlds, This is the consequence of awakening from my dream)
By Puja Changoiwala

They are the reason why you can be picked up from a pub, and arrested for drinking without a permit. They are the reason why you can be booked for hugging a person of the opposite sex, or for donning a Bob Marley t-shirt, or even for flying a kite. And they are also the reason why homosexuality still remains a crime in our country, and why Jawaharlal Nehru Universitys (JNU) Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested recently. "They" are the ancient, obsolete laws, passed mostly under the British Empire, but which continue to clog our books of statute. They may have lost their relevance over the intervening decades, but not their prevalence.

Addressing the issue of archaic laws still restricting our freedoms, Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court DY Chandrachud, while delivering the welcome speech at a function to mark the 150th anniversary of the High Court earlier this week, called on judges to use their powers wisely,considering that many laws were laid down ages ago to deal with challenges of that time.

Law tends to follow precedents, said Chandrachud, But it must be kept in mind that administration of justice also involves interpretation of laws that may have been laid down ages ago, in accordance with contemporary needs and challenges.

In light of Justice Chandrachud's speech and the recent misuse of obsolete laws, heres a look at some of the most troubling rules, a burdensome colonial legacy:

Satire is sedition.

Act: Indian Penal Code, 1860  Section 124A for sedition

Punishment for contravention: Imprisonment for three years extendable to life and/or fine.

What the law says: This law, which was coined to protect the British royalty from protesting Indians, says that any word, either spoken or written, or sign, or visible representation which incites violence, hatred or contempt, or excites disaffection towards the Government in India is punishable under the law.

Case in point: Amidst national outcry, Aseem Trivedi, a political cartoonist was arrested for posting caricatures of the Indian Parliament, national emblem and the Constitution on a web portal. His website was banned by the cyber cell for blasphemous content soon after. The cartoons depicted Parliament as a commode and showed the national emblem with wolves instead of lions. His work was obviously aimed at creating hatred amongst the society, said a senior official. This is also the law under which JNUs Kanhaiya Kumar was recently arrested.

Not more than three pints of beer a day.

Act: Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949

Punishment for contravention: Imprisonment extendable to six months and/or a fine of Rs 5,000.

What the law says: A person is allowed to drink or possess not more than two units of alcohol a day. For hard liquor such as vodka and gin, the two unit limit is 214.28 ml (three and a half pegs), for beer it is 1.14 litres  a little more than two pints, and for wine, the limit is 0.448 litres. You can mix and match your poisons, but the limit shouldnt exceed two units.

Case in point: Priti Chandriani, 53, who would make liquor chocolates at home for sale, was arrested in Mumbai for possessing alcohol beyond permissible limits. The excise department raided her Worli apartment following a tip-off that large amounts of alcohol were stocked in her home, which they insisted was for her personal consumption.

No Bob Marley, please.

Act: Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act, 1956

Punishment for contravention: Imprisonment up to six months and/or fine.

What the law says: The law aims at preventing the dissemination of harmful publications to young persons. Any person who sells, distributes, advertises, lets to hire or publicly exhibits such details is punishable under the law.

Case in point: In order to rid Kochi of marijuana and other drugs, the cops not only raided several joints, but also booked and arrested sellers of Bob Marley merchandise, including t-shirts, bracelets, bumper stickers and key chains. The cops justified their act saying that since these products sported marijuana leaf pictures and that of the reggae artist, they carried anti-social messages and symbols, which were pushing the youth towards recreational drugs.

No hugging the opposite sex.

Act: Bombay Police Act, 1951.

Punishment for contravention: Rs 1,200 fine.

What the law says: This law is against indecent behaviour in public. It prohibits people from exposing their person in public, speaking in an indecent manner, or behaving indecently. However, the term indecent is not defined under the Act and is open for individual interpretation to cops. Its execution often toes into moral policing.

Case in point: A 25-year-old man was detained and harassed for indecent behaviour after he hugged his female friend goodbye at Carter Road, Mumbai. Similarly, the Mumbai police raided a private hotel last year, made 13 couples leave their rooms after knocking on their doors, carted them away to the local police station, fined them and even made them call their parents.

Free restaurant entry? Woman is a 'prostitute'.

Act: Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.

Punishment for contravention: Detention in a corrective institution for two to sevenyears.

What the law says: If a female offender is found guilty of prostitution, her character,state of health and mental condition need to be assessed, and if need be, she should be rescued and sent to a correction home for her rehabilitation. The court has the authority to study these circumstances and decide upon the period of her reform training.

Case in point: Two sisters at a birthday party in a Mumbai restaurant were arrested under PITA and then sent to a reform centre for sex workers for 21 days. After showing a large number of documents proving they were legitimate, tax-paying citizens, mothers and wives, they were released. The cops said that a prostitution ring was at work in the restaurant since women had free entry while men had to pay a stag entry of Rs 3,000.

No drinking without permit, not even at a pub.

Act: Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949.

Punishment for contravention: Imprisonment extendable to six months and/or a fine of Rs 10,000.

What the law says: Every person, whether drinking at home, bar, pub or a club, has to avail of a permit for alcohol consumption, even if he is over 25 years of age and permitted to buy and consume alcohol. Daily permit is available at Rs 5 for Indian-made foreign liquor and Rs 2 per day for country liquor. These are available at local wine shops, but for yearly permits, applications have to be made to the area excise officer. A one-year permit costs Rs 100, and a lifetime permit Rs 1,000.

Case in point: The Mumbai police busted a sundown party at Juhus OakwoodPremier hotel in 2012. Revellers were detained and their blood and urine samples were sent for forensic analysis. Not only were drug consumers booked and arrested under the narcotics Act, patrons were also charged for consuming alcohol without permits  a move widely criticised by lawyers.

Other obsolete laws

Lepers are 'criminals'

The Lepers Act, 1898 calls for the immediate arrest of a pauper leper (a leper who begs for alms) by any police officer without a warrant. The leper has to be held in an asylum unless he denies the allegation of leprosy. The Act also bars lepers from indulging in certain trades, using public carriageways, and drawing water from public wells.

Kite-flying is a crime

According to The Aircraft Act, 1934, flying kites or balloons is likened with flying aircrafts and is made out to be an offense. Unless you have a licence from a government authority, there is likelihood of arrest. And if your kite or balloon injures another person, you are liable to pay compensation for the same. It may even call for imprisonment extendable to three years.

Letters can land you in jail

According to The Indian Post Office Act, 1898, the government has the exclusive privilege to convey letters with the exemption from liability for loss, mis-delivery delay or damage. One of the few vague exceptions is letters sent by a private friend in his way, journey or travel, to be delivered by him to the person to whom they are directed, without hire, reward or other profit or advantages for receiving, carrying or delivering them.

Not fighting a locust invasion is punishable

The East Punjab Agricultural Pests, Diseases and Noxious Weeds Act, 1949 states that in face of danger of an invasion by locusts, the government has the right to call upon any person aged above 14 years to fight the attack. The person has to respond to the beat of the drum in the citys centre, failing which he will have to pay a fine of Rs 50 or be subject to simple imprisonment extendable to 10 days. The same punishment is also applicable if a person plucks a plant.

Lawyers opine that the menace around such archaic laws is two-fold  although obsolete, theyre still live, and secondly, they are grossly under-defined, leaving room for misinterpretation and victimisation of innocents. Satish Maneshinde, a leading criminal lawyer said that most of such laws, when coined, were meant only to support the British royalty and crown. At the time, India was fighting for independence, even fighting against these laws. But though the English rulers have left, our judiciary is still governed by their largely oppressive, monopolistic statutes.

In contemporary India, most of these laws stand redundant. The JNU row is basically over a sedition law that was made to protect the crown. Even Section 377 of the Penal Code (for homosexuality and unnatural sex) is an age-old law. We need to look at the circumstances under which the law was framed. Then, the Church considered homosexuality as an offence against mankind, humanity and nature. But now, even the Vatican has accepted same sex marriages, said Maneshinde.

Majid Memon, another leading lawyer said that considering the huge plethora of India laws, it would be appropriate to say that we have too many laws and too little justice. He added that the best set of laws is the one that keeps pace with changing times, with the changing conduct, needs and values of a society. Laws are meant to serve the society, he opines, and they need to be flexible to adapt to an evolving societys mood.

It is therefore necessary that law makers and executors look again at the utility of existing laws and if those laws that have become obsolete, they need to be struck down," said Memon. "At the same time, fewer laws would deliver better justice because there would be fewer complications. Presently, the Parliament of India is seriously examining the necessity of deleting irrelevant laws from our books of statute. There may be hundreds of such laws which were enacted during colonial era and havent been quashed."
New Delhi: 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.

IANS
Sydney/Kuala Lumpur: Two pieces of plane debris found in Mozambique arrived in Australia on Sunday, where experts will determine whether they are from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that disappeared mysteriously over two years ago over the Indian Ocean.

The Boeing 777 jetliner vanished from radar screens on March 8, 2014 with 239 people, including five Indians, aboard and has not been seen since.

After years of searches and questions, a South African teenager and an American lawyer recently found debris on separate occasions off the coast of Mozambique, renewing hopes of solving the major aviation mystery.

Investigators will start examining the two pieces tomorrow to establish whether they are from MH370.

"The examination process is to commence on March 21 and with the assistance of the experts' team, we hope to have results of the debris examination as soon as possible," Malaysia's transport ministry said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur.

Analysis of the debris will be done by Malaysian and Australian investigators, together with engineers from Boeing, the plane's manufacturer.

"This is in order to adhere to full transparency and accountability in accordance with international protocols," the Malaysian transport ministry said.

Australia is leading the underwater search effort to find the plane in the southern Indian Ocean.

The jetliner vanished on March 8, 2014, after it took off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, en route to Beijing.

Officials have not said yet whether the parts found match up with MH370. But the Mozambique location where the US lawyer found one of the pieces of debris is consistent with some of the drift modeling, Australian authorities said.

Investigators have said another piece of debris found last year on Reunion Island, which is in the Indian Ocean, could also belong to the Malaysian jet.

Families of those missing in the tragedy have been critical of Malaysia's handling of the probe and demanding clear answers to the mystery. Several of them recently sued Malaysia Airlines for damages.

PTI
A woman has been arrested after the body of an elderly woman was found in a unit on Sydney's northern beaches overnight.

A neighbour called police after hearing yelling coming from the unit block on Foam Street, Freshwater, about 8pm on Sunday.

One woman is in police custody after an elderly woman was found dead in a Freshwater unit. Credit:Nick Moir

Police and paramedics arrived and found the body of an 81-year-old woman.

A short time later, officers arrested a 49-year-old woman at the scene. She was taken to Manly police station, where she was being questioned.
It was supposed to be a royal luxury experience, a two-week escape to the South Pacific, but for hundreds of passengers on board the Golden Princess it has involved far too much time on the throne.

The cruise ship - the largest to sail in and out of Melbourne - has been struck by an outbreak of gastro, with 2700 passengers on board as the ship returns to Melbourne.

The incident is the second to dog operator Princess Cruises within a month after more than 150 passengers bound for Sydney were struck down with gastro on board sister ship Diamond Princess in February.

It is unknown how many on board are suffering from the symptoms, which the company says are caused by Norovirus - a virus that can cause vomiting and diarrhoea for up to three days.
In Swedish, they are called the nattvandrare or the night walkers.



Wearing orange vests and black skull caps, men and women march through the streets in groups of five or eight on Saturday night, eyes peeled for potential sexual assaults. In the past month, there have been at least eight.



The perpetrators are unknown, but reports that some assailants had foreign accents have prompted fears and media reports that say refugees or other migrants could be responsible.



On Saturday, cities across the world shut off lights for Earth Hour, a global environmental awareness campaign, but here in this remote city of about 45,000, steadily falling snow glistened in lit street lamps throughout the night. And while night walkers patrolled, small groups of party goers laughed as they slid between bars, restaurants and clubs until well after midnight.

Yet for some local women, civilian security patrols and bright lights are enough to make them feel safe.

It feels horrible not to have control over the situation, says Therese Johansson, a 19-year-old aspiring interior designer, out shopping Saturday afternoon. It just came out of nowhere.



For some Swedish people, the idea that desperate people who risked their lives to come to Sweden would turn on the population is hard to swallow. But some locals say if authorities do know who is responsible, they have not released the information.



Many people say it's people that have come here from other countries, says Emma Eurenius, a 19-year-old math student shopping for makeup on the citys main street. But I dont want to believe that.



However, other Ostersund residents say they do believe the violence is a result of the European refugee crisis, where more than 1 million people arrived in Europe last year alone.



Many people come from many countries and we dont know what they have in their luggage, says Christer Jonsson, a member of the Sweden Democrats, a staunchly anti-immigration party that has been gaining support over the past year. I think its a big problem in the future.



Patrols With a Message



As the night walkers patrol Ostersund, some groups have messages that reflect Swedens complex political shifts as the refugee crisis continues to grow.



On Friday night, a group wearing Red Cross jackets included refugees among the walkers, delivering the message that newcomers are equally concerned about safety. Additionally, they wanted to simply take the opportunity to be friendly.



The refugees wanted to show that they are kindly and good, says Irene Fregelin, a Red Cross volunteer who was on patrol. Before the attacks, she adds, anti-refugee sentiment was rarely expressed in Ostersund.



Some people liked us and said Hey, you are good people, explains 28-year old Ghais, who was a dentist before he fled Syria to avoid being forced to fight in the brutal civil war. Some didnt answer.



The Nordic Resistance, a group that calls Hitlers Mein Kampf a "best seller," also posted pictures of supporters in black coats patrolling the town in recent weeks. The group says despite the fact that the police say they dont know who was behind the attacks, a report by British newspaper Daily Mail claims it was immigrants.



The Swedish police have not communicated this because it would prompt an outcry in Swedish politically correct media, which is more concerned about mass immigration than Swedish women's security, reads an article on its website about the patrols.



Swedens Role



If the United States took in the same percent of its population of refugees in 2015, it would have accepted more than 5 million people.



Sweden accepted nearly 163,000 asylum applications in 2015, most in the last few months of the year. The country now spends six times what it did five years ago on caring for people fleeing wars and poverty mostly in the Middle East and Africa.



As is common in mass migration situations, right-wing anti-immigrant parties have grown increasingly popular in Sweden over the past year.



The Swedish government recently announced it will extend increased internal border controls until April 8, saying, "Europe has not managed to maintain its external borders. Until we see a joint European solution, Sweden will be forced to use short-term national measures.



Late last week, the European Union reached an agreement with Turkey that it hopes will lessen the pressure by arranging to send refugees back to Turkey from Greece if they dont apply for asylum or are rejected. In exchange, Turkey is expected to receive billions of dollars and political concessions.



The plan is fraught with challenges, like overcoming local corruption in Turkey, creating a new massive bureaucracy and persuading people who risked their lives and spent all of their money to get to Greece to simply go back.



Here in Ostersund, some locals say something needs to be done before fear-mongering politics grow stronger.



Most people do not accept what they do, says Fregelin, the Red Cross volunteer. But they get bigger and bigger, and that makes us scared.
The deal struck between the European Union and Turkey to try to stem the flow of refugees comes into force Sunday, meaning new arrivals in Greece will be returned to Turkey  with the EU then taking the same number of Syrian refugees from camps on Turkish territory.

But on the Greek island of Lesbos, where most of the refugees arrive, there is growing anger at whats seen as an immoral and unworkable deal.

A few kilometers off the coast, NATO warships and Turkish coast guard vessels patrol up and down the straits between Lesbos and Turkey. Helicopters watch from the skies. Europe and Ankara are trying to prevent a surge of refugees as the new deal comes into force.

Shoreline vigil

On the Lesbos shoreline, volunteers continue their round-the-clock vigil on the lookout for migrant boats.

I dont think that political decisions make a big difference for the refugees, they will come anyway. They are still willing, because they are on their trip for months or years, so they will try it, said Samuel Radber, from the Swiss Cross volunteer group.

Like most aid workers here, Radber is scathing of the agreement between Brussels and Ankara.

You cant charge people like you do with goats or money. They are not numbers, they are human beings. So you cant say we send one back and take another to Europe. Thats not the way it works, he said.

Several days of poor weather have prevented many boats from making the crossing. But rescue teams here believe there are hundreds, if not thousands of refugees waiting to set off.

Nearly 2,000 arrested

Turkish police say they arrested over 1,700 migrants Saturday along the coastline, along with 16 alleged smugglers.

Greece is continuing to move migrants off the islands to the mainland.

Somali refugee Abdi Yare Mousseh was waiting to take the ferry to the city of Kavala Saturday.

"I know a lot of friends in Istanbul who need to come," Mousseh said. "But it is not easy, it is very hard. Some people are crying. Some people are in the jail. Me, six days arrested by Turkish police. He took photos and fingerprints. [Then] I tried to come again [to Lesbos].

Rumors are circulating across the refugee camps of deportations to Turkey dependent on nationality.

Despite assurances from Brussels of fair treatment for refugees, on the frontline of the crisis there are doubts the plan is either workable or legal.
At least 13 people were killed Sunday when a bus carrying foreign students crashed on a Spanish highway between the cities of Barcelona and Valencia.

At least 34 passengers on the bus were injured; 28 of them were hospitalized. Most were foreign students, part of the Erasmus exchange program, who had traveled to the eastern city of Valencia for the renowned Fallas fireworks festival and were returning when the bus crashed.

Those on board the bus were students from Britain, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Italy, Peru, Bulgaria, Poland, Ireland, the Palestinian territories, Japan and Ukraine, Spanish officials said.

Authorities said the bus driver, being held at a police station in the city of Tortosa, tested negative for drugs and alcohol.

The Fallas festival is held each year in Valencia on the feast day of Saint Joseph and draws thousands of tourists from across the world.



Large wooden monuments and effigies representing famous people, often in humorous postures, are burned in a colorful ceremony accompanied by a cacophonous barrage of very noisy fireworks.
A humanitarian organization officer was charged with money laundering in a United Nations bribery case that has ensnared two diplomats and Macau real estate mogul Ng Lap Seng, according to court papers unsealed last week.

Julia Vivi Wang, also known as Vivian Wang, is accused of paying USD500,000 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 for Antigua and Barbuda, and Francis Lorenzo, deputy ambassador for the Dominican Republic.

Wang made an initial court appearance at federal court in Manhattan Friday afternoon. Messages left for her attorneys and a call to her nonprofit were not immediately 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 husbands cemetery plot, authorities said.

Lorenzo, who pleaded guilty last week and agreed to cooperate against the other officials charged in the case, helped facilitate the transfers, 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 Ng Lap Seng and other businesspeople to pave the way for lucrative investments. Some of the bribes were paid to gain Ashes 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, New York, 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. MDT/AP
A ferry sailing from Hong Kong to Macau carrying 74 people on board hit the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge on Saturday. Officials have announced that nobody was injured. The boat left Hong Kong at about 8:16 a.m. and collided with a concrete pillar of the bridge 24 minutes after departure. No water breached the hull, which was carrying a total of 67 passengers and seven crew members. The dense fog that fell upon Macau throughout the weekend caused transportation to slow across the city. Reportedly, the boat was sailing through the fog with very low visibility when the incident occurred. However, the potential causes of the crash are still under investigation.

Li Gang absent from NPC because of illness

Li Gang, the director of the Liaison Office has said that he missed the recent National Peoples Congress (NPC) session because of an illness that has rendered him unable to remain seated for long periods of time, Macao Daily News reported yesterday. Li Gang told reporters in a meeting that he was not seriously ill, but that he did not attend the NPC because he cant remain sitting for too long. He said he has been traveling back and forth between the hospital and the Liaison Office during the course of the NPC. Unfortunately, I cant go to Beijing to attend the meeting because of my physical condition. I have been paying attention to the NPC news every day, though. He added that he no longer needs time to recover from his sickness.

Health Bureau fighting influenza with free vaccines

The Health Bureau (SSM) started providing seasonal influenza vaccines to all local residents for free on Saturday. The administration of these vaccines, which have been available since the end of September 2015, has now been extended to all residents aged six months and above. The SSM explained that these measures come in acknowledgment of the fact that the number of severe flu cases recorded in 2016 has already topped the figures from 2015. From the 13 registered cases of pneumonia caused by the flu, four have required treatment in the intensive care unit due to respiratory failure. The director of SSM, Lei Chin Ion, said last week that the Bureau purchased a total of 110,000 vaccines last year and that it expects the peak of the influenza to last until April.
In response to the lack of maternity support in the city, and to enable access to comprehensive maternity education services, two mothers started a consulting service named Moms  Macau Maternity Support in September last year.

The initiative is led by Maria Sa da Bandeira, a child routine and sleep consultant, and Rita Amorim, a clinical psychologist. The two women came together after experiencing the lack of support from the community during their own experiences of pregnancy and child-birth.

Moms started with our own personal experiences which is of the lack of support during pregnancy and maternity. [] Both of us felt a great lack of support, a huge lack of support, Maria told the Times.

With both wanting to contribute to change in the community, they educated themselves by completing certificates and training courses.

The first idea that came up was to create a pre-natal class as its core service. And from there, understanding the needs, talking to our clients and looking into our own experience, we started building our own services as well, Maria said.

Currently, Moms core services are pre-natal classes, psychological support during pregnancy and post-partum advice on routines and baby sleep. In addition, it has undertaken several collaborations with local residents and expatriates who have related expertise.

Were slowly building our way up. We didnt have the expertise we needed [] so we looked around for people who did, Maria explained.

The consulting service now has between 20 and 25 clients. Its managers say that they see a great advantage in providing emotional and logistical support to couples who do not have their families nearby. The primary client base is Portuguese and other expatriates.

The majority of these people have no families around to give support. And they feel lost, [with] no information and alone, they need some support. And I think were providing a good service for these kinds of people.

Moms is also set to organize a workshop on early screening of developmental delays on April 2.

A Portuguese education expert has been invited to attend in honor of the first session of the new activity, Listen, Share and Learn which targets parents, primary caregivers, and educators. The purpose of these workshops is to encourage these people to learn, share, and ask questions on a variety of topics related to early childcare.

Moreover, the organization will launch its Play, Share and Learn, with a talk titled Gut Health in Children on April 9.

Now we have started a new activity [] where we call mothers and babies to come and share about one specific topic that we choose. So each month is a different topic, and they share with an expert, explained Maria.

The organization believes that by educating their clients to parent in the most effective way, it will help reduce emotional stress in households.

Meanwhile, Rita claimed that local hospitals do not organize groups that start from the beginning till the end of pregnancy. Though there are talks on breastfeeding, it only caters to Chinese-speaking mothers-to-be.

Christina Kimont, a birth doula [i.e. a person trained and experienced in childbirth], who also provides services to Moms clients, strongly supports breastfeeding. Kimont added that there is a definite absence of any support network for women who wish to breastfeed.

I strongly believe in supporting breastfeeding. I know thats something continuing to be more valued in this culture and community here but there isnt yet the support network to help women breastfeed to the recommendations that they are being given, Christina revealed.

So theyre just being told that they should breastfeed but not being told how to maintain it. There are significant emotional and health impacts that come along with long-term breastfeeding, she added.

Moms also believes that the government should be involved and encourage the setting up of comfortable and friendly spaces for women to breastfeed.

What we feel is important is for places in Macau to be ready to have private areas for ladies to be able to breastfeed [] even in the public hospitals. For example in the pediatricians [clinic], you have a very uncomfortable room, said Maria. Staff reporter
The death toll from purported Russian airstrikes on the IS-held city of Raqqa in the past 24 hours has climbed to at least 55, mostly civilians, Syrian opposition activists and the Islamic State group said yesterday.

The extremist group has controlled the city in northern Syrian since 2013 and considers it the capital of its self-

styled caliphate. It has recently become the focus of more intensified airstrikes. A Kurdish-led force supported by the U.S. and Russia has said that it is planning to liberate the city in the next months.

The alliance, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, has had success fighting against IS in northern Syria, and expelled its militants from their stronghold in Hassakeh  the town of Shaddadeh  last month.

Intensified airstrikes on Raqqa were ongoing yesterday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents the conflict through activists on the ground, said 55 people have been killed, including 13 children and a pregnant woman, in what it said were Russian airstrikes that hit residential areas over the past 24 hours.

The anti-Islamic State activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently also said the airstrikes were by Russian warplanes and put the number of deaths at 60.

The IS-affiliated news agency Aamaq said 43 were killed and 60 wounded. It released a video that purports to show the massacre committed by Russian aircraft in one of Raqqas most congested streets. The video shows what appears to be dead babies as well as bombed out buildings, burning cars and other wreckage.

The activist groups on the weekend said the air raids struck near the national hospital, a former army base and other neighborhoods.

Russia has been conducting air raids in Syria since Sept. 30. Moscow began drawing down its military presence in Syria over the past week after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial pullout of Russian aircraft and forces in support of indirect peace talks in Geneva.

Last week Putin said Moscow would keep enough forces in Syria to continue the fight against the Islamic State group, the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front and other extremist organizations.

The Islamic State group is not included in the truce that was brokered by Russia and the U.S. and went into effect on Feb. 27, leading to a drop of violence in Syria.

The air raids come at a time when IS has lost large swaths of territory in northern Syria, including in Raqqa province, in battles with the Syrian 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.

Opposition activists reported heavy airstrikes yesterday on the town that is home to some of the worlds most precious archaeological sites. Several of those sites have already been damaged or destroyed by the extremists.

Syrias five-year civil war has killed more than 250,000 and displaced half the countrys population. MDT/AP
The prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile called yesterday for China to engage in dialogue on autonomy for his peoples homeland, as tens of thousands of Tibetans around the world voted for new leaders of a government that Beijing does not recognize.

Buddhist monks in crimson robes lined up along with hundreds of Tibetan men and women in schools, government buildings and the courtyard of the Tsuglakhang Temple in Indias northern city of Dharamsala, where the exiled government is based, to cast their votes for prime minister and parliament.

They started to line up early yesterday, carrying their Green Books  passport-size booklets that record their paid taxes and are mandatory for Tibetans to be eligible to vote.

The voters stood patiently, at times for more than an hour, as they waited for their turn to mark their choices on ballot papers printed with the images of the two prime minister candidates. Elderly Tibetans carrying walking sticks and rosaries were assisted by government officials in voting.

The ballot boxes were fashioned out of painted tin boxes with hinged lids. Separate boxes were marked in Tibetan for the election of the prime minister and for parliament.

It was the second election since the Dalai Lama stepped down as head of the government-in-exile in 2011 to focus on his role as the Tibetans spiritual leader. Some 80,000 voters were registered, and results are expected next month.

Lobsang Sangay, the incumbent prime minister, arrived with his young daughter to cast his vote at a polling booth in a government building.

The dialogue [with China] will be the main initiative, Lobsang, who is running for re-

election against parliamentary speaker Penpa Tsering, told reporters.

I hope Chinese President Xi Jinping in his second term in 2017 will look at the Tibetan issue and take the initiative to hold talks with Tibetan exiles, he said.

Lobsang added, however, that the reality on the ground is repression.

China doesnt recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile, and hasnt held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.

We never recognize this so-called government-in-exile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular news conference last week in Beijing. We hope that all countries in this world, especially those that want to maintain friendly relations with China, will not provide facilities or venues for any anti-China, separatist activities by the so-called Tibet independence forces.

China says Tibet has historically been part of its territory since the mid-13th century, and the Communist Party has governed the Himalayan region since 1951. But many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of their history, and that the Chinese government wants to exploit their resource-rich region while crushing their cultural identity.

The Dalai Lama and his followers have been living in exile in Dharamsala since they fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.

Both prime minister candidates support the middle way approach advocated by the Dalai Lama, which calls for seeking regional autonomy under Chinese rule.

Some Tibetan groups advocate independence for Tibet, since little progress has been made in dialogue with China. But their representatives couldnt win enough support in the first round of voting last year to be in the running for the prime ministers post.

There has been little discussion about the future of Tibet, said Bhuchung D. Sonam, a Tibetan writer. For example, how the two candidates would approach the issue of Tibet in terms of talking to China.

Lobsang said he wants Indias government to recognize Tibet as a core issue of its policy. New Delhi considers Tibet as part of China, though it is hosting the Tibetan exiles.

He said that Tibet has become more of an issue for India, and mentioned New Delhis concerns over the falling water levels of the Brahmputra River, which flows from Tibet into India, as well as plans for a railway link.

In that sense, I think Tibet is becoming an important issue not just simply for human rights, but also from a geopolitical point of view, an environment point of view and from a climate change point of view, he said.

Exiled Tibetan officials say at least 114 monks and laypeople have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule over their homeland in the past five years, with most of them dying. U.S. government-backed Radio Free Asia puts the number of self-immolations at 144 since 2009.

Beijing blames the Dalai Lama and others for inciting the immolations and says it has made vast investments to develop Tibets economy and improve quality of life. Ashwini Bhatia, Dharamsala, AP
A Saint Patricks Day parade was held yesterday outside the Taipa Houses-Museum in celebration of the Irish national day. The parade marked the first of its kind in Macau and increased local residents awareness of the festival, which was commemorated on Friday and over the weekend in the MSAR.

The festival was well-attended by Irish and Anglophone expatriates in the MSAR and saw around 20 groups participate, including Chinese cultural performers and more traditional Irish folk music and dance.

Among these were performers from the International School of Macau, the Macau Anglican College and Mad Cherry, a band formed by students from the University of Macau. Mad Cherry performed classic rock songs to an eager audience, including covers of Guns N Roses Sweet Child O Mine and Bob Dylans Knockin on Heavens Door.

In addition, there were performances by the Macau Lo Leong Sport General Association Lion Dance group, who delighted onlookers with a dragon dance and a lion dance; a group of Celtic bagpipe players known as the Hong Kong Police Band Pipers; and Portuguese folk dance groups wearing traditional costumes.

Irishwoman Sheila Goldsworthy, whose daughter was taking part in the TIS contribution to the parade, told the Times that there has been a great atmosphere throughout the St Patricks Day festive weekend.

The weather is very Irish today, too, Goldsworthy drolly observed, commenting on the light rain, grey clouds and strong winds in Taipa yesterday.

Asked whether local residents were aware of the festival, she replied, No, I dont think that the locals will know very much about the day  I suppose thats partly because of the language barrier.

Kelvin Tsui, another parent of a performer in the parade, was wearing a green hat traditionally associated with the festival and standing on the sidelines. I hadnt heard of the festival, Tsui admitted, and Im not sure what it is about.

Also in attendance yesterday was the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Criona Ni Dhalaigh, who had attended the St Patricks Day gala on Saturday night, which was organized by the Irish Chamber of Commerce.

Its unbelievable! she said of the parade. I was in Dublin where the St Patricks Day parade had [a turnout of] 500,000 people. What is amazing here [in Macau] is that the atmosphere is just as good!

Asked about local awareness of the day, which is probably the most celebrated in the European nations calendar, Ni Dhalaigh replied: Local people werent sure of the origins [of St Patricks Day] but they know it is good fun.

Today the Lord Mayor is in the HKSAR presenting the Freedom of the City of Dublin award to Hong Kong-based Irishman Joseph Mallin, who is the son of Michael Mallin, an Irish rebel and socialist who was considered a leader in the 1916 Easter Rising. The presentation of the award will coincide with the centennial anniversary of the armed insurrection against the British occupation.

Finally St Patrick himself arrived  or rather gaming executive Michael Clifford, who dressed as the saint  and told reporters about the history of the figure, including what he is perhaps most famous for: Banishing the snakes from Ireland.

Clifford believes that more and more locals are becoming aware of the day.

There are some great shows [here today], a great spirit and great happiness, he said.

As event organizers explained to the Times, a drumming group had turned up to the parade despite not being officially registered to perform as part of the festivities. The group, called DreamCast productions, had performed the previous night at the gala dinner, they told the Times, and had decided last minute yesterday to join in with the celebrations.

A member of the band, Pedro Cuevas, said: We wanted to be a part of this event, as it is the first time and it looked like fun.

We saw some of the groups and they are all great, added Cuevas. They will definitely do it again next year. Daniel Beitler
Hackers who stole USD101 million from Bangladeshs 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 tantalizing 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 cover their tracks by deleting computer logs as they went. Before making transfers they sneaked through the network, inserting software that would allow re-entry.

Its the sort of thorough operation often mounted by nation-state hackers, according to the report, but FireEyes intelligence unit believes the group, which it has been tracking for some time, is criminal. These threat actors appear to be financially motivated, and well organized, the report said.

The heist, which saw payments processed through the banks accounts at the U.S. Federal Reserve and money moved to the Philippines and Sri Lanka, was part of a bigger attempt to steal nearly $1 billion in total from the central bank. It exposed weaknesses in systems, sparked a dispute between Bangladeshs central bank and its finance ministry and cost the central bank governor, Atiur Rahman, his job less than five months before he planned to retire.

The hackers sent $81 million from Bangladesh Banks account in New York to the Philippines, and another $20 million to Sri Lanka. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York blocked transactions worth another $850 million. A bank in Sri Lanka stopped and returned the cash, while the money in the Philippines is still missing, leading to a Senate probe that is riveting the nation.

Malware was specifically designed for a targeted attack on Bangladesh Bank to operate on SWIFT Alliance Access servers, the interim report said. Those servers are operated by the bank but run the SWIFT interface, and the report makes it clear the breach stretches into other parts of the banks network as well. The security breach of the SWIFT environment is part of a much larger breach that is currently under investigation.

SWIFT is a member-owned cooperative that provides international codes to facilitate payments between banks globally. It cant comment on the investigation, according to Charlie Booth from Brunswick Group, a corporate advisory firm that represents SWIFT.

We reiterate that the SWIFT network itself was not breached, Booth said in an e-mail. There is a full investigation underway, on what appears to be a specific and targeted attack on the victims local systems. SWIFT said last week its core messaging services were not impacted by the issue and continued to work as normal.

Dedicated servers running the SWIFT system are located in the back office of the Accounts and Budgeting Department of Bangladesh Bank. They are connected with three terminals for payment communications.

Patrick Neighorn, a spokesman for FireEye, declined to comment on the report or the investigation. An e-mail to Rakesh Asthana, managing director of World Informatix, wasnt immediately returned. A call to the companys office wasnt answered. Subhankar Saha, spokesman for Bangladesh Bank, said hes not aware of the report.

The assessment found the first suspicious log-in came on Jan. 24 and lasted less than a minute. On Jan. 29, attackers installed SysMon in SWIFTLIVE in what was interpreted as reconnaissance activity, and appeared to operate exclusively with local administrator accounts.

Operator logs showed the hackers logged in for short periods of time until Feb. 6, according to the report. The four transfers that went to the Philippines occurred on Feb. 4. The report said the hackers have already hit other FireEye clients, though its unclear if those include other central banks.

As of March 16, the FireEye team was about half-way through the examination of the central banks computer network.

Complex malwares have been identified with advanced features of command & control communication, harvesting of credentials and to securely erase all traces of activity after accomplishing its task, the report said. It identified 32 compromised assets that were used for reconnaissance and to gain control of the SWIFT servers and related assets. Bloomberg
The Commissioner of Audit, Ho Veng On, last week led a delegation from his office to the National Audit Office (NAO) in Beijing, a statement from the Commission of Audit (CA) announced.

During the meeting with Auditor General Liu Jiayi, several issues relating to enhanced support for the SAR Government to develop audit procedures were discussed, including participants concerns about the implementation of on-site audit software updates and technical training of CA staff.

According to the same statement, at the meeting Ho Veng On highlighted the advantages of the system that has been in place since 2010, indicating that it enables public audit data to be updated, thereby increasing the efficiency and accuracy of the audit process.

The Macau official also announced his offices intention to organize a seminar for leaders and managers in order to raise awareness of the role of audits in promoting good public governance.

Liu Jiayi agreed with the commissioner on the role that a high-quality audit could play in the speed of the administrative reform process and the increase in government effectiveness. Liu said, We will continue to work together on strengthening personnel training and auditing, supported by information technologies.

During the visit, Ho Veng On also met with Zheng Zhentao, who is the head of the NAO group at the Central Committee of Discipline Inspection (CCDI), and discussed issues relating to cooperation and communication between the CA and the NAO. RM
Indonesian security forces have killed three more suspected militants linked to the countrys most wanted Islamic radical, police have said.

Central Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi said two men were fatally shot in a clash last week near Siliwanga village in Poso district. He said a body believed to be another militant killed in an earlier clash was also discovered in a river.

The deaths brought to five the number militants killed this week as security forces including elite army troops intensify their operations in Sulawesi against Indonesias most wanted militant, Abu Wardah Santoso, who leads the East Indonesia Mujahidin network that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

Last week police killed two suspected Chinese Uighur militants who were also believed to be linked to the group, which is thought to be hiding in Poso, a mountainous district considered Indonesias terrorist hotbed. Police believe four other foreigners are still with the group.

Authorities believe some ethnic minority Uighurs have entered Indonesia to join forces with local militants at the urging of Santoso, who has claimed responsibility for the killings of several police officers.

Last July, an Indonesian court sentenced four Uighurs, arrested in September 2014 in Central Sulawesi, to six years in prison for conspiring with militants from Santosos network. Another suspected Uighur militant who was allegedly preparing to be a suicide bomber was arrested in December near Jakarta, the capital.

Sufahriadi said security forces are guarding some areas of Poso to try to prevent members of the network from escaping. AP
Mark Zuckerbergs latest attempt to woo Chinas Facebook-deprived people may have backfired.

The Facebook Inc. founder posted a photo of himself jogging on a smoggy day in Beijing, causing a stir on social media. The picture of the 31-year-old making his way past Tiananmen Square below the iconic portrait of late Communist leader Mao Zedong resulted in more than 150,000 interactions, such as likes and comments. They spanned those ridiculing his braving the air without a mask in a city where pollution is a daily concern, to outrage over his decision to highlight the sensitive site of a violent 1989 crackdown.

Zuckerbergs interactions with the worlds most populous nation have attracted wide attention, from addressing students in Mandarin in 2014 to touting a book by President Xi Jinping. But the photo touched a nerve among people for whom the plaza is linked with one of Chinas most controversial episodes.

The floor you stepped has been covered by blood from students who fought for democracy. But, enjoy your running in China, Mark, a user going by Cao Yuzhou wrote in one of the top-ranked comments on Zuckerbergs Facebook page.

Not all the comments were as virulent. Many merely poked fun at the worlds eighth-richest man: among the memes making the rounds was a photo-shopped image of Zuckerberg jogging before the famous picture of a line of tanks during the crackdown. Charlene Chian, a spokeswoman for Facebook, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Mark, dont you see the air pollution? Stop running outside! Beijing is my home, but Im not recommending you run outside, commented a user who went by Tan Peinong.

The billionaire has appeared several times in China, where the worlds largest social network has been blocked by censors since 2009. The company was said to have rented office space in the capital in 2014 and has sought to build up a business selling ads.

Some defended Zuckerberg from the criticism.

Hes not cowardly sitting by a screen typing useless words but trying to change this world by working very hard, went another commenter called Hugo Wang.
Authorized by the central government, the Macau SAR government signed a mutually visa-free agreement with the government of the Republic of Belarus last week. The deal was inked by Sonia Chan, secretary for Administration and Justice, and Burya Viktor, the ambassador of the Republic of Belarus in Beijing.

The agreement assures that Macau residents holding valid passports or valid travel permits issued by the MSAR government will be exempted from visa requirements when entering the Republic of Belarus for a maximum stay of 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 the MSAR, while 13 countries have agreed to grant Macau Travel Permit holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to their regions.
A court has upheld the prison sentence of a former Romanian lawmaker known as the chicken baron who was convicted of bribing voters with 60 tons of packaged, ready-to-fry meat.

The top court of appeal rejected the appeal of Florin Popescu, who went on trial in 2014, a court official said last week, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Popescu bought 60 tons of chicken for 485,000 lei (USD120,000) for his campaign for another term as local council chairman in June 2012 elections. He protested he had not even eaten a chicken wing.

Popescu later won a Parliament seat, but resigned on March 2.

Its not unusual for Romanian politicians to hand out oil and flour to voters in rural areas.
A picture of a water cannon has been gaining attention on Hong Kong websites and social media. Netizens are claiming that the cannon is the latest form of equipment purchased by the Hong Kong police in order to prevent potentially violent public riots. However, the Hong Kong police clarified that the picture has no connection with any water cannon that it might have ordered, Wen Wei Po reported.

After the events of Occupy Central back in 2014, the Hong Kong police planned to invest HKD27 million in three water cannons as the result of a bidding process that started at the end of last year and ended in February.

The aforementioned picture depicts a blue water cannon along with a caption claiming that the cannon was purchased by the police force.

Naturally, comments followed. Internet user Ian Man said, You dont see the police doing anything else that fast, only when they stand against their own people.

Besides those criticizing the supposed purchase, other users have been pointing out that the water cannon in the picture might in fact belong to the Macau police force. Internet user Pau Ming wrote that the cannon was on display at the anniversary ceremony of the Public Security Police Force.

A third user, Brian Poon, indicated that the private car seen in the background of the picture has a Hong Kong license plate. Nonetheless, a few other users have said that the water cannon was, indeed, in Hong Kong, but only during the shipping process, with Macau set to be the final destination.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong police authority released a statement saying that it is indeed in the process of acquiring three water cannons. Staff reporter
TWIN FALLS | Shaken by Twin Falls' string of robberies, Walgreens pharmacist Michael Watson and his colleagues were afraid every time they went to work.

Quite a few people had to go on anti-anxiety medications and sleep medications just to be able to sleep, Watson told the court during Bradley Cole Holcomb's sentencing hearing.

Special Report: Addiction-driven Crime Wave Rocks Twin Falls TWIN FALLS | The man in the yellow hooded sweat shirt appeared calm as he walked into the Wa

Watson was the pharmacist at Walgreens on Washington Street and Pole Line Road on Nov. 6, 2014, when Holcomb walked into the store, demanded prescription drugs and fled with more than 700 pills.

Some of them had to go to counseling, Watson said at the sentencing seven months later. Its just created a work environment where they dont feel 100 percent safe anymore, and that going to work is now a potential hazard to their life.

By 2015 the wave of addiction-driven robberies that hit Twin Falls pharmacies the prior year was over, but the recovery and the punishment were still unfolding. While each robbery lasted just minutes, Watson and other victims described a profound terror that persisted much longer. And for the families of those who went to prison for these crimes, the heartache was just beginning.

After Watson's statement, Twin Falls County Deputy Prosecutor Stan Holloway asked District Judge Randy Stoker to sentence Holcomb to 20 years in prison with a mandatory 10-year term.

Holcombs attorneys  he had a private attorney for one case, a public defender for another  both suggested that any sentence be suspended while Holcomb went to a therapeutic and educational program to help treat his drug problem, the genesis of his crimes.

Then Holcomb spoke, apologizing directly to Watson and the other pharmacists he hurt, and asking the court to sentence him in a way that would help him overcome his addiction and become a functioning part of society.

It became clear even before he handed down his sentence that he had little sympathy for Holcomb  despite his addictions, his absolutely difficult upbringing and his miserable childhood.

People in a robbery have no idea whats about to happen to them, Stoker said. When theyre handed a note that threatens their lives, theyre going to think the worst. Mr. Watson has articulated very well the impact.

The longer Stoker spoke, the clearer it became to Holcomb what was about to happen. He believed Stoker was about to follow the states recommendation and sentence him to 10 years fixed and 10 indeterminate.

He was justifying what he was about to do, Holcomb said in a phone call from prison. I thought he was giving me 10 plus 10.

Instead, Stoker shocked almost everyone in the courtroom.

Donna McMillan, Holcombs mother, burst into tears before Stoker finished his sentence: It is the judgment of the court that you will be committed to the Department of Correction for the rest of your natural life.

'My Life Was Over'

McMillan wept, drawing the ire of Stoker, who told her to knock it off or you're going to leave this courtroom.

Jennifer Skinner, Holcombs fiancee, never considered the penalty could be that harsh.

It was a shock, Skinner said last month while watching her nearly 2-year-old girl, Holcomb's daughter. Im still shocked.

Even the prosecutors were surprised by the life sentence, though Stoker made it clear the mandatory portion was only 10 years.

Honestly, Ive got to say yes, I was surprised on the life part, Holloway said earlier this month, sitting on a couch in Prosecutor Grant Loebs office.

But perhaps nobody was as stunned as Holcomb.

I was just in shock, literal disbelief, Holcomb said in an interview from the Idaho State Penitentiary. My knees just started shaking. My life was over.

But if the day of his sentencing  May 29, 2015  was the day Holcombs life ended, the beginning of the end was Nov. 6, 2014.

Breaks in the Case

After accomplice Brody McEwen Trouts aborted robbery at Shopko in the early afternoon of Nov. 6, it was Holcomb who went inside the Walgreens on Washington Street and made off with more than 700 pills.

The two men and Trouts girlfriend, Angelic Monique Escobedo, divided the drugs at Escobedos house on Sunburst Street, less than a mile from the store.

While other robberies the trio committed had been quick and efficient, the botched Shopko robbery was sloppy and gave investigators their first solid leads. Not only had Trout fled the store without drugs  he was spooked when he noticed customer Lacy Garrison calling the police  but he left behind his robbery note, written in distinctive green ink.

When Trout ran from the store, a witness in the parking lot and a Shopko employee saw him get into a green SUV with a second man at the wheel and a woman passenger. Police finally had a vehicle description and knew they were looking for two men and a woman.

Just a few hours later, detectives finally got the lead they needed to crack the case.

Orchard Pharmacy in Swensens

It was about 4:30 p.m. when a man and woman walked into Swensens at 995 Washington St. S. and stood in line behind other customers at the Orchard Pharmacy. The pharmacist there, who asked not to be named in this story, was on high alert because of that days incidents at Shopko and Walgreens.

The pharmacy calling tree had gone into effect that afternoon, and pharmacists around Twin Falls had shared descriptions of the suspects and the vehicle.

The Orchard pharmacist noticed the couple and thought the man matched the description of the Shopko suspect. When the man approached the pick-up window, he asked for a box of 100 syringes.

It was strange that he bought 100, the pharmacist said last month. Most people buy a single 10-pack.

Despite complaining about the price, the man paid with cash and walked toward the exit. Thats when the pharmacist realized she forgot to give him his change  25 cents.

Using the quarter as an excuse to investigate her suspicion, the pharmacist followed the couple outside, where they got into a green SUV. A Swensens employee corralling shopping carts in the parking lot told the pharmacist it was an early 2000s Jeep.

At 5:24 p.m., after a call to her manager seeking advice, the pharmacist called police. The man, she said, was about 6 feet 1 inch, in his 20s, with facial hair and with tattoos on his chest and wrists. She described the woman as Hispanic or white, about 5 feet 4 inches and in her early 20s, wearing a pink tank top.

Prime Suspects

Officer Aaron Nay, who'd responded earlier that day to Shopko, heard the description of the couple at Orchard Pharmacy and remembered a case he'd worked on just days before. It was a petit theft case involving Brody Trout and Angelic Escobedo, who drove a green Jeep, and Nay had arrested Trout on Nov. 1.

He was thinking, Hey, these fit together, Officer Clint Doerr said during an interview last month at the Twin Falls Police Department.

Another officer, too, fingered Trout as a possible suspect that evening. Upon hearing Trouts name, Officer Bradley Baisch realized he had seen recent pictures of Trout on Facebook with chest and arm tattoos. The two attended Twin Falls High School together, and Baisch knew Trout was recently released from jail on drug charges.

Baisch asked Doerr to check out Trout and Escobedos last known address, a house on Sunburst Street. Earlier in the day, Nay had seen the Jeep parked in the driveway.

At 6:42 p.m., Doerr was watching the house when the Jeep pulled out of the driveway. Doerr pulled in behind.

Police suspected the Jeep was involved in the days crimes, but they didnt have the evidence to prove that. Doerr couldn't justify stopping the vehicle, so he simply followed.

People typically have a direct route of where theyre going, Doerr said. But they clearly knew I was following them after they left the house.

The Jeep turned right, and Doerr followed. It turned right again, and Doerr did too.

I knew they knew I was following them, Doerr said. They abandoned whatever their original plan was so that way they could go back to their house. And that furthered my suspicions that these were the people I needed to talk to; theyre making an active effort to avoid me.

Not wanting to let the Jeep get back to the house without at least talking to the people inside, Doerr saw something wrong with the Jeep  a technicality, really  and seized his chance.

I saw they had a broken tail lens, and I thought, Theres justification for a traffic stop, Doerr said.

With backup already arriving, Doerr turned on his overhead lights and stopped the Jeep. He approached the drivers side, where Escobedo sat wearing a pink tank top. Trout was in the passenger seat.

They were nervous, but it was kind of like this 'try to be calm and controlled and friendly' nervous, Doerr said. You could tell that there was tension there and it wasnt a normal stop. It looked like they were desperately trying to play it off as being really calm. Which worked in my favor, because they were still open to talking to me.

Escobedo was the talkative one, but she denied being at Orchard Pharmacy that day.

Officer Tyler Campbell  new on the force at the time  was one of the officers who arrived for backup. As Doerr chatted with Escobedo, Campbell looked in the passenger window and noticed a set of brass knuckles in Trout's sweat shirt pocket.

The broken tail lens gave officers no legal basis for searching the Jeep or its occupants. But with brass knuckles in his pocket, Trout was in possession of a concealed weapon. Officers asked him to step out of the Jeep and searched him.

The brass knuckles were nothing compared with what they found next.

In Trouts pocket, officers discovered a plastic bag containing 182 10-mg methadone pills  the type of pills stolen from Walgreens that day.

We got them out of the car, got the brass knuckles and got the pills, Doerr said. He was almost willing to confess right then.

It was time for officers to apply a full-court press.

First Arrest

Detective Rick VanVooren was the on-call detective Nov. 6, and it was about 7 p.m. when he headed out toward the house on Sunburst Street where officers had just arrested Trout.

VanVooren knew the patrol officers were onto something with Escobedo and Trout  the suspect descriptions matched, the vehicle descriptions matched, the pills matched. He called the witness from the Shopko parking lot and asked her to come to Sunburst Street to identify the Jeep as the same one shed seen outside Shopko that afternoon.

Having the witness come out and say, Yeah, thats the vehicle, thats something that makes your case stronger, VanVooren said in a January interview.

And she did.

If they had stolen a bag of peanuts from Target, we wouldnt do something like that, Staff Sgt. Chuck Garner said of the extra step in asking a witness to identify the Jeep. But robbery is a serious crime, its still pretty fresh; I think it was a good call on (VanVoorens) part.

With the help of the pills from Trouts pocket, officers felt confident they had enough to make the arrest. Trout was booked on charges of robbery, robbery conspiracy, attempted robbery and possession of a controlled substance.

Officers didn't have enough evidence against Escobedo, but they asked her to come into the police station for voluntary questioning. After allowing her to take her Jeep back to her house, Doerr gave Escobedo a ride to the station.

The Confessions

At the station, VanVooren wanted one more layer of security, one more witness to help prove it was Trout who tried robbing Shopko that day. So the detective called Helen Tristan, the Shopko pharmacist technician who called 911 and left the line open before passing a note asking Garrison to call 911.

Looking through a one-way mirror at Trout, Tristan told VanVooren she believed he was the robber. Was there anything else she might remember, VanVooren asked, like the way he smelled or sounded? Tristan said shed probably recognize his voice.

VanVooren opened the door of the interview room where Trout was seated. Tristan stood close enough to hear, but out of Trout's sight. The detective leaned in the doorway.

I engaged him in casual conversation and asked him where he worked, VanVooren said. I dont even think I asked her, I think I just closed the door and she said, Yeah, thats him.

Back in the interview room, VanVooren read Trout his Miranda rights, and Trout agreed to speak with the detective. Trout admitted to the aborted Shopko robbery. And he confirmed a key detail.

What color was the ink you used to write the note? VanVooren asked.

Green, Trout answered.

After the Shopko attempt, Trout said, it was Holcomb who suggested the trio go to Walgreens, and Holcomb who went inside in the dark hoodie.

And it was Holcomb, Trout told the detective, who taught Trout how to rob pharmacies.

I think that could be not wanting to take full blame for something, VanVooren said. He can minimize it by saying, Yeah I did the robbery, but I did it because he showed me how. I think it was to minimize his role in it. And who knows, he may have  but it really didnt matter.

It matters to Holcomb, though, who doesnt like being portrayed as the leader of the group.

I dont think I was the mastermind, I dont know how he could say I taught him, Holcomb said by phone from prison. Its like theyre giving me this crazy credit. And Im portrayed to be the ringleader. Thats not me.

Either way, Trout had just implicated Holcomb in the robbery and implicated Escobedo, as well.

Brody is a likeable guy and easy to talk to, VanVooren said. He was pretty forthcoming  he seemed like he just wanted to tell his story.

Trout told the detective about the Nov. 6 crimes. Then he confessed to the Sept. 29 Kmart robbery, saying Escobedo was the getaway driver in the Jeep. Then he confessed to the Sept. 17 robbery at the Walgreens on Washington Street, giving a telling detail. He told the pharmacist that day: "You'll receive good karma for this."

In a matter of minutes, Trout had given VanVooren answers about four of the city's five unsolved robberies. And what about the Sept. 29 robbery at Walgreens on Blue Lakes Boulevard? That was Holcomb in the yellow hoodie, Trout said.

I pointed out that Holcomb had been arrested for robbing that particular Walgreens in June and was surprised Holcomb would return to the same pharmacy a second time, VanVooren wrote in a police report. Trout told me Holcomb mentioned that he did it out of spite and figured that he was going back to prison for the initial robbery. Now things did not matter.

VanVooren reflected recently on Trouts admissions.

I dont know if its bragging," VanVooren said. I just believe when were made that were made pure. And Im not a religious guy, but I believe were made pure, and this inner part of us wants to be good and truthful. I could not imagine having to live constantly looking over my shoulder or holding this skeleton inside and not letting it out. I think its a relief for some of these people to say, You know what? This is it. I gotta get this out, so here it is.

Escobedo, at the station voluntarily, was arrested after Trouts confession. After VanVooren read her Miranda rights, Escobedo began spilling information too, admitting to helping in both Nov. 6 robberies and in the Sept. 29 robbery of Walgreens. Then Escobedo told the detective she didnt want to answer more questions. But the information theyd already gotten from her and Trout was enough.

We could have made this case without confessions, Garner said. But it certainly helped.

Investigators still had a long night ahead.

The Final Push

By 8 p.m., every detective knew that Trout and Escobedo had confessed and had implicated Holcomb in the string of five unsolved pharmacy robberies over less than two months' time.

It was a crime spree that had crippled us in some ways, Doerr said. It was terrifying to the public; people were afraid.

With a resolution in sight, the entire detective division showed up for the investigations final push. There was a feeling of tense, subdued excitement throughout the station.

I think it was excitement, Doerr said. You want the warrants to be successful, but I think we were fairly confident.

Its kind of just one step further to the resolution, but its exciting were going to get more of the evidence, VanVooren said. Hopefully were going to find pills to solidify the case and keep them out of users hands.

Garner, who had taken charge of the detective division that October, felt something else, too.

Being new to this assignment and watching these people work, it was just pride and a real sense of accomplishment, Garner said. Its really satisfying when you see everything come together. Its why you do this job  but at the same time, we werent done yet  we had to tie the case up, go get evidence and all that. It was going to be a long night.

Detectives Jon Wilson and Matt Gonzales, with the help of Deputy Prosecutor Janice Kroeger, wrote search warrants for the house on Sunburst Street and for Holcombs house on Washington Street North, then got signatures from the on-call judge, Magistrate Calvin Campbell.

Kroeger was here most of the night, Garner said.

Staff Sgt. Arnold Morgado, who supervises Twin Falls Police Departments narcotics division now, was the head of the patrol division at the time and had come to the station, too.

When you get a big case like this, (prosecutors) like to get involved, Morgado said. Theyre the ones that are going to be going to court and everything else, so they want to know first-hand what information you have.

Simultaneous Warrants

By the time Campbell had signed the search warrants, enough officers were at the station that they could split into two groups and serve them at the same time.

Morgado and Gonzales went to the house on Sunburst Street with Detectives J.R. Paredez and Eric Barzee. Officer Brandi Gates was already parked in front of the house  she was sent there around 8 p.m. to make sure it was secure until the investigators arrived.

Garner, VanVooren, Doerr, Baisch, Wilson and evidence technician Tracy Bramwell went to Holcombs house on Washington. It was 1:54 a.m. Nov. 7 when Wilson rang the doorbell and knocked.

Holcombs mother, McMillan, answered the door and said Holcomb was in his bedroom. She woke up her husband and told him what was happening.

I think they were slightly irritated by us, of course, knocking on their door at that time of the morning, VanVooren said. Detective Wilson knew Bradleys mother personally, and explained to her the situation, so that really kept tensions down.

McMillan and her husband waited in the dining room while the officers knocked on Holcombs door.

Thats horrible. Its a parents worst nightmare, Doerr said. I know she wants the best for her children and she wants them to be successful and not involved in this kind of stuff. I know its breaking her heart, and thats the last thing we want to do. But its something that needed to happen, so you try to accommodate them as best as you can.

When the police approached Holcombs door, they could tell he was awake in his room. The lights were on, and they heard shuffling inside.

In fact, he was injecting (methadone) while we were at the door, Doerr said. He had been shooting up right then.

If not right then, it had at least been within two hours. Holcomb confirmed in a presentence investigation that his last use of drugs was Nov. 7.

Holcomb finally came to the door and was led away from the room, where investigators found a gray hooded sweat shirt used in at least one of the robberies, a drug kit with hypodermic needles and a spoon, and a clear plastic bag of 91 10-mg methadone pills, the kind stolen from Walgreens about 12 hours earlier.

At Escobedo and Trouts house on Sunburst, investigators found white shoes used in one of the Walgreens robberies. Their hour-long search also found marijuana, bongs, syringes, digital scales, yellow pills, a brown vial and a pistol with two magazines.

Most importantly, the detectives recovered an instruction sheet for methadone, the kind of instruction sheet usually attached to stock pill bottles  the kind of stock pill bottles pharmacists surrendered to Holcomb the previous afternoon at Walgreens.

Rare Press Conference

Police left Holcombs house at 3 a.m., just over an hour after knocking on the door. Back at the station, VanVooren and Garner  who had come to work at 7:30 a.m. the day before  still had paperwork to finish.

You have to be really careful there because its the end of a long day, and the detective still has to write the affidavit on a complex string of robberies, Garner said.

The affidavit is the document prosecutors use as probable cause to seek criminal charges. In this case, its author was VanVooren.

Other investigators are cataloging and securing the evidence, which is a lengthy process, Garner said. And were human beings, so we have to guard against fatigue.

After the evidence was safely tucked away, the other detectives were sent home.

Before you know it, its 6 in the morning and its just me and VanVooren left here, Garner said. I remember that day very well. We wrapped this up, we were here until the sun came up.

Garner and VanVooren briefed then-Chief of Police Brian Pike and Capt. Bryan Krear, who were starting their day before the detectives had finished theirs.

I was done, VanVooren said. I think I went home and slept three or four hours, but I was back before lunch to wrap some things up.

Garner, too, was back sooner than he hoped.

Went home and tried to grab some sleep, Garner said. And I believe Chief Pike called me sometime late in the morning and woke me up and told me Come in, and I showed up and they were ready to do a press conference, which I had never participated in before.

Few Twin Falls officers, if any, had been part of a press conference before. The department simply doesnt hold them. But this case was so different and had people on such edge that police leaders decided it was the right thing to do.

Loebs and then-Mayor Don Hall attended the press conference flanked by Pike, Garner and Capt. Matt Hicks from the police department. Also there was Kurt Hefner, owner and pharmacist at Kurts Pharmacy.

Obviously we have some good news to share with you regarding some recent robberies, Pike began after city spokesman Joshua Palmer's introduction. Theres some really good police work that occurred."

On its website, the Times-News live-streamed video of the press conference. Quickly, reporter Alison Gene Smith broke the news that six of the year's robberies were related.

Pharmacy Changes

At Magic Valley pharmacies, the arrests brought great relief.

I felt my stress level could go down, that the chance of getting robbed wasnt nearly as high now, said the pharmacist from Orchard Pharmacy. My husband had been stressed out, my family had been stressed out. I was relieved. Even though people were saying, Yeah, but they didnt hurt anybody, when it happens repeatedly who knows what will happen?

Her pharmacy, she said, has made changes to help make things safer. But she didnt want to discuss them.

Hefner said from his store this month that most Magic Valley pharmacies have stepped up security measures.

Some pharmacies have put in panic buttons, like the ones at banks that call straight to the police, Hefner said. Personally, we put in high-definition cameras. They look just like youre watching TV, no more of this grainy stuff. Some pharmacies didnt even have security cameras, but theyve installed them since.

Theres also a sign outside Kurts Pharmacy asking customers not to bring in backpacks and to take off sunglasses, hats and hoods.

Since the beginning of 2015, just two pharmacies have been robbed in the Magic Valley  one in Rupert and one in Twin Falls.

Weve relaxed a little bit, Hefner said. We dont want to think about it too much, but its still in the back of our minds. We dont want to be naive, we just have to stay alert.

Escobedo Pleads

Holloway has been a lawyer for 32 years, sometimes as a defense attorney, sometimes as a prosecutor. Now hes something of a robbery expert in the Twin Falls County prosecutors office. When banks are robbed, Loebs almost always assigns the cases to Holloway.

Its kind of a niche, I think, thats developed, Holloway said this month.

So when Trout, Escobedo and Holcomb were arrested, all three cases landed on Holloways desk, just like Holcombs first case had back in June 2014.

Escobedo was charged with four felony counts that all stemmed from the Nov. 6 robbery and attempted robbery.

Because Escobedo wasnt as involved as Trout and Holcomb, prosecutors offered her a better deal. Less than a month after her arrest, she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other charges.

Ahead of her plea hearing, Escobedo filled out a document answering questions about her plea. Why she was pleading guilty? Im holding myself accountable for a crime I committed, Escobedo wrote. What did she do? I provided a car and knew about what was going on and didnt report it.

As part of the deal, Escobedo agreed to testify against Trout and Holcomb. Prosecutors agreed to seek a five- to 10-year sentence that would be suspended while she served a rider, the therapeutic and educational program overseen by the Idaho Department of Correction.

Nine days after Escobedo signed her deal with prosecutors, the spree that seemed over produced another shock wave.

Seventh Robbery: Burley Walgreens

Holcombs brother, Chandler Lee Palmer, had returned to Twin Falls from a rider program in August 2014  punishment for stealing from his mother to buy drugs  and was trying to stay clean.

As his brothers addiction spiraled out of control, Palmer was living in a halfway house and had an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. But soon, the addiction that gripped the brothers would again pull Palmer down.

After the rider, I was three-quarters changed, Palmer said from the same Boise prison where his brother is incarcerated. But I was one-quarter not changed. I started selling pills again.

He also started using again, and by September his life was hell.

On Nov. 30, Palmer woke up beyond stressed out and debating whether he should rob a pharmacy like his brother had. He had just paid rent and had no money for drugs to keep from being strung out.

Theres not another feeling like that, Palmer said. Just total desperation.

Palmer never talked to Holcomb about the robberies, he said; Palmer read about his bother's exploits in the newspaper and figured it was a viable option. So he borrowed a friends black Acura, and  not wanting to rob a pharmacy already hit multiple times  drove to Burley.

At 4 p.m., Palmer smoked weed, popped a Xanax and used Dilaudid, a brand-name hydromorphone pill, to take the edge off for what he was about to do.

Everything inside of me was telling me dont do this, Palmer said. But I just kept on pushing past that.

At 4:43 p.m., he walked into the Burley Walgreens and handed the pharmacist a note. It said, this is a robbery, listed the drugs he wanted, and concluded, dont do anything STUPID.

At that moment, everything was on pause, Palmer remembered. Nothing changed, everyone was still; all I could hear were noises.

The pharmacist handed Palmer a partial bottle of oxycodone pills and said it was all she had.

Thank you, Palmer told the pharmacist.

Youre welcome, the pharmacist replied, ending their quick but surreal conversation.

I walked out and I was thinking holy crap, Palmer recalled recently.

Unlike his brother, who had gotten away with thousands of pills before he was caught, Palmers success was short-lived. Not only had he made off with just 15 oxycodone pills, but he soon noticed at least one car following him.

For like 10 seconds, I thought I got away with it, Palmer said. Then I started getting followed, and I just wanted to lose those guys, get home and forget it ever happened.

But the witnesses who followed him out of the store kept tailing him on Interstate 84 until police arrived. Sheriffs deputies from Minidoka, Cassia and Jerome counties and Idaho State Police troopers were soon on Palmers trail.

I saw the lights, and before I could think, I put the pedal to the floor, Palmer said. I thought, you cant stop now, because even if I stopped right then, I would get charged with felony eluding.

The chase lasted just a few minutes but reached speeds of up to 126 mph. During that time, Palmers mind flashed back to a conversation hed had with his mom, McMillan, the night before.

She had sat me down, and she was crying, and she had asked me, Do you care? Palmer said. I said, No, I dont care. Thats all I could think about.

Finally, Palmers thoughts snapped back to the road. He was driving his friends car and driving too fast.

I didnt want to wreck his car, Palmer said. I was just done, I had nothing left in me.

He pulled over and surrendered, crawling out the passenger side of the Acura with hands up. With their guns trained on him, officers ordered Palmer to the ground. Inside the car they found an empty pill bottle and the note Palmer used in the robbery. A deputy handcuffed him, bringing an unexpected wave of relief.

When the handcuffs went on, I finally stopped thinking, Palmer said. My schedule, getting high, work, getting high, family, getting high  everything I had to do to maintain, it was really exhausting.

Investigators later learned Palmers connection to Holcomb. Between them, the brothers and Holcombs two accomplices had hit seven Magic Valley pharmacies in less than half a year.

Finally, their spree was finished.

The Deals

Palmer was charged with five felony counts. By early February 2015, he pleaded guilty to robbery and eluding police, while the other charges were dismissed. He agreed to an open sentencing, allowing Judge Michael Crabtree to make the decision, but believed he would likely get what prosecutors agreed to ask for  an 18-year sentence with a two-year fixed prison term.

Instead, Crabtree in March handed down a shorter sentence than Palmer expected  10 years in prison with eligibility for parole after one year.

I was stoked, Palmer said last month from prison, where hes finishing his grand theft sentence for stealing from his mom and awaiting his May 13 parole date.

A week later, perhaps inspired by his brothers sentence, Holcomb pleaded guilty to three robbery charges and one drug charge March 31. Prosecutors dismissed a handful of other robbery, burglary and drug charges.

Throughout the court process, Holcomb never talked to investigators or told them what happened, but Trout's and Escobedos confessions and the evidence found at Holcombs house were enough to prosecute him. Still, Holcomb says he did the right thing by not confessing and giving information about his accomplices.

Holcomb didnt want to talk about Trout or Escobedo, he said, but at times during his prison phone calls he did anyway.

Brody was in county (jail) telling everybody I was the snitch, reversing our roles, Holcomb said. Thats not cool; at the place where we were going, it put a target on my back.

In prison, Holcomb explained, fellow inmates despise people who tell on others. And he resented the idea that Trout  the one who actually cooperated with authorities  would tell other inmates it was Holcomb who talked to police.

The first person to be arrested in November was the last to agree to a plea deal. On April 27, Trout pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and one drug charge, and prosecutors dismissed six other charges. Trout also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon for the gun found at the Sunburst Street house.

'The Rest of Your Natural Life'

On May 29, Holcomb walked into Stokers courtroom in shackles and a county jail jumpsuit and walked out with a sentence of 10 years to life.

A little more than two weeks later, District Judge Richard Bevan sentenced Trout to eight years to life in prison.

As a prosecutor, Im always looking at the fixed part, Holloway said. Because Im thinking, OK, if they behave themselves, if they do whats right, they should have a good opportunity to get out on parole. But if they decide to act up in prison and go beyond the fixed part, well, its on them. I can understand the judges reasoning, but it doesnt mean theyll spend the rest of their lives in prison.

That brings little solace to the convicts or their loved ones.

They deserve punishment, but I dont think a life sentence is what they deserve, said Skinner, the mother of Holcomb's daughter, Zahkya. Its hard to plan for a future on a 10 to life. He could be home in 10 years, or 15, or never. Hard to say for sure what will happen.

But Skinner plans to stay by Holcombs side no matter what. She remembers the kind and loving man he was before his addiction. She remembers the man who, in Boise, would stop to give homeless people money.

She believes thats the true Holcomb  not the masked man who threatened pharmacists.

The hard part is going to explain to her, when she goes to school and they have dads, shes not going to have that around at least until shes 10, if he ever gets out, Skinner said with tears in her eyes as she watched Zahkya at the Arctic Circle playground. Shes starting to get the concept of dad, but she wont have that relationship with her dad that everyone else has.

From prison, her fiance acknowledged that his crimes' lasting effects spread far beyond his personal circle.

I want to say sorry to my victims, Holcomb wrote in an email to the Times-News. When I sit back and think about how scared they must have been, I feel absolutely disgusted that I made an innocent pharmacist or other employee feel that way.

The community of Twin Falls, he said, was another victim.

"I have never entered a store and had a real fear of danger. But I know during that period of time, my community did," Holcomb wrote. "I understand now something I couldnt then  this wasnt just about the pills I was taking. I never intended on this being something that lasted any more time than the few minutes it took to rob the store  but after everything, I see it is something that may last forever, and I am sorry to every last member of my society for being that man that did these things with total disregard or concern for them.

The Future

Trout and Holcomb are both appealing their convictions.

Escobedo  sentenced to prison in January 2015 but placed on a rider  completed the therapeutic program in June and was released on probation, telling Bevan that when she first got into the program she was angry and didnt want to change. But Bevan said he saw improvement in her behavior as she progressed through the program.

What I expect is that the minute you walk out of here you move forward, Bevan told Escobedo.

Instead, she violated her parole almost immediately, using drugs again as early as July 2 and continuing to communicate with Trout, which was forbidden. On Oct. 23, she was sent back to prison to complete another rider.

Palmer is just counting down the days until hes released on parole May 13. He plans to live in a halfway house, get an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor and try to find work doing construction and restaurant kitchen work. He hopes to find two jobs to keep himself as busy as possible.

Im expecting nobody to believe in me, that Ill have to prove myself, which is cool, Palmer said. I dont really care what people think. I get that I have to prove myself to society that Im not a lost cause.

He recently filled out the forms to receive federal aid for schooling and plans to enroll in college in January. He knows there will be temptations.

Its all about priorities, he said. Whats more important, immediate gratification or being successful?

One thing he wont get to do is see his brother until at least Nov. 6, 2024. Because Palmer is a convicted felon, hes not allowed to visit the prison.

Thats not true for Skinner, who plans to see Holcomb in May once his visitation privileges are restored. Holcomb's visitation rights were taken away after a November fight got him sent to a near-maximum-security area of the penitentiary.

Skinner worries about that. She worries that prison will turn him into a hardened criminal.

But I believe in my heart if you love somebody, you go through the good and you go through the bad, Skinner said. I dont want to minimize in any way what he did, but just because he made mistakes, Im not going to just leave him and walk away.

In fact, Skinner plans to walk down the aisle.

Holcomb and Skinner plan to marry this summer  maybe July 3, six years from the day they started dating. The ceremony will be simple, really not much different than a standard visit. No music, no flowers, no cake. The couples daughter will be there, but the only other person they plan to invite is Skinners older sister.

I cant even wear a wedding dress, I just have to wear casual clothes like on a normal visit, Skinner said. Hell have to wear his prison clothes.

The big change: Holcomb will get to wear his wedding ring in prison. The endless circle represents a lifetime of love between husband and wife and not, they hope, the length of his time in prison.
Once, alone and a little lost in the London subway, I said thank you when a nice guy helped me figure out where to go. In response, he leaned in to hug me, held me close for a few stunned seconds, slid his hands down and squeezed.

In my imagination, this is the part when I say something sharp enough to remind him that this is not his dance space. In my imagination, it comes out without a waver or a hint of a smile. In real life, during those three seconds that felt like 30, nothing came out at all. He smiled, turned and left me wondering if I had just dreamed the whole thing.

Id accepted this sort of thing as the price of being female in public, a fact of life like rush-hour traffic. My anger, whether about a handsy hug or a co-worker telling me to keep my mouth shut after I told a joke he didnt like, had turned into background noise, and I got good at ignoring it. Acceptance seemed more evolved than rage, and no less effective. Id learned to step aside, to swallow my replies instead of spitting them back.

So when I signed up for a self-defense class, after getting a gift certificate for my 21st birthday, I didnt expect much. Until then, the best defense advice Id gotten was to carry an umbrella around, just in case. The fun part: I learned to hit hard. Our instructors, suited up in full-body protection, taught us what it felt like when resistance landed where it meant to. But the physical fighting  our elbows launching into their faces and our knees hitting between their legs  wasnt the only thing that made those hours in the sweaty New York studio so cathartic. The part that sneaked in deeper was the idea that I had a right to defend myself at all, with my limbs or my voice.

The opposite message had seeped in and crystallized over the previous years. Between the socialized niceness of my gender and the lingering effects of once being the new kid with a bowl cut and no English, I got used to being artificially timid. Id held myself back from being the loudest I could be.

Thats why the hardest part of the training was also the quietest.

One at a time, each student would stand with an instructor in front of the class. The teacher would start an interaction as a pal or co-worker, doing homework or going for ice cream or planning a meeting. At some point, the instructor would put a hand on the students shoulder and keep it there, a symbolic move to represent discomfort. It should have been easy to push back. The stilted formality of the script  I feel uncomfortable when you put your hand on my shoulder; please stop  was easy to laugh at, until I couldnt get the words out without smiling or apologizing. In other scenarios, when our teachers played pushy strangers, the grim silence that followed I dont want to talk to you felt as heavy as the blows Id landed earlier in class.

With my friends, directness came naturally. But given the opportunity in a classroom role-play to say aloud what I wanted, I shrank. It felt unnatural, even aggressive, to point out anything short of egregious. Habitual niceness meant habitually nicked boundaries, dismissed as just more dents in an already beleaguered autonomy. Sorry crept in, even though I wasnt.

Numerous studies identify gendered challenges to making oneself heard. In 63 studies on talk between men and women in different contexts, men talked more than women in all but two, a pattern that starts as early as kindergarten. Women are almost comically more likely to be interrupted than men  in one examination of cross-sex conversation, men did 98 percent of the interrupting. Medical professionals tend to be more skeptical of women who complain of pain. Police departments routinely disbelieve, discount and dismiss womens reports of rape.

Charlene Senn, author of a 2015 study in the New England Journal of Medicine on sexual assault resistance training for first-year female college students, says verbally delineating boundaries is tougher for most women than fighting an attack. It activates our realization that this person is someone we know, she says. And in those moments, the socialization that many girls and women get to be nice, to make people socially comfortable, to not upset people or hurt peoples feelings, to care how people will react  all of those things get activated.

A Justice Department study focusing on college-age women showed that the majority of sexual assault offenders were known to their victims, so Senns training program focused exclusively on acquaintance scenarios. It included lessons in detecting risks and overcoming emotional obstacles, in addition to a physical component. Senn says the key in her training is uncovering whats been suppressed, taking womens gut instincts ... and saying: Yep, youre right about that. You dont need to dismiss those ideas. Those are good instincts that are telling you theres something off about this situation. Trust them. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study found a connection between such training and reductions in completed sexual assaults over the following year. But students in the training group reported fewer attempted assaults, too. A possible explanation, Senn says, is that students caught warning signs earlier. Taught to notice red flags, they were able to stop a relationship or an interaction. Weve heard from other women that they felt stronger in their whole being, and that doesnt just mean physical strength, Senn says.

I felt the same way. The invitation to stop ignoring my own small voiceto let it get bigger  echoed in every part of my life. Learning to defend myself against the worst-case scenarios taught me how to move through the world the rest of the time.

Walking fast on crowded sidewalks, I started saying Excuse me  a request  instead of Im sorry  an apology. Small as they are, the words trickled in deep. When a teenager in my neighborhood responded to my friendly hello by staring and stroking my arm as he passed me, my anger didnt just freeze my smile; it whirled me around to shout after him to keep his hands to himself. When a man asking for $2 for gas hurled insults after me one night, then asked again the next night without a blink of recognition, I could interrupt him to say I wasnt going to listen. I didnt have to yell and hit to say no; I could just tell him.

Heres the thing about that big little word, no: It makes room. You say no and burn out the underbrush choking your growth. You make space for getting bigger. And you dont even know how much room you have, how big you can get, until you do.
As anyone knows thats heard Mr. Katona speak publicly, he tends to speak before he thinks so the words coming out are generally surrounded in nonsense. However, most politicians have this same issue. Although every now and again something is said that is so erroneous it borders on deplorable.

During Mr. Katonas interview he said (in promoting his belief that Twin Falls County is in need of a youth explorer program) that he is a board member with the Suicide Prevention Action Network. He went on to say that the majority of high school age students theyve spoken to say the reason they are having suicidal thoughts is because they are bored. Not because of bullying or mental health ! issues or abuse, but because they are BORED. When I heard him say it, I was shocked. Certainly this gentleman didnt just equate something as serious as the suicide epidemic that plagues our youth to boredom. According to statistics, Idaho is ninth in the nation for suicides, 46 percent higher than the national average! Specifically, Twin Falls County is third in the state for suicides by youth. Studies show that at least 90 percent of teens who have suicidal thoughts or have committed suicide have some type of mental health problems ranging from depression to anxiety to behavioral problems just to name a few.
The world needs to realize that there is no future without a cohesive, solidarity-based Africa standing tall and proud. The world needs to stop perceiving Africa as a vulnerable continent, but rather as a driver of progress.

The remarks came in the message King Mohammed VI sent Friday to the 27th session of the Crans Montana Forum, held in Dakhla, southern Morocco, under the topic Africa & South-South Cooperation, towards a better Governance for a sustainable Economic and Social Development.

Today, it is high time Africa regained its rights vis-a-vis both history and geography: a rich history of African peoples united by centuries of exchanges and diverse ties, and geographical facts which show just how important it is to have integrated, complementary sub-regional groupings, the King of Morocco said, insisting that Africa needs to become a key partner in international cooperation mechanisms, and should no longer be perceived as a vulnerable continent, but rather as a driver of progress.

He stated further that South-South cooperation is not an empty slogan, nor is it an appendix of development policies, one that is restricted to mere technical assistance.

South-South cooperation is the result of a homogeneous strategic vision designed to promote the development of states and meet the needs of African populations. It revolves around the potential, skills and expertise of each one of the stakeholders concerned, the Sovereign explained.

For this reason, he said, Morocco has made South-South cooperation one of the pillars of its foreign policy as well as a determinant of its international action, and seeks  on its own as well as jointly with partners and sister nations  to implement concrete programs in targeted areas to achieve measurable outcomes in terms of growth and the well-being of the populations of the countries of the South in the economic, social, cultural, environmental and religious domains.

The Sovereign expressed hope that this global conference will celebrate South-South cooperation for the preservation of the environment and will put Africa and all developing countries at the heart of the international agenda.

Our overall objective is to make sure that the voice of a united, strong and determined Africa is heard and that it is heeded. I believe it is up to the international community to devise development patterns that ensure the well-being of people, while meeting the requirements of sustainability, he said, urging States to champion forward-looking plans and to strive to implement them through determined action and structural projects, while involving citizens, civil societies and all stakeholders in in this sustainable development vision.

The sovereign also hailed the Forums decision to meet, once again, in the city of Dakhla, after its 2015 session, as bearing witness to the fact that fresh momentum has been given to the vision we have of the Moroccan Sahara as a place conducive to interaction as well as a platform for time-honored human and commercial relations and for the exchange of knowledge between the South and the North.

The Moroccan Sovereign pointed out in this vein that the new development model crafted for the Sahara region is the result of a promising strategy through which we seek to bring our three southern provinces to a level of development that will enable them to fully play their role as an African economic hub and as a bridge between Europe, the Arab Maghreb the Sahel region.

The 27th session of the Crans Montana Forum, an influential Swiss NGO working for the promotion of international cooperation and growth in the world, is attended by some 1,000 decision-makers, governmental officials and economic operators, from 131 countries and 27 regional and international organizations.
Two alleged jihadists Friday launched home-made rocket propelled grenades against Algerias third largest gas plant, In Krechba, in the Sahara desert manned by Norwegian energy company Statoil. No casualty reported.

The In Salah gas plant in Krechba, also co-operated by British BP and Algerian national gas company Sonatrach, is situated at around 875 km south of capital Algiers.

According to BP, the rockets were launched from a vehicle at long distance.

The Algerian Defense Ministry issued a statement indicating security forces had been mobilized to beef up security around the installation and comb the area to lay hands on the jihadists who ran away after the attack.

The Norwegian foreign Ministry also confirmed Algerian security forces were in control of the situation.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility of the attack.

In 2013, a group of jihadists of al-Murabitun, an affiliate of the al Qaeda stormed the In Amenas gas complex near Algerias border with Libya leading to a four-day hostage taking.

Algerian forces ultimately raid the plant which resulted in the death of around 40 people most of whom were foreign workers at the plant, in addition to their captors.

Security experts and anti-terrorism czars recently warned that Algeria may fall prey to terrorist groups which eye its gas installations.

Authorities have stepped up security level at the border with Libya in a bid to foil illegal crossings of IS fighters who are said to be marching towards Algeria and Morocco.
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Israel will be front and center in the 2016 presidential when frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton speak at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference Monday.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich will also speak. The only presidential candidate not attending the conference is the one who is Jewish: Bernie Sanders. The Vermont senator told AIPAC in a letter that his campaign schedule in the west conflicts with the conference although he would be willing to send his written remarks.

Vice President Joe Biden speaks at 7 p.m. Sunday. Clinton speaks Monday morning while the Republican candidates speak Monday night in Washington D.C. (The exact schedule for Monday hasnt been released yet.)

AIPAC is considered one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the country. The candidates will make their case about why they feel they are the best for Israel.

Trump is on the defense after he was attacked by GOP competitors for his past words about Israel.

"On Israel, Donald has said he wants to be neutral between Israel and the Palestinians," Cruz said at the GOP debate at the University of Miami. "As president, I will not be neutral."

Trump did make that statement during an MSNBC town hall in February. He has repeatedly said that in order to be an effective negotiator he believes he must approach the two sides with neutrality. But Cruz omitted Trumps comments and actions that have shown support for Israel, including that he endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was the grand marshal of the Salute to Israel parade in New York City in 2004 (see the above photo). PolitiFact rated Cruzs statement Half True.

Marco Rubio, before he dropped out of the race, lobbed similar attacks on Trump as did a PAC supporting Rubio.

A group of rabbis and Jewish leaders called Come Together Against Hate is expected to protest Trumps speech -- some plan to stand up before he speaks and silently leave the room.

"We denounce in the strongest possible terms the bigotry, racism, xenophobia, and misogyny expressed by Mr. Trump, and violence promoted by him, at various points throughout his campaign..." states a press release from the group. Our goal is not to disrupt the proceedings or to offend any of our fellow conference attendees. Our hope is to shine a moral light on the darkness that has enveloped Mr. Trumps campaign."

The AIPAC audience will want to hear the candidates views on the Iran nuclear deal.Clinton backed the deal and has talked up her role as Secretary of State ushering in sanctions. Cruz has spoken harshly about the deal while Trump called it horrendous. Kasich signed a letter to President Barack Obama from 15 governors opposing the deal in September but in the Jan. 28 debate signaled he wouldnt immediately scrap it.

Trumps AIPAC speech will be another chance for him to present himself to a large Jewish audience after his speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition in December was criticized for his stereotypes about Jews.

"I don't want your money, therefore you're probably not going to support me," Trump said. "Because stupidly, you want to give money. Trump doesn't want money. Even though he's better than all these guys... even though he's going to do more for Israel than anybody else."

Israel was not the top issue for Jewish voters leading up to the 2012 presidential election, according to a survey done by the Public Religion Research Institute.

The economy was the most important issue for Jewish voters followed by the growing gap between rich and poor, health care, the federal deficit and then Israel tied for fifth along with national security.

A few Florida politicians were also scheduled to speak during the March 20-22 conference including U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Delray Beach, State Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee and State Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami.

Photo credit Reuters
President Barack Obama's trip to Cuba is giving the five Republican candidates running for the U.S. Senate a chance to brandish their anti-Castro credentials, blast the president's foreign policy approach and take a few swipes at one another.

In the days before Obama leaves for the three-day trip, each of the leading Republicans has repeated their criticism that Obama has failed to extract enough in return from the Castro administration. But don't think that means they are in lockstep on Cuba strategy.

In Tampa on Friday, U.S. Rep. David Jolly restated his opposition to Obama visiting Cuba, but made clear he supports easing travel restrictions with the nation as a way to test the convictions of Cuban leader Ramon Castro.

"The more travel expands, the more economic enrichment happens on the island," Jolly, R-Indian Shores, said at a meeting of Tampa Tiger Bay Club. "Let's watch what Castro does with that economic enrichment. Does he do it to lift people up out of poverty and ensure a free economy for his people or to empower his regime? That would be the ultimate test."

That's a "naive approach" Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez Cantera, a Miami Republican, said in a separate interview Friday. He said the Castros have an "iron fisted grip on every aspect of life on the island." He said increasing travel only leads to more money for the dictatorship and emboldens the regime.

"The embargo stands for, and should continue to stand for, human rights and freedom," said Lopez-Cantera, the son of Cuban refugees. He said the embargo needs to stay in place until the Castros no longer control the island.

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LINCOLN  Health care services here are kind of hit and miss anymore, Joyce Cheney said after sweeping the strip of carpeting in front of the cash register at the Mountain View Co-op store where she works.

Shoppers were intermittent on Thursday evening, so she had time to reflect on what local health care means to her community, which is losing its one and only doctor at the end of June.

Health care, provided by PureView Health Center in Helena, has become a divisive issue in this town thats isolated in the mountainous country between Missoula and Helena.

Cheney, a Lincoln resident for eight years who has been working at the store for about seven months, said its uncertain these days if anyone will be at the local clinic when she calls.

You call out there to make an appointment and you get the answering machine, she said. Sometimes you get a call back. Not very often.

Local criticism of PureView Health Center has been particularly sharp lately, and a local group has called for terminating the organization's services in Lincoln.

Incomplete or incorrect information being spread by critics fuels the unrest that is polarizing the town, say those who want to retain medical services from PureView.

Adding to the distrust is a lack of understanding about the complex relationship that governs how health care in Lincoln is provided.

All PureView employees except the director are county employees, Lewis and Clark County officials have said, and PureView is managed by a board on which the county commission has but one vote.

The county also doesnt have authority over PureViews budget, as this too rests with the organizations board.

The Lincoln Hospital District has no authority over PureView and only leases the Parker Medical Center building to PureView.

If the clinic were to close, it wouldnt be good, Cheney said.

Its just kind of peace of mind for people out here, way in the middle of nowhere, basically, she continued. Its just kind of nice to know theres a medical facility close if anything happens.

Mary Ann Mailloux, manager of the D & D grocery store for more than a decade and a Lincoln resident for 23 years, also recognizes the importance of local health care.

Having local medical care, she said, its extremely important. Not everybody here can drive and get themselves to see someone.

Retired people, younger people who are unemployed and families with children all rely on local health care, Mailloux said.

We didnt have (a clinic) for a long time, and it was very hard for a lot of people.

Mailloux didnt know of that nights town meeting on health care until reading a story in the towns paper, the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch, the day the meeting was to be held.

Hopefully it will be well attended, she said.

***

Gray hair and older age are common denominators among many of the roughly 30 people who came for the discussion that was organized by the Upper Blackfoot Community Council.

Others who filled the chairs were younger. Audience comments to those who organized the meeting and those who were there to explain how medical services are provided emphasized the need for medical services if Lincoln was to have a future.

There are enough boarded-up buildings in town, one person said, and added he didnt want to see another empty building - a fear for the fate of the clinic building leased to PureView.

PureView represents a makeover of the Helena-based medical provider and its leadership. Prior to PureViews creation, health care criticism was perhaps louder and even included the hospital district.

Thats changed. Jim Bosshardt, the hospital districts chairman, is vocal in his support of PureView and its director, Jill Steeley, who was hired in March 2015 and began work in May.

The hospital district has the best working relationship with the Helena clinic that its had in 10 years, he said.

He also endorsed the relationship with Lewis and Clark County and the services PureView provides.

I feel really confident, he said.

Weve really got something good, and its just going to continue to be better, Bosshardt added.

But in an editorial response in January to an article in the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch, Anthony DiPietro, spokesman for Citizens for Responsible Medical Care, leveled an array of accusations at PureView Health Center.

He also called for the Lincoln Hospital District and the county commission to sever its relationship with PureView as the communitys medical provider.

If the clinic were to close, town residents would have to travel to Missoula or Helena, options that Cheney and Mailloux said they didnt see as realistic or convenient.

There was little criticism of the clinics operation Thursday night and none of the fiery rhetoric thats come from the Citizens for Responsible Medical Care.

Eric Bryson, the countys chief administrative officer, expressed his surprise that none of these vocal opponents of PureView were at the meeting.

These are the people that actually care about their medical services, he said of the audience.

Laura Nicolai, a Lincoln resident who represents her town on the PureView board and is a Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance emergency medical technician, called on those at the meeting to stand up to the vocal minority of critics.

Stand up and dont be afraid, she said. You have all of us behind you.

After the meeting Nicolai said, Im grateful that theyre not here so the voices of the others in the community could be heard.

***

County Commissioner Susan Good Geise is a PureView Health Center patient and sought to reassure those at the Lincoln meeting of PureViews intent.

PureViews here to stay unless the people of Lincoln dont want PureView here, she said.

That was the message from Eric Schindler, chairman of the PureView board, who said one of the organizations missions is to provide health care services for those who are under-served.

We want to be here to help you, he said, but explained if the community didnt want service from PureView, the organizations board was ready to move on.

There is no federal requirement that PureView serve Lincoln, and there are no provisions that attach any of the federal funding to Lincoln, Schindler added.

PureViews budget for fiscal year 2016 - beginning July 1, 2015 and ending June 30, 2016 - anticipates a nearly $130,000 gap between revenue and expenditures for its Lincoln operations.

The loss is expected and said to reflect PureViews mission to serve those who lack access to health care.

Patient revenue is anticipated to be a little more than $244,000, and grant and other medical revenue will add nearly $285,500 to the bottom line that falls short of the projected operating cost of more than $658,600.

Concern exists that community unrest could add to the deficit, however, if fewer people come for health care.

The Lincoln clinic sees about eight patients a day, the audience was told. Dr. Leonard Blinder, who is the PureView doctor in Lincoln, announced earlier this year that he would be ending his relationship with PureView in June.

Physicians who come to Lincoln are eligible for loan repayment through the National Health Services Corp., which will pay $25,000 a year for two years toward a doctors education loans.

A husband and wife, both doctors, served the community for 6 1/2 years prior to Blinder who will be leaving after two years which has created concern in the community about the continuity of medical care.

Blinder, who will go to work at the VA in Helena, has said he will remain the medical director for the Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance, which resolves one of the significant uncertainties the community faces.

***

The ambulance service is required to have a physician as its director or it will be limited to only transporting without providing care for patients.

Aaron Birkholz, the ambulance service president and part of its crew as an advanced emergency medical technician, is among those who clearly understand the consequences of losing the clinic.

The Lincoln ambulance service is supported solely by the revenue it receives when patients are able to pay for calls, Birkholz said, explaining each call costs the service between $500 and $1,000.

If PureView leaves and there is no medical provider at the clinic, the ambulance service wont be able to financially withstand the demand for services, he said.

Birkholzs prognosis for the ambulance service was it would last about a year before shuttering its doors without a clinic operating in Lincoln.

And if the town rejects PureView, emails indicate there may be few if any options for local health care.

A March 15 email from Mary Jane Nealon, director of innovation at Partnership Health Center in Missoula, stated federal Health Resources Services Administration grants are distributed in what they call service area competitions and require a medical services provider to be part of a defined geographic area to provide service there with grant money.

Lincoln falls under the Lewis-Clark service area, so we are unable to work with the clinic in Lincoln, Nealon wrote. Even if Lincoln was in our service area there may have been other concerns. But at this point, it is moot since we are unable to operate in that area.

The emails dont come as a surprise to Bosshardt, the Lincoln Hospital Districts chairman, who said I know theres no place else to go.

***

Recruiting doctors to come to Lincoln is difficult, as they see few patients compared to busier medical facilities where there is more diversity each day.

And with the certificate to practice medicine comes significant debt that challenges repayment by those who go into primary care, said Schindler, the PureView board chairman.

Another difficulty noted by Steeley, PureViews director, is to then tell that prospective doctor that the job comes with also being the radiologist, the pharmacist and handling the front desk when necessary.

PureView is trying to recruit a doctor, but its also interested in a nurse practitioner, Steeley said, explaining the two roles can provide the same services that are needed at the Lincoln clinic.

A nurse practitioner would also be more comfortable with the slower pace of the clinic, Steeley added in response to concerns about the recent turnover in clinic doctors.

Lets just think about whats going on here and not get sucked into the misinformation, said Zach Muse, vice chairman of the Blackfoot Community Council, who explained that misinformation from day one has been the problem.

A lack of factual information has created the community rift, said Bill Frisbee, the community councils chairman who retired from the Air Force in 2004 and moved to Lincoln as his parents lived there.

Despite the divide thats been created by this lack of knowledge, he said hes optimistic of what will come from the community meeting.

This, I think, will go a long way, Frisbee said. Its a step in the right direction.
Zaha Hadid, the Iraqi-British architect lauded for her experimental, neo-modernist style, is no stranger to cross-collaborations. She has designed shoes for Adidas, wallpaper for Marburg Wallcoverings and paintings inspired by Russian Suprematist art for a 2015 exhibit at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

At this weeks Baselworld fair in Switzerland, Ms. Hadid returns to familiar terrain: jewelry. The architect, who has previously designed limited collections for the Austrian crystal maker Swarovski and the Swiss luxury jeweler Caspita, has joined with the Danish brand Georg Jensen on a line of rings and cuff bracelets rendered in sterling silver and black rhodium-plated silver peppered with black diamonds.

She also designed an installation for the brands booth in Basel to give guests an immersive introduction to the collection.

The venture had its genesis in September 2014, when Ms. Hadid attended the opening of her Wangjing Soho project in Beijing, a three-tower complex of curvaceous, mountain-like forms and linear garlands of light. At the event, she met David Chu, chairman and creative director of Georg Jensen. She was wearing a lot of her jewelry, he recalled. Shed made a lot of prototypes. I saw them and thought they were pretty cool.
In Portland, Ore., where protesters conducted a kayaktivist blockade in July to keep Shells Arctic drilling rigs from leaving port, the City Council passed a resolution opposing the expansion of facilities for the storage and transportation of fossil fuels.

Greg Yost, a math teacher in North Carolina who works with the group NC PowerForward, said the activists emboldened one another.

When we pick up the ball and run with it here in North Carolina, were well aware of whats going on in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island, he said. The fight were doing here, it bears on what happens elsewhere  were all in this together, we feel like.

The movement extends well beyond the United States. In May, a wave of protests and acts of civil disobedience, under an umbrella campaign called Break Free 2016, is scheduled around the world to urge governments and fossil fuel companies to keep coal, oil and gas in the ground.

This approach  think globally, protest locally  is captured in the words of Sandra Steingraber, an ecologist and a scholar in residence at Ithaca College who helped organize the demonstration at the storage plant near Seneca Lake: This driveway is a battleground, and there are driveways like this all over the world.

The idea driving the protests is that climate change can be blunted only by moving to renewable energy and capping any growth of fossil fuels.
Courting Chinese leaders in such a public fashion is an unusual strategy for a foreign executive. With star power comes influence, and any clout not directly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party can be deemed dangerous. China demonstrated this last month, when a widely read social media account of a prominent real estate tycoon disappeared after he criticized Mr. Xis call for unswerving loyalty from the countrys media.

The few American technology firms that have entered China in recent years have played down their efforts. Though Travis Kalanick, a founder of Uber, frequently travels to China, news of his presence rarely spreads across the Chinese Internet. There was almost no fanfare in advance of LinkedIns deal with two closely connected Chinese venture capital shops to enter China, an event that was marked with a blog post.

If Mr. Zuckerberg succeeds, it could show other foreign companies blocked in China that they have a potential path into the huge and fast-growing market  one that calls for them to accept Chinas strict controls on discourse and to refrain from rocking the boat. A failure would underscore Chinese distrust of foreign technology companies and cement the idea that the low-profile approach is the only way to gain market access.

Image Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, front right, running past Tiananmen gate, the entrance to the Forbidden City, in Beijing, on Friday. Credit... Facebook, via Agence France-Presse  Getty Images

Mr. Zuckerbergs meeting with Mr. Liu  a rarity for an American business executive  underscores the dynamic. Mr. Liu sits on the Chinese Communist Partys Politburo Standing Committee, the summit of power in China. The meeting serves Chinas propaganda purposes, allowing the country to show that one of the titans of Americas new tech-based economy is happy to pay homage to Chinas leaders and its style of Internet governance.
ATHENS  Greece and the European Union scrambled on Sunday to put in place the people and the facilities needed to carry out a new deal intended to address the migrant crisis that is roiling Europe, as hundreds of migrants in rubber dinghies continued to land on the Greek islands from Turkey.

The accord, struck between the union and Turkey on Friday, set a 12:01 a.m. Sunday deadline for Turkey to stem the flow of people making clandestine journeys across the Aegean Sea to Greece in an attempt to enter Europe, and required Greece to begin sending back migrants who are not eligible for asylum.

Yet processing centers on the Greek island of Lesbos and on several other Greek islands were not adequately staffed to comply immediately with the new measures, and officials said they were waiting for the European Union to follow through on a pledge to send at least 2,300 European police and asylum experts to help.
Some might call the 35,000-population center of Butte a small town.

But to Miners Kitchen owner Jase Hoffman, residing in Silver Bow is something akin to big-city living.

Hoffman  who opened Miners Kitchen, a specialty burger restaurant, with his wife Tami earlier this month  grew up in Chambers, Nebraska, a town that boasts a population of 250.

Hoffman said that life tended to move a bit slower in Chambers, so when he and his wife moved to Butte in 2015 and launched the Miners Kitchen, he felt he was opening himself up to a world of possibilities.

Normally a town this size, I wouldnt like it. But Butte has a more small-town feel to it, unlike a lot of places, said Hoffman.

Hoffmans wife Tami, meanwhile, is a Butte native.

Tami said she moved to Nebraska in 2010 after a cousin recommended it  but just as soon as she arrived in the Cornhusker State, she started hatching plans to move back to her hometown.

Along the way, however, Tami met and married Jase and had two children. While living in Chambers, Tami said, the couple made over 20 trips to Butte and finally moved to the Mining City in 2015, at which point they began discussing the possibility of opening a restaurant.

We have a million different business ideas, said Tami, who added that she and her husband have always talked about opening their own small business.

This is something that Ive always had in mind, echoed Jase.

The Hoffmans said they pride themselves on the uniqueness of their menu and on the freshness of their food. They said that Miners Kitchen specializes in gourmet burgers, but also boasts breakfast items, salads, homemade pies and chicken sandwiches, among a variety of other foods.

Menu highlights at Miners Kitchen include the Pick Axe burger  which is made from a half-pound of ground chuck and topped with caramelized onions and peppers and a pepper-jack and pepper aioli  and the Smoke Stack burger, which is piled high with hand-battered onion rings, house-cured bacon, swiss cheese and a Memphis-style barbecue sauce.

However, the most unique item on the menu is the Irish burger: a pasty-like, meat- and cabbage-filled pastry popular in Nebraska.

The couple added that they bake their own buns, hand cut their fries and hand batter their fish, onion rings and chicken fingers, in addition to making ice cream and pies from scratch. On top of that, the couple said, they cure their bacon in house and make a signature barbecue sauce.

Although the Miners Kitchen is the Hoffmans first restaurant, this isnt the first time working in the service industry.

Tami said shes been working in restaurants for 10 years, while Jase has waited tables and worked as a cook in the past.

Meanwhile, Miners Kitchen cook Jake Fournier  who sidelines as a mixed-martial-arts fighter  brings yet more experience to the table, boasting 15 years in the kitchen. Fournier has worked at various restaurants in and around Butte, including Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.

Its no secret that opening a restaurant in Butte can be difficult given the omnipresence of chain restaurants along Harrison Avenue.

However, the Hoffmans are confident that their quaint specialty-burger joint on Farragut Avenue can thrive even among the stiff competition.

When asked if he felt Miners Kitchen will be able to compete with nearby chains, Jase said that small, locally owned restaurants are able to offer something unique to patrons: a sense of community.

Something that I think is great about Butte, at least what Ive noticed anyways, is that Butte loves supporting the local businesses said Jase. Our goal is to have better quality food and to treat our customers like our neighbors.

He added that hes excited about his new life in Butte.

Well, I just look forward to raising my family here, said Jase. I think its a great place for kids.
University of Washington medical students who train at Buttes Southwest Montana Community Health Center have something to boast about.

On Wednesday, the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) announced it has earned the nations number-one ranking in family medicine and rural medicine in the Best Graduate School report put out by U.S. News & World Reports.

This marks the 25th consecutive year that the university has ranked number one in family and rural medicine.

University of Washington students who study in the schools Targeted Rural Underserved Track (TRUST) program have the option of receiving training in Butte as well as other locations throughout Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, and Idaho.

Through TRUST, students get hands-on medical training in rural or underserved areas with the end-goal of returning to these areas upon graduation.

A variety of programs like TRUST were established in Montana in 2008. TRUST communities in Montana include Butte, Dillon, Glasgow, Hamilton, Hardin, Lewistown, Libby, Livingston and Miles City. Nearly 150 students completed required and elective rotations at these sites from 2014 to 2015.

"We are so proud that the UW School of Medicine has retained its number-one rankings in primary care, family medicine and rural medicine education, said Doctor Jay Erickson, the assistant clinical dean of the universitys Wyoming, Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) program in Montana.

Through the support of our state legislators, and the dedicated and talented clinical faculty in Montana and UWSOM, we have a very successful medical education program in Montana that benefits the 30 first-year medical students who begin their training here each fall.

Each year U.S. News & World Reports ranks schools using the opinions of experts about program excellence and statistical information on the quality of faculty, research and students.

Medical schools are ranked overall in two categories: primary care and research, as well as in training in specific clinical fields, such as family medicine and rural medicine.

The UWSOM ranked number eight in research for 2017, and its physician training was ranked highly in several other specific disciplines: number five in pediatrics and number seven in internal medicine.

Additionally, the UWSOM has received the largest amount of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for public medical schools.
A Helena couple faces several felony charges after 18-month-old twins suffered serious burns from a drain cleaner containing sulfuric acid. Authorities say one of the toddlers also tested positive for methamphetamine.

Both boys were airlifted to a Salt Lake City burn unit for treatment of their chemical burns on Jan. 14. One boy had burns beginning under his chin and extending down his chest onto his stomach, authorities say. The other twin had burns the length of both legs.

Authorities arrested the parents, 31-year-old Robert Carlock Morris IV and 29-year-old Erin Louise Morris, on various felony charges Friday.

The couple is accused of leaving the drain cleaner within reach of the twins and exposing the child to methamphetamine.

Robert Morris faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, criminal endangerment, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs (methamphetamine).

Erin Morris is charged with criminal endangerment, endangering the welfare of children, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

After making an initial appearance in Lewis and Clark County Justice Court on Friday, the couple were released on their own recognizance.

Court documents say sheriff's deputies and medics responded to the Morris residence on Desert Court on Jan. 14 after receiving a report of children with chemical burns. A family member said the twins had gotten into a bottle of drain cleaner while the parents slept.

Investigators later conducted a search of the home, finding a wooden box containing methamphetamine underneath a child's plush chair resembling Elmo, the documents allege.

In the bathroom where the children were reportedly injured, detectives noted finding a Halloween candy bucket filled with drain cleaner and other cleansers.

In a subsequent interview, Robert Morris told detectives "he had no idea how the drain cleaner got within reach of the boys because he kept it on a ledge behind a wall in a Ziploc baggie because of how dangerous it was," court documents say. He also admitted to disposing of meth and drug paraphernalia the day of the incident after authorities left the home.

Court documents note the twins were removed from the Morris' custody pending the investigating into their injuries.
VIRGINIA CITY  In this town famed for frontier justice, G.G. Verone does not want to go back into Judge Loren Tuckers courtroom.

Not even to get what appears to be coming to her  a victory in her lengthy fight to claim the nearly $3 million estate of her aunt, Helen Edwards.

A District Court jury, in fact, gave her the essence of victory late last year, finding last November that a 2012 will that cut her out in favor of Edwards caretaker  hired by Verone when her aunt was 94  and a handyman was made as a result of undue influence, fraud or duress.

But for three months thereafter, Tucker, the Madison County District Judge, did not file a court judgment and order confirming the verdict, leaving Verone unable to claim the estate as she would according to the terms of the previous will.

Finally, on Feb. 18, Tucker filed a judgment affirming the verdict  but refused to admit the previous will, drawn up in 2010, to probate, leaving Verone still unable to claim the estate. An explanation that no one is likely to object to the 2010 documents is not the same as submitting them to scrutiny by the Court and potential objectors, followed by the Court making a determination about their validity. None of these things have been done, he wrote in the judgment.

Verones attorneys said in court filings there is absolutely no reason to question the 2010 wills validity, and now that the 2012 will has been thrown out by the jury, it should automatically be entered into probate. But following Judge Tuckers ruling, Verone and her attorneys have taken the unusual step of appealing a verdict they won to the Montana Supreme Court.

The move is not without huge risk, as it gives the beneficiaries of the contested will  caretaker Nancy Schulz and handyman Paul Degel  a chance to appeal the jurys finding without paying for the considerable cost of a transcript. And indeed they have filed a cross-appeal.

Understandably the gossip in the cavernous old courthouse here is about little else. Politics has reared its head; Schulzs husband, Dave Schulz, is a county commissioner, and hes running for re-election.

Nancy Schulzs attorney, Stephanie Kruer of Sheridan, did not return multiple phone messages. Nancy Schulz did not return a phone message left on her voicemail at home, and the Standard was unable to locate Degel. A call to his attorney, Lyman Bennett III of Virginia City, was not returned Saturday.

While the delay in entering a judgment was somewhat unusual, legal observers said, district judges have wide discretion. An email message to Tuckers judicial assistant seeking a phone conversation with Tucker was not answered.

*

G.G. Verone was born and raised in Butte. I had a truly wonderful family, she said. I was blessed.

She grew up at 923 W. Broadway. Her parents owned Golubins Flower Shop on Park Street (her given name is Gale Golubin). Her grandparents lived a few doors down on Broadway, and her aunt and uncle, Helen and Jim Edwards, lived on a ranch in Hail Columbia Gulch west of town. She was an only child, and she relished spending time at the flower shop, with her grandparents, and with her aunt and uncle.

Dad was my city father, and Jim was my country dad, she said. He taught me to ride, to put up hay, to tend the chickens and milk the cows.

Mom didnt like to cook, but Helen loved to, so she was the one who taught me to cook. She was also an excellent seamstress, and she tried to teach me to sew.

Verone went to McKinley School then to Immaculate Conception and to Butte High, where she discovered her love for drama. She won a scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse, and soon afterward, Warner Brothers signed her to an acting contract.

When youre a contract player, you do whatever they need you to do on the lot, she said. Someone else wants you for a role, they loan you out. She won a role in an Elvis movie, Paradise Hawaiian Style, and remembers the crooning superstar as a good friend. She also had roles in My Favorite Martian, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and several other TV series.

After her acting career, Verone bought property in California and became something of an entrepreneur. She built and opened a restaurant in Bel Air and started a construction company.

And she would travel back and forth from California to Butte, returning as often as she could to see her family. Helen and Jim Edwards had bought a ranch near Manhattan. Eventually, they would parlay their ranching success into a bigger spread near Laurin. They would sell that and retire to Ennis only to get the ranch back when the buyer defaulted. Eventually, they settled on another ranch in the area  the place that has been at the center of the will contest.

I would come in the summers to spend time with them, and Id be there for any important occasion like anniversaries, Verone says. And I called my aunt every day of my life.

*

In October 2007, Verone had a day of absolute horror. She got a phone call from her Aunt Helen, hysterical with the news that her uncle had passed away. That night, as she prepared to leave for Montana, another phone call: Her mother had died in an assisted care facility in Butte, exactly 12 hours later.

Verone would stay for several months as her aunt, after 63 years of marriage, adjusted to a lonely new reality.

Then, a few years later, a fateful accident: Helen Edwards broke her arm.

As Helen recuperated slowly, Verone came to help Helen for an extended period. She realized how lonely Helen was. Jim had been much more social than Helen, and when he died, many of his friends werent stopping by to see his widow.

So she was very pleased to see Dave and Nancy Schulz come by to visit Helen.

Then, the Schulzes invited them to Easter dinner. At the time, Verone said, Nancy was working in a convenience store in Laurin. She asked her, how would you like to stop by Helens on your way to work, make a point of coming every day to see her? Maybe clean the house at your leisure? Take her out for ice cream, or to the hair salon?

She says she offered Nancy $20 an hour, and Nancy readily accepted.

It was a huge load off G.G.s mind. She was happy to have found someone her aunt liked, someone responsible.

*

A few months later, Verone said, something strange happened during one of her phone conversations with her aunt.

Helen Edwards said to her, I know you dont love me.

Of course I love you! she responded. Where did you get that idea?

My friends told me.

*

Verone was aghast. Her aunt had been like a mother to her for more than 60 years. What could this possibly mean? At 94, was she losing it a little bit? She remembered how her grandmother, suffering from dementia, had been very hard on Verones father before her death.

Or perhaps Verone had somehow irritated Betty Staley, Helens best friend? She called Betty in a panic.

I dont know what youre talking about, Betty said. I didnt tell her anything like that.

When she came to visit, she became increasingly concerned about the attentions of Degel, a handyman who had asked her uncle Jim to allow him to put a cabin on his mountain land. Jim had agreed, as long as it was on skids and could be removed whenever Jim wanted it removed.

Verone said Degel would drive to the ranch house every morning at 6 a.m. to get Helens paper, deliver it, and have coffee with her.

It seemed pushy and weird, Verone said. Usually when hed come, Id get dressed and come downstairs. Once, after he had brought in the paper, I walked back upstairs, and as I did, I turned around and saw him kiss her on the neck, right by her ear, and she giggled. I just froze. It was the creepiest thing I ever saw.

*

R.D. Corette of Butte had been Jim and Helens lawyer for many years. He had drawn up a will for Helen and Jim years before, and after Jim died, he and another partner at the firm drew up a will and trust for Helen with G.G. as the executor, trustee and primary beneficiary.

Then one day in 2012, Verone, who paid all of her aunts bills, opened a bill from his firm for hours spent in connection with the preparation of a new will and trust  including billing for research into how to amend a trust without having to give notice to or get consent from the trustee  who was, in this case, herself.

The will and trust, drawn up in 2012 with Corette as the executor, left most of Helens property to Nancy Schulz and Paul Degel with Verone getting only $25,000 cash. It also provided bequests to the Sheridan library, the Ruby Valley Hospital, and friends Cal Ward and Betty Staley.

Shortly thereafter, Verone was removed from all of Helens bank accounts.

Verone says she thought Corette was her attorney because of her status as co-trustee with Helen and tried fruitlessly to contact him. Then one day, she ran into him in a Butte restaurant. He came over and said, G.G., Ive been trying to reach you, she says. I said, No you havent, you havent been returning my calls. He promised to call me the next day, but he never did, she says.

Corette is now retired and living in California. At the firm of Corette, Black, Carlson and Mickelson in Butte, partner Marshal Mickelson said Wednesday the firm could not comment on the matter because of attorney-client confidentiality.

*

On May 21, 2013, at the age of 96, Helen Edwards passed away.

The obituary in the Montana Standard said, She is survived and will be missed by her niece, G.G. Verone; close friend and caregiver, Nancy Schulz; close friends, Paul Degel, Cal Ward, Betty and Craig Staley; cousins; and numerous friends.

Actually, on the day before she died, Helen had talked with Corette partner Bill Kebe, confirming an appointment to change her will again. Kebe testified in deposition that Helen was angry with Betty Staley for trying to run her life and wanted to remove her from the will. Also, he said, Helen wanted to further reduce the bequest to Verone.

Now the fighting would start.

Corette went to the ranch house with Verone and others, including Nancy Schulz, and inventoried the contents. Casts of Jim Edwards bronzes were removed from Degels possession and kept for a time at the law firms office in Butte. Helens safe deposit box at her Manhattan bank was opened and contents inventoried.

When the 2012 will was offered for probate, Verone objected. Twice mediators tried to work out a settlement between Schulz, Degel and Verone. Neither attempt was successful, and the case was set on course for trial in Judge Tuckers court.

Before trial, Verone agreed that if she won the estate, she would give the Ruby Valley Hospital the same amount  about $300,000  that it would have gotten under the 2012 will. Tucker approved the settlement but ruled that any evidence of it should be excluded from trial. But later, after Schulzs attorney Stephanie Kruer made reference to the donation left to the hospital in the 2012 will, Verones attorneys, Mick Taleff of Great Falls and Tim Strauch of Missoula, were allowed to place the settlement before the jury.

Nancy Schulz and Paul Degel testified about their warm relationships with Helen Edwards and all the work they did for her. Degel admitted kissing her but insisted it was a harmless peck on the cheek. Schulz, Corette and others would testify to Helens estrangement from Verone, who herself would testify that others had turned her aunt against her.

Schulzs daughter Susanne Hill, publisher of The Madisonian newspaper, would testify that in the probate case her mother was a sheep among wolves.

In his pretrial deposition, Corette repeatedly referred to Verone being verbally abusive to Helen and complaining about her friends.

Shes a bully, and she uses foul language, Corette said in his deposition. And she was doing that to Helen, because Helen told me that.

Ill never forget Helen saying to me, 'I just cant allow G.G. to get this ranch. All these people are my neighbors, and she will offend every one of them.'

But Betty Staley testified that she thought the 2012 will was the product of undue influence by Degel and Schulz.

The jury agreed by an 11-1 vote.

Verone said she felt vindicated by the jurys verdict but horrified at the way her relationship with her aunt had been portrayed.

Before Helens death, she had been banned from seeing her. Now, she says, she is devastated that her aunt died alone.

If I hadnt hired Nancy Schulz, that never would have happened, she says.

How would Helen feel about the dispute that has mushroomed over her will?

I think shed be heartbroken, Verone says.

If she succeeds in inheriting the ranch, Verone says, she plans to operate a horse rescue on the property because Uncle Jim would have liked that.

But before any horses are rescued, the Montana Supreme Court will have its say.
MISSOULA  John Hall hit rock bottom on an October day in 2008 when he consumed more than 100 opiate pills, an 18-pack of beer, and a fifth of Jack Daniels whiskey in less than an hour.

Hall had a .44 Magnum handgun and a black powder rifle, and he decided he was going to end it all. He had suffered through numerous surgeries due to health problems, and he decided he couldnt take it anymore.

I was just in so much pain and I was on so much pain meds and stuff, and it wasnt working, he said. And I was going to take myself out.

Hall said he doesnt remember much, but a friend called the local sheriff's office. Deputies found Hall with the weapons and arrested him. Hall woke up in the hospital, spent three weeks in jail, and was sentenced to three years probation.

He later entered a chemical dependency program and has been sober ever since that day.

And now, thanks to the Missoula Interfaith Collaboratives Advocate Network, Hall was able to get paired with a mentor, Dale Nickelson, to help him find stable housing and get back on his feet. Hall raised his son by himself and worked as a gold prospector, but he has been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, and his numerous medical issues prevent him from working.

Hall, 59, also had to register as a violent felony offender, which also hurt his chances of finding a job. However, he said he understands that's the price he must pay for his crime.

He said Nickelsons advice and guidance kept him from making more bad choices.

I wouldnt be where Im at if it wasnt for him, Hall said from an RV in East Missoula that he recently purchased. I was ready to give up. Not to kill myself, but pack it up and leave Missoula. Because I was at the point of I couldnt find a place. No housing. I had bad credit. My son had no credit. And plus I had a dog. But he suggested an RV, and that worked.

The Advocate Network pairs volunteer mentors with people who are coming out of prison to give them support and help them avoid any future violations of the law.

Essentially, what we do is help identify their strengths, Nickelson said. We give them the tools, such as resources, how to overcome those barriers. His was a little bit more difficult because housing was an issue for him, with him being on a limited income.

Nickelson said he volunteers between five and 25 hours every week, traveling and mentoring clients on his own time. He has helped about 25 individuals so far. Thats on top of his full-time job as an addiction counselor for Stepping Stones Counseling and attending the University of Montana to become a social worker.

Our job is to give them resources and be advocates for them, Nickelson said. Essentially, we want to empower them to solve their own problems. In most cases, we want to give positive influence. We have a few advocates who have been in prison, so theyve walked that road.

Nickelson said he became a mentor because he didnt want people like Hall to fall through the cracks.

Once society has discovered that theyve been incarcerated and had a not-so-perfect path, they tend to shut the doors on them, he said. Everybody makes mistakes.

The Missoula Interfaith Collaborative and Missoula Partners for Reintegration will host a community discussion on mentoring people returning from prison from 12 to 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Missoula City Council chambers at 140 W. Pine St. The group is hoping to recruit advocates for its Homeless Advocate Network.

Jen Barile, the program director for the Homeless Advocate Network, said people who are mentored are more likely to find employment, a major factor in helping returning prisoners avoid criminal behavior. She also said research shows that people who work with mentors are more likely to retain employment, which reduces crime, saves taxpayers money, and helps keep families intact.

Successful reentry impacts communities by producing productive citizens in family and community life, reducing recidivism and further crime, and developing the social capital necessary for neighborhood stabilization and even transformation, she said.

For more information visit micmt.org or pfrmt.org.
Why can St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings profit from its medical flights while private companies that often bill more than the hospital say they wont contract with insurers because they dont pay enough to turn a profit?

Thats one issue a working group meant to look at possible solutions to Montanas air ambulance woes discussed at their first meeting Friday. The group has representatives from hospital-based and independent air-ambulance providers, insurers, entities that self-ensure, state lawmakers and consumers.

The state auditors office received more than 20 complaints last year from Montanans who have received large bills for the medical flights, some more than $100,000.

We feel helpless because we have some entities that are willing to work with us and some that are not willing to work with us, said Jesse Laslovich, chief legal counsel to Montana State Auditor Monica Lindeen.

Laslovich said last week he got a call from a woman whose son was on a flight from Bozeman Deaconess to a Denver hospital. The flight cost $100,000, and she was balance billed $90,000, Laslovich said.

Air ambulances generally fall into three categories: hospital-based services that are a part of the contracts those facilities negotiate with insurance companies and providers; nonprofit operators that are affiliated with hospitals; and for-profit companies that may or may not contract with insurance.

St. Vincent Healthcare Chief Flight Nurse Chad Cady said his program is expensive to run, perhaps one of the more costly in the state because of the types of services it can offer  but it still makes money and doesnt shift costs to other departments in the hospital.

It is a very expensive entity to operate, but when I have to look at my budget and justify it to my CFO and explain if we are in the red or are we in the black, the numbers show it.

St. Vincent charges $9,916 per takeoff and $90 per mile once a patient is on board for fixed-wing flights and $11,530 per lift-off and $100 per mile on helicopter flights. The standalone service NorthWest MedStar charges $13,116.40 per takeoff and $110.10 per mile for planes and $15,243 per takeoff and $133.10 per mile for helicopters, according to a survey sent out by the state.

Bill Bryant, who works with REACH Air Medical Services, which operates Summit Air Ambulance in Helena and Bozeman, said hospitals can shift overhead costs around to help make their programs profitable and cited previous testimony from the CEO of St. Patricks in Missoula that the facility lost $1.6 million a year on its program before shutting it down. Summit does not contract with insurers but has said it has started talking with one about the possibility.

If they were adequate, both of those hospitals would at least be breaking even, he said.

An independent review by an industry analyst has shown Summit has charged patients $15,965 per takeoff and $175 per mile on a fixed-wing flight.

Northeast Montana STAT Air Ambulance has been on both sides. When it was just part of Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, STAT could share the cost of some employees like nurses with the hospital but lost that ability after 2007 when it became a standalone provider for a four-hospital co-op that covers a large part of that remote corner of the state.

That year, Clay Berger, Northeast Montana STAT air ambulance cooperative program director, said it took 300 percent of what Medicare reimburses for flights to make a 10-to-15-percent profit. "That is why we enjoy that Allegiance contract of 250 percent, but when you get down into those areas of Medicaid, Medicare  were going backward.

Some providers are open to sharing what they charge per flight  a breakdown of the rate-per-mile once a patient is on board and the fixed fee charged per takeoff  while some, typically the independent ones, arent. Whats not known now is how much flights cost the providers, something that would help show why St. Vincent can make a profit but others say they cant.

At the meeting, Ronald Dewsnup, president and general manager of Allegiance Benefit Plan Management, said he could provide information on all air ambulance claims his company has dealt with before the next meeting April 7.

Insurers want to know the exact costs for providers so they know what percentage of costs theyre paying, and providers say they want to get equal, fair payments from insurance.

Bryant said its critical to look at the payer mix providers deal with  what percentage of people who take flights are insured by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance or who dont carry insurance. That varies widely from county to county and can change how successful an operation is.

NorthWest MedStar, which is represented on the committee by business services manager Russell Hancock, is joining the Life Flight air ambulance network starting April 1. Life Flight has not participated with any interim committee work done in the past, but Hancock said he will continue to be a part of the working group representing Life Flight.

The next meeting of the Economic Affairs Interim Committee, which is looking at the air ambulance issue, is April 14.
The Easter Swim will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Butte YMCA, 2875 Washoe St.

Children will search for Easter eggs and other fun spring toys in the water. Pre-register for the wave of your choice to guarantee your child's spot and prize. Only $5 per child, and parents are free. Details: 406-782-1266.
Brokered political conventions are neither good nor bad. Sometimes they are simply necessary. That could be the case with the Republicans this year, as it was in 1952 and 1976.

The Montana delegation were bitter-enders at the contested 1952 Republican national convention. The contest for the Republican presidential nomination was between Ohio Senator Robert Taft, and General Dwight Eisenhower.

Taft, the Republican Senate leader, was fondly known in Republican circles as Mr. Republican. He was a prominent member of the party establishment. The Ohio Senator had opposed most of the New Deal programs. He and his supporters were critical of the me-too Republicans who had decided to accept them. Eisenhower, the insurgent candidate, popularly known as Ike, was a newcomer to Republican politics, with no record on the issues.

The Montana delegation went to the national convention in Chicago pledged to Taft. While Taft and Eisenhower had each prevailed in five state primaries, and neither had a majority of the delegates necessary to win the party nomination, Taft had slightly more delegates than Eisenhower when the convention opened. The competition for a majority of delegates was fierce, and the maneuvering intense

The critical development occurred over the seating of the Georgia and Texas, delegations where the established Republicans had considered only Taft loyalists to be delegates to the national convention. The Eisenhower faction challenged the seating of the Texans and Georgians, making a persuasive case for fair play in the convention floor debate. Their challenge prevailed, and with the seating of substitute delegations, Eisenhower pulled ahead of Taft in the delegate count.

On the first ballot, Ike led 595 to 500, with 604 needed to win the nomination. Before a second ballot could begin, sensing that Eisenhower was the probable winner, numerous delegations began changing their votes to support him. When the dust settled, it was Eisenhower 845, and Taft 280. Among the bitter enders for Taft who didnt get on Ikes bandwagon was the entire Montana delegation.

In 1976, the Republicans again convened with no majority candidate. Challenger Ronald Reagan slightly trailed President Gerald Ford. The Montana delegation was unanimous for Reagan.

The Reagan supporters suspected that the Ford forces had hinted to several prominent senators and governors that they were likely to be tapped by Ford to be his running mate. Reagan, therefore publically named as his running mate, Pennsylvania Senator Richard Schweiker, and proposed a rule to the convention that would require both candidates to reveal their running mate choices before any balloting for president. Reagan hoped that those not chosen by Ford, perhaps feeling deceived, would release their delegations to vote for Reagan. When the rule failed by a slender 51 vote margin, it was clear that Ford had a lock on the votes to win the nomination, which he did, 1187 to 1070, with the Montanans sticking with Reagan.

It now appears possible, for the first time since 1976, that no Republican candidate will have a majority of delegates going into the 2016 national convention. Montana Republican primary voters need to know that by new state party rules, at least through the first national convention roll call vote, this years delegation must all agree to support the candidate who finishes first in the June 6 primary election.

This is important because, occurring late in the process, Montanas primary and its small but solid block of 27 votes could be decisive in determining whether there will be a brokered convention. So, in this years Republican primary election, cast your ballot carefully.

-- Bob Brown, of Whitefish, is a former Montana Secretary of State and State Senate President.
Every day on your drive in Billings on the interstate highway you passed a pile of coal next to a power plant.

What if that coal pile and power plant were not there?

What opportunities would this present for Billings and its citizens? Could there be more public accessibility to our most precious and unique resource: the Yellowstone River?

Could there be bike and hiking trails? A fishing access? A white water park? An innovative public and private partnership? Could it contribute to historic (Lewis and Clark) and cultural enrichment (Sacrifice Cliffs)? Would it bring more citizens and tourists to the Yellowstone River? Could this area connect with the downtown, providing a gateway to the Yellowstone River? Could it contribute to growing the Billings economy? Would it make Billings a more attractive city? Could it be a legacy for future generations?

Cities like Missoula, Great Falls and Casper, Wyo., developed open space along their rivers. This vision significantly contributed to their quality of life and positively impacted their economies.

The Corette Power Plant is closing and PPL, owners of the power plant, want to sell this property; they refused to donate it to the city of Billings. PPL's corporate myopia should not stop citizens from pursuing other promising options. Community organizations (YVCC, Yellowstone River Parks Association and Our Montana) are urging citizen participation before it is too late. This land presents a priceless and irreplaceable resource for Billings. It may be a once-in-a-lifetime possibility.

Imagine.

Robert M. Pumphrey, Billings
Montanas divisive Disclose Act faces another court challenge.

A 19-page suit filed in U.S. District Court Friday alleges the 2015 campaign finance law illegally restricts some nonprofit groups right to distribute campaign mailers by requiring them to attach a variety of disclosures to those mailers.

The suit  filed on behalf of the National Association for Gun Rights, a Virginia-based nonprofit advocacy group  also asks the court to weigh in on a 2012 campaign finance complaint that alleged the gun rights group illegally contributed to a Republican statehouse candidate during 2010 primary elections.

It goes on to challenge the Disclose Acts definition of electioneering communications, arguing that definition is overbroad and places an unconstitutional burden on speech by requiring the group to register with the state as a political committee  a point echoed in a 2014 federal suit that was amended in June to take on provisions outlined in the act.

The act, which requires disclosure of dollars spent by anonymous dark money groups, has been lauded as an important bulwark against an influx of undisclosed campaign expenses underwritten by anonymous donors.

It's also been derided as an unconstitutionally broad assault on political speech meant to allow those in power to 'out' individuals with whom they disagree.

Bozeman attorney and Republican state Rep. Matthew Monforton, who filed Fridays complaint, said vote disclosures required under the legislation would tend to turn a postcard-sized mailer into a prohibitively expensive magazine-sized campaign missive.

Really what this whole law is is an incumbent-protection act, Monforton said. It imposes greater regulations and expenses on anyone who desires to criticize incumbent legislators.

His clients plan to send out mailers describing which public officials have supported the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms and engage in lawful self-defense, as well as those who have not done so. Monforton said they have no intention of filing as a political committee, as required under the law.

Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl, one of the architects of the Disclose Act and one of three defendants named in Monfortons suit, did not return requests for comment late Friday.
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 []
Many people wonder which books they should read to enhance their careers, or to gain more insight into the business world.

Inc recently published a list of great business books, which includes the technology-focussed books Elon Musk, Losing the Signal, and The Art of the Start 2.0.

To get a more local view on great books, MyBroadband asked South Africas top tech and telecoms CEOs which books they are current reading.

We also asked them which books they would suggest to any person who wants to further their business career.

Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub

Joosub is currently reading The Broker by John Grisham  a suspense novel which follows the story of a pardoned prisoner who had tried to broker a deal to sell the worlds most powerful satellite surveillance system to the highest bidder.

For those looking to enhance their business career, Joosub advised three books: Good to Great by James C Collins, The Best Service is No Service by Bill Price and David Jaffe, and End of the Line: The Rise and Fall of AT&T By Leslie Cauley.

MTN SA CEO Mteto Nyati

Nyati is currently reading David & Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell  a book about the probability of improbable events occurring in situations where one outcome is greatly favoured over the other.

For business, Nyati advises three books: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, The Secret to Awesomeness by Joshua Tongol, and How Stella Saved the Farm by Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble.

Cell C CEO Jose dos Santos

Cell Cs dos Santos is currently reading Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance.

For business, dos Santos suggests: The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort  a non-fiction memoir by a former stockbroker and trader.

Afrihost CEO Gian Visser

Visser is currently reading Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal  a guide for product managers, designers, marketers, and start-ups on how to build habit-forming technology.

For business, Visser suggests: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Dont Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber, and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini.

Business Connexion CEO Isaac Mophatlane

Mophatlane is currently reading two books: Dan Carter  the Autobiography of an All Black Legend, and the Elon Musk Biography.

Mophatlane suggests two books for those who are looking to advance their business career: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and Tuesday with Moerie by Mitch Albiom.

Vox Telecom CEO Jacques du Toit

Du Toit is currently reading Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money by Nathaniel Popper.

For business, he advises: Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours (and what to do about it) by Salim Ismail.

Its about how the business world has seen the birth of a new breed of company  the Exponential Organization, said du Toit.

Cybersmart CEO Laurie Fialkov

Fialkov is currently reading The Legacy of Light by Daniel Arenson  a fantasy trilogy for fans of A Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings.

The Legacy of Light is based on the people of Requiem, an ancient kingdom, who can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons.

Teraco CEO Lex van Wyk

Van Wyk is currently reading How Long Will South Africa Survive? by RW Johnson, which analyses Jacob Zumas rule, and looks at the increasingly dire state of the South African economy.

Johnson concludes that South Africa is heading towards a likely International Monetary Fund bailout, which will in turn lead to a regime change of some kind.
A Port Shepstone man has pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault and the possession and creation of child pornography, the Sunday Independent reported.

The man was linked to an international paedophile ring and was arrested in August by members of the SAPS.

Interpol provided the tip-off that lead to the arrest after Greek police arrested a man in 2013 on similar charges, and found he used an app called Giga Tribe to distribute child porn.

Through the app they were able to get the IP addresses of users from 32 countries who were downloading the material. One of those IP addresses led to South Africa.

Police found 1,000 copies of pornographic material in the South African mans Uvongo home, containing images of children and teenagers involved in sexual activity.

He also stands accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old KwaZulu-Natal boy, and grooming him for pornographic material.

The man pleaded guilty on all counts and will be sentenced on 21 April.

The full report is available in the Sunday Independent of 20 March 2016.

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Vladimir Putin says he is withdrawing most Russian forces from Syria because his objectives have been achieved. How to judge that boast?

The jury is still out on such goals as keeping the dictator Bashar al-Assad in power, increasing Russian influence in the Middle East, restoring Moscows seat at the table of global power, and sending a message of strength to Islamic extremists inside Russias own borders.

But its not too early to consider Russian success on another front: showcasing military strength to potential adversaries, allies and arms buyers.

Essentially, Russia is using their incursion into Syria as an operational proving ground, retired Air Force Gen. David Deptula told the New York Times last year. And Moscow proved quite a bit.

The Russian military had not been in a conflict of this scale since its disastrous pullout from Afghanistan decades ago. The closest it came was the five-day border fracas with Georgia in 2008, and while the campaign was a political success, the Kremlins military was highly unimpressive against a weak opponent. Among other woes, its intelligence operations were slipshod, with troops being repeatedly being sent into ambushes; it lost six planes to either Georgian air defenses or friendly fire; and its tanks proved under-armored and ill-suited to night fighting. There were reports that Russian troops took to stripping dead Georgian soldiers of their superior body armor.

Just seven years later, the Russians have done a great deal to redeem themselves. In what was primarily an air campaign, they showed a good ability to keep up the tempo of sorties  by one estimate, at least 1,000 a month from its Syria-based squadrons of SU-24 fighter-bombers and SU-25 ground-support craft  indicating efficient base crews and impressive logistics. Long-range bomber attacks from bases in Russia hinted at improved air-to-air refueling capabilities. As for accuracy, it was hard to judge the efficiency of Russias upgraded GPS guidance system because the planes used a lot of dumb munitions like the cluster bombs that devastated civilian areas. Russia also allowed brief glimpses of its new Mi-35M gunship helicopter.

The red flag here is the shooting down of an SU-24 fighter by Turkeys American-made F-16s in November. Given the unresolved ambiguities of the situation, its hard to draw any firm conclusions, and in any case the Russian plane wasnt designed for the sort of dogfighting at which the F-16 excels.

The Russians also showed surprising capabilities in smart weapons. In October, they launched 26 cruise missiles from Buyan-M-class corvettes floating in the Caspian Sea. While Western intelligence claims that some fell way short of the target  in Iran, actually  the fact that such small warships were capable of employing the sophisticated Kalibr NK missile system came as a shock.

In December, cruise missiles fired underwater by a super-stealthy Rostov-on-Don submarine in the Mediterranean struck targets near Islamic States de facto capital, Raqqa. Given that such sea-based missiles are vastly more expensive than dropping bombs from planes, one can assume that the real aim was sending a message to Washington.

Russia also deployed some hardware that there was little reason to suppose would ever be used: sending the missile cruiser Moskva off the coast of Syria and placing advanced S-400 ground-to-air missile systems at the airbase near Latakia. This impressive air-defense assemblage might have seemed a bit much given that the Syrian rebels and Islamic State jihadists didnt have a single plane, but the real point was flexing muscles, and the U.S. clearly took notice.

The Syria campaign should do nothing to hamper Russias soaring arms sales, at 25 percent of the global market as compared to Americas 33 percent over the last five years, despite Ukraine-related sanctions. Moscow is rumored to be locking its top client, India, into $7 billion in purchases including S-400 air defenses and three Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates now under construction. The two nations have long discussed a joint building operation of a next-generation fighter jet. Indias mortal enemy, Pakistan, made its first-ever deal with Moscow for four helicopters last summer, and more may be on the way, especially if a Republican-led group in Congress continues to try to block fighter-jet sales to Islamabad.

What most concerns the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies, though, is Moscows courtship of Iran. After the signing of the nuclear-weapons deal last summer, Russia agreed to make good on a long-promised sale of an advanced air-defense system to Tehran, and discussed possible sales of multi-role SU-30 aircraft and Russias main battle tank. Republicans in Congress are pressuring the Obama administration to block any such sales using United Nations sanctions. But in the long run theres little doubt that Moscow and Tehran will strengthen ties over weapons deals  another Putin objective furthered by his risky decision to make Assads war his own.

Tobin Harshaw writes editorials on national security, military affairs and education.
Nepal Robotics/Bullis-Kanjirowa STEM Update 20 March 2016, NepalRobotics

Keiths note: Mike Kronmiller and his father Ted are in Nepal with for their latest adventure: Day two was much busier than day one. In the morning I had a meeting with the wildlife warden for the park at Kala Pathar (where I will be testing my drone) This meeting was critical for gaining approval to fly at Everest Base Camp. Luckily the warden was supportive of the project and stated he looked forward to a long term relationship with his park and the drone project. After that I went to Kanjirowa (our partner school) to pick up batteries for my drone. I had to have them made in Nepal because I am not allowed to ship the LiPo batteries from the US.

Nepal Robotics/Bullis-Kanjirowa STEM Update 21 March 2016

In the evening I had dinner with american diplomats to talk about the future of STEM in Nepal. They talked about Nepals first ever Maker Faire that they are supporting in September.
It sounds like Randy Travis may finally be putting this terrible year behind him after having numerous booze-filled meetings with police and trips to jail in 2012.

Back in August, Randy was ticketed for simple assault against the ex-husband of his girlfriend/fiancee in front of a Texas church. On Friday, Randy made an appearance in court for the assault and plead not guilty.

Randys lawyer, Larry Friedman, had said at the time that Randy had simply come to the rescue of his fiancee while she was arguing with her estranged husband.

Randy is now set to head to trial in March of 2013.

Theres still no word on the consequences of Randys other big case from 2012, the one where he got arrested naked after crashing his Trans Am. Word at the time of the arrest was that he could be facing 10 years in jail. Lets hope things go well in both these cases.

(TMZ)
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Lithuanian President Nauseda is named most popular politician in country

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Deputy Director of Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS: Baku's goal is that Karabakh has no Armenian population

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MERRITT ISLAND, Florida  A brown tide that is plaguing the Indian River Lagoon for over the last month has resulted in the largest fish kill in Brevard Countys portion of the lagoon since the 2011-2012 algae Super Bloom.

Thousands of dead fish, stingrays, and crabs are washing ashore along the State Road 528 and 404 causeways, creating a potent stench for tourists visiting Cocoa Beach and cruisers making their way to the cruise ships disembarking from Port Canaveral, Florida. Dead or dying blue crab, juvenile whiting, sheepshead, catfish, puffer fish, black drum, flounder, red fish, and speckled trout can be found throughout the Banana River, around the Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach , and in residential canals.

Unseasonably warm temperatures caused by the strongest El Nino since 1997 has fueled the brown algae outbreak in the Indian River Lagoon from Pineda Causeway (State Road 404) northward through the waters bordering Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach, Cocoa, Merritt Island and Titusville, Florida. The brown tide is now starting to spread into waters south of the Pineda Causeway.



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Brown tides are caused by the pelagophyte Aureoumbra lagunensis. The algae depletes the dissolved oxygen in the water to such a low level that fish suffocate and die.

This is one of the largest kills on record in the Banana River Lagoon, said outdoors journalist Ted Lund. Ive documented more than 15 species ranging from mullet, puffers, and whiting to sheepshead, snook, trout, and redfish.

This is a clear and present danger to our ecosystem, tourism and property values. And yet state and local governments appear to be mute on the subject. Theyve declared a state of emergency in the southern end of the lagoon system but are oblivious to whats going on here. Even if Florida had a robust, functioning hatchery system bolstering the populations of fish affected by this event it would take decades to recover.



What has been known as the Seatrout and Redfish Capitol of the world is now the dead fish Capitol of the world.
This is Oli's first official visit to China since he assumed the prime minister's office on October 2015, Xinhua news agency reported.

Oli is accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Commerce Deepak Bohora and Chief Secretary Som Lal Subedi among others are in the prime minister's delegation.

Oli will wrap up his visit on March 27.

--Indo-Asian News Service ksk/vt

( 103 Words)

2016-03-20-12:41:34 (IANS)
While welcoming the prince, Bhandari highlighted enhancing bilateral cooperation between Britain and Nepal, officials said.

"The president shared her views with the prince on the diplomatic relationship between the two countries as this year Nepal and Britain are observing 200 years of diplomatic relations establishment," Xinhua cited presidential media adviser Madhav Sharma as saying.

On the occasion, the prince said he was delighted to visit the beautiful Himalayan nation as it recovers from the devastating earthquake in April 2015.

On Sunday afternoon, Harry visited the earthquake-hit historical Patan Durbar Square, enlisted as the Unesco World Heritage Site.

On Saturday, the prince paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli here.

--Indo-Asian News Service py/vt

( 142 Words)

2016-03-20-13:37:35 (IANS)
It was time both India and Pakistan realised that they have a common enemy -- terrorism --and they need to fight it together, Pakistani-Canadian cleric Tahirul Qadri said here on Sunday The money both countries spend on fighting and containing each other should be spent on development and alleviating poverty, he said in his address at the World Sufi Forum here. "India and Pakistan have fought four wars and have achieved nothing. It is time both countries realised they are not each other's enemies but have a common enemy, which is terrorism. Let's fight it together. "Poverty is pushing people into terrorism. Parents with no food to feed their children are selling them to terrorists. Let's end this poverty and deprivation," he told a gathering of thousands at the Ramlila Ground here. "They (Islamic State) are indulging in bloodshed, rapes and destruction in the name of Islam. We condemn this extremism and all forms of terrorism," Qadri said. He also blamed "international injustice" for the spread of terrorism and called for an end to them. "Establishment of everlasting peace and harmony should be a global goal and agenda," said the cleric, who spearheaded a revolt against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2014. Dwelling on the meaning and essence of Sufism and quoting Quranic verses and 'hadith' (prophetic traditions), he said it was the path of self-sacrifice and selflessness. "Sufism means malice towards none and love for all. In order to counter extremism and intolerance, 'tasawwuf' should be included in education curricula in madrasas as well as in schools and universities," Qadri said. The cleric also took a potshot at the "fatwa mill" of a number of theologians. "Jinke dil me ghubaar nahi hota, unko fatwe ka bukhar nahi hota (those whose hearts are clear of malice, they don't issue fatwas against others)," he said. --Indo-Asian News Service mak/tsb/vd ( 323 Words) 2016-03-20-21:43:45 (IANS)
China has been urged by food and drug administration to investigate approximately 570 million yuan ($88 million) worth of improperly refrigerated vaccines sold since 2010, which could put patients' lives at risk. The suspects, a woamn named Pang and her daughter, Sun, who graduated from medical school, have been bulk-selling 25 kinds of vaccines for adult and children through unlawful businesses since 2010, the Global Times reported on Saturday. According to police, the vaccines were purchased by 247 people in over 10 provincial regions including Chongqing as well as Shaanxi and Jilin provinces, spreading across 18 regions including Henan, Anhui and Guangdong provinces. The vaccines include flu, hepatitis B and rabies. The China Food and Drug Administration has urged local departments to investigate and confiscate suspect vaccines, while working with the health authorities to assess the damage done. Pang's bank account saw some 310 million yuan of income in the past five years. The suspects have been charged with running an illegal business and are waiting for a trial, adding that some 20 cities have been urged to cooperate with the investigation and verify the vaccine's users. Another six suspects have been arrested in areas including Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Shandong, while another 10 have been detained. According to local police officer Chen Bo, the temperature of the vaccine warehouse was close to 14 C when the mother and daughter were arrested and the vaccines were stored without refrigeration. Pang, 47, once worked as a pharmacist at a hospital in Heze, Shandong and has also run a clinic selling vaccines. She is also reportedly well known for her close connections with pharmaceutical companies. In 2009, she was put on probation for illegally selling vaccines and she remains on probation. --Indo-Asian News Service ksk ( 303 Words) 2016-03-19-09:53:30 (IANS)
The Nizamabad Superintendent of Police said that the village Panchayat had objected to the construction of the prayer hall, following which unknown people burnt down the hall late at night on Friday.

The police is yet to make an arrest but a case has been registered.

According to reports, earlier a local pastor and members of his congregation in Nizamabad were beaten by a mob of 40 Hindu radicals after they allegedly tried to convert Hindus to Christianity.

The attack, which occurred during a prayer gathering, resulted in the hospitalisation of six persons, including a four-year-old girl whose leg was broken, according to locals.

"It was a very scary scene. They tore my cassock and I received blows, punches, kicks from all directions as I was their prime target. Bibles were snatched from us and were tore and trampled. Believers ran to all directions as they were chased by the mob," Pastor Nitin Kumar said.

Last Sunday a Pentecostal church in the Chhattisgarh state was also attacked during prayer services by a mob, believed to have been a part of the Bajrang Dal organisation. (ANI)
All the students were rushed to the district hospital, where their condition is stated to be stable, even as the angry parents held the teachers and some officials hostage briefly before releasing them.

Earlier, the children started vomiting on the way home soon after they had puri-sabzi in school.

Meanwhile, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Rakesh Singh said prima facie there was something wrong with the 'puri' served to the children.

The BSA added that four teachers have been suspended, while services of five others including two cooks have been terminated.

Earlier in the month, around 21 kids were taken ill after consuming mid-day meal at a government school in a village in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

After the children complained of diarrhea and vomiting, they were rushed to a nearby district hospital. (ANI)
A local court in the summer capital, Srinagar, sentenced a government official to one year rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for tampering his Date of Birth (DoB) to remain in service. Additional Session Judge, Srinagar, S R Gandhi convicted Javaid Ahmad Qadri for committing offences under section 467 (forgery) and 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating). The court said the convict shall undergo rigorous imprisonment for one year and fine of Rs 10,000 for the commission of offence under a Section of Ranbir Penal Code ( RPC). However, in default of fine the convict will undergo a further imprisonment of three months. The court said both sentences shall run concurrently. As per case history Qadri, a resident of Hawal, in the city outskirts was due to retire in April 2017 after completing age of 60 years. However, he had changed his date of birth from April 9, 1957 to April 9,1960 so that he could retire in 2019. The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) during the investigation found the figure '1960' has been tampered with and the word 'sixty' was also found suspicious. The DoB certificate issued by the Board of School Education Srinagar was also seized which shows that the actual date of birth of Qadri was April 9, 1957. The accused was working as establishment clerk in Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division Second when he had tampered the age in his Service Book which remained in his custody in 1996.UNI BAS AE PM1144 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-645855.Xml
The employment of 281 daily wagers from different government departments were regularised in Kashmir valley, an official spokesperson said here today. He said the Empowered Committee to consider the regularisation of Daily Rated Workers has cleared 281 cases of Daily Rated Workers for regularisation. The Daily Rated Workers who were regularised, included 218 cases of Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC), 54 from Forest Department, six from Rural Development Department, one each from Home, Health & Medical Education (H&ME) and Public Works Department. The Commissioner Secretary, Finance asked all the Departments to furnish all pending cases complete in all respects, including those which have been returned due to deficiencies and resubmit the cases after removing the deficiencies by March 31, 2016. UNI BAS AE PM1117 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-645869.Xml
The fishermen were apprehended with 6.5 kg of Ganja.

They were taken to Paruthithurai Naval camp for legal action.

The Lankan Navy had earlier on Friday arrested seven local fishermen for allegedly engaging in illegal fishing practices.

Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Mahinda Amaraweera has instructed the island's Navy and the Coast Guard to take tough action against the fishermen, who are using illegal fishing practices. (ANI)
The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that it was the side-effect of his foreign visits that the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to remove Ford Foundation from the 'watch list'. "It is the side-effect of the foreign visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the MHA has decided to remove the Ford Foundation from the 'watch list'," JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi told ANI. According to the sources, the Home Ministry on Wednesday wrote to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to remove the U.S.-based international donor agency from a "watch list" it was placed under last year. In April 2015, the Home Ministry had put the Ford Foundation on its watch-list for funding activist Teesta Setalvad's NGOs, saying they allegedly didn't use the funds provided by the foundation for the stated purpose 'in violation' of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. (ANI)
Meghalaya, along with eight other states received the Krishi Karman Award 2014-15 for the second consecutive year for best performing state in food grain production instituted by the Union Ministry of Agriculture under National Food Security Mission. A government statement said today, ''This is the second consecutive year that the State has been conferred with this award. Last year the State has also received the Krishi Karman Award for 2013-2014.'' Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma along with the officials of Agriculture department received the award, which carries a sum of Rs. 5 crore, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh and Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya and Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan during the inaugural function of Krishi Unnati Mela yesterday at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi. While Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana and Rajasthan received the Krishi Karman Award for food crop production, Chhattisgarh was awarded for production of pulses, Tamil Nadu for coarse cereals and West Bengal for oilseeds. The award was also given to individual progressive farmers and two farmers from Meghalaya who received the award were Willipson A. Sangma from West Garo Hills and Angela Shangoi from West Khasi Hills. The Prime Minister in his address had called upon all stakeholders, including farmers, States and the Union Government to resolve to double farmers' income by 2022. He described the Krishi Unnati Mela as a platform that could rewrite India's destiny. Mr Modi said India's future had to be built on the growth of agriculture, and the prosperity of its farmers and its villages. He 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 are important steps towards reducing input costs. On the occasion, the Prime Minister also launched "Kisan Suvidha" a mobile application for farmers which will provide information to farmers on subjects such as weather, market prices, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and agriculture machinery.UNI RRK KK AE PM1215 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-645921.Xml
Indian Muslims are not proud of either Babar or of Akbar, but of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, and followers of this messenger of peace and love could never be terrorists, said a Sufi scholar at the concluding session of the four-day World Sufi Forum which has sent out a strong message against terrorists and extremist forces trying to appropriate Islam. ''The followers of Khwaja Saheb, have nothing in their mind but a 'chadar' of flowers for their spiritual guru, and those who carry flowers cannot hold Ak-47,'' said the scholar echoing the views of other speakers who have come here from across the world. The sufis also hit out those trying to undermine the values of the Indian Constitution, saying that such forces had no faith in the principles of the documents and had no right to live in this country. The scholars also underlined the prime importance of India in being the centre of a form of Islam which they said was the true form of the great religion. ''Khawaji Saheb was, is and would continue to be the prime source of Islamic values, and Indian Muslims did not need to look outside the country to be taught what Islam is,'' said one of them. They said Sufism believed in the whole world being one family, and so it can never be a means of harming others, and today if the world, which is facing the menace of terrorism, needed anything most it was Sufism.More UNI NAZ AE RP1447 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-646046.Xml
Breaking the tradition for the first time, around 1,000 'Vrindavan Widows' would play Holi inside the ancient Temple of Lord Krishna here, tomorrow. Sanskrit students and Pundits have agreed to take part in Holi celebrations with the ostracised widows of Vrindavan and Varanasi, who are living in the temple town for several decades, said Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, renowned social reformer and founder of Sulabh International, who waged a campaign against widowhood in the country.Last year, it was a riot of colours, when around 1,000 widows living in ashrams of Vrindavan and Varanasi almost went mad with joy as they began celebrating a special four-day Holi in Vrindavan, deviating from their prosaic day-to-day activities . At least 1200 kg of 'gulal' (coloured powder) in different colours and 1500 kg of rose and marigold petals were arranged for the occasion.These women, who have lost their husbands, wear only white sarees. In many parts of India, widows are not permitted to play Holi or participate in any other festival and auspicious occasion. In the light of the Supreme Court's observation, Sulabh started taking care of around 1500 widows in Vrindavan and Varanasi since 2012. In an effort to bring them to the mainstream of the society, Sulabh stated organising Holi celebrations for them about three years ago at Widow's ashrams. But this time, the event is being organised at a famous temple, to give them social acceptance. ''It is an effort to break the age old tradition prevalent in Hindu society where widows were not allowed to play with colours,'' Dr Pathak added. The celebration is set to add a new colour to Holi festivities in 'Braj', popular among both Indian and foreign tourists. "Holi will bring some colour to the lives of Vrindavan and Varanasi widows," Dr Pathak observed. Vrindavan is known as the 'City of Widows' for the sheer number of women, who find shelter there after being shunned by their families. Most of them hail from West Bengal. UNI MB RJ RSA 1536 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-646173.Xml
The state government today issued directions to all District Magistrates to ensure successful organisation of Vidyalaya Utsav, along with School Chalo Abhiyan in schools on March 30. State Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan has directed the DMs to convene meeting of District Education Committees on March 21 and 22 to make a strategy in this concern. He said that fairs, seminars, discussions, rallies and cultural programmes should be organised for the success of School Chalo Abhiyan in schools at district, block, village and ward levels. He also directed that all district, block level officials, along with Nayab Tehsildar, Assistant Block Development Officers, Lekhpals and Gram Panchayat Officers should also be nominated to participate at any school in Vidyalaya Utsav. The CS has issued these directions through a circular here. He said that representatives of people should be requested to be present in any school on March 30 on the occasion of School Day. He said that Members of Parliament, Legislative Assembly, Jila Panchayat chairman and members as well as Block Education Officers, Teachers, Shikshamitra, School Management Committee chairpersons and members should be requested to help in the enrollment of students. Mr Ranjan said that result cards of examinations being held in council schools should be distributed to students on March 30, so that promoted students are enrolled by March 31 for new session 2016-17. Meritorious students, and students with regular attendance, better performing teachers, members of schools management committees and good cooks, who prepare food for lunch should be honoured and felicitated, he added. The CS directed the teachers, Shikshamitras and members of school management committees to go and contact people on a door-to-door basis, in areas served by their schools from April 1-30. He said that children of migrants and those out-of-school or with irregular attendance in every school-served habitation, hamlet or area should be enrolled in school after contacting their parents and parents of promoted students should also be contacted. If there had been lesser enrollment of students during the last year in a district, then all possible efforts should be made to increase the number of students there, he added. UNI MB RJ RSA 1537 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-646186.Xml
BJP today lashed out at Congress saying that it was not responsible for the ongoing political crisis in Uttarakhand. Addressing reporters here on the second day of the party's national executive meet, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "There is a deep division in the Congress in Uttarakhand but it should not be attributed to the BJP. ''Congress makes one CM in the state then the other person of the party tries to topple it,'' the BJP leader said. He said in Uttarakhand, majority of MLAs voted against the Finance Bill but it was declared as passed by the Speaker. Mr Jaitley said it has happened for the first time that the Speaker in Uttarakhand Assembly calls a failed bill to be a passed one. On whether the Uttarakhand issue figured in the BJP's national executive meet, Mr Jaitley said this issue needs to be discussed by the Congress in its national executive. Earlier, the Congress had accused the BJP of horse trading in Uttarakhand. More UNI NY RSA RP1503 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-646102.Xml
In West Bengal, the campaign of a high profile election is not all about sweating it out at the mammoth rallies and roadshows, it is also the time to unleash the best of the wisecracking Bengali mind. Welcome to the Bengal elections of wall graffiti and posters packing sarcasm and caricature to run down each other's political rival. The art of wall graffiti, an important aspect of Bengal's political culture and election campaign. In West Bengal, graffiti that use the mundane walls as canvas, in nooks and corners as well as arterial roads, have always been a crucial component of the animated political jargon. The graffiti artists employed during the elections are usually art students and are rarely political party workers. Often different political parties engage the same artist. As West Bengal gets ready for the six-phase Assembly elections from April 4 to May 5, the graffiti is back on the walls of the buildings and other precincts --- with the ruling Trinamool Congress dominating the space war. However, the Opposition is also not giving up easily. They are stinging the ruling party on a range of issues --- from governance to corruption and scams that surfaced in recent times. It also proves that its power to appeal to voters has not diminished in the age of fashionable social media campaigning. From hoardings to graffiti on the walls, the party workers are busy highlighting their party symbols and slogans, in every localitiy of the state and lampooning finds a special place. Amidst all the tensions and verbal trade-offs between the contesting parties, election in Bengal has a shade of humour offering a comic relief to the voters who never take their leaders on face value. Continuing the traditions, humourous caricatures and lampooning find a place on the walls in the form of cartoons along with the sarcastic one or two liners in the 2016 assembly polls. From North to South in Kolkata, the walls showcase the leaders performing the most bizarre activities. However, Senior Trinamool leader and state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee said the ability of the wall writings to reach out to masses was unmatched. "Wall writings and limericks have a very quick impact on the mind of the voters. This has been an age-old method of campaigning in Bengal," he said. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said even in the age of social media, wall writings and limericks are still important as they make an instant impact. "This has been used for campaigning for the past several decades, when we had not witnessed so much of technological advancement," Mr Chakraborty added.UNI BM KK RSA NS1520 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-646088.Xml
AICC Member from Nagaland KV Pusa has called for transparency in the ongoing Naga peace process. Speaking at the inaugural programme of Nakimi Community House of Kezoma in the Midland area here. Kohima, former President of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Pusa said to bring all groups onboard the peace process there has to be transparency. Transparency would bring all groups together to find a lasting peace in the State. Pusa also called upon all sections of people to support the peace process to find a lasting solution. He asserted that all sections of the Naga people be taken into confidence to find a solution. He observed that permanent peace would come only when all sections of people work together, adding that only a section of people cannot bring peace in the society. He urged all Naga groups and NGOs to continue to work for peace and unity so that Naga society can also progress in all spheres. Pusa said there was no big or small in Naga society and asked people to do away with inferiority attitude and work together for progress of the society. He said without unity society cannot progress. He also urged people to develop a progressive mindset which would take them forward in all aspects. He said what was due to them should be asked from the Government and the public leaders. The programme was attended by several public leaders from Kezoma area. UNI AS KK RSA VN1610 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-646110.Xml
Nagaland Governor P B Acharya has said that the people here are trapped in the mindset of seeing themselves as inferiors to others, which he said needs to be changed and they should know that they are second to none. Addressing students of NIT Nagaland here in the institute's campus at Chumukedima, near Dimapur on the occasion of Ekarikthin 2016 on Friday last, Mr Acharya took a dig on the mindset of people who look down upon their mother tongue and give priority to English language. "Languages are the identities of the people and their cultures and knowing or not knowing English doesn't make one successful or unsuccessful but it is the content of what one speak which is more important than in what language it is spoken" he said. The governor said unity in diversity is the peculiarity of India and everyone here has equal rights irrespective of what religion he or she follows and irrespective of whether he or she follows a god or not as religion is personal but the culture and identity of one is national. Hinting at the recent events in JNU,Mr Acharya claimed that India is the best of countries to be in where there is freedom of speech and equality to all despite of everything. He, however, said blaming the country and raising anti-national slogans in the name of free speech cannot be accepted. Raising the problem of unemployable graduates yet again, he said there is a lack of cooperation between the demands and supply of required graduates according to requirements. Asserting that the Modi Government provides special emphasis on the development of Northeast, he said Nagaland is a strategic area and development should happen here. Solving the insurgent and political problems that the area has is not alone the responsibility of Central Interlocutor Ravi or Government's but also people's, he said while assuring that the NDA Government is committed to solve the issue. He said Nagaland and North East is "floating on minerals", but still the area does not have electricity and while the whole world is embracing yoga and Ayurveda, there are people within the country who do not accept it. He made it clear that yoga and Ayurveda have nothing to do with Hinduism and people should accept what is best. UNI AS KK ADG VN1647 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-646122.Xml
Prof Joga Singh, Professor of Linguistics at Punjab University, listed the negative impacts of English being used as a medium of education in lieu of mother tongue in schools in India. Prof Singh was speaking on 'Language and medium of education: excluding disparities, including diversities' in the first session of the concluding day of the 3-day national seminar on 'Impact of commercialization and communalisation of Education in Naga society' organised by All India Forum for Right to education at Patkai Christian College at Seithekiema near Dimapur yesterday.He said using English as a medium of education not only adversely affects the true growth of a child but also has social and political ramifications. Prof Singh said due to wide circulation of English as medium of education in many schools throughout the country, 196 Indian languages and dialects are on the verge of extinction. Prof Joga said a foreign language as a medium in schools tends to divide families as the child finds it difficult to communicate with her parents or grandparents and vice versa, since school language also becomes the first language of the child. He was also of the opinion that children who do not get education in their mother tongue, cannot become efficient administrators, teachers or doctors as they would not be able to effectively communicate with the grassroots people who form the majority of India's population. "The knowledge you get from other mediums, you cannot take it back to your society," he said. Prof Singh also hinted on the possibility of caste-like system creeping into Naga society between children who study in expensive private English medium schools and those in government schools. On social and political ramifications, the Linguistics professor said Bangladesh decided to severe itself from the neighbour since Pakistan insisted on Urdu as the official language, whereas East Pakistan wanted Bengali also to be included as official language. He said of the 50 leading universities in Asia, Singapore and Hongkong top the list and universities in these countries teach in their own mother tongues. "Mother tongue allows you to develop your linguistic abilities in a better way and these abilities can, in turn, be transferred to learning other languages," Prof Singh said. The only way to have a common school system in India is to introduce respective mother tongues as medium of education in schools, he concluded. UNI AS KK RSA BD1659 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-646160.Xml
Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy today made an inspection of deplorable condition of National Highway 44 at Lowerpowa in south Assam and interacted with the district administration of Karimganj and the officials of National Highway authority. Mr Roy went to North Tripura yesterday, and this morning he left for National Highway visit. Besides, he has also paid visit to Kokital to see the alternative national highway of Tripura connected with Assam. Mr Roy said the state government was worried about the condition of the Assam-Agartala national highway and unless the repairing was completed before coming monsoon, the state will continue to be suffered. "The condition of national highway up to Lowerpowa from south side of Karimganj town is pathetic. The work has been started but not progressed well despite persuasions at different level", he said. Mr Roy pointed out that he had already spoken to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari on the condition of the national highway and he was assured that the Central government has been providing all support for improvement of the condition. "Being an engineer, I have little knowledge about the issue, after reaching back I will send a report to the Ministry for taking necessary steps. If possible, I will meet Gadkari to expedite works", he attributed.UNI BB KK RSA NS1620 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-646200.Xml
CAPINDIA 2016 is the first such initiative and shall be an annual event Rita Teaotia, Commerce Secretary Participation by international buyers from 25 countries Commerce Secretary goods exporters to leverage FTAs better.The government is pulling all stops to help Indian businesses promote their products across the world. Exports seem to be a major thrust now with Department of Commerce campaigning well on its way successfully. Among the first on-ground initiatives as a part of this offensive, Commerce Secretary, Rita Teaotia today inaugurated CAPINDIA 2016, the three-day event focused on chemicals, plastics and allied products sectors. Jointly hosted by four export promotion councils, CHEMEXCIL, PLEXCONCIL, CAPEXCIL AND SHEFEXIL, the event will witness interactions between overseas buyers, merchant exporters and other target audience with over 250 exhibitors. The exhibitor profile include manufacturers/exporters showcasing a range of industrial & agricultural inputs, consumer items, packaging items, plastics processing machinery. CAPINDIA 2016 concludes on March 22, 2016 Speaking on the occasion, Commerce Secretary, Rita Teaotia said, The total global imports for the products covered under the ambit of CAPINDIA are estimated at about US$ 2 trillion. Our present world share is about 1.8% which is an indicator of the immense opportunities which are out there for growth of exports. This ventaims to showcase India as a reliable and competitive sourcing hub for the products of the chemicals, plastics and allied productssector. The initiatives are aimed at targeting the world as our market. Trade fairs are one of the major vehicles for promoting trade and exports. It is our endeavour to make CAPINDIA a leading international networking event. She also pointed out that India's Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with various countries are not being leveraged fully by Indian exporters. The Department of Commerce is ever ready to assist our exporters in leveraging these FTAs better. she said. Accelerating India's position in world exports, the event is aimed to showcase the country's capability and strengths to the world. Foreign buyers participating in CAPINDIA 2016 have come from 25 countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa, Tanzania, Morocco, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Chile, Columbia, Senegal, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.UNI NP RJ BD1742 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-646392.Xml
A war of words between the ruling Congress and opposition Mizo National Front in Mizoram is likely to escalate into a legal battle. Two advocates and members of the MNF legal cell on Saturday served a legal notice to David M Thangliana, secretary of the Congress media cell. The two advocates, J Lalremruata Hmar and C Lalzamliana accused Thangliana of defaming them through a press release on March 17, 2016. According to the legal notice, the Congress press handout issued by Thangliana, accused the two advocates of persuading the peshkars (clerks) to issue a court order without the knowledge of the judge. "We would like to inform you that your accusations were baseless and did not hold an iota of truth," the notice said. "As your scandalous charges levelled against us amount to a contempt of court and can further damage our reputation and ruin our profession, we demand you to make public apology within 15 days," the legal notice, served by Hmar on behalf of the two, said. While J Lalremruata Hmar is chairman of the MNF legal cell chairman, C Lalzamliana is the vice-chairman. The Congress spokesperson was demanded to make the apology for three times, each in the same number of copies of the press release where the allegations had been made. On March 17, the Congress media cell accused the two advocates of persuading a peshkar to issue an anticipatory bail order for MNF worker Zobiakvela against whom an FIR had been submitted by another Congress media cell member V Z Kaia on March 11. Earlier during the Kristian Thalai Pawl (youth department of Mizoram Presbyterian Church) Zobiakvela, using fictitious name, accused chief minister Lal Thanhawla of attending the KTP conference at Champhai and of creating troubles to the organisers. Zobiakvela, impersonating as a member of Champhai Vengthlang branch KTP (host of the conference), posted this on social media. He has used some objectionable words in his post. After the Champhai Vengthlang branch KTP and central committee of KTP strongly reacted to the post, Zobiakvela immediate made formal apology. "To teach a lesson" to the MNF worker, V Z Kaia on March 11 filed an FIR in the Aizawl police station. However, Zobiakvela had already sought for an anticipatory bail on March 7, the day the chief minister returned from Champhai. The district & sessions judge granted him an interim bail and fixed March 14 as the date for hearing his bail plea. However, as the judge attended a training programme on March 14 and did not attend the court, the hearing was postponed to March 21. It was on this day that the two advocates allegedly let the peshkar issue the court order. Again on March 16, V Z Kaia filed another FIR to Aizawl police station against the two advocates.UNI ZS KK RSA VN1715 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-646224.Xml
Police sources said the deceased has been identified as Istekhar Aalam (40), a resident of Jori village under Huntergunj Police Station area.

Police said that late last night, the victim was returning home after visiting a doctor when he was attacked by masked miscreants.

Police sources said another person who was travelling with Aalam, managed to save his life by running into the nearby forest.

Miffed over the incident locals blocked traffic movement on Pratappur-Chatra road.

The agitation was called off after intervention by the local administration.

Later, the body was sent for post-mortem to Sadar Hospital.UNI XC-AK AD RSA AN1839

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The full bench of the Election Commission will be visiting Assam for a two-day programme from tomorrow to oversee the preparations for two phased assembly election in the state, slated for April 4 and 11. Additional CEO Siddharth Singh said here today that the EC, led by CEC Nasim Zaidi, will be meeting representatives of political parties tomorrow. This would be followed by a briefing by district election officers and superintendents of police and later by the state CEO and police nodal officers. On the second day, the EC will review the preparations for second phase polling. The team will also hold separate meetings with the state civil administration before briefing the media about the findings of the visit at the end of the trip. UNI SG AD RSA BL1841 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-646509.Xml
Three candidates -- two of ruling Congress and an Independent, will be fighting for two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam tomorrow. Polling for two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam will be conducted at the central hall of the Assam Assembly premise here from 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs. Counting of votes will be undertaken at 1700 hrs tomorrow and results will be declared tomorrow itself. Congress has fielded former state minister Ripun Bora and former Union Minister Ranee Narah as its nominees, with Bora being the first preference candidate. Independent Mahavir Jain is the third candidate, with the support of opposition Bodoland People's Front (BPF). The total voting strength of the Assam Assembly at the moment is 114 out of total 126 members. Congress has 68 members in the House now, but two MLAs have announced of not voting for the party nominees after being denied ticket for next month's state polls and one MLA will not be able to travel due to illness. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today exuded '100%' confidence of winning both the seats, though it has a shortage of numbers to ensure victory for Narah. He said some AIUDF MLAs, who have been denied ticket, are in touch with the Congress. "Though we are some short of the numbers, the Opposition are hardly in a position to come together," he added. The Congress has called a legislative party meeting this evening to decide its strategy. Though the Independent candidate has been projected by the BPF, its ally for state polls BJP and AGP are yet to extend support to Jain. The main opposition party AIUDF is also yet to decide on which candidate to support. The two seats that are falling vacant are currently held by the Congress. UNI SG AD RSA AN2005 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-646686.Xml
Police have arrested one more accused from Hyderabad in the case of selling of a woman in Rajasthan, claiming that the accused was the prime pimp.The court yesterday issued Poonamchand Varma police remand up to March 23. A married woman, resident of Umri, was sold to a person, resident of Rajasthan, who solemnised her marriage. But one of the accused raped the woman at Vasmat railway station.Meanwhile, Assistant Police Superintendent Rohit Lalani investigating the matter, arrested another accused identified as Shah Bano from Rajasthan. She revealed their modus operandi and confessed that she had deceived many women and girls and sold them in Rajasthan. UNI XR NP RJ 2027 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-646571.Xml
Pandemonium prevailed over the issue of condemning Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi for his refusal to raise slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' in the General Body Meeting of Nanded Waghala Municipal Corporation. The corporators of the MIM felt to helpless yesterday when a proposal was moved by the leader of Opposition, Shiv Sena corporator Bandu Khedkar to condemn the MP for his alleged ''betrayal''.It was opposed by the members of the MIM and they supported the MP stating that there was no compulsion to raise the slogan. All corporators of the Congress, the NCP, Shiv Sena and BJP, coming together for the first time, condemned Owaisi and shouted slogans 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. The MIM corporators supported Owaisi. Khedkar raised a demand to cancel citizenship of Owaisi. He was supported by the former mayor Abdul Sattar and condemned the Hyderabad MP. The veteran member of the assembly Sarjit Singh Gill stated that the union government should intervene into the matter and take steps to curb such attitude.UNI XR NP RSA BD1954 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-646584.Xml
The Patkura police have arrested a youth for raping a minor girl on Tuesday night last after the victim lodged an FIR with the police. According to police sources, a 15 years old girl, studying in class 9 in a local school, of Talakusuma village, was raped by one Chandan Samal of the same village and then left the girl near her house on the wee hours of Wednesday. The victim informed her parents about the incident and they then lodged an FIR at Kudanagari police outpost under Patkura police station yesterday. The police then arrested Samal. Samal and the victim were later medically examined at Patkura CHC. The accused youth was produced before a local court which remanded him into jail custody.UNI XC DP AD CJ VN2150 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-646802.Xml
A Hurriyat spokesman said 16 years ago 36 innocent civilians belonging to Sikh community of Kashmir were brutally killed, but the accused were neither brought to book nor was the crime investigated impartially.

He said the criminals involved in this notorious act were still roaming free which amounts to rubbing salt on the wounds of the victim families.

While appealing international rights bodies to take strong notice of the 'human rights violations' committed in Kashmir, the spokesman alleged that forces in the past 25 years have carried out dozens of such massacres in Kashmir, including Gaw Kadal, Handwara, Kupwara, Hawal, Bijbehara, Aali Kadal, Shopian and Sopore.

"Government enquiries into all these bloodsheds proved only a cruel joke while as authorities under the garb of black laws resorted to cover these incidents and protect the offenders," he alleged.UNI BAS CJ BL2129

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Addressing the conference, Pakistan politician and Islamic scholar Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri said the real enemy of India and Pakistan is terrorism.

He praised the role of India in promoting world peace,

Lashing out at the ISIS, he said, "What it is doing is not Jihad, but conflict. ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Taliban are against the Islam."

Qadri said separatism is being promoted by narrow-minded people for the past 50 years in the name of Islam.

He suggested that Sufism should be taught in both countries, as it can help reduce terrorism.

Pitching for a dialogue between India and Pakistan, Qadri said, "Both the countries must decide whether they want to continue nearly seven-decade of hostility or would prefer a path of peace, economic growth and development."

The event was organised by the All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), which is the apex body of Sufi Dargahs in India.

Hundreds of scholars, Sufi luminaries, Imams and Muftis from across the world were gathered to take part in the conclave.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also addressed the conference. (ANI)
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday moved Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Political Resolution on the last day of the two-day National Executive meeting here on Sunday, hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "god's gift for India" and the "messiah of the poor". "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a god's gift for India; he is the messiah of the poor; he inherited challenges in each and every sector and is steering clear of them," said the resolution. Heaping praise on Prime Minister Modi, the resolution reads: "India is recognised and respected everywhere because of the Prime Minister. He is on a mission to transform India, and is 'Modifier of Developing India'. He is a decisive leader, nationalist politician and provides progressive governance." It goes on, "Prime Minister Modi made it to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in 2015 and now this year 30. He is seen as the leader of the largest democracy on the global scale with over 18 million Twitter followers and 32 million Facebook likes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity has risen to the new level. His wax statue now will be unveiled in London's Madame Tussauds museum." He has become one of the most popular leaders in the world and is working to make India a strong wealthy country, it says. Taking a dig at the opposition Congress and the Left parties, the BJP's resolution said with youth overwhelmingly voting for Narendra Modi, the Congress and Left parties are still smarting under the humiliating defeat handed over to them. "They seem determined to use every dirty trick to distort truth, mislead the nation and woo the younger generation by unleashing a campaign of calumny to defame the popularly-elected NDA Government." In an apparent reference to anti-India slogans raised on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, it said, "Dissent is OK, but not the disintegration. Communists are most intolerant lot. What happened in West Bengal and what is happening in Kerala is clear evidence of their intolerance towards nationalist. National unity and integrity are an article of faith in the BJP." Maintaining that development is BJP's agenda, whereas disinformation and disruption is opposition's agenda, the resolution says, "We are moving forward, they are pulling backward. Our opponents believe in politics of poverty, whereas we believe in politics of development." Ever since the BJP formed its government, it adopted 'India first' policy, and it always believed in 'Nation First, Party Next and Self Last' theory, it stated. Stating that the government is striving to establish Good relationship with neighbouring countries and has been successful to some extent, the resolution listed the conclusion of long-pending land border agreement with Bangladesh, helping hand to Nepal 'Operation Maitri', concern for people of Indian origin across the globe such as 'Operation Rahat' to evacuate Indian nationals in Yemen, and BRICS Bank and International Solar Alliance. The government is moving ahead with its strategy of 'Panchamrit' comprising 'Samman', 'Samvad', 'Samruddi', 'Suraksha' and 'Sanskriti evam Sabhyata', the resolution said, adding that yoga has got international recognition with the celebration of International Yoga day The resolution further pointed out, "Focus on Gaon, Garib, Kisan, Mazdoor, Mahila, Yuva - empowerment of youth through skill up-gradation and funding them through MUDRA Bank, setting up of SC/ST Hub for empowerment of downtrodden." (ANI)
Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu while moving a political resolution at BJP's national executive meeting today termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "God's gift to India" and a "messiah of the poor". However, while talking to reporters after the conclusion of the BJP's two-day national executive, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh refused to confirm Mr Naidu's remarks on the Prime Minister. Mr Singh refused to make any comment and said he has not listened the speech of Mr Naidu. He said nothing of such type has been mentioned in the political resolution.UNI NY CJ 2315 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-646859.Xml
A second mass grave said to contain at least five corpses killed during protests against President Nkurunziza's third term since April was discovered at Mutakura in the Burundian capital Bujumbura, authorities have said. "We were informed on Friday by citizens that there was a mass grave at Mutakura at the 13th Avenue where more than five persons who supported the candidature of the Burundian president had been buried," Xinhua quoted Eddy Hakizimana, administrator of Ntahangwa urban commune, as saying on Saturday. According to him, one of the victims had been already unearthed and activities continued for the remaining corpses buried in the same compound. "It is one of the insurgents who surrendered to security forces who showed us the mass grave. The corpse that has been exhumed has not however been identified yet," Hakizimana said. The ex-insurgent indicated that the unearthed man was killed in January, adding that he witnessed the victim's murder. "I was a rebel fighter working for the Restoration of a Rule of Law (RED-Tabara) rebel group and I was the coordinator in charge of Nyakabiga and Jabe (in the capital Bujumbura). I had gone to Mutakura when the victim was killed," Clovis Kwizera, a former insurgent, said. On February 29, another mass grave said to contain at least 30 corpses of President Nkurunziza's supporters was discovered in the same Mutakura neighbourhood that was active during protests against Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza's third term bid since April 2015. Burundi is facing a political turmoil that broke out since April 2015 following the announcement by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza that he would be seeking a third term. His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup on May 13, 2015. Over 400 persons are reported to have been killed since then while some 240,000 citizens sought exile in neighbouring countries. --Indo-Asian News Service sku/ ( 331 Words) 2016-03-20-07:45:33 (IANS)
Demonstrators briefly shut down an Arizona highway leading to a campaign rally for Donald Trump while protesters rallied outside of Trump Tower in Manhattan to voice their opposition to the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.Television news footage of the demonstration outside Phoenix showed dozens of protesters blocking traffic while holding signs that read "Dump Trump" and "Shut Down Trump."The demonstrators eventually started marching down the highway. Later, some were seen nearing the rally at Fountain Hills, Arizona, before Trump arrived.Three people were arrested, according to police in Maricopa County, where Joe Arpaio, a well-known critic of US immigration policy and an ardent Trump supporter, serves as sheriff.Video posted on news website Arizona Central's Facebook page showed a truck driving through a large group of protesters. Officers from the county police department worked to clear demonstrators from the motorist's path.A woman is seen crying and shouting for officers to take responsibility to stop the vehicle, while a deputy sheriff shrugs at the suggestion.Later at a rally in Tucson, Arizona, Trump said the protests were "disgraceful," and thanked police."They arrested three people and everybody else left... They left!" Trump said to roaring cheers from the audience."I love our police, but we should do a little bit more of that, you'd have a lot less protesters, you'd have a lot less agitators," said Trump, who is favored to win his party's nomination for the November 8 presidential election.Several demonstrations also broke out during the later rally, prompting police to escort out a number of people.Footage of the Tucson rally shows an attendee punching and kicking one demonstrator who is being escorted out. The clip also shows police removing the attacker.Trump has come under fire from rivals for fueling unrest with his rhetoric. This week, he warned of riots if Republicans denied him the nomination at the party's convention.In Trump's home city of New York, about 1,000 demonstrators marched from Central Park to Trump Tower, the billionaire developer's signature building on Fifth Avenue.The crowd of mostly young people chanted and carried placards denouncing Trump. Some said police used pepper spray on them as they marched from the park.Police were seen taking at least one person into custody. A spokesman for the New York Police Department could not immediately confirm whether any arrests were made or whether pepper spray was used.'PEOPLE WHO LOVE HIM'Arizona, where political parties will hold primary elections on Tuesday, shares a long stretch of border with Mexico, and is a flashpoint for the issue of illegal immigration into the United States.Trump has made illegal immigration the signature issue of his campaign, earning the endorsement of Arpaio, the outspoken sheriff."Donald Trump has the right to be heard by the thousands of people who love him, support him and want him to be president of the United States," Arpaio told CNN.Later, the sheriff, wearing civilian clothes, introduced Trump at the rally.Trump rallies have grown increasingly unruly as the months-long campaign has progressed. An event in Chicago a week ago was canceled after protesters swarmed the venue.Last weekend, a man was arrested when he attempted to rush the stage where Trump was addressing a rally in Ohio. In another incident, a man who was caught on video punching an anti-Trump protester in the face at a North Carolina rally was arrested and charged with assault.Trump leads in opinion polls ahead of Arizona's March 22 primary, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average, leading Senator Ted Cruz of Texas by 13 percentage points.REUTERS PS PR0630 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0137-645799.Xml
US presidential candidate Donald Trump's portrayal of Japan as a free-rider on security is stirring worries in Tokyo about damage to its US alliance, and could embolden hardliners keen to bolster Japan's military in the face of a rising China.The US-Japan alliance has been the lynchpin of Tokyo's security policy for decades, but worries have simmered in recent years as to whether Washington will continue to be willing and able to defend its key Asian ally.Comments from the Republican Party frontrunner have done little to allay those fears."If somebody attacks Japan, we have to immediately go and start World War III, okay? If we get attacked, Japan doesn't have to help us," Trump said at a campaign speech late last year. "Somehow, that doesn't sound so fair."Trump has also accused Japan of stealing jobs and criticised the US-led 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact that Tokyo sees as vital for strategic as well as economic reasons."If you listen to his comments (on security), the United States would become isolated so I think there is great anxiety for allied countries," Itsunori Onodera, who served as defence minister under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, told Reuters.Last year, Abe spent considerable political capital enacting controversial legislation that allows Japan's military to defend friendly countries under attack, a major reinterpretation of the country's pacifist constitution."It is incumbent on Japan to protect itself and its defence is necessary for the alliance to be maintained in the best possible posture," said a source close to Abe.OUTDATED VISIONAbe also wants to formally revise the post-war charter to further loosen limits on military action overseas."Most people consider Trump bad news, but for those who want to revise the constitution and strengthen the military, it actually provides a boost for their position," said a former Western diplomat still in touch with Japanese policymakers.As host to around 50,000 US troops, Japan is vital to Washington's "rebalance" of its economic and security focus to the Asia-Pacific region.Trump did not respond to requests for comments about the US-Japan alliance.Both Washington and Tokyo are alarmed by China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Beijing has territorial rows with several Southeast Asian nations. Japan has a separate dispute with China over tiny islands in the East China Sea.Like many Trump observers around the world, Japanese policy makers at first watched with amusement and then disbelief as the reality TV star and property tycoon garnered growing momentum.Only in recent weeks have they begun taking Trump's chances seriously and are now scrambling to find out who is advising him on security, another government source said.Japanese policymakers have not geared up specifically to counter what they see as his misleading rhetoric, which seems to hark back to an outdated 1980s vision of Japan, the source close to Abe said."I think it's too early. Number one, he has not made it known even to the American voters whom he counts on as far as foreign policy goals," the source said, adding they expected Trump would change if elected. "We are fully aware campaign rhetoric is dramatically different from real policies pursued by incumbents."For now, though, Japanese government insiders say they are betting that if Trump becomes the Republican nominee and goes on to win the November 8 presidential election, he would surround himself with experts who would draft more realistic policies.Publicly, Japan is playing it politely. Asked about Trump's candidacy on Wednesday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters: "We are of course watching this because of the impact such a large country has, but we cannot otherwise comment on another country's election." REUTERS PS PR0736 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0137-645802.Xml
In the latest ISIS propaganda video, captive British journalist John Cantlie appeared for the first time in more than a year and he is seen mocking US President Barack Obama. Cantlie, a war photographer, was captured in 2012 and since his captive has appeared in several videos for the terror group ridiculing America's efforts to wash off the ISIS. He points out that what has been done in northern Iraqi city of Mosul was a cheap media kiosk. "It's been flattened by the collective might of the American war machine. One has to ask oneself why bother? Is it a ruse by the CIA to somehow undermine the Islamic State's message to the Muslims in Mosul and therefore somehow diminish their control of the city?," New York Post quotes him as saying in the video. "It's because the Americans are so bankrupt of intelligence that this is all they have left to target," he continues in the nearly 3 -minute video. "After 20 months and $5 billion, America has successfully destroyed an Islamic state media kiosk. If this is what Obama meant when he talked about degrading and ultimately destroying ISIS, he's clearly got a long way to go yet," he says. "And you know what's really just amazing, given the amount of money that America is spending on this war, it would go to the effort of destroying a small shack like this, in the middle of Mosul," he continues. Cantlie last appeared in a video titled "From Inside Halab" where he addressed about education, drone strikes and Sharia law in February 2015. He was kidnapped in Syria in 2012. He escaped with the help the Free Syrian Army but was caught again later that year after returning back to the country. According to reports, it is believed that Cantlier, who has worked for several publications, including The Sunday Times, The Sun and The Sunday Telegraph, was with US journalist James Foley, who was beheaded in August 2014. Meanwhile, media rights watchdog 'Reporters Without Borders' has condemned the terror group for its cowardly use of a hostage for spreading propaganda. (ANI)
The Supreme Court has fixed March 27 for further hearing of the rules and asked the ministers to appear before it on that day.

The Supreme Court has said that the two ministers not only undermined the Chief Justice but also dishonoured the entire judiciary by their statements, reports The Daily Star.

The court added that the two ministers have made arrogant comments about the Chief Justice and the judiciary.

It rejected the explanation made by Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq in response to its contempt of court rules as Qamrul said he made the comment out of emotion as a freedom fighter.

A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha accepted the explanation from Mozammel.

The two ministers appeared before the apex court at 9:00 am in connection with the contempt of court rule issued by the court on March 8. (ANI)
The investigators in Gujarat's Anand district have said the documents have also confirmed that more than five persons travelled to Sri Lanka with help from 'agents' to sell their kidneys.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed by Anand District Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Yadav, to probe into the kidney racket of Pandoli village has fanned across to Delhi and Mumbai to trace the timeline of the alleged organ extractions as well as 'big fish' involved in the racket.

The Sri Lankan Police recently arrested eight Indian nationals without valid visas staying in an apartment in a suburb of Colombo, reports Lanka page.

The Anand Police are looking at seeking help from the Interpol to probe the Sri Lanka link.

More than five people from Pandoli have travelled to Lanka for kidney extractions via Chennai with help of agents.

Two teams of the SIT, headed by the Petlad Deputy Superintendent of Police M R Gupta, are currently in Delhi and Mumbai to locate the network of the racket. (ANI)
If any symbol captures the anger of rich and upper-middle class Brazilians who have taken to the streets to protest against President Dilma Rousseff, it might be a giant, inflatable yellow duck.The 40-foot (12-meter) high duck presides over Sao Paulo's Avenida Paulista, Brazil's economic nexus. It has landed on the esplanade in the capital Brasilia, while its ducklings swam in the reflecting pool outside Congress.The duck and its brood have also hit the sands of Copacabana Beach, a prime place to see and be seen in Rio de Janeiro.Brazil's business leaders have adopted the duck to fight against what they describe as the economic quackery of Rousseff, a leftist who is facing growing pressure to quit and struggling to pull the economy out of its deepest recession in 25 years."Enough of paying the duck," said Paulo Skaf, president of the Federation of Industries of the State of So Paulo, in a video earlier this month urging Brazilians to demonstrate against Rousseff's government."To pay the duck" in Brazilian Portuguese means to unfairly pay for someone else's mistakes.The term's origin is unclear but the saying is common enough for the federation to employ it against what it sees as the failures of Rousseff's administration.Since she took office in 2011, Brazil's economy has gone from being one of the world's fastest growing major economies to one of its worst performers, contracting by 3.8 percent in 2015, as the commodities boom ended and a wide-ranging corruption scandal hit investor confidence.Last year, when Rousseff proposed a new levy to help compensate plummeting tax revenues, the Sao Paulo federation inflated the giant duck in the capital Brasilia while its counterpart in Rio took it to Copacabana.Now, the duck has taken up residence in Sao Paulo outside the federation building, striking a colorful note on the somber Avenida Paulista, which has hosted the biggest demonstrations supporting the ouster of Rousseff. She faces impeachment proceedings in Congress.The marches have underscored growing tensions between classes in what remains one of the world's most economically stratified societies.The recession has cost Rousseff and her ruling Workers' Party support among blue-collar Brazilians, who have borne the brunt of a downturn marked by the loss of 1.5 million jobs last year.But the working class, even if disgruntled, has not wanted to associate itself with those who have most visibly turned out against Rousseff: white-collar types who never supported her to begin with.On Friday, as office workers toiled in the towers high over the duck's perch, a gaggle of pro-government demonstrators gathered for a rare display of support for Rousseff.Denouncing anti-government protests as "nothing more than a privileged class out to defend their luxuries," Cleber Goncalves, a 36-year-old teacher, scoffed at the duck."It's just a silly symbol thought up by the elite," he said. "They are always trying to fool the people." REUTERS CJ BL1832 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-646471.Xml
Cape Verde held parliamentary elections today in which the main opposition Movement for Democracy (MpD) party stood a strong chance of taking back the island's legislature after 15 years in the minority.A cluster of 10 volcanic islands 570 km (350 miles) off Senegal, Cape Verde stands out as a pocket of relative stability in the region, having avoided the kinds of coups and civil wars that have plagued its neighbours on the mainland.But in the run-up to the election, the ruling African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) has come under attack for running up the public debt on expensive infrastructure projects while failing to tackle rampant youth unemployment.Six parties were vying for seats in the 72 member parliament. However the main race pitted the two main parties - the MpD against the PAICV - against one another.While current President Jorge Carlos Fonseca won the presidency in 2011 with MpD backing, the PAICV has controlled parliament for the past decade and a half, allowing it to name the nation's prime minister and government.The MpD has in recent years mounted strong opposition to the PAICV, which suffered a poor showing in municipal elections in 2012.MpD party leader Ulysses Correia e Silva said on Sunday he was confident in victory and appealed "to all Cape Verdeans to vote and exercise the right and obligation to improve democracy in Cape Verde."A presidential election is due to be held later this year though the date has not yet been fixed.The former Portuguese colony, which has experienced a tourism boom in recent years, recorded per capita GDP of $3,450 in 2014, among the highest levels in Africa. Its population of just over half a million has one of the continent's lowest poverty rates.However, it lies along one of the main cocaine trafficking routes linking South America to Europe and has seen a recent surge in drug-related violence.REUTERS CJ -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-646858.Xml
Tortosa (Spain) (AFP) - Thirteen students were killed and dozens more injured in Spain Sunday when the driver of their coach lost control and crashed into an oncoming car as they returned from a festival.

The bus was carrying students aged between 20 and 32 -- many on a European exchange programme in the northeastern region of Catalonia -- from some 20 countries including Britain, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden but also Japan and Peru.

Six of the more than 30 injured were in a critical condition in hospital.

All the fatalities were female, according to Jordi Jane, who heads up interior matters for Catalonia, but authorities have yet to announce their nationalities.

A spokeswoman for the Italian foreign ministry, however, said there may be Italian nationals among the victims.

"We fear there may be seven Italians among the dead. We are not sure as identification procedures are still ongoing," she said.

It was unclear whether Spanish nationals were among the passengers.

The accident occurred just before 6 am (0500 GMT) near the small town of Freginals, about 150 kilometres (95 miles) south of Barcelona as the students were returning from the Fallas festival in eastern Valencia known for the burning of giant statues.

- 'Swerved' -

The bus driver "hit the railing on the right and swerved to the left so violently that the bus veered onto the other side of the highway," said Jane.

The bus then hit a car coming in the opposite direction, injuring two people inside, he added.

Spain's Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz, who went to the scene, said it was still not clear why the bus driver hit the railing in the first place, adding however that the accident was likely due to a "human factor".

An AFP photographer at the scene several hours after the crash said many fire engines were there, as were three hearses and a heavy-lift crane.

The car's front was smashed in, and the bus was lying on its side after the accident.

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It was eventually lifted onto a truck and driven away -- its windscreen smashed and the back part of its roof caved in.

Jose Roncero Pallares, the mayor of Freginals, said the accidents that had hit that stretch of the motorway over the past years had always taken place in the area where the crash happened.

"I don't know why, the highway looks fine and it's a straight line," he told AFP.

"It rained a lot that night and maybe that played a role."

Catalonia's high court said in a statement that an initial probe revealed "the bus driver tested negative for drugs and alcohol".

- Minutes of silence -

The accident is one of the deadliest in Spain in recent years.

In November 2014, a bus carrying pilgrims fell into a ravine in the southeast of the country, leaving 14 dead and another 41 injured.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tweeted his concern on Sunday.

"My condolences to the families of the victims and I wish rapid recovery to the injured," he wrote.

Catalonia's newly-elected regional president Carles Puigdemont, meanwhile, visited the area after cancelling a planned trip to Paris.

Joining in mourning for the tragedy, players for Barcelona and Villarreal -- which is only around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the crash site -- observed a moment of silence before kick-off, as will those from the Real Madrid and Sevilla later Sunday.
Three adventure-seekers will embark today on what they say is a never been done before trip to the countrys 81 provinces in 180 days on a 45-year-old Volkswagen Kombi.

Aside from sightseeing and documenting their journey to promote the countrys tourism, the group hopes to touch base with indigenous peoples and with residents in off-the-grid or far-flung communities.

Alfie Agunoy, 29, drives for the group, while Francis Santaromana, 29, is the mechanic and Paul Allyson Quiambao, 24, the photographer/videographer.

The three begin their journey at 7 a.m. at the campus of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). The three  architecture graduates of UST  call themselves Baconeers because the tasty pork preparation is their usual fare in many of their outdoor adventures.

To their knowledge, other groups have made cross-country travel but with wide intervals or breaks. Quiambao said theirs would be done in one full stretch. Their first stop would be Porac, Pampanga. They would try to reach the farthest tips of the country such as Batanes in the north; Tawi-Tawi in the south; Balabac, Palawan in the west; and Davao Oriental in the east.

The main objective of the trip is to see the Philippines, nothing else. We want to show that traveling all over the country is possible even if you only have a 45-year- old Kombi. If we can do it, anyone can do it, said Agunoy.

He stressed safety would be given primary consideration and that they would also have to factor in the weather.

Quiambao admitted that they had tried to arrange a team-up with the Department of Tourism (DOT) but were unable to get a positive response. But this was only a minor setback, he said.

He said whats important is their being able to document the trip and upload photos and videos on their Philippine Road Trip Facebook account.

We just want to show that we do not have to travel far from the Philippines to see good landscapes and sceneries. Tourism is thriving in the country and we want to contribute to promoting Philippine tourism, he added.

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As much as possible they would avoid hotels as they would rather sleep or take breaks in their van.

They estimate the adventure would cost them between P200,000 and P250,000 including gas and food.

Aside from tapping their life savings, they depend on sponsors to help them cover expenses for equipment.

As architects, Agunoy said they could do sketches of the communities of the indigenous people. To be good in your profession, you should be a good person first. You should also know your surroundings and right now I have only seen 20 to 30 percent of the Philippines, and these are mostly the known cities, he said.

He said they have tied up with the Liter of Light project of My Shelter Foundation of Illac Diaz.

Tessa Sevilla, Liter of Light Philippines director, said that the Baconeers would help in the distribution of 5,000 Liter of Lights prepared by communities, organizations and even students in selected schools.

In Porac, the Baconeers would visit an Aeta resettlement area and distribute solar houselights to help the children in their evening studies and allow mothers to do chores even at night.

They may also be providing the community with solar-powered streetlights.

Liter of Light provides energy to poor families, especially those living in tribal communities, conflict areas and difficult to reach areas.

The Baconeers were able to receive donations of school supplies from the Rotary Club of Makati GEMS that they hope to distribute to communities that they would be visiting.
You can learn a lot about a country's politics by looking closely at its corruption scandals. Who is investigating whom? What do the investigators really hope to achieve? And what do the investigations tell us about the country's true balance of power? These five facts offer examples and answers.

1. Brazil

Brazil's so-called Car Wash corruption scandal, which appears on the verge of bringing down a president, centers on Petrobras, the state-run oil giant. Last March, a top Petrobras official admitted that the company was awarding contracts in exchange for bribes, some of which were diverted to political slush funds. Brazil's current president, Dilma Rousseff, was energy minister and chairwoman of Petrobras when the alleged kickbacks took place, though she has yet to be directly implicated in any wrongdoing.

But with an approval rating of just 21.8%, plenty of Brazilians see her as guilty by association--55.6% of Brazilians want to see her impeached. Former president and Rousseff mentor Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva was recently detained for questioning by police. Dozens of politicians are now under investigation, the vast majority of whom belong to Rousseff's party. This is a country with a long history of official corruption: Four of five living former presidents are currently under investigation for one thing or another.

Brazils Rousseff Just Raised the Stakes as Corruption Protests Mount

Tensions boiled over this weekend, and some 3 million Brazilians took to the streets. This type of social unrest would be a worrying sign for the country's economy, but the Brazilian stock market surged 18% on news of Lula's detention and speculation that Rousseff might finally be impeached--speculation that will grow stronger with the news that Rousseff may have offered Lula a cabinet post to help give him greater immunity from foreign prosecutors. And that's the main takeaway here: Brazil is a country with a genuinely independent and empowered investigator capable of putting the country's most powerful under a public microscope. Anti-corruption drives can create political chaos in the short-term, but they can benefit the country in the long-term if sunlight is used properly as a disinfectant.

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(Bloomberg, The Guardian, The Economist)

2. Malaysia

That's not the case with Malaysia. In 2009, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak established a sovereign wealth fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to help the country attract foreign investment and boost its economy. Long story short, by 2015, 1MDB owed investors $11 billion. As investigations of the state fund got underway, it was revealed that $681 million dollars had been deposited into Najib's personal account. The prime minister copped to the money transfer, but claimed it was a "gift" from the Saudi royal family, about $620 million of which he says he has returned. Two weeks ago, the 1MDB investigation uncovered that the total routed into Najib's personal account was actually about $1 billion.

Nike Gets in the Middle of a Kenyan Corruption Probe

Malaysia is a de facto one-party country. All of the country's six post-independence prime ministers have come from the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). That's why Najib owes his position to his party, not to the Malaysian people--good news for a man currently polling at 23%, the lowest ever for a Malaysian head of government. He has spent the last half-decade strengthening his position within UMNO, and the past year since the 1MDB scandal broke purging his party of potential adversaries. This past summer, Najib fired his attorney general, who had been leading the 1MDB investigation. Malaysia exemplifies how corruption drives can fall short in countries with a single political party and weak governing institutions.

(The Wall Street Journal, CNBC (a), CNBC (b), Australian National University)

3. South Africa

Half a world away, South Africa tells much the same story. Like Najib, South African president Jacob Zuma has been dogged by corruption allegations for years. Most recently, Zuma has been accused of improperly using taxpayer money for "security upgrades" to his personal residence. These include construction of an amphitheater, a swimming pool, and a chicken run--because you can never be too careful. As of this writing, a South African court is hearing a case to reinstate 783--the actual number--corruption charges against him, which include pocketing kickbacks associated with arms deals. But like Najib, Zuma's power comes from effective control of his political party rather than directly from the people--just 36% of South Africans approve of Zuma's job performance in 2016, down from 64% in 2011. Don't expect South Africa's anti-corruption push to amount to much because this is a country where investigators are empowered to bring damaging allegations to light, but not to enforce their judgments. Zuma will probably survive through the end of his term in 2019.

(The Economist)

These Are the Most Corrupt Countries In the World

4. China

In China, it's the leader who runs the investigations. President Xi Jinping has presided over a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign, with a particular emphasis on curbing wasteful government spending. Over the last three years, punishments have been handed down to 750,000--also the actual number--party members. Corruption inspection teams have more than doubled their staff in recent years, and have gotten a boost from the Chinese people--since 2013, corruption inspectors have received more than 270,000 tips from the Chinese public. Beijing even launched a WeChat account in January to make reporting graft easier.

For more on global politics, watch:

Of course, the anti-corruption push is politically useful for Xi. Aside from dealing with the country's real corruption problem, the campaign aims to restore public confidence in the ruling party at a time when the Chinese economy is slowing. It also helps that the anti-graft crackdown ensures that Xi can sideline opponents of his political agenda ahead of next year's leadership transition in which five of seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the pinnacle of the country's leadership, are scheduled to be replaced.

(The Wall Street Journal (a) , The Wall Street Journal (b), Radio Free Asia)

5. Russia

The Kremlin has Russia's corruption problem fully under control. At least that's what the 90% of Russians who get their news from state-dominated media have been told. Vladimir Putin currently has an approval rating of 83%, so the message seems to be getting through. But non-Kremlin sources tell another story. On a scale of 1 to 7 where 7 is "most corrupt", Freedom House ranks Russia a 6.75. This is a country where corruption investigations are tools used by one political/business faction to cut into another's market share. These are not the kinds of investigations that strengthen a country or its economy.

(The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Freedom House)

This article originally appeared on Time.com

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
Dubai (AFP) - Human Rights Watch called on Bahrain on Sunday to stop deporting citizens after stripping them of their nationality, two days before a hearing that could lead to the expulsion of another nine.

Since February 21, the Sunni-ruled but Shiite-majority kingdom has deported five people after revoking their citizenship and leaving them stateless, the New York-based watchdog said.

Another nine risk the same fate if an appeals court on Tuesday upholds a 2012 ruling to rescind their nationality for allegedly causing "damage to security of the state".

"These unlawful deportations are ripping families apart and causing untold suffering," HRW's deputy Middle East director, Joe Stork, said.

"Bahrain should stop the deportations immediately and restore citizenship to those who have been left stateless, especially when this was done without justification or because they criticised their government."

One of the nine who risk deportation after Tuesday's appeals hearing, father of four Taimoor Karimi, told HRW he was concerned about being forced to another country away from his family and with no papers.

"I am not a young man," he said. "This does not make sense."

In December, a Bahraini court ruled that the authorities need not provide "specific means of proof" when revoking the citizenship of nationals who "cause harm to the state" or fail in their "duty of loyalty," HRW said.

The tiny but strategic Gulf country, which is home to the US Fifth Fleet, has been wracked by unrest since security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding political reform in 2011.

In 2015, Bahraini authorities stripped 208 Bahrainis of their citizenship, HRW said.
When mystery hackers launched a stunning raid on Bangladesh's foreign reserves, a plot worthy of a John le Carre spy novel was sparked in the Philippines, exposing the Southeast Asian nation as a dirty money haven.

The $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank's American accounts last month was immediately sent via electronic transfer to the Philippines' RCBC bank, with the thieves deliberately targeting their laundering location.

The Philippines has some of the world's strictest bank secrecy laws to protect account holders, while its casinos are exempt from rules altogether aimed at preventing money laundering.

"The Philippines is very attractive (for dirty money) because our laws have gaping holes. It's easy to launder money here," Senator Sergio Osmena, who is pushing for stronger anti-money laundering laws, told AFP.

Still, if the thieves were to get away with their audacious heist, the money had to be moved quickly through the banking system and into the casinos.

And it did.

Authorities took four days to order a recall of the money.

But by then it had vanished -- leaving in its place a tale of death threats, bribes, shady business figures and a bank manager who could be the villain or a victim.

"I did not do anything wrong. If this is a nightmare, I want to wake up now," the manager of RCBC bank, Maia Deguito, told ABS-CBN television this week after authorities stopped her at Manila airport from trying to leave the country.

"I live everyday in fear."

With authorities in Bangladesh and elsewhere bamboozled over who masterminded the cyber-heist, Deguito's role as manager of the bank that accepted and shifted the money has come under intense scrutiny.

She has accused the bank's president, Lorenzo Tan, of ordering her to move the money. He has fiercely denied the accusations.

Philippine senators who launched an inquiry this week into the affair are yet to determine whether she was a scapegoat or not, but are convinced she was not the mastermind.

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"It's a big operation. This could not have been done out of the Philippines alone," Senator Ralph Recto said.

The Senate inquiry and another probe by the Philippines' Anti-Money Laundering Council have hit several major hurdles, including a security camera at the bank not working when the money was shifted.

Accusations and counter-accusations between Deguito and RCBC management have further confused investigators.

- 'Money trail' -

A final roadblock has emerged at the casinos, with the money apparently vanishing in mountains of gambling chips and mysterious middlemen.

"Our money trail ended at the casinos," Julia Abad, deputy director of the anti-money laundering council, told senators Tuesday.

On February 5, the same day Bangladesh Bank was hacked, the money was sent electronically to four accounts in Deguito's RCBC branch in the financial capital of Makati, according to testimony to the Senate inquiry.

Those accounts appeared to have been set up solely for that purpose because they were done using aliases, the Senate inquiry heard.

After that, the bulk of the money was transferred into accounts of a local ethnic Chinese businessmen, William Go, who has since protested his innocence. He said his signature was forged to set up the accounts.

From there, the money was briefly held by Philrem, a foreign exchange brokerage.

Philrem President Salud Bautista told the Senate inquiry $30 million went to a man named Weikang Xu.

He was described as a casino junket operator but senators have said they know little more about him other than he is of Chinese origin.

The anti-money laundering council said another $29 million ended up in Solaire, a casino on a glittering Manila bayside strip that the Philippines hopes will become one of the world's biggest gambling destinations.

That money was exchanged into chips but could only be turned back into cash after being played in the casino, its management told the Senate inquiry.

Another $21 million was sent to Eastern Hawaii Leisure, which runs a sparsely furnished casino with Chinese-only television in Santa Ana, a sleepy town in the far northern Philippines, according to the council.

Senator Osmena said the case was likely just the tip of the iceberg.

"This could have happened hundreds of times already," he said.

"We discovered this one only because someone complained. But normally, if a drug dealer from Burma (Myanmar) or China would send money here, no one would complain."
By Allegresse Sasse COTONOU (Reuters) - Benin wrapped up voting on Sunday in a run-off election that pitted outgoing President Thomas Boni Yayi's hand-picked successor against his former ally turned political rival in a highly competitive race. By relinquishing power after serving two terms in office, Boni Yayi stands in contrast to leaders in other African nations, including Burundi, Rwanda and Congo Republic, who have altered their constitutions in order to extend their rule. Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou, a former economist and investment banker backed by both Boni Yayi and the main opposition Democratic Renewal Party, won a March 6 first round of voting. However, he has had to overcome the perception that having spent the bulk of his career abroad he is an outsider in his own country. "Elections are really something that bring us all together. It's a day of peace and hope," he said after casting his ballot. Zinsou faces Patrice Talon, a businessman and once a powerful figure in the West African nation's cornerstone cotton sector, who finished just over 3 percentage points behind the prime minister in the first round. Talon was a staunch supporter of Boni Yayi before falling out of favor with the president, who later accused him of involvement in a plot to poison him. Mediation efforts led to a presidential pardon however, and Talon returned from exile in France in October. "I have the impression that our country's renaissance is already under way. The renaissance will come, and I am going to win," Talon said after voting on Sunday. Early turnout for the polls was light as many voters were in church for Palm Sunday services. And while more cast their ballots later in the day, observers said they believed overall participation levels were lower than in the first round when turnout was around 64 percent. Poll worker immediately began counting ballots after voting ended in the late afternoon. Provisional results were expected to be announced by the elections commission as early as Monday. "I am happy that everything is calm in Benin. I'm confident everything will be fine. Democracy is working," said Paul Abjibi, shortly after voting in Abomey-Calavi, a town just outside the commercial capital Cotonou. There was no clear front-runner in the poll, and campaigning centered largely on how to best revive the economy, which is flagging in part due to falling oil prices that have hit its neighbor and largest trading partner Nigeria. Civil society groups denounced both candidates' campaigns on Friday for allegedly distributing cash in an attempt to buy votes. On Sunday, the principal donor-funded civil society observation platform claimed that ballot box stuffing had been reported in the Collines administrative district in the center of Benin as well as in Atacora in the north. The election is nonetheless expected to reinforce the democratic credentials of tiny Benin, which became the first nation in West Africa to move from dictatorship and single-party rule to multi-party democracy when it held elections in 1991. (Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Raissa Kasolowsky)
By Allegresse Sasse COTONOU (Reuters) - Voters in Benin cast ballots on Sunday in a run-off election that pitted outgoing President Thomas Boni Yayi's hand-picked successor against his former ally turned political rival in a highly competitive race. By relinquishing power after serving two terms in office, Boni Yayi stands in contrast to leaders in other African nations, including Burundi, Rwanda and Congo Republic, who have altered their constitutions in order to extend their rule. Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou, a former economist and investment banker backed by both Boni Yayi and the main opposition Democratic Renewal Party, won a March 6 first round of voting. However, he has had to overcome the perception that having spent the bulk of his career abroad he is an outsider in his own country. "Elections are really something that bring us all together. It's a day of peace and hope," he said after casting his ballot. Zinsou faces Patrice Talon, a businessman and once a powerful figure in the West African nation's cornerstone cotton sector, who finished just over 3 percentage points behind the prime minister in the first round. Talon was a staunch supporter of Boni Yayi before falling out of favour with the president, who later accused him of involvement in a plot to poison him. Mediation efforts led to a presidential pardon however, and Talon returned from exile in France in October. "I have the impression that our country's renaissance is already under way. The renaissance will come, and I am going to win," Talon said after voting on Sunday. Early turnout for the polls was light as many voters were in church for Palm Sunday services. Security forces were deployed near polling stations and few problems were reported early on. "I am happy that everything is calm in Benin. I'm confident everything will be fine. Democracy is working," said Paul Abjibi, shortly after voting in Abomey-Calavi, a town just outside the commercial capital Cotonou. There was no clear front-runner in the poll, and campaigning centred largely on how to best revive the economy, which is flagging in part due to falling oil prices that have hit its neighbour and largest trading partner Nigeria. Civil society groups denounced both candidates' campaigns on Friday for allegedly distributing cash in an attempt to buy votes. On Sunday, the principal donor-funded civil society observation platform claimed that ballot box stuffing had been reported in the Collines administrative district in the centre of Benin as well as in Atacora in the north. The election is nonetheless expected to reinforce the democratic credentials of tiny Benin, which became the first nation in West Africa to move from dictatorship and single-party rule to multi-party democracy when it held elections in 1991. (Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Hugh Lawson)
Cotonou (AFP) - Voting passed off calmly Sunday in the deciding second round of Benin's presidential election, with Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou taking on businessman Patrice Talon for the tiny west African country's top job.

Some 4.7 million people were eligible to cast their ballots in the vote to elect a successor to outgoing President Thomas Boni Yayi, with the first results due out in a week.

He is bowing out after serving a maximum two five-year terms, marking him out among some African leaders who have tried to change constitutions to ensure third terms.

Polls began closing at 4 pm (1500 GMT).

"Everything went well, nothing serious to speak of," said Mathieu Boni, an election observation organiser, although he added that there had been some attempted ballot stuffing which was being investigated.

On the face of it, Zinsou -- who quit his job as head of one of Europe's biggest investment banks when he was nominated prime minister last year -- is the leading contender.

The 61-year-old candidate for Boni Yayi's Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE) has the support of the majority of lawmakers in parliament via the backing of two main opposition groupings.

He won 27.1 percent of the vote in the first round on March 6, with Talon, a 57-year-old entrepreneur who made his money in cotton and running Cotonou's port, second on 23.5 percent.

But since then, 24 of the 32 other candidates who stood in the first round have come out in support of Talon, including third-placed Sebastien Ajavon, who won 22 percent of votes.

The tight margins give Zinsou a potential uphill battle against Talon, who has billed himself as the authentic Beninese candidate and repeatedly attacked his opponent's dual French nationality.

Zinsou, who attended an elite French university and was a speechwriter for the former prime minister Laurent Fabius, has been called a "yovo" or "the white man" during the campaign.

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- 'World's laughing stock' -

On Thursday, the two candidates took part in Benin's first-ever presidential debate in which Zinsou ran through his key manifesto pledges to cut poverty, and improve power supplies and healthcare.

But Talon harped on the record of Boni Yayi, whom he said had created "a banana republic" that had become "the laughing stock of the world", as well as questioning Zinsou's knowledge of Benin.

Critics have claimed the prime minister is the preferred choice of France, the former colonial power in this country of 10.6 million people.

Talon bankrolled Boni Yayi's successful 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns but fled to exile in France after being accused of masterminding an alleged plot to poison the president in 2012.

He only returned last October after receiving a presidential pardon.

Zinsou, whose supporters point to his distinguished record in business and top-level contacts, acted like "a governor in a land of savages", said Talon, in a string of personal attacks.

Tackling youth unemployment, corruption and improving health and education will be major issues for whoever is voted in.

Diversifying an economy that largely relies on agriculture, trade and exports with its neighbour to the east, Nigeria, will also be high on the agenda.

Counting of ballots is expected to begin after polling stations close at 1500 GMT, with results due within 72 hours.
India M. Beaty, a 25-year-old Virginia woman, was fatally shot Saturday by two Norfolk police officers after making a threatening motion with a fake gun, according to WVEC.

Beaty was arguing with a man shortly before pulling out what looked like a handgun to threaten him, police said. Norfolk police officers, who were in the area, rushed over and gave Beaty verbal commands to drop the gun, according to a police statement.

After making a threatening motion with the handgun, the two officers shot Beaty, killing her despite first-aid efforts. It wasnt until after the shooting that the officers realized the woman was brandishing a fake weapon.

Read more: Black Officer Ken Johnson Arrested in Fatal Shooting of Latino Teen Jose Cruz

Any loss of life is tragic, Norfolk Police Chief Michael Goldsmith said in a statement, according to the Virginian-Pilot.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Beatys loved ones, and we appreciate the publics patience as we continue to investigate. The officers, currently on administrative duty while the shooting is investigated, will not have their names released during the investigation.

Plainclothes cops fatally shot 25-year-old #IndiaBeaty yesterday. She was holding a fake gun http://filmthecops.news/black-lives-matter/plainclothes-cops-shot-killed-black-woman-holding-fake-gun/  pic.twitter.com/mWMZuCCxFV https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CeAHst6UUAA23sK.jpg:large

In 2015, police officers in the United States have killed at least 28 people with weapons similar to the one 12-year-old Tamir Rice held when he was fatally shot by police, according to the Guardian. John Crawford III, 13-year-old Andy Lopez, Paul Gaston, Tiano Meton and other individuals have been fatally shot by police in pellet gun-related incidents.

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to be a double standard in the tactics used to subdue . In 2014, a police officer asked 63-year-old Joseph Houseman to put down his gun so they could talk, after shouting at people with a rifle, in front of a Michigan Dairy Queen. In December 2014, two drunk white men shot up an Idaho Walmart with BB guns, and were taken into custody without incident. There are a number of stories like these.

The Washington Post also noticed the contrast between the Planned Parenthood shooter Robert Lewis Dear and Charleston church shooter Dylan Roof, when compared with Tamir Rice and John Crawford III, who were shot as soon as law enforcement appeared on the scene.

Beaty, who was engaged, is the third person this year to be fatally shot by Norfolk police, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazil's former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso said Sunday he supports impeaching President Dilma Rousseff, calling it the will of the people.

Cardoso was Brazil's president from 1995 to 2003 and is a leading figure in the PSDB, a centrist party opposed to Rousseff's left-wing Workers' Party.

He said anti-government protests last Sunday that drew three million people, according to police, showed Brazilians are demanding Rousseff's ouster.

"The streets cried out, 'Resign! Stop! Impeachment!'" he told newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo.

Sixty-eight percent of Brazilians support impeaching Rousseff, up eight percentage points from February, according to a poll released Saturday.

Brazil's first woman president is struggling to fight off a painful recession, political isolation and an explosive corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras.

The impeachment case, which is unrelated to the Petrobras scandal, is based on allegations she manipulated the government's accounts to boost public spending during her 2014 re-election campaign, and again in 2015 to mask the depth of the recession.

Cardoso, 84, had in the past voiced doubts on the wisdom of impeaching Rousseff, but said his opinion had changed "little by little."

"With the government's incapacity to function today... I think the path to follow now is impeachment," he said.

He acknowledged the upheaval of removing the president midway through her second term would be "painful," but added: "Watching the decline of the economy and society is just as painful as impeachment."

Rousseff's position is all the more precarious as the Petrobras scandal appears to close in on her.

She does not face charges, but chaired the company during much of the period in which investigators say executives colluded with contractors to overbill Petrobras by billions of dollars, bribing politicians and parties along the way.

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On Saturday, a former Rousseff ally who is charged in the scandal, Senator Delcidio Amaral, alleged the president "knew everything" about the scheme and used some of the proceeds to fund her 2010 and 2014 campaigns.

Rousseff vehemently denied the accusation.

A congressional impeachment committee began proceedings Friday.

It is tasked with making a recommendation to the full lower house, where a vote by two-thirds of the 513 lawmakers would trigger an impeachment trial in the Senate.

In that event, Rousseff would be suspended from her duties for up to 180 days. A two-thirds vote in the 81-member chamber would remove her from office.
By Nacho Doce SAO PAULO (Reuters) - If any symbol captures the anger of rich and upper-middle class Brazilians who have taken to the streets to protest against President Dilma Rousseff, it might be a giant, inflatable yellow duck. The 40-foot (12-meter) high duck presides over Sao Paulo's Avenida Paulista, Brazil's economic nexus. It has landed on the esplanade in the capital Brasilia, while its ducklings swam in the reflecting pool outside Congress. The duck and its brood have also hit the sands of Copacabana Beach, a prime place to see and be seen in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's business leaders have adopted the duck to fight against what they describe as the economic quackery of Rousseff, a leftist who is facing growing pressure to quit and struggling to pull the economy out of its deepest recession in 25 years. "Enough of paying the duck," said Paulo Skaf, president of the Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo, in a video earlier this month urging Brazilians to demonstrate against Rousseff's government. "To pay the duck" in Brazilian Portuguese means to unfairly pay for someone else's mistakes. The term's origin is unclear but the saying is common enough for the federation to employ it against what it sees as the failures of Rousseff's administration. Since she took office in 2011, Brazil's economy has gone from being one of the world's fastest growing major economies to one of its worst performers, contracting by 3.8 percent in 2015, as the commodities boom ended and a wide-ranging corruption scandal hit investor confidence. Last year, when Rousseff proposed a new levy to help compensate plummeting tax revenues, the Sao Paulo federation inflated the giant duck in the capital Brasilia while its counterpart in Rio took it to Copacabana. Now, the duck has taken up residence in Sao Paulo outside the federation building, striking a colorful note on the somber Avenida Paulista, which has hosted the biggest demonstrations supporting the ouster of Rousseff. She faces impeachment proceedings in Congress. The marches have underscored growing tensions between classes in what remains one of the world's most economically stratified societies. The recession has cost Rousseff and her ruling Workers' Party support among blue-collar Brazilians, who have borne the brunt of a downturn marked by the loss of 1.5 million jobs last year. But the working class, even if disgruntled, has not wanted to associate itself with those who have most visibly turned out against Rousseff: white-collar types who never supported her to begin with. On Friday, as office workers toiled in the towers high over the duck's perch, a gaggle of pro-government demonstrators gathered for a rare display of support for Rousseff. Denouncing anti-government protests as "nothing more than a privileged class out to defend their luxuries," Cleber Goncalves, a 36-year-old teacher, scoffed at the duck. "It's just a silly symbol thought up by the elite," he said. "They are always trying to fool the people." (Writing by Paulo Prada; Editing by Mary Milliken)
By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry, on a four-day tour of Nepal, visited centuries-old heritage sites on Sunday devastated by earthquakes last year and met some survivors, many of whom are still living in makeshift shelters. Nearly 9,000 people were killed, 22,000 injured and close to a million homes were destroyed in the tiny Himalayan country in two earthquakes in April and May last year. Tens of thousands of survivors are still living in huts made from tin sheets and tarpaulin as reconstruction has been delayed by political bickering over a new constitution. "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," Harry said at a government reception celebrating 200 years of ties with Britain. The 31-year-old prince, who is fifth in line to the British throne, visited the Patan Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, near capital Kathmandu, to see damage to an ancient royal palace and surrounding temples due to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on April 25. The second, 7.3 magnitude quake struck on May 12. The restoration of monuments is going on with traditional craft skills like wood-carving and gilding. He also visited some artisans working at the site. Later Harry travelled to the temple town of Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu, and visited a pre-positioning site for quake emergency supplies - shelter kits, water and sanitation equipment - and met survivors at a camp for displaced families. Since arriving in Nepal on Saturday, Harry has met with Nepal's first woman president, Vidhya Devi Bhandari, and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. During the tour that ends on Wednesday, he will also meet families of Gurkha soldiers with whom he had served in Afghanistan at the lake city of Pokhara, 125 km (79 miles) west of Kathmandu. (Additional reporting by Ross Adkin; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's second-largest rebel group has freed a soldier hostage held for more than six weeks, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Sunday, meeting a government condition for the start of peace talks. The National Liberation Army, or ELN, released Jair de Jesus Villar to representatives of the ICRC and the Roman Catholic Church, the humanitarian organization said in a statement. Villar was captured by the guerrillas on February 3 and was being held in rural Antioquia province. The 2,000-strong ELN has been conducting exploratory talks with the Colombian government, but President Juan Manuel Santos has repeatedly said formal negotiations would not begin until Villar and a civilian hostage were freed. Civilian Ramon Jose Cabrales, from eastern Norte de Santander province, has been held by the group for more than six months. The Santos administration began peace talks with the larger FARC rebel group in late 2012. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By Barani Krishnan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude oil prices settled lower on Friday after the U.S rig count rose for the first time since December, renewing worries of a supply glut after an output freeze proposal helped boost the market to 2016 highs and multi-week gains.

U.S. energy firms this week added one oil rig after 12 weeks of cuts, according to data by industry firm Baker Hughes. The addition, coming after oil rigs had fallen by two-thirds over the past year to 2009 lows, showed crude drilling picking up again after a 50 percent price rally since February.

"The rig count and crude prices have a direct relationship for sure," said Pete Donovan, broker at Liquidity Energy in New York.

Brent crude <LCOc1> finished down 34 cents, or 0.8 percent, at $41.20 a barrel, having risen $1 earlier to a 2016 high of $42.54.

U.S. crude <CLc1> settled down 76 cents, or 1.9 percent, at $39.44, after also gaining $1 to a year high of $41.20. It continued to fall in post-settlement trade, losing nearly $1.

Despite the retreat, oil posted multi-week gains, with Brent up for a fourth straight week and U.S. crude a fifth week in a row. Both benchmarks rose about 2 percent this week.

Global oversupply in oil had knocked crude prices down from mid-2014 highs above $100 a barrel to 12-year lows earlier this year, bringing Brent to around $27 and U.S. crude to about $26.

Over the past two months, prices rallied to above $40 after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) floated the idea of a production freeze at January's highs.

The combination of declining oil output, smaller crude stockpile builds and surging gasoline consumption in the United States also helped the recovery, although some analysts said the rally had been overdone.

"The market is probably too long here and needs a correction," said Scott Shelton, energy futures broker with ICAP in Durham, North Carolina.

Money managers raised their bullish bets on U.S. crude to a five-month high during the week to March 15, data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed.

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Some traders who had been bearish oil and lost money recently were eyeing fresh bets to price crude lower.

"I think this rally will stall," said Tariq Zahir, who profited mostly over the last year on bets that U.S. crude for nearby delivery will fall against longer-dated contracts. "I took off several shorts and booked losses but on the first sign of weakness, I'm jumping back in."

(Additional reporting by Simon Falush in LONDON; Editing by Frances Kerry, Meredith Mazzilli and Dan Grebler)
By Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban police backed by hundreds of shouting pro-government demonstrators broke up a march by the dissident group Ladies in White on Sunday, detaining about 50 people hours before U.S. President Barack Obama was due for a historic visit. The women and their male supporters carried out their normal Sunday demonstration calling for free speech and amnesty for political prisoners after attending Roman Catholic Mass in an upscale neighborhood. A similar but less intense scene plays out every Sunday. This one was much more raucous, with a larger-than-normal crowd of pro-government demonstrators. Both sides appeared more animated in front of the unusual contingent of foreign journalists, many in town for the first visit by a U.S. president in 88 years. The Ladies marched toward the much larger pro-government crowd, which was shouting: "These streets belong to Fidel," referring to retired leader Fidel Castro. When the two groups met at an intersection, the Ladies tossed leaflets into the air and sat down, at which point police seized them and wrestled them into buses. Most allowed themselves to be taken away but others went kicking and screaming. As the detainees were driven away, the counter-demonstrators banged on the windows. Some Ladies flashed back the L sign for "Liberty," formed by a thumb and forefinger. The dissidents are usually released after a few hours. Such short-term detentions have increased in recent months, according to the dissident Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation, which has reported 1,000 a month since October, up from a previous monthly average of more than 700. Obama will meet dissidents at the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday, heightening tensions between two governments that only restored diplomatic relations last year after a 54-year break. The leader of the Ladies in White, Berta Soler, has been invited to meet Obama. She was among those detained on Sunday. In a letter dated March 10, Obama promised the Ladies he would raise the issues of freedom of speech and assembly with Cuban President Raul Castro. The Cuban government dismisses dissidents as mercenaries seeking to destabilize the country. Many dissidents are funded by U.S. interests, which the Cuban government uses to discredit them. Dissidents say they have no choice but to take foreign money since their careers are derailed once they become opponents. Cuba defends its universal healthcare and education as human rights and criticizes the U.S. record on race relations and the Guantanamo Bay military prison. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Mary Milliken and Peter Cooney)
By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton raised $30.1 million in February, and began Super Tuesday with $31 million in cash remaining, her campaign said on Sunday. Clinton has frequently dominated the fundraising contest, but has in recent months been in a tight money battle with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, her rival for the Democratic nomination for the November election. Clinton has been trying to increase her fundraising online, an arena where Sanders has dominated, raising small-dollar donations from supporters. Clinton's campaign said that in mid-March the campaign exceeded 1 million donors. Thanks to the 1 million people who have now contributed to our campaign and the more than 8.6 million people who have supported Hillary Clinton with their votes (in primaries and caucuses), we have the resources we need to continue to run a strong campaign all across the country and a nearly insurmountable pledged delegate lead, campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement. With the majority of our fundraising coming from grassroots online donations, this campaign continues to gain momentum and feed off the energy of millions of supporters across the country. Democrats will gather in Philadelphia in July to nominate their presidential candidate. The nominee will face the Republicans' pick in November. (Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Havana (AFP) - Cuban police arrested dozens of people protesting against the communist government Sunday in Havana, just hours before US President Barack Obama was due on a three-day visit.

The protesters were from the Ladies in White group, formed by wives of former political prisoners. Police bundled them into vehicles outside a church where they attempt to hold protests every Sunday, AFP reporters said.

Although the arrests are an almost weekly feature and the protesters are quickly released, the incident was embarrassing ahead of Obama's landmark visit.

He is the first sitting US president to come to the island in 88 years and is aiming to end a decades-long Cold War-era standoff. The White House says Obama will raise the issue of human rights in Cuba, while Havana insists that domestic politics are "off the table."

Police on the scene declined to tell journalists why they had made the arrests. One of those detained was Ladies in White leader Berta Soler.

Soler is among a group of civil society leaders invited to meet Obama on Tuesday. However, she told AFP she has not decided whether or not to accept, telling Obama "you said you would not come here unless there had been advances in human rights -- and that hasn't happened."
By Karolina Tagaris LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) - They waved, cheered and smiled, elated to have made it to Europe at dawn on Sunday in a packed blue rubber motor boat. The 50 or so refugees and migrants were among the first to arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos on day one of an EU deal with Turkey designed to close the route by which a million people crossed the Aegean Sea to Greece in 2015. Exhausted but relieved, the new arrivals wrapped their wet feet in thermal blankets as volunteers handed out dry clothes and supplies. Reuters witnesses saw three boats arrive within an hour in darkness in the early hours of Sunday. Two men were pulled out unconscious from one of the boats amid the screams of fellow passengers and were later pronounced dead. Twelve boats had arrived on the shoreline near the airport by 6 a.m. (0400 GMT), a police official said. A government account put the number of arrivals across Greece in the past 24 hours at 875 people. Under the European Union deal with Turkey, all migrants and refugees, including Syrians, who cross to Greece illegally by sea from March 20 will be sent back to Turkey once they are registered and their asylum claims have been processed. That is expected to take effect from April 4, by which time Greece must have in place a fast-track process for assessing asylum claims. The EU has pledged to help Greece set up a task force of some 4,000 staff, including judges, interpreters, border guards and others to manage each case individually. "The agreement comes into effect from today. Greek authorities have done whatever is necessary and will continue to do what it promised," George Kyritsis, a government spokesman for the refugee crisis, told Reuters. "Other parties (to the agreement) should also do their part," he said, referring to Greece's EU partners and Turkey. In return, the EU will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations. Among the early morning arrivals on the seaweed strewn beach on the south of Lesbos was Syrian Hussein Ali Muhammad, whose studies were interrupted after the war began. He said he wanted to go to Denmark to continue university. Asked if he was aware of the European decision, he said: "I know that. I hope to cross these borders. I hope I complete my studies here (in Europe), just this. I don't want money, I just want to complete my studies. This is my message." Muhammed, who worked odd jobs in Turkey to pay a smuggler to bring him across, said he did not want to go back. "I worked very, very hard in Turkey, I collected the money to come here ... It's very dangerous and not good." Another arrival, 30-year-old computer engineer Mohammed from Daraa in Syria, said he hoped to stay in Greece until he found a way to be reunited with his wife and son in Germany. "I know the decision. I hope to (meet with) my wife and children," he said. DOUBTS Doubts remain about whether the deal is legal or workable. It was not clear what would happen to the tens of thousands of migrants and refugees already in Greece. It was too early to say if the deal would be effective, a senior coastguard official said. "We haven't yet seen the terms of the deal properly," said Antonis Sofiadelis, head of the coastguard operations on Lesbos. "But if returns begin I believe it will act as a deterrent. They (migrants) won't want to pay $1,000-2,000 to a smuggler. Everything depends on whether Turkey implements its part of the deal. "What we're doing on our part is boosting the asylum process." Authorities in Lesbos began removing refugees and migrants from the island on Saturday to make space for new arrivals. The island has a capacity to host 3,500 people at a place set up to register arrivals. At least 144,000 people, mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, have arrived in Greece so far in 2016 according to U.N. refugee agency data. About 60 percent were women and children. Of those people, more than half landed on Lesbos, the island on the frontline of Europe's biggest migration crisis since World War Two. Few, if any, had planned to stay in the country, seeking instead a route to northern Europe where more support and jobs are available than in Greece, which is in the grip of an economic crisis. But border closures along the main route north through the Balkans have meant at least 48,000 people are stranded in Greece, in camps and ports across the country. About 12,000 people remain at a squalid tent camp near the Macedonian border hoping to cross. (Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Raissa Kasolowsky)
Brandon Landis was excited to move from Britain five months ago to take a job with a startup in Stockholm. But he was less impressed to find himself homeless in the citys Central Station. Luckily, he found a kind strangers sofa to sleep on during his months-long search for a place to rent.

Yet some are refusing to pack their bags at all, as the citys entrenched housing shortage reaches new and frustrating heights, putting its reputation as the worlds second-most-prolific tech hub, according to Atomico, at risk. Munich-based CupoNation, for one, had been planning to move to Stockholm, but recently decided to stay in Deutschland to avoid the hassle of finding staff housing or office space in the Swedish capital.

Those already established in Stockholm, meanwhile, recognize that the inability to draw from an international talent pool  if theres nowhere to live, its hard to woo foreigners  could one day threaten the ability of startup wonders like Spotify, Mojang and Tictail to compete. You have to have good people on board, says Mans Ulvestam, founder and CEO of podcasting platform Acast. Good people demand decent salaries, a decent lifestyle and, if you cant provide housing  a basic necessity  its going to be impossible to build companies, he says. Local leaders are also aware of the challenges posed to local businesses by the housing crunch, which is prompting both startups and the city of Stockholm to step up efforts to spur change.

[Politicians] have to realize that startups need solutions now. Jessica Stark, CEO of SUP46

Some entrepreneurs and workers who are looking for lodging make up the 500,000 who subscribe to the city-run apartment-search website Bostadsformedlingen. That process, though, can take months, sometimes years. Hakim Belarbi, press secretary to Swedish Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Information Technology Mehmet Kaplan, says a housing deficit started to accrue years ago and that the current administration is playing catch-up. It needs to raise annual housing builds from 50,000 to 80,000 while also addressing a war-era rent-control system (which has limited rents and discouraged housing projects) and an increasingly onerous secondhand contract market (which has made some rents soar).

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In spite of all this, its easy to see why startups would want to be in Stockholm. Local residents are tech-savvy and enjoy great connectivity  4G wireless coverage is available even in the subway. This pervasive connectivity, combined with a social safety net that prevents financial ruin, lends itself well to daring innovation. But what sets Stockholm apart from other tech hubs, according to many business leaders, is the citys collaborative nature. People bounce ideas off each other; its not a competition in the same way as places like Silicon Valley, says Ulvestam.

Some, in turn, are taking on the housing burden themselves, collaborating with one another and offering relocation services to their out-of-town hires. Tictail, for example, has helped several recruits by networking on their behalf and even signing leases as guarantor, says its general manager, Wilhelm Lundborg. But these firms are also pushing for reform. Faced with the same housing crisis and similar goals of keeping the city at the forefront of innovation, 80 startups, alongside incubator SUP46, recently created the Swedish Startup Manifesto to boost awareness of the challenges they face and launch a dialogue with politicians.

For its part, the city of Stockholm says its doing its utmost to boost housing projects in the capital and nearby municipalities, as well as extend the high-speed rail network. We work very hard to get land for new houses, says Olle Zetterberg, CEO of Stockholm Business Region Development, a city-owned firm. This includes city-initiated housing, as well as selling land privately for housing projects. Its a big process, Zetterberg says, and one often stymied by not in my backyard legal complaints and a difficult permit process, not to mention building height restrictions. But the SBRD has helped double the number of annual new builds in the city from 4,000 units a few years ago to 8,000 to 10,000 today. And Stockholms council has announced a new goal of 140,000 homes being built by 2030.

But both startups and the city say real reform  to permit, legal, tax and rent-control systems  must come from the national government. To that end, the first meeting in many years between the prime minister and opposition leader about how to address the housing shortage was held earlier this year, and business leaders are hopeful this dialogue will lead to real progress. Belarbi says the government, in the next four years, will invest about 24 billion SEK ($2.86 billion) to boost housing projects over the next two decades.

For now, most firms OZY spoke with say theyre staying put in Stockholm, and others are continuing to look for ways in. CupoNations PR coordinator, Lukas Ohlsson, says that while his firm will stay in Munich for the time being, hes hopeful that the manifesto and murmurings for change within the government will one day enable his company to become part of Europes biggest startup scene. To get there, says SUP46 CEO Jessica Stark, politicians have to realize that startups need solutions now, and not a couple of years down the line.

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By Dan Levine and Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Drivers who worked for ride-hailing service Lyft in California during the past four years would have been entitled to an estimated $126 million in expense reimbursements had they been employees rather than contractors, court documents show. Lyft drivers would have recouped an average of $835 each under a standard rate for mileage reimbursement set by the U.S. government, according to the documents, which were made public on Friday and had not been previously reported. Lyft and larger rival Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] face legal actions from drivers who contend they should be classified as employees and therefore entitled to reimbursement for expenses, including gas and vehicle maintenance. Drivers currently pay those costs themselves. The new figures, requested by a judge and calculated by attorneys for the drivers based on data supplied by Lyft, provide a rare glimpse into how much ride-hailing services may save by classifying drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. In a statement, Lyft said a recent survey showed that 82 percent of drivers preferred being classified as independent contractors. The company also called the reimbursement calculation "hypothetical and misleading," partly because it assumed some drivers would be deemed employees even if they only worked "a handful of hours." The judge asked for the estimates as part of his oversight of a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed by California drivers against the ride service. More than 100,000 of the 150,602 drivers included in the settlement drove fewer than 60 hours during the four-year period at issue and likely would have made less than $835 each in expense reimbursements had they been considered employees. Other drivers racked up hundreds of hours and would have been entitled to far more, the documents show. More than 1,500 drivers drove 1,000 hours or more over the four years. It is unclear how many drivers Lyft has across the country. The company operates in more than 200 U.S. markets and has raised about $1.4 billion to date from investors, including General Motors Co, Andreessen Horowitz and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. It is valued in the private market at $5.5 billion. In an interview last week with Reuters, prior to the release of the documents, Lyft President and co-founder John Zimmer said drivers were better served by company programs - with higher payments to drivers who work more, the opportunity to get tips, and access to discounted gasoline - than if they were reclassified as employees. "It should be understood that this is a specific industry where our average driver is doing 15 hours, and we are trying to create benefits for all drivers," Zimmer said. "We've thought about it from the perspective of all the drivers on the platform. ... We are trying to do what is the right legal path, and for us that's quite clear." THE SETTLEMENT Lyft agreed to settle the class-action lawsuit in January. Under the proposed deal, Lyft would pay $12.25 million, with drivers receiving an average of $56 each after attorneys' fees and other expenses, documents show. During settlement negotiations, attorneys for the plaintiffs said in filings that they believed drivers were entitled to expense reimbursements totaling $64 million, far less than the $126 million they had calculated after being provided with updated Lyft records. "During these few months since the agreement was negotiated, Lyft has grown substantially (far beyond what Plaintiffs would have predicted at the time they were negotiating)," they wrote. Based on the updated reimbursement data provided by Lyft, the $12.25 million settlement represents slightly less than 10 percent of the potential value of the claim, they said. Plaintiff attorneys have argued that the deal was a good one for drivers, partly because Lyft would no longer be able to summarily terminate drivers from its system. The latest figures were submitted in response to questions about the proposed settlement from U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco, who is expected to consider whether to preliminarily approve the deal at a hearing this week. Earlier this month five drivers and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union objected to the proposed settlement, saying it would shortchange drivers by keeping them as independent contractors. "Plaintiffs have not properly calculated the value of the class's claims, have not considered the ongoing economic - and public cost - of Lyft's misclassification scheme," they wrote. The Teamsters also filed a complaint against Lyft with the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency charged with investigating and ruling on unfair labor practices. Shannon Liss-Riordan, who represents the plaintiffs, said the lawyers also would have preferred that drivers be reclassified as employees, but the risks of continuing the lawsuit were too great. Nothing about the settlement precludes NLRB action, she said. "Based on the data we reviewed, the vast majority of Lyft drivers have driven very little  even less than 30 hours total for the company, which is why the average amount per driver is so low," she said. The data underscores Lyft's argument that the majority of its drivers are part-time, using the service to supplement other income. About 83,000 California drivers drove fewer than 30 hours total over the past four years, according to court documents. Of the 150,602 total Lyft drivers covered by the settlement, drivers worked an average of 92 hours each during the four-year period. (Reporting by Dan Levine and Heather Somerville; Editing by Sue Horton, Lisa Girion and Richard Chang)
By Steve Stecklow

(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected this week to lift export curbs it imposed on Chinese telecom equipment and smartphone maker ZTE Corp <0763.HK> for alleged Iran sanctions violations.

"The relief would be temporary in nature and would be maintained only if ZTE is abiding by its commitments to the U.S. Government," according to a senior official at the agency.

The Commerce Department restrictions imposed earlier this month made it difficult for ZTE to acquire U.S. components by requiring its suppliers to apply for an export license before shipping any American-made equipment or parts to ZTE.

The department had said the license applications generally would be denied.

Shenzhen-based ZTE has been in active, constructive discussions with the Commerce Department for the past week, according to a senior official at the agency.

As part of the effort to resolve the matter, and based upon binding commitments that ZTE has made to the U.S. government, Commerce expects this week to be able to provide temporary relief from some licensing requirements, the official said.

The details of the commitments are expected to be published this week in the U.S. Federal Register.

ZTE was not immediately available for comment outside regular office hours.

BIG HIT

ZTE is among the largest companies that the Commerce Department has hit with a near-total export ban, according to public records.

It is the No. 4 smartphone vendor in the United States, with a 7 percent market share, behind Apple Inc <AAPL.O>, Samsung Electronics Co <005930.KS> and LG Electronics Inc <066570.KS>, according to research firm IDC. It sells handset devices to three of the four largest U.S. mobile carriers: AT&T <T.N>, T-Mobile US <TMUS.O> and Sprint Corp <S.N>

The export restrictions have drawn protests from the Chinese government and rocked ZTEs business.

Its shares have not traded on the Hong Kong stock exchange for the past two weeks. The company also said last week it was delaying the publication of its annual results while it assesses the impact of Washingtons action.

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ZTE also said it would postpone its board meeting. Its shares last closed at HK$14.16, prior to a trading suspension on March 7.

Goldman Sachs suspended its coverage on ZTE, saying there was not enough information to determine an investment rating, price target and earnings estimates for the company.

Since coming under fire in 2012 for alleged deals with sanctions-hit Iran and possible links to the Chinese government and military, ZTE has ramped up its spending on Washington lobbyists.

It spent $5.1 million in the last four years, up from $212,000 in 2011, as it sought to assuage national security concerns, according to publicly available lobbying records maintained by Congress.

The Commerce Department investigated ZTE for alleged export-control violations following Reuters reports in 2012 that the company had signed contracts to ship millions of dollars worth of American-made hardware and software to Iran's largest telecoms carrier.

(Reporting by Steve Stecklow in London; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
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.

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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".
By Abhishek Madhukar and Adnan Abidi DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - Exiled Tibetans across India and overseas started voting on Sunday to elect a political leader for the next five years, in a bid to help sustain their struggle to secure complete autonomy for Chinese-ruled Tibet. Thousands of monks and nuns in maroon robes, students, and men and women queued to vote outside polling booths in Dharamsala, a town in India's Himalayan foothills where a community of Tibetans live in exile with the Dalai Lama, hoping for resumption of talks with China. The second such election follows a decision by the charismatic monk, an 80-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate, to relinquish his political authority and vest it in a democratic system that could outlast him. China does not recognize the government that represents nearly 100,000 exiled Tibetans living in around 30 countries including India, Nepal, Canada and the United States. Election results will be out between April 27 and 28, with more than half of the 90,377 eligible voters expected to exercise their franchise, according to the election commission. The "Sikyong", or elected leader, will be solely responsible for political and diplomatic decisions, as the Dalai Lama steps back from the limelight amid uncertainty over how his successor will be chosen. "With regard to dialogue with China, we have been making initiatives, efforts," Lobsang Sangay, the incumbent Sikyong, told Reuters after casting his vote. "It takes two to clap. Our side is willing and ready and as soon as the Chinese give us the positive sign, we will be ready to take it further." Concern about the Dalai Lama's health, after his admission to a U.S. hospital this year for treatment, has reinforced the importance of the vote in keeping the issue of Tibet alive. Tibetan Buddhism holds that the soul of a senior lama is reincarnated in the body of a child after he dies. China says it must sign off on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 after a failed uprising. The election will decide who leads the parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala. Exiled Tibetans consider the CTA to be their legitimate government, but no country recognizes it. China has lobbied to sideline the Dalai Lama from the international circuit, although he did address an audience in Geneva last week despite those efforts. "Many people like us are in exile but more important (are the issues) of the people who are inside (Tibet) and are suffering," Kelsang, a woman in her 30s who gave just one name, said after voting. (Reporting by Adnan Abidi; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Michael Perry)
The FBI has agreed to help Bangladesh investigate an audacious $81 million theft from the nation's foreign reserves, authorities said Sunday, days after the finance minister accused central bank officials of complicity in the heist.

A FBI official in Dhaka met with representatives from Bangladesh's Criminal Investigation Department and offered to assist with the investigation into the spectacular cross-country theft.

"Both the FBI and the CID have agreed to work together since it's a transnational organised crime and transnational criminal networks are involved," Md. Saiful Alam, deputy inspector general of CID, told AFP.

There was no immediate comment from the FBI.

Hackers stole the money from the Bangladesh Bank's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on February 5 and managed to transfer it electronically to accounts in the Philippines.

The audacious cyber-theft has embarrassed the government, triggered outrage in the impoverished country and raised alarm over the security of the Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserves of over $27 billion.

The central bank governor, his two deputies and the country's top banking bureaucrat lost their jobs following the theft and the government has been scrambling to contain the damage from the spiralling scandal.

Police said Bangladeshi investigators were planning to travel to the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as part of the transnational probe into the heist.

However, investigators say local hackers were likely involved in the theft.

"We suspect some local people are involved in the crime. The names of local development projects were used in the payment advices sent to the Federal Reserve Bank," Alam said.

"This has raised our suspicion that there could be some local links."

In a damning interview published on Friday, the country's Finance Minister A.M.A Muhith told the Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo that Bangladesh Bank officials were "100 percent" involved in the scandal.

"Of course! One hundred percent they are (involved). This cannot be possible without complicity of the locals," the newspaper, which has the highest circulation of any in Bangladesh, quoted Muhith as saying.

Muhith said the New York bank requires hand prints and other biometric information from central bank officials to activate transactions, appearing to suggest the hackers could not have carried out the attack without inside help.
Duma (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Fire on Sunday engulfed the home of a key witness to an arson attack by Jewish extremists that killed a Palestinian family last year, but he survived the blaze, police and residents said.

The home of Ibrahim Dawabsha is in Duma in the occupied West Bank, the same village where a July firebombing killed an 18-month-old Palestinian boy and his parents.

Israeli authorities were investigating the cause of the fire at the second floor home, though residents said they believed it was started by Molotov cocktails and Palestinian officials reacted angrily to what they viewed as another extremist attack.

Dawabsha and his wife were awakened overnight by thick smoke, residents said.

The young couple, relatives of the family killed in July's attack, were hospitalised for smoke inhalation and were said to be in shock.

"At around 1:30 am, I heard my brother and his wife call for help," said Dawabsha's brother Bashar, who lives downstairs.

"I went up to their floor and I saw the fire."

There was heavy damage, with walls covered in soot and furniture burnt, including the bed. Shocked residents gathered to view what happened.

A bedroom window in the house was broken, with shattered glass inside, an AFP journalist reported.

The broken window raised suspicions that petrol bombs had been thrown inside -- as occurred in the July attack.

- 'A message' -

"The window was broken from the outside and flammable materials were found in the rubble," Colonel Malek Ali, fire chief for the nearby city of Nablus, told AFP.

Another family member, Nasser Dawabsha, said he believed the fire was intended to "send a message to the family and the village: 'This witness must disappear.'"

Israeli police had initially said "all leads will be investigated", issuing a gag order on the probe.

Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency said later the investigation's findings were indicating that "this is not a nationalistically motivated incident".

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"The findings collected so far at the scene are not characteristic of deliberate Jewish arson attacks," a Shin Bet statement read.

The July 31 attack on a family home in the village killed 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha and fatally injured his parents.

Five-year-old Ahmed was the sole survivor from the immediate family.

After spending months in hospital, he was flown to Spain last week to meet Real Madrid football stars, including his hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ibrahim Dawabsha told local media last July that he saw two masked men standing near the badly injured parents lying on the ground.

In January, a court charged two Israelis over the firebombing after slow progress in the case led to criticism from human rights groups and Palestinians.

- Jewish 'terrorism' -

The attack generated global condemnation and drew renewed attention to Jewish extremism, including accusations that Israel had not done enough to prevent such violence.

Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, from the northern West Bank settlement of Shilo, was charged with three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, arson and conspiracy to commit a hate crime.

A 17-year-old, whose name remains under a gag order, was charged with being an accessory to committing a racially motivated murder.

Ben-Uliel and the minor, who lived in another wildcat settlement near Duma at the time, allegedly plotted to avenge the shooting death of an Israeli near Shilo by a Palestinian one month earlier.

At the time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled the firebombing "terrorism" -- a word usually used by Israelis to refer to violence committed by Palestinians.

Israel came under heavy pressure to try those responsible, with rights groups questioning the delay in investigating the case and contrasting it to the swift response that generally follows Palestinian attacks.

Palestine Liberation Organisation secretary general Saeb Erakat said in a statement Sunday that "we hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the crimes in Duma" and said he was expecting "another sham investigation".

Robert Piper, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, "strongly condemned" the attack which he said was carried out by "suspected Jewish extremists".

He urged Israel "to investigate this incident promptly and fully" and said letting "such acts... foster hatred and violence" would "only bring more personal tragedies and bury any prospect of peace".
By Alexander Reshetnikov and Gennady Novik ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (Reuters) - Relatives gathered to mourn the 62 victims of a passenger jet crash in southern Russia on Sunday and officials warned an investigation could take weeks to determine the cause of the downing. At Rostov-on-Don airport about 400 people paid their respects to the 55 passengers and seven crew who died when the Boeing 737-800, operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, crashed in the early hours of Saturday. Bereaved relatives laid red and white carnations on a growing pile of flowers, candles and children's toys, framed by photos of the dead. "We mourn," read an inscription listing the victims' names. "What happened cannot be expressed with any words. I cant comprehend how the relatives of the victims will go on living," Rostov resident Marina Bondar told Reuters. "The whole world is expressing its condolences to us. But it is impossible to forget this." At the crash site, Russian workers finished their search of the snow-covered wreckage, having sifted more than 200 pieces of the victims' bodies scattered across the airfield, Russian TV reported. Russia's airline regulator said work had started extracting information from the doomed plane's flight recorders, which were badly damaged in the crash. "The received recorders are badly damaged mechanically," Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) said in a statement on its website, alongside a photo of a crumpled recorder. "Specialists ... have started the inspection, opening and removing the memory modules from their protective coverings for further work to restore the cable connections and prepare to copy the data," the IAC said. RIA news agency cited an IAC official as saying it could take one month to decode information from the recorders. STRONG WINDS Under international aviation rules, the investigation will be led by Russia's air safety investigation agency with representatives from the United States, where the jet was made, and the United Arab Emirates, where the airline is based. Flydubai's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said on Saturday it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, but officials have suggested it could have been caused by pilot error, a technical problem or strong winds at the airport. Speaking at a news conference in Dubai on Sunday he said: "We have high confidence in the Russian authorities who are capable of managing local conditions for flights," he said. "We fully trust the Russian authorities in this." "The airport was open. It was good enough to operate and good enough to land, as per the authorities," he added. "The weather conditions were good enough for the flight." Flydubai said in a statement it was organizing hardship payments to families of the victims amounting to $20,000 per passenger, in accordance with its conditions of carriage. The airline has not canceled or delayed any flights because of the crash, it added, and Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said the airport would reopen on Monday morning. Security services in the Middle East and Russia 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. (Additional reporting by Sylvia Westall in DUBAI; Writing by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Stephen Powell)
By Joe Brock PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling party said on Sunday it had full confidence in President Jacob Zuma after a three-day party summit following mounting claims of political interference by the leader's business friends. Pressure on Zuma intensified when former cabinet spokesman Themba Maseko told the Sunday Times newspaper that the president asked him in a 2010 phone call to meet the Guptas - a family of Indian-born businessmen who relocated to South Africa in the 1990s - at their home in Johannesburg and to "please help them". Zuma has so far insisted his ties with the Gupta family are above board, but investors fear further political uncertainty could hasten a credit ratings downgrade, potentially into "junk" territory, and sharply raise South Africa's borrowing costs. Zuma's son, Duduzane, is a director - along with Gupta family members - of at least six companies, documents show. The allegations have reinforced concerns over governance and stability in Africa's most industrialised country. The opposition has called on Zuma to resign. Gwede Mantashe, secretary general of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), said the party's National Executive Committee held "frank and robust discussions" over claims the Guptas had influenced the appointment of ministers and deputies. "The appointment of ministers and deputy ministers is the sole prerogative of the President of the Republic, in line with the Constitution. To this end, the ANC continues to confirm its full confidence in our President," Mantashe told a nationally televised news conference. Mantashe said party officials had not discussed Zuma standing down from the presidency during the summit. The 73-year-old president has survived several scandals over the years.. In the past week, senior officials have accused the Gupta family of wielding undue influence in government activities. The Guptas say they are pawns in a plot to oust Zuma. Maseko said he met two Gupta brothers who wanted his help in directing government advertising to a newspaper that the family was launching, the report said. The Gupta family rejected Maseko's accusations. "We are bemused by Mr Maseko's six-year-old allegations, which are totally unfounded," Nazeem Howa, CEO of Oakbay Investments, the holding company for the Gupta familys businesses in South Africa, said in a statement. The presidency made no comment on the claims, but in a statement rejected local media reports of an impending government reshuffle this week as "mischievous". Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas said on Wednesday that the Gupta family had offered him former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene's job shortly before Zuma abruptly dismissed Nene in December, sending South Africa's rand down nearly 10 percent. Another ANC official also said last week that she had been offered a cabinet position by the Guptas. Zuma has said in parliament that only he appoints ministers to the cabinet and dismissed Jonas' account. Mantashe said the party also had full confidence in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who has been involved in a prolonged confrontation with the elite police unit Hawks. Gordhan has repeatedly said an investigation into a surveillance unit set up at the revenue service when he headed the agency was a smear campaign aimed at tarnishing his credibility. The ANC said it had also discussed this year's municipal elections in which it faces stiff competition from the opposition, notably in the commercial hub of Johannesburg and the capital of Pretoria. (Additional reporting and writing by James Macharia; Editing by Louise Ireland)
By Albert Gea FREGINALS, Spain (Reuters) - At least 13 people were killed when a bus carrying a large group of foreign university students crashed early on Sunday midway between the Spanish cities of Valencia and Barcelona, authorities in the northeastern region of Catalonia said. Eight of the 43 passengers had also been seriously injured. The students were from at least 19 countries and many were part of the Erasmus exchange programme between European universities, emergency services in Catalonia said. Regional leader, Carles Puigdemont, told a local radio station that all the victims were women. The bus crashed and overturned at about 0600 CET (0500 GMT)on a road that runs along Spain's eastern coast. After swerving onto the other side of the road, it had hit an oncoming car, injuring the two passengers. The bus, which was carrying 61 passengers, according to estimates from the authorities, was driving away from Valencia on the last weekend of the Fallas festival, known for its big firework displays. "There were students on board, many of them foreign students studying in Catalonia and in Barcelona who had travelled to Valencia for the Fallas and were returning," Jordi Jane, Catalonia's regional interior minister said at a televised news conference. He said the victims were all aged between 22 and 29. The driver had been taken to a local police station, Jane said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear but was most likely due to "human error", he said. The driver had tested negative for alcohol and drug, a Catalan court said in a statement. Catalonia's emergency services said in a statement that passengers on board included students from Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Great Britain, Italy, Peru, Bulgaria, Poland, Ireland, the Palestinian Territories, Japan, Ukraine, Holland, France and Finland. Authorities had not yet given the nationalities of the dead. Initial estimates were that 14 people had been killed. (Additional reporting by Sarah White and Victor Tuda in MADRID; Editing by Louise Ireland)
By David Ljunggren, Julie Gordon and Emily Chow OTTAWA/VANCOUVER/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A major liquefied natural gas export project in Canada ran into another delay on Saturday when the federal environmental assessment agency was granted an extra three months to finish an impact study. Ottawa did though commit to announcing a final decision on the project this year, which would end a long-running saga for Malaysia's state-owned oil giant Petronas [PETR.UL]. The firm and its partners have been waiting nearly three years for a permit to build the Pacific NorthWest LNG facility in northern British Columbia, on the Pacific coast. News of the latest delay broke on Saturday, when federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna agreed to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency's request (CEAA) for the extra three months. The CEAA - which had been due to deliver its report to McKenna by March 22 - said it needed more data from the project's backers after they handed over a series of documents and observations on March 4. A spokeswoman for McKenna said the federal cabinet would announce a decision three months after the backers had handed over the requested additional information. The ambitious plan to build Canada's first LNG export terminal faced challenges from the start, including controversy over its chosen site, which local aboriginal and environment groups said would destroy a critical salmon habitat. It is also the first major project to have an environmental assessment completed under new rules that include the impact of upstream production on project emissions. A spokesman for Pacific NorthWest did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Petronas, battling a profit-sapping slump in prices that could produce heavy losses, can ill afford to splurge on future supply. But neither can it afford a lengthy and inconclusive process with authorities in Canada, where the project is seen as a test of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's green credentials. Trudeau's Liberals came to power last November promising to do a much better job of protecting the environment than the previous Conservative government. But the Liberals, who say Canada must cut emissions of greenhouse gases, are also under pressure to push through approvals of projects in the energy sector, which is losing jobs due to the slump in oil and gas prices. "The agency has requested additional information from the proponent in order to determine whether the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects," it said in the statement. The request for more time to complete the impact study raises the prospect of more conditions on construction. This could simply make the project economically enviable, analysts say, leaving Petronas to write off billions already invested. For Petronas, and Malaysia, the conditions have changed dramatically since it launched the project, long considered a front-runner among dozens proposed for British Columbia. Gas prices are currently a quarter of 2014's peak. Last month, Petronas cut jobs and announced some $12 billion in spending cuts over the next four years - the same sum analysts estimate it has sunk into the Canadian project. And Malaysia's economy too is cooling, dampened by China and a domestic financial scandal. Petronas is one of the country's biggest employers and accounts for nearly a third of the government's oil and gas-related revenue. The stakes are also high for Canada, which is seeking to kick start the local LNG industry, said Wood Mackenzie analyst Chong Zhi Xin, speaking before Saturday's announcement. But those ambitions come as Trudeau promises to transform Canada's environmental image. If built, environmental campaigners say the Petronas project would tarnish that. (Editing by Nick Zieminski and Bernard Orr)
Chee announcing his bid for the Bukit Batok Single-Member Constituency seat on Sunday (20 March). Photo: Nicholas Yong/Yahoo Singapore



Six months after he led the team that contested the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency in the 2015 General Election, Singapore Democractic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan announced his candidacy for the Bukit Batok by-election on Sunday (20 March).

Pledging to be a competent, constructive and compassionate Member of Parliament, Chee said that he hoped to be an effective voice for Bukit Batok residents. He added that, if elected, his first priority would be to ensure a seamless takeover of the town council management.

The announcement was made at a party press conference at Bukit Batok West Avenue 6, where Chee was introduced by the SDPs Sadasivam Veriyah. Veriyah contested the ward at last years General Election, where he garnered about 26.4 per cent of the vote.

Veriyah lost to the Peoples Action Partys (PAP) David Ong, who resigned from his seat on March 12 amid allegations of an extramarital affair. Minister in the Prime Ministers Office and Tanjong Pagar Member of Parliament (MP) Chan Chun Sing said the PAP took decisive action on the matter once they had learned of Ongs personal indiscretions.

The government has said that a by-election will be called in Bukit Batok in due course. The SDP announced its intention to contest Bukit Batok on the day of Ongs resignation, and has been highly visible in the ward over the past week.



Chee greeting a Bukit Batok resident following the SDPs announcement on Sunday (20 March). Photo: Nicholas Yong/Yahoo Singapore

Sooner rather than later



Given that the date of the by-election has not been announced yet, why is Chee announcing his candidacy so early?



Well, the PAP always announces their candidates way before GE is called. And we know that they have to call it within 90 days, the Parliamentary Elections Act specifies that, stipulates that. And the fact that, also youve got to take into consideration, Ramadan is not too far away. So I think it will be sooner rather than later, said the SDP chairman.



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By-elections in previous years in wards such as Hougang and Punggol East were called within 90 days, but the time period is is not enshrined in law.

Responding to a question on whether the party had considered other candidates to run in the ward, Chee responded that such discussions were part of internal deliberations that he could not disclose.

Asked if he was confident about his chances of victory, Chee said he was contesting the seat in spite of the undemocratic system that he was up against. We are one of the very few remaining countries where our media, all our newspapers, our TV stations, our radio station, remain in the hands of the government. And because that is the case, it is tremendously difficult to get our message out. So were really not talking about chances in the sense that there is a fair contest, he said.



The SDP chief pointed out that his party had come very close to winning in Bukit Batok in the 1991 General Election, before it was subsequently absorbed into a GRC. Weve said this many times: Because of the GRC system, the PAP has always crafted the system to its advantage, and putting us always at a disadvantage when it comes to selecting our candidates and where to stand and so on, said Chee.

Deputy Prime Minister and anchor minister for Jurong GRC Tharman Shanmugaratnam, said last week that the PAP is considering a few strong candidates to run in Bukit Batok.
By Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Ben Blanchard JAKARTA/BEIJING (Reuters) - Indonesia will summon China's ambassador over an incident involving a Chinese fishing vessel in the Natuna Sea, a minister said on Sunday, as Beijing accused it of attacking the ship in traditional Chinese fishing grounds. The move comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea over China's land reclamation there and over its claims on vast swathes of an important shipping corridor. Several Southeast Asian countries have overlapping claims in the area. Indonesia was attempting to detain the Chinese vessel for fishing illegally in waters near the contested South China Sea when a Chinese coast guard vessel intervened, fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti told reporters in Jakarta. "What we will ask the ambassador is that if they say their nine-dash line does not claim Natuna then why is there still illegal fishing happening there," Pudjiastuti said, adding the ambassador will be summoned by the foreign ministry on Monday. "Their government should not stand behind illegal and unregulated fishing," she said. China's foreign ministry, in a statement sent to Reuters, said the trawler was carrying out "normal activities" in "traditional Chinese fishing grounds". "On March 19, after the relevant trawler was attacked and harassed by an armed Indonesian ship, a Chinese Coast Guard ship went to assist," it said. "The Chinese side immediately demanded the Indonesian side at once release the detained Chinese fishermen and ensure their personal safety," the ministry added. China hopes Indonesia can "appropriately handle" the issue, it said. Indonesian foreign ministry officials were not immediately available for comment. China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea that are also claimed by several Southeast Asian countries. Indonesia is not a claimant in the disputed South China Sea, but has raised concerns over China's inclusion of the resource-rich Natuna Islands in its so-called "nine-dash line". China says that it does not dispute Indonesia's sovereignty over the Natuna Islands. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
CNN reported on Sunday that a U.S. Marine slain in a Saturday rocket attack in northern Iraq, Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin of Temecula, California, was deployed there as part of the first (and previously unknown) U.S. fire base established in Iraq in the fight against ISIS.

According to CNN, its reporters learned from a defense official that the Pentagon "planned to acknowledge the firebase," as well as the deployment of regular U.S. ground troops against ISIS in a support role with Iraqi troops, sometime "this week." Currently, forces on site comprise a "couple of hundred" Marines deployed with artillery. U.S. forces believe ISIS fighters saw the Marines "firing practice rounds with their howitzers."

The last combat troops deployed as part of the U.S. military occupation of Iraq beginning in 2003 were pulled out in 2011. However, as the country's security situation deteriorated and ISIS took over large stretches of Iraq, including major cities, the U.S. has again taken a lead role in the coalition of regional governments supporting the government in Baghdad.

In December 2015, Foreign Policy's Paul McLeary wrote U.S. special forces were likely heading back into Iraq. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters the elite troops "will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture ISIL leaders ... [and be] focused on defending its borders and building the [Iraqi Security Forces] own capacity. This force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations into Syria."

While Marines have been deployed to Iraq alongside those special forces in the past year, previously acknowledged roles have mainly included diplomatic security and training Iraqi forces.

According to the Marine Corps Times, a fresh detachment of Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are already heading to Iraq following the rocket attack.

Update: March 20, 2016 at 5:28 p.m.

This article has been updated to include additional context on ongoing U.S. Marine Corps operations in Iraq.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's government on Sunday warned against travel to Turkey after three of its citizens were killed in an Istanbul suicide bombing the previous day.

The country's anti-terrorism office raised its threat assessment and "recommends avoiding visits to Turkey", it said in a statement.

"Yesterday's deadly attack in Istanbul, in which a group of Israeli tourists was hit, underscores the threat against tourist targets throughout Turkey."

Tens of thousands of Israelis visit nearby Turkey each year despite strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Besides the three killed, another 10 Israelis were wounded, foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said.

Five lightly wounded Israelis were flown home overnight, medics said Sunday.

The army said the five others with more serious injuries and the bodies of those killed were returned by Israel's military on Sunday afternoon.

The three Israelis killed were identified as Avraham Goldman, 69, Jonathan Shor, 40, and Simha Damari, 60.

They were part of a group of Israeli tourists on a culinary-themed trip to Turkey, Israeli media reported.

Saturday's blast in the heart of Istanbul also killed an Iranian.

Turkey said the attack was linked to the Islamic State jihadist group.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he had no evidence that the attack targeted Israelis.

The attack came six days after a suicide car bombing at a busy square in the capital Ankara that killed 35 people and was claimed by Kurdish rebels.

NATO member Turkey was a key regional ally of Israel until the two countries fell out in 2010 over the deadly storming by Israeli commandos of a Turkish aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, bound for Gaza.

There have been diplomatic efforts in recent months to normalise ties.

On Sunday, the director general of the Israeli foreign ministry, Dore Gold, arrived in Istanbul for meetings with Turkish officials and local Jewish leaders as well as Israeli diplomats, his office said.

Gold is a close confidant of Netanyahu, and his visit to Turkey is the first by a high-ranking Israeli official in years.
By Ece Toksabay and Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish member of the Islamic State militant group was responsible for Saturday's suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed three Israelis and an Iranian, Turkey's interior minister said. The attack in Istiklal Street, Istanbul's most popular shopping district, is the fourth such bombing in Turkey this year and the second one by Islamist militants. In January a suicide bomber blew himself up in Istanbul's historic heart, killing 12 German tourists. NATO-member Turkey is on heightened alert after the bombings, which have killed more than 80 people. A soccer match between Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce and Galatasaray was canceled on Sunday and the stadium evacuated on what appeared to be a security threat. Interior Minister Efkan Ala identified Saturday's bomber as a man from a southern Turkish province, adding that five people had been detained so far in connection with the blast. "We have determined that Mehmet Ozturk, born in 1992 in Gaziantep, has carried out the heinous attack on Saturday in Istanbul. It has been established that he is a member of Daesh," Ala told a news conference broadcast live on television, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Israel has confirmed that three of its citizens died in the blast. Two of them held dual citizenship with the United States. An Iranian was also killed, Turkish officials have said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is trying to determine whether its citizens were deliberately targeted. Eleven of the 36 wounded were Israelis. In his first public appearance since the bombing, President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not give in to militants. "We will never surrender to the agenda of terror. We will defeat the terrorist organizations and the powers behind them by looking after the unity of our nation," he said. SPATE OF BOMBINGS As part of a U.S.-led coalition, Turkey is fighting Islamic State in neighboring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling Kurdish militants in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. The spate of bombings has raised questions about its ability to protect itself from a spillover of both the Syria and Kurdish conflicts. An offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for two recent car bomb attacks in the capital Ankara that killed a total of 66 people. Turkey sees the Kurdish insurgency as fueled by the territorial gains of Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria. Police were questioning the father and brother of the alleged bomber Ozturk and had determined his identity by checking a DNA sample from the blast scene against one taken from his father, security sources said. Ozturk's family reported him missing after he went to Istanbul in 2013, the security sources said. Police were on also on alert due to concerns about potential clashes between security forces and Kurdish militants during a spring festival this weekend that is widely celebrated by Kurds. The United States and some European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant before the Newroz celebrations. Interior Minister Ala said authorities had put 200,000 members of the police and gendarmerie on duty, some of whom would set up checkpoints. Hundreds of bomb control devices had also been dispatched. But he acknowledged the difficulty of catching lone suicide bombers. "We have to take all measures to prevent any terrorist acts," he said. "But sometimes there are suicide bombings that are hard to prevent." 'WE ARE HERE' Streets across the city, usually bustling with traffic and pedestrians on Sundays, were eerily quiet apart from the sound of police helicopters buzzing overhead. Although Istiklal was quiet earlier in the day it was no longer deserted by afternoon. Crowds gathered at a makeshift memorial at the site of the bombing, where mourners laid carnations next to handwritten signs that read: "We are here. We are not afraid." Ahmet Merkit, who was carrying a Turkish flag near the site of the blast, described the bombing as an attack against all Turks. "Those who did this cannot call themselves Muslims. They have no religion," he said. "We must remain a democratic society. We are a nation that has never surrendered, we will not surrender now to terrorism." Dutch Consul General Robert Schuddeboom, who had come to lay flowers at the site, said there could be more such attacks. "With terrorism, even the best of security agencies and the best of information cannot prevent it from happening... The general analysis is that we can expect more attacks," he said. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook were not readily accessible, local users reported. Authorities have blocked access after past bombings, usually because graphic images have been shared online. It was not immediately clear whether Germany, which closed its diplomatic missions and German schools last week citing a security threat, would open them on Monday. A foreign ministry spokeswoman said the decision would be made at short notice. (Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Murad Sezer, Osman Orsal and Can Sezer in Turkey; Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem and Hans-Edzard Busemann in Berlin; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Amman (AFP) - Jordan said on Sunday it will set up security cameras around Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the coming days to monitor any Israeli "violations".

In October, US Secretary of State John Kerry endorsed a plan to install cameras at the site in a bid to calm repeated disturbances, after talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed.

But the Jordanian-run trust or "Waqf" that administers the site -- which houses the famed golden Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque -- then complained that Israeli police had blocked it from installing the cameras.

A "control centre" will be set up to monitor round-the-clock video surveillance of the compound, Jordan's Islamic Affairs Minister Hayel Daoud said.

The footage will be broadcast online to "document all Israeli violations and aggressions", he said in a statement, adding that no cameras would be installed inside mosques.

Clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces erupted at the compound in September amid fears among Muslims that Israel was planning to change rules governing the site.

The Israeli prime minister has said repeatedly there are no such plans.

The Al-Aqsa clashes preceded a wave of violence that has killed 198 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese since October 1, according to an AFP count.

The mosque compound is in east Jerusalem, which was annexed from Jordan in 1967. While Amman has retained custodial rights over the holy sites, administered by the Jordanian Waqf, Israel controls access to them.

Considered the third holiest site in Islam, and revered by Jews as their holiest site, known as the Temple Mount, the compound is a crucible of tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Under longstanding rules, Jews are allowed to visit, but not pray in, the compound.
Kate del Castillo has broken her silence about her rendezvous with notorious drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman and Sean Penn.

On Friday's edition of ABC's 20/20, the Mexican actress sat down with Diane Sawyer and disclosed details of their private meeting, along with her thoughts on Penn's Rolling Stone piece, in her first on-air interview on the subject.

During the one-hour special, del Castillo talked to Sawyer about the flirtatious text messages she received from El Chapo prior to their meeting, which were made public in January.

"He probably had a crush on Teresa Mendoza," she said, explaining that El Chapo was most likely an "admirer" of the fictional drug-trafficking character she plays on the telenovela La Reina del Sur.

The actress recalled being on edge upon first meeting El Chapo after several text exchanges, saying she had to muster up the courage to speak to him. She, Penn and the drug lord had agreed to meet at a remote location in the mountains for drinks.

Read More: The Strange, Ongoing Saga of Sean Penn, El Chapo and Who Was (and Wasnt) Making a Movie

"I didnt know how to react. He kissed me on the cheek and embraced me," del Castillo told Sawyer about the encounter. "His eyes penetrate you like a dagger. Its scary, you know? Because its really strong."

At one point in the night, she was left alone with El Chapo, a moment she remembered to be "really scary."

"I was waiting for him to make a move. I had no idea what intentions [he had] ... everything happened in my head. ... Those seconds were crucial for me. I thought everything," said del Castillo.

She then added, "My heart started pounding ... I actually got the guts to tell him. I [felt], this is now or never, and if I dont say it right now, I might not have another opportunity. And if I say it, these might be my last words."

She shared that before she left, she told him, "'Youre a powerful man. You can do something good.' ... I was literally dying inside. I thought, if he gets mad, I dont know what Im going to do. ... I thought I was gonna faint."

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Read More: Kate del Castillo Shares Her Side of the Story About El Chapo and Sean Penn

Del Castillo, once prodded by Sawyer, also explained how she connected Penn with El Chapo, a meeting that ultimately led to El Chapo's recapturing after he escaped from prison in July 2015, and admitted she was still angry with Penn for how things panned out.

The actress maintained she believed Penn was accompanying her because he was interested in working on a film she was planning based on El Chapo's life. She told Sawyer she wasn't aware that the actor had met with El Chapo for an interview he was planning to publish in Rolling Stone.

"I think he was never interested in the movie," said del Castillo. "I'm angry at myself because I believe in people, and I didnt know Sean Penn."

She claimed that several anecdotes in Penn's published story wereand that she took offense with his reference to her as his "ticket to El Chapo's trust."

Holding back tears, she apologized to her family for putting them in the center of the controversy, saying, "I am an honorable woman. ... This does not define who I am."

The actress is currently being investigated by Mexican authorities for possible money laundering in association with El Chapo. She ended her sit-down with Sawyer by revealing that she still plans to continue on with her film project about his life.
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Kenyan troops killed 34 al Shabaab militants in two separate incidents on Saturday and Sunday in Somalia and two of its own soldiers were killed in an ambush, a military spokesman said. On Saturday, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) killed 21 of the insurgents in the southern town of Afmadow in the ambush in which the two soldiers died. David Obonyo, spokesman for KDF, said in a statement that on Sunday, Kenyan troops killed a further 13 fighters just north of Ras Kamboni, also in southern Somalia. "The KDF soldiers pursued them following information of an intended probe attack. Following the incident, a middle level al Shabaab commander has been detained, 13 militants were killed," Obonyo said, referring to a reconnoitre attack by al Shabaab. "Regrettably, KDF suffered two fatalities and five injuries. The injured were evacuated and are receiving medical attention," he said of the incident on Saturday. An improvised explosive device also damaged one of the Kenyan army's vehicles, he said. He said from the two incidents, KDF troops had recovered 27 AK 47 rifles, five rocket propelled grenades, a pistol, two PKM machine guns and ammunition. Somalia's government is battling to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation after more than two decades of conflict. Al Shabaab ruled large parts of Somalia until 2011, when it was driven out of Mogadishu by African Union (AU) and Somali troops. The militants, who aim to topple the Western-backed government, often inflate casualty numbers and downplay the number of their own fighters killed. Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesman, told Reuters on Saturday their fighters had killed 12 soldiers in the Afmadow attack. In January, Kenyan troops as part of the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM) took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border. No exact casualty figure has been given. Al Shabaab said more than 100 soldiers were killed. (Reporting by Feisal Omar in MOGADISHU and Humphrey Malalo in NAIROBI; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Louise Ireland)
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya and Uganda's presidents and oil company executives will meet on Monday to hold further discussions on a route for a pipeline to transport the two countries' oil, the Kenyan president's spokesman said on Sunday. Resolving the pipeline route is crucial to helping oil companies involved in Uganda and Kenya to make final investment decisions on developing oil fields. "President Uhuru Kenyatta will host Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni tomorrow ... They will discuss the construction of the Uganda-Kenya oil pipeline, a key plank of the Northern Corridor Infrastructure Projects," Manoah Esipisu said in a statement. Last wee, Tanzania's presidency said that Total, which has a stake in Uganda's crude oil discoveries, had set aside $4 billion to build a pipeline from Ugandan fields to the Tanzanian coast and that Tanzania wants the three-year construction schedule shortened. The comments raised the stakes in a competition to secure the pipeline with Kenya, which wants Ugandan oil to be exported across its territory and wants the pipeline to link up with Kenyan oil fields. "Kenya favours the northern route through Lokichar, because as part of the Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) project, it would transform infrastructure and the way of life of the people in the towns and counties across its path," Esipisu said. He added that officials from Tullow Oil, Total and Chinas CNOOC had been invited to the meeting. Total has previously raised security concerns about the Kenyan route. Sections of the Kenyan pipeline could run near Somalia, from where militants have launched attacks on Kenya. But industry officials have also said that connecting Kenyan fields, which have estimated total recoverable reserves of 600 million barrels, with those in Uganda would make the pipeline project cheaper because costs would be shared. Both Kenya and Uganda, which the government says has a total 6 billion barrels of crude, have yet to begin commercial production. Tullow Oil and partner Africa Oil first struck oil in Lokichar in northwest Kenya in 2012. Africa Oil and Tullow were 50-50 partners in blocks 10 BB and 13T, where the discoveries were made. Africa Oil has since sold a 25 percent stake in those blocks to A.P. Moller-Maersk. (Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by David Goodman)
Cotonou (AFP) - Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou goes head-to-head with businessman Patrice Talon on Sunday in the decider of Benin's presidential election, with little to separate the two after first-round voting.

Here are the main subjects dominating the minds of the west African country's 4.7 million voters:

- Youth unemployment -

The 15-34 age group makes up some 60 percent of Benin's working population.

Officially, the unemployment rate is under 4.0 percent but with 85 percent of workers in the informal sector of the jobs market, the figure does not reflect reality.

With few jobs available, many university graduates end up driving motorbike-taxis that are increasingly found everywhere in Benin.

Zinsou, standing for outgoing president Thomas Boni Yayi's Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin party, promises 350,000 jobs by 2021, especially for the young and women.

Talon, who made his money in the key cotton sector and running Cotonou's port, has pledged to take steps to encourage job creation in the private sector.

- Corruption -

When he was first elected in 2006, Boni Yayi vowed to stop endemic corruption in several key sectors such as the port in Benin's commercial hub, Cotonou, and the cotton industry.

But his two terms have been marked by several embezzlement and bribery scandals.

In 2010, the head of state was implicated in a major savings scandal, dubbed locally the "Benin Madoff affair" after the disgraced US financier Bernie Madoff, in which thousands of Beninese lost money.

The construction of a new national assembly buidling in the administrative capital Porto Novo has also eaten up millions of dollars but never been finished.

Last year, the Netherlands suspended aid to Benin after four million euros earmarked for drinking water schemes disappeared.

- Health and education -

Benin, which has a population of 10.6 million, is considered by the World Bank to be a low-income country with poor ratings in health and education indicators.

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Free primary school education is seen as a positive from Boni Yayi's presidency even if subsidies do not always reach schools, said political analyst Simon Asoba.

"Headteachers end up asking parents for contributions" to ensure that schools function, he added.

Boni Yayi also created a universal scheme to open up access to healthcare to the poorest in society via an average monthly subscription of 1,000 CFA francs (1.5 euros).

But the scheme is not yet up and running.

Zinsou's manifesto makes development a key priority, including helping the 100,000 poorest families and improving medical infrastructure.

- Port is beating heart -

The port is the beating heart of Benin and accounts for almost half the country's tax receipts and more than 80 percent of customs tariffs.

It handles some 90 percent of Benin's overseas business and sells itself as a transit port for neighbouring Nigeria to the east and surrounding countries such as Niger and Burkina Faso.

Major infrastructure work has been carried out, including the construction of a new quay, allowing it to handle twice as many containers in 2014 as it did in 2008.

A computerised management system of truck arrivals and departures has been put in place as well as a single counter to handle all transactions, helping to streamline procedures and cut graft.

But waiting times remain long due to a lack of available space and the new checks.

Ships often wait up to a week before offloading, said forwarding agent Leandre Kodjo Sonou.

"Some ships go to Lome in neighbouring Togo and bring in the containers by lorry, which is quicker," he added.

The port of Tema, in Ghana, is also a main competitor for business.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran still faces difficulties in working with foreign banks and the international financial system due to U.S. policies, even after nuclear-related sanctions were lifted, the country's top leader said on Sunday. "In Western countries and places which are under U.S. influence, our banking transactions and the repatriation of our funds from their banks face problems ... because (banks) fear the Americans," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised address marking the Iranian new year. "The Americans have not acted on their promises and (only) removed the sanctions on paper," he added. (Reporting by Sam Wilkin, Editing by William Maclean)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish police on Sunday fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of people attending Kurdish New Year celebrations in Istanbul in defiance of a ban on gatherings following a string of terror attacks.

Dozens of people were arrested during the clashes in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Bakirkoy on the eve of Kurdish Newruz, or New Year, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Nevruz is a key marker of the Kurdish social and cultural calendar.

Several Turkish cities, including Istanbul, had banned gatherings over the weekend, citing security concerns following a raft of bombings around the country in recent months.

In the latest attack, an alleged Islamic State bomber killed four people in a suicide attack Saturday on a busy shopping street in Istanbul.

Sunday's Nevruz celebrations were called by the pro-Kurdish Democratic Peoples' Party (HDP) party.

Police barred an HDP lawmaker from making a statement and then used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon to repel a crowd of demonstrators trying to gather in a square.

Tensions are running high between the state and Kurdish youths following the resumption of a long-running conflict between the security forces and the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey last summer.

A radical PKK offshoot, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), claimed responsibility for two suicide car bombings in Ankara in the past month that left dozens dead.

Kurdish activists and their supporters have also been targeted in several attacks, including a bombing in Ankara in October that killed 103 people which was blamed on the Islamic State group -- arch-foes of Kurdish fighters across the border in Syria.
The LAPD is investigating a "very old" human skull found in L.A.'s Griffith Park on Saturday afternoon.

The skull was seen by hikers near the Hollywood sign at about 2 p.m., and LAPD homicide investigators and Los Angeles County coroners office officials arrived at the scene around the Brush Canyon trail shortly thereafter.

Lt. Ryan Schatz with the LAPD called the skull "very old," though he didn't know how long it had been in the park or the person's cause of death, KTLA reports.

Investigators added that they planned to monitor the Griffith Park area throughout the night. Access to the area was closed off for the night.

As of Saturday night, no other body parts have been located.

The skull's discovery comes just two years after human remains were found in the same area. In 2014, remains, including a human head, were found near the Hollywood sign. A dog found the head on the hiking trail, and authorities later found hands and feet of what was determined to be the body of Hervey Medellin. Gabriel Campos-Martinez later was found guilty of his murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

The LAPD has not yet commented on whether the two discoveries could be related.

Read More: War Over Hollywood Sign Pits Wealthy Residents Against Urinating Tourists: "One of These Days Someone Will Get Shot"
Aden (AFP) - At least 55 people, including 14 civilians, have been killed in two days of fighting between pro-government forces and Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen, officials said Sunday.

The clashes came as UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was in the rebel-held capital Sanaa for meetings with the Huthis aimed at restarting peace talks with the internationally recognised government.

Since Saturday, fighting has raged in the outskirts of third city Taez as rebels try to retake positions lost in recent weeks to loyalists, military sources said.

Pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition managed earlier this month to break a months-long rebel siege of the southwestern city.

"At least 26 people, including 14 civilians, have been killed in 24 hours" in rebel shelling of residential neighbourhoods and loyalist positions, a local official told AFP.

Taez lies between Sanaa, which rebels overran in September 2014, and the port city of Aden -- the temporary base of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

On another front, six pro-Hadi fighters and seven rebels were killed Saturday in clashes in the southern province of Shabwa, where loyalists advanced in the oil-rich area of Baihan, another military source said.

In the neighbouring province of Marib, pro-Hadi forces on Saturday captured the Harib area, the military source said, adding that 13 rebels and three loyalists were killed in the fighting.

As well as the 55 dead in fighting between pro-government forces and rebels, two loyalists were killed late Saturday in an ambush that targeted a convoy heading from Taez to Aden, a military source said, accusing the Islamic State group of being behind the attack.

IS and Al-Qaeda militants have gained ground in southern Yemen since the coalition launched air strikes in the country in March last year, after the rebels closed in on Hadi in Aden, forcing him to flee to Riyadh.

Loyalists last summer recaptured Aden and four other southern provinces including Shabwa, but its northern area of Baihan remained in rebels hands.

The World Health Organisation 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.
By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday ruled out Senate confirmation of Democratic President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee this year, even if after the November election it appears the next president may pick a liberal who Republicans would like even less. In television interviews, McConnell said Republican senators had no intention of confirming Democrat Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, even if Democrats win the White House in November, putting them in the position to nominate someone more liberal than Garland when the new president takes office in January. "I can't imagine that a Republican-majority Congress, in a lame-duck session, after the American people have spoken (in the election), would want to confirm (Garland)," McConnell told CNN. "Thats not going to happen, McConnell told Fox News on Sunday. The principle is the same, whether its before the election or after the election. The principle is the American people are choosing their next president and their next president should pick this Supreme Court nominee. Nominees to the lifetime Supreme Court post require Senate confirmation. But McConnell says the Republican-run Senate will not hold a hearing or a vote on Garland. Republicans have said they want the next president to make the selection, hoping their party wins November's election. Billionaire businessman Donald Trump is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Garland, 63, is widely viewed as a moderate, admired by both Democrats and Republicans. Republican Senators Orrin Hatch and Jeff Flake last week raised the possibility of Senate action on Garland late this year if Democrats keep the White House in the Nov. 8 election. McConnell seemed keen to shut down that idea on Sunday, saying the Republican majority would not want to confirm Garland "even if it were soon to be in the minority." Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid told "Meet the Press" that he thought the Republican facade against Garland would break, because some Republican senators already have said they would be willing to meet Garland, and one Republican - Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois - has said there should be a vote. "McConnell is leading his Senate over the cliff. And I am telling everybody that's watching this, the senators aren't going to allow that," Reid said. The White House said it would stand by Obama's nominee. "We will stand by him from now until he is confirmed and hes sitting on the Supreme Court," White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said on Fox News on Sunday. (Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa and Andy Sullivan; Editing by David Clarke, Stephen Powell and Jonathan Oatis)
Dikili (Turkey) (AFP) - In a white van parked on a cliff looking out to sea, Turkish guards wait patiently for their scanner to detect migrant boats slipping across the water to Greece.

But fears of a sudden scramble to reach Europe ahead of new restrictions to curb the flow of migrants appeared to have been unfounded.

The small bay near the western town of Dikili being scanned by the coastguard in the early hours of Sunday was dark and eerily quiet, except for the steady hum of the rotating radar fixed to the van's roof.

Nestled among gently sloping hills strewn with olive trees, the tranquil bays dotted along this stretch of the coast are a favourite destination among Turkish holidaymakers.

But in more recent times, the iridescent waters of the Aegean Sea have also lured many migrants and refugees hoping to reach the nearby Greek island of Lesbos.

With the promise of a better life in Europe just 10 kilometres (six miles) away, many migrants have lost their lives making the perilous crossing to Greece.

From Sunday, however, an EU-Turkey deal aims to shut down the route by sending any migrants arriving in Greece back to Turkey.

"Smugglers usually drop hundreds of them after midnight -- Afghans, Syrians, Iraqis. Boats tend to set off between 0400 and 0800," a local hotel worker told AFP late Saturday, pointing to a spot along a winding coastal road.

Nearly every night over the past year, men, women and children have used the cover of darkness to scramble into small inflatable boats and set off into an uncertain future.

On Friday, around 500 Syrians left from the beach being scanned by the radar van. Yet 24 hours later no-one turned up.

A nearby dirt track showed traces of hasty departures: life jackets hanging in bushes, dozens of pumps to inflate rubber dinghies, nappies, children's cough medicine, lost shoes, a green toy frog.

Further south, another key departure spot, Cesme, was also calm in the hours before and after the migrant accord came into force.

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- 'We want to go!' -

Observers pointed to several factors that could explain the apparent absence of migrants trying to reach Greece.

Stepped-up Turkish patrols, which saw 1,734 migrants and 16 people smugglers en route to Lesbos arrested Friday, could have deterred other would-be travellers.

A further 210 people were captured in four dinghies bound for Lesbos early Saturday and brought back to Dikili, a coastguard member told AFP.

They were detained aboard the coastguard vessel for 36 hours before eventually being taken to a holding area at the port at midday on Sunday.

"We want to go! We don't want to stay!" a group of migrants chanted as they stood pressed against the metal gates of the holding area.

"We were treated like animals on the big ship. They gave us no food or water," a 19-year-old Syrian told AFP.

A bus later arrived to take some 50 migrants away to a nearby camp for fingerprinting, after which they were to be released.

A further explanation for the absence of migrants in traditional launching spots at the weekend could be that smugglers typically seek out new routes when old ones become blocked by the authorities.

Many migrants have also been unaware of the plan to clamp down on the influx into Europe, like a group of about 20 Afghans that AFP met near Cesme on Friday.

The group, which declined to be interviewed, was hiding in an unfinished building, waiting for darkness to fall before trying to sneak across to the Greek island of Chios.
Rabat (AFP) - More than 80 civilian members of a UN mission have left Western Sahara under a Moroccan expulsion order, airport sources and an AFP correspondent in the disputed territory said Sunday.

It was the latest chapter in a row between Morocco and the world body since UN chief Ban Ki-moon angered Rabat by using the term "occupation" to refer to the status of Western Sahara.

"The last civilian members of the UN mission... took off on Sunday at 6 pm on a flight to Casablanca," said an airport source in the territory's main city of Laayoune.

The departures raised to 83 the number of staffers of the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara who have left since Saturday, leaving behind a pregnant member who was unable to travel.

The United Nations has said the removal of the civilian staff from the 500-strong MINURSO would deal a crippling blow to the mission, affecting drivers, technicians and communications experts.

The military force would not be able to operate without the civilian component, the UN's top political affairs official, Jeffrey Feltman, warned last week.

The United Nations has been trying to broker a Western Sahara settlement since a 1991 ceasefire ending a war that broke out when Morocco deployed its military in the former Spanish territory in 1975.

Rabat demanded a scaling back of the UN mission in retaliation for Ban's remarks during a visit to a Sahrawi refugee camp in early March in Algeria, which supports the territory's pro-independence Polisario Front.

Morocco, which considers the territory to be part of the kingdom and insists that its sovereignty cannot be challenged, has also decided to cut $3 million in funding for the UN mission.

Ban is to raise the MINURSO issue with UN Security Council ambassadors in New York on Monday, after the Council met last week but failed to urge Morocco to reverse the drastic cuts.
* Two-time world champion collides with Gutierrez * Walks away from dramatic crash (adds Alonso quotes) By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE, March 20 (Reuters) - Fernando Alonso felt lucky to be alive after walking away from a spectacular crash that left his obliterated McLaren scattered across the Albert Park circuit and brought a halt to the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Alonso's right wheel clipped Esteban Gutierrez's Haas at high speed going into turn three of the 18th lap and the impact sent the Spaniard's McLaren careening into a barrier, smashing it to pieces, before it flipped, rolled and flew end-over-end into another barrier. The two-time Formula One world champion emerged from the wreckage and walked gingerly over to Mexican Gutierrez, where the pair embraced. "I'm okay, I'm trying to put everything in place again," the 34-year-old told Sky Sports in the paddock after Nico Rosberg won the race for Mercedes. "It was a scary crash. Lucky to be here and happy to be here, and thankful to be here -- especially to the (governing body) FIA and all the safety, thanks to that probably I'm alive. "We lost the power unit and the car because there was a lot of damage, but I'm super happy to be talking." Race control said Alonso's contact with Gutierrez would be investigated but the Spaniard said neither driver was to blame. "We were racing, I kept in the slip-stream as late as I could and at the last moment I tried to move. "It's tough, you can only see the rear wing, you don't have the full view of the track. And same for him, he's defending and can't see what the other guy is doing. So we are both happy." It was a disappointing day all round for McLaren, with Alonso's team mate Jenson Button finishing 14th out of the 16 finishers. (Editing by Peter Rutherford/John O'Brien)
By Hnin Yadana Zaw NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Myanmar democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi will steer the incoming government of her National League for Democracy (NLD), staying on as party head, and is unlikely to take a formal position in the government, the party said on Sunday. Myanmar's parliament last week elected Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confidant of the Nobel peace prize laureate, as president, making him the first head of state since the 1960s who does not hail from a military background. Suu Kyi led the NLD to a historic landslide election win in November, but a constitution drafted by the former junta bars her from the top office because her two children and her late husband do not have Myanmar citizenship. Suu Kyi has vowed to defy the constitution described by senior NLD members as "ridiculous", pledging to run the country from "above the president". The party has not clarified how such an arrangement would be implemented, fuelling speculation about possible positions Suu Kyi might assume after the government takes office on April 1. "Taking positions is not that important any more...In the United States there are many famous lawmakers in the parliament who are very influential, but they don't take any position in the cabinet," Zaw Myint Maung, the NLD spokesman and one of its leaders, told Reuters late on Sunday. "It's the same here. She will lead the (ruling) party so, she will (by extension) lead the government formed by that party," said the spokesman, in the most detailed remarks on the issue by a senior NLD politician to date. He did not elaborate on the party's plans. Win Htein, another top NLD leader and Suu Kyi confidant, told Reuters in November Suu Kyi could be "something like Sonia Gandhi". Suu Kyi herself said in October that her plan was not "quite like that", but she did not provide details on her plans. Gandhi is the Italian-born widow of the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. As leader of the Congress party, she dominated the government of former Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh before it fell from power in 2014. Myanmar's powerful military holds a quarter of parliamentary seats and the constitutional right to nominate one of the three presidential candidates. Its candidate, retired general Myint Swe, last week became the country's first vice president. Relations between the armed forces and Suu Kyi will define the success of Myanmar's most significant break from military rule since the army seized power in 1962. The NLD spokesman said that on Monday president-elect Htin Kyaw would speak in parliament about reducing the number of government ministries. Last week the NLD said it would slash the number of ministries by about a third to 21. (Editing by Stephen Powell)
Kathmandu, Mar 20(ANI): Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is leaving for China today at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Oli is leading a 56-member delegation to Beijing. During his visit, several agreements and MoUs are expected to be signed between the two countries, reports The Himalayan Times. Both countries are preparing to formalise Transit and Transportation Agreement and Hilsa Bridge Construction Project besides signing a loan agreement with China EXIM bank for the construction of a regional international airport in Pokhara, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa. The two countries are also likely to sign MoUs on Free Trade Agreement, Patent Rights and Banking Regulations, said Thapa. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) will sign an MoU with China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), enabling both regulators to exchange supervisory information. The construction of the Hilsa Bridge will be the third friendly bridge connecting Nepal and China after Tatopani in Sindhupalchok and Kerung in Rasuwa. Several feasibility studies, including Kimathanka-Biratnagar road, second phase of Ring Road expansion, Kerung-Kathmandu rail and petroleum storage facilities in three locations and a mono rail for Kathmandu are also high on agenda. This is Oli's second foreign visit after India last month since he became the Prime Minister. PM Oli will be accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Commerce Minister Deepak Bohara, Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel, PM's Chief Political Advisor Bishnu Rimal, parliamentarians and senior bureaucrats. During the visit, he will pay courtesy calls on Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. Oli is also scheduled to address the scholars, academics, business people and students at Renmin University on the theme 'Nepal-China Relations in the Context of Belt and Road Initiatives'. He will also witness the signing ceremony of MoU on Granting Nepal the Status of Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The Prime Minister is scheduled to return on March 27 from Chengdu. (ANI)
Nico Rosberg capitalised on a slow start off pole by world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton and superior tyre strategy over Ferrari to win the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The German won his fourth straight GP and 15th overall after stringing together the final three races of 2015 to beat his Mercedes rival Hamilton by eight seconds.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who led off the grid and was faster than the Mercedes pair on his super softs before needing a tyre change on lap 36, was third.

It was an incident-packed race with McLaren's double world champion Fernando Alonso walking away from a horrifying high-speed crash and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari catching fire in the pit lane.

The dominant German team has now won 33 of the last 39 races and it was a sweet triumph for Rosberg, who has trailed Hamilton in the drivers' standings for the past two seasons.

"The strategy was crucial today and I am truly thankful to the team and there was a tyre choice on the red flag and I was happy to follow up with the mediums," Rosberg said.

"It's early days but it's the perfect start. We have to keep an eye on the red guys (Ferrari)."

Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fourth in his Red Bull, with Brazilian Felipe Massa fifth in a Williams and Romain Grosjean sixth for the newcomers Haas.

Hamilton, who had led every practice and qualifying session for the first race, was slowly away allowing Vettel to dart through a narrow opening between both Mercedes to beat them to first turn.

Rosberg locked up on the inside of the first corner, forcing Hamilton to back off and allow Raikkonen to pass them both on the exit to the sharp right-hander.

Hamilton's loss of momentum cost him two more places to Max Verstappen and Massa.

"I loved the fact we had to come from far behind. I've had much worse in the first race and I'll take it as a real bonus to come back from seventh," Hamilton said.

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Alonso had a heart-stopping moment on lap 17 and was fortunate not to be seriously injured in a spectacular shunt with Esteban Gutierrez in a Haas approaching turn three.

Alonso's McLaren veered into the wall and went into a series of violent rolls before it flew through the gravel trap and slammed into another barrier disintegrating upon impact.

The twice former world champion was shaken but unharmed and quickly clambered out of the barely recognisable wreckage.

The race was red-flagged and cars returned to the pit lane while considerable debris was cleared from the track.

- Out in flames -

The stoppage wiped away the Ferrari pair's advantage -- and planned tyre strategy -- with the entire field able to change to fresh rubber before restarting behind the safety car with 18 laps of the 57 gone.

Indonesian rookie Rio Haryana failed to rejoin, however, with his Manor car experiencing driveline problems.

Vettel, still on the softest compound, again established a lead after the restart from Rosberg, Riccardo and Verstappen with Hamilton sixth.

Raikkonens Ferrari came into the pits with flames coming out of the air box of his car and the Finn appeared unflustered while a marshal extinguished the fire above his head as he exited the cockpit to retire.

Vettel stretched his advantage on lap 26 to 3.7sec over Rosberg, but his Ferrari began to struggle on his fading super-softs with Rosberg, who would not have to stop again on the medium compound, closing the gap.

Vettel pitted his Ferrari on lap 36 and rejoined the race on soft tyres in fourth leaving Rosberg in front.

Hamilton, now up to third on his own mediums, passed Ricciardo for second on lap 42 to lie 10sec behind Rosberg with Vettel 15.8sec off the lead.

Vettel, with fresher rubber, closed on Hamilton but his challenge ended with two laps to go when he locked up at the penultimate corner and ran wide on to the grass.

"I went for it so obviously the start was mega. We settled into a rhythm nicely," Vettel said. "You can argue the red flag didn't help us. We tried to go more aggressive, maybe it didn't work but ultimately I'm very happy with third."
Niamey (AFP) - Voters in Niger cast ballots in the country's first-ever presidential run-off Sunday, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou on track for a second five-year term as the opposition observed a boycott.

Voter turnout in the capital Niamey, a stronghold of jailed opposition leader Hama Amadou, seemed lower than in the first round of the election, when queues formed outside polling stations, according to AFP reporters.

"I regret that the opposition is boycotting these elections, but we are a democracy and everyone is free to take whatever position they wish," Issoufou told AFP as he voted in Niamey.

Addressing reporters, he said: "We should avoid pointless quarrels. The winner, whoever he is, must think about bringing Nigeriens together beyond his own camp, because we face significant challenges."

"Challenges on which I have had to work. Five years is not enough to overcome these challenges, I am thinking in particular of security," he said, calling for a "holy union after two Islamist attacks on Thursday.

The election pits 64-year-old Issoufou, a former mining engineer nicknamed "the Lion", against 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.

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."

In Niamey Sunday some polling stations opened a little later than the 8 am (0700 GMT) official start time, AFP reporters said. They were to close at 7 pm (1800 GMT), with 7.5 million people eligible to vote.

The electoral commission has to declare the results within five days, but is expected to do so on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The impoverished west African state has only had a multi-party democracy since 1990 and three-quarters of the population live on less than $2 (1.80 euros) a day.

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- 'Stay at home' -

Issoufou took a solid lead with 48.4 percent in the initial vote on February 21, way ahead of Amadou, who scored 17.7 percent.

The opposition coalition alleged fraud in the first round, claiming "unfair treatment between the two candidates" and has vowed not to recognise the results of Sunday's vote.

Religious groups, tribal leaders and trade unions have called for calm and dialogue.

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.

During the campaign, Issoufou, who took office in 2011, repeatedly pledged to bring prosperity to the desolate 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.

On Friday, Amadou's doctor in Paris said his condition was improving but he would have to remain under observation for "at least 10 days."
Tripoli (AFP) - Nine migrants trying to reach Europe have drowned off Libya and hundreds more been rescued, the Red Crescent said Sunday amid fears of an increase in crossing attempts as the route from Turkey closes.

Leaders from six EU nations led by Britain held talks in Brussels on Friday on how to tackle the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean from Libya after a European naval task force plucked more than 3,100 from the water in just three days.

The nine who died were among several hundred migrants who were discovered aboard dilapidated boats off the port of Zawiya, west of Tripoli, on Saturday, Libyan Red Crescent spokesman Malek Mersit told AFP.

A total of 586 migrants were rescued, said Colonel Ayoub Qassem, spokesman for the navy of a Tripoli administration that has disputed power with Libya's internationally recognised government since 2014.

They included 11 children and 60 women, and were mainly Bangladeshis and Sudanese, he told AFP.

The drownings came just days after four migrants were killed in a boat fire off Libya and another 187 rescued.

European leaders fear that a deal with Turkey to tackle the EU's worst ever migrant crisis will spark an acceleration in the already large number of crossing attempts from Libya.

Around 330,000 have landed in Italy from Libya since the start of 2014.

The lawlessness that has reigned in the North African nation since the NATO-backed overthrow of veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011 has made it a favoured jumping-off point.
Australian authorities Sunday said there would be no logging in the World Heritage-listed Tasmanian Wilderness, following recommendations in a report submitted to the United Nations's cultural body UNESCO.

One of the last expanses of temperate wilderness in the world, the forest in Tasmania covers nearly 20 percent, or 1.4 million hectares, of the southern island state.

The conservative federal government in 2014 controversially tried but failed to have UNESCO revoke World Heritage status for parts of the wilderness to allow more access to loggers.

It was the first time a developed country had asked for a delisting.

"Today we confirm that we accept the recommendation of the monitoring mission that special species timber harvesting should not be allowed anywhere in the World Heritage Area," Tasmania's Environment Minister Matthew Groom said in a statement.

"It was important that the mission experts had the opportunity to hear all sides of the debate, and having done so, their clear advice to the World Heritage Committee is that there should no timber harvesting in the World Heritage Area including for specialty timbers."

The report was compiled by experts from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) after they visited the site in November.

Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said Sunday his government would respond to the report's recommendations ahead of the World Heritage Committee's July meeting on the state of the wilderness' conservation.

The announcement came days after Australia's parliamentary upper house said it would hold an inquiry into bushfires in the forest to investigate the impact of global warming on fire frequency, and on measures to protect the area.

The blazes this summer reportedly burnt some two percent of the protected region.
Pakistan on Sunday released 86 Indian fishermen held for trespassing into its territorial waters, officials said, the second batch freed this month.

"We released 86 more Indian fishermen today," Superintendent of Karachi's Malir prison Raja Mumtaz told AFP, adding that 363 still remain in Pakistani custody.

On March 6, Pakistan released 86 fishermen and a civilian prisoner, he added.

Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail, even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch-rivals slows up bureaucratic requirements for release.
Pakistan's southern Sindh province has announced a public holiday to celebrate Holi next week, the first time the Hindu "festival of colours" will be officially marked in the overwhelmingly Muslim country.

The move comes days after Pakistan's federal parliament passed a non-binding resolution that called for the country to observe Hindu and Christian holidays.

"We have announced a public holiday across the province on March 24 for the festival of Holi," Maula Bakhsh Chandio, a senior aide to the province's chief minister Qaim Ali Shah told AFP.

A government circular that was tweeted by Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, daughter of the ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, added that all government bodies except essential services would be off for the day.

Pakistan's Hindus make up around two percent of the country's 200 million people and mostly live in southern Sindh province. Christians account for roughly 1.6 percent of the population.

Religious minorities have long faced economic and social discrimination though there are signs the government is now attempting to improve its track record.

The ancient Hindu festival of Holi, which heralds the end of winter and the victory of good over evil, is marked with a national public holiday in India and sees revellers pour onto the streets.

Celebrated mainly in India, Nepal and other countries with large Hindu populations, it falls on the last full moon of winter.
Brussels (AFP) - The lawyer to top Paris attacks fugitive Salah Abdeslam launched a furious legal fight Sunday to avoid extradition after Europe's most wanted fugitive spent his first night in a Belgian prison.

Abdeslam is held in a high security jail on charges of "terrorist murder" for his role in the November 13 gun and suicide attacks on the French capital, which killed 130 people.

The Belgian-born French citizen, who was caught unarmed after being shot in the leg during a Friday police raid in Brussels, told interrogators he had planned to blow himself up at the Stade de France stadium in Paris but had backed out at the last minute.

A day after his capture, the 26-year-old was taken to a maximum security prison in the northwestern city of Bruges where police are eager to question the man who is the only survivor of the 10-man commando believed to have carried out the attacks.

His lawyer Sven Mary said Abdeslam would fight his extradition to Paris beginning with a legal complaint against a French prosecutor who divulged the details of the first interrogation with the suspect to journalists on Saturday.

"I don't understand why a prosecutor in Paris has to communicate at this stage on an investigation in Belgium," Mary told Le Soir newspaper on Sunday.

Abdeslam "is worth gold. He is collaborating, he's communicating, he is not using his right to remain silent," Mary said, urging patience.

- 'Violation' -

Paris prosector Francois Molins on Saturday told reporters Abdeslam had played a "central role" in planning the November attacks, which targeted bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall and were claimed by the Islamic State group (IS).

His brother Brahim blew himself up in a restaurant in the east of the French capital, and Molins said Abdeslam had planned to do the same at the Stade de France before changing his mind.

Investigators believe Abdeslam rented rooms in the Paris area to be used by the attackers and a car, which he used to drive them to the Stade de France before heading to the 18th arrondissement in the north of the capital.

Story continues

Days after the attacks an explosives-filled suicide vest was found in Paris in an area where mobile phone signals indicated Abdeslam had been.

Abdeslam was "directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and, unfortunately, the perpetration of these attacks," said Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when the raid took place.

French President Francois Hollande said shortly after his arrest Friday that he wanted to see Abdeslam transferred to France as quickly as possible to face prosecution.

- Two suspects at large -

Abdeslam's arrest in the gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels 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.

But the minister warned Saturday that the threat level remained "extremely high" and said France was deploying extra police officers to its borders to step up controls following discussions with Interpol.

Abdeslam is behind bars in solitary confinement at the Bruges high-security prison alongside Mehdi Nemmouche, who carried out a fatal attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014.

Police have also detained a suspected accomplice, known only under the false IDs of Amine Choukri or Mounir Ahmed Alaaj, but at a prison near Liege in eastern Belgium.

- Pizza delivery -

Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out the Paris attacks.

Two more suspects are wanted in connection with the killings -- Mohamed Abrini, who became friends with Abdeslam when they were teenagers, and another fugitive known only by a name used on false papers, Soufiane Kayal.

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 gunbattle.

Abdeslam's fingerprints were found at the scene of the first raid.

The police on Friday were also convinced they were on the right trail by the unusual number of pizzas ordered by a resident of the Molenbeek house, Belgian media said.
By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - After the Paris attacks, security forces searched far and wide for prime suspect Salah Abdeslam, who vanished after returning to Brussels, believing Islamic State could have spirited him away to Turkey, Syria or Morocco. It appears Europe's most wanted man never left the Belgian capital. And it was family, friends and petty criminals who helped him evade a manhunt for four months before he was arrested on Friday in the neighborhood he grew up in, not far from his parents' home. As security services seek to understand how Islamic State operates in Europe to prevent more attacks, Abdeslam's case highlights the difficulty of tracking suspects who can rely on the protection of community networks, many of which do not involve religious radicals and are not on the police radar. "Abdeslam relied on a large network of friends and relatives that already existed for drug dealing and petty crime to keep him in hiding," Belgium's federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said of the only surviving suspect of the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris. "This was about the solidarity of neighbors, families," Van Leeuw told public broadcaster RTBF, speaking about Abdeslam's ability to hide for so long despite 24,000 calls from the public to a Belgian police hotline seeking information about the suspected attackers. Abdeslam may have been hidden in the basement of an apartment of the mother of a friend with no links to militants, Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique reported on Sunday. Such friendships, not Islamic State operatives, proved crucial from the start for Abdeslam, who ran a bar in Molenbeek with his brother, which was a nexus of social life for young Arab men with little interest in the mosque but was shut down shortly before the attacks for being a hub for drug dealing. Abdeslam relied on two friends to drive him back to Brussels after his brother Brahim blew himself up at a Paris cafe. Others drove him around Molenbeek and its environs between safe houses. Police, who were eventually able to move in to seize him at a house in the rundown North African neighborhood of Molenbeek, have charged a man and a women whom they suspect of being part of a family who harbored the fugitive. While Abdeslam's networks were not infallible - his call to an acquaintance for help looking for a new hiding place let police finally locate him - they were formidable. 'IT'S NOT OVER' Few residents would talk to Reuters about Abdeslam, a 26-year-old French citizen raised by Moroccan-born parents in Molenbeek, on the poorer side of the city's industrial-era canal. Most of those that did said he was a likeable guy who was known in the area. Dominique, who ran a newsagents close to where Abdeslam was arrested, described him as "a very nice boy" who showed no signs of becoming a radical. Abdeslam did not fight in Syria. "I won't say he was normal because everyone always say that, but he had a nice manner, he wasn't aggressive," said Molenbeek resident Pierre, in his 50s. But another Molenbeek resident, Henri, meanwhile warned that Abdeslam was not the only one attracted by radicalism in the area. "It's not over," he said. "There are a lot of them." Western fighters in Syria and Iraq have found some of their most willing recruits in Belgium, partly because of the frustration many jobless young men feel in the marginalized quarters of Brussels - just a few kilometers from the wealth and power of the headquarters of NATO and the European Union, but effectively a world away. Belgium has supplied the highest per capita number of fighters to Syria of any European nation. More than 300 Belgians have gone to take up arms in Syria and Iraq, according to an estimate from the Brussels-based Egmont think-tank. Radicals such as another Molenbeek man Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected planner of the Paris attacks who was killed by French police late last year, posted internet videos of his exploits as a foreign fighter in Syria. 'PEOPLE WORK FREELANCE' But while three of the Paris attacks suspects grew up in Brussels, not all radicalized Belgian militants head for Syria. They are part of "networks and accomplices" who have not attracted police attention, according to Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and who vowed to extend surveillance. Some sell drugs and weapons in an area where locals have a reputation for not cooperating with police, doing only part-time work for Islamic State such as recruiting fighters to go to Syria and helping to plan attacks, Belgian prosecutors said. That would suggest police work cannot be focused simply on city mosques or monitoring social media and intercepting intelligence from militants in Syria and Iraq. "I don't think Daesh is giving orders 24 hours a day. That would make it too easy for us," said prosecutor Van Leeuw, referring to the militant group by its Arabic acronym. "People work freelance." Such complexity has prompted European police chiefs to urge governments to focus on the links between political militants and organized crime - noting, for example, that financing for militant groups has often come from drug dealing and racketeering while established crime gangs probably supplied the Kalashnikovs favored in recent IS attacks. Counter-terrorism expert Rik Coolsaet said that spotting Islamic State recruits in Europe was also becoming more difficult because, unlike in the past, youngsters were less likely to be pious conservatives but rather secular rebels who feel they have no part in society and are disillusioned by a perceived lack of opportunity. Following the worst financial crisis in a generation and with few of the lower-skilled jobs their parents' generation enjoyed in Belgian car factories and coal mines remaining, there is a "no-future atmosphere" said Coolsaet, from the Egmont think-tank. "Joining Islamic State opens a thrilling, bigger-than-life dimension to their way of life. For most of them it is akin to street gangs, drug trafficking, juvenile delinquency," he said. "A journey to Utopia." (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Pravin Char)
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Moscow-bound flight with 369 passengers on board was grounded temporarily at Phuket airport in southern Thailand on Sunday after a passenger refused to fly, saying that his presence endangered the aircraft. The incident comes a day after all 62 people aboard a Flydubai Boeing 737-800 flying from Dubai to southern Russia were killed when their plane crashed on its second attempt to land. Sunday's Phuket to Moscow flight operated by Russia's Nordwind Airlines was due to depart at 10.35 a.m. local time but the captain asked to suspend the flight because of a passenger incident, Airports of Thailand said in a statement. The company, which runs Thailand's international airports, said: "As the plane was leaving Bay number 6 a passenger named Alexander Nosov asked not to fly. He said: 'If I travel with this plane, this plane will not be safe'." An inspection by an explosive ordnance disposal team found nothing suspicious on the aircraft, the company said. The passenger was detained for questioning at the airport, police said, and did not fly with the plane when it took off more than six hours behind schedule. The Thai holiday island of Phuket is popular with Russian holidaymakers and is home to a large Russian expatriate community. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by David Goodman)
A Pennsylvania couple who brought their unconscious 23-month-old daughter to the hospital in February claiming she was sick were charged with murder on Thursday after an autopsy revealed the toddler allegedly starved to death, PEOPLE confirms.



According to the criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, when parents Andrea Dusha and Michael Wright brought their daughter, Lydia Wright, to the hospital, they allegedly told doctors Lydia had been drinking "a mixture of water, Gatorade and pedialyte from a sippie cup" when her eyes "rolled into the back of her head, foam began to emit from [her] nose and mouth, and [she] quit breathing."



Doctors attempted to revive Lydia but were unsuccessful.



An autopsy conducted the following day determined the cause of death was homicide as a result of malnutrition and dehydration, the complaint states. The medical examiner reported that Wright weighed 10 pounds; the average toddler weighs between 20 and 25 pounds, according to authorities.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.



During their investigation, police searched the home of Dusha and Wright and allegedly discovered "deplorable conditions." Rooms were allegedly cluttered with objects, making it hard to walk through, and there was allegedly no running water or sewage system.



According to the complaint, the family allegedly urinated in empty soda and juice bottles and disposed garbage in plastic bags kept on the floor. Police allegedly discovered a high chair covered in excrement and a grocery bag filled with used tampons, the complaint states.



The condition of the home was allegedly "unsuitable for children to be living in," the complaint states.



The couple's two other young children are currently with child protective services, Fayette County District Attorney Richard Bower tells PEOPLE.



Dusha and Wright have not yet entered a plea.
Boy, can artist Derek Fordjour remember the first time he met Michelle Papillion. They were in a room full of big names and up-and-comers at the estate of a very important Black artist. Papillion stood up in her purple pants and great shoes and proclaimed: I run a gallery in the hood.

Since then, Papillions gallery has shifted quarters, but not too far, and today you can find it below a neon sign  PAPILLION, it spells, in flamingo-pink capitals  in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. Nearby, theres Jamaican food, African-style silhouette murals and a whole lot of dudes drumming in the parking lot for a Friday afternoon. Maybe its an unlikely birthplace for the next great renaissance of African-American art. Or maybe its the perfect one. Whatever the case, Papillions ambitions recall nothing less than the Harlem of 90 years ago. Her shows, which feature the work of Black artists on the rise, already draw some of the most powerful collectors in the world. Were in the beginning of it, she tells me when I visit.

She looks weirdly fashionable in her oversize gray hoodie, hoop earrings, black pants and all black sneakers  even the Reading Rainbow mug shes clutching seems somehow cool. Papillion isnt the only reason that New York and London bigwigs like Jeffrey Deitch and Jay Jopling have come calling on the L.A. art scene, of course. Los Angeles looks a lot more like Brooklyn nowadays, with artists going at giant canvases in abandoned warehouses and an accompanying gentrification. But art in the City of Angels has a different kind of aesthetic  bigger pieces, bolder colors, outdoor installations  and a more inclusive, less elitist vibe. People need to feel comfortable in this environment, Papillion says.

To me, Papillions gallery recalls W.E.B. DuBois dream for Black drama: It would be by, for and near African-Americans  though itd be inaccurate to suggest that Papillion is only for Black audiences. Visitors are greeted by one of Fordjours canvases, featuring faceless Black men lined up as targets in a carnival game. Two panels of a Black man at an ATM cover an entire wall of Papillions office; its the work of Haitian-born, New Yorkraised, L.A.based artist Andy Robert. A collage of magazine photos by Sune Woods (formerly a photographer), stressed and manipulated, hangs with a texture like overlapping tissue papers. Curatorially shes doing all mediums, Shelley Holcomb, cofounder of Curate L.A., says, with really young artists that are subsequently gaining attention internationally. Indeed, the day I visit, shes just met with a couple of collectors from Tokyo.

In some ways, Papillions work runs parallel to that of Theaster Gates, the South Side Chicago revitalist, in whose property she made that declaration about the gallery in the hood. Making the space around her beautiful is Papillions art project. There are no galleries on this side of town owned by people of color. Period. To do good for a community is an art in and of itself, she says. And theres much good to be done in Leimert Park, a predominantly Black neighborhood with the second-highest property crime rate in the city, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Michellepapillion washburn 082

Source: Alex Washburn/OZY

Papillion is protective, even possessive, of the dozen Black artists shes shepherded to wider renown. Sometimes she is downright political. In Artforum, in the pages where owners typically advertise upcoming exhibitions, she took out an ad that said, Dear Art World, Lets End Police Terrorism #blacklivesmatter. Last Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Papillion underwrote a colorful float, designed by one of her artists, to represent the Crenshaw neighborhood, near Leimert Park. One of the sayings plastered on it was Black money matters. Its rare of a gallerist to be that explicit  and loud  about her politics.

But activism was in the water she drank, growing up in Oakland. Her mom was an educator, and her dad an architect. At Howard, she studied the classics at first, learning Latin, Greek and Egyptian (yes, she can read all three and waves off my impressed expression). She joined an Egyptian art class, and in terms of falling in love with visual arts, that was the tip of an iceberg for me, she says.

Its not easygoing, of course. Finding emerging artists is like winning the lottery, and turning unknowns into collectors darlings takes an eye, nurturing, skill, advocating, branding  as well as time and justice. Of the 10 people on the Most Powerful Art Dealers list that Forbes put out in 2012, none were women of color. But Papillion, has already come far, says Fordjour, who remembers coming up with her: We were all at this scrappy space at the same time, he says. Things have changed: Now people know her name when she comes into the room, and thats a different way to advocate.

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Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Sunday named the bomber behind a suicide attack in a busy Istanbul shopping and entertainment hub that killed four foreigners as a Turkish jihadist with links to the Islamic State group.

The attack on the famous Istiklal Caddesi street sent shockwaves through the city, where a derby between arch-rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce was postponed Sunday after the authorities received information of what they called a "serious" threat.

Interior Minister Efken Ala identified the alleged perpetrator of the attack as Mehmet Ozturk from Gaziantep, on the border with Syria.

"The attacker has been formally identified. He is linked to the terrorist organisation Daesh (Islamic State)," Ala said.

Ozturk, who was born in 1992 and travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2015, had been sought by police over his alleged links to an IS cell in Turkey, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

Ala insisted however he was "not on our (police) wanted list", defending the government against accusations of repeated security failings following six bombings since July that have killed over 200 people.

On Saturday, three Israelis and one Iranian were killed when the bomber detonated his explosives. The bodies of the three Israelis were flown home Sunday for burial.

Most of those injured in the blast were foreigners.

Nineteen people were still being treated in hospital Sunday, eight of them in critical condition, the health ministry said.

The interior minister said five people had been arrested on suspicion of links to the attack. Dogan agency reported that Ozturk's father and brother were among those held.

- Football derby postponed -

The normally bustling district targeted by the bomber was eerily silent Sunday, with many people skirting the neighbourhood for fear of further bloodshed.

In a sign of the nervousness, a highly-anticipated game between Turkish premier division sides Galatasaray and Fenerbahce was postponed two hours before kickoff over a security threat.

Story continues

Spectators had already started arriving for the game at Galatasaray's Turk Telecom Arena when the decision was announced and they were asked to leave the ground.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted to rally the public, telling Turks not give into the "fear and despondency".

"Turkey will never give into terrorists' agenda," he declared, sending his condolences to the victims' families.

- Israeli warning -

The Istanbul blast came just six days after 35 people were killed in a suicide car bombing in a busy square in the capital Ankara, in an attack claimed by Kurdish rebels.

Israeli media said the three Israeli victims were part of a group that was on a gastronomic tour of Turkey. Two of them also had US citizenship.

On Sunday, Israel's anti-terrorism office warned against travel to Turkey, citing "the threat to tourist targets" throughout the country.

The main opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet said the latest strike was proof of the government's "incompetence" in security matters.

Ankara had borne the brunt of the attacks until now, being hit three times in the past five months.

IS was held responsible for Turkey's worst ever attack, which killed 103 people at an October peace rally in Ankara.

The last such bombing in Istanbul, which was also blamed on IS, targeted the tourist quarter of Sultanahmet, where the Blue Mosque is located. Twelve German tourists were killed in that blast.

- 'Terrifying' new reality -

Flowers, candles, Turkish flags and placards -- one reading "We are not afraid" -- were left at the spot where the bomber struck outside a local government building.

Despite the messages of defiance, many people expressed fears for their safety.

"You never know where it can happen. It's terrifying," said Ismail, a chef from a local restaurant.

The US and Europe, NATO allies which have been critical of Turkey's slide into authoritarianism under Erdogan, both rushed to assure the country of their support in the wake of the attack.

Erdogan has been accused of trampling free speech and of neglecting the fight against IS to wage war against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after a two-year truce between the state and the rebels fell apart in July.

A radical PKK offshoot, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), claimed responsibility for the March 13 suicide car bombing in Ankara, saying it was to avenge civilians killed in a military offensive in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

The same group also claimed a February attack targeting troops in Ankara that killed 29 people.

The PKK took up arms against the state in pursuit of autonomy for the Kurdish minority in 1984.

The conflict has claimed some 40,000 lives so far.
SAP Alex Atzberger

About a year ago, Alex Atzberger, 39, was promoted to president of SAP Ariba, a procurement cloud service that SAP bought for $4.3 billion in 2012.

It was a shining moment in one of the most amazing career stories we've ever heard.

He started by dissing SAP to Clay Christensen

While Atzberger was in grad school at Harvard in 2005, he took a class from Clay Christensen (the famous author of "The Innovator's Dilemma"). He wrote a paper that argued that a tiny, little-known company at the time called Salesforce.com, was going to eat SAP's lunch. He said that Salesforce was focusing in an area that SAP was overlooking at the time, cloud computing (although it wasn't called cloud computing back then).

"That paper got me to SAP," Atzberger tells Business Insider.

Christensen, who knew SAP's co-CEO at the time, Jim Hagemann Snabe, was impressed enough to give the paper to Hagemann. And Hagemann was intrigued enough that SAP recruiters soon started calling him.

Bill McDermott & Jim Hagemann Snabe

At first, Atzberger wasn't interested in a job at SAP. He wanted to go to a startup.

But he changed his mind when he realized that the "bigger challenge" was getting access to SAP's 250,000 customers and "moving them forward," he says.

So he took an entry-level position in SAP's business analysis department, and began toiling away in relative obscurity, crafting plans to move SAP into new markets.

On July 4, 2007, everything changed for him.

While Atzberger's coworkers were all out at barbecues and beach parties for the 4th of July, he was working in the empty office. Not born in the US, he had no family to hang with.

He wasn't completely alone. Bill McDermott was also there. McDermott, who had joined the company a few years earlier to run its US operations, had recently been appointed to SAP's Executive Board. (SAP is ruled via an oligarchy, by its all-powerful Executive Board.)

McDermott was roaming around the empty office "looking for someone to help him with a PowerPoint presentation." McDermott wanted to tell the board "the story of how we are going to turn sales around," Atzberger remembers.

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Bill Mcdermott SAP CEO

McDermott spied Atzberger and roped him in to helping. Atzberger spent the whole holiday weekend doing this presentation for the boss. When he finished, he thought he'd never hear from McDermott again.

But after McDermott gave the presentation, he called Atzberger on the phone, thrilled. "Alex, I want all my future presentations to the board be done by you," he said.

"He didn't care who I was working for, or what my job was at the time," Atzberger laughs.

So this junior business analyst, filled with strategy ideas, now had a direct access to one of the most powerful men in the company.

Naturally, Atzberger's career took off after that. He went to Japan and China, helping SAP grow in those markets, eventually becoming a senior VP in China.

That's when McDermott called again

"I was in Shanghai boarding a flight when Bill called me up and he asked me to become his chief of staff," he says. Again, he almost didn't do it. It sounded like a staff role when he aspired to run a business unit.

But, it's hard to say no to McDermott, so he took the job and "it was really good," he says. He learned a lot about running a company while he traveled the world with McDermott, who had become sole CEO by then.

"Then we did the acquisition of Concur," Atzberger remembers. SAP bought Concur, a cloud expense management company, for $8.3 billion in December 2014.

Steve Singh Concur Technologies

During the process, Atzberger got to know Concur Technologies CEO Steve Singh.

The three men were taking a long international flight together discussing plans to integrate Concur into the company.

Atzberger was asked his thoughts about the strategy and about his career goals. He thought he was about to be offered a right-hand-man job with Singh at Concur, like a COO job, to give Singh a SAP insider.

Instead, McDermott offered him the top spot at Ariba. Ariba's top executives had left SAP a few months earlier.

Aspiration achieved. He was now running his own multi-million business unit. (SAP doesn't report Ariba's revenues, but says it is growing. It was generating about $444 million in 2011.)

And all because a young Alex Atzberger spent a lonely holiday weekend working.

"I was fairly lucky," he says.

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Cairo (AFP) - Egypt said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia has offered $1.5 billion to help finance economic projects in the Sinai Peninsula, as Riyadh continues to bolster its ties with Cairo.

Saudi Arabia, a staunch supporter of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime, has previously offered billions of dollars in aid to Egypt since the 2013 ouster of Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi.

In December, Riyadh pledged eight billion dollars in investment and aid to Egypt over five years, but it was unclear whether the Sinai offer was part of this.

Egypt's International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr signed a "$1.5 billion agreement with the Saudi Development Fund for developing projects in the Sinai Peninsula", a ministry statement said.

The funds will be used "for development projects" in agriculture and to build 26 residential complexes that would also include hospitals and schools.

The peninsula's northern part is a bastion of the Egyptian affiliate of the jihadist Islamic State group, which has carried out deadly attacks on Egyptian security forces since Morsi's ouster.

On Saturday, 15 policemen were killed in an attack on a police checkpoint in the area. The attack was claimed by IS.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia also signed a separate five-year agreement to help Egypt finance its petrol needs, the ministry said.

The fuel agreement comes despite a sharp fall in Saudi Arabia's own oil earnings amid the global decline in crude prices.

Sunday's agreements come ahead of an official visit by Saudi King Salman to Cairo on April 4.

Ties between Cairo and Riyadh have strengthened since then army chief Sisi ousted Morsi in July 2013, with Egypt joining a Saudi-led coalition that has battled Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March last year.

Egypt's Gulf allies Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates each offered $4 billion in investment and aid to Cairo in March 2015.

Cairo, fighting the deadly IS-led insurgency in North Sinai, has been criticised by rights groups for its blistering crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood since 2013.

The police crackdown has left hundreds of people dead and thousands imprisoned.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all declared the Muslim Brotherhood to be a "terrorist group".
By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Christian groups asking the U.S. Supreme Court to exempt them from the requirement to provide insurance covering contraception under President Barack Obama's healthcare law face an uphill battle following Justice Antonin Scalia's death last month. The remaining eight justices will consider seven related cases on whether nonprofit groups that oppose the requirement on religious grounds can object under a U.S. law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to a compromise version of the requirement offered by the Obama administration. Among those mounting objections are the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Roman Catholic nuns that runs care homes for the elderly. The court, divided 4-4 between liberal and conservative justices without the conservative Scalia, is set to hear the case on Wednesday. Scalia was considered a reliable vote for the religious groups. In 2014, he was in the majority when the court ruled 5-4 that family-owned companies run on religious principles, including craft retailer Hobby Lobby Stores Inc, could object to the provision for religious reasons. If the four conservatives who sided with Scalia in that case remain unified, the best result the challengers could get would be a 4-4 split. That would leave in place lower-court rulings that favored the Obama administration. "Unless the court's four justices in the dissent in Hobby Lobby dramatically change their minds, the likely worst outcome for the government would be a 4-4 split," said Gregory Lipper, a lawyer with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which filed a brief backing the Obama administration. Lawyers for the challengers forecast that they can win, citing among other things the fact that women can obtain alternative coverage via Obamacare's online marketplace. "The idea that the government doesn't have some other way to do this is really a pretty silly argument," said Mark Rienzi, a lawyer with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents the Little Sisters. The Christian groups object to a compromise first offered by the federal government in 2013. It allows groups opposed to providing insurance covering contraception on religious grounds to comply with the law without actually paying for the coverage required by the 2010 Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare. Groups can certify they are opting out by signing a form, which they submit to the government. The government then asks insurers to pick up the tab. The groups contend the accommodation infringes on their religious rights because it forces them to authorize the coverage for their employees, even if they are not paying for it. A ruling is due by the end of June. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
Scott Baio became the latest Hollywood figure to endorse Donald Trump for president on Saturday.

Telling Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro that Trump "speaks like I speak," Baio said that he is "fed up" with Republicans and now considers himself a conservative independent, but values Trump's forthrightness.

"It's very simple, because when he speaks I understand him," Baio told Pirro. "He speaks like I speak, he communicates with people very well. I want him, as any one person can do, to go into Washington and blow it up."

The actor, well-known for his roles on the TV series Happy Days, its spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi and Charles in Charge, expounded on his departure from the Republican party, saying, "They've lied and conned and B.S.ed me."

Read More: Inside Hollywood's Quiet, Growing Support for Donald Trump

"They're going to attack whomever the Republican nominee is," he said, "and we need somebody to relentlessly, relentlessly attack Hillary [Clinton]. It's the only way we're going to win. I'm trying to be a classy guy, but to win elections nowadays, the Democrats and liberals attack viciously."

Baio joins a long list of Hollywood supporters for Trump, including Jon Voight, Ted Nugent, Aaron Carter, Kid Rock, Stephen Baldwin and Duck Dynasty's Willie Robertson.

This is a change in his presidential endorsement, as Baio previously had endorsed Scott Walker last spring.

Gov. Walker sounds a lot like President Reagan. #WalkerForPres pic.twitter.com/orvn8v9EkM

Scott Baio (@ScottBaio) March 11, 2015

Watch the full video below.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, where he helped to plant one of 11 mempat trees. Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore



Nearly a year has passed since Singapore lost its founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew but the nations citizens have not forgotten his contributions.

They were out across the island on Saturday (19 March) participating in activities commemorating Lee, who died on 23 March last year.

Singapores current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the late Lees eldest son, was at the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park on Saturday evening.

More than a thousand Singaporeans joined grassroots leaders at the park to celebrate and reflect on Lees legacy.



Aside from putting the finishing touches on a Memorial Board designed for residents to pledge their support in standing tall as a small nation, PM Lee was also on hand to plant one of 11 mempat trees in the park.

Flowers laid out alongside rocks bearing dedications to the late Lee seen at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore



Lasting impression



Member of Parliament of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, Chong Kee Hiong, said the the late premier left a lasting impression on Singaporeans.

He left behind a deep and lasting impression on Singaporeans, especially on core values such as resilience.

When he talked the world listened and this is something we want to perpetuate for future generations, said Chong.

Ajith Sreelekshmi, a student from Townsville Primary School, remembers the late Lee as an important figure in Singapores history.

He was a great man and Singapore would not be what it is today if not for him, she said.

Meanwhile, three remembrance sites, chosen for their strong links with the late Lee, were selected to feature informational panels detailing his greatest contributions to the country.

The panels located at Istana Park, Parliament House and Duxton Plain Park, were opened to public on Saturday.

One of the informational panels detailing Lees greatest achievements seen at Duxton Plain Park. Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore



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Tanjong Pagar residents remember Lee



Residents living close to Duxton Plain Park started trickling in at about 10am, with many taking pictures of the panels and talking to one another about the late leader.

The park is located within Tanjong Pagar GRC, the constituency where Lee served as an MP.

Ken Chua, a resident from the area, said that he was impressed by the exhibition and spent the morning looking at the panels.

He said it was a good way for Singaporeans to remember Lee, adding that the photos on the panels gave testimony of Lees hard work.

He built Singapore into what it is today. I think of him as what Steve Jobs is to Apple or Bill Gates is to Microsoft,  he said.

Another resident, Lance Yap, said he was not aware of the exhibitions although he saw brochures about the event around his neighbourhood.

The Malaysian, who is working in Singapore, said that Lee was quite a good leader.

In comparison with Malaysia, hes done a lot of great stuff, he added.
New York (AFP) - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide said Saturday it has signed three hotel deals in Cuba, a first for a US hospitality company since the 1959 revolution on the communist-run island.

Starwood said two of the hotels would open later this year and that it had signed a letter of intent for a third.

The announcement came on the eve of a historic visit to Cuba by US President Barack Obama.

"We are confident Starwood is the right partner to help write the next chapter of relations between Cuba and American business, and we moved quickly and enthusiastically to pursue opportunities following recent government actions," said Kenneth Siegel, Starwood's chief administrative officer and general counsel.

Instead of building from the ground up, Starwood is moving into existing upscale properties in need of renovations: the landmark Hotel Inglaterra will become a member of its Luxury Collection and the Hotel Quinta Avenida will be rebranded as Four Points by Sheraton Havana.

A letter of intent was signed with Cuba's Habaguanex, owner of the Hotel Santa Isabel, to also convert it to a member of the Luxury Collection.

"As we've seen throughout the world, our entry into new markets has a positive effect on local communities, preserving and protecting the culture and delicate ecosystems while improving employment opportunities, which were driving forces in our discussions," Siegel said.

- Timing is everything -

Starwood's chief executive underscored the importance of timing in scoring the deals.

"With Cuba's rich history, natural beauty and strong culture, there is no question the entire US hospitality industry has watched Cuba with great interest, and we are thrilled to lead the charge and bring our sophisticated, high-end brands into the market at this inflection point," said Thomas Mangas.

Already booming tourism is set to explode in the wake of Obama's visit, when he'll bury a more than half-century-long conflict that left Cuba the last major undeveloped market in the Caribbean.

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Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters arrive in Havana Sunday for the symbolic three-day trip.

It won't just be the first visit by a sitting US president since Fidel Castro's guerrillas overthrew the US-backed government of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, but the first since President Calvin Coolidge came 88 years ago.

Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro surprised the world in simultaneous speeches announcing their countries would begin normalizing relations back on December 17, 2014.

The 44th US president will hold talks with the communist government, but the White House has made it clear the emphasis will be on reaching out to the Cuban people directly.

On Tuesday, Obama will give a speech at the National Theater that will be carried live on Cuban television, giving Obama a unique platform to make his case.

Though Obama has loosened restrictions on US citizens visiting Cuba, the lifting of a decades-old US economic embargo can only be decided by a Republican-dominated Congress that is far less keen on detente.

Starwood said it signed the deals to enter the Cuban market after getting the green light to do so from the US Treasury Department.
By Angus Berwick MADRID (Reuters) - Sitting around in hostels was not what Spain's new generation of politicians expected when they entered parliament on a wave of enthusiasm after a national election in December broke traditional parties' grip over politics. But three months on, lawmakers from around the country lodged in the streets surrounding parliament are still in limbo as parties have been unable to cobble together a coalition to oversee Spain's uneven recovery from a deep recession. Their arrival, driven by voters weary of austerity and an establishment rife with corruption scandals, ushered in a new era for Spanish politics by ending the duopoly over government held by the People's Party (PP) and the Socialists since the end of dictatorship in the late 1970s. But the threat of new elections looms. If parties fail to find common ground by May, parliament would be absolved and new lawmakers' hopes of reforming Spain's tired political system would be dashed or at least put on hold. "We could be the shortest lived delegates in history," said Angela Rodriguez of regional Galician party En Marea, in coalition with anti-austerity party Podemos on the national stage. "It's a feeling of instability, of not knowing what could happen in the next few months," said the 26-year-old, who moves between hostel rooms and friends' flats, unwilling to pin down a proper lease. But there are few signs that lawmakers like Rodriguez could soon start planning for the long term. Parties' lines have long been drawn in the sand. All opposition parties have ruled out support for the PP under Rajoy, who lost his parliamentary majority in December and advocates a coalition of center-left and center-right parties. Podemos and newcomer liberals Ciudadanos refuse to join a government that would include the other, complicating the Socialists' plans for a joint "government of change." Leaders have until May 3 to form a government or new elections will be called most likely in late July. Polls suggest another election would yield an equally fragmented results. FRUSTRATION In Madrid's Literary Quarter close to parliament, once the home of writers such as "Don Quijote" author Miguel de Cervantes, and where stores now peddle souvenirs to tourists, hostel owners say there is a constant flow of politicians through their rooms. "I imagine they're not from the PP," said Alejandro Merino, a receptionist at Hostal Alexis on the fourth floor of a building above a gym, of his guests. "They're respectful and quiet," he added. After parliament closes each day, bars and restaurants fill with a mismatch of politicians from different parties. "It's a bit like college," said Enric Bataller of Valencian regional party Compromis, another Podemos ally. But delegates say the situation they have found themselves in has started to take its toll. "Obviously there is frustration," said Maria Such, a new Socialist delegate for Valencia and the youngest member of parliament. "We have the responsibility to put forward policy but it is impossible since everything is blocked up." In a meeting with union representatives a few days earlier, the 25-year-old said the party had to delay its electoral pledge to propose abolishing an article in Spain's criminal code that restricts workers' right to strike, which is opposed by the PP. "We said to them that until we have a government we cannot set a period to throw the reform forward, it's a shame," Such, another hostel lodger, said. Such's struggle to pass legislation highlights the broader problem faced by delegates. Rajoy, whose government remains in power in an acting capacity, refuses to answer a parliament that he says does not support him. This week alone, 20 bills that were passed by parliament, including one aimed at tackling corruption, will not become law. PEOPLE WILL LOSE FAITH Lawmakers say the delay in forming a government risks alienating a newly energized electorate, especially Spain's young people who bore the brunt of the economic crisis as their unemployment levels topped 50 percent. "The political forces are sending a bad message, it is almost as if we are telling people their vote has been futile," Miguel Vila, Podemos' new delegate for the northern region of Burgos, said in an interview. Before taking the job, Vila, who is 32, worked as a television cameraman in the parliament recording the political class as it scrabbled to deal with the recession that bankrupted banks and sent government debt soaring. He said his switch to the other side of the lens represents how frustrated ordinary Spaniards decided to take matters into their own hands. "I saw how politicians of the two traditional parties worked with their backs turned to the people." The constant moving between hostels was a bit of a pain, he admitted, but it was irrelevant compared to the risk that the gridlock in forming a government could stem the momentum behind new parties. "As long as there is no government of real change that can revert the PP's economic policies and cuts, people will lose faith," Vila said. (Editing by Julien Toyer and Angus MacSwan)
PARIS (Reuters) - A French-Moroccan man with suspected links to Islamic State was placed under formal investigation on Sunday on suspicion of planning to carry out "violent acts", the Paris prosecutor's office said. French anti-terrorism police arrested Youssef Ettajouar, 28, and three others on March 16 after opening a preliminary investigation on the basis that they were ready to take action. At the time, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said investigators were focusing on one of the suspects, adding that he was thought to have ties with Islamic State in Syria. The three others were released on Sunday, but Ettajouar, who was sentenced to five years in prison for having wanted to go to Syria in 2012, was remanded in custody. "The exact nature of the plans has not been established at this stage, but there are a certain number of elements that indicate his intentions," an official at the prosecutor's office said. He will be investigated for charges of criminal association related to a terrorist enterprise as well as violating his house arrest. Under French law, this step means "serious or consistent evidence" points to probable implication of a suspect in a crime. It is a step toward a trial, but a number of such investigations have been dropped without trial. During the arrests on Wednesday, police seized an unused automatic rifle cartridge and computer equipment, French television network TF1 said on its website. No weapons were found, a source close to the investigation told Reuters. The investigation was focused in particular on Ettajouar, who had been under house arrest since Feb. 29 under state of emergency measures in effect in France since Islamist militants killed 130 people in a series of attacks in Paris last November. He was sentenced to five years in prison in March 2014 after being arrested two years earlier when he tried to leave France for Syria, but was released in October 2015. (Reporting By Emmanuel Jarry and John Irish; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Stockholm (AFP) - The online editions of Sweden's main newspapers were knocked out for several hours by unidentified hackers at the weekend, police said Sunday as they launched an investigation.

The attack was "extremely dangerous and serious," the head of the Swedish Media Publishers' Association, Jeanette Gustafsdotter, told Swedish news agency TT.

"To threaten access to news coverage is a threat to democracy," she said.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which either partially or totally shut down the sites of Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, Expressen, Aftonbladet, Dagens Industri, Sydsvenskan and Helsingborgs Dagblad on Saturday evening from about 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) until about 11:00 pm (2200 GMT).

Several experts quoted in the media suggested the sites were subjected to distributed denial-of-services (DDoS) attacks, in which hackers hijack multiple computers to send a flood of data to the target, crippling its computer system.

Police said in a statement they had launched an investigation, and Swedish intelligence was also being kept abreast of developments.

An anonymous threat was issued on a Twitter account shortly before the attack. The account was attributed to J@_notJ.

"The following days attacks against the Swedish government and media spreading false propaganda will be targeted," the first tweet read.

An hour later, a second tweet read: "This is what happens when you spread false propaganda. Aftonbladet.se #offline".
Pretoria (AFP) - The supreme decision-making organ of South Africa's ruling African National Congress party on Sunday rallied behind beleaguered President Jacob Zuma amid allegations that a wealthy Indian family has influenced ministerial appointments.

"The ANC continues to confirm its full confidence in our president," party secretary general Gwede Mantashe told journalists, adding that the issue of whether or not Zuma should stand down "never arose" at the body's three-day meeting.

Issues discussed at the meeting included claims by senior party and government officials that the Gupta family was interfering with the running of the government.

The ANC is the party of the late president Nelson Mandela who led the struggle to end apartheid.

The Gupta family's power has allegedly extended to appointing ministers under Zuma, whose presidency has been engulfed in graft scandals and growing disillusionment over the country's post-apartheid prospects.

The latest graft claims to hit the president erupted last week after deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas said he was offered the top job in the treasury by the Guptas.

Mantashe said the party held "frank and robust" discussions on the subject of the Guptas and that "appropriate action" would be taken.

He said the supposed interference by the Guptas had "the potential to undermine and erode the credibility and confidence of our people in the leadership".

"We reject the notion of any business or family group seeking such influence over the ANC with the contempt it deserves, while also recognising the need to act to protect the integrity of our government and our organisation."

- 'Worse by the day' -

Some ANC party stalwarts have called for the veteran political survivor to retire before his term ends in 2019.

The latest to join the chorus of disillusionment over Zuma's style of governing were the foundations of ANC founding father Oliver Tambo and that of Mandela and Mandela's former prison mate Ahmed Kathrada.

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"We believe we have reached a watershed moment," the foundations said in a letter urging the ANC top leadership "to make urgent choices, and to take urgent corrective actions in the best interest of South Africa and its peoples."

"We are deeply concerned about the current course on which our country is headed."

"In the spirit of our founders, we cannot passively watch these deeply concerning developments unfold and get worse by the day."

Analysts said it was not a surprise that the party leadership came to Zuma's defence because the ANC executive committee is largely packed with his supporters and they cannot deal with a leadership crisis just months before local government elections.

"The defence of Jacob Zuma was rather lacklustre, it wasn't really an endorsement," said independent analyst Daniel Silke.

"The ANC was trying to patch over any disagreements or divisions in the short term to allow the ANC to at least embark on the local government election campaign without the extreme negativity of a potential showdown over the position of the president," said Silke.

Once known as the Teflon president for surviving a string of scandals while in office, 73-year-old Zuma has managed to keep his political career alive.

Zuma has previously defended his friendship with the Gupta brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh, who have built up a string of companies with interests in computers, mining, media and engineering since moving to South Africa in the 1990s.

They have long been accused of wielding undue influence over Zuma, whose son Duduzane is a partner in some of their businesses. Zuma's third wife also used to work for them.
Manila (AFP) - The Philippines looks likely to remain one of the few countries where divorce is illegal, based on a survey of the four leading presidential candidates on Sunday.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe, veteran mayor Rodrigo Duterte and former interior secretary Mar Roxas were asked during a presidential debate to raise their hands if they favoured legalisation of divorce.

Not one raised a hand in the brief segment. They were not given time to explain their stance.

The overwhelmingly Catholic Philippines is the only country aside from the Vatican that bans divorce.

Strong pressure from the Catholic church has stymied previous attempts to pass a divorce law even though a survey last year showed that about 60 percent of adult Filipinos support such a measure.

A survey earlier this month showed that Poe, the adopted daughter of the country's top movie star, has a slight lead in the run-up to the May 9 vote for the presidency.

She is followed closely by Duterte, who is running on a ruthless anti-crime platform; Binay, former mayor of the country's financial district of Makati; and Roxas, the anointed successor of outgoing President Benigno Aquino who is limited by law to one six-year term.

In another portion of the debate, the four candidates were asked who supported restoration of the death penalty.

Poe and Duterte, who openly boasts about killing criminals, both raised their hands despite the Catholic church's opposition to capital punishment.

The death penalty was abolished in the Philippines in 2006, party due to lobbying by the church.
By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump's portrayal of Japan as a free-rider on security is stirring worries in Tokyo about damage to its U.S. alliance, and could embolden hardliners keen to bolster Japan's military in the face of a rising China. The U.S.-Japan alliance has been the lynchpin of Tokyo's security policy for decades, but worries have simmered in recent years as to whether Washington will continue to be willing and able to defend its key Asian ally. Comments from the Republican Party frontrunner have done little to allay those fears. "If somebody attacks Japan, we have to immediately go and start World War III, okay? If we get attacked, Japan doesn't have to help us," Trump said at a campaign speech late last year. "Somehow, that doesn't sound so fair." Trump has also accused Japan of stealing jobs and criticized the U.S.-led 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact that Tokyo sees as vital for strategic as well as economic reasons. "If you listen to his comments (on security), the United States would become isolated so I think there is great anxiety for allied countries," Itsunori Onodera, who served as defense minister under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, told Reuters. Last year, Abe spent considerable political capital enacting controversial legislation that allows Japan's military to defend friendly countries under attack, a major reinterpretation of the country's pacifist constitution. "It is incumbent on Japan to protect itself and its defense is necessary for the alliance to be maintained in the best possible posture," said a source close to Abe. OUTDATED VISION Abe also wants to formally revise the post-war charter to further loosen limits on military action overseas. "Most people consider Trump bad news, but for those who want to revise the constitution and strengthen the military, it actually provides a boost for their position," said a former Western diplomat still in touch with Japanese policymakers. As host to around 50,000 U.S. troops, Japan is vital to Washingtons rebalance of its economic and security focus to the Asia-Pacific region. Trump did not respond to requests for comments about the U.S.-Japan alliance. Both Washington and Tokyo are alarmed by China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Beijing has territorial rows with several Southeast Asian nations. Japan has a separate dispute with China over tiny islands in the East China Sea. Like many Trump observers around the world, Japanese policy makers at first watched with amusement and then disbelief as the reality TV star and property tycoon garnered growing momentum. Only in recent weeks have they begun taking Trump's chances seriously and are now scrambling to find out who is advising him on security, another government source said. Japanese policymakers have not geared up specifically to counter what they see as his misleading rhetoric, which seems to hark back to an outdated 1980s vision of Japan, the source close to Abe said. "I think it's too early. Number one, he has not made it known even to the American voters whom he counts on as far as foreign policy goals," the source said, adding they expected Trump would change if elected. "We are fully aware campaign rhetoric is dramatically different from real policies pursued by incumbents." For now, though, Japanese government insiders say they are betting that if Trump becomes the Republican nominee and goes on to win the Nov. 8 presidential election, he would surround himself with experts who would draft more realistic policies. Publicly, Japan is playing it politely. Asked about Trump's candidacy on Wednesday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters: "We are of course watching this because of the impact such a large country has, but we cannot otherwise comment on another countrys election. (Additional reporting by Elaine Lies and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has summoned the Belgian ambassador to complain about a tent that was set up by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near the site of the EU-Turkey Summit in Brussels this week, diplomatic sources said on Sunday. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu telephoned his Belgian counterpart to complain as well and request that the tent be taken down, the sources said. The PKK, which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast, is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. (Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz; Writing by David Dolan)
RABAT (Reuters) - Dozens of United Nations international staffers pulled out of their Western Sahara mission on Sunday after Morocco demanded they leave because of remarks by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the disputed territory. 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. Rabat accused Ban earlier this month of no longer being neutral in the Western Sahara dispute when he used the word "occupation" to describe its annexation of the region in 1975, when Morocco took over from colonial power Spain. The United Nations said it had three days to remove the 84 civilian staff from 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. MAP state news agency said a "significant number" of U.N. staffers had left Laayoune airport on U.N. aircraft and commercial flights to Las Palmas in Spain. A Moroccan official source said 73 U.N. staffers had left, 10 would leave in the afternoon and one would remain for now. The source added the 84th staff member would stay for now because she is pregnant. The mission currently has 242 military personnel, 84 international civilian staff, 157 national staff and 12 volunteers. Morocco said it would also stop its voluntary contribution to the mission estimated at $3 million (out of $53 million), according to the UN. Neither military personnel, nor the ceasefire monitoring units, nor the head of the mission are affected by the cuts. Earlier this month, Ban visited refugee camps in southern Algeria for the Sahrawi people, who say Western Sahara belongs to them. They fought a war against Morocco until the 1991 ceasefire. Their Polisario Front wants a referendum on independence, but Rabat says it will only grant autonomy. (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Patrick Markey and Stephen Powell)
Moscow (AFP) - Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko awaits the verdict in her controversial trial over the murder of two Russian journalists with few doubting she will be found guilty in a ruling that will fuel the feud between Kiev and Moscow.

A court in the southern Russian town of Donetsk is due to rule over two days on Monday and Tuesday after a six-month trial, with prosecutors demanding 23 years in jail for the 34-year-old combat helicopter navigator.

Ukraine and the West have decried the case as a political show trial and see Savchenko as the latest pawn in the Kremlin's broader aggression against its ex-Soviet neighbour that saw Moscow seize the Crimea peninsula and fuel a separatist insurgency.

They say Savchenko -- who has become a national hero at home and been elected to parliament in absentia -- was kidnapped by pro-Moscow separatists in east Ukraine in June 2014 and illegally smuggled over the border into Russia before being slapped with false charges.

But authorities in Russia insist Savchenko was involved in the fatal shelling of two Russian state journalists as she served in a volunteer pro-Kiev battalion fighting the insurgents and must face justice.

"Nobody has any illusions about what the verdict will be," Oleksandr Sushko, research director at the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation in Kiev, told AFP.

"The only question is how the situation will develop after the sentencing."

- Prisoner swap? -

Ukraine's pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko has pledged to do "everything possible" to bring Savchenko back home and mooted a prisoner swap to free her.

Kiev is holding two men it says were Russian soldiers serving in the east of the country that could provide Poroshenko with a possible bargaining chip.

But Moscow is also thought to have at least ten other Ukrainians behind bars -- including high-profile detainees like film director Oleg Sentsov -- and the Kremlin has given little hint it is ready to play ball.

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Savchenko has struck a defiant figure throughout the long months of her detention -- which saw her sent to a psychiatric hospital near Moscow before being transferred close to the Ukraine border for her trial.

She has repeatedly gone on hunger strike to protest her conditions -- fasting for more than eighty days in one instance and going almost a week without food and water on another.

Usually dressed in a traditional Ukrainian blouse or pro-Kiev tshirt Savchenko has ridiculed the court from the glass defendant's cage and flashed her middle finger at the judges as the trial ended.

"All I can do is to show by example that Russia, with its overbearing state and totalitarian regime, can be crushed if you are not afraid or broken," Savchenko said in her closing statement.

- Western pressure -

Ties between Moscow and Kiev are already in tatters over the seizure of Crimea and separatist insurgency in the east and the Savchenko verdict looks set only to worsen the situation.

A complex political process to end the conflict in the east has stalled as Kiev and Moscow accuse each other of failing to live up to promises made in a peace deal signed over a year ago.

Russia has meanwhile thrust its way back to the centre of the international diplomacy with its foray in Syria, prompting some in Kiev to fear the West might ease the pressure over Ukraine.

A harsh sentence for Savchenko could now refocus Western attention, however, and Kiev is pushing for sanctions to be slapped on some 40 people it says are "directly involved" in Savchenko's case.

Both US Secretary of State John Kerry and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier are due in Moscow next week and while, particularly for Kerry, the focus is set to be on Syria, Savchenko's fate is sure to come up.

But the Kremlin appears to be facing a tough call at home if it looks to swap Savchenko to appease the West as it cannot appear to buckle to outside pressure after demonising Savchenko in the state media.

"The authorities cannot just let her go or not give her a heavy sentence after the way her case has been portrayed in the Russian press," said Nikolai Petrov from Moscow's Higher School of Economics.

"They could try to swap her after giving her a tough sentence but then it would have to be for a figure that can be made to seem worth it in the eyes of the Russian public."
By Alex Dobuzinskis

(Reuters) - A University of Kansas assistant professor placed on leave after she used a racial slur in class said on Saturday that an investigation by the school found she had conformed with the policy against discrimination.

The controversy stemmed from a graduate communication class Andrea Quenette, who is white, taught in November, when she said that she did not see the racially charged "N-word" in graffiti on campus, while it had been spray painted on a wall at another school.

Students complained, saying she had given offense in the discussion about racial issues at the University of Kansas. Defenders of academic freedom backed the professor's contention that she had a valid reason to use the word.

"It's been really difficult," Quenette said in a phone interview. "I can't really explain how it feels to have your entire career in jeopardy over one moment in time."

Quenette said university officials notified her of their finding in a letter on Friday and she expected to return to teaching in the summer or fall.

Joe Monaco, a spokesman for the University of Kansas, said in an email that the school had found Quenette did not violate policies against discrimination and racial harassment.

Quenette said the students in her class had asked to begin a discussion on race, in response to a campus town hall the night before moderated by the chancellor to deal with questions of race and diversity.

Following complaints from students over her use of the racial slur, Quenette was placed on paid leave that month, she said.

Jyleesa Hampton, an African-American student who was not in the class but who joined her fellow graduate students in an open letter critical of the professor, said in a phone interview she does not believe Quenette should have pronounced the "N-word."

"That word has a lot of baggage, especially coming from people who are not from the population it was designed to segregate, which is white people," Hampton said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles,; editing by Ian Simpson and Bernard Orr)
Havana (AFP) - Ahead of President Barack Obama's landmark trip to Cuba, the US government has given Airbnb the green light to accept bookings in Cuba from non-American customers.

The San Francisco company's website said Sunday it had received a license from the US Treasury to "welcome guests from around the world to stay one of their 4,000 listings in Cuba."

The move, announced hours before Obama's arrival in Havana, represents the latest effort by his administration to chip away at decades of Cold War-era sanctions.

The Republican-controled Congress has refused to lift an embargo on Cuba, but Obama is betting that a host of incremental and seemingly technical steps will open Cuba's economy, transforming the communist-controled island economically and politically.

Cuba's stagnant economy and tightly controled politics have led to a steady flow of illegal migrants making the perilous 90-mile journey across the Strait of Florida.

Obama's approach is a dramatic U-turn for the US government, which for decades tried to squeeze the Cuban government through sanctions.

"It's a soft war" said John Kavulich, president US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, "using visitors as the soldiers, commercial airlines as the air force, and cruise ships as the navy."

On Saturday Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced it had signed three hotel deals in Cuba, a first for a US hospitality company since the 1959 revolution.

Airbnb began doing business in Cuba a year ago, tapping an already existing tradition of Cubans opening their homes to paying travelers.

Until now, only American customers had been allowed to use the service.

Obama's visit is the first by a sitting US president since Calvin Coolidge arrived 88 years ago.
Paris (AFP) - It's the year's least likely feelgood hit film in which the little guys take on France's richest man and end up laughing all the way to the bank.

A documentary about an unemployed middle aged couple in one of France's poorest towns so desperately in debt that they were on the point of burning their home has been playing to packed cinemas, with audiences cheering in the aisles.

"Merci Patron!" (Thanks boss!) may sound like a film to slit your wrists to, but it has become a hilarious rallying cry for thousands of French workers who have lost their jobs -- or fear losing them -- to cheaper foreign labour.

In the film, former textile workers Jocelyne and Serge Klur not only take on the "king of the catwalk" Bernard Arnault for "ruining their lives" by delocalising their jobs to Poland -- they make him pay.

With the help of leftwing activist and film-maker Francois Ruffin they set up a sting operation to get the cash to save their home and land Serge a full-time job, running rings round Arnault's sidekicks, including a former intelligence officer and a politician from the ruling Socialist party.

In the process the couple, from the depressed Nord region close to the Belgium border where Arnault built his LVMH fashion and luxury goods empire, have become the country's new working-class heroes.

- David and Goliath -

Protestors demonstrating against reforms of France's labour laws have taken up the film's title as a slogan on marches and sung its "Merci Patron!" theme song -- a 1970s comic skit urging bosses and workers to swap places.

The billionaire himself has remained tightlipped about the affair, with LVMH -- which owns such fabled brands as Dior, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton -- declining to comment to AFP.

Critics however have hailed the film as a "David and Goliath stick-up that does the heart good" with Telerama calling it a "joyous thriller... with a perfect mix of humour and social comment".

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It also tops French website Allocine's audience ratings of the best films currently on release alongside another documentary, "Demain" (Tomorrow), which showcases positive solutions to the global climate crisis.

Ruffin said the film's magic was its "liberating effect" on audiences. "When you see such an empire trembling in front of something so insignificant it has a liberating effect," he insisted.

"People leave the cinema enthusiastic and ready to act."

Sociologist Michel Pincon said its Michael Moore-style scenario had caught the mood of a country where "people crave a little security in a world where capitalism has become more and more unbridled."

Pincon admitted that the movie's "audiences were mostly middle class" but the debates after screenings "prove that they too are also worried for themselves and their children".

- Beer and stinky cheese -

The film plays strongly on France's working-class northern "Ch'ti" culture, contrasting the locals love of beer, French fries and stinky Maroilles cheese with Arnault, who owns the Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot champagne houses.

John Baxter, an American who saw the film in Paris, described the atmosphere in the packed cinema as "electric".

But he could never imagine a US business leader compensating former workers years after getting rid of them.

"Arnault is the bad guy of course -- and the sting is at his expense -- but he doesn't come out of it all bad. He clearly has some kind of a conscience. Most American business leaders would not give these people the time of day. They would just blow them off," he added.

Arnault sparked the wrath of the French left in 2012 when he applied for Belgian nationality after the government proposed higher taxes on the rich, prompting the Liberation newspaper to run the front page headline, "Clear off, rich loser!"

Like its protagonists, the film faced an against-the-odds battle to get made, losing half of its tiny 30,000-euro ($33,000) budget when state funding was withdrawn "without explanation" at the last minute.

Journalists working at France's highest selling national newspaper, Le Parisien -- which is owned by Arnault -- claimed they were banned from writing about it.

The host of a top radio show also admitted that the film's director Ruffin was "uninvited" from his show after management intervened, apparently fearing they would lose advertising from Arnault's businesses.

But with more 120,000 people flocking to see the film on little more than word of mouth, it is now being expanded onto nine times as many screens across France.

Meanwhile, the Kenzo suits that the Klurs once made in Poix-du-Nord are now manufactured in Bulgaria after LVMH switched production from Poland after wages rose.

But salaries have fallen so sharply in crisis-hit Greece that the Bulgarian factory's owners are considering moving some operations there.
Lee Suan Yew speaking to the crowd. (Photo: Bryan Huang/Yahoo Singapore)

Dr Lee Suan Yew, one of late former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yews younger brothers, said that todays youth are more understanding of the decisions made by Singapores first premier.

Speaking at the Red Box building on Sunday (20 March), where an art installation in his brothers honour was unveiled, the younger Lee thanked Singaporean youth for embracing Lee Kuan Yews way of thinking, unlike young people of the past.

He and I couldnt understand why the youth were not quite behind his thinking many many years ago. Maybe it might have started with this long hair issue, the 82-year-old Lee told a gathered audience.

Long hair at the time depicted something different. A different lifestyle. It was more of the youth going out to camps, taking drugs and having a great time in life and not planning for the future. So thats why its symbolic, and he didnt want that symbol to take place in our youth, Lee said.

Another matter, Lee said, was the chewing gum ban, which had come about because a minority of the gum-chewing population would stick their used gum on seats aboard public transportation.

When (Lee Kuan Yew) heard it, he was very annoyed, Lee said. Hes a very meticulously clean person and therefore he banned chewing gum. Maybe I thought that might have affected the youth.

But times have changed, Lee said. You dont see long hair now In fact I notice the latest trend is short hair. And people dont care about chewing gum.

Lee said seeing young people queuing up for to pay their respects to the elder Lee while his body was lying in state last year, had left an impression on him.



He credited the numerous programmes on Lee Kuan Yew that had aired on Singapores terrestrial broadcaster Mediacorp during the week of his death with the surge in youth support.

Lee also brought up the issue of national service and how the youth back then did not like to be called up because of the disruption it caused to their lives.

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But as they got older, when they found out other countries were having all sorts of riots, mini-wars and neighbourly fights, then the national servicemen realised, My goodness, Ive got a role to play, Lee said.

Now, you dont hear of our army boys complaining. Now they say, Im here Im going to defend my country. Its quite fantastic, the transition, Lee said.

Lee said that, in the past, Members of Parliament had to go to the locations where buses or lorries where picking up enlistees to check up on them.

Today, you dont have that. Today, the youth willingly go to the camps and serve. And the reservists dont complain They willingly go there and serve the nation, Lee said.

Lee Suan Yew was the guest of honour at the unveiling a portrait of the late Lee made from 4,788 flag erasers. (Photo: Bryan Huang/Yahoo Singapore)

Dont forget Lee Kuan Yews colleagues



Lee also reminded Singaporeans not to forget the contributions of his brothers colleagues.

He spoke about how the former prime minister had to convince high-flying professionals from the private sector to join the government, such as Eddie Barker, a lawyer who gave up his legal career to serve as Law Minister in 1964, and Ng Eng Hen, a surgeon with his own practice at Mount Elizabeth Hospital before he was made a Minister of State in 2002. Ng is currently the Defence Minister.

To make sure that we retain them, that they dont go back (to the private sector), (Lee Kuan Yew) made sure our ministers were well paid. And this is something that the people outside of Singapore couldnt understand, Lee said.

Why must we pay such high salaries to our ministers? Its because we want to retain them; otherwise they go back and we lose them. Number two, it prevents them from being corrupted. When your salary is low, you think of more ways to make more money and the easiest way to make money is illegal ways through corruption, Lee said.

You find that its not only a clean and green city (in Singapore), but a clean and green government. Clean ministers and those in charge of our stat boards, but also green because he (Lee) believes in renewal, Lee said.

Lee was the guest of honour at the unveiling of a portrait of Lee Kuan Yew made out of 4,788 Singapore flag erasers.

The art installation, the brainchild of Munch Munch founder Raghrib Ken Hamid, was made by more than 100 youth leaders and volunteers of the Youth Corps Singapore and National Youth Council, and completed by guests at the event.
3 out of 100 gang deaths solved

She spoke in last Fridays Lower House debate on the strate-gic services Agency (Amendment) Bill 2016. This is troubling and unacceptable, she remarked. Quoting from the TT Police service CAPA website, she said for every 100 murders committed amongst the general population, some 16 are solved. The Toco-sangre Grande MP said in contrast when the past Peoples National Movement (PNM) ad-ministration had left office in 2010, the de-tection rate of murders amongst the general population was 73 per-cent. Jennings-smith, a former assistant com-missioner of police (ACP), lamented the prevalence of illegal firearms in the country as shown by a virtual doubling of firearm sei-zures from 333 in 2010 to 691 last year. she bemoaned the seizure of 691 firearms seems to have made little dent in the high number of gang-related killings in this country. she justified support for the ssA as a body required to coordinate intelligence coming all other various law en-forcement bodies.Couva south MP Rudy Indarsingh complained that Jen-nings-smith, despite her policing back-ground, had not offered a prescription against crime. He recalled the predecessor body, the sIA (strategic Intelli-gence Agency), being a law unto itself, to the point of storing $5.9 million in cash in their safe. Recalling the airship/blimp run by the past PNM regime had cost $46,000 per day to op-erate, Indarsingh asked aloud of the new ssA, How much will the Government spend on surveillance equipment and techniques? we will not want to see blimps taking to the sky again. Indarsingh pressed Government to say when would the fam-ilies of three police of-ficers recently killed in the line of duty be given the $1 million compen-sation proposed by the former Peoples Part-nership government? He asked that At-torney General Faris Al-Rawi state whether former sIA head, Nigel Clement, is to be the deputy director of the new ssA? Asking where the ssA staff would be drawn from, he quipped, Customs? Prisons? Party Groups One, Two and Three? Indarsingh riled up the Government by referring to the Attor-ney General and his side-kick, the Minister of Finance, prompting a bemused Finance Minister Colm Imbert to echo the term, side-kick? He urged the Bill be sent to a joint select committee.earlier st Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar spelt out the danger of spurious intelligence reports that emanate from arms of the Minis-try of National security. He knew of a top public official under his remit as the then Minister of Legal Affairs whom a national security report had alleged was deal-ing in drugs but which Ramadhar said turned out to be pure vapour and rumshop talk. He pointed out several clauses of the old ssA Act that need amend-ing. He disliked sec-tion 4(1) which says the ssA directors tenure is terminable at any time, as this leaves him vul-nerable to any Cabinet minister with whom he falls out with. The House agreed to adjourn debate on the bill to the next sitting on April 1.
Criminals in high office push people to crime

Bissessar, Dean of the Faculty of social sciences, University of the west Indies (UwI), st Augustine further noted there was a relation-ship between the downturn of an economy and crime as financial pressure may make people resort to drastic measures. Bissessar was speaking during a panel discussion on crime and se-curity at a symposium on the state of the economy titled, Return of the Downturn in the Caribbean: sustaining Hope and economic Return held at UwI. If people see the politicians and the people in power abusing power, are corrupt, you are sending a sig-nal, she said. she further noted that crimi-nals have become extremely cre-ative and tech savvy, which allows them to conduct criminal activities without being caught by the police. when people knows it (a crime) happens and they (criminals) get away with it, that gives rise to a cer-tain psyche in our population. And that, to me is the root cause of a lot of things, when people start getting away, she said. One member from the floor stressed the point of persons in au-thority being involved in criminal activity saying it was one of the rea-sons many youths do not trust the police. He told the audience he worked with young people who knew of a drug den in Port-of-spain. He en-couraged the youths to report the matter but nothing came out of it. Upon further investigation by the youths, he said it was revealed the drug den was run by police officers. Addressing this point, acting Commissioner of Police stephen williams assured the actions of corrupt officers were not being ig-nored as, at this time, there were approximately 300 officers before the courts for criminal offences. He added the Police service attempts to weed out those prone to corrupt behaviour through polygraph tests, a requirement on entering the ser-vice.Meanwhile, Bissessar said crime was not just murders, shootings, and robberies, but also smaller is-sues such as road traffic infringe-ments and delinquent behaviour. The problem, she said, was with the populations attitude, and the fact that some of these behaviours were overlooked or sanctioned, thus en-couraging criminal behaviour to grow. she advised that the result of this upsurge in criminal activity would lead to a reduction in foreign in-vestment. Using the example of the murders of tourists in Tobago, and Japanese pannist Asami Nagaki-ya, she said the country was going down a path to no recovery if the crime situation was not arrested. Crime, if we dont get a handle on it... if we dont deal with it, and deal with it in a serious way, I think the next ten years would be unlive-able. And when here is un-liveable, you would not get the investment, she said. Dr winston Moore, Head of the Department of economics at UwI, Cavehill, Barbados noted most Caribbean countries have ho-micide rates of about 20 to 40 per 100,000, while the rate of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica some-times rise to 100 per 100,000. One vision, he said, was to tack-le the issue of youth unemploy-ment and reduce the level of crime among youths through skills devel-opment, regional internship and workplace programmes.
Is Presbyterian Church supporting bigotry?

This is the concern of the par-ents of an 18-year-old Naparima College student who view, as a slap on the wrist, the decision by the Presbyterian Church and School Board to provide pasto-ral care to a teacher who made threats to kill the Sixth Former and his family when he defend-ed persons who are gay and ac-cused them of being atheists and screw-ups who didnt believe in God.Speaking on behalf of the fam-ily, the students mother is calling on police to act decisively on their reports of the teachers threats.Upset that the church has dismissed the matter, the boys mother told Sunday Newsday: Is this what they are now preaching as a Presbyterian Church? What are the doctrines? I want to know if it is being revised to in-cluded bigotry, the incitement of violence, the silencing of free speech, the casting of aspersions and judgement of individuals, the holding on of hate and prejudices in the heart, no love of thy neigh-bour and the kicking of those who are down on their luck. Last Thursday, officials of the Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Secondary Schools Board of Education met at the Synods Office in San Fernando where they decided that pastoral care would be provided to the teacher and the victims and also provide a safe environment for all. Pastoral care is said to be emo-tional and spiritual support pro-vided to persons in challenging situations.In an audio recording, which went viral on social media, the teacher of the San Fernando col-lege is heard threatening the lives of the student and his family. It was in response to an incident which took place, two Thursdays ago, during the schools morning assembly in which the teenager went to the front of the assem-bly and told students it was okay to be gay. This was in response to a prior assembly at which the teacher sermonised against ho-mosexuality.Subsequently, it was learnt the teacher was taken to task by her colleagues for the remarks and she went around to various class-es to explain her side of the story. During one classroom session, the teacher asked for a gun to take care of the problems of the world. She promised to shoot the Upper Six student, whom she claimed is gay, along with his par-ents whom she described in de-rogatory terms. The boy and his parents have denied he is gay.Initially, the family made re-ports to the police, lamenting the slow pace of action in com-parison to recent arrests of stu-dents in other schools charged for threatening violence against teachers and students.In the Naparima College case, the Presbyterian School Board which made the decision was led by chairman Robert Ramsahai and included the churchs mod-erator Rev Annabelle Lalla-Ram-khelawan, officers of the Presby-terian Synod and principals of the five Presbyterian secondary schools. In a release to the media on Fri-day titled Presbyterian Church Identifies The Way Forward the church expressed its commit-ment to the fair and just treat-ment of all stakeholders and not-ed that when challenges arise, we deal with them with compassion, care, mercy and love and provide the necessary guidance needed.The release said, The Presby-terian Church asks that it be not-ed the church abides by the laws of the land and will continue to do so. The Presbyterian Second-ary Schools Board of Education operates and adheres to the guid-ance from the Education Act and all other Education Rules and Regulations. We are satisfied that the principal of Naparima Col-lege followed all required pro-cedures in the best interest of all stakeholders.At the meeting, it was decided that pastoral care will be provid-ed for all parties involved, organ-ised by the Presbyterian Church in collaboration with the Presby-terian Secondary Schools Board of Education. Every effort will be made to ensure the safety of all students at Naparima College as well as at all our other institu-tions.decision disappointing and told Sunday Newsday no official from the church contacted her family for their views, especially as her son has always been a model stu-dent in and out of school.They have taken this matter very lightly, she added. They dont care about the emotional turmoil of my son, they are only concerned about the teacher who is one of them and although my son is a Naps student, he is not considered part of them. Why are we being treated this way. We have feelings too. She has judged us while not knowing us at all. They have allowed society to judge us also. She questioned the deafening silence of support groups and other religious bodies in the af-termath of the teachers rant.Her family, she told Sunday Newsday continues to hurt. How can they consider themselves as people of God? Are they saying now that the teacher now has the permission and support of the Presbyterian board to teach such things in addition to the subject which she now teaches? the mother asks.You talk about killing people who dont have the same beliefs as you is that found in the Bible. An official report has been made to the San Fernando Police Station. The Parent Teachers Association is expected to have a meeting on tomorrow with the schools prin-cipal to discuss the matter. The Ministry of Education is continuing investigations, and Education Minister Anthony Garcia has been reported as say-ing the Teaching Service Com-mission is also reviewing the case.The teacher did not attend classes a few days last week, and a petition surfaced last supporting her. A senior official at the school said students and teachers have since moved on. Exams are go-ing on and the school has settled down already. While Presbyterian release did not say what were its views on the teachers remarks, the churchs moderator has previously com-mented on homosexuality, say-ing, in 2015, that gays can be saved.At the time there was nation-al debate about whether gays should be given legal rights.If I hold fast by Scripture, it is no two ways. But we live in a world of a different time, we need to try to understand it, and why people are like that. I did a study while I was doing my MA (mas-ter of arts degree), a special study on homosexuality, and I believe that we really need to understand it first before we pass judgement. We need to imply to those people the love of God. And if we un-derstand the way we are, maybe we can give them that love and probably help them come out of
Ministers sing praises to Marlene

Her Cabinet colleagues, Members of Parliament for La Brea and Point Fortin re-spectively, Nicole Olivierre and edmund Dillon, also expressed gratitude for her hard work adding Mitchell now has large shoes to fill.Mitchell, in deliver-ing the feature address at the Housing Devel-opment Corporations (HDC) presentation of keys ceremony, told the gathering he ap-preciated the confi-dence placed in him by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. He add-ed Mc Donald worked incredibly hard over the last six months to make this happen for the people of Point Fortin, referring to al-location of houses in the south western pen-insula. The ceremony yesterday was held at the Point Fortin Bor-ough Corporations auditorium. The Prime Minister fired Mc Don-ald on Thursday in the face of allegations of breaching parliamen-tary regulations, mis-conduct in public office over interference in the assignment of an HDC apartment to her com-mon-law husband and the granting of cheques for his charity, Calabar Foundation.Housing, Mitchell explained, is very seri-ous business and Gov-ernment embraces this responsibility with gus-to and pride. Mitchell is the son of former Point Fortin mayor Victor Mitchell. In the not too distant future, we will officially launch our public-private partnership initiatives which will see another construction boom in the country, similar to what we experienced in the 2002 and 2010 period, Mitchell said. He boasted that un-der Peoples Nation-al Movement (PNM) governments, past and present, many bene-fited from housing. Mitchell added: To-day, you and hundreds more, will sit in the comfort of your HDC, subsidized homes be-cause my predecessors of 10 years and beyond, embarked on a journey through underutilized lands and assessed the potential for housing sites.An estimated 100 persons received keys to their new homes located in the La Brea and Point Fortin con-stituencies. Mitch-ell noted 16 acres of land at Pier Road, La Brea, were developed between 2005 and 2006 to construct 81, three-bedroom single units for families in the lower income category. Additionally at La For-tune, Point Fortin, 47 acres of land were de-veloped between 2006 to 2007 for the con-struction of 422 homes. To date, 281 have been completed and several units are already occu-pied. saying the HDC cannot afford at this stage to be penny wise and pound foolish, Mitchell appealed to the new homeowners to be wardens of their communities and to look out for each othe
Speaker looks into MPs expenses

The speaker is looking at it and the House will have a second look at the policy, a high-ranking parliamentary source said yester-day to Sunday Newsday when asked if reforms will be tabled on the issue. On Friday, Persad-Bissessar disclosed that up to this month she had employed two persons who would have fallen under a widened definition of relatives, in contravention of new Parlia-ment arrangements issued in september last year. In an inter-view with Sunday Newsday, the Opposition Leader said she dis-continued the payroll of the two employees at her constituency office effective March 1.The siparia MPs disclosures came as the controversy involv-ing PNM MP Marlene McDon-alds hiring of her common-law husband Michael Carew and his brother, Lennox, at her constitu-ency office widened across party lines. Persad-Bissessar was among three Opposition MPs who last week confirmed they had em-ployed family members since september last year. Princes Town MP Barry Padarath con-firmed that he had employed one distant relative at his office and that person was dismissed effec-tive March 1, while Mayaro MP Rushton Paray said a pumpkin vine relative was employed but with sanction from the Parlia-ment.On Friday, it was reported that the Parliament issued a question-naire on staffing arrangements to all 41 MPs. MP s have been asked to provide the names, position/salary and residential addresses of all employees at the constitu-ency offices. In september 2015, the Parlia-ment introduced new arrange-ments governing the restriction on the employment of family members at constituency offices. Previously, the 21-page Con-stituency Operations Manual for 2010 to 2015 only stated MPs should not hire members of their immediate family, who were de-fined as spouse, children or par-ents, to work in their constitu-ency office. However, the new arrangements which came into effect on september 9, 2015, sig-nificantly widened this.The 17-page document, enti-tled 2015 Constituency Office and Remuneration Arrangements, contains a heading, Restriction on Employment of Relatives. That section now states, Mem-bers are restricted from employ-ing relatives as employees in their Constituency Offices. Relatives include the following individuals: (1) spouses; (2) co-habitants; (3) children/step-children/adopted children/grandchildren; (4) par-ents/step-parents/grandparents; (5) siblings; (6) nephews/nieces; (7) uncles/aunts; and (8) cousins.On Friday, the Opposition Leader said her situation could be distinguished from Mc Don-alds employment of a spouse over a period of years and in the context of a long history of appar-ent graft in relation to the partic-ular individual employed. Per-sad-Bissessar stated several MPs, across party lines, may have been caught unaware of the change in the definition of relatives. Par-liament officials said it is not the practice of Parliament to bring specific changes to the attention of MPs.The 2010 provisions with respect to restricted categories for persons for employment has been changed in 2015 and has been widened, Persad-Bissessar said. When it was brought to my attention I discontinued such persons from my payroll. There were some persons who had been employed at my office, and many other offices, for upwards of 15 years and had simply continued from 2015. There may be other MPs affected by this, so this is a can of worms. she did not give details, but two names circulating in political circles last week were Lisa Harry and Usha Persad.Padarath said he had been familiar with the 2010 to 2015 manual from his work with Per-sad-Bissessar and initially em-ployed a distant relative. When it was brought to my attention the person was re-moved, he said. It was a distant relative and this would have been at the end of February or March 1. I have taken the decision that whatever salary they received they should repay.Paray said he kept on one of-ficial who had been employed at the Mayaro constituency office from when it was administered by Winston Gypsy Peters.I have a pumpkin vine relative who was employed in Gypsys office who I kept when I became MP, Paray said. I had it cleared by Parliament before keeping the person. stella Kidd was employed at MP Peters office full time... she is related by being the daughter of my grand-fathers brothers daughter. It was not flagged and I proceeded to keep her. she is part-time, three days per week
Should Cabinet sub-comittees declare assets?

I will have to check on that, Jones told Sunday Newsday in an interview last Tuesday after the launch of yet another com-mittee, the National Tripartite Advisory Council, held at the Diplomatic Centre, La Fantasie Road, st Anns. These commit-tees do not control the disburse-ment of funds, but they are new committees and I will have to check with the Integrity Com-mission on that issue.since last september, the ad-ministration of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has appointed several Cabinet sub-committees that are tasked with providing the Cabinet advice on a range of matters ranging from energy affairs, the health sector, edu-cation and even the GATE pro-gramme. The committees often have mixed compositions, including ministers alongside members of civil society. For example, the standing Committee on Energy, chaired by Rowley, includes Govern-ment ministers alongside per-sons such as Ken Julien and Malcolm Jones. As recently as Friday, Rowley said this com-mittee was deliberating on the billion-dollar Mitsubishi/Massy project at La Brea. Yet, while non-Government officials on these boards will have a say in Government policy, they do not appear to currently fall under the declaration requirements of the Integrity in Public Life Act, which applies to persons in pub-lic life.Former Chief Justice Michael de la Bastide yesterday called on Attorney General Faris Al-Ra-wi to provide legal advice to the Cabinet on the issue. These are positions no one had in mind when the Integrity in Public Life Act was drafted, de la Bastide told Sunday News-day. I think this is something that the Attorney General should give his opinion on for a start. Of course his opinion is not binding but since the issue has arisen the Government should ask their legal advisor. De la Bastide said the population could assume that the committees will have a say in Government policy.Their advice will presumably have weight and will influence the decisions made by the Cab-inet, the former Chief Justice said. I can see there is a case for declarations, although one won-ders whether these declarations have been effective in stopping corruption. The Economic Advisory Board includes: Dr Terrence Farrell (chair); economist Karl Theodore; trade unionist David Abdullah; oil-sector contractor Trevor Lynch; permanent secre-tary in the Ministry of Finance, Alison Lewis; business educator, Dr Rolf Balgobin; and econo-mist Marlene Attzs. The Committee appointed to review health care includes: Dr Winston Welch (chairman); Dr Wayne Frederick; Profes-sor Carl Theodore; Martin de Gannes; Dr Adesh sirjusingh; Valerie Rawlins. The committee members are not paid. However, there is an honorarium which they may receive, though it is understood several committee members have asked not to be paid this. We are doing this pro bono, said Economic Advisory Board member David Abdullah yester-day. We are doing this for the benefit of the public interest. Asked if he felt board members should declare assets, income and associations, he said, No, we are not managing any re-sources. We are just advising. We are not making any decisions. If people are aligned to specific interests groups, then perhaps they can declare this on the level of the board deliberations.
MPs remember Myers

Peoples National Movement st Anns east MP Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said Myers was a man who, held fast to his convictions. Listing his many accomplish-ments in public life, the Community Develop-ment and Arts Min-ister said Myers was always someone who was unrelenting in his passion, to champion ones belief.United National Congress Tabaquite MP Dr suruj Ram-bachan said Myers was someone who paid a high price in his life for, going against the establishment.Rambachan also said Myers has the distinc-tion of being the only person to defeat a sit-ting prime minister in a general election. In the 1986 general elec-tions, Myers defeated then prime minister George Chambers in the st Anns constitu-ency.In agreeing with the views expressed by Gadsby-Dolly and Rambachan, speak-er Bridgid Annis-ette-George hailed Myers as the ultimate statesman. she called upon all MPs to re-commit themselves to the high discharge of service to the public. Myers was laid to rest yesterday.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. is ramping its 16nm process and making progress on plans to roll out 10 and 7 nanometer nodes over the next two years.

Some observers were underwhelmed, claiming TSMCs road map to 7nm will only bring it in line with the 14nm process in which Intel is currently ramping its Skylake CPUs.

Indeed, even TSMC executives noted its 10 and 7nm nodes will have minimum feature sizes of about 20 and 14nm, respectively. And they all use the same fundamental FinFET transistor structures Intel pioneered at 22nm and 14nm. However, they also reported significant progress on research on post-FinFET devices.

Xilinx chief executive Moshe Garielov was effusive about the 16FF+ process in which he is now building multiple chips, claiming a lead over rival Altera which he said is waiting to tape out 14nm chips in the fabs of its new owner, Intel.

One of the new Xilinx 16nm FPGAs packs 5.2 billion transistors to support seven programmable cores. We have the only [16nm FPGA] out and we believe we have a year advantage, he said.

At 7nm the company has 30% yields of a fully functional 128 Mbit SRAM. The process will deliver either 15-20% more speed or require 35-40% less power and deliver 1.63 times the logic density compared to chips made in its 10nm process

The 7nm node is likely the end of FinFET technology for TSMC. TSMCs Mii reported promising research on a number of fronts.

The foundry designed germanium transistors with lower NFET contact resistivity than previously published results that approached silicon performance. It also made its first FinFETs in a III-V process  indium gallium arsenide  with record high on current.

Mii also showed an indium arsenide nanowire transistor with fast on/off capability that with the right channel materials could beat silicon FinFET performance. The gate-all-around device performed 1.6-times better than published results

The company owns a dozen 12-inch fabs, most with multiple phases, each a massive building on its own. Thats in addition to one six-inch, six eight-inch and two affiliated eight-inch fab

SOURCE  EETimes
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Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Salt Lake City on Friday. Photo: George Frey/Getty Images

According to a new Deseret News/KSL poll, if Donald Trump becomes the GOP nominee, the voters of Utah would opt for a Democratic candidate for the first time in over 50 years. Poll respondents said they would support either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders over Trump, though Clinton was only two points ahead of Trump in the poll, falling within the margin of error (as opposed to the 11 points Sanders has over Trump). As many as 16 percent of respondents said they would skip the election altogether if Trump was the nominee. The survey also indicated that either John Kasich or Ted Cruz would defeat the Democratic candidate if they were nominated.

Its only one poll, but that didnt prevent it from shocking Chris Karpowitz, the co-director of Brigham Young Universitys Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy. Said Karpowitz to the News, I know it is early and these things can change. But the fact that a Donald Trump matchup with either Clinton or Sanders is a competitive race is a canary in a coal mine for Republicans.

Trump made news in heavily Mormon Utah on Friday by wondering aloud at a Salt Lake City rally whether former presidential candidate Mitt Romney was actually Mormon, though Trump would later suggest he was just implying that Romney wasnt very smart, because The Mormons are very smart people. I know many Mormons. With Utahs caucuses set for Tuesday, FiveThirtyEights current polling average has Cruz and Kasich way ahead of Trump, 52 and 28 percent, respectively, to Trumps 10 percent.

BuzzFeeds McKay Coppins notes that while Mormons make up the most reliably Republican religious group in the country, they differ from the partys base in key ways that work against Trump:

On immigration, for example, the hard-line proposals that have rallied Trumps fans  like building a massive wall along the countrys southern border to keep immigrants out  are considerably less likely to fire up conservative Latter-day Saints. The LDS church has spent years lobbying for compassionate immigration reform. [] These pro-immigrant attitudes are common among rank-and-file believers, many of whom have served missions in Latin American countries. Mormons are more than twice as likely as evangelicals to say they support more immigration to the United States, according to Notre Dame political scientist David Campbell. And a 2012 Pew survey found Mormons were more likely to say immigrants strengthen the country than they were to call immigrants an overall burden.

Coppins also points out that Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric has angered many Mormons, who have traditionally been sensitive to issues related to religious freedom and persecution, and his comments after the San Bernardino terrorist attack even drew an official rebuke from the church itself. Thats not all:

Trump is off-putting to Mormons for more predictable reasons as well. His blatant religious illiteracy, his penchant for onstage cursing, his habit of flinging crude insults at women, his less-than-virtuous personal life and widely chronicled marital failures  all of this is anathema to the wholesome, family-first lifestyle that Mormonism promotes. And demographically speaking, Mormons tend to reside outside Trumps base of support anyway. They have higher-than-average education levels, whereas Trump does best among voters without any college education; they are more likely to be weekly churchgoers, while Trump performs better with Christians who attend services infrequently.

This post was updated to include McKay Coppinss analysis.
The bombing struck what is in many ways the cultural epicenter of Istanbul. Photo: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

A Saturday-morning suicide bombing on one of central Istanbuls busiest streets killed five people, including three Israelis, two of whom held dual citizenship with the U.S., according to Reuters. An Iranian citizen was also killed in the attack. The fifth fatality was the bomber, who the Turkish Interior Minister has announced was an ISIS-linked militant and Turkish national from a province bordering Syria. Another 36 people, as many as 24 of them foreigners, were injured as well. The bomb was detonated on Istiklal Street, an elegant pedestrian-only avenue full of shops, cafes, and government missions that is usually one of the most bustling places in Istanbul, though it has been less crowded as of late as residents have sought to avoid public spaces following three previous suicide attacks in the country this year.

The attack on Saturday was captured by CCTV cameras, as seen in the beginning of this Australian news report:

At least five people are confirmed dead and dozens injured in a suicide bombing at a busy shopping area in #Istanbul https://t.co/BaPoFy1Ymu  7 News Perth (@7NewsPerth) March 20, 2016

Twelve German tourists were killed in another ISIS-suspected suicide attack in Istanbul in January, and more than 100 people were killed in an ISIS-linked bombing in Ankara last October, the worst attack in the countrys history. Two other recent suicide attacks in Ankara, including one just six days before Saturdays bombing, were claimed by an offshoot of the PKK Kurdish separatist group. Turkey was already on high alert this weekend on account of the annual Newroz holiday, which is celebrated by the countrys Kurdish minority and has in the past led to violence and demonstrations. In fact, the Turkish government banned public celebrations of the holiday in most cities this year citing security concerns, a move that could lead to even more tension between the government and the countrys Kurdish minority.

A Turkish official told Reuters that Saturdays bomber had sought to attack a more crowded part of Istiklal Street, but was deterred by a heavier police presence there. The attack was the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey in the past year.

A man lights a candle at the site of a blast on Istiklal Street. The sign reads: We are not afraid, we are here, we wont adjust. Photo: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

Haaretz has identified the three Israelis who were killed in the attack as Simcha Damari, a 60-year-old mother of four; Jonathan Shor, a 40-year-old father of two; and 69-year-old Avraham Goldman. It is not yet clear as of Sunday morning which two were also American citizens. Eleven other Israelis, including friends and family of those killed, were also injured in the attack.

Nineteen people were still hospitalized as a result of the attack on Sunday, including nine who remained in critical condition, according to the AFP. Istanbul residents were mostly remaining indoors on Sunday, and Twitter and Facebook were both being blocked by the government, according to local users.

This evening #Istiklal was reopened by authorities, but remained eerily quiet. Went out for grocery with my boys. pic.twitter.com/2foDsOmWOr  Robert Schuddeboom (@rschuddeboom) March 19, 2016

This post has been updated throughout to reflect newly available information regarding the attack.
Ouch. Photo: Mike Christy/Arizona Daily Star via AP

A protester being escorted out of Donald Trumps Saturday night rally in Tucson, Arizona, was attacked, punched, and repeatedly kicked by a rally attendee in the latest incidence of violence at one of the GOP front-runners campaign events. In videos taken of the attack, a white protester wearing an American flag shirt is seen being escorted up the stairs of the venue in front of another protester, a woman wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood and who may have been giving a Nazi salute to the crowd. A black man in the crowd then rushes the first protester, rips a sign out of his hands, and starts beating him:

Went to the Trump rally just to see how crazy it would be........this is insane pic.twitter.com/QFwSwmNoI0  Alex Satterly (@alex_satterly) March 19, 2016

VIOLENCE at another Donald Trump rally, this time in Tucson, AZ. Man hits and kicks protester: pic.twitter.com/7FWuSeE0Jt  Frank Thorp V (@frankthorpNBC) March 19, 2016

Trump himself had called for the protesters to be removed from the rally after noticing the woman in the KKK hood, and on Sunday morning Trump suggested the protesters had the attack coming, telling ABCs George Stephanopoulos that, This happened to be an African American man who was very very incensed that someone a protester would be wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. That man, 32-year-old Tony Pettway, was arrested at the scene and charged with assault. Nothing else is known about Pettway, including whether he is a Trump supporter, as of midday Sunday.

In addition, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was involved in separate scuffle at the event when he joined a member of Trumps private security detail in trying to remove a group of anti-Trump protesters who were standing behind Trump waving signs and jeering the candidate while he gave his speech. In a video capturing that brief altercation, a plainclothes security person can be seen aggressively grabbing and pulling a protester by back of his collar as the protester tries to move away, and Lewandowski is also seen grabbing the young mans shirt, albeit with less force than the security person. A campaign spokesperson has insisted to CBS News that Lewandowski didnt in fact touch the protester, but watch the video and decide for yourself:

A zoomed-in, shorter version:

Here is Donald Trump's campaign manager in the Tucson crowd grabbing the collar of a protester. pic.twitter.com/JZ9RntWlHY  Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) March 19, 2016

And here is the campaigns full defense of Lewandowski:

Statement from Trump campaign RE video of campaign manager grabbing protestors collar. pic.twitter.com/jzqK5ZwQFk  Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) March 20, 2016

Trump commented on the incident himself on Sunday morning, telling ABCs George Stephanopoulos that Lewandowski didnt touch the protester and suggesting he was actually impressed with how his campaign manager would take it upon himself to try and deal with protesters. I give him credit for having spirit, he wanted them to take down those horrible, profanity-laced signs, Trump said, adding that, security at the arena, the police were a little bit lax.

Two weeks ago, former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields filed criminal charges against Lewandowski for assaulting her, alleging that he had grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down as she tried to ask Trump a question at a campaign appearance in Florida. Lewandowski, the Trump campaign, and Trump himself have all tried to refute that claim.

Earlier Saturday, anti-Trump protesters blocked a primary road leading to another Trump rally in another part of Arizona, causing hours of backed-up traffic.
Tracee Ellis Ross, Special-K ambassador and star of Black-ish. Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Ive called Tracee Ellis Ross my girlfriend for nearly 20 years. You may have done the same. It started with her show Girlfriends, of course, and was cemented after she expanded her personal brand online by routinely delivering makeup tips, jokes, and shared insights  friend stuff. These days she stars as Rainbow Johnson on Black-ish and recently teamed up with Special-Ks Nourish Your Next  a campaign that celebrates everyday women doing extraordinary things. The Cut caught up with Ross to discuss her sense of duty to celebrate women, the Black-ish episode on everyones mind, and why people shouldnt want to be her.

This is so cool because you used to work at New York Magazine.

I did, I totally did! I went from Mirabella magazine to New York in the fashion department. It was really fun. It was a small department when I was there. It was me, Samira [Nasr], and Jade, and I was able to do everything, from being her assistant to doing my own shoots, to going out to market appointments and pulling stuff, to writing insurance letters, just all of it. It was really great training for me.

A few weeks ago, everyone was talking about Blackishs Hope episode, which approaches the issue of police brutality against black Americans. What did that episode mean to you?

To be on a show that is willing to keep telling the truth through the lens of this family means a lot to me. The fact that the writers are willing to keep addressing what American families are dealing with right now  and sometimes, like the police-brutality episode, what black families are dealing with right now  is really exciting and makes me feel really proud. My character is not always speaking my Tracee point of view, but what I love is that these subjects are spoken through each of these characters, using points of views that need to be seen.

What are some issues that youd like to address on Blackish?

There are a ton. Some are fun and frivolous, and some are as pivotal as police brutality, gun control, or politics. Theres a lot of subject matter that can be explored through this this family. Bos being mixed race  I look forward to exploring that in a new and different way. The Hope episode is a really good example of how different generations are experiencing these things, through the lens of the teenagers versus the kids.

The generational difference in how the family members reacted in Hope reminded me of Ta-Nehisi Coatess Between the World and Me  the part where his son was crying because he thought the killers of Michael Brown would be tried in court and Ta-Nehisi didnt want to comfort his son to give him a sense of false hope.

And what Ta-Nehisi did that was extraordinary was that he addressed the historical context. Jon Stewart, when a lot of the police-brutality stuff started, did an episode, and he said something that really struck me. Im going to hack up the metaphor that he used, but it really reminds me of what we do on our show. He used the expression the wallpaper of our lives. Theres a lot of stuff up on the wallpaper and we dont know how it got there, but its sort of sticking out. Our show takes those things off the wall and puts them in the middle of the floor and sees how this family trips over it. One of the things that Ta-Nehisi did in that book that I loved is that he didnt take it off the wall, he actually explained what was in the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the vehicle, the way he was talking to his son, it captured something that I didnt even understand. It was extraordinary. He explained the wallpaper.

With Black Girls Rock, your partnership with Special-K, and in social media, you are always celebrating phenomenal women. Do you feel a sense of duty to highlight young women doing great things?

In all honesty, its completely selfish. I need to see my own beauty and to continue to be reminded that I am enough, that I am worthy of love without effort, that I am beautiful, that the texture of my hair and that the shape of my curves, the size of my lips, the color of my skin, and the feelings that I have are all worthy and okay.

I heard it said once that You cant be it unless you see it. I dont believe that thats always true, but I believe that its more challenging when you dont see it. I think of my mom [Diana Ross]  she literally paved a road that didnt exist. I think its possible to have a vision for your life that goes beyond any circumstance of anything that youve ever seen, and I encourage people to do that. But I dont think that any of us can do that in a vacuum. I really feel like theres a paradigm shift that has occurred in the last ten years for how black women in this country are seen, the voice that we have, how we see ourselves, how we our images are portrayed. I want to see images that remind me that I am beautiful and I am enough, so that I dont have to waste any energy feeling ashamed of myself or any of that, so I can actually go out and do extraordinary things. Using my voice to recognize and celebrate other women is a joy for me.

Theres a cult fandom surrounding your hair. People make memes and YouTube tutorials about it. Whats that like?

I find it incredibly flattering. The only reason that I would enjoy it (and I do enjoy it) is if liking what my hair looks like offers you a springboard to find how you love yourself, not so you can be me. I used to try to beat my hair into submission so that it could look like other peoples hair. The moment that I stopped doing that and allowed my hair to be what it is, I came alive. If how I do my hair inspires them to find a new style for the way they want to do their hair, then God bless. I didnt love my hair growing up, I didnt love my body growing up, all those kinds of things. To then have people mirror back that its good  its really nice. I feel like our culture is so good at pulling other people down and being so judgmental, but theres space for all of us to be who we are. Theres space for us to celebrate each other and root for each other and not take each other down.

On another note, what happened to your rap alter-ego, T Murda. She is missed!

Shes very tired. Shes certainly not gone. I dont think shell ever go away.

This interview has been edited and condensed.
they have the weirdest baby names



Daisy Boo Pamela Oliver

Poppy Honey Rosie Oliver

Petal Blossom Rainbow Oliver

Buddy Bear Maurice Oliver



Edited at 2016-03-19 10:36 pm (UTC)

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That's awful



They're going to grow up and stop being children. I mean, those are dog names. I guess three of them could go by their second middle name but poor petal blossom rainbow



Edited at 2016-03-19 10:42 pm (UTC)

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at least the worst part about those names are the middle names so they don't even have to say them but jeez how sickly sweet sounding they are.

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I mean... Petal though. lol.

Blossom would be better imo but i totally agree otherwise.

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Buddy Bear??? Please tell me you're kidding

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they sound like redneck Care Bears

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This is worse than Bob Geldof's kids names. Someone beat Jamie Oliver's ass for this.

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Buddy Bear? shut the fuck up that sounds like Build-A-Bear

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I feel sorry for Petal. Poppy and Daisy get to be actual flowers, but she's only a flower part. Wtf? There are LOTS of other flowers they could have named her. Lily, Lavender, even Petunia would be better than Petal. LMAO!

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Daisy and Poppy are pretty average sounding names here... but Petal and Buddy?! Nothing about Petal, Blossom, Rainbow, Buddy, Bear or Maurice are even vaguely normal.



I mean Maurice is hella normal if you were born in 1920, I guess?

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no fucking way

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buddy bear???

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Buddy Bear Maurice. Sounds like the name of a 1920's gangster or a film noir character.

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i love how three of them have normal sounding names they can go by later on in life, but poor petal blossom rainbow is just there like 'thanks a lot...'

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Daisy and Poppy are fine. At least they're actual names.



Buddy will be a douchebro.



Petal is fucked.

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they clearly hate their children

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why do people name their kids like they're not going to one day be an adult

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I'd buy the entire boxset of Powerpuff Girls for Petal.

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Mrs Oliver, whose other three children are Poppy Honey Rosie, ten, Daisy Boo Pamela, nine, and Buddy Bear Maurice, two, told Gurgle magazine: They all have more than one name because I couldnt decide. Im not sure where Petal Rainbow came from - apparently its a My Little Pony! I wanted to call her Rainbow but Jamie told me to calm down."

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Are all of these pregnancy-related (since the post mentions Jamie's wife is pregnant) posts to get us ready for Easter, by chance? The whole rabbit thing and all? Because this is getting ridiculous.

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a lot of people thought he was "mansplaining" because there's always societal pressure on what mothers should do regarding a lot of things but especially breastfeeding. some mothers can't breastfeed for whatever reason, and they feel like they get a lot of shaming for not doing it, so jamie oliver being a man and saying this got people up in arms i guess.

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There's nothing wrong with what he said and I'm a rabid feminist/misandrist. But I'm a doctor, and when I was in college we used to do speeches about the benefits to poor women all the time and we were female and male students, nurses, men and women from the poor areas that wanted to learn, etc.

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Same tbh. Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks like he just said "breastfeeding has great benefits, go for it if you can". I didn't see him shaming women who don't breastfeed or telling them what to do.

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People tend to get really, really sensitive whenever men say anything that is specifically a women's body or choice. I read it more as a "hey breast feeding has a lot of positive benefits that a lot of people in general don't know about so definitely think about it as an option" but dude speaking about a woman's body will be offensive to some no matter what.

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I don't think what he said was that bad, but calling it easy and convenient is kind of annoying. It's very difficult for a lot of women, and it's not something he's personally experienced. Plus I don't think I'd call it convenient, especially for working women & since it makes it harder for men to help with feedings.

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No one's interested in medical advice given by a chef. Particularly a man on women's business.



I also hate when doctor's give non-medical advice, like when did you become a wise old sage Dr?

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there it is

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One of my pet peeves is people comparing pro-lifers to people who are pro-breastfeeding. Have you ever seen La Leche picketing the grocery store for selling formula? I sure haven't. Do cashiers go through a whole mandatory spiel with you before you buy formula? Fuck no. (As well they shouldn't, I should hope that goes without saying.)

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Maybe it depends on the group, but everything I've heard about La Leche has been terrible. One of my friends regularly left her meetings crying because of how badly the women shamed her. Albeit passive aggressively, of course.

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Sorry but in this case, I don't agree with the women against him. The more we promote breastfeeding the better, and I don't see how that's mansplaining when he's just promoting the benefits.

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Because every sane doctor would tell you that breastfeeding is the best option. Arguments arise over the lenght of brestfeeding and its benefit past the sixth month and the less than tactul approach to the subject considering many women can't brestfeed and might feel inadequate in a delicate period of time already palgued by chances of post partum depression.

I can also see why women would feel it's not a male chef's place to make it seem like a no-brained choice or thing to do.

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The thing is, and this is the part when this negative reaction loses me, is that he's not shaming women who can't do it past 3 or 6 months.



Imagine if someone says "don't smoke while being pregnant!" and people get mad because he's mansplaining and telling us what to do with out body, how you'll react? To me, is the same thing, because how many babies with underweight and health issues we see because the mothers didn't know this basic information (mothers that didn't have any other issue to stop or not doing breastfeeding, let me clarify this).

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agreed

it's not like he's shaming women who cant, he's just explaining the benefits.

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Estoy de acuerdo contigo.

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Is his goal to say more people should breastfeed? Or is his goal to convince more people to breastfeed?



Yes, it's great that he's encouraging breastfeeding, but it's fair to critique how he could have avoided alienating so many of the women he's trying to reach. It's not enough to say, "this is healthy", its about saying it in a way that's more likely to change people's attitudes/behavior and less likely to get dismissed.



For example, saying "it's easy, it's convenient" was a mistake - that's what got most people angry. It's also wrong - for a lot of women it's not going to be either.



If you want to promote breastfeeding, it's far more effective to be truthful & set realistic expectations. No, it won't be easy for everyone and if you have physical trouble, that's totally normal & shouldn't be embarrassing/discouraging - in fact, it's such a common problem, there's plenty of free resources available to help you. One thing a celebrity can easily do is publicize the names of specific charities - in this case, the various programs available to provide free help to breastfeeding mothers.



The way he kept bringing up that "it's free" as though women who buy formula just have trouble understanding basic math was also unnecessary - breastfeeding is actually a perfect example of how something can be costly even if you don't need to pay any cash for it.



Also, promoting breastfeeding isn't just about educating mothers. It's about making it easier for women to breastfeed - the public being educated about the realities of breastfeeding, including the difficulties, helps with that (for example, combining breastfeeding and work is not easy & convenient - if more people understand that, maybe they won't be such unsympathetic assholes when their breastfeeding employees or co-workers ask for accommodations in the workplace)



The criticism is a good thing - his response suggests that he gets why people objected to some of his comments & I expect any future remarks will avoid the mistakes he made the first time around.

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i instinctively always want to tell jamie oliver to fuck off.

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lmao i would fucking lose. it. he's such a stain.

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Pretty much.

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I find him annoying just because all of his recipes for HelloFresh are tedious and take forever.

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Those aren't recipes they're fucking novels. Like he needs to save the babble for tv not recipe cards.

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Not to mention he consistently lists "preheat over to X temperature" in step one, has you do 45 minutes of prep/cooking and THEN you put whatever it is in the oven for maybe 20 minutes. Thanks Jamie, it's not like I have utility bills to pay.

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I wonder how they will call their fifth kid.

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honeysuckle juniper bowpeep oliver

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bowbeep lmaaaooo

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Janitor Sweep Corridors Oliver

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buttercup moo-cow meadowmuffin oliver

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Pistil Sunshine Honeydew Oliver

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Wai Kika Moo Kau

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Those names...

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Who Put The Bop In the Bop-Shoo-Bop-Shoo-Bop Oliver.

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freesia spurgeon sundrop

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clover dewdrop monsoon oliver

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Y'all are slaying me omg.

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I don't really see the big deal here. You could argue that breastfeeding being "more convenient" is a matter of opinion but it's not like he's lecturing women on how they must breastfeed and shaming those who don't, he's just generally talking about the benefits of breastfeeding because that's what his wife is about to do. I'd rather a guy educate himself on breastfeeding and talk positively about it than whine about how they don't understand why women have to whip their titties out in public and why can't they just use bottles/do it in a restroom, etc etc.

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Exactly this. Unless he ashamed women who can't breastfeed then no, this is just an OTT reaction against something that should be talked more.

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What about women who don't want to do it?

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IA, I don't see it, he did not said that women who don't breastfeed are bad mothers or is shaming them, i don't know how is this bad? is it the "it is better" part? idgi.

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He wasn't talking about brestfeeding, that comment is about breastfeeding for over six months. Him acting like it's a no-brainer decision might rub some people, especially women, the wrong way.

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Amen. I don't see him shaming those who can't do it. If anything it's refreshing to see a guy advocate for it instead of the usual male response.

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ontd, do you want jamie oliver telling you what to do with your nipples?



i want him to do things to my nipples!















no not really lol i dont think he should have said anything in first of all, it's not his place tbh. but i kinda do think every woman who can should breast feed.

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i want him to do things to my nipples!





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now i just want to watch season 2 project runway

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ia with the last part of your comment lol

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La leche leaguers are kind of annoying tho

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believe me, they need to be



tons of mothers go to emergencies or pediatricians with babies with low weight and other problems because they don't know how to feed properly a baby, mostly first time mothers

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well he isn't lying about the benefits of breastfeeding. But absolutely every mother should do what is best for her and her child.

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lol wtf there is nothing wrong with what he said?

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I think the "it's easy" part is a stretch. But the nutritional benefits, that's all true.

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Breastfeeding is fucking hard lmao, what does he know. We should make it easier and provide more support for mothers who want to do it to get the rates up, tbh.

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I'm getting legit mad at the lowkey shaming of women who don't breastfeed in this post



like hoooooooly shit someone compared formula to shooting heroin while pregnant. THIS IS WHY WOMEN REMAIN UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT EVERYTHING.

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Me too, legit mad.

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That is a goal of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

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lmao guys, i added the comment he prefaced it that i forgot to include originally with about how britain doesn't breastfeed enough. that might be the kicker for you guys or it might not. it didn't change things significantly for me.

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The way things are shaping up on the oil price panic barometer, 17 April is now a D-Day of sorts for the industry. Its the day both OPEC and non-OPEC countries will sit down together in Doha, Qatar, to work towards an output freeze deal.

OPEC President Qatar will host the meeting as a follow-up to a late February meeting that was attended by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuelawhen the initial idea of an output freeze to January levels was bandied about, and that the idea is being increasingly supported by Saudi Arabia and Russia.

It is worth noting that the earlier Doha meeting of February 16 has changed the sentiment of the oil market and put a floor under the oil price. This has triggered a broad and intensive dialogue between all oil producers out of the conviction that current oil prices are not sustainable, according to a Qatari Energy Ministry statement. Related: Oil Industry On Edge As Political Turmoil In Brazil Rages On

But now that prices have somewhat rebounded to the $40 levelup 30 percent or so since last month when the output freeze was first brought upwhat is everyone expecting from Doha?

While the meeting scored a bit of a coup by winning a Saudi commitment to attend, there has been some undermining of things by Russian Energy Minister Alexandar Novak, who said yesterday that the meeting would only probably be held in April.

The official line is that the supporters of the freeze are looking for commitments from more producers, both within OPEC and outside of OPEC. But those who have committed so far are doing so contingent on others committing as well. Related: Irans Return To The Oil Markets Less Damaging Than Expected

Venezuelathe hardest hitis fully committed. Qatar has been lobbying for the freeze from the onset. Kuwait is committed. But Iraq, which represents the strongest supply growth among OPEC countriesis not keen on the idea, and Iran, fresh off sanctions, has said it would commit only after it reached a production level of 4 million barrels per day. Thats not going to be April.

The biggest coup for the Doha meeting is that Saudi Arabia has said it will attend.

Despite everything that could go wrong at Doha, oil prices are maintaining the new high on hopes of an output freeze, even if only at January levels.

"There is continuing jaw-boning about production cuts from OPEC members, and inventories are now coming in at the lower end, rather than the higher end of expectations, CMC Markets chief analyst Michael Hewson told Reuters. Related: The Rationale Behind Russias Withdrawal From Syria

But plenty still view a potential output freeze as a red-herring.

"Any such deal would still not be a game changer. It would really just maintain the excess supply that is now in place," Thomas Pugh of Capital Economics said in a note, as carried by zeenews.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Saxo Bank commodity strategy head Ole Sloth Hansen put it succinctly: Having seen the positive impact of verbal intervention since the low point was reached in January, it is now up to OPEC and non-OPEC members not to destroy the recovery, which as this stage, remains fragile, given current fundamentals.

But now that prices have rebounded a bit, Doha has perhaps become less important. What that means is that its more about what they say than what they actually do in Doha.

By Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com

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Some sort of bargain is in play, of which we still don't know the details; that's what the CIA itself is basically saying through their multiple US Think Tankland mouthpieces. And that's the real meaning hidden under a carefully timed Barack Obama interview that, although inviting suspension of disbelief, reads like a major policy change document.

Obama invests in proverbial whitewashing, now admitting US intel did not specifically identify the Bashar al-Assad government as responsible for the Ghouta chemical attack. And then there are nuggets, such as Ukraine seen as not a vital interest of the US -- something that clashes head on with the Brzezinski doctrine. Or Saudi Arabia as freeloaders of US foreign policy -- something that provoked a fierce response from former Osama bin Laden pal and Saudi intel supremo Prince Turki.

Tradeoffs seem to be imminent. And that would imply a power shift has taken place above Obama -- who is essentially a messenger, a paperboy. Still that does not mean that the bellicose agendas of both the Pentagon and the CIA are now contained.

Russian intel cannot possibly trust a US administration infested with warmongering neocon cells. Moreover, the Brzezinski doctrine has failed -- but it's not dead. Part of the Brzezinski plan was to flood oil markets with shut-in capacity in OPEC to destroy Russia.

That caused damage, but the second part, which was to lure Russia into an war in Ukraine for which Ukrainians were to be the cannon fodder in the name of "democracy," failed miserably. Then there was the wishful thinking that Syria would suck Russia into a quagmire of Dubya in Iraq proportions -- but that also failed miserably with the current Russian time out.

The Kurdish factor

Convincing explanations for the (partial) Russian withdrawal from Syria are readily available . What matters is that the Khmeimim air base and the naval base in Tartus remain untouched. Key Russian military advisers/trainers remain in place. Air raids, ballistic missile launches from the Caspian or the Mediterranean -- everything remains operational. Russian air power continues to protect the forces deployed by Damascus and Tehran.

As much as Russia may be downsizing, Iran (and Hezbollah) are not. Tehran has trained and weaponized key paramilitary forces -- thousands of soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan fighting side by side with Hezbollah and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). The SAA will keep advancing and establishing facts on the ground.

As the Geneva negotiations pick up, those facts are now relatively frozen. Which brings us to the key sticking point in Geneva -- which has got to be included in the possible grand bargain.

The grand bargain is based on the current ceasefire (or "cessation of hostilities") holding, which is far from a given. Assuming all these positions hold, a federal Syria could emerge, what could be dubbed Break Up Light.

Essentially, we would have three major provinces: a Sunnistan, a Kurdistan and a Cosmopolistan.

Sunnistan would include Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, assuming the whole province may be extensively purged of ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.

Kurdistan would be in place all along the Turkish border -- something that would freak out Sultan Erdogan to Kingdom Come.

And Cosmopolistan would unite the Alawi/Christian/Druze/secular Sunni heart of Syria, or the Syria that works, from Damascus up to Latakia and Aleppo.

Syrian Kurds are already busy spinning that a federal Syria would be based on community spirit, not geographical confines.

Ankara's response, predictably, has been harsh; any Kurdish federal system in northern Syria represents not only a red line but an "existential threat" to Turkey. Ankara may be falling under the illusion that Moscow, with its partial demobilizing, would look the other way if Erdogan orders a military invasion of northern Syria, as long as it does not touch Latakia province.

And yet, in the shadows, lurks the possibility that Russian intel may be ready to strike a deal with the Turkish military -- with the corollary that a possible removal of Sultan Erdogan would pave the way for the reestablishment of the Russia-Turkey friendship, essential for Eurasia integration.
In "Kasskara: Sunken Land of the Hopi Ancestors / The Ancestors that Came from the Sky (Part 1)", White Bear recounted details about Palataquapi, the ancient city in Chiapas, Mexico we call Palenque, including his description of an advanced school there. This institution taught the basics of life on Earth, such as how the divine spirit manifests into form, and the students were grounded in awareness that the physical form is a glorious yet usually imperfect reflection of the original divine essence.



In the previous segment, White Bear explained the importance of the human voice, saying that the sound waves we produce affect the entire universe, not only those who immediately hear us, so our speech should be harmonious. "In that way, we praise the Creator," he said. White Bear described teachings that relate to everything concerning the heart in which we find the seat of our thoughts, saying that it is here that comprehension and compassion are so important. "The other essential aspect of our heart is its relation to the blood in our body. Blood has such an importance that man should never perform tests on it. The Creator prohibited all bad use of blood," White Bear emphasized. "The great danger of this bad use lies in the future, according to what we were told."

Describing an observatory at the building's highest level, White Bear said that students there studied the universe that surrounds us--the creation and the divine capacity. "The students were informed about all the characteristics and order of our planetary system, but not only what one can observe visually. They knew--and this is why we know it as well--that there is fine sand on the moon, that the earth is round and that there is no life on Venus, Mars or Jupiter. These are dead planets on which humankind cannot live," White Bear noted. "If your scientists had asked us, we could have told them they would find fine sand on the moon." He described one of the school's main goals:

"We learned that there exists a global plan of the Creator that the human being must follow. If he fails in following the plan, he is no longer a child of the divine force and must be disciplined. The law of the Creator seems to be very clear and simple, but it nevertheless seems very difficult for Man to obey. Everything that damages the human being and everything that disturbs the peace of men violates the law of the Creator. This reveals that the most serious crime is the destruction of the life of a human being. Nothing is worse.

We also got information concerning the Eighth World. This world exists, but nobody knows where it is. All human beings that die return there. It consists of two planets: one for good people, the other for malicious ones. At the end of the Seventh World, all good people of the Seventh and Eighth Worlds will go into the Ninth World, which does not exist yet. It will be created only at the appropriate time here on this earth. The Ninth World will never finish; it will be eternal."



According to White Bear, in the Ninth World there will be no more distinctions between races. "You will take my skin color or I will take yours; we do not know, but there will be no different races anymore. We will have meaningful work to do and everything will be marvelous.





'Sun Gate, Tiahuanaco, Bolivia'

(Image by Mhwater, Author: Mhwater) Details Source DMCA



The building, throughout the construction in steps from the ground up to the last floor, represented the initiates' expanding knowledge--the process of ascending towards higher levels of the spirit and increasing comprehension of the miracles of our world. According to Hopi tradition, such a building also existed in Taotooma (Tiahuanaco). White Bear stated:

"The teaching was given by the Kachinas. The Creator was informed of our progress because he was in relation with the Kachinas by thought transmission. The Kachinas also decided who would be granted admission to this school because they designated these children before their births to such a life of education, devotion, and abnegation. This is why only the Kachinas were able to designate those who could achieve higher levels and finally reach the last floor of this university of life. Few of them achieved this goal. Those who reached that point were in perfect harmony with the divine Creator, and this is why I will call them 'great holy men'."

On this subject White Bear related a story about a man he knew named "Aapa", who belonged to his grandfather's clan, the Clan of the Badger. Aapa was one of the great visionaries of recent times, and while such men are sometimes called "medicine men", even by some Hopi, they are not medicine men but something else. "The events that I lived through with him, and the teachings he gave me were filled with mystery. Often he used his third eye," White Bear said, adding that Aapa had explained to him that a living person could pass from the physical side of one's life to the spiritual side:

"The border between the two [worlds] is hardly perceptible. All those who see with their third eye can cross it. Aapa also showed us how one can see the other side of the earth using the moon. He showed and taught us many things that you could not believe without seeing them yourself. He did these things in the presence of my parents, and as the oldest son, I could assist him. I could tell you more about it, but for somebody who did not himself live such experiments, it would be difficult to believe or understand. He still said to us that all this knowledge came from the fourth floor of the building in question and was transmitted to his ancestors through whom he obtained it.

All these men, who devote all their time to these important tasks, walking on a narrow path, are confronted with many dangers and temptations. But there have always existed men who achieved this high goal. Today such a man is called 'Naquala', meaning adviser or benefactor, and it shows his renunciation and devotion to his duties as a guide for his people. Such a man does not let himself divert from his path of truth."

To those who had achieved this goal, White Bear explained, the Kachinas granted the favor of immortality; they could leave our earth without being dead. He said that the phenomenon had existed in Taotooma (Tiahuanaco) and that "these people really left us in their human bodies towards a planetary system we do not know."

The Kachinas encouraged these spiritual scholars to learn as much as possible and succeed in reaching the deepest levels of insight. They always reminded these scholars that life always unfolded in front of them, yet they should never forget what they had learned in this University. The Kachinas also warned that one day in the future misfortunes would arrive, so they must do everything they can to remain close to the Divine source.



For centuries the people of Palatquapi had remained on the right path, and harmony prevailed, but eventually some clans started to leave and settle elsewhere. As the new colonies formed and people relocated, they had decreasing contact with the Kachinas, and the men who had reached the highest level of the University were sent as delegates to these new colonies. They used their third eye perception to select young people to whom they could successfully transmit their knowledge. But eventually too many colonies had lost contact with their guides and had abandoned the right path. Within the clans and also between them, disputes arose that resulted in the clans' separation. More and more people left Palatquapi for Central America and Yucatan where they built cities and created great civilizations.

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Readings for Palm Sunday: LK 19:28-40; IS 50: 4-7, PS 22: 8-9, 12-20, 23=24, PHIL 2:6-11, LK 22: 14-23:58.

It's puzzling to see white Evangelicals rallying around Donald Trump. He's the presidential candidate who owns casinos and strip clubs, and who has been married three times.

His pre-candidacy positions on social issues conflict with those Evangelicals have considered sacrosanct in the recent past. As Michael Moore points out, Trump has been pro-choice, pro-gun control, and a supporter of Planned Parenthood. He's been in favor of gay marriage, raising the minimum wage, and single payer health care. Trump has been pro-union (at least in the private sphere), and has proposed a one-time 14% tax on the accumulated wealth of the super-rich in order to retire the U.S. national debt (i.e. to enrich the banksters).

In the foreign policy sphere, Mr. Trump advocates torture beyond water boarding. His desire to "make America great again" leads him to propose intensified wars in the Middle East, building a wall across the U.S.-Mexican border, filling Guantanamo with even more prisoners, and evicting Muslims from the United States.

How is it possible for white evangelicals to support such a candidate? On the one hand, his personal life and long-standing positions on the "social issues" conflict with what such believers have deemed undebatable in the past. And on the other hand, Trump's foreign policies conflict with the teachings and example of Jesus himself.

After all, Jesus was a poor laborer who criticized the rich in the harshest of terms. He and his family knew what it was like to be unwelcome immigrants (in Egypt). He was a victim of torture, not its administrator. Far from a champion of empire, he was executed as a terrorist and enemy of Rome. His followers were not about accumulating wealth, but shared what they had according to ability and need.

When you think of it, all of this seems antithetical to not only to Trumpism, but to the positions of virtually all the candidates for president this election year. They're all imperialists. All of them (except Bernie Sanders) are friends of the one-percent. They all want to increase military spending which now costs taxpayers about a billion dollars a day.

How did all of that happen?

Today's Palm Sunday readings provide some clues. Luke's Passion Narratives reveal a first century Christian community already depoliticizing Jesus in order to please Roman imperialists. The stories turn Jesus against his own people as though they were foreign enemies of God.

Think about the context of today's Palm Sunday readings.

Note that Jesus and his audiences were first and foremost anti-imperialist Jews whose lives were shaped more than anything else by the Roman occupation of their homeland. As such, they weren't waiting for a Roman-Greco "messiah" who, like the Sun God Mithra, would die and lead them to heaven. They were awaiting a Davidic messiah who would liberate them from the Romans.

So on this Palm Sunday, what do you think was on the minds of the crowds who Luke tells us lined the streets of Jerusalem to acclaim Jesus the Nazarene? Were they shouting "Hosanna! Hosanna!" (Save us! Save us!) because they thought Jesus was about to die and by his sacrificial death open the gates of heaven closed since Adam's sin by a petulant God? Of course not. They were shouting for Jesus to save them from the Romans.

The palm branches in their hands were (since the time of the Maccabees) the symbols of resistance to empire. Those acclaiming Jesus looked to him to play a key role in the Great Rebellion everyone knew about to take place against the hated Roman occupiers.

And what do you suppose was on Jesus' mind? He was probably intending to take part in the rebellion just mentioned. It had been plotted by the Jews' Zealot insurgency. Jesus words at the "Last Supper" show his anticipation that the events planned for Jerusalem might cause God's Kingdom to dawn that very weekend.

Clearly Jesus had his differences with the Zealots. They were nationalists; he was inter-nationalist who was open to gentiles. The Zealots were violent; Jesus was not.
Since the coup, Honduras has become one of the most dangerous places in the world.



- Amy Goodman

Since a June 2009 coup in Honduras, violence beneficial to rightist power brokers and international corporations -- violence directed against activists for the poor and indigenous -- has skyrocketed. News of this rarely reaches mainstream America. The real story is that the US government, as in the past, talks pretty but is an accessory in Honduras' descent into murder. "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," according to Andrea Lobo, one of many out-of-the-mainstream observers of Honduras' decent into oppressive violence.



Murder victim Berta Caceres, co-founder of COPINH, fought for the rights of the poor

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On March 3rd, Berta Caceres, 44, co-founder of COPINH, the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, and winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize was assassinated by killers who broke into her home in La Esperanza (in English, Hope) at 1AM. Gustavo Castro Soto, a Mexican environmental activist who witnessed the murder and was himself shot twice, has been refused permission to return to Mexico and is hiding out in the Mexican embassy in Tegucigalpa. The financial officer of COPINH has been interrogated four times at length by police; she told Amy Goodman it's an effort to suggest the murder was due to internal COPINH politics. A COPINH member was briefly arrested by the police as a suspect, then released. Then, another COPINH activist, Nelson Garca, was killed last week. Police say Garcia's killing was an "isolated" act.

"Hundreds of activists have been killed. It's just a nightmare in Honduras," says Greg Grandin, a history professor at New York University, referring to the period since the 2009 coup. "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," says Andrea Lobo, one of many out-of-the-mainstream observers of Honduras' decent into oppressive violence. (See Amy Goodman and Democracy Now for more on the story.)

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was President Obama's secretary of state at the time of the 2009 coup. At dawn on June 28th, a military unit invaded the home of duly elected President Manuel Zelaya, a timber baron, woke him from his bed at gunpoint and flew him to Costa Rica. Ms Clinton and President Obama expressed obligatory regret over the coup, then did absolutely nothing to turn it around. Rumors spread of secret US involvement on a direct or indirect basis. After a brief hiatus, military aid was reinstated in full to the Honduran military. Secretary Clinton publicly called for nations around the world to support the government installed by the coup and pushed preparations for new elections. Ms. Clinton is very skilled at working this kind of political knife-in-the-kidney operation with a bright PR smile, all the time counting on the American people to have little interest in the comings and goings of a place like Honduras. Unlike the SNAFU in Benghazi, her Republican enemies have no interest in criticizing her for running cover for a coup that removed a left-leaning president in Honduras.

Zelaya is from a family in the timber industry. In 2013, his wife, Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, ran for president but lost to Juan Orlando Herna'ndez, whose family is into coffee, TV and hotels. Hernandez was described by liberal politician Rafael Pineda Ponce as a cipote malcriado or spoiled kid. Zelaya is now a deputy representing Honduras in the Central American Parliament. One of the telling ironies of this saga is that one of the much-touted reasons President Zelaya was ousted was that he was plotting to change the constitution to allow himself to run for a second term. The Honduran Supreme Court recently eliminated that single term rule, which will allow Hernandez to run for successive terms, beginning in the election next year. Zelaya repeatedly denied a second term was his goal in wanting to change the constitution; he said he wanted to improve the plight of the Honduran poor.

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Reprinted from Common Dreams

When I was a teenage volunteer for Eugene McCarthy's presidential campaign in 1968, one of the aspects of the national Democratic Party power structure that bothered me the most -- apart from its support for the horrendous Vietnam War -- was its internal barriers to democracy. Those barriers turned out to be major stumbling blocks for peace advocates as they lost the party's presidential nomination to then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

During the 1970s, reforms inside the party had the effect of giving voters a much more genuine role in selecting the party's presidential nominees. But today, a big vestige of undemocratic processes remains within the Democratic Party -- "superdelegates."

It will take 2,383 delegates to win the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in late July. State by state, the primaries and caucuses now underway are involving millions -- ultimately tens of millions -- of voters.

But there are big flies in the democratic ointment. Actually, 712 of them. That's the number of superdelegates who will have votes at the national convention.

Superdelegates already have power inside the party. They're members of the Democratic National Committee as well as members of Congress, state officials, party chairs and so forth. In short, they are pillars of the Democratic Party establishment, and they're hotwired into having a very large say in selecting the presidential nominee.

Hillary Clinton now has the support of hundreds of superdelegates (461 at last count), while Bernie Sanders has few superdelegates in his corner (25).

Why the extreme disparity in superdelegate leanings? After all, the voters in Democratic primaries and caucuses haven't been far from evenly split between the two candidates, while the superdelegates are lopsided for Clinton.

The main answers are related to the kind of power politics that prevails in Washington. Few Democrats in Congress have been willing to buck the power of centralized big bucks to the extent of not throwing their superpower weight behind Clinton.

And so it was that, sadly and predictably, many months ago the politician representing Marin in the House of Representatives publicly declared that his superdelegate vote at the convention will go to Hillary Clinton.

Congressman Jared Huffman knows about the power in the upper reaches of the Democratic Party hierarchy.

Yet, as an environmentalist, Huffman must know that Sanders has a much stronger record on climate change -- and the environment overall -- than does Clinton.

As someone who has expressed concerns about catastrophic U.S. military interventions abroad, Huffman must know that Clinton has actively supported many deadly exercises in imperial hubris and regime change.

And Huffman claims to be opposed to the inordinate political power of Wall Street, which has shoveled massive amounts of money into the Clinton campaign.

As a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Huffman could learn from its co-chairs, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who were willing to virtually stand alone on Capitol Hill as early endorsers of Bernie Sanders for president.

These are not just faraway issues. The Democratic presidential campaign is coming to California soon.
Reprinted from Reader Supported News

I am not proposing that we should give up on winning the nomination -- there is still a path. What I am saying is that it's time to start building a grassroots agenda that won't depend on winning the nomination. We may not have enough delegates to win the nomination, but there will be enough delegates to change the Democratic Party for future elections. Here are just some examples.

Platform Committee

When I worked for Bill Bradley in 2000, we were dismayed at the makeup of the platform committee. It was full of corporate execs. We sent a delegation to a platform committee that included Tom Hayden, Gloria Allred, and Lila Garrett. They were completely shut out, with none of their platform planks even earning a vote by the committee. It is probably too late to influence the makeup of this year's committee, but we should demand that the 2020 platform committee have no seats allowed to corporations. If we play our cards correctly, I think there will be labor delegates in the Clinton camp that would welcome this move. It is time to return the party to working people and progressive organizations, many of whom are in the Clinton camp and could work with us on this.

Money in Politics

As we are seeing with the Sanders campaign, it is not surrender to refuse to participate in the current campaign finance system. This will be a little tougher to implement, but we could prohibit the party from forming super PACs and go into 2020 with a Democratic Party that raises its money like Bernie did. Get ready for a big fight here. Of course the platform should call for overturning Citizens United and implementing public financing, but it usually does call for those things, while practices never change.

Electoral Reform

Get rid of the front-loaded red state nominating process. If the calendar were reversed, we might be talking about how hard it will be for Hillary Clinton to catch Bernie Sanders. How about a National Primary Day on June 7th, when everyone's vote will count the same. I spent the year in Iowa, and I see the strengths of retail politics in the current early state process. However, especially in the caucus system, there is too much room for establishment rigging of the process. Let's get back to one person, one vote, and let all voters choose the nominee. I have heard all the arguments for the little guy not being able to compete in a national primary, and I think it is nonsense. Bernie had the largest rallies from day one of his campaign and raised the most money. If you have the best message, you can compete. "One Person, One VOTE!" should be a chant ringing through the convention hall in Philadelphia. Letting Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and a bunch of southern states provide the momentum needed to win the nomination needs to end.

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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

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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.
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Why do they flee? The current mass exodus of people from Central America to the United States, with the daily headline-grabbing stories of numerous children involuntarily separated from their parents, means it's time to remind my readers once again of one of the primary causes of these periodic mass migrations. Tuesday, June 26, 2018The current mass exodus of people from Central America to the United States, with the daily headline-grabbing stories of numerous children involuntarily separated from their parents, means it's time to remind my readers once again of one of the primary causes of these periodic mass migrations.

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What Trump's "Great Wall" Misses President Trump's "Great Wall" ignores a key reason why desperate Mexicans and Central Americans flee north -- the history of U.S. military and economic intervention that has created poverty and repression, notes William Blum. Tuesday, February 7, 2017President Trump's "Great Wall" ignores a key reason why desperate Mexicans and Central Americans flee north -- the history of U.S. military and economic intervention that has created poverty and repression, notes William Blum.

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Cold War, today, tomorrow, every day till the end of the world. Think about it. The election that Americans are suffering through, cringing in embarrassment, making them think of moving abroad, renouncing their citizenship; an election causing the Founding Fathers to throw up as they turn in their graves ... this is because the Russian Devils are sowing voter distrust! Who knew? Tuesday, October 4, 2016Think about it. The election that Americans are suffering through, cringing in embarrassment, making them think of moving abroad, renouncing their citizenship; an election causing the Founding Fathers to throw up as they turn in their graves ... this is because the Russian Devils are sowing voter distrust! Who knew?

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Political correctness demands diversity in everything but thought To my great surprise, when I recently wrote about the brutal militarism and human-rights violations of the Islamic State, I received more criticism from my readers than I've gotten for anything I've ever written. Thursday, August 11, 2016To my great surprise, when I recently wrote about the brutal militarism and human-rights violations of the Islamic State, I received more criticism from my readers than I've gotten for anything I've ever written.

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To Cuba with Hate By traveling to Cuba and easing the embargo, President Obama signals reduced U.S. hostility but no apologies for the cruelty that Washington has inflicted on the Caribbean island for more than half a century, says William Blum. Saturday, March 19, 2016By traveling to Cuba and easing the embargo, President Obama signals reduced U.S. hostility but no apologies for the cruelty that Washington has inflicted on the Caribbean island for more than half a century, says William Blum.

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US Media Lost in Propaganda There was once a time -- perhaps just a brief moment in time -- when American journalists were cynical and responsible enough to resist being jerked around by U.S. government propaganda, but that time has long since passed if it ever existed, a reality that William Blum describes. Sunday, January 10, 2016There was once a time -- perhaps just a brief moment in time -- when American journalists were cynical and responsible enough to resist being jerked around by U.S. government propaganda, but that time has long since passed if it ever existed, a reality that William Blum describes.

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State Department's Hypocrisies and Lies If the U.S. government were not so terrifyingly powerful, its jaw-dropping double standards and the yawning gap between reality and what it calls reality might be funny. But there is the scary recognition that these hypocrisies and lies get people killed, as William Blum describes. Saturday, April 4, 2015If the U.S. government were not so terrifyingly powerful, its jaw-dropping double standards and the yawning gap between reality and what it calls reality might be funny. But there is the scary recognition that these hypocrisies and lies get people killed, as William Blum describes.

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Mysterious Deaths in Ukraine The mainstream U.S. news media is so in the tank for the post-coup Ukrainian government that anything negative -- from neo-Nazi militias to apparent "death squad" operations -- are ignored, including a string of mysterious deaths of anti-coup politicians, as William Blum noted at Anti-Empire Report. Friday, April 3, 2015The mainstream U.S. news media is so in the tank for the post-coup Ukrainian government that anything negative -- from neo-Nazi militias to apparent "death squad" operations -- are ignored, including a string of mysterious deaths of anti-coup politicians, as William Blum noted at Anti-Empire Report.

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Killing Democracy in Greece Greece, known as the birthplace of democracy, has seen the popular will thwarted often since World War II, from a brutal rightist coup to today's austerity-driven depression touched off by financial manipulators, as William Blum describes. Wednesday, February 25, 2015Greece, known as the birthplace of democracy, has seen the popular will thwarted often since World War II, from a brutal rightist coup to today's austerity-driven depression touched off by financial manipulators, as William Blum describes.

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The "Exceptionalism" of US Torture Americans like to think of themselves as the ultimate "good guys" and anyone who gets in their way as a "bad guy." Under this theory of U.S. "exceptionalism," whatever "we" do must be moral or at least morally defensible, from sponsoring coups around the world to torture, as William Blum describes. Monday, December 22, 2014Americans like to think of themselves as the ultimate "good guys" and anyone who gets in their way as a "bad guy." Under this theory of U.S. "exceptionalism," whatever "we" do must be moral or at least morally defensible, from sponsoring coups around the world to torture, as William Blum describes.

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The Two Sides of the Berlin Wall Historical narratives are often boiled down to simplistic and self-serving storylines that influence how people see the world, when a more sophisticated and fair-minded account would offer a different perspective, as William Blum writes about the Berlin Wall. Monday, October 20, 2014Historical narratives are often boiled down to simplistic and self-serving storylines that influence how people see the world, when a more sophisticated and fair-minded account would offer a different perspective, as William Blum writes about the Berlin Wall.

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Why You Can Hardly Believe a Word of What You Read About ISIS The groundwork for this awful mess of political and religious horrors sweeping through the Middle East was laid -- laid deeply -- by the United States during 35 years (1979-2014) of overthrowing the secular governments of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. And all of Washington's horses, all of Washington's men, cannot put this world back together again. Saturday, October 18, 2014The groundwork for this awful mess of political and religious horrors sweeping through the Middle East was laid -- laid deeply -- by the United States during 35 years (1979-2014) of overthrowing the secular governments of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. And all of Washington's horses, all of Washington's men, cannot put this world back together again.

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What Has War Achieved? If and when the American empire engages in combat with China or Russia, it appears that Washington will be able to count on their Japanese brothers-in-arms. In the meantime, the many US bases in Japan serve as part of the encirclement of China, and during the Vietnam War the United States used their Japanese bases as launching pads to bomb Vietnam. Sunday, July 13, 2014If and when the American empire engages in combat with China or Russia, it appears that Washington will be able to count on their Japanese brothers-in-arms. In the meantime, the many US bases in Japan serve as part of the encirclement of China, and during the Vietnam War the United States used their Japanese bases as launching pads to bomb Vietnam.

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"The Russians are coming -- again -- and they're still 10 feet tall!" The current protestors in Ukraine know about the impoverishment of Greece, Spain, et al. They also despise the new regime for its overthrow of their democratically-elected government, whatever its shortcomings. But the American media obscures these motivations by almost always referring to them simply as "pro-Russian." Saturday, May 10, 2014The current protestors in Ukraine know about the impoverishment of Greece, Spain, et al. They also despise the new regime for its overthrow of their democratically-elected government, whatever its shortcomings. But the American media obscures these motivations by almost always referring to them simply as "pro-Russian."

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Time For a Study of the US Mass Media's Bias on Foreign Policy? There are more than 1,400 daily newspapers in the United States. Can you name a single paper, or a single TV network, that was unequivocally opposed to the American wars carried out against Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Panama, Grenada, and Vietnam? Or even opposed to any two of these wars? How about one? Wednesday, February 5, 2014There are more than 1,400 daily newspapers in the United States. Can you name a single paper, or a single TV network, that was unequivocally opposed to the American wars carried out against Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Panama, Grenada, and Vietnam? Or even opposed to any two of these wars? How about one?

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Surveillance State Takes Offense President Obama proclaims his love of "transparency" but has an odd idea what the word means. He generally defines it as sharing some information with Congress and the Courts but keeping the public in the dark and punishing those who ask too many questions. Tuesday, October 8, 2013President Obama proclaims his love of "transparency" but has an odd idea what the word means. He generally defines it as sharing some information with Congress and the Courts but keeping the public in the dark and punishing those who ask too many questions.

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The Anti-Empire Report #118 What is a poor National Security State to do? Well, they might consider behaving themselves. Stop doing all the terrible things that grieve people like me and Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning and so many others. Stop the bombings, invasions, endless wars, torture, sanctions, overthrows, support of dictatorships, the unmitigated support of Israel. Stop all the things that make the United States so hated. Wednesday, June 26, 2013What is a poor National Security State to do? Well, they might consider behaving themselves. Stop doing all the terrible things that grieve people like me and Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning and so many others. Stop the bombings, invasions, endless wars, torture, sanctions, overthrows, support of dictatorships, the unmitigated support of Israel. Stop all the things that make the United States so hated.

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Blindness to Blowback After a terrorist attack, if anyone dares suggest that the killings represent blowback from U.S. military violence abroad, that person can expect furious denunciations even though the point is almost surely true, a paradox that William Blum confronts in this article from Anti-Empire Report. Saturday, May 4, 2013After a terrorist attack, if anyone dares suggest that the killings represent blowback from U.S. military violence abroad, that person can expect furious denunciations even though the point is almost surely true, a paradox that William Blum confronts in this article from Anti-Empire Report.

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What's Happening in Syria? It's difficult to know what's happening in Syria not only because of the confusing violence but because the Western news media has lost nearly all credibility when it comes to reporting on Muslim countries, at least those on America's and Israel's enemies lists. Sunday, April 8, 2012It's difficult to know what's happening in Syria not only because of the confusing violence but because the Western news media has lost nearly all credibility when it comes to reporting on Muslim countries, at least those on America's and Israel's enemies lists.

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Maligning Pvt. Manning Dozens of members of the American media and public officials have called for Julian Assange's execution or assassination. Under the new National Defense Authorization Act, Assange could well be kidnapped or assassinated. What century are we living in? What world? Tuesday, March 6, 2012Dozens of members of the American media and public officials have called for Julian Assange's execution or assassination. Under the new National Defense Authorization Act, Assange could well be kidnapped or assassinated. What century are we living in? What world?

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Biden's Unhinged Call for Regime Change in Russia Ever since Joe Biden ended his speech in Poland on Saturday night by making one of the most dangerous statements ever uttered by a U.S. president in the nuclear age, efforts to clean up after him have been profuse. Administration officials scurried to assert that Biden didn't mean what he said. Yet no amount of trying to "walk back" his unhinged comment at the end of his speech... Sunday, March 27, 2022Ever since Joe Biden ended his speech in Poland on Saturday night by making one of the most dangerous statements ever uttered by a U.S. president in the nuclear age, efforts to clean up after him have been profuse. Administration officials scurried to assert that Biden didn't mean what he said. Yet no amount of trying to "walk back" his unhinged comment at the end of his speech...

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From Moscow to Washington, the Barbarism and Hypocrisy Don't Justify Each Other Russia's war in Ukraine -- like the USA's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- should be understood as barbaric mass slaughter. For all their mutual hostility, the Kremlin and the White House are willing to rely on similar precepts: Wednesday, March 23, 2022Russia's war in Ukraine -- like the USA's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- should be understood as barbaric mass slaughter. For all their mutual hostility, the Kremlin and the White House are willing to rely on similar precepts:

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The United States to Russia - Do as We Say Not as We Do As we face the most dangerous crisis in decades that risks pushing the world into nuclear war very few are doing anything more than mouth safe platitudes. Monday, January 31, 2022As we face the most dangerous crisis in decades that risks pushing the world into nuclear war very few are doing anything more than mouth safe platitudes.

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Ominous History in Real Time: Where We Are Now in the USA An all-out war on democracy is now underway in the United States. More than ever, the Republican Party is the electoral arm of unabashed white supremacy as well as such toxicities as xenophobia, nativism, anti-gay bigotry, patriarchy, and misogyny. Sunday, January 16, 2022An all-out war on democracy is now underway in the United States. More than ever, the Republican Party is the electoral arm of unabashed white supremacy as well as such toxicities as xenophobia, nativism, anti-gay bigotry, patriarchy, and misogyny.

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Stop Calling the Military Budget a 'Defense' Budget It's bad enough that mainstream news outlets routinely call the Pentagon budget a "defense" budget. But the fact that progressives in Congress and even many antiwar activists also do the same is an indication of how deeply the mindsets of the nation's warfare state are embedded in the political culture of the United States. Tuesday, October 5, 2021It's bad enough that mainstream news outlets routinely call the Pentagon budget a "defense" budget. But the fact that progressives in Congress and even many antiwar activists also do the same is an indication of how deeply the mindsets of the nation's warfare state are embedded in the political culture of the United States.

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As War Keeps Poisoning Humanity, Organizing Continues to Be the Antidote Millions of Americans fervently oppose the military-industrial complex and its extremely immoral nonstop warfare. CodePink and Massachusetts Peace Action hosted a national webinar to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 -- the day before Sunday's launch of the Cut the Pentagon campaign -- and the resulting video includes more than 20 speakers who directly challenged the lethal orthodoxy of the warfare state. Monday, September 13, 2021Millions of Americans fervently oppose the military-industrial complex and its extremely immoral nonstop warfare. CodePink and Massachusetts Peace Action hosted a national webinar to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 -- the day before Sunday's launch of the Cut the Pentagon campaign -- and the resulting video includes more than 20 speakers who directly challenged the lethal orthodoxy of the warfare state.

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Will Senate Democrats Stoop to Confirming Rahm Emanuel as Ambassador? When President Biden announced late Friday afternoon that he will nominate Rahm Emanuel to be the U.S. ambassador to Japan, the timing just before the weekend was clearly intended to minimize attention to the swift rebukes that were sure to come. Monday, August 23, 2021When President Biden announced late Friday afternoon that he will nominate Rahm Emanuel to be the U.S. ambassador to Japan, the timing just before the weekend was clearly intended to minimize attention to the swift rebukes that were sure to come.

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Why Corporate Liberalism Is No Match for Trumpism Forces aligned with Donald Trump have been upping the ante all year with hyperactive strategies that could enable Republican leaders to choke off democracy, ensuring that Trump or another GOP candidate captures the presidency in 2024. Thursday, August 12, 2021Forces aligned with Donald Trump have been upping the ante all year with hyperactive strategies that could enable Republican leaders to choke off democracy, ensuring that Trump or another GOP candidate captures the presidency in 2024.

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Nina Turner's Loss Is Oligarchy's Gain The race for a vacant congressional seat in northeast Ohio was a fierce battle between status quo politics and calls for social transformation. In the end, when votes were counted Tuesday night, transactional business-as-usual had won by almost 6 percent. Wednesday, August 4, 2021The race for a vacant congressional seat in northeast Ohio was a fierce battle between status quo politics and calls for social transformation. In the end, when votes were counted Tuesday night, transactional business-as-usual had won by almost 6 percent.

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Who's Afraid of Nina Turner? Nina Turner is very scary -- to power brokers who've been spending big money and political capital to keep her out of Congress. With early voting underway, tensions are spiking as the decisive Democratic primary race in northeast Ohio nears its Aug. 3 finish. The winner will be virtually assured of filling the seat in the deep-blue district left vacant by Rep. Marcia Fudge when she became President Biden's HUD secretary. Wednesday, July 21, 2021Nina Turner is very scary -- to power brokers who've been spending big money and political capital to keep her out of Congress. With early voting underway, tensions are spiking as the decisive Democratic primary race in northeast Ohio nears its Aug. 3 finish. The winner will be virtually assured of filling the seat in the deep-blue district left vacant by Rep. Marcia Fudge when she became President Biden's HUD secretary.

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In 18 Months, Republicans Are Very Likely to Control Congress. Being in Denial Makes It Worse Since the Civil War, midterm elections have enabled the president's party to gain ground in the House of Representatives only three times, and those were in single digits. Saturday, July 10, 2021Since the Civil War, midterm elections have enabled the president's party to gain ground in the House of Representatives only three times, and those were in single digits.

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Why Corporate Democrats Are Desperately Trying to Keep Nina Turner Out of Congress Time is short. Polling shows Turner with a big lead, early voting begins in two weeks, and Election Day is August 3. What scares the political establishment is what energizes her supporters: She won't back down when social justice is at stake. Thursday, June 24, 2021Time is short. Polling shows Turner with a big lead, early voting begins in two weeks, and Election Day is August 3. What scares the political establishment is what energizes her supporters: She won't back down when social justice is at stake.

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How Democrats and Progressives Undermined the Potential of the Biden-Putin Summit Democratic Party leaders have already hobbled the Biden Putin Summit potential to move the world away from the worsening dangers of nuclear war. After nearly five years of straining to depict Donald Trump as some kind of Russian agent -- a depiction that squandered vast quantities of messaging without electoral benefits -- most Democrats in Congress are now locked into a modern Cold War mentality that endangers human survival Monday, June 14, 2021Democratic Party leaders have already hobbled the Biden Putin Summit potential to move the world away from the worsening dangers of nuclear war. After nearly five years of straining to depict Donald Trump as some kind of Russian agent -- a depiction that squandered vast quantities of messaging without electoral benefits -- most Democrats in Congress are now locked into a modern Cold War mentality that endangers human survival

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Reporting from Around the World, Reese Erlich Was a Beacon of Independent Journalism The longtime war correspondent, who died earlier this month, embodied the honesty and deep humanity that makes for the very best journalists. Tuesday, April 27, 2021The longtime war correspondent, who died earlier this month, embodied the honesty and deep humanity that makes for the very best journalists.

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Murder case of Benazir in doldrums after Musharraf went abroad

ISLAMABAD  Legal experts said that the murder case of Benazir Bhutto may be in doldrums after former president Pervez Musharraf has gone abroad.



The former president was nominated as key accused in BB murder case by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 2010 while former deputy inspector general of police Saud Aziz and Senior Superintendent of Police Khurram Shahzad had been nominated as accused.



The Anti-Terrorism Court was expected to issue summons to the accused in coming weeks to record their statements. American citizen and a close friend of the late Bhutto, Mark Seigal, has already recorded his statement in the case holding Musharraf responsible for hurling threats at her before she returned to Pakistan.
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Scores of checkpoints like this one are part of a so-called Ring of Steel securing Kabul from any terrorist threat. (Photo: Shadi Khan Saif)

Chances of a truce between the Taliban and the Afghan government appear weak after the militants refused to join scheduled peace talks.

A four-nation group, the Quadrilateral Coordination Group, comprised of the U.S China, Pakistan and Afghanistan had asked the Taliban to lay down arms and join the peace process this month.

Asia Calling correspondent Shadi Khan Saif reports on how ordinary Afghans feel about the talks as yet another season of war looms over the country.

Scores of checkpoints like this one are part of a so-called Ring of Steel, securing Kabul from any terrorist threat.

Kabul; the capital of war-torn Afghanistan is bracing for yet another Season of War that is likely to be announced by the Taliban in the coming days.

It has been like this for more than a decade now, when the Taliban announce a year of bloodshed during spring, or April.

Following months of political wrangling and high-level diplomacy, officials sent a clear message to the Taliban that talks remain the best way to settle the conflict.

The Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani made the offer.

There should be no doubt in anyones mind  Taliban or otherwise  that the Afghan people and government are serious and sincere in seeking a political resolution to the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan with all its internal and external dimensions, says Rabbani.

Minister Rabbani also said the government will continue to defend Afghanistan and fight against forces bent on turning the clock back on the countrys achievements.

However, the call was abruptly rejected by the Taliban, which has declared that as long as foreign troops remain in the country, they will keep fighting.

Esmatullah, a member of the Afghan National Police (ANP) who is helping to secure Kabuls Ring of Steel says that regardless of the political dimensions of the conflict, he is committed to safeguarding his people.

For me it is crystal clear, I will not allow anyone to come with deadly material and create havoc, he says, This is what my religion and my nation has taught me to do.

Meanwhile, life moves on in the capital.

Downtown in the Kabul Bazaar, Afghans are busy with their day to day activities.

Khailil Ahmad, a university student told me that people in the city are relatively well-off in terms of peace, but they are aware of the ongoing fighting elsewhere in the country.

I have personally known a number of families in the restive southern districts who have fled their homes due to violence and are now living in shelters or are forced to break into empty houses in relatively safe places in the country, explains Ahmad.

In the first half of last year there were almost 5,000 casualties.

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) the vast majority  or 90 per cent  of civilian casualties resulted from ground engagements and improvised explosive devices. The UNAMA hold anti-government forces responsible for most of the damage, suicide attacks and targeted killings.

In the recent months, terror attacks have not sparred Kabul either. Farishta Ahmadi, a university student shared how she feels about living in the capital.

We had some hopes associated with the peace talks; there was a hope for truce, she says, Many families have moved from various provinces to Kabul for refuge but Kabul is not safe either, there are blasts and fighting here as well.

In eyes of analysts, the conflict in Afghanistan has complicated roots.

And critics blame neighboring Pakistan for allowing the Taliban to flourish under their watch.

Humera Hakmal, a womens rights and peace activist says that might be a factor.

But there is a great need for reforms inside Afghanistan too.

It is very regrettable to see that Afghanistan remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world, this corruption that has penetrated all segments of the society that compels people in the areas under the Talibans influence to seek justice from the Talibans speedy courts, says Hakmal.

Despite the Talibans refusal to join the peace talks, the Afghan government has expressed determination to push for a peaceful solution as the conflict enters its 15th year running.




More people in the world are trying to make the whole food cycle more efficient. (Photo: Lien Hoang)

Take this astounding statistic: Out of all the food in the world, up to half of it gets tossed out

So how can we be less wasteful? Its an increasingly relevant question as we start to consider future food security

In Ho Chi Minh City, Lien Hoang talks to some experts from across the region to find out more.

Heres an idea: If you want to look healthy and pretty, what you need is chicken. Not to eat. But to rub on your skin. Sort of.

A team of Malaysian scholars has been trying to find a use for chicken skin.

Apparently, it contains a lot of elastin, which is similar to collagen and can be turned into beauty products -- like anti-aging lotion, or drinks, or cosmetics.

Salma Mohamad Yusop is part of the team. Shes a senior lecturer at the National University of Malaysias School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology.

And she has a nice little catchphrase for her scientific experiments.

Its creating wealth from waste, she laughs.

Wealth from waste  That could be the slogan for a whole group of people, who are now trying to make the whole food cycle more efficient.

Do you ever look at your trashcan and feel kind of guilty for throwing out food?  I do. So I always find it cool, when I hear about new ways people are trying to prevent that, to minimize waste.

Like chicken. Its got to be one of the most popular foods in the world. But a lot of the bird gets tossed out before ever reaching a dinner plate.

Consumers are already now becoming more health-concerned. So they associate the poultry skin with cardiovascular disease. So it contributes to the poultry skin being discarded on a daily basis, she says.

Malaysians, she says, dont eat the skin as much.

Yeah, not just at the consumer levels, but at the food service and industrial levels, too, she says, So we can see at the market a lot of skinless sections, skinless chicken sections.

Salmas project had funding from the Malaysian government. And other countries are getting involved, too.

Just this year, France became the first nation to ban supermarkets from trashing food that hasnt gone bad yet. In Denmark, a new store called WeFood recently started selling products past their expiration dates.

Then theres the Philippines. I met Leif Marvin Gonzales, a research coordinator at Capiz State Universitys College of Agriculture and Fisheries.

He and his team noticed that so much cabbage was being lost from the time a farmer harvested it, to the time it was sold to Filipino shoppers.

So they tested out different techniques to minimize this waste.

Based on the result of the study, it is shown that in terms of post-harvest loss from farmers, it is reduced almost 5-10 percent, he says, Based on the study, I was able to reduce the loss from farm up to retail level.

How did they do it? The researchers had four methods: they kept the outer leaves on the cabbage to protect it.

They transported the vegetables in plastic crates, instead of sacks. They mixed aluminum with water and spread it on the cabbage to control bacteria. And finally, they used plastic film to reduce the crops exposure to oxygen.

Gonzales and Salma both talked to me at the recent International Conference on Environment and Renewable Energy, in Ho Chi Minh City.

It was hosted by the Asia-Pacific Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering Society.

While I was there, I also chatted with Hiroko Seki, a postdoctoral fellow at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.

She conducted tests to compare the use of styrofoam versus cardboard, when transporting tuna. And she found that cardboard is cheaper during the manufacturing and transit phases. Plus, it decomposes, so its better for the environment.

I caught up with Suki during the conference lunch break and she told me researchers are working on a prototype of corrugated cardboard that will survive in the water.

Suki says the development could significantly reduce waste in seafood logistics in the future.

Biodegradable materials like cardboard are better for the environment, and so is minimizing waste.

Gonzales, the Filipino researcher who focused on cabbage, says there are other benefits to reducing waste.

We must adapt this technology, particularly farmers, the retailers, wholesalers, as well as consumers, so that were able to increase our profits, he says, And also the production, since were aiming for self-sufficiency, as well as food security.

As for the rest of us, advocates say everyone can waste less food, which would reduce a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

A few things we can do: not overspend at the grocery store, or obsess too much about perfectly shaped apples or carrots...




Indias capital New Delhi is playing host to an Urban Street Art Festival where local and international street artists have come together with a mission to transform the citys landscape.

With a view to making art accessible to everyone the organizers are using Delhis footpaths and walls as a platform for the artistic expression.

Bismillah Geelani spent time with the artists at work and has this report.

The Inland Container Depot on the outskirts of Delhi is Asias largest dry port.

Usually buzzing with the honks and squeals of moving vehicles, the surroundings these days are much calmer.

The port has been turned into a venue for the Delhi Street Art Festival and dozens of artists are at work amid a backdrop of live music and dance performances

Akshat Naureyal is co-founder of the Start India Foundation, the group organizing the festival.

Ours is a not-for-profit group and through these festivals we are trying to take art works out of the conventional galleries and enclosed spaces to make it available to a wider audience, says Naureyal, In India enjoying art works is thought to be a prerogative of the elite or people from the upper middle class, what we are trying to do is to democratize art and make it accessible to everyone.

This is the fourth edition of the street Art Festival and each time the organizers get creative.

This year they are using shipping containers as the canvas, an idea that has struck an emotional chord with both local and foreign artists.

French artist Sowat sees it as a homecoming of street art.

Graffiti was born on trains, he says, It was always the idea of having roaming museums; painting your work somewhere and having it travel throughout the city or throughout the countryThats why I think its even bigger than street art because those containers are going to travel through the country and they are not going to be seen only by people in the urban spaces. I hope they are going to be seen by people who live in the countryside as well.

The visitors too are equally excited seeing the containers with beautiful artworks.

Abhilash Khandekar is a senior journalist. He covers art for one of Indias leading newspapers.

Delhi being what it is, has been a centre of international art with lots of museums and art galleries but this is something really very good, containers being used as art walls is really new and different, says Khandekar, This is a wonderful exposure for me. Im amazed and very happy to be here.

Some of the artworks that stand out include a massive mural of an astronaut staring into space, an Indian goddess riding a dragon, and a wall painted with the word Breathe using a special black ink made from particular matter and carbon, emphasizing the urgent need for clean air.

Local artist Harsh Raman has used a vibrant pallet of colors to create a mural of what he describes as the god of street art.

In India, there is a god for everything, but theres no god for street art, he says, So I thought that it would be interesting to explore the idea of creating some kind of a deity for street art and creating some kind of a moveable shrine.

But Gaia, a street artist and muralist from the United States is more concerned with global warming.

What you have here is the Alto Maruti Suzuki car in REPE and they are superimposed over half of a gigantic globe and then you have the portrait of a man called Malcom McLean, he explains, And he is credited with innovating the container and bringing it to a level where it could in fact be standardized and utilized by all sorts of shipping companies beyond sea land.

By including one of Indias top selling cars in his painting, Gaia is trying to bring attention to the relationship between urban living and global warming.

So what Im saying is that simply traditional lifestyles are being urbanized all over the world, we are seeing the advent of [the] mega city and so as you have this sort of pooling of labor from the countryside into the city, he says.

And the exploitation of the traditional lifestyle that creates a tendency, or a need, or a desire, to also have the other comforts and conveniences, access to medication, access to clean water but of course also access to cars, he continues, your own vehicle and your own special autonomy.

Among other works, a portrait of the late Iranian Poet and activist Farough Farukhzad by Iranian artist Nafir signifies the importance of the struggle for womens rights in conservative societies.

As part of the festival, the organizers have joined hands with the local government to convert a residential area in Delhi into what is being called the countrys first art district.

Magnificent wall murals with local and international artists are transforming Delhis Lodhi colony, an area of historical and architectural significance, into an open-air art gallery.




QUEENSBURY | A South Glens Falls man who was arrested on three felony criminal contempt charges in five months last year pleaded guilty to a felony charge Wednesday in Warren County Court.

Brian B. Quinn, 35, was charged in June and November by Glens Falls Police for repeatedly violating an order of protection in Glens Falls. In the earlier case, he went to the victim's home on two occasions.

He has a misdemeanor criminal contempt conviction that elevated the charges to felonies.

Quinn likely faces a 1- to 3-year prison term when sentenced by Warren County Judge John Hall. Quinn is being held in Warren County Jail pending sentencing.
Both Presidents will discuss their views and policies on structural reforms and how to improve the business climate and allow the African private sector to flourish.

This plenary sessions will highlight the Africa CEO Forums commitment to accelerating regional integration in all economic zones of the continent, in particular strengthening ties between Anglophone and Francophone countries.

President Mahamas decision to participate in the wake of the attack on Cote dIvoire is symbolically important and is a show of solidarity for the Ivorian authorities.
Government is committed to sustaining and accelerating the progress of the insurance market by pursuing prudent policy initiatives and measures to improve insurance penetration which currently below two percent," she said at the third annual educational conference and exhibition of the Ghana Insurance Brokers Association (GIBA) held in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.

According to her, There is an available market for micro-insurance products which could be utilised by the industry to mobilise premium to deepen the sectors impact on the economy.

In this direction, the new legal and regulatory framework that has provisions on emerging insurance portfolio such as micro insurance will guarantee the deepening of insurance penetration and access to financial services, she said.

The conference, which was under the theme Strategising for Effective Insurance Broking Practice, brought together stakeholders in the insurance industry to plan, share ideas, establish partnership and strategies that will promote healthy competition in the brokerage industry and promote confidence in the insurance sector.

The minister urged insurance brokers to maintain high standards because anything short of that will lower the capacity of companies to underwrite bigger risks as well as impede the development of innovative products, she said.

Brokers must adapt to changes in the new global landscape so as to keep pace with current trends and create a competitive environment for the insurance industry to grow.

I also encourage GIBA [Ghana Insurance Brokers Association ] to take full advantage of government policy interventions as well as the several opportunities that exist in the agricultural, manufacturing, real estate, telecommunications and oil and gas sectors, she said.

President of GIBA, Nathan Adu, said insurance brokers must be innovative and adopt policies to meet the needs of their clients.

As brokers, we should understand that customers are the very reason we are in business; and we must therefore do everything to make them satisfied.

We should be innovative and adopt policies which suit the respective needs of clients instead of the straight jacket one-fit-all policies we are used to.

Mr. Adu pledged GIBA's support to the National Insurance Commission's policies toward developing the insurance sector.
He died in London following a protracted illness.

The former national chairman NPP led the party into power in 2000.

"Jake" Obetsebi-Lamptey (born 4 February 1946) was a Ghanaian politician and a former television and radio producer.

From 2005 to July 2007, Obetsebi-Lamptey served as Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations in the cabinet of President John Kufuor. Previously Obetsebi-Lamptey was Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital (200205) and Minister of Information (200102).

He resigned his posts in July 2007 to campaign for the NPP nomination for the 2008 Presidential elections, but he lost.

See also: The life and death of Jake Obetsebi Lamptey

Some Ghanaians took to social media to mourn the late Chairman of the NPP.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey passed on Sunday morning in the United Kingdom after a short illness.

Read more: Jake Obetsebi Lamptey reported dead in London

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey, played an integral part in former Presidents Kufuors victory in 2001, as his election campaign Manager.

He served as the first Chief of Staff in former Presidents administration and variously as Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, and Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City.

See also:

"I'm saddened by Jakes passing but God knows best. He was hard working and dedicated to his work. Ghana and the NPP have lost a great leader" he stated.

See also: Ghanaians mourn

However, President John Mahama has expressed worry and sadness at the number of deaths of high profile personalities in Ghana this month.
Listing the number of persons who have lost their lives in the month of March, the President mentioned, the Ministry of Defence's Chief Director, A. Fuseini, renowned comedian, Bob Okala, DCOP Awuni and Jake Obetsebi Lamptey.

In a tweet on Sunday, President Mahama said: "Sad month. March has taken a great toll. MoD Chief Dir A. Fuseini, B Okala, DCOP Awuni & now J. Obetsebi Lamptey. Deepest condolences."

Tributes have been pouring in for the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey who was a founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a past National Chairman for the party.

He died in London in the early hours of Sunday.

The flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo in his tribute said he will "immensely" miss his friend.

Ex-President John Kufuor on his part urged the members of the NPP to let the death of Jake foster unity and reconciliation in his honour.

Former President John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings in a joint statement prayed for God's strength for Mr. Obetsebi Lamptey's family.
The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Isaac Alex Quainoo, urged Ghanaians to be extra vigilant and inform the police about the movements of strangers and suspicious characters in the society.

In recent times terrorists attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso and La Cote DIviore, occurring in hotels and other public places which resulted in the loss of innocent lives has created fear among the populace in the sub-region.

DCOP Quainoo said at the Annual West Africa Security Services Activity (WASSA) for personnel of the Ghana Police Service in Sekondi.

The event was also to take stock of activities during the past year and strategise for the way forward.

DCOP Quainoo said abandoned illegal mining pits in some parts of the Region were claiming many innocent adding that there is the need to cover such pits and warned the populace against engaging in such practice.

He said the Police Command experienced some operational challenges last year because of the upsurge in the activities of such illegal miners, theft and rape, as well as murder and chieftaincy litigations.

However, he said, the Police Service collaborated with other security agencies to contain the situation; and the Region remained one of the safest in the country.

On crime front, he said, a total of 16,102 cases were reported in 2015 as against 13,803 in 2014 thus, witnessing an increase of 2,299.

Nonetheless, he said, the Region recorded reduction in some offences such as robbery, defilement, defrauding by false pretences and possessing narcotic drugs.

DCOP Quainoo assured the public that the Command would continue to work hard and adopt proactive and pragmatic strategies to reduce crime in the Region to the barest minimum.

Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, the Regional Minister, appealed to corporate institutions in the Region to support the Police Service to undertake frequent patrols in order to combat crime.

As Chairman of the Regional Security Committee, there are several times we appealed to corporate institutions in the Region including, banks and other financial institutions to support the security taskforce with fuel to undertake frequent patrols but they declined, he said.

He singled out the Bank of Ghana for donating a Tayota land-cruiser and Pick-Up vehicles to the patrol teams and called on other corporate institutions to assist the work of the police.

Mr Aidoo said the civilian population were partners in maintaining law and order in the society and, therefore, entreated the Police Service to handle informants with care to protect their identity.

The occasion provided a conducive atmosphere for the men in uniform to dine and wine and make merry after working hard to protect lives and property throughout the year.
She said the rationale behind the change in policy was to remove the restrictions on admission to the various training institutions due to the huge amount government had to pay in the form of allowances.

Addressing students of the Koforidua Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Ms Frimpong said the removal of the allowances apart from removing the restrictions on admission, was in line with the upgrading of the nursing training institutions into tertiary.

She said there have been many political interpretations to the issue, with some portraying government as insensitive to the plight of the students but she promised them that all those claims were untrue.

The Regional Minister said: "Without that policy most of you here might not have gained admission not because you didnt make the grades but because there was a limitation, so the move is not wickedness as you are being made to understand."

The visit to the school forms part of the Regional Ministers tour to government institutions dubbed an hour with you to bridge the gap between the institutions and the Regional Coordinating Council and to know their challenges.

Ms Matilda Bansah, the Principal of the school, thanked the Regional Minister for her visit and expressed the hope that it would forge a healthy relationship between the school and her office for the benefit of students.

Some students, in an interaction with the GNA, appealed for an infirmary on the campus to take care of minor emergencies.
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Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey died in the early hours of Sunday in a London hospital where he had gone for treatment.

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey, played an integral part in former Presidents Kufuors victory in 2001, as his Election Campaign Manager.

He served as the first Chief of Staff in the Former Presidents administration and variously as Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, and Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City.

Former President Kufuor described Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey as: very professional in his field of Public Relations and Advertising, adding that, he conveyed serious matters with a relaxed mien and charm, was affable and had a great sense of humour; he was a good man.

Former President Kufuor said, Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey was born into the Danquah  Busia tradition and stayed true to its tenets throughout his adult life. The party has lost a pillar and Ghana a true son. The party must be in mourning and his death must be a period of deep and sober reflection for all NPP members he said.
Delivering his sermon titled "Patience, the key to success", the man of God commended the NPP flagbearer for enduring vilifications and insults from political opponents, drawing comparison with the insults and mockery Jesus Christ suffered at the hands of his persecutors on the cross.

Read more:Nana Addo dares Mahama to debate

"In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul talks about the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control. Therefore, if you find anyone who is patient, then that person is borne of God, because patience is a fruit of the Spirit," Pastor Danquah said when Nana Addo worshipped at the Sunyani Newtown SDA Church on Saturday, March 19, 2016.

"Just like the story of Job in the Bible, the crown of success awaits you. I want everybody to emulate this sterling quality of Nana Akufo-Addo" he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo thanked Pastor Paul Twumasi Danquah for the sermon, and also thanked members of the Church for the warm reception given to him.

He asked for prayers for the peace of the country, and for the Electoral Commission, "so that they conduct a free, fair, transparent election whose outcomes will be readily accepted by all."
In a report by ThisDay Newspaper, Fayose said President Buhari must be held accountable for the violence and loss of lives in the highly violent elections.

He was quoted to have said, Members of Buharis party, All Progressives Congress (APC), are emboldened to unleash violence on the people of Rivers State and other States in Nigeria because they know that the president would not lift a finger provided his party members are the ones perpetrating evil."
Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Onyeke Udeviotu, said the suspect was nabbed by the Anti-Robbery Squad of Aba Area Command, with substance suspected to Indian hemp and weighing 50 kilograms.

He said that the man was caught on Saturday in Aba on his way to deliver the substance to a yet-to-be-identified receiver in Umuobiakwa Village in Obingwa Local Government Area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the Aba area command got information that the substance was being ferried from Benin, Edo, and quickly took measures to track down the suspect said to hail from Isiala Mbano in Imo.

It was learnt that the anti-robbery squad chased the tricycle conveying the suspect and the consignment to a bush where he tried to hide the drug when the tricycle developed problem.

A police source told NAN that the operator of the tricycle escaped on sighting policemen, leaving the suspect who was therefore arrested and taken to the area command office in Aba.
It said that this was sequel to the approval at the last FAAC meeting that three independent and experienced financial analysts be appointed to work on the process of account reconciliation.

The ministry disclosed this in a statement issued at the weekend by Mr Festus Akanbi, the Special Assistant (Media) to the minister.

The ministry said that the Post-Mortem Sub-Committee would henceforth enhance accountability, improve reconciliations and ensure transparent process in respect of all the revenues accruable to the federation account.

"The sub-committee will examine the books of all revenue agencies like the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIIRS), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC`) and the Customs Service.

"Others include the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Ministry of Mines and Steel.

"It is expected to report deficiencies observed to the Federation Account Committee and recommend the way forward."

The statement said that it would be easy for the sub-committee to achieve results with the increased oversight of the Federal Ministry of Finance and the transparency of NNPC.

"This is because the committee, which reports to the Federation Account on a monthly basis, was originally set up to encourage revenue reconciliation and block leakages.

"The NNPC had rejected the findings of the audit report submitted recently to the National Assembly by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, stating that the audit query it raised over the non-remittance of N3.235 trillion to the Federation Account was erroneous.
The NAPTIP Zonal Commander, Mr Shehu Umar said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that the victims were rescued from February to date.

He said the victims who comprised males and females, had since been reunited with their respective families.

He disclosed that the command had recorded 23 cases of trafficking, child labour, sexual exploitation and other related cases within the period under review.

He said out of the cases, 11 female suspects were involved while the remaining suspects were males.

``The cases have been investigated and one was on sexual abuse, two on child labour, one on abduction and another one on stolen baby.

``Among the cases, some do not fall within our jurisdiction so were transferred them to police for proper prosecution , he said.

He called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the agency by allocating more funds to enable it carry out its activities effectively.

``Our activities require a lot of funding if we are to carry out investigation, rescued victims have to be transported to their states and some times we have to take care of them.

``We also conduct counselling exercise for the rescued victims, identify their needs and even rehabilitate them, he said.
Mr Ona Ogilegwu, the Commander of the agency in Borno, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri on Sunday.

According to Ogilegwu, none of the 28 camps in the state capital is free from addiction of Indian hemp, cocaine and diazepam, among other substances.

He stressed that the officials of the agency had, on many occasions, intercepted such substances from peddlers that sold them to the IDPs.

``The government should set up committee on drug abuse comprising NDLEA, military, State Emergency Management Agency, WHO and psychiatric institutions to handle the menace of drug activities in camps.

``There is an increase in mental disorder cases associated with drug abuse in Federal Neuro- Psychiatric hospitals due to Boko Haram insurgency.

``Setting up of the committee is important as the Borno government will soon start the process of transporting these IDPs back to their homes as part of its rehabilitation, reconstruction and relocation effort.

``They should also set up machineries to check drug addicts among the IDPs so they dont go back and constitute nuisance.

``Allowing the IDPs to go unchecked is like incubating bunch of addicts into the society; we are mapping out aggressive enlightenment campaigns on how to check drug peddlers and users, he said.

NAN recalls that the NDLEA has, in recent time, expressed concern over illicit drug use in IDPs camps following the arrest of a drug peddler in Dikwa, Borno.
She made the commendation while addressing newsmen at the consulate in Kano on Sunday.

We felt it necessary to thank the Nigerian government for the support it had given us since the first round of the election held last month, she said.

She also thanked the Kano State Government for the support it had given to the consulate in ensuring that the exercise was hitch-free.

The consul general further expressed satisfaction with the large turnout of voters, particularly women, who came to exercise their civic rights.

Abdou-Dodo advised opposition parties to accept the outcome of the election so as to move the country forward.

We have to use this opportunity to call on the opposition to accept the outcome of the election in good faith so as to move the state forward , she said.

She attributed the success recorded in the election to an enlightenment tour of 19 northern states she carried out before the poll.

Abdou-Dodo , however, urged citizens of that country living in Nigeria to continue to exhibit high sense of responsibility and ensure peaceful coexistence in their respective host communities.
Speaking after he was conferred with a honorary doctorate degree in Business Administration at the Usman Danfodio University, in Sokoto, on Saturday, March 19, 2016, the politician stressed that 'Nigeria must be for Nigerians.'

Lets feed ourselves. Change is not about the comfort of today but the success of tomorrow. We must start to do things for ourselves. Nigeria must be for Nigerians," he said.
According to a report by Daily Trust, members of the Board of Trustees, BoT, are already preparing to cast their votes as they elect a new Chairman.

Also joining the candidates vying for the seat is an APC chieftain in Abia State and former National Chairman of the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), Chief Sam Nkire.

However, the first interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, might have reportedly dropped his ambition of becoming the BoT chairman.
The PDP chieftain, whose name was not disclosed further said that apart from the CBN, other government agencies such as Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation all provided funds for the Jonathan campaign.

Dasuki never acted alone. The Department of State Services knows that he got Jonathans approval. His trial is being stalled because of what he knows. The CBN also had approvals from Jonathan. The CBN transferred these funds based on a memo signed by the former Permanent Secretary at the Villa.
Also confirmed to have been arrested is a Special Assistant to the governor.

Olabanji disclosed this on Sunday at joint security news conference in Port Harcourt.

"Many people were arrested yesterday for disrupting the electoral process and the law is not meant for just the lower cadre alone.

``No matter who you are, if you go against the law, you will definitely face the music.

"So, there is nothing like being Secretary to the State Government; many people were arrested as you have been told; a lot of people were arrested," he said.

Olabanji denied claims by the state government that some commissioners and other top officials were manhandled by the Army during the re-run elections.

In his contribution, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Zone Six, Calabar, Mr Adisa Bolanta, said four deaths were recorded while 22 persons were arrested during the elections.

Bolanta said that the suspects were being interrogated on allegations of criminal or electoral offences.
According to a report by Vanguard Newspaper, both political leaders stormed Mile 1 Police station over result for Ward 10 after PHALG Collation officer, Mrs Ekwe Adebisa allegedly ran into the police station for safety.

While the governor was accompanied by ex-Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Opara, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chairman Local Government Service Commission, Mr Azubuike Emeregini, Senatorial candidate of the PDP for Rivers east, Chief George Sekibo, the Minister and ex-governor had the Acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, DG NIMASA, and governorship candidate of the APC, Dr Dakuku Peterside and the state Chairman of the APC, Dr Davies Ibiama.

Though reports say no violence was recorded at the police station, about five hundred party supporters reportedly took over the premises of the Police station, spilling over to the ever busy Ikwerre road.

In another news, Wike and his former boss, Amaechi engaged in a shouting match that was later calmed by the police.
Credit: Ira ChernovaCage the Elephant will be answering any and all questions on Sunday during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. The AMA will start at 3 p.m. ET.

Last year, Cage the Elephant released their fourth album, Tell Me I'm Pretty. The band is currently on tour in support of Tell Me I'm Pretty on the Spring Fling Rock AF tour alongside Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands.

In May, Cage the Elephant will embark on another tour behind Tell Me I'm Pretty with Portugal. The Man.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
He said that the party began campaigns and started working hard to win the elections because it was on ground.

The governor confirmed that the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Kenneth Kobani and a Special Assistant, Mr Cyril Wite, were arrested by the Army.

Wike said that the government officials wanted to ensure that election materials were moved to polling units when they were arrested.

He said that it would be difficult to rig elections in the state because the people would resist the attempt.

According to him, when somebody is not popular and attempts to rig the election, the people will say no to such move.

He alleged that some people were creating problems to make the Federal Government declare a state of emergency in the state.

Wike said that such ploy would not work, because the PDP was more popular in the state.
By relinquishing power after serving two terms in office, Boni Yayi stands in contrast to leaders in other African nations, including Burundi, Rwanda and Congo Republic, who have altered their constitutions in order to extend their rule.

Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou, a former economist and investment banker backed by both Boni Yayi and the main opposition Democratic Renewal Party, won a March 6 first round of voting.

However, he has had to overcome the perception that having spent the bulk of his career abroad he is an outsider in his own country.

"Elections are really something that bring us all together. It's a day of peace and hope," he said after casting his ballot.

Zinsou faces Patrice Talon, a businessman and once a powerful figure in the West African nation's cornerstone cotton sector, who finished just over 3 percentage points behind the prime minister in the first round.

Mediation efforts led to a presidential pardon however, and Talon returned from exile in France in October.

"I have the impression that our country's renaissance is already under way. The renaissance will come, and I am going to win," Talon said after voting on Sunday.

Early turnout for the polls was light as many voters were in church for Palm Sunday services. Security forces were deployed near polling stations and few problems were reported early on.

"I am happy that everything is calm in Benin. I'm confident everything will be fine. Democracy is working," said Paul Abjibi, shortly after voting in Abomey-Calavi, a town just outside the commercial capital Cotonou.

There was no clear front-runner in the poll, and campaigning centred largely on how to best revive the economy, which is flagging in part due to falling oil prices that have hit its neighbour and largest trading partner Nigeria.

Civil society groups denounced both candidates' campaigns on Friday for allegedly distributing cash in an attempt to buy votes.

On Sunday, the principal donor-funded civil society observation platform claimed that ballot box stuffing had been reported in the Collines administrative district in the centre of Benin as well as in Atacora in the north.
MAP state news agency said a "significant number" of U.N. staffers had left Laayoune airport in U.N. aircraft and commercial flights to Las Palmas in Spain.

Rabat accused Ban earlier this month of no longer being neutral in the Western Sahara dispute.

Morocco said he used the word "occupation" to describe its annexation of the region at the centre of a struggle since 1975, when Morocco took over from colonial power Spain.

The United Nations said it had three days to remove the 84 civilian staff from 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.

MAP state news agency said a "significant number" of U.N. staffers had left Laayoune airport on U.N. aircraft and commercial flights to Las Palmas in Spain.

A Moroccan official source said 73 U.N. staffers had left, 10 would leave in the afternoon and one would remain for now. The source added the 84th staff member would stay for now because she is pregnant.

The mission currently has 242 military personnel, 84 international civilian staff, 157 national staff and 12 volunteers.

Morocco said it would also stop its voluntary contribution to the mission estimated at $3 million (out of $53 million), according to the UN.

Neither military personnel, nor the ceasefire monitoring units, nor the head of the mission are affected by the cuts.

Earlier this month, Ban visited refugee camps in southern Algeria for the Sahrawi people, who say Western Sahara belongs to them. They fought a war against Morocco until the 1991 ceasefire.
School funding is a hot-button issue that Iowa lawmakers contend with every year.

And that button was pressed again Saturday during a legislative forum at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.

Davenport School Board president Ralph Johanson asked area lawmakers about the status of increased state funding for school districts.

Our board will have a certified budget in a month, which is required by law, he said. For Davenport and all other Iowa school districts, the percentage of funding to be allocated for education is a major component. But, he said, it seems that lawmakers are not resolving the question of how much districts will have to work with "in a timely manner."

On Thursday in Des Moines, legislative leaders said they have agreed on a $7.351 billion budget for fiscal 2017. That will be the starting point for negotiations on specific spending areas such as education.

Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the agreed-to spending target by House Republicans, Senate Democrats and Gov. Terry Branstad represents about $176.7 million in increased spending authority over the current state budget.

Leaders of the split-control Legislature said they expect an agreement on school aid for next fiscal year to be hammered out and moving through the process this week. House Republicans favor a 2 percent increase, Branstad has proposed 2.45 percent and Senate Democrats support 4 percent. Expectations are that negotiators will settle somewhere near the governors number.

At Saturday's forum, Rep. Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport, said the issue has languished in committees for a long time and has left districts in a precarious position.

Rep. Phyllis Thede, also a Democrat from Davenport, said the issue has been put on the backburner.

This is not a want. This is a need, she said. We need to follow the law.  We need to keep pushing it. This is something we said we would do.

But a Republican on Saturday's panel took issue with observations by the Democrats.

What I heard here is the same political garbage like we hear in the capital, said Rep. Ross Paustian, a Republican from Walcott.

It is not a matter of being political, it is a matter of need, said Thede, responding to Paustian. School districts are being hurt.

Sen. Rita Hart, a Democrat from Wheatland, voiced disappointment in the language used by Paustian.

It is not helpful to respond with words like 'political garbage,' she said. We need to have an honest and less politically charged discussion. We all strive to do the best for education.

Other lawmakers at Saturday's forum were Sens. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, and Chris Brase, D-Muscatine, and Rep. Jim Lykam, D-Davenport.

The forums are sponsored by the American Association of University Women, the Iowa State Education Association, the Scott County Farm Bureau, the Working Iowa Neighbors Coalition of the Quad-Cities Federation of Labor, the Business and Professional Women of Davenport and the Quad-Cities Area Realtor Association.
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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.
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 Making an empirical case for the relative efficacy of post-Plata realignment in California | Main | "Black Kids Less Likely To Use Hard Drugs Than Whites, Still Go To Jail More" 

March 20, 2016

South Dakota bans all juve LWOP sentences

As reported in this local article, as of last week "South Dakota has banned the practice of sentencing children to life in prison without the possibility of parole." Here is more about this notable legislative development:

Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed SB 140 sponsored by Sen. Craig Tieszen, into law on Wednesday. In making this change, South Dakota joins states such as Wyoming, Nevada and West Virginia in implementing less punitive accountability measures for children. Every year I try to bring at least one bill that I truly believe in while knowing it will be a struggle, said Sen. Tieszen. I believe that children, even children who commit terrible crimes, can and do change. And, I believe they deserve a chance to demonstrate that change and become productive citizens. In the end, I gathered a very diverse set of legislators from across the political spectrum and passed the bill with solid margins. SB 140 eliminates all life sentences for people who were younger than 18 at the time of their crimes. Fifteen states now ban life-without-parole sentences for children. South Dakota is helping to lead important change in the ways that we hold our children accountable, said Jody Kent Lavy, director and national coordinator at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. Teenagers who commit serious crimes will now have an opportunity after several years to demonstrate that they have been rehabilitated and are ready to re-enter society. Jurisprudence and adolescent development research document that appropriate sentences consider childrens age at the time of a crime, the trauma they have experienced and their capacity for change.

March 20, 2016 at 11:17 AM | Permalink

Comments

I appreciate this but on some level we are really talking about a low bar especially if all it amounts is the CHANCE to get parole. Putting sixteen and seventeen year olds in prison for thirty years, e.g., is pretty serious too especially compared to the limits for even adult murderers in certain countries.

Posted by: Joe | Mar 20, 2016 6:19:47 PM

All criminals have the capacity to change.

Which means they have the capacity to become worse, just as they have the capacity to stay the same, both, seemingly, overlooked.

Posted by: DSharp | Mar 21, 2016 4:22:13 AM

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 Judge Richard Posner takes notable shots at "the legal profession in all three of its major branches" | Main | Making an empirical case for the relative efficacy of post-Plata realignment in California 

March 19, 2016

"Voices on Innocence"

The title of this post is the title given to a collection of short essays by a number of notable authors now available at this link via SSRN. Here is the abstract for the collection:

In the summer of 2015, experts gathered from around the country to sit together and discuss one of the most pressing and important issues facing the American criminal justice system  innocence. Innocence is an issue that pervades various areas of research and influences numerous topics of discussion. What does innocence mean, particularly in a system that differentiates between innocence and acquittal at sentencing? What is the impact of innocence during plea bargaining? How should we respond to growing numbers of exonerations? What forces lead to the incarceration of innocents? Has an innocent person been put to death and, if so, what does this mean for capital punishment? As these and other examples demonstrate, the importance and influence of the innocence issue is boundless. As the group, representing various perspectives, disciplines, and areas of research, discussed these and other questions, it also considered the role of innocence in the criminal justice system more broadly and examined where the innocence issue might take us in the future. This article is a collection of short essays from some of those in attendance  essays upon which we might reflect as we continue to consider the varying sides and differing answers to the issue of innocence. Through these diverse and innovative essays, the reader is able to glimpse the larger innocence discussion that occurred in the summer of 2015. As was the case at the roundtable event, the ideas expressed in these pages begins a journey into an issue with many faces and many paths forward for discussion, research, and reform.

March 19, 2016 at 07:00 PM | Permalink

Comments

Talk to those that were innocent and forced to take a plea or was found guilty by the "pal system jury" without evidence provided by the DA (now Judge). Texas is a good place to start! A good honest investigator that knew his/her job would be worth gold to the people and would help to stop the corruption of our Judicial system.

Posted by: LC in Texas | Mar 20, 2016 1:41:28 PM

On the subject of Innocence. The law schools and indeed the so called legal experts fail to discuss the primary ground zero topic. "Sufficiency of evidence". Maybe I should have put the three words in all caps. It might get the attention of those out there with smart phones. A criminal case should not get through a Grand Jury and to the Indictment stage unless there is sufficient evidence for the next level of decision in the criminal prosecution, i.e. the jury trial or bench trial. Then at the bench trial level there should be a standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt on all elements of the defense-- each element must have proof beyond a reasonable doubt. For a jury trial the evidence must be sufficient to submit to a jury and then on appeal or on review by the trial judge each element must be independently reviewed to demonstrate proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed a crime on each element of the offense.

At a jury trial. At the close of the prosecution's case there must be a motion to dismiss and/or to acquit. The trial judge must make a fact determination that each element of the crime has been proven with sufficient evidence to thence submit the case to the jury for fact determination that each element has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Lets discuss a common situation. Defendant Z (not Zimmerman) is charged with strangling his girlfriend. Her body is found in an outhouse thirty miles from their joint home (they lived together) and there is no evidence putting defendant Z at the crime scene. The cops clip some fingernails off of dead victim after a lot of gloveless cross contamination collection of other evidence. Dead victim had been driving defendant's car which he had driven earlier in the day. Twenty five years later the fingernails are taken out of an evidence bag which had a bottle of blood in it which broke and cross contaminated everything else in the bag. The fingernails are examined for dna. The defendant's dna matches dna found ON one fingernail. Victims fingernails had been examined at the year and day of death for tissue under the nails before they were clipped to see if she had scratched the assailant. The defendant had been examined that day 25 years back to see if he had scratches. No tissue under the nails and no scratches on defendant. The only evidence presented at trial which puts the defendant into an element of the crime (presence at the crime scene murder) is this dna. Yet they had lived together, shared a home, a car, had been together and touched each other an hour before she left home to go galavant around on a drinking binge. The dna could have been put on the nail in 1982 at the date of death by the cop who was handling everything without gloves or notions of what DNA cross contamination might be.

The defendant's motions to dismiss at trial are denied. Jury convicts. State Supreme Court will not follow federal constitutional jurisprudence on sufficiency of evidence in a circumstantial evidence case. Jackson v. Virginia and other cases. The case is now in the Supreme Court of the United States again on a habeas motion.

Many states are UnReconstructed and will not follow federal jurisprudence on the 14th Amendment and 4th or 5th Amendment arguments and many states will not follow or even discuss Jackson v. Virginia. This is a huge problem for America. Land of the Free and home of the stupid.

If you are interested then follow State v. Donald Nash which is in the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a 75 year old man who is dying in a Missouri prison and been there for 8 years on this flimsy so called "evidence". The dna on the live-in girlfriend's fingermail could have gotten there from many touching events including a consensual sex event a day before the murder. Who knows how it got there? It does not prove an essential element of the case. An innocent man is in prison and his name is ruined. No one in the State of Missouri cares. The legal community, the Missouri Bar Journal and Missouri Esquire are ignorant of the issues. The weekly discussion of decided cases in Missouri Esquire does not even include federal cases. That is how dumb Missouri lawyers care to be. Went in dumb, come out dumb too.

Discuss this topic on Sentencing Law and Policy. Please.

Posted by: Liberty1st | Mar 21, 2016 6:47:30 AM

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An unruly passenger prompted a flight heading to SFO to make an impromptu pitstop Saturday morning. Adding insult to injury, SkyWest flight 5345 had to land in Reno of all places.

According to a Skywest email sent to KRNV, "SkyWest flight 5343 operating as United Express from Calgary, Canada to San Francisco, California diverted to Reno, Nevada after a passenger failed to comply with crewmember instructions. The passenger was removed and the flight continued to San Francisco."

No word yet as to what exactly happened onboard, but Heidi Jared, spokesperson at Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, says that the passenger in question was "a little ornery." The problematic traveler was detained in Reno and released with neither an arrest nor a citation.

Hmm.

The flight continued to SFO sans unhinged passenger. But still, one must wonder what the passenger did to divert the plane. Did they store their baby underneath their seat? Let their dog shit in the middle of the aisle? Was it Mrs. Iglesias again? We'll update as soon as we know more.
MARINETTE, Wis. | The USS Sioux City is now where she belongs -- in the water.

The ship, one of a new class of U.S. warships, was christened and launched Jan. 30 into the Menominee River at the Marinette Marine Shipyards, where she had been under construction since 2013.

Now, the ship will undergo up to 12 months of testing on Lake Michigan before being commissioned into the Navy and reaching its home base in Florida.

Hundreds of people, including Naval dignitaries, Sioux Cityans and many of the workers who built the ship, gathered near the dock to witness the first ship named for Sioux City move one step closer to joining the Navy fleet.

"For the United States of America, I christen thee Sioux City. May God bless this ship and all who sail on her," ship sponsor Mary Winnefeld said seconds before shattering a bottle of champagne across the bow in one swing, drawing cheers.

Within seconds, the ship slowly slid down the launching skids and landed with a splash. As the USS Sioux City rocked and bobbed in the water, a Navy band played "Anchors Aweigh," as the crowd cheered and whistled.

Sioux City was well-represented by some two dozen people who stood to be recognized by the crowd during the ceremony before the launch. That so many would travel so far for the occasion showed Sioux City's commitment to supporting the ship and her crews in any way possible, mayor Bob Scott told the crowd.

"We as a community are honored in a way you can't imagine," Scott said during the ceremony. "Our community has embraced this already and will continue to do so for the lifetime of the ship. We do have a rich history in the military, and this is an honor we will not soon forget."

That pride was on display during weekend ceremonies prior to the launch. That so many from Sioux City drove several hours during the winter to witness the event made an impression on shipbuilders, Naval officers and contractors, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce president Chris McGowan said.

"It's interesting to have learned some communities have not embraced their namesake ship and crew as Sioux City has," McGowan said after the launch. "The entirety of the two days just gave me an enormous sense of pride to say Sioux City is my home town.

"We're going to do everything in our power to make sure the community continues to support the ship and its crew in the future."

The ship is the 11th in the littoral combat class, a new class of ships designed to sail nearer the coast -- in the littoral zone -- and into shallower waters than other naval vessels. The ships are designed for mine detection and clearing, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare.

Building and development of the ships in the Sioux City's class involve 10,000 people and 900 companies in 43 states, said Stephanie Hill, general manger and vice president of Lockheed Martin mission systems and training, ship and aviation systems.
CHICAGO | 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 little peace to his troubled mind.

"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. I'm a shell of a human being."

Caine is one of the more dramatic examples of huge police settlements that have tarnished the city in recent years. Among them: A one-time death row inmate brutally beaten by police: $6.1 million. An unarmed man fatally shot by an officer as he lay on the ground: $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.

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. 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 U.S. Justice Department's recent decision to investigate the Chicago police  fallout from the McDonald case  has helped focus new attention on this agonizing record of misconduct and the surprising lack of consequences. Few officers accused of wrongdoing have been disciplined in recent years.

'REPREHENSIBLE THINGS'

So how did the city get to the point where a massive police misconduct bill has almost become the cost of doing business? And why has bad behavior gone unchecked?

There's no single answer, but Alderman Howard Brookins Jr., who's required to approve settlements exceeding $100,000 as part of his city council duties, offers one explanation. "If you were seen going after police, you were seen as being for crime," he says. "It's a whole culture of not wanting to step on their toes. ... 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 unsettling 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, shooting them without justification and planting evidence  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.

Of 375 investigations of police shootings since 2008, the Independent Police Review Authority  which looks into the most serious claims of misconduct  found accusations of wrongdoing against officers valid in just two instances.

Both the police and the union representing rank-and-file officers say the numbers are misleading.

BEATEN INTO CONFESSION

Dean Angelo, president of the union, says criminals routinely file frivolous complaints to harass and discourage police from pursuing them. "If you're working in the worst neighborhoods ... people are going to complain about you," he says. "It comes part and parcel with the job."

City officials also say many complaints are less serious  an improperly issued ticket, for instance  or can't be pursued because the accuser won't sign a sworn affidavit detailing the accusation. The Chicago police, in a statement to The Associated Press, said there were 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, some dating back many years. The city's top lawyer, Stephen Patton, says his office has reduced costs with new strategies: It has cut the number of outside lawyers by more than 80 percent, taken more cases to trial (the corporation counsel's office won 21 of 28 last year), whittled down a backlog and spread the word it will no longer settle small cases routinely.

Since 2011, he says, his office has saved taxpayers at least $90 million by evaluating suits promptly and settling them, if appropriate, rather than racking up large legal fees. The McDonald case was settled without a lawsuit.

The cost of misconduct, though, extends far beyond dollars and cents. In some cases, it leaves deep psychological scars on the victimized and their families.

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, 'Am I going to take this walk? Is that going to happen to me?'" he says. "It's not in the back of your mind  it's in the front."

Kitchen, who was eventually exonerated, settled for $6.1 million from the city. "The money has been good ... but the pain is still there," he says.

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."

For four years, Sutton has been agitating for the dismissal of Detective Dante Servin, who was off-duty when he shot Boyd in the head. Servin fired several times over his shoulder 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.

HARASSED BY OFFICERS

Servin was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter last year in a controversial ruling: The judge suggested the prosecutor should have charged him with murder. Both the Independent Police Review Authority and the former superintendent have recommended his firing. The decision is up to the Chicago Police Board.

"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. I thought that's the world we live in. You've basically got to prove why your loved one was innocent and that's what I've been doing. "

The great majority of misconduct cases are resolved for far smaller amounts, but even seemingly minor incidents can mushroom into costly face-offs.

Torreya Hamilton represented a biracial 14-year-old who'd recently moved into a predominantly white neighborhood. A group of officers who lived nearby harassed him, she says, handcuffing him without reason, conducting surveillance on him and his house. One officer, she adds, also posted messages on his Facebook page falsely calling the teen a drug dealer and criminal.

Hamilton sued, claiming illegal detention, and proposed settling for $75,000, including legal fees.

By the time the case was over, several lawyers were involved on the teen's behalf. The settlement was almost $530,000, most going to the lawyers. The law department says it settled at the 11th hour when it discovered the officer with the Facebook postings wasn't a credible witness.

EXCESSIVE FORCE

These kinds of cases, Hamilton says, breed mistrust of police, especially among minorities.

"When a police officer has treated you unfairly, the obvious reaction is to not trust the government anymore and not want to call the police when you need the police," she adds.

Chicago isn't the only city with these problems. New York, Albuquerque and Baltimore have each doled out millions of dollars in recent years in cases that have sparked street protests and demands for reform.

In Chicago, though, 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 and expert on police misconduct. "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, while a small number have accumulated more than 50 in five years and haven't been disciplined.

Futterman faults the Chicago police for not addressing patterns of abuse, noting that with some officers, "there was not just a trail of bread crumbs, but a trail of steak that if anyone would have bothered to look, it would have raised serious eyebrows."

He points to Officer Jason Van Dyke, charged in the McDonald shooting, who'd been the subject of 20 civilian complaints, including allegations of excessive force, records show. One person who claimed he was injured when Van Dyke and a partner arrested him received $350,000 in civil damages.

In another high-profile case, Officer Gildardo Sierra, responding to a 2011 domestic disturbance call, was captured on video fatally shooting Flint Farmer while he lay in a parkway. It was Sierra's third shooting in six months  two were fatal. The prosecutor declined to charge Sierra, saying the officer mistook a cellphone for a gun.

Sierra also is one of two officers involved in the civil case of a fatal traffic stop shooting that will be retried because a judge ruled the city lawyer withheld critical evidence. The lawyer resigned. Sierra quit the force in 2015 while he was under investigation.

THE 'MIDNIGHT CREW'

The mayor, who has been the target of blistering criticism for his handling of the McDonald case, recently formed a police task force that will create an early warning system to intervene with problem officers. The police also said in a statement 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 his "midnight crew" of rogue detectives. Scores of black men, many with criminal histories, alleged the officers beat and nearly suffocated them, played mock Russian roulette and subjected them to electric shocks to secure confessions.

The routine nature of these abuses over two decades was unparalleled, says G. Flint Taylor, a lawyer who has spent nearly 30 years fighting Burge and his associates. "You can look long and hard around the country and you'd find few cases where they (police) used electric shock from a box or where they put plastic bags over people's heads in a systematic way," he says.

Burge cases  including settlements and outside lawyers  have cost the city more than $92 million (about $109 million, if county and state expenses are included), according to Taylor, who keeps his own tally. Yet only Burge himself was ever charged, decades later  for perjury in a federal lawsuit when he denied torture had occurred. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison.

A special prosecution team concluded in 2006 that scores of Burge accusers had, in fact, been brutalized, but cases were too old or too weak to pursue. That "sends the message that, for decades, black lives did not matter to high-level Chicago," Taylor says. Emanuel, who was not mayor at the time, has publicly apologized, calling the scandal "a stain on the city's reputation."

Chicago is still paying. Last year, the city council approved an unprecedented $5.5 million reparations package that provides up to $100,000 for each of 57 Burge victims, funds counseling and requires the sordid chapter in city history be taught to 8th and 10th grade public school students.

Some critics say these steps, the mayor's vows of reform, the federal probe and the ongoing search for a new superintendent give them hope this could be a pivotal moment. "There's been a lack of political will and courage to address these fundamental issues up until this point," Futterman says. "That may be changing."

But Eric Caine, the victim in one of the Burge cases, is skeptical. Five years after his release, he has a house and a restaurant, but he 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, constantly, constantly. I've had trouble with the law and my personal life. I don't really seem to be able to connect with people."

He points to the year it took the city to release the McDonald video as evidence there isn't a new attitude. "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."
Editor's note: Every other Sunday through the conclusion of this year's session of the Iowa Legislature, our local lawmakers will share their Statehouse views.

State Sen. Bill Anderson, R-Sioux City

With the second legislative funnel in the rearview mirror the agenda is mostly set for the remainder of the session. Although, it is important to note there is the possibility of a surprise or two along the road to adjournment.

After weeks of waiting, the Iowa Senate passed the income tax coupling bill. The legislation will save taxpayers nearly $97 million. This is a big deal for farmers and business owners who have made investments in their operations. In addition, the bill codifies much-needed clarification to the consumables tax, another issue on which I have visited at length with my constituents. With the passage and eventual signing into law of this language we will end the practice in Iowa of double taxation of manufactured goods. A win for Iowas taxpayers.

Another important item remains, establishing supplemental state aid (SSA). SSA remains in conference committee where House Republicans and Senate Democrats continue to negotiate. Earlier this session Senate Democrats passed a 4 percent increase, or $227.9 million, while House Republicans passed a 2 percent increase, or $143 million in new education spending. Senate Republicans are committed to providing our children a world-class education system and provide our schools with sustainable funding. Republicans continue to stress the importance of honoring our commitments.

State Rep. David Dawson, D-Sioux City

The Iowa Senate is calling for implementation of Medicaid oversight legislation. The success or failure of the governors plan to privatize Medicaid rests on proper strategic planning and strong oversight.

As the Senate bill outlines, in most states Medicaid managed care is introduced incrementally, starting with the enrollment of low-income children and families and working up to enrolling disabled, elderly, and others with more serious chronic conditions. However, the governors plan is not incremental and instead will be implemented on April 1 for all Medicaid recipients, a diverse population with an array of complex medical histories.

While managed care techniques do offer health care opportunities toward quality improvement and predictability in costs, the primary concern cannot be cost savings and administrative efficiencies. If this is so, new barriers will be placed to limit the care and support options available. The Senate bill calls for oversight including a Health Policy Oversight Committee, expansion of the Medicaid Ombudsman duties and an enhanced Medical Assistance Advisory Council, among other oversight measures. These measures will assess the financial components, the level of care being given, and further Medicaid policy development.

The Senate Medicaid oversight bill passed the full Senate with bipartisan support. It was referred to the House Human Resources Committee where the House majority refused to consider the bill. It is my hope the House Oversight Committee or the House Human Services Budget Committee will move the Senate oversight bill forward so the full House can debate and consider the bill before April 1.

State Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City

Last week the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) provided lawmakers with an updated state budget forecast. The REC is a nonpartisan three-member panel and we are required by law to use their estimates.

In good news, the REC increased their estimate of state growth for the coming year to 4.4 percent. This equals $30 million more than their previous estimate of 4 percent in December. Altogether, Iowas economic growth is expected to continue at a steady, but modest pace.

The states unemployment rate is 3.5 percent, though wage-earning workers have not seen the same economic recovery as those at the top. Employers continue to indicate that finding a skilled workforce remains their greatest challenge. The agricultural and manufacturing sectors are also experiencing headwinds. Corn prices are down 67 percent from their peak in 2012. Soybean prices are down 51 percent and land values are slightly down. Manufacturing is steady but affected by the strong dollar abroad, making exports less appealing to foreign markets.

Over the past three years, Republicans and Democrats have agreed to tax relief in key areas. Following a positive, but cautious report from the REC last week, the Legislature must find further consensus. There is enough revenue to invest in critical areas like education, while balancing the state budget. Both are priorities and our budget should reflect them.

State Rep. Ron Jorgensen, R-Sioux City

Two major events happened last week in the Legislature.

On Tuesday both the House and Senate passed the federal coupling bill in a bipartisan manner in both chambers. House File 2433 prevents a $95 million tax increase on Iowans by coupling with the federal tax code. Iowa has coupled with the federal tax code every year since I have been in the Legislature.

This bill benefitted more than 177,000 taxpayers in 2014 including teachers, farmers, small businesses, college students and homeowners. House File 2433 also includes provisions to codify the sales tax exemption for supplies used in manufacturing. The bill clarifies the definition of replacement parts, including the supplies consumed during the manufacturing process as exempt from sales and use tax. This prevents manufacturers from being double taxed, once during the manufacturing process and then again at the time of sale.

The second event happened on Wednesday when the Revenue Estimating Conference met to project revenue for fiscal years 16, 17 and 18. Revenue numbers for FY 16 were unchanged; revenue for FY 17 increased by $30 million, but due to the expenditure limitation law only $23.7 million will be available to appropriate. This means that in total we will have $176.7 million of new revenue available to appropriate in FY 17. The FY 18 initial projection was an increase of 4.1 percent over FY 17.

Now that these items are known it is hoped that school funding gets resolved soon. Once this is determined the total state budget should come together fairly quickly.
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
CHARLES COUNTY, Md.

(March 19, 2016)Deputy State Fire Marshals have charged a 17-year-old male with arson and reckless endangerment. This after an investigation determined he was responsible for igniting a fire within a classroom at Thomas Stone High School located at 3758 Leonardtown Road in Waldorf, Charles County on March 7 at approximately 1:00 pm.Quick actions by a teacher in the school extinguished the fire before it spread and as a result no fire department response was needed. The Office of the State Fire Marshal was notified about the incident on March 11. At the conclusion of the investigation, it was determined that the teen intentionally ignited the fire.The boy was charged with Arson in the 2nd Degree as well as Reckless Endangerment. He was released to the custody of his parents pending further action by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.A school resource officer from the Charles County Sheriff's Office assisted with the investigation.
John Wendell Young, a/k/a "John-John," 41, of Chaptico and Kara Pickeral, 32, of Hughesville, a/k/a "Kara Walker" and "Kara Casey."

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 20, 2016)The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Vice Narcotics Division today released the following incident and arrest reports. The Division is an investigative team comprised of detectives from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office and Federal Drug Agents (HIDTA Group 34). The Division was established on September 1st, 2007., a/k/a "John-John," 41, of Chaptico, was indicted as a result of a vehicle pursuit. Young was charged with Possession of Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute, Resisting Arrest, Failure to Remain at the Scene of an Accident and other traffic related offenses., 29, of Mechanicsville, was observed by detectives purchasing Adderall in the parking lot of a Mechanicsville business. He was stopped, detained and charged with the drug violation. The distributor was located and identified, charges are pending.Detectives received information regarding a fraudulent prescription being passed at a local pharmacy. The prescription was placed in the name of Nicole Lewis. The suspect who actually created the false prescription is, a/k/a "Kara Walker" and "Kara Casey." Detectives detained and subsequently charged Pickeral with Attempting to Obtain a Prescription by Fraud. The prescriptions were for Xanax and Ambein, however she was found to be in possession of Oxycodone as well.
HOLLYWOOD, Md.

A 43,500 square foot, three-story expansion will be added near Calvert Memorial Hospital's existing main entrance. The hospital hopes to break ground in June 2017 and finish in early 2020.Plans for the hospital were presented to the County Commissioners Tuesday at their general meeting.According to a representative from Calvert Memorial, the project has been in the works for approximately two years.According to the presentation, there will be an additional 10,300 square feet of renovations and 16,500 square feet of light renovations. This will total 70,300 square foot of renovations.The light renovations will be the redesign of current rooms to change them over from semi-private to fully private. Representatives said they want the feel of the hospital to stay coherent with the rest of the new construction.The heavy renovations will include 40 new private patient rooms, 20 on both the second and third floor, and outpatient services expansion and med staff/admin reconstruction on the first floor.The number of rooms will increase from around 43 to about 80.According to the presentation, they want the rooms to be convenient for all types of care and the extra rooms will provide maximum efficiency. The rooms will also allow family members to spend the night.
HOLLYWOOD, Md.

(March 17, 2016) The cease and desist order that shut down the Southern Maryland Veterans Association last month is still in affect after the organization's director appealed the decision of the Maryland Secretary of State last week.Daniel Timothy Brashear wanted to have the cease and desist order lifted, state officials said, but the hearing officer in the matterthe assistant secretary of statedid not make a determination.The hearing took place over two days, March 9 and March 10, state officials said. The record remained open for 10 days following the hearing.The charity is still barred from accepting or soliciting donations, state officials said."The cease and desist order is still in affect," a state official told The County Times. "There's no decision that's been made. It's still an ongoing matter."Officials said it would likely be several more weeks before the hearing officer made a decision on whether to lift the cease and desist order.According to a press release from Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, both Brashearthe charity's founderand Norman Randolph McDonald, who up until recently was in charge of collections, were named in the cease and desist order.The shut down of the charity was in response to multiple complaints, according to state authorities, and an investigation alleged that the organization was not assisting the housing needs of veterans as was claimed in marketing materials.At the hearing, Brashear said the state brought out complaints against his organization that were made anonymously. Brashear also said state officials had presumed his guilt in public statements they made about his organization.He said he did not believe that he had been treated fairly and that the state would likely keep the cease and desist order in place."I think they're going to run it under the status quo," Brashear said.He also claimed that he sent the state the list of veterans he had housed at the shelter, but the state was not satisfied because he did send copies of their discharge papers to prove their service.Brashear said he would not release the documents because he wanted to protect the veterans' privacy, particularly regarding their medical information.Brashear also said that accusations alleging his organization had housed pedophiles were false. They housed one sex offender, Brashear said, but that person was a veteran and had been involved with an adult.
OWINGSSarah Hurley of Mount Harmony Elementary School placed first in the PTA Reflections art contest for her music composition entry "If My Cat Could Fly." She will represent Md. in the Intermediate Music composition category at National Competition. For her outstanding interpretation award she will receive a certificate, plaque or trophy, 3 complimentary tickets to the Md. PTA Awards celebration in August, and $75. She and the other county-level winners are also invited to the county level reception to be held April 5th.LA PLATACharles County Public Schools (CCPS) on March 18 published the school system's electronic newsletter, "Community Connection," for students, staff, parents and the community. The quarterly newsletter features updates about the school system and news in an easily accessible and viewable format.Included in the March 18 edition are student accomplishments, information about changes to the 2016-17 school year calendar and spring break, and the History, Industry, Technology and Science (HITS) Expo planned for noon, March 19 at St. Charles High School in Waldorf. The edition is posted on the school system website at http://www.ccboe.com/enews/ In addition to being posted on the school system website, editions of Community Connection are emailed to all CCPS staff and parents who have email addresses on file with their child's school. Newsletters are archived on the website as they are published.The Community Connection newsletter is published by the school system's communications department. Call 301-932-6610 with questions.LEONARDTOWNA general meeting of the St. Mary's County School Health Council will be held on March 29, from 5:006:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Board of Education Meeting Room, at 23160 Moakley Street, Leonardtown, Maryland 20650.Representatives from the Maryland State Department of Education and the State Health Department will share both state and local data from the 20142015 Maryland Wellness Policies and Practices Project and discuss how St. Mary's County might utilize the findings to further promote wellness in the county.Wellness Champions from select schools participating in the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program will share their plans for promoting the nationally-recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day. There will also be an update on the proposed changes to the public school system's Wellness Policy.PRINCE FREDERICKSheriff Mike Evans announced the Detention Center's first successful graduation using the in-house GED Program. The jail had previously transported inmates to other facilities to allow them to test. The center recently acquired four new computers for the purpose of administering the GED test in-house. Once the software was installed and the testing room was setup, the first GED test was administered. There are a total of four separate tests that must be passed in order to acquire a GED. The first inmate that tested passed all four tests on his first attempt.LEXINGTON PARKA student caused a small fire at Esperanza Middle School on Tuesday, March 15, around 1:29 p.m. The male student caused the fire by holding an open flame to combustible materials, causing it to ignite. The small incendiary fire was discovered in a restroom of the school and was quickly extinguished by staff.Damages are estimated at $50.00.The student was arrested by the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshala branch of the Maryland State Police.
"Your job is to fund the agencies of this county  You don't know anything about the sheriff's office or how to run it."

Maj. John Horne

"You have to watch taxpayer money. I don't believe it's micromanagement at all."

Commissioner John O'Connor

A transcript of John Horne's remarks can be found at the bottom of this story.

HOLLYWOOD, Md.

Transcript of John Horne's Remarks



(Prepared by somd.com Staff)



Horne: Uh, excuse me, but I've been sitting back there for the last 2, almost 2 hours now listening to this and I'm not the political person here, the sheriff is.



Commissioner ?: What's your name, Sir?



Horne: Major Horne. I'm the assistant sheriff for St. Mary's County.



You know what, we go through this every single year when it comes to the budget and I appreciate what you guys have to do. Your job is elected commissioners and your job is to fund the agencies within this county to operate successfully. Now, I agree with Commissioner Morgan, Commissioner Hewitt when they talk about coming up with a number for the Sheriff and let him manage the agency. That's what the citizens of St. Mary's County elected him to do; not you Commissioner O'Connor, okay? So, for you to tell the Sheriff or anybody else in here what to do with Sheriff's office assets is absolutely ridiculous and it's a waste ... you talk about wasting manpower, time and and assets, that's what we're doing right now, and Sheriff I apologize. I'm not trying to be rude to anyone in here, but this is absolutely ridiculous!



Now, the sheriff is an extremely competent individual who's been reelected now three times to manage the law enforcement in this county and you're exactly right commissioner Morgan. You talk about, talk about micromanagement ... first of all, you don't know anything there is to know about law enforcement Commissioner O'Connor. So, let the people that know about it do it!



(one person claps lightly 3 times. No other noise from the gallery can be heard)



Anybody have any questions for me, I'll be glad to answer them if I can.



Commissioner Hewitt: You're not helping your cause, sir.



Commissioner O'Connor: Yeah, definately not.



Horne: It doesn't matter, you know what, you don't know anything about sheriff's office or how to run the agency, so you let us do that, okay? Your job as an elected official is to apply the funding for the sheriff's office in order for him to do his job. Okay?



Commissioner Hewitt, I get it. I understand with the whole returning money every year. I absolutely understand that. But give the sheriff a figure and let him manage the Sheriff's office which is what he was elected to do by the way by the people of this county. Thank you.



(Sheriff Cameron, who sat quietly through the entire exchange, is seated on the table at left with his back to the camera.)

(March 17, 2016)Tempers flared and nerves frayed at a budget work session of the Commissioners of St. Mary's County on Tuesday, March 15, when Maj. John Horne, the assistant sheriff, publicly castigated several of the commissioners whom he accused of trying to micromanage the agency through constant wrangling over Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron's proposed budget."Your job is to fund the agencies of this county," Horne said after getting up suddenly during the session to speak at the microphone. "For you to tell the sheriff how to run his agency is absolutely ridiculous."Horne directed most of his ire for Commissioners John O'Connor and Mike Hewitt who both made several suggestions about how to deal with Cameron's $39 million proposal.Hewitt was concerned that the sheriff's office continually sends salary money back to the county each year because it cannot fill all its vacancies; he said he saw little reason to increase the funding over last year's allotment while O'Connor said he approved of flat funding the agency until it was able to fill vacant spots for patrol deputies."You don't know anything about the sheriff's office or how to run it," Horne said."You're not helping your cause," Hewitt said."No, you're not," O'Connor agreed.Horne left the meeting before it concluded, visibly upset.Cameron did not stop Horne while he was making his impromptu comments but did say Horne's comments were born out of a frustration over attempts to micromanage the agency.Cameron said he believed O'Connor was trying to direct the agency's course on several things, including the fleet of patrol cars and what type they would be, as one example."He was trying to direct me and that's not his job," Cameron said. "It was clearly his aim to manage through the budget."Cameron said, however that he would review the video record of Horne's comments to evaluate whether they were within the bounds of the agency's policy of conduct.Commissioner Tom Jarboe said commissioners had to be careful not to become too involved in the day-to-day operations of departments but to make sure that overall the county was moving in the right direction."What they put in the [sheriff's budget] were real requirements," Jarboe said. "They're not fudging anything."Whether police cars are marked or not, that's not our call."It was a tense budget work session all around that day as commissioners signaled that they could only commit to funding the board of education at maintenance of effort levels, which means just $5 million more than last year's appropriation, said Commissioner Todd Morgan.The commissioners' increase in revenue was just $3.5 million this year, he said."We know there's going to be a deficit, we just don't know how big it's going to be," Morgan said Wednesday. "We just have to wait next week to see."O'Connor denied allegations of trying to micromanage the sheriff's office in a later interview, saying that as a commissioner he had a right and a duty to look through all budgets to ensure tax payer money was being well spent.He said he was "shocked and dismayed at [Horne's] unprofessionalism.""You have to watch tax payer money," O'Connor said. "I don't believe it's micromanagement at all."
The Soyuz TMA-20M rocket stands ready for lifoff at its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA. NASA

The Soyuz rocket that will carry three new crew members to the International Space Station Friday evening stands ready for launch in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the orbiting trio awaiting reinforcements is busy with medical science and preparations for upcoming cargo missions.

High winds at the Baikonur Cosmodrome delayed the raising of the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft into vertical position a few hours after its roll out Wednesday. Launch is scheduled for 5:26 p.m. EDT/9:26 p.m. UTC Friday. Expedition 47-48 crew members Jeff Williams, Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka will arrive at their new home in space less than six hours later.

The three current residents onboard the orbital laboratory, Commander Tim Kopra and Flight Engineers Tim Peake and Yuri Malenchenko, continued their medical research to help scientists understand how living off the Earth affects the human body. The crew is also getting ready for a pair of cargo deliveries due soon from Orbital ATK and SpaceX.

Kopra and Peake were back at work today on the Ocular Health study scanning their eyes with an ultrasound and checking their blood pressure. Kopra also explored how microbes affect the human immune system in space and practiced the robotic capture of the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft. Peake is helping engineers validate the technology that will control rovers on another planet from a spacecraft. Malenchenko researched how the digestive system adapts to microgravity and packed trash into the 61P resupply ship due to undock at the end of the month.

Orbital ATK will launch its Cygnus space freighter Tuesday at 11 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center on a four-day trip to the space station. Cygnus will deliver almost 7,500 pounds of research gear, spacewalk hardware and crew supplies to the Expedition 47 crew.

On-Orbit Status Report

Ocular Health (OH) Cardiac Operations: With operator assistance and remote guidance from the OH ground team, Kopra and Peake administered blood pressure measurements and ultrasound scanning activities which support the Health Maintenance System (HMS) eye ultrasound exam. Crew members bodies change in a variety of ways during space flight, and some experience impaired vision. Tests monitor microgravity-induced visual impairment as well as changes believed to arise from elevated intracranial pressure to characterize how living in microgravity can affect the visual, vascular and central nervous systems. The investigation also measures how long it takes for crew members to return to normal after they return to Earth.

Microbiome: Kopra completed a Flight Day (FD) 90 body sample collection and stowed the samples into a box module in a Minus Eight-degree Freezer for ISS (MELFI). Microbiome investigates the impact of space travel on both the human immune system and an individuals Microbiome (the collection of microbes that live in and on the human body at any given time).

Multi-Purpose End-To-End Robotics Operations Network (METERON) and SUPerVISory control of the Eurobot (SUPVIS-E) Control Test: Peake relocated and set up the METERON laptops and Video Camera Assembly (VCA)1 prior to executing the METERON test. He used the Rover Control software on the ISS and the Eurobot Ground Prototype (EGP) on the ground to execute the investigation. During execution of METERON-SUPVISE-TST1 the rover did not respond to ground commands due to a connectivity issue. A software reset and EGP reboots did not resolve the problem. Operations were deferred while ground teams review the data. METERON tele-operates robots on Earth from the ISS to validate technology for future exploration missions where astronauts can operate surface robots from their spacecraft with ground support. SUPVIS-E is the third step of the METERON project, continuing to use the Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) technology that automates store-and-forward techniques to compensate for the intermittent connectivity typical of space missions.

Cygnus Robotics On-Board Trainer (RoBOT) On-Board Training (OBT) and Self Study: Kopra completed another session of this training in preparation for OA-6 arrival currently scheduled for March 26. The procedure included a 30 meter approach, two Capture Point hold runs and 2 meter runs.

Hatch Seal Inspection: Peake completed the second of two sessions of this scheduled maintenance to clean the USOS hatch seals in Node 2, Node 3, PMM, COL and JEM. He inspected the sealing surface and hatch handle mechanisms for Foreign Object Debris (FOD) or damage. He took photos during the inspection which he downlinked to the ground for review.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

HRF Saliva Sample Collection

Biochemical Urine Test r/g 1673

HRF  Sample Insertion into MELFI

URISYS Hardware Stowage

USND2  Hardware Activation

Ultrasound  Scanning Prep

Daily Planning Conference (S-band)

Ultrasound2  Scan performed by a Crew Medical Officer (CMO)

Ocular Health Experiment  Ultrasound 2  Scan

Verification of ??-1 Flow Sensor Position / SM Pressure Control & Atmosphere Monitoring System

Ultrasound Data Export

Ops with ???-3 Smoke Detectors No.1 and No.3 in DC1 / r/g 1681

Ocular Health Experiment  Ultrasound 2  Scan

Ultrasound2  Scan performed by a Crew Medical Officer (CMO)

Health Maintenance System (HMS)  Ultrasound2 Scan  Post-exam ops

METERON  Overview

Ultrasound Data Export

METERON  Laptop setup

METERON -Equipment testing

OBT  Dragon Rendezvous and Berthing Procedures Review

Log File Dump / r/g 1671

OH  Ocular Health Cardiac Operations

Ocular Health (OH)  Operator Assistance with the Experiment

OH  Ocular Health Cardiac Operations

Ocular Health (OH)  Operator Assistance with the Experiment

On MCC GO ISS N2 Repress from Progress 429 (Aft) ???? Section 2 (start)

iPad Restow

On MCC GO ISS N2 Repress from Progress 429 (?ft) ???? Section 2 (terminate)

Replacement of ???2 loop 4???2 panel H1 replaceable pump assembly r/g 1683

USND2  Equipment Deactivation and Stowage

ECLSS  Tank Drain

Water Recovery and Management (WRM): Condensate Pumping Initiation

Hatch Seal Inspection

RGN  Initiate drain into EDV

CSL5  Laptop relocation from SM and loading

Water Recovery and Management (WRM): Condensate Pumping Termination

ARED Cylinder Flywheel Evacuation

??? Maintenance

SPLANH. Preparation for Experiment / r/g 1672

Completed Task List Items

None

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Cygnus RoBOT OBT support

Nominal ground commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Friday, 03/18: 46S launch/dock (crew sleep shift), docking prep/arrival tasks

Saturday, 03/19: Crew sleep day following 46S docking activities

Sunday, 03/20: Crew off duty

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component- Status

Elektron  Off

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  Off

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Override

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Idle

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Off

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Full Up
This Week at NASA: More Budget Talk, ISS Crew Launch and More. NASA

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden was back on Capitol Hill during the week of March 13 for more Congressional hearings on the agencys $19 billion dollar Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal.

On Tuesday, Bolden testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, and on Thursday, the administrator responded to questions from the House Science Subcommittee on Space. The budget proposed by President Obama will fund NASA initiatives to send American astronauts to Mars in the 2030s, expand our knowledge about our universe, and improve the quality of life on Earth, as well as the health of the planet itself. Also, New crew launches to ISS, More science on next ISS supply mission, NASA Women in Action, NASA radios on European Mars mission and more.
Although home office or job sharing are gradually replacing traditional forms to favour work-life balance, local culture holds Slovakia-based employers tied to full-time jobs

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Peter Fabor was looking for a place where he could live, work and surf, so he boarded a plane to the Canary Islands to make his dream come true. There he launched a co-working centre, Surf Office. Before long his idea proved successful and he was able to expand his business to Europe and overseas.

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Fabor was forced to go abroad to fulfil his dream not only because there is no sea in Slovakia to surf in, but especially because telework, working from home or sharing one job position is far from widely used on the local market.

Alternative forms of employment have limited use in an industrial country like Slovakia due to the nature of the work, according to Rastislav Machunka, vice-president of the Federation of Employers Associations (AZZZ).

Flexible contracts are better suited for positions where workers can work independently on their own projects, Machunka told The Slovak Spectator.

Low wages and complicated laws

The long-term low interest of employees is caused by low economic and wage levels, said Vlasta Kostercova, co-founder of the web portal Flexipraca.sk, other wise they would be interested.

People do not prefer part-times because it is not profitable at such low wages, Kostercova told The Slovak Spectator. Processing of these forms of work and incorrectly set legislation do not make such employment any less complicated, Monika Volakova from Lugera & Makler suggested in an interview with The Slovak Spectator.

Nevertheless, in modern jobs such as administration and IT services and highly skilled professions, Slovakia takes on global trends.

Firms using flexible forms are gaining a good reputation in the market, Anna Ricanyova, branch manager of Grafton Recruitment in Kosice, told The Slovak Spectator.

Agency employment - a chance for the unskilled

Within the Labour Code meaning, flexible forms of work like employment on fixed-term contracts, part-time and flexitime, job sharing, home and telework and temporary agency employment are possible on the Slovak labour market. The code section covers also three types of part-time agreements.

The most prevalent forms include agency employment, when an employee is hired by so-called custom employer for a fixed period, up to 24 months, but with the same conditions as a full-time employee.

Data from the EU statistics office Eurostat show that 8.8 percent of all employees in Slovakia were contracted in this manner in 2014, an increase of 2 percentage points compared to 2013.

Martin Hostak, secretary of the National Union of Employers (RUZ), says that agency employment represents a significant pillar of already very low labour legislation flexibility.

It is the only chance to get work for low-skilled and hardly employable people, Hostak told The Slovak Spectator.

Part-time and home office mainly in SSCs

Part-time jobs are most common in administration and customer service, most frequently in larger international companies, Ricanyova indicates. Internationally, however, the local market lags behind in the number of part-time workers.

Eva Pongracz from the Department of Social Development and Labour at the University of Economics in Bratislava stressed that whereas 6 percent of employees use this form of flexibility in Slovakia, the EU average is up 21 percent.

The situation is worse only in Macedonia and Bulgaria, Pongracz said.

Home office is highly popular within shared services. While most often it is offered by IT companies which have a share of 32 percent in the sector, Ivana Molnarova, CEO of the Profesia.sk website, noted that it is possible also in the field of business or real estate.

Time limits and frequency often allow people on maternity or parental leave to actively participate in company activities by working from home with reporting finished tasks to superior or superiors direct monitoring, Molnarova told The Slovak Spectator.

In terms of part-time agreements, although their quantity decreased in 2013 by almost 30 percent over the previous year due to the introduction of obligation to pay levies, in a subsequent period there is an apparent growing trend, according to Pongracz.

From 2011, Slovak legislation recognises job sharing based on the division of one position to more employees. For the administrative complexity, it could be used rather in simple and lower-paid jobs, Ricanyova said.

In spite of its benefits, the form is used very little in practise, Ricanyova said.

Why employ atypically?

Flexible contracts are a convenient way to make money for disadvantaged groups, in particular for people on parental leave and the transitional period before full-time. They allow the employee to devote more time to family and keep working habits. Though flexible employment of women is still low, Michal Stuska, Labour Ministry spokesman, pointed out their share in temporary jobs has doubled from 3.5 to 7 percent between 2000 and 2013.

Additionally, flexible forms enable employees to combine more jobs, to study, take part in voluntary activities, or to retire gradually and work after retirement, Ricanyova said. Kostercova underlined that employers provide flexibility largely on trust.

Oftentimes its a matter of corporate culture when a manager is interested in alternative methods of employment and sees benefits in that, Kostercova said.

Employers can benefit from offering flexible forms of work with increased productivity, improved quality, and reduced costs, Pongracz said. There is also the possibility to employ people for exact time periods, eliminate administration and transfer experience from elders to youngsters.

Ricanyova said that these forms of work ensure the continuous operation of firm business and thus its quick adaptation to economic fluctuation. An employer could hire high-quality and mutually substitutable employees. Moreover, the government uses them to target higher employment rate and greater involvement of economically inactive people in the labour market, she added.

Inspiration from the West

In many western countries flexible forms are a standard. Part-time is widespread in Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Sweden, the UK, and especially in the Netherlands where its ratio was significantly above-average at the level of 49.6 percent of all workers, according to Eurostat.

There, employees and employers have full freedom to clinch a labour contract from zero hours per month to a full-time labour agreement and anything in between, according to Gerard Koolen, group managing partner at Lugera & Makler.

People seeking part-time employment can easily find jobs and many companies have jobs available for part-time only, Koolen told The Slovak Spectator. Freedom of choice brings many advantages for everybody and not in the last place for the overall economic output of a country. Both employer and employee can change the number of worked hours every day, week or month, just as they like to agree upon. That way they can increase productivity, employees earnings and profitability of the company, Koolen said.

Changes for the better

The essence of a flexible labour market is that companies face no obstacles when having to downsize their staff, Koolen said.

The strongest economies in the world have the most flexible labour market conditions, Koolen said.

The Slovak Labour Ministry encourages flexibility and harmonisation of work and life by its Implementation Agency and the national project Family and Work. The project is based on the direct support of flexible forms.

Flexible work in Slovakia Some companies offering flexibleforms of employment in Slovakia (according to Flexipraca.sk survey)  Pfizer Luxembourg SARL  Hewlet Packard  Microsoft Slovakia  Kovohuty  Tatra Banka  NESS  Stredoslovenska energetika Source: Flexipraca.sk The most commonly applied to part-time jobs (according to the responses to published offers in Flexipraca.sk)  administrative/office worker  marketing or sales department assistant  assistant with rewriting documents  e-book author  economic officer Source: Flexipraca.sk, Profesia.sk Flexible forms definedby the Slovak Labour Code  fixed-term contracts  part-time  flexitime  job sharing  work-at-home  telework  agency employment

The pilot project involved 765 employers and supported 1,406 flexible jobs for persons with family responsibilities, Stuska reported. Reimbursement covered mothers as well as fathers on parental leave of up to 90 percent of total labour price, while the average was about 880 a month.

An employer could receive a non-repayable contribution for the establishment of a maximum of 10 jobs during the project. The amount of contribution is calculated according to the formula consisting of the payroll wage on a particular position divided by the median, according to the Labour Office website.

The ministry plans to continue with similar projects. At the moment is prepared the intent to support flexible jobs for mothers with young children with a view to begin during the second quarter of 2016, Stuska said.

To improve, Koolen suggested offering extremely flexible employment solutions following the Dutch labour market such as zero-hour labour and temporary staffing contracts, in which an employer only pays an employee for the worked hours.

This flexibility ensures that companies immediately employ more people the moment their business needs it, Koolen said.

Hostak believes that it is necessary to anchor flexible employment forms in a better way.

Better flexibility and modernisation of the Labour Code is needed, Hostak said.

Success story

Meanwhile, Peter Fabor runs his business abroad, tailoring the work environment for people who place work-life balance as their main priority. His business idea that involves a specific flexible work environment, office, accommodation and a surf school now operates in the Canary Islands and Lisbon. His co-working centres are used by freelancers, digital nomads, but also people who want to try a different job next to the similarly attuned individuals.

I couldnt find a place where I could work, live and surf, said Fabor to the international business magazine Forbes after he moved from his native Slovakia to the Canary Islands. When we started there was nothing out there like this.

Today, a large part of his business consists of corporate retreats all over the world in different professions with key customers from the United States, Germany and Great Britain.
SLOVAK civic and machine engineer Jan Bahyl, who had almost 20 technical patents, invented the helicopter. Together with Anton Marschall, they created the first petrol-powered automobile and car battery in Slovakia.

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He died 100 years ago in Bratislava.

Bahyl was born in Zvolenska Slatina on May 25, 1856. After graduating to be a technical draughtsman at the Mining Academy in Banska Stiavnica, he was drafted to the military, deployed first in Lucenec and then in Kezmarok. There, he filed several technical improvements which drew the attention of his superiors.

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He was transferred to staff where he was in charge of the technical aspects of the Austro-Hungarian army. He also studied at the military academy in Vienna  specialising in military fortifications  and e the rank of lieutenant.

Then, Bahyl served as a military builder in Lvov Ukraine, in Krakow Poland, then again in the Ukraine  in Kharkov and Kiev, and in St. Petersburg in Russia where he worked on blueprints of military buildings and fortifications.

He implemented some of his inventions for which he got patents from the Austrian emperor. He financed the invention of the steam tank from his own pocket. After he presented it successfully to the Russian army milieu, the Russians bought the armed weapon and the talented technician got enough resources to realise more of his technical ideas.

Between 1892 and 1895, he worked in then Yugoslavian Trebenik; he constructed soaring balloons combined with air turbines in 1894, successfully tested and patented them. His main intention was to construct a helicopter with two levels of four-blade rose-like propellers fuelled by petrol. He finished it in Bratislava.

Bahyl received patent document No. 3392 for a helicopter from Emperor Franz Joseph I. on August 13, 1895.

The helicopter, with an improved design. made it in the air several times in 1901, to the height of half a metre. In 1903, it made it to the height of 1.5 meters and on May 5, 1905, the inventor flew 1,500 metres in his machine at a height of four metres in Bratislava. This attempt was also registered by the International Balloonist Organisation, the TASR newswire wrote.

Inventor and constructor Jan Bahyl died on March 13, 1916 in Bratislava, at age 59. He is buried at the Evangelical Cemetery at Kozia brana (Goats Gate) under the tombstone he designed himself.

Since 1999, the Slovak Industrial Property Office awards the Jan Bahyl prize aimed at motivating creativity and inventions in the country. The award is meant for Slovak originators and owners of especially valuable industrial and legally protected solutions.
It's important to remember Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq. All three had military interventions and the results are far from pretty  the countries have lost a lot of their infrastructure, state institutions and have become hotbeds of terrorism, el-Sisi reminded.

The Egyptian president said Europeans are wrong if they think Daesh is the only threat in Libya. Instead, the world should focus on fighting all extremist groups in North Africa.

"[Europeans] need to understand that the threat is an extremist ideology It's important to understand that the international community is facing different elements with the same ideology: what can one say about al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Islam, Al-Shabaab in Somalia or Boko Haram in Sub-Saharan Africa?"  el-Sisi said, as cited by La Repubblica.

Better Alternative?

According to el-Sisi, instead of sending Western troops to Libya it would be wiser to support the Libyan government that's already fighting various extremist organizations. Egypt has already been doing this for a couple of years.

"Positive results can be achieved by supporting the Libyan National Army. And these results can be achieved without having to wait for a decision on [Western] military operation," el-Sisi said.

If Italy and its allies supported and sent arms to the Libyan Army, it would get rid of extremists better than foreign armies that would only make the situation in the country worse, the Egyptian president explained.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Kiev and the Donbass militias reached a deal to withdraw arms of a caliber of less than 100mm from the line of contact in late September 2015. On November 12, 2015, the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) in the countrys southeast have submitted documents verifying the completion of the weapons withdrawal.

"We are watching a disturbing trend: 30 percent of the heavy weapons that were withdrawn from the contact line, have disappeared from the storage facilities both from the Ukrainian and separatists' side," Hug told the Spiegel Online Saturday.

In April 2014, Kiev launched a military operation against pro-independence supporters in eastern Ukraine. In February, the sides to the conflict developed a set of measures on Ukrainian reconciliation, including a ceasefire and a weapons withdrawal from the contact line. However, the ceasefire only began to hold on September 1, 2015. Despite the fact that the agreement was reached a year ago, both sides have been repeatedly reporting violations of the deal.
On Friday, Brussels and Ankara struck a deal, which will see all migrants arriving illegally from Turkey to Greece starting from March 20 returned back. In exchange, the EU will resettle thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey.

Gareth Jenkins, Istanbul-based researcher with the Silk Road Studies Program at John Hopkins University, joined Radio Sputnik to discuss the deal, which, according to him, leaves many questions unanswered.

If you go back to the last summit in March 7, Turkey arrived with a huge shopping list of demands and basically has got almost any of them. These requirements included the EU to take in more refugees, and also wanted the opening of five chapters of the accession process. I think what the speaker of the EU is saying is that they will take 70,000 actually 72,000. Thats a very small number compared to 2.7 million Syrian refugees that are believed to be in Turkey.
"I cant find any other reason for them [] other than to cause refugees to be on the move and make them someone elses problem," Breedlove said.Talk of "weaponizing" and "regime change" is part of the EUs strategy to shift responsibility for the migrant crisis , which European leaders are unable to deal with, to Moscow, according to the article.

Sarts and Breedlove are merely repeating the words President of the European Council Donald Tusk said about six months ago.

At the same time, Tusk, like many other European politicians, is silent on the deeper reasons behind the crisis, including the Wests failed policy of nation building in the Middle East.

"When Russias Syria air campaign began on September 30, migrant arrivals had long since overwhelmed frontline states like Greece. Indeed, Russias military support for government forces in Syria may turn out in the long run to have played a crucial role in stemming refugee flows to Europe," Dal Santo wrote.

Even before the Syrian crisis, Europe blamed the Kremlin for its own failures, including the debt crises in Greece and Cyprus.

"Austerity policies imposed by Greeces EU partners had created depression-like conditions unseen since the 1930s. Yet blame for Athens opening to Moscow somehow shifted instead to Moscows largely imagined blandishments," the analyst pointed out.

"Hostility towards both national governments and the supranational EU bureaucracy is rising in many European countries. But it does so independently of Russia, which has (once again) been made the scapegoat for Europes failings," he concluded.
According to the official line, the arrests are being made in order to fight Islamist and Kurdish movements, while in fact Erdogan suppresses institutions of democratic and popular dissent in order to guarantee for himself absolute power.

The Canadian journalist asserted that Erdogan won the latest elections by whipping up fear of the Kurds who make up a fifth of the country's population and that clashes between Turks and Kurds were "entirely the creation" of the President himself.

And now Erdogan bombards his own citizens, Saunders argued. The city of Diyarbakir, with its mostly Kurdish population, has become the deadly place where regular police raids have nothing to do with the actual threat to security of the Turkish state.

"Kurds in Syria and Iraq are our most important allies in Syria's civil war, and are key to finding a peaceful settlement to that conflict. By turning them into enemies strictly because they threatened his own grandiose political ambitions, Mr. Erdogan has destroyed the unified and open Turkey he earlier helped to create," Saunders concluded.

"And he has done so using the tools not just of authoritarianism but now, by silencing the media, of totalitarianism. It is time to stop treating Turkey as an ally, but as a country that has stepped beyond the pale."
"All the three aircraft are capable of carrying out airstrikes against terrorists. But the Su-24 is not designed for aerial combat, and it needs support of jet fighters," he told RBK.

In addition to the jets, Syrian airspace and Hmeymim air base will also be protected by an S-400 air defense system, Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Analytic Center for Strategies and Technologies, said.

"There could be three sudden threats  coming from Turkey, Israel and the US," he assumed.

He added that with an S-400 deployed to the base the Russian Aerospace Forces could not only establish a no-fly zone not over the Hmeymim airbase but also the entire province of Latakia where the bulk of the Syrian Army is concentrated.

The system has a maximum acquisition range of 600 km and a maximum striking range of 400 km.

"Within this radius, any aircraft can be tracked and then escorted by jets," Pukhov explained.

According to Litovkin, attack helicopters may be used against small groups of enemies and armored targets which cannot be hit by bombers.
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Davutoglu and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during his one-day visit to Istanbul. Zarif called Turkey "a very important neighbor," adding that "Iran's top-ranking officials pay special importance to the relations with Turkey."

Both countries have emphasized that they want to promote cooperation in various areas, including economy, energy and security. Turkey, according to the expert, needs Iran for alternative sources of oil and gas. Ankara also hopes that Iran could help Turkey to resolve the Kurdish issue, since both countries will make every effort to prevent the ethnic group from establishing an independent Kurdistan.

For its part, "Iran is confident that Turkey has lost the war in Syria and a new phase in Ankara's policies is about to begin," Salman Rafi Sheikh explained, adding that both countries want to receive greater access to their markets. "Turkish business elite sees in Iran, just like the European entrepreneurs, a big market to invest in," he added.

The analyst warned that this diplomacy will most likely result in a fragile marriage of convenience that could easily shatter under certain geopolitical developments.
Russia would establish a security zone in the Mediterranean and, thus, will be able to contain Turkish hegemony in the region and jihadist movements destabilizing both the Middle East and its peripheral regions, Professor Benjamin Wirtz wrote for Boulevard Voltaire.

Russia's withdrawal from Syria fits in the context of the Kremlins multiplying diplomatic initiatives.

According to political analyst Francois-Bernard Huyghe, a Russian submarine the French military spotted in the Mediterranean in January was "demonstration of force" in the region.
Under the command of the Syrian army, the troops are getting ready to storm the city in the near future, chief of  Desert Falcons  Mohammad Jaber told RIA Novosti.

The Syrian army and militia on Saturday completed the first phase of the operation to storm Palmyra, occupying the commanding heights and destroying command posts, ammunition depots and firing positions of the terrorist group.

We have received a request and an order to move into Palmyra in order to free it from Daesh terrorists. In the coming battle we will strike in the main direction of Palmyra. Soon we will begin the assault on the city. We will soon report to all of our friends that Palmyra is under our control, Jaber said.
It is going to be questionable as to how effective this so-called revised program is going to be. I dont hold much hope for it and its just another waste of money frankly at this point, Maloof said.

Talking about what the Pentagons exact goal was for launching this new train-and-equip program, the official said, The concept is to fight ISIS, but in reality the people that they are recruiting are Sunnis, they are sympathetic to the Sunni ISIS fighters and even though they may not agree with them whole heartedly, they are Sunnis and Sunnis will not be fighting Sunnis. Thats just the way it goes.

He further spoke about the reluctance of Turkey in going after ISIS and instead are venting against the Kurds. The consequences of these actions are questionable and the success is highly dubious and I dont hold much faith in them.

Maloof also discussed Saudi Arabias position in this situation. He said, Saudis dont like ISIS either but they are bank rolling, funding them outside the Kingdom but if they start pointing inward thats another problem for them because ISIS is fundamentally against monarchy.
"Beyond the symbolic gestures of state protocols, the president will meet with representatives of the Catholic Church, independent small business owners, and civil society. His main speech, to be broadcast live on Cuban television, should make it clear that the United States is not an enemy of the Cuban people and that Cold War tensions with Cuba are over."

The Head of the Research Institute believes that Obama is doing his utmost to make the Cuban normalization process irreversible, including reaching out to various stakeholders, such as Democratic and Republican members of Congress, leaders of the Cuban-American community in Miami, and civil society representatives, as well as the dissident movement in Cuba.

"In the end, the continuing 'normalization' of US-Cuba relations will depend largely on the results of the 2016 presidential and congressional elections, as well as on Raul Castros announced retirement from Cubas presidency in 2018."

Duany claimed that the significant factor in the recent rapprochement between Cuba and the United States are the changing attitudes of the Cuban-American community.

"Several polls (including those conducted by Florida International University since the 1990s) have found increasing support for a US policy of engagement with Cuba, including the restoration of diplomatic relations and to a lesser extent the end of the US embargo of the Island."

Since the United States restored formal diplomatic ties with Cuba in July 2015, Obama has chipped away at the embargo with a series of executive orders that have opened the island nation to US tourists and some business ventures.

The US restrictions on overall trade will remain in place until Congress changes or scraps a 1960 law that put the embargo in place.

"The president can do very little else to encourage Congressional action on the issue of the embargo, other than continue to facilitate concrete agreements between US businesses and the Cuban government," Duany stated. "The president has called repeatedly for the lifting of the embargo, but until now his call has fallen on deaf ears in most of the Republican-controlled Congress."

In January 2015, Cuban President Raul Castro called on the United States to return the Guantanamo Bay area to Cuba after the December 2014 announcement that the two countries would normalize the bilateral relations.

"The Obama administration has reiterated that, at least for now, it will not negotiate the devolution of the Guantanamo Naval Base to Cuba," he said. "The next elected president may wish to pursue an agreement with the Cuban government, similar to the one that returned the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999."
"We have noticed the regime is still refusing any serious discussion on the fate of Assad's presidency."

The role that the embattled Syrian president should have in Syrias future has been a major point of contention in the UN-mediated talks, alongside with the creation of a national unity government and elections.

Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee denounced the upcoming parliamentary elections in Syria, due in April, as illegitimate.

"We consider that these elections are not legitimate," HNC Deputy Coordinator Yahya Al-Kodmani told reporters in Geneva.

HNC also insists that the second round of intra-Syrian peace talks should take place in early April, as agreed earlier.

"The regime asked to postpone the second round for two weeks. But we insist on having it in due time. Regime is trying to avoid fulfilling all its duties."

HNC spokesman Salem Al-Meslet told journalists that the opposition group could not afford any delay.
In this week's Rewind Robert Smith recalls the start-up of Hazel Park Raceway, the first ever five-eighths mile track used for harness racing.



Shown above is an old Hazel Park program bearing the words "America's Pioneer 5/8 Mile Track" Shown above is an old Hazel Park program bearing the words "America's Pioneer 5/8 Mile Track"

Its opening in 1953 ushered in the first of two new racing facilities to debut that year that introduced tracks that were not the traditional half-mile size. The second, which was Vernon Downs, will be profiled in a future Rewind.



One of the fastest miles turned in on the new five-eighths mile track at Hazel Park's inaugural meeting in 1953 belonged to the grey mare Ginnie Lee C. She was driven to her lifetime best by Floyd Milton for owner George W. Sherman of Rodney, Ont. Time for the speedy mile was 2:03.2, considered quite a fast trip in those days [Harness Horse] One of the fastest miles turned in on the new five-eighths mile track at Hazel Park's inaugural meeting in 1953 belonged to the grey mare Ginnie Lee C. She was driven to her lifetime best by Floyd Milton for owner George W. Sherman of Rodney, Ont. Time for the speedy mile was 2:03.2, considered quite a fast trip in those days [Harness Horse]

About 63 years ago a rather subtle but very significant change took place in the history of Harness Racing as a whole. The year 1953 marked the introduction of the five-eighths mile track for trotters and pacers. This then new and revolutionary sized track was introduced at Hazel Park Raceway, located in Hazel Park, Michigan, a suburban locality just north of the city of Detroit. Henceforth Hazel Park has carried the designation "America's Pioneer Track." While the use of the new-sized track was a first for the harness breed, the Hazel Park course had been around for some time and had hosted Thoroughbred racing dating back to 1949. Located on a former landfill, the site was originally destined for auto racing but those plans did not materialize.



An aerial view of the newly-opened Hazel Park Raceway featuring the sport's first five-eighths mile oval. [Harness Horse] An aerial view of the newly-opened Hazel Park Raceway featuring the sport's first five-eighths mile oval. [Harness Horse]

Apart from certain famous mile tracks such as The Red Mile and similar sized ovals at Indianapolis and Inglewood, harness racing was traditionally conducted over a half-mile track. Throughout both Canada and the United States, at one time dating back to the 1800's, virtually every locality in the land could boast of a half-mile track at the Town's fairgrounds. Some were slightly shorter or longer, but were all basically the regulation half-mile. This was the start of a new trend; nine years later Canada would get its first 'new-sized' racing strip.

Harness racing fans have always loved a half-mile track; the reasons are pretty simple. With the start of the race taking place right in front of the grandstand, they are afforded a "bird's eye" view of one of the race's first elements. Also fans are provided with three "looks" -- the start, the half-mile station and the finish. While this distance provides the fan what they like, it has not always been the best for the on-track participants.

The main value of the five-eighths mile track was to allow the horses to start midway between turns, thus being able to gather and hold their speed prior to encountering the first turn. Also with a larger-sized oval, the turns are just automatically less sharp. Another major benefit believed to be a positive factor in the new sized track was also safety. For those in charge of record keeping, it opened another entire new section in the official 'book'.

An excerpt from a write up in the Harness Horse magazine summed up the new-sized racing strip in the following way. "The wide turns and long stretches have met with the approval of the horsemen and the meeting has attracted an unusually high quality of racing stock. All races on opening night were at the one-mile distance, the horses starting on the backstretch at the quarter pole which makes a long straightaway before reaching the upper turn."

On the evening of May 7, 1953 an eight-race card signalled the advent of harness racing over a five-eighths mile track as Hazel Park welcomed five pacing events and three on the Trot. A huge crowd in excess of 10,000 set a Michigan opening night wagering record of $325,149. Seven races were single-heat affairs with the featured Trot going in the old two-heat format. The winner of the very first race was a horse named Calumet Wayne driven by Jimmy Wingfield, a fairly young trainer in his first year of operating his own stable. This was the man who groomed the great Greyhound throughout his racing career.

If observers were looking for an immediate "spike" in speed tabs, they would have to wait. The opening night weather brought showers all day and throughout the races and thus a "heavy" track which required a lot of sand being added. The quickest mile on debut night was a dismal 2:13.4 in the feature called "The Ville de Troit" Trot for a purse of $5,000 won by Scotch Harbor. However, by the second night, the weather had settled and the first clocking in sub 2:10 territory saw a mile in 2:06.3 recorded by True Spencer handled by the meeting's leading driver Wayne Smart. The announcer who called this historic meeting was the legendary Stan Bergstein.



Mr. Oakley (2) glides to the wire a winner for driver Harold Wellwood and owner Wesley Litt of Stratford, Ont. At age seven this horse took a lifetime mark of 2:05.1 at the new Hazel Park track. [Harness Horse] Mr. Oakley (2) glides to the wire a winner for driver Harold Wellwood and owner Wesley Litt of Stratford, Ont. At age seven this horse took a lifetime mark of 2:05.1 at the new Hazel Park track. [Harness Horse]

A small number of Canadian-based stables were among the inaugural gathering; most were just beginning the 1953 racing season. The very first Canadian horse to hit the winner's circle from the H.P. five-eighths oval was from just across the border. Axland Jr. owned by twin brothers Bruce and Bryce Fulmer of Windsor, Ont. was a victor for driver Howard Hampton. The winning time was 2:13 and occurred on just the third evening of racing.

Members of the family of Bruce Fulmer are still active in the sport with son Randy a longtime driver and now a trainer, as well as his sister Jan Adams who has worked for many years with the top stable of Bob McIntosh. Just recently a member of the next generation was honoured at the 2015 O'Brien awards when Ron Adams received the Future Star Award.

Among the most successful Canadian stables was that of Harold Wellwood, who after missing the early portion of the meeting ended up as the second winningest driver with a total of 12 victories. Other Canadian teamsters included Floyd Milton, Bob Givens, George Sherman, Lindley Fraser and Ralph Baldwin who while Canadian-born had been on the U.S. side for many years by this time. A couple of very accomplished female drivers, Lucille Fleming and June Dillman scored victories during the six-week meeting.



Above photo shows the winner's circle gathering following Hazel Park's First Edition of "The Detroit Pacing Derby" for a purse of $10,000. The winner was H B Chief owned by Castleton Farm of Lexington, Ky. Mrs. Frederick Van Lennep accepts the trophy from Raceway V.P Jack Tompkins while a smiling driver Wayne "Curly" Smart looks on. [Harness Horse] Above photo shows the winner's circle gathering following Hazel Park's First Edition of "The Detroit Pacing Derby" for a purse of $10,000. The winner was H B Chief owned by Castleton Farm of Lexington, Ky. Mrs. Frederick Van Lennep accepts the trophy from Raceway V.P Jack Tompkins while a smiling driver Wayne "Curly" Smart looks on. [Harness Horse]

A large and very powerful stable of performers belonging to The Castleton Farm of Lexington, Ky. completely dominated the first Hazel Park meeting. Their stars were front and centre throughout the entire meeting and at times raced as entries with two or more horses in some stake races. Trained by the famed Ohio reinsman Wayne "Curly" Smart the Castleton horses quickly became fan favourites. Smart swept all driving categories winning a phenomenal 32 races to go along with two seconds and one third. In second place a distant second tied with 12 victories were Jimmy Wingfield and Harold Wellwood. Other top drivers included Jerry Neikirk, Joe Lighthill, Eddie Fox and Mac McQuarrie.

Famous Canadian Horse Dies on the Track

While the new venture at Hazel Park was a joyous six-week experience for most involved, it was unfortunately a sad day for racing fans across the land and especially in Canada. Near the end of the meeting the great Canadian-owned pacer Dr. Stanton dropped dead during a morning training session on the new Hazel Park track. He had made five starts during this meeting. The 12-year-old gelding had provided fans from coast to coast with many thrilling moments dating back to his debut in 1946. His accomplishments had elevated him to superstar status with career earnings of $172,000, making him the sport's richest performer at that time. He was owned throughout his career by Lindley Fraser of Forest, Ont. This great horse who was originally purchased for $500 as a "misfit" was transported back to his owner's property near Warwick, Ont. where he was buried. To this day he is still fondly remembered by many and is a member of The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Attendance And Handle - Hazel Park's Inaugural Meeting

Total attendance for 33 nights - 199,088

Total Wagering for 33 nights - $10,332,868

Average crowd - 6,033

Average handle - $313,144

Largest crowd - 11,102

Largest single night handle - $468,088

"Speed" Analysis of The First Season of 5/8 Mile Sized Track

Fastest Pacing Mile - True Spencer 2:02.1 (Wayne Smart)

Fastest Trotting Mile - Kashaplenty 2:03.4 (Wayne Smart)

Fastest 3 Y.O. Pacing mile - Iosola's Ensign 2:03.1 (Wayne Smart)

In later years Hazel Park became a very popular spot for neighbouring Canadian horsemen. Many noted trainers and drivers such as Greg Wright, John Campbell, Bob McIntosh, Fred and Shelly Goudreau, Lou Clark, Bill Gale, Richard Carroll, Ron Henderson and scores more raced there. Today some 63 years after it debuted as the first five-eighths mile track, it remains in business but has not hosted standardbreds for several years.
MINNEAPOLIS  For half of her life, Lisa Fredell has helped people put their best foot forward.

Shes a shoe shiner who marks 25 years this month as a fixture of the IDS Centers Crystal Court in downtown Minneapolis, buffing brogues, wiping wingtips and polishing penny loafers at Lisas Shoe Shines in an alcove within earshot of the falling fountain.

It was a beautiful sunny day, Fredell said of Feb. 1, 1991, her first day on the job. Ill never forget it. She laughed: I was late. Bus troubles, but she barely missed a beat.

This is my calling, she said, sipping a Coke after closing up shop, six hours on her feet, forever leaning in. Im honored to have found this job by accident, and I bring honor to the business.

Once, shoe shine stands were a common sight downtown; today, there are just a handful, and Fredell, 50, appears to be the only woman shoe shiner among them.

She didnt foresee this career. For three years, she sold womens shoes until I burned out, then took a job cleaning offices downtown. She began noticing more and more shoe shine stands, including one that employed only women. Watching them one day, Fredell thought, Omigod, I could totally do this.

Her father wasnt pleased.

He thought it could be dangerous, she said. And you do get to know human nature, she said, although she added that shes never felt imperiled. Im always aware of my space, and I have a lot of people who just stop by to visit. They look out for me.

Shes there to listen

Fredell has a striking smile, a cashmere voice and a shower of skinny braids long enough to graze her waist. She makes a point of wearing T-shirts featuring famous rock stars to show my personality. Of late, David Bowie has been getting a lot of wear. He was my man.

Winter is her busiest season, with a steady stream of shoes subjected to a slushy, salty, sloppy, snowy assault. Shes lost count of how many people apologize for the state of their footwear as they climb into her custom-made stands, fine pieces of furniture in their own right.

I say, Sweetie, thats why Im here. 

A quarter-century of this work has attuned her to finer points of the human psyche  say, what peoples choice of shoes says about them.

A lot of people dont think they deserve better, she said, referring to all-too-common, all-too-affordable, poorly made shoes. Given the need to replace them time and again, the cost probably rivals what a quality pair would cost. Shoes, she believes, should be an investment.

She has customers who say little, while others like to talk, eking a bit of therapy from their shoe shine.

I find it really fascinating to hear about other peoples experiences, and if they ever ask for my opinion, Ill give it, Fredell said. But I think they just need someone to listen. The world has too few listeners.

Mostly, though, her customers know the value of being well-groomed.

She gave me my first shoe shine, said Greg Baranivsky of Plymouth, Minn. He used to work downtown for a boss  former military  who put great stock in shined shoes. Baranivsky now works in Edina, Minn., but sought out Fredell before heading to the Marriott for the annual dinner of the CFA Society, a group of investment professionals or, as he put it, a thousand folks in suits.

Time for a shoe shine.

It just part of your appearance, he said, and appearances matter.

So its a little perplexing that so few of Fredells customers, maybe five in a hundred, are women.

They think its a mens thing, Fredell said, despite the popularity of womens boots. Theyve paid a pretty penny for them, but trash them and buy new. Maybe its an excuse to shop.

She shines an average of three to four dozen pairs daily, including those that people drop off. The job takes its toll. Fredell has had both hips replaced and is a regular at the chiropractor.

Once, she was open to teaching aspiring shoe shiners, but has grown weary of their cutting corners, of their surprise at her work standards.

They think its an easy thing to do, and it kinda isnt! she said with some exasperation. This job takes a particular person. You have to be open-minded, love people and not be afraid of hard work. But I love it.

Bing! Im just fine

Shoe shiners have been around for centuries, and around the world, with the skill historically done by male children  shoe shine boys  who provided their families with a steady income. Its unclear how the job became so associated with black families, although the skill claims some famous practitioners, from James Brown to Malcolm X.

Her grandfather once had a stand back in the day. Now, though, Fredrell sees the number of shoe shiners dwindling.

Especially in black culture, people think its beneath them to do such a job, she said. Back in the day, it was looked at as not so honorable. But it offers instant gratification. Its truly an art. You meet people from different walks of life, and youre always networking.

One wall of her alcove is papered with inspirational sayings shes collected. Reads one: I dedicate myself to being seen and not viewed.

She paused. I cant even put it into words. I think this work saved me. Even in troubled times of my life, I can come in and talk with customers and  she snapped her fingers  Bing! Im just fine.

Still, she doesnt want to be shining shoes the rest of my days, and she and her husband have a 15-year-old daughter who is more into music than shoes.

So Fredells next venture is learning how to make custom-made shoes, and shes on the hunt for a teacher.

If I found someone, that would be amazing, she said. I want to make this another niche for Minnesota, put us on the map with custom-made shoes.

She also holds a patent involving shoes that shall remain secret  for now  so thats also something to work toward.

But I will always have a stand, she said. Whether Im the one shining or not, I will always have a stand.
Youve been told its impossible.

No one can do it. You may as well not even try because its never been done before. Not possibleexcept when it is, because theres no other way. Its a live-or-die matter, as in the new book I Had to Survive by Dr. Roberto Canessa and Pablo Vierci.

Growing up in Uruguay , the privileged eldest son of two professionals, Roberto Canessa was high-spirited, spoiled and a little wild. A group of Irish Christian Brothers finally tamed him, proving to him that he was truly a leader.

At 16, Canessa was a rugby star; at 18, he was a member of the Uruguayan national rugby team, though his passion was medicine. He was, in fact, a 19-year-old second-year medical student on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 1972, when the plane in which he was flying in crashed into a remote part of the Andes.

Of the 40-odd passengers and crew aboard, many were killed instantly or died soon after the crash. The cold was relentless and, because they figured someone would be looking for them, those that remained began to transform into a single organism as they worked together to stay warm and hydrated. Survivors devised ways to keep one another alive through clever inventions, repairs of damaged equipment and adaptations of the meager items not destroyed in the crash. Canessa became the groups doctor. Three cousins took unofficial leadership roles.

But as days turned to weeks and supplies slowly disappeared, weaker individuals died, one by one, of starvation. Canessa only hints about who first suggested they nourish ourselves with the bodies of those who died, but it was a simple and audacious idea that sustained the remaining survivors until they were rescued.

Indeed, audacity was mandatory: more than two months after the crash, Canessa and his friend, Nando, undertook a daring trek that took them across sheer ice, on tiny ledges above crevasses, and down avalanche-prone snow to a valley of flowers.

It was there where, weak and barely alive, they found the man who rescued them.

Today, author Roberto Canessa is a renowned pediatric cardiologist in Montevideo , which may seem like a tenuous tie to his early story. Part of the explanation for that incongruity comes in chapters written by patients and thankful parents of children hes saved  chapters that might be more compelling, were they not so repetitive or frequent. As it is, because theyre too-similar and too many, those outside testimonials lose their effect.

Instead, what moves this book along is the re-telling of the tragedy, woven between intimate chapters on how it deeply affected the way Canessa lives his life. That almost-44-year-old endurance tale is a nail-biter which, paired with insight from Canessa, his father, and other rescuers, offers up the best part of this book, bringing the grueling story to a new generation unfamiliar with the Andes crash and updating it for those who remember it well.

And if you fall into either category, ignoring I Had to Survive could be impossible.
WASHINGTON  What accounted for Vladimir Putins surprise decision Monday to start pulling Russian forces from Syria? Is it possible that he spent last weekend reading Jeffrey Goldbergs 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?

Goldbergs 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 Putins 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.

Goldbergs piece is authoritative and compelling. But candor is destabilizing: Friends and foes discover what the president really thinks, a matter usually shrouded by constructive ambiguity. We may have imagined Obamas 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 its complicated when asked whether the Saudis are Americas friends? Ditto Goldbergs revelation that in private (ha!) Obama said of the Saudis suppression of womens 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.

Obamas 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: Im right, and youre 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.

Its 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 Obamas 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 didnt militarily enforce his red line against Syrian use of chemical weapons in part because he didnt want to derail the Iran talks.

Obama low-keys his expectations for the Iran deal these days, beyond its specific limits on Irans 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 hes right to see this as the potential start of a new security architecture. Maybe hes saving that theme for his memoirs.

The second missing element is what Ive described as Obamas cosmic bet in 2011 on Islamist democratic partiesThat 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 doesnt really address this strand of policy.

The overarching question in The Obama Doctrine is whether Obama was right to reduce Americas 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 theres 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 hes 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 dont think so.
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India aims to capture 20 per cent market share in Internet of Things (IoT), an emerging sector which would be worth $300 billion by 2020, a top Nasscom official said today.

The IoT is driving the fourth wave of industrial revolution dramatically alerting manufacturing, energy, transportation, medical and other industrial sectors while emerging worldwide, Vice President of Nasscom (Industrial Initiative) K S Vishwanathan told reporters here.

As the global IoT business is expected to touch $300 billion by 2020, India aims to capture 20 per cent market share in another five years, he said.

Vishwanathan was here to launch Nasscom IoT Centre of Excellence, a joint initiative of Government of India, Department of Electronics and Information Technology ( DEITY) along with TCS, Intel, Amazon Web Services and FORGE Accelerator.

Depending on the success of Coimbatore hub, it was proposed to launch such centres in Pune, Baroda and Hyderabad, even as a pilot project was underway in Bengaluru, he said.

To a query on the pace of setting up startups in view of additional tax being levied on them, Vishwanathan said, "nearly 1,000 startups are being added every year in India, which stands third in the world in terms of numbers and will continue to grow."

PTI
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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."

Reuters
Volleyball results from Thursday

Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, 8:34 a.m. -- LAPEER COUNTY -- The Almont varsity volleyball team beat Madison Heights Lamphere and New Lothrop in a triple header at Almont Thursday. Dryden beat Bay City All Saints...

Golf and tennis regional results

Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, 5:41 p.m. -- LAPEER COUNTY -- Boys' high school tennis regionals and girls' golf regionals took place yesterday. Lapeer girls' golf placed 11th at the Div. 1 regional hosted by Oxford...

Friday night football scores

Friday, September 30, 2022 10:15 p.m.  LAPEER COUNTY  Lapeer beat Grand Blanc 39-17 at Lapeer to remain undefeated at 6-0. Almont upset Croswell-Lexington 37-26 North Branch routed Richmond 62-10 Imlay City/Dryden fell to Yale...

Summer sports camps/clinics

Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 4:40 p.m. -- LAPEER COUNTY -- Below is a list of the summer sports camps and clinics that will take place through early Aug. The regular sports update posting of high...
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.
Italy rescues 910 boat migrants, nearly 600 saved off Libya

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.
Exiled Tibetans to elect leader to sustain struggle against China

Polling officers help a Tibetan monk to cast his vote during the election for the Tibetan government-in-exile at a polling booth in Dharamsala on Sunday.

Reuters, Dharamsala :Exiled Tibetans across India and overseas started voting today to elect a political leader for the next five years, in a bid to help sustain their struggle to secure complete autonomy for Chinese-ruled Tibet.Thousands of monks and nuns in maroon robes, students, and men and women queued to vote outside polling booths in Dharamsala, a town in India's Himalayan foothills where a community of Tibetans live in exile with the Dalai Lama, hoping for resumption of talks with China.The second such election follows a decision by the charismatic monk, an 80-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate, to relinquish his political authority and vest it in a democratic system that could outlast him.China does not recognise the government that represents nearly 100,000 exiled Tibetans living in around 30 countries including India, Nepal, Canada and the United States.Election results will be out between April 27 and 28, with more than half of the 90,377 eligible voters expected to exercise their franchise, according to the election commission.The "Sikyong", or elected leader, will be solely responsible for political and diplomatic decisions, as the Dalai Lama steps back from the limelight amid uncertainty over how his successor will be chosen."With regard to dialogue with China, we have been making initiatives, efforts," Lobsang Sangay, the incumbent Sikyong, told Reuters after casting his vote. "It takes two to clap. Our side is willing and ready and as soon as the Chinese give us the positive sign, we will be ready to take it further."Concern about the Dalai Lama's health, after his admission to a US hospital this year for treatment, has reinforced the importance of the vote in keeping the issue of Tibet alive.Tibetan Buddhism holds that the soul of a senior lama is reincarnated in the body of a child after he dies. China says it must sign off on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 after a failed uprising.The election will decide who leads the parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala.Exiled Tibetans consider the CTA to be their legitimate government, but no country recognises it. China has lobbied to sideline the Dalai Lama from the international circuit, although he did address an audience in Geneva last week despite those efforts."Many people like us are in exile but more important (are the issues) of the people who are inside (Tibet) and are suffering," Kelsang, a woman in her 30s who gave just one name, said after voting.
Turkish police on high alert in deserted streets after bombing

Reuters, Istanbul :Police were on high alert across Turkey on Sunday after the previous day's attack by a suicide bomber in Istanbul's most popular shopping district, killing three Israelis and an Iranian, with dozens more people wounded in the blast. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Saturday that Israel was trying to determine whether the attack had been aimed at Israelis and was checking if Islamic State was responsible."There is information that it is an attack carried out by an ISIS member," he told reporters on Saturday. "But this is preliminary information; we are still checking it."Israel has confirmed that three of its citizens had died in the blast. Two of them held dual citizenship with the United States. An Iranian was also killed, Turkish officials said.The attack on Istiklal Street, Istanbul's most popular shopping district, appeared similar to a January suicide bombing in another tourist area of Istanbul. In that attack, blamed by the government on Islamic State, a pedestrian suicide bomber blew himself up among a group of German tourists near the city's historic center.No one has claimed responsibility for Saturday's bombing. Turkish officials said it could have been carried out by Islamic State or by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is carrying out a violent struggle for autonomy in the mainly Kurdish southeast. A 2-1/2-year PKK ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence in the southeast since the 1990s. Turkey has already been on high alert because of security fears about violence during a spring festival this weekend.The United States and some European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant ahead of the Newroz celebrations, which are mostly celebrated by Kurds. The festival often brought clashes between Kurdish protesters and security forces during the height of the PKK insurgency in the 1990s.A statement from the PKK sent greetings to its people, who it said had not conceded on freedom during the winter and called on young Kurds to join its movement.Streets across Istanbul -- usually bustling with traffic and pedestrians on Sundays -- were eerily quiet apart from the sound of police helicopters buzzing overhead. Television footage showed Istiklal Street virtually empty. A small group of lawmakers from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Kurdish-rooted opposition party, were scheduled to walk to Istanbul's Bakirkoy district for Newroz celebrations. The roads in that area were being closed by police for security reasons, Anadolu Agency reported.
Bangabandhu's birthday in Campuses

NUB



On the occasion of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 97th birthday and national Children's day, a daylong programme was organized by Northern University Bangladesh (NUB) at its auditorium.

Several activities such as Essay competition, drawing competition, discussion session on the life of Bangabandhu and so on were carried out to mark the occasion.

Presided by Prof Dr AWM Abdul Haque, Acting Vice Chancellor, NUB, the programme was attended by Prof Dr Abu Yousuf Md. Abdullah, Chairman Northern University Bangladesh Trust, who was the Chief Guest.

Also present as Special Guests were Prof Dr Anwarul Karim, Pro Vice Chancellor and noted Researcher on Lalon, NUB, Anwar Hussain, Treasurer, NUB, and Lt Col (Retd) Aqtedar Ahmed Siddiqui, Registrar, NUB.

In his speech, Dr Abdullah said that if Bangabandhu were not born, then Bangladesh would also not be born, and so on this day, he paid immense respect to this great individual. Furthermore, Dr Abdullah urged everyone from all walks of life to follow the morals of Bangabandhu.

Also present at the programme were Deans of the various programmes, heads of the various departments, teachers, officials and students.



BAU



Mahdi Hasan, BAU



Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) observed the 97th birthday of father nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and also the National Children day with due respect and much enthusiasm.

The university authority chalked out daylong programme including colorful rally, poems, rhymes, and speech of Bangabandhu recitation and dua in mosques to mark the day.

Teachers, students, officers and employees brought out a colorful rally on Thursday at around 8.00 am with BAU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Ali Akbar which ended at 'Bangabandhu Smritty Chattor' parading main streets on the campus.

BAU VC paid homage by placing floral wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu. Later different students and political organizations paid homage to Bangabandhu.



BSMRAU



The 97th birthday of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the National Children's Day (today 17th March) was observed at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU)with due respect and festive mood. On this occasion elaborated programs have been chalked out which included rally, placing floral wreaths, children's' beautiful hand writing and essay writing competition.

On behalf of the University the Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md. Mahbubar Rahman placed floral wreath at the Bangabandhu's Mural. Treasurer Prof Dr Md. Ismail Hossain Mian, Prof Dr M. Mofazzal Hossain Director (Students Welfare), Registrar, Prof Dr Qazi Abdul Khaliq and others faculty members were present at that time.

Students-teachers of different halls, Gonotantrik officers association, employees association and university school also placed floral wreaths at the Bangabandhu's Mural. A special prayer also offered after Zohr prayer at the university central Mosque.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md. Mahbubar Rahman distributed the prizes among the winners. Faculty members, students, officers and employees were present at that time.



ASAUB



ASA University Bangladesh (ASAUB) organized a discussion program on the occasion of the 97th Birth Anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children's Day 2016 on 17 March 2016. Prof Dr Dalem Ch. Barman, Vice Chancellor of ASA University Bangladesh (ASAUB) presided over the program and inaugurated the program by cutting birthday cake. Prof Dr AKM Helal uz Zaman, Treasurer, Prof Md. Muinuddin Khan, Adviser, Prof Dr Abu Daud Hasan, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Prof Md. Nazrul Islam, Dean, Faculty of Business Administration, Prof Dr Kohinur Begum, Dean, faculty of Science and Engineering, Md. Saiful Alam, Dean in Charge, Faculty of Law, Prof Dr Mohammad Abdul Bari, Chairman, Dept. of Public Health, Prof S Aminul Islam, Chairman, Dept. of Applied Sociology and students of ASAUB also spoke on the occasion.

The discussion program began with the welcome speech given by Md. Khalequzzaman, Registrar of ASAUB. In their speeches speakers emphasized on grooming the young generation with the noble sprit of patriotism so that they can materialize the cherished dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to build the nation as `Sonar Bangla'.

Additional Registrar Md. Ashraful Haq Chowdhury, Teachers, Officials and Students of different departments of ASAUB were also present in the program.



Campus Desk
PM mourns death of Diti



Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed deep shock at the death of popular film actress Parvin Sultana Diti.

In a condolence message, the Premier recalled the contribution of Diti to Bangladesh's film arena. Her death is an irreparable loss to the country's film industry, the PM added.

Sheikh Hasina prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family. A popular actress of the 90s, Diti passed away at the United Hospital here yesterday afternoon after a long battle with brain cancer.
Myanmars Rohingya humanitarian crisis

Dr Maung Zarni :

The persisting humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar has been a global concern after two bouts of organised mass violence against them in 2012. While the Rohingya persecution has been going on for nearly four decades, Myanmar's reforms launched in 2011 facilitated the international media's coverage of the mass violence.

Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya is an unmistakable breach of international human rights laws. Successive Burmese military governments have since early 1970s viewed the Rohingya Muslim minority, who live on their ancestral borderlands between the Islamic country of Bangladesh and Buddhist Myanmar, as "a threat to Myanmar's national security and local Buddhist culture".

The Rohingya persecution by the Myanmar military began in 1978 under the pretext of a crackdown on the illegal Bengali immigration into Western Myanmar from the then newly independent Bangladesh. The military used the Rohingya as a proxy population against the extremely nationalistic and anti-Myanmar Rakhine people, who resent Myanmar rule as a colonial occupation of their once sovereign nation.

In addition, with the consent and cooperation of the Rohingya community leaders who preferred not to be ruled by the anti-Rohingya Rakhine from the local state capital of Sittwe, Myanmar's ministry of defence organised a separate administrative district named Mayu - named after the region's river Mayu - made up of 2 predominantly Rohingya towns and a web of villages. The new administration was placed the direct command of the War Office, then in Rangoon. My own late great-uncle, then Major Ant Kywe, was deputy commander of this Mayu administration.

This pro-Rohingya stance shifted when the military leadership purged pragmatic elements from the inner circle within a few years of the military coup in 1962.

Progressively, the country's strong-man, General Ne Win, turned anti-Muslim, xenophobic and erratic to the point where the locals throughout Myanmar would know that the military dictator was in town when they did not hear any amplified calls - 5 times a day - to Muslim prayers: the military banned any Muslim prayer calls from loudspeakers fitted atop mosques as Ne Win found them disturbing his peace!

With Ne Win's tilt towards anti-Muslim racism, Myanmar no longer accepted the Rohingya as historically bi-cultural, pre-state people of the Western Myanmar borderlands region. Additionally, it was feeling threatened by the emergence of a new populous Muslim nation of Bangladesh in 1973 out of Pakistan's 9-months-long civil war. As a result, Myanmar's successive military governments have singled out the Rohingya as a 'threat to national security', framed them as merely "British-era farm coolies" who were pulled to British Burma's thriving industrial agriculture. Accordingly, the country's military, the backbone of all governments since 1962, has pursued varied and evolving strategies to reduce, remove, replace, relocate and otherwise destroy the Rohingya.

The state's strategies range from framing the Rohingya as 'British colonial era farm coolies' from the present day Bangladesh who came to British Burma only after the 1820s to painting the impoverished and oppressed Rohingya as potential Islamists intent on importing terrorism from the Middle East. From formulating and spreading the view of the Rohingya as aliens to enacting a national citizenship law to strip the Rohingya of their right of belonging - citizenship - to Myanmar.

Myanmar leaders have vehemently rejected the claim that the Rohingya are natives of Myanmar. In July 2013, before a VIP audience at Chatham House in London the visiting Myanmar President Thein Sein asserted that "we do not have a term 'Rohingya'", an assertion Myanmar's most powerful general Min Aung Hlaing repeated to the Washington Post in the fall of 2015, adding "they are descendants of colonial-era farm coolies from Bangladesh."

Myanmar's official denial and popular rejection of the Rohingya as one of the country's indigenous peoples collapses under the weight of historical and official documentation. Pioneering historical studies by G.H. Luce and Than Tun as well as ethno-linguistic studies carried out by some British East India Company staff dating back to the 1780's firmly establish the integral presence of the Rohingya as a distinctly Muslim population of the then Arakan kingdom.

International journalists, genocide scholars, human rights researchers and humanitarian aid workers have all acknowledged Myanmar's persecution of these Muslim minority people.

In the last several years, a growing international consensus is emerging as to the nature of the crime: Human Rights Watch has described the persecution of the Rohingya as 'ethnic cleansing' while several major empirical studies published by the University of Washington Law School, Yale University Law Clinic, Queen Mary University of London International State Crime Initiative and Al Jazeera English Investigative Unit have accused Myanmar's military government of commissioning the crime of genocide and other crimes against humanity.

Virtually, every iconic leader in the world - from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis to Desmond Tutu and George Soros to the youngest Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yusufzai has called for the end of Rohingya persecution and restoration of their full citizenship rights.

Both Myanmar military leaders and the democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi have publicly refused to heed these calls while dismissing any accusation of Myanmar committing an international state crime against the Rohingya as "baseless" or "exaggerations".

The predominantly Buddhist public in Myanmar is overwhelmingly anti-Rohingya, thanks to the decades of sustained state propaganda against this minority; Myanmar's ugly religious bigotry echo the frighteningly Nazi-like attitude and views towards this persecuted Muslim minority while the country's Citizenship Act of 1982 resembles Nuremberg Laws which de-Germanize the Jews and stripped them of citizenship rights and protection.

Whether one names Myanmar's anti-Rohingya policies and practices 'crimes against humanity' or 'genocide' depends on the level of one's pragmatism. But what is clear is Myanmar's humanitarian crisis as experienced by the Rohingya is not an internal affair of a sovereign member state of the UN. Nor is it the outcome of the sectarian Buddhist-Muslim conflict rooted in historical grievances and animosities and unleashed by the country's democratisation process.

It is in fact an act of international atrocity crime committed by Myanmar, a UN member state. As such, only the discourse of punitive action and international non-military intervention has the real potential to bring an end to this humanitarian crisis.

(Dr Maung Zarni is a non-resident research scholar, Sleuth Rith Institute, (A permanent Documentation Centre of Cambodia) & former visiting lecturer, Harvard Medical School, USA).


No coordination among utility service providers!

LACK of coordination between utility service providers, coupled with inadequate precautionary measures during the digging of roads for the installation of pipelines and their poor maintenance, increases the risk of accidents, say Urban Planning experts.

The issue has drawn fresh attention after Friday's fire at a six-storey building in the capital's Banani, injuring 25 people. Residents of the building and the Fire Service men who put out the blaze said the fire had resulted from a gas pipe leak. In many cases, it is seen that while digging, the utilities cut open emergency lines like gas pipelines and electricity lines. But they avoid taking responsibility for the problems, nor do they bother to undo the damage, Experts say.

The residents of the Banani building put the blame on the Titas Gas authorities, as they did not take immediate steps to repair the leaked pipe despite complaints from a contractor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and the building's inhabitants. Urban Planning experts suggested bringing all the 54 government organisations responsible for utility services and the city's management under one umbrella for better coordination between them.

If all these are brought under two Dhaka City Corporations, the chances of accidents will be reduced by 80 to 90 percent. But the Mayors of Dhaka do not have power over vital organisations like Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Titas, Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK). The DNCC was digging at a spot close to the Banani building without any coordination between Titas Gas and it. Titas Gas does not even have layouts of age-old pipelines and so it lacks data about their present status.

Utility service providers should take safety measures before digging, as otherwise there would be chances of damaging emergency pipelines. Consumers can help turning off both front and back keys of gas burners and keeping windows of kitchens open even at night. During the construction of a building, kitchens should be built against the exterior wall so that leaked gas can easily pass out. Pipelines in a building should be installed in a way that all of them can be disconnected with a key when an accident occurs. These are all commonsense policies which should minimize but not avoid, accidents.

It is quite simple to give the power to the Mayors to ensure better co-ordination of services  after all in most cities of the world Mayors already have the power  but why not in Dhaka, then? The answer must lie somewhere between the jealousy by which bureaucratic structures guard their authority and power and the sheer negligence of the authorities concerned to amalgamate the powers into one body. But it is precisely this reluctance which has caused this accident  and perhaps further accidents in the future.

Digging roads without a proper blueprint of critical utility lines smacks of downright callousness in the part of our public officials  this nonchalant attitude towards providing service must go, for the greater interests of the nation.






Italy rescues almost 1,000 boat migrants

Italy\'s coast guard has continued to pick up migrants in trouble in the stretch of water between its southern coast and North Africa. Internet photo

Al Arabiya News :

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.
bKash agent shot dead in city

Staff Reporter :

A bKash agent was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in city's Uttar Badda area on Sunday morning.

They have looted Tk 1.25 lakh from him and fled the spot instantly.

The deceased was identified as Md Mahboob Hossain, 30, son of Abdul Khaleq, police said.

Badda Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) MA Jalil said, "Two muggers attacked Mahboob around 11:30am on his way to shop after collecting money from bKash retail agents at Uttar Badda.

They shot him and took the bag containing Tk 1.25 lakh and fled the scene, leaving him dead on the spot."

The body has been sent to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital morgue for an autopsy, the police official said.

"We are looking to the incident," the OC said.


Khaleda annoyed with central leaders

Staff Reporter :

The grassroots leaders of the BNP are seriously annoyed with the central leaders, particularly those from Dhaka, for their failure and treacherous role during anti-government movement. They want exclusion of the treacherous and hypocritical leaders from the next central committee of the party.

The grassroots leaders expressed their annoyance and raised allegation in their speeches at the BNP's sixth national council on Saturday night held in the city's Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB). BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia heard the speeches attentively.

At least 16 party grassroots leaders took part in the open discussion before concluding speech of the BNP Chief. Barisal (North) district general secretary Quddusur Rahman, Munshiganj's Tongibari Thana BNP president Monirul Haque Moni, Humayun Kabir of Gazipur's Kaliakoir and Mamunur Rashid Mamun from Rangamati Sadar are among the grassroots leaders who took part in the open discussion.

All of them alleged that the party's movement was unsuccessful because of failure of leaders in Dhaka. "We don't want to see the hypocritical leaders in the upcoming committee. Please, appreciate dedicated and tested leaders in the new central committee," said Mamunur Rashid Mamun.

In her concluding speech, Khaleda Zia supported the grassroots' allegations and assured them that she will take their opinions before taking party's serious programmes. "I agree with you that the way you waged movement at the grassroots, Dhaka leaders failed to do that here," she said.

The BNP Chief urged the party's councillors and the grassroots leaders not to indulge in business over making party committees in different levels. "Form committee with honest and good people, dropping corrupt, bad elements and traitors," she said.

In the indoor session of the council, the BNP's councillors approved a proposal for amending the party's Constitution. According to the amended Constitution, the BNP leaders will not be able to hold more than one party-related post from now.

BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan placed the proposals for the amendments before the councillors.

The councillors also endorsed a proposal for forming 25 sub-committees on different sectors, including finance, health, education, foreign, environment, and women and ethnic minority affairs. They also approved proposals for increasing the number of vice-chairman posts from 17 to 35. The councillors also endorsed some other proposals, including increasing the size of executive committee.

Meanwhile, indiscipline and mismanagement to some extent were reported during the council session on Saturday. BNP leaders said that the hassle between the workers and supporters took place due to heavy rush. Many councillors, invited guests, delegates and journalists faced difficulties to enter the venue.

The council started at 10:00 AM, while the councillors started entering the venue from early morning. Just before the beginning of the council, many participants went to the entrance gate. But they saw that the gate was locked and hundreds of delegates were waiting there. There were some discipline committee members, but they were busy to get their favourite councillors.

The councillors blamed the discipline committee members for the unexpected situation. They said, the committee was fully responsible for the chaos.


BD heist exposes Philippine dirty money secrets

AFP :When mystery hackers launched a stunning raid on Bangladesh's foreign reserves, a plot worthy of a John le Carre spy novel was sparked in the Philippines, exposing the Southeast Asian nation as a dirty money haven.The $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank's American accounts last month was immediately sent via electronic transfer to the Philippines, with the thieves deliberately targeting their laundering location.The Philippines has some of the world's strictest bank secrecy laws to protect account holders, while its casinos are exempt from rules altogether aimed at preventing money laundering. "The Philippines is very Attractive (for dirty money) because our laws have gaping holes. It's easy to launder money here," Senator Sergio Osmena, who is pushing for stronger anti-money laundering laws, told AFP.Still, if the thieves were to get away with their audacious heist, the money had to be moved quickly through the banking system and into the casinos.And it did, as authorities took four days to order a recall of the money.But by then it had vanished - leaving in its place a tale of death threats, bribes, shady business figures and a bank manager who could be the villain or a victim. "I did not do anything wrong. If this is a nightmare, I want to wake up now," the manager, Maia Deguito, told ABS-CBN television this week after authorities stopped her at Manila airport from trying to leave the country. "I live everyday in fear."With authorities in Bangladesh and elsewhere bamboozled over who masterminded the cyber-heist, Deguito's role as manager of the bank that accepted and shifted the money has come under intense scrutiny.She has accused the bank's president, Lorenzo Tan, of ordering her to move the money. He has fiercely denied the accusations.Philippine senators who launched an inquiry this week into the affair are yet to determine whether she was a scapegoat or not, but are convinced she was not the mastermind. "It's a big operation. This could not have been done out of the Philippines alone," Senator Ralph Recto said.The Senate inquiry and another probe by the Philippines' Anti-Money Laundering Council have hit several major hurdles, including a security camera at the bank not working when the money was shifted.Accusations and counter-accusations between Deguito and RCBC management have further confused investigators.A final roadblock has emerged at the casinos, with the money apparently vanishing in mountains of gambling chips and mysterious middlemen. "Our money trail ended at the casinos," Julia Abad, deputy director of the anti-money laundering council, told senators Tuesday.On February 5, the same day Bangladesh Bank was hacked, the money was sent electronically to four accounts in Deguito's RCBC branch in the financial capital of Makati, according to testimony to the Senate inquiry.Those accounts appeared to have been set up solely for that purpose because they were done using aliases, the Senate inquiry heard.After that, the bulk of the money was transferred into accounts of a local ethnic Chinese businessmen, William Go, who has since protested his innocence. He said his signature was forged to set up the accounts.From there, the money was briefly held by Philrem, a foreign exchange brokerage.Philrem President Salud Bautista told the Senate inquiry $30 million went to a man named Weikang Xu.He was described as a casino junket operator but senators have said they know little more about him other than he is of Chinese origin.The anti-money laundering council said another $29 million ended up in Solaire, a casino on a glittering Manila bayside strip that the Philippines hopes will become one of the world's biggest gambling destinations.That money was exchanged into chips but could only be turned back into cash after being played in the casino, its management told the Senate inquiry.Another $21 million was sent to Eastern Hawaii Leisure, which runs a sparsely furnished casino with Chinese-only television in Santa Ana, a sleepy town in the far northern Philippines, according to the council.Senator Osmena said the case was likely just the tip of the iceberg. "This could have happened hundreds of times already," he said. "We discovered this one only because someone complained. But normally, if a drug dealer from Burma (Myanmar) or China would send money here, no one would complain.
Good governance must to achieve SDGs

UNB, Dhaka :

Bangladesh must ensure political stability and good governance to achieve the new set of global goals - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), speakers told a discussion here on Sunday.

"The country's economy is moving fast. If political stability is ensured, there'll be no barrier to further economic development," said Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed.

He was addressing a dialogue titled 'Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges for Bangladesh' organised by the International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh (ICC,B) in the city. CC Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman, eminent economists Dr AB Mirza Md Azizul Islam, Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud and World Bank Lead Economist Dr Zahid Hussain, among others, spoke on the occasion.

The Commerce Minister mentioned that if the 7th five year plan is properly implemented, it will help Bangladesh achieve the SDGs. He mentioned that Bangladesh is the second largest garment exporter in the world and the apparel exporters set a target of US$50 billion export by 2021. "All these targets are achievable if the private sector and public sector work together."

Mahbubur Rahman said Bangladesh has successfully come out from LDC to a lower middle-income group and in order to be categorised as a middle-income country by 2021, Bangladesh has to consistently maintain the status for the next six years.

"But without a solid industrial base, enhanced public and private investment, adequate infrastructure, uninterrupted power supply, exploration of natural, skilled works force, it will be difficult to sustain the present growth rate or even achieve higher growth which needs to be 7.5 to 8 percent in the coming years," he said.

Dr Zahid said achieving the SDGs in all countries will require additional global investment in the range of US$ 5 -7 trillion per year. He said building confidence to tackle the challenges of SDGs is needed and at the same time some goals are difficult where lot of investments, financial and non financial will be required.
We can`t be so devoid of patriotism that anybody can do us any harm

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has undertaken to investigating the stealing of $101 million from Bangladesh's account maintained with the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. The SWIFT, the system provider, has also started its own investigation to find how the system they installed in the Bangladesh Bank was tampered.This huge sum of money has been transferred to a bank in Philippines and the Government of Philippines is most anxious and worried to find out how such a big amount of dollars has found its way from Bangladesh through Federal Reserve Bank in New York.The Senate of Philippines had immediately started investigation into the money hacked from the Bangladesh Bank. The Senate finds that the whole thing was a well planned crime. What we find is that our central bank was oblivious.The government of Philippines seems to be more determined than us to dig out the involvement of those doing the wrong and punishing those deserve to be punished.On our part, the Governor of Bangladesh Bank Mr Atiur Rahman left his job saying proudly and shamelessly that he was resigning in a heroic manner for his achievements as the governor.He admitted that the bank was slow to react to the breach because it was a new and unexpected challenge. "It took a while to understand what hit us". Thus, the Governor expressed the unpreparedness of him and the bank.He does not have any regret for the financial loss he has caused to the country and bad name he has earned for the banking sector of Bangladesh.Mr Atiur Rahman, the Governor of Bangladesh Bank, has, in effect, told the whole world that he was not appointed to that high position for his competence but for his political loyalty and he has been politically saved also.For such indifference to the country's loss of foreign reserve his patriotism should be in doubt. It is quite likely that he thought he would be able to conceal the theft. Anything is possible for the present government.But the money was sent to Philippines and the Government of Philippines disclosed the whole heist in Bangladesh Bank. So it is suspected that the plan of the Governor of Bangladesh Bank to hide the truth was foiled.It must be admitted that he was not the only one, many like him are holding highly responsible positions who do not know anything what they are required to in the best interest of the country. The whole system of government suffers from inefficiency but the Prime Minister must not be told.The young man who claimed to know something about the bank robbery and was disclosing some information to the media has suddenly disappeared. His family members are not getting any assistance from the government agencies. It is a clear indication how insecure one's life is and how deficient is the people's confidence in the government's ability do the minimum by ensuring security of life.The question is how a free nation can be so helpless about the wrong done with no fear of being punished.Nothing could be more humiliating for us than to be seen by the world as a nation devoid of conviction of patriotism essential for making independence meaningful for the people. Independence without patriotism is no independence.In Bangladesh, robbing of thousands of crores taka has been going on at regular intervals causing no real concern to the government despite the suspicion that such crimes were committed in cooperation with politically powerful ones.Instead of allowing the banks to take steps for realising the money corruption cases were started posthaste as a way of creating confusion to help facilitate protecting the real thieves.Even some genuine business concerns were ruined denying the freedom to negotiate with the bank. So many were thrown out of jobs. The people lost their money and some lucky ones became rich overnight.In the case of genuine business to be a loan defaulter is not robbery. Defaults happen for ups and downs of business. It is different when banks exceed their power of granting loans and documents are fraudulently created with connivance of powerful political elements. But this distinction was not followed because the real political dacoits have to go scot-free. They are proudly showing their power of impunity.It is no exaggeration that corruption has all the protection because corruption cases are a subterfuge for saving the big embezzlers. It is famously called politics of corruption and not an offenceIt is not far from full truth that not only the politicians have been ripping the country. Corruption is free for all those who can be sure of political protection.Instead of politics of popular election we have politics of corruption and ruthless power struggle.As patriots, we have a responsibility to make the country safe for honest living. We are going through a dangerous time when we do not know who can help us best.
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.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 83F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 67F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
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.
On the heels of the historic October flooding, a relatively mild winter and continuing concerns about the Zika virus, mosquito control crews are beefing up patrols.

Richard Hall, Orangeburg County planning director, said the county has been treating standing water for two weeks and plans to begin treating adult mosquitoes around the first of April.

"We are about six weeks earlier than we normally start," Hall said. "We expect to be treating as long as we have standing water."

The mosquito season typically runs from the beginning of May to Oct. 1, but it has been extended this year because of the flooding from October 2015.

Hall said the eastern end of the county -- Bowman, Branchville, Holly Hill, Eutawville and Vance -- has the most significant mosquito problem.

Though treating larvae at the moment, Hall said the county will begin spraying for adult mosquitoes in April.

Zika, West Nile viruses

The increase in mosquitoes comes as reports of mosquito-borne diseases, such as the Zika and West Nile viruses, are making headlines worldwide. There have been no reports of either virus in The T&D Region nor in the state this year. Experts say while the occurrence of the Zika virus in the state is possible, it is not probable.

According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, at least 61 different species of mosquitoes exist in South Carolina.

Some mosquitoes can spread illnesses such as the Zika virus, West Nile virus, chikungunya, dengue and eastern equine encephalitis.

According to DHEC, the principal carrier of the Zika virus, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is found in small numbers in the Lowcountry. The Aedes albopictus mosquito, which has been linked to the Zika virus elsewhere, is abundant in South Carolina, officials say.

DHEC spokesman Jim Beasley said the Zika type of mosquitoes "do not immediately require water to lay their eggs."

"The eggs are laid on the sides of containers above the water line, where they lay dormant until they are covered by rising water in the container," Beasley said. "They do not breed in standing water, such as ditches, marshes or other large bodies of water."

Beasley said DHEC has an entomologist on staff who has worked for years researching and characterizing mosquito populations in South Carolina.

"Our public health and environmental officials work together to help identify and track the spread of mosquito-borne diseases," Beasley said. "This effort includes partnering with the CDC to ensure mosquito populations are tested for viruses."

The Zika virus is currently widespread in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.

While there have been no cases of Zika transmission from mosquitoes in the continental United States, nearly 200 cases have been reported of travel-associated cases, according to DHEC. South Carolina is one of 20 states where there have been no reports of travel-associated Zika virus transmission.

About one in five people infected with the Zika virus become ill. There is no vaccine or treatment of Zika.

In addition to the Zika virus, some mosquitoes also carry the West Nile virus. West Nile causes encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain. It is a virus that is common in birds, humans and other animals in Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia and the Middle East.

West Nile encephalitis cannot be passed from person to person. The only way to get the virus is from the bite of an infected mosquito.

The severe form of encephalitis is experienced in less than 1 percent of the people infected. There is no specific cure for West Nile virus.

Orangeburg County

Hall said Orangeburg County is not doing anything different because of the potential viruses but is "just staying on top of" mosquito control efforts.

He said one concern countywide is the accumulation of tires, especially tire disposal sites. Tires can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, Hall said.

"A couple of tires is a local nuisance, but (with) the larger tire dumps, DHEC is working with us in those areas to have it cleaned up," he said, noting there are about three or four sites of concern in the county.

In Calhoun County, a company called C2G removed 115 loads and 682 tons of tires from Community Club Road recently.

Orangeburg County budgets about $63,000 toward the mosquito control program annually and sprays both adult mosquitoes and larvicide. It has five trucks, three of which spray for adult mosquitoes and two for larva.

Mosquitoes go from egg, larvae and pupae to adult typically in two weeks, and the first three stages require water. With the increased likelihood of standing water now, the insects can go through their life cycle in as little as four days, depending on conditions and species.

Spraying is done when winds are low and when it is dry.

As a result of the flooding, the county may have to budget more for chemicals next year, Hall said.

He estimates the cost will be about 20 to 30 percent over budget, although he says it's premature to make an estimate this early in the budget season.

For this year, however, he says the county is "in good shape."

Calhoun County

Calhoun Countys spending for mosquito control could triple following Octobers flooding, officials there say.

The insects were busy hatching during the fall and early winter, and spray crews are at work about two months earlier than in a typical year.

Calhoun County Mosquito Control Supervisor Ron Gibson said the hardest hit areas are the upper end near the Congaree River, on Sweetwater Road and the Midway area.

"We are spraying larvacide in the areas and we have a lot more to do," Gibson said. "This month we have had 15 complaints for mosquitoes."

As a result, the county had to use two trucks instead of the usual one to control mosquitoes, spraying for mosquitoes 30 to 32 times, the cost for which was not budgeted.

Typically, the county spends $10,000 annually on mosquito control, but the cost will be in excess of $30,000 this year.

"I hope this turns out to be a one-year phenomenon and we go back to normal, but we can't assume that," said Ted Felder, Calhoun County assistant administrator.

Gibson has been with the county's mosquito control department for 18 years, and this year is one for the ages, he said.

"I have not seen it this early," he said. "I sure have not."

Felder said the county is concerned about the mosquito-borne viruses.

"We have not had to make any adjustments, but we are watching for them," he said.

Bamberg County

Bamberg County Mosquito Control Supervisor Bill Johnson said the mosquito population is heaviest in the Bamberg, Ehrhardt and Branchville areas along the river.

Johnson said the season for spraying typically runs from the middle to end of May and the end of September. Last year, spraying was done until November and will begin earlier this year, he said.

"We are pushing the limits on our budget," said Johnson, noting the county spends about $6,000 annually on mosquito control and it will nearly double this year. "We spray all towns in the county twice a week on a rotating basis. With all the water and warm weather, they (mosquitoes) are hatching. We are trying to stay on top of it."
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Motorcity, the sole distributor of Hyundai Heavy Industries Company in Bahrain, has announced a free Hyundai forklift health inspection services for customers during the month of March.



Factory-trained technicians will carry out a two-hour inspection at the customers premises to check the condition of the forklifts engines, hydraulics, drive lines, braking systems, air conditioning and diagnostic trouble code read outs, said statement from Motorcity.



Customers will receive a free health inspection report which includes a repair estimate with 20 per cent discount on parts and labour as well as a special discount on brake repair work, it added.



The central spare parts warehouse and the service centre are located in Maameer, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
It was lights out at Yas Waterworld on Saturday (March 19), as the park reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability with hundreds of floating candles to mark Earth Hour.



The worlds only Emirati-themed waterpark joined some of the worlds most iconic landmarks in marking the WWFs annual lights-off event for wider worldwide climate change.



All of the parks non-essential lights were turned off for an hour as the clock struck 8:30 pm, while Yas Waterworld management joined the on-ground team at the Amwaj Wave pool to release the floating candles and show their support for the global movement.



Continuing to support the Earth Hour is another in a series of environmental-friendly initiatives taken by the park; it also conserves 30 per cent more water than other waterparks of a similar size.



Sustainability is also a key aspect of the parks Cool Schools initiative to enlighten children about water conservation, a topic also recently demonstrated for little minds at the Abu Dhabi Science Festival in November 2015.



As the first waterpark in the Middle East to be certified with an Estidama One Pearl green sustainability rating, Yas Waterworld has implemented a range of energy-intelligent mechanical systems, as well as LED lighting and shading at the park to significantly reduce evaporation rates. - TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi Ports, the master developer of ports and Khalifa Industrial Zone in the emirate, and Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) recently presented the integrated offerings of Kizad and Khalifa Port to Pakistani businessmen at an event in Abu Dhabi, UAE.



The event was organised by Abu Dhabi Ports and ADT, in collaboration with Pakistans Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Pakistan Business Professional Council (PBPC), said a statement from the company.



The world-class infrastructure and the outstanding access to markets offered for businesses by Kizad, the integrated trade and industrial hub of Abu Dhabi, were elaborated in the half-day event titled Opportunities in Abu Dhabi  A Maritime Trade, Industrial and Logistics Hub, it added.



Currently, Kizad has around 90 national and international investors, and a total of 13 million sq m of land leased that represent a total investment of more than Dh55 billion ($14.97 billion).



Khalifa Port Container Terminal handled 1.5 million containers in 2015, a 32 per cent annual growth making it the fastest growing port in the Middle East. Currently ADT is working on expanding the capacity of the container terminal to 2.5 million containers.



Asif Durrani, ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE, who is also the chairman of PBPC, delivered the keynote speech at the event, which attracted over 80 prominent Pakistani businessmen from across the UAE, it said.



The embassy and the PBPC are happy to be part of this event that will also contribute to the bilateral economic relations between Pakistan and the UAE, while offering new opportunities to our business persons. I am sure Kizad is an ideal location that can attract Pakistani businessmen in both the countries to expand their business, the ambassador said.



Mana Mohammed Saeed Al Mulla, CEO of Kizad, said: Abu Dhabi Ports always takes initiatives to work with the businessmen as we both share the common goal of economic development of the UAE and the world at large.



The synergy of partnerships and collaborations always bring out wonderful results and we look forward to the same from our engagement with the PBPC, he said.



The dynamism of Pakistani businessmen in the UAE and in Pakistan is well-known and their contributions to the historical relations between both nations are commendable. We hope that our business offerings will extend a new platform of opportunities to further fortify the existing relations, he added.



Martijn Van De Linde, CEO of Abu Dhabi Terminals, said: Khalifa Port Container Terminal offers the ideal hub location for the Pakistani business community due to our location midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi and integration with Kizad.



An event like this gives us the opportunity to present details of all our services to the businesses and answer their enquiries on specific requirements, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
The second edition of World Art Dubai, a major event for the booming Middle East contemporary art scene, will present its unique selection of over 140 international galleries and artists when it opens next month in Dubai, UAE.



The much awaited show will run from April 6 to 9 at Dubai World Trade Centre. Art work available throughout the fair will range from $100 to $10,000.



The fair focuses on bringing unique and affordable contemporary art to Dubai, underlining the emirates strengthening prominence as a dedicated art advocate. Its thriving art scene generated impressive turnover at $4 million last year, placing Dubai among the 20 leading art marketplaces for contemporary art worldwide.



Galleries featured at World Art Dubai 2016 include Galerie Mecanica, France; Japan Promotion, Japan; In and Out Art, South Korea; Nina Torres Fine Art, USA; and Signet Contemporary Art, UK.



World Art Dubai is of crucial importance for us. We have been following the news and events taking place on the Dubai art scene with a huge admiration as it is where East meets West and the art market is growing at a phenomenal speed, said Aleksandra Lis, art director of In and Out Art, South Korea.



In and Out Art will bring to the exhibition more than 30 pieces of artwork, including paintings and sculptures of emerging and established contemporary artists from Asia and Europe priced between $3,000 to $6,000.



Lis added: Our art brings beauty, joy, colours and happiness to the stylish audience in Dubai. We hope that visitors will laugh when they see our Barcode Zebra Paintings by KY Huang and silver etched aluminium chess knight sculptures by Andrew Huang from Korea as well as urban paintings by Miguel Angel Iglesias Fernandez from Spain.



Returning to the exhibition for the second time, Valeriy Kirsanov, representing his own gallery in Switzerland, also sees Dubai as a thriving and internationally-recognised hub for contemporary art.



The perception of art in the Middle East is much more vivid and sharp than in the rest of the world and World Art Dubai is one of the leading art fairs for affordable art globally. In Europe, where I live, everyone knows of it, he said.



Kirsanovs exhibition will feature unique photographs adorned with citations from the instructions on the survival after a nuclear attack.



We strongly believe that art is for everyone and a large platform like World Art Dubai, where art comes together from every part of the world, allows people to find their special piece of art and own it. This event makes a perfect point of connection for artists and buyers.



Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC, said: The impressive number of galleries flying into the UAE for World Art Dubai underscores our commitment to delivering a truly global art fair in the heart of the Middle East.



The demand for affordable, contemporary art in this region continues to rise and feedback from our participating galleries tells us that this is one of the most lucrative markets in the world. We want all visitors to the fair to have the opportunity to view and fall in love with art pieces they can afford and take home, she added.  TradeArabia News Service
A tanker carrying Iraq's first exported cargo of gas condensates, produced by a joint venture with Shell, left the southern port of Khor Al Zubair on Sunday, heading to Fujairah, in the UAE, an Oil Ministry spokesman said.



The 10,000 cu m cargo marks the first foreign sale of a gas product by the Opec nation, spokesman Asim Jihad told Reuters.



The cargo is produced by the Basrah Gas Company, a joint venture between Iraq state-run South Gas Co., Shell and Mitsubishi.



The company captures the associated natural gas produced with oil from fields in southern Iraq, processing it mainly to fuel power stations and as cooking gas for the domestic market.-Reuters
The ongoing safety challenges facing the global aviation industry, will be addressed by the the World Aviation Safety Summit (WASS), being hosted in Dubai, UAE, next month, by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.



WASS 2016, taking place on April 25 and 26, will engage local and international stakeholders from regulatory authorities, airline operators, airport operators, aircraft manufacturers, pilot associations, safety organisations and air traffic control service providers to highlight key strategies for the safety culture of the future.

The summit, organised by Streamline Marketing Group, will address how the aviation industry ensures that safety is standardised and best practice is implemented worldwide, particularly considering the impact of rapid growth of airlines in emerging markets, and how airports with increasing levels of traffic and new routes must enhance and optimise their safety practices.



The summit will also look at how airlines and airports measure their own performance and implement effective predictive measures and pressure checks to prevent incidents before they happen.



The year 2015 saw significant events including the German Wings crash in France and the Metrojet terrorism event over Egypt. Other fatal incidents on revenue fare paying flights all involved propliner aircraft and, although there was a good reduction from previous years, incidents that could result in fatalities continue to occur. These include a mid-air collision over West Africa between a business jet and a B737. The business jet crashed into the sea and the B737 managed to land safely without any fatalities. This event may be an extreme occurrence but the possible consequences of an incident of this nature are catastrophic, said a statement.



Runway excursions and incursions are still occurring, along with aircraft operating from closed runways or even taxiways. Serious injuries to passengers and cabin crew as a result of turbulence also appear to be increasing and a recent ground handling incident in India shows that flight safety does not just occur in the flight phase. WASS will analyse how all parties must respond to ensure continued safe operation, it said.



Consumer drones, UAVs and the illegal operation of lasers present a current and growing danger to air transport, especially in locations where the industry operates in close proximity to large urban populations. The experts gathering at WASS will debate what regulations and educational programmes are needed to ensure safety.



Some of the sessions at WASS include creating a just culture, effective crew management strategies for safe operations, risk management and predictive safety, assuring air cargo safety, as well as inflight tracking and safety.



Mohammed A Ahli at Dubai Civil Aviation Authority said: Dubai Civil Aviation Authority is committed to support the on-going development of safety in the aviation sector across the world. We believe that a global gathering of safety experts will make a genuine difference to the industry, enhance performance levels and celebrate best practices, so we are dedicated to backing the World Aviation Safety Summit. We look forward to supporting the learning and innovations that come out of the Summit, highlighting Dubais commitment to ensure a safe and secure future for air travel.



Nick Webb, managing partner at Streamline Marketing Group, said: WASS has been established as the ideal platform for thought leaders of the global aviation safety sector to come together. It is where they discuss the safety measures and processes necessary in order to efficiently manage threats, risks and road blocks challenging aviation safety professionals worldwide. Air traffic is projected to double in the next 15 years and WASS is giving the industrys leaders an opportunity to discuss solutions to the demands of the booming industry. We look forward to welcoming the worlds global aviation safety experts in Dubai for the fourth edition of the summit.



According to Iata, the number of air accidents and resulting fatalities dropped in 2015 from the previous year, and was well below the five-year average. Iata said the 2015 global jet accident rate, measured in hull losses per 1 million flights, was 0.32, compared with 0.27 in 2014 and 0.46 in the previous five years.



In his recent report, Tony Tyler, director general of Iata commented that 2015 was another year of contrasts when it comes to aviations safety performance. In terms of the number of fatal accidents, it was an extraordinarily safe year and the long-term trend data show us that flying is getting even safer.



Tyler added that everyone is shocked and horrified by two deliberate acts -- the destruction of Germanwings 9525 and Metrojet 9268. While there are no easy solutions to the mental health and security issues that were exposed in these tragedies, aviation continues to work to minimise the risk that such events will happen again, said Tyler. - TradeArabia News Service
Royal Jordanian will start operating its new regular route to the Chinese city of Guangzhou on March 21 with three weekly flights.



The frequency of the flights will be increased later to meet future passenger demand.



RJs Boeing 787 (DreamLiner) will depart tomorrow early in the morning for Guangzhou. On board the inaugural flight will be a RJ delegation headed by chief commercial officer Dr Majdi Sabri, a press delegation, officials from Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) and tour operators.



Guangzhou will be RJs second Chinese destination and the fifth in the Far East. The others are: Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.



Flights to Guangzhou, China's third largest city and the largest in the south-central region of the country, are bound to serve the active trade and commerce traffic between Jordan and China.



In 2014, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport was China's second busiest and the world's 16th busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic; it handled over 55 million passengers that year.



Royal Jordanian President/ CEO Captain Suleiman Obeidat said that adding Guangzhou to the route network is in line with the strategy that RJ is now implementing; one of the pillars of this strategy is to review the route network and open new, profitable markets.



He highlighted that Guangzhou, the 56th destination on the RJ network, will be an added value to the network, meeting the demand of tourists and businessmen in the two countries, as well as of tradesmen from different neighbouring countries, such as Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Palestine, especially since Guangzhou serves as a significant national transportation hub and trading port.



Obeidat also said that Guangzhou offers a great opening to the tourism potential, enabling both Chinese and Jordanian tourists to visit.



RJ will fly to Guangzhou via Bangkok on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, using its wide-body Boeing 787 or Airbus 330 aircraft. -TradeArabia News Service


Mary Behrens received the Woman of Distinction award recently at the 16th annual luncheon hosted by four local womens groups. The event is scheduled each year around International Womens Day. Behrens, a nurse, has had a variety of experiences, from holding elected public office and fundraising to international policy making and grassroots community involvement.

How long have you lived in Casper and how did you come to land here? We moved here in 1973, I believe it was June or July. My husband Jerry had just finished orthopedic residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and we both loved the west. I think we were ready for adventure, we loved the outdoors, we actually interviewed a couple places in Colorado and and nothing really kind of gelled. He interned at Denver General from 1966 to 1967, and met Dr. Jerry Youmans (longtime Casper physician, now deceased) his first night there. Dr. Youmans always spoke very positively of Casper. We were impressed with the community here, the medical community, we felt I had wonderful opportunities as a nurse for employment. A bit of a side story, we had gone to Steamboat (Colorado). Jerry had a nice interview, I told them I was a nurse and had a masters in maternal child health. The administrators said we could never employ you if your husband is here. You talk about discrimination. I said to Jerry, theres no way we can come here. Oh, the times have changed.

You are a nurse by profession, but have had such a wide variety of experiences in and out of that. What are some lasting memories of your years in the nursing field? What has been really cool is that Ive been able to have a really enriching, varied nursing career and at the same time have been involved in public policy and elected office. When you learn about nursing, its a process, problem solving, make a diagnosis, set up a plan, implement it, evaluate it. When I landed on the City Council, those skills really helped me in a great way dealing with issues and working with people and things like that. What drove me to originally run for public office was that the Platte River was being polluted by a huge subdivision being built outside the city limits and raw sewage was being dumped into the Platte. I went to city council meetings to find out how are we going to clean this up... going to the meetings invigorated me. And then by combining public policy and nursing, I was able to go to Vietnam and be involved in very a long-term project working with nurses. In the beginning in 1995, we were just trying to get them a baccalaureate, and now this project is continuing at the masters level now. The last course I was teaching was advanced physical assessment, which is at the masters level. There are Vietnamese mentors in the classroom now and they have taken over that part of the program. Ive been able to see a lot of change in that country and I have many dear friends there today.

Youve been involved in the community in so many ways, from elected political office to volunteer. How do you see the Casper of the future? Ive seen a lot of change and that is good. Certainly, when I came on the City Council, we were in kind of one of these huge growth spurts, then we went in a complete dip, people lost their jobs and were leaving town. Casper has broadened its economic base to not only being an energy center but also a service and shopping center and providing all sorts of opportunities for employment. I would say it has changed, grown and matured.

You named The National Historic Trails Foundation as the recipient of your Woman of Distinction prize? Describe your long involvement with that facility. It was a very long-term project. I believe I was the County Commission chairman when Edna Kennell came to me. She had a dream, because Casper was a crossing for all of these trails. In looking at what does Casper have to offer  both residents and visitors  a lot of people dont seem to understand that part of the history. Edna had a dream for an interactive museum but we needed to raise money and we saw it as developing a public private partnership. People interested in history were interested in seeing it happen. We began working with the Bureau of Land Management to build a building where people could see and live our important piece of history. Many people said it would not happen, could not happen ... having a political background myself, I thought could we talk to the city about land, county, state, they all contributed, and then we had to pass a piece of legislation at the Congressional level to allow this to be built. All the little pieces took about 10 years, and the day we put those shovels in the dirt was a great day. Its a jewel in Casper, a jewel in the state because we have so many school children who can come through there and really learn about all the trails. They can put their hands on stuff and feel what it was like. They can take a bumpy wagon ride and cross the river. The new director for our region for the BLM came from Kansas, and he said he could not believe it. Every time someone comes, they always say oh, my goodness, whether theyve always been here, and international travelers as well.

Whats in the future for Mary Behrens? Im not going away. I help mentor nurses to be more politically active, an Institute of Medicine report said more nurses should be on boards and involved in policy making decisions. The Wyoming Center for Nursing and Healthcare Partnerships has been working on a project called RENEW where nurses can start anywhere in the state, at any community college or at Wyoming, and follow a baccalaureate track. It is going to be very unique and they will not lose a beat in terms of where you are in your nursing career. If your husband gets transferred, you can transfer too, without losing a single credit.
SANDHILL CRANES Above, sandhill cranes fly above the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge near Wahl road. Below, trees are decked out in the fall foliage at the refuge.

STC township, village renew MMWA contracts ST. CHARLES  Both the St. Charles Township Board and St. Charles Village Council voted to approve the new membership agreement with the Mid-Michigan Waste...
Every small business in Southern Arizona has many challenges and obstacles to overcome.

One of the biggest challenges is identifying the right target market for your business. Most small businesses have many potential target markets. Target markets can be very broad, or they can be narrowly defined. Clearly defined, narrow target markets are also called niche markets.

SCORE gives free advice to about 1,200 business owners in Southern Arizona every year on a variety of topics. Most small businesses we see at SCORE are marketing to too many target markets, and their markets are too broad. The marketing budget does not adequately penetrate any of the target markets; hence the business does not see a good return on their investment. When a business has a clearly defined niche market, it is much easier to reach the potential client, and the marketing dollars go a lot further. Lets look at an example.

Ian is a commercial insurance agent. He sells insurance to business owners. This is his broad target market. Ian could never effectively market to every business owner in Tucson; there are simply too many of them. Ian can narrow the target market into niche markets by applying filters like the geographic location, size of the business, type of industry the business is in, number of employees, age of the business and a host of other fields. Some of the niche markets Ian could come up with are:

Niche market No. 1: A new business with between five and 50 employees.

Niche market No. 2: Any business owner who leases a building on the east side of town.

Niche market No. 3: Restaurants.
Cairns is College of Medicine dean

Dr. Charles B. Cairns, a nationally recognized leader in emergency medicine and critical care research, has been named dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine  Tucson, where he has served as interim dean since February 2015.

Cairns joined the UA Health Sciences in November 2014 as assistant vice president for clinical research and clinical trials, vice dean of the UA College of Medicine  Tucson, and professor in the UA Department of Emergency Medicine. His research interests include the host response to acute infections, illness and injury; trauma, cardiac and pulmonary resuscitation; and systems of emergency and critical care.

He has served as the principal investigator of the National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness, funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He is director of the U.S. Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to joining the UA, Cairns was professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina.
HARRIS, Helen "Pat", age 88, died March 10, 2016 of multiple myeloma. Mrs. Harris was an outspoken woman of courage, curiosity, and forgiveness. She was passionate about social justice and obsessed with reading. While living in Tucson and San Manuel, AZ, Mrs. Harris was active in or served on the governing boards of the Asylum Project of Southern Arizona, Tucson Shalom House, Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Tucson Arizona Mass Choir, Mammoth-San Manuel School Board, San Manuel Woman's Club, More Light Presbyterians, Democratic Women's Club, Italian conversation club, and study groups of St. Mark's Presbyterian Church. Professionally, Mrs. Harris directed religious and children's education programs. She held a bachelor's degree from the University of Tulsa and master's degree from Northwestern University. Mrs. Harris is survived by two brothers, three daughters, three grandchildren, and dozens of friends and other family who were very loyal to her in her illness. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, 3809 E. 3rd Street, Tucson. Remembrances may be made in the form of donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center, your local food bank, or St. Mark's Presbyterian Church. Arrangements by ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Dodge Chapel.
Peacefully entered into eternal life on March 15, 2016. She considered her life a success and for that she was grateful. She is now free and reunited with her beloved mother, father, sister and brothers. She is survived by Ruben, her loving husband of 65 years; Children, Ruben, Silvia (Al) Yanez and Irma (Pierre) Barthle; grandchildren, Brianna, Sara, Alina, Andrew, Gabriel and Noah. We celebrate you and are thankful for your life with us. Visitation will be held Tuesday, March 22, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 1300 N Greasewood Rd. Mass will follow at 10:00 am. Interment will be private. Family and friends may express their condolences at www.carrillostucsonmortuary.com
Moments after waking from a deep sleep, 14-month-old Anderson Benfield is all smiles in Moms arms.

Hes a people person, says Jillian Benfield, holding her son. He just learned to clap and has a few words in his vocabulary  dada and all done being the current favorites.

All done is what he says at therapy, Benfield, 28, says, laughing.

Every week Anderson is in speech, occupational and physical therapy. He has Down syndrome.

Benfield has shared the familys journey on her blog, News Anchor to Homemaker, and recently became volunteer communications director for the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network, a national nonprofit designed to help parents facing a Down syndrome diagnosis and to educate physicians with current information they can provide parents when a child is diagnosed.

I have grown so much in this first year of his life as a person, Benfield says. I used to be sad how Down syndrome would affect his life. Dont get me wrong  there are things that are going to be harder for him.  But I am just really thankful for Down syndrome and what it has added to my life and what it will add to his life, too. Its a different life. Its not a less-than life.

But she hasnt always felt this way.

The diagnosis

Benfield calls the diagnosis she and her husband, Andy Benfield, received the 1940s version of Down syndrome.

She remembers it vividly  around 21 weeks pregnant, sitting on crinkly paper, surrounded by white, sterile walls. There, a doctor told the couple their unborn son was 99 percent positive for Down syndrome.

He laid out some options.

They could terminate the pregnancy.

Benfield could give birth but then after labor the hospital would essentially let nature take its course, decreasing the chances of the babys survival.

Or the couple could raise their son  although it was clear that was not the doctors recommendation. He may never be able to feed himself, the doctor said. At best hell mop floors of a fast food restaurant someday.

But these words shocked her the most: I dont want you to feel like you have to be a hero here.

Both 26 at the time, the Benfields grieved their diagnosis as if grieving at a funeral.

The sight of children playing would make her cry, believing her son would never have friends.

I thought I was educated, but had no idea how ignorant I was, she says.

Before choosing to stay at home with Andersons older sister, Violet, Benfield worked as a broadcast reporter and news anchor in South Carolina and then Georgia. She was always learning, always researching. She thought she knew about the world.

healing and sharing

Benfield launched her blog when her husband, a dentist in the U.S. Air Force, was sent to Las Vegas from their home in Augusta, Georgia, for a year-long dental residency in the summer of 2013.

Their daughter Violet had been born that August, so with friends encouraging her to do so, Benfield started writing about cooking and life. She researched best blog practices, aware that this endeavor would probably never earn any cash or amount to much more than a side hobby.

She wondered why she was launching a blog at all.

And then we got the diagnosis, and it all started making sense, she says. There was a bigger purpose to be had through it.

In the fall of 2014, with the pain of the Down syndrome revelation still fresh and raw, Benfield started writing about her pregnancy as a way to process. Since then the blog has grown from about 600 to 4,300 followers.

Looking back at those honest and broken posts still hurts.

But I keep it there because I know somebody else is feeling that way too, and I want them to see the evolvement that can happen, she says.

While still pregnant, Benfield began interacting with other moms through the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network. The 2,300 families that use the network interact on 18 private groups online, according to the age of their child. The organization works with parents who have prenatal diagnoses and parents of young children.

Its a nice way to be able to talk to other families, says Jen Jacob, the Iowa-based vice-president and co-founder of the network. Locally, You may get to know other families with small children, but you might not know other families with a child with Down syndrome.

In Tucson, Benfield only knows of one other family in their situation with a child Andersons age, so she relies on traveling this journey with hundreds of other women, thanks to the the network.

It took her a while to believe their positivity, though. At first she thought they were faking.

Meeting the other moms, it moved me from grieving to acceptance and fully loving my child, she says.

And on Dec. 31, 2014  three weeks after the family moved to Tucson from New Mexico  Anderson arrived.

Passion replaces fear

Anderson and 2-year-old Violet are starting to play together.

She will pretend Anderson is chasing her, and he will chase her  Benfield says. And Anderson is really into blowing raspberries right now, so theyll do that back and forth, and he thinks thats hilarious and starts laughing, so she starts laughing. It has taken a year, but to see that sibling relationship start to form is really cool.

Deep connections in families dealing with Down syndrome are common, Benfield has found through personal experience and research. She points to a study published in a 2011 issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A that says 94 percent of older siblings surveyed expressed pride for a younger sibling with Down syndrome. Again, she learned.

Day to day, Down syndrome hasnt changed the familys life. Benfield shuttles Violet to preschool, carts Anderson to therapy sessions and tows kids on errands. The kids nap at the same time  with special coordination  so Benfield can run her blog and manage social media and communications for the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network.

As Anderson grows, his parents will have expectations for their son, just as they do for Violet. If anything, Down syndrome has made the Benfields more intentional in their parenting.

Mandy Jester, a friend of Benfields, has a 2-year-old daughter and 4-month-old son. Her kids love Benfields, and Jester, though not raising children with special needs, has found inspiration through her friend as she has watched passion replace Benfields initial fear.

Her blog inspires me with my kids to see their potential and not obstacles no matter what, Jester says. Every story is going to be different, and to watch someone develop from being scared of what the future would be to embracing it and seeing a future for kids, its awesome.

For all of Benfields gratitude for Anderson, she is not naive. She knows his life will have challenges.

Hes already faced open-heart surgery to fix two holes in his heart. He was just 5 months old.

God makes all things for our good

After his quick recovery, Benfield penned a letter of thanks to the surgeon who operated on her son and sent it to Phoenix Childrens Hospital. Also posted online, the letter got picked up by Good Morning America, the Today show, and other outlets.

My faith has played a huge role in all of this  Benfield says. I think God makes all things for our good, and I think that our really terrible awful diagnosis experience was for our good and other peoples good.

Because she lives the transient military life  the family will move to San Antonio next year  Benfield sees her blog and work with the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network as a way to encourage other parents, even if she cant put down roots in one community.

I left (after the diagnosis) feeling like there was no hope, she says. I felt like our story became sad and tragic. I want people to know the opposite. I feel as if Down syndrome, it will bring complications, but it has added so much to our lives.
Six months after a federal agent seized cash from a man at the Tucson airport, authorities agreed to shell out $10,000 to settle the mans lawsuit.

The lawsuit stemmed from the Sept. 22 seizure of $41,870 in cash from Majdi Khaleq at the Tucson International Airport. Khaleq was not charged with a crime, but his money was taken into custody by the Counter Narcotics Alliance, a multi-agency task force.

Court documents show Khaleq told the Drug Enforcement Administration agent who seized the money that he owned a convenience store and check-cashing business in Denver, as well as a wholesale electronics distributorship in California. He said he came to Tucson to buy a smoke shop on South 12th Avenue, but the deal fell through.

Khaleq challenged the seizure in Pima County Superior Court and the Pima County Attorneys Office withdrew its request for forfeiture of the money in November.

Superior Court Judge Gus Aragon then ordered the county attorneys office to do everything it can to expedite the return of this money, according to court documents.

The money was returned within days of the hearing. Khaleqs attorney Michael Harwin then asked the judge on Dec. 18 to award $20,000 in attorneys fees to Khaleq.

The state seized the funds, filed a notice of impending forfeiture, and indicated that the state would file a forfeiture complaint even after release of funds, Harwin wrote.

In short, the State initiated and persisted in maintaining forfeiture proceedings, without substantial justification, causing Petitioner to engage in protracted efforts, Harwin wrote.

In the judges March 14 order, the County Attorneys Office agreed to pay Khaleq $2,500. The Pima County/Tucson Metropolitan Counter Narcotics Alliance agreed to pay the remaining $7,500.

When asked if he was satisfied with the outcome of the case, Harwin said: Mr. Khaleq placed his trust in the advocacy system and the system worked.

In the March 10 stipulation of dismissal, Deputy County Attorney Edward Russo said the $10,000 is not an admission that Khaleq has shown he is entitled to an award of attorneys fees, costs or damages in this action.

Russo did not say in the court filing why the County Attorneys Office agreed to pay the $10,000.

Chief Criminal Deputy County Attorney Kellie Johnson said the settlement was similar to a plea deal in a criminal case.

We recognized that there was a risk we would be assessed the $20,000 they were asking for, Johnson said. For its part, the defense was worried they would not get anything.

In the March 10 filing, Russo wrote that numerous issues in the case remain in dispute, such as the legal authority for awarding attorneys fees in forfeiture cases, interpretation of state law, and various aspects of the States request to admit a certain law enforcement report into evidence ... .

Russo had asked Aragon on Jan. 11 if the county could present a report on a federal investigation purportedly of Khaleq without Khaleq or his attorney present.

Aragon denied the request, saying that to grant the request would violate basic concepts of fairness and due process.

Authorities paying anything beyond the return of the seized cash is uncommon, said Tucson-based defense attorney and former U.S. Attorney A. Bates Butler.

You would hope they would get the money back they spent on attorney fees, but it rarely happens, Butler said.

Im just glad they stood up for whats right, he said of Khaleq.

Khaleq does not have a record of money laundering or drug trafficking offenses in Arizona or Colorado, court records show.

When asked if the County Attorneys Office still suspected Khaleq of being involved in illicit activity, Johnson said: Yes, we dont just take money from people for no reason.
A contractor that helped prepare a key federal environmental report for the proposed $2 billion SunZia power line had past ties to a major project investor  and works for SunZia today.

The Environmental Planning Group, a Phoenix-based consulting firm known as EPG, was the federal contractor for the environmental impact statement for the two high-voltage power lines planned to run from central New Mexico through Southeast and Central Arizona, crossing the Lower San Pedro River Valley near Tucson.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management signed off on the controversial route in January 2015, about a year before the Arizona Corporation Commission approved construction in this state. EPGs ties to SunZia have drawn conflict-of-interest concerns from critics of the project, but company officials and the BLM say the concerns arent justified.

SunZias backer, a Phoenix-based consortium of five investors called SunZia Transmission LLC, hopes to start construction in 2018 and finish the first power line in 2021. Opponents are considering legal action to try to stop the project.

Opponents say the federal environmental review is tainted in part because a panel of mostly SunZia officials recommended EPGs hiring to the Bureau of Land Management. Opponents are also concerned about links between the company and SunZia and its investors, some going back to the years before EPG won a federal contract in 2009 to work on the environmental report.

Echoing those concerns is Patrick Parenteau, a Vermont Law School professor and former top attorney for the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Wildlife Federation. He teaches classes on the National Environmental Policy Act, which governs the preparation of environmental impact statements and was founder of the law schools environmental law clinic.

While its difficult to prove a federal agency is biased in its handling of a particular case, the BLMs performance gives the impression of bias and conflict of interest, said Parenteau. He has litigated more than a dozen cases involving the Environmental Policy Act for the wildlife federation and for his schools environmental law clinic.

Carrying out the environmental law relies on good faith, objective, hard-look analysis of proposed projects, he said. Federal agencies are required to make decisions in the best interest of the public, Parenteau said. The whole process breaks down when parties with a direct stake in the outcome are in charge of assembling the facts.

BLM and a top official from the Environmental Planning Group deny any impropriety. The bureau found EPG to be the best-qualified applicant and determined it had no financial interest in SunZia at the time it was hired. Its officials did their own review before hiring the firm.

EPG has worked on more than 100 projects involving electrical infrastructure, including power plants and transmission lines, said Mickey Siegel, a principal and project manager for the firm. It has done consulting work on issues related to the National Environmental Policy Act for 10 federal agencies besides the BLM. The act, known as NEPA, sets ground rules for how environmental impact statements should be written.

The bureau, not EPG, managed the environmental review, BLM officials said.

Throughout the project, the BLM openly disclosed EPGs role as the third-party contractor, the bureau said in a written statement to the Star. EPGs role was clearly identified at scoping meetings, on public display boards, on draft documents.

Even if there were a conflict of interest, its difficult to get judges to overturn an agencys approval of a project on that basis, Parenteau said. An opponent usually must prove the agency was overtly biased and that key problems or issues were overlooked, he said.

CRITICS CONCERNS

These actions have drawn concerns from critics of the project:

SunZia employed four of five members of a panel that reviewed applicants to help prepare the environmental report.

BLM failed to disclose in its draft environmental report that the Environmental Planning Group had provided information for a map and done feasibility work for the SunZia project more than a year before it won the BLM contract  despite a federal Council on Environmental Quality recommendation that it make such a disclosure.

EPG continues to work with the bureau on behalf of SunZia today, helping the bureau and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prepare a bird mitigation plan for the project. EPG says its only follow-up work based on information it gathered when the environmental report was prepared.

EPG worked for a prime investor in the SunZia project  Southwestern Power Group  from 2000 to within three years of when it won the BLM contract to prepare the environmental impact statement in 2009.

In 2008, when SunZia prepared a request for qualifications for the BLM contractor on the environmental impact statement, it said the company winning the contract could also help SunZia obtain permits from Arizona, New Mexico and federal agencies. Critics see that as a promise of future work for SunZia, but the BLM and EPG say it wasnt a promise of future employment.

PRIVATE COMPANIES role

Agencies such as the BLM and the Forest Service commonly hire private companies to help prepare environmental impact statements because they lack the staff or resources to do all the work themselves.

But the bureau chose EPG after hearing from an advisory panel of five: four SunZia officials, including project manager Tom Wray, and an independent consultant. The panel narrowed five applicants to two and recommended EPG over the second applicant, David Evans and Associates.

By contrast, when the Forest Service hired a third-party contractor in 2008 to help it prepare the Rosemont Mine environmental impact statement, it picked SWCA, a company with no ties to Augusta Resource Corp., the Canadian company proposing at the time to build the equally controversial copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains.

With SunZia, the company-dominated advisory panel chose EPG, although Evans ranked slightly higher in the panels numerical scoring and would charge 17 to 21 percent less than EPG.

The panel concluded EPG had more experience getting permits for large power lines in the West and was more knowledgeable about the SunZia project area. In addition, SunZias experience should enable it to do the work for less than Evans would ultimately charge, the review panel concluded.

A core problem with conflict-of-interest rules is that  if applied too strictly  they can eliminate the most-qualified firms, law professor Parenteau acknowledged. But the bureau was on shaky legal ground by relying on an outside panel with such close ties to SunZia, he said. Regulations are explicit that a contractor must be selected solely by a lead agency such as the BLM or by that agency in cooperation with other agencies, he said.

Choosing a contractor recommended by a group dominated by employees of the applicant raises serious questions of actual conflict of interest or at the very least the appearance of impropriety, he said.

Peter Else, a Mammoth resident and a leader of those opposing the power lines, said he believes SunZia essentially chose EPG as the contractor.

The National Environmental Policy Act has been subverted to the point that SunZia was allowed to subcontract the federal permit process to an environmental firm they had in their back pocket, Else said.

The BLM said Else is wrong. After the outside review panel made its recommendation, it convened a team of four BLM specialists to evaluate contractor applicants. That team picked EPG based on its qualifications, the bureau said.

To be clear, as required  the BLM made the final and sole decision as lead agency on the EIS contractor selection, the bureau said in a written statement.

Its common for contractors hired to do environmental impact statements to work on various projects over time by related companies or agencies, the BLM said. Federal regulations require that any contractor performing such a report write a disclosure statement specifying it has no financial or other interest in the outcome of the project. EPG did that in February 2009, the BLM said.

Else criticized the bureau and EPG for failing to disclose the companys past ties to SunZia and its investor, the Southwestern Power Group, in the draft environmental report.

Else learned of the SunZia-dominated advisory panel last fall in response to a request for public records on the selection process he obtained through the federal Freedom of Information Act. None of the records he received at the time mentioned the BLM team that made final recommendations, he said.

Apparently, BLM never asked the applicant if the contractor had ever worked for the applicant, they never asked questions. They told you they had a committee that met, but had no documentation of what the committee did. Thats not due diligence, Else said.

In response, the BLM said that when it signed its agreement with the Environmental Planning Group, it was not aware that EPG had conducted any previous work for SunZia. The bureau said it did not learn of the prior ties until after it had signed an agreement to work with the company.

Siegel, however, said the bureau knew EPG had done feasibility work on earlier versions of the SunZia project, for the Southwestern Power Group. SunZia did not include those versions in its application to BLM to build the power line on federal land.

Siegel said the bureau met all requirements for disclosure under the National Environmental Policy Act, which governs the preparation of environmental impact statements.

FUTURE WORK?

SunZias 2008 request for contractors for the environmental report specified twice that the contractor would also help get other permits and government approvals. Among them: Arizona and New Mexico approvals, clean water and air-quality permits, a conditional-use permit and a Federal Aviation Administration permit.

Its obvious that somebody is going to give the employer the answer they want if they are going to get future work, Parenteau said. Its just human nature.

A federal district court judge has ruled that a contractor with an agreement, enforceable promise or guarantee of future work has a conflict of interest under federal law, Parenteau said. SunZias request came awfully close to a guarantee of future work, he said. Its at least an offer of future work.

EPGs Siegel said there was no promise of future work because, When the schedule was laid out originally, all those processes were scheduled to run concurrently. But some permits werent approved for years, such as the Arizona Corporation Commission certificate obtained last month, he said.

All the information gathered during the early work on the BLM environmental report was used in other permit applications later, he said, including some that are still pending.

It was clearly disclosed that those efforts would be done during the EIS (environmental impact statement) process, not necessarily that everything on the list would be completed in that time, Siegel said.

In statements to the Star, the BLM didnt respond directly to questions about possible future employment guarantees, other than to refer to a third page in SunZias 2008 request for contractors that said the contractor may help SunZia get the other permits.

The BLM said it isnt aware of any prohibited financial or other interest in the outcome of the project on behalf of EPG. EPGs disclosure statement complied with the BLMs requirements. In addition, NEPA regulations do not prohibit a third-party contractor from completing later work on the same project for the project proponent.

The projects future now moves to New Mexico, where the power-line company needs the Public Regulation Commission  the equivalent of the Arizona Corporation Commission  to grant a certificate allowing the lines construction there. In Arizona, opponents have filed an application with the ACC to rehear the case. And they may file suit against the BLM, arguing that its process for approving the environmental review was rigged in favor of SunZia.
The University of Arizona is losing its top image booster.

Teri Lucie Thompson, who led the UAs rebranding efforts under President Ann Weaver Hart, is leaving to take a similar job with the University of Texas system.

Thompson earned $300,000 a year as the UAs chief marketing officer and senior vice president for university relations. She will make $310,000 at her new job in Austin.

Thompson came to the UA in mid-2013 from Purdue University where her work won a number of national marketing awards.

It is a sign of the UAs strength that our senior leaders are asked to join prestigious institutions like the University of Texas, Hart said in an email to UA employees.

Thompson was the brains behind new UA slogans such as Boundless and Bigger Questions. Better Answers. Bear Down.

She oversaw production of a 112-page master brand plan that calls for photos of fireworks and mountaintops to be featured in UA communications.

A news release from the University of Texas system said Thompson has an impressive reputation in strategic marketing, brand strategy and communications. She starts her new job April 18.

Thompsons last day at the UA is March 25.

Melinda Burke, UAs vice president for alumni relations, will assume Thompsons post on an interim basis, Hart said
Rebecca Uurtamo, center, chats with her friend, Adam Amparano as they wait to hear former president Bill Clinton talk to supporters at a rally for his wife, Hillary Clinton, at Sunnyside High School on Sunday March 20, 2016 in Tucson, Ariz. Uurtamo is a soccer coach and had the seating in her. Carol Hoffman, far left, took advantage of the offer to take a seat by Uurtamo. Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
About 5,000 supporters and hundreds of protesters turned out for Donald Trumps rally in Tucson on Saturday afternoon, and several incidents of violence erupted.

An elderly Trump supporter says he was shoved, among other scuffles, and police made two arrests, one of them after a protester was punched and repeatedly kicked by a Trump supporter.

As shouting protesters interrupted Trump about 10 times during his nearly hour-long speech, the Republican front-runner called one man a real disgusting guy and others bad people who would burn the American flag, and lamented that the protesters are taking away our First Amendment rights.

Get them out of here, get them out of here, he said, and security officers complied, escorting a number of protesters out of the Tucson Convention Center throughout the rally.

But Trump also appeared to have some fun, pointing to a Latinos support D. Trump sign in his crowd of supporters and shouting out that he loved the woman for waving it and that she must bring it to him and get a hug. After she posed, beaming, with him at the podium, Trump returned the sign.

He launched back into his familiar themes: Saying the country should be run like his businesses, calling opponent Ted Cruz a liar and a Canadian, and repeating, We will build the wall! as his fans chanted with him that Mexico will pay for its $10 billion cost.

different cloth

The scene began unfolding hours before Trumps 3:30 p.m. appearance.

Supporters lined up around the Convention Center, with some, like Kevin Kekic, putting finishing touches on their pro-Trump signs while they waited, others buying Trump campaign merchandise from vendors, and one mom, Jessamy Tyree, drawing an anti-Common Core education message on her 6-year-old daughter Kates T-shirt.

Chuck Mabdia said he arrived at 9 a.m., one of the first people in line, saying he admired the man. Trump was cut from a different cloth, he said.

Judy Thomas, 49, said this was her first rally: Ive never really liked any other presidential candidates. Like every small-business owner, Im tired of politicians telling lies. I want him to make America great again.

Protesters from a march that began at nearby Armory Park flooded into the parking lot shortly before 2 p.m., chanting phrases like Trump is a racist, and so are you at supporters who were filing into the building.

People in line took photos and videos of the protesters, occasionally shouting back as the large group circled the parking lot, stopping in front of the entrance.

Police blocked the doors shortly after the rally began, as the large group of protesters surged toward the entrance.

Tucson police and security staff removed several people from the inside of the Convention Center before Trump even took the stage, and a campaign staffer advised attendees to alert security to protesters in the audience by pointing at the person and chanting Trump.

Bryan Sanders said a Trump supporter punched and kicked him, grabbed the sign out of his hand as he was being escorted out of the building, and sucker punched him.

I was protesting Donald Trumps fascism, his racism, his lies and his women hating, said Sanders, who was wearing a button-up American flag shirt. The sign he was holding when he was asked to leave read, Trump is bad for America.

He called the rally an angry mob. This is not going to continue. If it takes somebody getting punched in the face, thats what it takes, Sanders said.

The punch and kicks were caught in news videos and photographs. Tucson police said they arrested Tony Pettway, 32, on suspicion of misdemeanor assault with injury.

Linda Rothman, 67, was also arrested inside TCC on suspicion of misdemeanor assault with no injury, said Sgt. Kimberly Bay, a police spokeswoman, who added she had no details on that incident.

Protesters Daniela Munoz Alvarez and Veronica Encinias were also escorted out of the Convention Center, told by police they were not allowed to be at the private event.

Sarah Roberts, a member of the group White People Showing Up for Racial Justice, marched with the protesters outside the event, before heading inside. On the stairs behind the stage, members of her group stood behind its large black banner, blocking the aisle. Despite numerous calls from Trump to get them out of here, the group wasnt forcibly removed.

A few steps into Trump supporter Bill Kvalstens exit from the Convention Center, a protester jumped on his back. Kvalsten stumbled, the protester fell off, and the altercation ended when others stepped in to pull the two men apart.

Shaken up, Kvalsten placed his Make America Great Again hat back on his head, but his Trump for President sign was lost in the scuffle.

A protest group at an exit banged on the doors, demanding that Trump be deported.

There were initially 130 on- and off-duty Tucson police officers on site, but 20 more were brought in, as additional resources were called upon during the course of the afternoon, said department spokesman, Sgt. Pete Dugan. Some arrived in riot gear.

SOOOO0 proud of me

Earlier in the day, a Trump campaign representative told the audience to be respectful and not to make contact with the protesters.

Several prominent Republicans introduced Trump, including State Treasurer Jeff Dewit, former Gov. Jan Brewer and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio said he was proud that protesters at Trumps Fountain Hills rally earlier Saturday were arrested, and suggested he would pay a visit to those protesting outside the TCC. Protesters blocked the road to the Phoenix-area rally with their vehicles, The Associated Press reported.

Taking the stage in Tucson in a suit and a red ball cap, Trump claimed as many as 2,500 people were waiting to get inside. Several witnesses said the Tucson Police Department closed the doors after people waiting in line to get into the event had been let in. Several late arrivals were refused entry. (Later, Trump tweeted that a total of 6,000 people turned out for him, and he thanked Tucson.)

In his speech, Trump said he will unify the country, then paused to wait out more protester taunts.

The crowd roared to life as he said, I will knock hell out of ISIS and will replace Obamacare with something much better.

He said he will make his supporters sooooo proud of me for undoing the nuclear deal with Iran. He said trade will improve under his watch  I made billions of money working with China  and that his other remaining GOP opponent, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, shouldnt have voted for NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Trump said he would reinvest in infrastructure, rebuild roads and put 300 mph trains along urban corridors.

At the end of his speech, he told the crowd they will always remember this day, and that after they turn out Tuesday to vote for him in Arizonas presidential preference election, they will say it was the greatest vote they ever cast.
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.
A protester attending the Donald Trump rally at the Tucson Community Center was caught on video being "sucker punched" as he was being escorted out of the building on Saturday.

Tucson police said they arrested Tony Pettway, 32, on suspicion of misdemeanor assault with injury.

Bryan Sanders said he was punched and kicked as he was being escorted out. He said the "Trump is bad for America" sign he was carrying was ripped out of his hands.

The punch was caught in news video and photographs and has spread widely on the internet.

In a video interview after he left the rally he said the crowd was like an angry mob.

I was protesting Donald Trumps fascism, his racism, his lies and his women hating, said Sanders. Trump is bad for America.

Went to the Trump rally just to see how crazy it would be........this is insane pic.twitter.com/QFwSwmNoI0  Alex Satterly (@alex_satterly) March 19, 2016

VIOLENCE at another Donald Trump rally, this time in Tucson, AZ. Man hits and kicks protester: pic.twitter.com/7FWuSeE0Jt  Frank Thorp V (@frankthorpNBC) March 19, 2016

This is not going to continue. If it takes somebody getting punched in the face, thats what it takes, Sanders said.
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.
This week, President Obama plans a historic trip to Cuba, where he will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro as well as with entrepreneurs and other residents from various walks of life.

Obama will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit the island in 88 years. Over the last year, he has worked to loosen restrictions on travel and commerce and has removed Cuba from a list of nations that support terrorism. Both governments have reopened embassies in Washington and Havana.

The Arizona Daily Star spoke with local Cubans about what all this change  including Obamas visit  means to them:

Arnaldo Arnold Mendez Sr.

Age: 80

Profession: Owner of A&M Shell gas and service station

Migration from Cuba: Mendez was imprisoned for 29 days in Cuba after the failed American-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles in 1961. The following year, the family fled Cuba with help from the Methodist Church. They spent a month in Miami and arrived in Tucson on Aug. 21, 1962. He hasnt been back and doesnt plan to go now, he said. I saw people being executed, innocent people. I still remember, and thats why Im very strong in that.

On Obamas efforts to normalize relations: Maybe I know his intention is to try to minimize the friction between both countries for so many years, but with communists you cant make deals, he said. They are always looking for one side, their side. While Cuba is getting a lot of things from the United States, we are not getting anything from Cuba. Its just like the Iran deal.

I believe freedom is the most important thing we have in life. When we cant do with our life what we really want to do, theres a problem, he said. People are happy now and I hope something happens that opens the door for the relationship, but I dont feel thats going to work.

Arnaldo Mendez Jr.

Age: 56

Profession: owns A&M Shell gas and service station with his father

Migration from Cuba: Arnaldo was 2 years old when his family fled Cuba. He went back after 38 years to meet family and reconnect with his roots, and has continued to travel to the island. It has been a wonderful experience. It takes me back to my roots  its good to be reminded where you come from.

On Obamas visit: I was elated, but let me preface this by saying my dads and my perspective are different because of our points of reference. In my fathers case, he lived through the beginning of the Cuban Revolution and he worked hard to get us out of there, so his experiences were not favorable ... I was raised here, Im a product of the U.S. I have been able to go back to Cuba multiple times and believe the Cuban Revolution is a failure, but the people are the ones who suffer.

So I am for easing relations, ending the embargo and moving forward. I see these first steps as favorable moves to improve relations which will be beneficial to both countries, but most importantly for the people in Cuba.

Ana Fuentevilla

Age: 55

Profession: medical doctor; chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare Community and State

Migration from Cuba: She was 10 months old when she left Cuba in 1961. My parents were young professionals and they were very bothered by Castros rhetoric and tone, she said. She hasnt been back since, but hopes to go with her grown children next year to meet her family and reconnect with her roots.

On modern-day Cuba: Im glad to hear we are trying to resolve relations with Cuba. I dont think Raul (Castro) is any more trustworthy than Fidel (Castro). I have no hopes for that administration being better. But after 55 years of repression of the Cuban people, its time to improve life for them. Establishing relations between Cuba and the U.S. is a real positive thing.

Arminda Fuentevilla

Age: 81

Profession: retired educator from TUSD and the University of Arizona

Migration from Cuba: She fled in 1961, two years after the revolution, with her husband and two young daughters, and has not been back. The family moved to Tucson in 1970 when her late husband, an accountant, was hired to teach at Pima Community College.

Her feelings about Cuba: My reason tells me something and my emotions tell me something. Ive spent 55 years outside of Cuba and will never be able to forgive (Fidel) Castro. What has happened in Cuba is a tragedy because we all fought against (Fulgencio) Batista and Castro promised elections and look at what happened to that poor island. What Obama is doing is validating the presidency of those individuals, the regime and what they are doing.

But at the same time, she said, she realizes that the United States negotiates with other countries that practice communism. My reaction is that it had to happen, its the way the world works. What I would like to know is whats the rationale behind it. What is the American president thinking hes going to accomplish in visiting Cuba? Sometimes I myself answer this question, I think he wants that to be one of his legacies.

Eliana Rivero

Age: 75

Profession: Professor emerita in the department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Arizona

Migration from Cuba: Rivero was born in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. in 1961 to study. She moved to Tucson six years later to work at the University of Arizona. She visited the island for the first time this year to take back some of her parents ashes. It was very nice, but also a little bit traumatic for me. She said seeing her old neighborhood, where she was a student, in ruins had an impact.

On her complicated feelings: Rivero agrees with this administrations approach to re-establishing relations with Cuba because the embargo and other things have not worked in 50 odd years. But she has mixed feelings about President Obamas upcoming visit to the island and will withhold judgment until she knows what he says and does during his visit.

I hope he talks about human rights and the need for an open society and to listen to all of the voices, she said, but Im not sure that this will happen.

Liudvik Cutino Cruz

Age: 35

Profession: musician

Migration from Cuba: He left Cuba nine years ago and lived in Hermosillo, Sonora, for eight years before migrating to Tucson.

On freedom: Im not very involved in politics, but Im glad  I think this is something very positive for both Cuba and the United States, he said. I think its good for people to have a liberty to choose, and so people can decide what they want to do without harming others.

Morbila Fernandez

Age: 65

Profession: Spanish lecturer at the University of Arizona

Migration from Cuba: She left Cuba in 1996 to get a masters degree in New Mexico and later moved to Tucson to get her doctorate. Since she left, she has traveled to Cuba to visit family.

On improving relations: My initial reaction is one of happiness. After 55 years of the separation between two countries, its time for an opening. I think something positive for both countries will come out of re-establishing relations  even if its not immediate, but more as a process thats going to take its time.
Help India!

By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,

New Delhi: Amidst Muslims as a community and Islam as an ideology and way of life are under attack, Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees Hind has decided to present the message of Islam to the countrymen whose overwhelming majority either dont know or have misundersandings about Islam.

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When human rights are being violated, hatred is being spread between communities and Islam and Muslims are being cast in bad colour, there is an urgent need to spread the message of Islam among all, said Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi, General Secretary, Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees Hind, addressing a press conference called on the eve of an all India conference of the organization.





From left: Advocate Perwez, member Jamiat, Abdul Aziz Salafi, Hafiz Muhammad Hameedullah Dehlvi, Maulana Ali Asghar Imam Mehdi and Maulana Muqueem Faizi



Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees Hind is going to hold its 29th national conference on the topic Message of Islam to the Humanity on October 18-19 at Delhis Ram Lila Ground. Besides delegates from across the country, some speakers are also expected from abroad, he said giving details of the conference.

At a time when the entire humanity is in peril due to various problems, Islam that is derived from the Arabic word Salam comes before it as a panacea of peace and justice he said.

Rejecting any connection between Islam and terrorism he said: Standing for peace and justice, Islam is opposed to force, coercion, terror and injustice, but its ironic that these days it is being accused for sponsoring/patronizing terrorism.

He said terrorism has nothing to do with religion. A person alleged/convicted to be a terrorist may be belonging to a particular religion, but the religion he belongs to cant be blamed for his any doing, Maulana Imam Mehdi said.

While condemning the arresting of innocents after bomb blasts and demanding judicial enquiry into Batla House encounter, he said the government has failed in checking terrorism in the country.







When asked by TwoCircles.net that sometimes the word Ahle Hadees is tagged with Islamic fundamentalism, Maulana Mehdi said the allegations of extremism and fundamentalism on Ahle Hadees are baseless.

He also refuted the theory that the term Jihad and the ideology surrounding it are responsible for tarnishing the image of Islam.

Jihad is waged against crimes against humanity, atrocities and terrorism against people. Even during the war Islam does not allow killing children, older people and women. It does not allow even doing any harm to natural surroundings and atmosphere Maulana said.

Around 30,000-35,000 people are likely to attend the conference which will feature all 22 zonal chiefs of the organization.


Help India!

By IANS,

Kolkata: With the West Bengal government observing Netaji Subhas Chandra Boses birth anniversary Sunday as Deshprem Divas, Governor M.K. Narayanan said he would write to the central government for celebrating the day as Deshprem Divas across the country.

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I hope that all recognise the importance of having the day known as Deshprem Divas. I will write to the centre, Narayanan said at a function on the legendary freedom fighters 114th birth anniversary here.

I hope the day will be celebrated across the nation as Deshprem Divas from his next birth anniversary, the governor said at the programme held at Netaji Bhavan.

Three days after the state cabinet cleared the proposal Jan 20, the state government Sunday celebrated the day as Deshprem Divas with functions being held in all districts and schools.

However, speaking at the Netaji Bhavan programme, Krishna Bose  the widow of Netajis late nephew Sisir Kumar Bose  said the day should be celebrated as Desh Seva Divas. Why not call it Desh Seva Divas? I am not making any appeal to the central or the state governments. I am only putting the issue before the people.

Bose, a former Lok Sabha member, said the people should take a pledge to do a little something for the other India which is backward and impoverished.


Burger King has successfully acquired permission to serve Alcohol which has is only up to 5% strong in its select outlets in United Kingdom. Thus it will now serve beer in its branch at London's Waterloo station in a cup.

Beer will be available at the said branch only between 11am in the morning to 8pm in the night. The restaurant chain acquired the permission to sell alcoholic beverage from Lambeth Council. There are a few rules though which the drinkers and the outlet will have to follow, one of which is that it has to be consumed strictly only on the premises of the outlet and purchased along with Food.

Extra stringent rules like Beer staff training, installation of CCTV cameras and improved supervision have been imposed by the Lambeth Council in order to curb alcoholic hooligans from creating any kind of mischief by taking undue advantage of the permission. Though its just the Waterloo station which has been granted the permission for now and reportedly two other stations were denied the permission, Burger King is reportedly hoping its just one of the many to follow. The burger giant had applied for permission for sale of alcohol at its Victoria and Paddington station branches but the Westminster Council had scrapped both the applications due to strong opposition from the police.

This year so far has been full of Burger King executing their business plans rather sporadically in UK which began with their delivery service being extended to 42 restaurants across United Kingdom.

The rivelry between McDonalds and Burger King has always been apparent. But McDonalds looks in no such hurry and is unlikely to follow the suit.

This is the first time in UK that a large fast food giant has been granted the permission to sell alcohol long with its food. With rules and regulations in place and the deadline of 8pm, the permission granted appears harmless indeed. Burger King no more will be just a fast food hang out joint but also a place you can grab a beer and enjoy your fries, responsibly that is.
File photo of Chien-Shiung Wu

Chien-Shiung Wu spent most of her life in the United States, but the Chinese-American nuclear physicist is at least as well known, if not much more, among the Chinese than among Americans.

On March 17, the US Department of Energy website published an article eulogizing Wu's many achievements during National Women's History Month this month. The article appeared at an interesting time when US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, also a nuclear physicist, was visiting China ahead of the Fourth Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Washington later this month. President Xi Jinping and leaders from more than 50 countries are expected to attend the summit.

Known as the "Chinese Madame Curie", "First Lady of Physics", "Queen of Nuclear Research" and "Dragon Lady" by her Columbia University students after a character in a popular comic strip, Wu was born in Shanghai on May 31, 1912, and grew up in Liuhe, a town in Taicang of Jiangsu province. It was a year after the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was overthrown in a revolution led by Dr Sun Yat-sen, who founded China's first republic.

Wu was lucky at a time of few educational opportunities for women in China. She attended the Ming De School, an elementary school for girls founded in 1913 by her father, Wu Zhongyi. On May 31, 2012, a ceremony was held there to celebrate both her and the school's centennials. It was attended by her son Vincent Wei-chen Yuan, also a nuclear scientist, and several other family members.

After graduating a top student from Suzhou No. 2 Women's Normal School in 1929, Wu, known widely on the Chinese mainland today as Wu Zhenxiong, was enrolled in the National Central University (now Nanjing University) from 1930-1934 to study mathematics and then physics.

During that time, she also taught at the Public School of China in Shanghai, where she became a student of famed philosopher Hu Shih, a student of American philosopher John Dewey. Hu was president of the school and later Republic of China's ambassador to the US from 1938 to 1942. It was not sure if this relationship had an impact on Wu's outspokenness against political injustice throughout her life.

In August 1936, Wu boarded the steamship President Hoover to pursue further study in the US. The same ship, which provides trans-Pacific service between San Francisco and the Far East, ran aground in December 1937 off the Taiwanese coast, fortunately with no life lost.

Instead of attending the University of Michigan as planned, Wu went to the University of California, Berkeley. The decision was made after a field trip there where she met Luke Chia-Liu Yuan, grandson of Yuan Shikai, the first president of the Republic of China. Luke Yuan, a physicist also known as Yuan Jialiu, married Wu in 1942.
China Eastern links Chicago, Shanghai Updated: 2016-03-21 05:54 By JIAN PING in Chicago(China Daily USA)

Chief Marketing Officer at China Eastern Dong Bo presents China Eastern Airline plane Mmodel to Chicago Department of Aviation commissioner Ginger Evans on March 18 in Chicago. JIAN PING / FOR CHINA DAILY

China Eastern Airline's inaugural direct flight from Shanghai to Chicago rolled to Gate M11 at the international terminal of O'Hare Airport early in the afternoon of March 18. It received a ceremonial water-cannon salute outside on the runwayand a warm welcoming reception inside the terminal.

"The flight was packed," said pilot Sun Yongjian as he emerged from the jet. "It's quite exciting to fly the first flight from Pudong to Chicago."

Ginger Evans, Chicago Department of Aviation commissioner,extended her welcome toChina Eastern's service to the Windy City.

"The addition of the airline's service will generate $170 million in estimated annual economic impact for the Chicago metropolitan region," she said.

"After a 13-hour non-stop flight from Shanghai, here comes China Eastern to Chicago!" said Dong Bo, chief marketing officer at China Eastern, who was onboard the maiden flight.

Bosaid China Eastern will service all its new gateways in the US with brand new Boeing 777-300ERs, an announcement that was met with enthusiastic applause.

Bo noted that Shanghai and Chicago celebrated their 30th anniversary as sister cities in 2015.

"The direct flight will set up a new bridge between these two great cities," he added.

Bo said that with household revenue increasing in China, 120 million Chinese will be travelling out of China in 2015, among them, 2 million to the US.

"We believe the number of passengers to the US will increase to 5 million by 2020," he said, adding that meant ample business opportunities for airlines.

Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Weiping was among those who came to the airport to welcome the arrival of the inaugural flight.

"Today has opened a new page in the history of the civic aviation cooperation between China and Chicago," Zhao said, congratulating both China Eastern Airline and the City of Chicago for establishing a hub in the city.

As passengers from Shanghai disembarked from the plane, a long line of passengers was checking in at the China Eastern counter for their flight to Shanghai, scheduled to depart at 2:50 pm.

China Eastern is one of the top airlines in China, with 550 aircraft serving 100 million passengers across the globe each year.
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Only 3,730 drug addicts have been treated with methadone in Ha Noi.  Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

HA NOI (VNS)  Some VN36 billion (US$1.6 million) will be spent on methadone treatment for drug addicts to improve efficiency and further develop this treatment method, officials said.

The Ha Noi Peoples Committee also decided to add more staff to methadone treatment centres for drug addiction, Le Nhan Tuan, Director of the Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, said.

The city failed to meet the target set by the Prime Minister, he said.

Only 3,730 of the citys 8,500 addicts had been treated with methadone, accounting for 43 per cent of the target.

The failure to meet the target was attributed to the shortage of human resources and allowances for staff working in these treatment centres, Tuan said.

There are 17 centres treating drug addicts with methadone in Ha Noi.

To improve the reach of the drug treatment, the city has organised training courses for treatment centres and has raised public awareness of methadone treatments for drug addiction.  VNS
What a sight: The first doline panorama view.

by Nguyen Quang Huy

When Son oong Cave in the central province of Quang Binh made global headlines, as a son of the province, I naturally wanted to challenge myself and take the tour.

Son oong had become a regular topic in our familys conversation. But a trip to the worlds largest cave was a remote dream since I knew that people who had registered long time ago might only take the trip in mid-2017 at the earliest.

So my heart skipped a beat a few weeks ago, when I got a phone call saying there was a vacant place in a team that was about to take off on March 1. I thought I was very lucky to get this place. On the phone, I said "yes" without any hesitation but a moment later the guy from a tour company cooled me down saying, Only if you pass the health check.

I had to fill in a very detailed questionnaire sent to me by Oxalis, the only authorised tour company that could take explorers inside Son oong. I am neither an active athlete nor a frequent exerciser, so I had to put in everything physical I had gone through in filling out the experience section in the application form. I put in even my trip to Tibet many years ago to get myself qualified for the trip.

Just ten days before departure, I was accepted. Along came the confirmation letter with a pile of information on how to prepare for the trip. But busy works and New Year fests do not spare me much time except the last day and it was a bit late to get all the recommended gears.

Briefing day

On February 29 (a special day), I boarded the Vietnam Airlines flight and arrived at ong Hoi Airport 90 minutes later. My nephew Nguyen Thanh Nam, who was also going on the trip with me, introduced me to other group members from Ha Noi: a married couple in their late 50s Nguyen Manh Hung, Tran Hong Phuong and a guy who resembled a heavy-weight lifter Nguyen uc Hung. Two guys from Ho Chi Minh City arrived earlier. One was Vu An, a graduate from Ha Noi University of Technology, two years my senior, and the other, Le Hung, worked in the oil and gas industry. As we waited for the others to arrive, everyone voted for Big Brother (that was how we called the husband) to lead the tour.

The briefing started at 6:30pm and we met Adam D Spillane, the chief tour guide from the company and Thai Binh, his assistant. We also met the last three team members, two girls from HCM named Le Thanh Huyen, oan An, and Nguyen Mai Trang from Hue. We mingled a bit just to find out that the girls had travelled more than me.

Coming from Sheffield in the UK, Spillane is in his 40s. He seldom spoke during the trip. Later we found out he was a structural engineer building from ships to oil rigs. He had been caving for thirty years and his love for caves had led him to Phong Nha for 18 months. "I found out life has many more things other than work"  he told me  "and live rich means more than surrounding you with expensive things!"

Then I realised how challenging our trip was and became quite excited but nervous. We had to pass a 50-kilometre (km) forest, springs and rocky mountains on foot strictly on the pathway the guides directed. There were 80-metre (m) cliffs and an abyss to climb, and an underground river to swim across.

The normal trip takes five days and four nights. Our trip was one day shorter. That means we had to cover a two-day distance on day one. We had to cross 50 streams and keep our shoes and soaked clothes on all day as there was no time to change. We would spend most of the time in the eternal darkness of the cave and have absolutely no electricity or mobile signals during the trip. The satellite phone and walkie-talkie were only for emergencies. Even worse, we would have no water for cleaning, except for brushing our teeth.

We really felt as if we were leaving civilisation behind.

After a short dinner, our guide handed out to each of us a helmet, a 1.5-litre bottle of drinking water and a pair of military boots. The boots were not as comfortable as ours but we all needed two pairs for wet and dry walking. We divided our belongings into three parts. The first part went in our backpack including daily medication, cameras, a water bottle and a towel. The second bag contained all clothing for other days and was to be carried by 25 porters provided by Oxalis. All other unnecessary things were to be left behind at the company HQ and collected after the trip. Everyone went to sleep early, saving energy for the inspiring days ahead.

But it seemed no one had slept soundly the night before. The fact is everyone sat up anxious and ready at 6.30 sharp the next morning. After a quick breakfast, we travelled to the 35th kilometre of Road 26. The drop point was merely a tiny station with a roof. From there the hardship began.

We had the first break after 4kms of walking through a forest. It was mainly going down. Everyone was excited. After crossing several springs, we arrived at oong Village, which the cave was named after. Some porters had arrived earlier and had gathered in a communal house sharing some happy water (that is what they called local wine made from maize or cassava).

Finding the gate

Leaving oong Village we continued to En (Swift) Cave. The road was less up and down as we moved on but thing got wet quickly. We had to cross a spring named Rao Ma (Mother River) 47 times as Vu An seriously announced later. I doubted this figure but quickly lost count after twenty.

At around 11am, after a 7km journey, we saw the giant entrance of En Cave from afar. But it took some time to get closer and finally we entered the cave through a smaller gate.

We then arrived at a wonderful beach. The "beach was sandy by a dark lake with a great view to the cave entrance. Above it was a 140m high dome. It was great to have lunch in such a luxury banquet ball room. We did not have much time to contemplate the scenery. After an hour, we were back on our feet again.

All the mornings tiredness was nothing compared to the next session. We had to climb up a rocky uphill path to reach the entrance of Son oong Cave, which was really tiring. Only when I thought of stopping, did I realise that the destination was only a few feet away. It was also the entrance of Son oong Cave.

Safety equipment and overhead lights were put on. Now we had to relay down 40m with a rope to the eternal darkness below. There was no other way easier than that! I had a feeling of fear, excitement and pride while sliding down the rope to the cave floor. But above all, I felt safe.

The first doline

We went on about 2km through the sharp rocks in the darkness to reach the light of the first doline. This was a giant shoe shape hole created by a corruption millions of years ago. The rumbles of the corruption created a small mountain within the doline. Light, rain and bird droppings painted a part of that mountain with plants. We went up and down the mountain to our first base camp. Our tents were erected on the high and flat surface of the cave floor. There was no water for a bath so we had to clean our bodies with a towel before putting on dry clothes. I smelt the cooked food and suddenly felt starved. The food was far from what we expected!

The task on day two was to march to the caves end and back to the camp in the second doline. It was a 10km trip but we had to make two uphill climbs in the two dolines. Even though I carefully put on two socks to absorb the force, my toes started to turn purple.

Starting at 9am, we first climbed up the mountain in doline one. It was tiresome but easier than the way down. It took us an hour to reach the top. This is where all the great pictures were taken. Another hour was spent for taking pictures but it did not seem enough. An, our youngest team member, took this chance to show off her yoga master level poses. The girl was so energetic that she always tried some stunning yoga positions at all the stops while we just lay down and tried to catch our breath. At our camp sites she opened a short yoga course and had some students among us and the porters as well.

Our main photographer was Trang, a gentle girl from the former royal capital city of Hue. According to some Oxalis guide, she may be the first person from Hue to ever visit Son oong Cave. She had a passion for photography and definitely got my admiration. We had to thank her for sharing thousands of pictures she took in our trip.

Another hour passed by the time we reached the foot of the mountain after much exertion.

The second doline

On the way down, instead of hard rocks, we saw a huge green area resembling a terraced rice field. We saw huge brown stones turning green in the sunlight and many more amazing things that we had never seen before. However, when we got to the other side, we were presented with a spectacular view when the sunlight shone through the giant hole to the doline bottom.

The surface was filled with quiet water pools resembling mirrors for taking ideal pictures. The path to this doline two was the toughest. Even with the headlights on we barely saw what was above or under. The rocks were so slippery that I could not avoid sliding several times even though I was very careful. And the slope, while being shorter, was much steeper, rockier and higher than that of the last day. We arrived at the next camp in the second doline at 15:00 with our shirt soaked with sweat.

The camping site looked tiny from above. The plain ground was paper white and lay on the edge of the cave bottom. The sand was as smooth as plaster dusts. It stuck to everything just as powder in tempura. The route from there to the caves end was easier. We followed it along an underground river. At this time of the year there was no water and the river was filled with sand. Our team set us up to take pictures. It was so huge inside that our whole team lined up 5 to 10 metres apart from each other so it could be viewed from atop. Another river, this time full of water, appeared at the end of the route, hidden after a narrow turn.

The water was crystal clear. Our boat forwarded slowly in the absolute darkness. With the headlight we saw the cave open wider as we sailed on. When the river turned to a big lake, we faced a big wall of a wet rock. It was 60 metres - high and marked the end of Son oong Cave: We had reached the Great Wall of Viet Nam.

Spillane said all the water would run out of the cave through a small hidden underground tunnel. Future trips may let visitors climb this wall but for now, we could only take some pictures and we reluctantly got back to shore. After two days of walking and climbing without cleaning, the water was so appealing. We dived right in.

Our spirits were high at that time. Big Brother led us to singing all songs from all the musical periods after some drinking. We also gave Spillane some Beatles songs and he was happy to sing Hey Jude! along with us. Everyone then got back to their tents except An and me. He wandered from tent to tent chatting, playing cards with the porters waiting for others to sleep. I stayed back near the fire to dry my stuff.

My tent-mate woke up before me. Now, we were going back to En Cave, the place we stopped for lunch at day one.

The way out was not exactly the same as the way in. But even when we were on the old path, we could not recognise it. Things were different from the other perspectives and the light also painted the scenery with distinctive colours.

After a quick snack on the spring bank, we chose to go by the waterway because my legs were already fed up with the slopes. Though we had to sail against the current, it was a good decision. Now we had more time to enjoy the great view of the forest instead of gazing at the rocks beyond our feet. We arrived at En Cave late afternoon. The trip back was easier than we thought.

The night was so amusing. Everyone was happy that the difficulties had been taken care of. The men were cracking jokes over drinks and the women were playing with the cameras slow exposure.

Mission accomplished, and opens new doors

It was the last day so I decided to push our porters a bit. I put all my belongings in their pack and left nothing in my back pack except the helmet.

We departed at 8:40am and immediately got wet when starting day four, wasting all my efforts drying my gear last night. The sun was shining early. The road back to oong village was straight forward. Spillane was so quick on his feet that by the time I arrived in the village, he was about to move on. There was only one slope left, and Trang, An and I quickly followed him, skipping the break. I got tired very soon and had to stop at every turn.

I began to feel as if the thirst was slowly squeezing out of me whatever little strength I had left. Trang was very kind to offer me a little water she brought along. Then I met Spillane waiting for us midway.

"Only ten minutes more," he said and walked slowly along, giving me some moral support. I guessed it was much longer than ten minutes.

Just when I thought I could go no farther, I heard Ans voice. I was sure this was the merriest sound I had heard since morning. It signalled that the drop spot was close. My knee and back pain disappeared at once. When I reached the drop zone, the watch showed 11:45am. My days with Son oong were over. I took off everything sticky on my body and rewarded myself with a can of Huda beer.

As I was cooling down, a strange feeling started to grow inside me. I was missing Son oong but I did not think it would start so soon. My team members all told me they had a similar feeling the last night when we had dinner.

I visited my cousins and boasted about my experience. "What was your lifetime adventurous activities used to be our daily routines," one of them told me.

Our team made some records anyway: We were the first team full of Vietnamese, and the first tourist team to conquer Son oong Cave in only four days and three nights. Mrs Phuong was the oldest Vietnamese woman to finish the trip until now. Trang maybe the first Hue resident to visit the cave and An was probably the first woman to finish ahead of the team.

We heard during the trip that there was a plan to install a cable car across Son oong. But as Mrs Phuong bluntly told a local official upon hearing him boast about the project, "Once you have visited the cave, you would never want it to be spoiled by anything!"

This is because exploring Son oong is much more than just a visit to see the cave. To me, it was an opportunity to make new friends and a lifetimes experience to surpass my limits. VNS

Exploration: Cave visitors row a boat through a river.

Stillness: The entrance to Phong Nha Cave.

Stretching it out: An, the youngest team member, took this chance to show off her yoga poses.

Tread carefully: Crossing a monkey bridge inside Hang En. VNS Photos Quang Huy
by Hoang Hoa Sen

Some days ago, I met the sister of a friend who returned from the United Kingdom after completing six years of studies there.

She joined a high school in the UK when she was 16. Now, after completing her studies at the university, she had returned to Viet Nam.

Recalling her six-year stay in the UK, she said they were unforgettable years of her life. She was faced with many difficulties. Many a time she wondered whether she could overcome the challenges. However, thanks to her courage and determination, she finally succeeded in her studies.

I think it may not be a good idea to go abroad alone and study there at too young an age, like at high school, or as a teenager. When young people have not gained enough maturity and confidence, it may be better for them to stay close to their families, Le Kieu Minh, my friends sister, said.

Though those years brought me many benefits such as developing a broader mindset, learning more about different cultures and values and new skills, that period was very challenging. Before leaving, I did not know that it would be so difficult, she said.

Her stories reminded me of many other stories told by different people about the bad experiences of young people who left their families too early to study abroad.

Some parents regretted having encouraged their children to study abroad at a young age.

My daughter studied in the United States since she was 18 years old. I hoped that she could gain more interesting knowledge. Moreover, as she was shy, I wanted her to study abroad to become more self-confident and know how to live more independently. But after some years, she became a totally different person, more reserved and quite depressed. She was strongly influenced by American culture, and ignored a lot of Vietnamese traditional culture. I am disappointed. I hope, now that she has already returned to Viet Nam, she will become better, Nguyen Thi Lieu, a mother said.

Like many other parents in Viet Nam, Lieu believed that an international education could help their children stand out among their peers in a job market which has become increasingly difficult.

Whether the thought of one day living abroad had ever crossed their mind or not, there is new research to suggest that by encouraging children or teenagers to study and live abroad for at least a semester, young people will be doing so much for their immediate and long-term development.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training shows there are currently 150,000 Vietnamese students studying in 49 countries and territories, 10 times more than 10 years ago. More and more secondary and high-school students are now being sent abroad to study in the US, UK, Japan, and Singapore, apart from Australia and China. Many are aged between between 16 and 18.

However, many teenagers and even some adults, who were not able to adjust to life independently and were not well prepared before leaving home, have suffered from a big culture gap in a multicultural environment, as they were often left isolated, alone and vulnerable.

Life for these children was not a dream as many first thought.

Minh said she found it difficult to integrate into the new world. At home, her mother took care of everything, including her clothes and meals. Living alone in the UK forced her to do everything herself without any guidance. Moreover, lessons at school were very difficult as she neither spoke English well nor understood what she had learnt in school.

According to Nguyen Van Toan, a psychologist from Ha Noi, Vietnamese children become used to total care from their parents when they are very young. Suddenly when they are exposed to an independent life in a completely strange environment, they feel empty and abandoned.

At the age of 16 and 17, their characters are still being formed, so they need the supervision of their parents to adjust and receive guidance.

They may be easily affected by negative impacts of the society. The psychological shocks that teenagers have to suffer at this age may affect their entire future.

Many psychologists in Viet Nam disagree with the trend of sending children to study abroad when they are still very young.

Toan said, The future for those teenagers is still so uncertain. They can succeed or fail. They may succeed in life and studies abroad while gaining new useful knowledge and become more independent and mature. However, they can also lose. And once time is lost, it may be difficult to restart their life.

She herself knows quite a few students who have had bitter experiences abroad due to the lack of life skills and preparations.

By writing this article, I do not wish to imply that parents should not send their children abroad at a young age, but they do need to think over the question: Do their children really have enough abilities and life skills to live a good life, by themselves, in a completely new environment? Not only the children, but the whole family too, should be aware of this issue before young people are sent abroad in haste.

A strong personality is also necessary for young people to survive in a new environment which might be totally different from what they are used to living in. For one thing, he or she needs to have self-control to resist various temptations that may drive them away from studying and even normal living. For another, he or she had better be active enough to integrate into the local community.

I think that once a teenager is determined to study abroad, they should learn in advance about what life in a foreign country will be like, and build a strong mind to face and overcome the culture shock that is awaiting them. Parents should not forget to tell them how to seek help and who they could turn to when they meet difficulties. After all, young as they are, they have to survive on their own from the moment they step on foreign land. VNS
An Indian origin attorney based in Switzerland is turning out to be a key man of Vijay Mallya's empire abroad. Sixty-four-year-old Jay Vallabh is named director and authorised signatory in many of the offshore vehicles related to the liquor baron.

Regulatory filings with US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and public documents available on the company registries of locations such as Isle of Man and Panama showed that Vallabh's name figured prominently in several of these vehicles. While filings in UK's Companies House, the equivalent of Registrar of Companies, identified him as Jayprakash Vallabh, filings in Panama and Isle of Man referred to him as Jay Vallabh. In an SEC filing dating back to 1997, he figures as "J Vallabh". Further records showed that Vallabh has floated and dissolved scores of companies across various jurisdictions over the past several years.

He was also a significant shareholder in a Mauritius vehicle Watson Ltd that owned 21 per cent stake in the listed firm UB (Holdings), or UBHL, which in turn held around 60 per cent in the Kingfisher Airlines. This gave Jay and wife, Susanna, an indirect holding of around 12 per cent stake in Kingfisher Airlines in the first few years. Their names found their way to official records in the US, which insist on disclosures leading up to natural persons.

In an order approving code-share arrangements between Kingfisher Airlines and American Airlines, issued by the Department of Transportation of the US on March 8, 2011, it is clear that the Vallabhs had a significant stake in Kingfisher Airlines itself.

Although Watson Ltd continues to hold its shares in UBHL, Kingfisher Airlines is no longer under control of UBHL as banks have converted debt into equity. According to the shareholding pattern as of September 2014, the last such filing on the BSE, UBHL held only 400,000 shares or 0.05 per cent of Kingfisher. A Kingfisher spokesperson did not respond to questions about Vallabh.

Filings in the Registry of Isle of Man, a tax haven, showed that Jay and Susanna are directors of CAS Nominees, a company that runs the Golden Eagle Trust. CAS was registered in 1990. Its latest annual return filed in December said Jay's occupation was 'Barrister at law'. Susanna's occupation was given as secretary.

Another Isle of Man company named Chilton Management owned the share capital (two shares of 1 each) of CAS. The Vallabhs were directors of Chilton, too. But, the shareholding of Chilton was held by Lombard Wall Corporate Services based in British Virgin Islands and Talisman Consultants based in Liberia. According to a filing with SEC in 2000 by Mendocino Brewing Company, the company declared by Mallya in his Rajya Sabha affidavit, "The principal trustee of Golden Eagle is CAS Nominees Ltd, a corporation organised under the laws of the Isle of Man (part of the UK)."



Because CAS Nominees has the ability to act in favour of Mallya, the company's chairman of the board and chief executive officer, Mallya may be deemed to have a beneficial ownership interest, and therefore a material financial interest, in Golden Eagle. Golden Eagle is the sole (100 per cent) owner of Inversiones, which in turn owns UBI (United Breweries International).

Golden Eagle Trust is a key Mallya family vehicle established by Vittal Mallya in the 1980s. DNA had first reported about this trust on March 10. Subsequent reports have said these vehicles are under probe by Indian agencies.

Records from UK's Companies House showed that Jayprakash Vallabh is currently a director of Valley Heights Ltd, whose correspondence address is given as: "CAS SA, PO BOX 331, Ch-1196, Chemin De Fontenailles 4, Gland, Switzerland". While his name is associated with 30 UK companies, several of these are now dissolved.

The earliest records of Vallabh in the SEC date back to 1997. It is related to a n-compete agreement between various companies of Mallya. "This non-competition agreement is made as of October 27, 1997 among UBICS, a Delaware corporation; Vijay Mallya; and UB Information And Consultancy Services Ltd a corporation organised under the laws of India," the filing said. In this document, Vallabh is named as the authorised officer of UBICS.

Panama-registered Inversiones Mirabel is another company where the Vallabhs are named directors. This company was used by Mallya in transactions with Mendocino Breweries, the US-listed firm Mallya had declared in his Rajya Sabha affidavit.

The SEC filing in 2000 gives some peep into the complicated cross-holding structures these off-shore vehicles are entangled in. "Through one of its subsidiaries, United Breweries of America, BVI, a British Virgin Islands corporation, Golden Eagle also holds a controlling interest in United Breweries of America, Inc, a Delaware corporation, which is also the company's (Mendocino's) principal shareholder."



The filing added that "Mallya is the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of UBA (United Breweries of America). Through Inversiones and UBA, therefore, Golden Eagle owns or controls a majority of the voting stock of both of the principal parties to the agreement. In addition, Mallya is a member of the board of directors of UBSN."



UBSN was the UK subsidiary of UBI, which is now known as Kingfisher Beer Europe, another company declared in Mallya's Rajya Sabha affidavit.
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.
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.
WATERLOO  Greg McClenahan wants to remind people that the Rose of Waterloo grew out of ashes.

In fact, McClenahan, owner of the affordable assisted living facility at 421 Oak Ave., is commemorating a fire that swept through early-stage construction of the 64-unit, three-story complex during the night of March 14, 2007, by scheduling an open house there at 1 to 4 p.m. Monday.

The skeleton of the new three-story facility burned to the ground.

It was a whopper of a fire, McClenahan said. I think we had roof on, but Im not sure there were shingles on it. There werent any walls; it was largely framed, so it was a stack of wood.

Insurance covered most of the $2.5 million worth of damage to the structure in a building project whose cost originally was estimated at around $8 million. Twin Cities-based Evergreen Real Estate Development Corp., the ownership group over which McClenahan presides, put the final project cost at about $10.5 million.

So, we put things back together, McClenahan said.

We had a very rapid insurance claims process. We cleared debris down to the slab and were able to salvage much of the slab, so we didnt have to do that.

The fire actually only delayed opening of the complex for about three months, McClenahan said.

The original eight framers grew to 25 in an effort to complete the project by years end, he said.

We accelerated things, he said. The framer was able to bring in double crews and things like that. Demolition wouldnt have been done any earlier than April 1 and we finished in early December. Its a testament to how quickly we were able to regroup and reconstruct the building.

The 70,000-square-foot complex is classified as a 55-plus, which means at least 80 percent of its residents are 55 years old or older.

We can have some who are younger, on occasion, who will come in and have a need for the services we provide, McClenahan said.

Our affordable rents complement the full range of a la carte home care services provided by the on-site, Medicare-certified home care provider, Pam Smith, executive director of the Rose Communities, said in a news release.

Gladys Rainey came to the Rose of Waterloo as administrator in October 2015, after a stint at Ridge Village in Waterloo.

She says she likes what she has seen at the Rose.

We have a lot of excellent tenants that seem to enjoy living here, she said.

She estimated the facility has 55 residents.

We offer an affordable housing option to our service-dependent residents that does not exist elsewhere in Waterloo, she said.

The complex currently is about 90 percent full, McClenahan said.

Sometimes, were 100 percent full; we have apartments available now, he said.

The public is invited to the open house, he noted.

Were going to have the building staff, as well as the service provider staff there to take interested persons around and introduce them to the apartments, as well as the services that are provided on-site, and were going to have some refreshments and some food, he said. Its more to reintroduce the Rose to the community and what we provide the community and the elderly who need services.

The Rose of Waterloo is one of six similar Rose Assisted Living Facilities in Iowa, each built with federal tax credits provided by the Iowa Finance Authority. Each Rose community offers one- and two-bedroom apartments with full kitchen, bedroom and dressing area, bathroom, large storage room and free wireless Internet. Building amenities include a two-story atrium dining area, community room for family and community celebrations, a theater/chapel with seating for 50, craft and activity areas, computer room, library, beauty/barber shop, assisted bathing room and laundry areas.

Other Rose facilities are in Ames, Des Moines, East Des Moines, Dubuque and Council Bluffs.

For more information, contact Rainey at 232-6061, ext. 10 or roseofwaterloo@qwestoffice.net or go to www.evergreenredc.com.
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 mood 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.

Gov. Terry 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.

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.
DECORAH | For a state more known for its fertility than fermentation, Iowa has produced a bumper crop of craft beer brewers.

More than 50 craft breweries, microbreweries and brew pubs operate in Iowa. That's enough to push the Hawkeye state ahead of other states like California, known for craft beer, in breweries per capita. A number of factors (including, yes, a smaller population in Iowa) have led to this rise. First, cultural shifts have brought more interest in craft beer and pride in a local products, area brewers said.

"The way beer used to taste is coming back," said Clark Lewey, owner of Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. in Decorah.

Changes in state laws have made it easier for brewers to make and distribute their beer in Iowa, brewers said.

"Under the old laws, in order to sell our own Golden Nugget here, we would have to send it to a distributor in Minnesota and pay them to bring it back here," Lewey said.

Iowa law now allows state brewers to self distribute. Another law, passed in March 2010, allowed Iowa brewers to produce and sell beer containing up 15 percent alcohol by volume and allowed Iowa beer wholesalers distribute beers of similar strength. Under these laws and others, brewers would have had a difficult time selling the beer they make in Iowa to their fellow Iowans.

Toppling Goliath and other craft breweries are flourishing under these changes. Iowa breweries are starting to catch notice nationally. Toppling Goliath's Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout broke Beer Advocate's top 100 best beers from around the world.

Lewey sold a house for start-up funds to establish the brewery in 2009. Although he has yet to pay himself, the brewery now employs more than a dozen people full time. This summer, he invested more than $2 million into expanding the capacity of the operation. Before the expansion, the brewery was producing one beer at a time non-stop at a 30-barrel-per-day rate. The new set up will allow the brewery to produce 110 barrels per day of four different brews at a time.

The brewery also installed machinery that can fill up to 3,000 bottles per hour. That will allow Toppling Goliath to enter retail markets. Despite the bottler and increased capacity, the expansion won't mean a sudden flood of Toppling Goliath beer. The new capacity will allow the operation to meet the demands of the markets it's already in.

"It's not like we're going to seem like we're doing anything different," Lewey said. "Demand is there."

One of the early outlets to sell Toppling Goliath beer was Mulligan's Brick Oven Grill & Pub in Cedar Falls. Dave Morgan, Mulligan's owner, said seeing his customers' enthusiasm for Toppling Goliath and other craft beers inspired him to try commercial brewing himself.

Morgan opened Single Speed Brewing Co. in Cedar Falls in December last year. Within a few months, the brewery had reached capacity and had to add two more fermentation vessels in May. Although demand for Single Speed beer is high, Morgan said he has no plans to go retail any time soon.

At the Single Speed brew pub in downtown Cedar Falls, Morgan shares tap wall space with other craft breweries, including Reinbeck's Broad Street Brewing Co. Trevor Schellhorn, owner of Broad Street, initially looked to start his brewery by distributing and bottling beer around the area. Since Schellhorn started the brewery in December 2010, he has shifted his strategy to put a face with the beer and build a customer base by personally introducing people to the beer whenever possible. The strategy gives beer lovers a deeper connection to the brewery and builds a fan base, he said.

"By keeping this sort of model, we've got to meet a lot of people and forge these relationships that I think is pretty groovy," Schellhorn said. "It takes more time to do that but foundationally, it's much more solid."

In Waterloo, Steve Weliver and Ty Graham eschew anything traditional when practicing their brewing craft. Guerrila Brewing Co., at the Falls Mall on Falls Avenue in Waterloo, uses nontraditional ingredients and methods to brew their beer. The pair push the potency of their small batches to its full potential. The nanobrewery taps a new creation every Thursday at the Beer Hall.

Selling beer as an experience is a key to survival for many breweries in the face of increasing competition.

"I really try to make sure each beer is exciting and a good experience for everybody," said Mike Saboe, head brewer at Toppling Goliath.

The other key strategy sounds simple: Make good beer.

"There's going to be a bubble burst because mediocre breweries are not going to survive," Lewey said.
The effect of liberty to individuals is that they may do what they please; we ought to see what it will please them to do, before we risk congratulations.  Edmund Burke

As the unthinkable becomes likely, the question arises: Who is really to blame for Donald Trump?

The proximate answer is a durable plurality in the Republican primary electorate, concentrated among non-college-educated whites but not limited to them. They are applying Trump like a wrecking ball against the old political order. And it clearly does not matter to them if their instrument is qualified, honest, stable, knowledgeable, ethical, consistent or honorable.

But why has this group of voters cohered, while other elements of the Republican coalition have fractured?

Some blame compromised Republican leaders who have resolutely refused to do things  such as unilaterally overturning Obamacare  that they actually lack the constitutional power to do. Or maybe the establishment invited a backlash for insufficient toughness on illegal immigration  though it is hard to imagine why public urgency would spike just as the flow of illegal immigration has slowed to a trickle. Or maybe a parallel establishment of conservative talk radio, PACs and websites gains listeners, funds and clicks by inciting conservatives against Republicans.

Or maybe, as reform conservatives have argued, Republicans have not adequately responded to 25 years of economic dislocation and wage stagnation  challenges faced by blue-collar families that simply dont yield to a circa-1981 GOP agenda of tax cuts and deregulation.

The problem? All these same arguments were being made by the same people before Trump arrived on the scene. A new and unexpected development in American politics has managed to confirm everything people already believed, suggesting that not much learning is taking place.

Whoever else might be implicated, it is necessary to say Trump is to blame for Trump. The fact he is appealing to understandable concerns does not make him a valid or responsible voice. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, for example, President George W. Bush could have chosen to blame Islam and stir up prejudice. He didnt. In the aftermath of the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, Trump did, picking on a religious minority for self-serving political reasons.

In a dangerous world, fear is natural. Cynically exploiting fear is an art. And Trump is a Rembrandt of demagoguery.

But this does not release citizens from all responsibility. The theory voters, like customers, are always right has little to do with the American form of government. The founders had little patience for pure democracy, which they found particularly vulnerable to demagogues. Men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs, says Federalist 10, may by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests, of the people. A representative government is designed to frustrate sinister majorities (or committed pluralities), by mediating public views through a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country.

Trump is the guy your Founding Fathers warned you about. The question is not Why Trump now? argues constitutional scholar Matthew Franck, but rather Why not a Trump before now? Perhaps some residual self-respect on the part of primary voters has driven them, up to now, to seek experience, knowledge of public policy, character, and responsibility in their candidates. The Trump phenomenon suggests that in a significant proportion of the (nominally) Republican electorate, this self-respect has decayed considerably.

With the theory of a presidential nominee as wrecking ball, we have reached the culmination of the founders fears: Democracy is producing a genuine threat to the American form of self-government. Trump imagines leadership as pure act, freed from reflection and restraint. He has expressed disdain for religious and ethnic minorities. He has proposed restrictions on press freedom and threatened political enemies with retribution. He offers himself as the embodiment of the national will, driven by an intuitive vision of greatness. None of this is hidden.

The founders may not have imagined political parties as a check on public passions, but that is the role the GOP must now play  as important as any in its long history. It is late, but not too late. With losses in Ohio and Florida on March 15, Trump may well be held below a majority of delegates at the Cleveland convention. And then this chosen body of citizens should play its perfectly legitimate role and give its nomination to a constructive and responsible leader.
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Sony Pictures

Press junkets give directors and actors the chance to wax lyrical about how great whatever shlock their promoting is and play down the rabid speculation of a troubled shoot. Fortunately we all know to take whats taken here with some trepidation; it's often written in the contract for these stars to be all smiley and happy about the project.

With these wild claims and trailers being as misleading as ever the question could be raised how much of the Hollywood marketing machine is false advertising? There's always those stories of people who sued distributors because Sweeney Todd was a musical or Let The Right One In was subtitled, but is there something serious here? Drive's teaser promised a Fast And Furious style action movie and Only God Forgives promised a thoughtful, well-shot film, and even though people whined a bit it's sort of accepted as a fact you can never know fully what you're getting At least sometimes it goes the other way; Up looked incredibly knockabout in previews compared to the sombre joy of the finished film.

But even a trailer's biggest lie can't match the sort of things filmmakers come out with at a junket. Today I'm going to highlight eleven directors who told massive whoppers in the hope that it'd get you to watch their latest movie. The depressing thing? In some cases it actually worked.
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If youre looking to try out an online casino, there are several things that will help you make a decision. Heres what you should look for when choosing an online casino

 Are they regulated? A lot of the larger ones have licenses issued by the authorities in their respective regions, so its worth checking this first.

 Do they offer games from different software providers? Some casinos just use one software provider and limit your selection. This is fine if you like playing those types of games but you may want to check other casinos as well.

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The players used to play the game slot online in the land based casinos in the past time. But now with time after the invention of the online casinos players play the game slot online. Online platform provide the players with the convenience in playing and even better winning. Even after keeping a good percentage of the profits, they distribute good funds to players.

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Mar 18, 2016 | By Alec

A more diverse market is always good for the consumer, and in that respect European businesses and research institutes will be happy to learn that 3D printer manufacturer InssTek has just announced an export deal for the European market. The deal follows the CE certification of the DMT 3D Metal Printer MX-4 back in January, which denotes that the technology meets all of the requirements set by the EUs Directives of Council in regards to safety, health, environment and consumer protection. An import deal was the logical consequence of that certification. The developer of the excellent DMT metal 3D printers is well-known in Asian high quality 3D printing circles, and are hoping that this move will pave the way to European (and ultimately US) businesses as well.

This means that the European market, where just a handful of metal 3D printer models are currently available, is about to get an alternative option. The company expects it will be a precedent that will lead to a similar 3D printer export deal with the United States as well. InssTek, of course, is the premier metal 3D printing business in South Korea and firmly tied to the nations manufacturing industry. The companys CEO Sun Doo-Hoon is the son-in-law of South Koreas large conglomerate Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo. CEO Sun is married to the chairmans eldest daughter Chung Sung-yi, who is also an advisor at Hyundai-affiliated advertisement agency Innocean Worldwide Inc.

In the Korean market, it is becoming hard to avoid InssTek when it comes to metal 3D printing. Earlier in the year, they opened a huge new research institute in the Daedeok Science Complex, just across from the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials. With a total area of 4772.8m2 and featuring extensive facilities, the company announced that they would be working on various 3D printing products there. We will push ahead with technical exchange with companies located in Daedeok Science Complex where high tech businesses are concentrated by taking relocation of its office building an opportunity actively, the institutes director Seo Jeong Hoon said of the new center.

The company also works with the Korean government on various military applications, including the use of 3D printing to repair fighter jets, and even the production of jet engine parts. In the Korean market, they also provide various manufacturing, repair and remodeling services using their DMT metal 3D printer technology.

But it is also a company that has been working hard on increasing their international footprint, and this latest EU deal can be seen in that light. Previously, they have also set up a software collaboration with Materialise, for their InssTek Build Processor 3D printing software solution, which enables their signature DMT 3D printing technology to be operated more easily. The software enables a user to correct and edit 3D design more easily and prepare build platform and data and operate printers efficiently which helps a user make efficient use of time and invest more time in part design, they said of the collaboration.

That should do a lot to make the DMT metal 3D printers more appealing to European clients, though its an appealing technology already. [DMT metal 3D printing] melts commercially available metal powders using high power laser and shapes complex metal structures with the aid of 3D CAD file. It is one of the latest 3D metal printing technologies and is classified according to ASTM standard in the category of `Directed Energy Deposition, the company says of the tech. In contrast to Power Bed Fusion technologies, DMT instead uses commercially available industrial metal powders to keep prices down as much as possible. The powder flows constantly and is completely melted through laser beam and rapid solidified again. The microscopic metal structure is thus 100% tight and not different from conventionally produced metal parts or has in some cases even better mechanical properties, they add.

But like other metal 3D printing solutions, it can manufacture geometries impossible with traditional options, and is already frequently used in automotive, medical, aerospace and defense industries. The company says that their metal molds, for instance, can be equipped with highly complex internal structures featuring sensors and cooling channels. Joints used in surgery, for instance, are also possible. The structures manufactured by the DMT 3D printers have been confirmed to have equal or superior metallurgical and mechanical properties compared to wrought ones, even without post heat treatment, they argue. They further argue that their machines can be used to repair existing metal products without diminishing the original quality, or even for reverse engineering existing parts.

Whats more, the company also already has a wide range of products available, that are suitable for different companies and products. The entry-level MX-250 DMT 3D printer features a build space of just 250 X 250 X 250 mm and is perfect for small-sized objects, but the larger MX-450 (450 X 450 X 350mm) and MX-1000 (1,000 X 800 X 650 mm) offer very different possibilities. They even have the MPC DMT 3D printer, which is purposefully designed for the coating of orthopedic implants, while the largest MX-Grand features a truly massive build space of 2,000 X 1,000 X 1,000 mm (in 3 axis mode), or even 4,000 X 1,000 X 1,000 mm (as 3 axis machine).

In short, it seems that InssTek has both the technology, product range and experience to become an important player in the European metal 3D printing market.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Allison Eck in Nautilus:

Jeremy England is concerned about wordsabout what they mean, about the universes they contain. He avoids ones like consciousness and information; too loaded, he says. Too treacherous. When hes searching for the right thing to say, his voice breaks a little, scattering across an octave or two before resuming a fluid sonority.

His caution is understandable. The 34-year-old assistant professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the architect of a new theory called dissipative adaption, which has helped to explain how complex, life-like function can self-organize and emerge from simpler things, including inanimate matter. This proposition has earned England a somewhat unwelcome nickname: the next Charles Darwin. But Englands story is just as much about language as it is about biology.

There are some 6,800 unique languages in use today. Not every word translates perfectly, and meaning sometimes falls through the cracks. For instance, there is no English translation for the Japanese wabi-sabithe idea of finding beauty in imperfectionor for the German waldeinsamkeit, the feeling of being alone in the woods.

Different fields of science, too, are languages unto themselves, and scientific explanations are sometimes just translations. Red, for instance, is a translation of the phrase 620-750 nanometer wavelength. Temperature is a translation of the average speed of a group of particles. The more complex a translation, the more meaning it imparts. Gravity means the geometry of spacetime.

What about life? We think we know life when we see it. Darwins theory even explains how one form of life evolves into another. But what is the difference between a robin and a rock, when both obey the same physical laws? In other words, how do you say life in physics? Some have argued that the word is untranslatable. But maybe it simply needed the right translator.

More here.
Todd Gitlin in The Washington Post:

In the past few decades, plutocracy, globalization and compliant governments have betrayed workers, most of whom are white. Their decline began long before NAFTA, with the rise of low-wage foreign economies and a crushing, decades-long assault on the unions that had kept their wages up and their jobs in place. If Trump enters the White House, he cannot solve these problems. However often he fulminates against trade deals, he cannot conjure secure jobs for his fans. His beautiful wall, whether built or unbuilt, offers symbolic pleasures, but it would not make them walk taller or elevate their paychecks. Neither would tariffs, for which the price would be high. Then there are the cultural furies that fuel the Trump campaign: As a hefty share of white Americans see it, theyve been forced to suffer the depredations of a black president whose middle name is Hussein  at this late date, 43 percent of Republicans still think he is a Muslim. What Trump holds out to his thwarted followers are the joys of instant, long-deferred gratification. When his supporters say he says what he thinks, they mean what they think and, even more, feel. How thrilling that, at last, a big shot, a winner, stands up for them, promises to wall off the bad guys, or punch them in the face, or both.

Most of all, though, theres no respectable version of Trump  no Nixon  waiting in the wings to deliver on promises and contain the free-floating hatred. Theres no one to placate the enraged white working class, especially the men, and its hard to imagine policies that would make a re-greatened America take the country away from you guys. Neither Trump nor his GOP rivals can create that America  not soon, at any rate. Merely having a white president again is unlikely to mollify the angriest white voters. They want more than walls and nastiness; they want a viable, reliable economic life. They want a world where whites have secure, dignified jobs (better jobs, by the way, than immigrants and other upstarts who used to know their place). Theres every reason to believe that theyll continue to feel victimized by malevolent interlopers: Barack Obama, China, immigrants, Muslims. Their frustration will have no outlet; no deliverance is in sight.

More here.
Hartosh Singh Bal in Caravan:

On 24 January, Amit Shah began his second term as president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, following a first stint that began in July 2014, soon after Narendra Modi assumed power. The controversy over the suicide of Rohith Vemula, on 17 January, was engulfing the party. Vemula was a PhD scholar and a member of the Ambedkar Students Association at the University of Hyderabad, whose stipend had been stopped after a fracas with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Reports that the universitys actions may have resulted from interventions by the union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh man, and the human resources minister, Smriti Irani, were damaging the BJP, which was already vulnerable to criticism that it was anti-Dalit. The partys reactionwhich was to question if Vemula was indeed a Dalitutterly failed to contain the damage. Modi intervened, briefly and belatedly, to express anguish at the suicide, but the overwhelming tone of the party was to strongly defend Dattatreya and Irani.

Less than a month later, on 12 February, police arrested Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, on charges of sedition, after he attended an event where allegedly anti-India slogans had been raised. Once again, the ABVPwhose candidate had been defeated by Kanhaiya in the universitys union electionswas at the forefront of protesting anti-national activities. This time, to avoid a repeat of its embarrassment after the Hyderabad episode, the BJP took to branding all opposition to its actions as anti-national. Those leading the charge included the home minister, Rajnath Singh, who tweeted, If anyone shouts anti India slogan & challenges nations sovereignty & integrity while living in India, they will not be tolerated or spared. In the immediate aftermath, Modi did not offer up even a token statement, though the storm of controversy that followed sidelined an extravagant, week-long programme of events in support of the Make in India campaign, one of his pet projects.

Superficially, Shahs reinstatement as the BJPs head would seem to signal a continuation of the partys ways during his first term. Back then, the party line was dominated by the combine of Shah, Modi and Arun Jaitley. But as these two incidents demonstrated, this will not be so in Shahs second turn. The normally vocal Jaitley, who has never enjoyed the confidence of the Sangh, has been conspicuous by his almost complete silence. Meanwhile, the number of people speaking for the BJP has expanded to include leaders such as Singh and Sushma Swaraj, who enjoy the confidence of the Sangh and had lately been reduced to mere ciphers. And the line they echo is not set by Modi and his lieutenants, but by the RSS.

More here.
Andrews Airmen enable Obamas historic Cuba visit

President Barack Obama touched down in Cuba on the iconic Air Force One on March 20, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country in nearly 90 years.



While world leaders and citizens tuned into national news broadcasts of the visit, the men and women of the 89th Airlift Wing continued their no-fail mission, executing a variety of tasks.



Though presidential movements aboard the VC-25 aircraft are the primary semblance of the 89th AW, the wing flies hundreds of special air missions each year. Missions that enable national interests and diplomacy through the global transport of the president, vice president, cabinet members, combatant commanders, and other senior military and elected leaders as tasked by the White House, Air Force chief of staff and Air Mobility Command.



Due to the high-profile, no-fail mission of the special air mission foreign team, known as SAM Fox, members of the Presidential Airlift Group, 89th Operations Group and 89th Maintenance Group are selectively hired into their positions.



SAM is a call sign given to every mission the 89th AW flies. Being more than just a call sign to Airmen within the 89th AW, SAM Fox is a way of life; it carries over into professional appearance of the crew, the plane, mission execution and every aspect of operations, support or maintenance in the wing.



It takes a dedicated Airman to serve the president, vice president and our other distinguished customers, said Col. John C. Millard, the 89th AW commander. We flew more than 200 SAM missions to 75 countries in 2015 alone, and did so with zero mishaps and a 98.4 percent departure reliability rate.



While flying missions like President Obamas trip to Cuba take center stage optically, he added, there are hundreds of maintainers, aerial porters, communications professionals and other Airmen ensuring the SAM Fox mission is executed perfectly, while still managing high-profile events on the airfield at Joint Base Andrews and off-station.



Some of the recent events included Pope Francis first visit to the U.S., funeral of Saudi Arabias King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, repatriation of American prisoners abroad, the Arab Summit, the African Leaders Summit, and the 2015 Joint Base Andrews Airshow.



Anytime a news report shows the president, vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, or another U.S. national leader meeting with a foreign head of state, its the SAM Fox team who got them there, and kept them safe, reliable, comfortable, connected and protected in the process.



One 89th MXG flying crew chief reflected on what being a part of that humbling mission means to him.



Becoming a flying crew chief in this wing and with this unique mission has been a dream come true. Whenever were needed and wherever we must go, I feel like being part of this wing means being part of something truly great, said Tech. Sgt. Joseph Wallace. Ive been to dozens of countries and have supported missions that most people only see in the form of highlights on the nightly news. With each mission, I know history is being made and Im right there when it happens.
Finally, after so much of hullabaloo on students and instability in Universities, BJP leader Arun Jaitley said, Constitution gives full freedom for expressing dissent and disagreement, but not on account of countrys destruction. He was explaining the political resolution adopted at the partys national executive meeting. JNUs sloganeering mystery is yet unsolved, no one knows who shouted that slogans and for what purpose. Some random students were arrested on sedition charges. Finally, when everything boomeranged, BJP and its leaders are coming up with different explanations. JNU incident revived so much hype about nationalism in such a way that, we, the people of India, was in absolute affair of unfamiliarity. The coverage on nationalism debate over last week was totally biased with Republic of India. Its true that every citizen is entitled to claim his/her fundamental right enshrined in our Constitution of India but why everybody forgets to fulfill his/her duties to uphold security and integrity of India. In other words, everybody was having a new opinion about Indias new avatar but few miscreants compromising the very emergence of our country in International fore. The very biased coverage by traditional media and a chaos created by social media is new threat and challenge to our strength. Freedom of Speech doesnt allow us to challenge the integrity and sovereignty of India. The slogans raised in JNU are condemnable and not allowed under the shadow of freedom of speech and expression, but targeting the innocent and letting the culprits go scot-free is also not patriotism. Government needs to be smarter when they are planting some agenda with their aims, whims and fancies. Young Indians are very much alert and they know where to attack and secure their rights. BJP has literally landed in awkward position, with the arrest of JNU students. Government arrested them haphazardly but law bailed them out.

The issue of nationalism continued to take the center stage in the deliberations after party chief Amit Shah set the tone in his inaugural address saying the BJP will not tolerate any attack on the nation, with the dominant mood in the BJP being to put the Congress in a corner on the issue. Confining nationalism and portraying everything, as black and white is not a good judgment. Modern political commentators are unanimous that nationalism is composed of two components: emotional and political. Politically, it is the culmination of a historical process that established the nationality. In India, the whole country joined the struggle for Independence, common folks sacrificing themselves. It was truly this political struggle that established nationalism. A historical process is simply not enough, but there should also be a well-grounded theory and idealism behind such a struggle. It came naturally to our Independence movement. Nationalism also needs political parties to weld the historical process and the idealism into something that is achievable. The INC did that effectively for India as a mass based organization in the far nooks and corners of the country.

Though issues of government formation in Uttarakhand, where the Congress government is facing rebellion in its ranks and in Jammu and Kashmir where government has not been formed after CM Mufti Mohammad Saeeds death. Country is already going through various challenges, PM Modi is trying to deliver his election promises, but his party workers are not in a mood to follow him.

The Constitution of India provides the right to freedom, given in articles 19, 20, 21 and 22, with the view of guaranteeing individual rights that were considered vital by the framers of the constitution. The right to freedom in Article 19 guarantees the Freedom of Speech and Expression, as one of its six freedoms.

In a landmark judgment of the case Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, the Supreme Court held that the freedom of speech and expression has no geographical limitation and it carries with it the right of a citizen to gather information and to exchange thought with others not only in India but abroad also.

The constitution of India does not specifically mention the freedom of press. Freedom of press is implied from the Article 19(a) of the Constitution. Thus, the press is subject to the restrictions that are provided under the Article 19(2) of the Constitution. Before Independence, there was no constitutional or statutory provision to protect the freedom of press. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution ensures to all its citizens the liberty of expression. Freedom of the press has been included as part of freedom of speech and expression under the Article 19 of the UDHR. The heart of the Article 19 says: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

There are instances when the freedom of press has been suppressed by the legislature. The authority of the government, in such circumstances, has been under the scanner of judiciary. The court struck down the Section 7 of the East Punjab Safety Act, 1949, which directed the editor and publisher of a newspaper to submit for scrutiny, in duplicate, before the publication, till the further orders, all communal matters all the matters and news and views about Pakistan, including photographs, and cartoons, on the ground that it was a restriction on the liberty of the press. Similarly, prohibiting newspaper from publishing its own views or views of correspondents about a topic has been held to be a serious encroachment on the freedom of speech and expression. Anyway, whosoever it may be, Indian citizen, media or newspapers, each one of them have the rights to express themselves.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Actress Kareena Kapoor has denied reports that she has signed a Pakistani movie.

There were speculations for months that the 35-year-old Bajrangi Bhaijaan star is set to star in acclaimed Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoors next film.

When asked about the same, Kareena said, Thats not true. I am not doing any Pakistani film.

The actress will next be seen in R Balkis Ki And Ka opposite Arjun Kapoor. The film is set to hit theatres on April 1.

Kareena, who was speaking at the red carpet of second Times of India Film Awards, said she was glad to be part of a film where a woman is shown more ambitious than her husband.

The women are leading the world today in every sphere and Ki And Ka shows that and I am hopeful people will love the movie, said Kareena.
A wave of Russian air strikes killed at least 39 civilians on Saturday in Raqa, the main stronghold of the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria, a monitoring group said.

At least five children and seven women were among the dead in ISs 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 ISs 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 said.

IS seized Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Pearl of the Desert, last May.

In September, satellite images confirmed that Palmyras 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 terrorists 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 terrorist 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 governments 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.
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. US and other European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant ahead of Navroz 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.
What is Canada Doing About ISIL's Genocide Against Christians?

Assyrians, who were driven from their hometowns by ISIL attacks last year, pray at a Khalil Melkite Greek Catholic church near Damascus. ( LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images) The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is hell-bent on exterminating ancient Christian communities across the Middle East. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry finally confirmed this Thursday when he declared ISIL was guilty of genocide against Christians and other minority groups in Iraq and Syria. This follows a similar declaration by the European Union last month. ISIL's outrages against Christians in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen had created a political firestorm on Capitol Hill the Obama administration clearly felt compelled to respond to. Regrettably the violent persecution of Christians across the Islamic world never seems to cause a sustained stir in Canada. The lack of interest in actively defending Christians and other minorities in Iraq from harm was underscored by the Trudeau's government decision last month to withdraw Canadian warplanes from combat operations against ISIL. It presumably explains why Global Affairs Minister St
David was tragically killed over a month ago in Manhattan by a crane that was toppled over.

Just over a month David Wichs was tragically killed in Lower Manhattan by a crane that was toppled over by strong winds. The loss of this exceptional young man is as immeasurable as it was tragic. His untimely death was covered extensively in the media, but coverage of Davids unique personality and character were scarce.

For those of us who had the good fortune of knowing him and his family, the pain is still very deep. Although not related to the Wichses in any way, we have merited a close relationship to David and his family for the last 25 years. The following are some details and memories of David that we would like to share with those who did not have the privilege of knowing David.

Our first glimpse of David was at the International Arrivals building at Kennedy Airport, in the summer of 1990  we, holding a big David sign, and he, with his characteristic dimpled smile, waving excitedly. He was 12 years old, arriving alone from Prague, ready to experience and conquer America. Planning to spend a month here before his upcoming Bar Mitzvah in the fall, he embraced the opportunity with enthusiasm.

Taking in the numerous highlights of the city and visiting various, vibrant Jewish neighborhoods was an eye-opener. What made the biggest impression and brought him the greatest joy, was his first glimpse of a classroom in yeshiva. He was mesmerized. It was the first time ever that he saw so many Jewish children wearing kippahs, davening, singing. David, who along with his brother Daniel was one of just a handful of Jewish children receiving the best of the limited Jewish education available in Prague, had never seen anything quite like it.

Although Davids English at that time was limited, we had no problem communicating. He was full of opinions about everything. Blessed with a keen mind, his worldview was mature way beyond his years and his dreams for the future were enthusiastically expressed. We were amused, charmed and impressed by his grand ambitions. Experiencing and relishing an all-encompassing Jewishly observant environment on his short visit here, he traveled back home to Prague with a determined commitment to try and adopt all that he had absorbed. It quickly became clear that achieving this could best be accomplished by relocating to the States.

This ambitious and life-changing goal was realized a year later due to the enormous self-sacrifice on the part of Davids loving and devoted parents both of whom were professionals with established careers in Prague. Making the move required the herculean tasks of mastering a new language, re-learning and re-qualifying for their European-accredited professional degrees, settling their family into a new community and adapting to the American culture. It was a truly heroic effort, all for the purpose of affording the boys the possibility to live an observant Jewish life and offering the opportunity for a brighter future on all levels.

David and Daniel flourished in Yeshivah of Flatbush where the staff extended themselves to welcome the family and nurture the boys potential. They caught up quickly and excelled in both their religious and secular studies. It quickly became clear that both David and Daniel were very gifted students. Each of them was selected as a semifinalist in the National Westinghouse Science Competition  the United States oldest and most prestigious science competition. Despite Davids rare gifts and talents, it was more his sweet, easygoing, humble nature, unique accent and infectious smile that earned him the admiration and affection of his teachers and classmates with whom he developed and maintained lasting friendships. This ability to earn peoples respect and esteem and to form meaningful and enduring relationships was to characterize Davids life throughout the various stages of his career.

Although accepted into Harvard with a scholarship, he deferred his acceptance and spent the year after graduation learning in Israel in Yeshivat Hamivtar where he grew and developed. While there he forged a strong and rewarding relationship with Rabbi Brovender, the Rosh Hayeshiva. His gratitude to Yeshivah of Flatbush and to Yeshivat Hamivtar was manifest in the humble and discreet  yet very generous  support that he extended to them as well as to other organizations and institutions after he became established financially.

Harvard was next. Gifted with a sharp intellect, he excelled in his studies. While there, he was actively involved in Hillel and formed an additional set of lasting friendships. After completing his studies, he moved back to New York and joined a small financial firm engaged in algorithmic trading. With his participation the firm grew significantly over the next 15 years. Bonds formed with his colleagues were strong, loyal, trusting and personal. In connection with his work he traveled frequently to India along with his co-workers. In many instances he got to meet their families and his warmth, humility and friendliness endeared him to all. As evidence of the love and respect he engendered among his coworkers, his close colleague of many years poignantly remarked at the funeral that there is a small village in India also weeping for David today.

David and his wife Rebecca in traditional Indian dress at the wedding of one of Davids colleagues.

During the shiva the family received a most beautiful and remarkable letter from the man who interviewed David for acceptance into Harvard. In his letter he mentions that as a Harvard alumnae and in his position as an interviewer for Harvard for many years, he has met hundreds of gifted and exceptional students. However, with all the interviews he has conducted over the years, only two really stood out in his mind. One of them was David. Although he only saw him that one time and they never met again, he recalls him vividly. He remembers David as being off-the-chart smart, but what impressed him most was the fact that even as a teenager it was clear to this interviewer that David was a generous human being, humble, mature, a kind Jewish soul, an old-fashioned, terrific guy. You just knew when you met him. And it was this fact that he chose to highlight in his report to Harvard. He said that he always wondered what became of David over the years and when he read in the paper about Davids tragic demise he felt compelled to share his memories.

David had a great sense of fun and adventure. He loved to travel, ski, hike and scuba dive. He had a wonderful self-deprecating sense of humor. He was laid-back and relaxed by nature and hated dressing formally. One of the attractions of his particular work environment was the very casual dress-code which he took advantage of daily.

David lived on the Upper West Side. Three years ago he married Rebecca Guttman, a graduate of Ramaz and a lawyer by profession. He joined Kehilath Jeshurun where his wifes family are long standing, active members.

He was a loving and loved son, brother and husband, a discreet, dependable, loyal friend, a reliable, respected and trusted colleague, as attested to by the many tributes from all those whose lives he touched and enriched. He was a mensch of the highest order and his life was a kiddush Hashem.

Davids life ended tragically. But in living it, his impact was felt by many.

Yehi Zichro Boruch

The Weiss family
March 20, 2016

CAIRO  The new Suez Canal is feeling the pain of low oil prices, but authorities say major development plans associated with the canal will not be affected by a temporary decline in traffic.

On Feb. 24, Egyptian Council of Ministers President Sherif Ismail inaugurated the new side channel of East Port Said. Suez Canal Authority chief Adm. Mohab Mamish emphasized the channels importance in facilitating ships passage to and from the port, and thus its importance to the Suez Canal Area Development Project, which includes the development of six ports.

The channel in the Mediterranean and Red Sea is 9.5 kilometers (6 miles) long and 18 meters (60 feet) deep and was dredged over three months.

In conjunction with the channels inauguration, SeaIntel Maritime Analysis issued a report confirming that since October, 115 cargo vessels sailing from Asia to northern Europe and the US East Coast chose to take the long way home. The vessels sailed around South Africa on their return journey, skipping the Suez and Panama canals. In light of the global oil slump, vessels can afford to take the scenic route and avoid costly canal tariffs.

The report called the route shift a bad sign for the Panama and Suez canals, noting the $8.5 billion Egypt just spent to expand the Suez.

Mamish responded to the report by saying, The Suez Canal is the main artery of global trade traffic; an alternative route cannot deprive the canal of its undisputed international prestige.

He added, Traffic in the Suez Canal during 2015 increased by 2% compared with 2014.

Egypt opened the new Suez Canal in August, aiming to reduce navigation time for ships to 11 hours from about 18-22 hours and cut vessels wait time to three hours from a previous delay of eight to 11 hours.

The SeaIntel report stressed that vessels primary objective is not to reduce navigation time, but to reduce the cost of the journey.

Abdul Nabi Abdul Muttalib, undersecretary of the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry, told Al-Monitor that there is more to the story.

He said, The Suez Canal Area must be developed, since it [eventually] may save Egypt from the repercussions of an oil price slump or a world trade recession.

Muttalib explained his vision, saying, The East Port Said canal is a step in the area development project, which will attract at least $100 billion worth of investments. This will also achieve an annual profit of about $20 billion and will provide 1 million jobs, since the area development project aims to establish industrial, agricultural and logistical clusters.

The return generated by these projects will exceed by far the total proceeds of the ships crossing over the Suez Canal, which are linked to the volatile trade activity.

The Egyptian prime minister attended the side channel ceremony, but the turnout was significantly lower than the canals official launch, which was attended by the French president and several Arab leaders. Egyptian Naval Academy adviser Abdel Wahab Kamel believes there is no room for comparison between the two events, since the Port Said channel is 6 miles long, while the expansion of the Suez Canal reached 23 miles.

Like Muttalib, Kamel emphasized that the canal projects success shouldnt be judged on traffic. The project must go on since it will provide significant job opportunities for young people and will promote the establishment of factories, he told Al-Monitor.

He also stressed the importance of the channel.

The channel allows the vessels to enter directly to the port of East Port Said without waiting for the vessels transiting in the opposite direction by providing an independent shipping lane, which saves time and does not disrupt work at the port, he said.

The plan for the Suez Canal Area Development Project is not new. Former Egyptian Minister of Housing Hasballah Kafrawi came up with the idea in the 1970s. The project, however, only saw the light of day when President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi decided to implement it.

Nevertheless, questions remain about the current feasibility of the project in light of the wobbling global economy and instability in the Middle East.
March 17, 2016

Israeli-American relations are at an all-time low. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus refusal to meet President Barack Obama, as suggested by the White House, prior to the AIPAC conference on March 20 is another unprecedented blow to the relationship.

Obama does not mince words when describing his views of the Israeli prime minister. In his interview with Jeffrey Goldberg published in the April issue of The Atlantic, he recalled an incident when Netanyahu lectured him on the Middle East. Obama then criticized him, telling Netanyahu that, while he was an African-American son of a single mother, he now lives in the White House as he got elected president of the United States, and that he actually understands what Netanyahu was saying.

This incident must be an unprecedented one between any American president and a foreign dignitary. There is not a single issue on which Obama and Netanyahu see eye to eye. Their opinions on settlement expansion, on the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, on the Iran deal and on the scope of the US-Israel long-term security deal that is currently being negotiated differ fundamentally. Their differences derive from a principal ideological gap  Netanyahu is not a big believer in diplomacy and negotiations for conflict resolution and never rules out military intervention; Obama, as the leader of the free world, has introduced effective conflict resolution through collective diplomacy with the use of force as a last resort, such as in ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in the Iran deal and the Syrian chemical weapons crisis.

These differences of views were evident in Vice President Joe Bidens visit to Israel March 8-10. An American diplomatic official in Tel Aviv told Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity, that the prime minister rejected the vice presidents suggestions to renew Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on a two-state solution in any way that would meet, even halfway, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demands to have the negotiations based on the 1967 lines and to halt settlement expansion. Instead, Netanyahu blasted Abbas for incitement of violence. The Obama administration, on the other hand, views Abbas as relatively moderate and believes he should be strengthened by diplomatic initiatives. According to this US source, the American delegation came away with the sentiment that all Netanyahu wants is for time to run out on Obamas presidency.

Aaron David Miller, senior vice president of the Woodrow Wilson Center and formerly part of President Bill Clintons peace team, told Al-Monitor, Obama and Netanyahu have the most dysfunctional relationship of any US president and Israeli prime minister. This dysfunctional relationship originates both in their opinion differences, as in the clash of temperament and style, and was made worse by the bitter fight on the Iran deal.

Netanyahu, in the Iran debate, ruined his reputation  not only with Obama, but with all of the Democratic establishment. Opposing an American president on his political home turf should have been taboo for any Israeli prime minister. With Iran fully implementing its side of the nuclear bargain (contrary to Netanyahu's warnings), and the strengthening of the moderate camp in the recent Iranian parliamentary elections, the Obama administration feels vindicated.

Yet the principal issue of contention between the Obama administration and the Israeli government is the Palestinian issue. Obama is disengaging from the Middle East. As expressed in his interview in The Atlantic, he is disappointed with the Arab world for failing the Arab Spring democratization process. He will not let others, and especially not countries hostile to America, force the United States into the role of a regional policeman. On the Palestinian issues, he strongly supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state under conditions of security and peace with Israel. Much of his foreign policy is value-based and he, therefore, favors ending the occupation in exchange for security for Israel, which is of paramount importance to him. The US president also believes that a two-state solution rescues Israels Jewish-democratic identity.

Both of Obamas views  disengaging from military intervention in the region and supporting a two-state solution  are considered by the Netanyahu government as naive and wrong. The Israeli prime minister prefers to see a right-wing American president policing the Middle East, with Israel as a strategic ally.

In the last year of Obamas presidency, Israel and the Arabs will be left to their own devices. Obamas America will not do the job for them. The times when you could curse the United States and still expect its unconditional assistance are over. This is not only a reflection of Obamas foreign policy, but of greater isolationism in American public opinion.
March 20, 2016

Senate Republicans have run out of patience with Iran's defiance of its international obligations, setting up a possible partisan showdown over new sanctions.

Hawkish lawmakers introduced two bills late last week that take aim at Iran's ballistic missile program and alleged human rights violations. Both bills have been endorsed by the Senate leadership, which is evidently tired of waiting on a long-rumored bipartisan alternative that has so far failed to materialize.

"Today I have led an effort in the Senate to introduce legislation that would require the administration to impose tough, hard-hitting primary and secondary sanctions on every sector of the Iranian economy that supports Tehran's ballistic missile programs," the missile sanctions bill's sponsor, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said in a statement. "Tough words alone will not deter the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism from continuing to develop its ballistic missile program, and I call on my colleagues in Congress, as well as the administration, to pass this legislation and impose without delay the strongest possible sanctions in order to hold Tehran accountable."

The legislative push comes as the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee continue to try to thread the needle on efforts to hold Iran to account without imperiling last year's nuclear deal. Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and ranking member Ben Cardin, D-Md., issued a joint statement soon after the two bills were introduced to reaffirm their determination to strike a bipartisan compromise that can attract enough support to pass the Senate and overcome a possible presidential veto.

"We are continuing to work on bipartisan sanctions legislation, said Corker and Cardin. Iran remains a bipartisan concern and we are committed to taking action to ensure that Iran does not become a threshold nuclear weapons state.

Still, Corker is also showing signs of impatience. He has scheduled a hearing for April 5 on "recent Iranian actions and implementation of the nuclear deal" with Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon, and indicated on March 18 his intention to soon file legislation that would curtail the administration's ability to avoid sanctioning Iran as called for by US laws.

"Any legislation to that end must also deal appropriately with the waiver issue, because I believe President [Barack] Obama used the Iran waivers in a manner that Congress never intended," Corker said. "If any waiver authority is granted to provide a degree of flexibility, we must ensure that no president, Republican or Democrat, can use this authority to enter into an international agreement without first seeking approval from two-thirds of the Senate or both houses of Congress. Since this issue is still unresolved, in the coming days I intend to introduce legislation to address this issue and hold Iran accountable both now and in the future.

Ayotte's bill takes a new approach by targeting sectors of the Iranian economy  in particular the "automotive, chemical, computer science, construction, electronic, energy, metallurgy, mining, petrochemical, research and telecommunication"  suspected of supporting the country's ballistic missile program. If the administration determines that a sector is in fact "directly or indirectly" supporting Irans ballistic missile program, the bill states that "the President must issue blocking sanctions on the entire sector of the Iranian economy."

The sectoral sanctions approach is being pushed by the hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), which released a 10-page analysis in conjunction with the Ayotte bill's announcement.

"In January the administration imposed sanctions with very limited teeth because they targeted individuals and companies  procurement networks that Tehran can easily reconstitute, FDD Executive Director Mark Dubowitz said in a press release. Only severe new sanctions on those sectors of Iran's economy that support its missile program can change Irans strategic calculus.

Separately, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., introduced legislation that seeks to punish Iran for its alleged human rights violations. The bill in particular singled out the airline Mahan Air, which has been accused of ferrying weapons to forces fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad's army in Syria.

"I reject our current posture of willful ignorance and inaction towards Iran's terrorist activities, illegal missile testing, funding Assads war, and human rights abuses, Kirk said in a statement. The Administrations response cannot once again be its not supposed to be doing that as Iran continues to walk all over U.S. foreign policy and the international community.

The Treasury Department has said that it is working to convince European countries to blacklist Mahan Air, which had plans to expand its global presence. Kirk's bill would make that impossible by targeting any "person that provides, directly or indirectly, goods, services, technology, or financial services, including the sale or provision of aircraft or aircraft parts, fuel, ramp assistance, baggage and cargo handling, catering, refueling, ticketing, check-in services, crew handling, or other services related to flight operations, to Mahan Air or its agents or affiliates, or for aircraft of Mahan Air or its agents or affiliates."

Both bills are co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his No. 2, John Cornyn, R-Texas, suggesting they're likely to come up for a floor vote relatively soon. The Banking Committee has jurisdiction over sanctions bills in the Senate, allowing the leadership to entirely bypass Corker's committee.

Domestic political considerations augur rapid action in the Senate. The bills could boost the political fortunes of Ayotte and Kirk, who face tough re-election fights against Democratic New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan and Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Iraq war veteran who lost both legs in combat.

The Obama administration has so far taken a wait-and-see approach to the two bills. An official said the White House is "reviewing" both bills, while reiterating that the president already has domestic and international tools for punishing Iran for its missile program, notably the Proliferation Security Initiative and the Missile Technology Control Regime.
March 20, 2016

Around 11 a.m. March 19, there was a loud explosion on Istiklal Street in the Beyoglu district in Istanbul. The attack claimed the lives of four people and a male suicide bomber, leaving over 30 injured. The latest news indicates that among the victims were two American-Israeli dual citizens, an Israeli and an Iranian; at least five tourists who were part of an Israeli culinary tour group of 14 were injured. Most of the other wounded were Turks and foreign tourists.

The Israeli government sent two planes to repatriate the bodies of the three dead Israelis and evacuated the five wounded to Israeli hospitals. Israel is now trying to determine, in cooperation with Turkish security officials, whether the Israeli tour group was targeted specifically or whether it was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Istiklal Street is the most popular street in the center of Istanbul. Since the 1850s, it has been an area where multiculturalism has flourished: non-Muslims of the Ottoman Empire, businessmen from all around the world as well as the embassies of the main European powers settled in the district, which is now an amazing collection of shops, art venues and pubs. It is a must-see for any tourist. It is also within walking distance to the old imperial city, the Galata Tower and several churches and mosques. The street has been closed off to cars, allowing pedestrians to enjoy a leisurely stroll and listen to street musicians, eat street food and shop. The street ends at Taksim Square, the focal point of political protests in Istanbul. Hence, the area is patrolled by riot police.

Since October, Turkey has been on heightened alert following the repeated bombings and protests in city centers  with a death toll surpassing that of a number of terror-wrecked cities such as Kabul.

The alert also was in effect for this week's Nowruz spring equinox celebrations, which the Kurds celebrate; Nowruz fell on March 20 this year.

Immediately after the March 19 attack, the public speculated that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or the Kurdish Freedom Falcons (TAK) was responsible, but as details started emerging from the investigation that focused on the security cameras in the area, the main suspect appeared to be a member of the Islamic State (IS).

Indeed, there were allegations that the suicide bomber was one of the four most-wanted IS members in Turkey. DNA tests identified Mehmet Ozturk, a Turkish citizen known to be affiliated with IS, as the bomber.

A former United Nations official who is intimately familiar with Middle East politics warned against knee-jerk reactions to such incidents. Before automatically pointing at the PKK as the perpetrator, our so-called security experts should have remembered that the Kurds are on excellent terms with the Israelis and they cooperate in many fields. No Kurd would have authorized such an attack against Israelis, he said. Such ignorant blabbing is but another indicator of the pathetic state of our security."

The public and official reactions to the suicide attack were mixed. This time, rather than senior Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials, Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin was the first to offer a reaction. The media reported March 18 that he had said the German Embassys cautionary decision of shutting down its offices due to possible terror threats was exaggerated. After the suicide bombing on Istiklal Street, Sahin claimed the terror attack in Istanbul was unrelated to what the German Embassys actions and announcements had hinted at.

It was not only Sahin who provided mind-numbing explanations. On Twitter, Irem Aktas, the head of the media relations and women's outreach department of one of the AKPs Istanbul municipalities, tweeted, I wish it had been worse. I wish all Israeli citizens would have died, not just injured. Her reaction caused an uproar. AKP officials said that Aktas words do not represent the AKP, and that she is to be promptly expelled from the party.

Pro-government media outlets chose to quietly ignore Aktas reaction to the event and rather focused on the news that pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) members danced with joy in Antalya. The Sabah daily reported, On the day that Turkey mourns the victims of a terror attack, HDP members want to dance. Indeed, HDP members had gathered to celebrate Nowruz in Antalya and allegedly started shouting slogans in Kurdish such as Long live Apo (the nickname for Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned PKK leader) before police asked them to disperse. Garo Paylan, an HDP parliamentarian, told the police chief that they would disperse after finishing a Turkish folk dance (halay). Pro-government media outlets and social media embellished Paylans words while also criticizing Selahattin Demirtas, the HDPs chairman, for not altering his Nowruz celebration schedule.

Yet the opposition ridiculed Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglus reaction detailing the number and identity of the victims. He went on the record saying, Even if they are foreigners, we are still losing human lives.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu condemned the attack with a lengthy speech during which he said, As a country we always stood firm against terror, we said terror knows no religion, language or ethnicity  we should combat all kinds. This sad event validates how appropriate our approach to terrorism has been.

But the publics mood on March 19 in Ankara and Istanbul was one of unease. Not many people agreed with Davutoglus claim that the governments approach was effective. Indeed, in the afternoon, Istanbuls Beyoglu district resembled Ankaras weeklong deserted streets. Right after the attack, Al-Monitor visited several different areas close to Istiklal Street, which was promptly closed off to the public until late in the evening. In the Galata neighborhood, around the Galata Tower, several shops had shut down around midday. One shopkeeper selling soaps and bathrobes told Al-Monitor, We lost Russian tourists after the government shot down the Russian plane [November]; then came the bombing at Sultanahmet Square [mid-January] and we lost German tourists. Millions of people in Istanbul earn their livelihood in the hospitality industry and IS and the PKK have just put the last nail in our coffins.

As he spoke, several other shopkeepers shook their heads and concurred with him. One of them said, We keep seeing more police and fewer tourists around here. There has to be another way.

Although it is too soon to jump to conclusions, a senior bureaucrat likened the attack in Istanbul to the one in Sultanahmet, where a German tourist group was targeted. The two cases have multiple common features: a suicide bomber targeting busy tourist hubs and foreign groups. Yet the impact is felt by everyone in the city, not just tourists. Almost all public areas are deserted; traffic was light for a Saturday evening and people looked at each other with fear and suspicion, wondering if the worst could be over.
March 20, 2016

Is Turkey winning the war against the PKK?

A terrorist attack in Istanbul on March 19 killed at least five people, among them two Americans with dual Israeli citizenship, and wounded dozens more. This attack comes less than one week after a suicide bombing in Ankara took 37 lives.

Turkey is fighting a two-front terrorist war. While early reports indicate that the Islamic State (IS) may be responsible for the bombing in Istanbul, the Turkish government has implicated Kurdish separatists as responsible for the murders in Ankara on March 13. Al-Monitor supports Turkey in defeating terrorists from any and all quarters, and expresses its deepest sympathy for the innocent victims of these inexcusable crimes.

The terrorist offensive in Turkey, whether from IS or the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), can be understood in the context of Turkeys disastrous policies in Syria. As this column said more than two years ago, The blowback from terrorists is connected to popular discontent with Turkeys Syria policies. The vast majority of Turks want their government to stay neutral and keep out of the Syria conflict. [Then] Turkish President Abdullah Gul made public the "open secret" of his own dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogans Syria policy. In a Jan. 13 [2014] speech to Turkeys ambassadorial corps, he said, 'When developments in Syria are considered in particular, the threats and potential threats that have emerged are growing.' He added, 'In view of the realties that have emerged on our countrys southern flank, we have to recalibrate our diplomacy and security policies by also taking into consideration the threat perceptions that have emerged around us.'

It goes without saying that Guls counsel went unheeded, and that Turkeys perhaps deliberate ambiguity until recently in dealing with Salafi armed groups, especially al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, along with what Kadri Gursel has called the two-way jihadist highway from Turkey to Syria, has compounded Turkeys security dilemma.

Metin Gurcan explains how Turkey is bent on undermining the Kurdish resistance by combat, and the challenges and limitations of its approach in confronting the PKK. The Turkish military is engrossed in long-term sieges of towns such as Yuksekova, Sirnak and Nusaybin to disrupt the logistics lines of the PKK and its newly established youth wing, the Civil Defense Units. The plan is to first clear out the trenches and barricades in the towns and then deploy forces based in permanent outposts to restore state authority over the restive neighborhoods. The PKK has only one card to play to confront Ankaras increasing pressure, and that is to carry the battles to western Turkey, Gurcan writes.

He explains, The PKK, which is becoming a true umbrella organization that uses proxies to launch attacks in western Turkey, forces Ankara to think hard about how to deal with this new wave of terror. It is certainly imperative for Ankara to form a special task force that will be free from the shackles of bureaucratic hierarchy and that operates in all parts of the country with the full backing of all public bodies. Ankara, still burdened with security mayhem, has yet to come up with a comprehensive and integrated strategy to combat such attacks. Ankara must recognize that the PKK, because of its combat against IS, has achieved significant global legitimacy. By not claiming credit for attacks in western Turkey, the PKK protects that legitimacy while still disrupting Ankaras plans to boost its forces in the southeast for the coming spring clashes. That eases the pressure on PKK forces in that region.

Gurcan says that the latest terrorist attacks in Ankara and Istanbul expose a dangerous trend in Turkeys domestic politics. Now when a part of the population harshly criticizes the Justice and Development Party government over such attacks, another segment castigates this criticism as terror propaganda. This terror conundrum is becoming the main agenda item shaping the debates in the Turkish media and influencing the policies to be developed.

Mustafa Akyol describes how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resurrected thought crimes following the March 13 bombing in Ankara. Erdogan is using Turkey's troubles to take his increasingly authoritarian rule to new heights.  He not only condemned the terrorists who use bombs and weapons to kill people, but also what he called 'unarmed terrorists' who supposedly help them with their ideas. He said, 'There is no difference between a terrorist with a gun and bomb in his hand and those who use their work and pen to support terror. The fact that an individual could be a deputy, an academic, an author, a journalist or the director of an NGO [nongovernmental organization] does not change the fact that that person is a terrorist.'

Gaza-based faction accused of ties to Iran

Fadi Shafei examines the Gaza-based Harakat al-Sabireen Movement for Supporting Palestine, which has been accused by Salafi clerics and others of having Shiite affiliations and being funded by Iran.

Shafei, reporting from Rafah, explains how Harakat al-Sabireen (Movement of the Patient) emerged in 2014 as an offshoot of Islamic Jihad. Harakat al-Sabireen leaders have advocated greater fealty to the ideology of the Islamic Jihads founder Fathi Shakaki (1981-1995), who was deeply influenced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution.

This column and Al-Monitors Palestine Pulse have provided unmatched coverage of Irans influence and role in Palestinian politics, especially following Tehrans falling out with Hamas over Syria.

Shafei writes that the movements 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 Harakat al-Sabireen is a religious movement 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.

Shafei concludes, It is difficult to know what the future holds for Harakat 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 Harakat al-Sabireen and the Salafist groups opposing it are nothing but a reflection of this polarization in Gaza. The existence of Harakat al-Sabireen is thus directly linked to the achievements Iran and its allies may achieve in the region.

Israel wary of overture from Sudan

Akiva Eldar examines the origins and possible consequences of Sudans overture to Israel. Israel, Eldar writes, is following the messages from Sudan with curiosity, but is careful not to get too close. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon are quietly awaiting a signal from the United States in regard to relations with Khartoum.  Israel is known in Sudan as a supplier of weaponry and surveillance equipment to South Sudan. Sudanese generals who crossed the blurred lines between the various militias and ethnic groups brought with them as dowries made-in-Israel rifles and surveillance tools. Khartoums signals of rapprochement to Israel, along with reconciliation moves between the Muslim state and the Christian neighbor to the south headed by dictator Salva Kiir, will enable international arms industry and weapons traders, including those of Israel, when the time comes, to enjoy the best of both netherworlds: those of war criminals and genociders in Sudan and of murderers from South Sudan. It will happen the day the Western world decides to lift the barrier of sanctions.
Im sitting in a place I never in a million years thought I would be: Havana, Cuba. Im an American in Cuba and Im not breaking the law.

Im sure of that because I flew in with the White House Press Corps for the historic visit by US President Barack Obama. There have been a couple of occasions over the past few days when that simple statement caused me to pause.

If you had told me nine years ago when I started working as a White House correspondent that one day I would be in Cuba to cover the American presidents visit, I would have said you were crazy. The thought never occurred to me. Cuba wasnt on my radar. The logic was Cuba is an enemy, has been for half a century, and that isnt going to change.



Cuba eyes US market for expected medical tourism boom

But suddenly it did change. Pope Francis sent two letters to the respective leaders and an opening was made. After long, arduous, and super-secret negotiations, the two countries normalised diplomatic relations and now the president and his family are coming to the island.

I havent been here long but so far it is breathtaking. There are people just hanging out of balconies and on the street. Music plays everywhere. Old Havana looks as if Europe has plopped itself on an island but it is definitely showing its age. It looks this way because for half a century the US has put an embargo on the island.

I love working for Al Jazeera because Im exposed to so many different points of view and so many nationalities. I was speaking to our Latin American editor and she told me that for the people of the region, this is viewed as Cubas victory. They waited out the worlds superpower.

From an American perspective, for those without a personal connection to Cuba, its seen much more that Cuba was a hindrance to relations with the region, and it didnt affect the US that much anyway. So why not try something new?

After doing my research I realise this is a complicated relationship. The US came in at the end of the Cubans war for independence from Spain, only to keep a military presence. The US left only after Cuba agreed that the US could intervene in its affairs at will. That meant the US backed at least two dictators, and then came Fidel Castro and his revolution.

The missile crisis cemented the idea for Americans that Cuba was a staunch and dangerous enemy. The Soviet Union placed missiles capable of launching nuclear missiles at the US and for 13 days the world waited for nuclear war.

I remember hearing people of my parents generation talking about the fear. They remember standing in line for confession at the Catholic church every day because they thought that night they would die in a blinding flash of light.

That is so far from my reality, I cant fathom it. As the years have passed a new generation sees the relationship much differently. Polls show that most Americans think the US embargo of Cuba is dated and it should go.

The US Congress is unlikely to agree. Florida is a critical state for any election and powerful anti-Castro forces dominate its politics. That is why President Obama is coming here. Hes hoping that in the time he has left he can force enough progress that the relationship cant be turned back. How does he do that?

READ MORE: Cuban combat rappers fight for the countrys youth

He needs to build a coalition that is just as if not more powerful than the anti-Castro lobby in Washington DC. If he can get American businesses to start putting money and people in here and they see a profit, they will fight to keep Cuba open.

The Cuban people seem to realise that it might work  or it might not. There is a wait-and-see attitude. I think there is, anyway. I cant be sure because my producer just tried to interview a Cuban man only to have the police immediately show up and ask for his ID. They walked him away. He came back but, as you might guess, he no longer wanted to talk to us.

Consecutive US presidents have tried to topple the Castro government. They tried to assassinate Fidel several times, launched a botched invasion, and then tried to strangle the economy in hopes of spurring another revolution. This US president thinks the Cuban government will change if both countries people get to know each other. That will only work if the Cuban people are allowed to take part in the conversation.
Aboriginal communities taking their cases against oil pipeline and seismic testing to Supreme Court of Canada.

Toronto, Canada  Jerry Natanine never thought a legal battle against seismic testing in the Canadian Arctic would reach the countrys highest court.

But thats exactly where the former mayor of Clyde River, a small Inuit hamlet in Nunavut, finds himself. The northern community has been granted leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada to stop oil and gas testing in its coastal waters.

I didnt have a clue as to where this would lead, Natanine said, except the fact that my uncle and my father told me they experienced the seismic testing in the 1970s and they told me  we have to do everything to try and stop this.

Natanine and the residents of Clyde River have mounted a legal challenge to a National Energy Board (NEB) decision to grant an underwater seismic testing licence to a consortium of companies.

Residents say the government did not adequately consult them on the plans. The community fears the testing will cause irreversible damage to the wellbeing and migratory patterns of local sea mammals, which will alter their traditional way of life that is bound to these animals.

This is where weve made our living for thousands of years, Natanine told Al Jazeera by phone from Nunavut on Monday. It is very, very important to us that we are able to maintain this hunter-gatherer culture.

100,000 times louder than a jet

Under the Constitution of Canada, the Crown has a duty to consult and accommodate, wherever possible, indigenous peoples on any actions that may adversely affect their aboriginal and treaty rights.

Jessica Wilson, head of the Arctic campaign at Greenpeace Canada, which supports Clyde River residents in their appeal, said the NEB licence allows companies to conduct seismic blasting in Arctic waters for five months every year, 24 hours a day, for five years.

The sound is about 100,000 times louder than a jet engine and the blasts go off every 10 to 20 seconds underwater. The objective is to map the seabed floor to look for oil and gas deposits, Wilson told Al Jazeera.

Wilson said the blasts could disrupt the migratory patterns of marine mammals, and even render them deaf or kill them if the animals get too close.

Its hard to imagine right now the potential reach, but it could really change everything, she said about the case.

In Canada, you must apply to have a case heard by the Supreme Court.

Only 5 to 10 percent of all applications are accepted and the Court grants leave to appeal only if it decides that a case is of national or public importance, explained Nader Hasan, the lawyer representing Clyde River.

He said he has eight weeks to submit his written arguments and the Crown will have six weeks to respond. The Supreme Court will then set a hearing in the case.

The seismic testing companies, meanwhile, are just waiting for the ice to melt in Baffin Bay to begin their work, Hasan said, and that usually happens mid-June, early July.

If an agreement cant be reached to halt the testing, Hasan said he would submit a request for the Supreme Court to order that the status quo be maintained. For my client and other folks in Nunavut, this goes to fundamental rights and their survival they have a lot riding here, Hasan told Al Jazeera.

This is just the first step now. Theres a lot more work to be done.

Reversing the flow of tar sands oil

A second Aboriginal community has joined Clyde River in its appeal to the Supreme Court.

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation (COTTFN) in southern Ontario is challenging the repurposing of a pipeline that is pumping oil from the Alberta tar sands through its territory on the way to a terminal in Montreal.

Like Clyde River, the community says it was not adequately consulted on the project.

Weve joined forces, COTTFN Chief Leslee White-Eye told Al Jazeera. We have quite similar concerns.

In March 2014, the NEB approved energy company Enbridges application to reverse the flow of oil through a section of its Line 9 pipeline: a 639-kilometre stretch called Line 9B that goes from North Weston, Ontario, to Montreal.

READ MORE: Activists pipe up against US oil transport plans

At the same time, the board approved Enbridges request to boost the lines production capacity to 300,000 barrels of oil per day. Line 9 has been in operation since 1976.

The companys Eastern Canadian Refinery Access Initiative is expected to help to level the playing field for Canadian refineries, safeguard jobs, and bolster the security of Canadas energy supply at the same time, Enbridge says.

But White-Eye told Al Jazeera the community fears a pipeline spill will endanger its main water source, the Thames River, and its larger watershed area. Ultimately, its about the water, she said.

When you change whats going to be put through that pipeline  which is whats happening; its heavier, and youre changing the amount, and youre changing the direction  all of those have real impacts on a 40-year-old pipeline, and so that concerns us.

The NEB and Enbridge respond

NEB spokesperson Craig Loewen said the board was considering how it will participate in the Supreme Court appeal.

All National Energy Board decisions are subject to independent and impartial judicial oversight, generally through the Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada, and the Board is bound to act in accordance with the courts decisions, Loewen told Al Jazeera in an email.

As this matter is before the courts, it is not appropriate to comment further.

Graham White, an Enbridge spokesperson, told Al Jazeera in an email that the company was limited in what it could say publicly about the case.

However, we will say that irrespective of this outcome, Enbridge is absolutely committed to fostering a strengthened relationship with the [Chippewas on the Thames First Nation] built upon openness, respect and mutual trust, and to working through outstanding issues to find mutually agreeable solutions, he said.

We will continue our efforts to engage with indigenous communities above and beyond what is required by regulators to build trust and address any concerns or input they may have with our projects or operations.

READ MORE: Nunavut and the future of Canadas Arctic

Greenpeaces Wilson said history has already been made, since the Supreme Court of Canada has never heard a case from Nunavut before.

A ruling in favour of Clyde River would set a just precedent for all indigenous peoples in terms of their right to choose whether or not oil and gas development happens on their land or in their waters, she said.

White-Eye agreed about the importance of the appeal. Weve got to win this case, she said unequivocally.

Weve got to ensure that the duty to consult remains with the federal government, and then that means that the federal government is going to need to sit down at a table and work with First Nations.
Who dies and where they were shot determines how much attention their deaths get and how many questions are asked.

Brooklyn, New York  Anti-gun community activists protest against a recent shooting on a street corner in Brooklyn in which a young man was wounded outside a school in the middle of the afternoon.

Gun violence is an American epidemic seemingly without a political solution. After every mass shooting, there is a lot of hand wringing as newspapers print editorials calling for a ban on military-grade assault weapons and basic background checks that would make it more difficult for the mentally ill to buy a weapon.

All of these debates, however, continue to ignore the grim statistical reality of homicide in the US. Who dies, and where they are shot, remain the key factors in how much media attention their deaths receive, and the extent of public outrage over how easy it was for the shooter to have a gun in the first place.

The vast majority of deaths from shooting occur in the poorest neighbourhoods of Americas cities because young black men are killing other young black men.

This grim cycle of violence is easily ignored by other Americans. It happens over there, in a section of town or a neighbourhood wealthier citizens rarely visit. Both the killers and victims are referred to as gang members. Sometimes that is true. Sometimes it is not. But the facts behind each killing are not important. By marginalising the dead, nothing needs to be done about it.

New York City has achieved historically low homicide rates, unlike much more violent urban centres such as Chicago or New Orleans. Tough gun laws are in place. Well-trained homicide detectives solve the majority of murders.

Money is spent on organising community groups to try and steer young kids away from settling disputes with guns, and the former mayor, the billionaire Michael Bloomberg, is a national leader in his efforts to ban guns.

In the late 1980s, at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, almost 2,000 people were murdered in New York City each year. Now the numbers barely reach 350.

The political establishment sees this as a reason to celebrate. But the victims, their friends, and their grieving families can find no joy in the cold numbers. Each day in New York City, someone is shot.

Many black activists who are coming of age during an era of protests over excessive police violence realise that the struggle must begin at home. While white police officers patrolling their neighbourhoods with little respect for the people who live there remain a problem, young black men are most likely to die at the hands of other young black men.

The justification for all of these shootings can be alarmingly petty. A rival disrespected them, or lives on the other side of some invisible barrier. But of course, the real reasons are much deeper, and harder to solve. Unemployment, poverty, failed schools, three centuries of neglect, and yes, a nation that refuses to roll up its sleeves and actually make guns illegal, all play their part.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
As the party prepares to run in its first elections, it explains why womens rights need to pervade everything.

London, United Kingdom  If women had access to the same employment opportunities and salaries as men, Londons economy would gain approximately $55bn, according to the Womens Equality Party (WE).

On the morning of February 18, party leader Sophie Walker stood before Her Majestys Treasury, the finance ministry, with a cheque for this amount, representing the money lost due to womens untapped earning potential.

Walker is on the campaign trail, standing as the WE candidate in the 2016 London Mayoral election. On the partys website, Walker says her intention is to make London the first city in the world where men and women are equal.

Ive watched one mayor after another ignore and undervalue women. Now, I want to take action to help them flourish. Because when Londons women flourish, the city will be better for everyone, she explains.

WE was established in the spring of 2015 by Catherine Mayer and Sandi Toksvig. The party registered with the Electoral Commission in July 2015, and has since gained 45,000 members, and set up 70 branches.



WATCH: Fifty years on, has Britain moved closer to achieving racial equality?

It will put forward its first candidates for election in the Greater London Assembly (GLA), London Mayoral, Scottish Parliament, and Welsh Assembly elections, all of which will take place in May 2016  with 17 running in total.

WE candidates

Harini Iyengar is standing as a candidate for WE in the GLA election on May 5. She has worked as a barrister since 1999, and specialises in anti-discrimination, sexual harassment and equal pay cases.

From her central London offices, Iyengar explains that throughout school and university she was very idealistic and enthusiastic about politics. But soon after graduating from university  as she began her career and become a mother  she started to feel that mainstream political parties were not representing her interests.

Since then Ive been in a political wilderness, Iyengar says.

She had become disenchanted with politics, and when WE was established, she was quite suspicious about it.

But as she started to read more about it, saw others she respected getting involved and attended the launch party and branch meetings, her feelings changed; the party re-ignited her enthusiasm for politics.

I saw people whose voices I dont usually get to hear getting involved and talking about really important political issues. I thought: this is something great. Id really like to hear those voices being heard beyond the branch meeting.

No one really disagrees with what were standing for. Its something that women should have been entitled to a long time ago, Iyengar says. We are entitled to [equality] on paper, but weve just not got it in practice.

Does the UK need WE?

WE sprang forth from the belief that mainstream political parties arent doing enough to tackle widespread gender inequality within British society.



WATCH: On the road with feminist icon Gloria Steinem

Other political parties do not see [gender equality] as a priority, explains Walker.

According to the WE website, women make up 51 percent of the UK population, yet, they [constitute] only 29 percent of MPs, 25 percent of judges and 24 percent of FTSE 100 directors. On top of this, a working woman will earn 81p for every pound a man makes.

Approximately 1.2 million women are thought to suffer domestic abuse each year, and on average 250 rapes or attempted rapes are reported each day in the UK. Sexual assault is at epidemic levels in this country, Walker stated in a press release February 11.

A single-issue party?

But WE has been criticised for its single-issue approach by those who say it addresses only a singular dimension of inequality within British society.

Many feel that Britain doesnt need a party dedicated to gender equality in order to get womens rights more firmly on the political agenda.

In a statement sent to Al Jazeera, Nicky Morgan, the UK governments education secretary and minister for women and equalities, said: Achieving womens equality is at the heart of this government and at the heart of the Conservative Party.

Morgan said that she is proud to be part of a Conservative government precisely because it is committed to making sure no one is held back because of their gender, race or background.

After all achieving womens equality isnt just the right thing to do, its vital for our countrys prosperity, Morgan continued, stating that under the current government, the gender pay gap is at its lowest level, we have more women in work, more women on boards and more women-led businesses.

The party responds to such critiques on its website. WE do not try to present ourselves as a party with an answer on every issue and a full palette of policies and will never take a party line on issues outside our remit: to bring about equality for women. It adds: WE are proud to focus on equality for women and also understand that there are many forms of inequality.

Describing WE as a single-issue party is a naive and superficial way of looking at it, according to Iyengar. Were not a special interest group. Were half the population.

Its important to get across that its not just about differences between men and women. We want to broaden the debate generally, so that women could be not only at the table, but with all our diversity, we could be part of the political debate, rather than some kind of footnote.

When people say that they look at diversity and equality as an add-on, she explains, thats the wrong way of dealing with it. Womens needs and womens concerns need to be there from the very beginning.

Womens rights need to pervade everything.

An enthusiasm for change

Iyengar is confident that WE will gain seats in May, and hopes the party will attract voters who dont normally vote and others who, like her, have become disenchanted with mainstream politics.

We are a party that has crowdsourced our policies, and were really committed to representing a wide range of people and going out and listening to people.

Were at a really special moment right now, Walker said, theres such an enthusiasm for change.

We dont want to be another campaign group, we want to be a political force, added Iyengar, because that gives us a political power that weve been kept out of.
AQIM has shown resilience and an ability to adapt to new situations, making it a dangerous and resourceful adversary.

On March 13, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) terrorists stormed the beach of Grand Bassam in the Ivory Coast and killed 19 people. This should not have come as a surprise because in January, France had warned the Ivory Coast of possible jihadist attacks against beaches popular with foreigners. On March 18, AQIM attacked an oil and gas facility in southern Algeria with rockets. These attacks prove once again the re-emergence of AQIM as a terror force to be reckoned with.

One of Al-Qaedas remaining affiliates, AQIM was officially created in 2007 from the Algerian Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC). AQIM has followed a multi-pronged strategy including kidnappings, narco-terrorism and alliances with various criminal and terror organisations around the world.

Although it pulled off terrorist attacks in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mali and Mauritania in the past few years, it has remained focused on Algeria. This stance pushed some members led by its leader in the Sahara, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, to break away from AQIM in December 2011. Indeed, Belmokhtar wanted to spread jihad beyond North African deserts and establish a foothold in Sub-Saharan West Africa.

Since then AQIM has lost a fair amount of its capabilities, while Belmokhtars new group was behind the 2013 bloody attack on a gas facility in In Amenas that killed dozens of foreigners and one Algerian.

Meanwhile, Belmokhtar has become a high-value target. Although his death has been announced so many times, lately with the United States claiming they killed him in Libya in June 2015, there are signs that he is certainly very much alive.

In December 2015, right after carrying out the deadly attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, Mali, Belmokhtars group  al-Mourabitoun, or The Sentinels  joined AQIM.

Actually in this merger of sorts, AQIM is the one gaining much more, and this is clearly a game-changer. In the course of just four months, three deadly attacks against foreigners in three West African countries, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, have proven Belmokhtars added value.

AQIM has shown resilience and an ability to adapt to new situations, making it a dangerous and resourceful adversary. by

The groups method of using gunmen rather than suicide bombers has been its hallmark. To target a hotel and foreigners in a former French colony is the AQIMs preferred method of carrying out high-profile attacks. The group considers France its number-one enemy on a par with Algeria.

Since its inception, AQIM knew it had to perpetrate spectacular attacks on international targets for wider exposure. Therefore, it made no secret that turning to soft targets by targeting foreign nationals had become one of their priorities.

AQIM relied on kidnapping foreign nationals as its primary method for funding and it gained expertise in that domain. With the influx of a new round of Western European soldiers from Germany, Belgium and Sweden to Mali, the instances for more kidnappings by AQIM are highly likely.

Recently, AQIM has also shifted its focus on Libya  a country where it had shown quite a presence in the south in the past few years. Warning of a Western military intervention in Libya, AQIM claimed in a video that an Italian general is the real ruler of the country.

It calls for Libyans to take up arms against the foreign invaders that include Italy, France, the United Kingdom and the US. Back in 2013, AQIM threatened Morocco in a video showing King Mohamed VI engulfed in flames. However, so far it has not succeeded in targeting the kingdom.

Since it is very difficult for AQIM to target either Morocco or Algeria because both countries have extremely strong and well-funded counterterrorism programmes, it is likely to continue focusing attacks in West Africa, with Senegal probably next on the list. In light of this, it makes total sense for AQIM to recruit locals, and not remain Algeria-centric. As a result, Algerians do not represent the first nationality among fighters. Now Malians do.

OPINION: An attack on Ivory Coast was inevitable

AQIM has regained credibility in the jihadist world with these three attacks in the past four months targeting France and its African allies. It also sends a message to the world that Sunni jihadists do not belong to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), but that Al-Qaeda is alive and kicking.

In fact, when it comes to competition with ISIL, AQIM has a competitive edge in that part of the world. For now, it is the uncontested big dog in North and West Africa.

AQIM has shown resilience and an ability to adapt to new situations, making it a dangerous and resourceful adversary. With al-Mourabitouns inclusion, it has become even more dangerous, but it remains to be seen how long Belmokhtar and AQIMs leader Abdelmalek Droukdel will be able to work together before their egos get in the way.

For that reason, al-Qaedas leader Ayman al-Zawahiri allegedly ordered a regional division with Droukdel in charge of Algeria, Belmokhtar of Libya and Djamel Okacha of West Africa.

Last but not least, AQIM may try to go for the grand prize, which would be an attack on European soil soon.

Olivier Guitta is the managing director of GlobalStrat, a geopolitical risk and security consultancy firm with a regional specialisation on Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Discussing conflict, the Italian political theorist Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) told us decades ago that when language comes to the fore as an issue in society, we should conclude that there are non-linguistic issues simmering under the surface.

The opposite is also true: conflict, whether political or social, can bring language to the fore as a site of non-linguistic meaning. In extreme cases, languages can be criminalised after their own people. Arabic, in the West, provides a sad example of emerging criminalisation.

Here is how the criminalisation argument runs: since Arabic is organically linked with Islam and Muslims as the language of faith, and since Islam and Muslims are linked with violent extremism and terrorism in Western societies, Arabic must therefore be linked with extremism, violence and terrorism.





This criminalisation of Arabic is a new dimension of Islamophobia which, in my view, has the capacity to evolve into a new stereotype in this ever-changing, ever-expanding corrosive phenomenon in Western societies.

Terrorist connotations

For well over a decade, the Western media have been reporting on the terrorist connotations of Arabic in the public sphere. Westerners have developed a sharper familiarity with the tones of spoken Arabic and a greater recognition of the Arabic script.

These capacities have been used in a profiling mode in ways that affect people negatively who are perceived to be Muslim or Arab, two categories of identification that are often conflated with one another.

READ MORE: Donald Trump and electing Islamophobia

In November of last year, two American citizens of Palestinian descent were almost prevented from flying out of Chicago Midway Airport to Philadelphia because they were overheard speaking in Arabic. Maher Khalil and Anas Ayyad, 29 and 28 respectively, were allowed to join the flight only after being questioned and cleared by airport security and police.

In the past, skin colour and other signs of faith, such as facial hair, have been used as profiling tools; language has now joined them as a new profiling index. by

Carrying a box on the flight, passengers made them open it to ascertain that it could not do any harm. In fact, the box was carrying baklava, which, in typically generous Arab style, they proceeded to share with their fellow passengers.

In the past, skin colour and other signs of faith, such as facial hair, have been used as profiling tools, language has now joined them as a new profiling index.

This is not an isolated incident. Leila Abdelrazaq, a Palestinian-American artist, was arrested and interrogated in Arizona in December 2015 for having on her a notebook with sketches depicting immigration at the US-Mexico border, accompanied with Arabic writing that mocked her less-than-perfect competence in the language.

Stereotype of Arabic

Considering the emerging stereotype of Arabic as a language of violence, extremism and terrorism in the West, it would be hard to imagine that the Arabic script in her notebook had nothing to do with the arrest.

It may be argued that location is an important factor in the arrest and interrogation of an Arabic-speaking passenger or artist. Airports and borders are not neutral places, the argument would go, making it inevitable in current circumstances that the presence of Arabic, in speech or in writing, in these and similarly sensitive locations would raise suspicion.

But this is not true in all circumstances. It is not unknown for Arabic to be censored for its connotations of violence, extremism and terrorism in situations where location is not a security consideration.

In December 2015 an Arabic calligraphy homework in a world geography class in Augusta County, Virginia was considered a security concern, leading not just to the schools closure, owing to mounting public pressure, but also to the temporary closure of all the schools in the entire county for fear over safety.

The fact that the Arabic homework was the Muslim declaration of faith, which was explained in the homework assignment to allay the fears of parents, may have something to do with this reaction.

READ MORE: Un-mosquing Obamas first US mosque visit

Still, when such an innocuous thing as an Arabic calligraphy class can cause this kind of disruption in the life of a community, we must surely conclude that cross-cultural relations have hit rock bottom.

When such an innocuous thing as an Arabic calligraphy class can cause this kind of disruption in the life of a community, we must surely conclude that cross-cultural relations have hit rock bottom. by

The fear of what Arabic is imagined to stand for in the West, particularly the US, hit the town of Lubbock, Texas on February 15 this year, the day after Valentines Day. The banner in white on black, with a red heart in the middle raised on the publicly owned Citizens Tower, declared Love for All in Arabic, a kind of Valentine message.

Referring to it as an Arabic flag, the mayor ordered that all necessary steps be taken to secure the building with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, local police authorities and the FBI.

Identification of language with faith

Commenting on this story, one blogger wrote: Their [Arabs/Muslims] Arabic language is so darn mixed up with their religion and their religion is so inseparable from their daily lives that it is enough to give a Texan sheriff a headache if not a scare. And that, in short, is exactly what has happened.

This identification of language with faith and people, on the one hand, and with extremism, violence and terrorism, on the other, must be a matter of grave concern to all sane people.

The ever-changing face of Islamophobia has expanded its outlook to include aspects of religious culture. At the end of February, a Nigerian-born British man was not allowed to travel on an easyJet flight from Luton, outside London, to Holland because a fellow passenger was alarmed at reading the word prayer on his mobile phone.

The passenger immediately assumed that the man, a Christian in fact, was a Muslim and reported him as a security threat. Questioned by the police, the man was asked what he meant by prayer, which church he attended and if he ever thought of changing his religion; the implication being that there might be a connection to Islam. In the end, the police let him travel to Holland on the next flight, after a three-and-a-half-hour delay.

There is an extremely sinister side to this story. The linking of prayer with Islam treats religiosity as a particularly Muslim phenomenon, especially when a linguistic sign of this religiosity, the word prayer in this case, is linked with skin colour, a kind of racial profiling.

The underlying assumption here is that blackness correlates with Islam. And that, of all faiths, Islam is prone to advertise itself in public. By doing so, Islam somehow upsets the private-public divide which is an integral part of the secular ethos of Western culture.

It is in this additional sense that Islam is thought by Islamophobes to represent a threat to Western civilisation. Having advanced towards secularity, Islam comes to challenge what was thought to be a unidirectional trajectory of social progress in the West.

Extremism, violence and terrorism are not the primary issue here, but the retrograde influence Islam is assumed to have on the very fabric of the European Enlightenment is. Western media want Muslims to rescue Islam from the extremists. Regardless of what we think of this question, it seems legitimate to ask who will rescue Western societies from their Islamophobes.

Yasir Suleiman is acting president of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Lawyer of Paris attacks suspect says he plans to sue French prosecution for breach of his clients confidentiality.

The lawyer defending the prime surviving suspect in the Paris attacks said he will sue a French prosecutor for revealing a private admission that his client planned to blow himself up with other ISIL assailants but backed out at the last moment.





Speaking two days after Salah Abdeslam was captured during a police raid in Brussels, his lawyer Sven Mary accused the lead French investigator on Sunday of violating confidentiality by quoting Abdeslams statement at a news conference in Paris on Saturday evening.

I cannot let this pass, Mary told Belgian state broadcaster RTBF.

At the Paris news conference, Francois Molins read from Abdeslams statement to a magistrate in Brussels, saying: He wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France and, I quote, backed out.

Abdeslam is believed to have told Belgian investigators about his plans after he was arrested on Friday in a raid in the Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels.

WATCH: Who is France at war with?

The suspect has already admitted to being in Paris on November 13, 2015, the night of the coordinated bombing and gun attacks on restaurants, bars, the Stade de France stadium, and the Bataclan concert hall, according to a Belga news agency report citing Mary.

Abdeslam, who became one of Europes most wanted criminals in the wake of the attacks, has been charged with participating in terrorist murder and taking part in the activities of a terrorist organisation, a statement from the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutors Office said.





Mary told journalists his client was cooperating with police but would resist attempts to extradite him to France.

Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Sunday that more than 600 people have now left France for Syria and Iraq, with about 800 others wanting to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL,also known as ISIS) group there.

The figures show little respite in the number of people joining ISIL despite multiple bombing campaigns against its strongholds and a crackdown by French authorities to prevent people from leaving the country after two major attacks in France last year.

MAP: Where the Paris attacks happened

We are in a battle on our soil, Walls said in a speech to Socialist party supporters.

Each day [we]  trace networks, locate cells, arrest individuals. Today 2,029 French citizens or residents are implicated in jihad networks.

European governments have been tightening anti-terrorism laws as the Syrian conflict enters its sixth year, agreeing to share more intelligence and taking down radical websites to try to stop citizens from going to fight in the Middle East and bringing militancy home.
Boeing 737-800 crashed in stormy weather in Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all 62 people on board.

Russian emergency workers completed their search and cleanup operations at the site of a FlyDubai passenger plane crash, while scores of mourners gathered at the airport in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don to leave candles, toys and flowers.

FlyDubai flight FZ981 crashed early on Saturday in stormy weather while attempting a second landing in Rostov-on-Don, killing all 55 passengers and seven crew members on board.





A seven-minute recording of the final conversation between the pilots has revealed concerns about the weather before the Boeing 737-800 went down nose-first, at an angle of 60 degrees, and exploded when it hit the ground.

While the FlyDubai plane was circling, two other planes headed for Rostov-on-Don  one belonging to Russias Aeroflot and another to Czech Airlines  were diverted to the Krasnodar airport 250km away.

Russias state-run RT network tweeted a clip of what appeared to be a large explosion.

The planes flight path, as tracked by Flight Radar 24, shows that the plane made a number of turns near the Rostov-on-Don airport before the final attempted landing.

The search area for debris had been extended to 15 hectares, state news agency TASS reported on Sunday, citing the Emergencies Ministry.

The recovered flight recorders were sent to Moscow for investigation and Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said the airport was expected to reopen on Monday.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

DNA samples were taken from relatives of the victims to help in their identification, officials said.

Officials in Russia and the United Arab Emirates suggested the disaster was the result of poor weather conditions. But investigators will also look into whether pilot error or a technical malfunction could have caused the crash.

FlyDubai chief executive Ghaith al-Ghaith added at a news conference that the airline was working closely with Russian authorities to identify the cause of the crash, and appealed for an end to speculation about the disaster.

We have high confidence in the Russian authorities who are capable of managing local conditions for flights, he said. We fully trust the Russian authorities in this.

FlyDubai said on Sunday that it would pay $20,000 to the families of each of the 55 passengers.

The Dubai-based carrier identified the nationalities of the passengers as 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one from Uzbekistan. The pilot was from Cyprus and the co-pilot from Spain.

The deaths included 33 women, 18 men and four children.

The plane was manufactured in 2011 and was last checked on January 21, an airline official said.

It was the first time a FlyDubai plane has crashed. In January 2015, a FlyDubai passenger jet was shot at while approaching the Iraq capital Baghdad.
Telephone, internet and SMS services shut down for 48 hours for reasons of security as Congo heads to the polls.

Congo is holding its elections under a media blackout and the tense vote is expected to see President Denis Sassou Nguesso prolong his 32-year rule over the oil-rich but poor nation.

Interior Minister Raymond Mboulou wrote to telecommunication companies urging them to shut off telephone, internet and SMS services for 48 hours for reasons of security and national safety.





A government source told AFP news agency the shutdown was intended to stop any illegal publication of the results of Sundays elections.

Tensions have been running high in Congo since October, when a public referendum backed removing a two-term limit that would have kept 72-year-old former paratrooper colonel Sassou Nguesso from power.

The vote also removed a 70-year age limit for the presidency that could have forced one of Africas five longest-serving leaders to step down.

The changes were approved in a referendum by 94.3 percent  dubbed a constitutional coup by the opposition  and protests erupted in the run-up to the vote that left several people dead.

The incumbent president has said he has no doubt he will beat his eight rivals, describing election day as a penalty kick and then victory.

On Friday, five rival presidential contenders  including former military chief Jean-Marie Mokoko  signed an agreement to back the strongest candidate among them in the event of a second-round vote.

Fears of instability

While the Republic of Congo saw robust growth of 5 percent over five years through to 2014, with oil and timber providing its main revenues, the country remains in dire straits.

[Congo] continues to suffer from high rates of poverty and inequality, large infrastructure gaps, and important development challenges, a report by the International Monetary Fund released in July 2015 said.

READ MORE: Congo holds referendum on presidential term limits

Unemployment hit 34 percent in 2013, the last data available, and stood at 60 percent for 15 to 24-year-olds.

The IMF fears domestic instability without progress in the battle to eliminate poverty.

Were really disappointed about whats happening in Congo, said 20-year-old student Yette. Most young people have diplomas but no work.

Sassou Nguesso admits there is a problem but has told voters he needs more time.

His new election platform underlines government efforts in education while noting that 60 percent of graduates without work qualified at the countrys sole university.

Seven years were insufficient to fully make these solutions operational  which is why we need to continue the countrys modernisation and industrialisation, reads the new platform.

Sassou Nguesso served as president from 1979 to 1992 and returned to power in 1997 after a civil war.

He won two successive mandates in 2002 and 2009, but both tallies were contested by opposition parties.
Ladislas Ntaganzwa stands accused of responsibility for the killing of an estimated 20,000 people during 1994 massacre.

Kinshasa, DRC  A Rwandan who allegedly helped to orchestrate the 1990s genocide was sent back to his country on Sunday to be tried by a United Nations tribunal.

Ladislas Ntaganzwa was arrested in December in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has been accused of responsibility for the killing of an estimated 20,000 people. A $5m bounty was put on his head.

The extradition was an encouraging step of regional judicial cooperation to reduce the impunity gap, said Jose Maria Aranaz, director of the UN Joint Human Rights Office in DRC.

We expect  that his victims will be vindicated, Aranaz told Al Jazeera.

About 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were killed by roving Hutu militias over a 100-day period starting in April 1994, according to the UN.

Ntaganzwa was one of nine fugitives wanted for allegedly organising the mass killing.



Rwanda tribunal closes with killers still on run

An extradition agreement was signed on Sunday by the Congolese justice minister and top official from the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) in the capital, Kinshasa.

Ntaganzwa was not presented to journalists who attended the signing at the UN mission near the airport, as he stayed in a vehicle waiting to board a flight back to Rwanda.

Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Busingye told Al Jazeera from Kinshasa the extradition was a step in the right direction, adding he expected justice to prevail during the trial.

The MICT has replaced the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which was based in Arusha, Tanzania.

Ntaganzwa was arrested in the wartorn North Kivu province by the Congolese army, according to DRC and UN officials.

However, speaking on condition of anonymity, army, police and civil society sources told Al Jazeera that Ntaganzwa was actually detained by members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

Some leaders of this armed group based in eastern DRC also stand accused of participating in Rwandas genocide before fleeing the country as troops of current President Paul Kagame put an end to the massacre.

Soon after Ntaganzwas December arrest, Congolese minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba said he would not be sent back if Rwanda did not reciprocate by returning a former Congolese rebel leader who had fled there.

However, DRC reversed the decision after intense international pressure, including from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, according to a senior Congolese official who also spoke on condition of anonymity, as he wasnt authorised to go on record.

We sent him back because he was under an international arrest warrant and DRC had to fulfill its obligations, Thambwe Mwamba told Al Jazeera.

In the future, if we arrest someone Rwanda wants and that individual is not under an international arrest warrant, we will ask for reciprocity, this is very clear, he added.
Hundreds gather outside Trump Tower on New Yorks Fifth Avenue while demonstrators shut down Arizona highway.

Hundreds of protesters have rallied outside Trump Tower in Manhattan while demonstrators briefly shut down an Arizona highway leading to a campaign rally for Donald Trump.

At least one person was arrested at the tower on New Yorks famous Fifth Avenue during a brief skirmish on Saturday, as demonstrators voiced their opposition to the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay, shouted the demonstrators who gathered at Manhattans Columbus Circle, near one of the billionaire real estate moguls luxury buildings overlooking Central Park.





Amid a considerable police presence, protesters held up signs that read Deport Trump and Build a wall around Trump.

Earlier, demonstrators blocked a major road in Arizona in the latest attempts by opponents to disrupt the campaign of the top US Republican White House hopeful who staged a campaign rally on Saturday just days ahead of the Arizona primary.

Tempers flared at the rally itself, but without the violence that marred Trumps event in Chicago a week earlier. A handful of people were arrested, police and witnesses said.

New Yorks demonstration was organised by a group called Cosmopolitan Antifascists and included immigrants rights activists, students and socialists.

I think Donald Trump is speaking a message of fascism and racism, and I dont think thats good for America, said Laura Merrill, a tour guide who supports Democratic Bernie Sanders for president.

Trump has called for a ban on all Muslims entering the US, just one example of rhetoric by the candidate that has sparked controversy on the 2016 campaign trail.

READ MORE: Mexicans take a swing at Donald Trump pinatas

Everything he says is racist and false. It hurts my feelings, said Nour Hapatsha, a 22-year-old Muslim born in the US.

Some pro-Trump supporters also showed up.

More and more, people who show their support to Donald Trump are intimidated, said one among them, Jim MacDonald.

Were here to show that it is still America for the time being  we have a right to free speech. As frightening as this is, we are going to show that we have the right to show our support to Donald Trump whether it pleases the other side or not.

In Arizona, meanwhile, protesters blocked a major thoroughfare in an attempt to prevent Trump supporters reaching a rally he was due to hold ahead of the states primary on Tuesday.

The protesters held a banner across the width of Shea Boulevard with the words Dump Trump as a long lines of traffic backed up in Fountain Hills, on the outskirts of Phoenix.

Later, at the rally in Tucson, Arizona, Trump said the protests were disgraceful.

They arrested three people and everybody else left  they left, Trump said to roaring cheers from the audience.

I love our police, but we should do a little bit more of that. Youd have a lot less protesters, youd have a lot less agitators.

Trump vowed to rebuild the military and build a border wall with Mexico.

Arizona, where political parties will hold primary elections on Tuesday, shares a long stretch of border with Mexico, and is a flashpoint for the issue of illegal immigration into the US.

Last weekend, a man was arrested when he attempted to rush the stage where Trump was addressing a rally in Ohio. In another incident, a man who was caught on video punching an anti-Trump protester in the face at a North Carolina rally was arrested and charged with assault.
Families are frustrated at the countrys failure to rescue hundreds of Turkmen women and children in ISIL captivity.

Kirkuk, Iraq  The ill-fated rescue convoy left just after sunrise.

Few among this group of volunteer rescuers  including farmers, mechanics and doctors  had prior combat experience. They were poorly trained and poorly equipped, but they were also under enormous pressure to act.

In the early hours of June 17, 2014, the predominantly Shia Turkmen village of Basheer in northern Iraq had been overrun by fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). In the following days, witnesses said ISIL fighters destroyed and looted homes, levelled religious shrines and sexually assaulted and executed residents.

Abdullah, who lived in Basheer with his wife and three young children, was working near Kirkuk at the time of the raid. His sister-in-law was able to escape with his three children, but his wife was taken by ISIL.

When my daughter came to me in Kirkuk, she told me shed seen corpses of naked women hanging from electricity poles, Abdullah, who did not provide a last name, told Al Jazeera. I asked her where her mother was. I asked my sister-in-law where her sister was. I just want to know what happened to her.

READ MORE: Kurdish-Turkmen tension on the rise in Kirkuk

News of the atrocities spread quickly. In an effort to save the women and children and to retake Basheer from ISIL, a volunteer force formed, armed with whatever weapons were readily available. Composed of about 125 people from surrounding Turkmen villages, they felt their chances of rescuing the women dwindled with each passing day.

Thats why we were in such a rush, said Abu Ali, 36, who spoke to Al Jazeera under a pseudonym. During the botched rescue attempt on June 29, 2014, he lost close friends, part of his right leg, and a finger. We planned for 10 days, but we should have been preparing for three months.





The botched rescue attempt, which claimed more than two dozen lives, was the first in a succession of military and political failings that have seen some within the Turkmen community grow increasingly frustrated at the continuing plight of the Turkmen women abducted by ISIL. Both the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga failed to act in the ensuing weeks and months, and both governments also failed to provide support that could help other groups stage an effective rescue, activists say.

The womens rescue and the retaking of Basheer was 100 percent the responsibility of the Iraqi army or the Peshmerga, Abu Ali said.

Nearly two years on, the precise number of Turkmen women and children abducted by ISIL during their 2014 rampage through Iraq and Syria  including those from Basheer  remains unknown.

The Turkmen Rescue Foundation, which is among the most vocal advocates for the rescue of the abducted women, believes that more than 500 women and girls are in ISIL-held territory.

What happened to the Turkmen women was not less than what happened to Yazidis, Ali Akram, who heads the foundation, told Al Jazeera. TRF has connections through Yazidi organisations through which we could rescue Turkmen women from ISIL, but havent received any support from Erbil, Baghdad or the international community.

Abdullah says that while it has now been nearly two years, he remains hesitant to tell his children their mother is dead, as there remains a distant chance she is alive. Both the Kurdish Regional Government and Baghdad are just talking, he said. If our families are found now, they will be bones in a grave.

Hasan Turan, a member of the central Iraqi government, acknowledged that Baghdad has failed to act in the matter. A spokesperson for the KRG did not immediately respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment.

Both the Kurdish Regional Government and Baghdad are just talking. If our families are found now, they will be bones in a grave. by Abdullah, former Basheer village resident

Iraqi Turkmen, who form less than 5 percent of the Iraqi population, appear to be a low priority for both the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil and Iraqs central government in Baghdad, Renad Mansur, a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, told Al Jazeera.

For the KRG, the Turkmen remain problematic because they represent a group that complicates their ambitions for acquiring Kirkuk, he said. For Baghdads Shia-led government, the priority is working to protect [against] ISIL advances and moving towards fighting the group in other areas.

Turan, who is the deputy head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front political movement, told Al Jazeera that leaders in the Turkmen community lack both the military capacity and the requisite political relationships with Erbil and Baghdad to have their communitys plight addressed as a priority.

The Turkmen communitys conservative attitude towards abductees is also part of the problem, Turan added. Ours is a closed community, he said. Families whose wives, sisters or daughters have been abducted by ISIL feel shame; they feel they are unable to tell their story to the world.

Aryan, a Turkmen and former ISIL prisoner who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she and her daughter were attacked and sexually assaulted by ISIL fighters while in captivity. She escaped in February 2015, but her daughter died of wounds inflicted during the ordeal.

My family is avoiding me, Aryan told Al Jazeera. My aunt is helping me; the others have nothing to do with me. My husbands family come to Kirkuk, but they only occasionally call me.

READ MORE: Yazidis tell horror stories about ISIL captivity

The Turkmen Rescue Foundation has documented cases of Turkmen escapees who have subsequently been told by male family members to commit suicide because of the shame of what happened to them.

The Yazidi community was very brave, and succeeded in making their case to the world, Turan said, noting the Turkmen community should do the same.

They have the same culture in how they deal with women, but decided as a community not to blame any women who escaped ISIL.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Turkmen have begun to look ahead to the anticipated liberation of Mosul, where the Turkmen Rescue Foundation believes Turkmen women and girls are being held. Some within the Turkmen community  including Himan Ramzi, the head of an Erbil-based Turkmen organisation  say Turkmen themselves must be among the liberating forces.

Without the participation of the affected community, she says, the safety of the abducted women cannot be ensured.
After ISIL rocket attack killed US soldier, Pentagon announces more Marines will be deployed on the ground in Iraq.

The US announced has announced that it will put more troops on the ground in Iraq.

Troops from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will add to American forces already in the country battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), the Pentagon said on Sunday.

It was unclear exactly how many Marines would be deployed, but the move was made to bolster security at a coalition base near Makhmur on the front lines with ISIL in northern Iraq.

The announcement comes a day after the Pentagon said a US Marine was killed in an ISIL rocket attack at the base, the second American combat death in the fight against the group.

The rocket barrage occurred in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, where Baghdad has recently been deploying forces to prepare for an offensive against ISIL-controlled Mosul.

Several other Marines were wounded and they are being treated for their varying injuries, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Michael Pregent, a Middle East analyst and former US intelligence officer, said force protection is paramount for Washington, especially after Saturdays death and the killing of a US special forces soldier in 2015 who was involved in an anti-ISIL operation.

The deployment also talks to the need to have more US advisers and special operators on the ground with the Iraqi security forces to fight ISIS, Pregent told Al Jazeera.

READ MORE: Iraqs forgotten ISIL prisoners

Meanwhile, at least two dozen Iraqi security forces were killed in suicide attacks launched by ISIL on Sunday in restive Anbar province, the scene of near-daily violence.

An Iraqi military source told Al Jazeera at least 24 Iraqi forces were killed, while 12 others were wounded in the blasts in the municipality of Haqlaniyah, southwest of Hadeetha city.





ISIL fighters with explosive vests sneaked into Haqlaniyah and at least three entered a municipal building and detonated their explosives.

Fighters clashed with Iraqi soldiers backed by popular mobilisation forces, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Last week, at least 47 Iraqi soldiers were killed in a series of attacks by ISIL fighters near Anbars strategic city of Ramadi.

Residents of Anbar account for more than a third of the 3.2 million people displaced by fighting in Iraq since the start of 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Under a stepped-up campaign of US-led and Russian air strikes, as well as ground assaults by multiple forces in each country, ISIL is estimated to have lost about 40 percent of its territory in Iraq and more than 20 percent in Syria.

At its highest point in the summer of 2014, the group had overrun nearly a third of each country, declaring a caliphate spanning from northwestern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad.
Decision to scrap scheme that would reunite families of Ethiopian Israelis amounts to racism, Jerusalem protesters say.

Hundreds of Ethiopian Israelis marched in Jerusalem after the government cancelled plans to allow their relatives to emigrate from the African nation, calling the move discrimination.

Police and organisers estimated the crowd at up to 2,000 people for Sundays march, which ended outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office.

Stop the suffering, stop the discrimination, stop the racism, demonstrators chanted, holding signs with similar slogans as well as pictures of relatives left behind in Ethiopia.





Antaihe Cheol, a 30-year-old resident of northern Israel, said his father and brother have been waiting to immigrate for 20 years.

This is simply discrimination, Cheol told the AFP news agency.

His friend Ashebo noted that the government actively encourages immigration of Jews from France, the United States and Russia.

When it comes to Jews from Ethiopia  everyone refuses, he said. Its embarrassing.

Israels Ethiopian community includes about 135,000 people.

Israel brought the bulk of Ethiopias Jewish community to the country between 1984 and 1991 under the Law of Return guaranteeing citizenship to all Jews.

However, the law does not apply to the Falash Mura, descendants of Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity, many under duress, in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Israeli government in November voted to allow the immigration of some 9,100 Falash Mura.

But on March 7, an official from Netanyahus office informed members of parliament the decision would not be implemented because of budgetary constraints.

The issue will be discussed in the coming months as part of the budget discussions, the prime ministers office said.

Netanyahus office considers reuniting Falash Mura families an issue of humane and social importance.

READ MORE: Ethiopian Jews: Not Jewish enough

Leading the demonstration on Sunday was MP Avraham Neguise, himself an immigrant from Ethiopia and a member of Netanyahus Likud party.

Along with MP David Amsalem, Neguise has boycotted all parliamentary votes since being told the government was walking back its November decision, and reiterated on Sunday that he would continue doing so until the decree was reversed.

Revital Swid, a politician from the opposition Zionist Union, also accused the government of racial discrimination.

Would the government tell even one Jew from Russia, or Europe, or America who had family in Israel we dont have the money to bring you here? she asked before the march.
Journalism at Risk, the theme of IPIs 65th annual summit, raises questions about global safety and freedom violations.

Doha, Qatar  Hundreds of journalists from around the world gathered in Qatar to raise calls for their protection and the right to freedom of expression as conflict has gripped several countries in the Middle East and media professionals worldwide continue to report press freedom violations.

Journalism at Risk, the theme of the International Press Institutes (IPI) 65th annual summit, launched in Qatars capital, Doha, on Saturday and was attended by around 300 leading international journalists.

Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN) is the official host of the event, as well as the World Media Summit which begins on Sunday with a focus on journalist safety and the future of news.

The IPI event runs until Monday.

I hope this conference finds answers to one of the most important issues that face media professionals and organisations, which is how to cover areas of armed conflict and internal strife while attacks on journalists are on the rise, and while journalists are being systematically targeted, said Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, chairman of the board of Al Jazeera Media Network.

He added that the conference demonstrated the media industrys willingness to build mechanisms to defend journalists, press freedom and media organisations.

During a panel discussion on the opening day, speakers talked about the challenges of reporting in the Arab world.

Tawakkol Karman, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 in recognition of her non-violent struggle for the safety of women, said she was hopeful that young people in the region would be able to change the media landscape.

The majority of Arab media is still run by corrupt regimes, she said. The problem is that revolutionary or democratic forces have not managed to own media outlets.

She explained that either financial or administrative barriers had so far hindered the revolutionaries before adding that the youth will fight corruption and injustice.

However, a sense of joy was somewhat muted during the event as many pointed to a range of bleak statistics. According to the IPI, at least nine journalists have already been killed this year.

Mostefa Souag, acting director-general of AJMN, said around 100 journalists are killed on average each year.

Several journalists unable to attend

Abdullah Elshamy, an Al Jazeera journalist who was jailed in Egypt for 10 months before being freed in 2014, said around 90 journalists were currently behind bars in the country, some under death sentences.

Several journalists were unable to attend the Doha event, having been slapped with travel bans, according to Barbara Trionfi, IPI executive director.

It seems I am condemned to become a stranger in my own country and have my mouth shut. by Ahmad Zeidabadi, Iranian journalist, academic, writer and political analyst

Syrian journalist Mazen Darwish appeared on a panel via Skype as he was stopped by Turkish authorities and was unable to attend.

Prison does not always just mean just a physical prison. The prison can be large, said Darwish.

Iranian journalist, academic, writer and political analyst Ahmad Zeidabadi was also unable to attend due to a lifetime travel ban Iran imposed on him in 2009.

He was honoured in absentia as IPIs 68th World Press Freedom Hero.

In remarks read out by Morten Ostervang of the Copenhagen-based International Media Support, Zeidabadi said: Engaging in journalism in Iran can be like walking on a minefield [which] has its own logic and rules [and where] one can avoid stepping on a mine if one is clever enough to use a map and avoid the mines.

IPI awarded Zeidabadi for his fight for freedom of expression, human rights and democracy in Iran despite continued persecution by authorities.

Zeidabadi has suffered multiple arrests, imprisonment in solitary confinement, internal exile, and a lifetime ban on social and political activities due to his journalistic work.

Reflecting on his current circumstances, Zeidabadi said: It seems I am condemned to become a stranger in my own country and have my mouth shut. In such a condition, sometimes I think I have been condemned to civil execution or to go through a silent death and be forgotten altogether.
Armed group also says a dozen Kenyan troops killed as fighting intensifies in Somalias south.

The Kenyan military said on Sunday its troops killed 34 fighters from the armed al-Shabab group in clashes in Somalia.

Twenty-one fighters were killed in the southern city of Afmadow on Saturday, military spokesman Colonel David Obonyo said. He said two Kenyan soldiers died in a roadside bomb blast in the incident.

Meanwhile, Al-Shabab  according to SITE Intelligence Group that monitors insurgent groups  said it killed a dozen Kenyan soldiers and captured two of them in the attack.

Obonyo said Kenyan soldiers killed another 13 fighters on Sunday near Ras Kamboni in southern Somalia.

Kenya is among five countries contributing troops to an African Union force that is bolstering Somalias government against al-Shababs insurgency.

Of the troop-contributing countries, Kenya has borne the brunt of retaliatory attacks from al-Shabab.

Obonyo said on Wednesday that Kenyan troops on patrol on Tuesday night, in the southern city of Afmadow, killed 19 al-Shabab fighters preparing to attack a Somali National Army camp.

Al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaeda, is waging an insurgency against Somalias United Nations-backed government, carrying out deadly attacks on military and civilian targets in and outside Somalia.

Al-Shabab killed up to 200 Kenyan soldiers in a January attack, according to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou appeared on track to win second term after main rival flown to Paris for medical treatment.

Niger is holding its first-ever presidential run-off, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou on track for a second term after his main rival was flown from jail to a Paris hospital for treatment and with the opposition boycotting the vote.

The election on Sunday pits Issoufou, a former mining engineer nicknamed the Lion, against jailed opposition leader 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.

Just days before the vote, he was evacuated from prison and flown to Paris for medical care, with the government saying he was suffering from an unspecified chronic ailment.

On Friday, Amadous 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 situation has created a tense atmosphere in the country, which has a history filled with military coups, and it has only had a multi-party democracy since 1990.

Clear-cut victory expected

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 governments announcement that it had foiled a coup bid.

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 desolate but uranium-rich country and prevent further attacks by armed groups in its northern deserts and from Nigerias Boko Haram group to the south.

READ MORE: Opposition coalition to boycott Niger runoff

Just three days before the vote, Niger suffered two attacks  one in the west claimed by Al-Qaedas 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 Issoufous government 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.

Unfair treatment

The opposition coalition has alleged fraud in the first round, claiming unfair treatment between the two candidates and has vowed not to recognise the results, even though Amadou has not himself said he would withdraw from the race.

We are calling on people to stay at home. Issoufou can announce whatever results he likes, thats of no concern to us, said Ousseini Salatou, spokesman for the COPA 2016 opposition coalition.

Religious groups, tribal leaders and trade unions have called for calm and dialogue.

Amadous imprisonment since November in the town of Filingue, about 180 kilometres from the capital Niamey, took a dramatic turn recently with the government saying he was in poor health.

Polling stations open at 07:00 GMT and will close 11 hours later, after which the electoral commission has five days to announce the result.
Poems of Rafeef Ziadah are inspired by true stories of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and in exile.

Today, my body was a TVed massacre,

and let me just tell you: There is nothing your UN resolutions have ever done about this.

And no sound bite I come up with, no matter how good my English gets, will bring them back to life.

First written in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza, these words from Rafeef Ziadahs poem We Teach Life, Sir became popularised by a 2011 performance that went viral.

A Palestinian performance poet based in London, Ziadah is an activist in her own right and a member of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee.

She has helped to spearhead many of the initiatives calling for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel until it adheres to the demands granting Palestinians rights under international law.

The poem is now featured on Ziadahs latest album of the same name, which blends her poetry with original music composed by Phil Mansour.

Al Jazeera spoke with Ziadah about her latest album and the inspiration and politics of her art, as well as her UK-based activism.

Al Jazeera: Your poems were previously known for your captivating performance. Why did you decide to add music to your poems?

Rafeef Ziadah: Both my first album, Hadeel, and this second one, We Teach Life, have been collaborations with wonderful musicians who deliberately worked to ensure that the music strengthened and emphasised the words.

With an album, unlike live performances, people are not able to see me and relate to my facial expressions or hand gestures  on the album we wanted to recreate that connection and music really helped to bring the poems to life.

I was happy to work with activist-artist Phil Monsour (who produced the album). The music has also helped introduce the work to a broader audience and is beginning to have radio play on independent radio stations around the world.

Al Jazeera: How long did it take you to make this album? Why have you decided to release it now and what do you hope will come out of its release?

Ziadah: The album was a slow collaboration that started with a number of poetry pieces and slowly grew in number. It took about 12 months to complete the final production, but the poems were written over several years and recorded in a few countries depending on accessibility.

It is really an attempt to capture in words a number of recent experiences of Palestinians inside historic Palestine and in exile as well.

This work is also  in many ways  a collective effort beyond myself and the musicians because we launched a crowd-funding campaign to support the final stages of production and many people generously donated to make sure narratives that are largely absent in the Western mainstream can be heard.

As I explain in the albums artwork, the poems and music here have been written over several years, three wars, two sieges, too many borders and many protests and picket lines. I hope they capture even a glimpse of the love and resilience of many who teach life with a steadfast smile every day.

READ MORE: Final curtain looms for historic Palestinian theatre

Al Jazeera: Which poem on the album is the most touching for you, and why?





Ziadah: Every poem on this album is a true story based on conversations I have had with Palestinians and refugees in many different parts of the world. I hope each story connects with and touches people in some way.

One of the most difficult to write was the poem Pillow about a man who in panic picked up a pillow instead of his baby girl while fleeing Israels aerial bombardment.

His child survived, but while telling me what happened, he suddenly stopped and showed me the pillowcase that he had kept for years and said: I keep it to remember.

The poem Silence Still came out of conversations with a wonderful woman who was a Nakba survivor. In her last few months, she would only describe her village in Palestine and refused to talk about anything else.

Of course, the title of the album is based on the poem We Teach Life, Sir, which dealt with mainstream media bias against Palestinians, but various poems touch on different topics including the difficulties of borders, migration, and racism in Europe and North America towards refugees.

Musically, the tracks have both quiet moments accompanied by Oud solos and others full of energy and rhythm.

The poems and music here have been written over several years, three wars, two sieges, too many borders and many protests and picket lines. I hope they capture even a glimpse of the love and resilience of many who teach life with a steadfast smile everyday.

Al Jazeera: As an activist working on behalf of Palestinian rights, how do you see art  whether poetry or otherwise  as interlinked with the realm of politics?

Ziadah: In our context I am not sure how we can separate our lives, including art, from the political. The separation, unfortunately, exists more in academic discussions than in peoples daily lives and interactions with art.

Ultimately, my experiences and those of the majority of Palestinians have been shaped by dispossession and exile enforced by Israels settler colonial regime through a set of comprehensive apartheid policies. The journey of refugees from many countries to Europe, which I write about in this album, is shaped by a political system that treats asylum seekers as suspect.

Even as an individual I find myself reading in countries that place so many negative stereotypes of Arab women on my shoulders before I even utter a word, regardless of whether I attempt to be political or not.

This reality and our narratives are the backbone of the poetry I write, and that in turn links to my activism because narration is not enough. I am also interested in calling for action against those complicit in supporting Israels crimes or abuses of refugee rights.

Al Jazeera: How does this view influence the activism you do, with regard to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement?

Ziadah: I have been involved in the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign since its inception, helping to found the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid in Toronto and Israeli Apartheid Week, which is taking place this year in more than 150 cities and campuses around the world.

I am a proud member of the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott Initiative (PACBI) and have supported cultural and academic boycott campaigns and pledges whenever possible.

Today more than ever I believe we need a movement to isolate Israels regime in the manner of South African apartheid. Since the so-called international community seems to be oblivious to the conditions that Palestinians are living in, the only option left is to make a pariah state of Israel.

Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions are a legitimate tool in this strategy  they help to educate about the reality of Israels regime of oppression against Palestinians and, more importantly, they move people beyond basic condemnation to effective action.

OPINION: Palfest  who represents whom in literature?

Al Jazeera: What do you think about recent measures taken by the UK government to limit BDS activism?

Ziadah: The UK government recently announced details of its restrictions regarding ethical procurement in an attempt to intimidate public bodies like councils and universities from cancelling contracts with corporations complicit in Israels human rights violations.

Although they do not appear to introduce new legal obligations on public bodies, these documents are intended to create a chilling effect and form part of a concerted campaign to curtail BDS campaigning.





I agree with my colleagues in the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) who explained: This government is going further than Margaret Thatcher ever went to defend South African apartheid.

The UK government is effectively undermining civil rights and local democracy in order to shield Israel from criticism and accountability.

Far from hindering BDS campaigns, such repressive measures only highlight the UKs deepening support for Israels oppression of Palestinians and underline the need for more BDS campaigning.

In response to the measures, more than 25,000 people signed a petition rejecting the governments plans and a coalition of organisations has committed to defending the right to continue BDS campaigning. Students rejected the measures by organising Israeli Apartheid Week events across UK campuses, with an opening plenary attended by more than 350 people in London.
Five boats carrying Syrians arrive from Turkey hours after deal aiming to cut off refugee route to EU comes into force.

Refugee boats continued to arrive in Greece in the eastern Mediterranean, despite a recent deal between the EU and Turkey  whereby refugees will be deported back to Turkey  coming into effect.

At least five boats, carrying more than 30 refugees each, arrived from Turkey between Saturday midnight  when the agreement came into force  and Sunday morning.

We endured four years of war, bombardment, rocket attacks...I dont want to be sent back to Turkey because my father and two sisters are in Germany and I miss them. by Rola Hallak, refugee from Aleppo

The majority of the refugees who arrived were from Syria, said Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Greek island of Lesbos.

Under the deal struck on Saturday, for every Syrian returned, the EU will resettle one from a Turkish refugee camp.

But people who managed to reach Europes shores were hopeful they would not be turned back.

I dont think they will reject us because we are coming from a destroyed city. We are asking for asylum on humanitarian grounds, Ahmed, a refugee from Aleppo, told Al Jazeera upon his arrival in Lesbos.

Not only is there war in our country but the situation in Turkey is bad for us.

Those who arrived in Greece want to make their way to mainland Europe, some in search of a better life and others to be reunited with their family members who made the journey before them.

We endured four years of war, bombardment, rocket attacks  I dont want to be sent back to Turkey because my father and two sisters are in Germany and I miss them, said Rola Hallak, another refugee from Aleppo.

The EU-Turkey deal aims to strangle the main route used by refugees travelling to the EU and discourage people smugglers, but it has faced criticism from rights groups and thousands took to the streets of Europe in protest.

Greek premier Alexis Tsipras told his ministers on Saturday afternoon to be ready to begin deporting people the following day, as agreed, but officials said afterwards that they needed more time to prepare.

The agreement to send back new arrivals on the islands should, according to the text, enter into force on March 20, the government coordinator for migration policy (migration coordination agency) spokesman Giorgos Kyritsis told the AFP news agency.

But a plan like this cannot be put in place in only 24 hours.

Around 1,500 people crossed the Aegean to Greeces islands on Friday before the deal was brought in, officials said  more than double the day before and compared with several hundred a day earlier this week.

A four-month-old baby drowned when a refugee boat sank off the Turkish coast on Saturday hours before the deal came into force, Turkeys Anatolia agency reported.

Hundreds of security and legal experts  2,300, according to Tsipras  are set to arrive in Greece to help enforce the deal, described as Herculean by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

Paris and Berlin have pledged to send 600 police and asylum experts to Greece, according to a joint letter.

OPINION: The dark side of the EU-Turkey refugee deal

Amnesty International has called the deal a historic blow to human rights, and on Saturday thousands of people marched in London, Athens, Barcelona, Vienna, Amsterdam and several Swiss cities in opposition.

Were calling on the Greek government to stop aligning itself with the EUs anti-refugee policies, said activist Thanassis Kourkoulas at a rally in the Greek capital.

EU officials have stressed that each application for asylum will be treated individually, with full rights of appeal and proper oversight.

In return for cooperation, Turkey won an acceleration of its long-stalled bid for EU membership, a doubling of refugee aid to six billion euros ($6.8bn) and visa-free travel in Europes Schengen passport-free zone.

The deal also envisages major aid for Greece, where tens of thousands of refugees are trapped in dire conditions after Balkan countries shut their borders.
Former Vale CEO Agnelli, his wife and two children among seven dead after private jet slams into building in Sao Paulo.

Roger Agnelli, the former head of the Brazilian mining giant Vale, has died after his private jet crashed into a residential building in Sao Paulo, local media reported.

Agnelli, his wife and two of his children were among seven killed when his aircraft slammed into the building around 18:20 GMT on Saturday, minutes after taking off from an airport in northern Sao Paulo, an aviation official told Reuters news agency.

Agnelli was credited with turning Vale into a major global success, making it Brazils biggest exporter and the worlds largest iron ore producer.

The airplane fell with seven people onboard and all died on the spot. We are looking for other possible victims. The residences owner was rescued, firefighters reported.

Aviation authorities confirmed that Agnelli was the owner of the plane but could not provide a passenger list.

Sources said Agnelli was travelling to a wedding ceremony of a nephew in Rio de Janeiro with his wife Andreia, son Joao, daughter Anna Carolina, and their two spouses.

Brazilian Senator Aecio Neves wrote on Twitter: My family and I are shocked over the tragedy that befell my friend Roger Agnelli and his family.

The weather was clear at the time of the crash.

Known for his discipline and feisty nature, Agnelli clinched the top job at Vale in July 2001 after 19 years as a corporate and investment banker with Banco Bradesco SA, a major Vale shareholder.

He instilled a culture of meritocracy that helped make Vale Brazils leading exporter.

To friends and foes, the key to Agnellis success was accurately predicting the rise of China as a major minerals consumer, a crucial wager in turning Vale, a former bloated, state-controlled firm, into a global powerhouse.

He was a visionary that corporate Brazil will miss badly, said Lawrence Pih, who for decades ran the flour mill Grupo Pacifico SA and sat on the board at the Sao Paulo Federation of Industries with Agnelli.

In Harvard Business Reviews ranking of the worlds best-performing chief executive officers published in February 2013, Agnelli came fourth, only behind Apple Incs Steve Jobs, Amazon.com Incs Jeff Bezos and Samsung Groups Yun Jong-Yong.

He was the top mining CEO in the 100-executive ranking. Agnelli earned the spot in the Harvard ranking after racking up a consolidated return of 934 percent during his tenure at Vale, whose market value more than doubled in the period.
Another 30 injured after bus carrying university students back from a fireworks festival overturns in northeast Spain.

A bus carrying university students returning from a fireworks festival has crashed in northeast Spain, killing at least 14 passengers and injuring 30 others, officials have said.

The bus, which had more than 50 passengers, appeared to have hit the right-hand side barriers of the AP7 highway before overturning across the road and slamming into the central fence, said Jordi Jane, spokesman for Spains northeastern Catalonia province.

The bus had been returning to Barcelona after visiting the city of Valencia for a major festival known as the Fallas, which is known for its exuberant firework displays and attracts many tourists.

Many of the students onboard were foreigners who were participating in an exchange programme between European universities known as Erasmus.

The nationalities of the deceased were not confirmed.

The driver survived the collision and had been taken to a local police station, officials said.

Road conditions were good at the time of the crash and an investigation is looking into the cause of the accident, Jane said.
Interior minister says deadly suicide blast on popular tourist street was carried out by a Turkish ISIL member.

Turkeys interior minister said on Sunday an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant suicide bomber carried out the attack in Istanbul that killed five people and wounded more than 30 others.

Efkan Ala said a Turkish member of ISIL  also known as ISIS  was responsible for Saturdays blast on tourist-popular Istiklal street that killed three Israelis, an Iranian, as well as the bomber.

We have determined that Mehmet Ozturk, born in 1992 in Gaziantep, has carried out the heinous attack on Saturday in Istanbul, Ala said in a news conference broadcast live on television.

It has been established that he is a member of Daesh [the Arabic acronym for ISIL], he added.

Five arrests have been made in connection with the attack, the minister said.

The identification was based on DNA tests using a blood sample from a relative, state news agency Anadolu reported.

READ MORE: Ankara bombing  Kurdish group TAK claims responsibility

ISIL has so far not claimed responsibility.

The blast occurred as Turkey investigates a string of recent attacks, including a massive car bombing in the capital Ankara on March 13 which killed 37 people.

The Ankara bombing was claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a splinter group of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Saturdays bombing was the fourth such attack in Turkey this year, bringing the death toll to more than 80.
The case against Assange is as political as it is legal; where does it go from here? Plus, Kenyas election influencers.
           2005     ..        
Watching the efforts to stop Donald Trump run through the primaries to the convention this week, I was reminded of the Our Gang He-Man Woman Haters Club where Spanky and his friends embark on a futile effort to keep the members from ever falling in love with a girl.

While no candidate has yet received the 1237 delegates that the rules provide as a necessary predicate to the nomination, Trump is closest to that goal. He has won 19 of the primaries to Cruz 8. He has 678 delegates to Cruz 423.

This week primaries will take place in American Samoa, Utah, and Arizona -- a total of 107 delegates are at stake. Ive no information on the Samoan race, but hes polling ahead in Arizona and its a close race in Utah. In the meantime, Emerson released a poll of New York Republicans (with 95 delegates) announcing this week that Trump leads Cruz there 64 to 12. That election doesnt take place until mid-April but the news certainly suggests that he will garner the necessary votes before the convention. It also, I should think, puts paid to the notion that Trump can only win pluralities, not majorities, of the Republican voters. (Rubio dropped out before the third day of polling but had received only a minimal amount of votes before that.)

The He-Man gang which ignored the tea party and the lefts baseless attacks on it, and the mounting evidence of voter dissatisfaction with open borders and one-sided trade deals (and lax enforcement of them) has been working overtime to stop its base from falling for Trump. Seems its a bit late for that. Romney gave it a try and in the process seems only to have diminished his reputation. In Ohio he endorsed the likely (and eventual) winner John Kasich last week. This week he said he was voting for Cruz in Utah, though he didnt outright endorse him. Needless to say, Kasich expressed his displeasure at this obvious sign that he was Romneys pawn to get a brokered convention.

Several scenarios have been floated besides keeping Kasich in as a spoiler, including ignoring the rules or just freeing the delegates to vote for another candidate. This week, there was a not very secret meeting by the anti-Trump club.

Days after disavowing what he described as Republican attempts to Jim Crow Donald Trump supporters at the Republican National Convention this summer, right-wing radio host Erick Erickson became the de-facto spokesperson for the newly formed Conservatives Against Trump group -- earning a torrent of backlash from his fellow conservatives. We believe that the issue of Donald Trump is greater than an issue of party, a statement from the Erickson-led group released on Thursday read. [snip] We call for a unity ticket that unites the Republican Party, Ericksons group wrote. 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. Just days ago, however, the recently outspoken Trump critic still appeared to be biting his tongue a bit when he dismissed rumblings of a contentious convention fight. Beat Trump at the ballot box, not the convention, Erickson insisted earlier this month. Erickson explained to the Atlanta Journal Constitution this week that his change of heart was spurred on by high levels of Republicans indicating they would not support Trump in the general election, according to exit polls in primary states that have voted thus far.

For those who question Trumps commitment to the party, Roger Stone, a long time Republican consultant offers this rebuttal:

In fact, Donald Trump was in on the ground floor of the most significant political victory American conservatives have won in this century; the election of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States. I know because I was charged with organizing former Governor Ronald Reagan's campaign in New York State, as well as New Jersey and Connecticut. To a man, the New York business establishment and significant Republican contributors were supporting either Ambassador George H.W Bush or former Texas Governor John Connolly for President. Well heeled Reagan donors with the ability to raise significant funds for Reagan were hard to come by in the Northeast. Donald Trump is among the handful who really stepped up to the plate for Reagan. Trump made arrangements for the Reagan campaign to obtain campaign office space on West 52nd street and raised over a quarter million dollars (in 1980 dollars) for the Reagan campaign coffers. Trump also set up meetings with numerous private sector union officials he was friendly with, and encouraged a number of them to bolt from Jimmy Carter and endorse Reagan.

How much of the anti-Trump conservative animus is motivated by Not of our Class snobbery and how much by the knowledge that a lot of D.C. rice bowls might be smashed by Trump is hard to say, but I think Newt Gingrichs observation deserves serious consideration:

I think its pretty simple. If you want to help elect Hillary Clinton, and you want to make sure that the unionized bureaucracies are totally in control, and you want to have a radical Supreme Court to finish eliminating our liberties, then play games like this. But thats what they are: Theyre games, Gingrich tells Breitbart News Executive Chairman and SiriusXM host Stephen K. Bannon on Breitbart News Daily. There are two choices in America, Gingrich said. Theres the choice that accepts the continued decay and continued radicalization of continued [sic]Americans. Thats the Hillary Clinton road. And theres the choice that says no, we need an alternative, and thats the Donald Trump road. But theres not a third choice, Gingrich warned: And these people who the self-important definers of America, who are telling us about this fancy third choice, they make no sense at all. They ought to at least be honest and say to people: You know, Id rather have Hillary Clinton than the Republican nominee. Because thats what theyre doing. They ought to just form Lost Republicans for Hillary and be honest about the effect of what theyre doing

Certainly some of the Not Trump crowd is influenced by polls indicating he cannot beat Hillary, but the general election is a long way down the road and there seems little sign of Trumps popularity diminishing. His unconventional on-the-cheap campaign gave us a taste this week of how he plans to do it. Putting together a 15-second video that he posted on Instagram, he very successfully ridiculed her assertion that she is up to the demands of the presidency and it was widely published for free.

Compare and contrast with the millions of donor dollars the anti-Trump crowd wasted on ads produced and placed by highly compensated consultants which no one watched or heeded.

In any event, Hillarys troubles seem far from over. Its true the indictment in 60 days that former federal prosecutor Joe di Genova predicted in January has not yet come to pass, but he remains confident that a grand jury to investigate her conduct is ongoing and the intelligence community will not stand for it if she is not prosecuted. Considering everything, trying to deny Trump the nomination after this weeks results based on the notion that he cannot beat her in the general election seems about as foolhardy as betting that Hillary would beat Sanders in Michigan. Remember, not a single poll in the month preceding the election had her winning by less than 5 percentage points and many had her beating him by 20 or more.
A simple definition of "civil disobedience" is an objection to obeying certain orders and rules of an oppressive government or an entity that have imposed their will upon people without resorting to violence. According to this definition; the Iranian peoples observance of Nowruz, * (Iranian New Year) falls into this category.

Commonly, whenever the issue of civil disobedience, appears, we are reminded of the Indian peoples struggle against British colonialism which was led by late great Mahatma Gandhi. We can also refer to the history of Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and pursued the struggle against racial discrimination of black Americans. In some cases, the non-violent civil protests of Iran's Green Movement of the year 2009, is also mentioned.

Today, on the eve of the International Day of Nowruz on March 20th, I as an advocate and admirer of Iranian culture, would like to affirm, according to the definition of "civil disobedience," the ceremony of Persian Nowruz, which for the past thirty-eight years has been celebrated by millions of Iranian people across the globe, has indeed been the most beautiful act of "civil disobedience" that has been happening in our current era.

This cultural movement, immediately was born in Iran, right after the Islamic revolution of 1979 and grew rapidly and is still growing. On the one hand, the religious fanatics resorted to violence while showing off their military might and simultaneously engaged in propaganda and psychological deterrence for anyone who disagreed with their kind of religion. They were determined to keep assaulting and expunging the Iranian culture from its own past history.

On the other hand, people had no choice but to succumb to the regimes demands in order to save their lives, while at the same time, they stood firmly opposed to the governments forces so that they could salvage their cultural heritage. The Iranian people, by hook or crook, kept the burning light of freedom within their hearts alive and it only kept growing greater with each passing year, not only in Iran, but all over the world where millions of Iranians live in exile. In practical terms, they resisted the governments invasion.

Indeed, what can we name this civil movement once witnessing the endurance of millions of Iranians after more than three decades of torture, imprisonment, and discrimination, but correctly as peaceful civil disobedience? If this is not civil disobedience, then what is it?

For so many years, the Islamic government in Iran with all the excuses and all sorts of threats, under the pretext of religious sanctity and security, has been unable to stop people from exercising their national Iranian customs, practices and traditions.

The Iranian people started the Nowruz celebration weeks ago, one by one, like coordinated troops, beautiful and with their heads held high, marching forward to execute the rituals of the chahar shanbeh soori festival, a precursor to Nowruz (a fire jumping festival celebrated by the Iranian people and some other nations). The Basij militia (a paramilitary volunteer group) are always organized and well prepared to intervene, weeks before the celebration of the fire festival begins.

The government elements call them the most profane of epithets, such as fire worshipers, infidels, etc. and then beat them up. They threaten them with arrest, yet they go forward by jumping over fire, even though they are aware of dangerous firecrackers, they still jump over the fire. The government agents try to block them from the joy, dancing and singing of their spring songs, but people simply ignore them. The officials issue a military and religious ultimatum, fatwas of imprisonment, but they dont pay any attention and still carry out their celebration of joy and freedom.

It is ironic how the Iranian government holds Islamic religious holidays, such as the birthday of prophet Muhammad to Eid al-Ghadir (The appointment of Ali ibn Abi Talib by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, as his successor according to Shia beliefs) and Eid al-Fitr (Festival of breaking of the fast) and al-Adha, (Festival of the Sacrifice), with such lavish celebrations while spending millions of dollars, advertising on radio and television 24 hours a day and blowing a loud trumpet both night and day, and while trying to block any celebration of pre-Islamic Iran.

During the Islamic religious celebrations, the government agents force shopkeepers, to keep their lights illuminated throughout the entire night. However, the same government does not apply the same rule when it comes to Nowruz and other Iranian festivities. In order to disrupt the Nowruz celebration, the government tries to find any and all excuses, such as locating a religious martyr to stop people from enjoying and commemorating Nowruz.

But, each year, the aroma of spring fills the hearts of millions of Iranians rejuvenated with love and they repeat the magnificent Nowruz celebration once again. Albeit, Iranians are hurting economically, they welcome the arrival of a new day and a New Year, passionately.

In the same way, that the American blacks in the 1960s refused to ride in the back of buses during an era of segregation, and walked to their destination with corns and calluses on their feet in order to be treated as equal to white Americans, Iranians too, in the worst situations, have refused to obey their governments ultimatums, whether small or large, and preventing them from celebrating the Nowruz ceremony.

As black children were attacked for trying to attend white schools in the American South, in the same way, the Iranian government punishes our young children asking them why do they want to jump over the fire during the fire festival and why do they want to dance and sing? Worst of all, for over thirty-eight years, the religious authorities have psychologically manipulated and abused Iranian children by telling them that God will turn His back on them and they will end up in eternal Hell if they dont refuse their orders.

Efforts of the Islamic Republic to ban Nowruz in Iran has thus far been futile, as most Iranians still view and celebrate their ancient Persian heritage as a source of pride and dignity. The Iranian people have been fighting non-violently for the past thirty-eight years to keep their heritage alive, and have been putting pressure on the Islamic government to recognize them and respect their culture and traditions.

As the people of India walked in protest, while wearing their own handmade white garments, defying the British colonialists and thereby creating fear in the hearts of British authorities; the lovers of Iranian culture, these parrots of love, sugar and nectar also, with joy, dancing, and celebration of fire, will shake the earth and undermine the ravens of death  and the dying Iranian government.

I think, and in fact I have come to the conclusion that our people, some even without realizing it, are going through what is known as "survival of the fittest" or the very basis of "natural selection" a Darwinian interpretation. In order to survive, Iranians have had no choice but to resort to the essence and fabric of their culture of joy, beauty and kindness. Iranians have discovered that culture can be the best antidote to a governments inhumanity that has brought them nothing but despair, sorrow and anger.



This year, on the eve of yet another spring and at the dawn of the thirty-eighth year of civil disobedience, we, the lovers of Iranian culture, will once again renew our struggle with this current culturecidal government of Iran. A struggle for our natural rights of freedom and our rights to be happy and inevitably bring down this sullen army of anti-liberty and anti-happiness, ultimately to their knees.

Shokooh Mirzadegi began her literary work, both as a novelist and a poet with Ferdowsi magazine and Kayhan daily in the late 1960s in Iran. Over the past four decades, she has been one of the most active figures in the Iranian literary community, both inside and outside Iran. She is currently residing with her husband in the US.

* UNESCO Recognizes Nowruz as Part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

This article has been translated from Persian to English by Amil Imani. Source: Gooya News
This has been a winter of discontent with both the past and the present, and the two have merged. An improbable person, Russian President Vladimir Putin, has offered a stimulating comment on the issue, especially helpful for present-day demonstrators in universities.

The world has been horrified by the barbarities of ISIS, the Islamic State, in destroying historic monuments of the past in Iraq and Syria. It has been surprised by the number of disturbances calling for the removal of monuments to or even memories of past controversial figures both in universities in South Africa, Oxford, and elsewhere, and in areas of the United States. At Oriel College, Oxford, Cecil Rhodes its founder has been condemned as a racist, but he was also an 19th-century imperialist who believed in modernity and progress in his own time.

Memories of the past are reflected in the present climate of political anger. Statues of individuals once respected are now seen as symbols of discrimination and oppression. Southern U.S. states in increasing numbers are trying to eliminate those symbols. The Confederate battle flag was removed from the pole at the South Carolina statehouse grounds on July 10, 2015. The statues of Jefferson Davis in the Kentucky Statehouse in New Orleans, and at the University of Texas, Austin, have been removed. The 60-foot statue of Robert E. Lee in New Orleans may be removed.

The problem with all this is that history cannot be unwritten or erased when people change their minds or a group emerges that is critical of past behavior. As the Cambridge classicist Mary Beard remarked, the drive to erase the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oriel College, which he funded, is a dangerous attempt to erase the past.

Do we see Thomas Jefferson as a racist rapist rather than the writer of the Declaration of Independence? Do we see Arthur Bomber Harris, head of RAF Bomber Command, who carried out devastating raids over Germany in World War II and destroyed Dresden on February 13, 1945 where 25,000 were killed, a murderer or a hero? A bronze study of him, placed in 1992 outside the RAF Church of St. Clement Danes in central London, has been damaged from time to time.

Everyone now knows that Putin has become a major and highly controversial player in the Middle East and in international politics generally, and that he is attempting to restore the role of Russia.

Whatever one thinks of Putin as a wily politician and military strategist, he made an interesting contribution to the issue of honoring prominent honored but highly controversial figures. They can be seen as symbols of the prevailing values of their times, but all of them were responsible for atrocities, violence, and deaths. Shall their memory be erased because of the horrors they committed, or should it be kept as reminder of all their activity and useful for historical understanding?

Putin in his press conference on December 19, 2013 touched on an unusual aspect of this discussion of which historical figures should we reject because of their actions and opinions that were commonplace in their own time but that are now unacceptable to contemporary western societies and modern thinking.

Putin choose a strange pair. Stalin who ruled the Soviet Union for 28 years, and Oliver Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector in Britain for few years,1653-58. But both were ruthless rulers and killers and shrewd in exercise of power.

Why Putin asked are there no statues of Stalin when there are statues of Oliver Cromwell, (actually one) and Cromwell was just as much a bloody dictator as was Stalin? Cromwell was, Putin argued, a cunning fellow who played a very controversial role in British history. The statue erected in 1899 of him, sword in hand, is still standing outside the Houses of Parliament. No one said Parliament was going to remove it. We must, Putin continued, treat all periods of our history with care. Its better not to stir things up with premature actions.

Indeed, whose statue and memory should go and who should remain? Cromwell, a tall, well-educated, intensely religious Puritan, led the Parliamentary Army in civil war against King Charles I, who was overthrown. More than 50,000 Royalists, supporters of the king, and 34,000 Parliamentarians lost their lives. Cromwell then created a republic, ruled as Lord Protector and was one of the 59 who signed the death warrant of Charles who was executed on January 30, 1649. He was also a commanding figure who ended the monarchy, created a Commonwealth, ended for a time the House of Lords and the established Church.

Queen Elizabeth II, in spite of this regicide of her ancestor, is not likely to call for the removal of Cromwells statue, but many others have a case. Cromwell acted brutally not only towards those with whom he disagreed on religious reasons, such as the Levellers whom he attacked and executed in Burford Church in Oxfordshire, as well as Catholics. He also was ruthless in his war against the Irish, and massacres in Drogheda in September 1649 and Wexford in October 1649, where more than 300,000 died, about 20 per cent of the Irish population. He was also responsible for the sack of and massacre of Catholics in Dundee, Scotland in 1650.

Josef Stalin, man of steel, short, with face scared by smallpox and with clubfoot, was one of historys great killers. Estimates of the numbers he killed range from 20 to 50 million.

Stalin was honored with statues in nine countries, including the U.S. They have been removed after the end of the Soviet Union but some Russian hardliners would like them restored, as well as the statues of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the brutal founder and head of the Soviet secret police, GPU and Cheka. A large monument to the latter, Iron Felix, located in 1958 near the KGB headquarters in Moscow, was removed by protestors in August 1991. However, in June 2015, the Moscow City Council allowed residents to decide whether the statue should be restored to a square in central Moscow.

Putin, in a speech in 2007, asked the Russian people not to forget the events that began in 1937. He was alluding to the time when Stalin executed more than 700,000 people and imprisoned more than 1 million. Lenin was apparently more acceptable, though most but not all of his statues have been removed, as has the name of Leningrad. Ironically, it was Stalin who altered the past by erasing the figures of his political rivals, especially Trotsky, from all photos.

Who is offended by the existence of the statues and should they be destroyed? London is graced or disgraced by the Albert Memorial and Nelsons Column in Trafalgar Square. There may be a strong argument for pulling them down on aesthetic grounds, but not political ones, in spite of objections to British 19th-century imperialism. This objection occurred with Lord Nelson in Dublin as a protest of an English admiral being celebrated in central Dublin. The Nelsons Pillar, built in 1809 to honor his victories, was damaged in March 1966 by a group of IRA dissidents and then destroyed.

We cannot rewrite history or try to do it. The protestors and boycotters are wrong to attempt to do so. The three alternatives are clear. Keep the monuments intact in spite of criticism of the honoree. Remove them if the offence is so great that it is unforgiveable. Keep then but with an accurate explanation of the activities, honorable and critical, about the individual, warts and all as was said about Cromwell, so that all can understand the full life of the person. This last is the wisest solution.

Happy is the country that needs no heroes. Repugnant though Cromwell may have been, he did offer good advice to the protestors and would-be destroyers of statues at Oriel College Oxford, Oberlin College, Ohio, and other institutions. In Scotland in 1650 he made an appeal to protestors: I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken.
There is an atmosphere of doom and despair hanging over the capital of the United States today. The cause is by far the most competitive and genuinely democratic Republican primary season in many years, with by far the best team of Republican candidates, drawing more viewers to more substantive television debates than ever before. In history.

Every single Republican candidate has been head and shoulders above any of the rickety Democrats. Hillary and Bernie look so bad, and their ideas are so out of date that Hail Mary candidate Martin O'Malley, had to start his campaign with a soft-porn photo op showing his bare muscles. Maybe it was supposed to appeal to the gay lobby, or maybe Obama has set yet another dreadful precedent for the future, but O'Malley flopped like a dead herring. And he made the Hillary-Bernie show look even more pathetic.

You would think Republicans would take pride in an outstanding field of candidates competing with each other, and actually reaching far outside the usual voter base. But no, even self-proclaimed conservatives in D.C. sense "a feeling of menace in the air."

My hero Charles Krauthammer is down-hearted at the sight of Donald Trump leading the pack. Dr. Krauthammer rightly blames the highly trained, Soros-paid and organized MoveOn.org ruckus-makers who invaded Donald Trump's meeting in Chicago. Krauthammer notes, "This was an act of deliberate sabotage created by a totalitarian left that specializes in the intimidation and silencing of political opponents."

This is exactly correct.

But you know where his column is going. It's Trump who is the real menace in the minds of D.C., across the spectrum  which is too Marie Antoinette for words. Conservatives have been calling for a popular revolt against the neo-Stalinist left for years, and when it shows up in the shape of Donald Trump, the Orange Demon, they join the P.C. Organs of Propaganda in whipping up hysteria. Even when Trump issues policy papers taken straight from our leading pundits, it's not good enough.

This makes me think that Trump's real sin is his unparalleled vulgarity, as practiced in the outer boroughs of New York. Yes, our deep thinkers believe in democracy, but they feel an "air of menace" at the real thing, as if the vulgar mob is about to storm the Bastille.

Now, consider that America has barely survived almost eight years of the most radical left, America-sabotaging, and politically inverted administration in history. Yet D.C. conservatives have come to terms with a racialist-Marxist-Islamophile administration, straight from the Chicago Machine. Apparently our folks have come to terms with it, because they are shocked (shocked!) at a successful New York businessman actually leading the pack. There is absolutely zero evidence that The Don has ever stirred up a riot, while the Soros-funded ruckus-makers have trained for years to do exactly what they did in Chicago.

George Soros started in Nazi-occupied Hungary by selling the household goods of Hungarian Jews who were arrested by the brutal S.S. and sent to the death camps, and yet Soros later wrote that it was "the best time in my life." Soros is a self-diagnosed narcissist, who funds numerous lefto-fascist groups, who actually do riot and disrupt conservative speakers on campus, as well as enemy politicians in the United States. Those facts make me feel an "air of menace," all right, and not just around the heavily fortified city of Washington, D.C. General Petraeus was physically stormed by leftomaniacs at NYU six months ago, and he had to run for it. The media barely reported it. That kind of thing creates an air of menace, all right. It is supposed to do that. (See Karl Marx on revolutionary terror.)

Apparently our conservative elites have lost their perspective on things, which is what happens when you sleep with the enemy for too long.

If D.C. conservatives want to do something constructive, they might start making peace between Trump and Cruz, a dream team for real conservatives. Trump and Cruz have had productive talks with each other, and there is not much disagreement on the fundamentals. Trump is more of a pragmatist, as you might expect in a business guy. He will do deals with the Devil if he feels it's necessary  which is good preparation for dealing with Vladimir Putin. Cruz has a very skilled legal mind, has shown real political courage in standing up to the GOP mafia in Congress. Cruz has a passionate belief in constitutionalism.

Put those two powerhouses together, and we might get a break from the relentless assaults of the left. At least we will be able to answer back, which is very important. Young people today have never heard a president speak about constitutional government. They will never hear it from Hillary or Bernie, but Trump and Cruz could penetrate some heavily indoctrinated skulls.

So let's leave the hysteria to the socialist Democrats, who know how to run around tearing their hair off anyway. The sooner GOP frontrunners unite, the better. They are far more effective than Bob Dole and Lindsey Graham, with all due respect. Trump brings in the Reagan Democrats, while Cruz can talk to the constitutionalists.

There isn't a better team in politics to clean up D.C. after two terms of Marxist-Islamist-racialist abuses of power. Remember the stakes in this election. After a power-hungry Obama and a sex-obsessed Bill Clinton, consider a Trump+Cruz team compared to the alternative. Americans are optimistic by instinct. This is no time for conservatives, of all people, to scare the horses. The left will do that all by itself, and we don't have to help them spread delusional panic.
Now that Marco Rubio has suspended his campaign, Donald Trump may have an open path to the magic number of 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination. Delusional thinking on my part? Actually, this was a recent headline in the NY Times.

Predictably, the political right and left are in a tizzy over this prospect, but for different reasons. On the right, it is a "moral and character issue" according to Erick Erickson, organizer of Conservatives Against Trump. A group of conservative activists met and drafted a statement denouncing Trump but said activists declined to sign the statement or otherwise identify themselves. Surprising that they would not all be proud to publically stand against Trump rather than scheme against him behind closed doors.

The GOP establishment is also down on The Donald because, in their opinion, he would lose badly to Hillary Clinton. Karl Rove takes it farther, promising, "If Trump is the nominee, the GOP will lose the White House and Senate." Severely conservative Mitt Romney agrees: "a Trump nomination enables her [Hillary Clinton's] victory." Even severely underwhelming presidential candidate Lindsey Graham says of Trump, "He's going to lose badly."

The left too is in panic mode about Trump's march to the nomination. At first glance, this makes no sense. If Trump is as bad a candidate as Rove, Romney, Graham, and others believe, the left should be doing handsprings over the prospect of him being the candidate to face Clinton in the general election and lose in a landslide. Instead of criticizing Trump, big media should be quietly encouraging his candidacy, running their own version of operation chaos.

Consider these recent headlines on the Huffington Post website. "How The Trump Campaign Could Evolve Into Organized Violence, In 6 Steps." "Violence and Arrests At Trump Rallies Are Way More Common Than You May Think." "There Is A White House Petition To Arrest Donald Trump." Much like what one would see in the Weekly Standard or National Review.

So why are Democrats suddenly reaching across the aisle in a rare display of bipartisanship to join their Republican foes in opposing Donald Trump's candidacy? Are they really looking out for the best interests of the Republican Party? Fat chance.

The Washington Post editorialized this week, saying, "Mr. Trump must be stopped because he presents a threat to American democracy." That's rich. Were any of President Obama's unlawful executive orders "a threat to American democracy"? Or any number of Supreme Court decisions usurping the will of the people, replaced by the will of five justices in black robes?

This is the same Washington Post that began endorsing presidential candidates in 1976 and has never endorsed a Republican for the White House. And now they are concerned over the well-being and future of the Republican Party? In their editorial, they claim, "The country needs two healthy parties and, ideally, a contest of ideas and ideology." Sure, two healthy parties duking it out over the issues, as long as one party is Mike Tyson and the other party is Pee-wee Herman.

Instead, it is fear that motivates the Washington Post and other similar left-wing mouthpieces  fear that a Republican, who in this election cycle happens to be Donald Trump, will defeat Hillary Clinton for the presidency.

Polls of Hillary versus Donald don't mean much eight months away from the election. Some polls today say Hillary would beat Donald in the general election. These polls also gave Hillary a double-digit lead over Bernie Sanders a few days before he beat her in Michigan. There are also polls showing Hillary losing to Donald in November. Instead, what do the pundits think?

Politico ponders, "How Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton." Clinton campaign outlet MSNBC observes, "Unease for many Democrats who worry that the general election could turn into a nasty and unpredictable house of horrors." A Democrat Arizona state senator, in a rare moment of Democrat candor, acknowledges, "Donald Trump just might win the White House."

Conventional wisdom is that this is nonsense and Trump will eventually implode. The smart set in the N.Y.-D.C. Elite Club have been saying this for the past nine months, since Trump announced his candidacy, and here he is today as the odds on favorite to secure the GOP nomination. What credibility do these same prognosticators have predicting Hillary winning a landslide victory?

Trump hasn't yet begun to focus his snark on Hillary. Instead, he has been maneuvering within the scrum of 17, now down to three candidates. But when he has, it's been brutally effective. In December, he effectively neutered the hero of the modern Democratic Party, Bill Clinton, by calling him "one of the great abusers of the world." Fast-forward to now, and a Trump ad against Hillary Clinton features her barking like a dog. The ad even caught the attention of Vladimir Putin, who doesn't think it's funny. But Vlad would much prefer "reset button" Hillary in the White House, especially after reading her emails during her four years as secretary of state, compared to a tougher and more unpredictable Donald Trump.

Wait until Trump is the nominee, and see what he directs against Hillary. And Bill. I would be frightened if I were them. Ask low-energy Jeb or Little Marco how they fared under the Trump attack machine.

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made." Donald Trump is the enemy of both the GOP establishment and the Democratic Party, but for different reasons. It means not only that he is doing something right, but also that the left fears him  not because he will destroy the Republican Party, but because he will destroy the Democrats. Based on policy, the Democrats should embrace him, especially if he is a liberal Democrat, as the Powerline Blog asserts, but instead they fear him because he can and likely will defeat their true liberal candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., MPS is a Denver-based retina surgeon, radio personality, and writer. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
In an item of news you may have missed this week, the former mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina was hauled out of federal prison, where he is already serving a sentence for accepting over $50,000 in bribes from undercover FBI agents, to plead guilty to felony vote fraud charges. Jen Wilson of the Charlotte Business Journal reports:

[Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick] Cannon was slapped with a felony voter-fraud charge after he cast an absentee ballot in the 2014 mid-term election in the weeks following his sentencing. As a newly convicted felon, Cannon had lost his right to vote. At the time, Cannon apologized and said he had voted by mistake, that he was simply not thinking about what he was doing. Cannon was transported from a federal prison in West Virginia this week to answer the charge. The Charlotte Observer reported that pleading guilty to the lesser voter-fraud charge is not expected to impact his release from prison. He is due to be released in January, but he could be placed on house arrest or moved to a halfway house as early as this summer, according to that report.

So Mayor Cannon gets a freebie with his vote fraud, no extra time, quite a deterrent, that. But of course, as the Democrats always claim, vote fraud isnt really a problem.

Gee, I wonder what political party Cannon is part of? The author of the article doesnt mention that.

Hat tip: Clarice Feldman
An interesting proposal from the Republican National Committee may help Donald Trump avoid the pitfalls of a "contested" convention.

The RNC is considering scrapping the 1500 page rulebook that governs the proceedings at the national convention, and substitute Roberts Rules of Order - a far simpler and more transparent way to conduct business.

Washington Times:

The changes wouldnt guarantee Mr. Trump the nod but would make it easier for all sides to see what sorts of changes anti-Trump factions are attempting. Some members of the Republican National Committee want to ditch the massive rule book, which is based on the parliamentary handbook of the U.S. House, and instead use Roberts Rules of Order to govern floor action at the convention. Roberts is the standard manual used by entities such as civic associations, county boards and state legislatures. Those pushing the change are not Trump partisans, but they want to make it hard to forge in secrecy what voters might see as backroom deals to steal the presidential nomination from Mr. Trump, the front-runner. To make this convention more transparent, I will advocate, at the RNC Standing Rules committee meeting in April, adoption of Roberts Rules of Order to replace the 1,500-page U.S. House rules to govern the convention, Oregon RNC member Solomon Yue told The Washington Times on Wednesday. Kansas RNC member Helen Van Etten, a member of the RNCs Standing Rules Committee, said she will vote for the change to Roberts Rules, which our partys grass roots have been using to conduct business at the county party, state party and national party levels for many years. Unlike the 1,500-page U.S. House rules, there are in Roberts no surprises that will prevent the kind of chaos media are predicting. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus has said the party must insist on transparency as it moves ahead with its nominating process, but he has not taken a position on the change in parliamentary rules. Even if the 168 RNC members adopt Roberts Rules at their April meeting, the thousands of delegates at the convention will still have the final say. Moving to Roberts Rules also could save the RNC a potential headache. Under the current parliamentary system, if the convention is deadlocked over a nominee on Thursday, it wouldnt be able to suspend the rules to work out a solution. The U.S. House rules allow suspension only on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of a week, Mr. Yue said. Roberts Rules has no such constrictions.

I don't think the RNC is trying to do Trump any favors. Perhaps the worst case scenario for the Republicans would be a convention that picks a nominee after back room manuevering that would deny Trump a first ballot victory. Such a move is forestalled by using Roberts, although a clever parliamentarian can still use the rules to cause trouble.

I think this is one more indication that at least the GOP leadership is moving toward accepting Donald Trump as the nominee, even if their personal feelings are telling them otherwise. They are party men - first, last, and always. And if the party supports Trump, they have little choice but to back that play.
Last year, the media was touting a consistent narrative: the legalization of marijuana in a few U.S. states was likely leading to large drops in Mexico's violent crime rate.

At The Daily Caller from February 2015:

Homicides in Mexico have dropped from 22,852 in 2011 to 15,649 as of 2014, which tracks relatively closely with the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington, although the link between the two events is not conclusive.

From Time magazine in April 2015:

Coinciding with legalization, violence has decreased in Mexico. Homicides hit a high in 2011, with Mexican police departments reporting almost 23,000 murders. Last year, they reported 15,649.

With the release of the full year of 2015 crime statistics from Mexico, the most likely conclusion appears to be that pot legalization in the U.S. had a minimal -- if not negligible -- impact on violent crime for its southern neighbor.

First off, credible journalism on the topic must acknowledge that Mexico's crime data is deeply flawed, a point which cannot be stressed enough. There is rampant evidence of either incompetence or political alteration (or, more likely, both) in its violent crime data. These concerns are well-established among experts from multiple security-oriented organizations who have been critically looking at the Mexican statistics.

In addition, any trends in Mexico's violent crime data must be interpreted within the context of what actions President Felipe Calderon's administration took during late 2006 through 2012, sending in the military against the cartels -- resulting in the official period of the so-called Mexican Drug War.

During this time frame, violent crime rates spiked upwards as the cartels retaliated. After Calderon left office, the war died down primarily because of a less aggressive role for the Mexican military under President Enrique Pena Nieto. With Pena Nieto, Mexico has essentially given up on efforts to seriously attack the cartels, which would naturally result in reduced violence. One could also reasonably question whether Pena Nieto's administration has altered the crime data to make his term in office appear more favorable than it actually is.

Accepting the Mexican crime data as is, flawed though they undoubtedly are, it is still clear that rates of homicide, kidnapping, and extortion remain well above their pre-2006/2007 levels, and the patterns of any subsequent declines from the drug war peaks are not consistent with a causal linkage to U.S. marijuana legalization.

Homicide rates started to decline after 2011, and have barely changed since 2013 -- which is the period where the bulk of the American drug legalization efforts have kicked in and accelerated. In fact, the homicide rate increased -- not decreased -- between 2014 and 2015, the opposite trend expected if legalization was a determining factor.

Kidnappings remain above 2008 levels, and more than twice what they were before the drug war.

Extortion rates were increasing prior to the drug war, and haven't shown any clear and consistent trend since 2008 -- having high interannual variability.

The long-term impacts of U.S. marijuana legalization efforts on Mexican crime rates are unclear, but one thing is certain: it is far too early to be ascribing any significant reductions in violent crimes (assuming they actually are declining) to legal pot.
President Obama will soon land in Cuba. He will shake Raul Castro's hand and apparently visit with a "selected" group of dissidents. It will be a great photo op for Raul Castro, a vicious dictator who must be wondering how he got so lucky.

Fidel and Raul Castro are two of the world's most strident anti-U.S. leaders. They killed their fellow citizens in order to impose an inhumane anti-freedom regime. You can read it all in Armando Valladares's international bestseller, Against All Hope. Read it, and I guarantee that you will punch the next clown you see wearing a "Che" t-shirt.

They stole the property of U.S. citizens. They killed U.S. citizens as recently as 1996. They've made zero concessions and keep demanding that President Obama return Guantanamo Bay or end the Cuban embargo unilaterally.

Eighteen months ago, Raul Castro was drowning in the ocean after Venezuela's economy hit the fan. He had no idea that a U.S. president would bail him out. Today, Raul is on top of the world now that President Obama has given Castro Inc. a cash flow injection.

I hope that one of "the yes we can" screamers who travels with President Obama reminds him of this side of Cuba  the people who can't wait to get out:

A cruise ship off the Florida coast on Friday rescued 18 Cuban migrants who said nine fellow travelers died during their 22-day-long journey, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard said the migrants were picked up by Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship west of Marco Island. The survivors were suffering from severe dehydration, and they reported that nine others had already died, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard could not confirm the veracity of the statements. The 18 people would be taken to the cruise ship's next port of call, in Cozumel, Mexico, the Coast Guard said. "Our deepest condolences to the families of the nine people who recently did lose their lives," said Coast Guard Captain Mark Gordon, who heads up enforcement for the Coast Guard 7th District. "Unfortunately, tragedy is all too common when taking to the sea in homemade vessels with no safety or navigation equipment." Coast Guard officials also repatriated 42 other migrants to Cuba on Friday, as a result of two interdictions earlier in the week. The Coast Guard said it has seen a steady increase in illegal immigration attempts to the U.S. southeast from Cuba since diplomatic relations between the two countries were normalized in late 2014.

They keep telling me that this is about President Obama's legacy. I don't know for sure. I do know that this is not about the Cuban people  the thousands who keep showing their approval of the new U.S. approach by risking their lives to leave.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
See also: Trump and the GOP establishment (2)

Donald Trump is to attend a meeting Monday with an unidentified group of about two-dozen Republican insiders, including office holders in the House and Senate, as well as consultants and power brokers. Robert Costa and Paul Kane report in the Washington Post:

The meeting is Trump's first major meeting with lawmakers and key Republican figures since last fall, when he met with a smaller group at the Capitol after his speech at a protest against the Iranian nuclear agreement. (snip) Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the populist-right favorite who endorsed Trump last month, and Trump campaign counsel Donald F. McGahn organized the meeting along with Trump's advisers. The venue will be McGahn's law firm, Jones Day, which is a short walk from the Capitol.

The meeting is promised to be off-the-record -- just like Trumps meeting with the New York Times editorial board, so we can expect either informed leaks or lies and misrepresentations to come out of the meeting.

Shortly after the meeting, Trump will address AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Council, as speech for which he is reportedly actually preparing remarks in advance. His previous comment that he would be neutral between Israel and the Palestinians in attempting to lead negotiations has raised a lot of worry among Israel supporters, while his level of sophistication (or lack thereof) on foreign affairs has been one of the strongest concerns about his qualifications for the presidency. So the speech will be an opportunity to address both issues and possibly reconcile many doubters to his candidacy.

If it ever were necessary to remind ourselves that the Republican establishment is an amorphous group, Mondays meeting is evidence that while some establishment opponents continue to conspire to deny Trump the nod, others are looking for reconciliation.
See also: Trump and the GOP establishment (1)

Even as Donald Trump prepares for a meeting Monday with members of the GOP establishment, others identified as part of that ill-defined group are, in the words of Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin of the New York Times,

 preparing a 100-day 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 Mr. Trump as a calamitous choice for the general election.

The plotters:

would rely on an array of desperation measures, the political equivalent of guerrilla fighting. (snip) 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 Mr. Trumps hard-edged populism. They described their plans in interviews after Mr. Trumps victories last Tuesday in Florida and three other states.

The article mentions two possibilities for such a third party candidacy: former Senator Cotton Coburn and Rick Perry.

In my view, this is a pure fantasy. Unless the effort coopts the Libertarian Party into nominating the spoiler, it is all but impossible to get a candidate on the ballot in all 50 states. And why would the Libertarians back the GOP establishment? The piece mentions the possibility of getting Perry on the ballot in Texas and some other states, which could in theory deny an Electoral College majority to anyone, throwing the presidency selection into the hands of the House of Representatives, with each states delegation casting one vote.

Would Texans and a few other states actually vote in a candidate guaranteed to lose because of not being on the ballot in all states? This seems to call for a level of voter strategizing that on a long shot that is unrealistic.

Whether or not to support Cruz or a go-for-broke independent run is apparently splitting them:

About two dozen conservative leaders met Thursday at a private club in Washington, where some pushed for the group to come out for Mr. Cruz to rebut the perception that the stop-Trump campaign was an establishment plot. If we leave here supporting Cruz, then were anti-establishment, said one participant, who could be heard by a reporter outside. But the group failed to agree on an endorsement, instead pleading for Mr. Kasich and Mr. Cruz to avoid competing in states where one of them is favored. Theyre going to have to come to terms and lay off each other, said Erick Erickson, an influential conservative commentator, who convened the meeting. Yet in a sign that there is no such detente, Mr. Kasich ran ads and campaigned in Utah this weekend, angering aides to Mr. Cruz, who hopes to reach the 50 percent threshold needed to claim all the states delegates.

So, in other words, opponents of Trump are split over the basics of strategy, have no coherent plan to defeat him, and some are descending to the level of fantasy games in their desperation.

The situation faced by Will Rogers two generations ago has changed parties. When he was asked if he was a member of an organized political party, he quipped, No, Im a Democrat. Today, he would have to be a Republican to make the same joke.
In yesterday's blog post, the potential effects of Alaska's full legalization of marijuana on violent crime in Anchorage were examined. The results mimic what we generally see in other jurisdictions such as Colorado and Washington State that have legalized pot in recent years: after a period of stable or declining crime rates, marijuana legalization coincides nearly perfectly with a rapid and substantial rise in crime.

Extending the analysis statewide to look at what the possible effects of Alaska's medical marijuana experiment were only adds fuel to the fire.

On November 3, 1998, 58.7% of Alaskans voted yes on Measure 8 to "allow patients to use marijuana for certain medical purposes." The law became effective on March 4, 1999.

Yet again, like clockwork, marijuana legalization coincided with a substantial  and otherwise anomalous  increase in violent crime, this time at the statewide level.

Between 1960 and 1999, Alaska's violent crime rate tracked closely with the national rate. There were no major and sustained deviations. Sometimes trend reversals at the state level trailed the national data by up to a few years, but we generally see a good correlation over time.

Then, starting in 1999, the year medical marijuana was legalized in Alaska, the state's violent crime rate stopped declining (while the national rate continued to decline) and then began to increase for a number of years, clearly doing the opposite of what was still taking place at the national level.

Since 1999, Alaska's violent crime has stayed far above the national rate, whereas for the 40 years before medical marijuana legalization, the state had effectively the same violent crime rate as the rest of the nation.

Unemployment rate differences cannot explain the break in the series. Alaska and the nation as a whole continued to have very similar unemployment rate trends in the years before and after 1999. Same applies to real per capita GDP. Nothing in the historical record to help explain why, all of a sudden, Alaska's violent crime rate broke from the national trend in 1999.

Except, possibly, the legalization of medical marijuana.

Alaska did legalize marijuana in 1975 and then recriminalized it in 1990. But comparing legal pot's possible effects on crime from the 1970s with legalization impacts today is like comparing apples and oranges, or more accurately, apples and apple brandy. In the 1970s, the average THC content of marijuana was less than 1%; today, it is 13%. That is the same relative difference between non-alcoholic beer and a stronger commercial beer. The latter gets you drunk; the former does not.

Pot in the 1970s and 1980s was like non-alcoholic beer compared to the average commercial weed on the market today. With some strains now reaching 37% THC or higher, that equates to drinking equivalent volumes of non-alcoholic beer in the 1970s and a fortified wine or light liqueur today.

Try drinking two liters (approximate volume of a six-pack of beer) of non-alcoholic beer, and then two liters of port wine. See which leads to greater inebriation, and then you appreciate the difference between today's higher strength pot and what used to be smoked in the 1970s. This fact alone, never mind the very different socio-economic conditions, makes any comparison of legalization impacts on crime meaningless between the 1970s and the 2010s.
Transfer balls: Manchester United get Higuain and Mourinho in secret deal

Transfer balls: did you know that Gonzalo Higuain has agreed to join Manchester United? Its true. We read it in the Metro. Mark Brus declares:

Transfer news: Gonzalo Higuain agrees Manchester United move

Why would the Argentine striker agree to join Manchester United in March? In was only four weeks ago that his agent told Sky Italia, theres no chance of playing elsewhere. The agent then stated the importance of Higuain playing in the Europes top competition: The Champions League is an important competition, but first we [Napoli] have to finish as champions or second in the League.

Manchester United are sixth in the Premier League.

Brus has more:

The in-form Argentine has held secret talks with Jose Mourinho, who is widely tipped to be replacing Louis van Gaal next season Higuain wants the move and has already agreed terms on a 7.9million-a-year contract.

Higuain has agreed to join Manchester United because hes spoken in secret with the out-of-work Mourinho. Did Brus stumble into a hotel meeting room as the two men met in secret?

Lest we think it utter balls, The Metro produces a second story of support the scoop:

Gonzalo Higuain agrees 7.8m-a-year deal to join Manchester United after agent meets with Jose Mourinho

And lest we still dont see this for the utter balls it is, you might recall that Higuain plays for Arsenal:

Such are the facts.

Anorak

Posted: 20th, March 2016 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Police find drugs after suspect whispers I dont think they found all the stuff in the car

Loud Whisper of the Day is the story of State troopers in Massachusetts who pulled over a car and searched it. Jordan Johnson, Ethan Richards and Carrie Tutsock were caught travelling at 11 mph above the speed limit.

The cops noticed the crack pipe resting on the front passengers leg. They find two more crack pipes, scales, needles, bags of heroin and a small quantity of crack cocaine.

In the back of the police car, Tutsock allegedly turned to Johnson and Richards whispered, I dont think they found all the stuff in the car. Police return to the trios vehicle, where they discovered a Coca Cola can containing 230 baggies of heroin.

Johnson, Tutsock and Richards were arraigned in Northampton District Court on Thursday and were each charged with possession with the intent to distribute a Class A drug.

The message is that if you want to hoodwink the cops, hide your drugs inside a vessel labelled Coke and play dumb  but not as dumb as Tutsock, obviously.

Anorak

Posted: 20th, March 2016 | In: Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Madeleine McCann and Ben Needham get the cash; Charlene Downes is an afterthought

Madeleine McCann: a look at reporting on the missing child.

The Sun has a loaded headline:

Joy for Ben Needhams mum as cops given extra 450k to find missing son  while Maddie hunt totals 11M

Are the two cases of British children who vanished on overseas trips connected? Why else would Madeleine McCanns name be invoked in a headline about Ben Needham?

SOUTH Yorkshire Police have been given an extra 450,000 to find missing Ben Needham as the 25th anniversary of his disappearance draws near. Police were granted 700k by the Home Office last January for more resources into the investigation, but that money will have run out by the end of the month.

Good news. The disappearance of Ben Needham is an open sore. But then this:

The amount given to Operation Ben still pales in significance compare to the 11 million spent on Madeleine McCanns search fund.

A great deal of money has been invested / spent on the hunt for Madeleine McCann. Good. Lets hope we get to know what happened to her. The problem is not what is spent, rather what is not. Do you think it unfair that the case of one missing child gets more public cash than another because, like the media and police who stand accused of picking blondes over blacks and rich over poor, there is bias at work?

If you want to compare what is spent on what, it might be better wondering how much has been spent on the hunt for other children who vanished in the UK, like, say Charlene Downes? She disappeared 12 years ago from her home in Blackpool, Lancashire, when aged 14. There is a 100,000 reward on offer for information leading to, well, something. Was she murdered, as Paige Chivers was? Paige went missing from her Blackpool home on 23 August 2007. She was 15. Three days later her feckless father reported her missing. The police operator recorded the year of Paiges birth incorrectly  as 1962 not 1992  and that she had left home voluntarily. Police were looking for a 45-year-old woman who had left home of her own accord. On 7 September the error was rectified.

Paige had sought help from Robert Ewing, 37 years her senior. Ewing, a known paedophile, had groomed Paige for sex. To keep her quiet, he murdered her. In July 2015, Ewing was convicted of murder at Preston Crown Court. His co-defendant, Gareth Dewhurst, 46, was convicted of disposing of her body three days later.

How much cash was spent investigating the disappearances of these two girls from impoverished backgrounds? How much police work has gone into either investigation?

The BBC provides notes:

Less than a fortnight before her disappearance, Ewing tested the water with police when he contacted them anonymously and said a problem child had turned up on his doorstep after being thrown out by her father. The prosecution said Ewing had wanted to see what official reaction there would be to a 15-year-old girl turning up on the doorstep of a 52-year-old man. The answer he learned was very little, said Brian Cummings QC.

Back to the Suns story of stolen lives and money:

But it is still a promising step for Bens heartbroken mum Kerry Needham, as the government agreed to hand over more cash to find her long-lost son. Kerry said: Please end the pain my family are suffering. I know hes out there somewhere, please call the detectives and put an end to it. Ben was 21-months-old when he disappeared on July 24 1991 as he played outside the house his grandparents farmhouse in Kos.

Resources are finite, of course. But where police chose to spend their money and time should not be a decision triggered by media pressure.

Anorak

Posted: 20th, March 2016 | In: Key Posts, Madeleine McCann, Reviews Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet...
Ive been away from this blog for several months now, engaged in a variety of the usual pursuits (teaching, lecturing, directing, producing, playwriting) but also traveling to South Africa on a research expedition. Im back to write about South Africaan eye-and-heart-opening adventure that took me from Cape Town to Johannesburg to interview an array of inspiring artists who use their skills to promote and advance social change in their communities.

What does this have to do with audiences?

Everything.

The notion of a citizen artistone whose work is organized around the belief that personal aesthetic considerations can be aligned with the mission of social changeis as old as Sophocles, as vital as Brecht and Boal, and as relevant as the thousands of contemporary artists from all disciplines who dedicate at least part of their practice to community building. As Steve Durland observes in the introduction to The Citizen Artist: 20 Years of Art in the Public Arena, over time many artists come to believe that the arbitrary separation of art world and real world makes them less effective as artists, which causes them to call into question their commitment to the public. Gradually awakening to a new sensibility, these artists dont reject the art world, but rather [view] it as one of many contexts in which art could exist.

The artists I met and observed in Cape Town and Johannesburg dont bother with any arbitrary separation of the art world and the real world, and they certainly dont adhere to the artist-working-alone-in-splendid-isolation model that dominates Western culture. As I discovered over the course of my travels in South Africa, these artists do quite the oppositeenacting their citizenship by sharing their artistic tools with various constituencies of audience-participants, from school-aged children to elders to post-matriculating teenagers looking for a path out of generational poverty.

In todays post I want to introduce you to ArtUp, the organization that brought me to South Africa in order to participate in its Sites of Passage project. Over the next three posts, Ill take you on tours of the townships and inner city neighborhoods I visited in Cape Town and Johannesburg, introduce you to the citizen artists and the NGOs working in those communities, and, I hope, provide you with a window into this important work. The audience is all of uswe fellow citizens who need art to help us make sense of our changing world.

ArtUp and Sites of Passage

ArtUp is a multi-disciplinary collective of artists dedicated to building a language of peace through the actions of art. Founded by Tavia La Follettea director, curator and performance artistit began as a cooperative gallery and performance space in the heart of Pittsburghs cultural district. Since 2010 the organization has been largely virtual, functioning, in the words of La Follette, as a boarder crossing space for artists and companies exploring Art as Action. Full disclosure: I am on the ArtUp board of directors and have had a relationship with the organization since its launch in 2005.

Sites of Passage began as a research project for La Follettes doctoral dissertation (she holds a Ph.D. in Leadership & Change from Antioch University). In 2010 she arranged an exchange between 36 artists from Egypt and the United States, which resulted in a six-month exhibition (installations, a performance series, community outreach) at the Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art in Pittsburgh in the fall of 2011. The Egypt project served as the prototype for Sites of Passage by laying out both the principles and structure of the work: 1) to create a global network of experimental artists who communicate and work together through virtual performance and installation art labs; 2) to cross the borders of language, culture and political positions (a metaphorical dig between artists around the world); and 3) to promote the concept of a global citizen who uses the actions of art to work toward peaceful relationships.

The first officially titled Sites of Passage, Borders, Walls & Citizenship, began in the summer of 2012 when La Follette traveled to Israel and Palestine with the Interfaith Peace Builders Network. She forged relationships with politically minded artists from Israel and Palestine interested in challenging the idea and ideal of borders, walls and citizenship. Over the course of next two years, artists from Palestine, Israel and Pittsburgh shared perspectives and ideas, both virtually and in person, to create a second Mattress Factory exhibit scheduled to open at the end of May, 2014. But just two days before the opening the Israeli artists withdrew from the show. ArtUp and the Mattress Factory issued the following statement in response to the shows cancellation: The fact that ongoing political conditions do not allow Palestinian and Israeli artists to work together within cultural contexts without misinterpretation and recrimination is regrettable but understandable. Despite the failure to complete the dig between Israel and Palestine in the realization of a physical exhibition, La Follette considers the project to be a success: ArtUp understands the Social Practice of this work: that these experiences took place; that work was build around relationships and issues that will impact each artist for the rest of their lives.

Sites of Passage South Africa

Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs is the next planned installment of Sites of Passage, scheduled to culminate in an exhibition/performance series at the Mattress Factory in 2018. As with the previous projects in Egypt and Israel + Palestine, a goal of Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs is to connect artists working for social change in South Africa with U.S. based artists so that they can share their work and learn from one another. The artists I met during my visit to South Africa, some of who will participate in this next iteration of Sites of Passage, are all committed to working to forge a tangible function for art in the wider socio-political sphere.

Ill be back soon to introduce you to Mbovu Malingaa Cape Town-based actor, dancer, director, technician, designer and social practice artistwho took me on a tour of several NGOs using art for social change in some of the poorest townships surrounding central Cape Town.
The shenanigan involves a 918 Spyder and an earlier Koenigsegg model, namely a CCR, duking it out to see which car's removable roof can be removed more quickly. Both hypercars can store the top into their noses, but the Zuffenhausen machine comes with a two-panel setup, while the Angelholm performer has a single-piece roof.Regardless, with both roofs being built from carbon fiber, handling them isn't the end of the world - in terms of modern-day supercars, that title probably remains reserved for the Lamborghini Murcielago, whose skeleton-and-canvas roof took long enough to install for any potential rainfall to leave no part of the cabin dry.Returning to our exposed-to-the-elements fight, we don't wish to throw spoilers at you, so we'll let the piece of footage below do its job. The stunt was caught on camera earlier this year, at the Paqpaqli Ghall-Istrina, Malta's greatest car event. The stunt was filmed not long before the Porsche was involved in a tragic accident that blew away the event's aura.It's worth noting that while the makers of these beasts obviously have a thing for open-top creations, not all 918 Spyder, or all Koenigsegg models, come with such a feature.For instance, VW Group influential man Ferdinand Piech's 918 is not a Spyder. As for the Swedish carmaker, the roof scoop required by the One:1 means this model had to be built as a coupe.P.S.: While some of the moves shown in this clip might seem easy, trust us, they're not. For instance, when we put the two-piece carbon fiber roof of the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster to the test, careful maneuvering aimed at preventing any scratches while the panels were inserted into the luggage compartment cost almost as much time as the rest of the operation.
Could a future weapon in the battle against terrorist groups be found in the warbird section of your local airshow? The U.S. Navy has pressed a couple of OV-10 Broncos into the fight against ISIL. Since the terrorists dont have much in the way of anti-aircraft defenses, the big, slow Vietnam-era turboprop twins can take care of low-level attack and reconnaissance chores that modern fighters can also accomplish but at much greater expense. Using an F-35 tofly close air support againstinsurgents would be akin to buying a brand new Rolls Royce totake the garbage tothe dump,' Capt. Bryant Davis of U.S. Central Command told CNN.

Bryant said the Broncos have already flown about 120 operational sorties. Theyre operated by the U.S. Navy and flown by naval aviators. They can carry a wide range of munitions from rockets to 500-pound bombs. They also have four 7.62-mm machine guns. These aircraft have also been fitted with a sensor pod and what may be a radar in the elongated nose. The Broncos cost about $5,000 an hour to fly against up to $40,000 for an F-35. The Navy, Marines and Air Force operated hundreds of Broncos as counterinsurgency, attack and airborne control aircraft until the early 1990s and most were retired by 1995. The aircraft is still in active service by Venezuela and the Philippines.
20 March 2016 11:27 (UTC+04:00)

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 Irans 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!"
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Two 13-year-olds girls were injured in a crash after a chase with deputies, the Pasco County Sheriffs Office said.

The incident happened around 4:15 a.m. Sunday along U.S. Highway 19 and Darlington Road in Holiday.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the two teens lost control of a Hyundai Sonata and crashed into a power pole.

The driver was taken to Medical Center of Trinity with minor injuries. The passenger was seriously injured and transported to All Childrens Hospital.

A second crash occurred after the ambulance arrived at the scene.

A Nissan Altima, driven by Jack Barrier, 80, of North Carolina, failed to yield and collided with the ambulance. Barrier and his passenger were not injured.

The driver of the ambulance, Phillip Larkin and the passenger, Shawn Olsen suffered minor injuries. Both were taken to Medical Center of Trinity.

Barrier was ticketed for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.

The Pasco County Sheriffs Office is handling all criminal charges, while FHP is investigating the crash.

Detectives say the girls are possible runaways and the car they were in was stolen out of Holiday just hours earlier.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had big nights on Super Tuesday, but their opponents also have some wins to crow about, and it looks like the big election day will change little in the election landscape.

Clinton and Trump each won seven states on Super Tuesday.

Hillary Clinton Alabama Arkansas Georgia Massachusetts Tennessee Texas Virginia



Donald Trump Alabama Arkansas Georgia Massachusetts Tennessee Vermont Virginia



Republicans hit Trump hard, but pick up few states

On the Republican side, Trump's opponents, Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio, each won states:

Ted Cruz Oklahoma Texas Alaska

Marco Rubio Minnesota



Cruz used his wins to show that he can be a viable conservative alternative to Trump.

"So long as the field remains divided, Donald Trump's path to the nomination remains more likely, and that would be a disaster for Republicans," Cruz told supporters Tuesday at a Texas venue called the Redneck Country Club.

Rubio, meanwhile, saw his first win in the Election 2016 season as proof that his effort to hammer Trump's reputation is making a difference.

"Five days ago, we began to explain to the American people that Donald Trump is a con artist," Rubio said at a rally in Miami. "In just five days, we have seen the impact it is having all across the country."

Trump hit back at Rubio's attack from his Mar-a-Largo Club in Palm Beach.

"I have to tell you ... and he was very, very nasty," Trump said. "I've never heard a person get up and speak on an evening like this and be so nasty. But, he's got a right to be nasty. He hasn't won anything and he's not going to win much."

John Kasich, Ohio's governor, won no states Tuesday, though he did pick up delegates in Vermont and Virginia.

Kasich said he will stay in the race despite not winning a single state so far. He is pinning his hopes on the big battleground state of Ohio, his home state, which holds its primary March 15.

Dr. Ben Carson lamented the rotten political system with his supporters at an event in Baltimore. However, Carson vowed to stay in the race.

Clinton wins big, but Sanders gains strength

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders picked up four states Super Tuesday and gave Clinton a run for her money in others.

Bernie Sanders Oklahoma Vermont Colorado Minnesota



Sanders' wins show his liberal populist message can resonate. However, he had trouble in the South, and he had trouble with minority voters. He still was strong among younger voters.



Sanders is looking for big wins in Maine and Michigan  especially in Michigan where he is spending a lot of money on advertising. He is heading to both states Wednesday. The Maine caucus is Sunday and the Michigan primary is Tuesday, March 8.

Sanders, for his part, focused on his signature issues when he addressed supporters in Vermont on Tuesday night: health care, prison reform and the campaign finance system.

"In America, we are going to end a corrupt campaign finance system," Sanders said. "We are not going to allow billionaires and Super PACs destroy our American democracy."

Clinton, meanwhile, campaigned in Miami Tuesday night, celebrating her big win with South Florida supporters. She laid in a few barbs at the Republican candidates' expense.

"America never stopped being great," Clinton said to cheers of "USA!" "We have to make America whole, we have to fill in  fill in what's been hollowed out."

Clinton's support stayed strong in the South on Super Tuesday, where she swept the states up for election. She also did well with minorities. Two-thirds of her supporters were women.

Among Clinton's wins were states with large delegate bodies: Texas has 222 delegates, Georgia has 102 delegates, Virginia has 95 delegates and Massachusetts has 91 delegates.

Clinton will not get all of those, but she will get a considerable piece of the delegate pie. That means Sanders still has a long way to go.

Moving forward in March

March 15 will be a big day for both parties, and it may impact the elections in a big way going forward.

Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio are all states with large delegate counts, at least on the Democratic side.

On the Republican side, Kasich and Rubio are both counting on big support from both states in order to stay in the race past March.

Democrats Florida: 214 delegates Illinois: 156 delegates

Missouri: 71 delegates

North Carolina: 107 delegates

Ohio: 143 delegates





Republicans Florida: 99 delegates

Illinois: 69 delegates

Missouri: 52 delegates

North Carolina: 72 delegates

Ohio: 66 delegates



Trump and Rubio both vowed to fight hard in Florida, which is a winner-take-all state in terms of winning delegates. Trump will be in Orlando on Saturday.

Meanwhile, early voting in Florida has already begun, and thousands of mail-in ballots have gone out to voters who requested them.

Before the candidates can get to March 15, though, there are primaries or caucuses on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, March 8.

RELATED: See the Election 2016 calendar

See the Election 2016 calendar Florida presidential primary coverage March 15 starting at 5 p.m. All presidential results plus your local races Central Florida local election results on News 13



Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Last weekend some people in Orange, Newton and Jasper counties were wondering how they'd spend their spring break. That quickly changed with something Southeast Texas is all too familiar with - a natural disaster.

Tons of water rolled out of the lakes and down the Sabine River. It was more than the banks could contain, and soon thousands of homes and businesses were inundated or threatened. Deweyville was hit particularly hard, with damage to virtually every structure in town. Interstate 10 was even closed, and that hasn't happened since hurricanes Rita or Ike.

But if it's possible for something positive to come out this disaster, it was this: This region showed again that it is inhabited by some tough, resilient people.

Despite the widespread and growing devastation, there was no panic or surrender. People did what they had to do to save their homes - or try to save them. And then when they were done, they helped their neighbors.

Creativity was everywhere. One family moved itself and much of its possessions to its roof. Another man winched his truck's front end to a tree limb and lifted it to protect its engine. Livestock were rescued by boats.

Other Southeast Texans didn't just spectate either. They volunteered and donated. They took in homeless residents with that timeless welcome, "Stay as long as you like." Lamar University quickly opened up the Montagne Center as a shelter, and it was quickly used by 400 people.

A lot more needs to be done. Even when flooded buildings can be reached, they might not be habitable for a while - or ever. The residents hit by this disaster will be dealing with it for weeks to come.

But the next phase is starting soon. The waters are expected to recede this week, and one by one the displaced people of Orange, Newton and Jasper counties will filter back to the places they knew so well. They will cuss and cry, but they will rebuild. May they be blessed and supported throughout every step of the long journey ahead.
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Ryan Clarke and Conor Patrick Martin Duffy, both 22, admitted assault and actual bodily harm over the attack, in which the victim fractured a leg

Two men who assaulted a fireman outside a Tesco Metro store in Belfast have avoided prison.

Ryan Clarke and Conor Patrick Martin Duffy, both 22, admitted assault and actual bodily harm over the attack, in which the victim fractured a leg.

Belfast Crown Court heard that while Duffy attacked the man first on September 3, 2014, Clarke joined in after the victim fell to the ground and fractured his leg.

Both were handed suspended sentences by Judge Geoffrey Millar, who warned them they would be jailed if they reoffended in next two years.

Duffy, who is originally from Northern Ireland but who now lives in Essex, was given a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years. Clarke, from Sliabh Dubh Walk, Ballymurphy, was given an 18-month term, also suspended for two years.

Prior to sentencing, Crown prosecutor Philip Henry said that on the night of the attack on the Dublin Road in Belfast, the fireman was approaching the shop as security workers were removing the defendants from the premises.

As staff members tried to escort the pair out, "words were exchanged" between them and the victim, during which Duffy was said to have "goaded" the fireman. As the incident spilled out onto the footpath, Duffy assaulted the injured party, causing both to fall to the ground.

While on the ground, the fireman was subjected to a "number of blows".

Police later tracked Duffy down. When he was interviewed, he initially gave no comment, then admitted he had been in a "scuffle" but claimed he intended to hurt no one.

Clarke, who fled from police, was arrested six months later. He denied involvement before later admitting his guilt.

Defence barrister Joel Linsday, representing Clarke, accepted the incident was "nasty" and something his client should not have got involved in.

He also pointed out that the defendant has mental health issues and had spent time on remand for the crime.

Solicitor Brendan Blaney, for Duffy, said his client had given up alcohol, was living and working with relatives in Essex and had "made a conscious decision to turn his life around".

Passing sentence, Judge Millar accepted the attack on "a man who was going about his business" was serious.

He added he hoped the injured party had made a full recovery from his leg injury and was able to return to his "important work in the community as a fire officer."
Five people believed to be from one family have died after a vehicle plunged off a pier in Co Donegal, according to reports.

It is understood six people, including three children, were in the estate car when it went into the water at Buncrana shortly after 7pm.

A major air and sea search was mounted and the bodies of two adults and three children of primary school age were recovered.

An infant who was rescued was taken to nearby Letterkenny Hospital for emergency treatment and is in a critical condition.

The exact circumstances of how the car, which had a Northern Ireland registration plate, ended up in Lough Swilly have not been established but it is believed the slipway may have been covered in algae.

Witnesses have described the scenes as chaotic.

There are unconfirmed reports that the young child, thought to be just months old, was handed or thrown out of a window as the car careered into the water.

Two lifeboats from Lough Swilly and Greencastle, a helicopter from Sligo, gardai, ambulances, the fire brigade and local fishing boats were all involved in the rescue mission which lasted for several hours.

A Garda spokesman said : " Gardai and emergency services are at the scene of an incident that occurred at Buncrana Pier this evening.

"A car entered the water and a search of the area is currently ongoing. No further information at present."

It is understood the car has been removed for examination.

The pier is a popular attraction for tourists and locals and it is believed the family may have stopped to admire the sunset.

There has been an outpouring of grief on social media.

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness was among those who expressed sadness at the tragedy.

He said: "My thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the devastating tragedy unfolding in Buncrana this evening.

"Our thoughts and appreciation must also be with the emergency services who have had to deal with this tragic situation."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described the news as "heartbreaking".
In this framegrab taken from VTM, armed police officers take part in 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. (VTM via AP) BELGIUM OUT

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Irish Independent Lizzie Deardon
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Astronomical spring began just after midnight, which means the sun's rays are shining directly overhead on the equator Sunday. Each day from now until the first day of summer (June 21), the noontime sun will be directly overhead a bit further north of the equator. After that, the process will reverse itself and the suns apparent position will sink lower in the sky for six months.

Here in New England, the noontime sun is now at about 48 degrees above the horizon. Its position will increase daily, peaking at around 71 degrees on June 21.

We will gain another 3 hours of daylight, peaking at over 15 hours, over the next 90 days. Once the daylight starts to wane, it does so at a very slow rate. You likely won't notice the change until around mid-July.

We are currently gaining 2 minutes and 52 second of daylight every 24 hours. By the middle of next month, our sunrises will occur at the same time they did before we turned the clocks ahead for daylight saving time.

The first day of spring is called is called the vernal equinox. In Latin, "vernal" means "spring and "equinox" means "equal night. The length of day and night are generally equal across the entire planet today. Nearly everyone on Earth will experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

The start of spring is important for many cultures. Sunday marks the beginning of Nowruz (The New Day), which is the Persian New Year. This 13-day festival is rooted in the 3,000-year-old Zoroastrianism tradition and is celebrated by people from Eastern Turkey to Central Asia.

For Christians, the equinox is crucial to determining Easter's date, which differs each year. Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. The next full moon rises on Wednesday, March 23, making Sunday, March 27 Easter.

And finally, we can dispense with a commonly held myth: You can't balance an egg on its end at the exact moment of the equinox. Just because the tilt of the Earth is such that the suns rays are directly overhead at the equator doesnt mean anything special in terms of egg balancing. Spending your time balancing an oval-shaped object on its end is no easier on the spring equinox than on any other day.


A file photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Army and the Indonesian Army will take part in the fourth "Garuda Shakti" joint training exercise, which will focus on counter-insurgency, between March 10 and 23.



According to Col. Rohan Anand, spokesperson for the Indian Army, the joint exercise will be conducted for 13 days at Magelang, Indonesia in which an Indian Army platoon strength contingent will carry out cross training with a platoon from the Airborne battalion of the Indonesian Army.



The selected Indian Army unit has varied operational experience in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in the Northern, Western and Eastern theatres.



The Indian Contingent has been put through a rigorous training schedule to prepare it for the exercise which includes combat conditioning, firing, tactical operations, tactical skills and special heliborne operations training.



The exercise will be conducted as joint Counter Insurgency operations exercise in urban and rural scenario and encompass various facets of tactical Counter Insurgency operations.



Anand said the aim of the exercise is to build and promote positive relations between the armies of India and Indonesia and to enhance the ability of both of them to undertake joint tactical level operations in a Counter Insurgency environment under United Nations Charter.



It also includes the ambit of identifying areas of expertise/ specialisation of each other, evolution of combat tactical drills for conduct of tactical Counter Insurgency operations and to undertake combined training for neutralisation of insurgency threat.



The exercise is conducted on a reciprocal basis and its first edition was conducted in the year 2012 in India.



The second edition was conducted in Indonesia in 2013 and third in India in 2014.



To coordinate modalities of the training exercise, an Exercise Planning Conference was held at Yogyakarta, Indonesia on 22 and 23 September 2015.


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
Love Hate actor John Connors has had his say on the controversy surrounding his appearance on The Late Late Show on Friday night.

The actor, a member of the Travelling Community, was on to discuss issues facing Travellers in Ireland and impressed many with his passion and conviction.

Well done, @johnconnors1990 for speaking up for yourself and your community and for doing so with passion and conviction #LateLateShow  Donncha O'Connell (@DonnchaLaw) March 18, 2016

Host Ryan Tubridy came in for sharp criticism from many viewers however for his handling of the interview.

Connors has added his voice to those critics, accusing Tubridy of "denial of racism" on the programme in a powerful Facebook post.

The actor listed examples of discrimination faced by Travellers, before addressing Tubridy directly.

"See Ryan you and me live in different worlds. My world has shaped me in such a way that I have the ability look past stereotypes, question popular opinion, think for myself and have empathy for people who have it hard or are experiencing injustice.You live in a comfortable bubble. Enjoy it."

If you cannot see the embedded Facebook post click here.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae said today that he will deal with any potential offer of a ministry as it comes.

It has been suggested that Fine Gael is willing to make the Kerry TD Minister for Rural Affairs, as part of a minority Coalition Government.
Micheal Martin has reportedly informed Enda Kenny that there will be no 'grand coalition' between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.

The Sunday Independent reports that the Fianna Fail leader would be happy to have a second election, rather than take his party into government with Fine Gael.

The newspaper also reports that Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny is seeking to break up the Independent Alliance by offering some members Cabinet positions.

There is growing speculation that Michael Healy-Rae could be offered the job of Minister for Rural Affairs in exchange for his support of a minority Government.

Independent Mattie McGrath, who is being courted by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, said that the two big parties should get down to the business of forming a grand coalition.

"This is very, very concerning," he said.

"I think the two main parties must be, I won't say forced, but kind of gently coaxed along to go into talks in the interest of our electorate, and our people, and debt forgiveness and many other issues - the housing crisis and health crisis.

"So we need to have these bigger parties that have the larger share of the votes, they really need to come to their senses and engage with each other immediately."
Update 4.46pm: Three UCC students were among those present in a serious bus crash in Spain today.

BREAKING: Three @UCC students have cheated death in the Spain bus crash which claimed at least 14 lives #Cork pic.twitter.com/zAD6nT1IU2

Update 2.39pm: A bus carrying university students back from Spain's largest fireworks festival has crashed on a main highway in north-eastern Spain, killing 13 passengers and injuring 30 others, including two Irish people.

The injuries to the Irish pair are not thought to be life-threatening.

Initially, regional government spokesman Jordi Jane said 14 had died in the crash but Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz later confirmed the death toll was 13.

Anyone with concerns re Irish citizens who may have been affected should contact @dfatravel on 014082000 or @CRE_Emergencias on +34900400012  Ireland Embassy Madrid (@IrlEmbMadrid) March 20, 2016

He said 28 passengers received medical treatment in local hospitals and others received first aid at the crash site.

The bus, which was carrying 57 passengers, appeared to have hit the right-hand side barriers of the AP7 highway before cartwheeling across the road and slamming into the central fence, landing on its side, said Mr Jane, spokesman for Spain's north-eastern Catalonia province.

Emergency services at the scene of a bus crash in Spain where 14 people were killed https://t.co/dRP69qcuHphttps://t.co/ruyABSgDi4  RTE News (@rtenews) March 20, 2016

Television images from state broadcaster TVE showed the bus also crashed into an oncoming car on the opposite side of the highway.

The bus driver was being held at a police station in the city of Tortosa, Mr Jane said.

Road conditions were good at the time of the crash and investigators were looking into the cause of the accident, he said.

Fernandez Diaz said the driver passed alcohol and drug tests he was given.

Mr Jane said emergency rescue workers were working to clear the wreckage that had closed the major highway linking Spain with France along the Mediterranean coast in both directions.

The crash took place near Freginals, halfway between Valencia and Barcelona.

Mr Jane said the students - part of the Erasmus exchange programme - had travelled to Valencia to take part in the renowned Fallas fireworks festival and were returning when the bus crashed.

The minister said students were of several nationalities, including Spanish. Mr Jane said most were studying at two universities in Barcelona.

The Erasmus programme provides foreign exchange courses for students from countries within the 28-nation European Union and enables them to attend many of the continent's best universities.

The Fallas festival is held each year in eastern Valencia on the feast day of St. Joseph and draws thousands of tourists from across the world.

Large wooden monuments and effigies representing famous people often in humorous postures that local workshops take a year to build are burned in a colourful ceremony accompanied by a barrage of very noisy fireworks.

Update 2.15pm: Two Irish people have received non-life threatening injuries in this morning's bus crash in Spain.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is standing by to provide consular assistance.

Local media is reporting that those on board were from Ireland, Britain, Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine and Barcelona.

Earlier: A bus carrying university students back from a fireworks festival has crashed in north-east Spain, killing 14 passengers and injuring 30 of its more than 50 occupants.

Jordi Jane, a spokesman for the Catalonia province, said emergency rescue workers were still working to clear the wreckage that straddled the AP7 highway's central fence.

Embassy is aware of this morning's tragic bus accident in #Tarragona. Nationalities of the victims have yet to be confirmed.  Ireland Embassy Madrid (@IrlEmbMadrid) March 20, 2016

A regional government statement said the bus crashed early on Sunday on the highway that links Spain with France along the Mediterranean coast near Freginals, halfway between Valencia and Barcelona.

Mr Jane said the students - part of the Erasmus exchange programme - had travelled to Valencia to take part in the renowned Fallas fireworks festival and were returning when the bus crashed.
Protesters blocked a main road leading to the Phoenix suburb where Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump staged a campaign rally days ahead of the Arizona primary.

Tempers flared at the rally, but without the violence that marred Mr Trump's event in Chicago a week earlier.

He never goaded the protesters as he usually does at campaign events.

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 road to the rally site, weaving between Trump supporters who booed and jeered them.

Mr Trump was in Arizona to campaign ahead of Tuesday's primary in which the winner will take all 58 delegates at stake.

Polls show him leading his rivals in the border state where his hard line on immigration has drawn support from Republican voters.

Mr Trump was introduced at the rally by Joe Arpaio, the tough-talking sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of Arizona's population.

Mr Arpaio has supported harsh measures to deal with immigrants living illegally in the US. He has forced inmates to wear pink underwear and live outside in tents during 38C-plus heat.

Mr Trump's main rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, are desperately trying to prevent the real estate mogul from accumulating the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination at the party's national convention in July.

They are hoping for a contested convention in which delegates would be freed to turn from Mr Trump if he failed to win a majority on the first ballot.

He has won 678 delegates so far. Mr Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates, and Mr Kasich is third with 143.

His rivals hope to offset a likely Trump win in Arizona on Tuesday with a strong showing in the Utah caucuses, where Mormons account for two-thirds of the state's three million residents.

Limited polling shows Mr Trump running second to Mr Cruz, but ahead of Mr Kasich, said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah.

The delegates will be distributed according to percentage of votes - unless a candidate gets more than 50%, which would give that person all 40 delegates.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and the Mormon faith's most visible member, said he intends to vote for Mr Cruz in the caucuses, but stopped short of endorsing the Texas senator, an uncompromising conservative.

In Arizona, thousands of Trump supporters gathered for the outdoor rally in the Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills where Mr Arpaio lives.

Officers with the sheriff's department were posted throughout the park, on rooftops and on patrol.

Some had feared that the event in Fountain Hills could descend into violence reminiscent of last week's rally in Chicago, which was cancelled over safety concerns.

Confrontations involving protesters, Trump supporters and police have become standard at his rallies across the country.

Later in Tucson, dozens of protesters made their way into another Trump rally and interrupted him as he spoke.

In typical form, he had the protesters kicked out, but urged the crowd of about 1,000 people to be nice to them.
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The ACT government has indicated it could join Victoria in refusing to implement some of the proposed changes to the Safe Schools anti-bullying program.

The Turnbull government had ordered a review of the program  aimed at reducing bullying of gay, intersex and gender diverse students  in response to pressure from the party's conservative wing, led by Cory Bernardi and George Christensen.

ACT Minister for Education Shane Rattenbury said it was not normal for schools to seek permission from parents before running programs. Credit:Rohan Thomson

In response to the review, the government said it would reduce lesson content, restrict it to secondary schools, move it to a government website, remove links to third party groups and require schools to get parental consent before using its materials.

But the ACT's education minister Shane Rattenbury said on Sunday while he was open to some changes, such as giving more information to parents about the program, it was unusual for schools to seek permission from parents before running programs.
More than a thousand people travelled to Civic's Garema Place on Sunday to protest Australia's treatment of refugees and call on the government to "let them stay".

They joined thousands of people at rallies across Australia's capital cities.

Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre executive director David Manne. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Hedayat Osyan, a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, told the crowd in Canberra his father, a high school teacher, was kidnapped by the Taliban in 2006 and killed.

"He was killed because he was from Hazara ethnicity," he said. "My mum decided to send me from there to save my life.
Having spent four decades turning barren land into a fresh food oasis Michael Plane and Joyce Wilkie despair over the future of Gundaroo village.

Mr Plane, who grew up in South Africa and came to Canberra to work for the Australian Bureau of Minerals, bought his 40-hectare bush block in the 1970s, and was joined in 1979 by geologist Dr Wilkie.

On rocky scrubland they have built up 300mm of topsoil from which they raise Gallipoli tomatos heavier than a kilo each. They grow big beef tomatoes and red pear Franchi tomatoes and lots of other fruit and vegies, free-range eggs and Berkshire pork which they sell to two cafes in Canberra.

Dr Wilkie doesn't mince her words when describing Gundaroo's contaminated groundwater.
One of Australia's biggest investors in traditional media companies has urged them against leaping into takeovers of their rivals if ownership laws change.

Simon Mawhinney, chief executive of Allan Gray Australia, said despite feverish speculation of a flurry of M&A activity in traditional media, he wanted to see a "patient wait-and-see approach".

Contrarian investor Simon Mawhinney, of Allan Gray Australia. Credit:Peter Rae

Mr Mawhinney said consolidation could have upsides but it was "hardly critical for all media companies", when asked whether consolidation could create scale benefits that would help newspaper, radio and television businesses, which are under pressure from digital competition.

"It's hard to assess the ability of management teams and boards when it comes to capital allocation decisions. Especially in an industry undergoing as much structural change as the media industry is," Mr Mawhinney told The Australian Financial Review.
He described what came to be called a linguistic division of labor, according to which experts in a given field define certain concepts while others may refer to the concepts and understand them but not, on their own, define them. "He would say that our understanding of something depends on a community," Warren Goldfarb, a friend of Putnam's and a former chairman of the Harvard philosophy department, said. "There are times it can be said you use and understand a term even when it has no distinction for you. I understand the word 'larch' or 'elm'; I couldn't tell the trees apart, but you couldn't say I didn't understand them." In a 1975 paper called The Meaning of "Meaning", Putnam further illustrated his argument with a famous thought experiment called Twin Earth. He imagined a planet alongside our own that was a facsimile in almost every way, including holding a replica of each person. The only difference on Twin Earth was its water. Though it looks like HO, tastes like HO, fills the lakes, rivers and oceans and performs the same functions as HO, Twin Earth's water had a different chemical make-up, abbreviated as XYZ. Therefore, if an earthling named, say, Oscar, were to travel to Twin Earth and visit his doppelganger, Twin Oscar, when they referred to water, they would actually be talking about two different things, even though they appeared to be the same. Because Oscar and Twin Oscar are identical in every way, including their thoughts at a given time, Putnam argued, meaning cannot simply be a function of what is formulated in someone's head. Another notable thought experiment devised by Putnam, known as "brain in a vat," was in the field of epistemology. The experiment was intended to disprove a fundamental contention of metaphysical realism  that objects and relationships in the world exist independently of how we perceive them; in other words, that the world we see and hear is not the one that actually is, and that therefore, our brains are perception machines untethered to reality.

If that were the case, Putnam argued, then a human brain would be no different from a brain in a vat placed there by a mad scientist. Human brains, however, employ words based on the things they refer to, which requires some kind of contact with those things. So the brain in a vat  call him Oscar  could not formulate the sentence "I am a brain in a vat," because Oscar has no experience of a real brain or a real vat. Rather, he would actually be saying something like "I'm the image of a brain in the image of a vat". Putnam's death provoked striking encomiums among his colleagues. The philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum wrote in The Huffington Post that Putnam was "one of the greatest philosophers this nation has ever produced" and compared him to Aristotle in the range of his "creative and foundational contributions". The linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky, who had known Putnam since they both attended Central High School in Philadelphia 75 years ago, wrote that "he had enormous talents and creativity, one of the finest minds I've ever encountered". And Goldfarb at Harvard said: "I don't know anyone else who had his breadth or so quickly assimilated things in all different areas. He was essentially the quickest mind I've ever encountered." Hilary Whitehall Putnam was born in Chicago on July 31, 1926, and spent much of his early life in a village near Paris after the family moved to France. His father, Samuel Putnam, was a prominent translator of Romance languages  his translation of Don Quixote is published by Modern Library  and his mother, the former Riva Sampson, was a secretary. After the family returned to the United States in the mid-1930s and settled in Philadelphia, Samuel Putnam became a columnist for the Communist newspaper The Daily Worker.

Hilary Putnam graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, began graduate school at Harvard and finished his PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied with Reichenbach. Before landing on the Harvard faculty in the mid-1960s, he taught at Northwestern, Princeton and MIT. Far to the left politically, Putnam lived at a commune in Cambridge, organised anti-Vietnam War activities, affiliated himself with Students for a Democratic Society and joined the Progressive Labor Party, an offshoot of the Communist Party. He later cut his ties to the group and declared his membership a mistake. Putnam married Ruth Anna Hall, a philosopher who taught at Wellesley College, in 1962. She survives him, as do two sons, Samuel (who is married to Steinitz) and Joshua; two daughters, Erika Putnam Chin and Maxima Kahn; and four granddaughters. Perhaps the best illustration of Putnam's restless intellect was his most notable reversal. It had its origin in a 1960 paper, Minds and Machines, in which he addressed the mind-body problem  the relationship between one's thoughts and feelings and one's physical states and processes. Putnam put forth the argument that if humans can be said to have souls, then it is impossible to say that machines don't, and that the existence of a complicated model for how a human being operates  the same way there is a model or a program for how a machine operates  is possible. His thinking was a component of what came to be called functionalism, a hugely influential idea for its adherents and detractors in cognitive science and philosophy of mind that defines a mental state (a thought, say, or a desire) by the role it plays in the complicated machine, or cognitive system, in which it exists.

Pain, for instance, would be defined by a functionalist as a mental state that is generally caused by an injury to the body, yields a sense that something is wrong and provokes an urge to moan or cry out. But Putnam eventually rejected functionalism, arguing that our understanding of the human "machine" was insufficient to support functionalist theory. "I may have been the first philosopher to advance the thesis that the computer is the right model for the mind," he wrote in an introduction to his book Representation and Reality (1988). "I gave my form of this doctrine the name 'functionalism,' and under this name, it has become the dominant view  some say the orthodoxy  in contemporary philosophy of mind. "In this book, I shall be arguing that the computer analogy, call it the 'computational view of the mind' or 'functionalism' or what you will, does not after all answer the question we philosophers (along with many cognitive scientists) want to answer, the question 'What is the nature of mental states?' I am, thus, as I have done before on more than one occasion, criticising a view I myself earlier advanced." Putnam was ridiculed by some for changing his mind, but he defended himself: "A philosopher's job is not to produce a View X and then, if possible, to become known as Mr View X or Ms View X."
A report published last month by the Queensland Auditor-General found that the two contract prisons in that state cost about 20 per cent less to operate than comparable public prisons, with comparable levels of service and quality, and greater levels of transparency.

No similar studies have been done in NSW, but the numbers will be much the same.

Gary Sturgess says prison managers and staff must be given time to improve the operation of their facilities, quality as well as cost. "But if they fail to respond to this challenge, there must be appropriate consequences."

It is not that the private sector is inherently better than government  the managers of contract prisons are very often drawn from the public sector.

One of the principal differences is that private prison managers operate in a contractual environment. They know precisely how success will be measured years in advance, and they are allowed to get on with the job of managing their prisons.
Fans have rejoiced with the release of Matt Corby's highly anticipated debut album Telluric which is already topping the iTunes charts.

Corby spent the last few years learning classic instruments as well as a few "stranger ones" in the lead-up to the writing and production of Telluric, an album almost entirely composed of songs that Matt both sang and played the instruments for.

"I'm too idealistic to ever meet my expectations": Matt Corby.

After his previous attempt to write an album over two years ago that he didn't like, Corby said he wanted to take his time to learn how to play what he would regularly hear in his head and become more musically self-sufficient.

"It took me this long to get to a point where I was happy with my standard of musicianship, so I could write and play most, if not all the music myself," Corby said in an announcement to his fans.
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".
1. Khaleed Sharrouf's orphaned daughter speaks out

This is a very complex and difficult situation for the Australian government: how to deal with the children of Australia's most notorious jihadist Khaled Sharrouf, who are stranded in Syria. You will know Sharrouf as the Islamic State fighter who shocked the world by posting an image of his child son holding up a severed head captioned "That's my boy."

Sharrouf's wife Tara Nettleton died in Syria in February after undergoing surgery for appendicitis. Sharrouf himself was thought to have been killed in an air-strike, leaving their five children orphaned.

Despite reports he might be alive and inquiring about his family home in Sydney, his 14-year old daughter Zaynab Sharrouf told The Daily Telegraph her dad is definitely dead.
The 48-year-old star of the TV series Jack Irish, and the films The King's Speech and Prometheus, is expecting a child with his partner, Game of Thrones star Carice van Houten. It is the first child for both Pearce and Van Houten.

Australian actor Guy Pearce is to become a father.

"Carice and Guy are thrilled to be expecting their first child," a publicist for van Houten has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

Fatherhood beckons: Guy Pearce in the ABC series Jack Irish. Credit:ABC

Both Pearce and Van Houten have tweeted in acknowledgement of the reports.

"I'm ready for your shadowbaby jokes," Van Houten said.

"Nothing like the prospect of a shadowbaby to change your mind about becoming a father!" Pearce said.
The 14-year-old daughter of Australian terrorist Khaled Sharrouf has insisted her father is dead, speaking for the first time about her "normal" life in Syria with her new baby and four younger siblings.

Zaynab Sharrouf would not confirm her location in Syria, describing it as "dangerous with the drones", but said she knows "for sure that [my father] is dead" in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

The teenager talked about her life in Syria and said the terrorist father of her baby, Mohamed Elomar, was also dead.
The largest strike in the public sector's two year industrial battle is set to disrupt the Easter travel plans of thousands of travellers across Australia.

The first round of industrial action will begin on Monday when staff at Medicare, Centrelink, the Tax Office, Defence, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Bureau of Statistics, will strike for 24 hours.

Immigration, Border Protection and Agriculture workers will then walk off the job at international airports for 24-hours on Thursday March 24 - the day before Good Friday.

A campaign of rolling airport stoppages for several weeks over the Easter school holidays and beyond will escalate the action.
A bipartisan group of senators have called on the Australian Defence Force to explain the potentially damaging side effects of antimalarial mefloquine to every veteran and serving soldier who has taken the drug since its introduction in 2001.

Fairfax Media has reported growing fears about the drug over recent months, with many soldiers believing it has scarred them with permanent psychological damage, anxiety, vertigo, nightmares, suicidal thoughts and hallucinations.

Defence Minister Marise Payne says calls to release an internal report on mefloquine are misguided and premature. Credit:Andrew Meares

The Senate Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade has now called on the Department of Defence to provide all affected personnel with access to neurological assessments and to provide a full report on the drug's prescription and dosage, and the nature of consent from Defence personnel.

Mefloquine remains the third choice anti-malarial for the Defence Force, despite being banned from prescription to United States Special Forces in 2013, and a British House of Commons defence select committee hearing on the drug.
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.
The Liberal Party has suspended a campaign director in the 2015 NSW election, after he was charged with electoral crimes in a marginal seat where the Australian Labor Party candidate was anonymously smeared as a paedophile.

The NSW Electoral Commission has taken action under the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act against Jim Daniel, who ran the campaign for the seat of East Hills, which MP Glenn Brookes unexpectedly retained by just 628 votes, or 0.8 per cent, in 2015.

Former Liberal MP Glenn Brookes. Credit:simon alekna spa

During the campaign about 300 posters of ALP candidate Cameron Murphy, a human rights lawyer who has an Order of Australia and is the son of High Court judge Lionel Murphy, were defaced with stickers saying "paedophile lover," "stranger danger" and "our children are not safe".

In 2015 ALP MP Lynda Voltz, under parliamentary privilege, accused Mr Daniel, who is on Bankstown City Council, of organising the defacement of the posters.
Prisons across NSW will have to prove they are able to meet performance targets or risk being handed over to the private sector.

An open bid to operate the John Morony Correctional Centre will kickstart the changes, which were announced on Sunday by the NSW Minister for Corrections, David Elliott.

An open bid for market testing of John Moroney Correctional Centre will kickstart the reforms, which were announced on Sunday by the NSW Minister for Corrections, David Elliott. Credit:Helen Nezdropa

The program will see the public and private sectors compete to run the correctional centre in Windsor.

NSW Prisoner numbers have been "out of control" in recent years, ballooning to in excess of 12,000 currently.
While the Liberal National Party continued to celebrate its record win in the Brisbane City Council election, Labor's attention turned to its next four years in opposition.

The ALP will have with a team of just five or six councillors, just four of whom with any council experience, as the party lost almost six decades of corporate memory.

And the retirement of Milton Dick, who has been preselected by Labor to run in the federal seat of Oxley, has left the opposition without a leader.

Defeated Labor lord mayoral candidate Rod Harding said, despite the massive loss in the wards, the Labor Party was still well placed in the council chamber.
A "humbled" Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, fresh from the Liberal National Party's record-breaking re-election, has promised to govern as if he had a Brisbane City Council majority of just one.

All sitting LNP councillors were returned to the council chamber, which, in addition to the party's victory in the previously Labor-held Northgate ward, delivered the Quirk administration 19 of the council's 26 wards.

The net result of Labor's $1.44 million war chest was the possible net loss of two wards  one to the LNP and the other to the Greens  and an ultimately futile 10 per cent swing against the Lord Mayor.

Even that swing, Cr Quirk said, was not likely to have been a result of Labor's campaign.
A teenager died in an early morning crash south of Brisbane on Monday.

Police said the 19-year-old from Kingston, in Logan, was at the wheel of a car that crashed into a guard rail on the Centenary Highway at Springfield Lakes about 1.50am.

A passenger was taken to hospital after a crash that killed the driver in Springfield Lakes. Credit:Rohan Thomson

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 24-year-old Daisy Hill man who was a passenger in the car was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
People heading to camping grounds along Queensland's coast for the Easter break can breathe a sigh of relief because the weather bureau thinks the long weekend will be mainly fine, with scattered showers.

"We are not expecting torrential downpours," Bureau of Meteorology weather forecaster Andrew Bufalino said.

South-east Queensland can expect fine weather for Easter, with a few scattered showers possible.

"It's still a long way off at this stage so people should keep an eye on forecasts throughout the week because things do change."

With a lot of moisture in the air along the coast, coastal showers are expected in the week leading up to Easter, with possible thunderstorms.
Doctors who photograph skin conditions using unsecured, personal mobile phones could be breaching patient privacy, new Queensland research warns.

In an article in the Medical Journal of Australia, researchers from the University of Queensland and Princess Alexandra Hospital, led by Paul Stevenson, say using telemedicine for diagnosing dermatological conditions was popular because it sped up treatment and improved patient outcomes, particularly in regional areas where there are few specialists.

Doctors using smartphones in the course of their work face serious consequences if they fail to protect patient privacy. Credit:Virginia Star

However doctors and medical institutions endangered patient privacy, as well as their own indemnity insurance and confidentiality clauses of their employment contracts, if they failed to protect confidential patient records by using unsecured mobile phones and emails.

"Practitioners' personal smartphones and other devices are often used to capture and communicate clinical images," they found.
The "politicisation" of Queensland's major infrastructure spending will be significantly reduced by a shift to four-year election terms, chief executives of two of Queensland's major contracting associations said on Sunday.

Queensland seems likely to shift to four-year election cycles for its state government with the public referendum on Saturday appearing to back a move to four-year terms.

On Sunday evening, with half of the votes from Queensland's 3 million voters counted, the "Yes" case was leading with 53.1 per cent over the "No" case with 46.9 per cent.

Rob Row, chief executive officer of Queensland's Civil Contractors Federation, said fouryear terms would add certainty to Queensland's big projects industry, which had lost 30 per cent of its workforce.
Gold Coast plumber Rob Croll and his wife, Katie, used to take their boys regularly to the same Burleigh children's park as Anna Peasley, Elise Corcoran and Kristal Hewitt - until a terrible surfing tragedy on February 9.

When the three young mums heard that the devoted dad and husband had broken his spine surfing at Kirra and was paralysed from the neck down, they mobilised their community to raise money to help pay for his rehabilitation and is family's living expenses.

Rob Croll, 34, with Katie, Rafe, two-and-a-half, and Bowie, six months.

"We just knew we had to do something," Anna said. "Rob was always down at the park with his kids, he is such as great dad and he always stopped to chat."

Their Stroll for the Crolls online auction ends today (Sunday) with bids worth a total of $5277 on a rang of items including: a priceless Mt Woodgee surfboard signed by Pro Surfer Bede Durbidge, 3x ASP World Champion Mick Fanning and ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson, and a Roxy snowboard signed by Pro Snowboarder/Olympian Torah Bright (143cm).
A Queensland man accused of raping a schoolgirl south of Brisbane has been remanded in custody.

The victim, 13, was walking home near Sturdee Park, Loganlea, on Saturday afternoon when she was attacked and dragged into bushes.

Police arrested a 28-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, later that evening and began collecting CCTV footage from the area.

The man was not required to appear when the matter was mentioned in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday.
A man who allegedly pointed a gun at police has surrendered after a five-hour stand-off in Mackay in north Queensland.

Police had responded to a disturbance at a Mackay home just before 9pm on Sunday.

The stand-off in Mackay. Credit:Tony Martin/Daily Mercury

They withdrew to a safe location but the man allegedly made further threats while armed with a knife.

The 37-year-old gave himself up just after 2am on Monday and will front court on weapon and drug charges.
The image of a man who allegedly barged shoulder-first into a woman outside a licensed premises in Brisbane has been released by police.

The 21-year-old woman had been out with a friend at King George Square when a man sitting next to her spilt his drink on her about 7.45pm on Friday, police say.

After the woman and her friend left the premises and stood outside, the man allegedly barged into her, knocking her to the ground and causing her to hit her head on a timber seat.

As a result, she suffered a small cut to her head and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Since Apple introduced the first iPhone in 2007, mobile handsets have only gotten bigger. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook will buck that trend on Monday (US time) when he presents a smaller iPhone, seeking to entice holdouts to upgrade to a new smartphone even if they don't want a larger device.

The ambitions for the new phone may be commensurate with its diminutive size. Unlike previous new iterations of the device, the 4-inch iPhone won't be packed full of technological innovations intended to send hordes of Apple fans queuing around the block on launch day to snap it up. Instead, it's 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 won't run the operating system that well for much longer."

The company is rolling out the new phone two months after saying quarterly sales were likely to decline for the first time in more than a decade, highlighting concern that iPhone growth has reached its limits.
It's been a week of extremes for Google's artificial intelligence efforts, as the company luxuriates in the afterglow of winning a board game tournament against one of the world's top players, while it privately tries to sell one of its most visible robotics efforts.

Google's decision to try to shed its Boston Dynamics robotics group highlights a fundamental research problem: software is far easier to develop and test than hardware. That's especially true when dealing with artificial intelligence and robotics.

Boston Dynamics' four-legged robot named WildCat can gallop at high speeds.

Today's industrial robots tend to be dumb machines, operating on pre-programmed routines, and are housed in metal cages to stop people walking into their zone of movement and potentially getting harmed.

With Boston Dynamics, Google was working on machines that could break out of the rigid confines of the factory and perform a broader range of tasks. That requires dealing with a range of unsolved problems, requiring fundamental research.
Nintendo is seeking to bring back players who migrated away from games on company's dedicated hardware, such as the Wii and handheld DS devices.

Miitomo, a free messaging-based application, reached No. 1 among social-networking apps in Japan on Apple's iOS devices on the day of its release, market researcher App Annie said on Friday.

The Kyoto-based company has promised to bring hits like Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong to smartphones, helping to boost its share price 33 per cent last year.

So far, President Tatsumi Kimishima has been coy, saying only that Nintendo's next smartphone game will feature one of the company's beloved characters.

"This should remove any doubts about the Nintendo brand's relevancy in the smartphone age," said Atul Goyal, an analyst at Jefferies Group LLC. "More than just a messaging tool, Miitomo can be a platform for distributing Nintendo content, and probably third-party content at a later stage."

Miitomo, currently available only in Japan, lets users automatically generate a cartoon-like avatar using a photo taken on the smartphone. Players can tweak minute facial features, set personality parameters and choose the character's voice.

Then, Miitomo starts to ask questions that range from "what did you do last weekend?" to "what's your favorite kind of uniform?" Answers are rewarded with virtual coins, which can be used to buy clothes and accessories for the avatar.
Perth Hills residents are surveying damage and flooding around their properties after storms lashed Perth's north-east on Saturday.

Jenny Barratt-Jones was sheltering inside during the afternoon when she heard a "bang" and her home's internet connection died.

Her neighbour told her the local exchange went down - he had taken a direct hit, with Western Power having to attend to secure the property.

"Then I got a phone call from my neighbour saying we need to go to the dam because it's going to go  the dam was overflowing and there was this beautiful once-in-a-lifetime waterfall," she said.
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett says there is nothing to stop a mother suing the government after her daughter allegedly fell ill after a visit to bacteria-plagued Elizabeth Quay water park.

"I'm very sorry the child has an eye infection. I don't know that it's absolutely established it came from the water park but it may have," Mr Barnett told reporters on Sunday.

Chelsea Fawcett's family alleges her eye infection was caused by the Elizabeth Quay water park.

"If the mother wants to pursue it, there's nothing to stop her. It's a free society."\

The Premier's comments come after a Perth family said they were considering suing the state government after their five-year-old girl was allegedly left partially blind in one eye from an infection following a visit to the bacteria-plagued Elizabeth Quay water park.
Bangkok: The Turnbull government wants to downgrade United Nations monitoring of human rights in Myanmar despite reports of ongoing repression by the country's military, which retains impunity from abuses.

Australia's stand at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva comes as rights groups accuse Myanmar government forces of committing serious violations during renewed fighting with several ethnic armies in remote border areas, including forced labour, torture and ill-treatment and sexual violence against woman.

Ethnic Rohingya girls at a refugee camp in Rakhine state, Myanmar. Credit:AP

Fighting since November in the remote hills of north-eastern Myanmar with the Shan State Army - North has displaced at least 10,000 villagers.

The government denies the allegations.
Milan Italy's coast guard says it has rescued more than 900 migrants in four separate operations in the Strait of Sicily, while Libyan authorities say they have rescued nearly 600 migrants from four boats.

A spokesman for Libyan naval forces, Ayoub Qassem, said the bodies of four dead women had been recovered on Saturday, and some migrants were still missing.

Migrants on a dinghy boat are rescued by Italian Navy's personnel off the coast of Lampedusa island, Italy. Credit:AP

Italian emergency services recovered one corpse during their rescue operations on Saturday.

Now into the second year of its worst migration crisis since WWII, Europe has seen more than 1.2 million people arrive since the beginning of 2015, most of them from Africa and the Middle East.
Donald Trump's second rally of the day in Arizona was studded with repeated interruptions from protesters, along with an incident in which a member of the crowd punched and kicked a protester and another that involved Trump's campaign manager.

As two protesters were being escorted from the rally in Tucson on Saturday - one wearing a white mask emulating the Ku Klux Klan, whom Trump called "a disgusting guy", and another in an American flag shirt - video cameras captured a man punching and kicking the man in the flag shirt.

The cameras showed the crowd member being quickly led out by police officers; according to NBC News, the man was arrested.

In another incident, a camera recorded Mr Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, speaking with a protester. In a video posted on Twitter by a CBS News reporter, Mr Lewandowski is seen reaching out and touching the back of the protester's collar. A man behind the protester also touches him, as the protester nudges aside a girl in front of him and then wheels around and pushes the man behind him.
Latest News NAB reveals six market megatrends for brokers More opportunities for investors, first home buyers

Firstmac shifts up a gear on auto loans National sales manager appointed to pursue growing market

Corporate regulator ASIC has appointed liquidators to oversee companies involved in land banking schemes associated with notorious property spruiker Jamie McIntyre.ASICs appointment of liquidators comes after it launched proceedings in the Federal Court against McIntyre in August 2015 in relation to land banking schemes in Victoria.In launching the court proceedings, ASIC claimed the land banking schemes were unregistered managed investment schemes and McIntyre and companies associated with him had been unlawfully carrying on an unlicensed financial services business.ASIC believes around 100 people have invested in the land banking schemes.ASIC named eight companies as corporate respondents in its court proceedings; Archery Road Pty Ltd, Bendigo Vineyard Estate Pty Ltd, Secret Valley Estate Pty Ltd, Kingsway South Holdings Pty Ltd, Melbourne Tarniet Estate Pty Ltd, Property Tuition Pty Ltd, Education Holdings Pty Ltd, and Sourcing Property Pty Ltd and today appointed Simon Alexander Wallace-Smith and Robert Scott Woods of Deloitte as joint liquidators of those companies.Wallace-Smith and Woods had been appointed provisional liquidators of the eight companies in October and delivered a report in December recommending the eight companies should be wound up to enable a liquidator to conduct further investigations into their respective affairs and to identify any recoveries which might be made for the benefit of creditors.The Federal Court also granted ASIC leave to seek orders at the final hearing of the matter that McIntyre be declared a shadow director of each of the corporate respondents and Jamie and Dennis McIntyre be disqualified from managing corporations.The matter has been adjourned for a further directions hearing on Friday 8 April 2016. A date for the final hearing of the matter has not been set by the court.
Latest News NAB reveals six market megatrends for brokers More opportunities for investors, first home buyers

Firstmac shifts up a gear on auto loans National sales manager appointed to pursue growing market

Non-major lender ME Bank has reported a rise in its home loan portfolio, but says there is still a long way to go to level the playing field for Australias non-major banks.According to MEs half-year results, its home loan portfolio grew by 3.7% from $17.8 billion at 30 June 2015 to $18.4 billion at 31 December 2015. On an annualised basis, that growth is in line with the current system growth.We expect home loan settlements to be in line with current system growth through to the end of the financial year, ME general manager broker, Lino Pelaccia told Australian Broker.According to Pelaccia, AFG s competition index reveals ME increased its market share from 1.4% to 2.5% of all broker-originated mortgages over the past quarter.Whilst this is a strong result, the industry super fund-owned bank is calling for more regulatory changes to further level the playing field between the regional and major banks, including the amount of capital held by the advanced model banks.APRAs directives have gone some way to levelling the playing field, however, there is further to go and additional regulatory changes in 2016 are likely to further level the playing field between ME and the major banks, Pelaccia told Australian Broker.A key change that is looking increasingly likely is a further increase to the amount of capital APRA will require the major banks to hold to ensure they are deemed unquestionably strong, as recommended by the Financial System Inquiry.A bank analyst recently projected that as much as $32 billion in additional capital is likely to be needed by the major banks.This would provide a greater ability for ME to compete on an equal basis.ME reported an after-tax underlying net profit of $30.2 million for the six months ended 31 December 2015, a rise of 8% on the previous corresponding period.
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A mom just bought a toy for her 2-year-old that signals to pedophiles that the girl is ready to be traded for sex.

Wait, what?

Id repeat it, but it still wouldnt make any sense. And yet, this modern-day myth has gone viral, showing up on Headline News, AOL, local media, and, of course, it is all over Facebook. One mom there lamented, I did not know that pedophiles have their own insidious silent language that is infiltrating society through pretty pink images  which signal to other pedophiles the child can be traded.

Do we really live in that kind of hell for kids?

The story  such as it is  involves a Florida mom who bought a pink plush truck for her daughter at a monster truck rally down there. Somehow (the original WFLATV reporter never tells us how), the mom came to believe that the heart-within-a-heart logo on the toy is a code pedophiles use.

I should mention that the heart-within-a-heart logo is also the logo you see on Good Humor ice cream bars. Oh, and it is also what you see when your barista has mastered the art of making a heart in your cappuccino foam.

And yet, using a garbled mishmash of horror and hysteria, the television reporter told viewers that because of that heart logo, the toy held a sick secret; a disgusting calling card for creeps. And now, When a pedophile sees children with the heart symbol, its a code meaning that child is ready to be traded for sex.

While presenting zero evidence that the world works like this, the reporter then interviewed the mom, who seemed as distraught as if her child had just narrowly escaped the clutches of Cropsey.

Im absolutely sick! she cried. This is pink! This is for little girls, especially at a predominantly male event.

So does the mom think the male event deliberately stocked up on pink toys that so that unwitting parents would buy them? And that predators would see the symbol, and go, Look! A heart on a toy. This mom must be willing to sell her child into sex slavery!? And then what? Would she feel obligated to trade her kid for cash because thats how the system works?

I cant stop marveling at this news story, because it shows that we are so obsessed with the fear of predators  or at least news editors are so obsessed with feeding us these stories  that we never even stop to say, Wait, what?

For a dose of actual facts, I dropped a line to David Finkelhor, head of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

I cant reassure you that there isnt some lonely pedophile club somewhere that has decided to make a logo, he wrote back. And it is true, in trying to find whether there was anything, anywhere, that could suggest even a scintilla of justification for the story, I learned there was one lone government file, written about 10 years ago (and played up in an episode of Law & Order SVU, of course), that suggested pedophiles might wear logos that indicated their leanings.

But, Finkelhor added, what is certainly true is that pedophiles would not simply decide to pick a victim based on carrying an item with a logo. No one should worry about the logo being dangerous for their kids.

But that is the problem.

We are worried all the time about this least likely of crimes: Stranger-danger. Christie Barnes, author of The Paranoid Parents Guide, found that the very top worry of parents is kidnappings (and number four is dangerous strangers). This fear haunts us even though our crime rate is the lowest it has been in decades. It haunts us even though we know that when it comes to crimes against children, the vast majority are committed not by strangers, but trusted adults.

When stories like this fan the flames of predator panic, we get a population ever more obsessed with sex offenders, ever more demanding of police protection, and ever more convinced that their kids are in constant danger, even from a plush toy.

Heres the real news: Theyre not.

Read Lenore Skenazys column every Sunday morning on Brook lynPa per.com

Lenore Skenazy is a keynote speaker and author and founder of the book and blog Free-Range Kids.
Friday Night Football: Scores, stats, recaps from Week 9

With only two more weeks left in the regular season, teams are fighting for postseason posititioning...or just for a chance to make the playoffs.
AND THEN ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE

Two Decades in the Middle East

Richard Engel

Simon & Schuster

241 pages; Rs 699



When Richard Engel was 13, traveling abroad with his parents, he dreamed of becoming a reporter. He imagined working at the old International Herald Tribune and living in an apartment in Paris, overlooking the Champs-Elysees. He saw himself wearing white suits and brandishing a bone cigarette holder, and "writing dispatches about intrigues and politics and spies and damsels and all the rest."



He did grow up to become a reporter - he is the chief foreign correspondent for NBC - but would spend much of his 20-year award-winning career not in glamorous Paris, but in war zones in West Asia. As an enterprising freelance reporter, unable to get a visa to travel to Iraq but determined to cover the war, he got himself into the country by volunteering as a "human shield" for a peace organisation in 2003, and struck a deal with ABC News; he would become the last American television reporter left in Baghdad.

In 2005, his Baghdad hotel was rocked by a truck bomb across the street, and as the region exploded into war and revolution, he would have other close calls - including being kidnapped in Syria in 2012 - that he says would leave him with "fingerprints" of post-traumatic stress.

Mr Engel's harrowing adventures make for gripping reading in his new book and he deftly uses them as a portal to look at how West Asia has changed since he arrived in the region as a young reporter in 1996. The result is a book that gives readers a brisk but wide-angled understanding of the calamities that have unfurled there over the past two decades - most notably, the consequences of the United States invasion of Iraq, and the sad trajectories of revolutions in Egypt, Libya and Syria, which began in hope and snowballed into fiasco. Countless articles and books have chronicled these events - with a narrower focus and more detail - but for readers looking for an astute, fast-paced overview, this book is a great explainer.

Some of his observations have a comic edge: He describes hiring staff in Baghdad before the bombing began ("an avaricious driver and a drunkard cop") as assembling "the cast of characters for an updated version of Evelyn Waugh's 'Scoop.'" But more often, there is a surreal horror to his descriptions: the sight of 11 bodies of small boys, perhaps ages eight to 10, killed in Qana, Lebanon, during an Israeli air raid in 2006; the memory of "a stray dog carrying a severed human head between its teeth" in Iraq; a heartbreaking interview with a 14-year-old boy who had a hand and foot chopped off by Islamic State thugs because he refused to cooperate.

Along the way, Mr Engel also offers his personal impressions of leaders. He recalls that Saddam Hussein had "a terrifying gaze" (even in a courtroom, facing a death sentence), that Muammar el-Qaddafi seemed like "a washed-up, strung-out rock star," and that Hosni Mubarak had become "an old fool" surrounded by "generals in tight uniforms and civilian advisers in bad suits."



What makes Mr Engel's tactile eyewitness accounts valuable is that they are fuel-injected with his knowledge of the history and politics of the region. His analysis is so acute that the reader wishes the book had been more expansive.

He places events he covered in context with the tangled history of West Asia: its centuries-old clash with the West, and the fallout that the arbitrary borders drawn by the European powers after World War I would have on the nation-states carved out of the Ottoman Empire. He provides a succinct account of how George W Bush's decision to invade Iraq - without a legitimate casus belli - opened a Pandora's box of tragedy and mayhem.

Hussein was the first of what Mr Engel calls West Asia's "big men" to fall; Zine el-Abidine ben Ali of Tunisia, Mubarak and Qaddafi would soon follow, as the Arab Spring swept like a wildfire from country to country. By invading and ineptly occupying Iraq, Mr Engel writes, the Bush administration "broke the status quo that had existed since 1967" in the region. And Barack Obama, "elected by a public opposed to more adventurism" there, "broke the status quo even further through inconsistent action" - encouraging uprisings in the name of democracy in Egypt, supporting rebels with force in Libya, and wavering on Syria.

In recounting these, Mr Engel pauses now and then to speculate about an assortment of what-ifs. Whether the reader agrees with all his assessments, they are rooted in his understanding of the region and are never less than compelling. Though he rebukes the Obama administration for sending mixed signals, he argues that military intervention in Syria would have probably turned into another quagmire. As for the future of the region, he predicts that "new dictators will offer themselves as an alternative to the horrors of ISIS."



It is a grim vision of the future. These new dictators, Mr Engel suggests, "will likely be worse than the old strongmen because they'll be able to use new technologies to identify and hunt down their enemies," and "they will have the ability to point to the ugliness of recent history as a justification for taking their citizens' rights."



2016 The New York Times News
India is poised to attract large investments in training and in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, as aircraft manufacturers tap growth opportunities. Strong passenger growth on both domestic and international routes, combined with the government's push for regional connectivity and the Make in India campaign, are attracting original equipment manufacturers and foreign airlines. India is the ninth-largest civil market in the world, with a market size of $16 billion and estimated to become the third largest market by 2020 and the largest by 2030.

The fifth edition of the Hyderabad air show, which concluded on Sunday, became a showcase of emerging opportunities in Indian . Experts, however, are skeptical of the air show's outcome, pointing to the gaps in the government's reform intent and delivery.

INVESTMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THE SHOW Pawan Hans announces two maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) pacts for defence and Airbus choppers

Airbus announces investment worth Rs 260 crore for pilots and maintenance training centre near Delhi

Telangana government signs an agreement with Aero Campus Aquitaine of France for setting up an MRO training centre

While there were no big-ticket aircraft orders this time (SpiceJet had signed the order for 42 Boeing 737 Max in the last edition in 2014), there were announcements related to MRO units, aviation training and helicopter assembly plant during the show.

Pawan Hans announced plans to set up MRO facilities for military and Airbus helicopters.

While the government has not accepted the aviation sector's demand for abolition of service tax on MRO activities, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey tried to assuage delegates at the air show stating the airlines can claim a set-off or a credit equivalent to the tax payable on MRO expense in their total tax liability.

High taxes, coupled with a lack of adequate capabilities, have been the bane of the MRO sector in India, which results in 90 per cent of airline maintenance contracts going outside India.

There is enough demand for MROs in India from local and foreign airlines but it is critical for service providers to acquire international certification, said Rajeev Gupta, chief executive officer of Indamer, which plans to invest Rs 400 crore to develop an MRO facility for narrow-body planes in Nagpur.

Airbus announced Rs 260 crore investment in a pilot training school near Delhi and Telangana government a tie-up with French institute Aero Campus Aquitaine to set up a centre for MRO training.

Airbus and Boeing are increasing their investment footprint and sourcing components for civil and military aircraft and helicopters from vendors in India. The plane makers outsourced $500 million worth of components and engineering services each from India last year. They look to increase collaboration further. Both Airbus and Boeing have no plans to set up final assembly lines for civilian aircraft in India as the country still remains a small market.

Textron, however, announced in Hyderabad that it was seeking partners to manufacture Bell 407 helicopters and added it was carrying out a feasibility study.

In 2015, domestic airlines flew 81 million passengers, with 20 per cent year-on-year growth, making India the fastest growing market. International air traffic, too, is growing at eight per cent and Gulf airlines including Emirates and Qatar Airways are pitching for higher traffic rights citing demand from India and support to tourism.

For long, India has been a laggard in the world of aviation. The combined fleet size of all airlines in the country at around 430 planes is smaller than South West Airlines of the US, which flies 716 Boeing 737 planes.

But, things are changing now. Indian carriers IndiGo, GoAir, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Air Costa collectively have 650 aircraft on order. The growing middle class and the absence of a high-speed road and rail network have boosted air travel's potential in the country.

"As operators, we feel bullish about India's prospects in aviation. With the increase in disposable income, customers now spend more in the airports, which is boosting the revenue. If one is looking at India's prospects, low fares and increased capacity will make our airports vibrant," said K Narayana Rao, director of Delhi International Airport.

Airbus and Boeing estimate India will need 1,610 and 1,740 jets, respectively, over the next 20 years, in their latest market forecast. Turboprop aircraft makers such as ATR and Bombardier, too, are optimistic about the demand for their planes, with the government's thrust on regional connectivity.

While metros account for the bulk of domestic air traffic at present, civil aviation secretary R N Choubey is hopeful that the next wave of growth will come from regional and remote area routes. The government plans to propel services on these routes through sops and viability gap funding (VGF). VGF means a grant to support infrastructure projects that are economically justified but fall short in financial viability.

Currently, only 75 airports in the country have a scheduled airline service. There are 350 unused airstrips, many built during the World War II. Reviving them and linking the small towns are high on the government's agenda. Reviving an existing air strip would be easier as it would save the time taken in land acquisition, Choubey said at the air show.

"The government is planning to invest around $120 billion in development of airport infrastructure and aviation navigation services over the next decade. The deeper air penetration to smaller cities, better connectivity to north-eastern part of India, and higher disposable incomes of the middle class are expected to further propel the growth of Indian civil aviation sector," President Pranab Mukherjee said inaugurating the air show.
Finding a good home tutor is always a tough task. Bengaluru-based education technology start-up flipClass is striving to make it easy for parents.

Founded in 2013, it acts as a marketplace where students from Kindergarten to Class 12 can find a suitable expert as home tutor. Its flipLearn technology helps improve the learning process through continuous monitoring. The firm claims it has the toughest filter while selecting tutors. These include verification of prowess on the subject, psychometric test, interview and verification of documents. Only eight per cent pass all the tests.

flipClass has operations in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi, connecting around 4,200 students and 11,000 tutors. Almost 90 per cent of the classes are physical home tuition, after which a student can take an online test on flipLearn, which would suggest the teacher and the areas where she needs improvement. It also has a platform for online classes.

In July, 2014, the company received $250,000 from a Singapore-based investor and other individual investors. In March this year, it raised $1 million from Blume Ventures and S Chand and Co, a publishing house. "We will be using the funds to improve the technology, including flipLearn that we launched a few months ago, and also to automate the search," said Vineet Dwivedi, founder and chief executive officer. These initiatives are expected to be in place in six months. The firm also plans to expand to Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. It is targeting 20,000 students and 25,000 tutors by 2016.

Brand plays a major role and creating one would be a major challenge, it says. Another challenge would be maintaining the quality while scaling up. The company is confident of meeting these challenges with the support of technology and its stringent filtering process
The advertisement is telling. On Saturday (March 19), Ghaziabad-based Dabur India published it, extolling the virtues of its ayurvedic cough syrup, Dabur Honitus.

The product is positioned as an alternative to other cough syrups  many of which have been banned by the government, as part of its clampdown on fixed-dose combination drugs.

Dabur  a leading player in the ayurveda sector  has moved quickly to take advantage of the ban. Other ayurvedic drug majors, too, could cash in  by pushing their products into the vacuum created in the market by the ban, said sources.

Next week, the Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturers Association (ADMA), the apex body of the sector, will meet in Mumbai. The manufacturers are expected to discuss their prospects to exploit this opportunity, a source told Business Standard.

ALSO READ: HC to hear pharma pleas against ban

At a time when consumers have to be reassured of safety, there is no harm in informing them of ayurvedic products that are devoid of ingredients perceived to be not safe, said Sunil Duggal, chief executive officer, Dabur India. Dabur is also a member of the ADMA Executives at Baidyanath, Charak and Himalaya Drug Company, all of them key ayurvedic drug makers, privately admit that the ban could open up vistas, but its full potential would unfold over time.

This is only the start. Fixed-dose combinations have been under a cloud for some time. While the move by the government is in keeping with consumer health and safety, we will have to wait and see how this pans out for us, said an executive at the Himalaya Drug Company, whose annual turnover from ayurvedic medicines is estimated to be over Rs 500 crore.

In fact, most of the top ayurvedic drug makers in the country have their turnovers in the region of Rs 300-500 crore, a fraction of the revenue of conventional drug manufacturers.

Estimates show small and unorganised manufacturers constitute almost 88 per cent of the ayurvedic drug market in India. Only about one or two per cent are in the top bracket; and about eight per cent are the middle segment, he said.

The dynamics of the market could change if one takes into account the growing acceptance of ayurveda and natural remedies in the past few years, claim experts. claim, the  coupled with the resurgence of ayurveda  is good for them.

Weve seen that in the last two years, there is a strong market for ayurvedic products. While the makers will have to demonstrate the efficacy of their products, I dont see why acceptance of ayurvedic medicines as an effective solution to health problems cannot grow, said Duggal of Dabur. Executives at Baidyanath said doctors recommendation would help their cause. Unlike in China where alternative and allopathic medicines have been synergised, India has no such contact between the two branches. If, for instance, the MBBS programme teaches alternative and allopathic medicines in the first two years to students, and then, moves into specialisations in the latter half of the programme, acceptance and recommendation by doctors in general will improve. That is the key, said Pramod Sharma, director, Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan.
Lafarge India begins its sale process this week after receiving approval from the Competition Commission of India.

The French cement giant has appointed Arpwood Capital and Citi as investment bankers to sell the entire India operations, which has an annual production capacity of 11 million tonnes (mt).

"Bankers will start to reach the potential buyers this week, following which bids are expected to start coming from the next week," said a source. The business put on the block has generated wide interest from domestic and foreign entities. Among these are Piramal Enterprises, JSW Cement and CRH. So are global private equity investors KKR and Blackstone, say investment banking sources. "The deal is estimated to be valued around Rs 10,000 crore," said an investment banker.

This is the second attempt by the company to meet local anti-trust regulations, after its plan to sell its 5.15-mt cement capacity in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand to Birla Corporation for Rs 5,000 crore ran into trouble. A sudden change in mining laws prohibited transfer of mining rights in case of an asset sale. This compelled the firm to sell its entire business which allows transfer of mining rights. Lafarge and Swiss cement giant Holcim announced a global merger in April 2014, to create the world's largest firm in the segment. This raised eyebrows of anti-trust watchdogs in several countries.

In this country, Holcim, through its control of Ambuja Cement and ACC, has 60 mt capacity. Lafarge has 11 mt in India, of which 7.8 mt (70 per cent) is in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Holcim's ACC and Ambuja have capacities of 6.1 mt and 4.6 mt, respectively, in the eastern region. A simple merger would have led to a capacity of 18.5 mt in the eastern states for Holcim-Lafarge, which would have been a little more than 40 per cent of the estimated 46 mt of total capacity in the region.

This led to CCI scrutiny.

In August 2015, Birla Corp had agreed to buy the proposed assets, along with brands Concreto and PSC, and mineral rights over adequate reserves of limestone. After Lafarge India's inability to consummate the deal along with mining rights, Birla Corp said, "The company has since discussed the matter with its legal advisors and has decided not to accept their contention and is in the process of taking appropriate legal measures, in consultation with lawyers."



Following this, Birla Corp also acquired the five mt capacity Reliance Cement for Rs 4,800 crore, in February. "No major hurdle is expected from Birla Corp for the sell-off," informed the investment banker.

OFFLOADING INDIA BUSINESS
While most carmakers are struggling to push sales, market leader is racing ahead in the domestic segment, capturing a 14-year-high share in it.

Riding high on double-digit growth in sales, the company is set to close the year (2015-16) with a share of 47 per cent - compared to 45 per cent last year (2014-15).

Its nearest competitor, Korean auto major Hyundai, too, will close the year at an all-time-high market share of 17.5 per cent. Last year, Hyundai's market share was 16.2 per cent.

Sales of the two companies, in volumes, are also at a record high.

Together, they now enjoy 64 per cent share of the market. Last year, it was 61 per cent.

All other carmakers together - about a dozen - have 36 per cent of the market, with none of them in double digits.

The third largest player in the market, Mahindra & Mahindra, has a share of 8.26 per cent.

Seven lost share in the current year because of different reasons. Toyota, Tata Motors, Volkswagen and General Motors figure in this list. New launches have not worked for everyone.

R S Kalsi, executive director (sales and marketing), Maruti Suzuki, said a combination of factors helped the company gain share.

"We have added close to 200 regular sales outlets and 125 Nexa (premium) outlets this year to reach the customers. While new launches such as Baleno and Brezza have been well accepted, the older models such as Alto and WagonR also grew," he said.

The company's dominance is evident from the fact that four of the top five highest selling car models are Maruti's.

The last time Maruti had a higher market share (48.6 per cent) was in 2000-2001 when there were fewer players and global such as Volkswagen, Nissan and Renault had not entered the Indian market.

India presents a contrasting picture compared to top global markets as far as market share goes. In the US, for instance, none of the top players (General Motors, Ford or Toyota) enjoy more than one-fifth of the share.

Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice-president (sales and marketing), Hyundai, said market leadership means a greater connect with customers. His company had achieved this through innovation and product differentiation.

"In 17 years, we have climbed to an all-time-high share of over 17.5 per cent on the strong performance of Creta, Grandi10 and Elitei20," he said.

B V R Subbu, the former president of Hyundai Motor India, who now runs a strategy consulting company, said Maruti has built a strong presence in the below-Rs 5 lakh category. "In this category, which accounts for the lion's share in the Indian market, it is a two-horse race between Maruti and Hyundai. There was a time when Maruti relied on a simplistic approach of expanding the dealership network to grow sales. They have now started deepening and widening the product range. This is bringing them success. It is unusual for a company to be retaining this kind of share," he said.

Can a 50 per cent-share be a reality for Maruti? It is not going to be a cakewalk as competitors are constantly upping their act.

"There is a tough fight to gain even a 0.1 per cent share in the market. It will be challenging to keep growing the share. We will have to multiply efforts. The initial response to Brezza and planned launches makes us confident that we will grow more than the sector," said Kalsi.

The company has faced a capacity constraint and this could slow growth next year.

It hopes to start commercial operations at its Gujarat plant in early 2017 with an initial capacity of 250,000 units to add to the current capacity of 1.5 million.
NestAway co-founders (from left) Amarendra Sahu and Smruti Parida

When Shalini Varma moved from a small town for her dream job in Hyderabad, she had to initially check into an uncomfortable accomodation. Not knowing anyone in the city and with no friends to support, searching a house turned out to be arduous. "It's easier if you have a support system, especially friends who help you find decent accommodation," she says.An ordeal, a bunch of friends who moved to Bengaluru for work also had to go through. Now, they want to fix the problem. "The youth housing infrastructure in cities is completely broken. Owners don't trust singles and when they do, they impose many restrictions, such as not allowing one to come back home after 10 pm. The city just doesn't treat them well and they feel like outsiders," says Sahu, one of the four founders of NestAway Technologies.The company was launched in January 2015 by National Institute of Technology (NIT), Karnataka, alumni Amarendra Sahu, Smruti Parida, Deepak Dhar and Jitendra Jagadev. The start-up works with 2,000 owners and hosts 10,000 tenants across four cities - Bengaluru, the National Capital Region, Hyderabad and Pune.The founders call themselves trust makers. They liken their work to a bank. "Think of us as a bank whose primary job is to connect renters and owners by structuring the processes and standing as the guardian of trust," says Sahu.The start-up helps tenants and owners in every step of the rental process while ensuring trust is maintained. The focus is on having a standard set of processes, including a common rental agreement to eliminate the scope for surprises.NestAway is also moving beyond addressing the pain points of young singles, with the launch of family homes in January. "It's a new form of accomodation. Whatever is your budget (Rs 4,000-100,000), whatever you call home (a bed, a room or an entire house), our goal is to provide it," says Sahu. For the singles' category, it takes two months deposit but no brokerage. Services are provided through an app.The start-up has tied up with multiple payment services providers to facilitate transactions. Tenants and owners can pay via its app or website. It also provides a guarantee in case the tenant damages the owner's property, through its 'Structure and Content Insurance' in association with Tata AIG, of up to Rs 1 crore.Does the NestAway model eliminate regular brokers? No, says Sahu.

In fact, it considers them an integral part of the rental value chain. "We use their service for lead closure and service supervision," he says. NoBroker, another start-up in this space that directly connects home owners with house hunters, has a customer base of 650,000. The company claims it helps customers save around Rs 15 crore in brokerage charges every month. NestAway sees it otherwise and believes their help is essential to win the market. NestAway's other competitors include CommonFloor, 99acres, Magicbricks Realty and Grabhouse. "We provide our brokers an annuity income stream (2.5 per cent of monthly rental) for every home they manage with us, which includes showing homes, closing on agreements and attending to maintenance requests from tenants," Sahu says. According to Karthik Prabhakar, vice-president of IDG Ventures India, NestAway is targeting to organise the rental market through extensive use of technology and collaboration with real estate brokers, a critical component for scaling without being capital-intensive. The start-up has raised close to $14 million so far from Tiger Global, IDG Ventures, Flipkart, Ratan Tata and Naveen Tewari of Inmobi, among others. The fund would go into product engineering, brand creation and expansion to more cities. It has plans for Mumbai and Chennai in the near future. Its goal is to reach out to about 50,000 home owners and 100,000 tenants in 12-18 months. For now, Sahu says, the revenue streams are sufficient and they aren't exploring additional routes. "We are doing well. Our existing business is large and growing," says the co-founder. NestAway makes money by taking a percentage of the rent it generates every month. "Given the annuity model and a high rate of repeat usage over a long period, the platform has the ability to scale and cater to a million-plus tenants over the next few years," Prabhakar adds. FACT BOX Inception: January 2015 Area of business: Home rental services Fund-raising: $14 million from Tiger Global, IDG Ventures, Flipkart, Ratan Tata and Naveen Tewari of Inmobi
A circular by the Maharashtra's Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) asking real estate developers to open new accounts with has stirred a hornets' nest with the Opposition calling it 'nepotism' to favour Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' wife, who is employed with the bank.

In a strongly-worded statement, Fadnavis denied any wrongdoing. According to the statement, the previous Congress-led government had asked the developers to choose from Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank to deposit the monthly rent payable to eligible slum dwellers.

The present government found Axis Bank's model to be beneficial as SRA will not have to pay anything for it. "These are zero-balance accounts and slum dwellers will benefit from them," the CM added. Fadnavis said no rules had been violated and the decision had no connection with his wife Amruta, employed with Axis Bank's head office in Mumbai looking after the back-office operations.

The chief minister's office has clarified that she has nothing to do with any such business nor does she have any target. On Saturday, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had termed the state agency's directive to developers to open accounts with a particular branch of a private bank, where the CM's wife works, "height of nepotism".

The chief minister's office said a defamation notice was served to Singh. The notice demands Singh tender an apology within 15 days, lest legal proceedings will follow.

SRA, headed by the CM himself, had issued an order on February 10, 2016, asking all developers to submit the details of their bank accounts with the Axis Bank's Worli branch for payment of rent to eligible slum dwellers on or before February 15.

The SRA order also said that a daily penalty of Rs 1 lakh would be imposed till February 28 and of Rs 5 lakh from March 1 till April 1 if they failed to submit their details.

Replying to Business Standard, said, "Amruta Fadnavis has been with the bank for over a decade. She is currently a deputy vice-president posted at the bank's head office having risen to her current post purely on merit and hard work. Any insinuation otherwise is grossly unfair and belittles the achievements of a successful career woman."
The National Institution for Transforming India, or NITI Aayog, is planning to get experts and agencies from outside the government to frame the criteria for strategic sale in assets.

Confirming the plans, a senior officer said the government would finalise the framework for the strategic sale after consulting with experts.

In the current financial year (2015-16, or FY16) - which ends with this month - strategic sales could not take off, despite a Budget Estimate (FY15) of Rs 28,500 crore.

The officer said the NITI Aayog, the Union government's primary think tank which has been given the job of identifying public sector units (PSUs) for strategic sales, held its first meeting on it recently. Some PSUs were discussed during the meeting.

However, a decision was taken to widen the scope of consultations, which would mean involving subject and domain experts before finalising proposals.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, during his speech while presenting the Union Budget for 2016-17, had said the would identify PSUs that are eligible for privatisation.

While presenting the Budget on February 29, Jaitley had announced that to revive the strategic stake sale of PSUs, the department of disinvestment had been revamped and renamed as the department of investment and public asset management, or Dipam.

The department of disinvestment was carved out of the finance ministry in 1999.

The Centre has already released a broad policy on disinvestment. According to this policy, the recommendations made by the would be examined by an inter-ministerial panel. The panel would advise the Cabinet on the mode and quantum of disinvestment.

The Dipam secretary will head the panel.

"We will encourage CPSEs to divest assets such land, manufacturing units, etc, to release their asset value for making investment in new projects," he had said. The NITI Aayog's role would be confined to strategic sales.

The government had projected Rs 28,500-crore inflow from strategic sales this year (FY16), but that did not happen. The Budget for the next financial year (FY17) has projected a lower Rs 20,500 crore. Over the years, realisations of disinvestment have fallen short of projections. In 2014-15, inflow from disinvestments was pegged at Rs 43,425 crore, but only Rs 32,620 crore could be realised. Also, stake sale of specified undertaking in companies such as ITC, Axis Bank and L&T were pegged at Rs 15,000 crore, but none of it materialised.

Disinvestment target of Rs 41,000 crore was set for the current financial year (FY16), but only Rs 25,000 crore is expected to come.

For the next financial year (FY17), the disinvestment target is Rs 36,000 crore.
Krishi Unnati Mela a National Level Agriculture Fair-cum-Exhibition, is organised jointly by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India and Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi at Indian Agriculture Research Institute from March 19-21, 2016. In continuum to technical seminar on PM Fasal Bima Yojana held on day 1 of Krishi unnati Mela, followed second day that featured number of seminars that involved brainstorming sessions and information dissemination along with farmers participation in it. These seminars that involved ScientistFarmer interaction were webcasted so as large number of farmers can be benefitted. Following are major themes and subjects of these seminars that involved panel of experts of respective subject matter: .

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Technical Session II chaired by Dr. N. K. Krishna Kumar, DDG (Hort.), ICAR was held on Integrated Farming System (Horticulture and Fisheries) and Government Schemes. Vegetable based Integrated Farming System, Fruit and agro-forestry based Integrated Farming System, Integrated Farming and Fresh water, Brackish, Marine Fishery and related schemes, Farmer-led Business model of Fishery are some of the major issues discussed at seminar. .

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Technical Session III chaired by Dr. Ramesh Chand, Member, Niti Ayog, GoI was held on Agricultural Marketing and Government Schemes. National Agricultural Marketing scheme, Market-led production and processing of Horticultural crops, Market-led production and processing system for dairy, fish and meat, and Farmer-led Business models are the issues discussed, followed up by Q & A session. .

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Technical Session IV chaired by Dr. A.K.Singh, DDG Extension, ICAR, New Delhi focussed on FarmerScientist Interaction. Sessions on Agrarian challenges and Participatory pathways, National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology, ICT initiatives in agriculture, this was followed up by Panel discussion on modern agro-technologies and service delivery approaches. .

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Technical Session V chaired by Shri A V J Prasad, JS(LH), DAHD&F was held on Integrated Farming System (Crop-Livestock) and Government Schemes It involved issues of Integrated Farming System- Approaches and Technologies, Dairy based Integrated Farming System, Pashu Poshan, Small ruminants and Backyard Piggery based Integrated Farming System Poultry based Integrated Farming System, also Government schemes for dairy based enterprises/interventions. .

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Technical Session VI chaired by Addl. Secretary, MoFPI was held on Processing and Value Addition and Government Schemes. Technologies for Farm Gate Primary Processing, Processed products based enterprises, processed product development at cottage level (MSME) & related schemes, Opportunities in Food processing enterprises, and Government Schemes for scaling up for industries and export of processed products are the topics highlighted at the seminar. .

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Technical Session VII chaired by Dr JS Samra, EX CEO National Rainfed Area Authority and Ex DDG (Natural Resource Management), ICAR was held on PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana. Enhancing water use efficiency through precision irrigation was the theme emphasised and it was followed up by Q& A session that involved farmers, stakeholders and panellists. .

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Technical Session VIII chaired by Dr. J. S. Sandhu, DDG (CS), ICAR was held on Increasing Crop Productivity and Enhancing Soil Health and Government Schemes. Pulses for Improving Soil health and Nutritional Security, Increasing Oilseed Productivity for self reliance in edible oil, Soil Testing for balanced plant nutrition and distribution of SHC, Integrated Nutrient Management for improving soil health and crop productivity, Organic Farming, Government Initiative for enhancing Soil Health and sustainability were major topics at the seminar. .

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Technical Session IX chaired by Dr. A. K. Sikka, DDG (NRM), ICAR was held on Management of Crop Residues & Government Schemes. Crop residue management through conservation agriculture, Technologies for conservation agriculture, Agri-waste management and renewable energy, Solar power based farm mechanization, Govt. schemes related to renewable energy and solar power are the themes highlighted at the seminar. .

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Technical Session X chaired by P. L. Gautam, Former Chairperson, PPVFRA was held on Interaction with Innovative Farmers. Institutional support system for harnessing and dissemination of farmers innovations, sharing of experiences Farmers innovations followed up by Question-Answer session at the seminar. .

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SpiceJet was always going to be a fuel price proxy in my mind.

SpiceJet closed business for a day in December 2014, owed Rs 2,100 crore in unsecured liabilities, had 5,000 employees, the oil marketing companies were hounding it for payments, lessees demanded their aircraft and the company needed something more than only an oil price collapse.

No one would have touched this company; Ajay Singh did.

This is what he might have seen:



One, Kingfisher Airlines had possibly Rs 12,000 crore in debt, against Rs 4,500 crore in annual revenues; SpiceJet needed only a bridge debt of Rs 1,300 crore, against Rs 4,000 crore in revenues.

Two, fuel prices were declining virtually every day; a peak price of Rs 77 a litre had declined to Rs 56 by December 2014 and the incoming chief executive officer (CEO) possibly placed his chips on a sustained erosion for his company to return to the black.

Three, he could possibly see that the average aircraft utilisation at 11 hours a day was about 90 minutes below what he considered easily doable.

Four, ancillary revenues were at eight per cent of all revenues, against a potential 13 per cent.

So, his crack team got down to fixing the company.

The first thing it did was establish revenue predictability; revenues would drive cost optimisation (not the other way around). The company asked employees to set sales targets; this was raised 10 per cent every successive month; he announced a sales incentive scheme (higher you achieve, the more you are paid).

The second thing was to fix its load factor network: From a low of 73 per cent in April 2014, the company achieved 90 per cent-plus in the last nine months of 2015-16.

The third was CEO visibility. Ajay Singh's open-door policy (literally) worked; the decision to insource cargo management was decided (reportedly) in 10 brainstorming minutes (trebling revenues in two months). He checked revenues every half an hour, combined the roles of head of sales and head of commercial, got around to getting to know people by their first name, right-sized the operating team (from 120 per aircraft to 100), and issued full-page ads in newspapers to enhance customer trust.

These worked.

By January 2016, flight cancellation had declined from a peak 2.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent; aircraft turnaround had declined to around 20 minutes, profits strengthened to Rs 238 crore in the third quarter of 2015-16 (seven per cent from fuel cost decline and nine per cent due to the company's mehnat) and overall liabilities were down to Rs 700 crore (possibly extinguishable by the first half of 2016-17) with no term loans on the books.

Singh backs the company because the Indian commercial aviation sector is growing 15 per cent a year, comprises only 400 aircraft (against 700 considered adequate), only two per cent of India is flying and even if oil prices rebounded, the company is now in a position to sweat volumes and economies better.

Result: SpiceJet intends to buy around eight aircraft each year.

That's some spice for thought.

The author is a stock market writer, tracking corporate earnings and investor psychology to gauge where markets are not headed
In an sly reference to hanging of two Muslim cattle traders in Jharkhand, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged him to put a check on growing communal hatred in the country, adding that an environment of "mistrust" was being created for electoral gains.

Azad wrote, "With great dismay, I am impelled to observe that such episodes of mob violence seem to give a spectacle."

"Of some parts of world where democracy doesn't exist not of India-which is respected as vibrant democracy governed by rule of law," he added.

Azad also said that normal transport and trading of animals from one place to another should not be targeted.

"Would like to emphasise that cow slaughter is banned in most states of the country, there is no confusion about that but it's nobody's case that cow slaughter should not be banned," he said.

"Warning Modi of a bitter future Azad said, there is an urgent need to stem this rising tide, lest it is too late," he added.

The Jharkhand police on Saturday arrested five suspects in connection with the trader's killing, who were found hanging from a tree.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh Supreme Court has criticised two ministers for their comments about Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha in relation to the hearing of an appeal of war crimes convict Mir Quasem Ali.

The Supreme Court has fixed March 27 for further hearing of the rules and asked the ministers to appear before it on that day.

The Supreme Court has said that the two ministers not only undermined the Chief Justice but also dishonoured the entire judiciary by their statements, reports The Daily Star.

The court added that the two ministers have made arrogant comments about the Chief Justice and the judiciary.

It rejected the explanation made by Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq in response to its contempt of court rules as Qamrul said he made the comment out of emotion as a freedom fighter.

A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha accepted the explanation from Mozammel.

The two ministers appeared before the apex court at 9:00 am in connection with the contempt of court rule issued by the court on March 8.
The Congress Party on Sunday expressed anger after Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker G.S Kunjwal issuing show-cause notices to the nine rebel Congress legislators, and said that it was a direct violation of the Anti-Defection Law.

"The intolerance is at its peak. Everyday new tactics are being used. The constitutional facts are being violated in Uttarakhand. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to snatch the power anyhow in the state," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the reporters.

"There cannot be more serious and direct violation of the Anti-Defection law. To install an anti-constitutional government, falsehood is being spread by the BJP," he added.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was murdering democracy by targeting the opposition party-ruled state governments one after another.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to destabilise state governments using the Centre's power. They are murdering democracy. Though they talk about cooperative federalism, the BJP is targeting the opposition party-ruled state governments one by one, which is encounter of a sort," said Rawat.

"They first broke the leg of a horse. And now, they are trying to break the leg of Uttarakhand through horse trading," he added.

"Now, the battle has become the fight of the people of Uttarakhand and I am just the medium. We have to see whether the destiny of the state will be decided by defection or development, where there will be talks over growth of villages, weaker section, women and the youth," he said.

"It's a scheme against the Congress here, and I will do every possible thing to protect the state," he added.

The rebel Congress MLAs will go to the Raj Bhawan in Uttarakhand later today against the speaker's notice to them.

Uttarakhand Governor Dr. Krishna Kant Paul yesterday wrote to Rawat, asking him to prove majority in the House by March 28.

The Congress Government in Uttarakhand is presently in crisis as nine party MLAs, including a minister, joined hands with the BJP on Friday night.

The BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of the rebel Congress MLAs.
A day after a FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 from Dubai crashed landed in southern Russia, the search operation ended on Sunday and the investigators were moving on to the cause of the accident and identification of bodies, officials said.

Flight FZ981 from the United Arab Emirates crash landed killing 62 people onboard amid poor weather conditions above Rostov-on-Don airport.

Deputy Emergencies Minister Leonid Belyaev said that his ministry would focus on helping Russia's investigative committee, interstate aviation committee, insurers and Boeing representatives.

"We shall also continue studying the plane's fragments to clear out reasons of the crash, will continue working on identification of the bodies, on collecting the DNA, and working with the families of the victims," news agency TASS reported him as saying, reports CNN.

In the wake of the incident, Russia has declared Sunday a day of mourning in the Rostov administrative region, which borders the Sea of Azov and eastern Ukraine.

Forty-four of the passengers who died in the crash were Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbekistani.

The airline has said that it would provide hardship payments of $20,000 per passenger to relatives of those killed in the crash.

"Our priority is to identify and contact the families of those lost ... and provide immediate support to those affected," the airline said in a statement.

According to reports, the family members of the victims would receive one-million rubles (about $15,000) from Moscow.
Amid a crackdown by the Chinese authorities on the use of the internet, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg held a meeting with Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Liu Yunshan yesterday.

In the meeting, Liu expressed hope that Facebook should work with Chinese internet enterprises to enhance exchanges and share advanced technology and experience so as to make outcome of the internet development better benefit the people of all countries, reports Xinhua.

Zuckerberg, who is in Beijing to attend the annual meeting of the China Development Forum, expressed that he would work with Chinese peers to create a better in cyberspace.

Liu also pressed that Cyberspace was the common space of mankind and added that it was the common responsibility for the international community to build a 'community of shared future' in cyberspace.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had last December called for building a community of shared future in cyberspace while addressing the Second Internet Conference in east China's Zhejiang Province.

Meanwhile, Beijing regulates the use of internet which is heavily censored across the country and has banned western social media companies like Facebook Twitter.

Zuckerberg for long has been in a attempt to make the Facebook accessible in the country, which is considered to be the largest number of Internet users.

But China is only increasing its control over internet and its internet regulator has repeatedly warned that an untamed cyberspace would pose a risk to domestic security.
Interpol has urged its 190-member countries to be extra vigilant at the borders following the arrest of top Paris attacks suspect in Belgium.

"The capture of the 26-year-old Belgian-born French national... may encourage any accomplices to attempt to flee Europe, or elsewhere," Dawn quoted a statement issued by Interpol as saying.

The police body in its statement drew attention about the blank Syrian passport that was found outside the Stade de France stadium, one of the targets of the Paris terror attacks that claimed 130 lives.

It further said that 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.

The SLTD, created in 2002 after the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, holds details of some 2,50,000 stolen and lost Syrian and Iraqi passports, of which more than 1,90,000 were reported stolen as blank.
Following the avalanche which hit an Army Post located at an altitude of 17500 feet in Kargil Sector of Jammu and Kashmir, search operations on Sunday intensified for the missing soldier, while the rescued personnel's condition is now stable.

With the bad weather acting as a major impediment in the rescue operations, teams are still hard at work to locate the missing soldier who was swept away in the avalanche while on surveillance duty.

This incident comes weeks after a deadly avalanche on Siachen Glaciers in Jammu and Kashmir, close to the Line of Control or LoC, killed 10 Army personnel including an officer.

Following arduous rescue operations which lasted for two weeks, the bodies of nine soldiers were recovered.

Lance Naik Hanamanthapa, who was found buried alive after being snowed under 25 feet of ice, passed away at the Army RR hospital in New Delhi, four days after his miraculous rescue.
At least 13 Egyptian policemen were killed by militants yesterday on a checkpoint south of northern Sinai's provincial capital of el-Arish, said Egyptian Interior Ministry.

"A mortar round was fired at the Safa checkpoint... which resulted in the martyrdom of 13 policemen," Dawn quoted the statement issued by the ministry as saying.

According to reports, a statement has been circulated on the social media that a Sinai-based Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for the attack but the authenticity of the statement has not been verified.

It said that a suicide bomber, identified by the nom de guerre 'Abu Al-Qaaqaa the Egyptian' blew up a car packed with explosives at the checkpoint.

Egyptian security forces have been targeted by the local IS affiliate in Sinai who had claimed the downing of a Russian airliner last October.

Following the attack, Russia suspended all flights to Egypt and it lost hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism revenues since.
Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is leaving for China today at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Oli is leading a 56-member delegation to Beijing.

During his visit, several agreements and MoUs are expected to be signed between the two countries, reports The Himalayan Times.

Both countries are preparing to formalise Transit and Transportation Agreement and Hilsa Bridge Construction Project besides signing a loan agreement with China EXIM bank for the construction of a regional international airport in Pokhara, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa.

The two countries are also likely to sign MoUs on Free Trade Agreement, Patent Rights and Banking Regulations, said Thapa.

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) will sign an MoU with China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), enabling both regulators to exchange supervisory information.

The construction of the Hilsa Bridge will be the third friendly bridge connecting Nepal and China after Tatopani in Sindhupalchok and Kerung in Rasuwa.

Several feasibility studies, including Kimathanka-Biratnagar road, second phase of Ring Road expansion, Kerung-Kathmandu rail and petroleum storage facilities in three locations and a mono rail for Kathmandu are also high on agenda.

This is Oli's second foreign visit after India last month since he became the Prime Minister.

PM Oli will be accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Commerce Minister Deepak Bohara, Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel, PM's Chief Political Advisor Bishnu Rimal, parliamentarians and senior bureaucrats.

During the visit, he will pay courtesy calls on Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.

Oli is also scheduled to address the scholars, academics, business people and students at Renmin University on the theme 'Nepal-China Relations in the Context of Belt and Road Initiatives'.

He will also witness the signing ceremony of MoU on Granting Nepal the Status of Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The Prime Minister is scheduled to return on March 27 from Chengdu.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday asserted that there was no need of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal in the past and there is no need of it even now.

"The issue of SYL is very clear. There was no need of it, there is no need of it even now and we will not let it built," Badal told the media here.

Earlier, the Punjab Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution on the disputed issue of the SYL canal, stating that it would not be allowed to be constructed at any cost.

In a setback to Punjab, the Supreme Court had on Thursday directed maintenance of status quo on land meant for canal after Haryana alleged that attempts have been made to alter its use by levelling it.

The apex court in its interim order also appointed Union Home Secretary and Punjab's Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police (DGP) as the 'joint receiver' of land and other property meant for the canal till the next date of hearing on March 31, 2016.

Badal had earlier said that the state has no water to share, adding that the water crisis has occurred because the Riparian Act was not followed in the case of Punjab.

Badal's comment came a day after the Government of Haryana returned a cheque for Rs.191.75 crores to the Punjab Government following its refusal to accept poll-bound Punjab's push to pass a bill to return the land acquired for the canal.

In an attempt to prevent its neighbouring states from getting share from Punjab's river waters, the state assembly unanimously passed a bill against the construction of SYL canal, providing transfer of proprietary rights back to the land owners free of cost.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi, has said Islamabad is determined to achieve gender equality and empower women as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Lodhi, who was speaking at the 'Strategies to eliminate violence against women' event organised by the Pakistan Mission to the UN during the 60th session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW), said Pakistan is keen to achieve all the objectives outlined by the UN in SDG 5.

While highlighting the country's achievements in this regard, the Pakistani envoy maintained that violence against women was a key concern in the country's overall agenda of gender equality and women's empowerment, reports Dawn.

"Physical violence has been described as the most shameful of all human rights violations and one of the most intractable to eliminate," Lodhi asserted.

The fifth SDG, which has nine major targets, calls for, among other practices, an end to discrimination and violence against women in public and private spheres, ending child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation, recognising unpaid care and domestic work and promoting shared responsibility within the household.

The SDGs are a set of universal goals agreed on after three years of negotiations at the UN General Assembly in September last year. They are an expansion of the Millennium Development Goals agreed on at the beginning of the new century.

The UN envoy highlighted the critical role of the media with respect to changing social attitudes, alongside education.

The panelists at the event included the first female speaker of the Balochistan Assembly, Raheela Durrani, Secretary for Women's Development in Punjab Aman Imam and Aurat Foundation Director Rabeea Hadi.

The participants in the dialogue appreciated Pakistan's achievements and pointed out the areas where further attention was required.

The event was attended by diplomats, civil society organisations and members of delegation at the UN.
Pakistan today released 86 Indian fishermen, who were held for trespassing into its territorial waters officials said.

"We released 86 more Indian fishermen today," the Express Tribune quoted Karachi's Malir Prison Superintendent Raja Mumtaz as saying.

Mumtaz added that 363 Indian fishermen still remain in Pakistani custody.

This is the second batch of Indian fishermen released this month.

Pakistan had on March 6 released 86 fishermen and a civilian prisoner.

The released fisherman from Landhi Jail in Karachi will reach Lahore on Monday and will be handed over at the Wagah border.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers will protest against the federal government's decision to lift the travel ban against former president Pervez Musharraf during the Sindh Assembly session tomorrow.

Sources in the PPP unveiled that the party may move a resolution in the assembly against the federal government's move.

A parliamentary party meeting has been convened in this regard at the CM House today to devise a plan, reports Dawn.

The Chief Minister and other PPP MLAs will be present in the meeting to be chaired by parliamentary leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro.

The session, which will be chaired by speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, has been summoned for oath-taking ceremony of PPP MPA Aziz Junejo, who has won the by-polls from Khairpur Nathan Shah in Dadu district.

The other items on the agenda include the introduction of Karachi Development Authority (Revival and Amendment) Bill 2016 and consideration of Sindh Factories Bill 2015.
The visiting UK Prince Harry called on Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari at her residence in Sheetal Niwas this morning.

During the meeting, Prince Harry told President Bhandari that he was delighted to be in Nepal and was looking forward to open the Girls Summit later this week.

The Himalayan Times reported that the UK Prince later left for Patan to meet those affected by two devastating earthquakes, which struck Nepal in April and May 2015.

Prince Harry, who arrived on a five-day official visit yesterday, wanted to learn about the efforts being made to restore buildings of historic significance and to assist disaster preparedness.
Bollywood's masakali Sonam Kapoor is all praises for her 'Khoobsurat' co-actor Fawad Khan, who has given a commendable performance in 'Kapoor and Sons.'

The 30-year-old actress recently took to her Twitter handle to say, "Just saw #KapoorAndSons @_fawadakhan_ you make me proud.. You were faultless in the film."

The 34-year-old Pakistani actor, who has earned a successful name in the Bollywood industry, has garnered praise from the movie critics and from his fans for successfully playing a role of a gay person in the Shakun Batra's directorial.

The movie that also stars Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and veteran actor Rishi Kapoor was released on 18 March.
Continuing its tirade against the Centre over the Uttarakhand crisis, the Congress on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is playing a naked power game over government formation in the state.

"It is against the spirit of the Anti-Defection Bill and the Constitution. If a ruling party like the BJP plays such a naked power game, where will democracy go? It is shameful what is happening in Uttarakhand. The entire country must condemn what the BJP-led by Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah are doing there," Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI.

"The majority has to be proved on the floor of the House. The Arunachal Governor actually played like a politician himself. But in this case, the unfortunate part is that the BJP is using all tactics-including money and power to lure away the duly elected Congress MLAs," he added.

Uttarakhand Governor Dr. Krishna Kant Paul yesterday wrote to Chief Minister Harish Rawat, asking him to prove majority in the House by March 28.

Rawat, who had earlier 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 today to apprise them about the current political crisis.

The Congress Government in Uttarakhand is presently in crisis as nine party MLAs, including a minister, joining hands with the BJP on Friday night.

A three-member BJP delegation also met the Uttarakhand Governor 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.
An Indonesian army helicopter went down in Poso of Sulawesi province on Sunday, killing 12 military men and leaving one missing, Indonesian Armed Forces Spokesman Colonel Berlin G said.

"Twelve have been found, all of them dead. Another is still missing," Xinhua quoted a spokesman as saying.

The Bell 412 EP chopper crashed at 17:55 p.m. local time in Kasiguncu village of Poso when it was conducting its routine task, Colonel I Made Sutia, spokesman of the military command in the province said.

He blamed the poor weather condition for the accident.

Poso is where Indonesia's military have been conducting operations to hunt for the country's most wanted high profile terrorist figure Santoso and his followers who are the backers of the Islamic State terrorist group in Indonesia and have carried out or are linked to several deadly strikes in the country.

Colonel Made said most of the crash victims were high-ranking military officers and one of them was military commander of the province, Colonel Infantry Saiful Anwar.

All of the victims have been rushed to the Poso General Hospital, he added.
An Air India flight from Kolkata, headed for Delhi and with the Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on board, was cancelled just before take-off following a technical flaw on Sunday evening, officials said.

The flight, which had 237 passengers, was prepared for take-off from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, when the pilot noticed the problem.

The ground engineers failed to repair the flaw, forcing the authorities to cancel the flight.

All the passengers were deplaned. Basit and 49 others were then put in a subsequent flight bound for Delhi.

The remaining passengers would be flown to Delhi in the morning flight on Monday.
Cali, March 20 (IANS/EFE) Soldiers seized 762 kg of cocaine belonging to the FARC guerrilla group from a rural area outside Ipiales city in Colombia's Pasto province, but no arrests were made, the army said.

The cocaine was found at a laboratory that had facilities to house about 40 people, the army said in a statement. The laboratory was destroyed as part of the operation.

Soldiers also found 188 kg of cocaine base paste and a large amount of materials used to produce cocaine.

The lab was built by the FARC or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's 48th Front with the assistance of foreign drug cartels, the army said.

Cocaine shipments "leave for the United States and Europe via the Pacific Ocean, utilizing transportation corridors on the border with Ecuador", Gen. Sergio Alberto Tafur, commander of the task force that seized the drugs, told the media.

--IANS/EFE

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The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning announced two more imported yellow fever cases, days after China's first imported case was confirmed in the capital, the media reported on Sunday.

In the new cases, one patient named Yang showed fever symptoms in Angola on March 9 and flew back to Beijing a week later. He was confirmed to have contracted the virus upon seeking medical advice, the commission said on Saturday.

The other patient named Chen developed symptoms on March 11 in Angola and arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Thursday. He was sent to hospital after quarantine officers found his fever symptoms, the Global Times reported.

The two, both aged 44, were vaccinated before they went to Angola. Yang hailed from Fujian province and Chen from Sichuan.

Yellow fever is an acute viral disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes and mostly found in tropical regions of Africa and Central and South America.
All police investigators on the Petrobras corruption case would be replaced should more police leaks to the press be discovered, Brazilian new Justice Minister Eugenio Aragao warned on Saturday.

"If one of our agents leaks anything about the investigation, the entire team will be replaced. There is no need for evidence (for the leaks)," Xinhua cited the minister as saying to Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

Aragao, who became justice minister on Monday, denied that he wanted to hinder the investigations.

Brazilian federal police began investigating into Petrobras, Brazil's state oil company, two years ago and discovered an enormous corruption ring that may have embezzled billions of US dollars.
Salah Abdeslam stated before investigators after his arrest in Brussels that on November 13 he should have done a suicide bombing with his belt full of explosives like the other three terrorists at the Stade de France, but he backed out.

The prosecutor in Paris, Francois Molins, described Abdeslam, who was formally charged on Saturday with terrorist murder, as "a key player" in the terrorist attacks that left 130 people killed, Efe news agency reported.

The prosecutor said that Abdeslam "had a leading role in organising the units", in preparing the logistics, and was also a member of those terrorist groups.

The suspected terrorist stated after his capture on Friday in Brussels following a gun battle that "he wanted to blow himself up in the Stade de France, but backed out," the prosecutor said.

Nonetheless, the French prosecutor said the terrorist's story should be taken "with a grain of salt" because a number of elements seem to contradict it and "for which we need an explanation".

In the first place, the pros3ecutor said, Abdeslam drove the three terrorists to the Stade de France on the north side of Paris, where they detonated their belts full of explosives, but he went with the vehicle in which he transported them to the 13th arrondissement of Paris. According to a later communique from the jihadi Islamic State, this was the scene of one of the attacks that night.

Molins repeated that Belgium will hand Abdeslam over to France within a period of two months.

He added that, though the terrorist's lawyer has said he will oppose the transfer, that might delay the procedure but the opposition would not stop it.

--Indo-Asian news Service

py/vt
Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel is expecting her first child With fiance Hermann Nicoli and she shared a touching picture of her baby bump.

The 27-year-old took to Instagram to share a photograph of her tiny belly and Nicoli's hand resting gently over on her abdomen, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Beside the black and white image of her bump, Swanepoel simply put: "Agora e #barrigapositiva ! #babyangel" She followed it with an emoji of a couple, a string of hearts, a couple and a baby's face (sic).

Referring to the spot where their baby is slowly growing, the supermodel used the word "agora" because it translates from Greek to 'a central place to meet'.

Swanepoel and Nicoli have been dating for over 10 years and it is believed they are set to welcome their child into the world in early September.

"They are very happy. They plan to spend the summer in New York," said a source.
China's meteorological authority has issued a blue alert, the lowest level in a four-tier warning system, for rainstorms in southern parts of the country, the media reported on Sunday.

Until March 27, rainstorms from 180 to 250 mm will pelt parts of Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces, the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said in a statement.

Xinjiang and Qinghai will receive snow or sleet until Sunday, the NMC said.

China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The NMC also maintained yellow alert for smog on Saturday as the pollution, which has choked most regions in the north, showed little sign of abating.
Churches in Kerala on Sunday were crowded on account of Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

From Sunday to March 27, which is Easter Sunday, most of the Christians, even those with little devoutness, will turn vegetarian as that's the tradition.

"While I observe the 50-day Lent in the way it should be done, my husband does not. But during the Passion Week he cooperates with us and also turns a vegetarian," said Mariamma John, a homemaker, here.

Lent is a period of solemn Christians observance of about six weeks before Easter Sunday. And Passion Week is the period from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

The Passion Week has special significance for Catholics who account for about half of 61.41 lakh Christians of Kerala.

In churches across Kerala on Sunday, palm leaves cut from coconut trees are being distributed to the faithful to commemorate Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem, when palm branches were placed in his path, before his arrest and crucifixion on Good Friday.

"We have come back from the church carrying the palm leaves which we place it in front of the picture of Christ. The general practice is to return these leaves to the Church on Christmas Eve, when they are used to make a bonfire at a special place in the church," said Mary Thomas, a devotee.
With Rahul Gandhi reiterating his concern for the growing drugs abuse menace in Punjab, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday asked the Congress vice president to get a dope test done on the state's Youth Congress leaders first.

"Rahul Gandhi, who is out to defame Punjab by branding its youth as drug addicts, is the biggest enemy of the state and he has given proof of his being anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh through such ideology," Badal told the media after offering prayers at the Golden Temple here.

"If the Congress scion really believes about the presence of drugs in Punjab, then he would do very well to conduct dope tests on Youth Congress leaders and if anybody among them tests positive, then it will be construed as the presence of drugs in Punjab," Badal said, mocking at the statements made by Gandhi here last week.

Badal claimed that Punjab was on the path to development and achieving milestones while the Congress leadership was out to brand the state as a drugs haven.

"How can a community like Punjabis, known for its bravery and feeding the whole nation, be branded as drug addict?" Badal asked.

Badal, who is the Shiromani Akali Dal president, said the summons issued by a Ludhiana court to Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh's son Raninder Singh, regarding foreign bank accounts, had exposed the Congress leaders.

The deputy chief minister said the controversy over the SYL canal was unnecessary.

"There never was a need for this canal nor would it be allowed to be constructed even if sacrifices had to be made," he said.
The BJP on Sunday mocked the Congress, saying the party has reduced itself as "a tail-ender" to regional outfits in states like Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

"See what is Congress party's political position today. Look at Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. I think Congress has lowered its political ambitions. It is quite content becoming the tail-ender of any alliance," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here on the sidelines of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive meeting.

"So from Tamil Nadu to Bihar to Bengal, that is the role they (Congress) have," he said.

Asked whether the political instability in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand figured in the day's deliberations in BJP meet, the senior party leader quipped that the "issue should rather figure in the Congress working committee meeting".

He said there was a "deep division" in the Congress in Uttarakhand and it should not be attributed to the BJP.

Jaitley criticised Uttarakhand Speaker G.S. Kunjwal for his decision to pass the budget by voice vote.

Noting that BJP has formed an alliance in Assam with regional parties but is the "leader" of the combine, he exuded confidence that his party will score a "decisive victory" in the coming elections in the northeastern state.
The death toll of Saturday's mortar attack on a police checkpoint in Egypt's restive North Sinai province rose to 15 policemen, the interior ministry said on Sunday.

The attack took place on late Saturday at Al-Safa checkpoint in Arish city of North Sinai, leaving three police officers and 12 conscripts dead, Xinhua quoted ministry's statement as saying.

Calling itself "Sinai State," a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Iraq and Syria claimed responsibility for the attack.

Terror attacks in Egypt, particularly in North Sinai, killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since 2013.

The IS branch in Sinai claimed responsibility for most of the anti-government attacks nationwide.

Over the past three years, the security forces have been launching massive anti-terror operations in the peninsula that killed about 1,000 militants so far and arrested a similar number of suspects.

The security raids in Sinai are part of the country's "war against terrorism" declared by then-military chief and now President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's removal.
Abu Dhabi, March 20 (IANS/EFE) Airliner Flydubai on Sunday asked people to avoid speculation on the causes of the crash of its Boeing 737-800 on Saturday in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, in which all 62 passengers were killed.

FlyDubai CEO Ghaith Al-Ghaith noted that he would answer the questions raised after the accident, but said he has to wait for the outcome of investigations.

Ghaith explained that security experts and engineers from the company have travelled to Rostov to help Russian investigators.

As for bad weather, the main possible cause of the accident, the CEO recalled that "Before we commit and say anything, we have to be sure. If weather wasn't suitable, the plane wouldn't have flown."

Russian investigators are working on all possible scenarios, including mistake by the crew, technical failure of the aircraft or bad weather.

Most of the Russian experts have indicated that the bad weather conditions, such as dense fog, heavy rain and gusting crosswind were the main reasons behind the crash.

According to different sources, the FlyDubai aircraft first tried to land at 1.30 a.m. and then waited over two hours before making a renewed attempt to touch ground at Rostov-on-Don.

It was during the second attempt that the plane collided with the ground on an angle leaning towards one wing, as can be seen in the images captured and witness accounts, and after which an intense explosion occurred.

The Boeing-737-800 was carrying 55 passengers -- 18 men, 33 women, 4 children -- and 7 crew, all of whom died on the spot when the plane crashed violently around 3.40 a.m., some 250 metres from the runway, according to the Rostov airport authorities.

--IANS/EFE

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The Election Commission on Friday ordered the removal of Bharati Ghosh, officer on special duty (Left Wing Extremism) from her post in poll bound West Bengal.

Her removal comes days after the poll panel issued transfer orders for 35 officials including four superintendent of police and one district magistrate.

Ghosh had earlier held the post of superintendent of police of Paschim Medinipur district.

According to State Chief Secretary Basudeb Banerjee, Ghosh has been moved to the post of special superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department (Kolkata).
Scores of the Indian expatriate community members mourned the death of five-year-old Adien Mathew Shaji, who was killed in a bus accident, a media report said.

Adien's body was flown to India and laid to rest in Thiruvalla in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, the Gulf Times reported on Saturday.

A kindergarten student of Sarvodaya school, Adien died on Thursday when his school van overturned after crashing against the median of the road while passing through it. Four other children sustained injuries.

Kerala Minister for Social welfare M.K. Muneer, who was on a personal visit to Qatar, paid homage to Adien.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Sunday that the BJP will improve its position significantly in the coming assembly elections in four states and a union territory.

He also took on the Congress over its horse-trading charge in Uttarakhand and said the opposition party had lowered its ambition.

"We will improve our performance significantly in the assembly polls. In Assam, our alliance is effective... we will score a decisive victory," Jaitley told reporters here on the second day of the Bharatiya Janata Party national executive meet.

The meet discussed the assembly elections scheduled to be held in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry in April-May. These states and the UT are governed by opposition parties where the BJP does not have a prominent presence.

"In Kerala, we have strengthened our position. The in Kerala has changed. As far as West Bengal is concerned, we will try to increase our vote share," Jaitley said while speaking on the deliberation on the political resolution adopted at the meeting.

The resolution was moved by union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and seconded by party general secretary Saroj Pandey.

Taking a dig at the Congress, Jaitley said, "The Congress position in these states is clearly evident. I think, the Congress has lowered its level of ambition and is quite content to become a tail of the alliance."

Jaitley also spoke on the political situation in Uttarakhand after nine Congress legislators rebelled against Chief Minister Harish Rawat and joined hands with the BJP.

"There was a deep division in the Congress in Uttarakhand and it should not be attributed to the BJP," he said.

He also criticised Uttarakhand assembly Speaker G.S. Kunjwal for his decision to pass the state budget by a voice vote.

"It is a rare case in the history of democratic India where a speaker has passed a bill failed by members of the house," Jaitley said.

The two-day BJP meet will conclude on Sunday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address.
The automatic safe shutdown of the 220MW pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) following heavy water leak on March 11 actually strengthens the operator NPCIL's position for a public liability insurance policy, said a senior official.

"The plant was automatically shut down after the heavy water leak. The public was not affected due to any radiation," the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd's (NPCIL) official, who did not want to be identified, told IANS.

According to him, all the NPCIL plants including KAPS are insured and an insurance claim will be lodged after ascertaining the actual cause of leak and the damage.

However, the much-awaited public liability policy is yet to be issued to the atomic power plant operator.

"The public liability insurance policy has not yet been issued. The General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) is dealing with the matter," said the NPCIL official.

Despite several attempts by IANS, GIC chairman-cum-managing director Alice G. Vaidyan was not available for comments.

"The insurers have designed the policy and the IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) has also approved this. However, NPCIL wants some conditions to be changed and the matter is under discussion," New India Insurance Company Ltd chairman-cum-managing director G.Srinivasan had told IANS some time back.

Sources in the know told IANS that for a premium of around Rs.70 crore ($10.5 million), a consortium of insurers would provide cover up to Rs.1,500 crore per incident and per year.

The proposed policy would cover the liability towards public as a consequence of any nuclear accident in the plants covered under the policy and also the right of recourse of NPCIL against equipment suppliers.

"It's like a floater cover (insurance cover will be for all of NPCIL's plants). When a nuclear accident happens and the Rs.1,500 crore cover is exhausted, then there will not be any insurance cover for subsequent accidents that might occur during that policy year," an industry source told IANS.

While NPCIL wants the risk cover to be reinstated at the same cost, the insurers are reluctant as this would wipe out their balance sheet.

"Insurers do not want to take another risk cover of Rs.1,500 crore for a paltry sum of around Rs.70 crore," an industry expert had said earlier.

He said reinsurers want higher deductibles and NPCIL to bear claims up to the first Rs.600 crore.

The central government had announced in June 2015 the setting up of the Rs.1,500 crore India Nuclear Insurance Pool to be managed by national reinsurer GIC Re.

The GIC Re, four government-owned general insurers and also some private general insurers, have provided the capacity to insure the risks of up to around Rs.1,000 crore, with the balance Rs.500 crore being obtained from the British Nuclear Insurance Pool.

The losses or profits in the pool would be shared by the insurers in the ratio of their agreed risk capacity.

Foreign nuclear plant suppliers were reluctant to sell to India, citing the provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLND) 2010 that provides the right of recourse by NPCIL against the vendors under certain circumstances for compensation in case of an accident.

The insurance pool was formed as a risk transfer mode for the suppliers and also NPCIL.

All the 21 operating nuclear power plants in India owned and operated by NPCIL are expected to come under the public liability insurance cover, which will also extend to the 1,000 MW plant built with Russian equipment at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu.

Insurers would like to issue a single policy covering all the 21 units. The premium will be paid by NPCIL and the policy will be issued in its name.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
An Indian sailor who was kidnapped in Africa last month has been released and will reach India on Sunday night, the external affairs ministry said.

"Rohan Ruparelia, who was abducted during the hijacking of the ship Maximus, is flying back to India tonight," ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said on Sunday evening.

"He is safe and has spoken to his family members. With this, all the 11 Indian crew members are safe and secure and are returning home in batches," Swarup said.

Merchant vessel Maximus, owned by Dubai-based Warm Seas company, with a crew of 18 was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Abidjan in Ivory Coast on February 11.

The crew had 11 Indian seamen, including the ship's captain.

The vessel was under charter to a South Korean company and was in its bunkering position when the incident occurred.

The Indian mission in Ivory Coast alerted the country's authorities on February 12 besides alerting the Indian missions in Ghana and Nigeria as the vessel was suspected to be sailing in that direction.

On India's request, Ghana's naval ships operating in the region were tasked to track the ship.

The pirates changed the name of the vessel to MT Elwins and it was followed by the mother ship of the pirates.

The vessel, instead of entering the waters of Benin, steered southwards and entered international waters towards Nigeria on February 14.

India took up up the issue with the Nigerian authorities, after which the Nigerian navy immediately launched operations to locate the vessel.

Five Nigerian ships were deployed for the operation and the hijacked vessel was finally intercepted by the Nigerian navy on the evening of February 19.

During the operation, one pirate was killed and six were apprehended.

No crew member sustained injury during the operation. Sixteen crew members, including 10 Indians, were rescued by the Nigerian navy.

However, two crew members -- Ruparelia and a Pakistani -- were taken hostage by the pirates when they disengaged.

"Welcome home Rohan," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Sunday evening.

She was responding to a tweet by Ruparelia's sister Zankhana, who said: "Thank u for all the support Mam. My bro Rohan is finally rescued from the Pirates. Jai Hind."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched recent military drills involving landing and anti-landing, the media reported on Sunday.

Participating in the drills were surface ships of the East Sea fleet of the navy, aircraft from the Second Air Division of the air and anti-air force, and artillery sub-units of the 7th Corps and the 108th Motorized Infantry Division, according to the local KCNA news agency.

Satisfied with the exercises, Kim ordered to intensify training of the Korean People's Army (KPA) with DPRK-style idea and tactics to strengthen coastal defence, Xinhua news agency reported.

On March 12, South Korea and the US carried out the Sangyong amphibious assault drill as a major part of OPLAN 5015 which reportedly aims at removing the North Korean headquarters and destroying Pyongyang's "weapons of mass destruction".

In response, North Korea ordered that the first combined task units in the eastern, central and western sectors of the front be ready for "pre-emptive retaliatory strikes" at the enemies.
Voters in Laos on Sunday cast their ballots in the National Assembly and Provincial People's Council elections.

President Choummaly Sayasone and Vice President and General Secretary of the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LRPR) Bounnhang Vorachith both voted at polling stations in the capital Vientiane, EFE news reported.

There are reportedly around 600 candidates vying for five-year terms in Sunday's vote.

All candidates are either members of or have been approved by the LPRP, which has ruled the country as a one-party state since 1975.

"I am very happy to have seen people enthusiastically exercising their rights casting their votes for people's representatives so that they can have seats at Assembly and councils. This election is very meaningful to our country," President Sayasone said.

A total of 3.74 million people were eligible to vote.

In the last National Assembly elections in 2011, the LPRP won 128 seats, alongside just four approved, non-partisan candidates.
Actor Inaamulhaq says that he learnt a lot from his "Firaaq" co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui and also that he was flattered with praise from veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah for his performance in "Airlift".

Inaamulhaq's first big break came with Nandita Das' film, "Firaaq" where he shared screen space with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and the film also starred Naseeruddin Shah among others.

"It was a very good film and Nawaz-bhai was my co-actor and I got the chance to learn a lot from him."

"Naseer-bhai and other actors' tracks were different, so didn't get the opportunity to work with him, but he is my guru and he had come to NSD (National School Of Drama) for some time to teach. For 'Airlift' he praised me and told Raja Menon (director) to tell me that I had done a very good job. This was a big thing for me because he is in himself an acting institute," the actor told IANS.

Brought up in Saharanpur village, Inaamulhaq had interest in acting since a very young age and even started performing in plays despite his strict father's rules.

He graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD), and then continued theatre, but still couldn't manage the funds to come to Mumbai to become an actor. He sustained himself by writing for television shows like "Karamchand" and "Comedy Circus" among others, while keeping his passion for acting alive.

He will also be seen in the film "Chidiya", one of the 14 scripts that was offered to him.
Amid a deadlock over formation of a new government in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the BJP, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti is likely to hold a meeting in two to three days to chart out her party's future course of action.

During the meeting, the Peoples Democratic Party president will apprise senior party leaders about the parleys she had with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah in New Delhi, top PDP sources told IANS here.

The meeting date will be finalised as soon as senior PDP leaders presently stuck in Jammu due to inclement weather arrive here.

Government formation hit a dead-end after BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav told reporters in New Delhi that the BJP would not accept any conditions from the PDP on the issue.

Although none of the two alliance partners has so far said that the alliance between them is over, senior PDP leaders maintain channels of communication between the two parties are snapped at present.

The PDP maintains it has made no fresh demands for government formation, except the party wants a time frame for the implementation of the agenda of alliance agreed upon by the two parties when they formed the coalition government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on March 1 last year.

"The PDP chief has made it clear time and again that she will stand by her father's decision to form an alliance with the BJP as he was convinced that it is in the interest of the state's people," a PDP leader said.

"All Mehboobaji wants is to ensure that the promises made to her father in terms of political initiatives and economic progress of the state see the light of the day," he added.

The PDP sources said Mehbooba Mufti would speak to the media after the meeting on the political deadlock.

The state was placed under Governor's Rule on January 8, a day after the then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away in New Delhi.
A minor fire broke out at South Block, which houses the ministries of defence and external affairs as well as the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), an official said.

"A minor fire broke out at 5.55 p.m. at South Block today. As soon as we received the call, we have sent 13 fire tenders to the spot," a fire department official told IANS.

He also said the damage, if any, wasn't immediately known.
Incidents of mob violence against Muslims are rising, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has said.

In a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the killing of two Muslim cattle traders by a frenzied mob in Jharkhand, Azad wrote: "This is not a one-off incident.

"In the recent past, excuses were made to target the minority community, such as the Dadri lynching, the raid on the Kerala House kitchen, the mess of Aligarh Muslim University, beating and handing over to police of Kashmiri students at Mewar University in Rajasthan and the recent incident in Jharkhand."

The letter was released to the media on Sunday

A mob on Friday hanged two cattle traders -- Muhammad Mazloom, 35, and Azad Khan alias Ibrahim, 15 -- in Jharkhand's Latehar district.

"It is unfortunate that our country has seen a sharp spurt in incidents of threat, mob violence and vigilantism after the formation of the BJP government at the centre," Azad wrote.

Seeking Modi's "personal attention" in the matter, he said: "A majoritarian view of democracy is being propagated consciously and deliberately. There is an urgent need to stem this tide, lest it is too late."
In an attempt to woo Dalits, the BJP on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, the birthplace of the constitution's architect Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary.

The party has also chalked out a programme to woo Dalits by celebrating social harmony programmes at the panchayat level.

"The prime minister will visit Mhow on April 14, the birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar. A mega event will be held on the occasion," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said at a press conference after the two-day national executive meet of the BJP here.

He said the party has chalked out various future programmes and will reach out to every section of the marginalised society.

"From April 14 to 16, our leaders and party cadres will hold social harmony programmes at the panchayat level. During the period, they will convey the messages of Dr. Ambedkar to the people and will reward the talented students of that panchayat," he said.

"Other than this, we will also convey our thoughs about Dr. Ambedkar to the people," he added.

Rajnath Singh said Modi will also visit Jamshedpur in Jharkhand on April 24, where he will address a conference of representatives of panchayats.

"Live telecast of this conference would be broadcast so that people across all the panchayats could hear the prime minister," he said.

He also said the party would celebrate "Gramoday Se Bharat Uday" for 10 days between April 14 to 24.
Actor Karthi believes one of the reasons forthcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual "Thozha" has come out really well is the bond he shared with co-star Akkineni Nagarjuna and the film's director Vamshi Paidipally.

"The bond we shared was special; it helped us connect on a personal level, resulting in great camaraderie even off the sets. We bonded like brothers," Karthi, who plays a caretaker to a wheelchair-bound Nagarjuna in the film, told IANS.

"We complemented each other in such a way that even most brothers won't. And we didn't force ourselves to be that way, it just happened seamlessly. It's the story that strengthened our bond, I suppose," he said.

For Karthi, the film marks his Telugu debut, and working alongside superstar Nagarjuna was a bigger reason to cheer for.

"I wasn't sure if I had to do this film, because I'd never worked in a multi-starrer. Though I was thrilled to work with Nagarjuna sir, whom I've looked up to since his first film, it was not until I was narrated the story, I was convinced to do the project," he said, emphasising that the film is an adaptation of the French drama, "The Intouchables".

"You can't remake a French film," he said, and added: "This is an adaptation, done in a way that the soul is not tampered and even for those who've watched the original, this version will stand out for its own reasons".

Talking about working with Nagarjuna, who plays a quadriplegic millionaire in "Thozha", which will release in Telugu as "Oopiri", Karthi said: "There's so much to learn from him. I like how he always stays happy, jovial and stress-free. There was absolutely no trace of competition between us. Though restricted to a wheel-chair throughout the film, he performed with self-control and that's amazing."

Produced by PVP Cinema, the film also stars Tamannaah Bhatia, and it's slated to release on March 25 worldwide.
Nepal will not sign a petroleum agreement with China during the official visit of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to the northern neighbour, according to key ministers.

After a five-month unofficial blockage by Madhesi groups at key entry points on the Nepal-India border that hit petroleum supplies after promulgation of the new constitution last year, Nepal attempted to import petroleum products from China.

After ties were strained with India following Oli assuming the office, Nepal looked towards its northern neighbour, aiming to import at least one-third of the total petroleum needs of the Himalayan country from China.

China gave some 100,000 kilolitres of fuel as grant to Nepal but did not complete the negotiations to export fuel, citing several reasons like difficult geographical terrain, taxes, transportation and other issues.

Nepal had sent several teams for negotiations with China that included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Kamal Thapa.

Nepal and China agreed to sign an agreement during the visit of Prime Minister Oli.

However, officials have told IANS that the deal to import petroleum products from China was "unlikely this time".

"We have already agreed to import fuel from China," Thapa told IANS ahead of Oli's visit, adding: "We will follow the negotiations of price and other logistics gradually."

For a long time, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) has been the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal.

After IOCL said it was considering supplying 70 percent of the total fuel demand, Nepal decided to import the rest 30 percent from China and started negotiations with Petro China. Nepal and China signed a framework deal in November last year.

However, following Oli's visit to India in February, the fuel supply from the southern neighbour eased.

As Oli begins his visit to Beijing on Sunday, Nepal's Supplies Minister Ganesh Man Pun, who was initially scheduled to join the delegation, has not been included in the final list of delegates.

This, according to sources, was because the agenda of importing fuel from China has now been put on the back-burner.

"I cannot ask the prime minister why I have not been included in the delegation. After all it is his delegation," Pun said on Saturday, admitting that he was not travelling with Oli to China.

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)
The Nigerian Army will adjust deployment of troops as part of measures to end the killings in Agatu communities in central north Benue State, a top military officer said on Saturday.

Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the West African country's chief of army staff disclosed this during his visit to a military tactical operational base, near Otukpo area of the state, Xinhua reported.

The military chief expressed confidence that the mayhem would be contained, noting that all logistics and other requirements have been provided for the operation.

Clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Agatu and environs had claimed many lives and displaced many families.

"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," he said.

"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 added.

Buratai said measures had been adopted to ensure that the clashes did not repeat and the people return to their settlements.
There will be no reshuffle in the Manipur cabinet, minister K. Ratankumar said on Sunday, as Congress president Sonia Gandhi summoned Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and his deputy Gaikhangam after a group of 25 dissidents demanded dropping of "non-performing ministers".

"There is no question of reshuffle in the state. All differences could be thrashed out through negotiations," Works Minister Ratankumar, known to be a close associate of Okram Ibobi, said at a public function here.

"The party high command has not given any directive for a reshuffle," he said.

Okram Ibobi has had two rounds of talks with Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi over the dissidents issue, but they were inconclusive.

The ruling Congress has 48 legislators in the assembly.

The group of 25 dissidents are demanding complete reshuffle of the ministry and enforcement of the 'one man one post' policy so that Gaikhangam is either dropped from the ministry or relieved of the state unit presidency.

Sources said the demands of the dissidents "remain unchanged" and it was not immediately known what prompted Ratankumar to say there would be no reshuffle, as he was not the government spokesperson.

The dissidents are also demanding dropping of some "non-performing ministers" including Ratankumar.

Manipur is scheduled to go to the polls in February 2017.

Most of the dissidents are hoping that through a cabinet reshuffle, they get to become ministers with an eye on the forthcoming elections.

In the past, Ibobi and his associates never yielded to the dissidents. However, this time, the dissidents have made it known that they may take some other steps since they cannot go empty handed to the voters.

Ibobi and Gaikhangam may meet Sonia Gandhi on Sunday night or Monday morning, and are expected to return here by Monday evening.
Pakistan on Sunday released 86 Indian fishermen detained for fishing in its waters, officials said.

Officials said that the fishermen were released from the Malir prison in the port city of Karachi, Xinhua reported.

They will be handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah border checkpost on Monday.

Pakistan and India routinely arrest fishermen who cross water boundaries for fishing.

Groups working for the welfare of such fishermen said they mistakenly enter each other's waters as the two countries have not yet reached an agreement on maritime boundaries.
The key suspect of Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was charged on Saturday with "terrorist murders and participation in the activities of a terrorist group", said the Belgian federal prosecutor's office in a statement.

His lawyer Sven Mary says Abdeslam is working with justice after being brought before the investigating judge on Saturday but he refuses against extradition, Xinhua reported.

An extradition request was made by the French judicial authorities. French President Francois Hollande said on Friday that he "had confidence in the successful completion of the extradition request".

Abdeslam will spend the next days in detention in Bruges, the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in Belgium.

According to Francois Molins, the Paris prosecutor, Abdeslam said during his hearings in Belgium on Saturday that "he wanted to blow himself up at Stade de France and he backtracked".

One of the most wanted men in Europe and November 13, 2015 Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam was shot and arrested in a police raid in the Molenbeek area of Brussels on Friday.

"We got him," the Belgian justice minister told reporters.

French president Francois Hollande had said an operation was under way in Brussels linked to the Paris attacks. Gunshots and explosions were heard in the Molenbeek area.

The police operation in Molenbeck was launched just as Belgian prosecutors confirmed that Abdeslam's fingerprints had been found at a flat that was raided in the Forest area of Brussels on Tuesday. Two suspects fled that raid.

Abdeslam, a 26-year-old French national who grew up in Brussels, fled Paris for Belgium by car hours after the November 13 attacks which killed 130 people. He is believed to have played a key role in organising the attacks.

Police believe he played a key role in the logistics of the Paris attacks and escorted the three suicide bombers who blew themselves up at the Stade de France as part of the coordinated attacks.
The serial blasts by terrorists at Brussels airport on Tuesday has brought the focus back on the Kingpin of Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, taken into custody last Friday in Belgium. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders was quoted on Sunday saying that Abdeslam was planning to "restart something in Brussels", hinting to possible attacks similar to the ones that took place in Paris.





ALSO READ: At least 21 dead, 35 injured as twin blasts rock Brussels airport, metro

Addressing a forum at Brussels on Sunday, the foreign minister said it maybe the reality as security forces found "a lot of weapons" in the operation led to Abdeslam's arrest in the Belgian capital, Xinhua reported.

The suspect had a network around him, Reynders said.

Abdeslam was charged on Saturday with "terrorist murders and participation in the activities of a terrorist group," said the Belgian federal prosecutor's office.

Abdeslam, one of the most wanted men in Europe, is suspected of involvement in attacks in Paris as a logistician. These attacks killed 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015.

But Tuesday's attacks are not the first Belgium has seen in recent times.

CNN has also quoted officials who claim about 120-180 operatives in some 20 sleeper cells are awaiting orders to carry out attacks in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.





CNN also reports that Belgian officials have been unable to quell the flow of fighters traveling to ISIS territory, and -- perhaps more worryingly, authorities are terrified the fighters will bring another Paris-style attack -- back to Europe.



Belgian Police shot dead two suspects on January 15 in eastern Belgium as they were about to launch large-scale attacks in the country after returning from Syria. According to this report, the prosecutors said that a third suspect was arrested in the eastern town of Verviers and that the police had carried about 10 raids in all, including in the capital Brussels, after surveillance suggested an attack was imminent.

The Times of Israel also reports that in May 2014, four people were shot dead in a suspected Islamist attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. Frenchman Mehdi Nemmouche, who had previously been in Syria, has been charged with murder.

The men targeted in Verviers were under surveillance, having returning from Syria a week ago, according to Belgian media reports.
Visiting Prince Harry called on Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari here on Sunday.

While welcoming the prince, Bhandari highlighted enhancing bilateral cooperation between Britain and Nepal, officials said.

"The president shared her views with the prince on the diplomatic relationship between the two countries as this year Nepal and Britain are observing 200 years of diplomatic relations establishment," Xinhua cited presidential media adviser Madhav Sharma as saying.

On the occasion, the prince said he was delighted to visit the beautiful Himalayan nation as it recovers from the devastating earthquake in April 2015.

On Sunday afternoon, Harry visited the earthquake-hit historical Patan Durbar Square, enlisted as the Unesco World Heritage Site.

On Saturday, the prince paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli here.
Dozens of protestors blocked traffic near an event by US presidential hopeful Donald Trump in Arizona, while demonstrators marched in New York City to protest the front-runner, the media reported on Sunday.

The protestors in Arizona parked vehicles sideways on Shea Boulevard, blocking both lanes of traffic into Fountain Hills, where Trump held a rally Saturday afternoon, Maricopa county sheriff's office deputy Joaquin Enriquez told CNN.

Trump appeared with former Arizona governor Jan Brewer and Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who endorsed the front-runner in January. Arpaio rose to conservative fame with his aggressive roundups of undocumented immigrants and attention-grabbing tactics like clothing inmates in pink underwear.

Enriquez described Shea Boulevard as the main artery into the area and the protestors' actions were causing motorists to drive into oncoming traffic as they tried to get around them.

Enriquez said three protestors were arrested and two cars were towed from the boulevard.

Meanwhile, crowds of demonstrators gathered in Manhattan to march from Columbus Circle near Central Park to Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.

A small skirmish erupted when protestors started throwing water bottles at police, who were trying to keep them from impeding traffic. Three people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, a New York police spokesman said.

Protestors carried signs with messages such as "#CrushTrump" and shouted, "Hey, hey / ho, ho / Donald Trump has got to go".

Trump has been criticised throughout his campaign for comments he has made, including calling for a temporary ban on all foreign Muslims entering the US and blocking Syrian refugees.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's upcoming visit to Pakistan would provide an opportunity for private sectors in both countries, said a Iranian business chamber official.

Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture head Mohsen Jalalpour said Iran and Pakistan are neighbouring countries that enjoy historical and brotherly relations, IRNA reported on Sunday.

Iran was the first to recognise Pakistan as an independent country and from then to now, there hasn't been any dark point in bilateral relations, he said.

"It gives me a pleasure to invite Pakistani people to tour Iran. When people visit, they discover the opportunities for trade and investment, and our governments should pave the ground to work with each other to form economical bonds.

"We can start by developing regions near the borders. We should work together to make sure that people in that region have decent lives and jobs.

"Rouhani's visit provides an opportunity for private sector in both countries to express their willingness to work for creating an economic bridge between two countries," said Jalalpour.

"We should also state our capabilities and capacities for all that is needed to flourish our economic relationship," he added.

President Rouhani will pay a two-day visit to Pakistan later this month.
Russian workers on Sunday completed search and rescue operations at the Dubai Aviation Corporation (FlyDubai) passenger plane crash site, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said.

"Russian Emergency Situations Ministry finished the search and rescue operation by 9.00 a.m. (Moscow time)," Tass news agency quoted Sokolov as saying on Sunday.

He said that a meeting of the governmental commission, consisting of federal and regional authorities, was held to discuss how to deal with the accident.

"Today (Sunday), during the daylight all necessary elements of the plane will be collected for a thorough analysis to make clear causes of the accident," he added.

"Around 6.00 p.m. (local time) works will begin on the runway to restore the equipment, so that the airport could begin working on Monday morning," Sokolov said..

Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Leonid Belyaev said the search area near the Rostov-on-Don airport, located in Russia, was extended to 15 hectares for recheck.

Belyaev noted that his ministry would continue identification of the bodies, collecting DNA samples and working with the families of the victims.

According to the ministry, medical experts have begun examining remains of the victims and identification work would take at least two weeks "if everything goes smoothly".

The ministry said that it had contacted 76 relatives of the victims as of Sunday morning, while experts were collecting DNA samples of the relatives who arrived in Rostov-on-Don.

Experts of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), a supervising body overseeing the management of civil aviation in the commonwealth of independent states, have also arrived in the city for further investigation.

Meanwhile, experts of the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety of France and the US National Transportation Safety Board are due to arrive for assistance of the crash investigation.

Early on Sunday, the two flight recorders of the crashed plane were sent to Moscow and taken to the IAC for decoding, with participation of officials from the Air Accident Investigation Department of the UAE.

Russian authorities said the aircraft was landing amid high winds and rain that reduced visibility, while the investigative committee was considering several versions of the crash, including a crew mistake, technical failure and difficult weather conditions.

A source with the Emergency Situations Ministry said the passenger jet came down nose-first practically vertically at an angle of 60 degrees, exploded when hitting the ground and caught fire. Bits of the plane and debris were strewn across the runway.

"Even the most durable parts of the plane, the gear trucks made from magnesium, were crashed into pieces," the source said.

The low-cost airline said in a statement that a payment of $20,000 per passenger would be made to the victims' families.

"At present, our priority is to identify and contact the families of those lost in Saturday's tragic accident and provide immediate support to those affected," said the statement.

The Boeing 737-800 passenger plane, en route from the UAE city of Dubai to Rostov-on-Don, crashed around 3.50 a.m. (Moscow time) on Saturday at the Russian city's airport, killing all 62 people aboard.

Ghaith Al-Ghaith, the chief executive of FlyDubai, said on Sunday that the investigations showed the pilot and co-pilot of the crashed plane in Russia decided to land on the best information they had and the airport authorities gave green light for landing.

Following media speculative reports on whether the weather conditions made the landing "risky" at Rostov-on-Don international airport, Al-Ghaith said: "It's not our call whether the airport should have been closed."

Al-Ghaith expressed his "high praise" for the Russian authorities as they were fully cooperative.

Also, the flight recorders of the passenger plane are badly damaged, authorities said on Sunday.
A second mass grave said to contain at least five corpses killed during protests against President Nkurunziza's third term since April was discovered at Mutakura in the Burundian capital Bujumbura, authorities have said.

"We were informed on Friday by citizens that there was a mass grave at Mutakura at the 13th Avenue where more than five persons who supported the candidature of the Burundian president had been buried," Xinhua quoted Eddy Hakizimana, administrator of Ntahangwa urban commune, as saying on Saturday.

According to him, one of the victims had been already unearthed and activities continued for the remaining corpses buried in the same compound.

"It is one of the insurgents who surrendered to security forces who showed us the mass grave. The corpse that has been exhumed has not however been identified yet," Hakizimana said.

The ex-insurgent indicated that the unearthed man was killed in January, adding that he witnessed the victim's murder.

"I was a rebel fighter working for the Restoration of a Rule of Law (RED-Tabara) rebel group and I was the coordinator in charge of Nyakabiga and Jabe (in the capital Bujumbura). I had gone to Mutakura when the victim was killed," Clovis Kwizera, a former insurgent, said.

On February 29, another mass grave said to contain at least 30 corpses of President Nkurunziza's supporters was discovered in the same Mutakura neighbourhood that was active during protests against Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza's third term bid since April 2015.

Burundi is facing a political turmoil that broke out since April 2015 following the announcement by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza that he would be seeking a third term.

His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup on May 13, 2015.

Over 400 persons are reported to have been killed since then while some 240,000 citizens sought exile in neighbouring countries.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has summoned the Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam in connection with the unflinching stand of the dissidents within the ruling Congress.

Both of them left Imphal for New Delhi on Sunday. They are slated to meet the Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party members was held late on Saturday. One dissident leader told IANS that they merely kept on listening and never asked the chief minister what had transpired in the meeting with Sonia Gandhi.

The dissident said that Ibobi kept on speaking on how the government plans to cover 87 percent of the people of the state by the National Food Security Act which will become effective from April 1.

"The government has set aside Rs.30 crore for it and cooperation of the CLP members to make it a success is a must," Ibobi said, adding, "The meeting with the Congress president and the vice president over the demands of CLP members was inconclusive. The deputy chief minister and I will be leaving for Delhi on Sunday morning."

The high command has not sent general secretary V. Narayanswamy as an observer as yet. The reported formula of the chief minister to drop two or three ministers and induct new ones was not acceptable to the dissidents whose strength is more than 25 in the CLP having 48 members.

As promised by Ibobi, they are demanding complete reshuffle of the ministry and enforcement of the one man one post policy so that Gaikhangam is either dropped from the ministry or relieved of the party presidentship, appointment of chairmen of various corporations and undertakings.

Manipur is scheduled to go to elections in February next year. Though just a few months are left, most of the dissidents would like to become ministers with an eye to the forthcoming elections.

In the past Ibobi and his close associates never capitulated to the dissidents. However, this time the dissidents have made it known that they may take some other steps since they cannot go empty handed to the voters.

The political change in Arunachal Pradesh is still fresh in the minds of the high command. Besides the Congress has been facing election defeats.

In the by-elections held late last year BJP won both the Assembly seats. Besides this party which has been without an MLA for the last 15 years could open accounts in the local body elections.

An upbeat Manipur BJP president Thounaojam Chaoba said, "In the 2017 Assembly elections the BJP shall wrest power from the Congress which has been in power for the last three terms."

A dissident leader told IANS that they are keeping their fingers crossed till Ibobi and Gaikhangam return from their mission in Delhi.
Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin, who will be seen in a grey character in "Force 2", says that he is excited to work with international artists for the film.

"I'm a big believer in fate and destiny. In Bombay, you don't always make your choices, your choices are made for you, so right now I'm very lucky as an actor to be getting great films," Tahir told IANS.

"I'm working with Abhinay Deo and John Abraham and these are big names. Abhinay Deo is directing it. He has done 'Delhi Belly' and '24' series, that is great," he said.

"One of the things that I'm very excited about is that there is a big international collaboration. The stunt team has done 'Mad Max', which was nominated in the Oscars, the DOP (Director of Photography) has worked for Bruce Willis's 'Die Hard"'. You feel proud that you go abroad and shoot an Indian film with an international crew. From the rushes I have seen, it looks outstanding and I really look forward to watching it on screen," he added.

The actor says that he will portray a grey character in the film.

"He's cool, crazy and very quirky. Whenever I read a character and the shooting goes on for six months, so in a way you live with the character, and that is your work. A relationship is created and it's fun. When you read the script, you feel that becoming this character would be enjoyable. So when you get that feeling, it's always fun to be a part," he said.

Tahir continues his streak of grey characters in "Force 2" after playing an antagonist in "Mardaani", the role that was appreciated by the critics and viewers, and even fetched him a best actor in a supporting role nomination at the Filmfare awards.

But he doesn't want to be typecast as a "baddie".

"I want to do all kinds of parts. I don't want to decide at the start that I'll do certain kind of films, because you start refusing films that way. You are being seen in a specific type, but I don't want to stick to any one type, whether it's a lover boy or it's a grey character, different stuff is what makes it interesting," he said.

"Force 2" also stars Sonakshi Sinha.
Tibetan exiles across the world on Sunday voted to elect their nominees for the post of 'Sikyong' or prime minister and the members of the parliament-in-exile based here.

Long queues of men and women flashing their green colour voter identity cards were witnessed in the morning at nine polling centres in this town to elect one of the two prime ministerial contenders: incumbent Lobsang Sangay and Penpa Tsering, the Tibetan parliament speaker.

A foreign delegation comprising members of the European Parliament is here as part of the Tibetan election observation mission, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) press officer Jamphel Shonu told IANS.

Voters will also elect 45 members of the parliament in exile. A total of 94 candidates are in the fray. The results will be declared on April 27.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is not a voter.

More than 90,000 Tibetans in exile across the world are to take part in the election. In the US and Europe, the electoral process is underway.

In India, voting is also taking place, among other places, at Darjeeling, Bylakuppe, Dehradun and Delhi. It will end in India at 5.00 p.m.

Some of the other countries where the elections are taking place included Japan, Russia and Australia.

A total of 47,105 Tibetans voted in the preliminary round in October last year.

The 2016 general elections are the second direct elections for electing the Tibetan leadership since complete devolution of political authority by the Dalai Lama in 2011.

The five-year term of incumbent Prime Minister Sangay will expire in August.

The 47-year-old Harvard educated Sangay is the first political successor to Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Sangay's chances to get re-elected are high as he secured 19,776 votes more against his close rival Tsering, who polled 10,732 votes.

Since assuming power in August 2011, grant of more autonomy in Tibet "within the Chinese constitution", creation of awareness on Tibet and education of the exiled youth are among crucial issues before Sangay.

He took over the reins of the government-in-exile from monk-scholar Samdhong Rinpoche, who held the post for 10 years.
Tibetan exiles across the world on Sunday voted to elect their new 'Sikyong' or prime minister as well as members of the parliament-in-exile based here in this northern Indian hill town.

Long queues of men and women, flashing their green coloured voter identity cards, were seen in the morning at nine polling centres in this town to elect one of the two prime ministerial contenders -- incumbent Lobsang Sangay and Tibetan parliament speaker Penpa Tsering.

Polling took place in 85 places around the world.

The significance of the prime minister's post has gone up following Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's retirement from active in 2011. The Dalai Lama is, however, not a voter.

A foreign delegation comprising members of the European Parliament was here as part of the Tibetan election observation mission, the Central Tibetan Administration's (CTA) press officer Jamphel Shonu told IANS.

Voters will also elect 45 members of the parliament-in-exile. A total of 94 candidates are in the fray. The results will be declared on April 27.

More than 90,000 Tibetans in exile across the world were to take part in the election. In the US and Europe, the electoral process is underway.

In India, voting took place, among other places, in Darjeeling (West Bengal), Bylakuppe (Karnataka), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Dehradun (Uttarakhand) and Delhi. It ended in India at 5 p.m.

Some of the other countries where the elections are taking place include Japan, Russia and Australia.

The 2016 general elections are the second direct elections for electing the Tibetan leadership since complete devolution of political authority by the Dalai Lama.

The five-year term of Prime Minister Sangay will expire in August. The 47-year-old Harvard-educated Sangay was the first political successor to the Dalai Lama.

Sangay's chances to get re-elected are high as he secured 19,776 votes more against his close rival Tsering, who polled 10,732 votes in a first round of voting in October 2015. At that time, 47,105 Tibetans voted.

Both prime ministerial candidates -- Sangay and Tsering -- had campaigned aggressively across the Tibetan settlements. Even the social media among the Tibetan diaspora was aggressively followed to highlight their issues and agenda.

"Resuming talks with China was and will remain my top priority," Sangay told reporters after casting his vote here.

Since assuming power in August 2011, grant of more autonomy in Tibet "within the Chinese constitution", creation of awareness on Tibet and education of the exiled youth are among crucial issues before Sangay.

He took over the reins of the government-in-exile from monk-scholar Samdhong Rinpoche, who held the post for 10 years.

Lobsang Wangyal, director-producer of the Miss Tibet pageant and a journalist, told IANS here: "I feel that Sangay's big degree hype (Harvard doctorate) didn't translate into real results. The talks between the Dalai Lama's envoys and China has been stalled since 2010, which is crucial to resolve the Tibetan issue."

He said that because Tsering promised to put every effort to revive the dialogue with China and also to improve the situation of the settlements, so many young voters voted for him.

The 80-year-old Dalai Lama, the global face of the Tibetan exile movement, lives in exile in this northern Indian hill town along with some 140,000 Tibetans, over 100,000 of them in different parts of India. Over six million Tibetans live in Tibet.
Voters across Kazkhstan on Sunday began casting their ballots in early legislative elections to choose a new parliament.

Polling stations opened at 7.00 a.m., EFE news agency reported.

There are 234 hopefuls vying for 98 seats in the 107-seat lower house of parliament, or Mazhilis, with the remaining nine seats designated by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, a constitutional body made up of representatives from the nation's ethnic groups.

The ruling Nur Otan party (83 seats) is expected to maintain its overwhelming majority, while the two main opposition parties in Parliament, the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan, will be trying to increase their representation in the chamber from the current eight and seven seats respectively.

Three minor parties; the Auyl Social Democratic Party, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party and the Birlik (Unity) party, are also fielding candidates.

Voters will also cast their ballots for local government bodies, or Maslikhats.

Some 10 million people are eligible at 9,840 polling stations across the world's ninth-largest country.

The first official results are expected on Monday.

More than 800 international observers are on hand to monitor voting, which the government of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev pledged to make sure is carried out "in accordance with the highest democratic standards."
Micro blogging website Twitter is set to mark its 10th anniversary on Monday. It's time to look back at important milestones achieved and what the future may look like for the platform, which has been documenting the world in 140 characters.

According to the micro blogging website, it now has more than 300 million active users -- far less when compared with Facebook's 1.5 billion users making it more popular, faster, and the choice of more marketers.

"But when you look at it, you never quite forget it's looking back, managing your feed, managing you, steering you to things and away from others," said Chicago Tribune in a recent article.

On the other hand, "Twitter, if you push the right buttons, gives you more of what you actually want, not what it and its business partners think it's best you see," it added.

No wonder then that Twitter attracts a significant number of politicians, scientists, journalists and celebrities, who use the platform to convey their thoughts in 140 characters with precision that "not everyone can achieve but everyone appreciates".

Recently, in an interview on NBC, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that while a number of changes are being planned for Twitter, its 140-character limit represents a beautiful constraint which helps deliver strong statements.

The short character limit for tweets is an element that gives Twitter a unique identity.

Dorsey also said the micro blogging platform will stay true to its original values - ""It's breaking news, but you can actually interact with the news makers," he said.

"We have so many creators and influencers on the platform and the cool thing is that they actually have conversations with people directly," he added.

Just three years after Twitter's launch, for many the platform became the primary source of the latest news. In 2009, flight number 1549 of the US Airways made an emergency landing in the Hudson river between New York City and Weehawken in New Jersey.

The first image of the rescue mission in which all the 155 passengers were evacuated to safety were taken by a Twitter user and it became viral within minutes of uploading it on the platform.

Twitter has also proved itself as an excellent platform to raise awareness about political topics, spread political messages and coordinate collective action. The use of Twitter by Republican candidate Donald Trump "as a microphone" is one of the several such cases to prove the point.

In India, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has been effectively using the platform to address issues raised by ordinary citizens using one of the world's largest railway networks.

Twitter has opened up a two-way communication between businesses and their customers.

"On the one hand this means it's easier for customers to complain to a company - and do so publicly. But it's also much quicker and easier for companies to reply and potentially resolve an issue, and can potentially even reduce customer support costs," said a report by theconversation.com.

But it is Twitter's efficiency as a platform for instant sharing of news, links and views that makes it indispensable. It has changed the way the information used to flow around the world.

With Dorsey promising a number of changes to product and organisational structure in order to appease sceptical investors, the company is all set for a turnaround to see its monthly average users go up.
A Rajasthan minister has taken it up as a challenge to ensure "no one like (Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president) Kanhaiya Kumar is born" in the state. Vasudev Devnani, minister of state for primary and secondary education, said major changes were being made in the school curriculum "to inculcate the feeling of patriotism in students". Kumar, who was arrested over a controversial event on the university campus where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised, was later released on bail.
In 2011, on a flight out of Mumbai, I met an Indian executive based in Germany who told me a story about his experience of setting up a factory in Gujarat. To a cut a long story short, after the German team visited the prospective factory location, one of the team members got a call from the Chief Minister's office. Are they satisfied with the infrastructure, he asked? Do they need any help? If so, here was his mobile number; the German team members could call him anytime and he would be glad to help. The visitors were floored.
Under the radar, a constitutional crisis is brewing in north-west India, and national parties or the central government must step in to cool it down. The most egregious instance of the breakdown of central authority came when the Punjab Assembly chose to support Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's resolution that the state would defy the Supreme Court of India if necessary, and "not abide by any order against its interests". The Court is addressing a question over the sharing of river water for the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Hundreds of crores have already been spent on infrastructure for this canal, over decades - Haryana, a beneficiary, has paid for a large proportion. The Supreme Court may have stopped Punjab from returning land acquired decades ago for the canal to the farmers from whom it has acquired - but the state has reportedly moved ahead with the land return programme anyway, encouraging farmers to dump debris into the half-built canal.
The Supreme Court has ordered demolition of a multi-storyed residential building in Patna for gross violations of the sanctioned plan. The deviations are "shocking and can be undertaken only by such person who considers himself to be law unto himself," the court stated. One of the deviations is that against the sanction for 24 flats in six floors at the rate of four flats per floor, nine floors have been constructed with six flats an each floor. All flat owners shall vacate the building in six weeks and they will get compensation at the rate of Rs 7,000 per sq ft. The plea for compounding the offence was rejected and those who resist the order shall be forcefully evicted, the court stated in the case, Babita Badasaria vs Patna Municipal Corporation. The original order of demolition was passed in July 2014. But, the residents moved several applications with proposals to avoid the crisis. However, the court rejected all of them stating that "we do not find any reason to change our mind and allow to keep this illegal construction which is contrary to law". The court appointed a commissioner to determine the claims of compensation and other modalities. It directed the demolition within four months and report compliance to it.
The Union Budget 2016 has brought the focus back on the two key instruments for retirement planning, the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) and National Pension System (NPS). In the absence of social security measures, salaried employees have traditionally had only EPF to build their retirement kitties. The NPS, introduced in 2010 for all, has failed to address all the needs of retirees, despite the recent tax benefits. That is why the proposed tax on EPF, later withdrawn, created substantial anxiety amid the salaried class.

In October 2015, Mercer, a firm specialising in retirement solutions, measured retirement systems in 25 countries.

The Indian system was ranked at the bottom, in the 2015 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index.

"Ideally, your post-retirement income should be 70-80 per cent of the last drawn salary. So, employees should have a combination of both EPF and NPS because sufficiency cannot be assured by one,'' says Anil Lobo, India business leader - retirement at Mercer. While EPF is mandatory for most private sector employees, one can open a separate NPS account and get tax benefits up to Rs 50,000.

Here's a look at the key features of these instruments:



COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO RETIREMENT INSTRUMENTS
The Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (BSE) had obtained a Default Insurance Policy from New India Assurance. The policy provided coverage to indemnity against losses at the time of settlement due to defaults committed by its members, whose names were specified in a list. The policy also covered the BSE's Trade Guarantee Fund (TGF). A premium of Rs 1.39 crore was paid for the policy.

Two BSE members, Orient Shares and Stock Brokers and Share-Deal Financial Consultants, defaulted in making payment of their settlement obligations. The erring brokers were not formally declared defaulters and were given three months to clear their liability. Meanwhile, BSE utilised Rs 1.46 crore from the TGF to meet the settlement obligations, these brokers. Later, when these brokers did not clear their dues even after three months, they were formally declared defaulters. The process to dispose off their assets and securities then commenced.

Meanwhile, due to market fluctuation, the value of their assets and securities diminished, putting BSE to a loss, for which a claim was lodged under the policy. The claim was rejected by the insurance company, contending payment from the TGF had been made prior to declaring the brokers as defaulters - a breach of the BSE's byelaws. The resultant time interval of over three months between the date of payment and the declaration as defaulters had caused a loss. If the process to dispose the assets and securities had commenced at the time when payment was made, loss due to market fluctuation would have been minimised.

BSE pointed out that Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had approved an amendment to its bye-law to permit utilising the TGF for meeting commitments, obligations and liabilities to the clearing house without declaring a member a defaulter. This was considered an investor friendly approach.

The insurance company then appointed a preliminary surveyor and subsequently a final surveyor. However, the claim was neither settled nor repudiated but kept pending for a long time. So, BSE filed a complaint before the National Commission, seeking a direction to the insurance company to settle the claim, with interest, compensation and costs.

The insurance company reiterated its stand that it was not liable to pay for the loss which had occurred due to the time interval between BSE making payment from the TGF and declaring the brokers to be defaulters. It was also argued that the terms of the policy had been breached by amending the bye-laws. The insurer claimed the complaint was also time-barred.

The National Commission observed that though the incident had occurred in 2001, there was protracted correspondence. Limitation would run from the time a final decision is taken on the complaint. The claim had not been repudiated but clarifications and documents were sought by the insurance company even as late in July 2010. So, the complaint filed in November 2010 was held to be in time.

The Commission observed BSE had utilised the TGF without declaring the erring members as defaulters and had given them an opportunity to clear their dues within three months. This was within the scope of BSE's authority, and also permissible under the terms of the policy.

Accordingly, by its order of March 2 this year, delivered by the Bench of Justice V K Jain and B C Gupta, the National Commission held the New India liable to settle the claim, and ordered the insurance company to pay Rs 2.03 crore with 9 per cent interest from May 1, 2002, till payment.

Delay in payment of legitimate claims only serves to put insurance companies in a bad light, and they end up wasting public money on frivolous litigation.

The author is a consumer activist
With March 31 approaching fast, most employees should ideally have given all their planning proof to their respective companies. If you have still not done so, it's time to rush.

WHEN EXEMPTIONS CAN BE DENIED If an under-construction property is not completed within 3 years, you stand to lose 85 per cent of the benefit under Section 24

If premium is paid in cash for health insurance under Section 80D

If donations made in cash exceed Rs 10,000 under Section 80G

If freelancers or businesses make cash expenses of over Rs 20,000

There are some key documents you need to submit as soon as possible. If your employer is still accepting documents, you will be able to claim reimbursements such as leave travel allowance, medical and telephone. "A person can claim house rent allowance while filing returns but not the rest," says Archit Gupta, chief executive officer and founder, ClearTax. If a person has missed the deadline for submitting tax-related documents, all deductions from Section 80C to 80U can be claimed directly while filing the return, says Gupta. Those who could not meet the employer's deadline can make the required investments now and claim deductions at the time of filing returns.

Use technology: Thanks to technology, you can do almost all transactions on the internet. But, for certain transactions, like mutual funds, you need to complete the Know Your Client (KYC) formalities. Many online mutual fund platforms such as FundsIndia or Aditya Birla Money's MyUniverse can help you do this online, too. An Aadhaar card can also fast-track the KYC procedure for some instruments. These facilities should help you get done with your entire before the four-day bank holiday starting Tuesday.

"While making last-minute investments, individuals should avoid instruments that need recurring commitments. If the person later realises it wasn't suitable, he will be stuck with it for years," says Vishal Dhawan, chief financial planner, Plan Ahead Wealth Advisors. This means you should avoid opening a new Public Provident Fund (PPF) account or opt for a new insurance plan.

Do the numbers: First, check the deductions you can claim under Section 80C, which has a limit of Rs 1.5 lakh. There are about 15 types of investments and expenses a person can claim deductions for in this section. Before shortlisting the right products, check the amount already exhausted by the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF). Subtract the EPF amount from Rs 1.5 lakh to know the available limit.

Investment options: Options that don't require recurring payments include a five-year tax-saving fixed deposit, National Savings Certificates and an equity-linked saving schemes (ELSS). Of these, most investment advisors suggest a person should look at ELSS if they have risk appetite for stocks. The preferable route to invest here is via a systematic investment plan (SIP) but as you are already late, you can invest a lumpsum, according to Surya Bhatia, a certified financial planner. Given the market conditions, even a lumpsum amount won't hurt. "Most SIPs made in the last year have negative returns. A lumpsum will not hurt investors at present," says Bhatia. If you already have a PPF account or ongoing term plan, you must make use of it.

You can also take a call on instruments, depending on the debt to equity ratio in your portfolio. If you have a higher allocation to equities, look at fixed instruments and vice versa. The decision should also be based on the requirement of money in the future, according to Dhawan. Each tax-saving instrument has a different lock-in period. You must choose depending on your goals. If you are saving to buy a house three to five years down the line, ELSS would make more sense than fixed income instruments.

Insurance benefits: Many people buy a term plan and also take an add-on critical illness cover. While life insurance gets a deduction under Section 80C, critical illness is covered under Section 80D. Many people don't remember to separately claim these two.

Though it is not advisable to go for products with recurring commitments, one exception is medical insurance. "A person below 45 years can get it easily and quickly for himself, wife and children. He can get a deduction of up to Rs 25,000," says Vikram Ramchand, founder, Makemyreturns.com. Preventive health checks that you would have done during the financial year also qualify for deduction up to Rs 5,000 under this section, adds Ramchand.

Benefits through senior citizens and dependents: If your parents are senior citizens and you pay for their health insurance, you can get a deduction up to Rs 30,000. In the case of parents over 80 years, who might not be eligible for insurance, medical expenses up to Rs 30,000 can be claimed for both. Additional deductions are provided for parents over 80 years for medical treatment such as cancer or neurological illness.

If your dependent is suffering from a specified disease (cancer neurological diseases, chronic renal failure), deduction can be claimed under Section 80DDB. For dependents below 60 years deduction up to Rs 40,000 is allowed. In case of senior citizens, deductions are permitted up to Rs 60,000 and for those above 80 years, up to Rs 80,000.

Section 80DD provides benefits for disabled dependents. If the disability is 40 per cent or more but less than 80 per cent, a fixed deduction of Rs 75,000 is permitted. Where there is severe disability (disability is 80 per cent or more), a fixed deduction of Rs 1.25 lakh can be claimed.

Donations and education loan: One can also get either 50 per cent or 100 per cent on donations made, depending on the institution which receives the funds. "Donations made beyond 10 per cent of gross total income in a year do not qualify for any tax deductions," says Vaibhav Sankla, director, H&R Block India. He adds that if a person has an ongoing education loan, the interest can be used for deduction under Section 80E.
Whether the Jack Ma-led Chinese major enters the Indian e-commerce sector as Alibaba or 'Alibaba plus', there will be two definite gainers, consumers and the segment.

Analysts and stakeholders said so to Business Standard after the surprise statement by a company executive on Friday evening. "We are planning to enter the e-commerce business in India in 2016,'' Alibaba group president J Michael Evans told reporters here, after his meeting with communications and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Alibaba, in the headlines for months following a stunning initial public offering in 2014, is yet to reveal its India plans. This has kept the e-commerce world guessing on what its entry would mean to the existing entities and the sector.

Most experts say Alibaba is likely to make a dash into Indian e-commerce on its own, quite like Amazon did almost three years earlier. Its investments in existing players such as Paytm and Snapdeal could run parallel to its standalone India play, they suggest.

A comment on the latest development could not be had from digital wallet and online marketplace Paytm, where Alibaba has a majority shareholding.

Harish H V, partner (India leadership team), Grant Thornton, said Alibaba has substantial cash and is sure to make massive investments here. That will mean two big international players, the other being Amazon, competing in India. How the competition unfolds will depend on whether Alibaba comes alone into e-commerce or along with the companies where it has already invested, such as Paytm and Snapdeal. Reports suggested it considered investing in Flipkart, too, which the latter denied.

"If Alibaba actually enters India in tie-ups with the other e-commerce companies, the sector could well split into two camps-Amazon versus the rest,'' the consultant said, adding this was only one of the scenarios. However, this looks unlikely. Most leading companies have been talking of a long-term play in this space. Also, these companies command steep valuation.

Arvind Singhal, founder of retail consultancy Technopak, argued Alibaba would not acquire an Indian e-commerce entity unless it gets the right price. With no restriction on foreign direct investment in online marketplaces, Alibaba might want to come on its own.

"Amazon announced an investment of $2 billion (Rs 13,300 crore) in the India market in 2014, and is still left with cash from that tranche. Alibaba might want to spend at that level, rather than acquire a Flipkart or Snapdeal at multi-billion dollars,'' Singhal said. He agreed, though, that there could be savings from infrastructure and technology sharing between companies.

Alibaba has tested the India e-commerce market passively through its investments in Paytm and Snapdeal. Now is the time for big play, felt Singhal. He says consumers will benefit the most from Alibaba's entry, as it will mean greater choice of products and higher discounts. Another beneficiary will be the e-commerce sector. The numbers projected by Goldman Sachs, that e-commerce will be a $100-billion market (including online travel) by 2020, could come sooner.

Aamir Jariwala, secretary of E-Commerce Coalition, also thinks Alibaba would get into the big play here on its own. However, he said, the company was likely to leverage its B2B (business to business) potential. ''B2B is the money spinner for it, while it added B2C (business to consumer) later in China. It could follow the same strategy."



As for its other investments in Paytm and Snapdeal, Alibaba is likely to keep these independent, he said.

The company's main success in China has been in B2B, and is most likely to keep it that way in India, according to Viresh Oberoi, chairman of the national e-commerce committee at the Confederation of Indian Industry. He thinks Alibaba should step up its B2B play here, as that would give it an edge.

An easier regulatory regime, huge opportunity and an uncrowded market in B2B could mean Alibaba investing heavily. Internationally, B2B and B2C don't have different sets of legal guidelines but their business formats are distinct. Says Pinaki Ranjan Mishra, partner at EY: "Alibaba could enter India through B2B and, in the long run, align itself with B2C.''



If Alibaba makes a big splash through online B2B and then moves to B2C in India, it will compete with two American majors-Walmart (getting aggressive in online B2B) and Amazon (which says it has an open cheque book for the Indian e-commerce market).

WHAT'S IN STORE
State governments now have more money than ever before. How is this influencing their spending? Are new ways of doing business, such as e-commerce, also creating new revenue streams? Is higher social sector spending only a re- route or an acknowledgement that good economics is also good Ishan Bakshi studies the Budgets of six states, their expenditure priorities and outlays to understand the trend



Bihar: Broke but more educated

Bihar always had little money. What it had was reduced further after the decision to ban country liquor, after the Nitish Kumar-Lalu Prasad government came to power in 2015.As a result, it is more dependent than other states on central transfers to fund expenditure. In 2016-17, the state expects to receive 58,359 crore as its share in central taxes, up from 50,747 crore in 2015-16 and 36,963 crore in 2014-15. Equal to 10.4 per cent of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) in 2016-17. Taken together, transfers from the central government, including grants in aid, account for roughly three-fourths of the state's total revenue receipts.

Bihar's own tax collections account for less than a fourth of that total. It expects own tax revenue to grow 16 per cent in 2016-17 but this might be an overestimate. The state has not introduced any new taxes in the Budget and will lose 4,000 crore in excise duty collections after the ban on country liquor from April. Its own tax revenue is expected to decline to 5.3 per cent of GSDP in 2016-17.

On the expenditure side, education remains a top priority, with the Budget allocating 10,950 crore or 15.3 per cent of the total plan outlay for this. The power sector has also seen an increase, with the government proposing to provide an electricity connection to every household. The Budget has allocated, 9,658 crore or 13.5 per cent of the total plan outlay to this sector.

In 2015-16, the state had ramped up social sector spending on account of Assembly elections. As a consequence, the fiscal deficit rose from a budgeted 13,584 crore in 2015-16 to 28,505 crore the same year. Spending is now expected to be curtailed, to bring the deficit to 16,014 crore.

West Bengal: More human investment



With the state gearing up for elections, the government has increased spending on the social sector, from 51,532 crore in 2015-16 to 62,528 crore in 2016-17. As a percentage of expenditure, spending here has increased to 39.2 in 2016-17 from 35.5 per cent in 2015-16. Social sector spending now outstrips that on general services.

As a consequence, spending on economic services has been squeezed, from 24.7 per cent in 2015-16 to 20.9 per cent in 2016-17 of total expenditure. The state now spends roughly half on economic services as compared to the social sector.

Finance Minister Amit Mitra claims the state had set a record in expenditure on the social sector, by increasing rural development budget by four times and the health budget by three times. He has tripled the agricultural budget and planned expenditure for women and child welfare.

To fund this, the state is relying more on transfers from the central government. After the 14th Finance Commission (FFC), its share in central taxes as a percentage of its GSDP has gone up from 3.5 per cent in 2015-16 to four per cent in 2016-17 (both Budget Estimates or BE).

Own tax revenue is projected to grow 17 per cent in 2016-17, after 33 per cent in 2015-16. Given the elections, there are no new taxes in the Budget.

Madhya Pradesh: E-commerce awakening



After the increase in tax devolution, the state's share in central taxes increased to 43,676 in 2016-17, up from 39,705 in 2015-16 and 24,106 crore in 2014-15. This is a third of total revenue receipts, up from five per cent of GSDP in 2015-16 to 6.1 per cent in 2016-17.

The state expects own tax revenue to grow 13.6 per cent, up from 11.8 per cent in 2015-16. For this, it has proposed a six per cent tax on goods purchased online when these enter the state. Though the details of this are sketchy, according to news reports, the government plans to collect details of goods through courier companies. There's also a hefty increase in value-added tax (VAT) on plastic products. Offset by a proposal to remove five per cent VAT on battery operated cars and rickshaws.

The government says capital expenditure would rise from 37.6 per cent of total expenditure in 2014-15 to 46.9 per cent in 2016-17. It had declined 1.8 per cent, from 24,713 crore in 2014-15 to 21,954 crore in 2015-16.

The state proposes to spend 452 crore on Metro Rail projects for Indore and Bhopal. Another 4,305 crore is for construction and maintenance of roads and bridges. Moreover, 400 crore has been allocated for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, which aims to provide housing for all. Machines used for making bio fertilisers and for milk processing are proposed to be freed of tax.

Jharkhand: More than mining



The FFC award has added to the wealth of this mineral-rich state, with a sharp increase in transfers from the central government. The share in central taxes was budgeted to go up from 9,487 crore in 2014-15 to 12,000 crore in 2015-16; it actually went up to 16,499 crore. In 2016-17, it is estimated to be 7.1 per cent of GSDP, up from 5.3 per cent in 2015-16 (BE).

Own-tax revenue is budgeted to grow 20 per cent in 2016-17. This might seem optimistic but it had grown 38 per cent in 2015-16. The state has not announced any new taxes but has proposed ways to simplify the tax processes and curb evasion.

Capital spending rose from 20.6 per cent of total expenditure in 2014-15 to 23.2 per cent in 2016-17. One reason for the latter's rise is the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana scheme to relieve state power distribution companies from debt. While spending on the social sector is down as a proportion of the total, it has increased allocation to agriculture and rural development. In terms of share, there has been a marginal drop in education and public health. The Budget has earmarked 15.3 per cent of total spending for education, art, culture and sports. And, 13.8 per cent for rural development, nine per cent for agriculture and allied activities. Plus 9.8 per cent on social security and 3.5 per cent for urban development.

Andhra Pradesh: Investing in education



Despite the task of building the new capital city of Amaravati, the Chandrababu Naidu government has about doubled spending on the social sector in its latest Budget. As against 10,545 crore in 2015-16, the government has projected 21,556 crore in 2016-17.

On both agriculture & allied activities and irrigation, it proposes to spend less than what was actually spent in 2015-16. Spending on agriculture and rural development is budgeted at 13,648 crore, down from 15,865 crore in 2015-16. That on irrigation is budgeted at 7,325 crore, from 8,326 in 2015-16. Past trends, though, suggest more will be spent than was budgeted. In 2015-16, actual spending on these sectors was 60 per cent higher than originally budgeted.

Allocations to social sector schemes include roughly 3,000 crore for social security pensions, 4,000 crore for farm loan waivers and 2,700 crore for the public distribution system.

To build the new capital city, the government has provided 1,500 crore. This will be used as seed equity to help the Capital Region Development Authority mobilise the additional resources required.

To fund the massive expansion in its expenditure, the state is relying in equal measure on own tax revenues and transfers from the Centre. It hopes to mop 48 per cent of total revenue receipts through its own tax base, with 47 per cent through central transfers - 24,637 crore via its share in central taxes and 26,849 crore as grants.

Chhattisgarh: Capex stays a priority



Chhattisgarh has seen a sharp decline in the contribution of own tax revenue to total revenue receipts. The former is projected to grow only 1.8 per cent in 2016-17, after 37 per cent in 2015-16. As a consequence, own tax revenue is projected to decline from 7.8 per cent of GSDP in 2016-17, from 8.6 per cent in 2015-16.

In the FFC's aftermath, the state's share in the divisible pool more than doubled, from 8,363 crore in 2014-15 to 16,213 crore in 2015-16. In 2016-17, transfers from the Centre are budgeted at roughly 30 per cent of total revenue receipts.

The state has steadily increased capital expenditure. Government spending on capex as a percentage of total expenditure is projected to grow from 14.3 per cent in 2014-15 to 18.6 per cent in 2016-17. The budget has set aside 4,640 crore for construction of bridges, 56 per cent more than last year.

Presenting the budget, Raman Singh, the chief minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, said special focus was being given to the agricultural sector. Drought-hit farmers are to get 540 crore, with another 150 crore for free seeds to paddy farmers and 8 crore for the marriage of drought-hit farmers' daughters, under the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana. Allocation for farm insurance rises from 50 crore to 200 crore.

With the government hoping to increase irrigation facilities on 83,000 hectares in the coming years, 2,574 crore has been allocated for its development. And, 700 crore for the Prime Minister's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
As the deadlock over government formation in continued, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said it was fully committed to the agenda of governance in the state, while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti is likely to make a second trip in five days to Delhi today.

Mufti is also likely to call a meeting of senior party leaders in the coming days to clear the misgivings about the stalemate over government formation.

Though the issue of government formation in J&K did not come up for discussion at BJPs national executive meet which concluded in Delhi on Sunday, senior party leader and Union Minister Arun Jaitley said the political resolution emphasised commitment to the agenda of governance in the state.

We stand fully committed as far as agenda of governance is concerned, Jaitley told reporters on the issue of government formation in J&K.

In Srinagar, PDP sources said Mehbooba is likely to go to Delhi today.

The sources also said the PDP president is likely to hold a meeting with senior party leaders in the next few days to inform them about the last week's developments on government formation.

The sources said the date of the meeting has not been finalised yet as several senior party leaders are stuck in Jammu "due to closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway".

The PDP and the BJP failed to end the deadlock as the meeting between their respective party presidents -- Mehbooba and Amit Shah on Thursday --could not make any headway.

BJP MLA Ravinder Raina said the party will "never" accept new conditions for alliance put forth by Mehbooba Mufti.

"Several PDP legislators who are in favor of the formation of the government in the state and who also don't want midterm polls in the state are in touch with the BJP leadership for the formation of the government," Raina told reporters in Jammu.

While BJP said it could not form the government based on fresh conditions put forth by the PDP, the regional party maintained that there were no new demands made by it but it only wanted assurances on a timeframe for implementation of the "Agenda of Alliance" agreed between the two parties last year.

"The BJP is trying to give an impression that the PDP is making some new demands for the government formation which is not true. We only want implementation of the agenda of alliance.These misgvings have to be cleared," PDP sources said.

The sources said the issues flagged by the PDP president during her meeting with BJP top leaders are part of the agenda of alliance which was finalised by PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with the national party.

"The PDP president has made it clear time and again that she will stand by her father's decision of forming an alliance with the BJP as he was convinced that it is in the interests of the people of the state. All that Mehbooba wants to ensure is that the promises made to her father in terms of political initiatives and economic progress of the state see the light of the day," they said.
During the 1975-77 Emergency rule, then Congress party president D K Barooah famously said of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that 'Indira is India and India is Indira'.

On Sunday, Union cabinet minister Venkaiah Naidu, also a former national head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said at its national executive meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was God's gift to India and a messiah for the poor.

Naidu, minister of parliamentary affairs, urban development and housing, lauded Modi's leadership while moving the political resolution on the concluding day of the two-day meeting. In the resolution, the BJP says nationalism is an article of faith for it and a "very microscopic minority is today indulging in a kind of demagogy that goes against the very essence of our Constitution".

Talking of the destruction of Bharat can't be supported in the name of freedom of expression, it says. "Similarly, refusal to hail Bharat - say Bharat Mata ki Jai - in the name of freedom is also unacceptable."



In his speech, Naidu praised the PM as the 'Modifier of Developed India', that is MODI. And, that "India is recognised and respected everywhere because of Prime Minister ModiModi is God's gift for India. He is the messiah of the poor. He inherited challenges in each and every sector. He is steering clear of them."



Later, addressing the media, Home Minister Rajnath Singh evaded questions on whether Naidu termed the PM as God's gift. "I am not here to comment on what Naiduji said...I didn't quite catch his speech."



Naidu also said the PM made it to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in 2015 and this year he is listed as one of 30 most influential people. "The PM is seen as the leader of the largest democracy on the global scale. With over 18 million Twitter followers and 32 million Facebook likes (his) popularity has risen to the new level. His wax statue will now be unveiled in London's Madame Tussaud's museum."



In his speech, the PM asked party workers to reach out to Dalits, tribals, poor, farmers, youth, women and the disadvantaged. He said workers shouldn't get distracted by "unimportant issues" raised by opponents; they should focus on the party's agenda and that of the government.

The BJP will be starting a 10-day programme of reaching out to Dalits and village panchayats, to showcase the government's achievements.

Party chief Amit Shah reiterated that while criticism of the party, the government and its leadership is permissible, no criticism of the country or those calling for its disintegration will be tolerated.

The political resolution focused on the achievements of the Modi government, including providing the country a corruption- free and stable leadership.
Security agencies in the UK have been alerted to prepare for up to 10 simultaneous attacks in London as they fear repetition of Paris-style attack here by terrorists returning from Syria, according to a media report on Sunday.

A minister familiar with the proposals said: "We used to plan for three simultaneous attacks but Paris has shown that you need to be ready for more than that. We are ready if someone tries with seven, eight, nine, ten."

The National Crime Agency has been ordered to make a crackdown on firearms a priority amid fears of a Paris-style attack by terrorists returning from Syria, the Sunday Times reported.

Read more from our special coverage on "TERROR"

Army regiments outside London are also on standby to help the the Special Air Services (SAS) and Metropolitan police in the event of a multiple-target attack.

The army's counter terrorist bomb disposal unit is also building a team at Didcot barracks in Oxfordshire to combat a chemical or biological "dirty bomb".

A recent SAS training exercise involved tackling improvised explosive devices laced with weapons of mass destruction.

Extremists in Britain's jails face a security clampdown amid concerns about a terrorist atrocity.

Officials fear terrorist prisoners will attempt to film an attack against non-Muslim prison guards and post it online using smuggled mobile phones.

The moves come as it was claimed that Belgian police deliberately shot Salah Abdeslam, 26, who played a key role in Paris attacks in November, in the knee during a raid in Brussels on Friday as punishment for an earlier assault on their colleagues.

"It was a little present for wounding police officers," an investigation source said.

Abdeslam told Belgian investigators he was supposed to blow himself up in Paris but backed out at the last moment.
At least 13 policemen have been killed in Egypt when Islamic State militants fired a mortar shell on a security checkpoint in the country's restive North Sinai.

The mortar attack on the checkpoint in Al-Arish city killed 13 policemen yesterday, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The security forces cordoned off the area and were investigating the incident.

The incident took place two days after five soldiers were killed and eight others injured when militants attacked an army checkpoint with mortar shell in Egypt's Rafah city.

Egypt's North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled the ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests against his rule.

Over 700 security personnel have reportedly been killed since then.

The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.
The Election Commission has identified around 14,000 vulnerable pockets across West Bengal which are being monitored closely.

"We are undertaking confidence-building measures in all vulnerable locations. Central armed forces and sector officers will go there. The DM and SDO will also visit the vulnerable spots as per instructions from the Election Commission," Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dibyendu Sarkar said.

He said the district control rooms, which will be kept open 24/7 from this week, will have a list of vulnerable areas and contact persons of locals living in it.

"People can also call us to give updates while we will also keep calling them. This will be a continuous process," the official said, adding that more than 14,000 areas have been identified by them so far.

"But the list is very dynamic. It keeps on changing everyday," Sarkar said.

In the first part of the first phase of polls for April 4, scrutiny of nomination was done today after which 136 candidates have passed the screening.
Fourteen people were killed and 43 injured today when a bus carrying foreign students crashed in northeastern Spain, regional authorities in Catalonia said.

The students were enrolled at Barcelona University as part of the European Erasmus exchange programme, said Jordi Jane who heads interior matters for the Catalonia region.

The accident occurred near the small town of Freginals, about 150 kilometres south of Barcelona as the bus was returning from a traditional festival in the eastern city of Valencia.

The driver "hit the railing on the right and swerved to the left so violently that the bus veered onto the other side of the highway," Jane said.

The bus then hit a vehicle coming in the opposite direction, injuring two people inside, he added.

The bus was carrying 57 people in all, including the driver.

Of the 43 injured, 30 have been rushed to hospital, Jane said.
The Air Intelligence Unit of Mumbai Customs today seized 146 endangered tortoises from a bag left behind by a flyer at international airport here.

"We have seized 146 tortoises - 139 Radiated and 7 Angonoka species - which are endangered," Assistant Customs Commissioner Kiran Kumar Karlapu said.

He said the staff of Jet Airways brought a bag to AIU saying that some suspicious shell- like images had been noticed by security.

"The bag was said to belonged to a transit passenger who arrived from Madagascar and flew to Kathmandu leaving behind the bag," Karlapu said.

The AIU officers examined the bag and recovered the tortoises which were kept in a polythene cover.

Two radiated tortoise were found dead with broken shells due to travel stress.

"Since these were exotic species, they cannot be introduced into India and because of quarantine reasons, they were sent back to Madagascar," the officer added.
Two drug smugglers were arrested and four kilogram of heroin with a street value of Rs 20 crore along with arms and ammunition were seized from Fatehpur border out post here, a BSF official said today.

Ranjha Singh and Sonu Kumar Sharma, residents of Dhugh village in the district, were arrested yesterday with 4kg heroin, one 9mm pistol, two pistol magazines and 15 live cartridges, BSF DIG (Punjab Frontier) RS Kataria said.

The DIG said investigations are underway to find out who was sending the drug consignment from Pakistan and how Indian smugglers managed to get in touch with the suspected Pakistan- based smugglers.
Sri Lankan Navy personnel today arrested two Tamil Nadu fishermen on the charge of smuggling ganja at Neduntheevu in the island republic waters, a fisheries official here said.

Jegadish and Kalaimani of Nagapattinam were arrested at around 2 AM after the navy personnel intercepted their country boat and allegedly found 6.5 kg of narcotic substance, including ganja, Joint Director of Fisheries Subburaj said.

They seized the boat along with the narcotics and had taken the fishermen to Paruthiturai police station where they were being questioned, he said quoting information received by Fisheries department here.
As many as 4-5 Pakistani banks are interested in setting up branches in India and are waiting for some movement in this area between the two countries, Pakistan's central bank has said.

"It is very unfortunate that there is no movement with regard to business and banking side between two countries. Once the environment is more conducive, I am sure we both will have opportunity to learn together. There are a number of banks which are very interested to come and work in India," State Bank of Pakistan Deputy Governor Saeed Ahmad told PTI.

He was recently on a visit to India for an event.

"We informally have been asked by four-five major banks but since there has been no opening up as such, so no formal application has come," he said when asked how many banks from Pakistan would be interested to have their operation in India.

In August 2012, both the sides had agreed to issue full banking licenses to two banks from each country.

However, there has not been any movement on this since then.

Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha recently said in the Lok Sabha that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has informed of only two banks of Pakistan, Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd and United Bank Ltd, having applied for banking presence in India.

"I am sure that some of the Indian banks will be very keen to work in Pakistan," Ahmad said.

Many Indian banks had operations in Pakistan before the partition in 1947.

Punjab National Bank had its registered office in Lahore before independence. Oriental Bank of Commerce was established in Lahore in 1943.

State Bank of India and Bank of India had their branches in Karachi and Lahore till 1965, when they were forced to close down following the war between the two countries.
In a shocking incident, a four-year- old boy in the US state of Ohio died after his stepmother allegedly put his legs in scalding hot water as punishment.

Anna Ritchie, 25, put her stepson Austin Derreck Cooper's legs in very hot water in a bathtub before sending him to bed at their home in Franklin, Ohio, police said.

Franklin police said Ritchie admitted to "punishing" the child, putting him in a tub of hot water which caused burns to his legs. The boy was put to bed early and found not breathing the next morning.

Police said they responded to a call from Boulder Drive in Franklin on Wednesday when the child was found unresponsive.

He was rushed to Atrium Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death was ruled a homicide.

"There's nothing a 4-year-old could do to deserve a punishment like this," said Franklin Police Chief Russ Whitman was quoted as saying by WLWT-TV.

"Our officers, our detectives and myself, we all have kids and some of us have grandkids now. Our hearts and prayers go out to the child's family. Nobody should have to go through something like this," he said.

Investigators said after the little boy was sent to bed, no one checked him overnight until he was discovered not breathing the next morning.

Police said the child's father was in the apartment at the time, but investigators are still trying to figure out if he was involved.

Neighbours said they are horrified by the allegations.

"It's heartbreaking. I can't believe that baby lost its life. It's just disturbing how somebody could actually hurt a 4-year-old like that, let alone any child and to just do it and be OK while they're doing it and to know that baby is just screaming for help and there was nobody there to help him," a neighbour said.

Ritchie had been charged with child endangering and is being held in Warren County jail on a USD 100,000 bond. With the homicide ruling, additional charges are likely, and her bond was raised to USD 350,000.
In an apparent attack on the Congress, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today claimed that 80 per cent of the country's history, before and after Independence, has become the saga of a single family while many great figures have been forgotten because of "political prejudice".

There is a need to again make these great people who had contributed immensely to nation building the source of inspiration for the new generation, he said during the inauguration of an exhibition on Parsi community here, said a statement released by his office.

"There is need to make ideal and source of inspiration of the new generation, those great personalities of nation building and country's victory saga who have been forgotten due to political prejudice, Naqvi, who is the minister of state for minorities said.

"We have to bring forward before the new generation, history of those people who have made tremendous contribution in nation building," he added.

Naqvi said every society feels proud to connect with their great personalities and Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Buddhist, Jain communities have produced freedom fighters and other great personalities who sacrificed their life for the country.

We have been making the people aware of history of the Parsi community which has played a vital role in nation building, he said.

Naqvi said in the coming days, efforts will be made so that glorious history of the minority communities reaches the people.

On Parsi community, he said it has given a number of great personalities who have contributed a lot in various fields from Jamsetji to Dadabhai Nouroji to Bhikaji Cama, Homi Bhabha, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, among others.
Pakistan on Sunday released 86 more Indian fishermen arrested for allegedly trespassing into its territorial waters, the second such batch freed this month in a goodwill gesture.

The 86 fishermen freed from the Malir jail in Karachi would travel to Lahore by train and be handed over Indian authorities at the Wagah border, Superintendent of Karachi's Malir prison Raja Mumtaz told PTI.

"The Edhi trust arranged for their journey to Lahore and also bid them farewell with gifts and cash," he said.

It is the second time this month that the government has released Indian fishermen in a goodwill gesture. On March 6 also, 86 Indian fishermen and a civilian prisoner, who had served nearly two and half years in the jail, were released from Landhi jail.

Rights activists say that currently, around 363 Indian fishermen are languishing in Pakistani jails.

Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are often arrested for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

In two incidents last month, Pakistani authorities arrested 108 Indian fishermen and seized a total of 20 boats for what they called was illegally fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters.
An AIADMK ward councillor was allegedly hacked to death by two persons here tonight, police said.

Vijayaraghavan (42), councillor of 51st ward, was sitting in his friend's shop when two persons came there, attacked him with sickles and knives and fled the spot, they said.

He was rushed to a private hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Police said the motive for the murder was unclear.
An outfit representing Sufis today asked the government to alleviate the "sense of fear" among Muslims over riots even as it urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rectify "historical blunders" in India that brought in extremist ideologies threatening the community.

The All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) also urged governments across the world including the Modi government to "revive" Sufism in their bid to combat terrorism.

"There is a sense of fear among Muslims due to riots. Government should alleviate this fear and Union Home Ministry should spell out what steps have been taken with regard to all the small or big communal incidents and riots that have taken place so far in different parts of the country," the AIUMB said in a 25-point declaration released at a mass congregation at Ram Lila Maidan to mark the conclusion of the first World Forum here.

Addressing the congregation, AIUMB president Syed Mohammad Ashraf asked Prime Minister Modi to "rectify historic blunders" and pay heed to the community's demands including initiation of measures to tackle the trend of replacing Sufism by extremist ideologies.

Ashraf expressed concern that there have been "concerted efforts" to weaken Sufism in India and to replace it with "extremist and radical" ideologies and sought the government's intervention in arresting the trend.

"In the past few decades, there have been concerted efforts to weaken Sufism in India and replace it with extremist and radical ideology... The phenomenon is dangerous, not just for the Muslim community but also for the country. We request the Prime Minister to rectify these historical blunders," he said.

He also said there has been a lack of representation for majority of the Muslim populace on "key positions" and urged the government to look into it.

The outfit denounced "every course" of sectarianism and described it as "threat to India's solidarity".

"We request all governments of the world, especially the Government of India, to extend full cooperation for the revival of Sufism," it added.

Asked about the alleged "atmosphere of intolerance", Ashraf said, "We cannot determine the picture based on a few incidents. We should treat these as causes for alarm. We should try and ensure that our Ganga-Yamuna culture is not affected since there are signs that it is being weakened. Then we should try and strengthen it."



The four-day World Forum, inaugurated by the Prime Minister, was attended by delegates from 22 countries.

Influential Pakistani cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri drew thousands to the last day of the four-day event. In his lengthy speech, Qadri identified terrorism as the common enemy of both India and Pakistan.

Qadri urged the Indian and Pakistani establishment to reflect as to whether they will remain "enemies forever?



The declaration also demanded the creation of central centre in New Delhi and in all capital cities for the promotion of Sufi literature, Sufi culture and music and for the establishment of a university in the name of sufi saint Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz.
Vedanta Group's $10-billion LCD screen plant, which is billed as the country's first, will start production in 2018, Chairman has said.

"Panel FAB is expected to begin by 2018 with full production over the next 10 years subject to external environment," Agarwal told PTI in an interview.

This will be the largest investment made in setting up of an electronics plant in India.

It will be operated by Twinstar Display Technologies and will not fall under any of the Vedanta group companies' current business ambit.

"The proposed LCD manufacturing unit, the first of its kind in India, will be operated by Twinstar Display Technologies. It is promoted by Volcan Investments Ltd, whose other investments include Vedanta Resources and Sterlite Technologies," he said.

Agarwal along with his family holds majority stake in Volcan Investments.

"We endeavour to make India a significant export hub of display units with the setting up of Panel FAB," he said.

At present, all LCD displays used in mobile phones, TV screens and computers are imported.

"India is one of the fastest growing markets for LCD panel based products such as TV, smartphones, tablets, desktops and laptops.

"By 2020, India's LCD panel import bill is expected to touch $10 billion (about Rs 68,000). Panel FAB will not only significantly reduce this but also earn foreign exchange through exports," Agarwal said.

Vedanta had made commitment to set-up LCD plant at the first Digital India week inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July last year.

"We have made good of the promise we made to the nation during Digital India. We are happy to participate in two of the government's key initiatives - the 'Make in India' campaign as well as 'Net Zero Electronics import by 2020'," Agarwal said.

At the event, industry had committed to invest Rs 4.5 lakh crore with a potential to generate 18 lakh jobs.

Agarwal-promoted LCD firm had signed an agreement with Maharashtra government for the plant.

"Twinstar will invest $10 billion spread across five phases. The unit will be operated by Twinstar and not Vedanta. The project requires about 300 acres of and and two locations have been shortlisted so far," he said.
Contemporary dancer and choreographer Astad Deboo is all set to perform along with his Manipuri drummers troupe as part of "The Everlasting Flame International" exhibition here on Monday.

Under this, 'Threads of Continuity: Zoroastrian Life and Culture' will be held at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) at which Deboo will perform.

The event, which is a celebration of history, beliefs, practices and contribution of Parsis, will see Deboo and his group give a "unique" performance titled "Elemental, Divine", depicting the four "sacred" elements in Zoroastrianism.

"I have been with my Manipuri dance troupe Shree Shree Govindaji Nat Sankirtan for 10 years now. The act will be about the Zoroastrian elements of water, fire, earth and air. These are the aspects that I am dealing with in my choreography," Deboo told PTI.

"The performance will begin with chants from The Avesta, which is the religious book of Zoroastrians that contains a collection of sacred texts.. That will be the opening act," said the dancer, who has been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1996 and Padma Shri in 2007.

Deboo employs his training in Kathak as well as Kathakali to create a dance form that is unique to him.

He has collaborated with artists like Pina Bausch, Alison Becker Chase and Pink Floyd, and performed all over the world.

He said the 30-minute performance took up "six weeks to prepare" and will be a "unique experience" for the audience.

"It will be very different form what I have been doing with the drummers," said Deboo.

The dancer-choreographer revealed his next performance will be in Myanmar for which he will leave along with his group on April 2.

The 11-day-long "The Everlasting Flame International" exhibition, which began on March 19, is being held at premier cultural institutes here under scheme Hamari Dharohar (Our Heritage) in collaboration with Union Ministry of Culture and Parzor Foundation.
At least 55 people, including 14 civilians, have been killed in two days of fighting between pro-government forces and Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen, officials said today.

The clashes came as UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was in the rebel-held capital Sanaa for meetings with the Huthis aimed at restarting peace talks with the internationally recognised government.

Since yesterday, fighting has raged in the outskirts of third city Taez as rebels try to retake positions lost in recent weeks to loyalists, military sources said.

Pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition managed earlier this month to break a months-long rebel siege of the southwestern city.

"At least 26 people, including 14 civilians, have been killed in 24 hours" in rebel shelling of residential neighbourhoods and loyalist positions, a local official told AFP.

Taez lies between Sanaa, which rebels overran in September 2014, and the port city of Aden - the temporary base of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

On another front, six pro-Hadi fighters and seven rebels were killed yesterday in clashes in the southern province of Shabwa, where loyalists advanced in the oil-rich area of Baihan, another military source said.

In the neighbouring province of Marib, pro-Hadi forces yesterday captured the Harib area, the military source said, adding that 13 rebels and three loyalists were killed in the fighting.

As well as the 55 dead in fighting between pro-government forces and rebels, two loyalists were killed late yesterday in an ambush that targeted a convoy heading from Taez to Aden, a military source said, accusing the Islamic State group of being behind the attack.

IS and Al-Qaeda militants have gained ground in southern Yemen since the coalition launched air strikes in the country in March last year, after the rebels closed in on Hadi in Aden, forcing him to flee to Riyadh.

Loyalists last summer recaptured Aden and four other southern provinces including Shabwa, but its northern area of Baihan remained in rebels hands.

The World Health Organisation 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.
On the backfoot after losing to New Zealand in their tournament-opener, Australia would aim for a big win over Bangladesh when the two teams clash in a Super 10 Group 2 match of the ICC World Twenty20 here tomorrow.





Both teams go into tomorrow's match after enduring losses as Bangladesh had been beaten by Pakistan in their lung- opener.

At stake is survival for both the sides given that a loss would mean near ouster from the tournament.

Australia would be fancied to win the match even though their big guns in batting, including David Warner and Steve Smith, failed to come good in the previous match. The formidable Aussie line-up would look to get into the groove in



tomorrow's match and be ready for the tougher challenges ahead.

Smith will hope that the in-form Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson give the side a solid start as they did against New Zealand, putting up 42 runs in five overs.

The Aussie middle-order, which collapsed in a heap against New Zealand, would also be expected to deliver tomorrow. Warner, Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh had failed with their bats collectively against the trans- Tasmanian rivals.

Australian bowling attack, however, can draw confidence from its performance as it had restricted New Zealand to 142 for eight.

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Australia's strike bowler, would love to be among wickets, along with James Faulkner and Maxwell.

Last match was fruitful for them as they bagged two wickets each, while Watson and Marsh grabbed a wicket each.
Aviation experts today began examining the black boxes from the FlyDubai flight that crashed amid high winds at an airport in southern Russia, while emergency workers finished combing the debris-laden runway.

FlyDubai's Boeing 737-800 from Dubai nosedived and exploded in a giant fireball before dawn yesterday after trying to land for a second time in strong winds in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. FlyDubai confirmed all 62 people on the plane were killed. Most of the passengers were Russian.

Several planes had trouble landing at the airport at the time of the crash, with one trying to land three times before giving up and diverting to another airport, experts said.

Sergei Zaiko, deputy chairman of the Inter-State Aviation Committee, told Russia's Channel One that experts today were looking at the plane's cockpit voice and flight data recorders, which were delivered to Moscow earlier in the day.

They will be viewed by experts from Russia, the United Arab Emirates, France and the US, since the American-made Boeing plane had French-made engines.

At Rostov-on-Don, hundreds of people flocked today to the airport, the region's largest, to lay flowers and leave candles and toys in memory of the dead. The city is 950 kilometers south of Moscow near the Ukrainian border.

State-owned Rossiya-24 today interviewed a woman living nearby who said she was woken up by the sound of the explosion.

"The housed started shaking. I looked out of the window: the sky was red and in a few seconds it was over," said the woman, whom Rossiya did not identify.

Closed-circuit TV footage showed the plane going down at a steep angle and exploding. The powerful explosion left a big crater in the runway and pulverized the plane and passengers' remains.

Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told reporters that emergency teams had finished combing the area and that authorities were now waiting for investigators to give the green light to let repair teams onto runway. Sokolov said he expects the airport to open early Monday.

Some of the victims were from rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine where fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,100 people since April 2014. The war has turned the region's main airport of Donetsk into a wasteland, and many locals have been using the airport in Rostov across the border.

Self-proclaimed rebel authorities in Donetsk said Sunday that two residents had been killed in the crash, while the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reported that a family of three from the rebel-controlled town of Sverdlovsk in Ukraine was among the victims.
Congress today expressed surprise over the Modi government's "inability" to rein in affiliates of Sangh Parivar "brewing communal hatred and mistrust" for electoral gains giving rise to "suspicion" that it is part of the deliberate strategy to "polarise and divide".

Senior Congress leader has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the "growing attacks" on the minority community, including the latest in Latehar district of Jharkhand where two cattle traders were tortured and hanged to death by "radical bigots".

"With great dismay, I am impelled to observe that such episodes of brutality and mob violence seem to give a spectacle of some parts of the world where democracy does not exist not of India which is widely respected as a vibrant and secular democracy governed by rule of law," Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said in his two-page letter.

Azad termed as unfortunate the "spurt" in incidents of threats, intimidation, mob violence and vigilantism after the BJP government took office at the Centre.

"Majoritarian view of democracy is being propagated and promoted consciously and deliberately. This has serious implications for the survival of democracy, pluralism, social harmony and peace besides growth and development of the country," he said.

He said Congress Party and civil society have been continuously drawing the attention of the government towards "growing phenomenon of communal hatred and polarisation".

"Ministers, MPs and MLAs, leaders of the ruling party and affiliates of Sangh Parivar have been persistently making provocative and offensive statements to divide and polarise the communities.

"What is suprising is that no perceptible effort on the part of the government and BJP leadership is being made to rein in such elements, giving rise to the suspicion that it is part of the deliberate strategy to polarise and divide," he said.

"I would like to underline that entire nation is worried about the unchecked growth of communal hatred and mistrust being brewed for the sake of electoral . There is an urgent need to stem this rising tide, lest it is too late," he said.

Complimenting the Prime Minister for his recent statements at World Culture Festival and Sufi Conference, Azad, however, said the message was audible to the entire world, "but what about our own house which is simmering with communal distrust and hatred.

"Why your message has failed to reach such elements within our own country?" he asked and said "inaction" on part of the government was "emboldening and encouraging" such elements.

While attending the two functions, Modi had stressed on India's diversity and called for celebrating the country's pluralism.

In his two-page letter, Azad, who is the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and served as Union Minister in UPA rule, highlighted various incidents ranging from Dadri to arrest of Kashmiri students over the charge of cooking beef in Rajasthan.

"I would like to emphasize that cow slaughter is banned in most of the states of the country and there is no confusion about that. And it is nobody's case that cow slaughter should not be banned.

"However, the normal transport and trading of animals from one place to another should not be targeted. It must not be with a preconceived notion that such transport and trade is meant for cow slaughter and the mobs and vigilantes sponsored by the affiliates of Sangh Parivar to recklessly target the members of minority community," he said.

He said the Latehar killings were not a one off incident that would propel him to pass an observation or "encroach upon your (Modi's) time" and incidents of Dadri, raids at Kerala House in Delhi, Aligarh Muslim University mess, searching and beating Kashmiri students....

"Such incidents of victimisation, harassment and persecution of those involved in cattle trade have risen very sharply across the length and breadth of the country, with extra-judicial mobs and vigilante groups taking law in their own hands," he said.
Bangladesh Supreme Court today ordered two senior ministers to reappear next week over their "contemptuous comments" against the judiciary made in reference to the appeal hearing of a major 1971 war crimes convict.

A larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rebuked food minister Quamrul Islam and liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Huq over their comments and ordered Islam to submit a fresh explanation, calling his today's clarification 'not appropriate', court officials said.

"This (apex) court will not hesitate to pass any order for protecting the constitution, caring little how much powerful you (ministers) are," a visibly angry Chief justice said.

Sinha added: "This court is not an organ of the government... You have not only belittled the chief justice but also defamed the entire judiciary with your arrogant comments."



Earlier today, the two ministers submitted their explanation over the comments and sought unconditional apology. The apex court accepted Huq's clarification but ordered his appearance again along with Islam on March 27.

In an unprecedented move on March 8, the Supreme Court had summoned the two senior ministers to clarify their "contemptuous comments" criticising Sinha over the appeal hearing of a major 1971 war crimes convict, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Qashem Ali.

The apex court on the same day upheld Ali's death penalty and ordered the two ministers personal appearance.

Speaking at a discussion on March 5, Islam had called for a re-hearing of Ali's appeal excluding the chief justice as he had earlier questioned the investigators efficiency in collecting evidence against the accused.

"Through a comment of the chief justice in the court, we have realised what verdict will be delivered in the case. We have realised that there is no scope for awarding the death penalty (to the convict)," the food minister had said.

Haque supplemented him at the same function saying the chief justice should not be a part of the appeal hearing process against Ali.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had last week snubbed the two ministers for "embarrassing" the government through their comments and said the government did not own their "private comments".
A bandh called in Kalol town of Gandhinagar district today by a right-wing outfit following a clash between two groups over 'love jihad' last week passed off peacefully.

"We had set up police checkposts at strategic points and also increased patrolling across the town to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. The bandh passed peacefully," said Kalol town Police Inspector V D Vala.

The shutdown was called by 'Hindu Hitrakshak Samiti' in protest against what they termed were attempts by youths of other community to commit 'love jihad'.

According to police, a girl had complained to her friends that she was being harassed, following which her friends beat up a youth from a group. In retaliation, the other group attacked them on the campus of Vakhariya College last Thursday.

Both the groups had lodged FIRs against each other under section 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC, Vala said, adding, nobody has been arrested in this connection so far.
When mystery hackers launched a stunning raid on Bangladesh's foreign reserves, a plot worthy of a John le Carre spy novel was sparked in the Philippines, exposing the Southeast Asian nation as a dirty money haven.

The USD 81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank's American accounts last month was immediately sent via electronic transfer to the Philippines' RCBC bank, with the thieves deliberately targeting their laundering location.

The Philippines has some of the world's strictest bank secrecy laws to protect account holders, while its casinos are exempt from rules altogether aimed at preventing money laundering.

"The Philippines is very attractive (for dirty money) because our laws have gaping holes. It's easy to launder money here," Senator Sergio Osmena, who is pushing for stronger anti-money laundering laws, told AFP.

Still, if the thieves were to get away with their audacious heist, the money had to be moved quickly through the banking system and into the casinos.

And it did.

Authorities took four days to order a recall of the money.

But by then it had vanished -- leaving in its place a tale of death threats, bribes, shady business figures and a bank manager who could be the villain or a victim.

"I did not do anything wrong. If this is a nightmare, I want to wake up now," the manager of RCBC bank, Maia Deguito, told ABS-CBN television this week after authorities stopped her at Manila airport from trying to leave the country.

"I live everyday in fear."



With authorities in Bangladesh and elsewhere bamboozled over who masterminded the cyber-heist, Deguito's role as manager of the bank that accepted and shifted the money has come under intense scrutiny.

She has accused the bank's president, Lorenzo Tan, of ordering her to move the money. He has fiercely denied the accusations.

Philippine senators who launched an inquiry this week into the affair are yet to determine whether she was a scapegoat or not, but are convinced she was not the mastermind.

"It's a big operation. This could not have been done out of the Philippines alone," Senator Ralph Recto said.

The Senate inquiry and another probe by the Philippines' Anti-Money Laundering Council have hit several major hurdles, including a security camera at the bank not working when the money was shifted.
The move of the Bar Council of India (BCI) to weed out fake and non-practising lawyers by implementing the Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules has drawn bouquets as well as brickbats from various quarters of the legal fraternity.

While BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said the main purpose is to remove fake advocates from the legal profession, West Bengal Bar Council member and senior advocate Kamal Bandopadhyay criticised the move and termed the new rule as "impractical and unscientific".

The BCI has implemented the Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules, 2015, to check the genuineness of their enrollment details by verifying their educational certificates and place of practice.

Bandopadhyay said it is "impractical" to verify lawyers affidavits, stating the place of practice and scrutinise the certificates.

"The swearing of an affidavit cannot help searching the fake advocates. It can be filed by any practicing or non-practicing advocate or even fake ones. How will the BCI verify the affidavits? It's not scientific," he said.

Bandopadhyay said the new rule was impractical and it was not possible for the advocates to file for 'renewal' after every five years.

There are many advocates from interior parts of the state without sufficient income who would not be able to pay the fees and obtain the certificate of practice, he said.

Standing in favour of the Rules, Mishra said the apex lawyers' body has implemented the Rules under which all advocates except senior counsel and Supreme Court advocates- on-record, had to apply within six months of January 13, 2015, before receiving their 'certificates of practice', which will be obligatory for practice.

"The purpose is to verify certificates and genuineness of



the enrollment certificates given by advocates. Most of the certificates are forged. It is to weed out fake advocates. Certain State bar councils does not even have the list of the lawyers who died after enrolling. It is to know where one is practicing," Mishra said.

His views were also supported by advocate Joice George, a Parliamentarian and a member of the Parliamentary standing committee for Law and Justice, who said that any malpractices within this profession must be curtailed and for this, the new set of Rules will help.

"If its the matter of sustenance for the advocates, BCI can bring up a system to support those advocates rather than letting them indulge in any other profession," he added while urging the apex law body to initiate a support system for the junior lawyers for at least three-four years during the initial period of their career.

Mishra added that large number of lawyers get enrolled with state bar councils and then they shift to other business or private jobs, they would not inform the association and even the Advocacy Act does not allow any advocate to do any other job, if he is practicing.

Delhi Bar Council of Chairman and senior advocate K K Manan was of the opinion that non-practicing lawyers must explore options such as legal assistants, law officers and many other services available.

"Those who are not practicing must declare it and inform the Bar Council. They can either practice as a lawyer or pursue other jobs. They should either go for practice or surrender their enrollment," Manan said.

The BCI got the nod from the Supreme Court, which overruled the Kerala and Karnataka High Courts' stay on implementation of these rules on October 2, 2015.

Supporting the new Rules, Chairman of Bar Council of Kerala, advocate Joseph John said, "If lawyers get into other professions, the reasonable restriction will come into effect and bar council have the right to restrict the practice."



He said the state Bar Councils had issued guidelines to segregate practicing lawyers from non-practicing ones.
Actor Ben Affleck has revealed that his huge back tattoo is fake and for a film.

The tattoo which the 43-year-old "Batman v Superman" star was spotted is a full color picture of a phoenix taking flight, reported People magazine.

"(It's) fake for a movie. I actually do have a number of tattoos... But I try to have them in places where you don't have to do a lot of cover up... They get sort of addictive, tattoos, after awhile," Affleck said.

However, his on-screen foe Henry Cavill, who plays Superman, happens to be the exact opposite. The actor said he has no tattoos, not because of any backlash he might receive, but just because he doesn't want them.
A Brazilian senator facing charges in an explosive corruption scandal has said that President Dilma Rousseff "knew everything" about the scheme, deepening the political crisis dividing the Latin American giant.

Senator Delcidio do Amaral, a former Senate leader for the ruling Workers' Party, yesterday said in an interview that embattled ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva masterminded the graft scheme at state oil company Petrobras and that Rousseff used some of the proceeds to fund her presidential campaigns.

"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," Amaral told weekly magazine Veja.

"Dilma inherited and benefitted directly from this system."



An irate Rousseff ordered her government to press criminal charges against Amaral for his "defamatory statements," which she categorically denied.

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 that accusation as part of a plea bargain in return for a lighter sentence -- the kind of deal investigators have used repeatedly to implicate a steadily growing list of rich and powerful figures.

Brazilian politics has been upended by the scandal.

Investigators accuse Petrobras executives of colluding with contractors to overbill the company by billions of dollars, bribing politicians and parties to keep the system going.

The crisis has triggered angry protests laying bare sharp divisions in Brazil.

Mass rallies for and against the leftist president have rocked the country in recent days, just months before it hosts the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August, with riot police firing stun grenades and water cannons to disperse anti-government demonstrators.

Rousseff's enemies are demanding her departure, while her supporters accuse them of attempting a "coup."



Government supporters mobilised on Friday as pressure mounted on Rousseff, 68, and Lula, 70.

Police said 270,000 people took part, while organisers put the turnout at 1.2 million.
Thirteen female foreign students were killed and dozens more injured in Spain today when a bus carrying them back from a popular traditional festival crashed into an incoming car.

The students, who were on a European exchange programme in the northeastern region of Catalonia, came from 16 different countries including Britain, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden but also Japan and New Zealand.

All the dead were female, according to a regional government source who requested anonymity, but authorities have yet to announce their exact nationalities.

The accident occurred just before 6 am local time near the small town of Freginals, about 150 kilometres south of Barcelona, as the students were returning from the Fallas festival in eastern Valencia known for the burning of giant statues.

The driver "hit the railing on the right and swerved to the left so violently that the bus veered onto the other side of the highway," said Jordi Jane who heads up interior matters for the Catalonia region.

The bus then hit a car coming in the opposite direction, injuring two people inside, he added.

Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz, who rushed to the scene, said it was still not clear why the driver hit the railing in the first place, adding however that the accident was likely due to a "human factor".

An AFP photographer at the scene several hours after the crash said many fire engines were at the scene, as were three hearses and a heavy-lift crane.

The car's front was smashed in, and the bus was lying on its side after the accident. The bus was carrying 57 people in all, including the driver.

Spain's national radio station RNE spoke to the son of the owner of the company that chartered the bus, who said his father was driving another bus in front of the one that crashed -- one of a total of five vehicles ferrying students back from Valencia.

"All of a sudden, he stopped seeing it in his rear-view mirror. He stopped at the next service area, called the driver but he didn't pick up," said the son, named only as Raul.

He added that his father then asked passengers in his own bus to call those in the other vehicle, and that is when he got of the accident.

"The driver is in a state of shock, but he's okay physically," he added.
An obsessed cat in New Zealand has stolen several underwears of her male neighbours, prompting her owner to post an apologetic advertisement online, asking victims to claim their articles before they move out of the city.

The six-year-old feline has been terrorising the streets of Hamilton for the past two months by trespassing her neighbours' homes at night and decamping with their underwears and socks.

The cat named Brigit, who has cases of stealing underpants in the past also, has more than a dozen colourful boxer briefs and around 60 single socks, Stuff.Co.Nz reported.

The burglary came to light when her owner Sarah Nathan started packing her house to move.

"I pulled out the bag of stuff (the cat) had collected and thought, oh God, I wonder who these belong to?



"She did this when we lived in Beerescourt and our neighbours hated us for it," Nathan said.

Nathan put notes in letterboxes in her suburb and then posted an advertisement online along with a photo of the cat burglar in question and her ill-gotten gains. She has also distributed flyers on her street and posted on Facebook.

She said Brigit sometimes puts her booty on her bed or put them in a pile next to the bed.

"Are you missing underwear? We have discovered that our cat has stolen a large amount of men's underpants and socks from a neighbour. If it is you, we are very sorry. We have them here and we can return them. You'll be pleased to know we are moving....Please call or text Sarah," the advertisement reads.
A Chinese governor's rare admission of having given a misleading account about the plight of coal miners has prompted new laments among the public about pervasive deception practiced by China's bureaucracy, with even state media calling on officials to be more truthful.

Heilongjiang Gov Lu Hao's assertion that 80,000 miners at his province's largest mining company had been fully paid triggered an angry protest by the workers. The governor soon backtracked and pledged to pay back wages.

His candor won some applause, but it also reignited questions online and even in state media about how he could have been so easily misinformed on such an important matter.

"There's hardly any thread of authenticity these days in the reports from subordinates to their supervisors in the government, and the superiors shall by no means believe any of those reports," wrote Hua Yuxi, a Chinese blogger.

"Their statistics, their work summaries, and their achievements are all fully inflated."



The incident came just months after the state-run Xinhua Agency reported that officials in China's northeast admitted they had inflated economic data, apparently to meet targets and impress their superiors.

In one case, a county in Liaoning province inflated its fiscal revenue by 847 million yuan (USD 131 million) for 2013, state auditors reported last year.

Xinhua said local governments had cooked the books to cover up fabricated data on everything from economic growth to investments, consumption, trade, urban projects and urban incomes, before investigators and cooperating officials uncovered the scam.

"Although officials at all levels know the dangers of inflated statistics, they feel they have no choice when they feel the pressure from performance evaluation, regional competition and promotions for themselves," Xinhua said.

The deceptions harken back to some of the darkest periods in recent Chinese history, particularly the 1958-61 Great Leap Forward, when communes were rapidly formed and the communist government vowed to surpass the West economically and show the superiority of its socialist system.

In answering to Beijing's hopes and demands, village cadres across the country massively inflated their reported yields of wheat and rice and the lies were trumpeted in state media. The lesson was costly as the government took possession of what were thought to be vast grain surpluses, contributing to a famine that claimed an estimated 30 million lives.
With the arrest of three persons, police today claimed to have solved the murder case of a cloth trader here.

Indirapuram police yesterday arrested Pankaj and Prince of Delhi and Naseeb Chaudhary of Sahibabad's Pasonda village for allegedly hatching conspiracy for the murder of Arshi Malik, SHO Gorakh Nath Yadav said.

Yadav claimed that Pankaj confessed to renting a flat in ATS society using a fake ID from where the three accused watched Arshi's movement using binoculars and they used to give all the information to the key accused, Yunus alias Kala.

After they gave the final inputs about the deceased's movement, Kala murdered him inside ATS society on March 11 and fled the spot with his accomplices, he said.

Malik was an eyewitness in the murder case of his younger brother, Pappu Malik alias Amzad, who was shot dead on January 13, 2015. Amzad's assailants were later identified as Kala, Rasheed, Nadeem and Naseem, he said.

Arshi, who was the lone eyewitness in the case, had complained against Kala, Mausam Pradhan and Nawab accusing them of trying to exhort money in July 2014, he said.

Kala had been mounting pressure on Arshi to reach a compromise which he refused. Since then Kala nurtured grudge against him, he said.

Yadav added that the trio has been sent to jail under sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC andthe absconding accused would be nabbed soon.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) personnel have rescued five fishermen from a sinking boat off Okha coast in Gujarat's Jamnagar district.

ICG ship 'Arinjay' was on patrol when it last night received distress call from fishing boat 'Madhav Krushna', about 110 km off Okha, which faced "heavy flooding due to ingress of seawater", a Coast Guard release said today.

The ship immediately rushed towards the troubled boat.

"On arrival, the fishing boat was taken alongside the ICG ship and all the five crew members (fishermen) were safely taken on-board," it said.

The ICG team tried to take out seawater from the fishing vessel, but the boat could not be saved from sinking as excess water had entered into it. Rough sea conditions also hampered the operation to save the boat, which was registered at Porbandar.

"The rescued fishermen were later brought to Okha for handing them over to fisheries authorities," it said.

In the last one year, 49 people, including these five, have been rescued by the ICG in different operations off the Gujarat coast, the release added.
Denso India, a subsidiary of the leading Japanese auto components maker Denso Corporation, is eyeing Rs 5,000-crore revenue by FY18.

We are targeting sales revenue of Rs 5,000 crore by 2017-18. Last year, our sales stood at Rs 3,500 crore. But let me add this was revenue we had clocked way back in 2010 fiscal when the domestic auto industry was on a song," deputy Managing Director Tako Nojiri told PTI.

The company, which is the single largest supplier of components to domestic carmakers like Maruti, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Tata among others, is expecting an annual revenue growth of 9% till 2020, he said.

The Japanese major entered India 32 years ago and now has nine manufacturing units and seven companies, employing over 4,000 people. It claims over 60 per cent market share car components in the country and also serves heavy vehicle-makers as well as the Railways.

When asked about capex plans to meet this higher growth target, Nojiri said nothing is in the pipeline now as the company has already installed capacity till 2020.

On the government plans to skip BS V and directly jump to BS VI emission norms, he said Denso is already Euro VI compliant and therefore no issues to meet the new deadline.

Japan-based Denso Corporation is an over USD 4.2 billion company and is a world leader in auto components.

Denso began operations in 1984 with a plant in Noida that produces starters, alternators, air conditioning systems, radiators, windshield wiper motors, ECUs, fuel pumps and fuel injectors for four-wheelers. It also supplies magnetos and CDIs to two-wheeler makers which are sold through over 190 service networks.

It has technical alliance with Subros and Lucas-TVS since the 1980s and in 2011 it established joint venture with Subros to design automotive ACs. Its technical center at Manesar (Haryana), set up in 2012, develops power trains, electric and electronic systems, information and safety systems, and small motors.

It acquired majority ownership of instrument cluster subsidiary of Pricol in April 2013 to increase its instrument cluster business and launched next-phase engine management system consisting of engine ECUs, fuel pumps and injectors that can comply with Bharat stage V norms in 2013.

Denso also has a JV with Kirloskar Group under the name Denso Kirloskar Industries.
Congress and PDF MLAs in Uttarakhand were flown in choppers to an undisclosed location in Nainital today in an apparent bid by the ruling Congress to keep its flock together in the face of turmoil which Chief Minister Harish Rawat described as a virtual "encounter" by BJP.

A combined group of Congress and PDF legislators led by the Chief Minister's Industrial Advisor Ranjit Rawat boarded three private choppers from the city's Sahastradhara helipad giving rise to speculation that it was an attempt by Rawat to prevent the possibility of any more MLAs crossing over to the other side.

Though putting up a brave face, the fear of losing more MLAs before it takes the floor test in the state Assembly on March 28 still grips Congress and shifting its MLAs to the hills of Kumaon may be a step to ward off any such danger, observers here said.

However, Pradesh Congress leaders said not much should be read into the development, terming it as an excursion trip ahead of Holi.

"It should not be linked with politics. It is a weekend and Holi is a just a couple of days away. There are many resorts in Ramnagar and Corbett Tiger Reserve area. The MLAs may have gone there just to unwind," state Congress Chief Spokesman Mathuradutt Joshi told PTI.

"There is no threat to government and no need to resort to such measures. Our flock is intact and will remain so," he said.

Meanwhile, Rawat said what the BJP was trying to do in Uttarakhand was virtually like an "encounter".

"It is a kind of encounter. First they broke the leg of a horse and now they are trying to break the legs of Uttarakhand through horse trading," Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in the city.

Later in a statement here, Rawat said, "What is happening



in the state is part of a larger conspiracy by the BJP at the Centre to topple non-Congress regimes everywhere in the country. First it was Arunachal Pradesh and now it is Uttarakhand."



However, ruling out any threat to his government, Rawat said he will prove his majorityon March 28 when he has been asked by the Governor to go for a floor test.

Sources said Congress and PDF MLAs loyal to Rawat have been put up at different places in Nainital district, including Ramnagar, Kausani and Marchula.

The move comes in the wake of repeated claims by legislators of the rebel Congress group, camping in Gurgaon, that a couple of more MLAs from Rawat camp were likely to join hands with them.

Meanwhile, in a statement here former Congress veteran Satpal Maharaj, who is now with the BJP, hit back at Rawat for his charge against BJP leadership that it was trying to topple a democratically elected government saying it was exactly what Rawat did with N D Tiwari's government in the state.

"Rawat seems to have forgotten what he used to do with Tiwari ji when he was the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. Was it not murder of democracy to destabilise Tiwari ji's govt? Is it democratic to deprive BJP MLA from Mussoorie Ganesh Joshi of his right to vote in the state Assembly?" Maharaj said.

(REOPENS DEL51)



In the midst of the raging political storm in Uttarakhand, Rawat accused the Centre of quelling dissent and trying to eliminate Congress in the country.

"The government at the Centre is out to quell dissent of all types. They are out to eliminate Congress everywhere even if that means toppling opposition governments in states. If a Dalit youth raises his voice against injustice he is forced to die. If a backward class student vents dissent he is put behind bars. Efforts are made to topple opposition governments. First they did it in Arunachal and now they are doing it in Uttarakhand," he said addressing party workers here.

Rawat said he was handing over the battle against communal, corrupt and anti-social forces to the people of Uttarakhand and asked them combat them with all their might.

"We talk of the Ganga, the poor and the villages but conspiracies are hatched to remove us with the power of money," he said.
Riot police in Congo used tear gas to disperse 200 opposition supporters who were trying to get into a polling station during counting in the country's presidential election, an AFP journalist saw.

Dozens of heavily armed police yesterday fired tear gas at the supporters of opposition candidate Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas and chased them away from the polling station in the south of the capital Brazzaville.
A forest officer fired into the air to scare away a mob which attacked two policemen and pelted stones at the office of Forest department to protest the arrest of two villagers in connection with the death of a tigress.

Carcass of a full-grown tigress was found floating in a pond in Zari forest area near here recently. Lab test confirmed the animal's death was caused by electric shock, Forest Department sources said.

Accordingly, a father-son duo from village Pilki Wadhona were arrested on Friday by forest officials on charges of releasing electric current on the barbed wire fence of their farm which caused the big cat's death, they said.

Angry over the action, a group of villagers gathered near the forest office at Mukutben late in the night and demanded the release of Shankar Sambhaji Kurle and his son Pravin.

When the forest officials did not pay heed to their demand, the mob started pelting stones at the office. They smashed the window panes of a car parked in the premises and tried to set it on fire, the sources said.

The villagers also thrashed two police constables on duty, leaving them injured. As the situation appeared out of control, Range Forest Officer (RFO) of Pandharkawda Forest Division Ratnaparkhi opened fire into the air to disperse the mob, they said.

Police forces from nearby towns were dispatched to maintain law and order in the village, where the situation is tense but under control.
Australian authorities said today coral bleaching occurring in the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef had become "severe", the highest alert level, as sea temperatures warm.

Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt said while the bleaching at this stage was not as severe as in 1998 and 2002, also El Nino-related events, "it is however, in the northern parts a cause for concern".

"The reef is 2,300 kilometres long and the bottom three-quarters is in strong condition, but as we head north, it becomes increasingly prone to bleaching," Hunt said after an aerial tour of some of the affected areas, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

"Essentially what you could see was patches of coral bleaching as you approached Lizard Island (located in the Barrier Reef)."



The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said the highest response level, which it described as a "severe regional bleaching", allowed them to step up surveys to understand what was happening.

Hunt said the government would fund a survey of 40 sites in the reef area, which had been investigated in 2012, in September to assess the health of corals and potential recovery options.

"This information is particularly important for the future understanding of the reef given that the frequency of coral bleaching events and the severity of tropical cyclones are predicted to increase in the future," the minister said in a statement.

Bleaching is a phenomenon that turns corals white or fades their colours, threatening a valuable source of biodiversity, tourism and fishing.

It occurs when reef symbiosis -- the mutually beneficial relationship between two organisms that inhabit corals -- is disrupted by a rise in ocean warming, although there can also be other causes.

The reef -- the world's biggest coral reef ecosystem -- is already struggling from the threat of climate change, as well as farming run-off, development and the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.

It narrowly avoided being put on the UN World Heritage in danger list last year with Canberra working on a plan to improve the reef's health over successive decades.
Television cameras will be allowed into UK crown courts for the first time under a pilot scheme to bring in "more openness" and "transparency", Justice Minister Shailesh Vara announced today.

During the pilot, sentencing remarks made by senior judges at eight courts, including London's Old Bailey, would be filmed but not broadcast.

Announcing the historic scheme, the Indian-origin justice minister Vara said: "My hope is that this will lead to more openness and transparency as to what happens in our courts.

"Broadcasting sentencing remarks would allow the public to see and hear the judge's decision in their own words," the 55-year-old Conservative leader said.

The footage will not be broadcast but the historic move could pave the way for the first live coverage of Crown Court cases, British media commented.

Filming other court users, including defendants, witnesses and victims, would remain banned.

Filming has been allowed only at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

In Scotland, broadcasters have been able to apply to televise court proceedings since 1992 but this rarely happens, the BBC said.

In addition to the Old Bailey, the three-month pilot will run at courts at Southwark in south London, Manchester (Crown Square), Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds and Cardiff.

Commenting on the historic move, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd said he would work with the Ministry of Justice to assess the impact of cameras in court.

"I am interested to see how this pilot progresses and will work with the Ministry of Justice to assess the impact of cameras in court," Cwmgiedd was quoted as saying in a Justice Ministry press release.

Crown courts are open to the press and public but filming and recording is banned under section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925 and the Contempt of Court Act.

Filming has been possible in the Court of Appeal, which is based at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, since 2013.

Proceedings in the Supreme Court - the final court of appeal for civil cases in the UK and for criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland - have been filmed since it was established in 2009.

"Safeguards will be put in place to make sure victims continue to be supported and the administration of justice is not affected," the ministry press release said.

"The cameras will film only the judge. The filming of all other court users, including staff; victims; witnesses, defendants and advocates will remain prohibited.

The government will work with broadcasters to support the pilot at no cost to the public, the release said.
All India Insurance Employees Union affiliated to CPI(M) today offered to bear the entire education expenses of Kausalya, widow of the Dalit youth Shankar, who was hacked to death in a suspected case of honour killing last week.

Talking to reporters after meeting Kausalya, undergoing treatment at the Government Hospital here for her injuries in the attack, CPI(M) MLA K Thangavel, along with office bearers of AIIEU, said the union has assured to meet her education expenses.

Kausalya is doing engineering course in a private college.

Shankar (22) and Kausalya (19), whose inter-caste marriage was opposed by their families, were attacked by a gang, who came on a motorcycle, with sickles in full public view on March 13 in nearby Tirupur district, resulting in the death of the husband.

The couple, married eight months ago despite opposition from their families, were waiting at the Udumalpet bus stand when they were attacked.

Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident and they were charged under various sections of IPC including 302 (murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons) and also under the stringent provisions of SC/SC (Prevention of Atrocities Act).
Cuban police arrested dozens of people protesting against the communist government today in Havana, just hours before US President Barack Obama was due on a three-day visit.

The protesters were from the Ladies in White group, formed by wives of former political prisoners. Police bundled them into vehicles outside a church where they attempt to hold protests every Sunday, AFP reporters said.

Although the arrests are an almost weekly feature and the protesters are quickly released, the incident was embarrassing ahead of Obama's landmark visit.

He is the first sitting US president to come to the island in 88 years and is aiming to end a decades-long Cold War-era standoff. The White House says Obama will raise the issue of human rights in Cuba, while Havana insists that domestic politics are "off the table."



Police on the scene declined to tell journalists why they had made the arrests. One of those detained was Ladies in White leader Berta Soler.

Soler is among a group of civil society leaders invited to meet Obama on Tuesday. However, she told AFP she has not decided whether or not to accept, telling Obama "you said you would not come here unless there had been advances in human rights -- and that hasn't happened.
Syrian opposition activists say the death toll from purported Russian airstrikes on the IS-held city of Raqqa in the past 24 hours has climbed to at least 55, mostly civilians.

The extremist group has controlled the city in northern Syrian since 2013 and considers it the capital of its self-styled caliphate.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents the conflict through activists on the ground, said 55 people have been killed, including 13 children and a pregnant woman, in a series of Russian airstrikes that hit residential areas.

The anti-Islamic State activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently also said the airstrikes were by Russian warplanes and put the number of deaths at 60.

The IS-affiliated agency Aamaq said 43 were killed and 60 wounded.
Indian deities like Saraswati, Ganesha and Lakshmi have found their way to Japan where they are worshipped even today, according to a documentary.

Titled "Indian Deities Worshipped in Japan" and made for XPD division of Ministry of External Affairs, the documentary by art historian Benoy K Behl was screened here yesterday.

Behl said he got access to some of the most inaccessible worship places to research and document the shared cultural connection between the two countries.

"People here follow religion and spirituality as a pure science guided by ancient doctrines of Vajrayana, etched in Sanskrit and tracing their roots to Nalanda in Bihar," Behl told PTI.

"How will you feel when a Japanese Buddhist priest tell you that out of all the Gods worshiped in Japan, more than eighty per cent are Indian! Do not be surprised if you see an idol of Goddess Saraswati or Ganesha while adoring the cherry blossoms in the 'Land of Rising Sun'," he added.

The documentary includes filming of around 50 temples in Japan and a strong base of spiritual past it shares with India, merged in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Japanese have kept alive the connection of Saraswati with water, while in India it is primarily associated with music or wisdom, Behl said. In fact in Japan, there are hundreds of shrines to Saraswati alone.

The documentary also showcases representations of Laksmi, Indra, Brahma, Ganesha and other Hindu deities, said Behl, who got access to these sacred places through a fellowship from Japan Foundation and Japanese foreign ministry.

"These places are quite inaccessible for general public and photography is strictly prohibited. But I am grateful to all those 50 temples which opened their doors," he said.

Every monastery in the country has got a 'Beejmantra' there. Although they cannot understand Sanskrit but still they have epithets and Sanskrit symbols which are held in utmost reverence.

He also said that the coming together of Japan and India is a very good sign.

"In fact, Prime Minister Modi on his next visit to Japan will be presenting the Japanese premiere with this documentary edited for Japanese viewing", he said.
The Delhi High Court said it has no jurisdiction to ask authorities of Mumbai Central Jail as to why a prisoner, who has been incarcerated there, was not provided books required for a course on homeopathy.

"It requires debate. I cannot direct the state or Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH). If he (petitioner) would have been in Delhi, then I would have directed...," a bench of Justice Manmohan said.

The court, however, was of the view that CCRH should give books to Tihar Jail free of cost.

Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, an accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, had sent a letter in 2012 to Delhi High Court, after Central Information Commission (CIC) had denied his request to be given 45 books published by CCRH under the RTI Act.

The court had converted the letter to a PIL, and issued notice to Delhi prison authorities and the central government on the issue of whether rights under RTI Act were available to the prisoner, and whether published books could be brought under the RTI Act.

The CCRH and the CIC, however, said the books could not be provided under RTI as they were "priced publications" which could only be given at a cost, and not for free under the RTI Act.

Advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing on behalf of the Delhi government, told the court that Tihar Jail had a "welfare programme" under which it could have paid the fee under the RTI Act or purchased the books.

However, the Delhi government said that Delhi authorities did not have any jurisdiction as the prisoner was lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.

Advocate Sumeet Pushkarna, who had appeared as amicus curiae in the case, also argued that the jail authorities and the government should have purchased the books for Siddiqui, or given e-books or "soft copies" of the books, in case the purchase of the hard copies of the books was too expensive.

"They should get CCRH to provide copies, it's a government publication," argued Pushkarna.
Venezuelan authorities say an Egyptian visitor has been killed during what appears to be a botched robbery at Caracas' international airport.

The Attorney General's Office says in a statement said the 30-year-old Egyptian was killed Saturday afternoon as he was walking along an outdoor corridor near a terminal. He had arrived on a flight from Frankfurt, Germany.

He apparently resisted a robbery attempt and was shot by assailants on a motorcycle.

Violence is soaring in crisis-wracked Venezuela, and the country's murder rate is among the highest in the world. The government has struggled to reassure tourists and international businesses that the country remains a safe place to visit.
Hundreds of Ethiopian Israelis marched in Jerusalem today after the government cancelled plans to allow their relatives to emigrate from the African nation, calling the move discrimination.

The Israeli government had in November voted to allow the immigration of some 9,100 Ethiopians known as Falash Mura, descendants of Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity, many under duress, in the 18th and 19th centuries.

But on March 7, an official from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office informed members of parliament the decision would not be implemented because of budgetary constraints.

Police and organisers estimated the crowd at up to 2,000 people for Sunday's march, which ended outside Netanyahu's office.

"Stop the suffering, stop the discrimination, stop the racism," demonstrators chanted, holding signs bearing similar slogans as well as pictures of relatives left behind in Ethiopia.

"Our children, our parents are in Ethiopia," they chanted, marching alongside elderly residents wearing more traditional garb, some leaning on canes.

Antaihe Cheol, a 30-year-old resident of northern Israel, said his father and brother have been waiting to immigrate for 20 years.

"This is simply discrimination," he told AFP.

His friend Ashebo noted that the government actively encourages immigration of Jews from France, the United States and Russia.

"When it comes to Jews from Ethiopia -- everyone refuses," he said. "It's embarrassing."



Officials in Netanyahu's office would not comment on the issue.

Leading the demonstration was MP Avraham Neguise, himself an immigrant from Ethiopia and a member of Netanyahu's Likud party.
A rescue dog in the US now spends his days staring at a blank wall after his would-be adoptees pulled out at the last minute.

Photographs of March, a pit mix, show the canine in the depths of depression.

Living in animal rescue shelter ACCT in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since he was brought in as a stray, the dog was finally due to be rescued.

But at the last minute, his new family pulled out of the deal and March was taken back to the shelter, media reports said.

Since then, March has spent his days facing the plain grey wall in his kennel, and interest in him has sharply declined.

Gripped with melancholy, he is now said to be getting sick with sadness.

A Fox reporter, who witnessed March's dejection first hand, posted on Facebook: "This boy thought he was about to embark on a better life, only to be returned to the scary Philadelphia city shelter.

"Sadly, he has barely gotten any notice, and he is getting depressed and sick now.

"He was such a happy boy, but shelter life is taking a toll on him."



Described as a 'handsome' dog by volunteers, a fund has now been set up by sympathisers to find March a home.

Already raising USD 709 in just over a day, organisers hope this will be the boost March needs, the reports said.
The FBI will help Bangladesh to probe the audacious central bank cyber heist from its foreign exchange account, authorities said today, days after finance minister hinted at insider involvement in the USD 81 million scam that shocked the financial world.

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will team up with Bangladesh police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the cyber heist at Bangladesh Bank's account with New York's Federal Reserve Bank," said CID's additional Deputy Inspector General Shah Alam after a meeting a senior FBI official here.

"The meeting's agenda spanned around technical aspects. We will have cyber experts who will trace the IP address of the hackers and the financial beneficiaries," Shah Alam was quoted as saying by the Daily Star.

Earlier on Friday, Finance minister AMA Muhith has hinted at insider involvement in the cross-country heist.

"Of course, it (heist) would have never been possible unless some of the local people (Bangladesh Bank officials) were involved...The order for the transaction has to be complied with only after biometrics of six people are confirmed," Muhith has said.

In a scam that shocked the financial world, unknown hackers tried to steal around USD 1 billion from Bangladesh's deposits with the US Federal Reserve in New York on February 5, using information stolen through the malware.

They got away with USD 81 million which was entered into the banking system of the Philippines while some amount to the Sri Lanka visibly to be used in casino businesses.

The issue came to surface only after a month and resulted in major changes to Bangladesh Bank's management.

Bangladesh central bank governor Atiur Rahman, his two deputies and the country's top banking bureaucrat lost their jobs following the theft that has raised serious questions over the safety of its foreign exchange reserves of over USD 27 billion.

Uncertainty over the recovery of the stolen amount from the Philippines remain as reports from Manila said the amount by now appeared to have transferred out of the country.
Fire broke out at a dumping ground in Mulund, eastern suburb of Mumbai, police said today.

No one was reported hurt in the incident, they said.

According to disaster control officials, the blaze erupted in the dumping ground at around 10.35 PM last night and they were informed about it by fire brigade personnel at about 10.42 PM.

More than three fire tenders and water tankers then rushed to the spot and managed to control the blaze, police said.

The cooling operation was still going on, they said, adding that cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
Dubai-based budget carrier flydubai today announced a $20,000 financial assistance to the kin of each of the 62 passengers, including an Indian couple, aboard its ill- fated flight bound for Russia that crashed after missing the runway in bad weather.

Flydubai, a sister firm of Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates Airlines, said in a statement that at present, its priority is to identify and contact the families of the victims on board flight FZ981 and provide immediate support to those affected.

"flydubai will additionally organise a programme of hardship payments to the families amounting to $20,000 per passenger, in accordance with our Conditions of Carriage, with the aim of addressing immediate financial needs," the statement said.

The Boeing 737-800, which took off from her for the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, exploded into a fireball early yesterday after it was believed to have missed the runway amid bad weather during its second attempt to land after circling for several hours.

All 55 passengers and seven crew members on board the airliner were declared instantly dead. The deceased, that included Indians Mohan Shyam and his wife Anju Kathirvel Aiyappa, were mostly Russians.

The passengers included 33 women, 18 men and four children while of the seven crew members, five were men and two were women.

Representatives from the state-owned budget airline were arriving in Rostov-on-Don - a city of some 1 million around 1,000 kilometres south of Moscow to aid the criminal probe into whether pilot error, a technical fault or poor weather was to blame for the accident.

Flydubai was set up by the Dubai government in 2008 to mirror the success its flagship carrier Emirates Airline has had in long-haul flying in the low-cost segment.
Punjab Congress leader Amarinder Singh's son has been summoned by a court in Ludhiana on a complaint by the Income Tax Department regarding his foreign assets.

"Raninder Singh be summoned on July 26 under Section 277 of the Income Tax Act and Sections 177 and 181 of the IPC," Ludhiana's Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Ranjiv Vashishta ordered yesterday.

The IT department had alleged that Raninder made false statements twice under oath, denying being a beneficiary of foreign assets or having association with any such foreign entity, officials said here.

The department had credible information that the accused was a beneficiary of foreign assets, maintained and controlled through business entities, the official added.

Meanwhile, Amarinder Singh today dismissed the IT department complaint against his son, as a "classic case of political vendetta borne out of bruised egos and haunting memory of a humiliating defeat".

Reacting to the complaint, the Punjab Congress chief said that he had full faith in the judiciary and expressed confidence that his son will come out clean.

The PCC president said,it was not for the first time that the issue had been raked up.

"They have been doing it for the last two years since my Amritsar election and every time they tried it, they failed miserably and they will fail once again," he said.

The issue was also raised by Narendra Modi and Subramanian Swamy during an election speech in Barmer and Subramanian Swamy in run up to the 2014 General Elections.

He said,the very timing of the complaint and the way it was circulated to the media proves beyond any doubt the real intentions of the people at whose behest it was being done.

"Otherwise how come the copies of the complaint were



circulated among the media almost at the same time while it was being lodged in the court?" Singh asked.

"Because they knew that the complaint will not hold any ground in the judicial process, they decided to go for a concurrent media trial ... To defame me much before the Honourable court comes out with its judgment," he said.

"I thought Union Minister Arun Jaitley had put his humiliating defeat behind him,..." Amarinder said



"It seems that every time he (Jaitley ) recalls the 2014 April of Amritsar his bruised ego haunts him and it concludes in an IT notice/ case against one or the other of my family members from time to time," he quipped.

The former Chief Minister said, he was not the only one in the Congress who was being targeted by the BJP government at the Centre, particularly its finance minister.

"This list is long and it tends to get longer with passage of time," he remarked, while claiming how the BJP government had tried to "falsely implicate" the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Vice President Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram, his son and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbadra Singh.

Singh said, with the elections in Punjab less than a year away and the BJP and their alliance government in the state headed for a complete rout, the central government was trying to contrive and create false accusations and allegations against his family.

"Every time these allegations have fallen flat and these will fall flat once more", he said, while expressing faith and confidence in country's judicial system.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today hit out at Bihar's ruling Grand Secular Alliance for failing to pay salaries to school teachers for over four months alleging the state government was trying to "mislead" people over the issue.

"Lakhs of school teachers will have colourless Holi this year as they have not got their salaries for four months and the state government is trying to mislead people by saying it has not received funds under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan for making payment to the teachers," he said in a release.

The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, said the government can pay the teachers from Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan funds of Rs 1,270 crore of the state's share.

Modi, his counterpart in the Assembly Prem Kumar and state BJP chief Mangal Pandey had yesterday said they would return gifts, like microwave oven, they received during the ongoing budget session, to the government, as lakhs of school teachers are going without salary for over four months.

The Education Department had on Friday distributed microwave oven, costing over Rs 11,000 each, to the legislators drawing sharp criticism from various quarters.

State Education Minister Ashok Chaudhary had defended the distribution of gifts saying it is customary during budget session and microwave ovens will enable the beneficiaries to taste quality of Mid-Day Meal (MDM) during inspection in schools.
The Centre has notified that only accredited consultants will be allowed to prepare environment impact assessment reports and environment management plan for the projects seeking green clearances.

The directive has come after the Environment Ministry barred UP-based Mantec Consultants for one year for preparing impact assessment and management plan reports for 10 projects of state-owned Kandla Port Trust without any permission.

The impact assessment (EIA) and management plan (EMP) for any project seeking environment clearance are prepared only after the Environment Ministry issues terms of reference.

"The Environmental consultant organisations which are accredited for a particular sector and the category of project for that sector with the Quality Council of India or National Accreditation Board for Education and Training or any other agency as may be notified by the Ministry of Environment from time to time shall be allowed to prepare EIA and EMP of a project in that sector and category," according to the notification dated March 3.

Only accredited consultants will appear before the concerned Expert Appraisal Committee or the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC), it said.

The Ministry will also prepare a panel of national-level reputed educational and research institutions to work as environmental consultant organisations, it added.
Greece will not be able to start sending refugees back to Turkey from Sunday, the government said, as the country struggles to implement a key deal aimed at easing Europe's migrant crisis.

Under the agreement clinched between Brussels and Anakara last week, migrants who reach the Greek islands will be deported back to Turkey. For every Syrian returned, the EU will resettle one from a Turkish refugee camp.

The deal aims to strangle the main route used by migrants travelling to the EU and discourage people smugglers, but it has faced criticism from rights groups and thousands took to the streets of Europe in protest.

Greek premier Alexis Tsipras told his ministers on Saturday afternoon to be ready to begin deporting people the following day, as agreed, but officials said afterwards they needed more time to prepare.

"The agreement to send back new arrivals on the islands should, according to the text, enter into force on March 20," the government coordinator for migration policy (migration coordination agency) spokesman Giorgos Kyritsis told AFP.

"But a plan like this cannot be put in place in only 24 hours," he explained.

Around 1,500 people crossed the Aegean to Greece's islands Friday before the deal was brought in, officials said  more than double the day before and compared with several hundred a day earlier this week.

A four-month-old baby drowned when a migrant boat sank off the Turkish coast Saturday hours before the deal came into force, Turkey's Anatolia agency reported.

Hundreds of security and legal experts, 2,300 according to Tsipras, are set to arrive in Greece to help enforce the deal, described as "Herculean" by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

Paris and Berlin have pledged to send 600 police and asylum experts to Greece, according to a joint letter seen by AFP.

But Greek officials said they were still waiting for the extra personnel, and without them they would struggle to enforce the new accord.

"We still don't know how the deal will be implemented in practice," a police source on the island of Lesbos told AFP.

"Above all, we are waiting for the staff Europe promised to be able to quickly process asylum applications  translators, lawyers, police officers  because we cannot do it alone," he added.

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.
Israeli police said a Palestinian home has been set on fire near the site of an arson attack that killed three Palestinians last year.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the suspected arson attack took place early today in the West Bank village of Duma.

Palestinian officials said attackers broke Ibrahim Dawabsheh's bedroom window and set the house on fire.

Dawabsheh is a relative of last year's victims and a key witness to the attack. He is testifying before an Israeli court in the suspected perpetrators' trial. He was unharmed but his wife suffered from smoke inhalation.

Last July, suspected Jewish settlers hurled firebombs into a home, killing 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh. His mother, Riham, and father, Saad, later died of their wounds. Ali's 4-year-old brother Ahmad survived.
The teenage face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement announced today he will head a new political party to be set up to contest legislative elections in September.

Joshua Wong, 19, was at the forefront of mass rallies which brought parts of the semi-autonomous Chinese city to a standstill in 2014 as residents called for fully free elections for future leaders.

The 79-day protest which blocked several major roads failed to win any concessions from the Hong Kong or Chinese governments.

Wong's announcement came at a time when more radical young activists are gaining a foothold in mainstream politics, with one student leader who calls for independence from China taking tens of thousands of votes in a recent poll.

"It's time for us to change our position," Wong told a press conference at which he announced he was disbanding the student activist group Scholarism, of which he is convenor, to form the new party.

He said the new party would aimed to nurture politicians who could push for "self-determination" among residents over the city's future.

Wong cannot himself stand for election until he is 21.

Hong Kong was returned to China by Britain in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal which for at least 50 years allows it much greater freedoms than seen on the mainland.

But there are fears that Beijing's influence is increasing and these freedoms are being eroded.

Some "localist" activists are calling for greater autonomy from Beijing or even independence -- an unthinkable option for Beijing.
IIT-Roorkee is giving the innovation hub in its campus a new push and has targeted to produce at least 100 entrepreneurs by next year besides shaping up an ecosystem where its alumni network world over would play the role of a mentor in guiding students from "ideation to execution".

As part of this new vision, the sprawling campus on Friday got a 'Tinkering Lab' which was inaugurated by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on the opening day of the college's technology festival 'Cognizance 2016'. Parrikar also inspected some of the models on display.

"The Tinkering Lab as the name suggests is a place where students can literally tinker around with ideas, without any fixed agenda or set up, and thus allow their imagination to run riot.

"And, once they have arrived at some shape as to the final output, that can be taken further or incubated," Director, IIT-Roorkee, Pradipta Banerji told PTI.

In the opening remarks at the festival which concluded today, Banerji said any idea or vision--stands on three legs-theory, practice and innovation --and Parrikar had later added that the "fourth leg" was the ecosystem for innovation, which the government was committed to provide.

The Defence Ministry has already set the ball rolling for DRDO and other organisations under it to collaborate with some of the IITs, NITs, IISc and other top institutions to tap innovation from academic campuses for design and production, Parrikar said.

In his address to a massive gathering of students at the Convocation Hall, which once served as a hangar, Parrikar emphasised the need to think "out of the box".

"As students you must contribute to the India's growth story and come up with innovative ideas.

"This hall was a hangar during the Second World War and now it's a wonderful Convocation Hall, so you see the spirit of innovation is already here," he said.

Banerji, elaborating the vision in this domain, said labs



like the new one, besides the existing incubation centres will "further fuel" the entrepreneurial spirit of the students, and "by next year we expect to produce at least 100 innovators".

"We have also begun the process to harness our alumni strength which spans from Bombay to Bay Area, and create an ecosystem where they play the role of mentors to these young minds, sharing their own success mantras thus serving as role models and also in guiding them," he said.

IIT-Roorkee's parent institution, over 160-year-old Thomason College of Civil Engineering, the pioneering engineering institution in the country was created to train engineers for the construction of the Ganga Canal, considered an engineering marvel to this day.

It was converted into a university soon after independence and in 2001 given the status of an IIT.

"The college has its own legacy and stories to tell and inspire students and with new tinkering lab will add a further push to our goals for continuous innovation.

"The new lab is spread in 12,000 sq ft and has two floors, housing two auditoriums where students can also hold seminars to discuss new ideas," Banerji said.
Our brain has to forget the things which we have learned earlier in order to grasp new things, according to a new study.

Once you have learned to ride a bicycle, you never forget how to do it. But new research from European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and University Pablo Olavide in Spain suggests that while learning, the brain is actively trying to forget.

"This is the first time that a pathway in the brain has been linked to forgetting, to actively erasing memories," said Cornelius Gross from EMBL.

At the simplest level, learning involves making associations, and remembering them. Working with mice, researchers studied the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is long been known to help form memories. Information enters this part of the brain through three different routes.

As memories are cemented, connections between neurons along the 'main' route become stronger.

When they blocked this main route, scientists found that the mice were no longer capable of learning a Pavlovian response - associating a sound to a consequence, and anticipating that consequence.

But if the mice had learned that association before the scientists stopped information flow in that main route, they could still retrieve that memory.

This confirmed that this route is involved in forming memories, but is not essential for recalling those memories. The latter probably involves the second route into the hippocampus, researchers suggest.

But blocking that main route had an unexpected consequence - the connections along it were weakened, meaning the memory was being erased.

"Simply blocking this pathway should not have an effect on its strength. When we investigated further, we discovered that activity in one of the other pathways was driving this weakening," said Agnes Gruart from University Pablo Olavide.

This active push for forgetting only happens in learning situations. When scientists blocked the main route into the hippocampus under other circumstances, the strength of its connections remained unaltered.

"One explanation for this is that there is limited space in the brain, so when you are learning, you have to weaken some connections to make room for others," said Gross.

"To learn new things, you have to forget things you've learned before," he said.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
India has received the draft framework on the proposed economic and technology corporation agreement with Sri Lanka, the Indian envoy has said here, assuring that India will ensure that the deal benefits people of both countries.

"Last week we have received the draft of the agreement prepared by Sri Lanka. India is currently studying it and a response will be sent," Indian High Commissioner Y K Sinha said during a visit to the central town of Kandy to meet with the Buddhist religious leaders based there.

Sinha said that the Economic and Technology Corporation Agreement deal was proposed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe when he visited India last September.

He said that India has been given only the outline of the agreement and proper negotiations have not yet commenced.

The ETCA agreement seeks to boost cooperation in technical areas, scientific expertise and research amongst institutions, boost standards of goods and services able to compete on the global market and improve opportunities for manpower training and human resource development.

ETCA has become a political issue for the government with opposition and professional groups protesting against it, claiming that it would deny job opportunities for Sri Lankans with an influx of Indian job seekers to Sri Lanka.

Opposition political parties in Sri Lanka have raised concerns about the agreement saying it will not benefit Sri Lanka.

Sinha, however, assured that India will work with Sri Lanka to ensure that the agreement benefits "the people of both countries".

The Indian envoy himself has come under fire from the opposition and professional groups who even suggested that he be expelled for his ETCA favoured comments.

Sinha also talked about the proposed Indian ambulance service to be established in Sri Lanka.

"All personnel nurses, paramedics and drivers will be Sri Lankan and they will be trained in Hyderabad," Sinha said.
UK-based FMCG major RB expects India to be among its top three markets globally soon with health and hygiene business led by power brands such as Dettol, Harpic and Durex to drive growth in the country.

The company is betting on emergence of e-commerce, besides its traditional retail channels, along with rural markets for enhanced sales in India, which is currently among its top five markets.

"We are a big business for the group and we are steadily climbing the rankings. We are not in top three at the moment but potentially we are among top five countries and we are very close to it... We would be there very soon," RB South Asia Regional Director Nitish Kapoor told PTI.

In order to achieve the target, RB India will expand its product portfolio and plans to launch vitamin, minerals and supplements under its health and hygienes business.

In 2015, RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser) as a group had a revenue of 8,874 million pounds (Rs 85,246.74 crore) and its DvM (developing markets) had contributed 2,695 million pounds.

DvM comprises North Africa, the Middle East (excluding Israel), and Turkey, Africa, South Asia, North Asia, Latin America, Japan, Korea and ASEAN.

With rural sales accounting for 30 per cent of its sales, RB India is coming up with different packaging and smaller sizes to suit low income group to further increase it, besides being an active partner in government's Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.

"So now we have smaller packs on Dettol soaps, Dettol hand wash, Veet, Vanish and Lizol," he said.

Bullish on the rural sales, Kapoor said: "Contrary to what everybody is saying that rural sales is slowing down, we are definitely bullish on rural market...Rural is our fastest growing channel."



The company has set up its own sub-distributors directly in villages as against the earlier practice of selling items in these markets through a wholesale distributor.

"We have increased our numeric distribution in urban area by almost 20 per cent in last two years and we have now gone to by the end of this quarter we have 6,500 villages directly," Kapoor said.

On the e-commerce channel, Kapoor said the company expects contribution from the channel to its total sales to be in double digits in the next five years. Currently onlines sales contributes less than one per cent of RB India's total sales.

"Currently its less than 1 per cent... I am pretty confident that why it should not be in the double digit in five years," he said adding that in countries like China online sales contribute 15 per cent of RB's total sales and in some segment its around 25 per cent.

RB India has key brands includes Dettol, Colin, Disprin, Air Wick, Cherry Blossom, Harpic, Lizol, Mortein, Strepsils, Vanish, Veet, Itchguard, Ringguard, Moov etc.
An Indian sailor, who was taken hostage by pirates nearly a month-and-a-half ago, has been "rescued", External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said today.

"I happy to inform the rescue of the 11th sailor Rohan Ruparalia," Swaraj tweeted.

Rohan was taken hostage after his ship with 10 other Indians on board was seized by pirates off the Ivory Coast on February 11.

While 10 Indian crew members were rescued by Nigerian Navy from the vessel Maximus on February 19, Rohan was taken hostage by the pirates.

Later, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said with this, all 11 Indian crew members are safe and secure and are returning to India in batches.

Rohan has been rescued and is flying back to India tonight, Swarup added.
A man found dead inside a car under mysterious circumstances following a road accident in Canada's Surrey is said to be an Indo-Canadian with alleged links to drug trade, media reports said.

Though police was probing the case with all possible angles including a murder as well as fatal accident, a local media report said the deceased was Lucky Dhanoa.

The incident took place at a residential area in the Newton area of Surrey in British Columbia on March 11.

Police said that fatal injuries of the deceased were "inconsistent" with a car crash and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was looking into the 'suspicious' death, CBC reported.

When police arrived on scene, they found a man, who the media report said was Dhanoa, suffering from injuries they said were "inconsistent" with a car crash.

He was the lone occupant of the vehicle. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died a short time later.

Dhanoa was allegedly involved in the local drug trade, and was found with drugs and money at the time of his death, according to a separate media report.

"We are in the evidence gathering stage at this time," Sergeant Stephanie Ashton said last week.
Investigators in southern Russia today were probing the causes of a flydubai passenger jet crash that killed all 62 people on board, including an Indian couple, as emergency workers at the site wrapped up the salvage operation.

The Boeing 737, which flew from Dubai to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, exploded into a fireball early yesterday after missing the runway in bad weather as it was reportedly making its second attempt to land after circling for several hours.

Investigators confirmed that all 55 passengers and seven crew - including nine different nationalities, with two from India and 45 coming from Russia - died instantly and launched a criminal probe into whether pilot error, a technical fault or poor weather was to blame. The Indians killed were identified as Mohan Shyam and wife Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan.

Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said today that emergency service workers had completed their "search and rescue" operation by 1130 IST at the site where tangled debris was spread across a wide area.

Investigators were to spend the day combing the scene for clues of what caused the crash, Sokolov said, with representatives from state-owned budget airline flydubai - a sister firm of Emirates Airlines - arriving to aid the probe.

Sources told Russian agencies that the two black boxes from the Boeing jet -- holding vital flight data -- had been transported to Moscow for examination.

Authorities also said they were starting the grisly task of identifying the collected human remains using DNA samples from relatives.

Residents in Rostov-on-Don - a city of some 1 million around 1,000 kilometres south of Moscow laid flowers and cuddly toys at the airport entrance as they tried to digest the tragedy.

"I came to give remembrance to those who died. I am from Rostov myself and although I don't personally know those killed, a lot of names are well known, it's a small city," local resident Boris told AFP.

The arrivals and departures boards in the terminal were red with cancelled flights as the airport remained closed but officials said that it could start working again normally as early as tomorrow.

The passengers on board flight FZ981, which took off from Dubai at 2350 IST Friday and had been due to land at 0410 IST, 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.

Investigators said in an initial statement yesterday that 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.

Unconfirmed security footage on Russian state television appeared to show the jet plummeting nose first into the ground at high speed before exploding. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash.
Investigators in southern Russia were today probing the causes of a flydubai passenger jet crash that killed all 62 people on board, including an Indian couple, as emergency workers at the site wrapped up the salvage operation.

The Boeing 737, which flew from Dubai to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, exploded into a fireball early yesterday after missing the runway in bad weather.

It had reportedly been making its second attempt to land after circling for several hours.

Investigators said all 55 passengers and seven crew -- including nine different nationalities, with 45 from Russia -- had died instantly. They launched a criminal probe into whether pilot error, a technical fault or poor weather was to blame.

Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said emergency service workers had completed their "search and rescue" operation at the site, where tangled debris was spread across a wide area.

Investigators were spending the day combing the scene for clues of what caused the crash, Sokolov said, with experts from state-owned budget airline flydubai -- a sister firm of Emirates Airlines -- and the UAE authorities aiding the probe.

Some 40 people, including air traffic controllers, officials from the regional meteorological centre, and flydubai representatives, had been questioned as part of the probe, investigators said.

Sources told Russian agencies that the two black boxes from the jet -- holding vital flight data -- had been transported to Moscow for examination.

Authorities also said they were starting the grisly task of identifying the collected human remains using DNA samples from relatives.

Residents in Rostov-on-Don -- a city of some 1 million around 1,000 kilometres south of Moscow -- laid flowers and cuddly toys at the airport entrance as they tried to digest the tragedy.

"I am from Rostov myself and although I don't personally know those killed, a lot of names are well known, it's a small city," local resident Boris told AFP.

The arrivals and departures boards in the terminal were red with cancelled flights as the airport remained closed, but deputy regional governor Alexander Grebenshchikov said it would open again at 0600 GMT (1130 IST) tomorrow.

The passengers on board flight FZ981 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.
Iraq today exported the first shipment of natural gas in its history, a key development for the OPEC member struggling to feed a cash-strapped economy amid an expensive fight against the Islamic State group.

The move revives a long-sought ambition by Iraq to be a gas exporter, thanks to a joint venture with Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Japan's Mitsubishi Corp.

Iraq first planned to begin exporting gas in the late 1970s, but that timeline was delayed by the Iraq-Iran war when Iraqi export ports were bombed.

A Panama-flagged gas carrier sailed Sunday afternoon from Iraq's southern port of Umm Qasr on the Persian Gulf with a cargo of about 10,000 standard cubic feet of gas in the form of condensates, Oil Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad said.

Jihad wouldn't reveal how much the cargo was worth or the buyer, but he added that the next cargo will be shipped by the end of this month.

In November 2011, Iraq signed a USD 17 billion deal to form a joint venture to gather, process and market gas from three oil fields in the oil-rich province of Basra.

The fields are the 17.8 billion-barrel Rumaila, the 4.1 billion barrel Zubair field and the 8.6 billion barrel West Qurna Stage 1.

In the 25-year joint venture, called the Basra Gas Company, Iraq holds a 51-per cent stake and Royal Dutch Shell has 44 per cent, with the remaining 5 per cent for Mitsubishi.

According the International Energy Agency, Iraq has estimated natural gas reserves of 112 trillion cubic meters, making it the 11th largest in the world.

The inauguration of Iraq's gas industry is meant to boost the coffers of a government badly in need of cash to fund ongoing military operations against IS extremists, who control key areas of northern and western Iraq, including the second-largest city, Mosul.

Iraq holds the world's fourth largest oil reserves, some 143.1 billion barrels, and oil revenues make up nearly 95 percent of its budget.

Like other oil-reliant countries, Iraq's economy has been severely hit by plummeting oil prices since 2014, plunging the nation into an acute financial crisis despite record crude oil export levels.
Turkish investigators were scrambling today to identify the bomber who blew himself up in the heart of Istanbul, killing four foreigners in the latest bloodshed to rock the country.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Saturday's blast, which killed three Israelis and an Iranian.

The attack came six days after a suicide car bombing at a busy square in the capital Ankara that killed 35 people and was claimed by Kurdish rebels.

But local media said Islamic State jihadists were suspected of being behind the latest attack which targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a bustling pedestrian street in central Istanbul that is lined with shops and cafes.

The suspected bomber was named by pro-government media as Savas Yildiz, a 33-year-old Turkish national.

Dogan news agency said DNA samples had been taken from the suspect's father to try to obtain a match with the attacker.

But Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin refused to give details on the tests, saying only: "Our investigation into this question is continuing."



Of the 39 people wounded in the attack, 24 were foreigners. By Sunday morning, 19 people were still being treated in hospital, eight of whom were in critical condition, the health ministry said.

The three Israeli victims, two of whom also held US citizenship, were part of a group which was on a gastronomic tour of Turkey, Israeli media said.

Their bodies were to be repatriated Sunday aboard an Israeli military jet, according to military sources. Five injured Israelis were flown home for treatment on Saturday night, Israel's emergency services said.

Turkey has suffered six bombings since July that have killed more than 200 people around the country.

The only attack in Istanbul during that time, outside the Blue Mosque in January, had targeted a tourist quarter.

That suicide bombing, which claimed the lives of 12 German tourists, was blamed on IS.

The jihadist group was also held responsible for Turkey's worst ever attack, which killed 103 people in October at a rally in support of Kurds -- arch-enemies of IS across the border in Syria.

Yildiz, named as a suspect in Saturday's attack in Istanbul, was also suspected of two bombings on offices of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Peoples' Party in May 2015 in the southern cities of Adana and Mersin.
Israeli officials say the number of Israelis killed in the suicide bomb attack in Istanbul has risen to three, among them two who also hold American citizenship.

The third victim was identified Sunday as Avraham Goldman, 69, from Herzliya. The two others are Sihma Damari, 60, from Dimona and Yonata Shor, 40, from Tel Aviv.

Five people including the suicide bomber were killed in an explosion that rocked Istanbul's pedestrian Istiklal Street, which is lined with shops and cafes and popular with tourists and locals alike. The area is also home to government offices and foreign missions.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but suspicion has focused on the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.

Turkey has been rocked by six suicide attacks in less than a year.
Israel's government today warned against travel to Turkey after three of its citizens were killed in an Istanbul suicide bombing the previous day.

The country's anti-terrorism office raised its threat assessment and "recommends avoiding visits to Turkey", it said in a statement.

"Yesterday's deadly attack in Istanbul, in which a group of Israeli tourists was hit, underscores the threat against tourist targets throughout Turkey."



Tens of thousands of Israelis visit nearby Turkey each year despite strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Besides the three killed, another 10 Israelis were wounded, foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said.

Five lightly wounded Israelis were flown home overnight, medics said today.

The army said the five others with more serious injuries and the bodies of those killed were returned by Israel's military on today afternoon.

The three Israelis killed were identified as Avraham Goldman, 69, Jonathan Shor, 40, and Simha Damari, 60.

They were part of a group of Israeli tourists on a culinary-themed trip to Turkey, Israeli media reported.

Saturday's blast in the heart of Istanbul also killed an Iranian.

Turkey said the attack was linked to the Islamic State jihadist group.
Turkey's interior minister today identified the suicide bomber who killed himself and four foreign tourists in Istanbul as a militant with links to the Islamic State group.

Minister Efkan Ala said the bomber was Turkish citizen Mehmet Ozturk, who was born in 1992 in Gaziantep province, which borders Syria. He said Ozturk was not on any list of wanted suspects and five other people were detained as part of the investigation.

Yesterday's explosion killed five people, including Ozturk, and wounded dozens of others. Among the fatalities were two American-Israelis, another Israeli and an Iranian.

The attack targeted Istanbul's pedestrian Istiklal Street, which is lined with shops and cafes in an area that also has government offices and foreign missions.

"The identity of the terrorist who carried out this reprehensible attack has been determined...The findings obtained show that the terrorist is linked to the Daesh terror organisation," the minister said, using an alternative acronym for IS.

Turkey has endured six suicide bombing attacks in less than a year. The country faces a wide array of security threats including from ultra-left radicals, Kurdish rebels demanding greater autonomy who currently are locked in battle with security forces in the southeast, as well as the Islamic State group.

Turkey is also a partner in the US led coalition against IS and its air bases are being used to launch bombing runs against the group in neighboring Syria.

Two of the attacks this year hit the Turkish capital, Ankara. An off-shoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Union claimed the February 17 car bombing that killed 29 people and the March 13 suicide bombing that killed 37 people. On January 12, an attack that Turkish authorities blamed on IS claimed the lives of a dozen German tourists visiting Istanbul's historic sites. That attack delivered a bitter blow to the country's vital tourism sector.

Ala said Turkey was determined to press ahead with its fight against terror groups but admitted it was difficult to prevent suicide attacks.

"We are working so that they do not happen," the minister said.

Today, well-wishers placed carnations and candles at the scene of the attack, with one placard reading "We are on the streets, we are not afraid of you.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra has greeted the people on the occasion of Navroz, the Parsi New Year.

In his message, the Governor said the festival has great cultural and religious significance, a Raj Bhawan spokesperson said.

Noting that the day is also observed as World Arbour Day, the Governor appealed to people to join hands in planting trees for preserving the rapidly deteriorating environment, he said.

The Governor hoped that this auspicious day would be the harbinger of peace, progress and prosperity in the state.
Kannada film star Shivaraj Kumar paid tribute to the 12th-century Indian philosopher and social reformer Basaveshwara, a pioneer of the idea of democracy, here along the bank of River Thames.

Kumar, who has acted in over 100 films, along with wife and daughters, paid their tribute to the Basaveshwara statue yesterday.

Shivanna, as Kumar is fondly known, said he was extremely delighted to pay tribute to Kannada poet "Basavanna".

The statue was unveiled in the London Borough of Lambeth byPrime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year.

This was the first conceptual statue approved by the UK government in the vicinity of the British Parliament as a mark of respect to the Indian philosopher.

Basaveshwara (1134-1168) was an Indian philosopher, social reformer and statesman who attempted to create a casteless society and fought against caste and religious discrimination.

In an attempt to create a casteless society and eradicate untouchability, the social reformer solicited the marriage of an upper caste bride with a lower caste bridegroom.

He created a model Parliament 'Anubhava Mantap' that had equal proportion of men and women, people from all socio- economic backgrounds and encouraged people to debate and discuss various issues.

India has recognised Basaveshwara as one of the pioneers of democracy and his statue was installed in the Indian Parliament in 2002 during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

On behalf of the Basaveshwara Foundation, former mayor of Lambeth Neeraj Patil -- the architect behind the statue -- welcomed thefilm star and his family.
The Kenyan military claimed today to have killed 21 Islamic insurgents in a firefight in neighbouring Somalia.

Military spokesman David Obonyo said two Kenyan soldiers were also killed and five others wounded when Shebab militants laid an ambush in Afmadhow, southern Somalia, yesterday.

"21 Shebab militants were killed," Obonyo said, during what he described as a "fierce engagement".

Last week, the Kenyan army said it thwarted an attack on a military camp also at Afmadhow, killing 19 militants.

In January, the Al Qaeda-aligned Shebab overran a Kenyan military camp in El-Adde manned by up to 200 soldiers, killing a large number of them although Nairobi has refused to say how many died.

The attack, which was widely regarded as Kenya's worst-ever military loss, was the third major assault on isolated bases manned by soldiers of the multi-country African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Since then, AMISOM forces have withdrawn from a number of towns in southern Somalia.

Earlier this month, the US said it carried out an airstrike on a Shebab training camp north of the Somali capital Mogadishu killing 150 fighters, a figure disputed by the insurgents.

The Shebab was ousted from Mogadishu in August 2011 and has since lost much territory. Today, it concentrates on guerrilla attacks in the Somali countryside, bombings and suicide raids in towns and cities, and terror assaults in Kenya.

Shebab fighters have targeted AMISOM because, in the absence of a functioning national army, the 22,000-strong force is the only protector of the internationally-backed government that the jihadists are committed to overthrowing.
The Kenyan military said today it killed 34 Islamic insurgents in two separate battles in neighbouring Somalia this weekend.

Military spokesman David Obonyo said two Kenyan soldiers were also killed and five others wounded when Shebab militants staged an ambush in Afmadhow, southern Somalia, yesterday afternoon.

"21 Shebab militants were killed," Obonyo said, during what he described as a "fierce engagement".

Last week, the Kenyan army said it thwarted an attack on a military camp also at Afmadhow, killing 19 militants.

Obonyo said 13 more Shebab fighters were killed in a separate operation on Sunday in Sarira, north of the southern port town of Ras Kamboni, in which "a middle level Shebab commander" was also captured. In both incidents weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, were seized, Obonyo said.

In January, the Al Qaeda-aligned Shebab overran a Kenyan military camp in El-Adde, southern Somalia, manned by up to 200 soldiers, killing a large number of them although Nairobi has refused to say how many died.

The attack, which was widely regarded as Kenya's worst-ever military loss, was the third major assault on isolated bases manned by soldiers of the multinational African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Camps set up by Burundian and Ugandan troops have also been attacked with scores of soldiers killed each time.

As a result of the string of attacks AMISOM forces have withdrawn from a number of towns in southern Somalia and observers say the troops are largely in garrison mode, hardly venturing out into hostile territory.

Earlier this month, the US said it carried out an air strike on a Shebab training camp north of the Somali capital Mogadishu killing 150 fighters, a figure disputed by the insurgents.

The strike marked a shift in US strategy in Somalia which had previously focused on targeted killings of a small number of Shebab fighters with suspected direct links to Al-Qaeda, rather than mass attacks on foot soldiers.

The Shebab was ousted from Mogadishu in August 2011 and has since lost much of the territory it once held. Today, it concentrates on guerrilla attacks in the Somali countryside, bombings and suicide raids in towns and cities, and terror assaults in Kenya where small groups of Shebab gunmen have attacked a mall in Nairobi and a university in Garissa in recent years.

Shebab fighters have targeted AMISOM in Somalia because, in the absence of a functioning national army, the 22,000-strong force is the only protector of the internationally-backed government that the jihadists are committed to overthrowing.

Shebab attacks have increased in tempo since the start of the year, seen as an attempt to destabilise the government ahead of an election due later this year.
Key Rwandan genocide suspect Ladislas Ntaganzwa, who was being held in detention in Kinshasa, was today handed over to UN custody by the Democratic Republic of Congo, a media reporter said.

The former mayor, who is accused of being responsible for the slaughter of thousands of people and organising mass rapes in 1994, was captured by Congolese police in December and is expected to face trial in Rwanda.

"Ladislas Ntaganzwa, who is accused of participating in genocide in Rwanda, has been in our hands since December 2015. We have decided to hand him over to the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT)," Congolese Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba told reporters after the suspect was transferred to UN custody at Kinshasa airport.

Around 800,000 people -- mostly members of the minority Tutsi community -- were slaughtered in the 100-day orgy of violence in 1994, largely by ethnic Hutus.

The US State Department, which offered a USD 5 million bounty for his arrest under its War Crimes Rewards Program, lists Ntaganzwa as "one of the main instigators of the genocide" in Rwanda's southern Butare district.
A New Delhi-bound Air India (AI) flight from here this evening, with Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on-board among other passengers, was cancelled due to a technical snag, AI officials said.

"The New Delhi-bound flight was ready for take off from Kolkata and while pushing back the aircraft from the parking bay, the pilot noticed a technical problem and informed the ground staff," the AI spokesperson here said.

"Engineers examined the aircraft thoroughly, but the snag could not be rectified and the aircraft was declared unfit to fly," he said.

All 237 passengers were de-boarded and 50 of them including Basit were accommodated in another subsequent flight to Delhi, the spokesperson said, adding, the rest of the passengers would be accommodated in another flight tomorrow morning.
Andhra Pradesh Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao today said districts totally dependent on the Krishna river for drinking water are likely to face scarcity this summer due to scanty rainfall last year.

He was here to inspect repair works being carried out on a barrage on the river along with officials of Water Resources Department.

Talking to reporters, Rao said on an average the Krishna river receives 666 tmc of water every rainy season from its basin. However, due to deficient rains last year, the river received only 66 tmc.

This amount of water is being shared by both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for drinking and irrigation purposes, he said.

The Minister said 2 tmc of water was released from Srisailam reservoir into the Krishna barrage to meet the drinking water shortage in Krishna and Guntur districts.

He asked his department officials to ensure that this water is used for drinking purpose only.

Rao said in this critical condition, districts totally dependent on Krishna river for drinking water may face shortage. Hence, it is necessary on the part of people's representatives and also officials to create awareness among the people on the proper usage of available water.

The repair works on the barrage is estimated to cost Rs 240 crore, of which Rs 129 crore has already been spent, the Minister said, adding the remaining job would be completed by May-end.

Rao also announced a memorial will be built at the confluence of Krishna-Godavari rivers near Ibrahimpatnam in Krishna district in honour of British-era engineers Sir Arthur Cotton, Capt Ore and K L Rao, who constructed barrages and reservoirs in present-day Andhra Pradesh.
Turkish police today fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of people attending Kurdish New Year celebrations in Istanbul in defiance of a ban on gatherings following a string of terror attacks.

Dozens of people were arrested during the clashes in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Bakirkoy on the eve of Kurdish Nevruz, or New Year, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Nevruz is a key marker of the Kurdish social and cultural calendar.

Several Turkish cities, including Istanbul, had banned gatherings over the weekend, citing security concerns following a raft of bombings around the country in recent months.

In the latest attack, an alleged Islamic State bomber killed four people in a suicide attack Saturday on a busy shopping street in Istanbul.

Today's Nevruz celebrations were called by the pro-Kurdish Democratic Peoples' Party (HDP) party.

Police barred an HDP lawmaker from making a statement and then used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon to repel a crowd of demonstrators trying to gather in a square.

Tensions are running high between the state and Kurdish youths following the resumption of a long-running conflict between the security forces and the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey last summer.

A radical PKK offshoot, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), claimed responsibility for two suicide car bombings in Ankara in the past month that left dozens dead.

Kurdish activists and their supporters have also been targeted in several attacks, including a bombing in Ankara in October that killed 103 people which was blamed on the Islamic State group -- arch-foes of Kurdish fighters across the border in Syria.
A lawyers body has called for repeal of the colonial-era sedition law, citing fallouts of incidents like the suicide of a Dalit PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University and violence at Patiala House court complex.

A convention in defence of democratic rights was held by Lawyers for Democracy and Social Justice which passed a resolution demanding repeal of the sedition law, autonomy of universities, administration of justice and adherence to the constitutional idea.

"This lawyers convention takes serious note of incidents at the Hyderabad Central University in which a Dalit scholar committed suicide abetted by the unbearable allegation of being anti-national and bizarre incidents of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in which entire university was dubbed as a den of anti-nationals....

"The students who oppose policies of the government are dubbed as anti-national and booked under the archaic colonial law of sedition. This brazen attempt to muzzle dissent is reminiscent of British rule," the resolution alleged.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has said that the alleged leakage of the Yusuf Commission report into the assassination of former Health Minister Bimal Sinha to the media should be probed.

A local vernacular daily published the report on Friday, claiming it was made available to the newspaper and that Sinha was assassinated due to his close link with the banned insurgent outfit National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT).

Sinha was shot dead by the ultras on March 31, 1998 at Kamalpur subdivision in Dhalai district.

The leader of the opposition (Congress), Sudip Roy Burman, raised the issue in the floor of the assembly on Friday and demanded an inquiry on how the report could be leaked before it was tabled in the assembly.

"The matter was being handled by the law department", the Chief Minister said in a reply, adding that he saw the headline in the newspaper but did not go through the report.

"It should be first ascertained that whether the report published in the newspaper was true and if found true there should be an inquiry on how it was leaked," Sarkar told the assembly.

The Yusuf Commission was appointed by the Left Front government in 1998 which submitted it's report on Jan 31, 2000, but the government did not publish the report.

Following a writ petition filed by an advocate in the Tripura High Court, the court recently ordered the government to publish the report immediately and the government stated in court that the report would be tabled in the budget session of the assembly.

It is likely that the report will be tabled in the current session, a government official said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today sent a legal notice to Digvijay Singh seeking his apology for levelling baseless allegations, a day after Congress leader accused him of "nepotism" over a state agency's order asking developers to open accounts in a private bank where his wife works.

Fadnavis' lawyer Ganesh Sovani has asked Singh to tender an unconditional apology to Fadnavis within two weeks on his twitter handle after the receipt of the notice.

"I am instructed to call upon you to make amends and to retract the allegations made by you against my client while simultaneously tendering an unconditional apology to him (CM) within two weeks on your same Tweeter handle @digvijaya_28 after the receipt of this notice first at any of the three addresses mentioned above, failing which my client Devendra Fadnavis shall have no option but to initiate appropriate civil and/or criminal proceedings against you at your own risk as to the costs and consequences thereof of which please take a serious note. May wisdom prevail!" said the notice.

In his tweets yesterday, Singh said, "SRA in Mumbai headed by CM of Maharashtra has officially asked all SRA developers to open accounts only in Worli branch of Axis Bank".

"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 had said.

Fadnavis has threatened to file defamation case among other proceedings if Singh fails to comply and retract the allegations.

"I hereby give you notice that if you fail to comply with the aforesaid requisitions within the stipulated period of one week, then I will be initiating legal proceedings either to prosecute you in a criminal court for defamation and/ or to sue you in civil court for the damages apart from seeking some incidental relief," the notice stated.

The order issued on February 10 by Fadnavis-headed Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) directed 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.

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," it had said.
Dancing diva Malaika Arora Khan remained tight-lipped when asked about the divorce reports from actor-producer husband Arbaaz Khan at an event here.

The 42-year-old former VJ was in the capital to walk for designer Mandira Wirk at the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week 2016.

Dressed in black and beige gown, Malaika gracefully smiled and left without giving any details about her marital status.

The "Munni Badnam Hui" star was in high spirits and sashayed down the ramp with confidence.

Over the last few months, the star couple has been the subject of fevered speculation about their marriage. They have not yet addressed the topic publicly.

Even the family members, including Arbaaz's father and noted scriptwriter Salim Khan refused to comment on their relationship, saying he does not interfere in the personal lives of his children.

Malaika and Arbaaz have been married for 18 years. They have a 13-year-old son Arhaan.
A man allegedly stabbed to death three stray dogs and killed a puppy outside Green Park metro station in south Delhi, police said today.

A PCR van received a call on March 15 about three dogs lying in a pool of blood near an exit of the metro station. The team also found body of a puppy at the spot, they said.

The area CCTV footage shows the accused, who was in jacket and shorts, suddenly attacking the dogs and killing them all in around 18 minutes. He stabbed to death the three dogs, then thrashed the puppy and left the area, police said.

The footage was uploaded on YouTube today.

An FIR has been registered at Hauz Khas police station against the accused under IPC sections 428 and 429 and provisions of Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act. The accused has not been identified yet, a senior official said.

Residents also informed about similar cases in the area. Police is analysing the CCTV grab and checking if the same accused is involved in all such cases, he said, adding a team has been formed to nab the accused.

Meanwhile, an NGO today announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh through social media for anyone who helps in identifying the accused, police added.
Domestic market is estimated to grow organically at 15% to $8.6 billion by 2020 and industry estimates indicate a much larger potential to grow to $50 billion by 2025, says a report.

"The domestic industry is small, with a disproportionate reliance on imports and a complex regulatory environment. The market is estimated to grow organically at 15% to $8.6 billion by 2020, significantly higher than global industry growth of 4-6%," a report by Deloitte and NATHealth said.

The global and technology market is expected to grow to $520 billion by 2020 from an estimated $3.7 billion in 2014.

Medical devices play a role not only in screening, diagnosing and treating patients but also in restoring patients to normal lives and in regularly monitoring health indicators to prevent diseases.

With technological advancements, the role of medical devices is now expanding to improve quality of care across each stage of the healthcare continuum.

The industry is largely dependent on imports with most local manufacturers producing products in the lower end of the technology value chain, the report said.

The country's healthcare industry is on a high growth trajectory having evolved significantly in the last decade. From the current levels, the industry is expected to reach $145 billion by 2018 and over $280 billion by 2025. In this scenario, augmenting healthcare infrastructure due to increased demand and improved access is expected to provide the requisite industry growth.

The current per capita spend on medical devices in India is significantly low at $3, compared to other economies such as $7 in China, $21 in Brazil and $42 in Russia.

The Government of India's 'Make in India' initiative presents a platform for the sector to revisit the operating model, identify key imperatives for growth and explore possibilities for creating a step change in the medical devices sector, the report said.

The Central government has in recent years, implemented several policy measures to address the challenges of medical devices industry. Some of these include, Draft Drugs & Cosmetics Amendments Bill (2015), 100% FDI in medical devices under automatic route and 'Make in India' initiative for promoting indigenous manufacturing.
Flimsy boats packed with migrants continued to land in Greece from Turkey today 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 today 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 today that it would send 70.

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.

The EU will also speed up talks on Ankara's bid to join the 28-nation bloc, double refugee aid to six billion euros (USD 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 yesterday thousands of people marched in European cities including London, Athens, Barcelona and Amsterdam in protest.
A Chinese journalist who has been missing for several days has been detained because he is "implicated in a case", his lawyer today cited authorities as saying.

Jia Jia disappeared Tuesday shortly after going through customs at Beijing international airport while preparing to board a flight to Hong Kong where he was to attend an academic conference, according to a close friend cited by Amnesty International.

"Because of his implication in a case, Jia Jia was detained at Beijing airport terminal on March 15," said lawyer Yan Xin on his WeChat account, adding that the information came from the city's Public Security Bureau.

No details were given about the nature of the case.

Amnesty and the Committee to Protect Journalists linked the journalist's disappearance to the publication this month on the Chinese website Wujie of an open letter calling for the resignation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The letter, which was rapidly removed, was signed "Loyal Communist Party members", but little else is known about its authorship.

"His going missing is most likely related to the publishing of the letter and perhaps the authorities' implication of his involvement or knowledge of the letter," Amnesty China researcher William Nee told AFP earlier.

However, Jia's lawyer Yan has said his disappearance may not be connected to the letter.

Since Xi came to power the Chinese Communist Party has increased pressure on civil society, arresting or questioning more than 200 lawyers and human rights activists.

China is currently in the spotlight over the disappearance last year of five Hong Kong booksellers who reappeared on the mainland, as well as the use of televised confessions from suspects.

The five booksellers were from Hong Kong's Mighty Current publishing house, known for its salacious titles critical of Beijing.
People, irrespective of church denominations, today took out massive procession in urban areas and villages of Mizoram to celebrate Palm Sunday before Easter.

Children and adults joined the processions waving palm leaves, singing hymns and chanting verses from the Bible to commemorate the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, a few days before he was crucified.

According to the Bible, Palm Sunday was the only day when Jesus was hailed as a king during his lifetime.

Special praise and worship services were held in all local churches to commemorate the day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked his party workers not to get distracted by "irrelevant" issues raked up by the opposition and said their sole focus should be to move ahead with government's mantra of development.

If tough nationalist discourse was the highlight of party chief Amit Shah's address and the political resolution adopted by the meeting, Modi chose to dwell on his government's works, saying the party has always taken up the cause of nationalism and now is the time for development.

"We should not engage in irrelevant issues. We should work on our agenda. Our rivals will try that we remain engaged in irrelevant issues and the government's work is not discussed among the people.

"We should move ahead with one mantra: vikas, vikas, vikas. This is the answer to our country's all problems and we are working in this direction. Change is happening and the wheel of progress is moving fast. The party and government are working shoulder to shoulder," Modi said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh briefed reporters about the Prime Minister's address, which was not open to the media, and said Modi told the audience that a lot of work was done in the 22 months the party has been in power and no allegation of corruption has been levelled against it.

In an apparent dig at opposition parties, Modi cautioned party workers against those who are not happy with the government's "unprecedented" development works, saying they will rake up futile issues to make things difficult for them. "You should remain unaffected."



Asked about what Modi spoke on nationalism, a issue that has dominated the two-day meet, Singh said, "He (Modi) said nationalism is our strength... We have alsways done agitation on the issue of nationalism and moved forward. Now time has come for development. There is a need for development."



Highlighting the government's schemes, like providing LPG connection to the poor, electrification of over 6500 villages so far and disbursement of Mudra loans to lakhs of people, he asked party workers to reach out to the beneficiaries.

Earlier, moving the political resolution, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu hailed Modi as a "God's gift to India" but Singh insisted that it was not part of political resolution.

A statement from the Naidu's office had attributed the remarks to him in which he also called the Prime Minister messiah for the poor.

The party also announced that Modi will go to Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar's birthplace in Madhya Pradesh on his birth anniversary on April 14, a move also likely aimed at wooing crucial Dalit votes ahead of UP assembly election early next year.

Modi also praised the BJP's organisational growth and



said now there is a need for "capacity building" among party workers so that they could play a robust role in building the nation.

There was a need for them to engage with constructive government works like 'swachh bharat' and 'beti padhao, beti bachao'.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Modi said he connected people with the freedom movement by taking up their causes.

Hailing the budget, he asked party leaders to publicise its smaller highlights, like the provision of allowing small shops to remain open seven days a week.

Speaking about the government's ongoing work to provide 18,500 villages to electricity, he said the party should go to the newly-electrified villages and celebrate 'urja utsav' with the beneficiaries.

He also emphasised on the use of technology, saying it is a tool for development.

Shah in his remarks announced that the party would observe between April 14, Ambedkar's birth anniversary, and April 24, Panchayati Raj day, various programmes across the country focusing on the weaker sections and farmers.

Modi will also address a meeting of panchayat representatives on April 24, Rajnath Singh said.

Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Piyush Goyal, Prakash Javadekar and Narendra Singh Tomar also made presentations about their ministry's works at the meet.

(REOPENS DEL53)



Modi also said BJP's image as a nationalistic party has not emerged suddenly as patriotism and love for the country have been its top priority.

We have to take our party workers towards a new model of development, the Prime Minister said. He spoke of developing the personality of party workers from booth to state level.

"We have to make our workers, able soldiers for nation building," he said.

Referring to the World Sufi Forum held in the national capital, he said many positive aspects had come forth during it but those with a negative mindset do not want the positive ideology to spread.

Modi emphasised on the importance of developing intellectual capability and content to counter the negative forces. Being in government, we can even change those affected with a negative mindset and turn them towards positive thinking, he told his partymen.

Modi said BJP is in power and it has the support of people. We should take advantage of this situation and try to bring people, especially those who are distinguished in society, towards us, he said.

It is not wise to keep anyone distant from us and we should try even to bring our opponents towards us, he said.
More than 80 civilian members of a UN mission have left Western Sahara under a Moroccan expulsion order, airport sources and an AFP correspondent in the disputed territory said today.

It was the latest chapter in a row between Morocco and the world body since UN chief Ban Ki-moon angered Rabat by using the term "occupation" to refer to the status of Western Sahara.

"The last civilian members of the UN mission... Took off on Sunday at 6 pm on a flight to Casablanca," said an airport source in the territory's main city of Laayoune.

The departures raised to 83 the number of staffers of the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara who have left since Saturday, leaving behind a pregnant member who was unable to travel.

The United Nations has said the removal of the civilian staff from the 500-strong MINURSO would deal a crippling blow to the mission, affecting drivers, technicians and communications experts.

The military force would not be able to operate without the civilian component, the UN's top political affairs official, Jeffrey Feltman, warned last week.

The United Nations has been trying to broker a Western Sahara settlement since a 1991 ceasefire ending a war that broke out when Morocco deployed its military in the former Spanish territory in 1975.

Rabat demanded a scaling back of the UN mission in retaliation for Ban's remarks during a visit to a Sahrawi refugee camp in early March in Algeria, which supports the territory's pro-independence Polisario Front.

Morocco, which considers the territory to be part of the kingdom and insists that its sovereignty cannot be challenged, has also decided to cut USD 3 million in funding for the UN mission.

Ban is to raise the MINURSO issue with UN Security Council ambassadors in New York on Monday, after the Council met last week but failed to urge Morocco to reverse the drastic cuts.
The tax revenue of Madhya Pradesh government was much below its expectations while expenditure went beyond its estimate in 2014-15, as per a CAG report.

The state had estimated tax revenue realisation at Rs 66,479 crore but it fell short by Rs 29,912 crore, according to the report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for Madhya Pradesh for 2014-15.

The state government's expenditure, however, shot up by Rs 446.28 crore from its estimate, it said.

The CAG report tabled in the Legislative Assembly recently notes that the revised budget estimate for 2014-15 of Rs 66,479 crore projected by the state was unrealistic.

The outstanding fiscal liabilities at 2014-15 end (Rs 1,08,688 crore) were 21.40 per cent of GSDP, against the limit of 35.30 per cent prescribed by 13th Finance Commission.

The growing volume of debt has resulted in increasing liability for servicing the debt, the report underlines.

The priority given to expenditure on social sector and on education and health sectors in MP was 'not adequate' during 2014-15 when compared with general category states' average, it says.

The state government sanctioned an advance amounting to Rs 1.08 crore from the contingency fund to Urban Administration and Development Department.

The expenditure was incurred during the year, however, an advance from the contingency fund remained 'unrecouped'.

As many as 27 government companies and statutory corporations, with an aggregate investment of Rs 13,523.24 crore for the latest year for which accounts were finalised as of 2014-15, were running in losses which accumulated to Rs 29,268.72 crore, the CAG report pointed out.
The prosecution in the Mumbai attacks case on Sunday filed a fresh petition in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court to amend charges against the seven accused of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) by including the postmortem reports of the 166 victims of the 2008 terror attack.

"The prosecution has filed an application in the anti-terrorism court Islamabad with regard to amendment in the charges against the seven accused of banned LeT. Since the (seven) suspects are already facing abetment to murder, the inclusion of postmortem reports of 166 victims of the Mumbai attacks is necessary in the charges," a court official told PTI.

The official said LeT Operations commander Zakiur RehmanLakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are accused of abetment to murder, attempted murder, and planning and executing the terror attacks on India's financial capital on November 26, 2008.

Read more from our special coverage on "26/11 CASE"

The official said the court has issued a notice to the defence lawyers for arguments in the next hearing.

The court office will fix the next date of hearing as coming Wednesday (March 23) is a public holiday in connection with Pakistan Day.

The Mumbai case hearing is usually held every Wednesday.

In the last hearing on March 16, the prosecution told the trial court that Pakistan was waiting for a reply from the Indian government about sending (Indian) witnesses to Pakistan for recording of their statements.

The foreign ministry of Pakistan has written to the Indian government asking it to send all 24 Indian witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the trial court.

Earlier, Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar said that the trial court had already completed recording the statements of all (Pakistani) witnesses in the case which has been underway in the country for more than six years.

"Now the ball is in India's court. The Indian government should send all Indian witnesses of the Mumbai case to Pakistan to record their statements so that the trial could further move ahead," he had said.

Last month, the trial court had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to present all 24 Indian witnesses (in the court) to record their statements.

It had also ordered to bring the boat(s) used by Ajmal Kasab as it is a case property and should be duly examined.

Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, is living at a undisclosed location after getting released from jail on bail in April last year.

The other six suspects are in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.
The prosecution in the Mumbai attacks case today sought to bolster charges against the seven LeT suspects including its operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi by incorporating the individual postmortem reports of the 166 victims of the 2008 terror attack.

The prosecution filed a petition in the anti-terrorism court to include the postmortem reports of terror attack victims to amend charges against the suspects, a court official told PTI.

"The prosecution has filed an application in the Anti- Terrorism Court Islamabad with regard to amendment in the charges against the seven accused of banned LeT. Since the (seven) suspects are already facing abetment to murder, the inclusion of postmortem reports of 166 victims of the Mumbai attacks is necessary in the charges," a court official told PTI.

The official said Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Operations commander Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are accused of abetment to murder, attempted murder, and planning and executing the terror attacks on India's financial capital on November 26, 2008.

"The amendment in the charges has been sought for further strengthening the case against the suspects. The suspects should be charged with abetment to murder of each individual in the Mumbai attacks case. Each victim's name should be included in the charges against each suspect," the court official said.

He added the court has issued a notice to the defence lawyers for arguments in the next hearing.

The court office will fix the next date of hearing as coming Wednesday (March 23) is a public holiday in connection with Pakistan Day.

The Mumbai case hearing is usually held every Wednesday.

In the last hearing on March 16, the prosecution told the trial court that Pakistan was waiting for a reply from the Indian government about sending (Indian) witnesses to Pakistan for recording of their statements.

Theforeign ministry of Pakistan haswritten to the Indian government asking it to send all 24 Indian witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the trial court.

Earlier, Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar said that the trial court had already completed recording the statements of all (Pakistani) witnesses in the case which has been underway in the country for more than six years.

"Now the ball is in India's court. The Indian government should send all Indian witnesses of the Mumbai case to Pakistan to record their statements so that the trial could further move ahead," he had said.

Last month, the trial court had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to present all 24 Indian witnesses (in the court) to record their statements.

It had also ordered to bringthe boat(s) used by Ajmal Kasab as it is a case property and should be duly examined.

Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, is living at a undisclosed location after getting released from jail on bail in April last year.

The other six suspects are in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.
Former Pakistani president left Pakistan for Dubai for 'medical treatment' after striking a deal with the government whose contents will be disclosed at an "appropriate time", a close aide of the former military dictator said on Sunday.

Ahmad Raza Kasuri, the chief coordinator of the All Pakistan Muslim League, the party launched by Musharraf contradicted the claim that Musharraf's name was struck off the exit control list (ECL) in compliance with the Supreme Court orders.

Musharraf, who had been based in Karachi since 2014 for specialised medical treatment, flew out to Dubai despite facing a number of cases in the court, including a treason charge for subverting the Constitution in 2007.

Read more from our special coverage on "PERVEZ MUSHARRAF"

"At 2.00 am on Thursday, my phone rang. It was General Sahib [Musharraf] on the line. He took me into confidence and shared details of the agreement [struck with the government] before his departure," Kasuri told the Express Tribune.

As a first step towards its implementation, Attorney General for Pakistan Salman Aslam Butt did not argue against the Supreme Court order for lifting travel restrictions on Musharraf, Kasuri said.

The agreement also envisages the government will wrap up the treason trial, he said.

"I will disclose contents of the deal at an appropriate time," he added.

72-year-old Musharraf had said before leaving that he was going abroad to seek medical treatment for a spinal cord ailment which has now developed several complications and will "come back in a few weeks or months".

Musharraf left Pakistan after the Supreme Court overturned a High court ruling that backed the inclusion of his name on the ECL of the government.

He flew to Dubai after the government lifted travel restrictions on him.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Thursday that the government removed Musharraf's name from the ECL in compliance with the Supreme Court orders.

"He [Musharraf] has been allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment. His lawyers have committed before the apex court that he will return after four to six weeks," Nisar told the media.

Musharraf's name was put on the ECL after he returned to Pakistan in 2013, hoping to lead his party in the general elections.

He was, however, disqualified from contesting the polls and found himself fighting an array of charges relating to his time in power from 1999 to 2008.

Musharraf has been facing a high treason trial since 2013 and he was barred from leaving the country in 2014 by the government.

Ironically, present Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family were also allowed to leave Pakistan after a military coup in 1998 due to an off-shore deal brokered by the Saudi government.
The mystery over the death of leading south Indian actor Kalabhavan Mani continues with police today saying it was yet to confirm whether it was a murder or suicide case, even as the state BJP demanded a CBI probe into it.

Crime Branch S P, P N Unni Rajan, head of the special investigation team probing Mani's death, today visited the actor's outhouse 'Padi' here, where he was found in a miserable condition before being shifted to a hospital.

He examined the evidences found at the outhouse.

"We will thoroughly examine all aspects on the issue, but we are yet to confirm whether the actor's demise was a murder or suicide. As the investigation is progressing, I cannot divulge any further details related to the case," he told reporters here after the visit.

Various aspects including the bank details, financial transactions of Mani, and the mystery behind the finding of insecticides at the outhouse would be investigated, police sources said.

Meanwhile, BJP state President Kummanam Rajasekharan, who visited Mani's family members today, said a CBI inquiry should be ordered, if necessary, to end the mystery over the death.

Criticising state police, he said police had "failed to make any breakthrough" in the case even after several days of the incident.

Police had intensified the investigation after the chemical examination report by the Regional Chemical Examiner's Laboratory in Kochi showed presence of chlorpyrifos, a highly poisonous insecticide, in Mani's viscera samples.

Investigation team had carried out a search at 'padi' andrecovered some chemicals yesterday.

Police had also taken into custody four aides of the actor for detailed interrogation.

Mani's family members including his wife Nimmi and brother RLV Ramakrishnan voiced suspicion about the involvement of the his friends and aides in his mysterious death.

45-year-old Mani, who had carved a niche for himself in the Malayalam and Tamil film industry, was undergoing treatment for liver and kidney diseases at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences for some time when he died on March 6.

Police had registered a case of unnatural death after AIIMS doctors said that traces of methyl alcohol were found in his blood.
Actress Natalie Portman says the discussion on gender disparity may have become widespread, but women have a long way to go to gender-neutral equal opportunity and pay.

The 34-year-old actress said the lack of female directors is her major concern, reported People magazine.

"For myself I feel excited about the opportunities I have, but I am concerned that there's not more female directors... We still have a lot more work to do.

"I think that the conversation has definitely become more widespread which is very important, but the problem is just as severe, actually probably more severe because it's been so long that it hasn't changed. There's a long ways to go," Portman said.

However, she is happy that people are having a conversation about it.
The next round of negotiations for the proposed mega trade deal, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), would take place in April in Australia.

In the meeting, India is expected to press for greater market access in services sector, particularly easy movement of professionals, an official said.

"The 11th round of talks was concluded last month in Brunei. The 12th round of negotiations is scheduled at Perth in Australia from April 22," the official said.

Besides liberalisation of the services sector, the other issues which may come up in the talks include matters related to goods tariffs.

"In the goods sector, India has asked the members to fulfil their commitments as their current offers are not up to the level they have committed," the official added.

is a mega trade deal which aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights.

As part of its goods proposal, India has not offered any duty cut on steel to China, Australia and New Zealand in the proposed free trade agreement among 16 Asian members.

The talks started in Phnom Penh in November 2012. The 16 countries account for over a quarter of the world's economy, estimated to be more than $75 trillion.

The deal is also important amidst the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement led by the US. Indian industry is apprehensive that TPP would impact Indian exports. India already has free trade agreements (FTAs) with the Asean grouping, Japan and South Korea.

India has offered to open its market the most for Asean countries, with which it has an FTA in place, and has proposed to eliminate duties or tariffs on 80% of items for the 10-nation bloc.

Similarly, for Japan and South Korea, it has offered to open up 65% of its product space.

For Australia, New Zealand and China, Delhi has proposed to eliminate duties on only 42.5% of products. As India does not have any kind of FTA with these three countries, its offer is less.

The 16-member bloc RCEP comprises 10 Asean members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six free trade agreement partners  India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Voters in Niger cast ballots in the country's first-ever presidential run-off today, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou on track for a second term as the opposition observed a boycott.

The election pits 64-year-old Issoufou, a former mining engineer nicknamed "the Lion", against jailed opposition leader Hama Amadou, 66, known as "the Phoenix" for his ability to make political comebacks.

Polling stations opened at 8:00am (0700 GMT) and were to close at 7:00pm (1800 GMT), with 7.5 million people eligible to vote in an election which the opposition has vowed to boycott.

At Lamartine school in the Bani-Zoumbou district of the capital Niamey, the first voter cast his ballot at around 8:20am, an AFP correspondent said.

"We have all the material and we have started the voting without opposition representatives present," said Mustapha Alio Mainassara, the official in charge of the polling station.

He said members of the electoral committee were present along with members of Issoufou's party but no-one representing the opposition, which did not send out any of its representatives.

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.

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 improving but 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 western Paris.

The situation has created tensions in a country which has only had a multi-party democracy since 1990 and where three-quarters of the population live on less than USD 2 (1.80 euros) a day.
Niger holds its first-ever presidential run-off today, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou on track for a second term after his main challenger was flown from jail to a Paris hospital and with the opposition boycotting the vote.

The election pits 64-year-old Issoufou, a former mining engineer nicknamed "the Lion", against jailed opposition leader 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.

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 situation has created a tense atmosphere in the country where three-quarters of the population live on less than USD 2 a day.

Niger's history is peppered with military coups and it 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.

Issoufou, who is seeking a second term in office, took a solid lead with 48.4 per cent in the initial vote on February 21, way ahead of Amadou, who scored 17.7 per cent.

During the campaign, Issoufou, who took office in 2011, repeatedly pledged to bring prosperity to this desolate 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.
Nine migrants trying to reach Europe have drowned off Libya and hundreds more been rescued, the Red Crescent said Sunday amid fears of an increase in crossing attempts as the route from Turkey closes.

Leaders from six EU nations led by Britain held talks in Brussels on Friday on how to tackle the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean from Libya after a European naval task force plucked more than 3,100 from the water in just three days.

The nine who died were among several hundred migrants who were discovered aboard dilapidated boats off the port of Zawiya, west of Tripoli, on Saturday, Libyan Red Crescent spokesman Malek Mersit told AFP.

A total of 586 migrants were rescued, said Colonel Ayoub Qassem, spokesman for the navy of a Tripoli administration that has disputed power with Libya's internationally recognised government since 2014.

They included 11 children and 60 women, and were mainly Bangladeshis and Sudanese, he told AFP.

The drownings came just days after four migrants were killed in a boat fire off Libya and another 187 rescued.

European leaders fear that a deal with Turkey to tackle the EU's worst ever migrant crisis will spark an acceleration in the already large number of crossing attempts from Libya.

Around 330,000 have landed in Italy from Libya since the start of 2014.

The lawlessness that has reigned in the North African nation since the NATO-backed overthrow of veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011 has made it a favoured jumping-off point.
A fourth generation weaver from Japan, skilled in the rare art of 'Nishiki' silk weaving in that country, has visited the north Indian city of Varanasi, home to the famed Banarsi silk, in an endeavour to keep alive the centuries old tradition.

Master Amane Tatsumura, the brocade master from Kyoto whose family has kept alive the highest form of silk weaving through relentless endeavour and research to restore its rich legacy says he is quite excited on his trip to Varanasi, considered a haven for silk weavers.

"The spectator is stunned by the three-dimensional effect that a Nishiki fabric gives as it is woven in layers, accomplished only after a blueprint is realised through highly skilled and specialised craftsmen", says Tatsumura.

The weaver was here as part of a special programme organised by the Japanese Embassy to promote trade and cultural relations between the two countries.

The 11th century Indian city which is also Prime Minister Modi's electoral constituency is renowned for its Banarasi Saris and fine silk. Last year when the Japanese premier Shinzo Abe visited India, the cultural exchange between the two countries emerged as a mutual concern.

Japanese people hold an immense sense of pride in their hearts for the ancient tradition of silk weaving, which is known all over the world for its excellence.

Nishiki is woven on takabata looms since they were introduced from China over 1200 years ago. The rich silk fabric is exquisite, luminous, luxurious and multi-colored. The high precision and skill level required in weaving this fabric and the resulting extraordinary beauty and quality demands that it be distinguished from ordinary brocade by giving it a distinctive name, Nishiki.

In Japanese language, the idiographic character used for Nishiki is combination of the symbol for gold, implying that the value of Nishiki is equal to that of money. This unique brocade is created through the combined skills of numerous craftsmen, involving a broad range of technical processes that require time and patience.

To secure the future path of Nishiki, an initiative was



taken by Koho to establish the "Japan Traditional Weaving Preservation Research Society". Koho stands for combination of a weaving studio and research work to prevent the death of this unique art form.

Tatsumura Heizo, the first generation artist performed the restoration of 70 ancient textile fragments from Horyuji Temple and the Soshoin (National Antiquities Museum of Japan), including the National Treasure, "Nishiki with Lion Hunting."



Besides this, Heizo conceived numerous weaving techniques and held nearly 30 utility model patents. This typical piece of work passes through the hands of 70 different craftsmen during the entire process that begins with a bundle of yarn and ends in a finished product.

Since ancient times, the word 'Nishiki' has been used as an adjective to denote great beauty. Historically, it has been highly revered by the Japanese people, inspiring great national pride as an icon of Japanese beauty.

Recently, Amane Tatsumura visited New Delhi and Varanasi in an attempt to take this fine art to next level which involves using gold and silk thread. Besides delivering lectures and power point presentations, the fourth generation weaver also interacted with an odd crowd of 100 people at Varanasi, including local weavers, BHU students and people engaged in Sericulture.

"Master Tatsumura visited Ram Nagar Weavers Society and examined the Banarasi silk saree, besides interacting with silk producers and BHU students. Bengaluru based silk producers and TV Maruthi, Chairman of ISEPC (Indian Silk Export Promotion Council) were also present at Varanasi event," said Kubo Satoshi, a member of Japanese Delegation.

However, T S Chadha, Officiating Executive Director at ISEPC says is Japan's 'Silk Route' to India may not be commercially viable owing to the expensive nature of Nishiki.

"This fine weaving which involves use of gold thread may taken on a trial purpose but its marketing aspect and cost effectiveness has to be examined," says Chadha.

"However, the weaving studio Koho may market the products on a trial basis since people in Japan are losing interest in this ancient art form. In such troubled times, this initiative by Japan and Tatsumura family could be considered as planting a sapling of Nishiki in a 'foreign' land," says an ISEPC official.
Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli today embarked on his first official visit to China during which he will call on the top leadership and clinch key deals including on transit and importing fuel to avert a future blockade like the one the landlocked nation recently witnessed at the border with India.

The 64-year-old premier is leading a 50-member delegation for the week-long visit, being undertaken at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.

Oli's visit to the communist nation, which comes just over a month after he travelled to India in his first visit overseas, is being dubbed as the highest-level interaction between China and Nepal since establishment of the new Nepalese government last October.

Oli is expected to finalise agreements on importing fuel and gas besides transit and transportation deal to facilitate entry of Chinese goods into landlocked Nepal through Tibet.

It was being reported that Oli may clinch Transit and Transportation Agreement on importing fuel and gas from China to reduce dependence on oil imports from India, ties with which suffered due to a crippling blockade of key border trade points by Madhesis who are largely of Indian-origin.

Agreements on oil exploration, trademarks, and for the construction of an international airport in Pokhara and a bridge over the Simikot-Hilsa road section that will connect Humla district to Tibet will also be signed during the visit, Minister for Industry Som Prasad Pandey had said.

Oli is accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, Minister for Commerce Deepak Bohara, Minister for Education Giriraj Mani Pokharel, chief advisor to Prime Minister Bishnu Rimal, according to sources at the Prime Minister's office.

Chief Secretary of the government Somlal Subedi, other senior government officials, business entrepreneurs and some media representatives are also included in the premier's entourage.

During the visit, Oli is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Tomorrow, the Nepalese premier will attend the welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People and hold bilateral talks with Li and discuss the matters relating to mutual interests and common concerns, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

Following the talks, the two leaders will witness the signing ceremony of bilateral Agreements and Memorandum of Understandings by senior officials of both Nepal and China.

Nepalese Prime Minister's foreign affairs advisor Gopal Khanal said the two countries are considering a transit and trade agreement that would allow Nepal - whose only sea access is currently through Kolkata - the use of China's ports for third-country trade.

"This visit is aimed at diversifying Nepal's ties with China and preparing Nepal to be more independent," Khanal said.

(Reopens FGN15)



During the visit, Oli will meet chairman of the Peoples' Political Consultative Conference Yu Zhengsheng and other other senior officials.

He will also witness the signing ceremony of MoU on Granting Nepal the Status of Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Oli is scheduled to address scholars, academics, business people and students on the theme of 'Nepal-China Relations in the context of Belt and Road Initiatives'.

He will also address the Chinese and Nepali business community at the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the annual Boao Forum for Asia-2016 being organised under the theme "Asia's New Future: New Dynamics, New Vision" at Boao, Hainan province of China on March 24.

He will also inspect earthquake reconstruction zone and a hydroelectricity project in Sichuan province before returning home on March 27.
Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli today arrived in China on his first official visit to the country to clinch key deals including on transit and fuel import to avert a future blockade like the one the landlocked nation recently witnessed at the border with India.

Ahead of his talks with China's top leadership, the 64-year-old premier described Nepal's relationship with China as high as the Himalayas, which he said symbolise friendship.

He said the main purpose of his week-long visit, being undertaken at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang, is to get support and goodwill from Beijing.

Oli, leading a 50-member delegation, told Chinese state- run Xinhua agency that transit and transport agreements with China are to be signed during his visit.

Nepal is eager to utilise sea ports of China, he added as he arrived seeking to scale up ties with Beijing to reduce landlocked Nepal's dependence on India.

"The two countries are working together in close cooperation.

"Nepal is a small neighbour of China and has lagged a little bit behind in development in Asia, but I believe that Nepal can benefit from China's progress on the economic front," he said.

He also expressed Nepal's interest to join China's 'Belt Road', the official term for Silk Road projects.

During the visit, Oli is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Chinese President Xi Jinping and hold bilateral talks with Li.

Oli's visit to the communist nation, which comes just over a month after he travelled to India in his first visit overseas, is being dubbed as the highest-level interaction between China and Nepal since establishment of the new Nepalese government last October.

He is expected to finalise agreements on importing fuel and gas besides transit and transportation deal to facilitate entry of Chinese goods including fuel and gas into landlocked Nepal through Tibet to reduce dependence on oil imports from India, ties with which suffered due to a crippling blockade of key border trade points by Madhesis who are largely of Indian- origin.

Tomorrow, the Nepalese premier will attend the welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People and hold bilateral talks with Li and discuss the matters relating to mutual interests and common concerns, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

Following the talks, the two leaders will witness the signing ceremony of bilateral Agreements and Memorandum of Understandings by senior officials of both Nepal and China.

Nepalese Prime Minister's foreign affairs advisor Gopal Khanal said the two countries are considering a transit and trade agreement that would allow Nepal - whose only sea access is currently through Kolkata - the use of China's ports for third-country trade.

"This visit is aimed at diversifying Nepal's ties with China and preparing Nepal to be more independent," Khanal said.

Agreements on oil exploration, trademarks, and for the



construction of an international airport in Pokhara and a bridge over the Simikot-Hilsa road section that will connect Humla district to Tibet will also be signed during the visit, Minister for Industry Som Prasad Pandey had said.

Earlier Oli, whose Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) advocates closer ties with Beijing, was expected to visit China first, breaking from the past practice of Nepalese Prime Ministers visiting India first.

He later opted to visit India as his government opened new initiatives to address the demands of the Madhesi agitation.

While his government accused India of imposing an unofficial blockade to back the Madhesis, it sought China's support to import essential oil and gas supplies to ease the scarcities.

China has supplied 1,000 MT of petroleum products at the height of Madhesi agitation to Nepal through the Tibet border.

Oli is scheduled to address scholars, academics, business people and students on the theme of 'Nepal-China Relations in the context of Belt and Road Initiatives'.

He will also address the Chinese and Nepali business community at the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the annual Boao Forum for Asia-2016 being organised under the theme "Asia's New Future: New Dynamics, New Vision" at Boao, Hainan province of China on March 24.

He will also witness the signing ceremony of MoU on Granting Nepal the Status of Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

During the visit, Oli will meet chairman of the Peoples' Political Consultative Conference Yu Zhengsheng and other other senior officials.

He will also inspect earthquake reconstruction zone and a hydroelectricity project in Sichuan province before returning home on March 27.
For the first time, the colourful religious Hindu festival Holi will be a public holiday in Pakistan's Sindh province, the government has announced.

In an unprecedented move, the provincial Sindh government issued a notification declaring March 24 as a public holiday.

Earlier only the minority Hindu community in Pakistan were given holiday to celebrate the "festival of colours."



"But this is the first time we have declared Holi as a public holiday throughout the province," said a spokesman for the Chief Minister House.

The announcement comes days after Pakistan's National Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution to take steps to declare Holi, Diwali and Easter as public holidays. Hindu lawmaker Ramesh Kumar Vankwani of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had moved the resolution.

The decision was hailed by many, including the Pakistani media, as an attempt to steer the country towards a "more moderate ideological direction."



The federal government, however, is yet to issue any notification to declare these festivals as public holidays.

Hindus make up around 2 per cent of Pakistan's 200 million population, and mostly live in the Sindh province. Christians account for 1.6 per cent.

Pakistan's religious minorities have long faced economic and social discrimination. But the ruling PML-N government has said it is committed to doing away with the economic and social discrimination that religious minorities face.

Holi, which marks the end of winter and the victory of good over evil, is celebrated across India and Nepal with people exchanging greetings, savouring food and carry forward the message of peace, friendship and love.
Congress today said Jammu and Kashmir Governor's decision to hold panchayat and urban local bodies polls will help address many problems being faced by the people at the grassroots level.

Addressing a rally at Indri Manchak in Khour constituency of Jammu, former Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Tara Chand said democracy should flow to the grassroots level and this (polls) will ensure greater involvement of people in decision making and self-governance.

He asked the people to participate in these polls so that the problems which the common man is facing could be addressed.

People from several border villages along the Line of Control (LoC) gathered at Indri Manchak village and the Congress leader along with Sarpanches and Panches took out a procession demanding solution to their day-to-day problems.

The procession concluded at Khorian, where Chand listen to the grievances of the villagers who demanded immediate payment for the works done by them for rural development, public works and flood control in the last one-and-a-half years.

They also asked the Congress leader to take up issue of non-payment of compensation for crops damage in the region.

"Locals have raised the issues of PoK refugees of 1971 and 1965. The PDP-BJP government dumped the package which was approved during the Congress regime," Chand said, adding that the villagers also urged him to get the area denotified as a firing range.
Top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, one of the most wanted men in Europe, was captured in Brussels today during a raid by armed police, French police sources said.

It was not immediately clear if Abdeslam, 26, believed to have played a key role in the November 13 attacks claimed by the Islamic State group that left 130 people dead, was injured in the raid.

One man was injured and another arrested unharmed in the raid in the gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood of the Belgian capital, French police sources said, without identifying which was Abdeslam.

The arrest came hours after prosecutors revealed that Abdeslam's fingerprints were found in an apartment in another part of Brussels earlier this week following a raid in which a suspected IS militant was killed.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel held a crisis meeting after the arrest with French President Francois Hollande, who was in Brussels for a European Union summit.

Belgium has been at the centre of the investigation into the Paris attacks almost from day one.

Franco-Moroccan Abdeslam fled to Brussels after the attacks and is believed to have holed up in a flat for at least three weeks.

He slipped past three police checks in France as he fled to Belgium just hours after the terror assaults, a source close to the probe said in December.

His brother Brahim, who blew himself up in the massacre, 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 ringleader of the attacks, IS member Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was also from Brussels. He was killed in a raid in Paris in November.

Both had links to Molenbeek, a largely immigrant district which has been a hotbed of Islamist violence for decades.

Earlier this week, Belgian and French police raided an apartment in the Forest district of Brussels, shooting dead a 35-year-old Algerian identified as Mohamed Belkaid, 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 then announced today that Abedslam's fingerprints had been found in the Forest apartment.
Paris attacks fugitive Salah Abdeslam woke up behind bars today after spending his first night in jail on charges of "terrorist murder" for his role in orchestrating the worst-ever terror assault on French soil.

Abdeslam, who was caught after being shot in the leg during a Friday police raid in Brussels, told interrogators he had planned to blow himself up at the Stade de France stadium in Paris but had backed out at the last minute.

The 26-year-old spent four months as Europe's most wanted man for his role in organising the November 13 gun and suicide attacks on the French capital, which killed 130 people.

A day after he was caught, Abdeslam was charged with terrorist murder and participating in a terror group before being taken to a maximum security prison in the northwestern city of Bruges.

He is being held in the prison's "individual and special safety" wing which was built in 2008 for people who pose an escape risk or for those with particular behavioural problems, a spokeswoman said.

Although he was cooperating with the authorities, he would fight against plans to transfer him to France, his lawyer Sven Mary said.

Police have also detained a suspected accomplice of his, Mounir Ahmed Alaaj, also known as Amine Choukri, on the same terrorism charges.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Abdeslam had played a "central role" in planning the November attacks, which targeted bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall and were claimed by the Islamic State group (IS).

His brother Brahim blew himself up in a restaurant in the east of the French capital, and Molins said Abdeslam had planned to do the same at the Stade de France before changing his mind.

"These first statements, which should be taken cautiously, leave a whole series of issues that Salah Abdeslam must explain," Molins told a Paris conference.

Investigators believe Abdeslam rented rooms in the Paris area to be used by the attackers and a car, which he used to drive them to the Stade de France before heading to the 18th arrondissement in the north of the capital.

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 his arrest on Friday that he wanted to see Abdeslam transferred to France as quickly as possible to face prosecution.

The French national was "directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and, unfortunately, the perpetration of these attacks," said Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when the raid took place.

Mary said he is will fight the extradition, however, which legal experts said is likely to delay but not prevent his handover to the French authorities.
Suspected Paris bombing plotter Salah Abdeslam has told investigators that he was planning new operations from Brussels and possibly had access to several weapons, Belgium's foreign minister said today.

Minister Didier Reynders said Abdeslam had claimed that "he was ready to restart something from Brussels, and it's maybe the reality."



Reynders gave credence to the suspect's claim because "we found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons in the first investigations, and we have seen a new network of people around him in Brussels."



Abdeslam, captured Friday in a police raid in Brussels, was charged yesterday with "terrorist murder" by Belgian authorities. He is a top suspect in the November 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.

Speaking to security experts at a German Marshall Fund conference in Brussels, Reynders said "we have found more than 30 people involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris, but we are sure that there are others."



He urged European intelligence, law enforcement, and border authorities to exchange more information to help track the suspects down.

Interpol also has called on European countries to be vigilant at their borders, saying Abdeslam's accomplices may try to flee after his capture. The international police agency recommended closer checks at borders, especially for stolen passports.

Many of the November 13 attackers and accomplices travelled on falsified or stolen documents.

Abdeslam's Belgian lawyer, meanwhile, threatened to launch legal action tomorrow against a French prosecutor, accusing him of breaching the confidentiality of the investigation into the deadly rampage in Paris.

Sven Mary told Belgian public broadcaster RTBF that part of the press conference given yesterday by Paris prosecutor Francois Molins "is a violation. It's a fault, and I cannot let it go unchallenged."



Molins said Abdeslam, 26, told Belgian officials he had "wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France" as a suicide bomber, but that he backed out at the last minute.

France is seeking Abdeslam's extradition for trial there, but Mary said he would fight any attempt to hand over his client and that investigators have much to learn from the suspect, who was born in Belgium but has French and Moroccan nationality.

"Salah is of great importance to this investigation. I would even say that he is worth gold. He is cooperating, he is communicating, he is not insisting on his right to silence. I think it would be worthwhile now to give things a bit of time ... For investigators to be able to talk to him," Mary said.

In response, an official in the Paris prosecutor's office said French law allows prosecutors to speak about elements of an investigation.
A top Belgian official revealed today that Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam also targeted Brussels, as Europe's most wanted suspect's lawyer launched a furious legal fight to avoid extradition to France.

Abdeslam is held in a high security jail on charges of "terrorist murder" for his role in the November 13 gun and suicide attacks on the French capital, which killed 130 people.

The Belgian-born French citizen, who was caught unarmed after being shot in the leg during a Friday police raid in Brussels, told interrogators he had planned to blow himself up at the Stade de France stadium in Paris but had backed out at the last minute.

A day after his capture, the 26-year-old was taken to a maximum security prison in the northwestern city of Bruges.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders today revealed Abdeslam also targeted the Belgian capital.

Abdeslam told investigators "...He was ready to restart something in Brussels, and it may be the reality because we have found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons, in the first investigations and we have found a new network around him in Brussels," Reynders was quoted in a statement as saying at a panel discussion.

Reynders, speaking in English at the Brussels Forum, an annual US-organised transatlantic conference, said police were still working to track down suspects involved in the attacks in which 130 people died.

"We are sure that for the moment we have found more than 30 people involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris, but we are sure there are others," he said.

Abdeslam's lawyer Sven Mary said his client would fight his extradition to Paris beginning with a legal complaint against a French prosecutor who divulged the details of the first interrogation with the suspect to journalists yesterday.

"I don't understand why a prosecutor in Paris has to communicate at this stage on an investigation in Belgium," Mary told Le Soir newspaper today.

Abdeslam "is worth gold. He is collaborating, he's communicating, he is not using his right to remain silent," Mary said, urging patience.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins yesterday told reporters Abdeslam had played a "central role" in planning the November attacks, which targeted bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall and were claimed by the Islamic State group (IS).

His brother Brahim blew himself up in a restaurant in the east of the French capital, and Molins said Abdeslam had planned to do the same at the Stade de France before changing his mind.

Investigators believe Abdeslam rented rooms in the Paris area to be used by the attackers and a car, which he used to drive them to the Stade de France before heading to the 18th arrondissement in the north of the capital.
The Philippines today hailed a new accord giving the US military access to five of its bases, saying this would strengthen its defensive capabilities and maritime security.

The agreement between the two close allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Under the agreement, US forces would be able to rotate through five Philippine bases including those close to the South China Sea.

"The five agreed locations... Reaffirms the shared committment of the Philippines and US to strengthening their alliance in terms of ensuring both countries' mutual defence and security," Foreign Department spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.

Defence Department spokesman Peter Galvez said separately the agreement "would greatly enhance our capabilities" in maritime security and disaster relief.

Philippine and US officials meeting in Washington on Friday announced that they had agreed to the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement (EDCA), which went into effect in January.

One of the installations is the Antonio Bautista Air Base in the western Philippine island of Palawan, directly facing the South China Sea.

Another is Basa Air Base north of Manila, home of the Philippines' main fighter wing, which is also close to disputed waters.

China claims virtually all the South China Sea despite conflicting partial claims by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.

It has been asserting its claim by occupying more reefs and outcrops in these waters, and building artificial islands including airstrips on some of them.

Bautista Air Base is just 300 kilometres east of Mischief Reef, an outcrop occupied by China in the 1990s despite angry protests by the Philippines.

Basa Air Base is about 330 kilometres from Scarborough Shoal, occupied by Chinese vessels after a tense confrontation with Philippine ships in 2012.

The other bases through which US forces can rotate through are a major army training camp with its own airstrip in the north, and two air bases in the central and southern islands of the archipelago.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the two sides at their Friday meeting discussed next steps for implementation of the EDCA "and how it will 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 to the people of the Philippines.
Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko awaits the verdict in her controversial trial over the murder of two Russian journalists with few doubting she will be found guilty in a ruling that will fuel the feud between Kiev and Moscow.

A court in the southern Russian town of Donetsk is due to rule over two days on Monday and Tuesday after a six-month trial, with prosecutors demanding 23 years in jail for the 34-year-old combat helicopter navigator.

Ukraine and the West have decried the case as a political show trial and see Savchenko as the latest pawn in the Kremlin's broader aggression against its ex-Soviet neighbour that saw Moscow seize the Crimea peninsula and fuel a separatist insurgency.

They say Savchenko -- who has become a national hero at home and been elected to parliament in absentia -- was kidnapped by pro-Moscow separatists in east Ukraine in June 2014 and illegally smuggled over the border into Russia before being slapped with false charges.

But authorities in Russia insist Savchenko was involved in the fatal shelling of two Russian state journalists as she served in a volunteer pro-Kiev battalion fighting the insurgents and must face justice.

"Nobody has any illusions about what the verdict will be," Oleksandr Sushko, research director at the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation in Kiev, told AFP.

"The only question is how the situation will develop after the sentencing."



Ukraine's pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko has pledged to do "everything possible" to bring Savchenko back home and mooted a prisoner swap to free her.

Kiev is holding two men it says were Russian soldiers serving in the east of the country that could provide Poroshenko with a possible bargaining chip.

But Moscow is also thought to have at least ten other Ukrainians behind bars -- including high-profile detainees like film director Oleg Sentsov -- and the Kremlin has given little hint it is ready to play ball.

Savchenko has struck a defiant figure throughout the long months of her detention -- which saw her sent to a psychiatric hospital near Moscow before being transferred close to the Ukraine border for her trial.

She has repeatedly gone on hunger strike to protest her conditions -- fasting for more than eighty days in one instance and going almost a week without food and water on another.

Usually dressed in a traditional Ukrainian blouse or pro-Kiev tshirt Savchenko has ridiculed the court from the glass defendant's cage and flashed her middle finger at the judges as the trial ended.
Hollywood superstar Ben Affleck, who plays a world weary, disillusioned Batman in Zack Snyder's "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice", says playing the popular superhero was a daunting task.

Affleck's casting was initially met with resistance from the Caped Crusader fans. The actor, however, revealed that he himself was a huge fan of the superhero.

"It's certainly daunting because of the people who have played this character before and the great filmmakers," he said.

"Most recently Christian (Bale) and Chris (Nolan) who made brilliant movies. There is that element of healthy respect you have for the project and for the characters and their history."



The "Argo" star, however, tapped into his childhood and adult geekness to prepare for the role.

"I think I tapped into equal measure of my adult geekness and kid excitement. Every day there was something to kind of geek out about. It was exciting every day."



Affleck believes the audience gets drawn to the character because despite his powers, he is a vulnerable personality.

"Batman is a guy who on the one hand is powerful and exciting and can do things we all wish we could do but is also still a human being and struggling with his own vulnerabilities," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet top officials of all banks and insurance companies this week in Mumbai to discuss the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana.

Under the new crop insurance scheme, PMFBY, premium burden on farmers has been kept low - up to 2 per cent of sum insured, and claims are to be settled at the earliest.

The scheme will come into force from April 1 for kharif crops to be sown from June.

According to sources, the Prime Minister's meeting is scheduled at the Nabard office in Mumbai on March 22.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and senior officials from the ministries of finance and agriculture will be present in the two-and-half hour meeting, sources added.

Since the new scheme PMFBY is both for loanee and non-loanee farmers, the meeting will deliberate on bringing more loanee farmers under the crop insurance scheme so that the target of 50 per cent is achieved and more farmers take up insurance coverage.

At present, about 25 per cent the total crop area of 194.40 million hectares is being insured.

Out of the farm credit target of Rs 8.5 lakh crore set for this fiscal, only a sum of Rs 75,000 crore is under crop insurance. So, there is huge scope to reach out to loanee farmers, sources added.

The government is giving a big push to the crop insurance scheme after drought, unseasonal rains and hailstorms last year led to state governments seek total of over Rs 10,100 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund.
Pope Francis in his Palm Sunday homily decried what he called indifference to the refugees flooding into Europe, making a comparison to authorities who washed their hands of Jesus' fate ahead of his crucifixion.

Before celebrating an outdoor Mass, Francis led a procession through St Peter's Square to usher in Holy Week, the solemn period leading to Easter. Faithful Catholics clutching olive branches and braided palm fronds received his blessing.

Francis abandoned his homily text to lament Europe's handling of the influx of migrants and asylum-seekers fleeing war, persecution or poverty from Syria, Iraq, Africa and elsewhere.

Palm Sunday recalls a crowd's triumphant welcome of Jesus entering Jerusalem. But soon Jesus would be condemned to be crucified after a series of authorities declined to rule on his fate.

Francis drew a parallel to that with some European countries' refusal to take responsibility for some of the more than 1 million refugees who reached European Union shores last year after risky sea voyages arranged by smugglers.

Jesus was "denied every justice," the pope said. "Jesus also suffered on his own skin indifference, because no one wanted to take on the responsibility for his destiny."



"And I am thinking of so many people, so many on the margins, so many refugees" for whom "many don't want to assume responsibility for their destiny," Francis said in a clear reference to Europe's migration debate.

In an effort to fight the smuggling, EU and Turkish officials just made a deal to send back to Turkey migrants now arriving on Greek islands. The action was to begin today, but it was not clear if that would be the case.

After the Mass, Francis joyfully greeted tens of thousands of people as he toured the square in his white popemobile, and let some children aboard for a while.
As America's leading pro-Israel group prepares to hear this week from nearly all the presidential candidates, most eyes in the crowd will be on Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

He's the wild card whose previous comments about Israel have created some anxiety among many people who will attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference in Washington.

Expect Republicans Ted Cruz and John Kasich to espouse standard conservative fare.

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton probably will stick to well-known positions. Rival Bernie Sanders - trying to become the first Jewish candidate to win a major party's presidential nomination - is skipping the event.

Much like the American electorate at large, the pro-Israel community in the United States is anything but monolithic and this year's AIPAC conference appears set to highlight those different constituencies.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said Rahul Gandhi is the "biggest enemy" of Punjab for "branding" the state's youth as drug addicts and claimed the vice president has given enough proof of being "anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh".

"If scion really believes about the presence of drugs in Punjab, then he should conduct dope tests on youth leaders," he said.

He said Punjab has scaled new heights of prosperity during SAD-BJP rule but Congress and leaders from opposition parties are "maligning the fair name" of Punjab by spreading white lies.

"How can a community like Punjabis, known for their bravery and feeding the entire nation, be branded as drug addict?" he asked.

Taking a jibe at the Congress, he said that "with a case registered against PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh's son Raninder Singh, truth is out...That the Captain's family has accounts in foreign banks besides other assets abroad."



When asked about the SYL canal tussle with Haryana, he said "There was never a need for this canal nor should it be allowed to be constructed."



He said the biggest plank of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is development for which the party is working very hard.

Sukhbir was her to pay obeisance at Golden Temple along with his wife Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Regulation of private school fee structure and mandatory enrolment of the children of public servants in government-funded institutions were among some of the demands raised by parents of students from 18 states at a conference here today.

"Laws should be enacted to regulate fees and other charges in private schools, besides bringing all minority schools in the country within the ambit of the Right to Education," an All India Parents' Association (AIPA) statement said.

The Delhi-based organisation also said the government should enact a national law on the lines of the Allahabad High Court judgement directing all public servants to send their children to government schools.

Ruing the "commercialisation of education", AIPA member Indrani Banerjee said the quality of school education has kept declining post liberalisation and has now reached its nadir.

"We should have a new and better education policy to realise the dream of our former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who wanted primary teachers to inculcate creativity in schoolchildren," she said.

Another AIPA member said that unless the government spends more and rationalises its expenditure on education like in the UK and France, state-run schools will continue to remain "bureaucratic exercises".

The mushrooming of private schools and rising drop-out rates are a result of the government's failure to focus on the "holistic development" of school education, he said.

"We want a central regulatory body for fee structuring with a decent representation of parents," said Ashok Agarwal, President, AIPA.

"The government should amend the Right to Education Act to make schooling compulsory up to class 12 instead of 8th standard. Also, school education should be made completely free," he said.
Actor Vivek Oberoi says director Ram Gopal Varma is a 'genius' when it comes to making gangster and underworld crime drama films.

The 39-year-old actor, who made an impressive debut in 2002 with "Company", is once again teaming up with Varma for its sequel, "Company 2".

"People have written his (RGV) obituary but it doesn't matter to me...I believe he is an eccentric genius. I am not worried about doing the film ('Company 2') with him. Even I have seen the highs and lows in my career but we all bounce back," Vivek told PTI.

"He is a genius when it comes to dealing with gangster and underworld films. I am fan of his such work," he added.

"Company" was a fictional expose on Mumbai's underworld loosely based on Dawood Ibrahim's terror outfit, D-Company and had actors Ajay Devgn, Manisha Koirala and Mohanlal.

Vivek is thankful to Varma for giving him a break in Bollywood and is excited to work with him again.

"It was 14 years ago he gave me a great beginning in the film industry with 'Company'. He brought out the best in me...It is one of the milestones of my career," he said.

"The first part had achieved cult status. We want to make sure the second part is equally exciting. We are taking every step carefully," he said.

The "Grand Masti" actor was, however, little reluctant to divulge details and said, "It is too early to give out details about my role as he is working on the script."



Vivek is also turning a producer with "Company 2" and apprised that the film will be made in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, casting for which is currently underway.

"It is my first production and I don't want to disappoint people. So we are working very hard on getting everything correct," he said.

The film will go on the floors in mid of this year.
Noted designer Ritu Beri has been appointed advisor to the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for promotion of khadi in India and across the world.

KVIC has appointed the ace fashion designer for a period of one year during which she will advise on ways to promote khadi.

Announcing the development, KVIC Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena said "Beri would advise on introduction of state of the art multi-fashion designs and styles in khadi readymade garments and on promotion of Khadi in the country and abroad."



Saxena handed over the appointment letter to her in the capital where BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi was also present.

Noting that Beri has had 25 years of experience in the global fashion arena designing clothes for international and national celebrities including Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Nicole Kidman and Ivana Trump, Saxena said "we hope her association will help take Khadi to newer heights both locally and globally".

The KVIC, a statutory body, is charged with the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation of programmes for development of Khadi and other village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development.
The authorities have seized Rs 2.95 crore in cash and 4.33 lakh litres of liquor across Assam so far since announcement of the Assam Assembly elections.

"As a result of vigorous check, we have been able to seize cash worth Rs 2,95,47,834 and 4,33,417.76 litres of liquor till yesterday since the polling dates were announced on March 4," Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Assam Siddharth Singh told reporters here.

The authorities have also seized 5.5 kg of drugs during this period, he said.

The Election Department has identified a total of 34 expenditure sensitive constituencies and 401 expenditure sensitive pockets across the state, Singh said.

He said 396 flying squads have been formed across 126 constituencies for tracking illegal cash transactions and liquor distribution to influence voters.

"We have also set up 378 static surveillance teams in the state. Besides, 126 video surveillance teams, consisting one officer and one videographer, have been raised to cover important events like meetings, rallies and processions," Singh said.

A total of 46 expenditure observers have been deputed by the Election Commission to ensure that money does not play a role in influencing voters, he said.

Singh further said the Income Tax Department has formed six Air Intelligence Units at airports across Assam to check any inflow of illegal cash into the state.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Assam Nitin Kumar Shivdas Khade said 24,151 licensed arms have been deposited across the state as per procedure.

"Along with these, 86 illegal arms and 333 ammunitions have been seized by security forces. Altogether 1,445 persons have been identified as possible intimidates and actions have been taken against 1,208," he added.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Assam Adil Khan said the Election Department has so far received 640 complaints from the public.

"Most of these complaints are related to voter list. We have disposed off 595 cases and the rest are in the process. We have received 1,168 applications from political parties and candidates for various permissions and we have settled 1,026 requests," he added.
Polling stations closed today in energy-rich Kazakhstan after citizens voted in a parliamentary election expected to provide a commanding majority for ageing autocrat President Nursultan Nazarbayev's ruling party.

The vote came as the ex-Soviet country sees its once-booming economy slump on the back of falling oil prices and an economic crisis in northern neighbour Russia, but Nazarbayev's grip on power appears as firm as ever.

The 75-year-old strongman -- who has ruled Kazakhstan virtually unopposed since before its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 -- was elected to a new five-year term last year with 98 percent of the vote.

After casting his vote in the capital Astana today morning, Nazarbayev -- who has maintained close ties with ex-Soviet master Russia -- called on other countries "not to rush" Kazakhstan on its journey toward democracy.

"This is Asia," he said. "We have different relationships -- family relationships, a different religion and different opportunities between people."



Polling stations closed across the vast country at 1500 GMT in a ballot featuring six parties mostly supportive of Nazarbayev.

The Central Election Commission(CEC) claimed 75 percent of the electorate of nearly 10 million had cast votes by 1200 GMT today.

Standing in line to vote in Astana, Maral Akimbaeva, a 27-year-old worker for a state company, said she would "probably" vote for ruling party Nur Otan.

"If I am honest I don't see any difference between the parties. They all say the same thing," she told AFP.
Aviation experts today began examining the black boxes from the FlyDubai flight that crashed amid high winds at an airport in southern Russia but said the cockpit voice and data recorders were badly damaged.

FlyDubai's Boeing 737-800 from Dubai nosedived and exploded in a giant fireball before dawn yesterday after trying to land for a second time in strong winds in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. FlyDubai confirmed all 62 people on the plane were killed. Most of the passengers were Russian.

Several planes had trouble landing at the airport at the time of the crash.

Sergei Zaiko, deputy chairman of the Inter-State Aviation Committee, told Russia's Channel One that experts today were looking at the data recorders, which were delivered to Moscow earlier in the day. But the committee that investigates plane crashes in much of the former Soviet Union said in a statement they had been badly damaged and it was not immediately clear what, if any, data could be retrieved.

The black boxes were being viewed by experts from Russia, the United Arab Emirates, France and the US, since the American-made Boeing plane had French-made engines.

At Rostov-on-Don, hundreds of people flocked today to the airport, the region's largest, to lay flowers and leave candles and toys in memory of the dead. The city is 950 kilometers south of Moscow near the Ukrainian border.

Closed-circuit TV footage showed the plane going down at a steep angle and exploding. The powerful explosion left a big crater in the runway and pulverized the plane and passengers' remains.

The airport remained closed today. Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told reporters that emergency teams had finished combing the area and authorities were waiting for investigators to let repair teams onto runway. He expects the airport to open early tomorrow.

FlyDubai's chief executive Ghaith al-Ghaith said on Sunday the plane had enough fuel to maintain its holding pattern, which reportedly went on for two hours. He expressed confidence in Russian authorities and said the carrier intends to resume flights to the airport once it reopens.

He reiterated that the Rostov-on-Don airport was open Saturday despite the high winds and was "good enough to operate" at the time of the accident, and that it was up to Russian authorities to make that determination.

Some of the crash victims were from rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine where fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,100 people in nearly two years. The war has turned the region's main airport of Donetsk into a wasteland, and many locals have been using the airport in Rostov-on-Don, across the border.
Egypt today said that Saudi Arabia has offered USD 1.5 billion to help finance economic projects in the Sinai Peninsula, as Riyadh continues to bolster its ties with Cairo.

Saudi Arabia, a staunch supporter of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime, has previously offered billions of dollars in aid to Egypt since the 2013 ouster of Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi.

In December, Riyadh pledged eight billion dollars in investment and aid to Egypt over five years, but it was unclear whether the Sinai offer was part of this.

Egypt's International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr signed a "USD 1.5 billion agreement with the Saudi Development Fund for developing projects in the Sinai Peninsula", a ministry statement said.

The funds will be used "for development projects" in agriculture and to build 26 residential complexes that would also include hospitals and schools.

The peninsula's northern part is a bastion of the Egyptian affiliate of the jihadist Islamic State group, which has carried out deadly attacks on Egyptian security forces since Morsi's ouster.

Yesterday, 15 policemen were killed in an attack on a police checkpoint in the area. The attack was claimed by IS.

Today, Saudi Arabia also signed a separate five-year agreement to help Egypt finance its petrol needs, the ministry said.

The fuel agreement comes despite a sharp fall in Saudi Arabia's own oil earnings amid the global decline in crude prices.

Today's agreements come ahead of an official visit by Saudi King Salman to Cairo on April 4.

Ties between Cairo and Riyadh have strengthened since then army chief Sisi ousted Morsi in July 2013, with Egypt joining a Saudi-led coalition that has battled Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March last year.

Egypt's Gulf allies Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates each offered USD 4 billion in investment and aid to Cairo in March 2015.

Cairo, fighting the deadly IS-led insurgency in North Sinai, has been criticised by rights groups for its blistering crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood since 2013.

The police crackdown has left hundreds of people dead and thousands imprisoned.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all declared the Muslim Brotherhood to be a "terrorist group".
AICC leaders would shortly hold talks with DMK President M Karunanidhi on seat sharing between the regional party and Congress for the coming assembly elections, PCC President A Namasivyam said today.

The top brass of the AICC would hold talks with Karunanidhi shortly at Chennai on seat sharing and the picture for Puducherry would also emerge at the end of the talks, he told reporters here ahead of a meeting with PCC Vice-Presidents.

Congress and DMK have forged an alliance for contesting the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and union territory of Puducherry.

In the past elections, Congress had been the lead partner of the alliance in the union territory which has 30 assembly seats.

Namassivayam said AICC had constituted a committee headed by former chief minister V Vaithilingam for the Union Territory to prepare the party's poll manifesto.

Talking about the AINRC Government headed by Chief Minister N Rangasamy, the PCC leader alleged that the five-year rule had been 'a monumental failure'.

He alleged that the government had siphoned off the savings of the government employees parked in the Provident Fund to meet the expenditure for various schemes.

Accusing the Chief Minister of making appointments bypassing the Employment Exchange, he said "The backdoor appointment is doing injustice to the youth."



He also claimed that the law and order situation was in the doldrums here while farmers faced hardships.

People would teach the AINRC 'an effective lesson' in the polls, he claimed.
Senior Uttar Pradesh minister Shivpal Singh Yadav today laid the foundation of a barrage-cum-bridge over Kosi river in Rampur district.

The bridge, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 260 crore, will help lakhs of people of Rampur and Suar Tunda assembly constituencies.

At the foundation laying ceremony at Lalpur Village, about 20 kms from Rampur, Yadav took a swipe at Suar Tunda MLA Nawab Qazim Ali, alleging he has failed to take any steps to address people's problems.

Senior Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan, who represents Rampur in the assembly, also lashed out at the Suar Tunda MLA, alleging he created numerous "hurdles" in the development of Rampur.

Khan's PRO Fasahat Ali Khan said a host of development projects has been initiated by the Rampur MLA and these would be executed soon.
Power transmission tower maker Skipper targets revenue of Rs 3,000 crore by 2018-19 on the back of initiatives taken by the government to give a boost to the sector with schemes like UDAY.

The Kolkata-based firm, which is also engaged in manufacturing of PVC pipes and fittings, is betting big on the government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and smart cities programme and expects the contribution from this business to grow by up to 25 per cent from the current 8 per cent.

"The government's initiatives on the power sector, urbanisation and sanitisation opens up new opportunities of growth for a company like us which is present in the business manufacturing transmission towers and PVC pipes and fittings. We expect to touch nearly Rs 3,000 crore revenue by FY19," company's Director Sharan Bansal told PTI.

He said with the implementation of the UDAY scheme, new orders are expected to come from the state power utilities which are currently reeling under financial crisis.

"Besides, the private sector which had deferred the projects are now likely to bid in the next few years. We see this as a huge opportunity for growth in the transmission towers business," he said.

Bansal further said the smart cities and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has resulted in growth in demand for plastic pipes and fittings as well as water tanks.

"We will continue to invest almost Rs 50 crore every year to enhance our manufacturing capacities both in the transmission and PVC business. Our aim is to achieve at least 20 per cent year on year growth in the bottom line and continue to be an asset light company," he added.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her vice-president Rahul Gandhi will attend the concluding function of the year-long celebrations marking the 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar here on April 11.

"The year-long celebrations of Dr Ambadkar's 125th birth anniversary conducted by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) will conclude in Nagpur on April 11", Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Ashok Chavan told reporters here today.

"Both the leaders (Sonia and Rahul) will also visit the historic 'Deekshabhooi', the place where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956 and pay respect to the late Dalit leader," Chavan said, adding, this will be their first visit to it.

Apart from the Gandhis, Opposition Leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad (Rajya Sabha) and Mallikrjuan Kharge (Lok Sabha), senior party functionary Digvijay Singh and other senior leaders will also attend the function, he said.

All the leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul will also address a public meeting at Kasturchand Park, Chavan, a former Maharashtra Chief Minister, said.

The MPCC chief today also reviewed preparations for the event.

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Meanwhile, in another development, Chavan said the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) will bring a privilege motion against the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena combine in Maharashtra "for ignoring" over 6,000 villages from eastern Vidarbha region which are facing drought.

The privilege motion will be brought tomorrow during the ongoing Budget session of the State Legislature," he said.

Chavan also said the (Nagpur Bench) Bombay High Court had to take cognisance of the drought situation and alleged that the bureaucracy had completely failed to provide relief to the affected areas (by drought).
Considered a highly political sensitive area of the Valley, South Kashmir is fast turning into a virtual breeding ground for militants with many youths joining their rank and file or becoming their sympathisers.

Better intelligence network of terrorists, assistance of people to local terrorists, heavy turnouts at the funerals of militants and stone-pelting on security forces even during encounters has virtually become a routine affair in the region.

Comprising of four districts-- Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian-- South Kashmir has been on the boil ever since Chief Commander of banned Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) group Abu Qassim was gunned down in a fierce encounter in November last year.

Driving past the dusty roads of this area dotted with many tourist spots, one can see signs of slogans favouring 'independence', support to terror groups and glorification of militants killed in encounters with the security forces.

Senior security officials spoken to in this area are cautious of the new developments which include firings in air as a "salute to the killed terrorists", prominent militants attending the funeral of killed ultras, with the police and security forces remaining mere spectators.

Last year, out of the 90 youths, who had joined militant groups, 80 per cent of them hailed from various districts of South Kashmir alone.

While figures for this year were being collated, intelligence reports suggest that 17 youths from some villages of Kulgam, Pulwama and Tral areas had disappeared quietly and joined militant ranks.

The worst-hit areas in the area are Heff-Shrimal in Shopian district, Samboora, Lillahar, Pulwama town and Tral of Pulwama district, Qaimooh and Redhwani in Kulgam district and Redhwani in Anantnag district.

These are the areas which are dotted with apple orchards and lead to dense forests where militants are holed up, the officials said, adding that in case the army mounts pressure on one side, they escape and mingle with the local population on the other.

The intelligence network of the militant groups, which had ended in mid-1990's, is understood to have revived again and the terrorists come to know about the advancements of security forces, giving them an advantage to flee the area, the officials said.

The adjoining jungles which are dotted with Poplar and



Pine trees provide a platform for terrorists to train new recruits, the officials said, adding there have been information that militants were being trained in Kamla forest of Shopian district but when raids were conducted, no one could be found.

Army, which has a 'Victor Force' involved in the counter insurgency grid, has been engaging almost on daily basis with terrorists on intelligence gathered by their units from internet chatters, they said, adding local intelligence, which was the main forte of the Jammu and Kashmir police till 2014, has started dwindling and seldom any actionable information was being shared.

Militants carrying cash rewards on their head have been seen attending funerals of slain militants, the officials said and cited photographic evidence to suggest that Majid Zargar of Lashker-e-Taiba had attended the funeral of Showkat Gojri, another Lashker militant who was killed in an encounter.

"The growth of home-grown militants is a big problem for us. These boys get local support and it is difficult to nab them. Even if they are trapped at a place, the army, besides fighting a gun battle, has also to face the local population which starts pelting stones at the jawans engaged in the encounter," a senior Army official said.

Inputs about the presence of proclaimed militants has been shared with police and other central agencies but none of them act on it fearing public backlash, the officials said.

The attendance of local population in the last rites of terrorists can be gauged from that fact that thousands turned up for the funeral of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Dawood Sheikh on March 8 despite restrictions.

The heavy turnout of people forced the family to hold six 'Namaz-e-zinaja' (final prayers) as the ground at Qaimoh that could hold only 1,500 people.

Having a population of over 23 lakh, South Kashmir, which has been political quite active, is also considered the bastion of Jamaat-e-Islamia group and have been traditionally voting for PDP.

The defunct Muslim United Front (MUF) of late 1980's, many of whose sympathisers had picked up guns in 1990s following alleged rigging in 1987 elections, was born in South Kashmir and so was PDP, which had formed an alliance government with the BJP in March last year.
A bus carrying university exchange students back from Spain's largest fireworks festival crashed today on a main highway in the northeast, killing at least 13 passengers and injuring 34 others, officials said.

The passengers included Spaniards and foreign nationals from around 20 countries, authorities said.

The bus, which was carrying 57 passengers, appeared to have hit a guardrail of the AP7 highway before cartwheeling across the road, slamming through a divider and landing on its side, said Jordi Jane, spokesman for Spain's northeastern Catalonia province.

The students, part of the Erasmus exchange programme, had travelled to the eastern city of Valencia to take part in the renowned Fallas fireworks festival and were returning when the bus crashed, Jane said. Most were studying at two universities in Barcelona.

The crash took place near Freginals, halfway between Valencia and Barcelona.

Initially, Jane said 14 had died in the crash, but Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz later confirmed the death toll was 13. He said 28 passengers received medical treatment in local hospitals and received first aid at the crash site.

According to the latest data, "the ill-fated bus had students from Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Italy, Peru, Bulgaria, Poland, Ireland, Japan, Ukraine, Holland, Belgium, France, Palestine, Turkey, Greece", said the regional government of Catalonia said in a statement in the early evening.

It added that two countries, New Zealand and Finland, were still pending confirmation.

The statement said autopsies had been completed on nine of the 13 dead and a judge would release the bodies to families once full identification was complete in all cases.

Poland's Foreign Ministry said one Polish man was hospitalised after the bus crash and Swiss authorities said one young Swiss woman was injured, but had been discharged from a hospital.

The bus that crashed was one of five that had travelled to the festival with students from Barcelona, the Catalan government said in a statement.

Television images from state broadcaster TVE showed the bus also crashed into an oncoming car on the opposite side of the highway. The passengers in the car were injured, the Catalan government said.

The bus driver was being held at a police station in the city of Tortosa, Jane said. Road conditions were good at the time of the crash and investigators were looking into the cause of the tragedy, he said.

Fernandez Diaz said the driver passed alcohol and drug tests he was given.
Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the House even as Arun Jaitley and Rahul Gandhi sparred over the political crisis in the hill state.

Main opposition BJP has, meanwhile, claimed that 35 MLAs including 26 from the party and nine from Congress had already given a notice for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker to the Vidhan Sabha Secretary for his alleged failure to conduct the House in an impartial manner even before he issued the notices to the rebel Congress MLAs.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat while training his guns on the BJP said they are "killing" democracy.

"BJP party with the support of their party at Centre is trying to destabilise the state governments. They are killing democracy. They talk about cooperative federalism and they are targeting the opposition governments selectively," he said.

Notices have been issued to the nine rebel Congress MLAs following a request from party chief whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking action against them for violating the party whip in the state Assembly during voting on the Finance Bill.

The notices have been pasted on the walls of the houses of the MLAs concerned which asks them to submit their replies to the Speaker by March 26 evening.

However, Pradesh BJP president and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajay Bhatt said as a notice of no-confidence has already been moved against the Speaker he should quit his post.

Using the Uttarakhand crisis to escalate his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP, Rahul Gandhi said it has exposed the "true face of Modiji's BJP" and that "toppling" governments by "blatant use of money" seems to be the ruling party's new model.

"Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar".

"Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy. This attack on our democracy & Constitution, first in Arunachal & now Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modiji's BJP," the Congress Vice President said in a series of tweets.

Senior BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley blamed the Congress for the crisis, claiming there is "deep division" and said it cannot be attributable to the BJP.

"There is a deep division in the Congress in Uttarakhand... It cannot be attributable to the BJP," Jaitley told reporters in Delhi. The Congress had earlier accused the BJP of engineering split in the party.

Jaitley said that a majority of MLAs voted against the controversial Finance bill but the Speaker declared it passed. "In Uttarakhand, Speaker considered a failed bill as passed. This is happening for the first time in the country," he said.

Chief Minister Rawat said the BJP strategy to topple his government is a type of an encounter and referred to how police horse Shaktiman was brutally attacked during a protest by BJP workers in Dehradun and had its hind leg amputated. "First they broke the leg of the horse and now by doing horse trading, they want to break the leg of Uttarakhand."



Before the crisis unfolded, the Congress had 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of 6 members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while opposition BJP has 28 MLAs.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today said while Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the World Sufi Forum raised "hope", Congress president Sonia Gandhi's message "manufactured fear".

In a statement, Naidu said the World Sufi Forum was addressed by the Prime Minister and Congress president in a gap of two days, but their messages were "different as chalk and cheese".

"Prime Minister's speech was raising hope, Congress's was trying to manufacture fear," the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.

Modi, in his speech, reflected the glory of Sufism and said that Islam is a religion of peace, Naidu said.

The Prime Minister's speech was welcomed by all as it was positive, he added.

Criticising Sonia Gandhi, Naidu said her "written script conveyed dark message that nothing is going right in this country."



Naidu said the PM had spoken like a statesman and categorically rejected the link between terror and religion.

He also said that after the speech of the Prime Minister, people started chanting "Bharat Maata Ki Jai, very heartening".

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Asked about reports suggesting that Adityanath was made the chief minister at the behest of the RSS, Naidu shot back, "Who are these people to say? People of UP have given a mandate. Mandate is for BJP and BJP legislators have decided for Yogi Adityanath."



"Our opponents should have some patience. It was a watershed moment for BJP with 325 MLAs. Our opponents have not been able to digest this," the minister later told reporters outside Parliament.

"They are trying to divert the attention by criticising BJP," he said.

"Where is the RSS in this? Where is the VHP in this? Even RSS has clarified also."



Maintaining that RSS does not interfere in CM selection, Naidu said, "I have been party president and during my tenure nine to 10 leaders for state governments were selected.

"It is always the legislators and parliamentary board that decide the leader. I have some experience as party president."



"Never has RSS interfered or dictated to me... Yogiji's name was proposed and overwhelmingly all legislators and unanimously elected him as the leader. So where is the question of RSS dictating? he asked.

Defending Yogi's selection, Naidu said, "He is a five-time MP. Every time he won with more votes. Thirdly, he said after becoming CM that 'my motto is sabka sath, sabka vikas'."



Describing the CM as a "yogi" and above any caste and creed, Naidu said, "He has left his family 22 years back, working for the society, so how come you attribute any caste to him?



Spelling out the CM's action plan for the new UP government, Naidu said, "His efforts will be to take out UP from the 'Bimaru' tag. He has also said his agenda will be 'lok kalyan' (public welfare). He is going to implement the manifesto of BJP.
A suspected French jihadist was charged today with plotting an attack in France and remanded in custody, a judicial source said.

The 28-year-old French-Moroccan named as Youssef Ettaoujar was known to police as he was one of the first to be convicted of trying to travel to Syria.

He was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of plotting "violent acts" against France.

Two men and a woman arrested at the same time have been released without charge, the source added.

In March 2014, Ettaoujar was handed a four-year prison sentence for trying to travel to Syria with two friends. They were the first people convicted in France for attempting to join the jihad in Syria.

Released in October, he was placed under house arrest under the state of emergency imposed after the jihadist attacks in Paris on November 13 claimed by the Islamic State group that left 130 people dead.

Investigators are trying to establish whether he had direct ties to members of IS in Syria, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said shortly after his arrest.

No weapons were found during the arrests, although an unused Kalashnikov rifle cartridge was discovered.
Do you know politician-scholar Karan Singh's first book was a work of fiction written over 30 years ago about a spiritual quest in pre-militancy Kashmir and was even made into a television serial?



"The Mountain of Shiva" remains the 85-year-old Congressman and Rajya Sabha MP's one and only novel written till date and is being brought out again.

"I wanted to revisit the novel with an epilogue," says Singh, the heir apparent to the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir at the time of independence.

And Delhi-based Palimpsest Publishers is coming out with the new version of the novel which is described by bestselling author Amish Tripathi as an appealing narrative.

"Deep philosophies, intense wisdom and lovely descriptions of Kashmir are combined into this appealing narrative. Do read it," writes Amish in the book's blurb.

According to Singh, "The Mountain of Shiva" is a novel with a spiritual quest.

Through an engaging story of friendship, love and misunderstandings between the three principle characters, Singh takes the readers on an exhilarating journey to the snow-clad peaks of the Kashmir Valley and deeper layers of philosophy. Guided by the presence of a guru, the main protagonist Ashok discovers true wisdom and the path to Lord Shiva.

"The book brings in certain philosophical concepts. It is basically based on the broad Vedanta philosophy," Singh told PTI.

Also as there was no militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, there is no mention of it in the book.

Singh, awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2005, also hopes that a film is made based on his novel.

"Decades ago, my novel was made into a seven-part television serial by Suresh Kohli. Hope Bollywood shows some interest in the book," he says.

He, however, has no plans to write another novel.

"I am not a fiction writer. I write non-fiction, on a variety of subjects. Also, any fictional work about Kashmir written now has to revolve around militancy, violence and destruction. That is not my cup of tea," he says.

For Singh, spirituality is very important in today's context.

"Fundamentalism is creating a real threat to human civilisation. There a universal articulation of religion is important. Religion is also not something you can snuff out. However, if the approach is cruelty, hatred and violence, that is a total disaster," he says.

He feels accepting that there are multiple paths to the divine is the key.
Thousands of workers at Britains largest steelmaker, Tata Steel, fear the firm might fail to revive the ailing Port Talbot plant, with its parent company in India preparing to vote on a turnaround plan this month, according to a media report.

Executives will vote on a turnaround plan on March 29 that will require a fresh cash injection of about 100 million ($144 mn), The Telegraph reported.

Port Talbot executives drew up the strategy, together with colleagues at Tatas European operations, after the 1,050 redundancies it announced in January. The turnaround plan envisages Port Talbot, with more than 4,000 workers, moving from 200 mn a year losses to a profit of 100 mn within two years, the report said on Saturday.

However, staff believe they are being set up to fail, amid fears that they will only be given a year to turn around the plant, too short a time to get back into the black.

Tatas board was not expected to approve fresh investment, the report said.

The strategy for the survival of the so-called strip business is understood to target 350 million of savings and cost improvements, including mothballing one of Port Talbots blast furnaces, as well as pay cuts.

There were also concerns about how the case for pumping further money into Port Talbot would be presented to the board in India at the meeting, the report said.

Tata has invested about 3 billion into its European steel operations since buying these from Corus for 6.7 billion in 2007. However, since then, the steel industry has slumped on falling demand and global overcapacity. Imports of cheap Chinese steel have also hit hard.

There have been calls for the government and the EU to impose stiff tariffs on Chinese imports. Tata recently took a 850 million writedown on its UK operations.

We have accepted previous turnaround schemes and the jobs losses they included because there was a future at the end of them. Now it looks like we are taking more job losses and more pain with no chance of a future at the end of them. All we want is the board to show confidence in us by not making a decision that will condemn Port Talbot and give us the chance to achieve the turnaround, a senior Port Talbot employee told the paper.
Thousands of devotees from across the country and abroad witnessed the sandal pot procession and anointment of sandal, the most important events of the 459th annual Kandoori festival of the famous Nagore Dargha today.

The 'Sandanakoodu' (sandal pot) procession commenced from here last night and reached Nagore early this morning following which the auspicious event of anointment of sandal at the dargah was performed, Managing Trustee of the 500-year old dargah Sheik Hasan Saheb said.

Thousands of devotees from various parts of the country and foreign nations like Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia and the Gulf region gathered at Nagore to witness the holy event.

Situated four kms north of Nagapattinam, Nagore is an important Muslim pilgrim centre housing the dargah of Saint Hazrath Syed Shahul Hameed Quadir Wali on whose tomb the sandal paste is applied.

The kandoori festival is celebrated for 14 days in his reverence annually coinciding with his death anniversary. This year the festival began on March 10.

Tight security arrangements had been made for the festival, District Superintendent of Police D Kannan said.
Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay has said the long-standing issue of Tibet can be resolved through dialogue with the Chinese government and sought "genuine" autonomy for Tibetan people within China.

"We remain fully committed to the Middle Way Approach, which clearly seeks genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people within China," Sangay, political successor to the Dalai Lama, said.

"It is hoped the leaders in Beijing will see reason with the Middle Way Approach, instead of distorting it, and step forward to engage in dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama's envoys," he said.

Tibetans are voting today to elect the next Prime Minister or 'Sikyong' of the Tibetan government-in-exile and other members of the 16th Tibetan Parliament.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche didn't cast his vote as he was "annoyed with the election process following a western style where candidates are blaming each other and spending large amount of money".

He also alleged that the elections are not being fought on Tibetan ethics.

Tibetans living in exile in India can also cast their votes in Bengaluru, Darjeeling, Bylakuppe, Dehradun and Delhi.

More than 90,000 registered Tibetans in exile across the world are taking partin the elections, which will see voting being held in the US, Japan, Russia and Australia. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, however, is not a voter.

The two main contestants for the post of Prime Minister are incumbent Lobsang Sangay -- whose five-year term expires next month -- and Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, Penpa Tsering.

Sangay is well-placed to retain his post after he secured 19,776 more votesthan Tsering, who polled 10,732 votes in the preliminary elections in October, 2015.
Tibetans here are voting on Sunday to elect the next prime minister or 'Sikyong' of the Tibetan government-in-exile and other members of the 16th Tibetan Parliament.

As many as 94 candidates are in the fray for 45 seats in these elections, the results of which will be declared on April 27.

Tibetans living in exile in India can also cast their votes in Bengaluru, Darjeeling, Bylakuppe, Dehradun and Delhi.

More than 90,000 registered Tibetans in exile across the world are taking part in the elections, which will see voting being held in the US, Japan, Russia and Australia. Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, however, is not a voter for these elections.

The two main contestants for the post of prime minister are incumbent Lobsang Sangay, whose five-year term expires next month, and Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, Penpa Tsering.

Sangay's is well-placed to retain his post after he secured 19,776 more votes than Tsering, who polled 10,732 votes in the preliminary elections in October, 2015.

"Dharamsala, the capital of the Tibetan diaspora and the seat of the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration, is witnessing the final round of elections to choose a Sikyong and members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile," a Tibetan spokesperson said, adding that a total of 47,105 Tibetans had voted in the preliminary round in October last year.

The 2016 general election is the second direct elections for electing the Tibetan leadership since the retirement of the Dalai Lama from politics in 2011.

A spokesman for the Tibetan Central Administration said that a delegation comprising members of the European Parliament is in Dharamsala as part of the Tibetan election observation mission.
Senior VHP leader Pravin Togadia today appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring in a legislation in Parliament for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"I am confident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fulfil his promise as well as his party's resolution for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and that he will immediately prepare a Central legislation in Parliament to this effect," the VHP International working president told reporters.

He was here to participate in a meeting of VHP volunteers.

"Somnath temple (in Gujarat) was built on initiative of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and with the consent of Muslims apart from a court verdict and wishes of the common people and then government," the international working president of VHP said.

He said the BJP had passed a resolution and made a promise for construction of Ram temple way back in 1997.

"The BJP has majority now and I hope Prime Minister will work for it (construction of temple)" he said.

He said VHP and the RSS are not working for strengthening Hindutva.

"Hindutva lies in hearts of all Hindus," he added.

Togadia said his organisation is working to eradicate untouchablity.

He said VHP has launched a programme to provide free medication and education to poor.

"A toll free number (18602333666) is put up. Poor Hindus can call this number and they will be provided with free consultation and treatment by private doctors in Hyderabad city the next day (of calling)," Togadia said.

Meanwhile, Togadia evaded a direct reply to a query on remarks made by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi wherein he refused to say "Bharat Mata ki Jai".

"We will react on it at the right time," he said.

Telangana state unit president of VHP Rama Raju and other leaders were present at the meet.
Escalating his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP, Rahul Gandhi today said the Uttarakhand crisis has exposed the "true face of Modiji's BJP" and that "toppling" governments by "blatant use of money" seems to be the ruling party's new model.

The Congress Vice President took to Twitter to target the ruling party at the Centre over the political crisis in the hill state and declared that the Congress would fight this "demagoguery with democracy".

"Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar".

"Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy. This attack on our democracy & Constitution, first in Arunachal & now Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modiji's BJP," Gandhi said in a series of tweets,



Congress government in Uttarkhand led by Harish Rawat plunged into a crisis two days back with nine party MLAs turning rebels and opposition BJP approaching the Governor staking claim to form the government.

Governor Krishna Kant Paul had yesterday asked Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the state Assembly by March 28.

The Governor's directive to Rawat came even as BJP, claiming majority with support of nine rebel Congress MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, stepped up efforts to form its government, contending that the Rawat ministry has been reduced to a minority.

While BJP claimed the support of 35 MLAs including the rebel Congress legislators, Rawat said he still enjoys a majority in the Assembly as none of the rebel MLAs have quit the party or the CLP. He also said that five of the rebels were in touch with him.

Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had 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.

Congress had yesterday 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 had said.
Donald Trump defended today his campaign manager, who appeared to grab a protester at a rally for the Republican presidential frontrunner that was again marred by demonstrations and sporadic violence.

It is just the latest controversial turn in the real-estate mogul's unconventional run for the White House, but it appears to have done little harm so far to his presidential ambitions and he is in pole position for the Republican nomination for November's election.

Yesterday anti-Trump protesters blocked a road near Phoenix and in the evening there was more unrest at a Trump rally in Tucson, also in Arizona, that was frequently disrupted by demonstrators.

Among the incidents, cameras caught a member of the crowd repeatedly kicking and punching a protester and video also showed Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski caught up in a melee.

Lewandowski appeared to grab one man by the scruff of the neck, with a member of Trump's security detail also involved in the fracas.

"No, he didn't touch him, that was someone else pulling him (the man) back," Trump, a reality television star who has never held elected office, told the ABC program "This Week."



"I give him credit for having spirit. He wanted them to take down those horrible profanity-laced signs," Trump said of his campaign manager.

Trump's run for the White House has from the start attracted boisterous crowds and counter demonstrators, but the rallies have taken a darker turn in the last couple of weeks, beginning when an elderly white Trump supporter sucker-punched a black demonstrator in North Carolina.

A Chicago Trump rally was then cancelled after demonstrators scuffled with his supporters and police struggled to maintain order, with hundreds of protesters showing up.

Trump has came under fire from his Republican and Democratic rivals, who blame his incendiary rhetoric on everything from immigrants to Muslims for the violence.

"We don't condone violence and I say it," Trump told ABC, asked if would condemn the incident that saw a man viciously punching and kicking to the floor a demonstrator wearing an American flag shirt. The attacker was arrested and charged with assault with injury, NBC said.

Video also showed someone -- whom Trump called "a disgusting guy" -- wearing a white mask similar to the Ku Klux Klan and giving what seemed to be a Nazi salute.
Donald Trump's campaign in Arizona is centered on his hard line against illegal immigration, a stand that supporters embraced in a series of tense rallies ahead of today's presidential primary in the border state.

"Illegal immigration is gonna stop," Trump said last night in Tucson. "It's dangerous," he said. "Terrible."



Both in Phoenix and Tucson, Trump was introduced by former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who pushed tough immigration laws in office, and Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County sheriff who made his name by chasing down people who are in the country illegally.

The county includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of Arizona's population.

Protesters showed up at every event. In Phoenix, they blocked the main road into his outdoor rally for several hours before it started. In Tucson, they interrupted him and some were tossed from the event.

Trump was campaigning in Arizona ahead of Tuesday's primary in which the winner will take all 58 delegates at stake.

Trump's main rivals, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, are desperately trying to prevent the real estate mogul from accumulating the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination at the party's national convention in July.

They are hoping for a contested convention in which delegates would be free to turn from Trump if he fails to win a majority on the first ballot. Trump has won 678 delegates in contests held thus far, according to a count by The Associated Press. Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates, and Kasich is in third with 143.

His rivals hope to offset a likely Trump win in Arizona on Tuesday with a strong showing in the Utah caucuses. Limited polling shows Cruz leading in the state where Mormons account for two-thirds of the state's 3 million residents.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and the Mormon faith's most visible member, said he intends to vote for Cruz in the caucuses, but stopped short of endorsing the Texas senator, an uncompromising conservative.

However, Utah's delegates will be distributed proportionally based on the percentage of votes -- unless a candidate gets more than 50 per cent, which would give that person all 40 delegates.

In Arizona, Trump treated the latest protests with a mix of pacifist rhetoric and a mocking tone. "We love our protesters, don't we?" he asked. As security removed one or more, he said: "We want to do it with love," then added bitingly, "Get 'em outta here.
While Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton enjoys substantial female support among politicians, there is good evidence that her popularity among average Democratic women has fallen sharply, according to a facial analysis of Twitter users.

Researchers from University of Rochester in the US analysed the Twitter follower demographics of Clinton and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

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 68-year-old 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.

69-year-old 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.
Two US citizens were among those killed in a suicide blast that tore through a major shopping district in Istanbul, the White House said.

Four people died in the bombing early yesterday, with local authorities and media saying the victims included three Israelis and one Iranian.

Thirty-six other people were wounded.

It was not immediately clear if the two Americans had dual citizenship or were additional fatalities.

"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today's terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkey," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

"Two American citizens were among those killed in this heinous attack," he added, without identifying the victims.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of those killed, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured."



The incident marked the sixth major bombing in Turkey since July. It targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a bustling pedestrian street usually thronged with shoppers, tourists and buskers but which was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck early in the day.

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.

"Turkey has once again suffered a horrific terrorist attack, and we remain steadfast in our support for our NATO ally and partner," Price said.

"These repeated acts of terrorism in Turkey must come to an end," he added.

"We are in close touch with Turkish authorities and reaffirm our commitment to work together with Turkey to confront the evil of terrorism."



Price's remarks largely echoed those of State Department spokesman John Kirby who earlier strongly condemned the bombing, calling it a "vicious terrorist attack" and vowing to stand by Turkey.
Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia today hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his "no politics on water" comments, saying his "u-turn" on Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal will be "political suicide" for him.

"During his Punjab visit, the AAP convener had categorically said that SYL Canal should not be completed, but after returning to Delhi, Kejriwal changed track thereby hurting the feelings of Punjabis," he claimed.

The Delhi Chief Minister's comments on Friday came a day after Haryana Irrigation Minister O P Dhankar, in a letter to Kejriwal, said his state won't be able to continue supply of water to Delhi as he stood against the interests of farmers and people of Haryana.

"Kejriwal has always indulged in opportunistic politics, and such people will never do anything good for Punjab," Majithia alleged.

"Only Punjabis can take care of the state's rights and the people having specialisation in opportunistic politics and double standards can never understand the depth of various issues relating to Punjab," the minister said.

Distributing a grant of Rs 29 lakh for development works in Bhullar and Haans villages, Majithia said SAD will fight the 2017 assembly elections in Punjab on the issue of development and claimed they would register a "historic hat-trick of victories".

"We are fully confident that the people of Punjab once again will extend their wholehearted support to the party and pave way for a record third-time SAD-BJP government in the state," he said.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal have ensured overall development of rural and urban areas with special emphasis on building world class infrastructure, making the state power surplus and ensuring that benefits of welfare schemes reach the targeted populace, Majithia said.

On Rahul Gandhi's claim of having "patriotism" in his blood, the minister said that he does not want to comment on the Congress Vice President's personal feelings but the "reality" is that people have "rejected the Gandhi family-led Congress and it has been limited to just 45 Lok Sabha seats.
Congress, the lead partner in ruling United Democratic Front, has expedited the process of finalising its list of candidates for May 16 Assembly polls and is likely to announce the names by first week of April.

"Preparations are progressing in such a manner to declare the list of UDFcandidates by first week of April," Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is also the Chairman of Ruling Front, told PTI here today.

Congress election committee meeting to be held here tomorrow would finalise the list of party candidates.

However, the list would be released by party high command in Delhi, Chandy said. The state party leaders would be going to Delhi on March 28 to hold talks with the high command on election issues, he said.

Besides Chandy,KPCC President V M Sudheeran and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala are the other members in the Congress election committee.

Asked whethercertain controversial decisions on land taken by the government would affect the prospects of UDF in the polls, Chandy said doubts on the issues have been cleared.

"Some of the decisions have been withdrawn and in other cases clear explanation has been given," he said



The government was under attack for its orders issued in the first week of this month which gave sanction to an Eco-Tourism project in 420 acres of land at 'Methran kayal backwater' paddy fields at Kumarakom village in Kottayam districtand for super speciality medi city project in 47 acres of paddy land at Kadamakuddy in Kochi.

However, later the government revoked the two controversial orders that accorded sanction to two projects that required reclamation of 'kayal backwaters' and paddy fields.

On the charge that the government had excluded Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau matters related to top functionaries including the chief minister and ministers from the ambit of Right to Information Act, Chandy had yesterday stated that the allegations were "baseless".

Meanwhile, discussions with Front partners on



seat-sharing was also progressing, Front sourcessaid.

The second largest partner in the ruling UDF, Indian Union Muslim League, which contested 24 seats last time, had already come out with list of candidates for 20 seats.

The party was expected to release the names of candidates for the rest of the seats in coming days.

Party leader and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty had said that the party was ready to release the list.

"As such there is no hurdle in releasing the list," he said.

Other constituents, Kerala Congress (M) and JD(U), which contested 15 and six seats respectively in the last polls, have demanded more seats.

Talks with these parties are in the final stages, sources said.

RSP and KC-J, are the other two minor parties in the UDF.

Besides, the Front also has to accommodate a faction of CMP by providing a seat to its leader C P Johan.

Meanwhile,deliberations are also going on in full-swing in CPI-M, which heads the LDF opposition, in finalising the candidates.

However, the party has faced embarrassment with posters of protest coming up in constituencies against its move to field persons who were not active partymen like Cine actor K P A C Lalitha (Vadakancherry) media personality Veena George (Aranmula), Nikesh Kumar (Azhikode) and former Government Chief whip P C George (Poonjar), who was suspended from Kerala Congress (M), a partner in UDF, after he "questioned" the leadership of the party.

The LDF liaison committee meeting had decided to release its poll manifesto on April 5. The Front expects to complete its seat-sharing talks in the coming days.

The issue with LDF is that besides the Front partners CPI(M), CPI, JD (S), NCP, and Congress(S), it also has to accommodate nearly 10 small parties that the Front has decided to co-operate or associate with for the polls.
Flexible packaging major Uflex looks to target 30 per cent of its packaging segment's revenue from export markets in the next three years.

At present, exports account for 18-20 per cent of total revenue of its packaging business, Uflex Group President (Corporate Finance and Accounts) R K Jain told PTI.

The packaging business accounts for 44 per cent of total revenue of Uflex, which is also into production of chemicals, cylinders and holograms and engineering.

The company exports products to over 140 countries from its manufacturing units in India, Poland, the US, Mexico, Dubai and Egypt.

The packaging major has crossed the USD 1 billion revenue mark in India and wants to double its income to USD 2 billion in 4-5 years.

The company is setting up an aseptic packaging plant for liquid packaging in Sanand, Gujarat, with an investment of about Rs 580 crore in first phase and the total capacity will be 7 billion packs per annum.

"The funding of the first phase, which has a capex of Rs 580 crore, was done partly through debt and partly through internal accrual," Jain said.

Uflex is investing in the next two years to enhance capacity for packaging semi-liquids and liquid materials and powder and granular material at Sanand.

"The Sanand plant will produce liquid products such as energy drinks, milk and juices. About 90 per cent of the output from this factory will cater to the domestic market. After the Sanand plant becomes operational we will be present all packaging verticals," he said.

The first phase of the aseptic packaging plant will be commissioned by October 2016, and will be commercially operational by March-April 2017, in which around 250 persons will be employed, Jain said adding that on completion of all the phases the unit will generate employment for about 3,000 people.
The Delhi government has recovered Rs one crore from 50 dealers who were doing business "illegally" in the national capital, thanks to its 'Bill Banvao Inam Pao Scheme', launched two months back to boost the revenue.

"These 50 dealers are those whose TINs were cancelled by the department," VAT Commissioner SS Yadav said.

Under the scheme, DVATBILL app was launched in January this year to encourage people to upload the bills of their purchase.

"After purchasers upload their bills on the app, our officials examine them. We found that 50 dealers were doing business on their cancelled TINs in January and February. We have recovered Rs one crore as tax and penalty from them," Yadav said.

He further said that trade and taxes department received over 4,000 bills in January through the app while 8,339 bills were uploaded in February.

The department is expected to catch more illegal dealers in March as the scheme has become instant hit among people of Delhi, Yadav said.

One per cent of valid entries get prize equal to 5 times the bill amount through lucky draw.

The bills uploaded by people of Delhi have helped the VAT department in catching tax evaders, dealers doing business on cancelled and invalid TIN, and dealers manipulating their records to evade tax.
Teachers of College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences today asked the government to immediately fill the vacant posts, saying a threat of the institution's derecognition by the Veterinary Council of India (VCI) looms large due to extreme shortage of staff.

The VCI, after an inspection, had highlighted shortage of staff and asked the CSK Agriculture University under which the college functions to fill the vacant posts before the start of next academic session.

"The VCI has asked the varsity administration to fill the vacancies in the college before the start of next academic session, lest it would disallow admissions to the five-year degree course in Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry," President of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Teachers Association (VASTA) Subhash Verma said.

He said the VCI can even derecognise the college, jeopardising the future of the students.

VASTA General Secretary Ankur Sharma said they had been pressing for filling up of vacant posts but the varsity administration "paid no heed", with the result that out of 84 sanctioned posts, 38 are lying vacant.

"No steps have been taken (by the university administration) and the situation has reached a point that threat of derecognition of the college looms large. Earlier, the VCI had acted tough with some other colleges also," Sharma said.

During an inspection it was found that against the sanctioned strength of 84 teachers, only 46 wererunning 18 departments of the 30-year-old college.

They had been teaching undergraduate and post-graduate students, doing research and extension work and also providing services at the multi-specialty clinic (Animal PGI) 24X7, he added.

As per VCI norms, 117 teachers are required for these jobs, the VASTA president said, adding that it is the only veterinary college in Himachal Pradesh whichhas a good ranking in the country.
BJP on Sunday said it was in touch with several PDP legislators who were in favour of government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, but added it will "never" accept new conditions for alliance put forth by Mehbooba Mufti.

"Several PDP legislators who are in favour of the formation of the government in the state and who also don't want midterm polls in the state are in touch with the BJP leadership for the formation of the government," BJP legislator Ravinder Raina said.

The Nowshera MLA said the party would stick to the Agenda of Alliance that had been agreed upon with PDP a year ago, adding that any deviation would amount to disrespecting former late chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

"There is no question of accepting the new conditions laid down by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the BJP for the formation of governmentin . I have come to know that she (Mehbooba) has put forth new conditions, but BJP will never accept them. We will strictly follow the Agenda of Alliance that was agreed upon between the two parties a year ago," he said.

He said BJP has "several options" to form government in the state, if the alliance with PDP breaks down, but would disclose them "when the time comes".

The need of the hour for both the alliance partners (PDP and BJP) was to form government based on mutual trust and respect the aspirations of the people of Jammu and the people of Kashmir regions, he said.

"People of Jammu gave a thumping majority to BJP while people of Kashmir voted for PDP, hence it is time for both the parties to provide a democratically elected government to the people, as governor's rule is no substitute to it," Raina said.

Asked whether the BJP would encourage defection within PDP, he said that his party would do no such thing.

"More than half of the legislators who were elected to the assembly are first timers and none of them want midterm polls. If the PDP does not come ahead to form the government we will explore other options," he said.

Raina said BJP will not "surrender" its ideology and would follow its "nationalistic policies", including in .

"Area wise and population wise Jammu is far bigger than Kashmir valley, but we have less number of assembly seats, we will continue to fight for the delimitation of the assembly seats, we will continue to fight for the refugees from west Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir," he said.
US President flew to Cuba Monday to bury the hatchet in a more than half-century-long Cold War conflict, but the arrest of dozens of dissidents just as his plane took off underlined the delicacy of the mission.

Obama's whirlwind trip is a crowning moment in his and Cuban President Raul Castro's ambitious effort to restore normal relations between their countries. While deep differences persist, the economic and political relationship has changed rapidly in the 15 months since the leaders vowed a new beginning.

Abandoning generations of US attempts to cut Cuba from the outside world, the US president, First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters left Andrews Air Force Base for the short flight to Havana where they were spending three days.

Accompanying them was the first lady's mother, Marian Robinson.

It was not only the first visit by a sitting US president since Fidel Castro's guerrillas overthrew the US-backed government of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, but the first since President Calvin Coolidge came 88 years ago.

Seeking to leave a historic foreign policy mark in his final year in office, Obama was due to see old town Havana late Sunday, hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday and attend a baseball game before leaving Tuesday.

For Cubans dreaming of escaping isolation and reinvigorating their threadbare economy, the visit has created huge excitement.

"A president of the United States in Cuba arriving in Havana on his Air Force One," wrote popular Cuban writer Leonardo Padura on the Cafefuerte blog.

"Never in my dreams or nightmares could we have imagined that we'd see such a thing."

For days, Havana's old town has been crawling with painters sprucing up the picturesque neighborhood and the Stars and Stripes -- so long the enemy flag -- has appeared over numerous buildings.

"This is an incredible thing," said Carlos Maza, a 48-year-old refrigerator repairman from Havana. He called it "a big step forward."

Obama's visit was highly anticipated in Cuba, where workers furiously cleaned up the streets in Old Havana and gave buildings a fresh coat of paint.

American flags were raised alongside the Cuban colours in parts of the capital, an improbable image for those who have lived through a half-century of bitterness between the two countries.

Many Cubans were staying home in order to avoid extensive closures of main boulevards. By early afternoon the Cuban government didn't appear to be calling out crowds of supporters to welcome Obama, as it has with other visiting dignitaries.

The city's seaside Malecon promenade was largely deserted this morning except for a few cars, joggers, fishermen and pelicans.

The president's schedule in Cuba is jam-packed, including official meetings with Raul Castro and an event with US and Cuban entrepreneurs. But much of Obama's visit was about appealing directly to the Cuban people and celebrating the island's vibrant culture.

Early Sunday cleaners swept the narrow, cobbled streets where Obama was due to stroll later and police, especially plainclothes, were out in large numbers.

But minutes before Obama took off for Cuba, police in Havana arrested dozens of people from a banned group demanding greater human rights, AFP reporters said.

The protesters were from the Ladies in White, formed by wives of former political prisoners. Police bundled them into vehicles outside a church where they attempt to hold protests almost every Sunday.

Stepping into history, President opened an extraordinary visit to Cuba today, eager to push decades of acrimony deeper into the past and forge irreversible ties with America's former adversary.
Yemeni security and medical officials say 35 fighters have been killed in clashes between Shiite rebels and pro-government forces in Taiz, the country's third-largest city.

The officials say Shiite rebels known as Houthis were trying to retake the western part of the city yesterday, while a Saudi-led coalition launched more than a dozen airstrikes to prevent the Houthis from advancing.

Yemen's civil war pits Houthi rebels against fighters allied with the internationally recognised government. A Saudi-led coalition began launching airstrikes against the Houthis in March 2015.

The Houthis had besieged Taiz for over a year until pro-government forces pushed them out of the western part of the city last week, reopening a passage into Taiz.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters.
Yemeni Shiite rebels and the internationally recognized government have agreed to begin a ceasefire for a week or two before their next round of negotiations which are expected in April, Yemeni officials said today.

The officials participated in Sunday's talks in Sanaa, the capital, between the rebels and the UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

According to the officials, the Shiite rebels known as Houthis have agreed to implement a UN security council resolution which requires them to hand over their weapons and withdraw from territory they occupy, including Sanaa.

Officials with the internationally recognized government also said Sunday they agree to the ceasefire as a first step for the warring sides to show their good intentions.

Previous attempts to implement a ceasefire in Yemen have failed to take hold on the ground, with each side accusing the other of immediately violating the terms.

A first round of talks was held in Switzerland in December, but they never resumed.

The Arab world's poorest country has been plagued by fighting between its internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the rebels, who are allied with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
President Pranab Mukherjee today said young minds need to be sensitised to find creative solutions to important socio-economic problems of the country so India can achieve the goal of inclusive development.

India needs to leverage its technological ingenuity to address social needs, an official spokesperson said quoting the President, who was addressing students at the closing of the week-long Festival of Innovations at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday.

India may have reached a certain level of technological advancement and promoted the development of a scientific bent of mind and temperament amongst its citizens, especially young ones, but unless they are driven by commitment, devotion, empathy and sensitivity, a just social order envisaged in our Constitution will remain elusive, he said.

"If we are able to leverage ingenuity to address social needs, it will result in social innovations beneficial to the society," he said.

The President said such festivals will inspire young talented individuals to contribute to social change.

"The agenda and the themes of the Festival of Innovation have attempted to build inter-linkages amongst various stakeholders essential for an inclusive society based on inclusive innovations and technologies," the spokesperson said.
SHARE Regalado Freeman

Regalado joins local real estate company

Ferguson, Beene & Evans, Commercial Real Estate officials announced that Beth Regalado joined the company as a sales associate.

Regalado, of Corpus Christi, attended Flour Bluff Independent School District and later Del Mar College. She began her real estate career and worked a number of years marketing and managing multifamily properties. She worked as an assistant to Dave Evans in leasing the PlainsCapital Towers at 500 Shoreline Blvd.

The company has been in Corpus Christi for 25 years and has been involved in many of the city's major commercial transactions. It is located at 5866 S. Staples St. The company also owns and operates Capital Management Company, a full service property management company.

Freeman joins litigation firm

Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP, announced the addition of six attorneys as the firm expands its litigation and counseling services in its Texas offices including Janet A. Freeman of Corpus Christi.

Freeman represents new car and truck dealer franchisers in litigation and licensing and enforcement matters. A former in-house counsel with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, she joins the firm from Sapp, White & Freeman, PC.

2016 board and officers announced

Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas announced the 2016 board of directors and officers. They include:

Chairwoman: Paulette Guajardo, Independent

Vice Chairman: Gilbert Gonzalez, Corpus Christi Medical Center

Treasurer: Erica Lozano, CC Convention & Visitors Bureau

Secretary: Suzanne Taylor, Keller Williams

Board members:

Kimberly Becerra, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Lisa DeLaFuente, Gold Master Jewelers

Jessica Fabela, Coldwell Banker

Lisa Hinojosa, Citgo Corpus Christi Refinery

Russell Jackson, Edwards Law Firm

Maria Karaca, Prosperity Bank

Chad Magill, Stewart Title/City Councilman

Nicholas Nilest, Corpus Christi Rehabilitation Hospital

Rakesh Patel, Radisson

Chris Rodriguez, Flint Hill Resource

Trixy Saldivar, Prosperity Bank

Mark Scott, San Jacinto Title

Bea Vasquez, Flint Hill Resource

Abel Villarreal, Del Mar College

Compiled by Natalia Contreras
Caller-Times file Jim Wells County Fire Chief Henry Barjas (center), organizes volunteers who prepare to search for signs of a 36-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl who went missing after their boat capsized earlier this month. They were later found dead.

Ugly emotions have been let loose on a national stage in recent days. Punches have been thrown at political rallies. Rage and anger have been on display. A level of toxic vitriol that had been considered out of bounds is now legitimized.

More than one observer, viewing the anger and resentment, has asked, "What is happening to our country?"

But consider this: last week a family far from home and struck by tragedy found that they had friends in Corpus Christi. These were the volunteers who pitched in to help look for a missing father and daughter lost in a boating accident in Corpus Christi Bay.

The search ended sadly. The bodies of 13-year-old Odry Lilieth Leon and her father, Mario Alberto Leon Rangel, were found five days after their boat had capsized in the bay.

Over those days, an unknown number of volunteers had searched the bay shore looking for any sign of the missing family members.

These searchers were motivated only by compassion for a grief-stricken family from Mexico and a desire to comfort them if only by aiding in their closure. We should remember that this kind of humanity still is the more common emotion rather than the raw hatred that has caught the camera this election season.

That may be difficult to remember when we see the threat of violence so close to the surface in the campaign rhetoric that is being bandied around. We can lay the blame for this at the feet of Donald Trump, the front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. When he goads his audience to "punch (protesters) in the nose," it gives license to much of the violence that has followed his gatherings.

More disappointing is that Trump has struck some raw nerve of resentment and fear toward Mexican immigrants, Muslim refugees and women, provoking to the surface intolerance, that disdains "political correctness" and calls it "talking straight."

But bluster and posing had nothing to do with the volunteers who spent days peering fruitlessly over the waters of the bay. Eventually, it was a particular volunteer, Tim Miller of EquuSearch, a search and recovery team from Dickinson, whose specially equipped vessel found and recovered the remains of the missing.

A member of the family, Karla Medina, expressed their gratitude to those who had helped. "I'm very thankful. Thank you Corpus Christi, thank you to all the people."

And yet this act of compassion and help doesn't stand alone. Last summer hundreds of volunteers, many from Corpus Christi, searched the Blanco River after a flood swept away members of three local families.

Just this past week the operators of the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission were inundated by pledges and offers to help from those who had learned that the agency for the homeless was on the verge of closing its facility.

This is witness to a quiet devotion to helping others especially the most vulnerable in our society. When we ask whether our country is losing its way, we don't take into account all the small and not-so-small acts of kindness that ordinary people do.

A quick perusal of the newspaper's computerized morgue turns up a string of often heroic acts done by people who simply wanted to help someone in distress.

In December, two Driscoll Hospital employees, Susan Fields and Anna Rossetti, were honored by the city fire department for their actions in saving the life of a 13-year-old who suffered a heart attack in the hospital's parking lot.

There were the three people who, in 2013, heard an explosion while in a South Padre Island Drive restaurant and rushed to a nearby residence to help rescue the survivors. Leaking natural gas was the culprit.

There are all the other acts of compassion and just plain helpfulness like the guy who stops to aid another motorist, the person who returns the lost wallet, or, as happened to me, the taxi driver who returned to my door to return the cellphone I had dropped in his car.

Thousands have seen the video of the Trump supporter who sucker punched a protester. The same kind of violence has marked other rallies. This is alarming, even depressing. Who are we anyway?

But then I think of the people who helped search the bay, of those who responded to the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission and of those who went to the Blanco River to help. That is who we really are.

Nick Jimenez has worked as a reporter, city editor and editorial page editor for more than 40 years in Corpus Christi. He is currently the editorial page editor emeritus for the Caller-Times. His commentary column appears on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Live updates: Follow Donald Trump rally coverage in Robstown, Texas

Donald Trump is expected to speak in support of GOP candidates during the Texas rally at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Nueces County
St. Paul police officer Anthony Dean returns to the location of a previous domestic disturbance call after a second call came in an hour later for someone yelling for help. Dean was trying to locate someone calling for help from underneath a food truck in early January.

By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times

Project Remand, a private nonprofit, was established in 1973 to identify high-risk offenders.

The agency, created by a group of attorneys and judges, is contracted to provide pretrial services for adults arrested in Ramsey County in Minnesota. Late in 2012, the nonprofit launched a pilot program for GPS monitoring of domestic violence defendants.

The Ramsey County attorney's office provided Project Remand money for the pilot after legislation passed that allowed GPS monitoring as a condition of release. About $19,000 annually is used for a varied number of offenders on conditional release with GPS. Mary Pat Maher, executive director of Project Remand, said pilot project is helping the agency address a big challenge in supervising domestic violence defendants.

"That is our biggest challenge when we are supervising domestic violence defendants  keeping them away from the victim," she said.

Early findings in the pilot program are encouraging. Defendants who participate in the program continue to demonstrate greater overall compliance with court orders and significantly lower rates of recidivism than the comparison group.

The agency screens every domestic violence defendant at first appearance to determine eligibility to be monitored. As of October 2014, 1,185 defendants were screened and 35 percent, or 418 defendants, were deemed eligible. Of those, 35 were allowed conditional release with GPS monitoring.

Participation is voluntary for both the defendant and the victim. The pilot aimed to improve no compliance with victim no contact orders and other conditions of pretrial release during the duration of the case.

Maher is confident it serves its purpose.

Using the Minnesota Court Information System, defendants' records were reviewed from the date of release until the date their cases ended. More than 30 percent of the cohort of defendants who were eligible for bail were charged with a domestic assault after they were released and 20 percent on conditional release without the GPS monitoring component were charged. Only 6 percent of those on GPS were charged in the same time frame. And no defendants on GPS monitoring had new criminal charges or convictions in the cohort.

"It really works in terms of preventing pretrial rearrest, protecting victims and enforcing no contact orders," Maher said. "That's the good news."

The agency is contracted through August 2017 when the Legislature will review the pilot outcomes and may pass authorizing legislation for the program to continue.

"Hopefully they are going to (permanently) remove the barrier (of monitoring pretrial defendants) altogether, " she said.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Advocate from the Women's Advocates shelter in St. Paul, Minnesota, listens to a guest at the haven circa 1970s. The shelter was the first established in the country to house battered women.

By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times

ST. PAUL  The first shelter in the nation  Women's Advocates  was established in St. Paul Minnesota in 1974.

Formed as a collective in 1972, Women's Advocates began as a crisis line before operating from volunteers' homes. Friends, family and residents petitioned by the coalition of women's rights activists funded the first permanent shelter for women in 1974.

A victim advocacy network was born.

The network played an active role in drafting the 1977 law that made Minnesota the first in the country to allocate financial support to battered women shelters. The first-of-its-kind legislation provided $500,000 to establish four pilot programs for shelter and support services. The pilot programs' legislative allocations grew to $2.9 million by 1979. Minnesota's most significant legal change was enacted that year: the Domestic Violence Act.

In 1980, Minnesota also became the first state to implement a sentencing guidelines structure. A legislative body  The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission  is tasked with maintaining the guidelines, evaluating outcomes of changes in sentencing policy, analyzing trends and making appropriate recommendations.

Provisions in the Domestic Violence Act during the years have adapted to the pace at which domestic violence proliferates in the state.

Because of consistent legislative changes, domestic violence felony convictions in Minnesota have risen dramatically  from 137 in 2001 to 1,608 in 2013, according to annual reports by the Sentencing Guidelines Commission.

Twitter: @CallerBetty
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Uber In this Jan. 4, 2013 photo, Lyft driver Nancy Tcheou uses her phone to accept a ride from a passenger in San Francisco. Fed up with traditional taxis, city dwellers are tapping their smartphones to hitch rides from strangers using mobile apps that allow riders and drivers to find each other. Internet-enabled ride-sharing services such as Lyft, Uber and Sidecar are expanding rapidly in San Francisco, New York and other U.S. cities, billing themselves as a high-tech, low-cost alternative to cabs. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Matt Woolbright of the Caller-Times

City officials in Midland and council members thought their ordinance marked the start of a long-term partnership with Uber.

The ordinance was crafted and passed in December after securing approval from the nation's leading ride-hailing company. City officials knew the service was good  and needed  so passing regulations the company could coexist with was critical, Midland spokeswoman Sara Bustilloz said.

Then, Uber left anyway.

"After we passed that agreed-on ordinance, they changed their mind and left the day it went into effect," she said. The city was notified of the decision "a week or so" before Uber made it public, she added. "There was no time to write a new ordinance."

Midland officials, a West Texas city of about 130,000, faced the same issue the Corpus Christi City Council is now facing  do it Uber's way, or the company leaves.

"They know they're popular, and they know their trump card is leaving the community," Bustilloz said. "And we know they provide a good service, but we want to make sure there's some sort of baseline for us to protect the citizens, as well."

The Midland ordinance didn't require fingerprint-based background checks  the so-called "poison pill" that ushered Uber and Lyft out of Corpus Christi. Instead it required the company to send the city a list of its drivers every six months  a component Uber suggested, Bustilloz said.

City Councilman Chad Magill told the Caller-Times last week Uber proposed allowing the city to audit a sample of its drivers' background checks every six months. Uber's offer prompted Magill to move to reconsider the ordinance that required fingerprinting drivers, which is on hold.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Uber officials did not offer details as to what it would take to get the company to resume operations here or how many drivers it had in Corpus Christi. The company did not respond to a question asking why it opposes fingerprinting.

Lyft officials did not respond to emails seeking comment about the company's practices.

Uber, which was founded in 2009, began operating in Corpus Christi in 2014, the company has said.

In an emailed statement the company noted other Texas cities that have new laws on the books that strike an acceptable balance.

"In the past six months, several Texas cities, including Beaumont, Abilene and College Station, have adopted modern regulations that protect the public while also fostering innovation," the company said in the statement. "We hope the city will reconsider their decision and adopt similar rules so drivers can earn money on a flexible schedule and riders can access a safe alternative to drinking and driving at the tap of a button."

An Uber spokeswoman also pointed to the effects Uber's presence in cities around the country is having on drunken driving crashes and arrests. For example, Uber estimates its presence in Austin contributed to a 23 percent drop in alcohol-related crashes.

In California, where the company is based, a study done with the help of Mothers Against Drunk Driving showed the company's presence in markets has prevented 1,800 drunken driving crashes since July 2012.

After declaring earlier this month he would move to have the ordinance reconsidered, Magill made a formal request to Uber to resume service in the area during the busy tourism season because the ordinance is not in effect. But the company has so far not obliged.

Magill said his decision to move to reconsider was only based on information he received after the March 8 vote, but not everyone is convinced.

Some see the reversal more as a consequence of 2016 being an election year.

"This wasn't about the council missing information  they had all the information before from us who commented at their meetings," said Anthony Carter, an Uber driver. "They voted, realized how wrong their vote was by the people who are furious, and now they're backpedaling when they realize it may cost them their jobs."

Seven council members voted for the ordinance with City Councilman Mark Scott voting against. City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre opposed the ordinance's background check requirement, but voted in favor "just so Uber has an option to operate legally."

The tussle comes as the company's commitment to safety has been called into question, and on the heels of the service agreeing to settle a class-action lawsuits in California for $28.5 million that claim the assurances of safety afforded by its background check system are overstated.

RISING TENSIONS

Attorney Michael McCauley, who has helped spearhead the local movement to support Uber's requests, said the City Council went too far.

"This is about overreaching by the council to try and be a nanny state that regulates our personal liberties," McCauley said. "And it's not like Corpus Christi should be able to dictate how Uber does its business. The city is free to put their regulations in place and Uber is free to choose not to serve the city."

And it's not just ride-hailing supporters who are unhappy.

Dan Stiefel, founder and president of Green-N-Go Cab, also said the council is reconsidering the vote because the public is angry with the outcome.

He too is angry, but for different reasons. The approved ordinance still wouldn't level the playing field, which is what he asked the council to do when he complained about the ride-hailing companies operating here without regulations and without consequence.

"I'm not afraid of competition, but if somebody is held to a different standard and they're doing the same job, then I have an issue with that," Stiefel said. "Federal law says you can't hold two people to different standards if they're doing the same work."

Taxi companies are required to pay a $100 fee for every cab license they possess four times a year, and maintain a physical presence in the city. The approved ordinance required the ride-hailing companies to pay 2 percent of their gross revenue four times annually, but there was no requirement for a physical presence  something Stiefel said contributes to taxi fares being higher.

NO EASY CHOICE

If the council doesn't do more to make the regulations more balanced  or if it scales back the requirements on ride-hailing companies without adjusting regulations on the taxi cab industry  Stiefel is planning to sue the city.

Stiefel's sentiments reflect part of City Councilman Mark Scott's resistance to the council voting on the ordinance March 8 despite some members of the governing body and public asking for a postponement.

"We're missing the boat," Scott said at the time. "This is an opportunity to reduce the regulatory burden on the whole industry."

Short of heeding Scott's suggestion, City Hall is sure to feel pressure after the March 29 meeting when the issue is expected to be voted on again. If it's not from a lawsuit with the taxi companies, it will be political pressure from a group organized under the banner of saveuberincc.com. And it could be a battle on both fronts.

In the wake of the council's decision, real estate broker Rick Gomez announced he will be running against District 3 representative Lucy Rubio and others have mulled runs publicly on Facebook. Gomez said the council's March 8 vote was an easily avoidable mistake.

"They tried to call Uber's bluff and were wrong," he said. "They thought Uber wanted Corpus so bad that they would stick around despite their direct warning otherwise, but they didn't pay attention to what was going on around them ... This happened in San Antonio and Uber had a lot more to lose there."

Uber ultimately got its way in San Antonio, a city of 1.5 million, last year after leaving over a city council-approved fingerprint-based background check mandate.

"It changes Uber's whole system because it could turn the individual drivers into employees instead of contractors and that would subject Uber to certain federal mandates and taxes that could cost them dearly," Gomez said of the requirement.

Uber and Lyft operate in San Antonio today because the city council there approved a pilot program where the fingerprint-based background checks are voluntary, and drivers who get them are given a verified status on the app. Riders also aren't charged for canceling non-verified drivers in favor of riding with a verified driver instead, the city said in a statement.

San Antonio's course provided the framework for Uber to dictate events in the state's tourism destination about two hours down Interstate Highway 37, Gomez said.

"Uber just doesn't have as much to lose as Corpus does," he said. "If they lose the market there are plenty of others, but for us, if Uber leaves we don't have options (other than cabs or public transportation)."

A RALLY CRY

That's why Gomez  one of the residents who formally notified the city of an intent to file a referendum  believes the multibillion dollar company hasn't dispatched representatives to the Coastal Bend. Uber doesn't need to lobby when the voters demand their local authorities do what it takes to keep the ride-hailing companies around, he said.

Corpus Christi citizens have begun circulating an online petition urging the council to reconsider the vote. As of Friday, about 1,000 people had signed online, even though the council is already expected to revote. They will need more than 9,000 to get it on the ballot. The organizers don't want to leave the outcome up to the council if it doesn't satisfy the ride-hailing companies.

But one person likely not changing her vote on March 29 is Mayor Nelda Martinez, who said the fingerprint-based background check is a critical component for public safety  a sentiment Police Chief Mike Markle echoed at the March 8 meeting.

"Nothing is foolproof, nothing. But you decrease the odds (of a tragedy with) biometric screening," Martinez said. "If something horrible happened to one of my citizens because I didn't require an extra $38  I couldn't live with myself."

Local drivers have said they're not opposed to the fingerprint-based background checks personally, but they're fighting that component because it's keeping Uber and fellow ride-hailing company Lyft out of Corpus Christi.

"It comes down to they've built a system that works, and they don't want to add the cost of fingerprint background checks," said Craig Jamison, a Lyft driver. "And they've bullied through enough cities that they believe their technique will work to come back after citizens step up on their behalf."

That's what happened in Austin. After the City Council there passed an ordinance Uber and Lyft opposed, the citizens mobilized and circulated a petition to repeal it  all without Uber and Lyft leaving town. The decision not to leave may have been because the fingerprint portion in the ordinance has not yet gone into effect, Austin spokesman Bryce Bencivengo said.

More than 26,000 Austin residents signed anyway, and a referendum election is scheduled for May 7. The number of signatures on the petition for a referendum represents more than half the total turnout from Austin's last citywide election held in May 2012.

"They see the citizens are a volunteer army on their behalf, so there's no reason for them to expend resources to get involved," Gomez said of Uber in Corpus Christi. "We're doing that for them."

Twitter: @reportermatt

If you go

What: City Council meeting

Where: Council chambers of City Hall, 1201 Leopard St.

When: 11:30 a.m. March 29

*The transportation network companies ordinance is expected to be discussed.

Rules of the road

The City Council is expected to reconsider a recently approved ordinance at its March 29 meeting.

Under the ordinance, that passed earlier this month, drivers would have to submit to fingerprint-based background checks (estimated to cost about $38). Transportation network companies and drivers also would have to meet other requirements.

drivers must:

Pay a $50 application fee after a clean background check,

Pay a $15 vehicle inspection fee,

Not drive more than 12 hours in any 24-hour period,

Drivers may not refuse to transport someone to any destination within the city limits,

Display a company sign on the car that's visible at least 50 feet away,

Drivers may not solicit customers anywhere in the city, and

Drivers may not respond to customers on the street who ask to hire their vehicle.

the company must:

Pay a permit fee equal to 2 percent of the gross revenue for each vehicle in the city quarterly, and

Renew permits annually

Source: City documents

Around the state

Uber's ongoing tussle with the city over regulations dictating how the national, multibillion dollar company operates here isn't unique to the Coastal Bend. Uber has fought with cities across Texas with mixed results.

Austin

Population: 913,000

Past: The city council approved an ordinance in December that Uber and Lyft said would cause them to leave town. Citizens mobilized and secured more than 26,000 signatures to force a citywide referendum on May 7.

Present: Uber and Lyft are currently operating in Austin. The fingerprint-based background check component of the ordinance has not gone into effect. The city is waiting for the May election.

Corpus Christi

Population: 320,000

Past: City Council approved an ordinance Uber and Lyft said would cause them to leave town. Citizens began a referendum effort, and City Council members said the issue would be revisited. Uber and Lyft left the city before the ordinance was set to go into effect.

Present: Uber and Lyft no longer operate in Corpus Christi, but the City Council is expected to revisit the stalled ordinance at a March 29 meeting. Citizens are also circulating a referendum petition.

Galveston

Population: 47,000

Past: City council approved an ordinance earlier this year requiring city-approved background checks of drivers. Uber opposed and left the city when the law went into effect.

Present: Uber still does not operate in Galveston.

Houston

Population: 2.2 million

Past: City and company officials negotiated over a year before regulations were adopted in August of 2014 that include city-mandated background checks.

Present: Uber and Lyft are currently operating in Houston.

Midland

Population: 128,000

Past: City council approved an ordinance earlier this year city officials have said Uber agreed to, but later deemed unsatisfactory and left. That ordinance would have required the company to send the city a list of its drivers in Midland every six months.

Present: Uber and Lyft do not operate in Midland.

San Antonio

Population: 1.4 million

Past: Last year, city council approved an ordinance Uber and Lyft did not approve of that included fingerprint-based background checks. Uber and Lyft left. The council approved a pilot program where fingerprint background checks are voluntary, and Uber and Lyft returned.

Present: Uber and Lyft are currently operating in San Antonio

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, city officials, news reports
SHARE

Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas' two U.S. senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, have impressive credentials as lawyers steeped in constitutional law. Both Abbott and Cornyn are former Texas attorneys general and Supreme Court justices. Cruz was the state's solicitor general and clerked for former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

All three are reputed strict constitutionalists, a label that means they are strict conservative interpreters of the Constitution for what it says, not what they would like it to say or what they think they can stretch it to mean.

Yet, these three constitutional loyalists have volunteered their services to a conspiracy to stretch that revered document like a rubber band until it frays or snaps. In response to the unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, they want to obstruct President Barack Obama's constitutional duty to replace him. They agree that the Senate should shirk its duty to consider and approve whom Obama nominates unless the nominee is discovered to be incompetent  which nominee Merrick Garland is well known not to be.

These three Texas Republicans have chosen fealty to a specific desired political outcome over loyalty to the Constitution. The Republicans simply don't want Obama or any Democrat to make that appointment and they are willing to contort the Constitution to do it.

The party line into which our three crackerjack Texas lawyers have bought is that the appointment of Scalia's successor should wait for the next president on the premise that the people should have a say by choosing the president who makes that appointment  and that therefore the Senate should ignore Obama and his nominee.

Actually, in fairness to Cruz, we should give him credit where blame is due. He was ahead of his party in staking out this position and should be acknowledged as its architect.

Never mind the ignoring of the obvious  that the people already chose Obama, twice. We're not good enough at math to count all the holes in the GOP argument. The bigger issue is that the supposed deeper understanding of the Constitution that Abbott, Cornyn and Cruz possess, and their devotion to purity of constitutional interpretation, compounds the egregiousness of their participation in the scam.

It's, you know, kind of like a cop robbing a bank. No one should do it, but least of all a cop.

In response to Garland's nomination, all three Texans issued statements against Obama doing what a president is supposed to do and in favor of the Senate not doing its job. All three embraced the notion that, in Cornyn's words, "Texans and the American people deserve to have a say in the selection of the next lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court."

The only way to give the voters the say they supposedly deserve is to do something the Founders did not intend  bypass middleman lame-duck presidents and let the people elect the Supreme Court. These three strict constitutionalist wiseguys know that's the logical destination for the illogical path they have chosen.

The voters they're so deeply concerned about should remember, henceforth, how willingly these three disrespected the Constitution and rejected their supposed core principles. If this were the last year of a Republican administration, no doubt Abbott, Cornyn and Cruz would rediscover that they are strict constitutionalists. Actually they're just loosey goosey opportunists.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, looks at one of special prosecutors during a pretrial motion hearing at the Collin County courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, in McKinney, Texas. Paxton is accused of encouraging wealthy investors to pump more than $100,000 into a tech startup called Servergy without revealing he was being paid by the company. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News Via AP, Pool)

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Our state's elected leaders claim to support religious freedom, but many are acting in ways that threaten and radically redefine that fundamental liberty.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton did so most recently when, earlier this month, he appointed a new top staff attorney for his office. Jeff Mateer, the office's new first assistant attorney general, had been serving as general counsel for a political advocacy group that uses the courts to promote an agenda hostile to one of our most important protections for religious freedom: separation of church and state.

Mateer has explicitly rejected this key constitutional principle, declaring that church-state separation appears nowhere in the Constitution.

That's a tired rhetorical trick. The specific words "fair trial," "right to privacy" and "checks and balances" also aren't stated expressly in the Constitution. But all of them, like separation of church and state, are long-established principles grounded in the Constitution's provisions and upheld repeatedly by our courts.

Our nation's founders wisely understood that to protect religious liberty, government must be prohibited from favoring or disfavoring any religion over all others. Someone who rejects separation of church and state simply isn't a champion of religious liberty.

But the appointment of a foot soldier in the culture wars to such an important position also poses another danger: the radical redefinition of religious liberty to mean the right to use religion to discriminate against and harm others.

Mateer and politicians across the country have turned "religious freedom" into a talking point in their efforts to excuse businesses and individuals, even government officials, who fire or deny services to people who offend their religious beliefs. They cynically portray laws that bar such discrimination as evidence of government persecution of people of faith and threats to religious liberty.

But religious freedom has never meant the right to use religion to harm others or ignore laws you don't like. Nor should it.

One is tempted to see Mateer's appointment as an attempt by Attorney General Paxton, who has been indicted on criminal charges of securities fraud, to shore up his support among social conservatives. In fact, it is just the latest effort by the attorney general to use religion as a weapon to divide Texans in promotion of a reckless political agenda.

During the legislative session in 2015, the Attorney General's Office supported  unsuccessfully  a number of bills that would have allowed the use of religion to discriminate. At a Texas Senate State Affairs hearing last month, a member of the attorney general's staff promoted efforts to pass such legislation again in 2017. Attorney General Paxton has also expressed his support for such laws in letters to legislative leaders.

Opposition to same-sex marriage and to measures protecting gay and transgender people from unfair discrimination has fueled these calls for religious refusals  using religion to refuse to obey laws or other policies one doesn't like. But make no mistake: Once you open the door for using religion to discriminate against any one group of people, then everyone is vulnerable.

Should government officials be allowed  based on their personal religious beliefs  to refuse to issue marriage licenses to people who have lived together or been divorced?

Should we look the other way when landlords who believe that bearing children out of wedlock is a sin refuse to rent to single mothers?

And if this campaign for religious refusals is successful, be prepared for a full-out assault on state and federal civil rights laws that protect everyone from discrimination.

So let's be clear about what is at stake here. In America we all have the right to equal treatment under the law, regardless of who we are or what we believe. But politicians like Attorney General Paxton are undermining this basic constitutional principle by twisting the meaning of another, religious liberty.

Religious freedom is one of our most fundamental rights as Americans. But that freedom has never meant the right to use religion to discriminate, to pick and choose which laws one will obey, or to impose one's personal religious beliefs on other people. We should not change that.
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Patrick Larkin

Texas lege needs to invest in higher education

If state Sen. Charles Schwertner wants to know why Texas public universities have to keep raising tuition he needs to look in the mirror. His opinion piece last week showed a surprising lack of candor regarding the Texas Legislature's contribution to the increasing cost of higher education. Texas support for public institutions of higher education has been declining for decades but has been especially acute over the last several years. Since 2008 funding has declined by over 20 percent. At the same time the Legislature has also imposed a number of unfunded mandates on the state's universities in the form of the Hazelwood Act, which provides free tuition to qualified veterans or their dependents, and in requirements to set aside substantial amounts of tuition revenue as financial aid for needy students. Worthy as these goals may be they came with no additional funds, essentially transferring the costs to the institutions themselves. The occasional legislative increases in state funding for higher education, as Sen. Schwertner alludes to in his article, have not make up for this accumulating deficit.

Being fiscally responsible is an important attribute for any legislative body but so is seriously investing in the future. Texas needs high quality public education, roads, health care, water, air, and soil quality if we're to remain competitive. We need a vision that extends beyond a cramped, low tax, low wage scenario for the future.
| BY Lynchy |

BBDO picked up the Network of the Year gong at this years AdFest. Offices in Shanghai, Bangkok, Manila, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Jakarta, Singapore, Wellington, Auckland, Tokyo and Dubai all contributed to their win.

Agency of the Year for 2016 was awarded to Dentsu Inc., Tokyo. The agency was also named Interactive Agency of the Year and Direct & Promo Agency of the Year.
| BY Kim Shaw |

M&C Saatchi Asia Creative Chairman Ben Welsh (pictured) was jury president for Film and Radio and this years AdFest. Here he offers his final thoughts on what was a highly successful and well run Festival.

Heading up the highway from Pattaya to the airport is a good opportunity to reflect on the past week.

First thought, and one that will be the first thought for most people leaving today  Thank God its over. Judging is always tiring, but when you judge here its doubly so. The beer group pressure* gets to you. Not just because everyone is there to have a good time, but because its so bloody hot. You drink beer to cool down. The beer warms up. You drink faster..

Had there been a stubby holder in the Innova category Im sure it would have won. Actually, a smart stubby holder could be fun.

But, to more important things.

THE WORK

There was some world-class work. There was some weird work. There was average work. But the one thing about pretty much all of the work was its cultural resonance. And thats what makes AdFest so fascinating.

Some of the best work was a combination of a great idea and a unique culture:

Beertroleum. NZ

MotoRepellent mosquito thing. THAILAND

Firefly TV. JAPAN

Ugly Rashie. AUSTRALIA

THE SPEAKERS

I went to a few sessions but didnt manage to stay for any in their entirety because I had judging or speaking or press duties. That said, I saw enough of the following to be impressed and inspired:

Kentaro Kimura and his Creative Alchemy: Combine, Mimic, Upside down, What if, The truth behind. I really like Kettles City and Forest thinking.

Steve Henry with a reminder to everyone of the fundamentals: safe isnt safe, safe will kill you; you get great by taking risks; brilliant creative combine obstinacy with perversity and charm.

Mike Edmonds and his true truths.

ON SPEAKING

Its a tough crowd.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you havent been, go.

What is that terrible smell on Walking Street?

Why do so many Thai boys become Thai girls?
Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 9:25PM

Twitter is looking to enhance the user experience of TweetDeck and has opted to stop support for its Windows app starting April 15th. In conjunction with that, Twitters encouraging users to just head to the browser to use the app. And if theyre signed into Twitter or even its analytics website, youll be automatically be logged into TweetDeck. Some users will already be seeing this change but Twitter is currently working on making it available to everyone. For users, who are wary of making the change, Twitter is reminding its users that they can pin the site to your task bar via Chrome (Customize and control > More Tools > Add to task bar).

Source: Twitter | Via: SlashGear
"People want to come here, I don't have a problem with development because Gundaroo can benefit in lots and lots of ways by being bigger. At the moment the population is too small for some of the things we really need  maybe a swimming pool, or commuter bus to Canberra."
"Roy and Betty were busy people, the next project was always the more important one to them, so when we were sorting out the estate, we suddenly realised there were 500-odd paintings of Roy's, drawings going back to their art school days in London, Betty at the Royal Academy, Roy at the Slade," he said.
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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.

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Dutch couple Dirk and Trudy Regter have embarked on an epic journey that started in the summer of 2012 on-board their 100-year old Ford Model T.



The Regters began their road trip by covering 22,000 km (14,000 miles) in 180 days during the first leg of the drive, which took them from Edam, Netherlands to Cape Town in South Africa.

In 2013, the couple conquered both the United States as well as Canada during a 28,000 km (17,000 mile) crossing, which also took them 180 days to complete. One year later, it took them 180 days to cover 26,000 km (16,000 miles) through South America.

So far, they have driven almost 80,000 km (50,000 miles) in total, visiting and supporting several projects run by the international childrens aid organization SOS  Childrens Villages.

In Africa we had to weld a broken front wheel at the local blacksmith, said Mr Regter. Im pretty handy and a screwdriver, hammer, some duct tape, tie wraps and tensioning straps go a long way.

During 2016 and 2017, the plan is to continue making their way through New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and India, before crossing the Himalayas to China. The return trip back to the Netherlands will take place through Mongolia and then via Central Europe.

Dirk and Trudy Regter have owned their 1915 Ford Model T since 1997, while Dirk has long been passionate by vintage Fords, having previously owned a 1923 Model T and a 1928 Model A. Their 1915 model is powered by a 3.0-liter petrol engine which has the exact same specs as when it first left the factory over a century ago  aside from the larger tires for the wooden-spoked wheels which make the ride softer.

The highlight of their journey? Highway 1 from Los Angeles to San Francisco is beautiful: steep slopes, deep ravines, mountains on one side and wonderful view of the ocean on the other. Its breath-taking.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO
Honda fans, rejoice: the Japanese car manufacturer has a special new online documentary series in order to celebrate its automotive heritage and history in the United States.



The company has been Stateside for the better part of the last 50 years (47 actually), introducing the kei car concept with the launch of the N600 model. This was the first Honda automobile to be officially imported to North America.

In 1969, after a decade of growth that led to Honda becoming the top-selling motorcycle manufacturer both in America and globally, the company decided it was time to embark in a new mission and start selling cars in the U.S. When the N600 hit the market it could actually fit between the wheels of some full-size American vehicles, considering it measured just 122 inches in length (3 meters).

It was powered by an all-alloy 600cc engine (hence the N600 moniker)that developed 35  45 Hp, but it revved up to 9,000 rpm  its motorcycle-building roots were obvious. Puny, yes, but the car weighed only 550 Kg (1100 pounds), which translated into a 130 km/h (81 mph) top speed and a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration of 19 seconds.

The N600 Serial One  the very first N600 test vehicle in America  is the star of the first episode in the documentary series, featuring an in-depth look at its step-by-step restoration by Los-Angeles-based mechanic Tim Mings. The man in charge of the project has a lot of experience with N600s, having restored more than 1000 such vehicles throughout his career, but none as special as a Serial One.

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: Contributed

By Zoe Eyjolfson

On Feb. 29, with a split decision, Kelowna's mayor and council rejected a motion to further investigate how other municipalities, such as Vancouver and Toronto, have dealt with the Blue Dot Initiative and the impacts on their respective municipal policies.

Many are disappointed and deeply concerned by this decision. So far in just 18 months, 122 municipalities that represent more than 12 million Canadians have passed Blue Dot declarations, representing one-third of Canadas population.

The Blue Dot movement, a project of the David Suzuki Foundation, is the simple, yet powerful idea that every Canadian deserves the right to live in a healthy environment. We should have the right to clean air, fresh water, safe food, and a say in the decisions that affect our well-being.



The ultimate goal of the project is to enshrine environmental rights in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The constitutional right to a healthy environment leads to stronger and better enforcement of environmental laws including actions like the cleanup of pollution hotspots and protection of safe drinking water.



More than 110 countries worldwide have the right to a healthy environment recognized in their constitution, but not Canada.

When I learned this, I was shocked, disappointed, sad and angry. I couldnt believe that our great country was silent on environmental rights.

Starting at the local level, Blue Dot supporters across Canada are working to secure municipal declarations that support the right to a healthy environment, and here in Kelowna we have been working hard. After a successful rally of more than 200 people held in April 2015, we formed an incredible group of volunteers of all ages and walks of life. We started gaining support from Kelowna residents and a wide variety of businesses and organizations.

During the past year, we collected 85 letters of support representing First Nations, the tech industry, hospitality, health and wellness, recreation, education, law, environment, retail, wine and food, and other economic sectors. These were not easy to get. Many required meetings, presentations and board approvals. Thousands of signatures were gathered throughout the community.

Since presentations at council meetings are not permitted, we met individually with Mayor Colin Basran and each councilor. We followed up with each to address their questions and concerns.

In February, we submitted a package with a summary of our actions to date, the 85 letters, and other supporting documents including a copy of a Toronto staff report declaring their right to a healthy environment as an example of how to support this initiative. We included a draft declaration and a letter formally requesting the following:

1) that the city formally ask higher levels of government for recognition for Canadian citizens right to live in a healthy environment and 2) to achieve municipal recognition of the RTHE for all residents of Kelowna by including actions highlighting environmental rights in the Official Community Plan.

We do not know why this motion to further investigate Blue Dot was rejected. To be honest, the rejection is a slap in the face. The amount of work from our volunteers has been massive, the support from the community is well and widely represented, and we dedicated ourselves to following the process required by the city to be heard while maintaining a professional and positive approach throughout.

I feel that by rejecting RTHE, it will hurt the city in the long run. Kelowna prides itself for being progressive on environmental initiatives and is continually striving for a greener future. By not recognizing their citizens RTHE, it contradicts all they are striving for.

The province of Manitoba, as well as major cities such as St.Johns, Halifax, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria support this initiative because they saw the value and need for constitutionally protected environmental rights in their communities and nationwide. Im not sure why Kelowna does not see the same.

Kelowna should be credited for being environmentally conscious in its policy-making. But the job is not finished.

We would like to commend and thank councilors Brad Sieben, Ryan Donn and Charlie Hodge for their continued support for this initiative.

We ask the remaining councilors: 1) to please provide a rational explanation for your decision not to investigate Blue Dot further, and 2) to seriously reconsider this initiative by understanding whats at stake and how Kelownas support would lend to the greater goal of constitutional change.

We ask residents, businesses and organizations to respond to councils decision by email, letters and through all media types by focusing on how the right to a healthy environment will benefit Kelowna and what it would mean if we did or didnt have this right in our community and in Canada. Responding to this decision with negativity will taint all the work we have done thus far and the positive message of Blue Dot.

Zoe Eyjolfson (nee Masters) is the Kelowna Blue Dot volunteer co-ordinator
Photo: CTV

Police are investigating a shooting outside a Vancouver elementary school.

Police responded to J. W. Sexsmith Elementary School on Columbia Street about 1 a.m.

A group of men was apparently confronted at the school by two others, one of whom fired at the group.

A 21-year-old man arrived at a local hospital shortly afterwards, for treatment of a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, police say.

Resident Michael Ko has lived across the street from the school for 10 years and told CTV its usually a very peaceful neighbourhood.

All of a sudden we just hear a couple of big bangs  a couple of shots, I guess, Ko said. My wife was wondering is someone knocking on the door? The next thing I know, the police came by and said that was a shooting.

The investigation continues.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: The Canadian Press

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.

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.

Some had feared that the event in Fountain Hills could devolve into violence reminiscent of last week's Trump rally in Chicago, which was cancelled 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, Arizona, dozens of protesters made their way into another Trump rally, among them people carrying signs for the Black Lives Matter movement and someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood. They interrupted Trump as he spoke.

In typical form, Trump had the protesters kicked out, but urged the crowd of about 1,000 people to be nice to them.

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, 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.
Photo: The Canadian Press A police convoy thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels.

Suspected Paris bombing plotter Salah Abdeslam has told investigators that he was planning new operations from Brussels and possibly had access to several weapons, Belgium's foreign minister said Sunday.

Minister Didier Reynders said Abdeslam had claimed that "he was ready to restart something from Brussels, and it's maybe the reality."

Reynders gave credence to the suspect's claim because "we found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons in the first investigations, and we have seen a new network of people around him in Brussels."

Abdeslam, captured Friday in a police raid in Brussels, was charged Saturday with "terrorist murder" by Belgian authorities. He is a top suspect in the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.

Speaking to security experts at a German Marshall Fund conference in Brussels, Reynders said "we have found more than 30 people involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris, but we are sure that there are others."

He urged European intelligence, law enforcement, and border authorities to exchange more information to help track the suspects down.

Interpol also has called on European countries to be vigilant at their borders, saying Abdeslam's accomplices may try to flee after his capture. The international police agency recommended closer checks at borders, especially for stolen passports. Many of the Nov. 13 attackers and accomplices travelled on falsified or stolen documents

Abdeslam's Belgian lawyer, meanwhile, threatened to launch legal action Monday against a French prosecutor, accusing him of breaching the confidentiality of the investigation into the deadly rampage in Paris.

Sven Mary told Belgian public broadcaster RTBF that part of the press conference given on Saturday by Paris prosecutor Francois Molins "is a violation. It's a fault, and I cannot let it go unchallenged."

Molins said Abdeslam, 26, told Belgian officials he had "wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France" as a suicide bomber, but that he backed out at the last minute.

France is seeking Abdeslam's extradition for trial there, but Mary said he would fight any attempt to hand over his client and that investigators have much to learn from the suspect, who was born in Belgium but has French and Moroccan nationality.

"Salah is of great importance to this investigation. I would even say that he is worth gold. He is co-operating, he is communicating, he is not insisting on his right to silence. I think it would be worthwhile now to give things a bit of time ... for investigators to be able to talk to him," Mary said.

In response, an official in the Paris prosecutor's office said French law allows prosecutors to speak about elements of an investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss this issue publicly.

Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens was cautious about how the legal proceedings will unfold against the suspect, but said the kind of extradition procedure being used would limit the possibilities for Abdeslam to appeal.

"It could take two months, two and a half months, and we will not be certain of the result before then," Geens said on RTL television.

The next official step in the legal process comes Wednesday when Abdeslam faces court in Brussels.

The suspect, who could be one of the rare jihadis to face trial and possibly speak during proceedings, awoke Sunday after his first night in a prison just outside the city of Bruges, western Belgium.

The prison has a special section for high-profile prisoners, with specially trained guards. Cells have double doors and any furniture or equipment is attached to the floor.

Abdeslam was shot in the leg Friday along with a suspected accomplice when they were captured during a massive anti-terror raid in Brussels. He was found at an apartment a mere 500 metres (yards) from his parents' home, where he grew up.
Photo: Contributed - ourbc.com

The Outdoor Recreation Council has released its annual list of B.C.'s most endangered rivers, and this year the South Thompson is on it.

Compiled since 1993 by the 100,000-member ORC and based on public input, the report details the provinces most imperiled rivers by region, including the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Interior and North.

The Fraser and Seymour rivers were listed as the most endangered in the province, with the Cowichan, Peace, Thompson and Skeena rivers along with Shawnigan Creek also making the list that is compiled every second year.

According to the report, a major reason the Thompson River is considered endangered centres on the state of the rivers internationally renowned steelhead run. These fish are considered an extreme conservation concern and their precarious state highlights the need for a more precautionary and selective approach to the overall salmon fishery.

The Thompson steelhead run, which now numbers just over 400 fish, requires dramatic action including the development of a comprehensive recovery program. In addition, water licences and water extraction rates on various tributaries must be more closely monitored to ensure adequate flows remain for fish. There are also increasing concerns being expressed about industrial development proposals such as the Ajax mine in Kamloops.

According to the ORC website, The preparation of this list is the most comprehensive initiative of its kind in Canada. It attempts to provide a snapshot of the issues that face our rivers and those facing the greatest threat to their ecological health.
Community members met on Saturday for a grassroots brainstorm about the future of 74 riverfront acres in Billings.

The meeting, dubbed the "Corette Charette," allowed people to float ideas for use of the former J.E. Corette power plant site, which was mostly dismantled last year. PPL Montana, the former plant owners, announced in 2012 that the plant would shut down.

Saturday's meeting was hosted by the Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council and a coalition of several organizations from sustainability and conservation circles.

Jennifer Merecki, president of the Citizen Council's sustainability effort, said that the site along the Yellowstone River presents an enticing asset for its next development phase.

"What we want is to create an attractive eastern gateway to Billings," she said.

Several dozen attendees at the meeting split into small table groups. Using poster paper, they discussed and outlined wish lists for what the Corette site could be.

Numerous suggestions envisioned the plot as a public place  recreation, wildlife and similar uses were common.

For Jim Schilke, a Billings resident of 26 years, the idea of the eastern gateway resonated. He said that the view of the city from Interstate 90 has improved over the years, but it still presents little other than industrial sights.

His first suggestion was a public park.

"That's pretty evident to me," he said.

There were several commercial suggestions as well, which focused largely on recreation and service industries like event venues, boating guides and breweries.

Much of the discussion involved public use. Dale Anderson, board member of Our Montana, spoke about the opportunity to reclaim the waterfront from its initial, industrial development. One idea, brought by Billings Trailnet, was to include the Corette site in an easily accessible marathon loop around the outer edges of Billings.

Gabriel Aponte, a Rocky Mountain College student from Venezuela, said that he would like the city to be more active in creating sustainable public spaces. He said that the waterfront is the perfect opportunity.

"I would love to see it become more progressive in that sense," said Aponte, who is the president of the college's environmental club.

Some suggestions were more about what the Corette site shouldn't be. The most common views among the attendees rejected the idea of another power plant and other industrial uses.

The coal-fired energy plant operated for 47 years on the banks of the Yellowstone River. In 2012, Montana PPL announced that it wasn't cost-effective to make mercury pollution control upgrades and align with new standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In its final years, the plant produced as much as 1.05 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the EPA.

Upon shuttering in April 2015, PPL Montana spun off Corette and other assets to Talen Energy. The company has been working with potential buyers of the site.
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In the 1870s, Montanas main thoroughfare was the Missouri River. Steamboats headed up to Fort Benton and forts along the river protected them. But when Luther Kelly hung out at those posts, he was always talking about his exploits up the Yellowstone. He preferred the lesser-known, less-navigable river, and apparently someone  Kelly never said who or how  decided to make the river his name.

Actually Kellys favorite country was north of the Yellowstone, especially the mountains surrounding the Judith Basin. He often operated out of Carroll, a now-abandoned Missouri River crossing south of Zortman. He frequently visited the Reed and Bowles Trading Post near what is now Lewistown. And he always spoke highly of the terrain drained by the Musselshell River.

He lived in a golden age for the northern plains. The bison herds were thinning but not yet eliminated; the army was pacifying but not yet victorious. Civilization was coming but not yet arrived.

Kellys life as a plainsman resembled that of the fur-trading mountain men a generation or two earlier: He hunted and trapped, migrating at will. He often lived alone. In some ways he was rootless and nomadic; in others he was deeply connected to the landscape. In many ways his lifestyle embodied an ideal of freedom that has been much mourned since its passing. And Kelly  daring, handsome, literate and courteous  represented that lifestyles noble ideal.

A man of nerve

Raised in Geneva, New York, Kelly enlisted in the Army at age 15 as the Civil War was ending. He finished his three-year hitch on the Minnesota frontier, and then kept heading west, as Jerry Keenan explains in his biography "The Life of Yellowstone Kelly." In February 1869, Kelly was near Fort Buford, the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers by the Montana-North Dakota border. There, Kelly volunteered for an assignment so risky that no active soldier had taken it on.

He would carry mail to Fort Stevenson, more than 150 miles east, through territory filled with marauding Sioux renegades. And he made it. But on his way back, he ran into two men who wished him ill. Kelly was rounding a bend in the trail and saw the two men approaching him on horseback about 40 yards away. They dismounted and moved into the brush. One had a double-barreled shotgun.

After a brief exchange of cautious words, the man with the gun shot and hit Kellys horse. Kelly jumped off the writhing animal while holding his Henry repeating rifle. He hit the ground hard. As he started to rise, his opponent, now just a few feet away, charged and fired.

The gun, however, failed to discharge. Kelly fired his own gun and killed the man. The other warrior had by now hidden with his bow and arrows behind a small tree. Although lacking cover, Kelly had the advantage of the 16-shot repeating rifle. Despite a knee injury, Kelly won the duel.

News traveled quickly, and the teenaged tenderfoot gained a reputation for nerve. At 5-feet-10-inches, he had shoulder-length straight black hair and keen dark eyes. His nose was prominent, his cheekbones sharply cut. He had a quiet confidence and poise. The Gros Ventres called him Little Man with the Strong Heart.

Plainsman of character

Kelly spent the next several years ranging the Missouri/Yellowstone country. He cut timber to sell to passing steamboats. He poisoned wolves for their pelts  near the Musselshell he once saw 20 of the predators at a single bison carcass. He was quiet, even shy  known as Kelly the Sphinx. But he was cultured and noted for his conversational talents. He read Shakespeare and didnt do much gambling, drinking, smoking or carousing. He thus became known as a man of character  a desirable companion, partner or employee.

Kelly found increasing success guiding military expeditions. In 1873 he assisted the first steamboat up the Yellowstone, getting as far as the mouth of the Powder River. In 1876, when he heard about Custers debacle at the Little Bighorn, he drifted south from the Musselshell and met up with General Nelson Miles.

Miles, who became a lifelong patron, appointed Kelly chief scout of the Yellowstone. During Miles 1876-1877 campaigns against the Sioux, Miles was worried that Sitting Bull would return from his self-imposed exile in Canada. So Miles sent Kelly north to scout for the great warriors troops. Kelly was also scouting on Miles behalf during the 1877 Nez Perce engagement, when Miles surprised Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce band just a few dozen miles short of the Canadian border. Kellys scouting also included an 1878 sojourn in Yellowstone National Park to look for Bannocks that were feared to be on the warpath.

Scouting expeditions sometimes required written reports. Kellys were not only thorough and useful, but also well-written. Observers seemed puzzled that the vocabulary of someone who spent so much time in untamed country included so few oaths. Thus Kelly also became known as a man of intelligence.

An active life

By 1880 the era of the plainsman was ending. Kelly found the increasingly settled Montana far less wild and free than it had been 10 years previously. He spent a few years bouncing around undeveloped northwest Colorado, especially in the Meeker area, but eventually moved on to a settled life himself. By 1885 he was married and farming in Parachute, on Colorados western slope.

Later Kelly took government jobs in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. He participated in two explorations of Alaska. During the Spanish-American War in 1898 he gained a military commission as a captain and spent three years as an administrator in the Philippines. He became an Indian agent in Arizona and then a justice of the peace in Nevada. In 1915 he retired to a 60-acre fruit orchard in Paradise, Calif., 90 miles north of Sacramento. There, although both he and his wife suffered from declining vision and limited income, he wrote his memoirs.

Kelly died in 1928 at age 79. He had known it was coming, was weak and nearly blind. With his distinguished military service, he was eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, but he wasnt sure that city life was what he wanted in the forever-after. In a letter to state officials, he said, My body will rest better in Montana.

A vivid legacy

Kellys story differs from that of contemporaries such as William F. Buffalo Bill Cody in that he was never a dime-novel hero. His exploits, little exaggerated during his lifetime, were confirmed when his memoir was published by the esteemed Yale University Press. Thus in 1929 when Billings gave Kelly a funeral parade and sendoff, it was honoring a man whod gained fame for his character rather than his showmanship.

I. D. ODonnell, a city father, donated the land he named Kelly Mountain for the grave site  the idea being that solitude-loving Kelly would prefer more elbow room than he could get at the Boot Hill cemetery at the mountains base.

But because Kellys exploits were at that point so unromanticized, they tended to fade from memory. Within 10 years Kellys widow was asking Billings officials why they werent maintaining the site at the level theyd promised. Later, in the 1950s, the Rims in general became decrepit, and the grave itself was vandalized.

Hollywood portrayal

Meanwhile, Kellys story also became muddled. A 1957 novel and 1959 movie portrayed him as a romantic cowboy hero, fighting Indians. Rumor has it that John Wayne was set to portray Kelly, with John Ford to direct, until another project lured them away. Instead starring a heavily-pomaded Clint Walker, the movie is hard to watch today, with its native characters portrayed by black-haired white folks speaking as woodenly as possible.

But, it kept Kellys name alive. So did the ribald 1980s and 90s novels by Livingstons Peter Bowen, which the publisher describes as rip-roaring and told with an amoral panache. Although Bowen used the bones of Kellys life, his portrayals, like those of the 50s, tended to say more about the 20th century than about Kelly.

RIP Yellowstone Kelly

Now Kellys legacy is coming home.

Using Kellys motto briskly venture, briskly roam (a quote from Goethe), the Billings Chamber of Commerce seeks to develop Kelly Mountain into an interpretive site linked to the trails in Swords Rimrock Park. With recent donations including $80,000 from Phillips 66 and $50,000 from the City of Billings, the plans are gaining momentum.

From Kelly Mountain, you can look down on the city of Billings and see all that it has become since Kellys time. Or you can look up at the Beartooths, the Pryors and the plains  all the glory that it was while Kelly ventured and roamed.
The Orange County Register building in Santa Ana. The paper's parent, Freedom Communications, will be sold to Digital First Media. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Freedom Communications, the bankrupt owner of the Orange County Register and Press-Enterprise of Riverside, has decided to sell to Digital First Media after a judge blocked a higher bid by the owner of the Los Angeles Times, a Freedom attorney said Saturday.

Freedom will ask a federal bankruptcy judge on Monday to confirm and approve the sale to Digital First, which owns the Los Angeles Daily News and eight other daily papers in the greater Los Angeles area. The deal will close by March 31, Freedom attorney William Lobel said in an email.

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Digital First was the runner-up bidder for Freedom at $45.5 million.

The prospective takeover of the Freedom properties is Digital First's second major move in California in the last three weeks. The Denver-based company earlier announced it would consolidate six daily newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area into two, one serving Oakland and the East Bay and the other Silicon Valley. In the East Bay, The Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune, The Daily Review and The Argus will become the new East Bay Times. The San Jose Mercury News and the San Mateo County Times will become the Mercury News.

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Saturday's move caps a whirlwind of last-minute legal scrabbling to decide the fate of Freedom, which found itself mired in debt after being purchased by Aaron Kushner in 2012. He made counterintuitive moves, doubling down on print production in a digital age and adding about 175 new reporters and editors.

Tribune Publishing's $56 million bid emerged as the winning offer at an auction that concluded early Thursday. Barely 24 hours later, the U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit. The government said if the deal went through Southern California consumers and advertisers would be harmed because Tribune would have a virtual monopoly by owning the four largest papers in four counties. In addition to the Los Angeles Times, Tribune owns The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Late Friday, U.S. District Judge Andre Birotte Jr. issued a temporary restraining order halting the deal. Tribune had warned in court filings that such an order would doom the merger.

The bankruptcy has to close by March 31, when temporary private financing keeping the Freedom newspapers afloat will dry up.

In its Friday objections to the restraining order, Tribune complained that the government was relying on "severely outdated" notions of the media market in the era of digital publication.

A Tribune spokeswoman said the company was reviewing its options following the restraining order and declined to comment further on Saturday.

In issuing the order, Birotte said that many online websites don't produce original content, but "primarily post links to stories on the websites of other content generators including local newspapers like the Register or the Press-Enterprise."

Had the Tribune sale gone ahead, the company would have controlled 98 percent of daily English-language newspaper sales in Orange County and 81 percent in Riverside County, the Justice Department estimated. The four papers Tribune would have controlled have nearly 1,000 journalists covering an area that stretches from Los Angeles to the Mexican border. It's a region of 18 million people.

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Freedom Communications filed for bankruptcy protection in November. It followed a series of layoffs and buyouts after an aggressive expansion that included starting daily papers in Los Angeles and Long Beach and buying the Press-Enterprise for $27 million. Both new papers went under.

The Associated Press is among the creditors in Freedom's bankruptcy proceedings.

Associated Press
A Free Matt Sopron sign greets drivers along the Stevenson Expressway on Jan. 5, 2016. Supporters of Sopron are trying to generate public interest in the case. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

Amid the commercial billboards along the Stevenson Expressway, a smaller wooden sign sticks out: Free Matt Sopron, it reads.

Supporters of another inmate who's in prison for the 1991 murder and armed robbery of a gas station attendant in downstate Bloomington have passed out "Free Jamie Snow" wristbands to focus attention on his efforts to get DNA testing to help prove his innocence.

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And backers of John Horton use social media to inform the public about the Rockford man's efforts to unravel his conviction.

Once rare occurrences in the criminal justice system, reversals of wrongful convictions have become so commonplace that inmates and their advocates are finding it more and more difficult to make their voices heard.

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Even as many prosecutors become more receptive to innocence claims and organize units to review potential wrongful convictions, prisoners at the center of most cases are nearly anonymous as they hope that their court fights might capture the public's attention and add pressure to authorities considering their claims. Rare indeed is the case that becomes the popular podcast "Serial" or the documentary "Making a Murderer."

Matt Sopron was convicted of the 1985 murders of two 13-year-old girls. He has maintained his innocence. (Illinois Department of Corrections)

As a result, inmates and their supporters are getting creative while their cases remain in the courts.

"There's an innocent man that's been in prison his whole life. The best way we can help him is to let people know what's happening," said Lou Plucinski, a Sopron cousin who erected the 40-by-30-foot sign at his scrap metal recycling yard on the north side of the Stevenson. "We hope people will see it and say, 'Hey, I might be able to help.'"

Whether such efforts work is an open question. Ultimately, prosecutors and judges make the key decisions in post-conviction cases.

But Allan Ackerman, a veteran defense attorney who has represented Sopron since 1998, not long after the then-teenager was convicted at trial of murder, believes the public appeals do make a difference.

"The effort provides the public with a visual approach to an often broken system in Cook County and elsewhere," he said.

Tara Thompson, a lawyer at the Exoneration Project at the University of Chicago Law School who represents Snow, agreed.

"What we do as lawyers in court is separate from what people do to educate themselves about wrongful convictions," she said. "It's important for people who are innocent to be able to tell the public what's going on in their case. It's important for their supporters who want to make sure the cases aren't forgotten to know that effort helps."

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The number of exonerations has climbed steadily since 1989, the year of the first DNA exoneration. Last year the total reached 149, representing a new high, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, a project from the University of Michigan Law School.

Sopron, now 42, was one of six men convicted in the 1995 murders of two friends, Helena Martin and Carrie Hovel, both 13, on Chicago's Southwest Side. The girls were sitting in the rear of a van when a gunman approached and opened fire.

Cook County prosecutors alleged that gang members targeting rivals mistakenly shot the two eighth-graders.

Sopron, the gang's alleged leader, was accused of ordering the shooting. But court documents filed in his appeals in state and federal court contend many of the witnesses recanted their testimony, saying they lied in court after they were pressured to testify against Sopron by Chicago police and prosecutors.

"Beyond any doubt, here is somebody who is innocent," Ackerman said.

The Illinois Appellate Court, though, has rejected Sopron's appeals, saying the witnesses' recantations were not credible.

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The state's attorney's office's Conviction Integrity Unit notified Ackerman nearly four years ago that it was reviewing the case. But the status of that review is unclear. A spokeswoman for the prosecutors' office did not respond last week to questions about the review.

The lack of news from prosecutors prompted Sopron's mother, Patricia, to organize efforts to draw attention to the case. The family has set up a website, www.freemattsopron.com, and an online petition with more than 2,000 signatures asking State's Attorney Anita Alvarez for an update on her office's review of the case.

Sopron came up with the idea of the expressway sign. Plucinski, who as a youth was close friends with Sopron, put it up.

"It seems like media attention can help with these overturns," Plucinski said. "So we asked ourselves how we could stir up media attention."

The Illinois Department of Corrections denied the Tribune's request to meet with Sopron, even though he had agreed to an interview.

Jamie Snow's supporters have been creative in their efforts. Snow's daughter sent the Tribune a note in a bottle  what she called "my version of a message in a bottle." Supporters have gathered in a Bloomington park every year for the past five years to write and address postcards to reporters in the hope of drawing attention to Snow's case. They have also rallied in front of the McLean County Courthouse.

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Snow's case remains active on two fronts  a motion seeking DNA testing of several pieces of evidence in the McLean court and an appeal of his conviction in federal court.

"We want everybody there to know that the prosecutor is opposing DNA testing, even though we'd pay for it," said Tammy Alexander, a supporter.

Alexander, a project manager at a Tennessee university, said she read about Snow's case online about seven years ago, and "it just didn't look good." She wrote to Snow in prison and he replied. Since then, she has helped search for evidence and coordinated public efforts.

While people have rallied to Snow's cause, he remains at the maximum-security Stateville Correctional Center serving a life sentence. That has left Alexander feeling frustrated. She and others hoped the publicity in McLean County would prompt someone with information to come forward.

The frustration is especially keen as she hears about other inmates being exonerated. Illinois has the third most exonerations in the U.S., with 160, behind only New York and Texas, according to the exonerations registry.

"Everybody's in the same boat, so it's almost a competitive thing that you have to compete for attention on this," Alexander said. "You're happy for other people, but you wonder why can't that happen to us?"

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Melissa Markise got involved in John Horton's case quite by accident. Not long after he went to prison two decades ago, he called a cousin. The cousin was married to Markise's best friend, and Markise was at the house when Horton called. She, too, spoke to Horton.

"It just kind of blossomed from there," Markise said.

As she learned details of the case, she was troubled. Horton had been convicted in 1995 of a murder and robbery two years earlier at a Rockford McDonald's. But Horton's cousin, in prison for another murder, has said repeatedly he committed the crime alone.

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Over time, Markise has become more deeply involved in the case  and with Horton. Now his fiancee, she built a website and files posts on social media.

She hopes Horton's innocence claims will bring results in court, but so far they have not. Horton, who was a teen at the time of the crime, is serving a life sentence at the Menard Correctional Center.

"It's difficult to get a mass following for these things," said Horton's lawyer, Joshua Tepfer of the Exoneration Project. "But these are people who are trying to advocate for people they love."

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Sopron's mother, meanwhile, continues to hope the efforts on her son's behalf will resonate with prosecutors or the courts. Visits to the website have increased, she said, and the petition has been forwarded to the state's attorney's office. With Alvarez's defeat in last week's Democratic primary, she hopes the next state's attorney will view the case with a fresh perspective.

"We will never go away, never ever give up our fight to save Matt's life," she said.

smmills@tribpub.com

Twitter @smmills1960
North Central College students reported 10 sexual assaults on campus between 2012 and 2014, according to information obtained by the Naperville Sun.

College officials, however, will not divulge any additional information about the crimes, including the dates, times, locations or natures of the incidents, citing a federal privacy law they say prohibits them from doing so.

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They also would not disclose whether the Naperville Police Department was notified in any of the cases, if criminal charges were filed or if anyone involved was punished or expelled. Naperville police said they are unable to determine whether the department was aware of the sexual assault reports.

According to reports North Central compiled as required under the federal Clery Act, there were four incidents of "sex offense forcible" in 2012 and one in 2013 on the campus of just under 3,000 full-and part-time students.

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The law was changed for 2014, with the "sex offense forcible" category being eliminated in favor of two new categories, "sex offense-rape" and "sex offense-forcible fondling." Three rapes and two forcible fondlings were reported on campus that year.

Naperville police logged 22 rapes in the city between 2012 and 2014, according to FBI statistics. Whether any of those occurred on North Central's campus or involved North Central students is not known, Naperville police Cmdr. Jason Arres said. Without specific names, dates or places, he would be unable to look up cases, he said.

Kimberly Sluis, North Central's dean of students and vice president for student affairs, said the school has complied with the law but cannot disclose details about any of the cases because they are bound by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA.

FERPA, however, does not specifically prohibit school officials from discussing incidents of crime on campus. It is meant to protect a student's privacy and prevents "the disclosure of personally identifiable information in a student's education record without the consent of a parent or eligible student," according to the Department of Education. enforcement

On-campus crime investigations "are conducted by investigators with specialized training in these types of incidents," Sluis said. "If a case appears to involve an ongoing threat to the campus or broader community, the Naperville Police Department is immediately contacted."

The investigators are campus safety and human resources employees who are trained to handle Title IX sex discrimination investigations, she said. She declined to explain what type of training they receive or whether anyone involved is a sworn police officer.

"On the whole, I'm pretty comfortable at where our (crime) statistics are," Sluis said.

"I think we're really fortunate to be in an environment that is really safe," she said. "I'd like it to be a situation where nobody gets hurt, and we're working hard to create a culture where it's less likely that that will happen."

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North Central's campus is tucked into a residential area just east of downtown Naperville. Its enrollment is roughly 55 percent female and 45 percent male.

"If we felt (an incident) was a compelling danger" to a student or residents, police could be contacted over a student's objections, Sluis said. "In cases where there is no immediate or ongoing safety concern, the college encourages, supports and assists the reporting party" in contacting police.

Sluis said not all cases can be documented, but the school is still mandated to include undocumented cases in their records.

"Not every (allegation) comes forward in a way that allows the college to conduct an investigation," she said. "Some cases are reported anonymously, but the general incident is included in the college's statistics."

Colleges and universities are required to compile annual reports documenting the numbers and types of crimes that occur on campus under the federal Clery Act.

The act "promotes campus safety by ensuring that students, employees, parents and the broader community are well-informed about important public safety and crime prevention matters," according to information supplied by the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

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The college also posts weekly "safety reports" on its website, http://www.northcentralcollege.edu/, but in 2014 only two provided any reference to something that might be interpreted as a sexual assault. One entry lists an incident involving "unwanted sexual contact" and another cites "unwanted physical contact." There are numerous entries about students being transferred to or escorted to "a local medical facility for further evaluation" with no other details provided.

Clery Act numbers are not yet available for 2015. It's unknown if any sexual assaults occurred during the year. The online 2015 safety reports include no reference to any incident of unwanted sexual or physical contact.

Andrea Pino, director of policy and support for End Rape On Campus, said she believes "one of the shortcomings of the Clery Act is that it is geographically based." The act only takes into account assaults that occur on a college or university's property, and does not include assault victims who are part of study abroad programs or other "off-campus assaults" occurring, for example, in a nearby parking lot, she said.

"It means universities are under-reporting (sexual assaults) or survivors are not coming forward," Pino said. "We would argue (sexual assault) is of epidemic proportions" across the U.S., she said.

President Barack Obama's administration has launched a series of initiatives aimed at reducing sex crimes on U.S. campuses, where statistics suggest nearly 1 in 5 women will be a victim of an attempted or actual sexual assault during her college career.

Arres said the police department has no complaints with the school's handling of the cases on campus.

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"We have not had an inordinate number of sexual assault investigations on the North Central College campus during the time frame in question," Arres said. "Whenever our department has investigations of these crimes, North Central College has been excellent in working with us."

Over the same period of time, Benedictine University in Lisle (enrollment 3,800) reported one forcible fondling case in 2014, Aurora University (enrollment 5,500) reported one rape and one forcible fondling case in 2014, and the University of St. Francis in Joliet (enrollment 3,800) reported two rapes in 2012 and one in 2014.

Sluis said the school cannot force a student to report an incident nor do they want to create a negative climate that might discourage students from reporting crime.

"North Central College does not want to foster an environment where individuals are reluctant to make reports," she said. "Mandatory criminal reporting has been shown to decrease the likelihood of individuals initial reporting of incidents."

wbird@tribpub.com
Tony's Place cook Antoina Soriano stirs house-made sauce on Thursday, March 17, 2016, as the Valparaiso restaurant celebrates its inclusion in the Pizza Hall of Fame. (Kyle Telechan, Post-Tribune)

No windows. No easy parking. No credit cards allowed. No free refills on soda pop drinks. No fancy new upgrades.

Welcome to Tony's Place, the tastiest time capsule buried in downtown Valparaiso, in business since the Eisenhower administration.

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Its fabled walls are still decorated with taxidermy mantles, sports trophies from a different era, and black-and-white autographed photos of celebrities such as Red Buttons, Phyllis Diller and Alex Karras.

They've all died, but not Tony's Place, still owned and operated by Tony Gengo, son of original owner Anthony Gengo Sr., who died in 2003.

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"Pop used to make our pizzas in the front window," Gengo recalled, pointing to the front of his joint from our corner booth. "That went out of style but I wished we had kept it."

Gengo, 66, has kept about everything else in place. Or so it seems.

The restaurant still uses the same recipes from his ancestors in Italy. The same ingredients in his pizza pies and trademark Italian dishes. Heck, even the same pots and pans for the past 30 years.

"And they're just as clean," Gengo said proudly. "You want to see them?"

Maybe later, I replied, in between bites of a thin-crust sausage-pepperoni pizza.

Gengo is enthusiastic and passionate about everything he talks about. It doesn't matter if it's pizza dough, parking problems or national politics.

At one point, he leaned in, lowered his voice and told me, "You wouldn't believe how many of my customers say they're voting for Trump."

His customers have routinely voted for his place as one of the best pizzerias in Northwest Indiana. One of his customers, Ken Kosky, recently nominated Tony's Place for the national Pizza Hall of Fame.

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"Restaurants like Tony's Place are what make the region the great, unique place that it is," said Kosky, promotions director for Indiana Dunes Tourism. "There's nothing better than a restaurant that has handed down its amazing recipes from one generation to another and serves them to satisfied customers who keep coming back time and time again."

Kosky's efforts worked. Tony's Place was just inducted into the Pizza Hall of Fame, joining about 75 other restaurants across the country in businesses for at least 50 years. Tony's Place clocked in at 61 years and counting.

"I was shocked when I heard the news," Gengo exclaimed, tossing his hands into the air.

"We knew nothing about it," added Tami Charnas, the pizzeria's manager, who's been here for 34 years.

Their restaurant is now listed at www.pizzahalloffame.com, and profiled in the latest edition of PMQ Pizza Magazine.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Tony's  the food, old-school environment and warm hospitality of the staff," said Tracy Morin, senior copy editor for PMQ Pizza Magazine. "Any business, especially in the very competitive pizza landscape, that has been going strong for 50-plus years, is special."

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Each Pizza Hall of Fame inductee is unique with their own personality, reflecting their owner, she said.

"I'll take a check from anybody," Gengo said, regarding his long-standing policy of not accepting credit cards. "Those machines can back up business on a busy night."

He's been known to let customers pay him later if they're unaware of his policy.

"People are more honest than you think," he said. "Most every one of them has come back to pay their bill."

The credit card ban is a common complaint from customers. So is the policy of no free refills on drinks, which easily upsets Charnas.

"Do you really think you get that second glass of pop for free at other restaurants?" Charnas asked, her voice carbonated with years of frustration. "They charge you with that first glass, and usually for $2.69 or $2.89! This makes me want to pull my hair out!"

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For comparison sake, each 14-ounce glass here costs $1.25, and a 60-ounce pitcher costs $4.25. Buying two glasses here is still cheaper than buying a refilled one at other places, though not everyone can drink more than two, she insisted.

Gengo said, "Too many customers are programmed to think they're getting a deal at other places."

"But they're not!" Charnas said, rolling her eyes.

Gengo still makes his own dough from scratch. He still chops his own produce. He still grinds his own cheese and sausage. He still ladles his family's pizza sauce recipe.

"Just as Pop did," said Gengo, a Gary native.

When asked why he doesn't use prepared foods, he replied with a shrug, "I don't want to serve my customers that (expletive). Not while I'm still running this place. My dad would never stand for it. Neither will I."

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In 1955, Tony's Place opened "on top of the hill" on Lincolnway, several blocks east of its current location, which opened in 1962. The Gengo family slowly expanded the building, one addition at a time.

"There's so much history here," Charnas said. "Customers tell us all the time about all the generations we've served."

Prom dates, wedding rehearsal dinners, college graduation parties, weekend gatherings, you name it.

"We've had so many wonderful customers," said Gengo, who last raised his prices five years ago.

"Before that, it was more than 20 years ago," said Charnas, who keeps suggesting higher prices to pay the bills.

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"I just can't do it to my loyal customers," Gengo said. "I'm so appreciative of them and their business."

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Kosky hopes the place's induction into the Pizza Hall of Fame will attract new customers.

"I hope it will encourage pizza lovers from across the nation to make the trip to Valparaiso to taste hall-of-fame pizza and enjoy a stay in our area," he said.

Charnas said, "Customers still tell us they love that our place has never changed."

Gengo said, "People have told me to change my decor, upgrade this or change that. But then it wouldn't be the same. This is who I am. This is who we are. This is Tony's Place."

jdavich@post-trib.com

Twitter @jdavich
Officials from China and Malaysia are optimistic that the Belt and Road initiatives would bring fresh momentum to the already flourish bilateral trade and investment ties, despite challenges facing both economies.

Ong Ka Chuan, second minister at Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Ministry, said the Belt and Road initiatives which covers more than 60 countries with a total population of 4.4 billion, are set to bring opportunities to Malaysia, with a mere population of 30 million.

Ong told a forum during the weekend that his country would actively participate in the Belt and Road initiatives promoted by China, in a bid to benefit its people from a huge market.

Officials said the Belt and Road initiatives, namely the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, would further boost bilateral trade and investment.

Malaysia's strategic location on the Malacca Strait provide unique strategic advantage in cooperation with China under the Belt and Road initiatives, said Li Na of the Economic and Commercial Counsellor's office of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia.

As a key member of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Malaysia could serve not only as an enter point to the ASEAN markets for Chinese companies, but also a transit point to the Middle East, Li told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Malaysia has responded positively to the Belt and Road initiatives. Finding new opportunities for cooperation under the initiatives and joint efforts by entrepreneurs from both countries would help Malaysia and China achieve a total trade volume of 160 billion U.S. dollars by 2017, a target set by leaders of the two countries, said Ong.

Trade between Malaysia and China remains on a stable basis, though it was not immune to the slower growth, weaker demand, falling commodities prices and dropping export-import figures that hit many countries in 2015, as pointed out by Li.

Total trade volume amounted to 97.36 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, a 4.6 percent drop year-on-year, according to China's statistics. China remains Malaysia's largest trading partner for the seventh consecutive year, and Malaysia remains China's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

The smaller trade figure was largely due to falling prices in oil and gas, palm oil, rubber as well as a depreciation of more than 20 percent of Malaysian ringgit against the greenback, Li said.

"However, we have seen improved composition of trading goods and better trading quality,"she said.

"On one hand, China is importing more resources products from Malaysia; On the other hand, China is exporting more high value added products to Malaysia," she said, adding that the two-way trade was complementary to the need and developments of both countries.

The visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Malaysia in November has injected new impetus to economic and trade ties, including a 50-billion yuan (8.2 billion U.S. dollars) quota to Malaysia under the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (RQFII) program.

Meanwhile, as the improving of interconnection and international industrial capacity cooperation under the Belt and Road initiatives is gaining traction, Malaysia is becoming a preferential foothold for the Chinese companies, Li said.

Non-financial investment by Chinese companies in Malaysia recorded an impressing 237 percent increase to 410 million U.S. dollars in 2015, according to China's statistics. Chinese companies are investing in more diversified areas with more focus on quality.

In November, China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), one of Chinese leading clean energy companies, signed an equity purchase agreement with Malaysian energy company Edra Global Energy to buy 13 clean energy projects scattered in Malaysia, Egypt, Bengal, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Chinese companies also actively participated in infrastructure constructions in Malaysia, including transportation projects such as railways and ports. They have expressed interest in the high-speed railway linking Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) has invested in Bandar Malaysia, the proposed terminal site for the high-speed railway and a future transport, finance and business hub for the Malaysian capital.
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will pay a working visit to Russia on Wednesday and Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said 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, the ministry said 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-U.S. 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 U.S. Secretary of State to Russia -- the third in less than one year -- will contribute to the normalization 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 situations 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 respectively in the past year.
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The ongoing investigation of Saturday's air crash in Russia would take about two months, according to Russia's Investigative Committee, as the international community sends condolences to the victims and their families.

Rescuers work at the crash site of the Boeing 737-800 Flight FZ981 operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, at the airport of Rostov-On-Don, Russia, on March 19, 2016. One of the two flight recorders of the Flydubai Boeing 737-800 airliner was found at the crash site at the Rostov-on-Don airport in Russia's southwest Rostov region, and the search for the second one is ongoing, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. [Photo / Xinhua]

Two flight recorders have been found and both are in good condition, said the Russian committee. It added that technical failure, pilot error and poor weather conditions were the likely causes of the tragedy that took place in Rostov-on-Don, in Russia's southwestern Rostov region.

A Boeing 737-800 passenger plane en route from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to Rostov-on-Don crashed at about 03:50 Moscow time (0050 GMT) on Saturday at the city airport, killing all 62 people aboard, according to the investigative committee.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang extended condolences on Saturday to his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, over the air crash.

In the message, Li expressed his deep condolences to the Russian victims and all other people aboard the plane. Li also expressed his sincere sympathy to the bereaved families.

On the same day, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi extended condolences to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, over the death of all those on board the ill-fated passenger plane. Wang expressed sincere sympathy to the next-of-kin of those who lost life in the air tragedy.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev extended condolences to the families of the victims as well.

More than 800 people are working at the crash site, where over 100 fragments of bodies are scattered.

The time for identification of the bodies might be prolonged considering the large number, said the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

Experts from the United Arab Emirates, the United States and France will soon join the investigation, said the Interstate Aviation Committee, a supervising body overseeing the management of civil aviation in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

A Kyrgyz citizen named Nasirdinova Jyldyz, born in 1988, was among the dead, according to the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry.

In a presidential press release on Saturday, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev expressed his deep condolences and sincere sympathy to the victims' families in the tragedy and to Putin as well.

The plane manufacturer Boeing said on its website that it stands ready to provide technical assistance upon the request of government agencies conducting the investigation.

In the wake of the crash, the Rostov-on-Don airport has been closed, and inbound flights are being redirected to other destinations.

The airport was to resume operation in no earlier than 24 hours, said Governor of the Rostov region Vasily Golubev.

The Boeing 737-800 passenger plane, a short- to medium- range airliner with 55 passengers and seven crew members onboard, fell on the ground, broke into several pieces and caught on fire as it missed the runway in a second landing attempt, amid poor visibility conditions caused by heavy rains.

There were more than two hours between the plane's two landing attempts, according to regional investigative authority.

The plane was of Flydubai, or the Dubai Aviation Corporation, which has confirmed the crash on its Facebook page, but said it does not know all the details of the incident and is now "working with the authorities to establish precisely what happened."

The 55 passengers, comprising 33 women, 18 men and four children, include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbekistani, while the crew members consist of five men and two women, said Flydubai CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith on Facebook.

Of the seven crew members, two are confirmed as Spanish nationals, one, a stewardess, from Colombia and one from Kyrgyzstan. Various sources said the others are from Russia, Cyprus and Seychelles, respectively.

Flydubai said the ill-fated aircraft departed the Dubai International airport at 1820 GMT on Friday and was due to arrive at 2240 GMT at night.
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Two U.S. citizens were killed in Saturday's terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkey, the White House confirmed.

The U.S. "condemns in the strongest possible terms" the attack, Ned Price, a National Security Council spokesperson, said in a White House statement.

A suicide bomber killed three Israelis and one Iranian in central Istanbul on Saturday, according to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

"Turkey has once again suffered a horrific terrorist attack, and we remain steadfast in our support for our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ally and partner," Price said, adding that terrorism "must come to an end" in Turkey.

"We are in close touch with Turkish authorities and reaffirm our commitment to work together with Turkey to confront the evil of terrorism," Price added.

The attacker also died in the bombing along with Israeli citizens Simha Simon Demri, Yonathan Suher and Avraham Goldman and Iranian Ali Reza Razmkhah, Turkish media said, quoting Istanbul's forensic science institution.

The blast in Istiklal Street, a pedestrian street popular with both locals and tourists, left 36 others injured, including foreigners from Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, said Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu.

Metal pieces and screws were detected on the bodies, implying the attacker used a cluster bomb, the Haberturk daily said.

Istanbul and Turkey's capital Ankara have come under repeated bombing attacks over the past few months, and the last one hitting Ankara on March 13 killed 37.
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The key suspect of Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was charged Saturday with "terrorist murders and participation in the activities of a terrorist group," said the Belgian federal prosecutor's office in a statement.

File photo of Salah Abdeslam, the key suspect of Paris attack.

His lawyer Sven Mary says Abdeslam is working with justice after being brought before the investigating judge on Saturday, but he refuses against extradition.

An extradition request was made by the French judicial authorities. French President Francois Hollande said Friday that he "had confidence in the successful completion of the extradition request."

Abdeslam is to spend the next days in detention in Bruges, the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in Belgium.

According to Francois Molins, the Paris prosecutor, Abdeslam said during his hearings in Belgium on Saturday that "he wanted to blow himself up at Stade de France and he backtracked."

Abdeslam is one of the most wanted men in Europe. He is suspected of involvement in attacks in Paris as a logistician. These attacks killed 130 people in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015.
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A mortar attack on a security checkpoint in Egyptian restive North Sinai's El-Arish city killed 13 policemen on Saturday, the state-run MENA news agency reported.

Two police officers and eleven conscripts were killed when a mortar shell hit the security checkpoint in al-Safa neighborhood south of the city, according to MENA.

Police cordoned the scene of the attack, while a search operation to track the attackers was launched, MENA added.

Egypt has been facing anti-government attacks, mostly in the Sinai Peninsula, which has killed hundreds of police and army personnel since 2013.

Most of the attacks have been claimed by Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis militant group, which has changed its name to "Sinai State" and declared loyalty to the Islamic State.

The Egyptian military's continuous massive operations on the peninsula have killed hundreds of militants as part of the country's "war against terrorism".
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Amid uneasiness and wariness among Turks and foreigners alike, a bustling street in Istanbul came under a suicide bombing attack on Saturday in the latest of a string of deadly assaults that have hit the country over the past few months, stretching the nerves of a population struggling to live with a growing wave of terror acts.

Protesters present a banner at Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 14, 2016. Tens of thousands of Turks took to the streets on Monday to protest against the government's failure to prevent more terror attacks, after a latest one in the capital Ankara claimed at least 37 lives. [Xinhua file photo]

The attack in Istiklal Street, or Independence Avenue, a pedestrian street popular among both the locals and tourists, left five dead including the attacker and 36 others injured, among them 13 foreigners from five countries.

It came only one week after a car laden with explosives hit central Ankara, Turkey's capital, claiming 37 lives.

Turkish security forces have since been inundated with calls over suspicious activities in big cities each day. The fear of impending terror attacks, meanwhile, has prompted many to turn to social media for more information.

The warnings issued by Germany and the United States on Thursday urging their citizens to shun public places in Turkey have fueled a wave of conspiracy theories.

"Yes I'm very much afraid," Turkish lawyer Filiz Kutluas told Xinhua, as she was entering a metro station. "I'm extremely worried, but we have to live as if everything is normal."

Serap Tekeli, a woman from Turkey's western town of Denizli, came to Istanbul to evaluate job opportunities and was mindful of fear prevailing here.

"I'm scared in every step I take," she said. "I'm jumpy anywhere I go, in the metro, in the shopping malls, in the crowds."

The deadliest attack that has ever hit Turkey took place in Ankara in October last year, in which 103 people were killed in twin suicide bombings.

Adding to the sense of worsening security in the country is the ongoing fighting between the security forces and militants with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey, where the group is seeking autonomy.

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, a group with alleged link to the PKK, has claimed responsibility for two recent deadly attacks in Ankara, hardening the government's resolve to fight on.

"We can only break this deadlock by promoting the sentiment of brotherhood and friendship," observed Kutluas.

In her view, Turks and Kurds have to learn to live together with mutual acceptance of each other's stories and tragedies.

"Otherwise it is not possible to find a long-lasting solution," she said. "Fueling the differences and creating a sense of polarization does not help."

A man in his 40s, who lives in Turkey's western coastal city of Izmir, also stressed alternative means to military conflict.

"We can solve this issue only by investing on those people (Kurds)," he said. "Only after that there is a chance that they would select other methods to attain their rights."

Reports said more than half of Turks believe that the PKK does not represent Kurds in the country and even more are leaning toward a peaceful solution.

Turkish analysts who spoke to Xinhua agreed that the PKK is benefitting from the rise of Islamic State in neighboring Syria and Iraq and the wars in the region.

"The organization has gained a lot momentum within the last couple of years and became a global threat," remarked Mete Yarar, a prominent security expert.

In Yarar's view, behind the PKK are "sponsoring countries" lending support to it, and the support mostly "comes directly from the NATO and EU countries."

"With the high morale PKK receives from the West, it involves in more and more terrorist attacks," he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday also criticized EU countries for backing the PKK, as the group's supporters were allowed to pitch tents behind the European Council building in Brussels prior to a EU-Turkey summit held the same day over a deal to stem the flow of migrants into EU countries via Turkey.

Yarar argued that the entire region has become a "very convenient location" providing the PKK with easy access to heavy weaponry, training camps and potential recruits.

"PKK now has the opportunity to recruit more and more militants from a larger geography not limited to Turkey but also from Syria, Iraq and Iran as well," he added, as the three countries have a Kurdish population as well.

Ismail Hakki Pekin, a retired general and former director of the intelligence department of Turkish Joint Chief of Staff, told Xinhua that the instability expanding in Turkey is exactly a situation sought by "foreign powers" including the United States and EU countries.

In his view, the foreign powers intend to force the Turkish government to start negotiations with the PKK by taking advantage of the chaos.

He argued that Turkey should definitely change its entire Middle East policy and choose to closely cooperate with Iran, Iraq, Syria and Russia.

"Then it should (be able to help) clean the country from all kinds of terrorist elements including the radical Islamist organizations," remarked Pekin.
One product of the oil boom in North Dakota has been an influx of young people as well as those with increasingly diverse backgrounds. That trend is expected to continue, albeit at a slower rate in coming years, despite a turndown in the pace of oil production.

The states population reached an all-time high of 739,482 people in 2014, the most recent year for census data and represents an increase of 15,625 from the previous year. The percentage of minority groups in the state also increased during that period.

It doesnt take a rocket scientist to predict were going to become more diverse as we go on, said Kevin Iverson, manager of the North Dakota Census Office, which serves as the states liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau and is the state repository of population information.

The population started to diversify around the time of the oil boom in the western part of the state in 2010, according to Iverson.

North Dakota has had the highest rate of in-migration compared to other states in recent years. Data suggests that about half of the states migration originated from Minnesota, Texas, California and Florida.

But its not just oil jobs: Many people have flocked to the Peace Garden State for the sheer number of jobs available.

David Flynn, a University of North Dakota economist, characterizes the state as labor constrained and cannot meet all of its job needs internally, which means workers must be attracted from elsewhere.

Ronald Hall, a native Floridian who moved to North Dakota in 2012 from Ohio, worked his first local job at the Kmart in Bismarck, and he now owns a business to feed a growing need in the city: a multicultural barbershop.

Hall said he and his wife were watching North Dakotas increasing oil production.

My wife jokingly said, Why dont we move to North Dakota? Hall said.

The next day, the family of four packed up their things and left.

Hall opened Mr. Clippers Barbershop in the Gateway Mall in November. He only has one barber but says business is booming.

It turns out there was a real need for an African-American barbershop here, he said.

There are very few, if any, black barbershops in Bismarck or the state. Last month, Hall said he had a client come in for a hair cut who lived nearly an hour away.

From 2010 to 2014, the states black population grew by approximately 50 percent. Metropolitan areas, including Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot, have seen increased diversity in recent years, Iverson said.

The growth of black-owned businesses in the state is unrepresentative of the states growing diversity. According to results of a 2012 survey of businesses owners, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureaus American FactFinder, only 493 of the states 68,270 businesses are black-owned.

The surveys results, which were released in December, also found in Burleigh County, there are only 38 black or African-American-owned businesses of a total 8,782 firms.

Diversity across the age spectrum

The states population is also getting younger. From 2012 to 2014, the average age in the state went down by about two years, according to Flynn.

Thats the kind of thing that doesnt happen often, Flynn said. These are the kinds of shifts that, honestly, you really only see in a situation of say, a mass outbreak of disease that kills off old people.

A lot of the people who came into the state, whether for oil or other reasons, were younger, Flynn said.

Thats another big deal, he said. Thats vibrancy, thats more child-bearing within the borders of the state.

In 2001, Flynn came to North Dakota fresh out of graduate school in Bloomington, Ill. At the time, many young people were leaving the state, leaving positions unfilled, he said.

The big issue at the time was, How do we keep our young people here? he said.

Policymakers and state leaders worked on ways they could attract more younger people, but efforts were unsuccessful, Flynn said.

Then, the state started producing more oil, which meant more workers. But now that the oil production has taken a downturn, what does that mean for these workers?

Its going to be interesting now, Flynn said. Obviously, we can expect a number of people who came for oil jobs to go. And a significant number of them probably already had that in mind.

The question is, Flynn said, those who didnt have the mindset of leaving, is there opportunity to keep them here longer term?

Migration, both in and out, is one of the most difficult things to evaluate and study because its very hard to get good data about people once theyve left, he said.

Daniel Rivera, who moved to North Dakota in May from San Juan, Puerto Rico, works at Dans Supermarket in Bismarck helping organize salads and meat in the deli department.

The money is good here, he said, pointing to the higher wages. Puerto Ricos minimum wage ranges from $5.08 to $7.25, compared to $11.50 an hour he makes at the grocery store.

Rivera said he moved to Bismarck after his father died. With help from a job placement company, he came to Bismarck and started working at Wendys.

Rivera said hes not sure if hell stay in North Dakota. Once he has saved enough money and paid off his debt, he said he might move somewhere a little warmer.
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The investigation is continuing over a suicide bombing attack in central Istanbul on Saturday that killed three Israelis and one Iranian, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

"On behalf of my country, I condemn the murderers who committed this atrocious attack which directly targeted innocent people, as well as the traitors who supported and instigated such an inhuman act," the premier said in a statement.

He vowed to continue the fight against terrorism with the same determination "until it is completely eradicated".

The attacker also died in the bombing along with Israeli citizens Simha Simon Demri, Yonathan Suher and Avraham Goldman and Iranian Ali Reza Razmkhah, Turkish media said, quoting Istanbul's forensic science institution.

The blast in Istiklal Street, a pedestrian street popular with both locals and tourists, left 36 others injured, including foreigners from Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, said Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu.

Metal pieces and screws were detected on the bodies, implying the attacker used a cluster bomb, the Haberturk daily said.

Istanbul and Turkey's capital Ankara have come under repeated bombing attacks over the past few months, the last one hitting Ankara on March 13 and killing 37.
Internet tycoons have reached a rare consensus on the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) following the historic victory earlier this month for Google Inc's AI-powered AlphaGo over its human competitor, South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol.

The widely watched five-match series came to a close on Tuesday, with four victories for the machine to the human's one.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook Inc, told an audience at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday that he predicted more great advances for AI within the next decade.

"Artificial intelligence will understand senses, such as vision and hearing, and grasp language better than human beings over the next five to 10 years," he said.

Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi Corp, agreed, describing the win as a breakthrough in artificial intelligence.

"It struck me as shocking news. As a big fan of Go, I never expected AI to be able to beat a human champion at the current stage of development since it's a pretty complicated game," he said, adding that he predicted "fueled by this victory, capital and talent will flood into the AI sector".

Despite the breakthrough, e-commerce mogul Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, said there was no need for human beings to fear machines.

"Machines will be stronger and smarter than human beings, but they will never be wiser," he said, "because one thing's for sure: wisdom, soul and heart are things that only human beings possess and machines can never enjoy failure, success, friendship or love."

At the forum, tech entrepreneurs also shared their views on virtual reality (VR), which they said will be the most important computing platform over the next five to 10 years.

"There is a trend toward a more immersive and natural tool that can help us interact with the world every day. And I believe that is virtual reality," Zuckerberg said.

He highlighted Oculus VR, a virtual reality company that Facebook acquired for $2 billion in 2014, adding that it will soon start to ship its latest products.

In February, Xiaomi also set up a new division in a bid to branch into the nascent VR sector, which analysts forecast could rival the size of the smartphone industry one day.

According to a report by Goldman Sachs Group Inc, the VR market will generate $110 billion in hardware sales by 2025, if the technology is quickly adopted.

But for the next two to three years at least it will remain a niche interest, Lei said.
File photo of Denis Depoux. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Chinese economy will not transform overnight, but the 13th Five-Year Plan is well crafted and tackles the right issues, says Denis Depoux, vice-president of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants for Asia.

While participating in the China Development Forum 2016 in Beijing on March 20, Depoux says that the 13th Five-Year Plan is crafted the right way and tackles issues such as overcapacity, environmental protection, social welfare, modernization of the manufacturing industry as well as shift to a service and domestic consumption economy.

"The start of the implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan entails a high level of restructuring in those sectors with overcapacity. In the short run, in 2016 and the coming years, this might have a negative effect on the production of the concerned industries," Depoux says.

"But this is healthy," he says, adding that only "zombie" revenues and unhealthy price competition will disappear to the benefit of the "real economy".

There is also a strong commitment by policy makers to keep the balance and finance a social safety net easing the transfer of millions of people from idle production facilities to other new jobs: a 100 billion yuan support fund, relocation support and training, according to Depoux.

In addition, the service sector has grown more than eight percent in 2015 and is forecasted to further accelerate in 2016 - fueled by the continuous creativity and sophistication of the offline to online services sector, the logistics sector, the financial services sector, education, culture and healthcare, all related to household consumption.

"The service industry needs to be further encouraged through easier company establishment or tax incentives," Depoux says.

"China's economic transformation is all about implementation, with certainty, rhythm, and high visibility for stakeholders. It is about keeping the balance, for example, making sure that restructuring does not send millions of people in poverty, while never giving up on the objective, such as, a structural transformation."

While difficulties arise from the size of the economy and therefore the magnitude of the transformation, the size of the actions needed are actually creating resilience: manufacturing modernization, green transformation of energy production, etc. are already creating a new wave of domestic demand. Not only for consumer goods from new middle class households, but also for corporations and government authorities.

"The government also has to focus less on fixed assets investment, but also on creating the conditions for the economy to transform itself: fund public goods, such as infrastructure, but also professional education, research and development, cost-efficient and customer-driven public services," Depux says.
China's Finance Minister Lou Jiwei speaks at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

China's Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said he was untroubled by US ratings agency Moody's Investors Service lowering its outlook on China's sovereign credit ratings from "stable" to "negative".

Speaking at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday, Lou said he had not observed a negative response from any market international or domestic to the change in outlook.

Moody's made the change earlier this month, citing governments' weakening fiscal metrics and rising contingent liabilities.

Lou said he understood Moody's concerns about China's local government debts and whether the country would be able to carry out its overcapacity reduction and structural reform programs smoothly.

However, he reiterated the central government's resolve to push through with reform, and the related measures to be taken.

The minister was responding to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank president Jin Liqun, who raised concerns that the change in outlook might affect the AIIB, as China is a major shareholder.

However, Lou said: "We don't much care about the ratings."

China has the confidence to restructure and the ability to realize that confidence, as evidenced by the markets' reaction and the government's commitment, he added.
Central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said the country will encourage more equity financing to bring down corporate debt leverage.

With a high saving ratio and a relatively young equity market, it's understandable for Chinese companies to rely heavily on raising debt instead of issuing equity, Zhou said at the China Development Forum held in Beijing on Sunday.

China had a saving ratio as high as 46 percent or so as of last year, compared to a 20 to 30 percent average level in other countries.

"Of course, the leverage ratio cannot be too high," said the governor at the forum, adding that the country will accelerate developing a better capital market and encourage more equity investment in the coming five years to decrease companies' dependence on debt.

Confidence was put into test last year throughout to January, because of the market volatility and debates on China's economic slowdown, said Zhou, while adding that "recent data has shown restoration of faith."

Zhou noted China respects the demand-supply market mechanism, and renminbi exchange rate will remain at a reasonable level in reference to a basket of currencies and the Special Drawing Rights.

In response to China's stand on a free floating exchange rate, Zhou said the country has been building a managed floating exchange rate.

China keeps an close eye on monitoring of money-laundering and financing for terrorism use and will also keep risks such as excessive external debts and currency mismatch at bay, as to learn from lessons in the past including the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, said Zhou.
In the digital era, traditional bookstores face challenges from online rivals that not only let readers browse for books when they are nowhere near the high street but gives them the chance to read an e-book anywhere they can connect to the Internet.

Now, bookstores in Heilongjiang province are fighting back by developing a new way to grow.

Gogol Bookstore, in Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang, has found its niche by creating a platform for the exchange of Sino-Russian culture.

The store, which opened in October 2014, is a branch of the State-owned Heilongjiang Xinhua Bookstore Group.

Located on a 100-year-old street in the European-style city, the neoclassical look of the building leads many customers to feel as if they could already be in Russia or a European country.

Customers have dubbed it the most beautiful European-style bookstore in China.

In 2015, we had more than 1,000 customers a day and a sales volume of more than six million yuan ($927,600) for the whole year, said Han Li, general manager of the bookstore. We broke even in our first year, which is an unexpected thing for a State-owned bookstore that does not sell textbooks.

And that is largely because the bookstore sells much more than books.

It also offers reading spaces and Western food, including specialist coffee and steaks.

We have created the brand of Gogol Beefsteak, which has been welcomed by customers and which accounts for 30 to 40 percent of our sales volume, said Han.

And on the shelves of the bookstore, which is named after a famous Russian writer, there is a wealth of Russian language books on literature and art.

In Harbin, there are many Russian people and lots of the local citizens have deep feelings for Russian culture, said Qu Bolong, president of the Heilongjiang Xinhua Bookstore Group. We hope the bookstore offers a broad platform for the exchange of Sino-Russian culture.

In 2015, inspired by the success of the bookstore, Heilongjiang Education Publishing Press set up the Gogol Bookstore Editorial Department to further the exchange of Sino-Russian publications.

In cooperation with Far Eastern Federal University, the editorial department set about promoting reading Russian and Chinese classical literature and art works.

The representatives from both Russia and China will work together on choosing pieces of classical literature and art that are suitable for teenagers and they will be published in Russian and Chinese simultaneously in both countries.

We hope that reading the classics will promote reading awareness among the public and that the bookstore will become a platform for the publishing industry to get this information out, said Zhao Li, director of the Heilongjiang Education Publishing Press.

The editorial department also got behind a book series called Day Night, which aims to spread Eurasian culture in China and Harbins regional culture overseas.

Following publication of the first series  the City of Churches  and the second series  the City of Music  plans are unfolding for more.

In March 2015, Gogol Bookstore signed an agreement with the nearby Russian province of Primorskiy Krai to set up the Russian and Chinese Teenagers Reading Alliance.

The establishment of the Sino-Russian Teenagers Cultural Exchange Base at the bookstore has also contributed, making it the first choice of Russian students studying in Harbin who visit the store not only for Russian language books but for cultural displays and performances.

Gogol Bookstore opened the first mini bookstore theater in China. In December 2014, it staged a Christmas event named An Elegant Meeting with Sissi that ran for five consecutive days.

And the bookstore has inspired others to follow the trail it blazed.

In March 2015, Heihe Xinhua Bookstore was renamed Pushkin Bookstore after an upgrade and realignment.

Heihe, a town that sits on the China-Russia border in Heilongjiang province, has seen a steady rise in the number of Russian tourists during the past 10 years.

Located on the most prosperous commercial pedestrian street, a statue of Pushkin in front of the bookstore attracts many Russian tourists.

The bookstore aroused strong feelings among Russian people and the Russian media reported on its opening, said Qu.

Gogol Bookstore and Pushkin Bookstore are two successful examples of traditional bookstores that have upgraded and transformed, but indiscriminately imitating their model is not practicable, said Yu Xiaobei, deputy general manager of Heilongjiang Publishing Group. In Heilongjiang, there are 83 Xinhua Bookstores. In the future, we will transform them according to their own characteristics step by step in order to achieve development during the digital revolution.
China's coal companies are looking to diversify as they battle a sales slump amid ongoing supply-side reform.

Among them is the country's biggest coal producer by volume  China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd, which has vowed to focus on clean-coal production, renewable energy and nuclear power to address the national shift of consumption-driven economy, according to its Chairman Steve Zhang Yuzhuo.

The company posted a 7 percent year-on-year decline in sales volume in the first two months of 2016, and a 21.2 percent slump in February alone despite the cold weather.

"Renewable energy facilities we have already installed have the capacity to generate 6,200 megawatts of electricity, and the company is also actively participating in nuclear power," said Zhang at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday.

Shenhua revealed its interest in nuclear power for the first time in October. Ling Wen, the general manager, said the blue-chip company would acquire shares of plants, while actively applying for a license and looking for potential plant sites.

The coal producer expects renewable energy output to account for more than 20 percent of profits by 2025 as it plans to become a leading clean-energy provider.

Such transformational moves come as China plans to increase the share of non-fossil energy to 15 percent by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030, as well as capping coal's contribution to total energy consumption at 62 percent within five years.

Coal accounted for 64 percent of energy use last year, down 4.5 percentage points from 2012, when supply gluts and weak demand led to a drop in coal prices.

"As structural reform gets underway, energy companies should be prepared for a relatively low growth in energy consumption despite an overall 6.5 percent economic growth," said Lin Boqiang, president of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, adding "I'm pessimistic about the prospects of the coal sector."

According to a plan by the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, the coal mining sector will slash capacity by 500 million metric tons over the next five years, and the government won't approve any new coal mines before 2019.

Both hardship and the need for an urgent transformation are already being felt, as Hidili Industry International Development Ltd, the biggest private coal mining company in Sichuan province, has reportedly defaulted on a 183 million yuan ($28.28 million) debt. Shenhua also had a 40 percent salary cut, the Securities Daily reported earlier.

"Coal will remain the country's main source of energy for some time, but its importance will definitely drop. It's only a matter of how fast," said Lin, adding that China's CO2 emissions are expected to peak around 2030.
The mother, surnamed Pang, is being arrested by the police. [Photo provided by the police]

A thorough investigation into the alleged illegal reselling of vaccines has been ordered by the China Food and Drug Administration.

The probe comes amid a case involving vaccines worth more than 570 million yuan ($88 million) that are suspected to have been sold in at least 24 provincial areas.

Police in Shandong province have investigated the case in which a mother and her daughter  neither of them authorized to sell vaccines  are allegedly involved in illegal sales.

The case is the largest of its kind in China in terms of the amount of money involved.

On Saturday, the food and drug department in Shandong released a list of 107 suspects who allegedly supplied the pair with the vaccines. The department also made public another 193 suspects who allegedly bought vaccines from the mother and daughter.

The China Food and Drug Administration urged all suspects in the case to turn themselves in and reveal the whereabouts of the vaccines. It also called on local food and drug departments to work with the police during the investigation.

The administration said in a statement, "All those involved in the case must report the variety, amount, batch number and whereabouts of the vaccines to the FDA or police before March 25."

The Public Security Management Department at the Ministry of Public Security said on its micro blog that police will launch a thorough investigation into the case.

In 2005, a central government regulation on vaccine distribution and vaccination divided the country's approved vaccines into two categories.
Customs officers found a male Chinese mainland resident trying to take more than 80 live tortoises totaling 34 kilograms to enter the southern city of Shenzhen from Hong Kong at around 9 pm on Sunday evening, Feb 21, 2016. The tortoises are in three large bags. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] More photos: 80 live tortoises confiscated at customs

China should blacklist people who habitually carry or mail invasive species and other prohibited items across its borders, a senior quarantine inspection official has suggested.

Such a system would check the rising number of such violations, according to the official, who is also a member of China's top advisory body.

Information on those who are blacklisted should be shared between departments, including the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau and visa-issuing departments, said Xu Jinji, vice-president of the Chinese Society of Inspection and Quarantine.

Xu Jinji, vice-president of the Chinese Society of Inspection and Quarantine

"We hope to see those blacklisted for violating inspection rules and carrying invasive species in to or out of China face heavier penalties, such as being restricted from crossing the border," he said.

"This would be a deterrent to the violators, but it needs the participation of other authorities, such as foreign affairs departments."

At Shanghai port, inspection officers have found some foreigners repeatedly trying to carry prohibited species in to China, he said.

But Xu, the former head of the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, said the officers can do little apart from imposing fines when necessary, due to the lack of a blacklist system.

The number of invasive species intercepted by inspection and quarantine authorities in China has increased in recent years due to intensified global interaction and the development of online shopping platforms, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

An invasive species is a plant, fungus, or animal species not native to a specific location, and which has a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, economy or human health.
China has become adept at spotting and hunting down foreign companies doing business in China without a required Chinese entity. What exactly constitutes doing business in China at a level requiring a Chinese corporate entity ? That is a question far too complicated to answer in a blog post, but suffice it to say that the Chinese government has a very expansive definition because such a definition increases its tax coffers.

I bring this up because as China continues/accelerates its crackdown on foreign companies doing business in China without a Chinese entity, our China lawyers are seeing a concomitant rise in foreign companies setting up companies in Hong Kong and paying taxes there will bring them into compliance with Chinese law even though 9999 out of 10,000 it doesnt.

In fact, whenever a client asks whether setting up a company in Hong Kong will solve the problem of their operating on the Mainland without a company, I respond by saying: Think of Hong Kong as New York or London. Having a Hong Kong company will no more help you get legal in China than setting up a new company in New York or London. When it comes to business law, you need to think of Hong Kong as a completely different country than the PRC.

We most often see the Hong Kong company problem with foreign companies that have Chinese employees in China but no company there. This is 100% illegal in China. Yet this is also very common and it is also very common for the Chinese government to catch foreign companies that do this and then come down on those companies like a ton of bricks. For a more complete explanation of this, check out my Forbes article, Chinas Tax Authorities Want You. The reason companies with employees in China so much want to avoid having a China entity is because China employer taxes and required benefit payments are really high and if you have can keep your China employees off the grid, you can avoid paying those taxes and benefits.

Oftentimes, the Hong Kong excuse is actually generated by the Chinese employee who very much wants its foreign employer to stay off Chinas grid as well. The employee likes its foreign employer to operate illegally in China because the employees pay can be higher (because there are no employer taxes) and its take home percentage is also higher (because he or she is not paying income taxes). So the employee convinces its foreign employer that forming a Hong Kong company will be both cheaper and equally effective as forming a PRC company.

But it isnt. Sorry. If you have employees in China or if you are otherwise doing business in China at a level that requires an entity (theres that vague line again) and you dont have a registered PRC entity, you have a legal and a tax problem and there are no two ways about it. All of the above is true of Macau and Taiwan as well.

For more on the China-Hong Kong distinction when it comes to corporate entities, check out How to Form a China WFOE: Whats Hong Kong Got to Do with It?

And while we are discussing how Hong Kong entities do not satisfy PRC entity requirements, I might as well remind you that having a trademark in Hong Kong or Taiwan or Macau does not give you any trademark rights in the PRC and vice-versa. Again, you must think of these jurisdictions as being legally separate as that is the case when it comes to trademark rights as well. For more on this, check out China Legal. Not Hong Kong Legal. Not Taiwan Legal. Not Macau Legal and China And Hong Kong Trademarks. Think Puerto Rico.

One last area where we often have to deal with the differences between Hong Kong and China is on contracts relating to manufacturing, such as NNN Agreements and Product Development Agreements. Many Chinese manufacturing companies want their agreements with their foreign customers to be with the manufacturers Hong Kong entity, not its China entity. This creates all sorts of complicated ownership and liability and jurisdictional and venue issues that must be resolved correctly to prevent a legally nonsensical or invalid agreement or equally bad, an agreement that makes perfect legal sense, but provides no protections to the foreign buyer. Again the key issue here is that Hong Kong and the PRC are legally separate when it comes to commercial transactions.

Just curious. How many of you were aware of the above and for how many of you is the above a revelation?
(Photo : (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images))

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The UBS bank in China is keen about focusing its operations on new family needs as it opened its branch in Shanghai.



Cognizant of the shift in customer demand, the Swiss bank is now giving emphasis on risk management and wealth preservation, as revealed by the UBS wealth management head for China, Amy Lo.



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It was noted that in the past, families were more concerned of growing their wealth, but this notion changed during the past few years.



"Currently about 70 percent of our clients are entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region and many in China are the first generation or the second generation of entrepreneurs," Lo disclosed, as shared by China Daily.



The banker from the UBS bank in China further narrated that they will address all the service requirements related to investment, business and family needs.



In the meantime, the latest All China Federation of Industry and Commerce report on business succession planning divulged that only 40 percent of the entrepreneurs' children are willing to take over their respective business interests once their parents retire.



Meanwhile, the other 40 percent expressed that they are unsure yet if they will take on the challenged or not while 15 percent are definite about not taking over their family's enterprises.



With this scenario, businessman Zhou Bomin from Ningbo, Zhejiang province stated that he is considering to utilize the family office service to address the possible complicated issues arising from running a plastic products company.



"Some of my friends have their own family offices and the investment consultants are even helping the business owners to seek overseas merger opportunities and planning children's college education, which are quite appealing to people like me because I am good at plastic products, not necessarily good at financial planning and other fields," Zhou, who own s three plastic products companies, said.



The Shangai branch of the UBS bank in China is located in the Xintiandi area where the top-earning individuals are found.



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TagsUBS Bank, china, Shanghai, china business
(Photo : Getty Images) Mark Zuckerberg is actively trying to open up China for Facebook.

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Facebook's co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a meeting with top Communist leader Liu Yunshan in Beijing on Saturday, as the tech-mogul continues to warm up to China - one of the few countries where Facebook is banned owing to government control.



Liu Yunshan, who sits on the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee - China's top decision-making body -, showered praises on Facebook's technology and management methods, Xinhua reported.



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"China hopes (Facebook) can strengthen exchanges, share experiences and improve mutual understanding with China's Internet companies", Liu said.



Zuckerberg is currently in Beijing to participate in China Development Forum, a state sponsored conference that serves as a platform for top business leaders and the country's political elite.



Mark Zuckerberg has been trying hard to woo China's leadership in a bid to open up the country's market for Facebook. Google and Twitter, who are also banned in mainland China, are also working towards the same end.



Zuckerberg has been actively trying to bring Facebook back to China, even going out of his way to learn Mandarin to connect with Chinese people. Zuckerberg's wife Priscilla Chan, an American-Chinese, has also played a role in helping her husband to connect with the Chinese people.



China is home to the largest number of internet users in the world (almost 700 million). Experts say Zuckerberg cannot afford to take his eyes off the lucrative Chinese market if Facebook has to keep growing.



Chinese leaders, however, seem to be in no rush to budge from their hard-line policy over foreign internet companies. Earlier this year, China introduced new rules for online publishing companies. Experts have noted that these rules may make it more tough for foreign online companies to operate in China.



According to the new rules, online content publishers must "promote core socialist values" that are in line with the Chinese culture and promote the economic development of the nation.



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TagsMark Zuckerberg, china, Mark Zuckerberg in China, Facebook in China
(Photo : Getty Images) The Chinese parliament has admitted that existing laws tackling the problem of illegal foreigners lacks teeth and have pushed for the passing of laws that will solve the problem.

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China's lawmakers have admitted that existing laws tackling the problem of foreigners illegally living and working in the mainland lacks teeth and should be addressed by the legislative body immediately.



China's parliament, the National People's Congress, has called for stricter implementation of the laws that punish foreigners who are caught committing the 'three illegals' -- illegally entering, staying, or working in China.



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Zhu Lieyu, NPC deputy, said that illegally staying and working in China should be treated as a crime and foreigners found guilty should be treated like any other ordinary criminal.



Stricter Punishment



"The 'three illegals' should be listed as a crime and should attract stricter punishment. Some of these foreigners have occasionally caused trouble in civil society,." Zhu said.



Zhu said he has introduced a bill detailing several measures that will tackle the problem and better manage the situation.



The deputy said one of the non-communist political parties in China has extended a helping hand in its campaign to rid Beijing of undesirable aliens. The political party has pushed for the supervision over visa agents and implement a faster process for repatriating illegal foreigners.



600,000 foreigners



In the latest census conducted in China in 2010, there were about 600,000 foreigners living and working in Beijing.



At present, China merely exacts a fine from the erring foreigner in the amount of 10,000 yuan at its maximum penalty or 15 days detention. Those caught illegally working are fined 20,000 yuan.



The latest move by the NPC seems to run counter to its earlier pronouncements that it will be easing measures to make foreigners qualify for permanent residence in China in a bid to attract overseas talent.



Observers have said this shows the government's commitment to attract only skilled and educated people who can contribute tot he society.



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TagsNational People's Congress, illegal foreigners, existing laws, three illegals, Zhu Lieyu, china
2 crisis pregnancy centres defy California law requiring them to post abortion signage

Two crisis pregnancy centres in Sacramento, California are defying a new state law that requires them to post signs to inform clients of abortion services.

The National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) Pro-Choice California is accusing Sacramento Life Center and Alternatives Pregnancy Center of not following the mandate of the California FACT Act or AB 775.

Under the law, crisis pregnancy centres are required to post a letter-size sign that says, "California has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services (including all FDA-approved methods of contraception), prenatal care, and abortion for eligible women."

NARAL is pushing to penalise the centres. It has already filed a report with the Sacramento City Attorney's Office about the non-compliance of the two companies, which could result in fines of $500 up to $1,000 for each subsequent offense, according to The Sacramento Bee.

AB 775 was passed last year by the California legislature to force faith-based organisations that provide counselling and other help to pregnant women to put up the sign.

Sacramento Life Center and 110 other organisations sued the state in their effort to have the law struck down, The Bee reported. The lawsuit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of the members of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, an anti-abortion organisation.

"NARAL tried the same thing here in Austin, where we filed a lawsuit, and they were soundly defeated when the ordinance was found to be unconstitutional," Texas Center for Defense of Life's President Greg Terra told LifeSite News.

"These ordinances [and] laws are unconstitutional forced speech that are unnecessary and are absolutely intended by NARAL to harass pregnancy resource centres," he said.

"The icing on the cake was that the liberal judge awarded $460,000 in attorneys' fees to a bunch of pro-life lawyers," he added.

"I applaud the centres in California for not posting these signs, the messages which violate their principles and mission," Terra said.

According to Matt Bowman, senior counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom, said the law "forces pro-life centres to recite the government's message."

"These centres are faced with an impossible choice  either refer women to have a child killed or face punishment by the state of California," he said.

Lawyer Megan Fera, who represents Alternatives Pregnancy Center, said, "This law forces private, religious pregnancy centres to post the telephone number clients can use to obtain an abortion. This requirement violates clinics' freedoms of speech and religion by forcing them to advertise the government's pro-abortion message against their consciences."

"This type of law has been struck down in at least three other states, and I'm confident it will be struck down in California, too," Fera said. "Until then, Alternatives Pregnancy Center has been forced to post the required notice in order to avoid the heavy fines that can be attached for noncompliance."
Christians in India suffer from rising number of religious attacks

As Christians in the Middle East and Africa continue to suffer from persecution from extremist groups, there is also an increasing number of attacks on Christians in India.

Based on reports from Fox News, 26 cases of religiously motivated violence were recorded in the first two months of the year, targetting Christians in the country.

According to the report, the attacks are allegedly attributed to Hindu radicals who believe that they will not be held accountable for their actions since a Hindu Nationalist is in power.

"They are wolves in sheep's clothing. There has been an increase in attacks because these nationalists feel emboldened with [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi in power," Jeff King, president of the International Christian Concern said.

Christians have already appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Indian People's Party, to take action on the rising incidence of religious persecution but have lamented the lack of action by the government to deal with the attacks.

Some parties have expressed the belief that the BJP's position on Hindutvaa cultural nationalism which favors Indian culture over westernisation - plays a part in the lack of drive to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes.

"Since 2014 there has been a significant increase in attacks on Christians and Christian communities by radical Hindu forces in India. The government, which came into power with the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has strong Hindu nationalist ties. As a result, radical Hinduism, which was already present under the previous government, has increased steadily," David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA said.

He added that while the central government has not condoned the activities, it also did not condemn them, further encouraging the assaults.

So far, a letter was sent to Modi by eight US senators and 26 members of Congress, asking the Prime Minister to condemn the acts of persecution but so far, there has been no response.
Europe, Russia sending robotic spacecraft on mission to find signs of life on Mars

After the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) made a groundbreaking discovery of traces of liquid water on the surface of Mars last year, Europe and Russia are now stepping up their efforts to find signs of life on the Red Planet.

Earlier this week, a robotic spacecraft called Trace Gas Orbiter and a lander called Schiaparelli were sent to space as part of the two-phase ExoMars programme, a joint project between Europe and Russia to discover if life is indeed possible on Mars.

The spacecraft, which weighs 8,220 pounds, blasted off together on top of a Russian Proton-M rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:31 a.m. Monday, according to NBC News.

The Trace Gas Orbiter is scheduled to enter Mars' orbit on Oct. 19, or after seven months of journeying from Earth. After this, the spacecraft will eventually work its way to a circular orbit with an altitude of about 250 miles.

The robotic spacecraft is equipped with four different instruments to study the Martian surface and atmospherean undertaking that will last for five years.

As its name suggests, the Trace Gas Orbiter will primarily try to find traces of methane gas and its degradation products in Mars' atmospherethe same gas that is produced by microbes and other living organisms here on Earth. It follows, therefore, that if the mission finds traces of methane gas on Mars, it will have found a possible sign of life.

It is, however, not a sure indication of life on another planet since geological processes can also generate methane. NASA's Mars Curiosity rover actually detected a 10-fold jump in levels of methane gas in the Red Planet in late 2013 and early 2014, but the cause of this spike has yet to be determined.

The robotic spacecraft will also take photos to help the ExoMars team choose a landing spot for the deep-drilling rover that will also be launched by Europe and Russia in 2018 as part of the second phase of the ExoMars programme, if current schedules hold.

The solar-powered orbiter will likewise serve as a communications link between this deep-drilling rover and Earth.
Facebook draws ire of Christian users in Australia for adding feature in support of gay marriage

Social media giant Facebook has found itself in hot water after it endorsed same-sex marriage in Australia, which is due to vote on the controversial issue.

Starting this March, all 14 million Facebook users in Australia have been given the option of adding a pro same-sex marriage rainbow slogan at the bottom of their profile pictures. They can add a "frame feature" reading "I [heart] Marriage Equality." Facebook created this artwork in partnership with the group Australian Marriage Equality (AME).

While same-sex marriage supporters appreciate this feature, a lot of Christians are not pleased at all because Facebook did not provide a slogan for those who oppose same-sex marriage.

Lyle Shelton, managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, said Facebook is entitled to support whatever cause it wants because it is a shareholder owned company. However, she said Facebook should also consider that many of its users "will always believe marriage is between one man and one woman."

"Many people will feel pressured not to express their views in support of marriage because of Facebook's enabling of just one side of the debate," she told the Sydney Morning Herald. "The beauty of Facebook is that it has been a forum for free discussion. This move will make many people feel less free to engage in an important public debate."

Meanwhile, Facebook director of policy for Australia, Mia Garlick, said marriage equality is "one of the most talked-about topics on Facebook." The frame feature, she said, was just "a way of us amplifying the conversations that we already see happening on the platform."

AME campaign director Erin McCallum also lauded Facebook's support, saying the new feature is a "simple, yet powerful way for individuals and businesses to show what we already know."
Kenya claims death of 21 al Shabaab militants in Somalia

The Kenyan army killed 21 al Shabaab militants in a town in southern Somalia after two of its own soldiers were killed in an ambush by the insurgents, a military spokesman said.

David Obonyo, spokesman for the Kenya Defence Forces, said that in the Saturday incident in Afmadow, an improvised explosive device hit and damaged one of their vehicles.

"Following the incident, 21 al Shabaab militants were killed, 19 AK 47 rifles, three rocket propelled grenades and a pistol were recovered," Obonyo said in a statement late on Saturday.

"Regrettably, KDF suffered two fatalities and five injuries. The injured were evacuated and are receiving medical attention."

Somalia's government is battling to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation after more than two decades of conflict. Al Shabaab ruled large parts of Somalia until 2011, when it was driven out of Mogadishu by African Union and Somali troops.

The militants, who aim to topple the Western-backed government, often inflate casualty numbers and downplay the number of their own fighters killed.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesman, told Reuters on Saturday their fighters had killed 12 soldiers.

In January, Kenyan troops as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border, although they have not disclosed exact casualty figures.

Al Shabaab claimed the attack had killed more than 100 soldiers.
Michigan Catholic groups agree to extend healthcare benefits even to their employees' same-sex partners

Catholic organisations in Michigan have decided to extend healthcare benefits to "legally domiciled adult" or LDA, or anyone over 18 years old who are living with an employee.

This is in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last June that legalised gay marriage in the U.S.

The LDA can be a same-sex partner, sibling, uncle, mother or best friend, according to LifeSite News.

Under the new policy, an LDA can have medical, dental and vision coverage, according to the Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC), an umbrella organisation that negotiates health care coverage for about 8,400 employees of Catholic churches, schools and agencies in the state.

MCC said this will make its benefit plans compliant with the law while adhering to Catholic teachings at the same time.

David Maluchnik, MCC communications director, said Obergefell v. Hodges changed its decision.

If they did not make the change, "we would be open to litigation and we would have lost," he said as the existing plan only covered employees, their children and spouses as defined in Catholic teachings on marriage.

But James Bopp, counsel for the National Right to Life, Catholic organisations have a strong defence using "freedom of religion" in any lawsuit since Catholic teachings are opposed to same-sex relations.

"If a Catholic church couldn't cite the First Amendment in its defence, I don't know who could. The concern is that how we define spouse in our health plan according to the teachings of the Catholic Church is contrary to how the federal government understands spouse," he said.

The MCC said the new policy is based on residence and not relationship.

"We will have no way of knowing what is the nature of the relationship" between the employee and the LDA.

"What we're looking for is that the employee and the legally domiciled adult have been living together at the same address for six months and are financially interdependent and could swear on an affidavit as such," Maluchnik said.

Father Alexander Webster, an Orthodox archpriest, pastor and moral theologian, said Michigan bishops are "yielding to secular progressive forces that are anti-Christian and anti-Jesus."

"When you put saving bricks and mortar ahead of standing up for teachings, you are saving a shell. I was very disappointed when the Michigan Catholic Conference caved in," Webster said.

Bopp agrees, saying "What's the point of being a religious organisation if you completely abandon your religious beliefs because of the pressure of litigation?"

Maluchnik said the MCC "consulted with Catholic ethicists across the country, including the National Catholic Bioethics Center."

"The Catholic Church believes in providing health coverage and believes in supporting families in this way," he said as the MCC rejected options to scrap its entire health plan or get rid of benefits for spouses and LDAs.
Resting in God's comfort

Blessings come with new beginnings, as everything is fresh and exciting. I have just started a new job as a junior staff worker with Christian Union. My day-to-day life is filled with opportunities to talk with students at Canterbury University about Jesus, which is an amazing privilege.

New beginnings aren't always easy. Before I even started my first week I made some mistakes and got 'told off' in a very gentle way. This put a bit of a sour taste to the beginning of work. After working as a high school teacherwhere teenagers felt very comfortable reminding me about how bad they thought I was at teachingbeing mildly rebuked so early on felt devastating.

God comforts through others

Shortly after I went to a cafe by myself for a break, to read God's Word in a pleasant setting. I felt drained from meeting new students at orientation and appreciated the opportunity to take some time out.

As I was sitting at the cafe a waiter came with my order. He asked me routinely if I was waiting on anything else. I looked up at him and cheekily asked if there was any free stuff, to which he replied no.

But as he came to clear away my flat white (which was delicious!) he handed me a small cookie on a plate. 'Here you go. You look like you need it.'

What kindness! This really comforted me and brought tears to my eyes. I thanked God for him and for the kindness he showed me. It reminded me that God does sometimes (not always) give small material gifts to comfort us, and they are to be rejoiced in.

God comforts through his Word

I was prompted to read Romans chapter 8. This chapter is a summary of the whole book of Romans, or even the whole Bible! And oh, how comforting!

To know that nothing can separate us from God's love, that I am not condemned by Him because I trust in Christ, that the Spirit of God lives within me and heaven is our ultimate destinationthese things are immensely comforting.

God's Word is able to speak to us when we're feeling down. Sure, it can speak to us at any time, but especially when we are not feeling comfortable:

I often find my sub-conscious belief is: 'my work is my worth'. The Bible tells us it is sinful to find our identity in our own efforts, our work, and yet it is very hard to shake.

If you were always being told you were doing a bad job at something you wouldn't stick with itthat's one of the blessings of our culture. However, this blessing does potentially stop us from confronting our idolatry of work as our god. It is not!

As a friend recently pointed out: 'Even when everything else has been stripped away, we still have Christ.'

Sometimes we need things to be stripped away in order to let go of them. For me it is definitely this mindset of 'If I can't work I'm worth nothing'. A danger with changing jobs was that I would stop wrestling with this idol; I would just replace it. God did not let this happen, and His Word reminded me where my real worth lies: in Christ.

God comforts through giving peace

After reading Romans chapter 8, an amazing sense of peace washed over me. I do not have to be good at work in order to find worth. I can rest in Christ. He is my worth. This sense of peace allowed me to continue working with Christian Union in the midst of the busy orientation, knowing my worth wasn't tied up in my effort.

If you find your worth in anything other than Christ it will, over time, oppress and devour you. You can never work long enough hours, you can never do all the dishes, you can never study enough material.

Any idol will demand more than you can give. Christ doesn't. His burden is light, because He has taken it up for us. Resting in this is what we're called to do and when we do He gives us peace.

Rachel Bartlett lives in Christchurch, New Zealand with her husband James. Rachel currently works with Christian Union and is a trained teacher.

Rachel Bartlett's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/Rachel-Bartlett.html

This article is courtesy of Christian Today Australia
Trump foes block road in Arizona, march in New York, issue threatening letters to GOP presidential front-runner's family

The people who are vehemently opposed to a Donald Trump presidency made a show of force over the weekend, blocking traffic near a Trump event in Arizona, marching to the Trump Tower in New York City, and even issuing threatening letters to the Republican presidential front-runner's family members.

The protesters in Arizona parked vehicles sideways on Shea Boulevard, blocking both lanes of traffic into Fountain Hills, where Trump held a rally on Saturday afternoon, CNN reported.

On Friday night, the protesters tried to barge into the venue of a Trump rally in Salt Lake City, Utah, forcing the police and Secret Service officers to abruptly close the doors as Trump was speaking. Last week, scuffles broke out between protesters and Trump supporters in Chicago that led to the cancellation of a rally there.

During Friday night's rally, Trump once again talked about bringing jobs back to the U.S. from overseas, imposing tariffs on products made in Mexico and blasting President Barack Obama's foreign policy. But his main focus was on illegal immigration, a major issue in Arizona.

"So much crime. Drugs pouring though the border. People are now seeing it. And you know what? We're going to build the wall and we're going to stop it. It's going to end," Trump said. "Unless you have a border, you don't have a country. Remember that."

While he was speaking in Tucson later Saturday, dozens of protesters crowded outside the Tucson Convention Center, chanting, "No more hate" and "Trump the racist."

Trump was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, some of whom clashed with his supporters. At one point, Trump remarked, "These are not good people folks. They're not really protesters, they're agitators."

While the protest in Arizona was going on, demonstrators gathered in New York City, Trump's hometown. Brief clashes took place when protesters threw water bottles at police, who were trying to keep them from impeding traffic. Three people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, a New York police spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Trump's older sister, federal appeals court judge Maryanne Trump Barry, was reported to have received a threatening letter in Philadelphia on Friday  one day after Trump's son received a suspicious piece of mail containing white powder.

There was no white powder sent to Trump Barry, although the threat included in her letter was similar to that given to Eric Trump, a source familiar with the investigation told NBC News.

The letter Eric Trump received on Thursday demanded that his father drop out of the Republican race for the presidential nomination.

In a bid to ease rising tension in the Republican Party, Trump has decided to meet on Monday with nearly two dozen top Republicans for the first time in an off-the-record session, Newsmax reported.

"Mr. Trump is continuing his outreach to Washington and there has been an overwhelming positive response," Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said.

The session will be held before the Republican front-runner speaks to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, Lewandowski said. He would not say who would be attending.

The meeting was arranged by Alabama GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions, whom Trump named head of his foreign policy advisory committee this week, the Washington Post reported.
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Jack Taylor, managing director at Valbridge Property Advisors, has been elected to serve as president of the Houston Chapter of the Appraisal Institute for 2016.

Brent Johnston has been named Houston market president of PlainsCapital Bank as part of the Dallas-based bank's expansion here. Johnston will lead the bank's Houston operations from its new office in the Kirby Grove development at 2925 Richmond.

Woody Woodard has joined Insgroup as vice president. Woodard brings over 35 years' experience in the property and casualty insurance field to the firm.

Comcast announced the following appointments. John Phillips, vice president of Comcast Business, will oversee management of the business team. Caroline Aspenson, vice president of human resources, will oversee all aspects of human resources for Comcast's 2,500 employees in the Houston region.

Sam Hansen has been promoted to senior vice president focusing on landlord representation of a portfolio of Class A and B office building for NAI Partners' Property Services Division.

Holden Rushing has been promoted to vice president focusing on national tenant representation, project leasing and development for NAI Partners' Industrial Corporate Services Division.

Jake Wilkinson has been promoted to senior associate focusing on tenant and buyer representation, as well as the listing of single-tenant facilities for NAI Partners' Industrial Services Division.

Steven E. Erickson has been promoted to chief executive officer of Access Sciences. Access Sciences provides information management consulting and services.

Mary Faltaous has joined Smith Seckman Reid as an engineer in training in the firm's mechanical, electrical and plumbing group.

Trendmaker Homes, a member of the TRI Pointe Group, announced the promotion of Rhoda Davignon to vice president of sales and marketing and Collins Pier to vice president of acquisitions and land development.

The Richland Cos., a Houston-based commercial real estate firm with operations in four states, announced the following additions to its Houston office: Thomas Townsend, acquisitions and asset manager; Mitchell Covell, director of leasing; Eric Brown, financial analyst; Patricia "Jill" Waggoner, financial analyst; and Virginia Meriwether, office manager and receptionist. In addition, Richland has promoted Britta Clayton to senior property manager, and Donna Spell, office manager, to the additional role of executive assistant to the president and CEO and to the chairman of the board.

Scott Montopoli returns to EY as a principal in Houston focused on international tax planning. Montopoli has advised multinationals on cross-border tax matters for more than 16 years with public accounting firms in Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Miami.

Savills Studley has hired Noah Kruger as managing director for its Houston office. Kruger will be responsible for cultivating and expanding business opportunities within the office and industrial markets.

Baker Botts announced that Andrew M. Baker has been reappointed as managing partner for a second term that expires in 2019.

Halff Associates, an engineering/architecture consulting firm, has hired James Shanks as vice president. Shanks will be responsible for business development and management of land and site development projects in the Houston area.
Each week, Crime Stoppers officials in Houston and Montgomery County release a new list of what they consider to be their most highly sought fugitives.

In Houston, Crime Stoppers is searching for what the organization calls its 10 "most wanted" fugitives. Anyone with information about these suspects is asked to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
One 15-year-old was killed and another injured when someone opened fire on their van in southwest Houston Saturday night.

The two teenagers were driving in a white van on the feeder road of U.S. 59 and Westpark around 6 p.m. when shots were fired at them from a blue car, killing the passenger. The driver, who pulled over at a nearby grocery store, was taken to Ben Taub Hospital. He was undergoing surgery and expected to survive, authorities said.
Brad Paisley knows it takes more than a few hit songs and hey-y'alls to make for a memorable RodeoHouston performance.

His 10th time on the rotating stage wasn't much different from previous performances. That was good news for fans.
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.
Laurie Anderson Revisits Lou Reeds Radical Metal Machine Music

Excitement for this year's Big Ears Festival builds with each performance announcement. Laurie Anderson, widow of Lou Reed and acclaimed performance artist in her own right, will perform pieces inspired by her late husband's avant-garde works as Lou Reed's DRONES.

Scheduled for the fittingly fuzzy early morning hours of Saturday, April 2, the performance on the festival's "The Standard" stage will begin at 1 a.m. Further pushing the envelope, the announcement asks festivalgoers to bring an instrument and join in the late night jam, aiming to create a crowdsourced cacophony in honor of the Velvet Underground frontman.

The appearance is not to be missed by fans of Lou Reed's forward-thinking musical creations. As described on the festival's website, Reed's experimental compositions remain inspirational to today's progressive musicians:

"Lou Reed's DRONES revisits the work of Reed's ambient, industrial masterpiece, Metal Machine Music, as well as the powerful influential backbone of the early Velvet Underground, [which] continues to influence generation after generation of young musicians."

When the original Metal Machine Music was released in 1975, many Reed fans were shocked and appalled at an album that, at its crux, was essentially an hour's worth of clamorous electric guitar feedback. Plenty of listeners presumed the album a perverse joke or hastily issued contractual fulfillment. Throughout his career Reed insisted that it was neither, telling The Quietus it was actually meant to be an unconventional classical record:

"I mean the idea was not to put it out as a rock record and to let people know it was electronic and it didn't have songs on it. It was going to be released under [RCA's] Red Seal imprint as a classical record. But then they put it out as a rock & roll album, with a rock & roll sleeve. Well, it was taken off the market in three weeks, it had the highest levels of returns of any record ever released. And record stores said that they would never carry any of my records ever again."

Reed maintained his sincerity regarding Metal Machine's musical merit during his life, even forming the Metal Machine Trio in 2008. The group, featuring instrumentalists Ulrich Krieger and Sarth Calhoun, continued to perform improvised works of free jazz, noise and electronica until the artist's death in 2013.

Listen to the first of four parts of Reed's Metal Machine Music, at your own peril, and remember to bring your guitar if you're attending Big Ears Festival in Knoxville next month.

 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

TagsLaurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Drones, Big Ears Festival, The Velvet Underground
Riccardo Muti, Chicago Symphony Mark 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's Death

Italian conductor Riccardo Muti will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this April in commemorating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will also be celebrating its own 125th anniversary. As noted in a press release, reported by Classical World, the conductor will direct the orchestra through acclaimed symphonies inspired by the writer's famous folios:

"Music Director Riccardo Muti returns to Chicago in April for three weeks of concerts and activities April 7-26 during the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's 125th anniversary season. Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) explore music by Berlioz, Tchaikovsky and Verdi inspired by the works of William Shakespeare in three programs featuring internationally acclaimed soloists as part of the CSO's celebration of Shakespeare in music during a year that marks the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death."

Musical works in all genres have been inspired by or paid tribute to William Shakespeare, from Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to Elvis Costello's "Miss Macbeth."

Muti has been lauded for his fluid musical integration into Chicago since his appointment as conductor of the CSO in 2010. In 2013, he composed a classical version of the Chicago Blackhawks' goal song, "Chelsea Dagger." As he told the Chicago Tribune, Muti understands the gravity of representing Chicago's music and arts prominence on a world stage:

"It's important to bring a new public to our concerts here and to improve the quality of life for people in Chicago through music, but it is absolutely vital we bring our music to the rest of the world, as well. If we don't, the Chicago Symphony will only be -- I hate to use the word provincial -- let's say the orchestra will be only local. We live in a great city, but Chicago's potential is much bigger than what it is achieving in the world."

If you're in Chicago this April, don't miss these special performances by Muti and the CSO.

What do you think of the celebrations surrounding the anniversary of Shakespeare's death? Let us know your favorite Shakespeare-inspired musical work in the comments field below, we'd love to hear from you.

 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

TagsRiccardo Muti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Shakespeare, William Shakespeare
Passion Live Music Producer Talks Trisha Yearwood, Seal and Judas Chris Daughtry

Tonight Foxs The Passion Live musical event is finally here. The all new special brought to America from the Netherlands use pop music to tell the story of Christ. The story will be narrated by Tyler Perry and stars Jencarlos Canela as Jesus Christ, Chris Daughtry as Judas Iscariot, Prince Royce as Peter, Trisha Yearwood as Mother Mary and Seal as Pontius Pilate. Recently the shows music producer Adam Anders opened up about the cast.



Glee vet and The Passion music producer Adam Anders recently spoke to Variety, where he doted on the Trisha Yearwood, saying:

Its been a dream. Trisha was so important because shes the anchor of the show. Theyre big songs,, theyre big moments  Shes a legend. She has a world-class voice. Her vocals are incredible. Shes so wonderful to work with.

Anders also commented on Judas actor Chris Daughtry, adding:

He was the first guy who popped into my head for Judas. To actually have him be in the show, Im just so appreciative to Fox to have the guy I had in my head bring it to life. Its just so good.

Recently it was announced that Seal was added to the cast as Pontius Pilate, which is a decision Anders certainly doesnt regret, as he went on to add:

[Seal] was singing next to me and I got goosebumps. For me, the opportunity to work with him is a dream come true. Beyond that, he brings such a cool element to the show. He can walk on that stage and hes really a powerful man. He has that weight to him.

 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

TagsPassion, Passion Live, Music, producer, Trisha Yearwood, Seal, Judas, Chris Daughtry
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One person was injured in a house fire in the 1200 block of West Wilbeth Road in Akron early Sunday morning, fire officials said.

(Google maps)

AKRON, Ohio -- One person was injured in a fire at a Wilbeth Road home early Sunday morning, fire officials say.

The fire was fully involved when firefighters arrived at the home in the 1200 block of West Wilbeth Road at 1:30 a.m., the Akron Fire Department said in a press release.

One person in the home was taken to an unknown hospital with injuries, the release says. The victim's condition was not immediately available.

It's unclear how many people were inside the home or exactly where in the house the fire started.

The fire department called in utility companies to shut off the gas and electric while firefighters battled the blaze.

Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

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Massillon Wendy's fire map

Firefighters were battling a large fire at a Wendy's restaurant in Massillon on Sunday morning.

(Google maps)

MASSILLON, Ohio -- Fire crews were battling a large fire at a Wendy's restaurant Sunday morning.

Firefighters saw heavy flames and smoke coming from the back of the restaurant at 515 Lincoln Way East when they arrived on scene about 9:45 a.m., Massillon Fire Capt. Kurt Murrey said.

No one was injured, Murrey said.

Wendy's opens at 10 a.m. No customers were inside.

Fire officials did not know what caused the fire Sunday morning.

Fire departments from Massillon, Perry Township and Bethlehem were on scene. They were calling in all fire departments from Stark County to help battle the blaze, Murrey said.

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Rescue teams on Sunday morning continued to search for a kayaker who went under water at West Branch State Park in Ravenna on Saturday evening.

(Google maps)

RAVENNA, Ohio -- Rescue teams on Sunday morning continued to search for a kayaker who went under water at West Branch State Park on Saturday evening, an Ohio Department of Natural Resources spokesman said.

A kayak with two men inside overturned. A fisherman rescued one of the kayakers, and he made it back to shore and called 911. The other kayaker went under water, ODNR spokesman Matt Eiselstein said.

Emergency crews responded to the scene at 6:15 p.m. Saturday. They suspended the search at 1 a.m. Sunday. The searched resumed at 8 a.m.

Both kayakers are about 20 years old, Eiselstein said.

Rescue teams have two boats in the water.

The ODNR Division of Water Craft; dive teams from Portage and Summit counties; Kent and Paris Township fire departments; and Portage County Sheriff's Office are working together in the rescue effort.

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crime tape

Authorities are investigating two deaths at a Ravenna Road home as a murder-suicide, Hudson city officials said.

(File photo)

HUDSON, Ohio -- Authorities are investigating two deaths at a Ravenna Road home as a murder-suicide.

Police found Stephen Bice, 53, and his wife Kristi Bice, 42, dead from gunshot wounds in their home in the 7000 block of Ravenna Road just after noon Saturday.

Their sons called 911.

A preliminary investigation shows Stephen Bice shot Kristi Bice, and then took his own life, according to a news release from the city.

Hudson police, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Summit County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the case.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Big news week in Cleveland, from the presidential primary to St. Patrick's Day.

Here are the stories you may have missed:

Still getting over the election? Chris Evans interviewed regular Ohioans about what they thought of Gov. John Kasich's big win on Tuesday, as part of cleveland.com's Ohio Votes project.

Want to know what happened in the election locally? Six southwest Cuyahoga County cities voted to allow bow-hunting of deer, Karen Farkas reports.

Want to know what's next for Ted Strickland? Stephen Koff looks at the issues in the race against Rob Portman.

Wish you could bring your kid to work? Chicago White Sox president Ken Williams asked the team's first baseman/designated hitter Adam LaRoche to cut back on his 14-year-old son's time in the clubhouse, Sabrina Eaton reports. LaRoche responded Tuesday by announcing his retirement, with a Tweet hashtagged #familyfirst.

Stymied over public records? Beachwood got in trouble with the state auditor for redacting too many items on the mayor's dayplanner, Jackie Borchardt reports.

Wondering whether the U.S. Senate has to vote on Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination? Technically, no, Koff reports. The Constitution grants the Senate the power of advice and consent on presidential nominations. It does not say the Senate must act when the president wants. Check out the conflict between the president and Republican senators.

Want to know Merrick Garland's background? The DC federal appeals judge helped investigate the Oklahoma City and Atlanta bombings. Here's other biographical background from Karen Farkas.

Think Cleveland is really the worst? Obviously not. But that doesn't stop national publications from selecting us as tops on lists of distressed cities or miserable places. Chris Evans has a compilation of five lists that diss Cleveland, and why we don't care.

Need another hit of St. Patrick's Day? Take a look at Emily Bamforth's video and photo gallery of Cleveland Irish dancers, practicing for the parade.
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Guest columnist Bob Ault argues for reducing gun violence. These guns were collected last year as part of a buy-back program conducted by Cleveland and Cleveland Heights. The guns were eventually melted down.

(David Petkiewicz/cleveand.com/file photo)

Bob Ault, of Shaker Heights, is a member of God Before Guns.

Guest columnist Bob Ault is a resident of Shaker Heights and a member of God Before Guns, a multi-faith coalition working to reduce gun violence.

This is in rebuttal to Dean Rieck's recent commentary, "Gun owners don't trust Obama, because he doesn't trust them."

When we experience approximately 30,000 gun deaths a year (year after year) in this country, then President Obama is correct when he says that, "The epidemic of gun violence in this country is a crisis." Other industrialized nations in Europe, England and Canada typically have 40 to 200 gun deaths a year. Gun violence in the U.S. is, and has been an epidemic.

President Obama's Executive Action to direct the ATF to require any business that engages in the sale of guns, to obtain a federal license and conduct background checks, including sellers of guns at gun shows, and sellers of guns over the Internet, closes the gun show and Internet sales loophole, which account for 40 percent of all gun sales.

Universal background checks for all gun buyers are supported by 90 percent of Americans, 82 percent of gun owners and 74 percent of NRA members. Only the morally bankrupt NRA and gun lobby oppose universal background checks for all gun sales.

Certainly increasing funding to the ATF for the hiring of 200 new ATF agents and investigators to help enforce existing gun laws is a common sense action that even the NRA and Buckeye Firearms Association might agree with.

Requiring the inclusion of mental health information from the Social Security Administration in the background check system, about beneficiaries who are prohibited from possessing a firearm, is another common sense proposal that gun owners should agree with.

President Obama's direction to the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security to conduct or sponsor research into gun safety technology that would reduce the likelihood of accidental discharge or unauthorized use of a firearm is another hopeful proposal.

The implementation and commercializing of smart gun technology would be a significant help in reducing the at least 40 children, 12 and under, that have died in "accidental" shootings since Newtown. Accidental shootings are ones in which the child either shot himself or was shot by another child. The loss of just one child is too many, we need smart gun technology.

As President Obama said; "If a child can't open a bottle of aspirin, we should also make sure she can't pull the trigger of a gun."

Mr. Rieck may know some gun owners who don't trust the President, but none of the President's recent executive actions on gun control, infringe in any way on law abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights. My concern is not about distrusting the President, but it is one of working with the President, along with the 90 percent of Americans who support common sense gun reforms, so that the United States is not the leader of the industrialized world in killing about 86 people a day.

We and Congress need to stand up for what is right and just, listen to the American people, including gun owners, and not be bullied by the NRA and the gun lobby.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Linda Kinsey at lkinsey@cleveland.com. Essays must also include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome.
Chinese authorities are hunting 300 people suspected of illegally selling deadly, spoiled vaccines, in what could be the country's biggest case of its kind. Late on Friday authorities issued a public notice of the identities of the suspects, who are thought to have been involved a vaccine trading ring worth as much as 570 million yuan ($88 million), state media reported.

The authorities called on the public to help track down the dealers involved, the reports said.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the suspects sold compromised vaccines, which were neither adequately refrigerated for storage nor transported in approved conditions, to hospitals and disease control centers in at least 24 provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, where they were used over a number of years

The vaccines had the potential to cause disability or death, Xinhua reported.

The reports said that although the case was not made public until Friday, the illegal operation was first discovered in April 2015. Since then, the police had made over 20 raids across the country to confiscate unsafe products and had arrested a former doctor only identified by her surname, Pang, as well as her daughter, a medical school graduate, in eastern China's Shandong Province, the reports said.

The women had profited from the illegal sale of vaccines since early 2010, the State Public Security Bureau alleged.

The duo are accused of purchasing 25 types of vaccines from more than 100 pharmaceutical salesmen, both licensed and unlicensed, then selling them on to illegal agents as well as local medical facilities at higher prices.

So far, authorities have been unable to work out precisely what quantity of compromised vaccine entered the market, media reports said.

The vaccines the suspects allegedly sold included ones used against chicken pox, rabies, meningitis and hepatitis A, none of which are mandatory injections in the mainland.





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Thepaper.com, the digital news outlet that first broke the story, reported that Pang, 47, had worked as a doctor at a public hospital but in 2009 was given a three-year prison sentence, suspended for five years, after she was convicted of illegally selling vaccines worth almost five million yuan ($763,358). Angry Chinese asked on social media why the case was only revealed almost a year after police had solid evidence that unsafe vaccines had been widely used, and how the justice system had allegedly allowed the former doctor to commit the same crime twice.

China is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical markets but also the biggest producer of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, according to a report by the London-based International Policy Network.

Plagued by drug scandals, Beijing has ramped up its policing of the drug sector and called on hospitals and clinics to improve transparency on their drug purchases.

However, the crackdown, which includes more severe punishments for the production and sale of fake or substandard pharmaceuticals, so far appears to have had little impact.


Ohio Gov. John Kasich dismissed the possibility of becoming Sen. Ted Cruz's or Donald Trump's Vice President if one of them becomes the Republican nominee, in an interview on "Meet the Press" set to air on Sunday.

"Under no circumstances. Are you people kidding me," Kasich said. "I'm running for president."



The Ohio governor's chances of clinching the nomination remain a long shot. According to NBC News' delegate count, Kasich needs to win 106 percent of the remaining delegates to avoid a contested convention, a mathematically impossible feat.

Kasich also polled last among likely Republican voters with 22 percent favorability in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll behind Cruz (27 percent) and Trump (30 percent).



More from NBC News:



Trump Protester Punched, Kicked at Rally in Arizona

What do OH, PA and WI Have in Common? Trump Needs 'Em

Sanders Visits Border: 'We Don't Need a Wall'

And though the odds are against him, Kasich says he hopes political pundits stop asking him about a VP slot and start taking his candidacy seriously.



"People are like, 'What's his calculation? What's this or that,'" he said. "You don't understand me."
Virgin is fighting to put out a public relations firestorm in China over an alleged racist incident on a flight from London to Shanghai.

Chinese netizens are furious over the March 1 incident on flight VS250, in which a Chinese female passenger claims she was racially abused by a white male passenger, then threatened with removal from the plane by a flight attendant after she reported the abuse.

The woman's March 17 Weibo post on the incident went viral, with the topic #Virgin Racial Discrimination attracting 45 million readers on China's version of Twitter.

Virgin's Weibo account and the Facebook accounts of Virgin Atlantic and the carrier's billionaire founder Richard Branson were inundated with negative comments, while 1.3 million people visited a #Boycotting Virgin Airlines page set up on Weibo.

Even a statement by Virgin Atlantic to China Daily, in which the airline said it "deeply regretted" the woman's experience, failed to douse the flames, with one Weibo poster saying, "If 'feeling sorry' is the only word you can say then you really should get out of China," and others calling Virgin "insincere" and "disgusting."

State media outlets also weighed in, with the Global Times calling Virgin's statement "a mere response," not an apology.

So fierce was the online furor over the VS250 case that Branson posted a blog on Virgin's website on Saturday, warning of the dangers of using social media to air disputes before they had been fully investigated.

"Sometimes the consequences of jumping to conclusions can have a significant impact, in this case on crew members who were doing their job and have received an enormous amount of abuse online," the entrepreneur wrote.
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.
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By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal

A Memphis man has been accused of stabbing a woman with a meat fork, according to Memphis police.

Carlos Brown, 41, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault early Saturday morning.

Officers responded to a call just after 9 p.m. Friday at Methodist North Hospital, 3960 N. Covington Pike. The victim told police her brother-in-law stabbed her in the upper left area of her back with a two-pronged meat fork, according to an affidavit.

She said her husband took her to the hospital for treatment, and she was later taken to Regional Medical Center in critical condition, the affidavit said.

At 11 p.m., officers found Brown at a home in the 4600 block of Mamie Road and took him into custody.

He did not give a statement and said he wanted a lawyer, the affidavit said.

Brown is out of jail on a $20,000 bond. He is due in court Monday for video arraignment.
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By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal

The Memphis Police Department is investigating a drive-by shooting that injured a man Saturday.

Officers arrived to the scene of a shooting in the 3500 block of Monessen Drive at 12:23 p.m. A woman told police several people drove by her home and fired multiple shots, MPD spokesman Louis Brownlee said. No one was injured.

At 2:30 p.m., a man arrived at Methodist North Hospital with a gunshot wound. An investigation revealed he was involved in the shooting, but police have not identified whether he is a victim or suspect, Brownlee said. He is in stable condition.

"Officers have multiple people detained at this time, but no charges have been filed," Brownlee said.

Police are still investigating.
March 20, 2016 - Hunkered down against the cold wind, tourists load onto the Island Queen at Beale Street Landing for a short cruise on the Mississippi Sunday afternoon. The RDC has revealed that a third cruise line company, French America Line, will be coming to Memphis by the end of the year. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal

A new Mississippi River cruise ship company plans to add Memphis to its itinerary beginning this fall, officials said Sunday.

The French America Line plans to include three stops at Memphis when it begins cruising in late August, said Benny Lendermon, President of the Riverfront Development Corporation.

But that could be just the beginning, Lendermon said, if things go well.

"The only reason it's three is they're starting at the end of the year. In the coming year, it could 25 or 30 arrivals or departures," he said.

Currently, two companies dock three separate boats at the Beale Street Landing facility in Tom Lee Park.

The American Cruise Lines docks the Queen of the Mississippi and American Eagle while the American Queen Steamboat company docks its namesake ship. Combined, the three boats account for 57 arrivals and departures each year, Lendermon said.

If French America's plans come to fruition, Lendermon said, the RDC would be able to schedule the cruise line in the existing docking framework at Beale Street Landing.

A fourth company has also expressed interest in using Memphis as a port, and if its ambitious plans work out, a dock expansion could be necessary at Beale Street Landing, Lendermon confirmed.

Viking River Cruises, a Switzerland-based company, announced plans last year for six 300-passenger cruise ships over three years for $100 million each. The company primarily operates in Europe now, but has plans for a North American expansion.

However, Lendermon said, any talk of expansion to the $43.6 million Beale Street Landing  a controversial project that was originally budgeted at $29 million  is premature.

Beale Street Landing could accommodate the first two Viking boats, Lendermon said, meaning an expansion would only be necessary if Viking builds the third and fourth boats. That dock expansion could cost $3-5 million.

"If they're building boats, something would be necessary at some point," he said. "We have several years to figure out what we need and how much it'll cost."

Kevin Kane, head of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, said any new cruise ships will add to what is already a growing tourism market.

"What we have right now is generating about 10,000 hotel room buys a year. ... It means hotel room stays. It certainly means sightseeing excursions. (It means) spending money for our economy," he said. "We're thrilled about it. It's pretty darned exciting, especially when you consider this market didn't exist a few years ago."

French America Line appears to be a new company, and its website is largely a placeholder with no active links. It has announced that its Mississippi River boat will be called the "Louisiane." It has 75 rooms and can accommodate 150 passengers, the company said.

The boat, with a top cruising speed of 11 mph, was built in 2000 and refurbished this year.
Illustration by Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal

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By Meeri Kim, Special to The Washington Post

Teenagers tend to have a bad reputation in our society, and perhaps rightly so. When compared to children or adults, adolescents are more likely to engage in binge drinking, drug use, unprotected sex, criminal activity and reckless driving. Risk-taking is like second nature to youth of a certain age, leading health experts to cite preventable and self-inflicted causes as the biggest threats to adolescent well-being in industrialized societies.

But before going off on a tirade about groups of reckless young hooligans, consider that a recent study may have revealed a silver lining to all that misbehavior. While adolescents will take more risks in the presence of their peers than when alone, it turns out that peers can also encourage them to learn faster and engage in more exploratory acts.

A group of 101 late adolescent males were randomly assigned to play the Iowa Gambling Task, a psychological game used to assess decision making, either alone or observed by their peers. The task involves four decks of cards: two are "lucky" decks that will generate long-term gain if the player continues to draw from them, while the other two are "unlucky" decks that have the opposite effect. The player chooses to play or pass cards drawn from one of these decks, eventually catching on to which of the decks are lucky or unlucky  and subsequently only playing from the lucky ones.

The study, published in The Journal of Research on Adolescence, found that subjects who played with other adolescents watching them took more risks early on than the solo group by playing cards more often than passing. But the peer-observed group was also faster to learn which decks were lucky  and were quicker to start avoiding the unlucky decks  than the solo group.

"Risk-taking in and of itself is not a bad thing, and taking risks is one way we learn about the world around us," said study author Laurence Steinberg, the Distinguished University Professor and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple University. "Peers may motivate each other to explore their environment in a way they might not do if they were being more cautious. Sometimes that leads to harmful consequences, but sometimes it leads to learning new things that are good, and I think that's one of the points of the paper."

Steinberg is among a group of scientists who are dedicating their research to understanding the profound changes being experienced by the adolescent brain. It was once assumed that the human brain fully develops by our early teenage years, but recent research using brain imaging has discovered that areas of the brain associated with cognitive and emotional processing continue to mature from early adolescence until at least our mid-20s.

Although the brain doesn't grow in size much after a certain age, structural MRI studies have shown continuing neuroanatomical development in gray and white matter into adulthood. Gray matter volume decreases in certain areas, while white matter volume increases. Researchers believe this rearrangement and pruning of the brain's anatomy could explain some of the characteristic behavior seen in teenagers, but not in adults or children.

For instance, Steinberg has previously discovered through functional MRI that the mere presence of peers activates the brain's reward center much more strongly in adolescents as compared to other age groups.

"When the reward centers of the brain are activated, it tends to make individuals focus more on the potential rewards that they face rather than the downsides," he said. "We think our brains are wired so that adolescence is a time when people are more willing to take risks, and that's a good thing as long as the risks they take don't jeopardize their well-being. It's important to remember that you're not going to be able to stop teenagers from taking risks  it's built into their wiring."

From the perspective of parents, their child's teenage years can be a time of stress, conflict, and upheaval. Parents may experience confusion about how much discipline and supervision is appropriate as opposed to stifling during this period of transition to adulthood.

Steinberg stresses that the most important thing for parents to do for their adolescent children is to maintain a warm relationship. This can create a world for them so that the risks they take will be healthy ones  such as trying out for the school play, asking someone out, or taking challenging classes  instead of ones that will cause irreparable damage. Get to know the friends your child is hanging around with, because peers can be a very strong influence on teenagers' behavior.

Lastly, he recommends against helicopter parenting, since it may prevent your child from learning. "Risk-taking is not inherently bad, and kids need to take chances and learn from their mistakes and their failures. To the extent that 'helicopter parents' are interfering with that  they're not doing their kids any benefit," said Steinberg. "A good rule of thumb is: Protect when you must and permit when you can."
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After an editorial board meeting Wednesday with officials who played a major part in Thursday's Blight Elimination Summit, a reporter for The Commercial Appeal commented that the fight to rid Memphis and Shelby County of blight is like trying to bail water out of the sinking Titanic with a thimble.

It certainly seems that way when you think about all the initiatives in place to reduce blight and the minimal success that has resulted.

We think, however, the summit at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey's School of Law Downtown has the potential to bring new energy and collaboration to the effort.

The summit was billed as the first time Memphis and Shelby County's civic, business, government and grass-roots leaders united in a coordinated campaign to clean up the blighted properties that diminish the quality of life in neighborhoods.

The summit celebrated the completion of the Memphis Blight Elimination Charter and the commitment of all of the stakeholders to work together to implement its action plan.

Blight is an extreme sore on this community and feeds a host of social maladies, including crime. It is fed by the city's 30 percent poverty rate and discourages meaningful private investment that could help revive neighborhoods. It is fed by negligent owners who hide behind limited liability companies (LLCs), which allow them to avoid paying taxes on derelict properties or to not be responsible for the demolition of those buildings.

Perhaps more tragic is the fact that blighted neighborhoods contribute to the adverse childhood experiences, according to numerous studies, that negatively impact the brain development of young children.

Wednesday's editorial board visitors were Memphis businessman George Cates, chairman of the board of directors of Neighborhood Preservation Inc., a local anti-blight advocacy group; Sheila Jordan Cunningham, executive director of the new Blight Authority of Memphis land bank; Memphis developer Archie Willis, principal at Community Capital, and NPI leader Steve Barlow.

They talked about attacking blight from a policy and advocacy stance, including better code enforcement and dealing with foreclosures. They talked about improving one neighborhood at a time.

They talked about how there is no easy answer for dealing with seemingly intractable problem properties, especially those owned by LLCs. One remedy, they said, would be to shorten the time it takes to get the ownership behind the negligent LLCs to court to get a resolution on what to do with a blighted property.

The Tennessee General Assembly will have to make that happen.

One of the good things to come out of the Blight Elimination Charter and the NPI is the Memphis Property Hub, which is a reliable citywide database of blighted properties, including "hard data" about the properties.

Reducing blight will be a long, drawn-out battle. The charter, according to Willis, provides a road map and buy-in for all the parties interested in reducing blight.

Over the last several years, government, business and philanthropic entities have increasingly realized that it takes collaboration to make a dent in the community's social ills.

The Blight Elimination Summit and the Memphis Blight Elimination Charter are another fulfillment of that reality. Everyone from Downtown to East Memphis, and from Frayser and Raleigh to Whitehaven and Hickory Hill, should hope they are successful.
Imagine for a moment that you are a Conservative MP in a marginal constituency. What would you think while staring drop-jawed, over the last few days, at open civil war within the Government? A resigning Iain Duncan Smith launches a hellfire missile at George Osborne. One of the Chancellors allies, Ros Altmann, takes a popgun shot back. Three fellow Ministers in the same department  Priti Patel, Justin Tomlinson and Shailesh Vara  turn their guns on her in return. Tory Parliamentarians pour onto Twitter to take sides and open fire. I cant speak for you but I know what I would say  to my Association Chairman, to the Whips, to my spouse (or whatever), to whoever was willing to listen. Pardon my language, but it would be: All this risks losing me my seat. Why cant they all shut the f**k up?

This brief but expressive view will surely be shared by every candidate fighting or defending a marginal council seat in Mays elections  not to mention by every Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament candidate as well as, doubtless, Zac Goldsmith in London. He deserves better. So do they. And so do the persevering, money-raising, raffle ticket-selling, dinner-attending, leaflet-dropping, door-knocking local members whose property the Conservative Party is and without which it would not exist.

On the core issue of Britains EU membership, the Party itself is now a pyramid. At the top is a pro-Remain Cabinet  the more so, since Duncan Smiths departure, now that the number of pro-Leave Ministers attending it is down from six to five. In the middle is a divided Parliamentary Party: some two in five MPs are for Leave, including a greater number of backbenchers. And at the base are the members, two in three of which, according to this sites surveys and a recent YouGov poll, are also for Brexit. To the fact that the top is now unrepresentative of the middle  let alone the bottom  one must add the explosive context of Julys referendum. The Duncan Smith resignation markes the most dangerous moment for the Party since the ousting of Margaret Thatcher the best part of 25 years ago.

None the less, danger can be averted and crises are not fatal  or dont necessarily have to be, anyway. The Government and Party can step back from the brink in three collective moves.

The first is to recognise that there is now a difference between Iain Duncan Smith and George Osborne. The former has left the building. The latter is still in it. A combination of the former Work and Pensions Secretarys assault, the Chancellors support for Remain, and a sense that his time and luck at the Treasury are running out have led even to some of the latters supporters to suggest that he be moved. A time for a reshuffle will doubtless come. But this is not for moment for it. What is needed is a recognition at the top that backing for Osbornes position should be balanced by him reining in his supporters. As Mark Wallace wrote earlier today, Altmann should leave the Government (which would free Stephen Crabb from inheriting a divided team). And the Chancellor should stay in place.

He may have his faults  no, never mind may: he does, many of which ConservativeHome hasnt held back from criticising  but the country and Party owes him much, including his big role in an economic recovery and an election win. Gratitude is an under-rated virtue. So is keeping ones sense of proportion.

The second is that although David Cameron is, as far as Osborne is concerned, a kind of first among equals, he is first  and that matters. He is the Prime Minister. He must lead in calming his Ministers down, ordering a ceasefire against Duncan Smith, and enforcing it. Which in turn means showing Tory MPs and his Party a visible symbol of change. This site has called more times than it can remember for what might, perhaps unfairly, be called the replacement of Notting Hill Government by Cabinet Government  that is, by the top of the Conservative Party being more than the Dave-&-George show. Downing Street should signal that, during the fissile run-up to the referendum and beyond, the top Cabinet team will from now on meet as a team and govern as a team.

It should consist of the Prime Minister, the Chancellor, the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary, the Leader of the House and the Chief Whip. The Chairman of the 1922 Committee should join them when Party business is being discussed, since the Party Chairman has no independent standing of his own.

But even a shoring-up of the Chancellor and the taking-up of Cabinet Government might not be enough, during these coming weeks, to calm the passions stirred by Britains EU membership and exploded by Duncan Smiths spectacular resignation. Something else is needed  or rather someone  who fits a tricky bill. That someone would be a supporter of the Chancellor, and thus trusted by the people at the top of that pyramid. He would also be a supporter of Brexit, and therefore trusted, too, by those at the bottom. He would be liked and respected by his Parliamentary colleagues, with a proven record of delivery in at least one government department. He would be sought for his counsel by both Osborne and Boris Johnson  and, ideally, be a friend of the Prime Minister too.

Only one person fits the bill, and I will describe it in terms that he will understand. Every King of Gondor needs a Steward; every King of Westeros a Hand. Michael Gove, who wrote a superlative Sunday Telegraph piece earlier today urging calm and sweet reason, should be brought back into Camerons inner circle. Getting through the difficult weeks before the referendum and the hazardous ones after  and perhaps staving off a leadership challenge to the most electorally successful post-war Tory leader save Margaret Thatcher  means allowing the Justice Secretary also to serve as Deputy Prime Minister, either de jure or perhaps better de facto (to save Osbornes face).

Neither pro-Remain Cameron nor pro-Leave Gove can stop the carnage and enforce peace on their own. But they can together. The alternative is for council seats that looked safe a week ago to be lost in May; for Government management to risk unravelling and the referendum aftermath to chance regicide, and for Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party  incredible though this may seem  to begin to creep back into 2020 contention.
Umar Khalid And Anirban Bhattacharya Return To JNUs Freedom Square

By Shubhda Chaudhary

20 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

The entire campus of JNU resonated with the slogans of Azaadi on 18th March when Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, charged with the draconian laws of criminal conspiracy and sedition finally got interim bail and headed towards their university. The entire campus erupted in a Holi-like celebration It was an infectious moment of solidarity, zeal and fervor, as the student fraternity was finally able to earn justice from how obnoxiously the university has been targeted by the state and media trials.

Addressing thousands of students at JNUs Freedom Square, Umar Khalid stated that it was difficult for him to reveal his emotions in words, as for the past one-and-a-half months, things have happened so fast, it takes time to process it. But he categorically mentioned that if the government thought that by profiling few students, it could break the solidarity and unity of student movements, they were in great deception. I feel that I am stronger than what I was one-and-a-half months back. We do not have any sadness that we were charged under article 124 (A). We are proud that we were booked under a law under which the great freedom fighters of our country and after that whoever has questioned the regime has been arrested. We are proud to be associated with such comrades. In Hindi, it is not called desh-droh, rather raj-droh.

He stated that the current regime is anti-dalits, women, labourers, farmers and minorities as well against humanity. The revolution continues, he declared. It is great humiliation that the regime had to resort to the colonial law to act against us. Today, the criminals have power and those against crime are in jails. The labourers of Maruti, advivasis of Chattisgarh, dalits against Ranveer Sena and Muslims make the demography of jails. Umar bought attention to the fact that in spite of their surrender of 23rd February, the media trial continued and new stories were being planted every day. The media did not act independently and it was ordered to generate the opinion in this manner. What happened with us, happened because we are thinking people, we debate, we dissent, we interrogate, we are JNU.

Umar quoted few lines from the famous anti-war poem:

General, Your Tank is a Powerful Vehicle

It smashes down forests and crushes a hundred men.

But it has one defect:

It needs a driver.



Anirban Bhattacharya stated it is a fight against injustice and it puts a lot of political responsibility on us. Mastermind is a term used for muslim witch-hunting. Till now it was used in terror related cases. But for the first time it was used for the organizers of a cultural programme. We dont know of what we were masterminds of. There was madness but then we realized there was a method to this madness. Sometimes, it looks hopeless, sometimes it evokes anger. It was often stated that Khalid could have done it, but why a Bhattacharya? A story that Bhattacharya went to Pakistan three times will not increase TRPs. It is scary to even think what would have happened if we both were practicing Muslims and belonged to Azamgarh? What would have the Special Cell done on us? Those who fit on the narrative on the war on terror are harassed.

Both the students questioned the narrative of nationalism. They quoted various real-life episodes of harassment taking place all over India and how it degrades the entire essence of it. They stated that how India has entered into an OLX Raj where students have become anti-nationals. They questioned that why patriotism is judged only by stating Bharat Mata ki Jai. The speeches of both the students were very cerebral and pointed questions towards the current regime.

Shubhda Chaudhary is a PhD Scholar from JNU. She can be reached at shubhda.chaudhary@gmail.com








One Pound Capitalism, A Pinch Of Democracy, And The Not-So-Holy Buffalo

By Priti Gulati Cox

20 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

The series "One Pound Capitalism, a Pinch of Democracy" brings to our elite dinner tables meals that highlight issues exposing the extreme consequences of neoliberal policies that are disproportionately affecting the daily lives of Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, and other marginalized people. The type and quantity of each ingredient used and the presentation of a meal is determined by choosing key statistics that are embedded in the issue being conveyed, converting that to a measurement, and then using it in the recipe. Indeed, there may be a dish or two that tastes somewhat strange, with an ingredient or two out of whack. But thats intentional.

This recipe is designed around the issue of India simultaneously holding the title of the #1 beef exporter in the world and the title of the #1 beef-ban murderer in the world.

I first presented this recipe in August of last year. Below are some facts confirming India as the worlds largest hypocrisy, followed by a slightly updated version of the recipe.

Facts:

1. India declared largest exporter of carabeef in the world in 2015.

2.On the domestic front in early March last year, the state of Maharashtra extended a ban on cow slaughter to include bulls and bullocksbut not water buffalo, the source of carabeef.

3. Since the ban, in 2015, five people were murdered for beef-related reasons by right-wing extremists. They included 50-year-old Mohammed Akhlaq from Uttar Pradesh, 28-year-old Noman from Himachal Pradesh, Zahid Rasool Bhat from South Kashmir, 25-year-old Khush Noor from Haryana and 27-year-old Abid,also from Haryana.

4. And in the latest violence on March 17 this year, two Muslim cattle traders from Jharkhand  35-year-old Muhammad Majloom and his young relative15-year-old Azad Khan alias Ibrahim  were beaten and hanged from a tree till they died.

The chief difference between last years and this years incidents is that the most recent attack involved buffalo. Yes, the dark, unholy animal. According to a police officer who was there, The sight (of the two men with their hands tied behind their backs and their mouth stuffed with pieces of cloth) suggested that the two of them were subjected to extreme levels of brutality. It means that the assailants were moved by extreme hatred. I would label it extreme extremism. One that is beyond religious-sanctioned reasoning no matter how irrational and fanatical that might seem.

In a recent Kafila article titled A Close Look at Certain Words Allegedly Shouted Recently in JNU and Their Impact on Our National Intelligence, Soumyabrata Choudhury puts it brilliantly, The more sovereign power looks ugly, feels despicable, acts brutally and talks idiotically, the more effective it is in holding and increasing its ambit and intensify. No one thought George W. Bush particularly bright; but his dim intellectual repute was directly proportional to his frighteningly effective plans of attacking every country he wanted to attack. Such a manner of sovereignty without needing the classical legitimating strategies and yet brutally legitimated by society beyond mere law, is the fantasy of all governments that exercise sovereign power. BJP today is violently enacting this fantasy and is seeming to say to the people who elected it, We look stupid and crazy to you, well we are and you better learn to like it! which is to say, the method in this madness is to decide to be mad.

This Buffalo Jumbo Pav (BJP) is my take on Maharashtra's most popular street food vada pav:

Buffalo Jumbo Pav (BJP)#1 hypocrisy kebab bonda pav

Served with karela chutney, okra chips, sliced red onions, and fresh green chilis

1 lb minced buffalo meat (makes ten jumbo kebab bondas)

oil for frying

10 pav buns (dinner rolls)

a pair of dwija (twice-born) Hindu hands to cook with (not optional)

7 tbsp chana dal (split Bengal gram), washed

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, chopped

1 tbsp yogurt

1 dry red chili

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp peppercorn

1 inch piece cinnamon

1 cardamom pod

5 tbsp basmati rice, washed

8 dry-roasted cashew nuts

4.8 tbsp minced red onion

1 tsp turmeric powder

a pinch of jowar (sorghum flour)

1 egg

1 cup besan (chickpea flour)

a little less than 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh dhania (cilantro)

Put the minced meat and the first four listed ingredientsin 2.4 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 30 minutes. Let cool.

Dry-roast the red chili, coriander and cumin seeds, peppercorn, cinnamon and cardamon for a couple of minutes on a medium flame. Grind to a powder.

Put 10 tbsp water and 1/8 tsp salt in a pan, add the washed rice and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. When cool, wet your hands a little and roll cooked rice into 10 balls. Lightly press the 8 pieces of roasted cashews onthe rice balls, breaking two of them in half to have enough for all the rice balls.

When the meat/dal concoction cools, drain the water and grind it in a food processor. Add the dry-roasted ground spices, minced onion, turmeric powder, jowar and egg to meat mixture and mix well. Divide into 10 portions and wrap around each of the 10 rice balls till the rice balls are completely covered. Gradually add some water to the besan till it reaches the consistency of mayonnaise (Use an egg beater to mix the water in so clumps don't form.) Mix in the chopped cilantro and salt to taste to the besan paste. Heat oil in a pan and using a spoon, carefully dunk the meat balls first into the besan paste coating it evenly, then pick up the meat ball with the same spoon and slide it gently into the hot oil. Turn the heat down to medium and cook meat balls about 2 minutes on each side. Kebab bondas are ready.

Karela (bitter gourd) Chutney

2.4 cups minced karela

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal (split black gram)

1 sprig curry leaf, broken in pieces

1 small red onion, chopped

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 large tomato, chopped

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 green chili, finely chopped

3 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp tamarind paste

2.4 tbsp oil

Chop the karela into pieces and grind in a food processor. Sprinkle a little salt on it, cover and set aside. After about 30 minutes, squeeze all the water out of the karela by pressing it between your hands. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the urad dal. Once the dal starts to turn brown add the curry leaves. After a few seconds add the chopped onion and saute for three minutes on medium-high flame. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and saute for another 30 seconds. Add the karela, mix in, turn the flame down to medium-low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, adding a few sprinklings of water and stirring from time to time to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom. Add the chopped tomatoes, chili and turmeric powder, chopped green chili, brown sugar, tamarind pulp, cover and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Bhendi (Okra) Chips

Cut 15 bhendis in half. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and when it gets nice and hot (after about a minute) throw the sliced bhendi in and saute on medium heat till crisp (about 10 minutes).

Warm the dinner rolls, slice in half, put a little butter, sprinkle a little chili powder, and place hot kebab bondas inside. Enjoy with bhendi chips, 31 chilis, and 45 slices of red onion distributed equally between the 10 servings, along with a little karela chutney. Squeeze a little lemon on everything.

How I chose the recipe ingredients and measurements, in order of appearance:

India is #1 exporter of carabeef in the world; Maharashtra is averaging ten farmer suicides a day for the past ten years, occurring primarily in the cash-crop growing areas. The beef ban has claimed seven lives so far; India is the fifth largest meat producer in the world; In 2014 India earned more from export of carabeef than it did from basmati rice; eight states have no ban on cow slaughter; In 2014 the country earned $4.8 billion from cara beef exports; Food staples of the region like jowar (sorghum) that used to grow abundantly has now virtually been abandoned because of factors driven by state policies such as debt, high input costs, animal menace, water-use patterns, and catastrophic price shocks;In 2015 India exported 2.4 million tons of beef and veal meat; three people have been injured in beef-ban hysteria, including 22-year-old Danish from UP, 28-year-old Ashraf from Haryana, and an independent J&K MLA Er Abdur Rashid; Africa is the recipient of 15 percent of India's beef export; India's chicken consumption rose by 31 percent between 2000 and 2014; Vietnam is the largest recipient (45 percent) of India's beef exports (I used karelabitter melonin the chutney, becauseit is popular in other South East Asian countries, including Vietnam. The Vietnamese word for karela is kho qua.)

Priti Gulati Cox is an interdisciplinary artist. She lives in Salina, Kansas.










Modis Sufiana Kalam And Owaisiss Venom

By Sazzad Hussain

20 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech at the opening session of World Sufi Congress in New Delhi on 17th March has drawn lots of applause not only from the audiences but from even of his staunchest critics. The Prime Minister appeared to be in a new avatar this time shedding much of his earlier image as a hardliner in the cultural assertive aggrandisement of modern majoritarian India. Indeed, the Sufi conclave, which was desperately needed in recent times, was a perfect platform to announce the NDA governments stance concerning religious nationalism and growing intolerance paraded by storm troopers and to reassure the communities who have been at the receiving end of all the mindless acts of provocation and useless debates ranging from matrimony to eating habits. For Modi, it was a message expected by the vast majority of Indians who have been weary of his governments complicity and silence in dealing with growing majoritarian jingoism. However, despite the enthusiasm felt by many at his speech on Sufism and Indian Islamic tradition, the equally opposite narrative and stand on this by the Sangh Parivar has left many of us sceptical about how effective Modis message could be in making India inclusive and pluralistic as it has been. At the same time antics like Asaduddin Owaisi in name of religious identity also deserves condemnation for dampening the atmosphere of harmony.

First Prime Minister Modi termed Sufism as the Noor (light) of hope. It is undeniable that in the current spectre of violence associated with Islam in many parts of the world, Sufism is the only answer to them. As the centuries old Sufism represents diversity and pluralism and love for the humanity, it appears directly opposite to the exclusivist Islam that blankets all Muslims worldwide as a homogeneous entity. This neo-Islam, funded by oil revenues of the Gulf monarchies has destroyed diverse Muslim societies in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and many parts of the world by creating forces like Al-Qaeda, Taliban and IS with support from various players of global geo-politics and have been eyeing a similar onslaught in India home to worlds second largest Muslim population. Though of late, due to the easy access of online services, Indian youths have been trying to be a part of global Islamist terrorism while large chunk of their population of the comunity is still vehemently against it. Even during the Afghan Mujahedeen (1980-89) not a single Indian Muslim was found to be associated in that Holy War though volunteers from neighbouring countries were there. It was a great contentment for India that the thousands Al-Qaeda-Taliban fighters arrested by US led forces in post 9/11 attack in Afghanistan, there was not a single Indian Muslim among the nationals of twenty-two countries. But India was open to neo-Islamic ideas emanating from the exclusivist Gulf monarchies since 1980s thanks to the thousands of its expatriates. A trend of rejecting the age old traditions of Indian Islam or South Asian Islam in the name of puritanical Islam began to take centre stage among Muslim societies. Since then Sufism has been facing a great danger from the neo-Islamists and remained in a state of neglect. The tradition of prominent Muslim political leaders offering the Chadar at the shrine of Khwaza Moinuddin Chisti at Ajmer started to wane when even Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri did it during his visit to India. The states failure to provide security to Muslims during post-Babri riots in Bombay, Surat and elsewhere and at the same time the majoritarian narrative of Hindutva further pushed the community into the ghettoes where inclusiveness and pluralism was meaningless. From that point the Sufi conclave in the capital city and Prime Ministers speech will definitely enthuse the besieged community.

As Modis eulogies for great Indian Sufi saints Khwaza Moinuddin Chisti, Nizamuddin Chisti and literary-cultural icons like Amir Khasroe, Dara Sikoh and Maulana Azad, it reiterates Indias cultural plurality inclusivenessa sense he failed to imbibe when he stereotyped Indias Muslims as Hum Paanch hamare pachchis during 2002 Gujarat riots. The devastation felt by Indians when frenzied mobs razed down the thirteenth century Sufi shrine of Wali Gujarati in Ahmedabad in 2002 seems to be healed by Modis words at the Sufi conclave.

But will Modis Sufiana Kalam could bring any change in the stated ideology of the Sangh which has been negating the Islamic past of India? The Sangh considers the advent of Muslim rule in India as an act of aggression by foreign powers and all the fruits of that thousand year period have been regarded as symbols of bondage. When Ghalibs centenary was celebrated in India in 1968, Organizer dubbed it to be an act of alien culture which was condemned by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika in his Aamar Partnidhi. Sufi saints, poets, artist, scholars and Muslim rulers, commanders of various ages have been excluded from the cultural heritage of India and often identified as villains by Sangh. The Vidya Bharati schools even remain open on Eid. So will these eight decades old attitude of the Sangh, of which our Prime Minister is also a product, be changed after his address? Coincidently four Kashmiri Muslim students were attacked in a Rajasthan university for allegedly cooking beef at their hostel room just a day before Modis speech. We are optimistic that the Sangh will change its stand on Indian Islam as it has changed concerning womens sentry to the temples and on LGBT community.

While appeals like Modis bring some glimmers of hope, hatemongers like Owaisi always play spoilsports. His bellicose speech on Bharat Mata Ki Jai, aimed at creating religious polarization for the next years UP polls, could justify the majoritarian mantra. However, as termed by eminent poet Javed Akhtar, Owaisi represents the very different cultural spaces of some Indian Muslims, that as stated above, are non-Sufi and homogenous created in a ghettoised world following states failure to contain religious violence. Lets hope that the wider world of Sufism would be imbibed by all the stakeholders of our nation to make India awesome.

The writer is a freelancer based in Assam








Patriarchy, ISIS And Female Slaves

By Suman Quazi

20 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Women protest against ISIS' barbaric violence towards women. (Photo: Anadolu Agency/Dursun Aydemir)

Do they not reect on the Quran, or is it that their hearts have locks upon them? The Quran (47:24)

In an attempt to re-read the Quran from without and within- long established patriarchal perceptions of its holy verses- we find Asma Barlas reminding us of these words at the outset of her book Believing Women in Islam- Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Quran.

While the ambit of theoretical debates on what the Quran says or sanctions, may be misled with reflections or chains of varied opinions, that there are indeed chains upon the ankles of women which we have dragged along with us into the contemporary world, is a sad reality. A reality that has plagued our kind for centuries at end.

On 3rd August, 2014, ISIS fighters attacked the villages of Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq in an attempt to capture bigots and bring them to justice for belying the so call tenets of Islam. This area was predominantly inhabited with the simple folklore of the Yazidi tribe who committed the crime of praying to the Melek Taus. According to the beliefs of this community, the Melek Taus or the Peacock Angel is primary amongst the 7 angels sent by God and represents their unredeemed Satan. To the fundamentalist, patriarchal and uncompromising Islamists of the ISIS, this comprises the heinous crime of Satan worship. The Yazidi community is also looked down upon for their practices in polytheism. It was in this self-appeasing and contorted reasoning, that ISIS fighters sought justification for the catalogue of disasters they began inflicting upon the Yazidis women.

Soon after the capture of Sinjar, ISISs English publication Dabiq released an article called The Revival of Slavery Before the Hour," wherein it unabashedly and unequivocally claimed its support for and intentions of reviving the slave industry. Like that, with a sleight of hand the fates of thousands of women were reduced to the life of servitude, torture and rape. Everyday. For months.

Ever since, the ISIS has been running a full-fledged and organized system of enslaving their captives as spoils. Hordes of women have been herded off in looted Hajj(pilgrimage) buses to the cities of Mosul and Raqqa, to their makeshift slave markets for the purpose of being bought and sold like cheap second hand garments no one has any use for, in exchange of arms, money and even cigarettes.

The Islamic State Research and Fatwa Department has invested committed efforts in institutionalizing Slavery and the consistent torment of women and children through a rigorous system of memos, guidelines and internal policies. As if the cruel mortification- through rape, violence, abuse, forced abortions and deplorable living conditions- of more than 3000 women was not enough pain inflicted, the Fatwa (no 64) which was released on 29th January, 2015 made way for newfound atrocities with its explicit guidelines. According to this ruling, it made it unlawful for a man to copulate (read: rape) with a woman who had not finished her menstrual cycle or was pregnant. And so began the saga of forcing contraceptives down the throats of these captive women. Excruciatingly invasive virginity tests, public stripping, beating (when found pregnant or menstruating) came along with it so axiomatic and easily as if it were only a driftwood in a stream. Albeit a stream of blood. The levels of destitution upshot to such a high that these women prayed for death and pregnancy alike (gathered from the accounts of many women who were smuggled out and into the refugee camps of Dohuk) as the only ways out of their misery. These repeated accounts from the survivors of this hell, has also established that some of the captives were as young as 9 years old. Raped. Tortured. In the name of Jihad. In the name of religion. In the name of God. Or in the garb of some other new explanation that justifies the dehumanizing of women.

21 and fearless, Nadia Murad- an escaped fugitive- spoke at the UN with steadfast eyes and un-quivering when she said we have the right to demand a global stance because we share other values of humanityno religion accepts enslaving women and raping children. Herein I will quote Barlas again where she says-

To accept the authority of any group and then to resign oneself to its misreadings of Islam not only makes one complicit in the continued abuse of Islam and the abuse of women in the name of Islam

The long standing institutions of patriarchy have sought to belittle and thereafter justify the demeaning of women for years, repeatedly. However, when the tolls of inequality are counted in terms of lives these intellectual debates seem perfunctory and even irrelevant.

Efforts have been made by various smugglers from the Kurdish community to bring some recluse to a very few portion of these afflicted women. However, the fervor with which their destruction has been taken up, their fates cannot be assumed.

Reference

 Believing Women in Islam- Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Quran- Asma Barlas

 http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/10/13/isis_yazidi_slavery_group_s_

english_language_publication_defends_practice.html

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-yazidi-sex-slaves-subjected-to-traumatic-virginity-tests-after-escaping-a6843446.html

 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/world/middleeast/isis-enshrines-a-theology-of-rape.html

 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/isis-sex-slave-survivor-they-7096613

 http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-uncovered/yazidi-women-tell-rape-enslavement-hands-isis-n462091

Suman Quazi is currently pursuing Masters from Jamia Milia Islamia in Political Science.










European Union And Turkey Reach Deal To Seal Borders And Expel Refugees

By Jordan Shilton

19 March 2016

WSWS.org

A summit between the 28 European Union (EU) heads of government and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu produced an agreement 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 fulfill 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.








Kurdistan - Turkeys Kosovo

By Prof. Vladislav B. Sotirovic

20 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

A blast caused by a suicide car bombing hit the centre of Ankara on Sunday evening (March 13th, 2016) resulting in over a hundred casualties. The Turkish authorities were very quick to announce the identity of the suicide person: A Kurdish woman in close relation with the Kurdistan Workers Party. Nevertheless, this terror act in Ankara, followed by a new one on March 19th in Istanbul, once again opened the Kurdish Question which is in direct connection with the question of Kurdistans independence and terrorism as the political instrument in the realization of the national projects and ultimate goals.

The Kurds are mostly discriminated and oppressed in Turkey in comparison with all present-day states of their residence. The Kurds are not recognized in Turkey as separate ethnolinguistic minority with their own language and culture regardless the fact that they compose one-fifth of total Turkeys inhabitants and being together with the Greeks and the Armenians the oldest population in Turkey living in Anatolia almost 3.000 years before the first (Seljuk) Turks came there at the end of the 11th century.

There are three fundamental specific reasons for the current Kurdish separatist movement in Turkeyout of the common Kurdish wish and right to have their own national state as one of the oldest ethnolinguistic people in both the region of the Middle East and the world:

1. Visible economic underdevelopment of the Kurdish eastern part of Turkey compared with the rest of the country as a result of asymmetriceconomic and development policy by Ankara.

2. Stubborn reluctance of any kind of the Turkish government to recognise the Kurdish separate existence as the ethnic group of its own specific language and culture as a result of the Ottoman/Turkish assimilation policy of all Muslim inhabitants of the country.

3. The Turkish rejection to recognize a minority status of the Kurds with granting a national-cultural or political autonomous status for Turkeys Kurdistan that is a consequence of continuation of Ankaras unlawful administration of part of ethnographic Kurdistan as such autonomy was internationally recognized by the Peace Treaty of Sevres in 1920.

Ankaras discrimination and oppressive anti-Kurdish policy led finally to the establishment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (the PKK) in 1978 for the sake to fight for unrecognized the Kurdish minority rights using and guerrilla warfare as a mean to achieve its proclaimed national-political goals. Ankara from its point of political view, declared the PKK as both illegal and terrorist organization fighting for destruction of the legal and institutional system of the country what is true from a very technical viewpointas it was also true that the Kosovo Liberation Army (the KLA) was doing the same with Serbias legal and security system in the 1990s but in this case politically and morally supported by Ankara. Undoubtedly, the PKK committed numerous of terrorist actions across Turkey in which, according to the official governmental sources, around 6.000 people were killed only during the first decade of the PKK activity. The limited fruits of such PKK tactics finally came as Ankara was forced to recognize at least formally the Kurdish cultural distinctiveness if not ethnic and linguistic ones. However, here the crucial question is: How it is possible to have a separate culture without  separate language and even ethnicity? It is a widespread approach that basically separate ethnolinguistic features create and separate cultural identity as ethnolinguistic and cultural identities are usually understood as the synonyms but this formula does not work in Turkey in the case of the Kurds and several other (unrecognized) ethnolinguistic minorities.

Anyway, the PKKs requirement for either territorial-political autonomy or independence of Kurdistan is unacceptable for Ankara. Subsequently, from the mid-1980s Turkey is directly faced with its own Kosovo syndrome. The Turkish authorities reciprocally answered to the PKK brutal warfare by also brutal treatment of the Kurdish civilians in the war zones in the East Turkey. Hundreds of the PKK activists are imprisoned and tortured each year by the Turkish state security forces which succeeded in 1999 (a year of NATOs military intervention against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia declaratively for the sake to prevent state terrorism over Kosovo Albanian civilians) to arrest the PKKs leader Abdullah Ocalan (known as Apo) who became under the mockery trial sentenced to death with the state brutality against the Kurds continued. Nevertheless, only due to the direct pressure by the EUs Commission in 2002 the pressure against the Kurds became to certain extent eased as Turkey as a candidate state for the EUs membership was obliged to adopt new liberal laws by which the Kurds were granted with the rights to maintain their own culture followed by the protection against arbitrary imprisonments and politically coloured court investigations. In one word, in order to become the EUs member state, one of the requirements is to grant every citizen the right to cultural expression, including Turkeys main minority people, the Kurds, whose aspirations had long been suppressed in pursuit of nation-building goals by successive Turkish governments.



The Kurdish desire to establish Kurdistan as an independent state is opposed by all governments of the current states in which the Kurds live. In the region, especially Turkey is a country which undoubtedly suffered from different aspects of terrorism-related activities and different types of political violence. A long standing separatist conflict in Turkey caused thousands of lives and imposed the state terrorism or terrorism from above by Ankara against its own citizens in the East Anatolia including and a martial law in the 1980s. The similar situation was in Iraq during the time of Saddam Hussein. That was and in Turkey still it is a clash between two levels of terrorism: the state terrorism vs. sub-state terrorism. Both sides were and are making war crimes, executions, torture and destruction of material property but the reactions by the West, especially by the US administration, are of the double standard nature as accusing only the Kurdish side for terrorism (the PKK) but not and the Turkish government. However, for the matter of comparison, during the Kosovo Crisis in 19981999 both the West and the US saw the terror acts carried out only by Serbias government but not by the KLA  a typical terrorist organization as a replica of the PKK, the IRA, the ETA or the Hezbollah. Nevertheless, the most strange thing is that Ankara never saw the KLA as a terrorist group or organization and opening at such a way the doors for the moral legalization of the PKK as the freedom fighters political-revolutionary party. Ankara made even more serious precedent by recognizing the independence of Kosovo in 2008  the state that is governed by ex-KLAs commanders (as the USs clients). Subsequently, there is no one reason not to recognize the independent Kurdistan governed by the PKKs commanders with Abdullah Ocalan as the President (as HashimTachi  a commander of the KLA in the 1990s, became a President of the Republic of Kosovo in 2016).

A similar state terrorism policy emerged in Saddams Iraq as he time to time enacted oppression of the aboriginal Kurds like it was the case with the al-Anfal Operation that was carried out in 1982 (during the Iraqi-Iranian War of 19801988) when approximately 8.000 Kurds were arrested and executed. The most brutal military action against the Iraqi Kurds was done in 1988 when the army of Saddam Hussein used a chemical weapons and destroyed more than 2.000 Kurdish villages but at that time without any USs sanctions as Saddam was at that time an ally of Washington in the USs struggle against the (Shia) Islamic Republic of Iran regardless the fact that the estimations of the killed ethnic Kurds in this organized genocide range up to 200.000.

Turkeys policy upon Kosovo Question is already returned back as the boomerang to the Turkish home and is going most probably to be solved according to Kosovo pattern.



Prof.Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirovic

MykolasRomeris University

Institute of Political Sciences

Vilnius, Lithuania

www.sotirovic.eu

vladislav@sotirovic.eu








Soros-Obama-Merkel-Erdogan Win Control Of Europe

By Eric Zuesse

20 March, 2016

Countercurrents.org

On Friday, March 18th, a combined effort by George Soros, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, and Tayyip Erdogan, has arranged to get the EU to abandon previously sacrosanct fundamental human rights of refugees, and to transfer $6B+ to Turkey, in return for placing the refugee burden onto Turkey and getting Turkey to cooperate so as to assist the breakup of Syria, which will enable a gas-pipeline and an oil-pipeline to be built through Syria to enable Qatars gas and Saudi Arabias oil to be pipelined through Syria into the EU, so as to replace Russian oil and gas, which now fuel the EU.

Here, in my rush translations from the original German-language reports at German Economic News (Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten) are the key reports and headlines:

http://deutsche-wirtschafts-nachrichten.de/2016/03/18/tuerkei-deal-deutschland-koennte-grossteil-der-fluechtlinge-aufnehmen/

Turkey deal: Germany could take majority of refugees

[Translated by Eric Zuesse from] German Economic News | Published:18:03:16 02:56 Clock

The most important consequence of the EU summit is not in the official statement. A plan long discussed, now finalizing: Germany takes the majority of refugees from Turkey, and oil and gas pipelines will replace Russian oil and gas to Europe by Saudi oil and Qatari gas.

Europe's energy supply should result in future Syria. (Graphic: oilprice.net)

According to Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, the leaders of the European Union mutually agreed with Turkey to cut Russia out of the EU gas market, cut Qatar [a U.S. ally] in. They agreed in the early hours of Friday on a refugee-&-gas-pipeline package to be approved by the Turkish government.

This agreement will substantially correspond to the Pact of Angela Merkel with Turkish President Erdogan. But it apparently comprises only a small portion of the prepared between Germany, Turkey and the USA.

Gerald Knaus, director of the Soros-funded think tank "European Stability Initiative" (ESI), for many months now has been advising Chancellor Angela Merkel on the refugee crisis. His ESI submitted the plan in October.

The original plan consists of two parts: On the one hand, Germany should, during the coming year, "grant 500,000 Syrian refugees asylum, who are now in Turkey. Other European countries may participate, but on a voluntary basis. At the same time Turkey will take from Greece "all new migrants."

Knaus, himself Austrian, told the Viennese daily the press, that "in the background, a more radical idea has already been largely negotiated which will "probably very soon be announced": Knaus said that a "coalition of the willing will take 900 Syrians per day  "no matter how many Syrians come to Greece. This would be about 300,000 people per year  slightly less than in the original Soros plan.

The reason for Europe's acquisition of hundreds of thousands of refugees is obvious: The proposed EU summit one-to-one solution would not be enough to relieve Turkey significantly. Moreover, its not lawful from the perspective of the Geneva Convention, as human rights organizations have complained since the start of the Soros proposal. The coalition of the willing currently consists of Germany, Portugal and Sweden. Austria has not yet agreed. Presumably Merkel will move some other countries also to participate. Thus, the plan could be presented as a European solution.

From an organizational standpoint, Knaus thinks that consideration in Turkey of the plan will succeed in an agreement being reached. Knaus holds this to be essential. He told the newspaper Die Welt: "The acceptance, by the public, of receiving the refugees is essential. Had we in Europe started earlier with a quota solution, wed be farther along today. I think that also Sweden and Austria would have been on our side. Unfortunately, the process in the past year fell out of control. We had no idea who is coming into our country. This fueled fears. "

The Soros plan is apparently agreed with the US government. Angela Merkel supported in this way the geopolitical plans of the Americans, who have a special interest in developing their energy policies in the region. They are planning the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Construction of TAP is pushed by the United States. This will run from the Turkish border via Greece, Albania and the Strait of Otranto to Italy. Thus, one of the main refugee routes to Europe, which is particularly overloaded after the closure of the Balkan route, will be cleared for pipelining gas into Europe.

Further destabilization of the TAP region is therefore not in the interests of the United States. They also want to ensure that Europe is supplied via a pipeline that's under US control, not under Russian control. The US and Russia are fighting for the European energy market.

It is interesting in this context that a competing Russian pipeline through Syrian territory could also result. The surprising retreat of the Russians from Syria might suggest that there could be an agreement between Russia and the US: In this way, the geopolitical interests of both Great Powers could be safeguarded. The relationship between the pipeline projects and the war in Syria has the raw material site Oilprice.net analyzed in order that all parties want to solve the dependence of Saudi oil.

In this connection the role of the Americans is also in the media largely ignored regarding the visiting US diplomat Victoria Nuland in Idomeni. Nuland's pithy sayings (such as "fuck the EU") and her role in Ukraine, made her try to become known as a Goodwill Ambassador for Europe; she Thursday visited the refugee camps in the northern Greek Idomeni, reports Kathimerini .

The Turkish news portal Haberler reports what Nuland said in Idomeni: "It needs to be done for these people more. Athens has made a direct request to Washington. In this difficult situation, I'm here, for American-Greek solidarity. We will work together to solve the problem of distribution of refugees within the EU. In addition, we want to help ensure that the deal between the EU and Turkey is fair and transparent. It's time to better accommodate the migrants. "

On 11 March, Nuland met with representatives of the Greek government in Athens to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, including the request for assistance of Greece to the United States, in solving the migration problem, reported the US State Department .

This context could explain also why Angela Merkel has waited so long to go to the German public with a real plan for the refugee crisis  even though they have long been familiar with the Soros plan and he apparently also laid the basis with the Chancellor for Turkey jointly to launch the proposal at the EU summit: this was to help Merkel not to inflame sentiment in Germany before the state elections. Because the message that Germany could possibly be the only country to take a large number of refugees, would have a serious impact that has led even without this perspective to tectonic shifts in favor of the AFD [anti-immigrant party].

Knaus sees the axis Ankara-Berlin as crucial for geopolitical orientation against Russia. He said in an international interview that Germany made the mistake not to place undue reliance on the EU Commission: "Germany has early understood much. But it made the mistake of relying too much on the implementation by the Commission. Germany would have taken matters into its own hands earlier."

Knaus sees the role of Germany as partners with Turkey and the USA. Here lies the common interest to host the refugees: "Germany does not expire like other states in an anti-Islam rhetoric. At the same time it sees Ankara, in a delicate geostrategic position between anti-Muslim governments in Europe and a strong Putin. A successful and connected in partnership by Berlin may be worth a lot for Turkey and its approach to Europe."

This closes the circle for the TAP pipeline: The Americans want to snatch the European energy market away from Russia. In the absence of our own energy policy, Europeans are currently completely dependent on Russia. If both pipelines - quasi in a duopoly of the Americans and the Russians - are built, the energy policy space for the EU would increase significantly.

That led to the present situation, a murderous war that's driven hundreds of thousands from Syria and Iraq. It had to be, from a geopolitical point of view of the parties  Russia, the US and the EU  regarded as collateral damage.

After all, the Soros plan would in fact lead to the result that the right of asylum would be respected so that immigration to Europe is not completely disordered. What guarantees that the EU gets Turkey to treat the refugees humanely, is completely unclear. It also is unclear whether the acceptance of refugees in Germany can be satisfactorily prepared. It also remains open whether the EU will have, as a result of the apparent cleavage of the project, neither the power to play as a political union, nor a role that goes beyond that of simply a large, attractive market.



EU and Turkey Reach Agreement on Refugees

The EU and Turkey have agreed on a deal. The deal enters into force on March 20. From then on, refugees who arrive irregularly in Greece will be returned to Turkey.

German Economic News | March 18, 2016, 19:08 Clock



"Shabby EU-Turkey deal is a day of mourning for asylum"

The human rights organization Pro Asyl has sharply condemned the deal with Turkey. Today is a day of mourning for the right of asylum. The organization announces that it will file lawsuits.

German Economic News | March 18, 2016, 19:00 Clock



EU deal: Turkey does not agree to respect human rights Angela Merkel and Dutch Mark Rutte at the summit in Brussels. (Ph

The deal with Turkey stipulates that Turkey serves as large refugee camps for the EU. Turkey seems to have succeeded to determine the standards for the treatment of refugees and migrants. A commitment to respect for human rights was deleted from the final document.

German Economic News | March 18, 2016, 18:13 Clock



Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of Theyre Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRISTS VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.








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At a recent flea market, I came across a copy of the first-ever catalog published by Indiana State University's Evansville Campus, the forerunner of the University of Southern Indiana. It came out 50 years ago, in 1966, a year after ISUE opened, but nonetheless it is labeled "Vol. 1, No. 1," so apparently there was no catalog in the first year.

Since I was employed by that institution for 36 of its 50-plus years, I was naturally interested and so I purchased the thin 48-page document and read through it cover to cover. What I discovered has much to say about how higher education has changed over the past half century.

The first thing that caught my eye was a curious admissions requirement. Applicants were asked to complete the SAT examination (standard fare), but then were told "Students who do not take the SAT will be required to come to the Evansville campus and complete psychological examinations."

Apparently those who shied away from standardized testing were deemed to be of questionable mental and emotional stability.

Another thing worthy of question was a prospective student's moral character. The catalog announced that "To this end, the faculty and administration encourage 'religion, morality, and knowledge' not only as necessary to good government, but as the foundation for a good life as well." Those who were unwilling or unable to meet such standards were informed that "the administration may be required to terminate" their enrollment.

One wonders how far a state university would get today if it required "religion and morality" from all its students.

In those early years almost all the courses offered at ISUE were part of General Education, described as that part of the curriculum designed to help develop "personal-social obligations, an understanding of cultural heritage, and a recognition of civic responsibilities."

That program required a minimum of 50 credit hours, or over 40 percent of the 120 hours required for a degree from Indiana State.

Over the years, General Education has not only changed its name (it's now called the Core Curriculum at USI), but has steadily declined in influence, now comprising only 39 credit hours.

Perhaps most interesting was the list of "Evansville Campus Faculty" appearing near the end of the catalog. Only 15 names were listed. A few, such as Jim Blevins, Eric von Fuhrmann, Marge Labhart and Dan Miller, stayed around for a while and may be familiar to alumni from years ago.

But two-thirds of those 15 faculty from 1966 were already gone by the time I arrived four years later in 1970. It seems staff turnover in those days was pretty high.

If some of you are wondering if the chief campus administrator back then was David Rice, USI's first president, the answer is no. The Director of the Evansville Campus in 1966 was Dr. William A. Jones. Dr. Rice didn't arrive until later.

Reminiscing through old documents like this catalog can be a form of nostalgia. But it can also remind us how much and how quickly life changes over the years.

Email John Gottcent at jandjgott@gmail.com.
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Last week, a columnist for the Evansville Courier & Press lambasted local "crop producers" (he refused to call them farmers) because of their spring herbicide usage.

He did have some valid points, but I'd like to clear up some of his mistaken comments.

First of all: Everyone who applies any pesticide, whether it's a farmer treating 5000 acres, or a homeowner applying ant killer in the kitchen, must follow all label directions. This is a federal law. And if the label states to not apply the product during excessive wind, or not to use the product indoors, then the applicator is in violation of the law if they disregard these directions. To see what these rules are, check out this website: http://www.oisc.purdue.edu/oisc_rules_regs_laws.html#pestlaws.

The Office of the Indiana State Chemist, headquartered in West Lafayette, takes complaints about pesticide misapplication seriously. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture, which oversees pesticide usage in that state, also takes these complaints seriously. While the columnist mentioned complaining to his legislators, he didn't state whether he actually called the pesticide complaint hotline. In Kentucky, that number would be (866) 289-0001; in Indiana, (800) 893-6637.

If you do have a complaint, be prepared to have some evidence and information to help the investigators. Print out the weather report from the day of the application (to prove windy conditions, etc.). Collect samples of plants that may have been hit with the spray, and stick them in plastic bags in your freezer (it may be possible to analyze the samples for residue). Don't wait for the plants to die; by that time, the chemical may have broken down and disappeared.

Take photos of the sprayer in action, especially if you can show clouds of drift. Avoid doing so if that means becoming exposed to the chemical. If your plants do develop symptoms of damage, take photos and samples of those as well. Then, immediately call the complaint numbers listed above.

Bear in mind a couple of things, though. The farmer or the commercial applicator is trying to do the best they can to keep the chemical on the farm, and not in your yard. However, even the most conscientious applicator can be the victim of a stray puff of breeze at the wrong time. And while it is not a legal excuse, when a farmer has been kept out of his fields for several months because of constant rain, the temptation to get out and apply needed chemicals on the first dry day can sometimes overcome their better judgment.

You can avoid many problems by communicating with the farmer or the spray company before spray season begins. A simple request to be notified a day or two before anticipated treatments will allow you to close windows, get the laundry and yard toys put away, and maybe cover sensitive plants with a sheet of plastic. Be aware that if the weather changes, so too will the spraying schedule, so please be flexible.

For more information on safe pesticide usage and living next to a farmer, please contact me at the Purdue Extension office at 812-435-5287.

Larry Caplan is an extension educator-horticulture with the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, Vanderburgh County/Southwestern Indiana. You can send email to him at LCaplan@purdue.edu.
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By Jessie Higgins of the Courier and Press

Footage from Michael Flemming's Facebook Page

Nearly nine months after a police officer's son was accused of assaulting a man while riding along with his father, authorities have yet to file charges or close the case.

Brock Underwood, 21, was accused in June of attempting to break the phone of a man who was filming an arrest at a Southside gas station. A video, taken by Michael Flemming, shows Underwood reaching into Flemming's car and grabbing the phone, then cuts out.

Underwood was not charged at the scene. Police investigated the incident after Flemming filed a compliant several weeks later.

Underwood's father, Officer Bryan Underwood, was the only officer to witness the altercation, Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin said.

The Courier & Press requested to see Officer Underwood's bodycam footage of the altercation, which may show what happened between the officer, his son and Flemming in the moments after the cellphone video cuts out. Evansville police refused to release the footage last summer, citing the active criminal investigation against Brock Underwood. Bolin said he would release the camera footage when Underwood's case is closed.

The case is currently in the hands of a "special prosecutor" from Daviess County, who took over in October. Donita Farr, the Daviess County prosecutor, has not return Courier & Press calls for comment since taking the case.
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By Jessie Higgins of the Courier and Press

Candidates for state and local political office spoke before the Vanderburgh County Tea Party Patriots on Saturday of their desires to decrease federal government control in local affairs  especially education.

"I have spent the last six months figuring out a way to get rid of all federal money in education in the state of Indiana," said Dawn Wooten, a Republican candidate for state superintendent of public instruction. "Once we do that, it is a quick jump to get rid of Common Core, and ISTEP."

The comment was met with applause from the crowd of about 20 people at the tea party's monthly membership meeting.

In her speech, Wooten took a hard position on removing all federal influence from Indiana's school system. That position was commended by other candidates who attended the tea party event.

"Education is a mess," said Jeremy Heath, Republican candidate for state senate District 50. "That is where Dawn will come in. And as the Legislature, we should take their advice and figure out how to fund it."

Candidate for House District 64, Ann Ennis' stance went a step further, calling for less state government influence in local school districts.

"I am running to bring local control back to our schools," Ennis said. "Every bit as much as I don't want the federal government telling states what to do, we don't want Indy driving the train in our local community."

Ennis promised to take the same approach on other issues, prioritizing local control over state. Additionally, she promised to attend 25 percent of all local government meetings while in office, to understand the needs of those local offices.

Like Ennis, many of the candidates represented at the tea party meeting said they are true conservatives. And several expressed dissatisfaction with the Republican Party, saying it has pulled away from true conservative values.

"Like millions of Americans, we're deeply frustrated," said Dr. Richard Moss, a candidate for Congress from Indiana's 8th District. "We're deeply frustrated with Washington. We're deeply frustrated with the federal government. And we're deeply frustrated with our own party. We need a new Republican Party."
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The Latest on the gunfight inside a mobile home that left a central Indiana sheriff's deputy and a suspect dead and a second officer injured (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

Gov. Mike Pence has directed flags at state government facilities across Indiana be flown at half-staff immediately to honor a central Indiana sheriff's deputy killed in the line of duty.

Howard County Deputy Carl Koontz died at an Indianapolis hospital after being shot about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at a mobile home in Russiaville (ROO'-shuh-vil), about 60 miles north of Indianapolis.

Pence says flags should be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of Koontz's funeral. He also asks businesses to lower their flags to half-staff to honor Koontz's service and sacrifice.

Pence says he and first lady Karen Pence extend their condolences and prayers to Koontz's family, friends and the law enforcement community of Howard County. Koontz was married and had a young son.

___

12:20 p.m.

A central Indiana sheriff says one of his deputies injured in a gunfight inside a mobile home has died.

Howard County Sheriff Steven Rogers says Deputy Carl Koontz died at an Indianapolis hospital after being shot about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at a mobile home in Russiaville (ROO'-shuh-vil), about 60 miles north of Indianapolis.

Koontz had been a deputy less than three years. Rogers says he had a wife and a child about 8 months old.

Indiana State Police say a second deputy, Sgt. Jordan Buckley, also was shot. He is in stable condition, and is alert and conscious.

Both officers had been wearing body armor.

An unidentified suspect was found dead inside the mobile home. Rogers says the deputies were serving arrest and search warrants when they were met with gunfire.

___

10:35 a.m.

Police say two central Indiana sheriff's deputies have been injured and a suspect is dead following a gunfight inside a mobile home.

Howard County Sheriff Steven Rogers said at a news conference that Sgt. Jordan Buckley and Deputy Carl Koontz were serving warrants at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday in Russiaville, about 60 miles north of Indianapolis, and were fired upon when they entered the home.

Rogers says other officers took Buckley and Koontz from inside the mobile home.

Rogers says Koontz, who has been with the department for more than 2 years, had surgery and is in "very critical" condition. Buckley, a nine-year veteran, is in stable condition. Both men were wearing body armor.

The suspected shooter was found dead inside about two hours later.

___

8:10 a.m.

Authorities say two central Indiana sheriff's deputies have been shot while serving warrants.

WXIN-TV (http://bit.ly/1R7qpYj ) reports that Howard County Sheriff Steven Rogers said at a news conference that Sgt. Jordan Buckley and Deputy Carl Koontz were serving arrest and search warrants at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at a trailer park in Russiaville, which is about 60 miles north of Indianapolis.

The officers were shot at when they went inside. Both were taken to a hospital.

Rogers says Koontz, who has been with the department for two years, had surgery and is in critical condition. Buckley, a nine-year veteran, is in stable condition.

The suspected shooter, who has not been identified, died. Authorities say they don't know whether he was killed in a shootout or from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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Gov. Matt Bevin has a deep-seated need to end Kynect.

Everyone gets that by now. In the spirit of acceptance, may we suggest: Rather than the Rube Goldberg-style shell game outlined recently by Health and Family Services Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson, just rename it.

Re-christen Kentucky's most visible symbol of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, then Bevin can declare victory and free his people to work on problems that are real.

Saying, "It's kind of like the best of both worlds," Glisson recently described a hybrid in which the state would continue to oversee the health insurance marketplace while its electronic portal would be rebuilt at Healthcare.gov, the federal exchange.

What she proposed sounds less like Bevin's repeated vow to dismantle the exchange and more like changing addresses. We have not heard an explanation so must surmise that someone realized that dismantlement would create a disaster when the next open enrollment rolls around in November.

Bevin's oft-stated reason for ending Kynect is redundancy with the federal exchange. But what could be more redundant and wasteful than reinventing something that cost taxpayers $290 million to build and that by many accounts is the best working in the nation?

Glisson and Bevin have yet to offer any documentation or independent assessments to back up their assurances that Kentucky can hybridize the system at almost no cost while gaining millions in future savings.

But Glisson was clear on one thing: Consumers would have to pay more. Kynect's operating expenses are paid by an assessment on Medicaid managed care companies and a 1 percent fee on state-regulated health insurance policies (not paying the fee: privately-insured Kentuckians who are in large group plans regulated by the feds). Kentuckians enrolling through the federal exchange would have to pay 2 percent instead of the current 1 percent. Of that amount 0.5 percent would be a state fee to "cover outreach and plan-management functions," according to Kentucky Health News' account of Glisson's appearance before lawmakers.

Confusing many is why Deloitte apparently lowered its $23 million cost estimate for switching over to Healthcare.gov. It makes sense, though. Deloitte, which built Kynect, no doubt learned some shortcuts while integrating Oregon's disastrous enrollment system into the federal exchange. Deloitte also used expertise and computer code gained in Kentucky to create a new Medicaid enrollment system in Oregon.

Bevin should bring in the experts from Deloitte now to publicly detail the costs and benefits of his proposal, including setting up a new Medicaid enrollment system to replace the one that's part of Kynect.

Bevin mercifully backed off his early vow to reverse the ACA's Medicaid expansion, which has brought free health care to more than 400,000 working-poor Kentuckians. Kynect is the door through which they, along with almost another 100,000 who could afford to buy subsidized health insurance, gained access to preventive medical care, many for the first time.

Even if the complicated task of unspooling Kynect enough to satisfy Bevin can be accomplished as cheaply as claimed, Kentucky still is suffering an opportunity cost by expending so much time and political capital on something that serves no useful purpose. Let's just slap a new name on it, declare Kynect dead and get back to improving the health of one of this nation's sickest populations.

This editorial was written by The Lexington Herald-Leader.
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HP is seeing hundreds of millions of dollars in sales pipeline for device as a service and is pulling together a channel offering to capitalise on the growing market opportunity.

Ron Coughlin, president of HP's personal systems business, said in an interview with CRN USA that more than 40 percent of companies are actively considering moving to device-as-a-service.

"We see it as a tremendous opportunity, and in fact, the demand is ahead of what we expected at this stage, and we are building capability to catch up with that," he said. "Device-as-a-service is scaling rapidly."

The device-as-a-service contractual relationship allows customers struggling to manage the wide range of devices being used by employees to move to a single subscription contract with monthly payments for devices based on the number of users in an organisation.

Unlike HP managed print services, which started as a direct sales offering, HP device-as-a-service is being built from the ground up as a channel program, said Coughlin. "We see the primary play here as through the channel," he said.

Coughlin and his team, in fact, were meeting with channel partners at the first ever Americas Executive Commercial Forum at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix this week to develop the device-as-a-service channel program.

Bill Avey, the worldwide vice president and general manager of support services at HP who developed HP's managed print services offering, is leading the device-as-a-service offensive.

Coughlin encouraged partners to work directly with HP to develop the program. "Engage now because we are still shaping the program," he said. "Partners get to shape what it looks like."

Coughlin also urged partners to start discussing device-as-a-service contractual relationships with customers and to work with HP to close those deals now. "We have solutions today," he said.

In fact, HP has already won device-as-a-service deals with a number of companies including Siemens and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

HP will have a flexible device-as-a-service offering with a "menu approach" that allows partners to customise the program, said Coughlin. "Some might take the HP offer top to bottom, similar to channel [managed print services] and others might take a piece of the HP offering and marry it with their own," he said.

The device-as-a-service includes everything from mobile devices and tablets to PCs to workstation and retail point-of-sale systems.

The HP device-as-a-service initiative opens the door for partners to layer on significant value-added services including analytics around the devices, said Michael Park, HP vice president and general manager of mobility. "We are creating an entirely new market segment," he said.

This article originally appeared at crn.com
Motorola Solutions has recognised Melbourne-headquartered partner Progility Technologies for its skill in delivering radio communications solutions.

Progility scored two awards, as both Australasian Radio Solution Partner of the Year and Australasian Accessories Partner of the Year.

Progility chief executive Campbell Johnston said the awards reflect the companys strong partnership with Motorola Solutions. Our ability to work so closely with Motorola Solutions as our key radio partner differentiates us in terms of the innovation, responsiveness and pricing of our solutions into our market."

Motorola Solutions ANZ managing director, Steve Crutchfield, praised Progility for its customer service, knowledge of the radio market and success in the large retail market.

Progility Technologies has offices across Australia and so can provide the national coverage needed by, for example, large retailers, mining customers, healthcare and other enterprise customers, he said.

We have been involved with members of the Progility team for more than 20 years and they have consistently shown themselves to be proactive in their approach to clients and partners, and to have a deep understanding of the particular requirements of the various environments in which their clients operate.

The awards were presented at Motorola Solutions annual channel partner conference, which was attended by 70 partners from Australia and New Zealand.
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WILTON  Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, an internationally accredited nonprofit known around the globe for its elite German Shepherd Guide Dogs, invites Fairfield County neighbors to take part in changing lives. The nonprofit has announced its first Wilton-based volunteer orientation to be held on Saturday, April 2, 2016.

Fidelco was founded in 1960 and has placed over 1,400 of its specially bred German Shepherd Guide Dogs with men and women across North America, providing increased independence and mobility.

"I believe in living the life you have imagined," says Erik Weihenmayer of Weston, CT. "Getting my guide dog greatly increased my independence." Weihenmayer is partnered with his fourth Fidelco Guide Dog. He is the only blind climber to conquer the world's seven summits, including Mt. Everest.

Fidelco is now accepting applications from individuals and families to join its Volunteer Puppy Raising Program. Fidelco puppy raisers take eight-week-old puppies into their homes and teach them basic obedience and house manners while socializing them to the sights and sounds of their communities.

Other volunteer opportunities include office support, special events and help with puppy class. All volunteers have special roles in supporting Fidelco's life-changing work.

"Volunteers are the heartbeat of our charitable mission," says Fidelco President and CEO, Eliot Russman, of Redding, CT. "We're excited to open our doors in Fairfield County and look forward to making many new friends who will help Fidelco forever change the lives of men and women with vision loss." Fidelco's "Insights" Volunteer Orientation will be held on Saturday, April 2nd 2016 from 10am - 11am at 27 Cannon Rd. in Wilton, CT. A session for those interested in volunteering as a puppy raiser will follow from 11am  12pm. Register online at fidelco.org; please note RSVPs are required.

About Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation

Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation is an internationally accredited nonprofit that provides the highest quality German Shepherd Guide Dogs to people with vision loss. Based in Bloomfield and Wilton, CT., Fidelco has placed more than 1,400 guide dogs throughout North America. Each guide dog takes two years, 15,000 hours and $45,000 to produce  yet all services are provided to clients at no cost. Fidelco relies solely on the generosity and financial support of individuals, foundations, corporations and civic organizations. Fidelco has also provided hundreds of its German Shepherd Dogs to law enforcement agencies. For more info, visit www.fidelco.org, like Fidelco on Facebook (www.facebook.com/fidelcoguidedog), follow @fidelco on Twitter or @fidelcoguidedogs on Instagram.
At Colony Grill , its a commitment to service. At Day Pitney law firm, its a drive for diversity. At the Family & Childrens Agency , its about making a connection.

Whatever it is that makes a workplace thrive, employees know it best, and now they have a chance to spread the word. Hearst Connecticut Media has extended until April 15 a deadline for companies to qualify for its Top Workplaces section, with winners to be featured in the Connecticut Post, The News-Times of Danbury, Greenwich Time and The Advocate of Stamford.

In past years, Philadelphia-based WorkplaceDynamics has surveyed more than 10,000 employees anonymously throughout the region to select dozens of organizations to feature in the section, with employers from Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield counties eligible.

Entrants over the years have ranged from companies that play on a global stage, like Westport-based Bridgewater Associates, the worlds largest hedge fund, or the humanitarian relief charity AmeriCares, in Stamford, to small businesses like the Network Support Co., in Danbury, or Splash Car Wash, with locations throughout Fairfield County.

Whatever their scope, its all about bringing in the right people, past winners have said. We try to hire people that are willing to chip in at various levels, Ken Martin, co-owner and director of operations for Colony Grill, said last year. And if we are going to be leaders in the community, we have to be able to help not only our customers but also the people that are working for us everyday on the front lines.

And sometimes the commitment goes even further. Were not afraid to take a stand on something thats really important, said Stacy Smith Walsh, director of human resources at Day Pitney.

To check out our top workplaces from previous years, visit http://www.ctpost.com/topworkplaces. And to nominate your company as a top workplace in 2016, head to http://ctpost.com/nominate or call 203-617-0727.
Most Americans support it. Virtually all other developed countries already do it. And the two leading presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle agree: the federal 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  but theyre going to talk about it a lot.

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. Heres a look at some of the leading ideas, their potential impact and chances for success :

Medicare price negotiations

The leading proposal by far is to allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices for millions of seniors in Medicare, the governments largest health plan. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have adopted the idea, which is supported by 83 percent of Americans, according to polling by Kaiser Health Foundation.

But can it get through Congress? And how much money would it really save?

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 part of the challenge is putting some meat on the bones, says Tricia Neuman, of the nonpartisan Kaiser Health Foundation. I think the savings will depend on the specifics of the policy.

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.
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BRIDGEPORT  Mayor Joe Ganim has a plan that would make city government more accountable  to him.

And that is viewed as a crippling defect in what the mayor, who served time for corruption, has dubbed a historic proposal to create an Office of Government Accountability in City Hall.

This office would be a place that gives ordinary citizens the ability to hold city government responsible for its performance and investigate itself if there is waste or abuse of public resources, Ganim said in a recent statement. If the City Council enacts this ordinance, Bridgeport has the potential to become the most transparent and accountable municipal government in the state.

But the individual who will run that new agency shall be appointed by the mayor and shall serve at the pleasure of the mayor, according to the proposal pending before the council.

What if the accountability czar needs to investigate the mayor or his allies?

Carol Carson, head of Connecticuts Office of State Ethics, said one necessity for a successful watchdog program is making it as independent as possible.

If the mayor holds the key to my paycheck, its going to be a lot more difficult for me to investigate matters involving the mayor, she said. Thats just human nature.

Carson works for a nine-person board. The governor, state House of Representatives and state Senate each appoint three members.

Only five can be from the same political party, and two members must come from a list of names submitted by community organizations focused on good-government.

(The board) can remove me for cause, Carson said. So I need to make a lot of them  five of the nine people  unhappy with my performance. Its not one person unilaterally saying, Youre not doing what I want. Youre gone.

Potential joke job

Ganim also wants to establish a government accountability commission to oversee that office and review its work.

But yet again, the mayor seemingly has more leverage because he would choose, with City Council approval, two members. The City Council would make the third appointment.

Robert Wechsler of North Haven is the just-retired research director for CityEthics.org, a Florida-based online resource for municipal ethics issues. He agreed that Bridgeports government accountability director should be hired by a board, not by the citys chief executive.

Every single time that person makes a decision that seems to favor the mayor or his supporters, people will think its a biased decision, Wechsler said.

He added that ideally Bridgeport should also ask politically neutral, independent community groups  say the League of Women Voters or Common Cause Connecticut  to assemble the government accountability commission. And, Wechsler said, the commission should be larger than three people.

If the mayor appoints you and one of the mayors staff comes before the board, you basically have to withdraw from participation. And if you only have three members that could cause a problem, Wechsler said.

Wechsler also took issue with the possibility that Ganims accountability head will be someone who helped him return to office.

Ed Adams, a retired FBI agent who investigated the pay-to-play schemes that toppled Ganim in 2003, worked last year on Ganims comeback campaign.

Adams over the winter landed a job as the returned mayors $90,000 adviser for government accountability and integrity, helping mastermind the proposal for the government accountability department.

Adams said I dont know for sure at this point if he would transition to running the new office.

You dont want to have a conflict-of-interest in a program thats supposed to provide advice and oversight regarding conflicts-of-interest. Hes basically out of the running because of his role in the campaign, Wechsler said. If he takes the job, then its a joke.

Better than nothing?

Previously mayor from 1991 to 2003, Ganim was convicted of steering city contracts in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in wine, custom clothes, cash and home improvements.

He served seven years in federal prison.

When he ran again last year, Ganim recast himself as a reformer. Early on in the campaign he began talking about a public integrity office, pitching it at an August press conference with Adams.

Weschler admitted Ganims government accountability initiative is no worse than anybody else in Connecticut  laughingly depicted on occasion as Corrupticut.

Establishing a good government department in Bridgeport  even a seriously flawed one  is more than city officials grappling with Ganims prior legacy accomplished.

The city does have an ethics code and commission, but critics have complained the latter is toothless in part because it has no staff and relies on the mayors attorneys for legal advice.

The City Council at one time approved hiring a full-time ethics director, but the job went unfilled and was eliminated.

Ten years after Ganims conviction the city in 2013 finally instituted annual ethics training.

In 2013, then-Mayor Bill Finch, after firing the Sikorsky Memorial Airport manager for an alleged financial conflict-of-interest with a contractor, pledged department heads and other city staff involved in purchasing would be required annually to publicly divulge financial data like business associates, sources of income over $1,000, and creditors on debts over $10,000.

But that initiative was later watered down and may never have been fully implemented.

Accountability versus bureaucracy

Adams said Ganims proposal was crafted after researching what other cities across the country do.

He said there was no one model that Bridgeport copied, but having the mayor appoint the accountability czar is the norm.

I dont consider this a political appointment or position, Adams said. And, he added. The President of the United States, he appoints the director of the FBI. And the FBI can investigate whats going on in the White House or staff.

But FBI Directors are also appointed to 10-year terms, giving them a certain amount of job security in the face of politics and changes in administrations.

FBI directors also have numerous employees who can spearhead investigations.

Under Ganims plan, the mayor could, as needed, deputize other city employees to assist the director. And any legal advice would come from the mayors law department, rather than independent counsel.

We dont want to create another branch of government, Adams said. Im thinking salaries and administrative staff and computers. ... Its not going to be some bureaucratic agency.

At the state level, Carson hires her own general counsel for the ethics office.

Jeff Kohut served on Bridgeports Ethics Commission from 2005 to 2010 and, despite Ganims past, also endorsed the ex-mayors return to office last year.

Kohut praised Ganims government accountability office as a timely and sound idea.

But he said the mayor, for the sake of appearances, should distance himself from hiring the accountability czar.

As for Adams eligibility for the job, Kohut said, A fairly significant portion of the concept was the brainchild of Mr. Adams. It would make sense for him to be at least in a supportive role. Maybe not a direct role.
Contributed / Contributed

Expectant parents are invited to learn more about St. Vincents birthing and maternity services at a birth symposium on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Birth center tours will begin at 6 p.m. The symposium will offer information on the St. Vincents Family Birthing Center and other helpful topics including midwifery, the Bradley Method, birth partners, and more. Other resources available will include Mindful Mama Care, Balance Chiropractic, Birthing from Within, Hypno-Birthing, and From Labor to Love Photography.
US's Starwood signs first US-Cuba hotel deal

Submitted by: admin

Travel and Tourism

Business and Economy

03 / 20 / 2016



A US-based hotel company has reached an agreement with Cuba to take over operations of two of Havana's hotels. Starwood Hotels and Resorts will be the first American hospitality company to operate a hotel on the island since relations between the two countries have been recently reestablished after more than 50 years.

The New York-based conglomerate, owners of the Westin, Sheraton, and W brands among others, will now take over Havana's Inglaterra Hotel, the city's oldest hotel property and the Fifth Avenue Hotel in upscale Miramar. The agreement contemplates the labor force to be comprised of Cuban citizens for the most part, with a small number of expats in key management positions. The company plans to start operations in Cuba in late 2016 to take advantage of the rise of american tourists expected with the thawing of the relations between the two countries, and have reached a tentative agreement to manage a third one, the Santa Isabel Hotel, just across from the Plaza de Armas in Old Havana.

Jorge Giannattasio, Starwood Vice-president and Chief of Latin America Operations: "With the application of probably more a hundred flights a day from the US, if that happens, clearly the amount of travelers to Cuba will skyrocket. We wanna make sure that we are ready to welcome them."

Jorge Giannattasio, Starwood Vice-president and Chief of Latin America Operations: "I think that the big news today are clearly that Starwood is the first hotel company that signs a management agreement with a Cuban company in more than sixty years."

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Cubas Entrevoces Choir to sing with The Rolling Stones

Submitted by: Juana

Culture and Traditions

Havana

Music

03 / 20 / 2016



The Entrevoces Choir, directed by National Music Award winner Digna Guerra, will be the only Cuban group to accompany the London band the Rolling Stones during its only concert on the island on March 25.

As announced by the Cubadebate Web site, the director of the Cuban choir confirmed that they will share the stage with these legends of rock, whose presentation in Havana will culminate a long journey through Latin America.

Guerra told the press about the tremendous honor and responsibility involved in this invitation and announced that the song to be interpreted will close the concert, listed as one of the most anticipated in recent years.

The song will be You Cant Always Get What You Want and it is a beautiful theme written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, explained Guerra, also a professor with the Higher Institute of Art.

It has the participation of a choir and is very difficult for the acute nature of the tessitura in which its written and for the long time the sound must be maintained in chords that are rising all the time, Digna pointed out.

It is a great honor and a huge commitment for me and for the Entrevoces Choir to have been invited to this great cultural event that will take place in our country, she ratified.

This will be the end of the tour of Latin America of one of the most legendary rock groups in the world, and that particularly in our country has so many followers who are very fond of good music, she concluded.

The meeting of music lovers with the British band will take place on March 25 at 8:30 p.m. at the Ciudad Deportiva of Havana, where thousands of people are expected to attend.





Source: www.cibercuba.com


Somerset jury finds two of three defendants guilty of murder

Now in its fifth day of testimony and seventh day overall, the double murder trial taking place in Somerset County is now over. The jury decided.
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My first encounter with Twitter was in 2011, when I was on the border of Kenya and Somalia, visiting the starving who had washed up in Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in the world.

I was staying in a one-room hut, with no running water, no bathroom, little food. Babies were dying around me. Dental floss seemed the most outrageous luxury I could think of, like owning a yacht.

One tiny, filthy tot, like something out of a Dickens novel, was scraping at her teeth in front of me. I asked how old she was, maybe four or five? She was 13. As she scraped with the twig, making herself pretty, she dislodged a tooth, and calmly took it out of her mouth. She was disintegrating before my eyes, at once impossibly young and improbably old.

Liz Jones in 2011 with a young refugee called Hassan, three, who, with his mother, fled the the civil war and worst drought in Somalia for 60 years and is now at the Dadaab refugee camp on the Kenya-Somalia border

I had my smartphone in the pocket of my Maharishi combats, and the juxtaposition of the medieval and the state-of-the-art was not lost on even me: a fashion journalist with a BMI of less than 12  two facts that enraged the chattering classes, who campaigned to prevent me from being allowed to report on the famine.

On the way to Africa, I received death threats from male Muslims: on my phone, in my post box, and via Twitter.

I wasnt even on Twitter, about to celebrate its tenth birthday. I had signed up, garnering 2,000 followers in an hour, before I was shut down by my bosses on this paper who felt that I had to be protected from the abuse.

On the way to Africa, I received death threats from male Muslims: on my phone, in my post box, and via Twitter

Even if I had been on Twitter while in Africa, what would I have written about such a scene in 140 characters? Its really hot, saw chickens being slaughtered in front of other chickens, a little boy beating a donkey with an iron pole, Angelina J

There would have been no time for contemplation, for editing, for context. I would have belittled the people I met.

But I neednt have worried. Someone was tweeting for me.

I was in the UN High Commission for Refugees bar  like a scene from M*A*S*H, only it was unclear who exactly was the enemy  when a photographer who had been looking at his phone told me Id apparently been tweeting furiously. Id been complaining that there was no fizzy water. That my Louis Vuitton case was being spoilt.

I felt confused, then sick, then angry. I was on a difficult story, with no pay (I donated my fee to Save The Children; oh, and I donated a new Mulberry bag to the charity, too, and filled it with special stuff, but I guess that gesture, too, is ripe for satire), thousands of miles from home, with people I had never met (one of whom commented, after I needed two translators due to my profound deafness, that I was useless), and someone was tweeting as me.

I felt as though I were back at school, being bullied for not requiring a bra, for not having a boyfriend, for my crooked teeth, cheap clothes and explosive, weeping acne. Occasionally, in periods of self-flagellation, I read tweets between women I used to be friends with. They are full of tales about how on earth they can transport a giant turkey across London in a cab. They tweet about how much they hate me, how I pretend to be friends with them but they hardly know me, about how they laugh at me, how I used to be a passable writer but am now rather rubbish.

So thats why I wont be baking a cake and lighting ten candles to celebrate the birthday of the beast that has ten fingers and an internet connection

In the proper world of writing, ie here, in this column, we arent allowed to write things like that.

Far from opening up the world, I see Twitter as a bully. Home of the extrovert and the chippy, the arrogant and the self obsessed Liz Jones

We are not allowed to make up that someone has taken cocaine, or had sex with their pets. But the tweeters do it, and there is no recourse. If I had been transgender, or Muslim, there would have been outrage when I was abused by a high-profile female member of the press. But because Im a white woman from Essex, its deemed OK to call me, because of my age and gender, rather unimaginatively, Nana, and far worse.

So thats why I wont be baking a cake and lighting ten candles to celebrate the birthday of the beast that has ten fingers and an internet connection. Far from opening up the world, I see Twitter as a bully. Home of the extrovert and the chippy, the arrogant and the self obsessed. It has quietened the quieter among us.
Nick Clegg narrowly avoided a rumpus at the Palace on the eve of the 2015 General Election, according to ex-Lib Dem Minister David Laws. In his book, Laws reveals that party grandee Paddy Ashdown wanted Clegg to go to the Palace in a Mini, unlike Cameron whooshing up The Mall in his limo. Or maybe walk there and be seen feeding the ducks in St Jamess Park on the way, Paddy told him. Quackers.

Nick Clegg narrowly avoided a rumpus at the Palace on the eve of the 2015 General Election, according to ex-Lib Dem Minister David Laws

Laws's book also reveals the Brexit spat between Clegg and Michael Gove involving the Queen is not the only time the two have clashed. Laws says Clegg was furious when The Mail on Sunday revealed that his wife Miriam was linked to a Clegg-Gove dust-up over the Book Trust charity. Clegg said she told him he might as well quit if his job was going to put her in the firing line. Clegg blamed Gove: How would you feel if my office attacked your wife? Gove denied responsibility.

Iain Duncan Smith is descended from Admiral Adam Duncan, pictured

Cameron all at sea after IDS broadside

The blistering broadside delivered by Iain Duncan Smith in his resignation letter should hardly have taken David Cameron and George Osborne by surprise, given his bellicose background.

As well as being an ex-Scots Guards officer, IDS is descended from Admiral Adam Duncan, pictured, who won a celebrated Napoleonic-era sea battle and coped with a mutiny.

Will Cameron survive his descendants revolt?

Theresa May shocked the nation with Cleavagegate  wearing a low-cut top during the Budget. But the Home Secretary has always been a fan of risque attire: her favourite design brand is trendy London-based La Petite Salope, which translated literally means the little slut. Not a term normally associated with a butter-wouldnt-melt vicars daughter.

The Home Secretary has always been a fan of risque attire: her favourite design brand is trendy London-based La Petite Salope, which translated literally means the little slut

Corbyns full of beans

Jeremy Corbyn fortified himself after delivering his instant Budget response by scoffing a huge plate of baked beans and chips in a Commons cafe. Seeing urbane Tory Mark Garnier wrinkle his nose  Garnier is more of an oysters and Chablis man  Corbyn told him: I am one of lifes lucky bons viveurs! Who else gets to enjoy chips and beans in mid-afternoon? Just ask Jezzas ex-wife Jane Chapman, who revealed his love of munching cold Heinz beans straight from the tin.

Jeremy Corbyn fortified himself after delivering his instant Budget response by scoffing a huge plate of baked beans and chips in a Commons cafe

Red Jez ditched plans to take his front bench for a 48-hour bonding session in Liverpool, including drinks at the Cavern Club where The Beatles once performed. They had to make do instead with a dreary get-together in a Westminster office block. One Shadow Cabinet wit tells Dog: He couldnt handle the idea of rousing renditions of Help! and Nowhere Man. I wonder why

Tory MP Andrew Percy is in hot water with Parliament jobsworths after taking country and western singer Charlie Worsham on to the Commons Terrace. Worsham broke all the rules by using his phone to broadcast a 25-minute live interview with fans, infuriating the Serjeant at Arms, the sword-carrying Commons security flunkie. As Worsham likes to say: Dang yall!
They were forewarned, but not forearmed. We knew something was up with IDS on Friday morning, when he suddenly refused to do any more media on the Budget, said a Downing Street insider.

Despite that, when David Cameron walked through the door of his private office just before 7pm, to be presented with his Work and Pensions Secretarys resignation letter, he was, in the words of one aide, genuinely confused.

Confusion swiftly gave way to a different set of emotions. Snatching up his iPhone, the Prime Minister initiated a frank exchange of views  Downing Street code for his righteous anger at what he saw as a naked attempt to destabilise his premiership.

It was only a few weeks ago that IDS was sitting in Cabinet telling the PM he was the Governments best asset, and the Election victory was a personal triumph for him, said one Cameron ally, and then he goes and pulls a stunt like this.

They were forewarned, but not forearmed, writes DAN HODGES. We knew something was up with IDS on Friday morning, when he suddenly refused to do any more media on the Budget, said a Downing Street insider

Adding to Camerons fury was the fact his colleague had made no attempt to speak to him personally about his concerns relating to the unfolding rebellion over changes to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for disabled people.

The two men had clashed before, but those confrontations had been on relatively narrow areas of policy. In Camerons eyes, this was a personal betrayal.

A few minutes later, George Osborne was given the news. He was taken aback, said a No 10 source. Hed spoken to Iain about pushing the policy out to consultation, and hed been completely on board.

From Iain Duncan Smiths perspective, it was a case of the Budget that broke the camels back. Rumours had been circulating for weeks that he was looking for an excuse to walk away from Government and throw his full weight behind the Brexit campaign.

Its certainly true he had made the mental decision to leave the Work and Pensions brief at the next reshuffle.

But its equally true he had become increasingly bitter at the need to constantly repel raids on his departmental budget from the Treasury. And even more bitter at what he saw as a failure by George Osborne to grasp the underlying principles of his welfare reform agenda.

Whatever the motivation, Iain Duncan Smiths bombshell resignation has sent shrapnel flying all over Westminster. And one of the first victims has been Duncan Smith himself.

Caricatured by the Left as the bogeyman who revelled in snatching benefit payments from the most vulnerable in society, he is in reality a principled and compassionate man who longed to slay the twin-headed hydra of poverty and welfare dependency.

The biggest victim of Iain Duncan Smiths resignation is the man he intended to wreak vengeance on all along  George Osborne

But it is impossible to align those principles with the manner of his resignation. As a frustrated Downing Street source explained: In his letter to the PM, he attacks the PIP policy, but only a week ago he was telling us it wasnt a problem, and hed be able to steer it safely through Parliament.

The second victim is the Prime Minister. Or more specifically, his attempt to guide his party safely through the EU referendum labyrinth.

A couple of weeks ago, a former Tory Minister said to me: The PM is going to regret allowing Eurosceptic Ministers to campaign for Brexit from within the Cabinet. Once they get a taste for rebelling over this, theyll get a taste for rebelling over everything.

But the biggest victim of Iain Duncan Smiths resignation is the man he intended to wreak vengeance on all along  George Osborne. George was supposed to be delivering a safety-first Budget, said one normally loyal Minister. Instead, hes managed to blow apart the Cabinet.

To be fair to Osborne, some sort of major post-Budget fall-out was inevitable. As soon as he referenced the Office for Budgetary Responsibilitys assessment of the risks of Brexit, furious Eurosceptics were always going to hit back.

But from Osbornes perspective, the timing of the backlash was catastrophic. His political standing was already in decline following his perceived mishandling of tax credits and police budget cuts. And major storm clouds are beginning to encircle the economy, and the Chancellors career-defining deficit reduction strategy.

One Osborne ally dismisses these issues as typical Westminster febrility. The day after the referendum we hit the reset button, he said.

Perhaps. But perceptions of George Osborne are rapidly being recalibrated. And not in his favour.

In the hours immediately following the Budget, it became fashionable to claim Osborne was morphing into Gordon Brown.

He had grown a Brownite tin-ear. He had no interest in reaching beyond his inner circle. He would brush aside problems with a mixture of bluster and bombast.

But the real problem for Osborne is not that he comes to be seen as a clone of that gruff, unyielding son of the manse. Its that hes becoming viewed as someone whos allowed himself to be sucked into a deadly game of political Russian roulette.

A bombshell has detonated in Westminster. There are no fatalities yet. But three of our most senior Ministers are among the wounded Dan Hodges

Hes gambled everything on being able to bring the public finances into surplus by 2020  a gamble the Institute for Fiscal Studies judged to be only marginally better than a 50:50 shot.

Hes gambled everything on the UK being able to withstand the gathering economic storm, and gambled again on his ability to convince the voters the ensuing slowdown would have been much, much worse save for his fiscal prudence.

And he has gambled that the economic and political cycles will align in time to make him David Camerons successor.

People have written George Osbornes political obituary before, and been made to look foolish for it. But there are only so many near-death experiences a man can have before his luck runs out. And Iain Duncan Smith has just used up the eighth of the Chancellors nine lives.

It remains to be seen what the long-term implications will be of IDSs dramatic departure from Government. If the EU referendum is won, and David Cameron and George Osborne move quickly to heal the wounds, it may come to be seen as nothing more than a rather sad and strange end to distinguished political career.

But if the referendum is lost, or Tory Eurosceptics cannot be placated in the event of an in vote, then the supposedly quiet man of British politics may just have changed the British political landscape for ever.

A bombshell has detonated in Westminster. There are no fatalities yet. But three of our most senior Ministers are among the wounded.

Discussion over the amount of decolletage being displayed by Home Secretary Theresa May during Wednesdays Budget generated a backlash from female MPs and political commentators.

But now there is a backlash against the backlash. Corbyn gets slammed for his clothes every week, one veteran male MP complains to me.

Every summer, we get photos of Cameron in his wetsuit, or articles about Boris Johnsons hair. If I appeared in the chamber with my shirt open and a medallion, thered be uproar.
Why do you do it? I watch you every day, nice, kind, respectable, generous people helping to throw your fellow citizens out of work and turn this country into even more of a bleeping, commercialised desert than it already is.

Do you really want every job in the world to be done by a robot  except your own? Why do you think you are immune? Once you give in to this, how long will it be before you, too, are replaced with a flashing, winking machine with an infuriatingly soothing voice? Unexpected person in sacking area!

In which case, how will you afford to shop at all the robotic stores and supermarkets which will sit in spookily staff-free colonies on the edge of every town, reached by robotic buses and patrolled by drones and robotic store detectives, who will mechanically detain anyone they suspect of shoplifting?

Do you really want every job in the world to be done by a robot  except your own? Why do you think you are immune?

A rather good glimpse of this Blairite nightmare was provided in the recent Hollywood film Elysium, in which contact with commerce and the state was almost entirely through machines, and even a hint of sarcasm towards them earned you a whack round the head from a cybercop, followed by an offer of happy pills to cure your discontent with chemical peace.

Those who govern us, and those who sell to us, increasingly retreat into an impenetrable world where we cannot reach them. The last human contact is visibly dying. I went to the post office on Wednesday to send a letter by recorded delivery. Fifteen people queued interminably for two staffed counters, while an employee with a fixed smile tried to persuade customers to use machines instead, so helping to put herself out of a job in the long term.

I have refused to do this (with occasional lapses at railway stations when I am short of time) for some years. At first, it seemed quite fun to do it all yourself.

Then I caught myself, at an ultra-modern gas station in the endless Washington DC suburbs, rejoicing at how I was avoiding human contact. I was suddenly disgusted with myself for this anti-social laziness. Surely this bit of the world was quite lonesome enough already.

Now, I stand and wait, often for quite a while, for the luxury of doing business with a human being. This is not just because the supermarket isnt paying you or me the wages it saves by using robots instead of people. It isnt just because I think there are quite enough unemployed people already.

Its because I sat back and did nothing while all kinds of people disappeared  bus conductors, patrolling police officers, park keepers, station porters  along with police stations and old-fashioned banks where they knew who you were. And the unstaffed world which resulted is bleak and dangerous, because nobody is watching except those cameras  and is anyone watching them?

It only happens because we put up with it and take part in it. It wouldnt be that hard to resist, but (as in everything else) we dont.

Last October I was grieved and angered when it was claimed  on the basis of a single, ancient uncorroborated charge  that the late Bishop George Bell was a child abuser.

I never met this austere, fiercely moral, self-sacrificing man, but he had stood in my mind as a rare example of goodness. If this charge is true, then that example dissolves in a mist of filth, and we have all lost something precious.

I do not think it is true. Since last October, despite much publicity, no further similar accusations have been made. And several other admirers of Bishop Bell, including an experienced judge, a top-flight barrister, academics and senior churchmen, have got together to examine the case against him.

They have found it was sloppily conducted, and failed even to look for, let alone find, a crucial witness, whose testimony strongly challenges the accusation.

This seems to me to be a powerful blow for justice, and especially that ancient English justice of which we should be so proud, but often forget.

Cheap shot at a German star

Germanys new political star, Frauke Petry, is in trouble for allegedly calling on border patrols to shoot refugees.

Actually, she didnt. Mrs Petry is not, in fact, Hitler. Though I suspect she wouldnt be a reader of The Guardian either, there is quite a lot of ground between these two positions.

Ive checked her interview with a Mannheim newspaper and she consciously tried to avoid saying any such thing. She repeatedly told her interviewers they were trying to lead her into saying something outrageous.

Germanys new political star, Frauke Petry, is in trouble for allegedly calling on border patrols to shoot refugees

Eventually, pressed to say what a border policeman should do if refugees climb the fence and ignore orders to stop, she said: He must prevent illegal entry across the border, if necessary even using firearms. This is the law.

The reporter tried to suggest this was like East Germanys hated policy of shooting anyone who tried to get out of that prison state. Mrs Petry replied: No guard wants to shoot at a refugee. I dont want it either. But in the last resort the use of firearms is appropriate. What is important is that we dont let it get that far.

She called for agreements with neighbouring Austria to slow the flow of migrants. I am told that Germanys law on The Direct Use Of Force To Enforce Public Order By Law Enforcement Officials (Section 11) permits the use of weapons by border guards against those who ignore repeated orders to stop. This must have been passed by the same parties which now attack Mrs Petry, pictured right, for citing it.

But how far can Europe (all of it, not just the EU) go on defending its borders against the greatest economic mass migration in history? Countries surrounded by deep, rough, cold water used to be spared this problem, until the era of mass air travel. And we have that tunnel as well. Now, our frontier lies on the Mediterranean and the Aegean. These seas are not like those which surround Australia, nor are the countries from which the migrants come like the South East Asian nations. We cannot tow them back, or keep them on remote islands.

And I dont think we can shoot them either. How long could we stomach such a thing, even occasionally?

Mass immigration has already happened. It began when we made our stupid interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. It speeded up when we did the same in Libya and Syria. We are paying for what we did, and will pay for decades to come.

We are on the verge of giving the police terrifying and unjustified powers to hack into our private communications. The country should be convulsed with opposition. As it isnt, dont complain when you get hacked by the State.
Share their fear and anger in the latest episode of

The family of a woman murdered by her ex boyfriend have shared their fears that he could be freed from jail in 2017 after only 14 years behind bars.

Stephen Griffiths, now 53, was given a life sentence in 2004 and told to serve a minimum of 14 years after pleading guilty to stabbing 35-year-old Rana Faruqui from Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire to death when she ended their five-month relationship.

Rana's family say the murderer's punishment was too lenient and they dread the day he will be walking the streets again, as he will be eligible for parole next year.

Rana Faruqui was 35 when she was stabbed to death by her ex boyfriend Stephen Griffiths in 2003

Speaking on the new series of Britain's Darkest Taboos, Rana's sister Gemma, 35, said: 'How can you say that someone could possibly be let out in 14 years for murdering someone? I think it's ridiculous.

'He was given a life sentence, with parole in 14 years, so he may not get out in 14 years but supposing he does? He can carry on with his life. But she doesn't have her life any more.'

Gemma, who was 23 when her sister died, said her beloved sibling's death left a massive hole in their lives.

'My wedding, I would have loved her to have been there, she would have been a bridesmaid, she would have had quite a lot to say,' she said. 'My children, I would have loved her to have met my children. I know she would have been a wonderful aunt to them and I know they would have adored her.'

Rana's brother, Simon, 52, agreed saying: 'Griffiths isn't the one on the life sentence - we are.'

He added: 'Rana was in her early 30s. Who knows how many years she had ahead of her. How many she had to spend with a partner, with her nephews and nieces, with the rest of the family.

Rana's mother Carol, pictured, said she is dreading the day her daughter's killer is released. He has served 12 years of his 14 year minimum sentence and will be eligible for parole in 2017

Rana's sister, Gemma, left, said it is 'ridiculous' Stephen could be released after 14 years behind bars while her brother, Simon, right, said there is no justice and it is they family who are serving a life sentence

'Fourteen years, this guy could be out making some sort of attempt to rebuild his life so there's a feeling of "where's the justice in that? Where's the sense in that?"'

Stephen stalked Rana for months after she ended their relationship before brutally stabbing her in a field on Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, when she was bringing in one of her horses.

Of his release in the future her mother Carol, 70, from Maidenhead, said: 'I try not to think about it too much. I dread it. I just have a dreadful feeling about him being out on the street and I could pass by him or see him across the road. That's my big fear.'

Gemma agreed adding: 'Of course we're worried. I worry for my family's safety. I'm quite happy now he's in prison because he can't get to us. However much I say that I'm hoping he will move on because he won't want to go back to prison you'll always be looking over your shoulder just in case.'

Stephen Griffiths pleaded guilty to killing Rana and was jailed in 2004

The family had no idea when IT manager Rana met IT consultant Stephen back in October 2002 through work in High Wycombe that their relationship would end in tragedy.

Rana was feeling vulnerable after losing her father to cancer six months before and she bonded with Stephen as he had recently lost his mother.

Simon recalled: 'He didn't have horns growing out of his head, he wasn't carrying a blood stained axe, there was nothing about him, first impressions, to indicate that his brain was wired completely wrong.'

The relationship progressed quickly with Stephen moving into Rana's cottage in Farnham Common weeks after they started dating as he said the lease was up on his rented flat and he needed somewhere to stay.

Rana's family said they started to see signs of controlling behaviour from him and worried about his influence over her.

Carol said: 'He didn't abuse her physically but he certainly did a very good job psychologically. She changed, we could see her changing.'

In March 2003 Rana decided to end the relationship and asked Stephen to move out.

Gemma explains: 'She was very independent and did her own thing. She's just had enough so she asked him to leave.'

Carol said Stephen didn't take the news well, even coming to her house to give her a PowerPoint presentation on why Rana should take him back.

The widow recalled: 'The doorbell went, I went to the door and it was him. And he came in and he'd got his laptop and went through this PowerPoint presentation, it was all to do with how he was going to win her back.

'I can remember saying to him "Stephen, I really don't want to see this. If anybody should see it, it should be Rana. But quite honestly, you've split up now and always when there's a split one person gets hurt more in the relationship - and it happens to be you this time. Just notch it up to experience and move on."'

However he refused to accept the relationship was over and began stalking Rana.

She would see him hanging around outside her house at 3am and he would turn up at the pub when she was there with her friends.

Some of the many cards and flowers left outside the stables in Farnham Common were Rana was stabbed to death as she tried to bring in her horse one August evening in 2003

Gemma said: 'We didn't really take it that seriously at the time. He was just very irritating. She was angry. She just wanted him out of her life and to get on with her life.'

The problem escalated when Rana took part in a dressage competition on her horse at the Windsor Horse Show and Stephen attended to watch her via binoculars and take pictures from up a tree.

Fourteen years, this guy could be out making some sort of attempt to rebuild his life so there's a feeling of where's the justice in that? Where's the sense in that? Rana's brother Simon

Former Detective Superintendent David Swindle, who examines the case on Britain's Darkest Taboos, said each episode may seem innocent but gave Rana enough evidence to report him to the police.

He said: 'Basically on it's own in isolation appearing at her house, standing outside in the street, nothing wrong, appearing at a pub, nothing wrong, appearing at a horse meeting, nothing wrong.

'But collectively it's a circumstantial chain of events and what you had is progressive behaviour here.

'With Griffiths small things then escalating and proving and corroborating. This was a murder waiting to happen.'

In June 2003 Stephen was twice spoken to by the police and told to leave Rana alone but when a month later she discovered the brakes on her car had been severed, she believed he was to blame.

Gemma, Carol and Simon outside Reading Crown Court when Stephen was sentenced. They said his jail term was too lenient and went on to campaign for better laws to protect the victims of stalkers

He was given an order banning him from contacting Rana - which she was calling the police to report him breaching when he approached her as she tried to bring her horse in from a paddock on 2 August 2003.

Carol said they were devastated when they were told Rana's body had been found in the field with multiple stab wounds.

She said: 'You just close down, everything closes down. You can't really take it in. When people die because they're ill it's very sad and it's very traumatic but when someone dies the way Rana died, it's totally different.

'It's absolutely pointless she just loved life so much, she just wanted Stephen out of her life. What a waste, complete and utter waste.'

After five days on the run Stephen handed himself in to the police and pleaded guilty to Rana's murder at Reading Crown Court in December 2004.

The court heard he repeatedly stabbed her with an eight-inch serrated hunting blade.

When people die because they're ill it's very sad and it's very traumatic but when someone dies the way Rana died, it's totally different. It's absolutely pointless Rana's mother, Carol

He was jailed for life and told he must serve a minimum of 16 years - reduced to under 14 years on appeal.

In sentencing him, the judge took into account his previous good character, guilty plea and that at the time of the crime he was under great mental stress.

Rana's family said in a statement at the time that they thought the sentence was too lenient.

Since then they have campaigned for new laws to make it easier for victims of stalking to get justice, believing if Rana's stalking complaints had been dealt with more seriously her life could have been saved.

In 2012 new laws were introduced in England and Wales making stalking a specific criminal offence in a move to improve victims' safety.

Carol said this has brought them some hope and comfort, as well as setting up the Protection Against Stalking charity in Rana's memory.

She said: 'Rana's life wasn't just for nothing. It was for something. And that's the whole point of the charity, of doing this, talking at conferences and things  to make people aware. And probably a completely selfish thing I'm keeping Rana's name alive and that's important to me.

'I don't feel achievement or anything I just feel for me, for our family, Rana is doing some good.'

Gemma added: 'Through the charity her death has saved, hopefully, many other women's lives. You have to believe all the work we've done over the years, her death wasn't in vain.'
How many can

Is there a fashion faux pas more embarrassing than mispronouncing your favourite label?

If you love your designer brands but worry about stumbling over your words, you're not alone.

Vlogger Riyadh Khalaf took the streets of London for FEMAIL to find out just how many people can correctly pronounce fashion's biggest names.

Is there a fashion faux pas more embarrassing than mispronunciation? If you love your labels but worry about stumbling over your words, you're not alone. Vlogger Riyadh Khalaf, above, hit the streets to quiz Londoners

Opening the video, Riyadh said: 'We at MailOnline want to know just how fashion forward Londoners are.'

He started the challenge with French fashion house Balmain, founded in 1946, showing passers-by the spelling on a card and asking them to read it aloud.

First up, a man went for the obvious, he tried 'Bal-mayn.' While one woman overcompensated with her high-pitched pronunciation but still didn't manage to correctly pronounce, again plumping for 'Bal-mayn.'

One man admitted he had 'no idea' but gave it a go anyway, reading it as 'Bal-May.'

But Riyadh explained it's actually pronounced 'Bal-Ma.'

It is now a go-to label for the Kardashians and is headed up by creative director Olivier Rousteing. Fittingly, it was also the first fashion label ever to gain one million Instagram followers.

First up was French fashion house Balmain, founded in 1946. It is now a go to label for the Kardashians and is headed up by creative director Olivier Rousteing. It was also the first label to gain 1 million Instagram followers

Attempts included 'Bal-mayn', 'Bawl-mayn' and 'Bawl-may' but the correct version is pronounced Bal-Ma

A woman who first of all suggested 'Giv-in-chee,' was told she was incorrect by Riyadh and plumped for 'Giv-in-chay'

Next up, Londoners gave it their best shot to pronounce Givenchy, also a French fashion house which was founded 64 years ago.

One woman got off on the right foot when she suggested 'Ji-vin-chee,' as the label's 'G' is pronounced as a 'J'.

One man seemed to struggle to read the card and went for 'Giv-ich-ee.'

While a woman who first of all suggested 'Giv-in-chee,' when told she was incorrect by Riyadh plumped for 'Giv-in-chay.'

But she was still incorrect, as the proper pronounciation is: 'ji-von-shee'.

Hermes was always going to be a tricky one, and many were thrown by the label's silent 'H.'

One man suggested: 'Her-mes,' while another got it completely wrong when he tried 'Herms' and another man fell foul of the luxury brand established in 1837 when he suggested 'Her-mees.'

The correct pronunciation is in fact 'Air-mes'.

Riyadh explained the correct pronunciation for the French fashion house is 'ji-von-shee'

A man tried to say 'Hermes' correctly but fell foul of the Parisian label, calling it 'Her-mes'

The correct pronunciation for the label Hermes is 'Air-mez' with a silent 'H' on the French brand

Other tricky to pronounce names that Riyadh used to put these Londoners through their paces included Christian Lacroix - which this man pronounced 'Christian La-rux'

French designer Christian Lacroix has a tricky name. It is actually pronounced: 'Chrish-ee-an Luh-qua'

Next up was Italian label Moschino, and many people took the brand's name at face value.

One man thought it was 'Mosh-eeno,' while a woman took a stab in the dark and guessed 'Match-in-o.'

Another woman tried: 'Most-cheen-o' but the correct pronunciation is 'Mos-key-no.'

Next, Riyadh challenged passers-by to pronounce Christian Lacroix.

The first man managed Christian, but fell down at the second hurdle, going for 'La-Craig.'

Another woman thought the surname was pronounced 'La-croiks.'

While one man gave it a good go but thought it was pronounced 'La-rux.'

This woman tried to pronounce Italian brand Moschino as 'Most-een-o' in the clip

Riyadh explains the proper way to say Moschino is 'Mos-key-no,' using a hard sound rather than saying the 'ch'

Another tongue twister was Giambattista Vall, which this man pronounced as 'Jee-am-basta Vall-ee'

Riyadh explained the Italian label is pronounced 'Gee-awm-bah-tees-dah Vaw-lee'

The correct pronunciation is 'Christ-ee-an Luh-qua.'

Italian label Giambattista Valli was understandably a tongue twister for many.

One man in a gingham shirt pronounced it 'Gee-am-ba-ti-sa Vall-ee,' while another went for 'Jee-am-basta Vall-ee.'

The correct pronunciation is 'Gee-awm-bah-tees-dah Vaw-lee.'

Louis Vuitton is such a well-known fashion brand but it threw many people.

A blonde woman confidently said: 'Lew-is Vu-ton' and was shot down by Riyadh.

While another woman tried 'Lew-ees Vu-ton,' but the correct way to say it is 'Lu-wee Vwee-ton.'

A blonde woman tried to pronounce Louis Vuitton but was incorrect when she said 'Lew-ees Vu-ton'

Riyadh explained the French brand should be said 'Lu-wee Vwee-ton' which nobody got correct

Loewe a Spanish luxury fashion house based in Madrid is actually pronounced: 'Lo-ey-vey'

Loewe, which began in Madrid in 1846, looks deceptively simple but proved the hardest of the bunch.

A man in a bomber jacket guessed it was said 'Leur,' while a blonde woman in a camo jacket attempted with 'Lu-wee,' while two men tried 'Le-wee' and 'La-wee' as a guess.

And one man went for the obvious - 'Low.'

But Riyadh revealed it's actually pronounced 'Lo-ay-vay' - which you wouldn't have known unless you're a serious fashionista.
The shamrock is a potent symbol. Its three heart-shaped leaves represent both Ireland and the Holy Trinity. God and country. Its why, on St Patricks Day every year, its handed out to Irish Guards who fight and die in the British Armed Forces. Even in war it is shipped out to them to be tucked into their Kevlar helmets.

For those at home the ultimate honour is to have it presented by a senior female member of the Royal Family. A tradition begun by Princess Alexandra in 1901 became the graceful trademark of the Queen Mother who maintained it until she died. She even missed her favourite days racing at Cheltenham to be at the St Patricks Day parade.

It would have been an easy custom for the Duchess of Cambridge to embrace and make her own. Indeed, it was her first solo military engagement in March 2012 and for the next three years she made herself a favourite among the troops when she accompanied Prince William, who is Colonel of the Regiment.

Last Thursday to everyones surprise she left him to perform the duty alone.

The Duchess of Cambridge waves to children from St Matthew's school in Dean's Yard, London, following the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 14. She surprised many by leaving Prince William to hand out shamrocks to Irish Guards on St Patrick's Day alone last Thursday

The Duke of Cambridge had to step in to hand out the shamrocks to more than 600 Irish Guards - and regiment mascot, Domhnall the wolfhound (pictured) - after Kate said she would not be carrying out the 115-year-old tradition

Here Prince William, whose uniform looked immaculate at the parade, presents sprigs of shamrock to the Irish Guards as he visits Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow, west London, for the regiment's St Patrick's Day Parade

The Duke of Cambridge poses for the Corporals' Mess group photo with the Irish Guards as one gentleman tries to take a selfie

So unthinking were her advisers in Kensington Palace that when a row about her absence erupted they replied that shed simply gone home to Norfolk to be with her children. For Kate to miss an opportunity to honour the Armed Forces with such a lame excuse shows a distinct lack of understanding.

If she wants to be thought of as a modern princess who will go the extra mile for the brave soldiers she represents through her charities, she should have been there at their new barracks at Hounslow, not at home in Anmer Hall.

It somehow made the covenant between Royals and the military look as if it didnt matter.

Kate Middleton presenting a shamrock to Regimental Mascot Domhnall during the St Patrick's Day parade at Mons Barracks in March 2014

The Duchesss advisers should have stopped to think how pitiful an excuse it looked to soldiers who have been divided from their families for months on operational tours since British Forces became engaged in the War on Terror in 2003. But they clearly did not.

Sadly, for William and Kate, who could do no wrong at the time of their marriage in April 2011, its another unnecessary mistake.

Last month the Duke failed to show up at the Baftas for the second year running. He is the Academys president, so its as if the cream of British cinema and a clutch of Hollywood A-listers had been stood up by their host. Again.

The Duke and Duchess have had their decision to leave London for the safety and privacy of Anmer Hall in Norfolk wholly indulged.

Who could criticise Prince Williams insistence that his children are not exposed to the same kind of scrutiny he had as a child. In this he is fully supported by the Queen, his father the Prince of Wales, the British media and the British people.

Prince William said recently that the growing criticism of himself and his wife came with the territory. But it doesnt have to.

If he did not appear to be chafing quite so much at his Royal responsibilities and was more accepting of the affection on offer from the millions who will one day be his subjects, he could be forgiven a lot.

The Duke and Duchess pose for an official St Patrick's Day photograph with the Irish Guards in 2013

The enormous global popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge means there could be a contemporary compromise somewhere between the formality and remoteness of a century ago and the temporary madness of the Diana and Fergie years.

Prince William seems to be impervious to this idea. Instead he has begun to groom foreign media who give him the same platitudinous message that they give various celebrities.

While holding the British press at arms length, the younger members of the Royal Family are giving cuddly, banal interviews to favoured publications and American TV networks.

When William and Kate first married they insisted they didnt want to be hidden in the ivory tower of royalty

Kate recently guest edited US website The Huffington Post, which was a strange choice since the site has previously published unflattering paparazzi pictures of her.

When William and Kate first married they insisted they didnt want to be hidden in the ivory tower of royalty. They wanted to be with the people doing what they did, not surrounded by riches and privilege. Now they are doing just that.

Of course they will one day be anointed King and Queen, and they will need their people behind them. Courting favour overseas wont work and nor will ignoring public opinion at home.

They may have been thrilled by their own cleverness at having a secret four-day ski break in Courchevel earlier this month but where they see an entitlement to privacy, the public see a rich, increasingly spoiled couple growing surprisingly distant.

The Queen is held up as a model of industry and decorum for the younger members of the Firm, but even she is not immune to the occasional longing for a lie-in or a TV dinner when she knows that its impossible.

The Queen Mother used to call it devoir, the French for duty. If she thought her daughter was exhausted or fed up  and the Queen is not superhuman  she would whisper the word devoir. It was their code to carry on regardless.

For more than 63 years the Queen has done exactly that and today she herself points out that the art of being Royal is a matter of practice.

They may have been thrilled by their own cleverness at having a secret four-day ski break in Courchevel earlier this month but where they see an entitlement to privacy, the public see a rich, increasingly spoiled couple growing surprisingly distant

Today Prince Charles is the hardest working member of his family, burning the midnight oil reading state boxes, writing missives and sending letters. He is pictured here with local imams after visiting a mosque on March 19 in Prizren, Kosovo

A few hours of Kates time to present shamrocks is just a small one compared to the ultimate sacrifice which remains a reality for the military men she let down on St Patricks Day Ingrid Seward

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have proved themselves expert at this. Today Prince Charles is the hardest working member of his family, burning the midnight oil reading state boxes, writing missives and sending letters.

Camilla has taken her pragmatic place by his side and in the life of the British nation. Like the Queen Mother, she knows a senior female Royal with a big hat and a warm smile really matters.

I have been writing about and observing the Royal Family since the 1980s, and have seen Royal life change substantially as they face the challenge of taking the Monarchy forward into the next century.

William with Kate, the first girl with true working-class roots to marry a future king, should be the couple most capable of bringing the Monarchy closer to the people.

Thats going to involve some degree of personal sacrifice from them. But a few hours of Kates time to present shamrocks is just a small one compared to the ultimate sacrifice which remains a reality for the military men she let down on St Patricks Day.
The Monaco royal family pulled out all the stops for the annual Rose Ball in glamorous evening gowns - and some other quirkier ensembles.

Princess Caroline of Hanover, 59, wore an intricate fishtail dress as she accompanied her brother Prince Albert, 59, to the celebrations at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club.

Her daughters Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Charlotte Casiraghi also both stunned in statement outfits at the charity event last night - with the latter opting for a satin pearl-embellished jumpsuit and a sheer cape.

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Princess Caroline of Hanover, 59, wore an intricate fishtail dress as she accompanied her brother Prince Albert, 59, left, to the Rose Ball. The princess also invited friend Karl Lagerfeld, right

Princess Alexandra holds hands with brother Pierre's wife Beatrice as they pose for a photo together

Princess Alexandra, the only child of Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst August, wore a billowing nude dress in an organza fabric, and later removed the top half to reveal a bandeau style neckline.

She chose natural make-up for the evening and wore her hair in pretty tousled waves.

While her sister Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Caroline and the late Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist, certainly wowed in her quirky ensemble.

Charlotte paired the ivory jumpsuit with platform heels and a silver box clutch, while her sheer cape added drama.

She finished off the look with minimal jewellery and her dark brown hair slicked back.

Caroline's sons, Andrea Casiraghi and Pierre Casiraghi, also looked dapper for the occasion and sported traditional tuxedos.

Princess Alexandra removed the top layer of her dress to get on the dance floor and enjoyed a twirl with a male friend

Andrea Casiraghi, from left to right, Tatiana Casiraghi, Charlotte Casiraghi, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Beatrice Boromeo-Casiraghi and Pierre Casiraghi arrive for the annual Rose Ball

Charlotte and Alexandra smile for the camera as Pierre looks adoringly at wife Beatrice

Beatrice pulled out all the stops in this scarlet dress with a ruffled train and certainly made an impression

Alexandra wore natural makeup to show her healthy complexion and her hair in a relaxed style simply waved

Charlotte chose a striking outfit with a satin jumpsuit and a glittering cape and platform heels

Charlotte later ditched her cape to get on the dance floor, pictured with Juliette Maillot

Beatrice looked elegant in her strapless dress and chose an emerald necklace with matching earrings

Beatrice and husband Pierre hit the dancefloor together and shared a romantic moment

Beatrice wore her hair in an elegant bun with wispy tendrils to frame her face and Pierre couldn't take his eyes off her

Charlotte seemed to enjoy the entertainment as she clapped away on the dancefloor

Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Andrea Casiraghi smile for a picture at the 62nd Rose Ball

Andrea's wife socialite Tatiana Casiraghi chose a layered damson-hued dress for the sophisticated event, teaming it with a draped black jacket.

Pierre's wife Beatrice Boromeo-Casiraghi made a statement in red choosing a ruffled strapless gown worthy of an awards ceremony with a bold jewelled pendant.

Princess Caroline also invited her friend, designer Karl Lagerfeld, to join the celebrations.

Prince Albert, who wore a white blazer with a black bowtie, attended the glamorous event without wife Princess Charlene of Monaco. It was not known why the princess did not make an appearance.

The couple took their 15-month-old twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques to Switzerland last week to celebrate Prince Albert's birthday.

The Rose Ball was first thrown in 1954 by Princess Grace of Monaco, the American actress who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

The event is currently presided over by the Sovereign Prince Albert II and Princess Caroline of Hanover and the funds raised go towards the Princess Grace Foundation, which assists young artists.

From left to right, Beatrice Casiraghi, Pierre Casiraghi, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Princess Caroline of Hanover, Charlotte Casiraghi, Tatiana Casiraghi, Andrea Casiraghi and Karl Lagerfeld attend the ball

Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline of Hanover arrive for the annual Rose Ball

Princess Caroline wore an intricate pleated dress for the glamorous event while Chanel creative director KArl Lagerfeld wore a metallic blazer

Princess Caroline wore golden hoops with her hair sweeped back for the ball first started by Grace Kelly

Caroline invited friend Karl to attend the ball filled with stylish guests

Charlotte looked radiant at last night's ball and kept her makeup modern and minimal to contrast match her sleek hair

The floral decorations certainly looked tropical at the glamorous occasion with plenty of plants dotted around the table

People stand among tables and decorations prior to the annual Rose Ball at the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club i

Rows of tables were later filled by glamorous guests at the ball thrown by the royal family in Monaco

Tables and decorations in flamboyant colours are set up for the annual Rose Ball




Amal Clooney left the glamour of the red carpet far behind today as she addressed the issue of human rights in the Middle East.

Amal, 38, was a headline speaker at the International Government Communications Forum, which included the ruler of the emirate of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

The Lebanese-born British lawyer chose a Stella McCartney floral dress for her moment behind the podium at the conference in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Amal Clooney made a statement in a Stella McCartney floral dress as she addressed an audienceat the International Government Communications Forum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Mrs Clooney, the wife of George Clooney, looked elegant but business-like in a Stella McCartney dress with contrasting floral detailing which she paired with delicate drop pearl earrings.

She told the forum Arab countries are facing 'an unprecedented human rights crisis'. She urged that criticism of ruling systems be met with dialogue, not prison terms, and that protests be met with 'crowd control,' not bullets.

She said governments around the world should be vocal, consistent, principled and transparent about human rights.

Mrs Clooney said: 'The first piece of advice I would have from my experience is that governments need to be vocal about human rights.

'My advice to you is not only to be vocal and consistent, but also to be principled in communications about human rights.

'The fourth suggestion I have is to be quick,' she said. 'Governments must be prepared to be transparent and get their message out first.'

Amal Alamuddin Clooney listens to the national anthem during the opening ceremony of the International Government Communications Forum

The Lebanese-born British lawyer mentioned countries such as Sudan, Iran and North Korea in her 12-minute speech

Mrs Clooney mentioned countries such as Sudan, Iran and North Korea in her 12-minute speech, however she made no specific references to rights abuses in Gulf Arab countries or the humanitarian toll of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, which the UAE is taking part in.

U.N. human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein condemned the 'repeated failure' of the coalition to avoid hitting civilians after more than 100 people were killed in an airstrike on a crowded market Tuesday.

Last month, Mrs Clooney and her husband met German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the crisis in Syria and met with refugees in Berlin.

Amal Clooney has taken on high-profile international cases, including representing Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohammed Fahmy, who spent more than a year imprisoned in Egypt before he and a fellow reporter from Al-Jazeera English received presidential pardons.

She was also part of a legal team seeking greater recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Another day, another exciting reunion of the Gilmore Girls' cast caught on camera.

This time it was Alexis Bledel, 34, who plays Rory Gilmore in the show, and Kelly Bishop, 72, who plays Rory's grandmother Emily Gilmore, who have been snapped behind-the-scenes as the cast of the classic show record the new reboot.

The photo was taken by actor Tanc Sade, who plays Rory love interest Logan Huntzberger's Australian friend, Finn, in the series, who posted it to Instagram with the caption: 'Quick snap with Alexis and Kelly. Sorry it's so fuzzy.'

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Bringing it back: Alexis Bledel (left), 34, and Kelly Bishop (center), 72, are the latest members of the Gilmore Girls' cast to appear in a behind-the-scenes shot posted by actor Tanc Sade (right)

Back in the day:Alexis and Kelly played the studious granddaughter and stern grandmother of the Gilmore family along with Lauren Graham (right)

The picture shows Tanc in a dark T-shirt towering over the petite Kelly, who wears a cardigan over a striped top, and Alexis in a flowery blouse next to her.

The pair play studious granddaughter and stern grandmother in the hit series, which is currently filming its revival series Gilmore Girls: Seasons.

As filming has been going on, fans have been delighted by plenty of other behind-the-scenes sneak peeks provided by the cast on social media.

Nearly all of the show's leading actors are due to return in the series - with the exception of the too busy Melissa McCarthy and Edward Herrmann, who played Emily's husband and Rory's grandfather Richard Gilmore, and who passed away in 2014.

Much missed: The show is due to feature the return of nearly all of the show's main cast, though sadly not Edward Herrmann (center), who passed away in 2014 and played Richard Gilmore in the series

The blink of an eye: Yanic Truesdale - who plays Michel Gerard in the show - and Lauren Graham - Lorelai Gilmore - pose in a social media post in February (left) and on the show back in 2006 (right)

Longtime loves: Danny Strong (right) - who plays Doyle in the show - shared an image of himself with his onscreen love Liza Weil (left), who plays Paris Geller

Among those sharing online from the set include Yanic Truesdale - who plays Michel Gerard in the show - shared an image of himself and Lauren Graham - Lorelai Gilmore - just last month and Danny Strong - who plays Doyle - declared he was 'back at Stars Hollow' with a snap of him and onscreen love interest Paris, played by Liza Weil.

Scott Patterson, who plays Lorelai's flame Luke Danes, shared his flannel shirt with the Luke's Diner logo to mark filming the new series.

Fans were also thrilled to learn that all three of Rory's love interests would be returning to the show, including Milo Ventimiglia (Jess), Matt Czuchry (Logan) and Jared Padalecki (Dean).

Both Milo and Jared have also shared images from the set, with Milo posting an image of the show's script on his Twitter page and Jared sharing a photo of his name on a trailer.

'#GilmoreGirlsRevival 'Nuff Said,' Jared wrote as he stood outside his trailer on set of the upcoming Netflix revival.

Putting it on: Scott Patterson, who plays Lorelai's flame Luke Danes, on the show shared his Luke's Diner uniform on Twitter

'#GilmoreGirlsRevival 'Nuff Said': Jared Padalecki, 33, tweeted a photo as he stood outside his trailer on set of Gilmore Girls: Seasons

Showing off the good looks that helped his character win Rory's heart in the first season of the hit show, Jared cracks a smile next to his name, which is followed by 'Dean'.

Jared's character was present in the series from the very first episode, where he met Rory and subsequently was in a relationship with her for almost three years.

However, the relationship was off the off and on sort, with Rory eventually going on to date Jess and then Logan.

Dean was also married for a time, but then rekindled his romance with Rory, ending his marriage to be with her

Look of love! Jared starred as Dean Forester who was Rory Gilmore's (Alexis Bledel) most devoted boyfriend

Excitement! Fans were thrilled when it was announced Padalecki would return as Dean Forester for Gilmore Girls: Seasons

But despite that, Rory's upper-class life and friends eventually made Dean feel alienated, leading their relationship to break down.

As for what happened to the character in the intervening years, Jared told E! News in June: '[Dean is] probably working at Doosey's.'

'Hopefully he's a manager by now. He's flipping the hot dogs and filling up the Slushee machine, he's probably holding down the fort. Dean was always a pretty low-key guy!'
A woman hopes to be the first to become pregnant after having an ovary removed as an eight-year-old then re-implanted.

Moaza Alnatrooshi, 23, had one of her ovaries removed and frozen before undergoing chemotherapy.

If an embryo is implanted successfully next month, she will be the first woman to become pregnant after having her ovary frozen well before puberty.

Sara Matthews, consultant gynaecologist (left) with Moaza Alnatrooshi (right). Miss Matthews and a team of Danish doctors re-implanted Mrs Alnatrooshi's ovarian tissue

The news gives hope to thousands of girls whose treatment for cancer and other diseases could damage their reproductive organs.

Mrs Alnatrooshi had the ovary frozen before she was treated for beta thalassaemia, which is an inherited blood disorder, at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

She needed chemotherapy, which damages the ovaries, before a bone marrow transplant from her brother.

Fearing her daughter would never be able to conceive, her mother investigated methods of saving her fertility.

She decided to have her daughters ovary removed before the treatment and frozen at a specialist centre in Leeds.

Mrs Alnatrooshis remaining ovary had been left only partially functioning after treatment and, at the age of 21, she suffered an early menopause.

Last year doctors arranged for the frozen ovary to be transported to Denmark, where the transplant took place.

The ovarian tissue was re-implanted last August, with Dr Sara Matthews, who is a consultant gynaecologist at the private Portland Hospital for women and children in London, assisting the Danish doctors who have pioneered ovary freezing and transplantation.

After the operation, Mrs Alnatrooshis hormones returned to normal levels and she and her husband Ahmed underwent IVF treatment to increase their chance of pregnancy.

Eight eggs were collected and three embryos have been produced.

The embryos were frozen and Mrs Alnatrooshi is expected to have one of them implanted next month.

HOW DO SCIENTISTS FREEZE OVARIES? Ovarian tissue freezing involves either taking a whole ovary or small pieces of tissue from an ovary, containing eggs, which is then frozen and stored. The ovary or tissue could later be transplanted back to potentially restore natural fertility. However, ovarian tissue is fragile under some freezing conditions and putting it back into the body carries the risk of re-introducing cancerous cells. Currently only a few centres in the UK offer the service of storing ovarian tissue. Only a small number of babies, less than 20, have been born worldwide following transplantation of frozen-thawed ovarian tissue and no pregnancies have resulted from whole ovary transplants. Source: The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Unit Advertisement

Doctors are confident that, because of her young age, it will be successful and she will become pregnant.

Mrs Alnatrooshi, who is from Dubai, told the Sunday Times: There is nothing that makes me happier than using my own ovary. My mum did this huge thing for me which is that she froze my ovary and saved it for me until I grew up and used it.

I am so happy that Dr Matthews got eight eggs. I have hope. I want to believe I will be pregnant. I cannot wait for that day. I would like to say to all women that they have got to have hope.

Dr Matthews said: This allows young girls who develop cancer or have other conditions that require chemotherapy, like beta thalassaemia, to have children where the vast majority, over 90 per cent, would not be able to have their own children. There is no other way at the moment to do it.

You cannot grow eggs. You cant do IVF [before the chemotherapy] because they havent gone through puberty.

It is the only option for them and we have been able to prove that, in practice, it works.

Professor Claus Yding Andersen of Copenhagen University, who organised Mrs Alnatrooshis operation in Denmark, said: If Moaza becomes pregnant this will be the first pregnancy where eggs were derived from ovarian tissue removed at an early age, prior to puberty.

Just the fact that such eggs can be fertilised successfully raises hope for the many young girls who will, unfortunately, experience childhood cancer.

Hopefully this case will lead to the more widespread use of this procedure in the UK.

St Georges Hospital in South West London is preparing to offer ovary freezing in a collaboration with Professor Yding Andersen.

His team will travel to London to carry out freezing and storage. Dr Gedis Grudzinskas, who is on the steering committee of the PreFer service at St Georges Hospital, said: This gives realistic hope to thousands of women in the UK.

In November 2014, a woman gave birth after having her ovarian tissue removed as a 13-year-old and later re-implanted.

The woman, who was treated in Belgium, had the tissue removed after suffering sickle cell anaemia. Aged 28 she had a healthy boy, and doctors said there was no reason she could not go on to have further children.
Julian Clary started on the mid-Eighties alternative comedy circuit as a flamboyant act called The Joan Collins Fan Club, in the days when he only knew Collins from the telly

Most people spend their lives trying to be nice and hiding away the nasty parts of themselves. I seem to be doing it the other way round. This is the part of me that was kept hidden,' said Julian Clary

Its one of the most unlikely friendships in showbusiness: Dame Joan Collins, 82-year-old Hollywood superstar, and Julian Clary, the camp comedian more than 25 years her junior.

We play a lot of poker, says Clary, 56. Shes terribly good. And of course she is Joan Collins, which is a constant thrill.

'I go and stay with her in the South of France. She comes to stay with me at my house in Kent.

'She comes with Percy [her fifth husband]. It is cosy and domestic. Shes not very starry, shes just fun.

But they also go out on the town together  to venues like Claridges, where she held a party last year to celebrate being made a dame, with guests including Sir Michael Caine and Richard E Grant.

Shes very camp and loves getting dressed up and going out, things you wouldnt think she could be bothered to do at her age. And, of course, I saved her life.

Hes not kidding. Collins was relaxing in the sun at her place in St Tropez when Clary came to the rescue.

As The Joan Collins Fan Club in the Eighties. I was in the bath when I thought of it. I heard the Dynasty music from the next room and it just came to me,' he said

She was in the deep end on a floating armchair when the thing flipped upside-down on top of her, he revealed last summer.

I became aware of these muffled cries for help, and so without a thought for my own safety I leapt in and rescued her.

Clary has turned this anecdote into the first half-hour of his new live show, The Joy Of Mincing.

I dont want to give away the punchline, he teases, but we can take it she survived.

Its all come full circle. Clary started on the mid-Eighties alternative comedy circuit as a flamboyant act called The Joan Collins Fan Club, in the days when he only knew Collins from the telly.

I was in the bath when I thought of it. I heard the Dynasty music from the next room and it just came to me.

She was then the biggest star on TV, playing Alexis Colby in Dynasty  a world away from the life of the recent graduate, who was soon performing to tiny audiences under his new banner, alongside his whippet, Fanny the Wonder Dog.

The Joan Collins Fan Club got him noticed, and he landed a spoof game show for Channel 4 called Sticky Moments.

These days, Clary does a big panto every year, which is how he came to meet Collins.

On Joan Collins: Shes very camp and loves getting dressed up and going out, things you wouldnt think she could be bothered to do at her age,' said Julian (pictured in panto in 2010 with Collins and Nigel Havers)

We did panto together in Birmingham six years ago. After a frosty beginning, we became good friends.

Once seen as too dangerous for family TV, Clary now appeals to all ages, with a new childrens book, The Bolds To The Rescue, about a bunch of zany hyenas living undercover as humans.

I love writing them. When I was seven, thats a story Id have told myself.

The Bolds live in Surrey, as he did, and love to have a laugh, as hyenas do. Clary has been travelling the country reading the books and talks about the characters as illustrator David Roberts draws them on stage.

Its a lovely, civilised world, he says. The crowd can be tough, though.

'If its not funny they dont laugh. They dont humour you  to make children laugh is a thing of great joy. I have been really touched by it.

Most people spend their lives trying to be nice and hiding away the nasty parts of themselves.

'I seem to be doing it the other way round. This is the part of me that was kept hidden. Its a relief for me to write in this way. I hope they go on and on.

And Dame Joan would surely agree.

The Bolds To The Rescue is out now. Clary tours The Joy Of Mincing until May 27.

For tickets, go to julianclary.co.uk




Hollywood might be obsessed with anti-ageing, but actress CAMERON DIAZs philosophy is all about ageing well. She lets Elaine Lipworth in on the secret to looking  and feeling  this good at 43

'My youth has gone. Im not young any more and I am perfectly OK with that. We see getting older as something negative, but if youre not ageing theres only one other alternativeand that one sucks,' says Cameron

'When I was in my 20s, I couldnt wait to be in my 30s; and in my 30s, I looked forward to my 40s.

'My youth has gone. Im not young any more and I am perfectly ok with that, says Cameron Diaz cheerfully.

Your youth is only with you for so long and, if youre lucky, youll be older for longer than you were ever young.

Paradoxically, given her philosophical attitude, the Hollywood actress is at the pinnacle of a profession in which the cult of youth is ubiquitous and beauty is still one of its main currencies  at least for women.

So it is interesting that, at 43, the star of blockbusters such as My Best Friends Wedding, Charlies Angels, Bad Teacher and Shrek is anticipating her 50s with enthusiasm.

'Sometimes I am right on point and take care of myself; other days I feel, I could have done better getting more sleep, being kinder to myself,' says Cameron

We see getting older as something negative, but if youre not ageing theres only one other alternativeand that one sucks, says Cameron.

If we understand in a positive way what is going to happen to our bodies and what we can do to stay strong and resilient, we dont need to keep wishing that we could get back whats behind us. We can actually enjoy the fulfilment and wisdom that comes with ageing.

In Hollywood, which Cameron admits bears a large part of the responsibility for how we view ageing, telling us that older is ugly or less valuable, her approach is radical.

But Cameron isnt making her pronouncements with the intention of changing her industry.

She is simply encouraging women to take a fresh look at the whole business of ageing, and has followed the success of her 2013 bestseller The Body Book with The Longevity Book: Live Stronger, Live Better, The Art of Ageing Well. Delivering clear, factual information about all aspects of the ageing process, from grey hair and wrinkles to menopause and the midlife crisis (which she renames midlife celebration), its full of practical advice.

Cameron married Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden, 37, in January last year (Benjis twin brother Joel is married to Nicole Richie). Im so grateful because I know that I have my partner for life, she says

I suggest that it must be easier for a wealthy and beautiful film star to age gracefully than for the rest of us? She disagrees.

It has to do with choices everyone can make every day that dont have anything to do with luxury. Am I going to buy a frozen meal and put it in the microwave, or order in food and then be on the internet for two hours; or am I going to buy fresh ingredients and spend time cooking and decide not to turn on the TV tonight?

'But sometimes you do better than other times.

'Sometimes I am right on point and take care of myself; other days I feel, I could have done better getting more sleep, being kinder to myself.

Too many people get to their 50s and their health all of a sudden slides out from underneath them and theyre sick for the next 20 years.

'Theyre on medication, miserable, trying to feel good for one day.

Instead, Cameron proposes a positive way to grow older with strength, grace, health and wisdom.

The actress interviewed eminent doctors and scientists at Americas National Institutes of Health and prestigious universities.

She found the research itself unaccountably rewarding.

Cameron with her family celebrating her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Its the most fun, she exclaims, adding that the rigorous endeavour involved in any project that requires concentrated focus can result in health benefits.

You are building your brain so that it gets stronger and becomes more resilient and less susceptible to dementia. Its similar to learning a new instrument or a new skill. Learning helps your brain.

Interspersed with anatomical illustrations, scientific research and lively discussion, theres a section on the biology of ageing and the emerging field of geroscience, which examines the relationship between ageing and disease  as well as information about conditions such as breast cancer, thyroid disease and hypertension.

As outlined in the book, studies have shown that the worlds happiest people are aged between 82 and 85 and along with the sags and bags, feelings of happiness and satisfaction actually increase with age.

Cameron also has sound psychological suggestions, for example, cultivating an optimistic outlook, something that clearly comes naturally to her.

In my 50s I look forward to knowing myself on a spiritual level and being with the people I love, she says.

'If you look at me in a film from 20 years ago and you look at me now, you are going to see a difference. But the truth for me is that those were 20 years of living and I dont focus on what I look like,' says Cameron

Cameron married Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden, 37, in January last year (Benjis twin brother Joel is married to Nicole Richie).

Im so grateful because I know that I have my partner for life, she says.

Having meaningful, loving relationships [not necessarily a romantic partner] is one of the key components to living a longer, happier life.

If there are visible creases around her vivid blue eyes, shes not concerned.

Beauty appreciates, not depreciates, she says. It grows, not fades.

She admits that she has tried Botox and fillers. Her current views on cosmetic surgery?

Things change; how I feel about it today is different from the way I felt two years ago.

'Its evolving constantly, so Im not going to limit myself and make a remark about whether or not Ill do something [cosmetic surgery]. Im not somebody who makes definitive statements about anything.

Is she happy with her appearance?

If you look at me in a film from 20 years ago and you look at me now, you are going to see a difference.

'But the truth for me is that those were 20 years of living and I dont focus on what I look like.

'I focus on the experiences Ive had,

Cameron with her Charlies Angels co-stars Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu

Cameron laughs, at pains to point out that Longevity is not an anti-ageing manual and the focus isnt on looks.

Her optimistic demeanour was fostered during a happy childhood in a working-class neighbourhood of Long Beach, just south of Los Angeles, where money was in short supply but affection was plentiful.

Cameron was raised with her elder sister Chimene by her late father Emilio (he died of pneumonia in 2008) and her mother Billie, evidently a great role model.

I never once heard her make a negative comment about herself or have any body loathing; she never said, Oh, Im fat or, Im too skinny.

'I think thats amazing, because most women do have that [attitude] and dont realise theyre passing it on to their children.

Her father was also a big influence.

He was very gregarious, very engaging and very loyal. My parents had a loving relationship.

Does she have a greater sense of her own mortality since embarking on her investigation into the ageing process?

No, I am not afraid of death, she says. But what Im talking about in my book is living, being proactive and looking towards the future with hope

Her biggest key to stress relief?

Meditation: its incredible and life-changing, she says.

Cameron with Jude Law in The Holiday

Cameron practises Transcendental Meditation on a daily basis, a technique she learned from director David Lynchs Foundation for Consciousness-based Education.

Everybody benefits from meditation because it helps us rest and regenerate and repair our bodies.

'The hardest part is to find time to do it when youre crazily busy, but thats the point.

'With 20 minutes meditation a day, you will do so much more than you would ever be able to do if you werent meditating. Youll feel great.

Cameron also advocates spending quality time with friends. She meets her close-knit group, which includes Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow, on a monthly basis.

Everybodys life is different and were all spread out, we have different responsibilities and careers, so we make an effort to stay connected.

'We love just being together, sharing meals; whatever we end up doing is nourishing.

They often cook for each other.

Gwyneth is an amazing cook. Ive watched her in the kitchen; she has all her bowls in front of her and goes, How about a little bit of this and a little bit of that?

'Her recipes are incredible; I am more a home cook. I have certain things that I do well. I love to roast a chicken and play around with fresh herbs. I lean heavily on garlic, oil, lemon, salt and tomatoes  a sort of Italian flavour.

'But Gwyneth is fearless.

Cameron in What Happens in Vegas with Ashton Kutcher

During our conversation, theres been no mention of Camerons film career.

Two years ago she starred in the hit comedy The Other Woman and a film update of Annie, but she tells me that while she has always loved acting and making movies is rewarding, I have nothing coming out and nothing looking ahead.

'At some point Ill go back to it, but this [her writing and research] is what Im engaged in at the moment.

In the meantime, shes enjoying marriage and the simple pleasures of life.

Cameron says she has discovered a part of myself that I never knew existed. I understand that something builds deep within you.

'Weve learnt so much about ourselves in our first year, about the commitment involved, which is the cornerstone of everything.

'Its not something that I thought would be different  but now I get it. Apparently I was missing something.

Cameron in Bad Teacher

She sounds smitten.

People just say you know when you knowand I did.

Are they considering starting a family?

The one thing Ive always said is never say never.

Cameron told me a couple of years ago she thought she would make a good mother.

I certainly feel that way, she says. I think as you get older you know more; I have more to offer a child now than I did when I was 25.

'I dont know whats going to happen in life and thats the beauty of it; getting married is the perfect example of that.

'You make choices and take a course for your future, but you dont know where its going to end up. I am not in control. I am here for the ride.

CANDID CAMERON

'Do the best you can, try your hardest as often as you can,' says Cameron

WHAT'S ON YOUR BEDSIDE TABLE?

Nothing, I dont like clutter around where I sleep.

SO IF YOU'RE NOT READING...

Ive been listening to a lot of Ted talks: Monica Lewinskys The Price Of Shame about the media, Elizabeth Gilberts Your Elusive Creative Genius and How Our Microbes Make Us Who We Are by biologist Rob Knight  I like science lectures.

WHAT MUSIC ARE YOUR PLAYING?

My husbands band Good Charlotte, which makes me happy.

FAVOURITE CLOTHES?

Anything cashmere. I love the way it feels.

GO-TO RECIPE?

A delicious green juice with literally anything green.

MOTTO?

Do the best you can, try your hardest as often as you can.

GOALS?

Id like to write another book. Im waiting for inspiration.

Live well, age well

In this exclusive extract from CAMERON DIAZs new book, she explains how growing old healthily is the key to a truly fulfilling life

Around my 40th birthday, I started thinking about what it means to age. None of us is immune to the passage of time.

The best things we can do for ourselves as we grow older also happen to be some of our favourite things to do. Eating good food, developing our muscles, getting a good nights sleep, loving other people, laughing, relaxing, finding joy in the world. The best way to age well isnt to worry about ageing. It is to live well. All those elements that make life beautiful are good for you.

While it sometimes seems as if all the changes of ageing show up overnight, shifts begin slowly and subtly in our cells and in our organs.

Heres a brief overview of how the passing years affect every system in our bodies.

Your respiratory system

As you get older, your lungs lose some elasticity, which means that you absorb slightly less oxygen into your bloodstream from the air you breathe. They also become less able to fight infections.

Stop smoking.

Get regular cardiovascular exercise.

Eat foods that are high in antioxidants to protect your cells.

Avoid lung irritants such as burning wood fires indoors or paint fumes.

Get your flu jab.

Your eyes

As we age, our eyes take a direct hit. Dry eye affects twice as many women as men over 50. Cataracts are more likely to occur in women than in men, too. Reading or looking at things close up may become harder.

Spend time away from the bright light of the computer or TV screen.

Wear sunglasses that protect against UV light when outdoors.

Drink plenty of water to keep your eyes hydrated.

Antioxidants such as betacarotene, vitamin C and minerals such as zinc are all important for eye health so eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Your skin

Decreased collagen production means that our skin becomes drier, less elastic and more prone to wrinkling as we age. In addition, as the fat layer under the skin thins, our tolerance for cold decreases (remember how your grandma always wore a sweater on days that didnt seem that cold to you?) and our risk of heatstroke increases. Our skin is more fragile and prone to cuts and bruises and it can also take up to four times longer to heal as it did in our youth.

Use moisturising products to help hydrate the skin.

Drink plenty of water.

Always wear sunscreen (your skin becomes more prone to sunburn as you age).

Your heart and blood vessels

With age, a womans risk of developing heart disease increases. So know the symptoms: neck, jaw, shoulder or abdominal discomfort; shortness of breath; arm pain; nausea or vomiting; sweating; light-headedness or dizziness; unusual fatigue.

Get regular check-ups and dont ignore the warning signs.

Eat well, get plenty of exercise and quit smoking.

Your digestive system

While ageing doesnt affect the digestive system as drastically as it does the other bodily systems, as we get older our stomach becomes less elastic and empties food more slowly. The large intestine may also slow down its job of eliminating waste. The liver loses cells with age and becomes smaller and less efficient which means the effects and side-effects of drugs and alcohol last longer in your system.

Eat plenty of fruit and veggies and drink lots of water.

If you dont get enough fluids or fibre you can become constipated and malnourished.

Your immune system

Your immune system uses various organs throughout the body to keep you healthy, such as your bone marrow, which makes blood cells, and your lymphatic system. With age, our immune system begins to slow down and respond to threats less quickly than it once did. This decline in immune health is linked to a rise in risk of cancer, pneumonia and influenza as we age.

Get enough sleep.

Reduce the stress in your life.

Get your flu shot every year, especially if you are over 65.

Your muscles and bones

Until the age of 35 our bodies continually build bone mass. After that we begin to lose it, as well as muscle tissue, which means less support for our weakened bones.

Eat foods high in calcium and vitamin C to help strengthen bones.

Weight training builds muscles even after the age of 35 if you put in the effort.

Building a stronger brain

In your 40s and 50s, the patterns youve come to rely on will shift. The way your body looks will change. The way your body responds to your nutrition and exercise habits will change. So lets get ready, because time is about to speed up and the road ahead may have some bumps you didnt anticipate when you were younger.

My job requires me to constantly reinvent myself. Each film is different and thats the best part: showing up every day and having to figure out how to do something Ive never done before.

I love getting the opportunity to learn new skills. I spent months studying martial arts for my role in Charlies Angels and practising singing for Annie. The cool thing is that every time I learn a new way of being physical, such as how to do a back flip hanging from wires, Im not just building muscles  Im creating connections in my brain. And the older I get the more valuable these connections become. The same goes for you, because everything and everyone we love, everything we know and recognise lives in the brain. Just as we build stronger muscles by challenging our bodies in ways that make them grow, we can build stronger brains by challenging our intellect and helping our brains grow new connections.

So protect your brain with learning, travel and new interests. Protect your brain with exercise. Studies have shown that people who exercise three times a week are less likely to experience cognitive decline or dementia later in life than people who are sedentary. Exercise also helps you think more clearly and reduces stress levels. Protect your brain with music. Studies show that when people listen to or play music their entire brain lights up with increased neural activity. Protect your brain with sleep and meditation.

There are things we can do to minimise the severity of ageing. Our brains can become stronger and more resilient by doing many of the things we already love to do: learning, moving, reading, resting. The same activities that help us stay engaged, active and sharp in the short term are also the very actions that can protect our minds over time.
Wonder what is common between lawmakers from diverse political backgrounds like Supriya Sule of Nationalist Congress Party, Dharmendra Yadav of Samajwadi Party, Shivaji Adhalrao Patil of Shiv Sena, Rajeev Satav of Congress and Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM?

They are among those parliamentarians who have been most active in the House and asked maximum number of questions in the 16th Lok Sabha.

PRS legislative research puts Sule, who represents Baramati in Maharashtra, on top of the list with 509 questions with Patil a close second with 497 queries.

Not far behind are Satav with 459, Yadav with 453 and Owaisi with 414 questions.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress chief whip in the lower House, is next in the list with 380 questions and his BJP counterpart Arjun Ram Meghwal is close behind with 309 questions.

All these lawmakers come from diverse backgrounds. While Sule is NCP chief Sharad Pawars daughter, Yadav is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs cousin.

Patil is a Shiv Sena veteran and Satav, a first-time lawmaker and a former Youth Congress head, is also a part of the team Rahul Gandhi.

Question Hour is the first hour of a sitting session of Lok Sabha devoted to questions that MPs raise about any aspect of administrative activity

Owaisi has been representing the Hyderabad seat for quite some time and is known for his strong views on various issues, especially those related to the minority community.

Though Satav has asked more questions than Scindia, the latters profile is much stronger as he is a former Union minister and is the son of late Congress veteran Madhavrao Scindia, who was close to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Experts say the high number of questions asked by these lawmakers suggest that they choose to play an active role in the House despite their busy schedules.

They further said lawmakers asking questions is a healthy democratic trend and ensures a system of accountability on part of the government of the day.

This also helps the government managers keep a tab on the issues of public importance being raised by the elected representatives.

Generally, the first hour of a sitting of the Lok Sabha is devoted to questions and is called the Question Hour.

It has a special significance in the proceedings of the Parliament. Asking questions is an inherent and unfettered parliamentary right of members.

It is during the Question Hour that the members can ask questions on every aspect of the administration and governmental activity.

Government policies in national as well as international spheres come into sharp focus as the members try to elicit pertinent information during the Question Hour.

The government is put on trial during the Question Hour and every minister, whose turn it is to answer the questions, has to stand up and answer for his or his administrations acts of omission and commission.

Through the Question Hour, the government is able to quickly feel the pulse of the nation and adapt its policies and actions accordingly.

It is through questions in Parliament that the government remains in touch with the people and are enabled thereby to ventilate the grievances of the public in matters concerning administration.

Questions enable ministries to gauge popular reactions to their policy and administration. They bring many issues to the fore which would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Sometimes questions may lead to the appointment of a commission, a court of enquiry or even legislation when matters raised are grave enough to agitate the public and are of wide public importance.

Lok Sabha speaker has often expressed her concern over disruption of the Question Hour and has urged party leaders to restrain their members from disrupting the House proceedings during the crucial session.

Some MPs find it difficult to be present

By Amit Agnihotri

While most members attend Parliament fairly regularly, there are some who find it difficult to be present.

Among the lawmakers in the Lok Sabha who have clocked below 10 per cent attendance are Bharatiya Janata Partys Sanwar Lal Jat with just three per cent, Congress Captain Amarinder Singh with seven per cent, TMCs Deepak Adhikari with 8 per cent and PDPs MH Baig with 10 per cent.

Interestingly, Captain Amarinder Singh is the deputy leader of the party in the lower House where the Congress members often keep trying to punch above their weight to counter the government.

He is now the face of Congress in Punjab, which will go to polls in 2017 and has been busy cultivating voters, said the sources.

Sources added that party affairs have kept Baig busy in Jammu and Kashmir ever since PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away plunging the BJP-PDP alliance into a whirlpool.

Those lawmakers whose attendance is in the 20 per cent range are YSR Congress SPY Reddy with 22 per cent, BJPs Ramchandra Hansdah with 22 per cent and BJPs Vitthalbhai H Radadia with 20 per cent.

Sirajuddin Ajmal of the AIUDF from poll bound Assam has 31 per cent attendance, Shrimant Bhonsle of NCP has 34 per cent while actor-turned-politician Hema Malini of the BJP has an attendance of 38 per cent in the 16th Lok Sabha so far.

JMMs Shibu Soren, who spends most of his time in Jharkhand, has 31 per cent attendance while TMCs Subrata Bakshi has 27 per cent and BJPs Anoop Mishra has 44 per cent.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who is at present the Congress chief in the state, clocked 49 per cent attendance probably due to his preoccupation with state politics.

Experts said parliamentarians ought to attend the House as much as possible, but it was for the various party leaders to question the members who have low attendance.

Usually, when the lawmakers remain absent, they miss the daily allowance, as part of their perks.

A member desiring permission of the House to remain absent from the sittings thereof under clause (4) of article 101 of the Constitution has to make an application in writing to the Speaker.

An application under sub rule (1) specifies the period for which leave of absence is required, indicating also the date of commencement and of termination of such leave of absence and the grounds for it.
Amidst BJPs claims of having enough strength to form government in Uttrakhand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday asserted that he was ready to prove his majority in the Assembly.

While group of BJP legislators along with rebels in the Congress are already camping in Delhi, sources said that Harish Rawat is expected to reach the national Capital on Saturday night to report to the Congress top brass about the political developments in the state.

The Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand came under threat on Friday night with 27 BJP legislators meeting Governor KK Paul and staking claims to form the government.

Leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt with rebel Congress MLAs, a BSP legislator and the party representatives after meeting Governor KK Paul

They were also joined by nine rebel legislators from the Congress, including former Chief Minister Vijay Bahugana and cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat.

The Governor has written to the chief minister and asked him to prove his majority on the floor of the house before March 28.

Sources claimed that a three-member BJP delegation of former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, BJP Uttrakhand incharge Shyam Jaju and general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya also met Paul on Friday night after the simmering discontent within a section of Congress legislature came to the fore.

On Sunday, Jaju said that BJP has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government in the state.

He said the party is willing to present the MLAs before President Pranab Mukherjee and insisted that Rawat should immediately resign given the loss of majority.

The nine rebel Congress MLAs have arrived in Delhi and are in touch with BJP leaders, he added.

The political crisis in Uttarakhand escalated on Sunday with BJP, claiming the support of the rebel MLAs, stepping up efforts to dislodge Rawat.

On a day of claims and counter-claims by the 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 be acted against.

Hitting back at the BJP, Congress accused PM Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah of seeking to destabilise non-BJP governments through the 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 said.

Rawat also rubbished BJPs claims that it had the support of 35 MLAs including the nine rebel MLAs.

He said at least five of those MLAs have made it clear that they are still with the party and continue to be members.

Amit Shah says BJP has given India a hope |

BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday said the BJP cant tolerate those raising anti-national slogans and freedom of expression cannot be a plea for shouting anti-national slogans.

Issues like nationalism, JNU, contributions of Sardar Patel and BR Ambedkar and achievements of government, particularly the pro-farmer initiatives, were discussed in detail at the National Executive meet in Delhi.

Addressing the party leaders Shah said that the BJP welcomes criticism on persons, parties or the government, but, it cant tolerate any criticism on the country.

LK Advani (extreme left), Amit Shah, Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley at BJP's National Executive meet in New Delhi

Shah attacked the Congress, saying its main focus was to ensure that the Modi dispensation does not perform, as he hailed the government for providing corruption-free governance and dynasty-free leadership and giving stability and hope to people.

Meanwhile, in the BJP Office Bearers meet, Narendra Modi stressed on the need of use of social media to reach out to people and asked them to work with an open mind.
With the Hublot watch incident, the mismanagement of farmers suicide and complaints from the private sector on the crumbling infrastructure of the IT Capital of the nation adversely affecting the image of Karnatakas Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Congress has undertaken a major damage control exercise.

It is in consultation with top brand management firms from Mumbai to give Siddaramaiah an image makeover!

That Siddaramaiah has been trying to correct his image on the basis of inputs from his friends and aides is not a secret anymore, because it has been kept outside the purview of the government.

Siddaramaiahs tenure has been marked with controversies and unrest in the state (file picture)

The task of negotiating with the image management companies has been entrusted to Siddaramaiahs aide and legislator Dr K Sudhakar.

According to reliable sources, Siddaramaiahs team has already consulted some of the top firms like APCO Worldwide and Brand Monachis.

However, Sudhakar, who refused to reveal the names of the firms, said: We are in discussion with a few companies to ensure that the governments programme and success stories reach out to common people. Siddaramaiah has done a remarkable job in the last two years. They need to be communicated effectively, he said.

The image management firm is expected to strengthen the communication strategy and make use of all media platforms for the next one year at least.

It is said that Siddaramaiah is favouring a campaign modelled on the lines of the one used by PM Narendra Modi during 2014 Parliamentary polls.

Though Siddaramaiah rode to power promising better administration and infrastructure, he has not been able to fulfill his promises till now.

His reign has been marked more by mismanagement of issues than achievements.

The party leaders are not happy with his performance.
Dr Nanda Madhav Bhattacharya, the 68-year-old father of Anirban Bhattacharya is relieved, though not completely.

On Friday, Anirban was granted interim bail by a Delhi court and is back to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus after spending three weeks in the police custody.

This however, is not enough to bring complete satisfaction to his ailing mother and for his father, who has been waiting anxiously for the son to come back.

JNU Students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya (right) were granted bail by Delhi court

Anirban and Umar Khalid were booked for organising an event on February 9 in which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

I am relieved. Though, I have not met him yet, but we (his mother and I) are really happy that he has been released. We have been praying for him and finally our prayers have been answered, Dr Bhattacharya told Mail Today.

No comments

Over the ongoing debate on nationalism, Anirbans father distanced himself from making any comments.

I dont want to comment on all these issues. Right now, I am just very happy and emotional at the same time. There is this rush of feelings inside me, he said.

A teacher by profession, Dr Bhattacharya has come all the way to Delhi from Cooch Behar in West Bengal to meet his son.

He recalled the early student days of his son in West Bengal before he moved to the JNU.

Though interested in politics, Anirban never indulged in political activities.

He never indulged in any such trouble and we wish the same for him in future. We discussed the current political scenario, but he maintained a safe distance from politics, Anirbans father said.

Umar Khalid, who has been found guilty by the university for arousing communal violence and disrupting communal harmony, was in custody along with Anirban for three weeks.

The duo walked out of the Tihar Jail on Friday.

They were accorded a huge welcome at the JNU campus, where they addressed the gathering and asserted that they are proud of the fact that their names have been added in the list of the freedom fighters and activists who have been booked under sedition for raising their voices.

I am extremely proud of my son. He has always been a good student. Many might not know, but he recently topped the Indian Society for Historical Researchs merit list. He might have his views but I am sure those points cant be against the country, the senior Bhattacharya said.

Anirbans mother, who had fallen sick after the news broke in, is now doing fine. She was recently taken to the hospital but is happy and recovering well.

She is back home and is equally happy, Anirbans father said.

When asked about the advice he would give Anirban when he meets him, Dr Bhattacharya said: I have nothing in my mind. I will first speak to him and understand the entire situation and only after that I would be able to say anything. I have still not got a chance to speak to him at length.

Meanwhile, Umar on Saturday presented a paper at the Young Scholars Conference at the University.

The Centre for Historical Studies (CHS), was to organise its annual Young Scholars Conference on February 18-20, however, the meet was postponed following the sequence of events that unfolded in Jawaharlal Nehru University after the controversial February 9 event.

Umar, who is pursuing his PhD in the department, presented a paper titled Changing Village Authority in the Adivasi Hinterland: State, Community and Contingencies of Rule in Singhbhum (1830-1893).
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has issued notices to five students asking them to explain their position over the burning of the copies of Manusmriti, a sacred, ancient legal text, despite the varsity denying permission.

The Chief Proctor's office has received a report from the Chief Security Officer in connection with the incident that happened on March 8 near Sabarmati Dhaba in the campus.

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.

JNU students will have to 'give an explaination' over the burning of Manusmriti texts in the campus

Weeks after the controversial event against Afzal Guru's hanging was held on the campus, five ABVP rebels joined by the 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 allegedly read out derogatory remarks against women in the book before they burnt the copies.

The university administration had said that they had denied permission for holding any such event and the security was beefed up.

We had denied 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 event video-graphed, a varsity official had said.

Meanwhile, the university has appointed a new registrar, Pramod Kumar who was an associate professor at DUs Aurobindo College.

He has been selected by a three-member panel to take over from Bhupinder Zutshi, whose tenure comes to an end on March 31.

Kumar, an alumni of JNU, will take the charge on March 21.

I have been informed of my selection for the post and I will take charge from Monday, he said.

Zutshi, who was an officiating official will continue to work as a professor.

In the wake of the current controversy, there have been repetitive demands from the students and the teachers for Zutshis removal for his alleged role in allowing the police inside the campus.

Upping their ante against him, the varsity's teachers association had last week decided to de-recognise any orders from him, stating that Zutshi had reached his retirement 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 as the chief proctor, after his predecessor Krishan Kumar had resigned from the post.
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.
The British arm of Whole Foods Market, the American health food supermarket giant, has moved into profit for the first time since launching nine years ago.

Accounts just filed for Whole Foods Markets nine UK stores  which include branches in Kensington, Camden, Cheltenham and Glasgow  show that a pre-tax loss of 7.5million in 2013-14 was turned into a pre-tax profit of 1.3million for the year to September 27, 2015.

Cotton trader: TV presenter Fearne is a fan of the trendy Whole Foods Market

Sales for the same period grew by 12.5 per cent from 101million to 114million. The directors said the latest results were evidence of our continued focus on strong store execution and customer satisfaction.

Whole Foods was founded in Austin, Texas, in 1980 and now has more than 430 stores in the US, Canada and the UK.
Slide: Boost Capitals Alex Littner

A sharp fall in the number of Government-backed loans being taken out by small businesses has been described as embarrassing by finance experts.

The British Business Banks latest figures show that just 482 Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) loans were offered in the last quarter of 2015. Businesses borrowed 56.2 million through the scheme during the period.

Both the number of loans offered and the overall value are the lowest quarterly figures since the scheme launched in 2009. When it began more than 2,000 loans were being offered every quarter at combined values of more than 250 million.

The scheme enables firms to get loans if banks will not lend to them because they cannot offer any assets as security. The Government, through the British Business Bank, provides a partial guarantee to lenders.

Despite the dwindling take-up of its loans, the Chancellor said in last weeks Budget that the scheme would be extended until at least 2018.

Alex Littner, managing director at alternative finance company Boost Capital, said: This fall is down to poor communication in how this works. The peak seems to have been when it first came into existence. Since then it has been diminishing year on year.

Its embarrassing really. The Budget was positioned with SMEs at its heart, but there was a real lack of commitment to increasing the flow of funds to small companies.

Littner said it was crucial that the Government and banks moved swiftly ahead with plans for a referral system in which firms refused loans by high street banks were passed on to alternative lenders.

The Chancellor last week said in the Budget that he would designate Bizfitech, Funding Options and Funding Xchange as delivery partners for the referral scheme.
A revolutionary renewable energy company chaired by a former British Sea Lord has raised half a million pounds from private investors to develop its power generating technology.

Witt Energy is seeking 750,000 through a crowdfunding offer on website Crowdcube and has now reached more than 500,000. The fundraising will represent just 7 per cent of the business, which is being valued at 10 million.

The valuation is high for a company that has yet to sell any products, but it has been set to reflect what it believes is the revolutionary nature of its invention.

Ship-shape: Witt, chaired by Sir James Burnell-Nugent, is making a device for marine use

Designed by engineer Martin Wickett, the system works by capturing energy from motion, with the first designs focusing on wave power.

But rather than requiring tide or waves to flow in a particular direction, the device captures energy from any random movement, even if it simply bobs up and down.

Witts chairman, Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, described the technology as the most exciting development in renewable energy since the solar panel.

The first planned product  the 200-watt Witt Marine  could be used to provide energy from ocean movement to a wide range of offshore situations, from lifeboats to offshore fish-farms.

The device could also be developed in a range of scales from pocket-sized to several metres.

The company envisages future products to provide energy from the simply motion of walking while carrying a small device, or from any other motion from wind, water or even animals.

The technology has secured patent protection and has won plaudits from the Duke of York, who in October named the firm as his entrepreneur of the week during his regular forum for start-up companies, pitch@palace.
A teenage girl who had semi-nude photos of herself stolen and distributed on social media last week has forgiven the man who leaked the pictures and says they have even become friends.

When Melbourne girl Kamila, 17, posted semi-nude photographs of herself on a women only Facebook page on Wednesday she didnt expect them to be leaked over social media.

She posted the images on the site asking for advice on which one to send to her boyfriend.

Kamila, 17, pictured, shared semi-nude photos of herself on a women only Facebook page but they were leaked after a man gained access to the page, claiming to have used a fake profile

Two of the photos were of her in her underwear, in the other two she was wearing a jumper and underwear.

The images were leaked within 24 hours by Lindor Jonuzi, 19, a Melbourne man who claimed to have accessed the all-girl group by using a fake account.

Kamila told Daily Mail Australia she was disappointed her photos were shared without her permission, but she had chosen to accept the man's apology.

'I am not angry at him because (the photos being leaked) was my consequence,' Kamila said.

'He has apologised to me, and feels really bad about it.

'He is actually a nice guy.'

Mr Jonuzi and Kamila have 'chatted' since he released the photos on a 'lads s**t shaming site' and are now 'on the way to becoming friends' according to Kamila.

In fact when Mr Jonuzi lost his job after being dobbed in by someone offended by his part in the incident Kamila supported him.

The young girl (left) admits it was her fault that the photos went public, she has even chosen to forgive Lindor Jonuzi (right) and says the two have become friends

'I called his boss and told them I had forgiven him and asked them to give him his job back,' she said.

'I was there for him even though he hurt me and had done this and I had to take the fall for it.'

'I was the one who told him to get rid of his Facebook after he received nasty messages, we have supported each other.'

Mr Jonuzi's post to the 'lads' Facebook page featured Kamila's whole post which asked the woman on the group to help her pick a photo to send to her boyfriend

Kamila was happy with Mr Jonuzi's apology following the incident, even though she was hurt that he leaked the photos

But cruel social media trolls have turned against Kamila and are blaming her for making Mr Jonuzi lose his job.

'People have messaged me and told me to go kill myself because he lost his job,' she said.

'But I didn't ask him to post the photos of me and I didn't tell his boss.

'Him getting fired is not my fault that was his consequence.'

She has been relentlessly bullied since Mr Jonuzi lost his job over the incident, some trolls telling her to 'kill her self'

She is angrier at the trolls sending her abusive messages than she is at Jonuzi for leaking the photos.

'I am so disappointed with the amount of girls and guys who have messaged me and told me to end my life.

'You don't tell people that it is just mean and it hurts.'

Mr Jonuzi, 19, lost his job following the incident, when a Facebook user dobbed him in. Kamila has received threats on Facebook from people blaming her for him losing his job

This message was sent to Mr Jonuzi's employer who terminated his employment after finding out about the cruel incident

The 17-year-old stands by her decision to post the photos to the girls-only page, even though they were leaked and she has copped hundreds of abusive messages.

'I was feeling good about myself and posted the photos.

'I don't regret it because the photos weren't that revealing I was wearing a bra and undies, if it was a girl posing in a bikini it wouldn't have been a big deal.'

'I shared the photo with the private group because I wanted to - sure I didn't want it to go public but that was my fault and I take the blame for that.

'I wouldn't have shared it with them, or with my boyfriend if I didn't want to,' she said.

She has decided to turn the bullying into a positive by posting the photos on her own timeline telling her friends what had happened and advocating for self love

And even though she has forgiven Mr Jonuzi she does find the situation a 'bit creepy'.

'The fact he said he made a face account just to be in a girl page it is kinda creepy.

'It is like spying on a girl from her bedroom window it is creepy.'

The teenager has asked us not to reveal her last name because she doesn't want to attract any more abuse from trolls online.

She says she wants society to 'teach boys to respect women' instead of 'teaching girls to keep to themselves'.

She has taken a stand against the bullies by blocking them on social media and standing up for her photos.

She says most of the people abusing her did not know the full story.

Kamila's boyfriend has been supporting her through this, but has not forgiven Jonuzi for what he did.
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.
CCTV footage has emerged of an alleged rapist walking away just moments after he dragged a 13-year-old girl into the bushes in a sickening attack about 100 metres from her home.

The 28-year-old man has been charged over the sexual assault of the schoolgirl who was approached at Sturdee Park in Loganlea, south of Brisbane, at about 4.30pm on Friday.

The alleged attacker grabbed the young girl from behind and repeatedly raped her in the bushes for more than an hour before she managed to break free and fled to a nearby property for help, 9NEWS reported.

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CCTV footage has emerged of an alleged rapist walking away just moments after he sexually assaulted a girl

The man allegedly grabbed the girl from behind and repeatedly raped her in the bushes for more than an hour

After dragging her screaming into the bushes, the man, who was believed to be drunk, was allegedly armed with a knife when he threatened her if she resisted, 7 News reported.

Queensland Police said officers were able to track down the suspect who was walking along a road about 1.5 kilometres from the scene after the girl provided a detailed description of him.

CCTV footage shows the suspect strolling along Kingston Road as detectives believed he changed his shirt shortly after the alleged assault in an attempt to disguise himself, according to 9News.

The alleged attacker was attired in black from head to toe as he wore a singlet, checkered 3/4 quarter shorts, sneakers and a backpack with a phone in his hand.

The young girl was grabbed from behind just moments before she was allegedly dragged into the bushes

Detectives believed he changed his shirt shortly after the alleged assault in an attempt to disguise himself

The 13-year-old girl was on her way home from school when she was approached just metres from home

A neighbour told The Sunday Mail the girl gave police an accurate description of the man, including his clothing, what he looked like and his tattoo.

Terrified residents who lived nearby to the park, have described the moment they heard screams.

'I heard a scream. It was a little scream. Kids are in there all the time so you hear it a lot,' a resident told The Sunday Mail.

'I didn't think anything of it. I have two young kids. We are moving after this.'

The girl was walking home from school on Friday afternoon when she was approached just metres from home

The 28-year-old man was taken into custody and charged for allegedly raping the girl in broad daylight

Founder of Bravehearts Hetty Johnston, who is one of Australia's leading child protection advocates, said the attacker should receive a life sentence.

'Don't ever release him because the next time they release him he'll kill somebody,' she told 7 News.

The man was taken into custody and he has since been charged with three counts of rape and one count of deprivation of liberty.
A Florida man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a $60,000 BMW a day after a car dealership turned him down from buying it with food stamps.

Nicholas Jackson went to an auto dealership where managers declined his business when he tried to buy the BMW with a credit card and his Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, authorities said.

On Thursday night, the Pompano Beach dealership was burglarized and the BMW was missing along with keys belonging to 60 other cars, according to the Martin County Sheriffs Office.

Nicholas Jackson, 36, of Florida was arrested (pictured) after allegedly stealing a $60,000 BMW a day after a car dealership turned him down from buying it with food stamps

Jackson went to an auto dealership on Thursday where managers declined his business when he tried to buy the BMW (pictured) with a credit card and his Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, authorities said

Authorities said 36-year-old Jackson did not have money to fill the tank of the stolen BMW and subsequently ran out of gas at an intersection.

When officers responded to a suspicious person call on Friday morning, they found Jackson, the BMW and the stolen keys, according to the sheriff's office.

Investigators were able to trace the BMW and the keys back to the Pompano Beach dealership.

Jackson has since been charged with grand theft auto and is being held in jail on a $20,000 bond.

That night, the Pompano Beach dealership was burglarized and the BMW was missing along with keys belonging to 60 other cars (pictured), according to the Martin County Sheriffs Office

Authorities said Jackson did not have money to fill the tank of the stolen BMW and subsequently ran out of gas at an intersection
But source close to Corbyn says that is 'utter rubbish - he's a very fit man'

Critics suggest that incident shows his health is not up to gruelling job

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured near his Islington home, injured his leg so badly that he broke off from a Labour rally in Newcastle to go to the local A&E

Jeremy Corbyn's bid to prove he is fit to be Labour leader has come unstuck after a jog in the park resulted in a visit to casualty.

Labour sources confirmed last night that the 66-year-old injured his leg so badly that he broke off from a Labour rally in Newcastle to go to the local accident and emergency unit.

But they angrily denied suggestions by Corbyn critics that the incident shows that his health is not up to the gruelling job of Opposition leader. A source close to Mr Corbyn said: 'That is utter rubbish  he's a very fit man.'

The Labour leader has already faced claims  dismissed as 'categorically untrue' by his staff  that he had briefly 'passed out' from stress in his office last year.

At Westminster last week, critics of Mr Corbyn were accused of reviving the 'smears' when he was spotted walking through the Commons with a pronounced limp.

But last night party sources insisted the Labour leader had simply injured his leg after going jogging in a park near his North London home the previous week.

They revealed that shortly afterwards, when he arrived in Newcastle for the Labour North conference, he broke off from the event to go to the emergency unit of the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

But a source denied rumours circulating among Labour MPs that Mr Corbyn had fallen when he arrived in the city on the Friday evening about ten days ago.

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The Labour leader has already faced claims  dismissed as 'categorically untrue' by his staff  that he had briefly 'passed out' from stress in his office last year

The source said: 'That's not true. He was limping when he set out for Newcastle and it didn't get any worse on the way up. When he got to the conference, there was a Labour member who was also a GP and she told him, 'You really need to go to hospital. You could have done anything with that leg.'

'Jeremy really didn't want to go but the GP banged on about it so much, he did.

'So he went and had a scan but they told him it was a pulled muscle and he'd be fine in a couple of weeks.'

Mr Corbyn was absent from the Labour event for no more than an hour and an half, according to the party source.

'He went back and made his speech,' he added.

In December, Mr Corbyn's team angrily accused moderate Labour MPs of 'spreading lies' about the state of Mr Corbyn's health and his ability to carry out the demanding role of Opposition Leader.

Last night, there were fresh criticisms of the Labour leader for failing to attend the party's Scottish spring conference in Glasgow amid claims from Labour sources north of the border that Mr Corbyn had been ordered to stay away ahead of this May's elections for the Scottish Parliament.

One told The Mail on Sunday: 'Corbyn's been told to keep away because he's frankly just toxic to voters up here.'

But a Labour spokesman dismissed that as 'rubbish', saying he had already spoken at the main Scottish Labour conference last November.
Four British plane spotters arrested in Kenya as terror suspects only confessed to trespassing under duress, a relative has claimed.

Peter Swift, whose brother Eddie was one of the quartet detained for taking pictures of aircraft in Nairobi, says the men were threatened with jail terms if they did not admit the charge.

I can tell you they pleaded guilty under duress and without any legal representation, he told The Mail on Sunday. They were threatened with prison if they didnt plead guilty.

Eddie Swift, 47, is one of the four British men arrested in Kenya as terror suspects arrested after taking photos of planes

Paul Abbott, 47, was also one of the men arrested in Nairobi last Saturday. They have been held by police since

The four  Swift and Paul Abbott, both 47, Steve Gibson, 59, and Ian Glover, 46  have been held by police since last Saturday.

Investigators analysed their mobile phones and quickly established that they were not terrorists, but charged them with trespassing instead.

They pleaded guilty last week and are due to reappear in court on Monday where they are expected to be fined and released.

It has also emerged that their families warned them of the danger of travelling to Kenya  where jihadists murdered 67 at a shopping centre in 2013.

Mr Gibsons 80-year-old mother, Sheila, said her son had been a plane spotter since he was 14 and added: I did warn him about Kenya. I said be very careful. He said, We always are mum, dont worry.

The men, from Greater Manchester, were arrested last Saturday at Wilson Airport, a local hub, and detained in cells at nearby Jomo Kenyatta international airport.

Yesterday they were allowed outside for some air. Mr Swifts mother, Barbara, 71, said she had received a text from her son.

He seemed all right, she said. He said they were sitting in the sun so it looks a lot better than stuck in a cell. I didnt want him to go in the first place.

Police investigator Joseph Ngisa, said: We had no prior knowledge of how the men would plead. Certainly nobody forced them to say anything, and they can still change their plea via their lawyer if they want to.
A group of current state workers in Florida have filed a lawsuit claiming they suffered health issues caused by bat feces, poor air quality and mold inside a Tallahassee building that houses their offices.

The lawsuit filed by the three employees on Friday seeks damages from the Northwood Centre's owner, Ajax Investment Partners, Northwood Associates and the property manager, TALCOR Commercial Real Estate Services, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

Just a week ago 10 pounds of bat feces was found above the desk of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Ken Lawson.

The state plans to move its 1,500 workers out of the building within the next few months.

Disgusting: The picture above shows a disturbing amount of bat feces that was found within the Northwood Centre in Tallahassee, Florida that houses several state offices

A group of current state workers in Florida have filed a lawsuit claiming they suffered health issues caused by bat feces, poor air quality and mold inside a Tallahassee building. Pictured above is more bat feces that was found inside the Northwood Centre

The lawsuit filed by the three employees on Friday seeks damages from the Northwood Centre's owner, Ajax Investment Partners, Northwood Associates and the property manager, TALCOR Commercial Real Estate Services

In addition, the language used inside of the state budget that was signed by Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday forbids the state from issuing lease payments to the building's owner past July 1.

Plaintiffs Suzanne Lee and Winnifred Christian are two employees who work for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), while plaintiff Karen Melin works with the state Department of Children and Families.

Lee, Christian and Melin all claim that they suffered medical issues because of the contact they had with the contaminants inside of the Northwood Centre.

Just a week ago 10 pounds of bat feces was found above the desk of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Ken Lawson (above)

The lawsuit, which is claiming counts of negligence and nuisance, states that bat droppings started to appear within the Northwood Centre starting in 2007.

In addition, leaking roofs and water intrusion resulted in the contamination of the entire building that included mold, bacteria and other biological contaminants, the lawsuit alleges.

Because of that, the air quality inside created an unsafe working environment for employees who weren't told to wear protective respiratory gear while at work, according to the lawsuit.

In addition, the three plaintiffs, claim that they complained to their employers and feel as though the owners and managers at the Northwood Centre should have fixed the problems, the lawsuit states.

'These defendants knew or should have known that these conditions were the result of contamination in the premises,' the lawsuit states.

'These conditions forced plaintiffs to continue working in unsafe working conditions approximately 40 hours per week for several years.'

Ryan Andrews, an attorney at Andrew's Law Office in Tallahassee, which filed the lawsuit, told the Tallahassee Democrat that Melin would constantly wipe bat droppings from her desk using Clorox wipes every Monday.

The lawsuit states that Melin has suffered immune suppression disorders as a result of working inside the office building and DBPR has threatened to fire her for missing work caused by her illness.

In addition, the lawsuit states that the contaminants found inside of the Northwood Centre can cause disseminated histoplasmosis, an infection caused by fungus found in the feces of birds and bats.

The lawsuit, which is claiming counts of negligence and nuisance, states that bat droppings started to appear within the Northwood Centre (pictured above) starting in 2007

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, disseminated histoplasmosis can cause respiratory problems, coughing, burning eyes, chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, skin irritation and fever.

Representatives from TALCOR and Ajax could not be reached to comment about the lawsuit.

Roughly 80 percent of the 500,000-square-foot property on North Monroe street is used by state offices for the Agency for State Technology, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Education, the Department of Revenue, the Department of State, the Department of Economic Opportunity, the Early Learning Coalition, along with several restaurants, the Tallahassee Ballet and a gym, according to the Tallahassee Democrat

It originally opened in 1969 as Tallahasee's first indoor mall with three dozen stores and the years following more stores opened up within the mall.

In 2002, dozens of plaintiffs sued the owner at the time over health problems and environmental issues. A large confidential settlement was reached in the lawsuit in 2006.

The property was purchased by Ajax Investment Partners LLC of New York City in 2007 for $49.8 million.
Budding gymnast Sienna Rutherford, ten, pictured with mother Anna McNair, was given hypnotherapy when she found she could no longer do backflips

Soaring numbers of parents are sending their children to be hypnotised to cure stress.

Anxiety over school tests is blamed for fuelling the rise  although children as young as two are being treated for issues as diverse as tantrums, bedwetting and fussy eating.

Experts last night warned parents of the potential risks they were running by using the therapists, pointing out that anyone could become a hypnotist with little or no training  and that there was little evidence to support claims made about the effectiveness of their techniques.

Adverts for childrens hypnotherapy have started to appear on Netmums, the UKs biggest parenting website, and the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) said its 1,600 members had reported a rise in the number of youngsters being treated over the past three years.

Richard Lepper, a spokesman for the NCH, said: Word-of-mouth referrals from parent to parent has been the primary reason for the increase in the number of children that members treat. The majority are for anxiety.

Lynda Hudson, founder of the First Way Forward clinic in Beckenham, South London, has been a hypnotherapist for 20 years.

When I started, I was hardly seeing any children at all, but now there is more pressure on even quite little children  for example, at school there is continual testing, which never used to start as early, she said.

Budding gymnast Sienna Rutherford, ten, was given hypnotherapy when she found she could no longer do backflips last year.

Her mother, Anna McNair, said: There was nothing that triggered it  one day, she just couldnt do it and it became like a mental block. She was coming home in tears and it was taking its toll on the family.

Mrs McNair, of Ascot, Berkshire, researched online and found Ailsa Frank, a self-help author and hypnotherapist.

We went to her house and did one session. I waited in the kitchen, but Sienna came out like a different child. We got home that night and she started doing backflips in the kitchen, she said.

A private session can cost anywhere between 50 and 90, but hypnotherapist and NHS psychotherapist Dr Sharie Coombes said: Anybody can call themselves a hypnotherapist.

'I have seen several people set themselves up as childrens hypnotherapists who havent worked with children before.

Dr Coombes runs a practice in Brighton called Foundations Therapy and has hypnotised children as young as two.

She urged parents: Always ask about training, background, insurance, and enhanced disclosure  particularly if they are going to work with your child on their own. I cant stress that enough.

Professor David Colquhoun, a pharmacologist from University College London, said there was no evidence hypnotherapy worked, adding: Theres no restriction on the title of hypnotherapist, but  like nutritionists  many are just quacks.

Since publication of this article, Ailsa Frank has been in touch to point out that if you are considering hypnotherapy for you or your child, you should choose someone registered with the National Council for Hypnotherapy or a similar body as a clear indicator of standards and qualifications. Always check that anyone who works with children has been DBS checked. She added that hypnotherapy for children has no dangerous risks involved, and can be a gentle yet effective treatment for children suffering from a range of problems, such as anxiety. For more information on Ailsa Frank and her work, visit her website
David Cameron and George Osborne were in a new row over fiddled figures last night over their Election pledge to give the NHS an extra 8 billion to fill a black hole in its budget.

A furore erupted after it was claimed Downing Street was told in an official report that the health service needed a massive 16 billion extra a year by 2020  but dismissed it as a joke.

No 10 allegedly ordered the head of the NHS to cut the figure in half.

The claim is made in a bombshell new book by former Lib Dem Minister David Laws.

David Cameron and George Osborne were in a new row over fiddled figures last night over their Election pledge to give the NHS an extra 8 billion to fill a black hole in its budget

No 10 allegedly ordered the head of the NHS to cut the figure in half. The claim is made in a bombshell new book by former Lib Dem Minister David Laws

It follows claims that the Chancellor fiddled last Wednesdays Budget figures.

Cameron and Osbornes extra 8 billion for the NHS was a centrepiece of their Election campaign. They said the figure was NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens independent estimate in October 2014 of how much more hospitals needed a year up to 2020.

But Laws says: Stevens original estimate was that the NHS needed 15-16 billion extra. No 10s reaction was: Youve got to be joking.

Stevens was told there was no way the PM and Chancellor would sign up to an impossible and excessive commitment this size. He was told, Get it down to a more deliverable sum. 

Laws says an embarrassed Downing Street massaged the figure down to 8 billion with higher and totally unrealistic efficiency savings.

Laws says: The Stevens report was changed for cynical political expediency. I am not blaming Stevens: he was put under huge pressure.

'Simon Stevens (pictured) original estimate was that the NHS needed 15-16 billion extra. No 10s reaction was: Youve got to be joking,' according to Laws

Cameron and Osbornes extra 8 billion for the NHS was a centrepiece of their Election campaign

Asked why the Lib Dems had not made a fuss before now, Mr Laws said: Nick Clegg and I only discovered the fiddle months after Stevens report was published.

We were told Stevens asked for at least 15 billion but was leaned on to cut it to 8 billion.

By then, it would have looked odd for the Lib Dems to promise more than the NHS said they wanted or start a huge public row.

Asked if Mr Stevens told No10 he needed 16billion and was forced to cut it to 8billion, an NHS England spokesman said last night: There is no mystery about conversations between the NHS and the government. Simon Stevens has been more outspoken about the need for a properly funded NHS than any previous NHS chief executive.

Pressed to say if Mr Stevens had been leaned on by Downing Street, the spokesman said: That is not accurate. He would not comment further.

A spokesman for No 10 declined to comment last night.
A Florida man accused of shooting a bystander while firing at his girlfriend told deputies he offered the victim $400 and a cup of water but did not call 911 or help stop the bleeding.

Jakell Ward, 21, and his girlfriend were arguing inside his apartment on Friday before she went to leave, after he allegedly threatened to kill her, when he fired at her multiple times, deputies said.

The bullets missed his pregnant girlfriend, who was not injured, and one instead went through her car and struck bystander Brian Mortensen in the chest, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

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Jakell Ward, 21, of Florida (pictured) accused of shooting a bystander while firing at his girlfriend told deputies he offered the victim $400 and a cup of water but did not call 911 or help stop the bleeding

Scene pictured above. Ward and his girlfriend were arguing inside his apartment on Friday before she went to leave, after he allegedly threatened to kill her, when he fired at her multiple times, deputies said

The bullets missed his pregnant girlfriend, who was not injured, and one instead went through her car and struck bystander Brian Mortensen in the chest, who was putting up a fence at a school (pictured)

At the time, Mortensen was installing a fence at a school near Ward's apartment complex, Magnolia Court Condominiums.

Mortensen, whose lung reportedly collapsed and who had a bullet lodged near his heart, was transported to Florida Hospital in grave condition.

Orange County Sheriff's Office Deputies said in a report that Ward told them he tried to offer Mortensen $400 as 'compensation for the injuries.'

'This is just so uncalled for, so dangerous,' Jane Watrel, a spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, told WSOC-TV of the shooting.

Ryan Hippchen who owns Dave's Fence, the company Mortensen was working for as he put up the fence, said Mortensen's wife had a baby just four days ago.

Hippchen also said the victim was working with his brother when the shooting happened that afternoon.

'We care about him deeply. You never think this would happen,' Hippchen told WSOC-TV.

In video footage, Ward is seen after the shooting as he is taken to a police car. When asked if he has any remorse for his actions he is seen telling WSOC-TV, 'I feel sorry for the victim I shot'

The victim, whose wife just had a baby four days ago, is in hospital in critical condition, according to his boss, Ryan Hippchen

He added: 'His brother was here working with him today and was the one that saved his life is what they said.'

Mortensen remains in hospital in critical condition with his family by his side, according to the station.

After the shooting, Ward allegedly went back to his apartment to hide his .45 HI-Point pistol, according to the report.

In video footage, Ward is seen after the shooting as he is taken to a police car.

When asked if he has any remorse for his actions he is seen telling WSOC-TV, 'I feel sorry for the victim I shot.'

Ward reportedly denied threatening to kill his girlfriend but is said to have corroborated the rest of the report she gave to deputies.

Ward has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and is being held without bond

Ward's girlfriend had left the scene after the shooting while other witnesses called 911 before she returned when deputies arrived to give her account of what happened.

Authorities said the couple might have been arguing about Ward's marijuana use when she told deputies she noticed he was getting angry, and knew he had a pistol inside their apartment.

So when he allegedly threatened to kill her, she left and went to her car as he reportedly followed her out to the parking lot with his pistol, according to the report.

She said after she got into her car, that is when he fired several rounds, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Residents in the complex were left shaken after the shooting.

Resident Brandy Moore, a mother-of-three, told ClickOrlando she is moving out of the complex.

'It's like you can't even come outside without having to worry about your life,' Moore said.

'It's heartbreaking. I can't even imagine because what if that happened to my kid.

'Because I have a five-year old and a four-year-old and it could have been either one of them out there playing in the yard.'

Ward has since been arrested and was charged with two counts of attempted murder. He is being held without bond.
Television cameras are set to be allowed into Crown Courts for the first time, it has been revealed.

It will allow the public to watch as criminals, including murderers, rapists and paedophiles, are sentenced by judges.

The pilot scheme will take place in eight courts across the country, including London's Old Bailey where killers such as the Yorkshire Ripper and Soham murderer Ian Huntley were convicted, and is expected to start within weeks.

Filming in courts is common in other countries, such as the US where the OJ Simpson trial was televised in 1994 and South Africa, where parts of the trial of Oscar Pistorius were shown live in 2014.

The pilot footage will not be broadcast, but the historic move could pave the way for the live coverage of all Crown Court cases across England and Wales.

The pilot scheme to televise judges' sentencing statements will be conducted in the Old Bailey (pictured) and seven other crown courts across the country

Until now filming has only been allowed at hearings at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Announcing the scheme, justice minister Shailesh Vara said: 'My hope is that this will lead to more openness and transparency as to what happens in our courts.

'Broadcasting sentencing remarks would allow the public to see and hear the judge's decision in their own words.'

Had filming of Crown Courts been allowed earlier the sentencing of notorious killers such as Ian Huntley and Peter Sutcliffe could have been watched by the public.

Ian Huntley murdered two 10-year-old girls, Holly Marie Wells and Jessica Aimee Chapman in 2002, and was given a false alibi by his then partner Maxine Carr - both were tried at the Old Bailey.

Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was convicted of murdering 13 women in 1981 - was also tried at the Old Bailey.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd said: 'I am interested to see how this pilot progresses and will work with the Ministry of Justice to assess the impact of cameras in court.'

The three-month pilot will take place at the Old Bailey and courts at Southwark in south London, Manchester (Crown Square), Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds and Cardiff.

Ian Huntley (left) murdered two 10-year-old girls, Holly Marie Wells and Jessica Aimee Chapman in 2002, and was provided a false alibi by his then girlfriend Maxine Carr (right) - both were tried at the Old Bailey

Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was convicted of murdering 13 women in 1981 at the Old Bailey

Safeguards will be put in place to make sure victims continue to be supported and the administration of justice is not affected, the Ministry of Justice said.

The cameras will film only the judge, and the filming of all other court users, including staff, victims, witnesses, defendants and advocates will remain banned.

Crown Courts are open to the press and public but filming and recording is banned under section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925 and the Contempt of Court Act.

Filming of all cases at the Supreme Court has been routine, since it opened in 2009, but it has taken longer for other courts to open up to cameras.

TV cameras were allowed into the Court of Appeal in 2013 following years of campaigning by broadcasters.

A statutory instrument will be laid in the House of Commons on Monday and the initiative will start as soon as possible once the legislation is passed.

The existing broadcasters operating in the Court of Appeal - the BBC, Sky, ITN and the Press Association - have agreed to support the pilot period at no cost to the public purse, the Ministry of Justice said.
In his book, David Laws throws a revealing light on the heated disputes and tit-for-tat squabbles that made Chancellor George Osborne and Cabinet colleague Iain Duncan Smith sworn enemies  leading up to the Work and Pensions Secretary's shock resignation last week.

Astonishingly, the book claims Osborne knew he could bully Duncan Smith because Prime Minister David Cameron didn't like him either.

And Laws says Osborne and Cameron tried to sack IDS from his Department of Work and Pensions job four years ago  but their colleague refused to budge.

The book claims Osborne knew he could bully Duncan Smith because Prime Minister David Cameron didn't like him either

In his book, David Laws throws a revealing light on the heated disputes and tit-for-tat squabbles that made Chancellor George Osborne and Cabinet colleague Iain Duncan Smith sworn enemies

Laws writes: 'IDS's vision was not merely driven by a desire to slash budgets or stigmatise claimants.' Instead, Duncan Smith wanted to create a benefits system that strongly supported work, with the scope for abuse removed.

But George Osborne, argues Laws, had a different perspective. He wanted the financial savings from welfare cuts.

He saw the Department for Work and Pensions budget as a cash cow to be milked and was sceptical of IDS's 'big idea' of Universal Credit, partly because he was not an admirer of IDS, and partly because he feared it would be an administrative nightmare.

Laws says one Cabinet Minister even described Universal Credit as 'Iain's lunatic plan, which will end in disaster'.

Laws claims Osborne 'knew he could be tough on IDS because the PM wasn't his biggest fan either'. 'Unless it's got the letters 'UC' in it, Iain's just not interested,' David Cameron once complained,' writes Laws.

The Chancellor tried to have Duncan Smith fired from his Work and Pensions role when Cameron carried out his Government reshuffle in 2012 but IDS refused to be budged from 'the job he loved', says Laws.

'Relations between the Treasury and DWP were often bad and sometimes awful,' Laws adds.

The Chancellor tried to have Duncan Smith fired from his Work and Pensions role when Cameron carried out his Government reshuffle in 2012 but IDS refused to be budged from 'the job he loved', says Laws

The book claims Duncan Smith also clashed with Cameron and Osborne over child poverty targets

'On occasions, Iain refused the No 10 policy team the statistics and analysis they requested.

In return, the Chancellor often declined even to notify IDS of major announcements in his own policy area.'

The book claims Duncan Smith clashed again with Cameron and Osborne over child poverty targets.

Osborne threatened to scrap the targets altogether unless IDS agreed to drop income levels from them. Cameron backed Osborne against IDS.

'Osborne said: 'It looks like relative poverty could go up. I don't want to tie our targets to a measure we cannot keep,' writes Laws.

Meanwhile the Tories secretly tried to form a 2015 Election pact with the Lib Dems to keep the Coalition going, according to David Laws.

He says George Osborne proposed a so-called 'coupon election' deal with the Lib Dems, whereby up to 50 Tory MPs would have been written off, ordered to make way for Lib Dems.

If the deal had gone ahead, Clegg would still be in Downing Street in a 'Coalition Mark II'.

And it would have made David Cameron's outright victory last May impossible. Osborne told Laws: 'We should be thinking of a deal in 2015 where we don't fight each other in our key seats a 'coupon Election'.

'We wouldn't stand in places like Taunton and Wells and you wouldn't stand in some of our marginal seats.'

Laws and Clegg turned the deal down because the Lib Dems would be seen as Tory 'lapdogs'  and it could spark a 'riot' among Lib Dem activists. Laws' account confirms rumours in 2011 and 2012 that Cameron and Osborne wanted a Con-Lib pact to avoid defeat.

Right-wing MPs claimed it was a Downing Street plot to merge the two parties and water down traditional Tory policies. No 10 denied such a move had been made.
It was the expat military life she had always dreamed of. Kate Howe had a grand colonial home in Kenya, a healthy little boy and a loving husband who was proudly serving as a captain in the British Army, an institution she had come to regard as a second family.

But today, her view of the military couldnt be more different  as Kate holds the Army responsible for the death of her longed-for baby daughter.

Kate, 40, was living in Kenya, where her husband was stationed, when she became pregnant with her second child.

But when she suffered complications that led to her being advised by doctors to rest and not to fly, the Army  perhaps concerned about legal action  ordered her and her family to move back to Britain within 48 hours.

Still grieving: Kate with her two sons at home in Wiltshire. Kate believes it was the stress of having to move at short notice which resulted in her miscarriage

The stress of the move resulted, the Howes believe, in Kate miscarrying their daughter at 22 weeks. The Army has blood on its hands, but it just marched away, closed ranks and washed its hands of us, she says.

Now, after a five-year battle for answers, the Army has finally issued an unreserved apology for its part in the terrible tragedy in a landmark judgment that concedes the loyal officers wife from Wiltshire had been unfairly treated and wronged.

In her first interview, Kate, who is considering suing the Army for damages, can finally speak freely about the pain she endured. And in a highly unusual step, which only serves to highlight the severity of the situation, her husband David, now a major, is risking his career by speaking out about the guilt he feels over the Armys appalling errors that left his peaceful family life in tatters.

For his wife, too, there can be no doubt as to where the blame lies. Ultimately, I feel the Army is responsible for the death of our daughter, says Kate, a trainee childrens swimming teacher.

Without their interference I honestly believe I would have a healthy daughter. Now, I can hold friends baby girls and can walk through the girls clothing department in shops. Im managing with that. But what Im not managing is the anger and hurt I feel at the way weve been treated.

For David, 38, speaking out against the Army is not only a breach of military protocol but an emotional torment that throws his career into doubt.

The Army have been the closest thing Ive had to a family, David says. I joined when I was 21 and have served for 17 years. At the weekend I didnt go home to see my parents, I stayed with the Army. This was the first time Ive called on them and they have let me down. Even as a captain, I wasnt treated like a human being. I have felt guilty and embarrassed for being in the Army  this wouldnt be happening to Kate if I wasnt.

'Let down': Kate and David pictured on their wedding day in 2006. The pair had their first child, a son, in 2008

The couple, who met at a friends barbecue in 2004, married in 2006 and had their first child, a son, in 2008, had considered having a second baby in Kenya when David was posted to Nanyuki, 90 miles north of Nairobi, in 2010.

When Kate became pregnant in April 2011, the couple expected that Army policy would dictate that she gave birth in the UK.

But no such policy existed and the couple were given conflicting advice. They decided to stay in Kenya after reading in the official British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) guide that pregnancy would not be a problem in the country.

Things progressed normally until that June when, at 13 weeks pregnant, Kate had a light bleed and was airlifted to Nairobi hospital. She was advised to rest by Kenyan practitioner Dr Dhadialla  and advised not to fly by the Army.

At nearly five months, Kate had another bleed.

Dr John Ross, a civilian medic who was employed by the Army, was concerned about miscarriage but had failed to order a foetal heart monitor, leaving Kate in anguish over whether her baby was alive or dead. Once she was in hospital, doctors discovered that Kate had not miscarried and her unborn child was still alive. Kate was again prescribed bed rest.

They ignored the real medical problem

But the Army medics wondered whether Kate should return to the UK. The doctors started offering terrifying reasons for us to return, telling me I could haemorrhage and die and that I could contract HIV from a blood transfusion if I stayed in Kenya, Kate says. Why hadnt this been raised in the beginning? A month previously I understood I had been signed off as unfit to fly and now they were telling me to get on an eight-hour flight to the UK. I started to feel as though we were a problem that the Army needed to go away.

A list of worst-case scenarios was also presented to the couple in a formal meeting. It was a list of horror, Kate says. Bearing in mind this wasnt my first pregnancy, I really didnt think I was high-risk. We felt it was scaremongering. They ignored the real medical problem of me being so stressed and anxious over it all. They kept insisting that stress had no bearing on pregnancy.

My stress levels went from nothing to a million. It was clear the Army was putting its interests ahead of ours. We didnt feel as though our needs as a family or that of the baby mattered.

The following day a senior staff officer confirmed the couples worst fears  that the Army was motivated by the thought of a lawsuit more than the wellbeing of one of its serving soldiers wives.

The officer said my risk was high, but the risk to the Army was higher, Kate says. It seemed obvious that he was talking about litigation.

He later told David that the family needed to leave for Nairobi within 48 hours, where arrangements would be made for a return to the UK. It was an order, David says, sadly. Kate was like a ticking time bomb to them.

Kate adds: They expected us to just pack a bag and leave, but I had to sell my car and get rid of our sons pet rabbit, three tortoises and chickens. We had to uproot an entire life at 21 weeks pregnant.

It was so stressful.

After begging for more time, the couple were given two extra days. Their flight back to the UK was scheduled for August 25.

But on the day of the flight, Kate had a third bleed and was admitted to hospital.

Later, Kates waters broke and, after a gruelling 12-hour labour, she gave birth to a lifeless child. They named the little girl Harriet.

I remember the nurse holding up this tiny, fully formed little girl to me, she said. I touched her forehead and said goodbye.

The babys body was put into a plastic orange waste bag and placed on a metal trolley within Kates eye line. The couple later discovered the bag had been dumped in hospital waste.

I had trouble looking at orange bags for a long time after, Kate says blinking back tears.

It was devastating.

A few days after, Kate received a short text message from Dr Ross to say he was sorry for the couples loss.

We were totally on our own. On two occasions, Dr Dhadialla said that, in his opinion, had the Army not interfered I would have gone on to have a full-term pregnancy.

The thought of that will haunt me until the day I die.

Their lives shattered, the family finally moved into quarters in Warminster, Wiltshire, in October 2011, but Kate was low. Today her loss is still raw and the bitter irony is that as a result of the horrific events, Kate has battled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)  a condition usually associated with military veterans rather than their wives.

I'm screaming for the Army to listen to me

An NHS counsellor assigned to the garrison diagnosed me with PTSD, she says. The Army never acknowledged it. There were times when I didnt know how I was going to get out of bed in the morning. I left a message with SSAFA, the charity that provides support for the Forces and their families. They never returned my calls.

Furthermore, Kate found that she was not party to the formal service complaint they had issued in the November after the miscarriage. The Army questioned whether it should have been logged as a service complaint at all because it concerned me rather than David.

And when I phoned to enquire how it was progressing, I was told it had nothing to do with me. Every piece of correspondence was addressed to Captain Howe, as he then was, rather than to both of us. David was offered mediation but I wasnt.

I felt very much like I was being told to just stay indoors, darling, and put the dinner on. Its nothing for you to worry about.

And while the Army may pride itself on core values of loyalty, integrity and respect for others, the Howes discovered their experience reveals a disturbing reality: that the Army and, more significantly, military procedure, comes first and the family second and not just in times of war, but in every aspect of military life.

Last month the Army finally apologised unreservedly for mistakes made and admitted the support provided to the family was not of the standard it should have been and lacked compassion.

The apology was not delivered in person, but sent through the post, buried within a formal judgment. To date, the Army has not been in touch in person about the incident.

The Army would probably say this was a series of unfortunate events. Indeed, it is its belief that Kate would have miscarried anyway.

But David and Kate do not agree. An experienced mother of one at that time, Kate had similar problems in her third pregnancy in the UK but, after a simple prescription of bed rest, delivered a healthy second son in 2012.

Kate tearfully reveals how she is considering suing the Army and warns that other dependants like her are made to feel second-class citizens by the military.

She is aware that many will say she must have known what the life of an Army wife would entail. But this, she says, misses the point.

Military wives fly the flag just as much as their husbands do. Were expected to behave in a certain way. The sergeants mess is even more formal than the officers.

Your dress has to be a certain length and you have to be seen doing the right thing. God forbid you ever took shop-bought cakes to a function or had a job.

These are unspoken rules but theres a real pressure to be an amazing mummy, wife and culinary expert who puts on the best dinner parties. Its very old-fashioned. I gave up my job and did everything David asked me to do for his career. But despite this, dependants dont get any respect. We are treated like second-class citizens.

The Army always says a happy wife makes a happy soldier, but it needs to have more regard for the families of its personnel. Its still the Army first and family second.

A month before the publication of a newspaper report in May 2014 about the investigation, Dr Ross sent a handwritten note to the couple saying how very sorry he was for their loss.

He added that he had reflected deeply and long on my actions in 2011 and pray you and your family can find some solace in this.

But his remarks, and the Armys eventual apology last month, are of little comfort. They havent answered our questions, Kate says. There was no phone call or visit to apologise. It was so impersonal.

The couple have taken their complaint to the Service Complaints Ombudsman and are considering suing the Army for compensation, but admit that all they really want now is to be properly heard. Were not supposed to talk badly about the Army and Im scared about speaking out now, but I need to have a voice in this, says Kate.

Im screaming for the Army to listen and take this seriously. I want it to listen to how this has affected my family.

Anyone can fire off an apology and, for me, the Armys is worthless because it is faceless. As far as we know, there is still no policy in place for pregnancy in Kenya.

The thought of this happening to another family fills me with dread.

An Army spokesman said: While we cannot comment on individual cases, we can be clear that soldiers and their families continue to receive outstanding medical care both in the UK and when deployed overseas.
It promotes itself as the celebrity discount website offering thirtysomething women an affordable way to be part of the growing athleisure trend  workout clothing that looks as good on the street as it does in the gym.

But now actress Kate Hudsons company Fabletics has been reported to Trading Standards by irate customers who claim they have been ripped off by hidden charges and say they are considering suing the company en masse for compensation.

Hudson, the 36-year-old daughter of Hollywood star Goldie Hawn, is a co-founder of the company and features prominently on its website and advertising campaigns, encouraging buyers to shop outfits from my closet.

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Star Appeal: Kate Hudson models clothes for athleisure brand Fabletics that came to the UK two years ago

Fabletics, which is based in America but launched in Britain two years ago, is owned by the parent company JustFab, which is valued at $1billion (700 million).

The company offers shoppers discounts of up to 50 per cent if they sign up for so-called VIP membership. But many dissatisfied customers claim they have been duped into taking VIP membership without realising they are actually agreeing to an ongoing subscription of 44 a month.

While it is stated in the sites terms and conditions, furious shoppers claim the fee was not made obvious to them.

Furthermore, they say, the only way members can avoid the monthly charge is by remembering to opt out of the payment within the first five days of every month. Since complaints began, the firm has started to display its terms and conditions more prominently.

Campaigners say the practice of automatically charging every month for something you might not want  known as inertia selling  is in breach of British consumer law.

One Fabletics customer, Danielle Cohen, 48, from Totteridge, North London, explained how she inadvertently ended up paying the monthly fee. I was looking for some new workout gear and had seen lots of nice things on the Fabletics website, she said.

The blurb said if I joined their VIP club, I could make my first purchase for 22 instead of 44.

Hollywood royalty: Hudson, the 36-year-old daughter of Hollywood star Goldie Hawn, is a co-founder of the company and encourages buyers to shop outfits from my closet

Danielle was happy with the goods, but didnt realise for nine months that in return for the 50 per cent discount on her first  and only  purchase, she had agreed to pay 44 every month in return for credits that could be spent on the website at a later date.

I made my original purchase via PayPal and the payments were identified on my bank statements as being paid to PayPal, she added. I use the service a lot and for this reason I didnt notice 44 a month being deducted.

Last October, however, I went through my monthly outgoings on my PayPal statement, noticed this amount and rang to report it as potentially fraudulent.

Irate: Dissatisfied customers have threatened to sue the actress's company en masse for the 'scam'

It was at that point PayPal told me Id been paying this sum every month  for the past nine months  to a company called JustFabUK Ltd, even though Id received no goods.

I had no idea who this was, but PayPal identified them as being Fabletics. They told me complaints like mine happened often among their customers.

I was gobsmacked. Im not stupid, Im an account director in a large company. Whatever I signed must have appeared really innocuous.

Cancelling the membership is not an easy process, either. Shoppers complain of continuing to be charged after telling the firm they no longer want VIP membership.

When I contacted Fabletics about my membership, they were bullish, says Danielle. I was on the phone to them for an hour, and in the end I got five of my eight credits refunded.

Social media sites are awash with Fabletics members complaining they didnt realise they had signed up to a monthly scheme.

Trade: Campaigners say the practice of automatically charging every month for something you might not want  known as inertia selling  is in breach of British consumer law

Review sites also carry scathing verdicts on the brands selling tactics from customers. Some say they have been encouraged by trading standards experts to mount a class action for compensation.

Another cause for concern is a one-hour countdown timer Fabletics use to encourage people to buy before the half-price deal is no longer available.

Critics claim this breaks British consumer rules, which ban sales techniques designed to deprive consumers of sufficient opportunity or time to make an informed choice.

Last December, JustFab UK Ltd was reported to the Advertising Standards Authority for this practice and, after admitting liability, the brand claim they worked with the ASA to resolve the complaint informally and without a formal investigation or ruling. A countdown timer, however, remains in operation on their website.

Sylvia Rook, a lead officer for fair trading and trade descriptions at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: Businesses should always be transparent about what customers will be charged and when. If they fail to do so, they could face enforcement action.
Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne stopped his former right-hand man speaking out about his 2012 divorce from Joanne McCue (pictured together)

Dragons Den star Duncan Bannatyne has settled a 10 million lawsuit that threatened to expose embarrassing details of his past.

And the tycoon has stopped his former right-hand man Nigel Armstrong from speaking about the case. The Mail on Sunday revealed last year that legal papers lodged at the High Court by Armstrong  the former chief executive of Bannatyne Fitness  showed Bannatyne lied to the court in his bitter divorce from Joanne McCue in 2012.

Bannatyne tried to stop The Mail on Sunday reporting that he made misleading statements and forged a vital document to hide assets from his wife.

He repeatedly claimed that he expected to win the case against Armstrong but has now settled for what is believed to be a seven-figure sum and a strict confidentiality agreement.

It is the latest drama for the 67-year-old grandfather in a year in which he was accused of revenge porn threats against an ex-girlfriend. His financial director Chris Watson was also jailed for an 8 million fraud against Bannatyne Fitness, and profits nosedived from 9.9 million to 3 million.

Last week Watson was ordered to pay back 484,338 in compensation.

Our six-week battle to publish the contents of the High Court petition, outlining Mr Armstrongs case for unfair prejudice and wrongful dismissal, unearthed potentially damaging and embarrassing details of Bannatynes alleged past conduct.

They included disputed claims of setting up offshore companies and bank accounts in tax havens including British Virgin Islands and Monaco  after condemning fellow ex-Dragon James Caan for basing businesses abroad  and using company coffers to pay his family and fund parts of his divorce.

The multi-million-pound divorce  after which Bannatyne branded his ex-wife Joanne a gold-digger  formed the backdrop to Armstrongs case. It centred on a 6 million severance package agreed verbally between Bannatyne and Armstrong but never approved by the companys board.

When Joanne, 49, launched her divorce action, Bannatyne claimed it had been agreed by the board, reducing the value of assets she could claim.

Bannatyne tried to stop The Mail on Sunday reporting that he made misleading statements and forged a vital document to hide assets from his wife. Pictured, last year's report

He illegally forged board minutes that boosted Armstrongs package to 10 million. It went in his financial statement to the divorce court, which he signed with a statement of truth form. Such forms warn that deliberate untruths could result in fraud or contempt of court proceedings.

Although Bannatyne had to admit the lies and forgery, he insisted there was no other wrongdoing.
The bosses of a charity that has raised tens of thousands of pounds for homeless Army veterans have been arrested on suspicion of secretly pocketing public donations.

Three directors of Soldiers Off The Street are alleged to have abused their positions to obtain funds intended to pay for vulnerable former troops to be rehoused, clothed and fed.

The Mail on Sunday understands that those arrested include the charity's chairman Bill Murray, 66, who was previously the British National Party's secretary for Wales.

Three directors of Soldiers Off The Street are alleged to have abused their positions to obtain funds intended to pay for vulnerable former troops to be rehoused, clothed and fed

Mr Murray, from Prestatyn, was arrested with his wife Maria, 45, who acted as secretary. The third person is understood to be a former director, Christopher Robinson, 54, from Abergele, Clwyd.

All three have been released on police bail and no charges have been made at this stage.

It was unclear last night how much money is involved. Accounts submitted to Companies House reveal that in 2015 the homeless charity had funds of 77,097.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal the Charity Commission is working with trustees of Soldiers Off The Street after concerns were raised about breaches of charity regulations.

It was unclear last night how much money is involved. Accounts submitted to Companies House reveal that in 2015 the homeless charity had funds of 77,097

The charity raises money at stalls in town centres and through its website and social media accounts. It says that all donations go to the running of Soldiers Off The Street and helping homeless ex-Service personnel.

A spokesman for British Transport Police, which often investigates charity fraud, said last night: 'I can confirm we are investigating an allegation of fraud involving three people. The offence relates to allegations of charity trustees gaining financially, and is believed to have taken place between 2010 and 2016.'

A Charity Commission spokesman said: 'The Commission has been engaging with the trustees to address its regulatory concerns.'
Urged: Senior Anglicans are urging the Archbishop of Canterbury to apologise for an astonishingly inadequate Church inquiry into Bishop George Bell

Senior Anglicans are urging the Archbishop of Canterbury to apologise for an astonishingly inadequate Church inquiry into a celebrated bishop whose reputation has been carelessly destroyed by allegations of sex abuse.

The 12-strong group, whose members include a former police chief and a retired judge, said Church authorities had leaped to judgment without speaking to key witnesses, such as Bishop George Bells former chaplain.

Ex-naval officer Canon Adrian Carey, who lived at the Bishops Palace at Chichester when the sex abuse is alleged to have taken place, said he found it impossible to imagine how such incidents could have occurred.

Bishop Bell, who served in Chichester for 30 years until his death in 1958, was a renowned opponent of appeasement and Nazism before and during the Second World War.

But last year an unnamed woman said he had sexually abused her while she sat on his lap as he read her stories at the Bishops Palace.

She claimed the abuse happened over a four-year period from 1949, when she was five, after a relative, who worked for the bishop, took her to stay at the Palace.

After carrying out a long and complex inquiry, the Diocese of Chichester said it had no reason to question her account.

It formally apologised to the woman and paid out 15,000 in compensation.

But in a letter to Archbishop Justin Welby, the group said the allegations against Bishop Bell cannot be upheld in terms of actual evidence or historical probability.

A Church of England spokesman said its aim was to search out the truth, adding: Issues of reputation cannot take priority over that.
to say they were safe

But police confirmed Saturday that the family made contact with

An entire family of five that had been missing for three weeks have been found safe and well, police confirm.

Evie Kenworthy, 21, her boyfriend Robert Moseley, 26 and their three children, Isaiah, Leah and Noah, had not been seen since they left their home in Hominy, Oklahoma on February 27.

The family had embarked on a 'short trip' to Tulsa and were only planning on being for the day, according to Evie's mother Debbie Kenworthy.

But police today confirmed that the missing family have contacted relatives to say they were safe.

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FOUND: Evie Kenworthy, 21 (left) and her boyfriend Robert Moseley, 26 (right), from Hominey, Oklahoma, were last seen on February 27 after they embarked on what was supposed to be a one-day trip to Tulsa

The pair also had their three children with them: Isaiah, Leah and Noah (left to right). But the family made contact with relatives today to say they were safe

DailyMail.com reached out to Hominy police but they were unable to give further details at this time.

The missing family had recently received $10, 000 tax rebate, according to Fox.

Evie's mother, Debbie Kenworthy spoke to The Washington Post prior to their recovery and told how her daughter had hugged her and said, "I love you and I'll see you tomorrow".'

But the worried mother didn't hear from her daughter again for three weeks.

The couple's relationship had apparently been on the rocks, having recently reconciled after a three-month break.

They have been together for roughly seven years and this getaway was a chance for the couple to 'work on their relationship', says Kenworthy.

Kenworthy was not immediately worried after the family had failed to turn up the following day, but with each passing day, concern turned into fear.

Up until today, she had been unable to reach her daughter via cellphone and her text messages had gone unanswered.

Worried mother Debbie Kenworthy (left) said the police didn't seem to be taking the disappearance very seriously

And though the police have since been alerted, the family say they are unclear about what is being done to find them, citing 'poor communication'.

The worried mom said: '[The Police] don't seem to be taking it very seriously, but so many things are out of character.

'[My daughter] didn't take any of her clothes, or the kids' clothes, but her boyfriend took all of his clothes. He took everything except his cell phone, which I find unusual.'

She believes that the fact he took everything suggests that he knew they weren't coming back.

But because her daughter didn't take anything, it looks like she didn't.

Kenworthy added that Evie had plans to be reunited with her brother, who had been out of the state for a year, and the reunion was 'all she talked about'.

She said the disappearance was 'abnormal' and akin to 'an alien abduction'.
Kendall, who is now conscious, has not been told her sister is dead

They were being watched by their father, who could not swim

Alyssa managed to pull her up, sacrificing herself in the process

Kendall, who could not swim, was pulled down by the current

A family fun day in Georgia's McIntosh Reserve Park turned tragic Friday afternoon when a teenage girl sacrificed her life to save her drowning sister

Alyssa Calhoun, 14, and her six-year-old sister Kendall, were playing with 'pool noodle' flotation devices in the Chattahoochee River when Kendall, who can't swim, was pulled under by the currents.

Alyssa tried to hold her sister out of the water, but drowned in the attempt. Kendall was hospitalized on a ventilator. She regained consciousness Saturday.

Hero: Alyssa Calhoun (left), 14, sacrificed herself to save her six-year-old sister Kendall (right) after she was pulled down by currents in the Chattahoochee River, Georgia. Kendall was hospitalized but survived

River: The section of river in which the girls drowned was located in the McIntosh Reserve Park. Park rangers and visitors helped pull the girls from the water, and administered CPR while emergency services arrived

'The girls were down at the river with their father and were playing on a noodle,' Lt. Guy Pope of the Carroll County Sheriffs Department told WSBTV. 'The noodle got away from them and by that time the father wasn't able to react in time to get them. He couldn't swim either.'

Their father Jason, who tried to save the girls, almost drowned as well, the NY Daily News reported.

'I was happy that [Alyssa] tried to save her sister but I didnt want her to pass away,' the sisters cousin, Kimberly Bishop, 24, told the Daily News.

'They were just having a nice day; they just wanted to go swimming.'

After being pulled from the water by park rangers, deputies and other visitors, CPR was performed on the girls, The Newnan Times-Herald wrote.

'I think everyone did above and beyond the call of duty to get in there and I think they did the best they could,' Tim Padgett of Carroll County Emergency Management Agency told the paper.

Kendall was airlifted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where she was placed on a ventilator in Intensive Care and remained unconscious for the rest of the day.

She woke up on Saturday, Bishop told the NY Daily News. 'She started kicking, screaming and hollering. She tried to get out of bed,' Bishop said.

She added that the girl has not been told what happened.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help fund Alyssa's funeral expenses.

Parents: Alyssa's father, Jason (left) tried to save the girls but almost drowned as he cannot swim. Alyssa was survived by Jason, Kendall and her mother, Brittney Haynes Calhoun (right)
Captain Michael Dobbin, 30, of the Grenadier Guards, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order

A British Army officer involved in a secret military battle with Islamic State has won a top gallantry award.

Captain Michael Dobbin, 30, of the Grenadier Guards, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his courage and leadership of troops under enemy fire.

The Ministry of Defence would only confirm last night that operation took place between January and September 2015, so what Capt Dobbin did and where is shrouded in secrecy.

But the Daily Express reports that he helped to lead a counter-attack, along with U.S. and Kurdish forces, on ISIS.

He put his life on the line to rally troops for a joint battle against the terrorist organisation, who had attacked their camp, according to the newspaper.

The battled took the lives of four Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers, the coalition army managed to overcome the enemy.

A serving Grenadier Guard who knows Capt Dobbin said: 'He is a very straight guy, who always puts his blokes first.

'To be awarded a DSO is a massive achievement and is a clear indicator that he did something incredible.'

Col Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said being awarded both the MC and DSO was 'unprecedented'.

He added: 'To be awarded the DSO at the rank of captain is very unusual, but to be awarded it just three years after getting the MC, and at such a young age, is unprecedented in modern times.

'This officer deserves our deep respect, admiration and thanks.'

It has been widely reported, though never confirmed, that British troops are operating behind enemy lines against Islamic State (IS) fighters.

In 2013, Capt Dobbin won the Military Cross after storming a Taliban compound in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal James Ashworth, 23, was shot and killed in that battle while trying to take out a sniper, and was awarded the Victoria Cross  Britain's highest military award.
'Forsaken', which could just as easily be called 'Jack Bauer Goes West', features the former 24 star teaming up with his frequent TV director Jon Cassar to tell the story of a young man returning home after the Civil War trying to put his gun-slinging days behind him. But as is the case with most Westerns of this type, there are some bad guys hanging around who just aren't going to let him do that.

Kiefer Sutherland plays John Henry Clayton, who returns to his childhood home to greet his father, Rev. William Clayton (played by Kiefer's real-life father, Donald Sutherland) and to learn that his mother has passed away while he was gone. Not only has Sutherland been away fighting in the war between the states, he's also apparently spent time as a hired gun  something his estranged father is less than pleased about. However, an event has occurred (which is shown in the movie's opening sequence) that leaves John Henry with the desire to end his outlaw ways...in fact, he's taken to not carrying his guns around at all anymore.

A trip into town reveals just how difficult it's going to be for John Henry to become a pacifist. While there, he encounters another hired gun, 'Gentleman' Dave Turner (played by Michael Wincott, who also did a stint on '24'), who is under the employ of James McCurdy (Brian Cox)  a man who is trying to take over many of the locals' farmland for use by the railroad. Those who don't cooperate with McCurdy are taken care of by Turner and his men  in particular, the dastardly Frank Tillman (Aaron Poole), who shoots first and asks questions later. It isn't long, of course, before John Henry realizes that he's going to have to take up arms once again to solve the town's problems  much to the dismay of his father.

As mentioned a number of times on the behind-the-scenes extra that comes with this release, the big appeal of 'Forsaken' is the chance to see Kiefer Sutherland and Donald Sutherland act together in a movie. Although both actors appeared in 1983's 'Max Dugan Returns' and 1996's A Time to Kill, neither of those movies had them sharing scenes together. Here, the movie has the two men sharing a significant amount of screen time, and they're wonderful to watch. It makes one wonder what took so long for these two actors to team up, and hopefully 'Forsaken' won't be the only time we get to see father and son together in a movie.

However, while it's fun to see Kiefer and Donald together, the story here is both familiar and predictable. This is a "classic" Western in the truest sense of the term, meaning there's no ambiguity here  the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad, with the possible exception of Michael Wincott's character, whose loyalties seem to shift according to whomever is paying him for his skills. The movie even tries to throw in a romance, as a long-ago love of John Henry's  played by Demi Moore  comes back into his life, although she's gotten married to another while he was away. Of course, there's nothing wrong with taking an old fashioned approach to the story, but it also results in 'Forsaken's biggest problem: we've seen all this before. So for as good as some of the acting is at times, the movie offers no real surprises as it unfolds.

Make no mistake, fans of both (or either) Kiefer and Donald are most likely really going to enjoy 'Forsaken'. Neither of the men phone-in their performances, and Kiefer in particular does a good job in the father/son sequences. So despite the fact that this Western doesn't break any new ground, it's certainly something fans of the genre or the actors will want to take a look at.

The Blu-Ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Forsaken' moseys its way onto Blu-ray in a standard keepcase which has one of those flaps you have to flip up on the side in order to open the case. The case contains no inserts  just the single-layer 25GB Blu-ray disc. The disc is front-loaded with trailers for Diablo, 'Bleeding Heart', and The Wannabe. The main menu consists of a montage of footage from the movie, with menu selections running horizontally across the bottom of the screen.

The Blu-ray is Region A locked.
A photograph has emerged of a man smoking a large bong outside a fast food store on a busy Bondi street apparently unaware of the stares of people around him, including a small boy.

The young man in question was pictured leaning up against a wall outside of a McDonald's store at Sydney's Bondi Beach as he lit up a glass paraphernalia on Saturday morning. It was not clear what was being smoked.

Huddle group director and blogger Simon Hancock, who captured the image, told Daily Mail Australia he was shocked to see the man using the device on the street at about 11am.

The man was pictured leaning up against a wall outside of a McDonald's store at Sydney's Bondi Beach as he casually lit up a glass bong in front of a child on Saturday morning

'I happened to walk past him when I was on my way down to the beach. It was kind of a shock than anything,' Mr Hancock said.

'Everyone was really surprised but they pretended he wasn't there when they walked past. No one was reacting the way you'd think. They just ignored him.

'The kid just happened to walk past when I took the photo. He just stood in front of him watching. Not sure where his parents were. I don't think the man had been there for long after I'd left.'

Following the strange encounter, the Sydney socialite decided to share the photo on social media.

'I didn't quite realise what the big deal was until I uploaded the image to my Facebook page. I didn't think twice about it but the photo quickly gained momentum,' Mr Hancock said.

'So many people reacted in disbelief. Everyone was shocked. It was just unusual and gained so much momentum as it did.

'I've lived in Bondi for more than eight years and I've never seen anything like this.'

The man smoked out of a bong just metres from Bondi Beach as he appeared unaware of the surprised stares

The young man in question was pictured outside of a McDonald's store at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Saturday

A NSW police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia a report has not been made to police about the peculiar incident over the weekend.

'A report has not been made to police,' she said.

However, police encourage members of the public to report any suspected criminal behaviour as soon as possible in order for an investigation to be conducted.

'Administration of a prohibited drug is an offence under the Drugs, Misuse and Trafficking Act.'
Earlier in the day activists blocked road leading to another Trump rally

Meanwhile Corey Lewandowski, Trump's campaign manager, was filmed appearing to grab the collar of another demonstrator

Another demonstrator was also led away while wearing a KKK hood

Demonstrator fell down as Tony Pettway, 32, repeatedly kicked him

Protester was being led from arena by security when supporter hit him

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A protester has been filmed being punched and kicked by a Trump supporter at a rally in Arizona as The Donald continues to insist that his events do not incite violence.

A white man wearing a stars and stripes shirt was pictured being escorted out of a rally in Tuscon, Arizona, when he was punched in the face and repeatedly kicked by a black Trump supporter.

The victim was being taken from the rally alongside another demonstrator in a KKK-style white hood by members of Trump's security when he was punched by a supporter named as Tony Pettway, 32. Pettway was arrested.

Corey Lewandowski, Trump's campaign manager, also appeared to grab a protester by the collar sparking another confrontation that have become features of Trump's recent campaign events.

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This is the moment a demonstrator being escorted from a Trump rally in Tuscon, Arizona, was sucker-punched by supporter Tony Pettway, 32, who was subsequently arrested

Pettway was filmed and photographed hitting the demonstrator before he falls to the floor, where Pettway repeatedly kicks him before police step in

The altercation on Saturday night is just the latest example of violence erupting at a Trump rally after fight also marred events in North Carolina and Illinois

In just 10 days fights have broken out during at least four Trump rallies across North Carolina, Illinois and Arizona, leading to one event at a university in Chicago being cancelled.

A sheriff in North Carolina raised the prospect of charging Trump with inciting a riot after trouble there, while police say Pettway has been charged with assault with injury, a class 1 misdemeanor.

According to NBC News, Trump spoke to the crowd after seeing the protester being hit, saying it was 'a disgrace', though he appeared to be speaking about the protester, rather than the violence.

He said: 'They're taking away our First Amendment rights. They're troublemakers, they're no good, and we have to be careful.

'We've gotta take our country back, folks. We gotta take our country back, very simple.'

Addressing another protester, wearing a white hood and giving a Nazi salute, Trump said: 'There's a disgusting guy, puts a Ku Klux Klan hat on. He thinks he's cute. He's a disgusting guy.'

After spotting the violence Trump told the audience it was 'a disgrace' though he appeared to be referencing the protester, adding: 'They're taking away our First Amendment rights. They're troublemakers'

A member of security, left, tries to break up a scuffle between the anti-Donald Trump protester and another person

Before being taken away the man was filmed shouting at Trump supporters while brandishing a picture of the Republican frontrunner with a Confederate flag printed across his face

Another demonstrator was pictured being led out behind the man who was punched while wearing a KKK-style hood and throwing a Nazi salute

As Trump has closed in on the Republican nomination protests at his event have become more common, often erupting into violence which The Donald has denied causing

During the same event another demonstrator was filmed speaking with a member of Trump's undercover security alongside Lewandowski before the man is grabbed by the collar from behind.

Video of the incident clearly shows Lewandowski making a grabbing motion at the demonstrator, though he insists it was actually the man to his left that took hold of the man's shirt.

The protester can be seen angrily turning around and pushing the man as Lewandowski lowers his arm back to his side.

As Trump appears to be closing in on the Republican presidential nomination, protests at his campaign events, which often attract tens of thousands of people, have become more common.

Earlier Saturday a large group of demonstrators managed to block the main highway into Fountain Hill, Arizona, in an attempt to disrupt a Trump campaign event there.

Arizonians used cars to block the road into the event Saturday, as thousands of New Yorkers also protested against the Republican candidate in his hometown.

Here is Donald Trump's campaign manager in the Tucson crowd grabbing the collar of a protester. pic.twitter.com/JZ9RntWlHY  Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) March 19, 2016

Elsewhere at the same event, Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (center left and right, in a suit jacket) was filmed apparently grabbing the collar of one protester who lashes out

Anti-Donald Trump protesters (left) shout as they are removed from the campaign rally

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.

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.

Earlier in the day demonstrators at another Arizona rally, this time in Fountain Hills, used their cars to block the main road into town in an attempt to disrupt his speech

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

Courtesy Tucson.com

'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.

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

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

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

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.'

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.'

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.' 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 '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.' While polls show Trump easily beating Republican rival Ted Cruz in the New York election, in a hypothetical match-up with Hillary Clinton he gets demolished by a wide margin A demonstrator dressed as Trump attempts to fight passers-by during an anti-Donald rally in New York Advertisement

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.

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.

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

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.

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.
Inconvenient: Equalities Minister Caroline Dinenage was drawn into the row over the toilet sign

It should have been the perfect row for David Camerons Equalities Minister to resolve: whether men have the right to use a unisex toilet.

But unfortunately for Caroline Dinenage, the argument was over the loo in her local Tory association  and it resulted in the indignant resignation of her party chairman.

Former Naval officer Peter Lockyer quit as a matter of principle after his efforts to change the unisex lavatory into a women-only facility were undermined by one of Ms Dinenages aides.

Mr Lockyer felt he had no choice but to stand down after his personal intervention in a dispute engulfing staff at the association headquarters in Gosport, Hampshire, failed.

Following complaints that men were leaving the toilet in a disgusting state, he had pinned a note to the door saying ladies. But his diktat was ignored, and when he returned from a holiday in Antigua last month, he discovered the paper sign had been removed.

After an investigation, he found that Ms Dinenages assistant, Glenn Duggan, was the culprit.

When challenged, Mr Duggan said he had been designated an honorary lady by another local official, and so entitled to use the loo.

In his resignation letter, Mr Lockyer explained: I noticed that the sign had been removed from the door. I had personally fixed the sign to the door. I made enquiries and was told that Glenn Duggan had taken the sign down.

Duggan sent me an email that said the ladies had made him an honorary lady so that he could use it. His words, not mine! He also went on to dictate toilet law to me.

I do not intend to continue to work with office bullies. It may seem a simple and childish reason to resign. However, to me it has become a principle. Principle is a path a man must have as a personal code of right conduct. It is therefore with heavy heart that I resign as chairman.

It also emerged that another official, councillor Alan Scard, had also ignored the sign. Mr Lockyer, a grandfather, said he challenged Mr Scard, who was most officious about the situation [and said] that nobody was going to stop him using the ladies toilet.

The headquarters of Gosport Conservative Association has three toilets in total: a ladies and gents downstairs, plus the contested loo upstairs, which has traditionally been used by both men and women.

Clash: Glenn Duggan (left) sent the below email to Chairman Peter Lockyer (right) who quit over the loo row

Last night Mr Lockyer told The Mail on Sunday: I worked well with Caroline Dinenage for two years, but its her staff [thats the issue].

I mean, whats the headline going to be on this? ToiletGate? I told them they had no right to take the Ladies sign down. This was the final straw. They wanted to get me out in the end. They dont use the downstairs one because they are lazy.

Ive been there two years and Ive never used the upstairs toilet. Its unbelievable that grown men will fight over a ladies toilet.

But Mr Duggan, who has used the offices for eight years, defended his use of the upstairs toilet.

It is much more convenient. This signage was put up without warning. I cannot comment on why someone would be forced to resign.

In his email to Mr Lockyer, Mr Duggan admitted using the toilet, despite feeling awkward doing so, after association president Margaret Snaith-Tempia designated him an honorary woman. He also cited the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 in defence of his stance.

Ms Snaith-Tempia said: Ive been with the association since 1978 and we have never ever had anything like this before. I dont mind who uses the toilet. I spend a good deal of my time in France where all of the toilets are for men and women, and its something that doesnt faze me.

The new chairman, Brian Taylor, said he was happy for the disputed toilet to be unisex, adding: To be honest I am fed up with talking about the toilet. We have to move on.
While pro-Trump and anti-Trump sides clashed at The Donald's rally in Salt Lake City Friday, some protesters decided to tackle a slightly less intimidating enemy: a crude cardboard effigy of the controversial Republican candidate.

A video uploaded to Twitter by KSL5 reporter Nicole Vowell showed protesters hanging a model of Trump by its neck on the steps of city hall and apparently inviting people to smash it with a plank of wood like a pinata.

'I hate Trump!' shouts one man who hefts his mighty weapon and, in one swift motion, beheads the hapless figure.

Smashing fun: Protester Hans Stiles was the second man filmed attacked the - by now already headless - Trump effigy outside Salt Lake City's city hall to protest Trump's rally in the city

For good measure, the man then picks up the severed 'head' and gives it a kick while a photographer captures the moment for posterity.

Another recording of the event, which was named #DumpTrump, shows a second man taking a swing at the now headless presidential hopeful.

The man, a Starbucks barista named Hans Stiles who uploaded the video to Twitter with the message 'Yes that's me and I just lead a revolution,' also wields the mighty plank.

'How can Trump run a country when he can't even do his hair right?' he shouts to the cheering crowd, before striking the faux Trump down with a roar.

Other scenes from the protest uploaded to Twitter by KSL5's Nicole Vowell show protesters decrying Trump as a 'racist and a fascist' and chanting 'Who's the biggest threat in the world today? Donald Trump in the U.S.A.!'

Sadly, not all of the recent protests against Trump have been so lighthearted - scenes from elsewhere in Salt Lake City show police having to separate pro- and anti-Trump camps, while other protesters were arrested Saturday outside the Trump Tower in New York's Columbus Circle.
Two hikers have found a human skull close to the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles.

They stumbled upon the remains on Saturday afternoon about 400 feet from the Brush Canyon trail.

The hikers were in Griffith Park, a public park where the Hollywood sign is located, and had gone off the main trail when they discovered the skull.

The skull appears to be several years old according to LAPD lieutenant Ryan Schatz.

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Grisly discovery: Two hikers found a human skull after going off the main trail in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, where the Hollywood sign is located

Detectives rappelled down about 100 yards to examine the skull and search for any other evidence, ABC7 reported. Other body parts have not been located.

Coroner and homicide investigators closed access to the area to search for possible additional evidence. Police planned to monitor the area during the night, KTLA reported.

It will take more than a week to determine how old the skull is and whether it is male or female, investigators said.

They don't know yet how long the remains have been there or what the cause of death was.

'Right now we're at the very early stages of trying to determine who this may be and collect the human remains so the coroner's office can take a look at it,' Detective Larry Burcher told ABC7.

Griffith Park is considered the largest municipal park in the nation and covers 6.5 square miles in the eastern Santa Monica mountain range.
Zuckerberg has long romanced the Chinese elite in the hopes of allowing the country's 700million internet users access to Facebook

In a rare event he met with China's propaganda chief Liu Yunshan

Zuckerberg is in Beijing for a regime-sponsored

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.

Mark Zuckerberg met with Liu Yunshan, China's propaganda chief, in Beijing on Saturday while visiting the Communist nation to attend a government-sponsored development forum

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.

Earlier this year Yunshan (far right) announced new laws which will force online content creators to 'promote core socialist values' and spread ideas, morals and knowledge in keeping with government ideals

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'.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has a commanding lead in Utah showing the potential to tie up all 40 of Utah's delegates, according to a new poll of likely Republican caucus goers.

The survey indicates Cruz has 53 per cent support, far ahead of Ohio Governor John Kasich with 29 per cent and national frontrunner Donald Trump with 11 per cent.

If Cruz breaks the 50 per cent barrier, getting a majority of the total, then he has the chance of claiming every delegate.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz (pictured at a rally in Provo, Utah on Saturday) has a big lead in Utah showing the potential to tie up all of 40 of Utah's delegates, according to a new poll of likely Republican caucus goers

Cruz supporters pictured during the rally for the Republican presidential candidate. The survey indicates Cruz has 53 per cent support, ahead of John Kasich with 29 per cent and Donald Trump with 11 per cent

Utah Republicans assign delegates proportionally based on each candidates' vote total with one exception - if a candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the votes, they get every delegate.

'Ted Cruz is the only candidate showing the potential to get more than 50 per cent of the vote in Utah,' Quin Monson, founding partner at Y2 Analytics, told Fox 13.

In the poll, conducted between March 17 and 19, Cruz lead with 57 per cent support among those who said they were 'very likely' to attend the caucuses.

The poll also showed that most Utah Republicans, 81 per cent, are not happy with the direction of the national party, and 64 per cent said nominating Trump would weaken the party.

The survey included 500 likely caucus attendees and the margin of error is 4.38 per cent.

In the last publicly available poll conducted between February 10 and February 15, Cruz was also in the lead but the split field gave him 22 per cent support among Republicans, with Florida Senator Marcio Rubio and Trump closely behind, Fox 13 reported.

Ahead of Utah's Republican presidential caucus on Tuesday, Cruz will need undecided voters and Kasich supporters to break 50 per cent, Scott Riding, managing partner at Y2 told Fox 13.

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 party's nomination.

Last week, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said he will vote for Cruz in the upcoming caucuses in his home state of Utah.

In recent days, a number of Republican officials have shown their support for Cruz while falling short of endorsing the senator, who is currently in second place in the race for the party's nomination

Last week, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney (pictured on Monday) said he will vote for Cruz in the upcoming caucuses in his home state of Utah

Romney wrote on his Facebook page on Friday that the contest is 'between Trumpism and Republicanism,' referring to Trump.

He said the billionaire businessman's name has become associated with 'racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence.'

Romney's support for Cruz came a day after U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham threw his support behind the Texas senator, saying in similar fashion that Cruz has the best chance of stopping Trump, even though he thinks Kasich would have a better chance of winning in November's general election.

Trump currently leads his rivals overall, having won 678 delegates in contests held thus far, according to a count by The Associated Press.

Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates and Kasich is in third with 143.
The body of a mysterious man who was found dead in his Sydney apartment over a year ago may have been identified by his former lover as a British chef.

A man - who officers initially believed was named Paul Lachlan - was discovered dead in his Manly apartment, a northern suburb of Sydney, in November 2014.

His body was found with a medicare card and gym membership in the name of Lachlan, but police concluded that no-one by that name ever existed and that the deceased must have gone to extreme lengths to cover-up his true identity.

After releasing several images of the mysterious Brit, a man claiming to be his former boyfriend has come forward identifying the body as Jon Pritchard - a travelling chef from Wigan, a suburb in Greater Manchester, England.

The body of a mysterious man known as Paul Lachlan(left) who was found dead in his Sydney apartment over a year ago may have been identified by his former lover Richard Martin(right) as a British chef

Richard Martin, who spent three years in Australia and New Zealand as a chef, said he met Mr Pritchard back home in the UK.

Mr Richard said they started a relationship and decided to move to Australia together in 1995.

'I decided to return to Sydney to work and to live with friends in Redfern. Jon followed me but it didn't work out,' Mr Martin told the Daily Telegraph.

He said Mr Pritchard, who he claims travelled to Australia on a tourist visa, had a mother and sister living back in the UK.

The chef revealed that he had learned of the man's death after images were shared on social media of the man now believed to be Mr Pritchard.

After his death - not thought to be suspicious - police began 'extensive' inquiries to try and find out who he was.

Richard Martin, who spent three years in Australia and New Zealand as a chef, said he met Mr Pritchard back home in the UK

A photograph of the man who went by the name Paul Lachlan, looking much younger

But immigration could not find evidence of him entering the country - no passport, no travel documents.

The mysterious man had taken 'significant effort' to avoid having his name recorded by the government departments, agencies or businesses, police said in a statement.

A woman contacted local police in January to advise that she was 'fairly confident' the man could be her brother, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Northern Beaches Crime Manager Chris Wonders said they were still in the process of obtaining DNA test results which would be the only way to indefinitely link the two as siblings.

'It seems this woman's brother left Manchester and went to New Zealand to start a new life before coming to Australia,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

Police believe the man known as Paul Lachlan was aged about 46 when he died in November 2014

He had lived in an apartment on West Esplanade (pictured) in Manly, Sydney, across from the waterfront

'He left when he was 19, left his job and just wanted to make a fresh start. That's what his family believed and then over the years they just lost contact with him. No, they never reported him missing.'

Police, who believe the man was unemployed for the last six years, said they would be unable to comment on the allegations made by either Mr Richard or the woman until the test results are in.

The man's identity has had local police stumped for more than a year, despite following up with several close friends he established in the Manly area.

With no apparent income, he still managed to pay for his 'well-to-do' apartment, which he shared with a flatmate he had 'once been involved with'.

He paid for everything in cash and had no credit or eftpos cards, police said.

Police were hoping to confirm his name and details of his identity before an inquest into his death commenced in February.
the question everyone is asking

Electronics retail giant, Dick Smith announced voluntary administration in January, but it's 3,300 employees still haven't been given a finishing date.

The company told staff it would be 'business as usual' for their 393 stores while receivers looked to sell or restore the business, but even after Kogan.com announced it would resurrect Dick Smith as an online-only store on Tuesday, employees are still unsure how of how much longer they will be going into work.

It seems Dick Smith staff are fed up with people asking them: When will you close?

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It seems Dick Smith staff are fed up with people asking them: When will you close?

Technology retail giant, Dick Smith (pictured) announced voluntary administration in January, but it's 3,300 employees still haven't been given a finishing date

Employees at one store have have attempted to answer customers by posting signs in the window, but have left them with a very open-ended response.

'We don't know when we are closing,' one poster reads.

'When is your last day?,' another reads, 'Whats the last digit of pi,' it says below in a sarcastic response.

Staff have even reached out to the public, asking if anyone knows of job openings (left)

Employees at one store have have attempted to answer customers by posting signs in the window, but have left them with a very open-ended response (pictured)

Staff have even reached out to the public, asking if anyone knows of job openings.

'Most of us have not found jobs so feel free to recommend us to anyone that has something going,' one sign reads.

It seems like there is no end in sight- for now at least.

'Walking through a store the other day, kind of depressing to see the empty shelves,' one customer posted on Reddit

The company told staff it would be 'business as usual' for their 393 stores while receivers looked to sell or restore the business

Images of the posters were posted onto Reddit on Saturday, and have sparked a conversation about 'closing time'.

'I work at D.S. we get asked that question by nearly every customer. We truly have no idea. And judging by the move and David Jones closures, we won't find out till just a few days before. The situation sucks because those who are hopeful for a redundancy and entitlement payout cannot leave until we receive the official redundancy notice.' one current employee wrote in response.

'Walking through a store the other day, kind of depressing to see the empty shelves, Dick Smith used to be a great store, like Jaycar or Altronics, it was at least partially responsible for introducing me to electronics and my current career,' a customer wrote.

More than 3000 staff will lose their jobs when the company finally closes all of its doors (pictured) in the coming months

Founder and namesake Dick Smith told Fairfax Media he was 'incredibly angry' about what financial firm Anchorage Capital have done with the business since they purchased it in 2012

More than 3000 staff will lose their jobs when the company finally closes all of its doors in the coming months.

Receiver Ferrier Hodgson said Australian employee entitlements will be a priority and workers are 'expected to be paid in full'.

Founder and namesake Dick Smith told Fairfax Media he was 'incredibly angry' about what financial firm Anchorage Capital have done with the business.

'I'm incredibly angry about the utter dishonesty of Anchorage Capital and I hope ASIC and the Senate Inquiry do something about them,' Mr Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan, who started Kogan.com in his parents garage in 2006, announced that he had purchased the iconic Australian retailer from receivers Ferrier Hodgson on Tuesday.

Mr Kogan, 32, will breathe life back into the failed electronics retailer by permanently closing the doors to its brick-and-mortar businesses, instead launching an online-only store on June 1, 2016.

Kogan has now acquired the Dick Smith brand, trademarks, customers, loyalty databases and the existing online business in both Australian and New Zealand.

Mr Kogan said he wants to honour Dick Smith's 'great legacy' and is 'thrilled' the iconic brand will remain Australian owned and run.

'I remember as a kid always visiting Dick Smith to look for parts to upgrade my computer,' he said.

'There is a strong history of passion in the Dick Smith community for how technology can improve our lives, and we look forward to helping make it more affordable and accessible for all.'
English convicts shipped to Australia devised a unique way to leave poignant messages for their loved ones - by carving into small metal 'tokens'.

In 2008, The National Museum of Australia in Canberra purchased 307 'love tokens' from British dealer Timothy Millet, making their current collection of tokens from between 1762 and 1856 the largest in the world.

The convicts would make the small mementos by scratching the surface off a penny or twopence and carving the touching messages for their spouse, siblings or parents, according to Atlas Obscura.

English convicts shipped to Australia devised a unique way to leave poignant messages for their loved ones - by carving into small metal 'tokens'

Ships from the First Fleet arriving at Port Jackson in Sydney in January 1788

Mr Millet began collecting the coins in 1984 after developing a keen interest in historical medals and tokens.

'I started [the collection] with about 10 that I found, bits of pieces here and there,' he says. 'I thought, this is much more interesting than mint-state gold coins.'

As many families were embarrassed by convict relations, it became almost impossible for Mr Millet to chase the origins of many of the tokens and he sold his collection to the museum in 2008.

The museum have identified 80 of the convicts associated with the coins.

These include criminal Thomas Lock who was sentenced to 10 years transportation in 1845 for highway robbery. Lock was one of five children and had the names of his family members tattooed on his body.

In 2008, The National Museum of Australia in Canberra purchased 307 'love tokens' from British dealer Timothy Millet

First Fleet prisoners arriving in Sydney in 1789

Mr Millet began collecting the coins in 1984 after developing a keen interest in historical medals and tokens

His token read: 'When this you see, remember me, when I am far from the [sic]'.

Another, Abraham Lawley, was sent to Australia in 1828 after he stole a handkerchief and sentenced to 14 years transportation.

His token depicted a balloon on top of a gondola with the initials 'AL' and 'AP' on either side.

Transportation was an alternative sentence to hanging and would see criminals transported to the colonies to serve their prison sentences.

The 'love token' collection is able to be viewed in the Journey's gallery at the National Museum of Australia.

As many families were embarrassed by convict relations, it became almost impossible for Mr Millet to chase the origins of many of the tokens
Genres : Mystery, Thriller

Starring : Frank Wolff, Nieves Navarro, Simon Andreu

Director : Luciano Ercoli

Plot Synopsis

Emerging at the peak of the giallo boom of the early 70s, Luciano Ercoli's Death Walks films are two superlative examples of the genre linked by their shared casting of the stunning Nieves Navarro (billed under her adopted stage name of Susan Scott) as the lead woman in peril.

In 'Death Walks on High Heels' (1971), exotic dancer Nicole (Navarro), the daughter of a murdered jewel thief, finds herself terrorised by a black-clad assailant determined on procuring her father s stolen gems. Fleeing Paris and her knife-wielding pursuer, Nicole arrives in London only to discover that death stalks her at every corner.

Returning in 'Death Walks at Midnight' (1972), Navarro stars as Valentina a model who, in the midst of a drug-fuelled photoshoot, witnesses a brutal murder in the apartment opposite hers. But when it becomes clear that the savage slaying she describes relates to a crime that took place six months earlier, the police are at a loss - forcing Valentina to solve the mystery alone.

Offering up all the glamour, perversity and narrative twists and turns that are typical of the giallo genre at its best, Luciano Ercoli's Death Walks on High Heels and Death Walks at Midnight anticipate the super-stylized trappings of Brian De Palma's early psycho thrillers (most notably, Dressed to Kill).
A total of 22 people, mostly children, were transported to local hospitals after a reported chemical spill in the pool of a Colorado recreation center on Saturday.

The incident was initially reported as a chlorine gas spill around 4.10pm in the pool area at the Bob L Burger Recreation Center in Lafayette, according to The Denver Channel.

During a news conference, Lafayette Fire Chief David Friedel initially did not confirm the type of chemical spill that took place causing patients to have symptoms including coughing, nausea and vomiting.

A total of 22 people, mostly children, were transported to local hospitals after a reported chemical spill in the pool area at the Bob L Burger Recreation Center in Lafayette, Colorado on Saturday

During a news conference, Lafayette Fire Chief David Friedel (pictured) initially did not confirm the type of chemical spill that took place causing patients to have symptoms including coughing, nausea and vomiting

However, by late afternoon, he said the investigation had been concluded and that there was no readily apparent cause for the incident, according to the Daily Camera.

'That's not to say there wasn't anything there before, but at this time we could not detect any levels' of any chemical that could be deemed the culprit,' he said.

Initial monitoring tests performed at the facility reportedly did not detect anything abnormal.

Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including a hazmat crew, and patients were transported to five different area hospitals, according to Friedel.

The recreation center's visitors were all evacuated and taken to Pioneer Elementary school, which is adjacent to the center.

'I was getting ready to walk into the locker room and people were coming out coughing and choking and having a hard time breathing,' witness Mike Dufresne told the Daily Camera.

'I don't know what exactly happened but I felt it in my eyes.'

Friedel noted that no other areas of the center were affected by Saturday afternoon's chemical incident.

The Boulder County Health Department is set to perform tests on the pool water on Monday

Officials at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette reported that all seven of the patients they received had been treated and released, according to the Daily Camera.

The Boulder County Health Department is set to perform tests on the pool water on Monday.

Following the incident, the center was closed to the public as the leak was being investigated.

The center will also be closed to the public on Sunday, however staff will open it from noon to 5pm so that visitors evacuated during today's incident can retrieve personal belongings left behind.
Senator Arthur Sinodinos was discussing Australian Senate voting rules in a live interview with ABC Sunday morning when he suddenly disappeared from the screen.

Mr Sinodinos was mid-sentence on ABC's show Insiders when a sink hole appeared to open up beneath him, leaving only the top of his bald head visible at the bottom of the screen.

Without realising, Mr Sinodinos continued talking as the camera wobbled but the screen of Sydney's skyline remain still behind him.

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Senator Arthur Sinodinos (pictured) was discussing Australian Senate voting rules in a live interview with ABC Sunday morning when he suddenly disappeared from the screen

Mr Sinodinos (pictured) was mid-sentence on ABC's show Insiders when a sink hole appeared to open up beneath him

Only the top of his bald head visible at the bottom of the screen (pictured)

After a few moments the camera once again lifted and focused back onto the senator.

Viewers were left scratching their own heads at the mix-up.

'I'm going to assume that was a camera issue, not Arthur Sinodinos ducking for cover,' one man wrote on Twitter.

Without realising, Mr Sinodinos continued talking as the camera wobbled but the screen of Sydney's skyline remain still behind him (pictured)

After a few moments the camera once again lifted and focused back onto the senator (pictured)

'Arthur Sinodinos still trying to prove that he is relevant. On anything,' another viewer wrote with a picture of Australia's famous Foo Was Here graffiti signature.

'Arthur Sinodinos just bobbed up and down. Was he looking for an espresso? Hilarious!,' an entertained viewers said.
Mr Takagi has been shipping the child sex dolls globally for the last decade

A woman has started a petition to stop the importation of sickening sex dolls that are made in the image of young children, as their creator insists the 'toys' will reduce rates of paedophilia.

Mellissa Evans, from Queensland, started a petition on change.org asking for Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to ban the importation of child sex dolls that appear on websites like Trottia.

The petition, which has attracted over 8,500 supporters, slams the man behind Trottia's creation, Shin Takagi who for over a decade has shipped anatomically-correct rubber dolls that resemble children as young as five-years-old to paedophiles across the globe, the Atlantic reported.

A woman has started a petition to stop the importation of sickening sex dolls that are made in the image of young children

Takagi, a self-confessed paedophile, claims there is no way to change a paedophile's sexual orientation and that the life-like sex dolls act as a substitute, satisfying their needs so they do not commit crimes against real children.

'I am helping people express their desires, legally and ethically. It's not worth living if you have to live with repressed desire,' he told the Atlantic.

He said he often received letters from his clients - which include doctors, teachers and celebrities - that say: 'Thanks to your dolls, I can keep from committing a crime.'

But Ms Evans, a mother and grandmother, argues that the life-like appearance of the dolls will only normalise sexual relationships between adults and children until the paedophile eventually escalates and offends against a child.

Ms Evans argues that the life-like appearance of the dolls will only normalise sexual relationships between adults and children until the pedohphile eventually escalates and offends against a child

'I do not believe in any way that this is an appropriate deterrent against children being sexually abused,' she wrote.

The dolls that appear on the Japanese website are dressed in lace or leather lingerie, sometimes completely naked.

Many of the imitation girls are sprawled out on a bed or laid in other provocative positions, often with child-like props like a school backpack.

Some girls are smiling while others are made to appear as if they crying or in pain, which Mr Takagi stating the dolls are made in a 'variety of expressions to fulfill a variety of client needs'.

The site also links through to another address where pornographic material that has been made with the child-like dolls is sold.

These dolls appear more sexualised - some appear in lingerie with cream on their faces, others bound with skipping ropes with their breasts exposed.

The dolls that appear on the Japanese website are dressed in lace or leather lingerie, sometimes completely naked

Those who have signed the petition maintain that the 'absolutely disgusting' dolls in no way protect children from 'depravity'

But the website argues it is breaking no laws as the images are not of 'living' children.

The girls appear on the website are all artificial dolls and not real human, therefore the images do no interfere with the current law in force. None of the images are of actual living human beings.

Those who have signed the petition maintain that the 'absolutely disgusting' dolls in no way protect children from 'depravity'.

'It panders to the behaviour; normalises it, excuses it. That these devices even exist is abhorrent and diminishes the sanctity of children and childhood and suffering if victims while prioritising the interests of the criminal.'

'I find this idea to be thoroughly offensive and a disgrace in this day and age. I think it would have the entirely opposite effect and, as you say, make these disgusting acts appear as though they are normal,' wrote another

One woman who said she was a victim of child sex abuse said it is 'never ok and we shouldn't condone it by giving them something to practice on'

One woman who said she was a victim of child sex abuse said it is 'never ok and we shouldn't condone it by giving them something to practice on'.

Others questioned if non-offending paedophiles would be able to control themselves once it has been normalised with the 'inanimate objects'.

'These things start in steps, and can lead to non offenders then wanting to take the next step. It needs to be banned!'
A beauty blogger claims she has been glassed by one of her viewers at a bar.

Sally Jo Hickeys makeup tutorials are followed by hundreds of thousands, but the 21-year-old New Zealand woman said she believes her YouTube fame recently resulted in a public attack.

Ms Hickey, the daughter of former TVNZ weatherman Jim Hickey, said in a video released last week that she was glassed at Thirsty Whale bar in Napier, on New Zealands North Island.

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Sally Jo Hickeys makeup tutorials are followed by hundreds of thousands, but the 21-year-old New Zealand woman said her YouTube fame recently resulted in a public attack

She said the incident took place just after Christmas. Basically, I got attacked by a viewer, Ms Hickey said.

She had been posing for a photo with a fan and heard someone aggressively shout her name before flinging a schooner glass which shattered on Ms Hickeys head.

She had been posing for a photo with a fan and heard someone aggressively shout her name before flinging a schooner glass at Ms Hickey

Ms Hickey said the incident occurred shortly after Christmas at Thirsty Whale in Napier, in New Zealand's North Island

The 21-year-old was soaked with glass through her hair and in her shoes and cuts on her leg and foot.

The main thing I was shocked about was just that she hated me so much, Ms Hickey said.

I have to delete all my hate comments, I have to block people on the site daily.

I didnt know someone would go to the extent of physical violence.

I was very scared, cause Im not a violent person and it really rattled me, she said in the YouTube video, viewed by almost 40,000.

It was then her boyfriend Tama said she shouldnt risk going out anymore.

He said to me: We cant go out anymore, this is the end of clubbing.

I have to delete all my hate comments, I have to block people on the daily,' Ms Hickey said. I didnt know someone would go to the extent of physical violence'

I was very scared, cause Im not a violent person and it really rattled me, she said in the YouTube video, viewed by almost 40,000

You and Shannon cant go out anymore, its just getting ridiculous, Ms Hickey remembered her boyfriend saying.

Shannon Harris is a fellow New Zealand-based beauty blogger who schools fans on how to apply makeup like a pro in short YouTube videos.

She posted under the username Shaaanxo and has well over 2million subscribers on YouTube.

Ms Harris has also said shell be avoiding nightlife following the way shes been treated.

So many people grab my boobs and it sounds really stupid, but it makes me feel really, really uncomfortable, she said according to Stuff.co.nz.

Its like Im treated like a piece of meat and everyone wants to just grab me and pull my hair and grab my arm, like, jump on top of me.

She said it has happened on several occasions.

Ms Hickey is the daughter of former TVNZ weather presenter Jim Hickey (pictured)
Top officials have described his achievements as 'unprecedented'

Captain Michael Dobbin has been given the Distinguished Service Order for action against ISIS

A British Army officer honoured for his heroism against the Taliban has won a second gallantry medal just three years later, prompting top officials to describe his achievements as 'unprecedented'.

Captain Michael Dobbin, 30, of the Grenadier Guards, has been given the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his courage and leadership of troops under enemy fire from Islamic State fighters.

The Ministry of Defence has not released many details about his actions, but confirmed Capt Dobbin was rewarded for his bravery while serving with a joint Kurdish-US-UK force between January and September 2015.

In 2013, Capt Dobbin won the Military Cross (MC) after storming a Taliban compound in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal James Ashworth, 23, was shot and killed in that battle while trying to take out a sniper, and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross  Britains highest military award.

Speaking to the Sunday Express, Col Richard Kemp, the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said Capt Dobbin's achievement deserved 'admiration'.

He said: 'To be awarded the DSO at the rank of captain is very unusual, but to be awarded it just three years after getting the MC, and at such a young age, is unprecedented in modern times.

'This officer deserves our deep respect, admiration and thanks.'

A serving Grenadier Guard added: 'To be awarded a DSO is a massive achievement and is a clear indicator that he did something incredible.'

At the time of receiving his MC, Capt Dobbin recounted his experiences of fighting in Helmand province in an interview with Defence Focus.

The brave soldier, who was commanding a reconnaissance unit that had come under intense fire from the Taliban, was recognised for leading his men to victory on four occasions against significant odds.

Capt Dobbin previously received the Military Cross in 2013 after storming a Taliban compound in Afghanistan

On one occasion, his troop had been ambushed from deep within enemy lines. Taliban insurgents tried to prevent the platoon from extracting two casualties.

Capt Dobbin waited for the medical helicopter to lift off safely before then launching an audacious counter-attack.

His unit defeated the insurgents after two hours of hard fighting and drove them back more than a kilometre.

Three days later, his platoon launched an air assault behind enemy lines to take out a tenacious insurgent sniper team.

Pictured in 2013 being awarded the Military Cross: From left, Lance-corp Lawrence Kayser of The Royal Anglian Regiment, Captain Michael Dobbin, Lance-Corporal Stephen Shaw of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Captain John Scarlett of the Coldstream Guards and Sergeant Roy Geddes of the Royal Airforce

Landing in heavy fire, Capt Dobbin led his men as they charged across 200 metres of open ground.

Although two of his men were killed, he pushed on, attacking with grenades and small arms fire, braving machine gun fire from as close as five metres.

Three days later, another fierce fire fight ensued with a Guardsman being shot by insurgents, but without hesitation, Capt Dobbin charged the enemy.

He saved his platoon for a fourth time just a day later during a ferocious assault at a temporary checkpoint.

After receiving his Military Cross, Capt Dobbin said: 'In every single incident I witnessed courageous acts on the battlefield.

'Whenever I put the medal on I will absolutely think of every man that was in that platoon.'
The locks have been changed and removal men have been seen at Jerry Hall's 13million home in Greater London, just weeks after the former supermodel married media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Miss Hall, 59, has lived in Downe House, in leafy Richmond, since splitting with her ex, Mick Jagger in 1999.

On Friday, security experts were photographed ripping the locks from the 26-room Downe House, and a keypad for the intercom system and electric gates was replaced.

A team of removal men, thought to be instructed by Miss Hall, took away boxes and furniture.

A source close to the Murdochs told MailOnline that the items removed from the house were wedding presents, which have been taken to Miss Hall and Mr Murdoch's other homes.

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Security men were seen changing the locks and updating the system at Jerry Hall's Richmond home

Removal men carried out furniture carefully wrapped in bubble-wrap from the 13million home

Miss Hall co-owns the 26-room house in Greater London with her ex-partner Sir Mick Jagger

Questions were asked about whether Sir Mick Jagger had asked Miss Hall to move out after it emerged that a legal clause in the house contract said Miss Hall's right to live in the house, still jointly owned by Sir Mick, could be forfeited if she was to re-marry, reported The Sunday Mirror.

But the source said that that the removal of items had not been ordered by Mick Jagger, and the security presence was there as part of a planned refresh to the house's security systems.

In 2013, Miss Hall tried to amend the house deeds' agreement to remove Sir Mick from the title deeds.

Sir Mick, 72, was left 'absolutely staggered and horrified' by Miss Hall and Mr Murdoch's wedding, according to reports.

The Rolling Stones frontman has had a feud with Mr Murdoch which stretches back to when one of Mr Murdoch's newspapers revealed Sir Mick had a love-child with a Brazilian lingerie model - ending his relationship with Miss Hall.

Miss Hall and Mr Murdoch wed in central London earlier this month before having a blessing ceremony at the famous St Bride's Church on Fleet Street.

A source said that that the removal of items had not been ordered by Mick Jagger, and the security presence was there as part of a planned refresh to the house's security systems

In 2013, Miss Hall tried to amend the house deeds' agreement to remove Sir Mick from the title deeds

A man took a suitcase out of the property and put it in his van. Mick Jagger, 72, was left 'absolutely staggered and horrified' by Miss Hall and Mr Murdoch's wedding, according to reports

Happier times: Miss Hall and Sir Mick Jagger were together for 15 years but their marriage was annulled in 1999

Miss Hall's legal right to the property was called into question in 1999 when her 1990 marriage to Sir Mick was annulled on the grounds that it was not valid in English law.

Sir Mick's legal team at Smyth Barkham then drafted an agreement which saw the pair oversee joint ownership.

Land Registry documents seen by The Sunday Mirror show that Sir Mick's name is still on the title deeds.

Speaking three years ago, a source said: 'When she broke up with Mick, it was assumed he had given her Downe House. But his name, as well as her's, appears on the title documents as the registered owners.'

Conditions of the house also state that Sir Mick's heirs could evict Miss Hall in the event of his death if she broke the terms of the agreement.

Many belongings were loaded into a large white van. Conditions of the house also state that Sir Mick's heirs could evict Miss Hall in the event of his death if she broke the terms of the agreement

Miss Hall married Rupert Murdoch earlier this month. The private ceremony was followed by a blessing at the famous St Bride's Church on Fleet Street

Ms Hall was pictured earlier this week on honeymoon with new husband Mr Murdoch in the south of France

Sir Mick and Ms Hall are understood to have remained on good terms, and Miss Hall refused a 500,000 deal to publish her memoirs with Harper Collins - also owned by Mr Murdoch, 84.

Sir Mick and Miss Hall have four children together including supermodel Georgia May Jagger.

Since walking away from her split from Sir Mick with an estimated 10million, Miss Hall has also kept her coffers topped up with a series of lucrative contracts  including appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, which netted her 55,000.

Miss Hall and Mr Murdoch were spotted on honeymoon in Saint Paul de Vence, France, earlier this week.

The pair married after a whirlwind four-month romance, and Miss Hall described their wedding as 'absolutely wonderful'.
Iain Duncan Smith today condemned George Osborne for savaging the working poor at the expense of wealthy Tory-voting pensioners.

Despite insisting his bombshell resignation was not 'personal', the former work and pensions secretary used his first interview since walking out of David Cameron's government to warn last week's Budget was 'unfair' to the disabled.

Mr Duncan Smith said the Government was abandoning the 'one nation' message that was at the heart of Mr Cameron's re-election campaign amid a furious row over disability benefits.

But as the Tories descended into the worst bout of infighting since the dying days of John Major's Government in the 1990s, Mr Duncan Smith faced allegations he had quit because of Europe.

A furious Downing Street sent out Energy Secretary Amber Rudd to condemn Mr Duncan Smith. She told Sky News she resented his 'high moral tone' and later said he had not been a 'spectator' during six years of controversial spending cuts.

Iain Duncan Smith today used a BBC interview to accuse Chancellor George Osborne of favouring Tory voters over the working poor as he attempted to slash public spending

Mr Duncan Smith's bombshell resignation on Friday night rocked Westminster.

But in a passionate interview on the BBC Andrew Marr programme, Mr Duncan Smith denied he was motivated by Europe - insisting his crusade to improve the life chances for all were even more important to him than a two decade battle to achieve Brexit.

And in a fierce attack on the Government's austerity agenda, the former Tory leader said: 'The truth is yes, we need to get the deficit down.

'But we need to make sure we widen the scope of where we look to get that deficit down and not just narrow it down on working age benefits

'Because otherwise it just looks like we see this as a pot of money, that it doesn't matter because they don't vote for us.'

As Mr Duncan Smith outlined the reasons for his resignation, the extraordinary interview sent shockwaves through Westminster:

Former members of Mr Duncan Smith's DWP team clashed on live radio as the deep Tory divide was laid bare. Employment Minister Priti Patel said Mr Duncan Smith had laid out his case with 'conviction and dignity' but Pensions Minister Ros Altmann launched a savage attack to claim 'this has to be about Europe'.

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd took to the airwaves to insist she was 'perplexed' by Mr Duncan Smith's decision to quit the Government and accusing him of launching a 'bombshell' at his colleagues.

No 10 issued a statement rejecting Mr Duncan Smith's claims, insisting it was a 'one nation government' that would deliver its 'manifesto commitments to make the welfare system fairer'.

Tory MP Heidi Allen, who led the Conservative revolt over tax credit cuts which humiliated Mr Osborne last year, questioned the Chancellors future at No 11 and said it depended on how he now responded.

Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench Tory 1922 committee warned the Government not to brief against Mr Duncan Smith.

Senior MP Bernard Jenkin accused Downing Street of being 'deeply insincere' and claimed Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne had taken 'the same playbook as Blair and Brown'.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith repeated Labour's demand for Mr Osborne to quit as Chancellor over the row.

Mr Duncan Smith said he did not want to see a change of leadership at the top of Government 'at the moment'.

He said: 'I do not have political ambition. I would not stand for leader, I would not support somebody who stands for leader at the moment.

'I care for one thing and one thing only - it is that the people who don't get the choices my children get are left behind.

'I do not want them left behind. I want them to be given that opportunity and everything I tried to do has been about that.'

Mr Duncan Smith said it was 'painful' to resign from Government, adding: 'I don't want to resign but I am resigning because I think it is the only way I can do this.'

Asked if the Government was 'immoral', Mr Duncan Smith said: 'I think it is drifting in the direction that divides society rather than unites it.

'As far as I am concerned the risk is there. We are not there yet, but I want to change that.'

Mr Duncan Smith insisted his resignation was not 'personal' but launched a blistering assault on George Osborne's Treasury for destroying his vision of welfare reform

Asked If Mr Osborne would make a good Prime Minister, Mr Duncan Smith offered a cool response.

He said: 'If he was to stand and was selected by the electorate, which is not just me, I would hope he would - I think the same about anybody else.

'I have no view about anybody to be Prime Minister because the Prime Minister is there at the moment, I have high regard for him.'

He added: 'I believe they are losing sight of the direction of travel they should be in.'

Launching an attack on Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne's government, Mr Duncan Smith said: 'I do think genuinely there need to be a greater kind of collegiate sense to the way decision are made.

'This is not the way to government.

'All I am simply saying is look, I want the Chancellor and the Prime Minister to succeed. I want them to succeed because Britain needs them to succeed.

'We need to get the deficit down but we need to get welfare reform going.'

Asked why he had not protested against the disability cuts when Mr Osborne presented them to Cabinet on Wednesday morning, he said it was the first time he had 'realised the full state of what was actually happening as regards to tax cuts and this juxtaposing in this Budget'.

Iain Duncan Smith launched a fierce attack on the Government today, accusing Mr Osborne's Treasury of pursuing repeated cuts to the working poor

Mr Duncan Smith said if there was a vote tomorrow, he would vote for Mr Cameron to continue in No 10.

'I want the team to succeed as a One Nation team,' he said.

'We can debate how that is delivered but we should not debate the fact what we should be trying to do is not keep bearing down on the same group of people - widen that and talk about sharing that burden a bit more.'

Mr Duncan Smith blamed Mr Osborne's Treasury for forcing the pace on cuts to disability benefits, insisting he had not wanted to finalise them before Wednesday's Budget.

And he slammed the 'very limited, narrow attack' on working age benefits.

He said: 'After the election last year, I took a decision that if you are going to join the Government, you have to balance whether you can make changes and do what you hope to do on balance, you have to compromise, and do those compromises benefit or damage society.'

Senior Labour MP Chuka Umunna said Mr Duncan Smith's call for greater social justice was 'absurd given all the misery he has presided over'

Angela Rayner said listening to the former minister today had been like 'some weird dream where all the nasty cuts introduced never happened'

Shadow Commons leader Chris Bryant said Tory MPs had 'howled' at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's claim the Budget was unfair before learning the then-work and pensions secretary had agreed

Mr Duncan Smith said: 'My problem throughout this last period - it didn't start last week or the week before - through the debate and disputes I have had on tax credits, on the cutting away and eroding of universal credit allowances and a big assault on the taper... I have felt really semi detached, isolated often in these debates.

'I am not able to convince people that what we were losing, progressively, was the narrative the Conservative Party was a one nation party caring about those who don't even necessarily vote for it and may never vote for it.'

Mr Duncan Smith confirmed he considered resigning last year and sparked surprise as he made clear his opposition to the cap on overall welfare spending, the triple lock on pensions and cutting working age benefits to hit deficit targets set by the Treasury.

He said: 'We were running to an arbitrary Budget agenda which had a welfare cap in it.'

In a statement, No 10 rejected Mr Duncan Smith's attack on the policy direction of the Government.

A spokesman said: 'We are sorry to see Iain Duncan Smith go, but we are a One Nation government determined to continue helping everyone in our society have more security and opportunity, including the most disadvantaged.

'That means we will deliver our manifesto commitments to make the welfare system fairer, cut taxes and ensure we have a stable economy by controlling welfare spending and living within our means.

'Under this government there are over two million more people with the security of a job and a pay packet, almost half a million fewer children growing up in a home where nobody works and over a million fewer people trapped on out-of-work benefits.

'But there is more to do. Thats why we will stick to our plan so we finish the job of delivering stability, security and opportunity for working people in our country.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith said: 'The Conservative Party is tearing itself apart over an unfair Budget. David Cameron and George Osborne's claim that 'we're all in this together' now lies in tatters.

'No-one will believe Iain Duncan Smith's sudden change of heart. After all this is the man who introduced the Bedroom Tax. But what his comments do reveal is growing anger within the Conservative Party about George Osborne's management of the economy.

'The Chancellor's unfair Budget is falling apart at the seams. George Osborne now needs to urgently clarify whether these cuts to disability benefits will go ahead and, if not, how he will make up for the huge hole in his Budget.

'Jeremy Corbyn is right. Iain Duncan Smith's resignation is a symptom of a wider problem made at the Treasury. George Osborne should take responsibility and resign. He has failed his party, failed the economy and failed our country.'

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd told Murnaghan on Sky News that she does 'respect' Mr Duncan Smith but to 'suddenly launch this bombshell on the rest of us in a way that is difficult for us all to understand is just really disappointing'.

Ms Rudd also said Mr Duncan Smith was 'completely wrong' to suggest the Conservatives were falling short of being a 'one nation' government.

She said: 'I do resent his high moral tone on that when the rest of us are absolutely committed to a one nation government.

'I do find his manner and his approach really disappointing.'

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said she was 'disappointed' by the 'bombshell' from Mr Duncan Smith but senior Tory MP Bernard Jenkin blamed the 'Blair and Brown playbook' used by Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne for igniting the row

Senior Tory MP Bernard Jenkin said: 'They have taken the same playbook as Brown and Blair.

'Everything is dictated from the top for short term political advantage. This cannot go on.

'We need to reset how Whitehall operates. The prime minister is supposed to be primus inter pares [first among equals] not a dictator.

'The Chancellor should not control individual departments. And Iain is not the only minister who has got hugely frustrated.'

Pensions Minister Ros Altmann led attacks on Mr Duncan Smith in a letter to Sky News.

She said she was 'extremely shocked' at the manner of her former boss's resignation.

Pensions Minister Ros Altmann today blasted Mr Duncan Smith for the manner of his resignation

She said: 'Having worked alongside him as a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions, I have seen that he championed the very package of reforms to disability benefits he now says is the reason he has resigned.

'I'm particularly saddened that this really seems to be about the European referendum campaign rather than about DWP policy.

'He seems to want to do maximum damage to the party leadership in order to further his campaign to try to get Britain to leave the EU.'

Mr Duncan Smith's Friday night resignation sent shockwaves through Government and Mr Osborne's Budget.

Mr Duncan Smith blasted proposed changes to the personal independence payment which were due to cut an average of 3,500 a year from 340,000 people.

He said: '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.'

In a direct attack on Mr Osborne, he said: '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 concluded: '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 response, Mr Cameron said he was 'puzzled and disappointed' at the resignation - pointing out the contentious benefit reform had been pulled for further work hours earlier.

The Mail on Sunday today revealed the pair had a furious row hours before Mr Duncan Smith's resignation became public at around 9pm on Friday.

Stephen Crabb was appointed as the new Work and Pensions Secretary yesterday, with Alun Cairns replacing him as Welsh Secretary.

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'. IDS makes no mention of his opposition to the disability cuts 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.

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

Michael Gove rallies to George Osborne's side by praising a 'radical and progressive' Budget after IDS's explosive resignation over disability benefit curbs

Michael Gove today rallied to the support of George Osborne after Iain Duncan Smith's bombshell resignation left the Tories reeling.

The Justice Secretary insisted the Budget was progressive and radical and a package he would 'enthusiastically' vote for when it is tested in the Commons next week.

Mr Gove said he backed Mr Duncan Smith on Brexit and warmly endorsed his work in Government to reform benefits and help people back to work.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove, left, today appealed for Tory unity in the wake of Iain Duncan Smith's resignation before warmly endorsing the Budget of Chancellor George Osborne, pictured right on Friday

But as Mr Osborne's Budget unravels and the Tory civil war over Europe explodes to greater heights, Mr Gove pleaded with his party to put unity first.

In a column for the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Gove said: 'David (Cameron) has shown extraordinary generosity of spirit in allowing ministers to campaign against him - and for Brexit - while still remaining at their posts.

'The country therefore has the chance to make this momentous decision - after a fair and open debate - because we have a majority Conservative Government.

'And after this country has made its decision we'll need a strong, united and resolute Government not just to steer Britain through new times internationally, but also to continue with reforms to our economy, welfare and education which are vital to our future.'

Mr Gove insisted he 'can't and won't' take issue with with Mr Osborne or Mr Duncan Smith on their key policy directions and choices.

Of the former work and pensions secretary, Mr Gove said: 'Few politicians are admired enthusiastically by both Nick Clegg and Norman Tebbit. Indeed I suspect Iain is the only one.

'He has earned the right to make his own decisions on matters of high principle.'

And turning to the Chancellor, he added: 'He is a brilliant Chancellor who has not just fought to repair the nation's finances after years of mismanagement, he's also a thoughtful and considerate social reformer.'

Tory wars break out into full public view as David Cameron is accused of being a 'dictator' using the 'Blair and Brown playbook'

1922 Committee chairman Graham Brady said the motives of Mr Duncan Smith should not be questioned

The tensions at the heart of the Tory Party broke into public view today as Iain Duncan Smith's resignation broke the dam holding back furious rows.

Bernard Jenkin, the Harwich and North Essex MP, launched a stinging attack on David Cameron and slammed him for using the 'Blair and Brown playbook' to dictate policy to departments.

Others, including Graham Brady, the 1922 Commmittee chairman, warned the Prime Minister's team against briefing Mr Duncan Smith's shock decision to quit was motivated by Europe.

The Conservative Party is split down the middle over June's EU referendum as Mr Cameron leads the Government for remain while more than 100 of his MPs are passionate backers of Brexit.

Mr Jenkin told Sky News: 'Everything is dictated from the top for short term political advantage,' he said.

'Everything is tactical. This cannot go on.'

Mr Jenkin said the prime minister is 'not meant to be a dictator'.

Mr Brady told BBC Radio 5Live: 'I think people who are giving briefings which are suggesting ulterior motives from colleagues, I think it is very unwise.

'I think it will make it much harder for us to pull the party back together after the referendum and much harder for us to get on with the task of offering the good, solid, decent government that the country expect.'

Former defence secretary Liam Fox said: 'I do urge my colleagues to stop personalising some of this debate.

'There is a real debate for us to have about how we go about welfare reform at a time when we're still massively over-spending.'

Despite the backlash from the eurosceptic wing of the Tory party, Energy Secretary Amber Rudd took to the airwaves to blast the 'bombshell' from Mr Duncan Smith.

She said to 'suddenly launch this bombshell on the rest of us in a way that is difficult for us all to understand is just really disappointing'.

She also said Mr Duncan Smith was 'completely wrong' to suggest the Conservatives were falling short of being a 'one nation' government.

She said: 'I do resent his high moral tone on that when the rest of us are absolutely committed to a one nation government.

'I do find his manner and his approach really disappointing.'

George Osborne's leadership chances hang by a thread as a senior MP warns the Chancellor is 'damaged but not destroyed' by his collapsed Budget

Tory grandee Peter Lilley said George Osborne was 'damaged but not destroyed'

George Osborne's hopes of succeeding David Cameron as Tory leader and Prime Minister are 'damaged but not destroyed' a veteran Tory MP declared today.

Peter Lilley, who has been a Tory MP since the political civil war in the party of the 1990s, said the fumble over disability benefits was another signal Mr Osborne was 'not necessarily the best person' to takeover in No 10.

After David Cameron reaffirmed his plans to quit Downing Street before the next election, speculation on who will succeed him has been feverish.

Long-term favourite Mr Osborne was damaged by last year's humiliating climb down over tax credit and this week's row over tax credits provoked the bombshell resignation of Iain Duncan Smith.

Meanwhile, Mr Osborne's key rival Boris Johnson delighted the Tory grassroots with his Brexit declaration.

Mr Lilley told the BBC: 'Hes an extremely able person and in many ways... well, I was going to say a safe pair of hands but not in this case.

'But generally a safe pair of hands.

'And so not necessarily therefore the best person.'

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell today called for Mr Osborne to scrap his whole Budget and start again because of the blackhole left by a climbdown over personal independence payments reform.

He told BBC Radio 5Live: 'I can't see how the Budget can now go forward this week because a huge hole has now opened up within the Budget itself.

'Already Osborne had to find 3.5bn of cuts which were unidentified but now there's another 4bn so I can't see how this Budget can proceed this week.
David Cameron, at this week's EU summit, urged voters to think of their children at the referendum

David Cameron today appealed to voters to think about their children as they decide how they vote in the EU referendum.

The Prime Minister said his 'fear' ahead of June's historic poll was a low turn out handing victory to the Brexit campaign.

Mr Cameron recalled the Second World War as he made his case, insisting to the Independent on Sunday his In campaign was winning the 'rational' case on the EU but need a 'dose' of patriotic fervour.

The Prime Minister said he was teaching his children Britain was 'special' and a country that was supposed to be part of international organisations such as the EU.

And in an appeal to voters, Mr Cameron said: 'Think about your children, think about your grandchildren, think about the country and the world you want them to grow up in.

'It must be a world in which we are trying to cooperate and work together more with other countries.

'It is worth standing back and thinking here we are, 70 years after the end of the Second World War 

'This continent which was in conflict for so much of the 20th Century has found a way of peaceful coexistence, and that is something we should want to be part of and want to share in.'

Mr Cameron said Brexit would be like 'pressing pause' on the country's development.

And he told the newspaper he felt confident that he would persuade most people staying in was the 'rational thing' to.

But with the polls showing the referendum on a knife edge, Mr Cameron warned: 'My fear is turn-out.

'A lot of people might think: ''Well, in the end, it's the rational thing to stay, but I'll let other people make that choice for me.''

Sir John Major said voters had to choose between Great Britain and Little Britain

'Don't. This is very close, no doubt about it.'

Mr Cameron's position was endorsed today by his Tory predecessor in Number 10.

Sir John Major said the referendum would be 'momentous' as he warned Britain should stay in.

In a Sunday Telegraph feature, he said: 'On issues such as the environment, climate change, internet costs and consumer protection, the UK can best progress  or sometimes only progress  in unity with our fellow Europeans.

'In an uncertain world the UK, as part of the EU, is better able to face up to the aggressive policies of hostile nations.

'We are safer, because the EU has brought together former enemies to face common perils. In the last thousand years of history, no previous generation has been so fortunate.

'It would be sheer folly to put this all at risk.'

Sir John said he hoped Britain's children and grandchildren would be 'proud' of today's voters when history reflects on the campaign.

And he warned: 'As a result of a UK exit, the political influence of the EU would be diminished  especially when considered against the power of the United States or China.

'Without the UK, Europe  the cradle of modern civilisation  would fall to a lower significance.

'The Referendum decision on 23 June is not a prelude to further negotiation. It will be final.

'Our nation can either decide to be true to our history  and remain outward-looking internationalists on the world stage  or shrink to lower prominence.

'It will be a fateful choice: Great Britain or Little Britain.'
A multi millionaire Sydney businessman, who heads up a financial company with thousands of clients, has revealed his new identity - as a woman named Savannah Jackson.

Daniel Kertcher, appeared on Channel Seven's Sunday Night, sharing the story of his life and transformation to Savannah a few weeks ago.

Mr Kertcher was an army officer, bodybuilder and built a financial advisory firm Trading Pursuits with his wife Julie Cairns, who he met one night at a Sydney bar while dressed as Savannah.

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Mr Kertcher pictured outside a business conference in one of his many webinars for finance clients

Ms Cairns supported Mr Kertcher dressing as Savannah from the beginning of their relationship.

'When we first got together, Savannah did explore the idea of going on hormones, and potentially transitioning,' Ms Cairns said.

She said she told Mr Kertcher at the time they couldn't take that journey as a couple, because she is a heterosexual woman.

The pair split up after five years together when Mr Kertcher decided to undergo gender reassignment surgery, but remain friends and business partners.

Mr Kertcher travelled to Thailand in 2014 with his mother Sharon to undergo the surgery, to remove his male genitals and have them reconstructed as female genitalia.

He told Sunday Night he had spent much of his life wrestling with the idea of being a woman and denying it.

Mr Kertcher dressed as Savannah before he underwent the gender reassignment surgery in Thailand

He said when he finally accepted it, his family and close friends were supportive but he was concerned about the reaction of his staff and clients.

The couple spent years in consultation with psychologists before introducing Savannah to their daughter when she was eight years old.

Ms Cairns, who was supportive throughout the entire process, said she wanted Ms Jackson 'to live her biggest, fullest life'.

Mr Kertcher dressed as Savannah (left) with his former wife Julie Cairns (left)

Ms Jackson said although her marriage had ended, she never lost Ms Cairns as a friend, or her business partner.

'Throughout all of this we were together,' she said.

'Im never been in prison or anything but I can imagine it's like being an innocent person incarcerated but living in this prison and now being released.'

Julie Cairns (left) and Daniel Kertcher (right) pictured together on their wedding day

'I can just be myself and that to me has been the greatest single gift I have given myself - is the freedom to be myself.'

Over the next 12 months Ms Jackson will need another four surgeries to complete her transition into a woman, including facial and body sculpting.

Mr Kertcher's former wife, Julie Cairns, speaks about the adventure, how they have an 11 year-old daughter and that she lives in an adjoining flat next door to Savannah

Mr Kertcher in a video message to his clients that he is transgender and will soon transition into a woman

Ms Cairns (left) and Ms Jackson (right) have an 11 year-old daughter who was gradually introduced to Savannah when she was eight years old

Throughout the entire process Ms Cairns was supportive of Ms Jackson's wishes, even helping her clear the men's clothes from her cupboard in their adjoining flat

Ms Jackson told Sunday Night that transitioning into Savannah has been 'the greatest single gift she could have given herself'

Savannah Jackson pictured at a Sydney hair salon getting hair extensions on the day of her rebirth

The Twitter reactions to Sunday Night's story were overwhelmingly positive, with this viewer describing Savannah as 'beautiful and courageous'

Another tweet referred to it as an 'amazing transgender story'

Twitter users also wished Savannah luck in her full transition into a woman

The tweets also referenced Savannah's wife, commending her for patience and understanding in the process

Ms Jackson tries on a range of new clothes on the day of her rebirth
Serial killer Joanna Dennehy is allowed to do her own baking inside prison and is an avid fan of The Great British Bake Off, it has been claimed.

It is believed the 33-year-old - who was jailed for slaughtering three men - makes flapjacks, tray bakes and crispy cakes inside her prison cell.

A source told The Sun on Sunday she has a TV in her room where she watches the popular BBC baking show.

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Murderer: Serial killer Joanna Dennehy, who laughed and smiled in the dock at the Old Bailey as she awaited sentencing for murdering three men, watches The Great British Bake Off from inside her prison cell

Dennehy takes inspiration from the Mary Berry-hosted show (pictured), and cooks her own flapjacks, tray bakes and crispy cakes inside her cell, a source has claimed

Victims: Lukasz Slaboszewski (left) and John Chapman were murdered by Joanna Dennehy before their bodies were dumped in ditches

They said: 'She gets ingredients from the prison and buys other things like chocolate bars to add in.

'Shes smart and has taught herself how to make all sorts with the microwave. Shes made flapjacks, tray bakes and crispy cakes.'

Dennehy is currently using taxpayer funded legal aid to appeal her imprisonment, claiming her human rights are being violated by being kept in segregation.

The source added: 'The truth is Dennehy is treated as well, if not better, than all the other inmates.'

On February 27 last year, Dennehy laughed and smirked as Judge Justice Spencer branded her a cruel, calculated, selfish and manipulative serial killer.

But after the judge ordered her to serve the rest of her life in jail, the mother of two, who was flanked by ten security guards, looked stunned and started wailing.

Third victim: Kevin Lee who was also murdered in Peterborough by the serial killer

Dennehy is only the third woman to be given a whole-life prison term  along with Moors murderer Myra Hindley and House of Horrors serial killer Rose West  and the first to be given the term by a judge. Hindley and West were both handed the sentence by home secretaries.

During a ten-day killing spree, Dennehy stabbed lover Kevin Lee and housemates Lukasz Slaboszewski and John Chapman, dumping each body in ditches in Cambridgeshire in March last year.

Dennehy, who was brought up in a stable family home in the Home Counties, carried out the attacks to gratify her sadistic love for blood.

The Old Bailey was told she had a sexual and sadistic motivation. Later she told a psychiatrist: I killed to see how I would feel, to see if I was as cold as I thought I was. Then it got more-ish.

Experts said Dennehy craved notoriety and wanted to humiliate her victims through sick sex games. Before the killings she had boasted she had already killed four times.

When the three bodies were found police launched a high-profile murder investigation.

Meanwhile Dennehy, 31, travelled to Hereford and started scouring the streets with accomplice Gary Stretch for more men to kill.

The pair randomly selected two dog walkers, retired fireman Robin Bereza, 64, and John Rogers, 56. Dennehy stabbed them in frenzied knife attacks.

Both survived the horrific attacks only because of swift medical intervention.

During her search for further victims, Dennehy posed for photos with a huge serrated knife and bragged that she and Stretch were like Bonnie and Clyde, whose gang killed nine policemen in 1930s America.
Genres : Drama, Science Fiction, TV

Starring : Gemma Chan, Katherine Parkinson, Tom Goodman-Hill, Lucy Carless, Theo Stevenson

Plot Synopsis

In the near future, technological advances have brought about the creation of life-like humanoid servants, called Syntheticsor synthsthat help busy families simplify their lives. Joe Hawkins (Tom Goodman-Hill), disheartened by his wife, Laura's (Katherine Parkinson), distance, and his children's indifference, purchases a synth with the hope that it will ease the family's struggles. The synth, Anita (Gemma Chan) is an instant hit with Joe's children, but Laura can't shake her unease or the feeling that something is very wrong with Anita.



As the Hawkins family adjusts to life with Anita, retired synth engineer George (William Hurt) can't bring himself to get rid of his beloved, but malfunctioning synth, Odi (Will Tudor). And mysterious Leo (Colin Morgan) desperately searches for someone with his synth, Max. But why does Max seem different from other synths, and what secrets are the two holding?
Army also on standby and working on chemical bomb disposals

Special forces and police have been put on standby to battle up to 10 simultaneous terror attacks on London.

To prevent a Paris-style attack in the capital, it is understood the National Crime Agency has been ordered to crackdown on firearms.

Agency bosses fear terrorists returning from Syria could carry out multiple attacks in London, spreading resources across the city.

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The SAS is prepared to deal with up to 10 simultaneous terrorist attacks in London, it has been claimed (file picture)

But a minister told the Sunday Telegraph that UK special forces was well prepared for such an eventuality.

He told the paper: 'We used to plan for three simultaneous attacks but Paris has shown that you need to be ready for more than that. We are ready if someone tries with seven, eight, nine, ten.'

The Army is also on standby outside London to aid the SAS and Metropolitan Police should there be multiple attacks.

According to the Telegraph, the Army's counter terrorism bomb disposal unit is also putting together a team to combat chemical and biological weapons at a base in Didcot, Oxford.

The SAS is also conducting training exercises focused around dealing with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have been turned into weapons of mass destruction.

It comes after the capture of Paris massacre suspect Salah Abdeslam who had been on the run ever since the slaughter of 130 people in France four months ago.

The Metropolitan Police is also on standby to guard against Paris-style attacks in the capital (file picture)

Abdeslam evaded capture despite being pulled over by police on the night of the killings last November, and questions are being asked in France and Belgium over how he was able to move freely for that extent of time.

The 26-year-old's lawyer Sven Mary said he was co-operating with police and he is understood to have admitted he was supposed to use a suicide vest in the Paris attacks but backed out.

His brother Brahim was one of the terrorists who blew himself up at the Comptoir Voltaire brasserie in the 11th arrondissement, severely injuring a waitress.
An ex-soldier who lied about fighting in Afghanistan tricked a charity into giving him a home on the veteran's street transformed by Princes William and Harry on DIY SOS.

Aiden Giles, 27, claimed to be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after coming back from Afghanistan.

As a result, Giles played a part in the BBC programme, which was broadcast last October, and even moved in to a renovated house on the Manchester street.

Aiden Giles, 27, claimed he served in Afghanistan and had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to get a house on the veteran's street transformed by the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry

The BBC claim that Giles did not feature in the two part series.

However, in a promotional video, presenter, Nick Knowles, is seen to say that the former serviceman, 'personified' the ambitious project to help physically and mentally wounded veterans 'when they come home.'

He added that Giles 'struggled with PTSD'.

Talking on the programme, Giles also said: 'It's horrible. I wish I could just be the person I was when I first joined the Army but that will never happen.'

Giles served for about four years in a ceremonial squadron of the Blues and Royals - part of the House Cavalry.

But he was never deployed to Afghanistan.

Instead, defence sources revealed that when Giles's unit moved to the Hyde Park barracks in central London, he went absent without leave (AWOL) for two years.

It is suspected that he had gone to the Greek island of Zante, where his mother was living.

On top of this, during a spell in military custody he was released from the army but struggled to cope with civilian life and became homeless.

Giles's DIY SOS fraud was first exposed in December by The Walter Mitty Hunters Club.

The group said that they had been inundated with messages from angry members of the Household Cavalry Regiment who all claimed he had never been deployed anywhere in his entire short career.

However, although the Walking with the Wounded charity condemned Giles's behaviour, they also said that it illustrated a greater problem and that there are a number of veterans who still need help, despite never having been on the frontline.

They also confirmed that Giles was living in temporary shared accommodation on Canada Street, east Manchester.

Princes Harry and William helped out on BBC One's DIY SOS last October as they worked to build homes for ex-servicemen

Kensington Palace said that The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry were proud to have supported this project

Nick Knowles said that Giles, 'personified' the ambitious project to help physically and mentally wounded veterans 'when they come home'

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Ed Parker, the chief executive of Walking with the Wounded, said: 'I don't condone what he did. It is in fact hugely disrespectful of the men in his regiment who have lost their lives and have been wounded and I fully understand the grievance that they have with him.

THE PRINCES AND THE PAEDOPHILE: HANDYMAN WHO POSED ON DIY SOS SHOW CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER The DIY SOS special involving Princes Harry and William also came under fire last year, as a handyman who posed for a selfie with the duo was found to be a convicted sex offender who abused young girls. Steven Bedford, 47, appeared on the BBC programme with William and Harry and posted the picture on Facebook. Amidst the controversy, he said: 'It doesn't matter what my past is. I did it for a good cause.' But the BBC confirmed that Bedford had hidden his criminal past before featuring on the show. Advertisement

'We work with those who have fallen the furthest, the Aiden Giles's of this world, who are often ignored.

'We believe that those people deserve support as well as the guys put up on a pedestal.

'[Some of the people who we are working with have found the transition to the civilian work difficult so they start seeing a downward spiral.

'It can end up in low-level crime, homelessness, selfmedication on booze - it's a pretty grotty way to go. They are no heroes.'

Mr Parker also said that veteran's charities should let the public know that many ex-servicemen who they raise money for have never been in combat or had PTSD but are still in need of expert help.

Giles's former roommate at the Windsor barracks, Ed Rowland, 31, also said that while he was 'disgusted' with Giles, he also expressed some sympathy.

Regarding the involvement of the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, a Kensington Palace spokesman said: 'The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry are proud to have supported this project. Veterans often have complex needs.'

Giles is due to leave the house this week and will be moving to a one-bedroom flat elsewhere.

The Haig Housing Trust, who rent the properties on the veteran's street were not involved in the decision to place him there.
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A multimillionaire property tycoon has branded his neighbours 'moronic peasants' after they objected to his 41million palace, which has been called the Ghost House of Sussex.

Locals are angry as the vast house, near Uckfield in East Sussex, has still not been completed, despite the fact work began on the property in 1985.

But Nicholas van Hoogstraten, who began constructing the house more than 25 years ago, has hit back and in a statement said: 'Even the most moronic of peasants would be able to see from the pictures that we have been busy landscaping the grounds of the Palace.'

And he ruled out suggestions that the building could be used to house homeless people and spitefully said: 'The "homeless"  the majority of whom are so by their own volition or sheer laziness  are one of the filthiest burdens on the public purse today.

'The chance of my offering an opportunity for them to occupy Hamilton Palace is just ludicrous.

'Likewise, my offering accommodation to these Muslim "migrants" and to encourage their besiegement of our country and the unwarranted plundering of its resources is ridiculous. We should remove them all.'

Nicholas van Hoogstraten branded his neighbours 'moronic peasants' after they objected to his 41million palace (pictured), which has been called the Ghost House of Sussex

He ruled out suggestions that the building, which is shrouded in scaffolding, could be used to house homeless people

Construction containers can be seen littered throughout the lavish property, which is located near Uckfield, in East Sussex

It's not clear if Hoogstraten still owns the property - he claims to have long ago transferred many assets into his children's names

The mansion features a vast open field as its front lawn, while a second building is partially constructed on the nearby body of water

Hoogstraten (pictured in 2008) was once convicted for arranging to have a thug throw a grenade into the house of a business associate

Mr van Hoogstraten began the construction of Hamilton Palace in the 1980s, and since then has amassed interests across the world, but a spokesman for the multimillionaire insisted he remains a resident in Britain and in countries across the world.

The property magnate also dismissed criticism that the building was falling into disrepair and said it would last for thousand of years.

'Hamilton Palace is far from "crumbling" and was built to last for at least 2,000 years. The scaffolding only remains as a part of ongoing routine maintenance such a property would require until completion,' he claimed.

The controversial businessman, who was once jailed for paying thugs to hurl a grenade into a rival's home, started building the home - complete with its own mausoleum - in order to house his vast art collection.

However, a local resident has now complained that construction work on the property stopped long ago and it is simply going to waste.

Neighbour Richard Baxter said: 'With all the housing problems we have in this country surely the building can be put to good use. It's a disgrace that it is just going to ruin,' The Mirror reported.

The property is now owned by Messina Investments, which is run by Mr van Hoogstraten's four eldest children - Maximilian, 30, Alexander, 28, Britannia, 25, and Louis, 25 - who share the surname Hamilton and were handed control of their father's investments and companies in 2002 after he began a prison sentence for manslaughter.

The eldest four children also control the non-trading firm Hamilton Palace, which had 54million in shareholder funds last year that are split with their two younger siblings, the Sunday Times reported.

Mr van Hoogstraten's four eldest children, including Alexander, 28, (left) and Britannia, 25, (right), control Messina Investments, the company which now owns the uncompleted Hamilton Palace

The dome tip of the building can be seen in this photograph stretching up above a rows of trees which flanks the sprawling estate

Hoogstraten is a self-confessed 'amoral businessman' who made his fortune in his late teens as a slum landlord in Britain

A local resident has complained about the inactivity on the project, saying it could be put to much better use than lying in ruin

Almost 31 years to the day after building started, the property is unused. Pictured is a sign warning trespassers the land is private property

Hoogstraten made his fortune as a slum landlord in Britain but is better known for his court case regarding the gruesome gangland slaying of a business rival, who was stabbed five times before being shot in the head. Van Hoogstraten was exonerated of any blame in the killing.

Once described by a judge as a 'self-imagined devil who thinks he is an emissary of Beelzebub', Hoogstraten was born in Bognor in 1946 and as an 11-year-old schoolboy started selling stamps to noted collectors.

It later transpired that the young Hoogstraten, who claimed to have a stamp collection worth 30,000, had hired classmates to steal the stamps for him from specialist shops.

By the time he was 14, he had taken to wearing a suit to school and would excuse himself from lessons to sit in an empty classroom, where he would read the Financial Times and attend to business deals.

As a teenager, he started a loan-shark business that saw him take property deeds as collateral for loans. He also ran nightclubs in Brighton and once called Rod Stewart, the rock star, a greedy 'little runt' in a row over takings.
Beatrix von Storch, a leading AfD politician, is helping write the anti-immigrant group's manifesto

The far right party which made huge gains in Germany's regional elections is planning broad new policies designed to crack down on Islamic practices.

Among the measures Alternative for Germany (AfD) hopes to ratify are bans on mosque minarets, women wearing burqas in public and the Jewish and Muslim practice of male circumcision.

The strong gains made by the anti-immigration party in three German state elections last Sunday stunned Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party.

Beatrix von Storch, a leading party member who is helping write the manifesto, now says she hopes its sudden popularity will translate into votes in next year's federal elections.

She told The Sunday Times: 'We address problems that affect people: migration, internal security, Islam... we are the only ones that want to stop this.

'Must we give up our culture because people from other cultures come to us? I think not - we think not.'

It emerged last week that German magazine Compact, which espouses the AfD views, has seen a rise in popularity as it shares the party's ideology.

This is despite accusations from the establishment centre-left and centre-right politicians that AfD harbours members with xenophobic and anti-democratic views.

Some of its recent headlines include Asylum Chaos, Dictatorship Merkel, Vote Her Out, The Better Chancellor - a reference to AfD co-leader Frauke Petry - and Fair Game Woman, an allusion to sexual assaults by North African migrants.

Compact's February edition landed two policemen in hot water after a citizen posted a picture online showing a copy on the dashboard of a police van and asking whether this showed officers were no longer politically neutral.

Compact editor-in-chief Juergen Elsaesser, an outspoken fan of Russian President Vladimir Putin, argues that Petry would make a better chancellor than Merkel for a simple reason: 'In contrast to "Mutti", Petry has real children, four in fact.'

Germans use the nickname 'Mutti' to refer to Merkel's image as the maternal guardian of German interests. The AfD and far-right groups say she is the 'worst chancellor ever'.

In response to sexual attacks on women blamed on migrants on New Year's Eve, Compact featured a close-up of a blue-eyed woman trying to free herself from a dark-skinned hand pressing her mouth and nose. The headline read: Fair Game Woman.
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More than 600 migrants smuggled themselves onto a Greek island yesterday hours after the start of a landmark EU deal that is supposed to halt the influx.

Two men, including a father of four, were trampled to death as desperate passengers stampeded to disembark one of the overcrowded boats arriving in Lesbos from Turkey.

Others waved and cheered as they sailed in amid chaotic scenes that cast severe doubt over whether the agreement - under which migrants who illegally enter the Greek islands should be deported back to Turkey - can succeed.

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Desperate: Two men were trampled to death as they tried to disembark their overcrowded dinghy when they arrived on the Greek island of Lesbos. Above, first aiders treat an unconscious man in Lesbos who made the desperate journey to Greece from Turkey

Crowds: Later in the day crowds raced to make it onto the ferry that would take them from Lesbos to the Greek mainland

And in comments which exposed deep flaws in the new rules aimed at closing the main migrant route into Europe, many of the new arrivals admitted they had been warned about the promise to send them back but were determined to travel anyway.

The mayor of Lesbos  which already has over 4,000 migrants  said he had no idea if the new arrangement would work and was prepared to take up to 20,000 if it failed.

The Greek government also admitted it would not immediately be able to start sending refugees back as it struggles to implement the key deal targeting the route which was used by a million people to cross the Aegean Sea into the EU last year.

Spiros Galinos, the mayor of Lesbos, said he was given no warning over the sudden change in policy, which had led to unnecessary confusion.

He told the Mail: I have been suggesting this as a plan for a long time, but they suddenly announced without telling us.

We had no chance to get anything ready for it.

Today the numbers arriving have been about the same as they were previously so it has not had an immediate impact. Only time will tell if this changes.

Chaos: Spiros Galinos, the mayor of Lesbos, said he was given no warning over the sudden change in policy, which had led to unnecessary confusion. Lesbos has more than 4,000 migrants, but its Mayor said he was prepared to take up to 20,000 if the new deal fails

Arrivals: Without EU help Lesbos can take 7,000 migrants, but needs more funding and support to host 20,000 people on the Greek island

I can currently take 7,000 migrants, but with help from the EU I could take 20,000, and this a possibility we must be prepared for as we try to help these refugees these people in every way we can.

The desperate dangers of the sea journey into Europe were underlined when screams broke out on one of the first boats arriving after the deal came into force at midnight on Saturday.

Two men were pulled out unconscious and were later pronounced dead of suspected heart attacks following a stampede by passengers rushing to disembark.

Victims: Shortly before the deadline this morning two little girls drowned off the tiny island of Ro during an attempted crossing to Greece from Turkey. A four-month-old baby girl died the day before on the crossing from Turkey's Cesme to Greek island of Chios

Under the agreement all migrants and refugees who cross to Greece illegally by sea from Turkey should be returned once they are registered and their asylum claims have been processed

The EU will then take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations

Shortly before the deadline arrived two little girls, aged around one and two, were found drowned off the tiny island of Ro during an attempted crossing to Greece from Turkey.

But there were happier scenes on other boats arriving yesterday morning as elated migrants waved, cheered and smiled as their boats landed.

Exhausted but relieved, the new arrivals wrapped their wet feet in thermal blankets as volunteers handed out dry clothes and supplies.

Among the arrivals Syrian student Hussein Ali Muhammad, who said he knew of the new rules but had decided to come anyway.

He said: I hope to cross these borders. I dont want money, I just want to complete my studies.

Under the agreement all migrants and refugees who cross to Greece illegally by sea from Turkey since yesterday should be returned once they are registered and their asylum claims have been processed.

In return, the EU will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Amid chaotic scenes yesterday Greek officials scrambled to evacuate migrants currently held in island camps to camps on the mainland.

But amid chaotic scenes yesterday Greek officials scrambled to evacuate migrants held in island camps to camps on the mainland

Children were thrown to the floor as fights broke out over their identity papers as over 1,000 migrants boarded a ship for Northern Greece

Turkey demanded all migrants held on the island before Saturday deadline are moved so that they are not returned with new arrivals

Syrian student Hussein Ali Muhammad said he knew of the new rules but had decided to come anyway because he wants to study

Terrified children were thrown to the floor as fights broke out over their identity papers as over 1,000 migrants in Lesbos boarded a ship for Kavala in Northern Greece.

Turkey is understood to have demanded that all existing migrants held on the island before Saturday deadline were moved so that they were not returned with the new arrivals.

At least 144,000 people, mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, have arrived in Greece so far in 2016 according to U.N. refugee agency data. About 60 percent were women and children.

More than half landed on Lesbos, the island on the frontline of Europes biggest migration crisis since World War Two.

Some 1,150 people a day continued to arrive in Greece from Turkey this month.

Greek authorities scrambled to send the refugees from the island to camps on the mainland in Northern Greece

Greeks migrant spokesman, Giorgos Kyritsis, admitted the agreement should be in force by today, but that it will be difficult

Mr Galinos insisted British holidaymakers should not be deterred from visiting the island this summer. The tourists areas remain exactly the same. There is no reason for anyone not to visit here as we have things under control, he told The Mail

Officials today warned the process is not ready and said it may need to be implemented gradually as key details - including how migrants will be processed and returned - need to be worked out

Greeks migrant spokesman, Giorgos Kyritsis, admitted: The agreement to send back new arrivals on the islands should, according to the text, enter into force on March 20.

But a plan like this cannot be put in place in only 24 hours.

Despite the chaos in Lesbos, Mr Galinos insisted British holidaymakers should not be deterred from visiting the island this summer.

The tourists areas remain exactly the same. There is no reason for anyone not to visit here as we have things under control.

Fifteen boats carrying 875 migrants arrived in Greece overnight despite a new EU deal coming into force to stem the exodus.

Greek authorities revealed hundreds scrambled to enter the country as the 'one in, one out' scheme started at midnight.

The deal should mean migrants arriving in Greece are interviewed before a decision is made into whether they will be allowed to stay.

But officials today warned the process is not ready and said it may need to be implemented gradually as key details - including how migrants will be processed and returned - need to be worked out.

Fifteen boats carrying more than 800 migrants arrived in Greece overnight despite a new EU deal coming into force today. Above, migrants arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos overnight

At least 144,000 people, mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, have arrived in Greece so far in 2016 according to U.N. refugee agency data. About 60 percent were women and children. Above, first aiders treat an unconscious man as he arrives in a dinghy from Turkey

A refugee screams as rescuers try to revive an unconscious refugee after hundreds arrived on the Greek island in the early hours of Sunday morning

Harrowing photographs showed children wrapped in blankets in a bid to keep them warm. From today, migrants arriving in Greece should be interviewed by officials, with some deported back to Turkey

Thousands of migrants are continuing to risk their lives by travelling by boat in a desperate bid to reach Europe.

Around 300 migrants are thought to have arrived on the Greek island of Lesbos in the first six hours of the deal, with more than 12 boats arriving on the island's shores.

Four refugees are believed to have died while trying to make the journey on Saturday while dozens of packed dinghies landed on Lesbos after darkness. Two of the migrants had heart attacks while on the crossing.

Harrowing photographs showed volunteers helping near-unconscious migrants off the overcrowded boats as they arrived at the shore, with children wrapped in blankets in a bid to keep them warm.

Greek authorities have warned the process may need to be implemented gradually as key details still need to be worked out. Above, a child cries after being rescued from a dinghy on Lesbos on Sunday morning

A female refugee tries to calm down a woman, who was on the boat that arrived on Lesbos after darkness fell on Sunday morning

This man was among the hundreds that desperately tried to reach Greece before the new EU deal was meant to come into force on Sunday morning

A volunteer hugs a woman whose husband was left unconscious following Saturday night's journey in an overcrowded boat

POPE SLAMS THOSE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRISIS Pope Francis has slammed authorities dealing with the refugee crisis, accusing some of washing their hands of the fate of desperate refugees. The Pope, who made the comments during a Palm Sunday service, told his congregation: 'I am thinking of so many people, so many marginalised people, so many asylum seekers, so many refugees. There are so many who don't want to take responsibility for their destiny.' Advertisement

Deportations under the deal, which was discussed in Brussels last week and is designed to stem the flow of migrants into western Europe, are now expected to start in April.

Authorities said they are waiting for hundreds of security and legal experts, who are set to arrive in Greece to help enforce the agreement. Paris and Berlin have also pledged to send 600 police and asylum experts, but they have also apparently not arrived yet.

A spokesman for the Greek government said on Saturday afternoon: 'The agreement to send back new arrivals on the islands should, according to the text, enter into force on March 20. But a plan like this cannot be put in place in only 24 hours.'

A police source added: 'We still dont know how the deal will be implemented. Above all, we are waiting for the staff Europe promised to be able to quickly process asylum applications - translators, lawyers, police officers - because we cannot do it alone.'

While officials said it would take time to start sending people back, the SOMP agency coordinating Athens' response to the crisis said the hundreds who landed on Sunday faced certain deportation.

Volunteers were immediately on hand to help the migrants as they arrived on Lesbos. Their journey came after the Turkish coastguard reported a four-month-old baby had drowned during an earlier crossing

Men, women and children stand together after arriving on Lesbos in the early hours of Sunday morning. They were undoubtedly hoping the new EU deal had not yet started

Volunteers dressed in high-visibility jackets and carrying torches speak to the refugees after they arrived on the Greek island

A deflated dinghy is seen moments after refugees and migrants arrived on the shore near the city of Mytilene on Sunday morning

Refugees and migrants wave as they approach the shores of Lesbos during sunrise on Sunday morning as hundreds still attempt the dangerous journey

One of the 15 boats packed with migrants which arrived on Lesbos on Sunday morning after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey

Greek police and coast guard officers wait for a ferry carrying migrants and refugees to dock at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, on Sunday

A woman carrying a young baby and bags full of possessions leave the ferry after it arrived in the hours after the EU deal came into force

Hundreds boarded buses after leaving the ferry - but authorities revealed they are not sure if any migrants will be processed

A spokesman said: '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.'

There are currently around 47,500 migrants in Greece, including 8,200 on the islands and 10,500 massed at the Idomeni camp on the Macedonian border.

The prime ministers of Finland and the Czech Republic on Friday tweeted from inside the European Council negotiations to announce that the 28 leaders had given their approval to the arrangement, which was agreed after less than an hour of discussions.

Prime Minister 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.

Amnesty International called the deal a 'historic blow to human rights' with thousands of people protesting in London, Athens, Barcelona, Vienna and Amsterdam in opposition on Saturday.

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'.

Meanwhile, hundreds of families were left stranded in northern Greece after Macedonia closed its border earlier this week. Above, refugees stand around a fire at the Idomeni border point

A child holds a banner reading 'open the border' as he takes part in a demonstration to protest against the possibility of migrants being sent back to Turkey

A man sleeps by a tent at a makeshift camp by the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni. Hundreds of migrants are stuck there after Macedonia refused to open its border

Five men lay on railway tracks on the Greek-Macedonia border in protest over Macedonia's refusal to open to border

A young boy plays in a broken cardboard box as families wait in the makeshift camp. Many were hoping today's deal would see a change in situation

A young boy is given a wash using a plastic cup in front of the border fence at the Idomeni refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonia border

Three young children - including one little boy with bare feet - sit next to the train track as they wait to be able to move on Sunday afternoon

A young girl looks out of a small red tent, which also houses two more children and a man and woman, as migrants wait near the Macedonia border

A migrant hangs his washing on the border fence while officials wait in a number of camouflaged vehicles on the other side

A young boy throws paper onto a fire as dozens of people taken shelter while waiting at the makeshift camp

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.

'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.'
A mother has begged for her teenage son to be temporarily locked up to keep him from committing crimes over fears hell end up in prison long-term or dead.

The Perth mother Lisa Hailwood said she has taken her son to the police more than 100 times in an attempt to hold him accountable for his actions.

The mother-of-four said she has handcuffed and tied her son up to keep him from committing crimes, and recently warned 44,000 locals to lock up their homes, the West Australian reported.

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Lisa Hailwood (pictured) said she has taken her son to the police more than 100 times

Ms Hailwood even shared a photo of her son on a closed Facebook group on Wednesday.

She urged the residents to call police if he and his friend were spotted after the teens went missing.

Ms Hailwood shared a photo of her son with a Facebook group for locals on Wednesday

Ms Hailwood said she had taken him to local police more than 100 times in the last four years, thinking they could scare him.

They keep saying: The next time we see you, you will probably get locked up.



I dont want the phone call to say my son is dead. I dont want him to spend the next 20 years of his life in jail.
Shock photographs reveal the impact of a stiletto heel attack on a pub-goer, as new figures show the heels have been used in hundreds of 'ladette' attacks, causing devastating injuries.

The heels have become the weapon of choice for drunk women, and have been linked to at least 147 violent crimes across Britain since 2013.

The true number is likely to be at least double as that figure is based on responses from 21 out of England and Wales' 44 police forces.

Katrina Coucill, 29, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, lost her left eye after she was kicked by a woman attacker in stiletto heels during a night out.

Katrina Coucill, 29, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, lost her left eye after she was kicked by a woman attacker in stiletto heels during a night out

Miss Coucill said the attack 'ruined her life' and she has been left suffering from depression and panic attacks.

Her attacker has never been caught, although a fellow pub-goer Hayley Rand did go on trial for the attack.

A judge ordered the jury to find her not guilty after it was established that Mrs Rand had not been responsible for the attack.

Miss Coucill has now had a glass eye fitted but still struggles to drive and lost her job with a claims company.

Miss Coucill pictured before (left) and after (right) the attack said her life has now been ruined and she struggles with panic attacks

In another case, pregnant mother-of-two Amy Sundve, 30, was jailed after slashing a man across the face with a metal-tipped stiletto heel outside a pub in Liverpool during a two-day birthday drinking session.

Amy Sundve was jailed after a stiletto heel attack in Liverpool

Sundve, 30, launched an attack on her victim after he asked if she was OK. The victim was left with a cut artery and a 7cm scar on his forehead. She was jailed in October for 10 months.

Merseyside emerged as the capital of stiletto attacks, with 43 recorded over the past three years. In the most serious cases victims have lost their sight or been hospitalised with appalling injuries.

Labour MP Jack Dromey described the figures as sickening and warned they were likely to be the tip of the iceberg.

There were also seven high heel attacks in Durham and five in Cumbria.

Police could not provide official figures for the number in Scotland but anecdotal evidence suggests their prevalence is growing.

Father-of-one Graham Roach, from Edinburgh, had to undergo hours of surgery which failed to save his left eye after a woman plunged her heel into his face.

Stiletto heels have been blamed for hundreds of injuries across the UK

The attack happened in the city's George Street, where Mr Roach was working as a doorman.

Mr Roach's attacker Sarah Marsden admitted assault and was jailed for 40 months.

Mr Roach said: 'If her heel had been half an inch either way when it went into my face, it would have killed me.

'It was very painful and I spent five days in hospital.

'A few months later I had to go back for another operation to have my eye removed.'

He described the national figures as shocking and urged Police Scotland to reveal how many similar attacks had happened north of the border.

Reveller Jodie Hendrie, of Broxburn, West Lothian, was 18 when a stranger stabbed her in the face with a stiletto while she waited for a taxi.

She is still too traumatised to speak about the drunken attack in September 2013 - which left her with severe facial scarring.

In a worrying twist, women in the US are being trained to use stiletto heels as a self- defence weapon.

Former ballerina Avital Zeisler came up with the Soteria Method - which involves hitting an attacker with a heel or stamping on their foot - after she was sexually assaulted.
Didn't do anything about it as rescue attempt was considered too 'high risk'

Spotted around 80 of the 276 Nigerian girls seized by Boko Haram in 2014

The US and British governments knew where at least 80 of the Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram were but failed to launch a rescue mission, it has been revealed.

Terrorists stormed a secondary boarding school in the remote town of Chibok in Borno state, northern Nigeria in April 2014, and seized 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams.

Although 57 of the girls managed to escape the rest have remained missing and have not been heard from or seen since apart from in May that year, when 130 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video wearing hijabs and reciting the Koran.

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Terrorists stormed a Government Secondary School in the remote town of Chibok in Borno state, northern Nigeria in April 2014, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams.

Dr Andrew Pocock, the former British high commissioner to Nigeria, has now revealed that a large group of the missing girls were spotted by British and American surveillance officials shortly after their disappearance, but experts felt nothing could be done.

He told The Sunday Times that Western governments felt 'powerless' to help as any rescue attempt would have been too high risk - with Boko Haram terrorists using the girls as human shields.

Dr Pocock said: 'A couple of months after the kidnapping, fly-bys and an American eye in the sky spotted a group of up to 80 girls in a particular spot in the Sambisa forest, around a very large tree, called locally the Tree of Life, along with evidence of vehicular movement and a large encampment.'

He said the girls were there for at least four weeks but authorities were 'powerless' to intervene - and the Nigerian government did not ask for help anyway.

He said: 'A land-based attack would have been seen coming miles away and the girls killed, an air-based rescue, such as flying in helicopters or Hercules, would have required large numbers and meant a significant risk to the rescuers and even more so to the girls.'

Dr Andrew Pocock (pictured left) the former British high commissioner to Nigeria said a large group of the missing girls were spotted by British and American surveillance officials shortly after their disappearance

He added: 'You might have rescued a few but many would have been killed. My personal fear was always about the girls not in that encampment  80 were there, but 250 were taken, so the bulk were not there. What would have happened to them? You were damned if you do and damned if you don't.'

In an investigation by Christina Lamb for the Sunday Times Magazine, Dr Pocock said the information was passed to the Nigerians but they made no request for help.

The Magazine has also seen brutal rape videos which show schoolgirls are being used as sex slaves by the terrorists.

Ms Lamb reports: 'They film schoolgirls being raped over and over again until their scream become silent Os.'

Some of the girls who managed to escape told Ms Lamb they were kept in 'women's prisons' where they were taught about Islam. Boko Haram fighters would visit and pick their wives.

The girls were powerless to resist as even then the men would be heavily armed. They were shown videos of people being raped, tortured and killed as a threat of what would happen to them if they tried to run away.

Dr Stephen Davis, a former canon at Coventy Cathedral who has spent several years attempting to negotiate with the terror group said Boko Haram 'make Isis look like playtime' and said it is 'beyond belief' that the authorities both in Nigeria and the West do not know where the schoolgirls are.

He insists the locations of the camps where the girls are being kept are well known and can even be seen on Google maps. He added: 'How many girls have to be raped and abducted before the West will do anything?'

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau previously claimed that all the girls, some of whom were Christian, had converted to Islam and been 'married off'.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau (pictured) previously claimed that all the girls, some of whom were Christian, had converted to Islam and been 'married off'

The mass abduction brought the brutality of the Islamist insurgency to worldwide attention and prompted the viral social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls which was supported by everyone from Michelle Obama to Malala Yousafzai.

Boko Haram violence has left at least 17,000 dead and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes since 2009. The Global Terrorism Index ranks the group as the word's deadliest terror organisation.

The group, now officially allied to the Islamic State fighters who control much of Iraq and Syria, has responded with suicide bombings and hit and run attacks against civilians.

In recent months the insurgents have turned away from direct confrontation with the military in favour of suicide attacks, increasingly carried out by women and girls - raising fears that they are kidnap victims,

The mass abduction brought the brutality of the Islamist insurgency to worldwide attention and prompted the viral social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls

Just last week two female suicide bombers killed at least 24 worshippers and wounded 18 in an attack during dawn prayers Wednesday on a mosque on the outskirts of the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, officials said from the birthplace of Boko Haram.

One bomber blew up inside the mosque and the second waited outside to detonate as survivors tried to escape, said coordinator Abba Aji of the civilian self-defense Vigilante Group.

The mosque is on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the city that is the military command center of the war against Boko Haram.
A 66-year-old former engineer is dying of cancer after accidentally eating asbestos fibres in his lunchtime sandwiches, it has been claimed.

Retired grandfather-of-five Trevor Jones from Brechin in Angus, Scotland, was diagnosed with mesothelioma last December and doctors told him he developed it after ingesting asbestos dust.

Mr Jones had worked in communications alongside cable layers who drilled through walls lined with asbestos - although he says he was never told he was working in an area with the deadly fibres.

Grandfather Trevor Jones (pictured) from Brechin in Angus, Scotland, was diagnosed with mesothelioma last December - doctors have told him he probably developed it after accidentally ingesting asbestos dust

He now suffers from peritoneal mesothelioma which affects the lining of the stomach and is caused by accidentally ingesting the asbestos dust.

The father-of-three said he was 'stunned' when doctors told him he had mesothelioma following a routine bowel screening test.

Mr Jones said: 'I would sit in my work clothes eating sandwiches at my desk or in the canteen. If any asbestos fell on your clothes, you brushed it off casually with your hands not knowing the danger.

'We were never warned that we worked in an area with asbestos. I certainly never thought this cancerous substance could be swallowed and cause cancer.

MESOTHLIOMA: THE KILLER ASBESTOS-RELATED CANCER Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the lining that covers the outer surface of some of the body's organs. It's usually linked to asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma mainly affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), although it can also affect the lining of the tummy (peritoneal mesothelioma), heart or testicles. More than 2,600 people are diagnosed with the condition each year in the UK. Most cases are diagnosed in people aged 60-80 and men are affected more commonly than women. Unfortunately it's rarely possible to cure mesothelioma, although treatment can help control the symptoms. The symptoms of mesothelioma tend to develop gradually over time. They typically don't appear until several decades after exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, a group of minerals made of microscopic fibres that used to be widely used in construction. These tiny fibres can easily get in the lungs, where they get stuck, damaging the lungs over time. It usually takes a while for this to cause any obvious problems, with mesothelioma typically developing more than 20 years after exposure to asbestos. The use of asbestos was completely banned in 1999, so the risk of exposure is much lower nowadays. However, materials containing asbestos are still found in many older buildings. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

'I have it and I know it will kill me. It will be painful but I hope drugs will control that.'

Mr Jones was diagnosed with mesothelioma just a month after he was made redundant from his job.

After working for more than 50 years he said he had been looking forward to the next chapter in his life.

'I could have as little as three years to live,' said Mr Jones. 'My mum and daughters are devastated but I have to make the most of what time I have left.

'I've saved hard over the years and plan to tour a bit of the country while I am still able.'

His solicitor, Stephen Irvine, from Morisons Solicitors, said: 'Although less common than mesothelioma in the lung, peritoneal mesothelioma is no less devastating for sufferers and their families.

'We have dealt with a number of these cases and the possibility of fibres getting into lunch boxes is one aspect we are looking at.

'In Trevor's case, we are doing everything we can to help him and his family.'

Mr Jones is one of dozens of peritoneal mesothelioma patients supported by Asbestos Action (Tayside).

Dianne Foster, a support office with AAT, said: 'We strongly urge anyone working with asbestos to change out of working clothes and wash before handling food. Eating well away from work areas is also strongly advised.'

Some patients with peritoneal mesothelioma are sent to UK national referral centres in Manchester or Basingstoke hospitals for surgery.

Pioneering treatment includes removing the cancerous areas and rinsing the open abdomen with heated chemotherapy drugs.
Three friends have taken a stand against slut shaming by posing nude in front of a giant mural of Kim Kardashian's infamous naked selfie.

Lauren Elizabeth Shelley, 26, rallied two other women to bare all in the name of 'body positivity' after the painting was defaced with the words 's***' and 'no fat chicks'.

They were all photographed nude in front of the nine-metre tall Melbourne mural with nothing but black bars to protect their modesty in homage to the reality star's original Instagram post.

Ms Shelley, who lives in Albert Park, told Daily Mail Australia she wanted to send a message that body and s*** shaming is 'not ok'.

Three friends have taken a stand against slut shaming by posing nude in front of a giant mural of Kim Kardashian's infamous naked selfie

Lauren Elizabeth Shelley, 26, (pictured) rallied two other women to bare all in the name of 'body positivity' after the painting was defaced with the words 's***' and 'no fat chicks'

'For me, it's all about loving yourself and not valuing your worth just by what your body looks like,' she said.

'We wanted to send a message that we cannot be shamed. It was no real surprise when it was defaced, but I wanted to make it clear that this should not happen.'

She posted the photo on Instagram saying: 'We can't be shamed! Rallied these queens to say NO to s**t shaming #noshame #thickerrthang #slutshaming #kimkardashian #selfie

'@kimkardashian we wear our sexualities loud and proud.'

The 26-year-old, who works in travel, said she thought Kim's selfie started an 'important conversation'.

Ms Shelley initially posed in front of the mural on the night it was plastered on the side of a print shop in Gwynne Street, Cremorne, by anonymous artist Lushsux

The mural was defaced with the word 's**t' less than 48 hours after it was painted by anonymous artist Lushsux

A hooded person was caught on a new CCTV camera vandalising Kim Kardashian's mural by spray painting a crude comment aimed at fat shaiming

The 26-year-old, who works in travel, said she thought Kim's selfie started an 'important conversation'

'I think the picture has started a great conversation. It's just a body, but it prompted discussion about slut shaming and body positivity.

'I was supportive of it because she is very proud of herself.

'She has contributed to the body positive and feminist movement. She is still a role model.'

Ms Shelley initially posed in front of the mural on the night it was plastered on the side of a print shop in Gwynne Street, Cremorne, by anonymous artist Lushsux.

She posted a picture on Instagram. It was reposted by Lushsux with the caption 'Is this the real life' - attracting more than 4,700 likes.

But after a hooded person was caught on a newly installed CCTV tagging the mural with the words 'no fat chicks', Ms Shelley was approached by a number of women online.

'They suggested that we should get a group of women to stand in front of the mural and send a clear message. So that is what we did.'

She said she has 'laughed off' comments from trolls, despite the fact that one person told her she should 'kill herself'.

The vandal tagged the mural which was painted last week with 'no fat chicks'

Lushsux, who painted the mural, posted a video on Instagram of the vandal graffiting the mural.

'No fat chicks? Newly installed cctv captures kimkardashian copping it sweet again, haha,' wrote Lushsux.

Black and white paint was also thrown at the mural and the word 's**t' was scrawled in black paint just above the bottom of two black bars strategically placed on the mother-of-two's naked body.

The artist said that he is disappointed that his mural was defaced but that it was inevitable.

'[I'm] pretty bummed, but it was a given considering the subject matter,' Lushsux told Pedestrian.tv.

Alex Mitchell, from Backwards Gallery in Collingwood, has represented the artist, who prefers to maintain his anonymity, for four years and said Lushsux has done extensive work around the Melbourne area.

'The Kim Kardashian mural was done on Saturday and the Donald Trump one was last weekend,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

He is a prolific street artist and does non-stop work on topical subjects like Kim's photo - once it got a few million likes he thought it would be pretty appropriate.'

The mural is a reproduction of a selfie Kim uploaded last week which attracted 1.6 million likes and hundreds of thousands of comments.

A large mural of Kim Kardashian 's naked body that was plastered on the wall of an inner- Melbourne suburb on Monday was defaced just a couple of hours later (pictured)

'The Kim Kardashian mural was done on Saturday and the Donald Trump one was last weekend,' Lushsux manager said

The photo appears to be from 2015, with Mrs Kardashian-West's hair peroxide blonde hair giving a strong indication the photo is a throwback from her stint at Paris Fashion Week.

Following the controversy that surrounded the censored image, Mrs Kardashian-West penned an essay hitting back at critics like Bette Midler, Chloe Moretz and Piers Morgan who 'body shamed' the self proclaimed 'selfie queen' for exposing herself online.

She called for an end to 's**t-shaming' and said people need to get over her old sex tape.

Mrs Kardashian-West said she wouldn't apologise for being 'empowered' by her sexuality on International Women's day - one day after her nude selfie sparked a social media uproar.

'It always seems to come back around to my sex tape,' wrote Kim of the critics. 'Yes, a sex tape that was made 13 years ago. 13 YEARS AGO. Literally that lonnng ago. And people still want to talk about it?!?!'
Despite both my Irish-American heritage and history background, I didn't know a lot about Michael Collins before diving into director Neil Jordan's movie of the same name. And while the film reportedly does play a little fast and loose with some of the historical facts and characters (as most biopics do) in order to tell its story, all in all it's a pretty good movie about an important figure that I'm guessing a lot of Americans don't know all that much about.

Unlike a lot of films based on people from history, 'Michael Collins' doesn't spend any time on his background or upbringing. It begins with Collins's participation in what became known as the Easter Rising of 1916, during which a group of Irishmen took up arms against the British rule of their country. The uprising was suppressed by British troops and Collins was arrested and imprisoned for a time, but it marked his first moments on the national stage.

Because Jordan throws us right into the important events with little in terms of lead-in material, I spent a good 45 minutes or so (and many viewers may as well) playing "catch up" with the movie, trying to figure out who all the players were and exactly how they related to Collins. That's one of the mistakes the director makes with his film, but by the time the second half of the movie kicks into gear, viewers should be riveted to the screen as the revolutionary actions that Collins has put into place start to spiral out of his control.

The big question Neil Jordan seems to want to address in his movie (which he also wrote) is what effect the violence of Collins and those who follow him had on the political process. Did it help speed matters up, did it slow things down or did it  tragically  make no impact whatsoever? It's interesting to watch Collins make the change from soldier to statesman late in the film. He makes it because for him, it's always been about doing what's best for Ireland. However, those around him aren't so quick to turn away from the violence, and Collins's relationship with others suffers because of it.

Neil Jordan has done a pretty good job here populating his film with some notable and talented actors. In addition to Neeson as the lead character, the late Alan Rickman plays the subdued (not only soft-spoken, but slow-spoken) Irish leader Eamon De Valera, while the highly underrated (I've always wondered why he never became a bigger star) Aidan Quinn plays Harry Boland, a man who is almost like a brother to Collins. About the only casting that doesn't work is the choice to cast Julia Roberts as Collins' love interest, Kitty Kiernan. Even putting aside Roberts' failure to master an Irish accent (hey, she's not the first actor to have accent difficulties in a motion picture), her romance with Collins seems like a distraction to everything else that is going on in the movie, and the fact that Neeson and Roberts have very little chemistry together doesn't help matters.

But despite its flaws, 'Michael Collins' has more good in it than bad, and throughout it all, the movie is just beautifully directed by Neil Jordan with some stunning imagery. While fans who have seen the film shouldn't hesitate to pick this one up, I do recommend that newcomers at least try to rent it first (or perhaps find it on TV or via streaming) before making a purchasing decision. It's a well-made movie, but I don't know that it's something many will want to watch multiple times. But that's really my only major caveat about this release.

The Blu-Ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Michael Collins' battles its way onto Blu-ray in a standard Elite keepcase, which house the 50GB disc without any inserts. There's also no front-loaded trailers on this "Archive Collection" release from Warner Bros. The main menu is just a still shot of the box cover artwork, with menu selections along the bottom of the screen in the standard Warners' design.

The Blu-ray is region-free.
She was joined by husband Edwin Schlossberg and their two daughters

The 58-year-old showed off her toned physique in a simple black swimsuit

She has a high powered role as one of America's most influential diplomats.

But work looked like the furthest thing from Caroline Kennedy's mind as she lazed around on a beach with her family in St Barts.

The 58-year-old former First Daughter showed off her toned physique as she enjoyed the sunshine in the tropical paradise.

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Taking a dip: Caroline Kennedy went for a swim at the beach in St Barts during a family vacation

Caroline was joined by her husband Edwin Schlossberg who lay and sunbathed on the beach, and their two daughters

And the US Ambassador to Japan got in a workout by going for a splash in the ocean.

The Kennedy clan member, who is the only surviving child of iconic President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, looked like a pro as she swam around with a pair of goggles on her face to protect her eyes.

And her exercise regime certainly seems to be bearing fruit, as she looked healthy and toned as she sauntered around in her black one-piece swimsuit.

Almost unrecognizable without her signature coiffed hairstyle, Kennedy was keeping things simple with a pony tail, simple swimsuit and minimal jewelry.

While Caroline went swimming, it appeared that all activity was too much for her husband Edwin Schlossberg who lay and sunbathed on the beach.

The US Ambassador to Japan also inadvertently gave away one of her beauty secrets, as she got in a bonus workout by going for a splash in the ocean

The 58-year-old showed off her toned physique as she enjoyed the sunshine in the tropical paradise

Schlossberg, who covered up with a cap, t-shirt and shorts, was joined by the couple's daughters who took the opportunity to soak up some sun

Mrs Kennedy lives in Tokyo as a result of the diplomatic post, but her husband decided to stay in their New York apartment because his architecture firm is based out of Manhattan.

He was joined by the couple's daughters who took the opportunity to soak up some sun.

Rose, the couple's eldest daughter, is believed to be working as a videographer and artist in New York, while Tatiana, graduated from Yale in 2012 and has been working as a reporter in New Jersey ever since.

The girls joined their parents for the well-earned break. The only one missing from the happy family scene was Kennedy and Schlossberg's youngest child and only son Jack, 23.
The 14-year-old daughter of Australian terrorist Khaled Sharrouf has dismissed claims that he may still be alive and spoken about the 'stress' of living in the Islamic State stronghold in Syria.

Former Sydney schoolgirl Zaynab Sharrouf, who gave birth to baby Ayesha three months ago, has been left an orphan and widow after the death of her parents and jihadi husband Mohamed Elomar.

She ended speculation that her extremist father, who was reportedly killed in drone strikes in Iraq last year, was still alive, saying: 'We know for sure that he's dead'.

The child bride also revealed how she and her four younger siblings have been left to fend for themselves and are living in constant fear following the death of their mother Tara Nettleton.

Khaled Sharrouf was reportedly killed in drone strikes in Iraq last year, pictured in propoganda with his sons

'My daughter and siblings are fine. I'm doing fine, just a lot of stress these days,' she said in a series of messages to the Daily Telegraph.

'I don't want to speak over the net about where I'm located bcuz (sic) it's dangerous with drones. They hit families alot (sic). I don't have time to go on the net a lot and its pretty dangerous as well.'

She is believed to be living in Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of the the ISIS caliphate, which is racked with disease, violence and food and water shortages.

Her father is understood to have been been killed along with Elomar while they were fighting with ISIS in Mosul last year.

But this was thrown into doubt when it emerged in February that Sharrouf had supposedly been making threatening phone calls in an attempt to stop law officials from seizing his home.

Zaynab said she was aware of the rumours but revealed that his death was confirmed to the family.

The former Sydney schoolgirl gave birth to baby Ayesha (pictured) around three months ago

Zaynab has been left with six mouths to feed - Hoda, 13, Abdullah, 11, Zarqawi, 10, Humzeh, 5, and three-month-old Ayesha

Her father is understood to have been been killed along with Elomar while they were fighting with ISIS in Mosul last year

'My dad alive? Yeah I know about that. But we know for sure that he's dead. It was confirmed ages ago,' she said.

Her mother Tara died from appendicitis complications in late 2015 after she was unable to access crucial medical treatments.

This has left 14-year-old Zaynab with six mouths to feed - Hoda, 13, Abdullah, 11, Zarqawi, 10, Humzeh, 5, and three-month-old Ayesha.

But her grandmother Karen Nettleton has now embarked on a desperate mission to rescue all six children who are now stuck in a war zone.

She boarded a flight to Abu Dhabi on Thursday and will try to get to Turkey where she plans to travel across land to Syria to find the children, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The concerned grandmother has reportedly taken her solicitor Robert van Aalt and a film crew with her.

It is believed that the grandmother could avoid prosecution - and a possible 10-year jail-term - if authorities deem she has a 'lawful purpose' to be there.

Zaynab said she tries to speak to her grandmother 'as much as she can' and regularly sends her photos.

Zaynab said she tries to speak to her grandmother Karen Nettleton (pictured together) 'as much as she can' and regularly sends her photos

This photograph from Zaynab's social media account entitled 'Soldier of Allah' showed her (centre) cloaked in black and with two guns and a knife as her Islamic 'coat of arms'

Zaynab revealed how she and her four young siblings are living in constant fear and have been left to fend for themselves after the death of their mother Tara Nettleton

Ms Nettleton pictured here with her daughter Tara who died in September 2015 after following her husband to the war-torn country

It has emerged that her mother Tara took her five children to Syria in early 2014 to join her husband Sharrouf.

At first, the Sharroufs appeared to prosper, with Khaled given a role in the ISIS hierarchy and the family living in a large house on the banks of the Euphrates River.

Also living in the house was Sharrouf's friend from Sydney, one-time boxer turned Islamic extremist Elomar.

Sharrouf sparked outrage in 2014 when his young son Abdullah was photographed holding the severed head of a Syrian military official.

It went viral and a photograph of Elomar with two severed heads followed.

Zaynab has posted on social media throughout her time in Syria.

At first she sounded like a typical Australian girl, declaring she loved 'The Walking Dead. Also celebrities' as well as 'jewellery and phone cover shops'.

Sharrouf died last June, which means the children are now orphans in the warn-torn country

The children have also been pictured holding decapitated heads in propaganda images

She had a crush on US boy band star, Austin Mahone. Her favourite colour was pink, she was addicted to her iPad and wanted a pink Lamborghini.

She claimed her favourite actor was Sandra Bullock and repeatedly said she loved riding horses, a pastime she is believed to have taken part in while visiting her maternal grandmother on the NSW central coast.

Zaynab also said she wished to learn Spanish, liked cooking pancakes and was concerned about air pollution and that if 'we don't ,make an improvement in out planet. We will die'.

But after becoming romantically involved with her father's fellow jihadi, Elomar, who was 17 years her senior, her posts became much darker.

On Twitter she posted that she was 'Chillin in the khilafah, loving life'. She also declared herself a 'Solider of Allah' on a different social media account, illustrated with two guns and a knife as a type of coat of arms.

Zaynab liked a photo-shopped image posted by her father online of the World Trade Centre in flames with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, militant Islamist and late founder of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Sharrouf captioned the image with the post: 'September 11 is the best day of my life. Our brothers gave there life to establish the deen of Allah on earth and they fulfilled what is mandatory on every Muslim to terrorise the enemy of Allah'.

Karen Nettleton has boarded a flight to Abu Dhabi on their way to Turkey to find her grandchildren

The mission to Syria will be dangerous, Ms Nettleton is believed to be attending with her solicitor and a film crew
Taylor claimed the fossils dated back to the Biblical story of Noah's flood

A creationist from Texas believes he has found proof of Noah's biblical flood in his own backyard.

Wayne Propst had been helping his aunt Sharon lay dirt near her Tyler home when he discovered a set of fossils which he says are Turritella - a type of sea snail.

He sent them to fellow creationist and 'museum curator' Joe Taylor - who believes that all life on earth dates back just a few thousand years.

Self proclaimed 'expert' Taylor has now agreed that the marine fossils come from Noah's fabled flood, the Huffington Post reports.

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Biblical find: Wayne Propst (pictured) believes he's found proof of Noah's biblical flood in his own backyard

He has not radiocarbon dated the fossils - which can given an accurate age by measuring the isotopic decay.

But fossils take a minimum of 10,000 years to form. Most date back millions and millions of years.

However Taylor - who went to art school - runs the religion-influenced museum - Mt. Blanco Fossil - which states on its website that he is 'absolutely' sure that 'Noah took dinosaurs on the ark.'

His claims have been ridiculed by academics.

James Sagebiel, collections manager at the Texas Vertebrate Paleontology Collections, told the Tyler Morning Telegraph that Propst's fossils are actually millions of years old.

Propst believe the sea snail fossils, which experts estimate are between 35 to 40 million years old, are from the time of Noah's fabled flood

Propst had been helping his aunt Sharon lay dirt near her Tyler home when he discovered a set of fossils belonging to marine snails.

'The rocks there are about 35-40 million years old, and these little turret snails are commonly found in marine rocks of that age,' Sagebiel said. 'It's not unusual.'

He added that millions of years ago, Texas would be been coastline and home to such sea snails.

However, Propst still believes in the biblical flood, in the book of Genesis, which describes how the entire world was flooded but re-populated from two of each animals taken aboard Noah's ark.

'From Noah's flood to my front yard, how much better can it get?' Propst said.

'Who else can say they have a front yard full of Noah's dirt?

Last month, scientists discovered a new set of fossils which dates some of the first vertebrates on earth back some 20million years earlier than previously thought.

The remains, discovered in Siberia, date back more than 500million years and are being hailed as a significant advance in 'our understanding of the evolution of animals'.

The ancient marine organisms possess a 'complex constitution' and are believed to be the oldest in the world, predating finds in China and Namibia, which had a simpler structure.

Propst's aunt Sharon (left) was delighted to discover the ancient fossils and said she has been helping dig them up in her own backyard. Self proclaimed 'expert' Joe Taylor (right) has now agreed that the marine fossils come from Noah's fabled flood

http://www.cbs19.tv/story/31488856/tyler-man-says-he-found-fossils-from-noahs-flood?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=12290265

Detailed analysis is now underway to confirm the initial scientific conclusions on the age and significance of the vertebrates, which were found on the banks of the Maya River in Yakutia, also known as the Sakha Republic, reported The Siberian Times.

The fossils are said to resemble fragments of snail shells.

Professor Zhu Maoyan, of Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, said: 'If these are indeed the oldest fossils in the world, these specimens are a treasure of a planetary scale.

Until now the first known vertebrate specimens were found in the Chengjiang locality in China, and date back to the early Cambrian.

Paleontologists had believed that vertebrates began to emerge during the late Ordovician, about 450 million years ago.

By the middle of the Silurian period - around 400million years ago - the picture is clearer: armoured jawless fish were diverse, and the first definite jawed fish had appeared

By the late Devonian, 360million years ago, early cartilaginous fish and bony fish were diversifying.

The late Devonian also marked the first tetrapods - vertebrates with true legs that could walk on land.
Free speech is under threat and extreme politics on the rise as a result

Children have been brought up in such a 'cosseted' world that universities have become a haven for extreme politics and intolerance of free speech, a leading head teacher has warned.

Jenny Brown, head of St Albans High School for Girls, in Hertfordshire, said today's generation have a 'monstrous inability' to tolerate any views which are risky, challenging or different to their own. When they do, claims arise of feeling 'unsafe' and victimised.

In a blog for The Sunday Times, Brown said: 'These children of the millennium didn't play unsupervised, they didn't play outside ... they didn't climb trees, grub up or get back for supper with torn jeans and wet wellies.

Jenny Brown, headteacher of St Albans High School for Girls, has said today's generation have experienced such a 'cosseted' upbringing that they can no longer cope with views that are risky or different to their own

'The state and the education system have fetishised protection, parents have cosseted their children; even our decades of prosperity and peacetime have skewed things for middle-class kids, who have had no experience of the privations and dangers that their grandparents endured.'

There have been numerous recent examples of the anti-free speech 'safe space' culture of today's world.

In October, 2,500 people signed a petition calling on Cardiff University to ban feminist Germaine Greer from speaking on campus after she publicly declared she did not consider transgender women to be women.

The event went ahead, with the university saying it was 'committed to freedom of speech and open debate'.

Similarly, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell came under fire in February by Fran Cowling, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) representative for the National Union of Students.

She refused to appear at a debate the pair were both invited to speak at because Tatchell had signed an open letter in the Observer last year supporting free speech and against no-platforming, the practice by some universities to ban speakers because of their views.

She also accused him of being racist and 'transphobic'.

Under fire: There have been calls to ban gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and feminist Germaine Greer from speaking at university campuses by protesters who disagree with their views

Three years ago, T-shirts bearing the religious images of Jesus and Mohammed were banned from the London School of Economics (LSE) campus for fear of causing offence.

After a complaint was lodged, the university acknowledged the clothes had not in fact 'amounted to harassment or contravened the law or LSE policies'.

In response, National Secular Society president Terry Sanderson said: 'We congratulate students for their fearless defence of freedom of expression.

'I hope that we will now see a more sensible approach to free expression that does not rest on protecting the sensibilities of any one particular group.

'We all have to learn that being offended is an inevitable part of life, having one's fondest beliefs challenged is part of a free society.'

Students at Oriel College, Oxford, have called for the removal of this statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes

Students at Cambridge and Oxford meanwhile launched campaigns to remove statues they deem as controversial.

Last month saw students at Jesus College, Cambridge, voting in favour of returning a bronze cockerel statue to Nigeria, from where it was looted in the 19th Century.

The Nigerian Benin Bronze is one of more than 2,000 which sit in museums and collections across the globe.

Nigeria itself has only 50 examples of these particular artworks.

It was given to the college as a reference to the surname of founder John Alcock, the bishop and architect who constructed the college.

Meanwhile, campaigners are calling on the removal of the statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes, regarded as a founder of apartheid, from Oriel College, Oxford, where he was a student and benefactor.

Brown believes today's students are too caught up in the notion of remaining 'safe',

She added: 'Let's remind these precious puritanical university students of what those young people at Calais, enduring seriously unsafe space, might give for the right to face some of the discomforts our undergraduates retreat from.'
A killer who has served thirty years behind bars for his part in the detonation of a bomb outside a metro police station may soon be eligible for parole.

Two men were convicted of the crime, Stan Taylor was sentenced to life without parole, and Craig Minogue was given 28 years without parole, which has now been served.

At 15 seconds past one on Easter Thursday afternoon in 1986 Russell Street, Melbourne best resembled a warzone.

Convicted killer, Craig Minogue, pictured, may be eligible for parole this year after serving 30 years behind bars

Minogue was sentenced to 28 years without parole for his part in the notorious Russell Street car bombing on Easter Thursday in 1986 (wreckage from the explosion)

The explosion killed Angela Taylor, a 21-year-old police officer and injured 10 other officers. It was set to go off outside the police complex at fifteen seconds past 1pm

A car bomb parked strategically outside the police complex exploded killing 21-year-old police woman Angela Taylor and 22 officers and civilians.

Minogue, who was almost illiterate at the time of his arrest has gone on to complete a bachelor of arts degree, and has also obtained his Masters and PHD behind bars.

He also runs a website, on which he apologises for his behaviour in 1986.

I understand the pain and suffering that I have caused. I am very sorry for the crimes of my past, and I regret those actions very much and wish that I had not done them, he wrote on the site.

Thirty years is a very long time in prison, I was 23 when I came in and I will be 53 when I am eligible for release.

I hope to be able to somehow pass on to others the value that I have found in education and learning during that time.

That contribution I can make depends to a large extent upon others, and whether or not I am going to be given a chance to make a positive contribution, he said.

Minogue pictured here as a young man was almost illiterate when he went to prison, he has since earned his PHD and says he is regretful of the attacks

Detective Inspector Bernie Raking, pictured, was at the police station when the bomb went off. He does not believe Minogue is reformed

But Detective Inspector Bernie Rankin does not believe Minogue is reformed.

I am not convinced that he is the reformed Craig Minogue he is making himself out to be, he told 60 Minutes recently.

He went on to explain how Minogue murdered a man not long after being sent to prison for his part in the Russell Street bomb case.

Now if Craig Minogue is released tomorrow whos to say it is not the old Craig Minogue who gets released.

What if you take his parking spot, you know, what if you bump into him in a bar?

He is trying to get parole and he is trying to demonstrate to a parole board he is no longer a risk, he said.

Minogue - pictured- only admitted to his part in the Russell Street bombing for the first time in 2012, Rankin believes that was a move to prove he had reformed

The car bomb did not explode as planned, and could have been a lot more devastating, police say

Mr Rankin held back tears when remembering the death of Ms Taylor three weeks after she was injured in the bomb blast.

He helped put out some of the fire on the 21-year-old officers clothes and hair.

She was thrown across street dreadfully burnt, he said.

She was a fine young woman that lost her life, he said choking back tears after remembering the day, April 20, he found out she had passed away in hospital.

The police officer remembers the bombers had a strong desire to kill as many people and injure as many people as possible with their contraption.

In fact the blast could have been a lot worse, a police investigation at the time found not all of the explosives found set into the car went off as was planned because the detonator was used wrong.

Minogue killed fellow inmate and convicted killer Alex Tsakmakis shortly after going to prison but was not given any additional sentencing

In 1992 Prue Bird (pictured), the grandaughter of Paul and Julie (pictured) Hetzel known accomplices of Minogue went missing, child killer Leslie Camilleri came forward 17 years later

Paul Hetzel was a member of Taylor and Minogues gang, he helped police gain convictions, but in 1992 his partners granddaughter vanished.

Seventeen years later convicted child killer Leslie Camilleri came forward claiming to have killed Prue Bird of his own accord. Mr Hetzel believes she was taken from them in revenge.

I thought this is pay back just felt sick in the guts.

Mr Hetzel said Minogue had threatened shortly after the explosion.

He was saying about that any bastard ever spoke about it and that, you know, they will be killed.

And thats when he said wouldnt it be a shame if anything happened to your little Prue.

Mrs Hetzel (pictured left) and her husband Paul (pictured right) believe Prue was killed in an act of revenge as Mr Hetzel had given evidence against his fellow gang members in the bomb investigation

Minogue denies any involvement in the girls disappearance and murder. But police are not convinced.

There is no doubt in my mind Camilleri commit crime with others and that this crime is a payback for the Russell Street bombing, Detective Senior Sergeant Brent Fisher told 60 minutes.

Minogue has said he intends to repay the community for his crimes by accepting the sentence, admitting his guilt and apologising, by making an effort to rehabilitate himself and by not re-offending upon release.

Minogue was not handed down extra time for the murder of his fellow inmate Tsakmakis in prison.

He is currently being held in a medium-security prison in Victoria.

The deadly bomb blast shattered precinct windows and shook up the policing community sparking a wide search for those responsible




One Direction may face a probe from the taxman after it was revealed that the band is taking part in a controversial 'alphabet' shares scheme.

The four members of the band - Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne - have put their shares in the band into the controversial scheme.

Alphabet schemes - which allow profits to be placed in different ways of dividend payouts - are frowned on by the taxman.

One Direction may face a probe from the taxman after it was revealed that the band is taking part in a controversial 'alphabet' shares scheme

Experts have warned that although the scheme is legal, the band may face an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs, reported The Sun.

The band members and Zayn Malik, who has since launched a solo career, are worth about 20million each

Dividends are not subject to National Insurance contributions, which means they are taxed less than wages.

There is no suggestion that members of the band, or Zayn Malik who departed the group last year, have used the scheme to avoid paying tax.

The band have been outspoken about tax avoidance before, and in 2014 they asked fans to contact George Osborne to urge him to commit to spending 0.7% of gross national income on international development as part of their work with Global Citizen.

UK authorities received 8.2million of the pre-tax profits made by 1D Media, the band's company, last year, while in comparison the British operations of Facebook handed over just 4,327.

The band members and Zayn Malik, who has since launched a solo career, are worth about 20million each.

Tax specialist Neil Tipping told The Sun: 'An alphabet share scheme this complex is controversial and exactly the kind Government would want to crack down on.

'In light of the millions of pounds One Direction make every year, I'd expect investigators to look at their structure very closely indeed.'

A source close to the band said the scheme had been set up to account for Mr Malik's departure to ensure he received his correct earnings.

A representative for One Direction has been contacted for comment by MailOnline.

THE ABC OF ALPHABET SHARE SCHEMES The term "alphabet shares" is used to describe different classes of shares classified by letter. They are often used to enable a company to pay per share to individual shareholders, ensuring a director gets maximum control over who gets paid what. Sometimes company employees are awarded shares to enable them to be paid part of their remuneration in the form of dividends.Source: Company Law Club. The schemes have come under HMRC scrutiny, who are tasked with ensuring every company pays its correct tax rate. Source: Company Law Club Advertisement




Former Labour treasurer Lord Levy said he considered quitting the party over anti-Semitism

Labour's former Treasurer today said he had considered quitting the party over its failure to condemn anti-Semitism.

Lord Levy, who was the partys chief fundraiser under Tony Blair said he had been shocked and horrified by the views of people admitted in to the party.

Labour activist Vicki Kirby who said Jews have big noses and slaughter the oppressed was suspended for a second time this month, after being let back in.

She was first suspended in 2014 when she was a parliamentary candidate for Woking in Surrey after a Twitter tirade in which she suggested Adolf Hitler might be the Zionist God and questioned why Islamic State had not yet attacked Israel.

Hard leftist Gerry Downing, who has spoken of the need to address the Jewish question won an appeal against suspension from the Labour party, but was expelled after new evidence came to light.

Lord Levy who sits in the House of Lords said the Labour party had historically been very trusted by the Jewish community and said firm action was needed to make sure it did not lose their support.

Anti-Semitism in any political party cannot be tolerated and it is for the leadership to make that absolutely clear, he said.

If they dont make that clear than I will start to question myself and actually question my being a Labour peer.

He said he had been really shocked and horrified by what these people have said.

He added: They have been expelled from the party with immediacy and frankly it is now up to leadership to make sure that there is a clear and unequivocal message out there that anti-Semitism in any form will not be tolerated within the Labour Party, he told Sky News.

The leadership must come out with that message in absolutely a specific way because from my perspective - being a member of this party - that is of paramount importance to me.

I think one needs to look historically at the Labour Party. When I was deeply involved under Tony Blair, this was a party that was very trusted and very loved by the Jewish community and that continued under Gordon Brown and it was certainly the case in the Harold Wilson era.

Lord Levy said he had encountered anti-Semitism from Tories and that this was an issue for all parties at a time when the Jewish community is seeing desecration of gravestones, graffiti, physical abuse.

Jeremy Corbyn has faced demands to speak out against anti-Semitism within parts of the party and make clear it is unacceptable

Mr Corbyn has personally faced claims that he has tolerated anti-Semitism in those he associates with. He has described representatives of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah as his friends and attended events organised by Holocaust denier Paul Eisen.

Despite meeting with the Board of Deputies of British Jews earlier this year to try and smooth things over, last week the boards President Jonathan Arkush warned that most people in the Jewish community cant trust Labour and that the threat of anti-Semitism on the far Left threatens to eclipse that from the far Right.

The party is still reeling from claims of anti-Semitism among its youth movement which is the subject of an internal inquiry.

Baroness Jan Royall has been asked to investigate the Oxford University Labour Club after its chairman quit, saying most members have some kind of problem with Jews.

One of the members thought to be implicated in the scandal tried to win a place on Labours 30-member executive committee.
Author Barry Hines, whose novel A Kestrel For A Knave was adapted for the classic film Kes, has died, aged 76.

The sad news was broken by poet and radio presenter Ian McMillan on Twitter, this morning.

And came almost a decade after the writer was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

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Author, Barry Hines, sadly died today, aged 76, almost ten years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease

McMillan, wrote: 'Very sad news: the great writer Barry Hines, creator of Barnsley's defining myth, A Kestrel For A Knave, has died. Rest in peace.'

Hines was born in a small mining village outside Barnsley, in 1939 and left school without any qualifications.

However, he later went back to finish his education and became a teacher before publishing his first novel, The Blinder, in 1966.

Hines then went on to write nine novels over a career that spanned almost 50 years.

His work put his South Yorkshire town of Hoyland Common on the cultural map.

But it was his second book about a young boy who escapes his troubled school life by training a kestrel that brought him to public prominence.

Hines was born in small mining village outside Barnsley, (pictured) in 1939 and had a wife and two children

Written in 1968, it was adapted for the big screen in the highly-acclaimed Ken Loach film Kes.

The production, made in 1969, was ranked seventh in the British Film Institute's top 10 British films.

But Barry remained modest about his work and said: 'My books are all conventional in form. They have a beginning, a middle and a sort of ending  mainly in that order  with the occasional flashback thrown in.'

However, despite his success as an author, after his diagnosis with Alzheimers in 2009, Hines became unable to read a book for himself.

He was also reluctant to admit his illness and instead described himself as someone with a poor memory.

A scene from the classic film, Kes, which was adapted from Barry Hines's novel, A Kestrel For A Knave

The highly-acclaimed Ken Loach film Kes was made in 1969 and was ranked seventh in the British Film Institute's top 10 British films

Image from the film adaptation of Kes, shows Brian Glover as a school master and referee scoring a goal

Nevertheless, Hines still had a blossoming family life.

The writer had two children with his first wife, Margaret Croft, who he married in 1963.

And subsequently wed his current wife, Eleanor, in 1980.

Today, fans of Hines's work and fellow authors paid tribute to the writer, with actress Kathy Burke calling him 'our generation's JK (Rowling)'.

Poet, Ian McMillan, broke the news about Hines's death on Twitter, this morning and described him as a 'great writer'

Today, fans of Hines's work and fellow authors paid tribute to the writer, with actress Kathy Burke calling him 'our generation's JK (Rowling)'

Joanne Harris, who wrote the novel Chocolat, said: 'RIP, Barry Hines: I hated and loved him at the same time - for writing the world I saw every day, and for giving me hope to escape it ...'

Actor David Morrissey said: 'Sad news bout Barry Hines. Loved his writing growing up, Kes, a huge influence on me, but also The Blinder, Looks and Smiles and Price of Coal. RIP.'

Michael Dugher, MP for Barnsley East, added: 'Just seen this. Sad news. Such a brilliant, inspiring talent. RIP Barry Hines'.

The posts on Twitter showed Hines's popularity. However, despite his success as an author Hines became unable to read a book for himself

Michael Dugher, MP for Barnsley East, where Hines grew up praised the author for his lifetime of work
Western Australian premier Colin Barnett has apologised for a girl falling ill after visiting the new Elizabeth Quay water park, but said it may not be the cause.

Chelsea Fawcett, 5, developed a serious eye infection after visiting the new BHP Billiton water park which opened on January 29.

Doctors have told her family she is partially blind in one eye and it's unknown if her sight will return.

Chelsea Fawcett, 5, in hospital with an eye infection after visiting Elizabeth Quay's new water park in Perth

Law firm Slater and Gordon are investigating a claim against the State government on behalf of the Fawcett family.

Mr Barnett said there is nothing the government can do to stop her mother, Jannah Fawcettt, from pursuing a case against the state government.

'I don't know that it's absolutely established it came from the water park but it may have,' Mr Barnett said.

'If the mother wants to pursue it, there's nothing to stop her. It's a free society.'

Ms Fawcett, said the family needed help to pay for medical bills now that her daughter was partially blind in one eye and may not get her normal sight back.

'They should have tested that water, and not opened it before they knew it was safe,' Ms Fawcett told Perth Now.

'It has been an awful experience with Chelsea in hospital and now she has to wear an eye patch and may never get her normal sight back.'

Law firm Slater and Gordon investigating a claim against the state government on behalf of the family

The water park was tested the day before it opened and a type of amoeba, known as naegleria fowleri, was found which instigated an emergency clean overnight.

The park was not retested before it opened to the public and two weeks later, tests found the potentially harmful pseudomonas-type bacteria.

Mr Barnett denied the water park problems were embarrassing for the state government, preferring to describe it as 'unfortunate'.

Chelsea Fawcett has been left partially blind in one eye and may never get her normal sight back

He said there was some re-engineering required but he hoped the park would re-open in the coming weeks.

'It detracts in a small way from Elizabeth Quay, but it is a comparatively minor issue,' he said.

WHAT IS NAEGLERIA? Naegleria infection is a rare and usually fatal brain infection caused by an amoeba commonly found in freshwater lakes, rivers and hot springs. Exposure occurs during swimming or other water sports. The amoeba  called Naegleria fowleri  travels up the nose to the brain, where it causes severe damage. Most people who have naegleria infection die within a week. Millions of people are exposed to the amoeba that causes naegleria infection each year, but only a handful of them ever get sick from it. Health officials don't know why some people develop naegleria infection while others don't. Avoiding warm bodies of fresh water and wearing nose clips while in the water may help prevent such infections. Advertisement

This comes after WA health minister Kim Hames said testing should be done more frequently at the new water playground, where the bacterium has posed an infection risk.

Other children have also contracted rashes and irritated eyes, closing the park twice.

Ask any GP - treating this sort of infection isnt an uncommon event, but (with) government pools and government waterways, weve got to be absolutely strict, Dr Hames told Perth Now in February.

Slater and Gordon is calling on anyone else who developed health problems after visiting the park to seek legal advice.

It is believed the State Government has not yet received notice of any legal action.

The water park remains closed indefinitely after routine sampling found the pseudomonas-type bacteria, which can cause skin rashes or ear and eye infections, in the water spray.

It had been closed then briefly reopened before the indefinite closure.
Donald Trump sided with his supporters and with campaign manager Corey Lewandowski as more scuffles broke out at campaign events this weekend in Arizona.

Speaking with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week, the Republican frontrunner suggested that there was a double standard when the media simply focused on the antics of Trump's supporters and not the trouble the protesters were causing.

'I think it's very unfair that these, really, in many cases, professional and in many cases sick protesters can put cars in the road blocking thousands of great Americans from coming to a speech and nobody says something about that,' Trump said, referencing a move protesters made to block attendees from getting into the candidate's Fountain Hills, Arizona rally.

Trump also defended Lewandowski who was captured on video grabbing a protester by the collar in Tuscon, a week after he was accused of bruising a female journalist who had approached Trump to ask a question.

'I give him credit for having spirit,' Trump said of his campaign manager.

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Donald Trump today again said he didn't condone violence at his rallies though noted the double standard being applied to his supporters when they reacted violently to protesters

Protesters in Fountain Hills, Arizona used their cars to block Donald Trump's supporters from getting into a rally

Elsewhere at the same event, Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (center left and right, in a suit jacket) was filmed grabbing the collar of one protester

This is the moment a demonstrator being escorted from a Trump rally in Tuscon, Arizona, was sucker-punched by supporter Tony Pettway, 32, who was subsequently arrested

Stephanopoulos asked Trump why Lewandowski, who was involved in a recent high-profile spat when he grabbed the arm of Breitbart journalist Michelle Fields, would be milling about the crowd and thus put himself in a situation where he would have physical contact with a protester.

'Because the security at the arena, the police, were a little lax,' Trump explained.

'He wanted to take down those horrible, profanity-laced signs,' Trump added.

One such sign said, 'Trump: Late for a Klan meeting?'

The most violent incident that occurred this weekend in Arizona happened at the same Tuscon rally when a white man wearing an American flag shirt was being led out of the event space when a black Trump supporter, 32-year-old Tony Pettway, repeatedly kicked and punched him.

The victim was being led out alongside another demonstrator who was wearing a KKK-style white hood and who had performed a Nazi salute before being led out.

Pettway was arrested.

'These people are disruptive,' Trump said, explaining that the victim of the attack and his partner were wearing a 'Ku Klux Klan outfit.'

A supporter of Trump, left, is grabbed by an anti-Trump protester, right, during a scuffle as the candidate speaks

Another demonstrator was pictured being led out behind the man who was punched while wearing a KKK-style hood and throwing a Nazi salute

Donald Trump reiterated the point he made this morning on This Week with George Stephanopoulos saying that his supporters are treated to a double standard when they act out against protesters

Stephanopoulos pointed out that the man who got attacked was not the one wearing the hood, but an American flag-printed shirt.

Trump ignored that fact and noted how his supporter was an African-American man 'who was very, very incensed' at seeing the KKK symbolism.

'A protesters was wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit to a rally and he went wild and frankly, and frankly, it was a tough thing to watch,' Trump continued.

'But why would a protester walk into a room with a Ku Klux Klan outfit on?' Trump mused.

When prompted Trump halfheartedly told Stephanopoulos, 'We don't condone violence and I say it and we have very little violence, very very little violence at the rallies.'

Trump then pivoted back to the protesters.

'They blocked a road,' he said. 'I think maybe those people should suffer some blame also.'

'Let me just say it's a very unfair double standard,' he continued.

'Why don't you mention the fact that people were delayed by an hour trying to get into an arena and the only road going there and they were delayed for an hour was people were blocking the road?' Trump said.

Trump reiterated his point this morning on Twitter as well.

'Why is it that the horrendous protesters, who scream, curse punch, shut down roads/doors during my RALLIES, are never blamed by the media? SAD!' Trump wrote.
Genres : Thriller

Starring : Barabara Parkins

Director : Piero Piccioni

Plot Synopsis

The headquarters of a drug-smuggling cartel is the quarry of American narcotics agent Paul Sherman (Sven-Bartil Taube, Eagle Has Landed). Though the cartel's activities are centered in Amsterdam, Sherman's search for the headquarters leads to an island castle owned by an offbeat religious group. Sherman and his partner Maggie (Barbara Parkins, Valley Of The Dolls, Kremlin Letter) run into serious trouble when they try to gain access to the forbidden site. Paul escapes captivity and chases the culprits by boat in one of the most exciting boat chases ever filmed, a scene that has been compared to the car chase in Bullitt! Featuring a funky soundtrack by legend Piero Piccioni, see this action classic from a brand new 2015 HD scan!
A diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who police suspect murdered her two children has tried to escape her psychiatric hospital at least eight times as she claims she wants to see her kids.

Catherine Hoggle, 29, was last with her kids Jacob, 2, and Sarah, 3, in September 2014, when they went missing.

Hoggle, who has been held for 18 months in a maximum security psychiatric hospital in Jessup, Maryland, claims her children are safe, but won't elaborate on where she thinks they might be.

Her ex-boyfriend and mother however, say Hoggle is pretending mental incompetency to avoid going to trial and being charged for murder.

Police suspect Catherine Hoggle, 29, (pictured) murdered her two children, who went missing in 2014. She has repeatedly tried to escape Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup, Maryland, where she has been held for 18 months

Her former boyfriend Troy Turner woke up on September 8, 2014, to find Hoggle was gone, along with Jacob and Sarah (pictured). She returned, claiming she left them at a new daycare center. They have not been seen since

According to the Washington Post, court records show Hoggle has run off with a staff member's security badge at least eight times. She has made it past the door of her locked unit a number of times before she was stopped.

The former waitress also looped bedsheets in her room in the hopes that she could use them to scale a fence outside the hospital.

Hoggle has told psychiatrists at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center that she loves her kids and thinks they're safe, while her defense attorney said his client 'wants to go home and be with her children'.

Hoggle requires intensive supervision, and her mental incompetency has put a hold on court proceedings.

She faces misdemeanors of neglect, hindering, and obstruction in the disappearance of her children. No murder charges have been brought against her although police were building a homicide case.

On September 8, 2014, Troy Turner, who was in a relationship with Hoggle at the time, woke up to find his girlfriend and their two youngest children missing.

Hoggle returned home, said she left the children at a new day care, and agreed to show him the facility.

The two were driving when Hoggle asked to stop at a Chik-fil-A to get a drink and disappeared through a different exit.

Turner called the police to report that Hoggle and their two children were missing, and a search party was launched.

Hoggle has told psychiatrists at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center that she loves her kids and thinks they're safe, while her defense attorney said his client 'wants to go home and be with her children'. Pictured, Sarah, 2, (left) and Jacob, aged 3 (right)

Hoggle was driving with her ex-boyfriend Troy Turner on the day their kids were reported missing. She asked to stop at Chik-fil-A to get a drink (pictured), but slipped out a different exit and disappeared. Hoggle was later found, but the kids remain missing

Hoggle was eventually found walking alone holding a missing-persons flier with her picture on it, but the children were never seen again.

Hoggle had previously been admitted to the hospital twice after she was convinced someone trying to cut off her limbs and perform an exorcism on her in 2013, court records say.

When she was questioned about where her children were, she said she had left them with 'Erin' and failed to elaborate beyond that.

Psychiatrist Danielle Robinson wrote in court filings that Hoggle is 'isolative and guarded, and spends most of her time intently observing her surroundings while sitting in the dayroom.

'She has a poor understanding of most legal concepts including the purpose of a trial, the roles of courtroom personnel, her plea options and the role of evidence.'

Hoggle faces misdemeanors of neglect, hindering, and obstruction in the disappearance of her children. No murder charges have been brought against her although police were building a homicide case

Turner (left) and Hoggle's own mother, Lindsey Hoggle, (right), believe Catherine is faking her mental illness to get out of going to trial

But her own mother, Lindsey Hoggle, said in an affidavit: 'Catherine understands precisely what is going on.'

Lindsey, who speaks to her daughter every day, told NBC Catherine wanted to escape with her children because she feared they would be taken away from her.

Turner also said in his affidavit that the 29-year-old told him she planned to remain incompetent in order to avoid going to trial.

Prosecutors have filed a request to get an independent psychiatrist to evaluate Hoggle, but her defense attorney says the reports from Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center should be considered before moving forward.

According to the Washington Post, if Hoggle were eventually found competent and charged with murder, she could still file a 'not criminally responsible' plea citing her mental illness. Montgomery County States Attorney John McCarthy told WTOP he hadn't charged Hoggle with murder because it would prevent him from using a grand jury to obtain more information.
Bosses at a bowling alley which is often used for children's parties have launched an investigation after discovering a hardcore pornographic movie was filmed at their establishment.

Sordid scenes involving two scantily clad women and a man carrying a pair of bowling shoes were filmed in the distinctive interior of the PSL Bowling Complex in Stirchley, Birmingham.

It is believed the blue film was shot several years ago before the current owners took over.

The film shows the trio indulging in sex on the business's colourful furniture, with PSL's bowling alley in the background.

Sordid scenes involving two scantily clad women and a man carrying a pair of bowling shoes were filmed in the distinctive interior of the PSL Bowling Complex in Stirchley, Birmingham

It is believed the blue film was shot several years ago before the current owners took over

A concerned parent told the Birmingham Mail: 'I wouldn't want my two kids sitting on the chairs seen in these images or bowling there knowing what has gone on.'

When the new management team saw stills of the footage Martin Parsonage, who is in the process of taking over the building's lease, said: 'By hook or by crook, I will find out who is responsible.

'But I know there is nothing that can bring us or PSL into disrepute - because I know we were not involved.'

The rude revelation has been a particular blow to manager Mr Parsonage, who took over the reins 18 months ago and is currently negotiating to take over the lease.

He has ploughed money and time into making the Pershore Road premises family-friendly - and stresses the filthy footage must be some years old, taken long before they moved in.

'We are currently going through old documents, invoices and CCTV footage, which we still have access to,' he said.

'There must have been some payment,' he added. 'I have my suspicions, but that is all I'm prepared to say. I don't need this - this is a family venue.'

The film shows the trio indulging in sex on the business's colourful furniture, with PSL's bowling alley in the background

It's not the first time the popular venue has appeared on the small screen, albeit in less sensual circumstances - scenes from popular BBC daytime show doctors were once filmed there.

In January the vicar of a 137-year-old church described the decision by an adult film company to shoot an explicit fetish video on their grounds as 'upsetting'.

Paul Tullet, vicar at Water Orton Parish Church in north Warwickshire, said no permission had been sought by website PornXN to record on its premises after a hardcore video shot at the front door was uploaded online.

The film, featuring Hungarian porn star Lyen Parker, shows the actress exposing her naked body and urinating in public.

In January the vicar of a 137-year-old church described the decision by an adult film company to shoot an explicit fetish video on their grounds as 'upsetting'
A 27-year-old has been identified as the U.S. Marine killed in an ISIS rocket attack in Iraq as the Pentagon announced they would be sending in more troops on the ground.

Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin died Sunday in northern Iraq from wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with rocket fire by the terrorists.

Cardin, who was from Temecula, California, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The last U.S. service member killed in Iraq was in October 2015. Army Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler, a special operations soldier, was killed in a firefight in during a raid on an Islamic State prison.

Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, 27, died Sunday in northern Iraq from wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with rocket fire by the jihadists

Cardin, who was from Temecula, California, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

According to WWAY Staff Sgt. Cardin joined the Marine Corps in June of 2006 as a field artillery Marine.

His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal, three Marine Corps Good Conduct medals, three Afghanistan Campaign medals, Iraq Campaign medal, National Defense Service medal, Presidential Unit Citation-Navy, Navy Unit Commendation Medal, NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and three Sea Service Deployment ribbons.

On Sunday, US military officials announced that a group of Marines will support U.S. and coalition efforts against Islamic State.

A group of Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, will add to the U.S. forces already in Iraq.

The 26th MEU is currently deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, which covers the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

The attack which left Staff Sergeant Cardin dead 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.

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.

Wheeler's tragic passing was the first in Iraq since the withdrawal of US forces in 2011.

Staff Sgt. Cardin joined the Marine Corps in June of 2006 as a field artillery Marine. His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal, three Marine Corps Good Conduct medals, three Afghanistan Campaign medals and an Iraq Campaign medal

Cardin is seen with his fellow Marines during one of his tours. It was shared on social media by a friend
Donald Trump's older sister has been sent a threatening letter just 24 hours after his eldest son Eric received a suspicious package.

Federal appeals court judge Maryanne Trump Barry discovered the note at her home in Philadelphia on Friday, prompting police to investigate.

There was no white powder in the envelope, but the threat was similar to that sent to Eric, NBC reported.

It is not clear whether the mail was sent by the same person.

Trump Barry is a 78-year-old judge with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit who Ted Cruz has described as the GOP candidate's 'partial-birth-abortion-supporting sister'.

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Donald Trump's older sister, Federal appeals court judge Maryanne Trump Barry (right), has been sent a threatening letter just 24 hours after his eldest son Eric received a suspicious package

There was no white powder in the envelope, but the threat was similar to that sent to Eric (right). It is not clear whether the mail was sent by the same person.

Police were called to Eric Trump's (left) New York home after his wife Lara Yunaska (right) opened a package and a white powder fell out

More than two dozen cops were seen inside the Central Park South address late Thursday. Above, the apartment building Thursday night

Police were called to the apartment of Donald Trump's son Eric on Thursday after his wife opened a letter and white powder fell out, WABC reported.

Inside the letter postmarked form Massachusetts was also a note threatening harm to Trump's five children if he does not pull out of the presidential race.

Eric Trump and his wife Lara live at Trump Parc East, one of Trump's luxury buildings on the southern edge of Central Park.

More than two dozen cops were seen inside the Central Park South address late Thursday.

After tests, the NYPD reportedly found nothing hazardous.

The letter arrived at Eric Trump's apartment the same day the hacker group Anonymous released his father's phone number and social security number in a targeted cyber attack.

Eric has been a staunch supporter of his father as he bids to become the Republican nomination for President.

He was in Florida when he won the state's primary, and knocked Marco Rubio out of the race.

The 32-year-old is the youngest of The Donald's three children with first wife Ivana Trump.

He is the executive vice president of development and acquisitions at the Trump Organization.

The businessman got married to CBS News producer Lara Yunaska in 2014.

It's not known whether he was at home at the time.
Photos which show the squalid conditions endured by two teenage girls who were forced to work as sex slaves have been revealed, after their captors were jailed for a total of 53 years.

The teenagers have described the living hell they were put through after being duped into coming to the UK on the promise of getting jobs as hotel maids.

The 18-year-olds, who had come from poor families in a deprived industrial town in south-east Romania, arrived in the UK last summer after they were approached by human traffickers Marius Petre, 27, and Adrian Matei, 34, in a Romanian disco.

Shocking photographs show the state of the brothel two 18-year-old girls were forced to live in as sex slaves

Adrian Matei (left), Marius Petre (centre) and Ionut Ion (right) have been sentenced to a total of 53 years in prison

A few days after meeting Matei and Petre the men became their 'boyfriends' and enticed them with the dream of moving to the UK.

They left Romania, travelling across Europe and catching the ferry to Dover.

From there they were driven to a rented three-bedroom terrace in Preston, Lancashire, where they were told they would be expected to work as prostitutes.

Police believe the girls were visited by as many as 10 men a day, and while one of them made 1,000 through prostitution she was not allowed to keep a penny.

Romanians Petre and Matei were last month found guilty of intentionally facilitating entry to the UK of a person with a view to their sexual exploitation and two counts of rape following a trial.

Their co-defendant Ionut Ion, 35, was found guilty of running a brothel and two counts of rape.

The trio were given extended sentences totalling 53 years by Judge Pamela Badley at Preston Crown Court and will only be released when the parole board deems them no longer a danger to society.

Speaking following the sentencing, one of the teenagers said: 'Back in Romania I lived with my family. My dad died when I was 10 and I lost my mum last October. I had been caring for her.

'She was bed bound. I did the laundry, whatever was necessary.'

After arriving in Preston the teenagers found the life of prosperity they had been promised was a sham and were forced to live in a squalid brothel

Her friend had taken on a job as a seamstress in a clothing factory but was making just 50 a month.

After arriving in Preston they found the life of prosperity they had been promised was a sham.

One of the girls said: 'They told us we should come to the UK to work in a hotel. I thought he was telling the truth. But we ended up somewhere else.

'I was afraid when I realised what was happening.

'We were kept apart and I was not allowed to talk to my friend. I was scared. I thought he could have killed me.'

She tried to stand up for herself, but was met by death threats.

She said: 'He told me he was going to take me into a field, tie me behind his car, drag me and kill me.'

The girls were freed a fortnight after being brought to the UK when police received a tip-off from a member of the public on Twitter and raided the brothel

The other girl said: 'I wanted to build a future for myself. But when we go here they changed completely.

'They forced us to do things we did not agree to. I was afraid of the slightest movement.'

The girls were freed a fortnight after being brought to the UK when police received a tip-off from a member of the public on Twitter and raided the brothel.

Both girls want to remain in the UK and hope to get jobs as waitresses.

Sentencing Petre and Matei to 20 years in prison and Ion to a 13-year jail term, Judge Badley said: 'Each of these women were degraded and treated as sources of income and that was the motivation for the subsequent rapes.

'They were fooled by you deliberately so that you presented yourselves as boyfriends and within two weeks of meeting each of you you promised them work as maids in the hotel industry.

'Each girl left Romania without money, luggage, or informing their families.

'You wanted a quick decision without time for reflection. Each of these girls thought you were their boyfriends and they were embarking on a new life. What in fact you were doing was trafficking them for sexual exploitation.

'Once in Preston these girls were kept in a house and forced into becoming prostitutes. Further offences were committed against the trafficked girls.. Both were cynically raped by the two men they had regarded as boyfriends.

'The motivation was not your own satisfaction - your motivation, which each of these girls described as a hugely painful process, was so that each girl could get used to it and thereafter offer it to paying customer who were paying more for that activity.

'To treat a fellow human being in that way is a matter which requires considerable re-education. All three of you are entirely lacking in remorse or victim empathy.'
A police officer died and another was wounded after they both got shot while serving warrants at an Indiana trailer park.

Sergeant Jordan Buckley and deputy Carl Koontz knocked at the door of a mobile home in Russiaville on Sunday around 12.30am but no one answered, Fox 59 reported.

Both were shot after going inside the home. They were taken to the hospital in Indianapolis, about 60 miles south of Russiaville.

Koontz, 27, who had been with the department for less than three years, had surgery but remained in critical condition. He died around noon on Sunday.

Deputy Carl Koontz, 27, pictured with his wife Cassie and their son Noah, died on Sunday after being shot while serving warrants at a mobile home in Russiaville, Indiana

Buckley, a nine-year veteran, is now in stable condition, alert and conscious.

Authorities found a suspected shooter, who has not been identified, dead inside the home from a gunshot wound.

Investigators don't know whether he was killed in a shootout or if the gunshot wound was self-inflicted.

Both men wore body armor during of the gunfight.

It wasn't clear how many officers were inside the mobile home at the time.

Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, but sheriff Steven Rogers said he didn't know which officers did so.

'As police officers we anticipate things like that, but it comes as a total surprise to us,' Rogers said during a news conference.

'We plan for it, but you're never fully prepared, of course, for that situation.'

Koontz (left) was 'an outstanding officer' according to Sheriff Steven Rogers. Sergeant Jordan Buckley (right), a nine-year veteran who was with Koontz at the time of the gunfight, was also shot. He was taken to the hospital and is now in stable condition

Investigators had learned that a suspect wanted for possession of a syringe was hiding at the mobile home and obtained the warrants.

Flags at state government facilities across Indiana will be flown at half-staff immediately to honor Koontz.

Governor Mike Pence said flags should remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Koontz's funeral and asked businesses to do the same.

Koontz was married and had a young son, Noah, about eight months old, with his wife Cassie.
Stavis is thought to be the first American to be killed by lighting in 2016

Jake Gold said his girlfriend had brightened the life of everyone she met

Both women rushed to hospital after Friday's incident where they remain

Two of the 28-year-old friends sharing the tent were seriously

A New Orleans woman has died and two others have been seriously injured after being struck by lightning during a blues festival.

Jacqui Stavis, 28, was killed after the bolt hit her tent at the T-Bois Blues Festival in Larose, Louisiana, on Friday night.

Two friends, who were sharing the tent, were rushed to hospital after they suffered serious injuries in the strike. A Labrador dog, that had been with them at the time, also died in the incident.

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Jacqui Stavis, 28, was killed after the bolt hit her tent at the T-Bois Blues Festival in Larose on Friday night.

The 28-year-old had posted this picture of a balloon release at the festival on Facebook shortly before her death

Investigators say the friends had all retreated into the small personal tent when a thunderstorm began at the popular festival - which has been branded the 'Cajun Burning Man' in recent years, NOLA reports.

Today, Stavis' boyfriend of seven years left a heartwarming to tribute to his 'best friend, 'lover, life partner' and his 'deepest love'.

Jake Gold, who lived with his girlfriend in New Orleans' Mid City, said she brightened the life of everyone she met.

'In seven years, our love for each other only grew,' he wrote. 'We hardly ever fought. We embraced each other's weirdness, wildness, passions and friends.

'The love poured out of her and enveloped everyone and everything in its path.

'Jacqui Stavis you were simply the best. I will love you and remember your smile and voice forever.

Today, Stavis' boyfriend, Jake Gold (pictured with her) of seven years left a heartwarming to tribute to his 'best friend, 'lover, life partner' and his 'deepest love'

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said Stavis (left, and right) a massage therapist, had been found unresponsive after the lightning strike on Friday which occurred at around 10pm

The outgoing massage therapist was pronounced dead at a Lafourche Parish hospital the following day

'Thank you for sharing the best years of our lives together, and for making me a better person. You will be missed every day. This is going to be so tough.'

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said Stavis, a massage therapist, had been found unresponsive after the lightning strike on Friday which occurred at around 10pm.

She was pronounced dead at a Lafourche Parish hospital the following day.

Her two friends, whose names have not yet been released, are in a serious condition in hospital.

Around 1,200 festival goers from all over the world attend the three-day blues festival, T-Bois, held at an alligator farm in Louisiana every year.

Headlines by guitarist Anders Osborne, it has continued to grow in popularity since it was founded decades ago and tickets are thought to have sold out for this year's event.

While the festival is no stranger to extreme weather, this is thought to be the first time a festival goer has ever been hit by lightning.

Friends and family have paid tribute to Stavis on social media after her tragic death.

Investigators say the friends had all retreated into the small personal tent when a thunderstorm began at the popular festival at an alligator farm in Louisiana

Jake Gold, who lived with his girlfriend in New Orleans' Mid City, said she brightened the life of everyone she met

Nola Bunarchy wrote on Facebook: 'It is beyond comprehension and utter sadness that one of the brightest lights in the universe is no longer shining on earth.

'Jacqui Stavis, one of the most generous, kind and true spirited soles is gone. 'I will endeavor to shine as bright as you have shined on everyone you came in contact with.'

Matthew L. Crowson described Stavis as a 'really sweet lady' who 'truly enjoyed helping people.

While Mark Shays added: 'Today, this world lost one of the most genuine, kind, giving, beautiful, and extraordinary people I have been privileged to know.

'I'm filled with sorrow, but grateful that I got to know and love Jacqui Stavis, an incredible friend who always inspires and spreads joy. We love you!'

Stavis is the first person in America to be killed by a lightning strike in 2016, according to the National Weather Service's Lightning Safety.

Last year, 26 Americans lost their lives after being hit by a bolt - the same as in 2014.

Between 1959 and 2003, there have been 3,696 deaths as a result of lightning strikes.

The odds of being struck by lightning in the U.S. in any one year is 1 in 700,000. This compares to the odds of winning the Powerball, around 1 in 292 million.
A broken watch bought at a car boot sale for just 10 has sold for more than 55,000 after it turned out to be a rare Rolex issued to Italian navy divers in the Second World War.

The timepiece was found by a Cheshire man in a chest of drawers while he was clearing out his late father's house.

He was so shocked by the result he had to be told the final sale price three times by the auctioneer - as he had expected the antique to go for around 500.

Made by the Italian company Panerai, in a collaboration using a Rolex movement, the oversized wristwatch was sold without a strap and a non-functioning mechanism, but still managed to attract interest and fetch an impressive 46,000 hammer price.

The broken Rolex watch was bought at a car boot sale for 10 but went for more than 55,000 at auction

A Cheshire man found the timepiece in a chest of drawers while he was clearing out his late father's house

It was expected the antique would fetch somewhere around the pre-sale estimate price of 500, but achieved a hammer price of 46,000

With all the fees added, the total price paid by the winning bidder was 55,660.

The timepiece was one of only 618 Rolex 17 Rubis Panerai 3636 watches made between 1941 to 1943.

They were made by Italian watchmaker Panerai but used Rolex movements and were waterproof, with an oversized face which was visible in the dark.

They were supplied to the Royal Italian Navy and used by divers operating human torpedos - missiles they rode underwater that had a detachable warhead which could be used as a timed limpet mine on enemy ships.

The divers could only operate the torpedo craft at night, hence why the watches had a luminous dial and digits.

It is most likely this watch was collected as a souvenir by a British servicemen at the end of the war and brought back to Britain.

With all the fees added, the total price paid by the winning bidder at the auction house was a staggering 55,660

The timepiece was only one of 618 Rolex 17 Rubis Panerai 3636 watches made between 1941 to 1943

The watches were made by Italian watchmaker Panerai but used Rolex movements and were waterproof, with an oversized face which was visible in the dark

It turned up at a car boot sale in the north west of England where it was bought by the vendor's father between 10 and 20 years ago for no more than 10.

Niall Williams, who sold the watch at auctioneers Wright Marshall in Cheshire, said: 'They are quite a rare watch and most of them were engraved by their owners but this one wasn't.

'It came to us on a valuation day by a chap with it in his pocket.

'The wind-up mechanism didn't work properly and so wasn't in perfect condition. But we had a lot of interest in it and 10 phone lines taken up by bidders.

'When I told the vendor afterwards it sold for 46,000 he thought I had said 4,000 to 6,000 and had to repeat it three times before he believed me.
Graham called Kasich the most electable Republican, but suggested that he didn't have enough momentum to overtake the billionaire in delegates

Sen. Lindsey Graham already held his nose and said he would be supporting Sen. Ted Cruz going forward, but this morning took things a step forward by pleading with Ohio Gov. John Kasich to get out so that Cruz can take out frontrunner Donald Trump more easily.

'And I hope John Kasich is listening,' Graham said this morning on Face the Nation. 'John, if I thought you would win, I'd be behind you, because you are the most electable candidate.'

Graham called on Kasich, who is in third place of the three remaining GOP candidates, to work with Cruz to deny Trump the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination outright.

'And if you're not willing to work with Ted, then you're hurting the cause,' Graham said. 'By Kasich going to Utah, you're making it harder for Ted to get 50 percent.'

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Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared on Face the Nation today and suggested that either Gov. John Kasich coordinate with Sen. Ted Cruz to beat Donald Trump - or get out of the presidential race

Gov. John Kasich wants to ride out his Ohio win all the way to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland hoping that the delegates will switch allegiances and vote for him instead

Lindsey Graham surprisingly backed Sen. Ted Cruz (left) - a colleague he's known to dislike - arguing he'd take Cruz over GOP frontrunner Donald Trump (right) any day

Graham, who was formerly in the presidential race, surprised the political world on Thursday by telling CNN that he was going to start fundraising for Cruz, who he's said a number of critical things about in the past.

'It pales in comparison to my differences with Trump,' Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill.

'I think Ted Cruz is a reliable Republican: Strong on Israel, would repeal and replace Obamacare, would be good on the Supreme Court. So we have many things in common but we also have many differences.'

But in a CNN interview last month, Graham pulled no punches in his assessment on Cruz, who is unpopular among his Senate colleagues.

'If you're a Republican and your choice is Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in a general election,' Graham told CNN. 'It's the difference between poisoned or shot  you're still dead.'

Graham also joked at a Washington dinner last month that 'a good Republican would defend Ted Cruz .... That ain't happening. If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate and the trial was in the Senate, nobody could convict you.'

At last month's Washington Press Club Foundation's dinner, Graham added, 'I was asked the hardest question of my political life. Do you agree with Donald Trump that Ted Cruz is the biggest liar in politics? Too close to call.'

On Thursday Graham also said that Kasich was his preferred candidate but that 'I don't see John having the path that Ted does in terms of stopping Trump, which is most important to me.'

He reiterated that statement today.

On Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill that he would be fundraising for Sen. Ted Cruz - the lesser of two evils compared to Donald Trump

'I love John Kasich,' Graham said. 'But if he stays in this race, or they don't coordinate the efforts between Cruz and Kasich, we're going to wind up giving the nomination to Trump,' Graham said.

The South Carolina senator was particularly critical of Kasich's decision to campaign in Utah for fear that he would siphon votes away from Cruz, who's more demographically-suited for the state than the Ohio governor, allowing Trump to win a majority of its 40 delegates.

On Tuesday Arizona also votes and those delegates are winner-take-all.

Republicans in American Samoa will also make their pick.

'John Kasich is the most electable Republican,' Graham noted. 'I don't think he has a chance to win at the convention because it's an outsider year and John Kasich is an insider, and most of the delegates are looking for an outsider.'

Beyond his personal beefs with Cruz, 'he's the best alternative to Donald Trump,' Graham said.

The ex-candidate and senator then went on a tirade about his party's current frontrunner.

'The bottom line is, I believe that Donald Trump would be an absolute, utter disaster for the Republican Party, destroy conservatism as we know it, we would get wiped out, and it would take generations to overcome a Trump candidacy,' Graham said.

'Ronald Reagan had a three-legged stool of conservatism: fiscal, social and strong national security,' Graham continued.

'Donald has a four-legged stool 'cause he's "The Donald," it's got to be bigger: Economic populism, xenophobia, race-baiting and religious bigotry are the stools that he has formed,' Graham said.

'That is his campaign, that is not conservatism,' the senator added.

Graham, despite signing the Republican National Committee's pledge to support the GOP nominee, hinted that he might buck the pledge if that nominee is Trump.

'Ask me after the convention that question, but I'm making it pretty clear to you that I think Mr. Trump destroys the party that I love  and as much as a I disagree with Ted Cruz, I think he's a real Republican, he would nominate conservative judges, he will not sell Israel out, he's a reliable Republican conservative,' Graham explained.

'Mr. Trump is an interloper and ... a demagogue of the greatest proportion,' Graham said .




Amid his continued woes over the Budget now George Osborne could be sued by drinks companies over the sugar tax

Soft drinks companies are preparing to sue the Government over the sugar tax in another headache for George Osborne.

Coca-Cola and other drinks makers are drawing up plans for a legal challenge against the government, which plans to impose the tax in two years time.

The new tax, announced in last weeks Budget, will add 24p a litre to products with the highest sugar content with the intention of raising 500million a year.

But it is expected the drinks companies will make a legal challenge through the European courts to argue it is discriminatory because beverages with a higher sugar content such as fruit juices and milk shakes are exempt.

A senior industry source said: Its fair to say we are more than just considering legal action. This has been rushed through without warning, the source told the Sunday Times.

Government officials are understood to be in talk with the drinks industry to try and avoid a legal battle  with giants such as Coca-Cola, Irn-Bru maker AG Barr and Robinsons manufacturer Britvic likely to be involved.

The food industry is also likely to be supportive of a challenge amid fears that the sugar levy could stage the stage for a swathe of new sin taxes on sugar in food, as well as on fat, salt and alcohol.

There have been successful challenges to similar taxes in Finland and Denmark. In December, European judges blocked Scotlands plans to enforce minimum alcohol pricing per unit.

It would be another headache for the Chancellor, who is reeling from the resignation from Iain Duncan Smith and his broadside against the Governments austerity agenda, controversy over cuts to welfare and the furore over the levels of tax paid by Google and other multinational firms.

Under the Budget proposals, drinks containing more than 8g of sugar per 100ml will face a charge of 24p per litre.

Products with between 5g and 8g will see a tax of 18p.

Regular Coke, which has 10.6g of sugar per 100ml, Irn-Bru and Red Bull would all attract the top rate, adding around 8p to the price of a standard 330ml can. But fruit juices, which are higher in natural sugars, and milk-based drinks.

The tax came as a shock to the industry, after ministers appeared to have ruled it out earlier this year. Industry sources said they were told just days before the Budget that there were no plans for a tax.

The proposed sugar tax on soft drinks is due to be imposed in two years time and is designed to have two bands based on how much sugar is included in the recipe

On the day of the Budget announcement, shares in soft drinks firms fell sharply.

The Treasury insisted the levy would be on the firms and they would choose whether to pass it on to customers, but insisted that the aim was that drinks firms reformulate their recipes to include less sugar.

Health professionals have lauded the tax, pointing out that treating obesity and diabetes costs the NHS 13.8billion a year. Campaigners are increasingly putting the blame for obesity on sugar.

But drinks firms argue that the experience abroad shows that sugar taxes do not work. Gavin Partington, Director General of the British Soft Drinks Association said the industry had already agreed to cut calories voluntarily.
Starring : Matt Rutherford

Director : Amy Flannery

Plot Synopsis

Once labeled a youth-at-risk, Matt Rutherford risks it all in a death-defying attempt to be the first person to sail alone and nonstop around North and South America. Professional sailors called him crazy and declared the journey a suicide mission. Braving the icebergs of the Arctic and the stormy seas of Cape Horn is no easy feat for any sailor. After reading about Ernest Shackleton and Arctic explorers, Matt became obsessed with sailing alone through the Northwest Passage the mostly ice-clogged route through the Arctic linking the Atlantic to the Pacific. That obsession became a 27,000 mile quest to be the first sailor to circumnavigate the Americas alone without stopping.
Hulk Hogan celebrated his $115million victory against Gawker by sweating it out at the gym with his wife Jennifer McDaniel and daughter Brooke on Saturday.

Hogan broke down in tears on Friday when the jury awarded him $55million for economic injuries and $60million for emotional distress after the news website posted a video that showed the former wrestler having sex with his best friend's wife.

Hogan said the video was filmed without his consent and its publication damaged his reputation and invaded his privacy, while Gawker argued it was a legitimate news story covered by the First Amendment

Gawker will have to cough up an initial installment of $50million about a month from when the punitive damages are decided sometime next week.

Hogan, 62, returned to his usual form on Saturday as he was pictured leaving the gym in Clearwater, Florida, after he won a lawsuit against Gawker

He was joined by his daughter Brooke Hogan (left) and wife Jennifer McDaniel (right). McDaniel, who is 21 years his junior, has stood by his side throughout the lawsuit

Hogan, 62, returned to his usual form on Saturday as he was pictured leaving the gym in Clearwater, Florida, in a black tanktop, a leopard-print bandanna, and his signature horseshoe mustache.

His second wife, Jennifer McDaniel, whom he married in 2010, stood by his side throughout the lawsuit and a previous scandal where Hogan was recorded making racist comments.

She was seen on Saturday alongside Hogan and his daughter Brooke. The two women were dressed similarly in black tops and sneakers and bright cropped leggings as they left the gym.

Hulk Hogan was married to Linda Claridge when the sex tape with his best friend's wife, Heather Clem, was filmed.

Claridge broke down last week on an episode of Inside Edition, when she read a letter to her former husband, blaming him for the dissolution of their marriage.

She filed for divorce in 2007, and said she believed her ex deserved nothing from his suit against the media outlet.

LINDA HOGAN'S FULL LETTER Terry, YOU have single-handedly ruined our 25 year marriage and our familymy trust, my love, my future, our future family with grandchildren, holidays, weddings, our kids lives, homes, their ability to trust, our poor animals, friends, neighbors, your career, finances, trademarks, retirement, your legacy, your reputation, your healtheven your soulYou lost it ALL. You took me for granted and never appreciated me or our beautiful familyblaming me for your horrendous mistakes And yet you continue in life this very way stillhiding behind those sunglasses, false smile, ohand the bandana! Until you can really apologize, to meand to our childrenI will never forgive you. Linda Advertisement

Hogan broke down in the courtroom on Friday as the foreman announced the jury's verdict, ruling in his favor on all counts.

Gawker will appeal the case, but under Florida law the company will have to hand over at least $50million in monetary damages about a month from next week, when the punitive damages are decided.

If Hogan defeats their appeal they will hand over the rest of the money whenever the case is settled.

E Online spoke with an attorney Troy Slaten, who said that the punitive damages could literally be any amount.

'It could be anything. God knows what it will be. I couldn't even start to speculate on that. Frankly I'm shocked at the $115 million dollar compensatory verdict for showing a video for nine seconds,' said Slaten, who is not involved in the case.

If Gawker cannot afford the bond, then they can still ask the courts to grant a stay or to lower the bond. The decision will be up to the court's discretion, according to Capital New York.

Gawker founder Nick Denton said outside the courthouse following the verdict; '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.

Good news: Hulk Hogan hugged his lawyer and broke down in tears after the jury read their verdict (pictured). He was awarded $55m for economic injuries and $60m for emotional distress

COULD THE HULK HOGAN CASE BE THE END OF GAWKER? Gawker will be expected to pay at least $50million while they appeal the Jury's $115million dollar verdict plus punitive damages to be decided next week. The $50million is due about a month from when the punitive damages are decided. Gawker had an annual net worth of $44million in 2014 which is less than the amount they are expected to set aside, according to Heavy.com. The yearly revenue makes Gawker worth at least $250million, according to Business Insider. That gave Gawker an operating profit of $6.5 million in 2014. According to Heavy, Gawker's revenue comes from a combination of traditional advertising and e-commerce. If Gawker cannot afford the bond, then they can still ask the courts to grant a stay or to lower the bond. The decision will be up to the court's discretion, according to Capital New York. In preparation for the Hulk Hogan trial, Gawker sold a minorty stake in their company to Columbus Nova giving the technology company veto power over Gawker's decisions. The exact stake was not revealed because of the trial but Nova's managing director Jason Epstein now has a seat on Gawker's board of directors. A leaked internal memo showed that Gawker was trying to 'bulk up its war chest' in the days leading up to the defamation lawsuit. 'Its about putting Hogan behind us, and the future ahead of us,' Gawker founder Nick Denton told Fortune. Legal experts told Fortune the suit could substantially impact Gawker back when the company was forced to reckon with Hogan's lawsuit when it was just $100million. Advertisement

Response: Hogan did not speak to reporters but did post on Twitter Friday evening (above)

'Thats why we feel very positive about the appeal that we have already begun preparing, as we expect to win this case ultimately.'

Hogan did not speak to reporters but did post on Twitter Friday evening, writing; 'Told ya I was gonna slam another giant HH.'

His lawyer made a reference to one of Hogan's greatest accomplishments in his opening statement, recalling the time his client bodyslammed Andre the Giant in 1987 at WrestleMania III.

The match was completely choreographed ahead of time.

The six-person jury took just five hours to deliberate on Friday, and ruled in favor of Hogan on all counts.

Hogan and his team had only been asking for $100million in their lawsuit for invasion of his privacy.

Denton and editor A.J. Daulerio sat emotionless in the courtroom while the jury read out the verdict. The two men were both found personally liable in the case.

Gawker posted the two-minute video in 2012 after editing down a 30-minute version they received from an anonymous source that had been taped showing Hogan and Heather Cole engaging in intercourse in July of 2007.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, said he did not know the encounter was caught on camera.

His lawyers had asked Gawker to take down the tape, saying they could still keep their copy of the contents, but they refused.

Then, after Hogan filed his lawsuit, a judge asked Gakwer to take down the video.

The site published an article soon after with the headline; 'A Judge Told Us to Take Down Our Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Post. We Won't.'

They wrote in the post; 'We publish all manner of stories here. Some are serious, some are frivolous, some are dumb. I am not going to make a case that the future of the Republic rises or falls on the ability of the general public to watch a video of Hulk Hogan f****** his friend's ex-wife.

'But the Constitution does unambiguously accord us the right to publish true things about public figures.

'And Campbell's order requiring us to take down not only a very brief, highly edited video excerpt from a 30-minute Hulk Hogan f******session but also a lengthy written account from someone who had watched the entirety of that f******, is risible and contemptuous of centuries of First Amendment jurisprudence.'

The video was eventually removed from the site.

HOW MUCH MUCH MONEY IS HULK HOGAN EXPECTED TO NET ? Without accounting for the punitive damages, if Hulk Hogan wins the case he is expected to pay around $46million is attorney fees and $2million in litigation fees which leaves him with $67million. After taxes Hogan would be left with around $30million or $40million, according to E Online. According to attorney Troy Slatten, that amount could be cut in half following Gawker's appeal. 'An Appeals court could easily decide the jury was wrong and cut the award in half. If they felt that no reasonable juror should have ruled that way. Cases get overturned on appeal all the time," Slaten told E Online, meaning the case could be settle with just $50million. Advertisement

Hogan out: Hulk Hogan exits the courtroom with his legal team on Friday after the verdict was announced by the jury

Denton said outside the courthouse; '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'

Lawyers for the site had argued that the video was a legitimate news story covered by the First Amendment given how frequently Hogan talked about his sex life in the media.

Hogan and his lawyer's argued that he was doing this as a character, and using 'artistic liberty.'

Gawker's lawyers also said during the trial that they made no money off the video, as it ran without advertisements despite the fact that is was streamed millions of times after being posted on the site.

Experts for Hogan however argued that the site in general received a surge in traffic after posting the video.

Gawker made it clear they planned to appeal the case, and expected to lose, when they stated prior to the verdict being delivered that they did not receive a fair trial.

They pointed out that the man who made the video, Hogan's former best friend Bubba the Love Sponge, never testified in court.

Cole also did not testify, though a deposition she gave in 2015 played for jurors earlier this week.

In her deposition an emotional Cole said she had no idea that she was being taped while having sex with Hogan, a statement that contradicts claims she made to Tampa police and comments she made on one of the sex tapes.

There were three sex tapes of Cole and Hogan, and it was the second one that Gawker edited and published.

In the third tape, made at an unknown date, Cole and her husband acknowledge that the sex was filmed, with Cole telling her husband after Hogan leaves the bedroom; 'His dick hurt so f****** bad. You'll probably just see my face squirming. I just tried to get past the pain to enjoy it.'

She made this comment after her husband said he wanted to watch the tape. On that tape that two also talk about being able to blackmail Hogan with the tape because he repeatedly uses racial slurs while discussing his daughter Brooke's boyfriend.

The couple had an open marriage Cole testified in her deposition, and she admitted that her husband had previously taped her having sex with other men.

Cole said that her husband showed her the 30-minute sex video several weeks after one encounter with Hogan at their home.

'I immediately asked for it to stop,' she said in her deposition.

'I don't remember a specific conversation. I do remember feeling very upset.'

Open marriage: Hogan filmed the video with Heather Cole, the wife of his best friend Bubba the Love Sponge (above in 2009)

Hogan's lawyer Ken Turkel told the jury in hius closing statement that Gawker couldn't hide behind the First Amendment and that even as a celebrity Hogan was entitled to privacy.

He said they could have done the 'decent thing' and not invaded Hogan's privacy.

'They don't deserve the protection of the First Amendment,' said Turkel.

He accused Gawker staff of being a 'bunch of kids' who had little regard for the effect their posts had on people.

'This mocking of Mr Bollea. They had no idea he was at the lowest point of his life,' he said.

'Did they know the tape was secret? They spent days joking about it, mocking his anatomy hid character..

'Is this serious journalism to be protected by the First Amendment.'

Turkel said Gawker had even failed to call Hogan or his PR representative to ask for a comment before publishing the tape.

'They did not have the common decency to call one person involved,' he said.

'They don't deserve the protection of the First Amendment.'

Turkel reserved most of his scorn for Denton and showed the jury clippings from interviews where he had said invasion of privacy was liberating.

'Gawker is a reflection of its owner,' he said. 'Who it is a good thing to invade people's privacy. It defines the whole reason he is here.'

Turkel said Daulerio was simply carrying out his boss's philosophy for the site when he published the sex tape.

'He is golden child,' he said.

The lawyer reminded the jury that Daulerio had testified under oath that he would run a sex tape of a child provided they were over the age of five.

Daulerio later clarified the remarks saying it was flippant but Terkel said it showed he 'did not care'.

Turkel said he had arrived at the $50m damages figure by estimating that people would pay $4.95 to view a sex tape and multiply that by the estimated 7m people who viewed the story.

He also added $15m that he claims Gawker made from selling advertising.

Gawker's lawyer Michael Sullivan told the jury in his closing argument they should watch the video of Hogan having sex on the tape as it was the one piece of evidence that had not been presented by the wrestler's legal team.

'He has avoided showing you the one video that is critical to this case,' said Sullivan. The trial continues.

Gawker's lawyer suggested to the jury that Hogan was aware he was being filmed when he had sex with Cole.

He asked if it was another 'celebrity sex scandal' that had been cooked up between Hogan and his friend Bubba the Love Sponge Clem.

'Was this a work between Bubba and Hulk Hogan,' he said.

'Was it a publicity stunt? Only two people know, Hulk Hogan and Bubba the Love Sponge. And Bubba is not here.'

He told the jury Hogan could be heard on the tape saying to Bubba 'is this being filmed?' before he had sex with Clem.

Sullivan also mocked Hogan's claims that he suffered severe emotional distress from Gawker running a short excerpt from the sex tape.

He reminded the jury that Hogan said he had sex with Clem at the lowest point in his life and added: 'He was so low he succumbed to the wiles of Heather Clem, three or four times.'

The lawyer said Hogan was so upset that he went on a media tour to talk about the sex tape.

He pointed out that when another website ran still photos from the tape he did not sue.

The jury listened as Mr Sullivan said Hogan happily talked about his sex life and said they would be hard pushed to find anyone other than a porn star who was so open about what they got up to in the bedroom.

Sullivan said as the sex tape was already being talked about Gawker had every right to show the short clip with their article.

Sullivan ended his closing speech by saying the Gawker legal team had a harder job in mounting the defense but added: 'Ultimately it is right.'

He asked the jury to put aside any negative feelings they had for Gawker and said even pornography and the Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show was protected under the First Amendment and freedom of speech.
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Just around the river bend is an abandoned Disney water park left by the multibillion dollar company to decay for 15 years.

Photographer Seph Lawless informed Dailymail.com that he's officially banned from Disney World because he dared take a slew of frighteningly beautiful images of water slides consumed by flowers and vines along with attractions that no longer exist.

Disney's River Country water park opened as Walt Disney World's first water park in 1976 and after closing in 2001, it was left to crumble, according to Seph Lawless.

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Zooming in: Photographer Seph Lawless informed Dailymail.com that he's officially banned from Disney World because he dared take frighteningly beautiful images of water slides consumed by flowers and vines along with signs to attractions that no longer exist

Dangerous waters: In an email to Dailymail.com, Lawless says he interviewed workers who operate Bay Lake where the park is located and he says they told him that the lake is dangerous to swim in

Decay: Disney's River Country opened as Walt Disney World's first water park in 1976 and after closing in 2001, it was left to crumble, according to Seph Lawless

Creepy: River Country, which now looks like something out of a horror film, was also home to tragedy in 1980 when a little boy visiting the park died after a rare amoeba went up his nose and seized his brain and nervous system

Ban: Lawless says he's been told to stay away from Disney World properties despite legally renting a Disney boat and also capturing images by using a new robotic drone by Autel Robotics

Attention: Lawless hopes his photos bring awareness to the issue of a huge corporation like Disney failing to clean up what they left behind

Anniversary: Next month is the 40 year anniversary of the open of River Country and Lawless' images are a celebration of beauty as well as a revealing lens into an old park left by a wealthy corporation

Restriction: Lawless wanted to capture powerful images that were both beautiful and frightening. He says Disney is very wary of letting people photograph their property

Lost: Flowers grow where children once played in land that walt Disney fell in love with when he flew over it, according to Lawless

Debris: Pieces of wood and other debris clutter the land where a Disney water park once attracted scores of fun seekers

Don't slide: This rusty old slide is no longer in use and the Bay lake is not fit for swimming

Green: Murky water fills the area that was once reserved for swimming in this water park in Disney's home of Florida

Other abandoned park: Lawless only managed to get close enough to take a few shots of Discovery Island's exterior. The parks both sit on Bay Lake and are just 300 feet away from each other

Theme: Lawless, who took this photo of River Country, is also known for his photography of abandoned malls

The only other Disney park to close, Discovery Island, is also in decay, according to Lawless who only managed to get close enough to take a few shots of the exterior. The parks both sit on Bay Lake and are just 300 feet away from each other.

Both were popular destination spots for families and photos of the parks in their heyday show children laughing and smiling as they splash around the various wade pools and rides.

River Country, which now looks like something out of a horror film, was also home to tragedy in 1980 when a little boy visiting the park died after a rare amoeba went up his nose and seized his brain and nervous system.

Lawless hopes his photos bring awareness to the fact that Disney failed to clean up what they left behind.

'So Disney is upset at me, but why do they get so upset anytime someone gets too close to the abandoned Discovery Island. What are you hiding Disney? Stay tuned for the strange and bizarre oddities of the Disney Conspiracy,' Lawless wrote on his Facebook over the weekend.

In an email to Dailymail.com, Lawless says he interviewed workers who operate Bay Lake where the park is located and he says they told him that the lake is much too dangerous to swim in.

The workers reportedly told Lawless that the Disney boats and the nightly fireworks polluted the lake so badly that people who fish in the lake mustn't eat what they catch because the sea creatures are toxic to eat.

Lawless says he's been told to stay away from Disney World properties despite legally renting a Disney boat and also capturing images by using a new robotic drone by Autel Robotics.

Next month is the 40 year anniversary of the open of River Country. Those who wish to see the rest of Lawless' work may visit his Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

See more beautifully restored home videos of Disney parks at retrodisneyworld.com

Discovery Island: The trees resemble outstretched hands in this snapshot of Discovery Island taken by Seph Lawless

Hiding?: 'So Disney is upset at me, but why do they get so upset anytime someone gets too close to the abandoned Discovery Island. What are you hiding Disney? Stay tuned for the strange and bizarre oddities of the Disney Conspiracy,' Lawless wrote on Facebook

Dark: One might never guess that this rotting industrial landscape with burst of green was ever a Disney park

Lawless gained access to the park by renting a Disney boat. He also captured the images by using a drone

What was once an amusement park resembles an old tree house. Lawless wants to know why a powerful company like Disney hasn't cleaned up after its old park

Apocalyptic: Both of the parks were left to slowly decay and to succumb to Mother Nature leaving behind a beautiful apocalyptic landscape

No swimming: A sign reading the depth of the water still remains but no one is permitted to swim in the waters of Bay Lake where a little boy was killed by an parasitic infection in 1980

Graffiti is visible on a rock face at River Country in Florida. The park continues to decay daily even 40 years after it first opened

Deflated: An old inflatable raft sits it the woodsy area where the water park once stood

'Let's face it there are places in this world that most of us could never imagine being abandoned and Disney World tops that list,' said Lawless along with his images of the crumbling park

Monet's water lilies? Some of the photos look more like an impressionist painting than a water park

Shine a light: A handful of the photos are haunting and shed light on an abandoned playground never seen before in this state

Mold: This old wooden picnic table is covered in mold and turned on its side after not being touched in 15 years

Beware: This weeping willow looks over the debris and remains from the rotting Disney park where few dare to enter

Discovery Island: Seth Lawless was able to capture just parts of Discovery island, the other Disney water park 300 feet away. Both parks occupy the same lake

Two parks: Discovery Island is also just sitting and decaying on the lake

Back then: Pictured here is the Whoop 'n Holler Hollow slide at Disney's waterpark back when it was still open. It closed in 2001 and has been left to rot ever since
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Visitors to the HMS Victory will be able to walk around Nelson's cabin for the first time, thanks to a major refurbishment.

The multi-million pound conservation project has seen the 250-year-old warship repainted in its original colours and a new route for visitors open up.

The public will now be able to ascend onto the Poop Deck to view Victorys surroundings in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, walk around Nelsons Great Cabin as well as see Captain Hardys Cabin displayed for the first time as a working captains accommodation.

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Visitors to the HMS Victory can now go into Admiral Lord Nelson's Great Cabin to see how it would have looked during its Georgian heyday

A multi-million pound refurbishment of the famous ship means that the Poop Deck at the back of the vessel is now open to the public

Captain Hardy's Day Cabin has also been restored. Cpt Hardy served as flag captain to Admiral Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar

On the Orlop Deck, the area has been simplified to prevent over-sentimentalising the legend of Nelson, with the Devis painting of 'The Death of Nelson' having been removed for conservation and display off the ship.

Another new area is a carpenters store where visitors can learn about the toll the Battle of Trafalgar had on Nelsons flagship.

The length of the visitor route has been increased by an estimated 80 per cent thanks to the revamp.

Andrew Baines, head of historic ships at the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN), said: 'This is the most exciting transformation of one of the worlds most iconic ships in nearly a century.

Head of Historic Ships for the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Andrew Baines, is pictured in the newly-open Orlop deck - the lowest deck on the ship

This was how Nelson's Great Cabin looked before it was restored to its original glory by conservators, who started work in 2013

National Museum of Royal Navy of Conservation co-ordinator for historic ships Diana McCormack in Captain Hardy's Day Cabin, during the restoration process

'The story of HMS Victory, and of Nelson, is now being told in a completely fresh way. The idea is to show visitors the ship as Nelson would have seen her, as part of an exciting new journey around his flagship.'

As well as the new visitor experience onboard, the NMRN is launching a new exhibition 'Sparring with Time' which tells the story of the history of the ship and its legacy.

Professor Dominic Tweddle, NMRN director general, said: 'Victory is iconic and it is very much cherished by the thousands who visit her every year. In fact, 28 million people have seen her since she arrived at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

'Now people can see her in a completely new light. Visitors will get to experience her anew, and see all of the wonderful areas of the ship that could not have been accessed until now.

'They will be able to follow in the footsteps of Nelson, and get a real picture of what life was like on-board Victory as she went to Trafalgar.'

The HMS Victory was launched in 1765 and has been repainted to her original black, yellow and red colours
Meanwhile Corey Lewandowski, Trump's campaign manager, was filmed appearing to grab the collar of another demonstrator

Another demonstrator was also led away while wearing a KKK hood

Pettway, 32, has since been charged with assault over the incident

Bryan Sanders was kicked and punched as he was escorted out of event

A Donald Trump fan who was filmed punching and kicking a protester at a rally in Arizona has been charged with assault.

Tony Pettway, 32, who is African American, was caught on camera attacking white demonstrator Bryan Sanders as he was being escorted out of the Republican event in Tuscon on Saturday.

Corey Lewandowski, Trump's campaign manager, also appeared to grab a protester by the collar sparking another confrontation that have become features of Trump's recent campaign events.

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This is the moment a demonstrator being escorted from a Trump rally in Tuscon, Arizona, was sucker-punched by supporter Tony Pettway, 32, who was subsequently arrested

After spotting the violence Trump told the audience it was 'a disgrace' though he appeared to be referencing the protester, adding: 'They're taking away our First Amendment rights. They're troublemakers'

Sgt. Kim Bay, spokeswoman for the Tucson Police Department, said Pettway has now been arrested on a charge of assault with injury.

Sanders was allegedly carrying a sign with Trump's face emblazoned with KKK written across the visage when he was assaulted.

The 33-year-old victim claims he was holding a 'peace sign' when he felt someone grab the placard out of his hand and 'sucker punch' him.

He later said that he was relieved he hadn't been killed in the violent melee at the rally.

'I feel great that I'm not dead, but I am definitely in physical pain,' Sanders told the NY Daily News, adding that he had suffered a swollen jaw and bruised ribcage in the attack.

The altercation on Saturday night is just the latest example of violence erupting at a Trump rally after fight also marred events in North Carolina and Illinois

Pettway was filmed and photographed hitting the demonstrator before he falls to the floor, where Pettway repeatedly kicks him before police step in

A member of security, left, tries to break up a scuffle between the anti-Donald Trump protester and another person

The protester was accompanied by another demonstrator - a woman wearing a white Ku Klux Klan hood in protest of Trump's alleged ties with the white supremacist organization after he delayed in denouncing them.

Bay said Linda Rothman, 67, was also arrested inside the TCC during the rally. Rothman is facing a charge of assault with no injury.

Video footage reveals the shocking moment Pettway launched into the attack on Sanders, who was wearing a stars and stripes shirt as he was escorted out of the rally.

Pettway is seen aggressively ripping the poster of Trump out of Sanders' hands before punching him in the face.

He goes into repeatedly punch and then kick the protester until the fight is broken uo.

Johnny Silvercloud, who was sat next to Pettway at rally, tweeted a picture of the Trump supporter after the incident with the caption: 'Hey, black dude at #TrumpRally in #Tuscon who brutalized protester was right beside me.'

He added that the Trump fan had also claimed to be in the Air Force.

During the same event another demonstrator was filmed speaking with a member of Trump's undercover security alongside Lewandowski before the man is grabbed by the collar from behind.

Video of the incident clearly shows Lewandowski making a grabbing motion at the demonstrator, though he insists it was actually the man to his left that took hold of the man's shirt.

The protester can be seen angrily turning around and pushing the man as Lewandowski lowers his arm back to his side.

Before being taken away the man was filmed shouting at Trump supporters while brandishing a picture of the Republican frontrunner with a Confederate flag printed across his face

Another demonstrator was pictured being led out behind the man who was punched while wearing a KKK-style hood and throwing a Nazi salute

As Trump appears to be closing in on the Republican presidential nomination, protests at his campaign events, which often attract tens of thousands of people, have become more common.

In just 10 days fights have broken out during at least four Trump rallies across North Carolina, Illinois and Arizona, leading to one event at a university in Chicago being cancelled.

A sheriff in North Carolina raised the prospect of charging Trump with inciting a riot after trouble there.

According to NBC News, Trump spoke to the crowd after seeing the protester being hit, saying it was 'a disgrace', though he appeared to be speaking about the protester, rather than the violence.

He said: 'They're taking away our First Amendment rights. They're troublemakers, they're no good, and we have to be careful.

'We've gotta take our country back, folks. We gotta take our country back, very simple.'

Earlier Saturday a large group of demonstrators managed to block the main highway into Fountain Hill, Arizona, in an attempt to disrupt a Trump campaign event there.

Arizonians used cars to block the road into the event Saturday, as thousands of New Yorkers also protested against the Republican candidate in his hometown.

Here is Donald Trump's campaign manager in the Tucson crowd grabbing the collar of a protester. pic.twitter.com/JZ9RntWlHY  Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) March 19, 2016

Elsewhere at the same event, Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (center left and right, in a suit jacket) was filmed apparently grabbing the collar of one protester who lashes out

Anti-Donald Trump protesters (left) shout as they are removed from the campaign rally

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.

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.

Earlier in the day demonstrators at another Arizona rally, this time in Fountain Hills, used their cars to block the main road into town in an attempt to disrupt his speech

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

Courtesy Tucson.com

'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.

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

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

WATCH: Protester who cabled himself to car so deputies couldn't tow it is arrested, carried away pic.twitter.com/PAGMFYHxjK  Jacob Rascon (@jacobabc13) March 19, 2016

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.'

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.'

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.' 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 '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.' While polls show Trump easily beating Republican rival Ted Cruz in the New York election, in a hypothetical match-up with Hillary Clinton he gets demolished by a wide margin A demonstrator dressed as Trump attempts to fight passers-by during an anti-Donald rally in New York Advertisement

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.

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.

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

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.

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.
Police hold fears for her welfare as she suffers from a medical condition

She is believed to be travelling to Sydney with a man, 20, named Jesse

The 17-year-old was last seen in early February in Grafton in NSW

A missing 17-year-old girl who was last seen a month ago has travelled interstate with a 20-year-old man as police say they hold grave fears for her safety.

Aimee Bullus left her home on Queensland's Sunshine Coast on January 5 and was last seen in early February in Grafton in NSW.

She has not made contact with family or friends since leaving.

Aimee Bullus, 17, left her home on Queensland's Sunshine Coast on January 5 and was last seen in early February in Grafton in NSW. Her last contact on her social media accounts was on February 26

Her last contact on her social media accounts was on February 26 when she wrote she was travelling to Sydney with a man named Jesse Skinner.

Aimee is believed to be using Jesse's surname.

Police are looking to speak to anyone who may have seen Aimee and Jesse or know of their whereabouts.

'Police hold concerns for Aimee's welfare as she suffers from a medical condition and has failed to remain in contact with family or friends which is out of character,' Queensland Police said in a statement.

Her last contact on her social media accounts was on February 26 when she wrote she was travelling to Sydney with a 20-year-old man named Jesse Skinner

Aimee is described as Caucasian, 170cm tall with a medium build, fair complexion, black hair and brown eyes.

Jesse is described as Caucasian, approximately 165cms tall with a slim build, light brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au.
Family doctors have been told to look out for scarlet fever as the once feared Victorian disease has made an alarming comeback.

Primary schools across Britain are being hit by the disease as the numbers of children being infected by the bug have hit a 50-year high.

Outbreaks of the highly contagious disease have risen steeply  with 6,157 new cases since September according to Public Health England.

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The pink/red rash sandpapery rash appears within a day or two, typically on the chest and stomach but then spreads to other parts of the body

Scarlet fever: Primary schools in England are being hit by a 50-year high of children contracting the disease

The figures show that 17,586 cases were reported in England in 2015, the highest total since 1967.

This compares with only 1,678 in 2005.

Health officials are unclear as to why scarlet fever has suddenly returned and blame long-term natural cycles.

But researchers in America, where cases are also on the rise, have linked it to a super-resistant and aggressive strain of bacteria.

One school, St Michaels Junior School in Bowthorpe, Norwich, was particularly hard hit with 12 children off sick earlier this month.

Similar to strep throat, scarlet fever presents a red rash that turns white when compressed

Helen Newell, the schools head said of the outbreak: I think parents are naturally going to be worried about it - its your child.

If you know theres been an outbreak in Bowthorpe, they are going to be worried, but we are really trying to be hyper-vigilant, and if a child is looking unwell we are taking their temperature and looking out for them. With our deep clean, we are not leaving anything to chance.

Other schools are posting warnings on social media.

A primary school in Grimsby, Great Coates, earlier this week issued a letter to parents, and posted a warning on Facebook that the school had suffered an outbreak of the illness telling parents another child in the school has scarlet fever.

March and April are the peak time for the disease which mainly infects children aged between two and eight.

The disease causes a sore throat, fever and rash which can occasionally lead to pneumonia if not treated promptly.

If treated promptly the disease is restricted to no more than unpleasant symptoms, although in Victorian times it could be a death sentence.

Other diseases common in Victorian times which were thought to have become things of the past but are now making a comeback include cholera, whooping cough, and scurvy.

As scarlet fever is highly contagious, children or adults diagnosed are advised to stay off school or work until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment.

Contagious: The disease is contagious and experts say infected children should be kept home from school

Early signs: Potential complications include ear infection, throat abscess and pneumonia. Early signs are sore throat, headache and fever with pink/red sandpapery rash on the chest and stomach that then spreads

Scarlet fever was very common in the 19th and early 20th centuries but cases dramatically reduced during the last century, partly due to better hygiene.

WHAT IS SCARLET FEVER? Scarlet fever is an illness that mainly affects children and causes a distinctive pink-red rash, according to the NHS. The illness is caused by Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria and is highly contagious. Early warning signs include sore throat, headache and fever, flushed cheeks and swollen red 'strawberry' tongue with the characteristic pinkish/red sandpapery rash. About 80 per cent of scarlet fever occur in children under 10, but it can infect people of any age and is spread through close contact. It is treated with a course of antibiotics although the infection is still highly contagious within the first 24 hours of treatment. The disease was very common in Britain in the 1800s and spread quickly due to cramped housing and poor hygiene - and was a death sentence. Nowadays, it lasts no more than ten days once treated with antibiotics and is less serious. It is more common in areas with a mid-temperature like the UK and the US rather than in warmer tropical areas. Advertisement

Health officials are unclear as to why it has suddenly returned and blame long- term natural cycles.

Dr Theresa Lamagni, Public Health Englands head of streptococcal infection surveillance, said: Parents can play a key role in recognising when their child needs to be seen by their GP.

Early signs to look out for are sore throat, headache and fever with the characteristic pinkish/red sandpapery rash appearing within a day or two, typically on the chest and stomach but then spreading to other parts of the body.

Individuals who think they or their child may have scarlet fever should seek advice from their GP without delay as prompt antibiotic treatment is needed.

Symptoms usually clear up after a week and the majority of cases will resolve without complication as long as the recommended course of antibiotics is completed.

Potential complications include ear infection, throat abscess and pneumonia. Patients who do not show signs of improvement within a few days of starting treatment should seek urgent medical advice, PHE advised.

Experts say the disease was far more deadly in the Victorian era as it was caused by a different strain of bacteria, which was later eradicated. During the period there were around 100,000 cases a year and up to 20,000 deaths.

Scarlet fever was very common in the 19th and early 20th centuries and became a feature in classic children's tales, but cases dramatically reduced during the last century, partly due to better hygiene

Dr Lamagni said: Theres no suggestion what we are seeing now is anything like during the Victorian era. Scarlet fever itself isnt serious. We are not worried in the sense that we are likely to see a lot of problems  but it is of concern because this bacteria can be nasty for some people.

She advised parents to look out for a rash, usually starting on the back, a temperature and the child complaining of headache and nausea.

Look out for symptoms and if the child has got these symptoms, go and see your GP, she said. If you are given antibiotics, make sure you finish them.

The disease is caused by the bacteria group A streptococcus and is spread through coughs and sneezes or touching contaminated objects.

In most cases it clears up by itself but GPs may prescribe penicillin if symptoms are particularly nasty or there is a risk of complications.
Donald Trump is trying to ensure that a Trump University lawsuit doesn't go to trial directly before or after this July's Republican National Convention.

According to Politico, Trump's lawyers, in a late filing on Friday, said that plaintiffs' lawyers are intentionally trying to schedule a California jury trial to interrupt the Republican frontrunner's presidential bid.

Trump's attorney, Dan Petrocelli, wrote that a June or August jury trial is 'not appropriate' and 'is a transparent attempt to prejudice defendants' ability to defend this case at trial while Mr. Trump is running for President.'

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Donald Trump's attorney doesn't want The Donald to have to leave the campaign trail and go to court in California over his defunct Trump University business

'It also conflicts with plaintiffs' acknowledgment to this Court that it would be 'foolish' to think a fair jury could be selected in the middle of the current presidential campaign,' the filing read.

The lawsuit could spell trouble for Trump, who was already attacked for Trump University, mainly by Sen. Marco Rubio, who dropped out of the presidential race last week.

Rubio brought what he called Trump's 'fake university' front and center at the Fox News debate in Detroit earlier this month.

'That is why Trump University is so relevant here,' Rubio began. 'I saw this video last week where he's sitting in front of a video saying 'we're going to hire the best people and I'm going to handpick them, and there are going to be handpicked instructors and they are going to be the best instructors in the entire world.''

'Well, one of them was a manager in a Buffalo Wild Wings,' Rubio stated.

Trump rebuffed the Florida senator.

'This is a case I could have settled very easily, but I don't settle cases very easily when I'm right,' the billionaire said. 'Ninety-eight percent approval rating, we have an 'A' from the Better Business Bureau ... and people like it.'

'We have a situation where we will win in court,' Trump added.

But Trump's attorney is in no hurry for that court date to occur, arguing the case 'will be a zoo if it goes to trial.'

Countering these arguments, on Thursday lawyers for the plaintiffs pushed for a summer trial date because some of the class action lawsuit's victims' advanced age.

'Time is of the essence,' wrote Rachel Jensen of San Diego, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, reported Politico.

The victims' lawyers even suggested that parts of the case could go in front of U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, so that the difficult job of picking a jury in the midst of a presidential election cycle could be avoided.

Trump's team killed that idea, suggesting that the move would violate the law, create more work and the trial would still be a circus.

'Plaintiffs' proposal also would require the Court to conduct a trial at a time when this case has become a politicized national story and while Mr. Trump is running for President. Not only would such a trial impose an extreme hardship on defendants, it would also invite a "media circus" (as plaintiffs' counsel called it ... and be exceptionally difficult for all parties involved,' Petrocelli wrote in the new filing.
A retired state police trooper shot dead two Pennsylvania Turnpike employees near a toll booth, before being killed in a gun fight with police.

Clarence Briggs, of Newville, Pennsylavnia, 55, is accused of opening fire on a toll booth worker on the Fort Littleton Interchange in Fulton County, during an attempted robbery Sunday morning.

The incident unfolded just before 7am when Briggs confronted two employees working at a toll booth at the Fort Littleton interchange and forced them into a nearby office building, police told DailyMail.com in a statement.

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Victim Daniel Crouse, 55, (left) was shot dead while working at the tollbooth on Fort Littleton Interchange. Clarence Briggs, of Newville, Pennsylavnia, 55, (pictured right) is accused of opening fire on the toll booth worker

Briggs is also accused of shooting dead Ronald Heist, 72, (left) who was a security guard, contracted out by Penn Turnpike

Armed robber opened fire on toll booth worker on Fort Littleton Interchange, Pennsylvania (pictured)

Turnpike Chairman Sean Logan, pictured here, tearing up at a presser following the shootings, said: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased victims, the turnpike employee and the contractors'

He then attempted to tie them up causing a struggle to ensue and Briggs to flee the scene.

Briggs then got into the armored vehicle and drove it a short distance across Pa. 522 to an area where his vehicle was parked.

An armored vehicle then arrived at the interchange, carrying the two victims who have been identified as Daniel Crouse, 55, a toll booth fair taker who had only been working at the stall since January 2016, and Ronald Heist, 72, who was a security guard, contracted out by Penn Turnpike.

Crouse and Heist exited the vehicle, and Briggs allegedly confronted them and fatally shot them, authorities said.

Briggs continued shooting at the armored vehicle but the driver got out and was able to escape.

Briggs then got into the armored vehicle and drove it a short distance across Pa. 522 to an area where his vehicle was parked.

He then began unloading money from the armored vehicle to his vehicle, authorities said.

The killer shot dead a Turnpike employee and a contractor before being killed by police in a shoot out

Troopers were on the scene 'within minutes' and killed the suspect in an exchange of gunfire, according to police.

The tragedy unfolded in a rural and remote outpost on the turnpike as it stretches across Pennsylvania's barren southern tier.

Trooper Jeff Petrucci told DailyMail.com that Briggs had retired honorably from the Newville Turnpike police division in January 2012, after 26 years of service.

Security guard Ronald Heist, was a retired police officer from the York City Police Department.

Turnpike Chairman Sean Logan said in a statement: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased victims, the turnpike employee and the contractors'. Pictured, police investigate the scene

Police were pictured searching through a box found outside the shooter's home, according to Nathan Yerges

Turnpike Chairman Sean Logan, who teared up at a presser following the incident, said in a statement: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased victims, the turnpike employee and the contractors.

'Certainly, today will be a day that none of us will soon forget.'

He added that other officials were 'deeply saddened by this horrific tragedy.'

In the press conference, Cain said the state police extended their 'deepest condolences to the victims and their families in reference to this tragic incident.

Police were seen searching Grigg's home later that evening, in images taken by photojournalist Nathan Yerges reported.

In the press conference, Capt. David Cain (left) addressed the news conference Sunday following the deadly shooting

Cain said the state police extended their 'deepest condolences to the victims and their families in reference to this tragic incident'
British troops have been testing a Harry Potter-style invisibility cloak that makes them disappear on the battlefield.

During field trials in the US, soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles (3 Rifles) used a high-tech camouflage sheeting called Vatec that even hid them from infra-red and heat-seeking devices.

But The Mail on Sunday understands that even more radical camouflage technologies are being developed that seek to replicate how cephalopods, such as squid or octopus, blend in with their environment and avoid predators.

Their skin contains pigment- rich cells known as chromatophores that react to external factors such as the threat of a predator to change colour.

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Scientists have recently made significant steps towards mimicking this process, which they call visual appearance modulation, with a new material.

One side of the material contains thousands of tiny light-sensitive cells that can detect surrounding colours. Electrical signals then trigger the top layer to imitate those colours by using heat-sensitive dyes.

The change in colour apparently takes two to three seconds.

Scientific sources estimate that in five years this colour-changing technology could also be used to disguise military vehicles on the battlefield.

The remarkable technology was first developed at the University of Illinois and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Harry tries out his invisibility cloak in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - but such magical devices could become something of a reality

Engineering professor Xuanhe Zhao, at MIT, said: I have high hopes for its use in military camouflage. At the moment the military spends millions of dollars developing new camouflage patterns but theyre all static right now, they dont change. If you put a pattern designed for the forest into the desert, it is not going to function.

Dynamic camouflage would allow soldiers and their vehicles to adapt to their surroundings instantly.

The tests by 3 Rifles and American troops of camouflage material that is ready for use now against enemies such as Islamic State and the Taliban took place earlier this year at the US Armys centre for experimental warfare techniques at Fort Benning, Georgia.

During the trials, British snipers used Vatec  which can be moulded into shapes to match mountainous terrain  to build hideaways on a mock battlefield.

Now you see them...British troops have pleaded with top brass to buy the latest camouflage equipment

They said they could not be seen even when other soldiers acting as the enemy tried to find them using the latest heat-seeking gadgets and infra-red trackers.

Last night, British troops pleaded with top brass to buy the latest camouflage equipment.

Corporal Tyrone Hoole, a sharpshooter from 3 Rifles, said: This is an absolutely brilliant piece of kit. The lads are desperate for the Army to buy it. Instead of carrying chicken wire, spray paint and thermal sheets we can use this one item, which is really light.
Blowers saw a group of hippos on a boat trip across the Zambezi river

The Victoria Falls are out on their own. After more than 50 years travelling the world, none of the other natural miracles I have seen has hit me between the eyes as the Falls did. Beautiful, stark, frightening, mesmerising, powerful beyond belief, taking no prisoners, this wonder of natures engineering left me speechless, breathless, nervous and soaking wet.

I am running out of adjectives and superlatives before I have even got to the start. My wife Valeria and I were staying less than half a mile from the Falls in the Royal Livingstone Hotel, another unexpected miracle with better than must-do status.

From the moment we arrived, the roar of the Falls was in our ears. This 360ft sheer drop catapults two million gallons of water over the top every second of the day when at full throttle.

Awe-inspiring: The mighty grandeur of the Victoria Falls where the spray forms a white cloud, visible for miles

The spray forms a rising white cloud, visible for miles. Before Dr David Livingstone discovered the Falls, they were called Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders.

The sense of excitement at visiting the Falls was almost scary. A buggy took us the few hundred yards to the official entrance. I remembered the same thrill boiling up within me when I first went up the Empire State Building. I was nervous then, too, because I cant cope with heights.

Then, round the next bend, with Deborah, our smiling guide, leading the way, I caught my breath. The white spray was exhilarating, beautiful and irresistible. It was hard to believe because of the recent drought that the Falls were running at only two-thirds capacity. But it was the huge sheer drop at my feet that mesmerised me.

At first, I thought this was the entire falls, not just the warm-up act. Not for long, though. The small signposts were soon pointing us towards the Knife Edge, the Danger Point, the Narrow Bridge over a horribly deep gorge, and other nerve-shattering vantage points. The narrow, slippery-looking Bridge was the worst of all. All of 30 yards long, it was about a yard and a half wide and stretched over a mind-boggling drop. From a distance, it had looked terrifyingly frail.

But, for the best view of the Falls, it had to be crossed.

Before we left the Royal Livingstone, we were given ponchos: lightweight, cover-all plastic macs. We dived into them now, being well inside those clouds of spray.

After we had carefully descended a long, steep line of wet stone steps, the bend at the bottom revealed the heart-stopping Bridge. On our right the Falls, more than a mile from end to end, roared, frothed and fell in an all-consuming, relentless curtain of white foam.

I raised the white flag. It was not for me. I left it to Valeria and our guide. The Bridge was soaking wet. I had rubber soles. But seeing them stride confidently across, I felt a miserable coward. So, gritting my teeth, I gingerly stepped on and grabbed the rail on my left. I stared fiercely ahead, took a deep breath, and off I went.

Oh, that looks high: Blowers ponders Victoria Falls in his poncho

It wasnt as awful as I had feared. Halfway across, I even began to think that I could have taught Charles Blondin a thing or two. In the 19th Century Blondin, a Frenchman, legged it many times across the Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Phew!

Now, every viewing point, starting with The Knife Edge, seemed childs play. With each step we got more drenched. At the end of that crazy path we stared across the main gorge to Zimbabwe. There were people on the other side standing on the edge of the precipice and looking down. I looked away.

Then it was time to retrace our steps. That Bridge again. Looking like an angel from the Chamber of Horrors in my see-through waterproof cape, I strode across, never looking down, holding on to the rail for dear life.

Then Id done it. Again!

The luxurious Royal Livingstone Hotel, built in the bush on the edge of the sprawling Zambezi, is understated and unpretentious. The bedrooms and suites stretch out on both sides of the main building  and the stately reception area was full of sweet, helpful ladies dressed in matching cheetah fabric.

Blowers saw a group of hippos in the Zambezi river while travelling on the African Queen paddle-steamer

In the greeting room there were two large portraits of Dr L, one in camping gear outside his tent looking decidedly in control. All around, the decor was comfortable, unfussy and cleverly done.

The hotel stamped its mark on the signing-in ceremony by giving us each a glass of cheerful-looking brownish-red liquid. Cold tea, peach juice and ice. Yummy! The best non-alcoholic drink Ive ever tasted. And a lovely lady gave us each a hand massage, another first for me.

There was another delightful touch, too. High tea, yes, high tea, is served daily at 3.30pm. Platters of pies, sausages, smoked salmon, sandwiches, pasties and much else were wheeled in. The guests made short work of it all. Meanwhile, monkeys ran all over the superbly manicured lawns and occasionally a thoughtful giraffe poked its nose round the corner.

We ended a perfect day with a trip upstream on the elderly African Queen. Alas, no Humphrey Bogart to lend a hand  that film was made up the road in what is now Tanzania anyway.

We drove six miles to the Queen, an elegant, elderly paddle-steamer, hardly suited to the hurly burly of life a few miles downstream.

Steaming slowly along the shore of Long Island in the middle of the Zambezi, we saw any number of birds and beautifully coloured butterflies.

Then suddenly a group of hippopotamus heads poked out of the water to give us a highly disagreeable look.

For two perfect hours the African Queen crawled along then, hey ho, back to dinner at the Royal Livingstone.
The TNLA Information Department said that the Burma Army launched four airstrikes on 6 March, four on 8 March and three on 10 March, all involved the use of fighter jets. Fighting also broke out on other days.

There was also an alleged airstrike on the hill where the TNLAs command base is located in Kyaukme District.

The TNLA Information Officer Tar Pan Hla said that the Burma Army had sent thousands of troops to reinforce their seven Light Infantry Divisions (LIDs), seven Military Operation Commands (MOCs) and Regional Operations Commands (ROCs) in northern Shan State and that they had subsequently launched offensives against the TNLA.

According to residents in the area of the fighting both sides have suffered many casualties.

On 24 February the Ministry of Defence made an announcement in the Myanmar Alin newspaper. It said that the Burma Army intends to remove armed groups that harm public interests, in accordance with a decision made by the Shan State Hluttaw (parliament) and the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Union Parliament) on 17 February.

Since the 24 February announcement the Burma Army has been launching many offensives with large numbers of troops in northern Shan State.

There has also been daily fighting in Namhkan, Mangtong, Kyaukme, Namhsan, Kutkai, and Muse townships.

The fighting has bought hardship and suffering to thousands of people who live in the areas where fighting has occurred.

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
A giants head protrudes from an archway, his mouth underwater and huge hooked nose mirrored in the still canal. On the opposite bank a horrible, cloaked creature with a birds-skull head plucks menacingly on his harp as we glide by.

So, when our boat rounds the next bend and I come face-to-feet with the naked figure of a man being swallowed by a blue monster with a copper cauldron on his head for a helmet, I am ready for the shock.

The narrow network of waterways in the little city of Den Bosch in the south of the Netherlands passes under its streets, and this year the tunnels are being transformed by cunning audio-visuals into the fiery furnace of the damned, writhing with tortured souls  all of which you can experience in the course of a Heaven And Hell cruise.

The narrow network of waterways in Den Bosch in the south of the Netherlands passes under its streets, and this year the tunnels are being transformed by cunning audio-visuals into the fiery furnace of the damned

The bizarre creatures youll encounter have all leapt and crept from the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, the artist famous for his vivid depictions of the diabolical consequences of sin.

And to commemorate 500 years since Boschs death in 1516, his home town is celebrating the history of arts wildest imagination.

The main attraction is the Hieronymus Bosch  Visions Of Genius exhibition. It features almost every one of his surviving works, 17 paintings and 19 drawings of saints and sinners, angels and demons, which have been gathered from all over the world for the first time.

This unique show will move on to Madrids Prado in May. The exhibition had me gripped, drawn into the goings-on in the triptychs and panels. It is a must-see, but there are many other reasons to visit Den Bosch.

Intriguing: Visitors can take a canal tour to see Bosch characters including this bizarre creation

The preserved, fortified medieval city is putting on a dazzling son et lumiere show in the Market Square, projecting images from Boschs works on to the house where he was born, his studio and his statue, every evening until December.

I also took the chance to climb a scaffolding staircase, 100ft up the side of St Johns cathedral, to view the moss-covered gargoyles and the statues of buffoons, imps and fretful souls adorning the building.

The faces may be gruesome, but the views of the step-gabled roofs, church spires and the marshes beyond are wonderful, little changed since the days when Bosch was working on altarpieces during the cathedrals construction.

Another earthly delight to tempt visitors is the local speciality, Bossche Bol a giant profiterole with a hard, dark chocolate shell and a soft, sweet, creamy centre

If you dont have a head for heights, you can see some of the original roof statues in the museum next door.

Den Bosch is an hour from Amsterdam by train. I stayed in a loft-style boutique hotel, the Duke, with 17 rooms on the third floor of a former post office within earshot of the cathedral bells ringing at the end of the street. Market Square is at the other end, and smart shops and lively bars are within a short stroll.

Another earthly delight to tempt visitors is the local speciality, Bossche Bol, a giant profiterole with a hard, dark chocolate shell and a soft, sweet, creamy centre.

Go on, be a devil, and try one  you dont have to finish it!
Continuing The Mail on Sunday's occasional series looking at the hotels and resorts where A-list celebrities hang out, we visit Londons Corinthia Hotel.

Star quality: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Lawrence, Edward VII, Rihanna, Benedict Cumberbatch, Meryl Streep, Keira Knightley.

Vital statistics: Once home to real-life spies, spooks and military types, these days the Corinthia cossets fictionalised versions by hosting opening parties or pre-release events for some of Hollywoods biggest films, most recently Spectre and Dads Army.

Elegant: The hotel's Northall restaurant provides carefully sourced food from Britain including Porthilly oysters and meat from the Lake District

The star's favourite rooms: The Royal Penthouse, which has 180-degree views from St Pauls to the London Eye  Rihanna is among those whove hung out on its wraparound terrace.

The suites with Thames views are always snapped up fast. But all 294 rooms are cool, with guests routinely emailed before they arrive to check if they have any special requirements, from fresh fruit to hypoallergenic bedding.

First opened in 1885 as the Metropole; Edward VII made full use of the hotel when a playboy prince. Reopened as the Corinthia in 2011, there are two restaurants. Massimo is Italian-influenced while the Northall provides carefully sourced food from Britain including Porthilly oysters and meat from the Lake District.

The courtyard at its centre has a humidor overseen by Manu, a cigar sommelier.

The 24-hour gym means jet-lagged superstars can hit the treadmill whatever the hour, while deep relaxation takes place in the ESPA spa; there are 17 treatment rooms as well as a wellbeing complex with ice caves, sleep pods and indoor swimming pool plus hydrotherapy area.

Star appeal: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Lawrence, Edward VII, Rihanna, Benedict Cumberbatch, Meryl Streep, Keira Knightley have all visited the property

Location: The hotels fin de siecle grandeur lies between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall in one of Londons most low-key but power-packed corridors. The Playhouse Theatre is around the corner, the Thames flows a couple of streets away. When it was requisitioned in the Second World War by the Ministry of Defence, Operation Overlord was planned here.

Key attraction: A serene slice of luxury that regularly tops the TripAdvisor rankings. If you want to see celebrities act like civilians, search out Bassoon; a small, wood-panelled bar where the famous go to relax. Last month Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas cosied up in one of the leather banquettes, unnoticed by other guests.

In the news: The hotel has an annual artist-in-residence scheme; this year an opera was performed around the hotel. Theres also a new partnership with Goodwood; guests can fly by helicopter to the famous Sussex racecourse and speed track.

Good enough for the rest of us? Afternoon tea, including rare Chinese white teas as well as Earl Grey, costs 50 a head. Spa packages start at 205pp, a three-course pre-theatre menu is 28.
The numbers revealed just how much tourists feared for their safety after the deadly attacks in Paris in November, with the outrage costing French hoteliers an estimated 270million (210million) in lost revenue.

But their love for Paris might well be rekindled if they take a look at popular blog and Instagram account Sundays In Paris. It documents the citys foodie scene and architecture in style and continues to fly the flag for the city.

Its author, Yasmin Zeinab, 24, told MailOnline Travel: I cant think of any other city that could bounce back more quickly  even in the wake of a terrorist attack.

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Yasmin Zeinab thought it was important to acknowledge the terrorist attacks on her social media accounts

Yasmin Zeinab (pictured) told MailOnline Travel: 'I cant think of any other city that could bounce back more quickly [than Paris]  even in the wake of a terrorist attack'

Zeinab started her blog and Instagram account Sundays in Paris when she lived in the French capital for a year

On this image, some of Zeinab's 35,000 followers commented that the Clint menu logo was very 'provocative'

The Sundays in Paris blog highlights shops that are off the beaten track

The Paris skyline is one of the most famous in the world - and a very popular Instagram subject

Zeinab started Sundays in Paris when she lived in the French capital for a year in 2014

Paris is Paris  it is so widely recognised as being beautiful so there is no way its image will be tarnished.

Zeinab started Sundays in Paris when she lived in the French capital for a year in 2014.

It began as a way of documenting the citys best coffee and brunch spots at the same time as showing Pariss architecture and cityscapes in all their glory.

It kind of became a running thing that I knew where to go on Sundays and then a friend said to me oh Sundays in Paris has a nice ring to it, perhaps you should start a website. So it all began there, Zeinab said.

The Instagram accounts following boomed from around 6,000 to 35,000 people in a few short weeks after the social media site featured Sundays in Paris as a Suggested User.

Sundays in Paris began as a way of documenting the citys best coffee and brunch spots at the same time as showing Pariss architecture and cityscapes in all their glory

The Instagram accounts following boomed from around 6,000 to 35,000 people in a few short weeks after the social media site featured Sundays in Paris as a Suggested User

This picture illustrates some of the culinary delights on offer to Paris visitors

ZEINAB'S TOP SPOTS TO VISIT IN PARIS Cafes Boot cafe: An old cobblers shop turned cafe, this is one of the most charming in Paris. Fragments: A bit off the beaten track but its one of the only cafes that changes their beans regularly. Youssef, the owner, makes stopping in for a quick coffee an experience. Loustic: The perfect winter coffee spot, so cosy! Brunch Buvette: A casual vibe with the best croque-monsieur in Paris. Ellsworth: A unique brunch filled with the best sharing plates. Claus: A Parisian establishment for brunch, it is a must-do in Paris. Holybelly: Because no one else does it quite like Nico and Sarah when it comes to breakfast. Bars Andy Wahloo: This is my favourite because of its discreet exterior and fabulous cocktail list. Zeinab loves Andy Wahloo bar for its tasty cocktails Clown Bar: The perfect spot to people watch around Cirque d'hiver while enjoying a glass of wine. Little Red Door: Great little hole-in-the-wall bar. Sister bar Lulu White is also worth checking out. Cocktails served in pretty mugs at the great hole in the wall bar, Little Red Door Advertisement

Zeinab spent most of her childhood in south Australia and now runs the Instagram account and website from Brisbane. Her fathers home city of Amman in Jordan was also a place she called home.

Im now in Brisbane working at a law firm as a solicitor so thats been interesting. But for me theres a certain type of happiness in Paris thats a bit hard to replicate elsewhere simply because its such a unique place, she said.

With close friends still living in Paris and a social media network that spans from Australia to France, Zeinab still feels connected to the city.

She thought it was important to acknowledge the terrorist attacks on her social media accounts, but didnt want to marginalise how its affected other countries around the world.

Its hard because attacks like these happen all over the world so I didnt want to zero in on Paris too much, she said.

The media covered the atrocities in Paris extensively but not so much with other terrorist attacks, so I wanted to post something that wasnt trending while recognising Paris in a special way.

Zeinab spent most of her childhood in south Australia and now runs Sundays in Paris from Brisbane

The joie de vivre that the French people are so famous for is still evident in the small bistros and cafes throughout Paris since the series of attacks, according to Zeinab

Zeinab said: 'I have lots of friends and a big social media network in Paris and they've spoken of how united everyone has been, even at such a sombre time'

The joie de vivre that the French people are so famous for is still evident in the small bistros and cafes throughout Paris since the series of attacks, according to Zeinab.

She said: I have lots of friends and a big social media network in Paris and theyve spoken of how united everyone has been, even at such a sombre time.

As well as the resounding beauty of the French capital, she is sure that the essence of Paris and the spirit of its people mean they will overcome November's outrage.

Its normal to want to be more cautious after a shocking attack like this, but I dont think it will damage the overall attitude of the French people, she said.

Even in the depths of the 18th arrondissement, the streets and buildings are still beautiful in their own right  so give it time, Paris will bounce back and so will its people.

The romantic side of Paris is captured in this picture, which was posted to Sundays in Paris

With close friends still living in Paris and a social media network that spans from Australia to France, Zeinab still feels connected to the city
A journey to Japan wouldn't be complete if it didn't include visits to its peaceful temples, quirky cafes or a trip to see the national sport of sumo wrestling.

But while seeing the temples and cafes is easy enough, being able to get hold of tickets to a sumo match can be incredibly difficult thanks to its popularity.

However, by going to one of the beyas, or stables, where the wrestlers live and train, tourists can catch a glimpse of the sumo life - as long as they follow the strict etiquette guides.

Sumo wrestling, the national sport of Japan, is very popular so it can be hard to get tickets for the matches

The wrestlers live and train in beyas, or stables, like the one above and some of these are open to visitors

Visitors can watch the training wrestling matches right next to the action and there is no entrance fee at all

Although there are sumo stables throughout Japan, the majority of them are in the Ryogoku area of Tokyo and the city currently has 47 beyas in total.

A sumo wrestler stays in his stable for his whole career, but they will be based regionally as well when they're competing on tours.

Almost everyday, the wrestlers of the beya train against other, which means that you could watch some of the legends of the sport battle it out.

Sessions start from about 5am on training days and wrestlers practice for several hours.

Everyone from the best to the novices participate in the training.

It is during this asageiko, or morning training, that outsiders are sometimes admitted.

Not all beyas are open to the public, as they can be very small and traditional.

But those that are will allow visitors to watch the training for free, as long as they follow certain rules.

There are strict rules for visitors. For example, visitors must never enter the ring, which is a sacred space

As beyas a home to the top wrestlers and novices, it can be a great place to catch a match of legends

For example, many beyas will request that tourists are accompanied by a Japanese speaker and that they call ahead to inform them of the visit.

James Mundy from Inside Japan Tours told MailOnline Travel: 'Many stables only know training schedules a day in advance, so unless you are comfortable in speaking Japanese on the phone to call in advance (or have a Japan specialist organising your trip), you may be let down if you turn up.'

What's more, a beya might be closed just before or after a tournament and also for rest days for the wrestlers and some will only allow you to watch from the windows.

Once you're inside, you should also be prepared to sit in silence for the duration of the training, which might be several hours.

The wrestlers will grapple with each other in the ring right in front of you - close enough for you to smell their sweat.

VISITOR ETIQUETTE The guidelines for a sumo stable visit: 1. A sumo stable is not a facility for tourists. Sumo wrestlers train very seriously every day, so its important to show respect to the stable master and wrestlers. 2. Watch the practice quietly and do not move around in the stable. 3. Do not talk in the stable. Even a whisper may disturb the wrestlers. 4. Don't stand on the ring or on the sandy floor. The ring is a sacred place for the wrestlers. 5. Do not sit in the Tokonoma (alcove). 6. Take off your shoes at the entrance of the stable before stepping onto the tatami mats where you will sit during the training session. 7. When you sit on the floor, cross your legs and don't stretch your legs toward the ring. It is considered impolite to show the soles of your feet to the wrestlers. 8. Take off your hat and sunglasses inside the stable. 9. Inside the stable, you are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke or chew gum. 10. You can take photos during the practice but you are not allowed to stand up or move around. Flash photography is strictly forbidden. 11. Turn off your mobile phone. 12. Once you start watching practice, you are expected to stay seated until the wrestlers finish their practice. Source: InsideJapan Advertisement

Some beyas require visitors to be accompanied by a Japanese speaker and inform them of visit in advance

But because you're so close, you would also be expected to sit still to avoid distracting the wrestlers.

SUMO STABLES YOU CAN VISIT Arashio beya arashio.net/tour_e.html Hakkaku beya hakkakubeya.com Kokonoe beya www.kokonoe-beya.com Wakamatsu beya www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~wakamatu Kasugano Beya www.facebook.com/kasuganobeya Advertisement

According to Mundy, Arashio beya is one of the most accessible for visitors.

You don't need to book to visit the stable but you can only view the training from the windows.

Inside Japan Tours offers visits to Hakkaku beya as part of their itinerary as they are able to book the visits in advance with a local guide.

Mundy also recommended visiting one of the Chanko-nabe (stew) restaurants.

He told MailOnline Travel: 'Chanko-nabe is the sumo bulking dish of choice and you can end up seeing sumo wrestlers past and present working in these places - you can tell as they are usually about two foot taller and wider than most other staff.

'You will often see young sumo wrestlers strolling around in these areas of Tokyo with their hair up and wearing traditional yukata.'
She is set to DJ at Wall Lounge in Miami Beach on Saturday.

And on Friday, Paris Hilton made quite the bold statement as she prepared to catch a flight out of LAX ahead of her appearance.

The 35-year-old beauty was clad in a floor-sweeping maxi dress, complete with a psychedelic print, side slits and a plunging neckline.

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Bright look: On Friday, Paris Hilton made quite the bold statement as she prepared to catch a flight out of LAX

Paris layered her multi-coloured gown under a black leather jacket, and added a pair of matching flats and a coordinating newsboy cap.

She completed her look with a pair of diamond studs and a multi-shade, blue purse by Elena Ghisellini.

The stunning blonde kept her hair tied in a side braid, with her make-up kept to a minimum.

Making music! The 35-year-old is set to DJ at Wall Lounge in Miami Beach on Saturday

Not shy! The beauty was clad in a floor-sweeping maxi dress, complete with a psychedelic print

Paris was prepared to embark to Miami, where she set's to join sister duo Nervo Music in the DJ booth on Saturday.

The stunner began her career on the reality show, The Simple Life, which featured co-star Nicole Richie.

Following her appearance, Paris hit super-stardom as an infamous socialite.

Biker inspiration: Paris layered her multi-coloured gown under a black leather jacket, and added a pair of matching flats and a coordinating newsboy cap

Natural appearance: The stunning blonde kept her tied in a side braid, make-up kept to a minimal

The hotel heiress, who is the great-granddaughter of hotel owner Conrad Hilton, expanded her career beyond reality show fame.

Aside from her DJ gigs, Paris is a successful businesswoman, launching her own line of fragrances and handbags.

Additionally, the 35-year-old has released a single in 2006, Stars Are Blind, and revealed Monday on Instagram that she will release another for the summer.
Jealous Mick Jagger is demanding that his children put on a display of support for him after they all attended the wedding of his ex Jerry Hall.

Mick has issued a three-line whip to ensure that he and Jerrys children  Lizzy, 32, James, 30, Georgia, 24, and Gabriel, 18  go to the opening night of the Rolling Stones art show Exhibitionism.

Its not that Micks bitter exactly, but hes smarting from the big show of unity for Jerrys big day, says a friend. He wants one of his own to even the scales.

Jealous Mick Jagger is demanding his three children, right, his daughters Georgia May Jagger and Elizabeth Jagger, put on a display of support for him after they all attended the wedding of his ex Jerry Hall

When Jerry, 59, married media mogul Rupert Murdoch earlier this month, models Lizzy and Georgia, right, acted as bridesmaids.

Even Micks daughters by previous partners  Jade, 44, and Karis, 45  watched Jerry walk down the aisle.

Exhibitionism opens at the Saatchi Gallery in April. No doubt the whole Jagger clan will be there beaming with pride

Members of the fabulously wealthy Ecclestone family are usually found travelling in a fleet of flashy cars, so I couldnt believe my eyes last week when I spotted one of them jump out of a humble black cab.

Rutland, 35, appeared at Thames Magistrates Court, where he faced accusations of assisting 66-year-old crime king James Tarrant escape the UK in 2010 ahead of his trial for drug and gun charges

Jay Rutland, husband of Tamara Ecclestone, was urged by lawyers to arrive for his appearance at Thames Magistrates Court in a taxi so he appeared normal, rather than a man who lives in a 70 million mansion.

He didnt fool mehis normal mode of transport is a customised black Range Rover.

The furore over Ghislaine Maxwells relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein rumbles on.

A US judge has told her to hand over 17 years of correspondence to shed light on claims they were involved in sex trafficking.

The daughter of late media baron Robert Maxwell faces a defamation suit from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused Jeffrey of sexually abusing her while she was a minor, with Ghislaines help. Ghislaine denies the claim.
Sprawled out on a boat against an idyllic Sydney Harbour backdrop as she lays beside a trio of handsome male models, Lara Stone looks to be settling into single life pretty well.

But the supermodel, who has two-year-old son Alfred with her ex comic David Walliams, also proved this week that she's spending more time with rumoured beau Andrew Gray.

Lara, 32, posted the sexy Vogue Australia cover shoot, in which she's draped over four hunks, just as she shared her latest snap with male model and actor Andrew, 29.

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Goddess: Lara Stone, 32, draped herself over hunky male models on the cover of Vogue Australia's April 2016 issue, which went on sale this week, guest edited by Mario Testino

For the latest shoot, Lara pours her statuesque physique into a backless cut out white dress, standing out beside brooding models.

She rocked a windswept look with her ash blonde hair left to flow freely over her shoulders for the shoot by renowned photographer Mario Testino.

Lara kept her make-up simple as she oozed glam with a sultry smokey eye, and diamonds were draped around her neck to complete the glam look.

The special edition April 2016 magazine is guest edited by Testino and sees the blonde flanked by Jordan and Zac Stenmark, and younger brother Louis and model David Genat for a shoot that was captured in January, in Australia.

50 Shades of Gray: Her shoot comes as she appears to be spending time with handsome Andrew Gray after she posted pictures of them on her Instagram in a cafe together with friends

Her shoot comes just as she hints at spending time with handsome 29-year-old Andrew, with pictures of them drinking together with friends appearing on her Instagram this week.

Lara is now divorced from Britain's Got Talent judge David, 44, who she was previously married to for five years.

The Dutch model was first spotted packing on the PDA with her handsome new beau Andrew at the BRIT Awards in February.

She reporedly locked lips with the 29-year-old model and actor at their table, while Adele performed emotional ballad When We Were Young.

Moving on? Lara was first spotted packing on the PDA with her handsome new beau Andrew at the BRIT Awards in February. They were posing in a picture with singer Drake who performed with Rihanna on the night

A source told The Sun: 'They were all over each other and Lara made no attempt to keep her feelings for Andrew a secret.

'She couldnt keep her hands off of him and kept ruffling his hair, stroking his chin and pulling him close to passionately kiss.

'At one point she had her hand on his upper thigh as they seductively gazed into each others eyes.'

There was no chance of an awkward encounter with Walliams, however, as the Britain's Got Talent judge was not in attendance.

New 'romance': Lara and ex-husband David Walliams (pictured here in November 2013) finalised their divorce in December: six months after their shock split

David Walliams and his estranged wife Lara finalised their divorce in December, six months after their shock split.

The couple - who agreed to a trial separation in March - were granted a decree nisi by Judge Heather MacGregor at London's Central Family Court in a hearing lasting less than 60 seconds.

Comic Walliams cited Lara's 'unreasonable behaviour' for the 'quickie divorce', with their case being put through alongside 20 other couples.

The April 2016 issue of Vogue Australia is on sale now at newsagents and supermarkets nationally and via iTunes, Google Play and Zinio.
She's spent a week away from her loved ones while working on the other side of the world, but Jackie O'Henderson received the warmest of welcomes after returning to her native Australia on Saturday.

The popular radio personality was greeted by husband Lee and their five-year old daughter Catalina, who embraced her mother as she made her way through the arrivals lounge.

Jackie was returning to Sydney following a protracted stay in Paris with radio co-host Kyle Sandilands, but looked remarkably upbeat despite her lengthy flight from the French capital.

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It's good to be back: Jackie O'Henderson was greeted by husband Lee and their five-year old daughter Catalina, who embraced her mother as she made her way through the arrivals lounge

The 41-year old beamed as Catalina - who is affectionately referred to as Kitty - raced into her open arms shortly after catching sight of her.

Lifting the youngster off her feet, Jackie planted a kiss on her cheek as they made their way towards the exit.

With the mother of one indulging her daughter, it was left to husband Lee to push her luggage trolley through the busy international airport.

I've got you: The 41-year old beamed as daughter Catalina - who is affectionately referred to as Kitty - raced into her open arms shortly after catching sight of her

Mummy's girl: The five-year old got a kiss from Jackie after being lifted off her feet at Sydney airport

Close bond: The pair were inseparable as they made their way towards the nearest exit

Jackie and Kyle were in Paris to speak at the three-day radio conference where on Monday they spoke about how Mix 106.5 was successfully re-branded to KIISFM in 2013.

The hit duo had departed rival broadcaster 2DayFM to launch their breakfast show, dominating ratings with a massive 12.5% market share as of earlier this month.

Jackie documented her stay by posting a string of snaps, including one scale perspective snap in which she pretended to place her index finger on the top of the Eiffel Tower while standing on the Passerelle Debilly footbridge.

Let's go: The gang were clearly delighted to be back together following Jackie's stay in Paris

Push it: At one point Catalina attempted to help her mother with her luggage

'Didn't realise how much of an idiot I look to everyone else when trying to do one of these pics,' she wrote in the caption, comparing it to another snap someone else had taken of her.

The day prior, the mother-of-one shared another selfie seated by a classically French window and wrought iron railings while she was bathed in soft sunlight.

She captioned the shot with a simple loveheart emoji.

Bag duty: But ultimately it was left to husband Lee to push her luggage trolley through the busy international airport

An Australian in Paris! KIISFM's Jackie 'O' Henderson previously took an obligatory tourist shot in front of the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday by playing with perspective

City of Love: The 41-year-old shared another selfie looking out a typical French window on Monday

Here they come: Jackie's co-host Kyle Sandilands and his girlfriend Imogen Anthony were also seen arriving in Sydney following their trip to Paris




She recently spent time apart from her boyfriend Blake Garvey after jetting to Hawaii for a girls' trip with her mother.

But Louise Pillidge seems determined to make up for lost time with her lover, as the pair stepped out for a dinner together on Saturday night in Sydney, after enjoying a string of dates since her return.

The Perth-based couple put on a glamourous display for the occasion, as Louise, 28, flashed some skin in an off-the-shoulder dress, while her former Bachelor beau looked dapper in a smart two-piece suit.

Still very much an item! Louise Pillidge and Blake Garvey stepped out for a dinner in Sydney on Saturday night

Louise belted her black maxi-dress from chain retailer Asos, at the waist to highlight her slim physique whilst accessorising with a matching chain-detail shoulder bag.

Allowing her chic ensemble to do all the talking, Louise kept her beauty look simple, sporting a natural application of makeup and wearing her luscious golden locks down and straight with a side parting.

Meanwhile Blake, 32, showed off his sartorial spunk, wearing dark trousers and a contrasting beige suit jacket which he teamed with a lavender button-up shirt.

Sightseeing! Earlier in the day, the pair appeared to be making the most of their trip to Sydney, as they posed for a loved-up snap in front of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge

Celebrating Louise's older brother Simon's 30th birthday, the pair looked to be in great and contented spirits as they posed for photographs at a nearby wharf.

Earlier in the day, the pair appeared to be making the most of their trip to Sydney, as they posed for a loved-up snap in front of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Sharing the shot to Instagram, Blake wrote: 'Hello, Sydney.'

Still going strong: Louise and Blake shut down speculation they had separated Monday with a loved-up selfie taken during a breakfast outing

The couple regularly find themselves in the middle of break-up rumours, but appear to be determined to shut down the speculation, sharing a number of loved-up shots together since their reunion.

On Monday, the blonde beauty took to social media to share a loved-up image of herself and her beau during a 'cute breakfast' date after a publication reported they had ended their nearly-two year romance.

In the shot Louise cuddled up to the real estate agent while they both flashed large smiles for the camera.

Getaway: The allegations came a week after Louise returned from a mother-daughter's trip to Hawaii where she spent a week soaking up the sun with mum Patrice

'Cute breakfast date this morning with @blakegarvey,' she wrote alongside the photo.

The striking beauty looked flawless, rocking a bold red lipstick which matched her similar coloured top that was backless.

Blake also looked smart for the outing, slipping his buff figure into a white button-up shirt.

Together again: When she and Blake reunited last Thursday she was quick to take a social media snap of the pair

The image of the pair enjoying time together comes after Woman's Day claimed that the pair had separated.

A friend told the publication: 'They've been trying to live the fairytale, but the truth is Blake doesn't always treat her like his princess.

'He can be moody and switch from freezing her out to talking her down.'

The allegations came a week after Louise returned from a mother-daughter's trip to Hawaii where she spent a week soaking up the sun with mum Patricia.

Fans began to question the couple's relationship after Blake was absent from the overseas getaway.

Fighting them off...AGAIN: Four months earlier they again fought off split rumours after Louise jetted on another trip with her mother, this time to London

When the pair reunited last Thursday, Louise was quick to take to social media to show off a united front.

In the shot the pair were seen sitting in a car dressed in matching T-shirts.

Meanwhile, four months earlier they again fought off split rumours after Louise jetted on another trip with her mother, this time to London.

At the time Blake took to social media to share a screenshot of the pair face-timing with one another.

He wrote alongside the photo: 'Daily FaceTime with this babe. She's loving her annual girls trip with mum too.'

Prior to their FaceTime post, Blake and Louise hadn't shared an image of each other for two weeks, while on average they usually share cuddly selfies or romantic pictures at least three times a week.

Despite their difference in behaviour, Louise's manager confirmed with Daily Mail Australia at the time that the pair were still 'very much together'.
She is widely considered one of Hollywood's most beautiful women.

And Halle Berry proved she looks just as sensational off-duty as when she is storming the red carpet as she took her daughter Nahla to a birthday in Northridge, California on Saturday.

The 49-year-old former Bond girl went super casual yet uber chic in distressed denim with a loose-fitting T-shirt while her trendy child, eight, rocked a funky pink tu-tu style skirt.

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Beaming smiles: Halle Berry proved she looks just as sensational off-duty as when she is storming the red carpet as she took her daughter Nahla to a birthday in Northridge, California on Saturday

Halle, who shares Nahla with model and ex-partner Gabriel Aubry, masked her incredible figure beneath her baggy tee - the charcoal grey number hung off her slender figure while the V-neckline Z Supply flashed just a hint of flesh.

Adding a trendy edge to the look was her baggy jeans which featured an array of rips and tears including a risque gash on her upper thigh.

She paired the look with slip on sandals which matched her sack-like black handbag - the perfect, roomy accessory for any mother on the go.

Fun times: The 49-year-old former Bond girl went super casual yet uber chic in distressed denim with a loose-fitting Z Supply T-shirt while her trendy child, eight, rocked a funky pink tu-tu style skirt

While her outfit was low-key, Halle's hair was styled to perfection in soft waves with a split, eye-tickling fringe - a world away from the pixie crop she was once known for.

Seemingly going make-up free for the jaunt, the Oscar-winning actress proved she is truly comfortable in her own age-defying skin.

Nahla looked as though she was ready to party as she headed to the roller skating bash alongside a pal and another mother.

Stylish business attire: Just a day before the soiree, Halle was spied leaving her lawyer's office looking wholly more glamorous in skin-tight jeans and teetering heeled boots

Just a day before the soiree, Halle was spied leaving her lawyer's office looking wholly more glamorous in skin-tight jeans and teetering heeled boots.

The newly single star filed for divorce from her husband, French actor Olivier Martinez, with whom she shares two-year-old son Maceo in October.

In announcing their split, the two stars released a joint statement, saying: 'It is with a heavy heart that we have come to the decision to divorce. We move forward with love and respect for one another and the shared focus for what is best for our son.'

Lost love:The newly single star filed for divorce from her husband, French actor Olivier Martinez (pictured), with whom she shares two-year-old son Maceo in October

The daddy: Halle shares Nahla with model and ex-husband Gabriel Aubry (pictured) - the duo underwent an acrimonious split in 2010 and underwent a bitter custody battle

They added: 'We wish each other nothing but happiness in life, and we hope that you respect our, and most importantly our children's privacy, as we go through this difficult period.'

The Monster Ball star is getting into the swing of being a single mother again after the breakup of her marriage to the French actor whom she wed two years ago.
For decades he's shown off his beefy body in films like Rocky and Rambo.

And on Saturday 69-year-old actor Sylvester Stallone once again put on a pec-tacular display as he enjoyed lunch with friends at Cafe Roma in Beverly Hills.

Sly, whose bulging biceps are often on show for his 886,000 Instagram followers, wore a chest-hugging polo shirt, which he teamed with a grey blazer and pinstripe pants.

Beefy: On Saturday actor Sylvester Stallone, 69, put on a pec-tacular display in a tight polo shirt as he enjoyed lunch at Cafe Roma in Beverly Hills

He wore dark shades to fend off the California sun and sported his well-known perma-tan.



Sly, who has an estimated net worth of $400 million, regularly dines at Cafe Roma, and left the restaurant with a white take-away bag.

The lunch menu includes plenty of protein-rich options to help fuel and maintain his ripped body, including an organic turkey breast sandwich with grilled chickory and smoked gouda, and a breaded chicken cutlet with lemon and herb mayo.



Mates: His entourage included the actor, celebrity bodyguard and amateur boxer Chuck Zito, pictured at left

Good eats: Sly regularly dines at Cafe Roma, and left the restaurant with a white take-away bag. The lunch menu includes plenty of protein-rich options to help fuel and maintain his ripped body, including an organic turkey breast sandwich and a breaded chicken cutlet with lemon and herb mayo

He may have been taking home treats for his wife Jennifer Flavin, a former model with whom he shares three children.

His entourage included the actor, celebrity bodyguard and amateur boxer Chuck Zito, who dated bombshell Baywatch star Pamela Anderson in 2007.

The actor's broad smile and good cheer is a sign that he has well and truly recovered from the Academy Awards in February, when he lost out in the Best Supporting Actor category to British actor Mark Rylance despite being the odds-on favourite.

Awkward: Christian Bale shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the action man's heart sunk

The heartbreak could be seen in Sly's face when the 56-year-old's Englishman's name was called instead of his at the event held in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Despite the disappointment, the Rocky star was a fantastic sport as he clapped for his fellow actor while seated next to his beautiful wife.

He later posted a photo of himself with Mark along with this caption: 'Congratulations on your award. ..could not go to a more consummate actor and gentlemen. It was a privilege. Keep punching, Mark!'
She has long been an international style icon, famed for her billowing ensembles and moody fashion glare.

And Nicole Richie appears to be passing on her sartorial baton to her eight-year-old daughter Harlow Winter as they enjoyed a shopping trip in Studio City on Saturday.

The 34-year-old former reality star rocked her usual brand of edgy cool in the mall as she enjoyed her day of mother-daughter bonding with her stylish offspring.

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Big day out: Nicole Richie appears to be passing on her sartorial baton to her eight-year-old daughter Harlow Winter as they enjoyed a shopping trip in Studio City on Saturday

Nicole, who shares Harlow with husband Joel Madden, looked laid back and chic in a loose fitting black vest top which hung off her slender frame while boasting a V-neck.

Her trousers were funky with an ethnic design and hues of burnt red with a dark dip-dyed hem.

She toted a huge handbag which she looped a thick jacket through the arm, while sporting a strappy pair of sandals.

The Simple Life star had been shopping at high street giant Claire's Accessories and appeared to have nabbed some bunny ears, no doubt in preparation for next week's Easter Sunday.

Hopping along: The 34-year-old former reality star rocked her usual brand of edgy cool in the mall as she enjoyed her day of mother-daughter bonding with her stylish offspring

Showing off her natural beauty, Nicole, who also shares six-year-old son Sparrow with Joel, was totally make-up free, flaunting a fresh and clear complexion.

She scraped her blonde locks into a simple chignon and appeared to have wet hair - looking as though she had made a dash from the shower to the mall.

Clearly inheriting her mother's flare for fashion Harlow looked adorable in striped white jeans and Ugg boots.

She fashioned the look with a turquoise T-shirt and a dramatic scarf as she strolled along looking every inch the fashionista's apprentice for the jaunt to the mall.

Mini-me:Nicole, who shares Harlow with husband Joel Madden, looked laid back and chic in a loose fitting black vest top which hung off her slender frame while boasting a V-neck

Fresh faced: Showing off her natural beauty, Nicole, who also shares six-year-old son Sparrow with Joel, was totally make-up free, flaunting a fresh and clear complexion

Fashion: She fashioned the look with a turquoise T-shirt and a dramatic scarf as she strolled along looking every inch the fashionista's apprentice for the jaunt to the mall

Nicole's reality show Candidly Nicole ended its second season run on VH1 in September and the cable network has yet to announce a decision whether to bring it back for a third time.

Last month, it was Nicole went along for the ride as she trailed Good Charlotte - her husband Joel Madden's band with his brother Benji - as they toured across the UK and Ireland.

Good Charlotte supported the group All Time Low, but Nicole and Benji's wife Cameron Diaz were there to support their mates and Nicole made it a family affair, bringing along the couple's children.

Lucky girl! Harlow was treated to an ice cream for her day out

Sadly, Nicole had to miss out on her father Lionel Richie's star-studded tribute at the Grammy Awards.

Lionel was named MusiCares Person Of The Year and John Legend, Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, Tyrese Gibson and Luke Bryan performed some of the singer's biggest hits before the crooner joined them on stage.

Nicole sent her well wishes from miles away, however, tweeting: 'So proud! Dad you are dope - so awesome. Wishing I was there and beaming from across the pond.'

Fun day: She scraped her blonde locks into a simple chignon and appeared to have wet hair - looking as though she had made a dash from the shower to the mall
She wasn't fazed when Madonna pulled down her corset to expose her bare breast live on stage during her Rebel Hearts concert in Brisbane on Thursday evening.

And 17-year-old Josephine Georgiou has once again attended the famed singer's hyped-up show - this time in Sydney.

Taking to Instagram to mark the occasion, the Gold Coast teenager posted a picture of herself beaming at the camera ahead of the anticipated performance.

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Back for more: Teenage Madonna fan, Josephine Georgiou, whose breast was exposed by singer on stage during her Brisbane performance attended the Queen Of Pop's second show in Sydney on Sunday night

'Hi Sydney! So happy to be here,' she captioned the picture of herself, holding out what appeared to be a fluorescent pink VIP pass around her neck in front of a pretty red curtain backdrop.

The up-and-coming model donned a black leotard top, while styling her long brunette locks out and straight.

It is not known if Madonna had invited the teenager exclusively to her last and final Australian show.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ms Georgiou and Madonna's representatives for comment.

See more of the latest Madonna updates as she exposes a teenage fan's breasts on stage

Outrageous: Madonna pulled down Ms Georgiou's top after inviting her on stage during her concert in Brisbane, Australia on Thursday night

The post comes just days after the Like A Virgin singer exposed the teenager's breast on stage during her Brisbane concert.

But huge Madonna fan Josephine insisted on Friday: 'It's no big deal'.

Inviting MS Georgiou on stage at her Rebel Hearts arena concert in Brisbane, Australia, she told the crowd 'she's the kind of girl you just want to slap on the a**'.

Shocked: The brunette teen was plucked from the audience during the Queen of Pop's Rebel Hearts show

'Her mum is wearing the nipple ring top': Madonna fans tweeted about the teenager's return appearance during the Sydney show, who was accompanied once more by her mother

The fan stood open-mouthed as Madonna, 57, suddenly pulled her corset-style top down to reveal her breast, adding: Oh s***. Oh sorry, sexual harassment.

She then said: 'You can do the same to me if you like' before gesturing towards her crotch - afterwards Miss Georgiou said: 'If anything it was a bonding moment with Madonna. It's no big deal'.

'Bonding': The model, 17, with her boyfriend Pierre Valmage, 24, said she saw Madonna's stunt as 'bonding'

On stage: Madonna, left in Brisbane, often pulls a fan up on stage at her concerts

Gold Coast-based model Ms Georgiou told the Courier Mail on Friday: 'Only I get to decide if Im humiliated or not  why would people assume I am humiliated by my own breast, nipple or body?'

'I didnt realise my boob was such a big deal - it was nothing to me,' she added.

Madonna spotted Ms Georgiou in the crowd before her entourage invited her onto stage.

'No big deal': Despite her visible shock at what happened on Thursday night, Miss Georgiou, right in the corset, said it was not 'a big deal'

Stunt: Madonna joked about the stunt involving Miss Georgiou, seen left on Friday and right in a bikini, and said: 'Oh s**t.' 'Oh sorry, sexual harassment'

Exposed: Gold Coast-based teenager had her breast exposed to the crowd at Madonna's show in Brisbane on Thursday night

Speaking out: Her mother, Toni (left) pictured with Josephine, said in a post on Facebook that she is proud that Madonna threatened to spank her daughter

Idol: The teenager said the only reason she looked so 'surprised' at the time was because she was standing alongside her favourite idol

The young fan, who was wearing her mother's leather corset-style top at the time, told the Courier Mail that she suffered a wardrobe malfunction and the only reason she looked so 'surprised' was because she was standing alongside her favourite idol.

Ms Georgiou later told Channel Ten's The Project that she thought 'she was going mental' when she saw Madonna look at her.

'I swear I saw Madonna look at me and smile and like notice me and then talk to some guys on the side of the stage and then were looking at me,' she said.

'They looked like they were talking about me and then ten minutes later this woman said, hey, do you like dancing? Do you know this song? Madonna has a fan come up every show.

'So, yeah. That's how I ended up there.'

The teenager was plucked from the side of the stage after she had earlier swapped her $99 tickets for better $500 tickets at the runway with someone at the gate.

When questioned by The Project if she knew what was going to happen onstage, Ms Georgiou said she was told she would get up, dance with Madonna, that Madonna would spank her, they would walk down the runway together, flip off the audience together and the she would go crazy and do her own thing.

Presenters on The Project then asked her about how she felt the moment her breast was exposed, and how she felt now.

'Ah it was nothing. It was so nothing. It was just a funny little slip-up, that was it. If anything it was a bonding moment with Madonna,' she said.

Not holding back: 'She's the kind of girl that you just want to slap on the a** and pull...,' Madonna said as she tore down the teenager's corset-style top

'It was so nothing to me. And then like this morning at work, my phone was blowing up. I was like, what is happening?

'It's ridiculous to me it's like, it's such a big deal right now.'

The teenager was wearing a leather corset with nipple rings on it while onstage and said the incident was definitely an accident.

'Yes, totally was, definitely was, I was wearing a leather corset, with nipple rings on it, she was holding onto the ring,' she told The Project.

'As she (Madonna) was talking, she was moving, it was tugged a bit but I didn't mind and then one was too much.'

Ms Georgiou then went on to say that it was 'just Madonna' and 'a totally comfortable situation'.

'It was so fine. Like, it was nothing. It was not a big deal. It's just my boob, it's just part of my body, it's just more of me,' she said.

'It was seriously, nothing, I didn't think of it until everyone totally freaked out about it. It's so ridiculous to me I'm on TV for having a breast.'

Exposing it: Exposing her chest to the thousands of fans in attendance, Madonna then said 'Oh s**t.' 'Oh sorry, sexual harassment'

The Queensland-based aspiring young actress said despite Australian law deeming it a crime to touch someone indecently without their consent, she would never sue the pop star.

Meanwhile Ms Georgiou's mother Toni posted on Facebook: 'Madonna just spanked my daughter, so proud'.

She also posted 'Just so everyone knows, Josephine wasn't 'humiliated' like the media are reporting. She was thrilled to bits and had the time of her life #rebelheart #bitchimmadonna'.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman told Daily Mail Australia police would only investigate if a complaint was lodged.
She may have fended off The First Order with a bit of luck, and some help from Finn.

But Daisy Ridley was showing off some decidedly less galaxy-saving manoeuvres, choosing to showcase her dance moves on the red carpet, as she arrived at the Empire Film Awards 2016.

Attending the event at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Sunday night, the 23-year-old beauty not only showed off her favourite dance moves, but also her sizzling sense of style - thanks to her form-fitting dress.

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Galactic Gangnam: Daisy Ridley was showing off some decidedly less galaxy-saving manoeuvres, choosing to showcase her dance moves on the red carpet, as she arrived at the Empire Film Awards 2016

The rising Hollywood star, who is currently busy filming Star Wars Episode VIII, took a break from her hectic schedule to attend the star-studded event - hosted by Jameson in the luxurious area of Mayfair.

And while the London-born star certainly pulled out all the stops with her figure-flaunting frock, it was her dance-moves that stole the show as the stars poured onto the red carpet.

Obviously enjoying some downtime from filming, Daisy - - who shot to fame in December playing Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens - showed she's got some Jedi-like moves when it comes to busting a groove.

Whooping and hollering as she made her way down the red carpet, the young actress broke into her very own version of Sai's original Gangnam Style dance.

A Force in fashion: Attending the event at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, the 23-year-old beauty not only showed off her favourite dance moves, but also her sizzling sense of style - thanks to her form-fitting dress

An while she certainly appeared to be having fun, whilst also prooving she's no stranger to throwing some shapes on the dancefloor- Daisy also showed off her impressive style credentials.

Donning a figure-flaunting silver dress, the Westminster-born star ensure that her incredibly lithe and toned form was highlighted - especially her tone derriere.

Featuring a semi-sheer banded design, which cut through the frilled silver design and charcoal design, Daisy ensured all eye were on her, as she flashed a tantalizing hint of flesh.

Busting out the moves? The rising Hollywood star, who is currently busy filming Star Wars Episode VIII, took a break from her hectic schedule to attend the event - hosted by Jameson in the luxurious area of Mayfair

Show-stealing sashay: And while the London-born star certainly pulled out all the stops with her figure-flaunting frock, it was her dance-moves that stole the show as the stars poured onto the red carpet

Going Han solo? On her However daisy chose to go Han Solo at the gltizy event, as she left on-screen companions Jon Boyega and BB-8 at home

But in keeping with her daring yet demure style, the brunette beauty ensured her modesty was firmly kept in-tact thanks to the high neckline and silk shift worn underneath her dress.

Further accentuating and highlighting her fantastic figure, Daisy wore a pair of complementing snakeskin stilettos, which also allowed the silver screen siren to show off her star-themed foot tattoo.

Keeping things simple but effortlessly stylish, the actress left her look free of accessories and kept her hair in-check thanks to a highly stylised bun 'do', which featured plaited detailing on the running over the crown of her head.

Allowing her naturally striking features to shine through, the actress wore a minimal and understated palette of make-up.

Sizzling style: Donning a figure-flaunting silver dress, the Westminster-born star ensure that her incredibly lithe and toned form was highlighted - especially her tone derriere

A graceful turn: But in keeping with her daring yet demure style, the brunette beauty ensured her modesty was firmly kept in-tact thanks to the high neckline and silk shift worn underneath her dress

Less is more! Keeping things simple but stylish, the actress left her look free of accessories and kept her hair in-check thanks to a highly stylised bun 'do', which featured plaited detailing on the running over her crown

Found a friend? Daisy bumped into Britain's Got Talent judge David Walliams, and the actress looked to be enjoying the comedian's wicked wit

However daisy chose to go Han Solo at the glitzy event, as she left on-screen companions Jon Boyega and BB-8 to their own devices.

Daisy was alter reunited with her 24-year-old co-star, John, as she picked up the award for Best Female Newcomer - while he picked up the same award in the male category.

Clearly delighted with her win, the actress could barely contain her excitement as she collected the award on stage - cheering and jumping around in delight.

Well-deserved: Daisy looked delighted as she collected her award for Best Female Newcomer, and could barely contain her delight at the win

Beaming: The stunning actress came off stage with a beaming smile on her face - obviously having not expected to win the gong

Charming co-star: She was re-united with her Star Wars co-star, John Boyega, following her win - who had picked up the same gong in the male category, and couldn't resist playing up to the cameras

Forces to be reckoned with! Daisy and John both seemed pleased with their wins as they proudly held their awards up in the air whilst holding each other in a warm embrace

Tailored for a win: John opted for a dapper look, donning a navy three-piece suit, which he teamed with a jazzy silk scarf, shirt and tie

Best of British! Downton Abbey star Laura Carmichael beamed as she handed the award over to John as he picked up Best Male Newcomer on the night

'What an amazing time to be a woman in film,' exclaimed the rising screen siren, as she collected her award on stage.

And her surprise was evident, as earlier on the red carpet she explained how honoured she was to be even nominated for an award.

'I think none of us went into the film thinking, "Oh my God we're going to win all these awards",' she said. 'But it's obviously wonderful, it's like the cherry on top.'

John opted for a dapper look, donning a navy three-piece suit, which he teamed with a jazzy silk scarf, shirt and tie.

The man from Mars: Oscar-winning star Matt Damon was also at the awards, and picked up the Best Actor gong for his critically acclimated turn in The Martian

Looking good: The 45-year-old Good Will Hunting star impressed looked suitably suave in his dark navy suit, shirt and slightly askew tie

Honoured: Although he may have missed out on the Best Actor gong to his the Departed co-star Leonardo DiCaprio at this year's Oscars, Matt looked delighted to have been honoured for his work at the Empire Awards

Oscar-winning star Matt Damon was also at the awards, and picked up the Best Actor gong for his critically acclimated turn in The Martian.

Arriving on stage to applause, the 45-year-old Good Will Hunting star impressed looked suitably suave in his dark navy suit, shirt and slightly askew tie.

And although he may have missed out on the Best Actor gong to his the Departed co-star Leonardo DiCaprio at this year's Oscars, Matt looked delighted to have been honoured for his work at the Empire Awards.

Downton Abbey's Laura Carmichael was another star who was out to impress in the fashion stakes, as she arrived in a swish take on the classic LBD.

Done with dainty Downton: Downton Abbey's Laura Carmichael was another star who was out to impress in the fashion stakes, as she arrived in a swish take on the classic LBD

Subtle show of skin: Obviously keen to leave her former character's 1920s wardrobe firmly in the past, her frock featured a very modern sheer top-layer, which also included a large frilled embellishment on the neckline

Dapper date: Laura wasn't alone at the bash, as she was also accompanied by her boyfriend and Downton co-star Michael Fox - who looked exceptionally suave in a classically tailored Prince Of Wales check suit

The 29-year-old actress - famous for playing Lady Rose in Julian Fellowes' period hit - took to the red carpet in a semi-sheer layered black midi dress.

Obviously keen to leave her former character's 1920s wardrobe firmly in the past, her frock featured a very modern sheer top-layer, which also included a large frilled embellishment on the neckline.

The A-Line dress, which finished just at the knees, also featured high cinched-in waistline sheer-paneling on the decolletage.

She subtly accentuated her figure with a pair of strappy black stiletto shoes, which suited her understated yet stylish theme to a tee.

Chic and cute: Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams opted for her trademark cute and chic style, and appeared to have pulled out all the stops for the first day of Spring.

Winter's long gone! Opting for a white long-sleeved mini dress, which featured cross-stitch-styled bordering and panelling, the young A-Lister ensured that she gave the other red carpet fashionistas a run for their money

The stunning Southampton star wore her blonde hair in gentle waves down past her shoulders from an off-centre parting, whilst she only chose to define her eyes with a flash of mascara and er lips with slick of pink lipstick.

And Laura wasn't alone at the bash, as she was also accompanied by her boyfriend and former Downton co-star Michael Fox - who looked exceptionally suave in a classically tailored Prince Of Wales check suit.

Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams opted for her trademark cute and chic style, and appeared to have pulled out all the stops for the first day of Spring.

Opting for a white long-sleeved mini dress, which featured cross-stitch-styled bordering and panelling, the young A-Lister ensured that she gave the other red carpet fashionistas a run for their money.

A well-heeled display: Keen to show off her incredible pins, the Doctor Who actress teamed her dress with a pair of strappy red peep-toe stilettos - while she only chose to accessorise with a funky green clutch

Natural beauty: Wearing her brunette locks up in a loose bun, the Bristol-born star let her naturally striking and pretty features shine through - as she wore an uncomplicated and minimal make-up palette

Showing off her lithe legs in the retro-inspired number, which featured a geometric tri-colour print, the 18-year-old star looked sensational.

And keen to show off her incredible pins, the Doctor Who actress teamed her dress with a pair of strappy red peep-toe stilettos - while she only chose to accessorise with a funky green clutch.

Wearing her brunette locks up in a loose bun, the Bristol-born star let her naturally striking and pretty features shine through - as she wore an uncomplicated and minimal make-up palette.

Former Inbetweeners star Emily Atack also caused a stir on arrival, as she opted to take the plunge in a fitted charcoal trouser suit, which she went shirtless under.

Taking the plunge: Former Inbetweeners star Emily Atack also caused a stir on arrival, as she opted to take the plunge in a fitted charcoal trouser suit, which she went shirtless under

Flashing some flesh: Emily - who's currently working on the follow up to spoof war film, Iron Sky - flashed more than a hint of cleavage in her formal attire, thanks to the plunging cut of her jacket, and a lack of shirt

Racy yet retro? The Luton-born star, 26, opted for a power-broker retro look, and wore her fitted trouser suit with a pair of skyscraper nude stilettos

Girls night out: Emily was joined by Georgina Campbell and Holli Dempsey at the glamorous after-party

Emily - who's currently working on the follow up to spoof war film, Iron Sky - flashed more than a hitn of cleavage in her formal attire, thanks to the plunging cut of her jacket, and a lack of shirt.

The Luton-born star, 26, opted for a power-broker retro look, and wore her fitted trouser suit with a pair of skyscraper nude stilettos.

And keeping focus firmly on her assets, the star chose to minimize her accessories; opting only for a boxy gold clutch, dangling earrings and a handful of rings.

She wore her chestnut locks styles into a slick centre-parting, which allowed her arrow straight locks to fall around her shoulders.

Other famous faces at the event included Star Wars legend Anthony Daniel - famous for his role as C-3PO in all seven films of the saga - who arrived in an understated yet suave two-piece suit.

Host with the most: David Walliams kept the crowds laughing as he took to the podium

Not his usual golden look: Other famous faces at the event included Star Wars legend Anthony Daniel - famous for his role as C-3PO in the famous saga - who arrived in an understated yet suave two-piece suit

A befitting spokesperson: The veteran of all seven films - dating back to A New Hope (1977) - was on-hand to pick up the award for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasty film, which was claimed by the seventh installment of the saga

A longway from Ransay street: Australian model and soap star Olympia Valance also made a head-turning appearance in a striking outfit - opting to don a floor-length gown, which featured a skintight semi-sheer torso.

Demurely saucy: The Neighbours star, 23, donned a floor-length gown, which featured a skintight semi-sheer torso and a oval cutaway panel on the back - ensuring she showed some skin

Suited and booted: Max Irons - son of Award-winning A-Lister Jeremy - showed off his own stage-presence, commanding attention on the red carpet in a black three-piece suit

Cute couple: Richard E. Grant and his wife Joan Washington were also at the event, as was former Skins actress and Dark Shadows star Hannah Murray

Goofing around: Stanley Tucci kept one hand firmly on his award but Miranda Richardson nabbed the other one, jokingly pretending to nibble on it as they posed for photographs together

Animated: Stanley seemed in good spirits as he accepted his award and delivered a rousing speech

The 70-year-old Sci-Fi legend had cause to celebrate too, as she joined his young co-stars, Daisy and John, in collecting an award for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The veteran of all seven films - dating back to A New Hope (1977) - was on-hand to pick up the award for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasty film, which was claimed by the blockbuster seventh installment of the saga.

Australian model and soap star Olympia Valance also made a head-turning appearance in a striking outfit.

The Neighbours star, 23, donned a floor-length gown, which featured a skintight semi-sheer torso and a oval cutaway panel on the back - ensuring she showed some skin.

A family affair: Meanwhile Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit star Andy Serkis arrived with his wife Lorraine Ashbourne and their three children: Sonny, Ruby and Louis

Out with the girls: And Andy wasn't the only star making the awards a family event, as Jonathan Ross arrived with his wife Jane Goldman, and one of their three children, Honey, 19

Cassie no more! Former Skins star Hannah Murray looked sensational in a pair of black and cobalt blue leggings, which she teamed with a fitted tuxedo jacket - which featured the pattern on its lapel

Auburn angel: Sporting auburn hair, the 26-year-old actress sizzled as she showed some skin thanks to her jacket's plunging neckline - however she managed to retain her modesty thanks to the garment's sensible cut

JAMESON EMPIRE AWARDS 2016: THE WINNERS Best Comedy: Spy

Best Sci-fi/Fantasy: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Horror: The Hallow

Best Thriller: Spectre

Best Male Newcomer: John Boyega, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Female Newcomer: Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best British Film: Spectre

Best Film: The Revenant

Best TV Series: This Is England '90

Empire Inspiration: Paddy Considine

Best Director: J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Actress: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl Best Actor: Matt Damon, The Martian

Empire Legend: Alan Rickman

Empire Hero: Stanley Tucci

Best Screenplay: Adam McKay, Charles Randolph - The Big Short

Best Animated Film: Inside Out

Best Documentary: Amy

Best Soundtrack: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Short Film: World of Tomorrow

Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Game: Batman: Arkham Knight Advertisement

Max Irons - son of Award-winning A-Lister Jeremy - showed off his own stage-presence, commanding attention on the red carpet in a black three-piece suit.

The 30-year-old Red Riding Hood star certainly bore a striking resemblance to his famous father - with his short cropped hair and chiseled looks.

Meanwhile Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit star Andy Serkis arrived with his wife Lorraine Ashbourne and their three children: Sonny, Ruby and Louis.

Scooping a gong in style: A dapper Peter Serafinowicz also made a turn in a slick navy suit, barely able to suppress a smile as he collected his award for the Best Comedy - thanks to his turn in Spy (2015).

Who? Peter seemed a bit confused as he gazed bleary-eyed past his bright orange award

Taste of success: Peter seemed in good spirits as he goofed around and pretended to eat his award

Laughs-a-plenty: The Guardians of the Galaxy star was in high spirits following the win, and couldn't resist hamming it up for the cameras

And Andy wasn't the only star making the awards a family event, as Jonathan Ross arrived with his wife Jane Goldman, and one of their three children, Honey, 19.

Richard E. Grant and his wife Joan Washington were also at the event, as was former Skins actress and Dark Shadows star Hannah Murray.

And a dapper Peter Serafinowicz also made a turn in a slick navy suit, barely able to suppress a smile as he collected his award for the Best Comedy - thanks to his turn in Spy (2015).

Twice as nice: Award presenter Shane Meadows cosied up for a snap with winner Paddy Considine

Funnyman: Johnny Vegas and his stunning wife Maia Dunphy also made an appearance

Going wild! E4 star Jodie Comer pulled out all the stops in a chrome and black leopard-print suit

Style season? Jessica Barden arrived in a daring hot pink mini dress, which allowed the beautiful brunette to flaunt her pins and show some skin thanks to its short hemline and plunging neckline

Alabaster beauty: The striking 23-year-old actress embraced the lull in the cold weather, and flashed her pale skin in the daring dress

Stunning: Him & Her star Sarah Solemani looked stunning in her low-cut monochrome ballgown

Supernatural siren: Annabel Scholey kept things supernaturally stylish in a black plunging jumpsuit, which allowed the Being Human star to flash more than a hint of her cleavage
Kyle Sandilands has revealed that his father Peter has passed away following a battle with liver and bowel cancer.

The 44-year-old choked up as he paid tribute to his late father live on his radio show on Monday morning, explaining that he had received the sad news via a phone call after he touched down in Sydney over the weekend, following a trip to Paris and London.

'He wasn't doing so well, he was back in hospital and the doctors said he would probably pass away during the week I wasn't going to be in the country,' the KIIS FM radio host explained to his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson and listeners.

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Sad: Radio host Kyle Sandilands has revealed that his father Peter passed away following a battle with liver and bowel cancer

'But when I arrived home yesterday I sent a text to a few friends, including dad saying "I'm back b******" and then he died 10 minutes later.'

He added: 'I was filling up the goat's water and I was on the phone to my step-mother and she was like "we lost him...he knew you were back because he kept saying is he back, is he back."'

Kyle explained that once his step-mother had informed his father he had touched down in Sydney she 'stepped out and then he died.'

Emotional: The 44-year-old choked up as he paid tribute to his late father live on his radio show on Monday morning

Trying his best to hold back emotion, he told his listeners: 'We had a great relationship at the end there.'

'But it's the regret of like 10 years in the middle somewhere, where it was a bit forced. He was trying to get us back and I was pretending it was alright but it was just messy.'

Kyle went on to explain that he paid his dad a visit in Brisbane two weeks ago.

He said he it was then when he kissed him for the very first time in several years.

'I stopped kissing him goodnight when I was 11... but I gave him a kiss last week and said "you wanted to do this for a long time" and he was like "what, youre not are you"'

Finding out: Kyle explained that he had received the sad news via a phone call after he touched down in Sydney over the weekend, following a trip to Paris and London with girlfriend Imogen Anthony

Devastated: As he tried his best to hold back emotion, he told his radio listeners: 'We had a great relationship at the end there'

He added that he told his father that he was 'kissing him goodbye'.

'Unfortunately I didnt get to see him after that but he kept his promise and didn't die while I was away.

'He hung on,' Kyle added: 'I know no one knows him but you would have heard him on the show.'

Over the years, the radio host would regularly phone up his dad while live on air and trick him into believing made-up scenarios.

During their Monday show, Kyle and Jackie played a short segment featuring the best moments of Kyle's dad on air.

Touching: As he spoke highly about his father, he concluded 'I love you dad wherever you are'

Supportive: His co-star Jackie 'O' Henderson fought back tears as she attempted to comfort him

'It has been tough for you,' Jackie said.

'You can't wrap up your father's life in a radio segment,' Kyle told his co-host.

'I love you dad wherever you are,' he concluded.

Back in 2014, Kyle hinted that he had lost contact with his parents and siblings.

'I never talk to my family anymore to keep them as far apart as possible,' he said on is radio show.

His relationship with his parents had been documented in the past.

The Queensland-born personality said his parents kicked him out of home as a teenager after he threw a wild party during an interview with Andrew Denton on Enough Rope in 2007.

Meaningful: After he broke the news, he and Jackie paid a tribute to Peter on air

Hard road: Back in 2014, Kyle hinted that he had lost contact with his parents and siblings

He explained that his mother and step-father kicked him out, and when his father also turned him away when he showed up at his place, he lived on the streets 'for a bit under a year'.

'They said they looked [for me], um, but they couldn't have looked too far cause I really was still around the same suburbs that we grew up in,' he said.

'I felt that I couldnt [go home]. They said get out youre not welcome back here.'

'I have a great relationship with them now although this cloud still looms, so its never been discussed fully. No ones ever cried. No ones ever said sorry.'

Kyle's father, a part-time Brisbane bus driver, later told the Daily Telegraph in 2009.

'He (Kyle) always did have a home but he couldn't get on with his step-father and his behaviour at that time went from bad to worse,' he said.
Congo presidential polls close under media blackout

Congo voted on Sunday under a nationwide media blackout in a tense ballot expected to see President Denis Sassou Nguesso prolong his 32-year rule over the oil-rich but impoverished nation.

Voting seemed largely quiet in the capital, but it was impossible to get information from the rest of the country after the government shut down communications during the polls.

Interior Minister Raymond Mboulou ordered telecoms firms to block all telephone, Internet and SMS services for 48 hours due to "reasons of security and national safety".

A man puts the last touches to a painting of incumbent Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso at the closing rally of his electoral campaign in Brazzaville Marco Longari (AFP)

In what appeared to be an isolated incident, police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of around 200 opposition supporters at a polling station in Brazzaville.

Officers hit some of the crowd with clubs and took away one person after supporters of opposition candidate Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas demanded officials let them into a polling station to observe the counting.

Polls closed at 1700 GMT and results are expected from Tuesday.

"Things are going calmly," said Eric Katolo, head of an 18-person observer mission from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), before voting ended.

In Brazzaville's northern Ouenze neighbourhood, where support for the president is high, locals earlier said they wanted "stability" and "peace", two watchwords of Sassou Nguesso's re-election campaign.

"We don't want what happened in Libya to happen in Congo," said 29-year-old Papin, referring to the descent into chaos in the North African country after the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

"The opposition are dangerous. If we have peace, it is thanks to Sassou," said Fridolin, a 31-year-old economics graduate.

In Poto-Poto, dozens of youths took advantage of a traffic ban to play football in the street in the city centre. There was a visible police presence, notably at checkpoints monitoring vehicles allowed on the road.

In the run-down Makelekele district in the south of the capital, few hid their opposition to the incumbent president. "He won't get 10 votes here," said Raymond, a 56-year-old builder.

- 'Penalty kick, then victory' -

Tensions have been running high in Congo since an October referendum when voters agreed changes to the constitution that removed a two-term limit, allowing 72-year-old former paratrooper colonel Sassou Nguesso to run in the election.

The vote also removed a 70-year age limit for the presidency that could have forced one of Africa's five longest-serving leaders to step down.

The changes were approved in a referendum by 94.3 percent, dubbed "a constitutional coup" by the opposition. Even before the vote, protests erupted that left several people dead.

Sassou Nguesso has said he has no doubt he will beat his eight rivals, describing election day as a "penalty kick and then victory".

On Friday, five rival presidential contenders -- including former military chief Jean-Marie Mokoko -- signed an agreement to back the strongest candidate among them in the event of a second round vote.

While the Republic of Congo saw growth of five percent over five years through to 2014, with oil and timber providing its main revenues, the country remains in dire straits.

Unemployment hit 34 percent in 2013, the last data available, and stood at 60 percent for 15 to 24-year-olds.

The IMF fears "domestic instability" without progress in the battle to eliminate poverty.

"We're really disappointed about what's happening in Congo," said 20-year-old student Yette. "Most young people have diplomas but no work."

Sassou Nguesso acknowledges there is a problem. His new election platform underlines government efforts in education while noting that "60 percent of graduates without work" qualified at the country's sole university.

The president has told voters he just needs more time.

"Seven years were insufficient to fully make these solutions operational... which is why we need to continue the country's modernisation and industrialisation," reads the new platform.

Sassou Nguesso served as president from 1979 to 1992 and returned to power in 1997 following a civil war. He won two successive mandates in 2002 and 2009, but both tallies were contested by opposition parties.

Incumbent Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso leaves the polling station in Brazaville, after casting his ballot on March 20, 2016 during the presidential election Marco Longari (AFP)

Congolese voters queue outside a polling station during presidential elections in Brazzaville, on March 20, 2016 Eduardo Soteras (AFP)

Polling station officials count ballots at the end of the vote on March 20, 2016 at the SG Angola Libre school in the Makelekele district of Brazzaville Marco Longari (AFP)
Fire hits home of witness to arson that killed Palestinian family

Fire on Sunday engulfed the home of a key witness to an arson attack by Jewish extremists that killed a Palestinian family last year, but he survived the blaze, police and residents said.

The home of Ibrahim Dawabsha is in Duma in the occupied West Bank, the same village where a July firebombing killed an 18-month-old Palestinian boy and his parents.

Israeli authorities were investigating the cause of the fire at the second floor home, though residents said they believed it was started by Molotov cocktails and Palestinian officials reacted angrily to what they viewed as another extremist attack.

A Palestinian man stands outside a burnt-out house belonging to a key witness to an arson attack carried out last year by Jewish extremists that killed a Palestinian family, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank village of Duma, on March 20, 2016 Jaafar Ashtiyeh (AFP)

Dawabsha and his wife were awakened overnight by thick smoke, residents said.

The young couple, relatives of the family killed in July's attack, were hospitalised for smoke inhalation and were said to be in shock.

"At around 1:30 am, I heard my brother and his wife call for help," said Dawabsha's brother Bashar, who lives downstairs.

"I went up to their floor and I saw the fire."

There was heavy damage, with walls covered in soot and furniture burnt, including the bed. Shocked residents gathered to view what happened.

A bedroom window in the house was broken, with shattered glass inside, an AFP journalist reported.

The broken window raised suspicions that petrol bombs had been thrown inside -- as occurred in the July attack.

- 'A message' -

"The window was broken from the outside and flammable materials were found in the rubble," Colonel Malek Ali, fire chief for the nearby city of Nablus, told AFP.

Another family member, Nasser Dawabsha, said he believed the fire was intended to "send a message to the family and the village: 'This witness must disappear.'"

Israeli police had initially said "all leads will be investigated", issuing a gag order on the probe.

Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency said later the investigation's findings were indicating that "this is not a nationalistically motivated incident".

"The findings collected so far at the scene are not characteristic of deliberate Jewish arson attacks," a Shin Bet statement read.

The July 31 attack on a family home in the village killed 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha and fatally injured his parents.

Five-year-old Ahmed was the sole survivor from the immediate family.

After spending months in hospital, he was flown to Spain last week to meet Real Madrid football stars, including his hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ibrahim Dawabsha told local media last July that he saw two masked men standing near the badly injured parents lying on the ground.

In January, a court charged two Israelis over the firebombing after slow progress in the case led to criticism from human rights groups and Palestinians.

- Jewish 'terrorism' -

The attack generated global condemnation and drew renewed attention to Jewish extremism, including accusations that Israel had not done enough to prevent such violence.

Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, from the northern West Bank settlement of Shilo, was charged with three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, arson and conspiracy to commit a hate crime.

A 17-year-old, whose name remains under a gag order, was charged with being an accessory to committing a racially motivated murder.

Ben-Uliel and the minor, who lived in another wildcat settlement near Duma at the time, allegedly plotted to avenge the shooting death of an Israeli near Shilo by a Palestinian one month earlier.

At the time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled the firebombing "terrorism" -- a word usually used by Israelis to refer to violence committed by Palestinians.

Israel came under heavy pressure to try those responsible, with rights groups questioning the delay in investigating the case and contrasting it to the swift response that generally follows Palestinian attacks.

Palestine Liberation Organisation secretary general Saeb Erakat said in a statement Sunday that "we hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the crimes in Duma" and said he was expecting "another sham investigation".

Robert Piper, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, "strongly condemned" the attack which he said was carried out by "suspected Jewish extremists".

He urged Israel "to investigate this incident promptly and fully" and said letting "such acts... foster hatred and violence" would "only bring more personal tragedies and bury any prospect of peace".

A Palestinian man stands inside a burnt-out house belonging to a key witness to an arson attack which took place last year by Jewish extremists that killed a Palestinian family, in Duma, of March 20, 2016. Jaafar Ashityeh (AFP)

Israeli police members inspect the damage inside a Palestinian burnt-out house belonging to a key witness to an arson attack which took place last year by Jewish extremists that killed a Palestinian family, in the village of Duma, on March 20, 2016. Jaafar Ashtiyeh (AFP)
Zanzibar votes in re-run election as opposition boycott

Elections were held in Zanzibar on Sunday with security tight and an opposition boycott in place for the re-run of October's polls in Tanzania's semi-autonomous islands, cancelled due to fraud allegations.

The Zanzibar Election Commission (ZEC) cancelled the results of the first poll but diplomats said they saw no evidence of the "massive fraud" alleged.

Polling stations closed at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) at the end of a peaceful day's voting with turnout expected to be low in opposition strongholds after the Civic United Front (CUF) urged its supporters not to participate.

A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Stone Town, Zanzibar, on March 20, 2016 Daniel Hayduk (AFP)

The electoral commission described the re-run vote as "successful".

"My office has not received any big complaints. The vote counting is underway and the results will be out as soon as possible, and within 72 hours," said Salum Kassim Ali, a ZEC official.

The annulment of October's presidential and legislative elections in Zanzibar came after opposition CUF candidate Seif Sharif Hamad declared himself the winner before results were officially announced.

CUF leaders say the move in Tanzania's semi-autonomous islands was designed to block their party's victory and deliver another win for the CCM which dominates on the Tanzania mainland.

With Hamad boycotting, Shein faces no serious challengers among the dozen other candidates.

On Sunday, ZEC chairman Jecha Salim Jecha warned all 14 presidential candidates against declaring their own results. "It is for the electoral commission to announce and confirm the winners," he said.

A heavy security presence remained on the streets after the polling stations closed.

Some 500,000 registered voters in Zanzibar were also eligible to cast ballots in the October polls for Tanzania's national president and, despite the cancelation of the vote on the islands, new Tanzanian President John Magufuli was sworn in last year.
Istanbul on edge after suicide attack blamed on IS

Turkey on Sunday named the bomber behind a suicide attack in a busy Istanbul shopping and entertainment hub that killed four foreigners as a Turkish jihadist with links to the Islamic State group.

The attack on the famous Istiklal Caddesi street sent shockwaves through the city, where a derby between arch-rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce was postponed Sunday after the authorities received information of what they called a "serious" threat.

Interior Minister Efken Ala identified the alleged perpetrator of the attack as Mehmet Ozturk from Gaziantep, on the border with Syria.

Turkish police, forensics and emergency services work at the scene of an explosion on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016

"The attacker has been formally identified. He is linked to the terrorist organisation Daesh (Islamic State)," Ala said.

Ozturk, who was born in 1992 and travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2015, had been sought by police over his alleged links to an IS cell in Turkey, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

Ala insisted however he was "not on our (police) wanted list", defending the government against accusations of repeated security failings following six bombings since July that have killed over 200 people.

On Saturday, three Israelis and one Iranian were killed when the bomber detonated his explosives. The bodies of the three Israelis were flown home Sunday for burial.

Most of those injured in the blast were foreigners.

Nineteen people were still being treated in hospital Sunday, eight of them in critical condition, the health ministry said.

The interior minister said five people had been arrested on suspicion of links to the attack. Dogan agency reported that Ozturk's father and brother were among those held.

- Football derby postponed -

The normally bustling district targeted by the bomber was eerily silent Sunday, with many people skirting the neighbourhood for fear of further bloodshed.

In a sign of the nervousness, a highly-anticipated game between Turkish premier division sides Galatasaray and Fenerbahce was postponed two hours before kickoff over a security threat.

Spectators had already started arriving for the game at Galatasaray's Turk Telecom Arena when the decision was announced and they were asked to leave the ground.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted to rally the public, telling Turks not give into the "fear and despondency".

"Turkey will never give into terrorists' agenda," he declared, sending his condolences to the victims' families.

- Israeli warning -

The Istanbul blast came just six days after 35 people were killed in a suicide car bombing in a busy square in the capital Ankara, in an attack claimed by Kurdish rebels.

Israeli media said the three Israeli victims were part of a group that was on a gastronomic tour of Turkey. Two of them also had US citizenship.

On Sunday, Israel's anti-terrorism office warned against travel to Turkey, citing "the threat to tourist targets" throughout the country.

The main opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet said the latest strike was proof of the government's "incompetence" in security matters.

Ankara had borne the brunt of the attacks until now, being hit three times in the past five months.

IS was held responsible for Turkey's worst ever attack, which killed 103 people at an October peace rally in Ankara.

The last such bombing in Istanbul, which was also blamed on IS, targeted the tourist quarter of Sultanahmet, where the Blue Mosque is located. Twelve German tourists were killed in that blast.

- 'Terrifying' new reality -

Flowers, candles, Turkish flags and placards -- one reading "We are not afraid" -- were left at the spot where the bomber struck outside a local government building.

Despite the messages of defiance, many people expressed fears for their safety.

"You never know where it can happen. It's terrifying," said Ismail, a chef from a local restaurant.

The US and Europe, NATO allies which have been critical of Turkey's slide into authoritarianism under Erdogan, both rushed to assure the country of their support in the wake of the attack.

Erdogan has been accused of trampling free speech and of neglecting the fight against IS to wage war against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after a two-year truce between the state and the rebels fell apart in July.

A radical PKK offshoot, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), claimed responsibility for the March 13 suicide car bombing in Ankara, saying it was to avenge civilians killed in a military offensive in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

The same group also claimed a February attack targeting troops in Ankara that killed 29 people.

The PKK took up arms against the state in pursuit of autonomy for the Kurdish minority in 1984.

The conflict has claimed some 40,000 lives so far.

Map of Istanbul locating Saturday's suicide attack Jonathan Jacobsen (AFP)

Turkey has suffered six bombings since July that have killed more than 200 people around the country Bulent Kilic (AFP)

Turks are reeling from the increased frequency of attacks that risk dealing a knockout blow to the country's vital tourism trade Bulent Kilic (AFP)
Key genocide suspect transferred to Rwanda for prosecution

Top level Rwandan genocide suspect Ladislas Ntaganzwa was flown from Kinshasa to Kigali on Sunday to face trial three months after his arrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The 53-year old former mayor is to be tried on nine counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and violating the Geneva Conventions during the 1994 genocide in which around 800,000 people were killed, mostly ethnic Tutsis.

"We are very happy to see this effected," said Jean-Bosco Siboyintore, head of Rwanda's Genocide Fugitive Tracking Unit as the suspect landed on Sunday afternoon and was taken into Rwandan police custody.

Soldiers of the Democratic Republic of Congo army patrol in Kimbumba, five kms from the border with Rwanda, on June 13, 2014 Junior D. Kannah (AFP/File)

"We have been long waiting for it and we are happy that the Mechanism for international criminal tribunal (MICT) have so far delivered him from DRC."

Siboyintore said arrangements for the trial were under way.

Ntaganzwa was arrested in Congo in December and was transferred into UN custody earlier on Sunday ahead of his extradition to Rwanda.

"Ladislas Ntaganzwa, who is accused of participating in genocide in Rwanda, has been in our hands since December 2015. We have decided to hand him over to the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT)," said Congolese Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba at Kinshasa airport before the suspect was flown to Rwanda.

- Orchestrated rape, sexual violence -

Until his arrest, Ntaganzwa was one of nine top fugitive Rwandan genocide suspects, accused of slaughtering thousands of people and organising mass rapes in 1994.

He had a $5 million (4.6 million euro) US bounty on his head and has been indicted by a UN-backed court for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Ntaganzwa is accused of organising "the massacre of thousands of Tutsis at various locations," the UN-backed Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) said when he was arrested.

"He was also alleged to have orchestrated the rape and sexual violence committed against many women," it said.

Ntaganzwa was intially wanted for trial at the UN-backed International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), based in Tanzania, but his case was transferred to Rwanda in 2012.

According to a 44-page ICTR indictment, Ntaganzwa helped to establish, train and arm the local Interahamwe militia, the Hutu youth wing of the political party he ran in the Nyakizu area, "with the intent to exterminate the Tutsi population and eliminate its 'accomplices'."

The indictment also accuses Ntaganzwa of personally leading a series of massacres of Tutsi civilians, including an attack on a church where thousands had taken shelter.

Ntaganzwa fled Rwanda for neighbouring Congo soon after the genocide.
Evan from Fight for the Future writes, "Everyone is focused on the high profile fight between Apple and the FBI, which is a good thing, because the outcome of this case will affect all of us."

"But it will affect some people differently than others. I wrote a piece with Victoria Ruiz of the punk band Downtown Boys about how issues of encryption and privacy impact LGBTQ communities, who have heightened and specific needs for digital security."

LGBTQ people around the world depend on encryption every day to stay alive and to protect themselves from violence and discrimination, relying on the basic security features of their phones to prevent online bullies, stalkers, and others from prying into their personal lives and using their sexuality or gender identity against them. In areas where being openly queer is dangerous, queer and trans people would be forced into near complete isolation without the ability to connect safely through apps, online forums, and other venues that are only kept safe and private by encryption technology. These situations are not just theoretical. Terrifying real life examples abound, like the teacher who was targeted by for being gay, and later fired, after his Dropbox account was hacked and a sex video was posted on his school's website. Or the time a Russian gay dating app was breached, likely by the government, and tens of thousands of users received a message threatening them with arrest under the country's anti-gay "propaganda" laws.

If You Care About LGBTQ Lives, You Should Oppose the FBI on iPhone Encryption [Evan Greer and Victoria Ruiz/Vice]
Nepal PM leaves for China to deepen ties

Nepal's prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli left Sunday for a week-long visit to China aimed at deepening tries following months of frosty relations with neighbouring India.

"The prime minister left today on his first official visit to China to strengthen relations with our neighbour," Pramod Dhahal, the prime minister's press adviser, told AFP.

The visit comes a month after the prime minister visited India -- a traditional first overseas stop for Nepali prime ministers -- to mend ties strained by a border blockade.

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli waves after casting his vote in an election for Nepal's new president in Kathmandu on October 28, 2015 Prakash Mathema (AFP/File)

Demonstrators from the minority Madhesi community in southern Nepal blocked a major crossing on the Indian border for several months in protest at a new constitution.

Nepal accused India, which has close links to the Madhesis, of imposing an "unofficial blockade" after cargo movement slowed at other border checkpoints in the south.

The blockade, which ended last month, sparked severe shortages of fuel and other vital supplies and forced the landlocked Himalayan nation to turn to its only other neighbour, China.

Gopal Khanal, the prime minister's foreign affairs adviser, said the two sides are considering a transit and trade agreement that would allow Nepal -- whose only sea access is currently through India's Kolkata -- the use of China's ports for third-country trade.

"This visit is aimed at diversifying Nepal's ties with China and preparing Nepal to be more independent," Khanal said.
Philippines says defence strengthened under US 'rotational' deal

The Philippines on Sunday hailed a new accord giving the US military access to five of its bases, saying this would strengthen its defensive capabilities and maritime security.

The agreement between the two close allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Under the agreement, US forces would be able to rotate through five Philippine bases including those close to the South China Sea.

Two newly-acquired FA-50PH fighter jets perform a fly-by during the Philippines Armed Forces 80th anniversary celebration at Air Force City, Clark Air Base, Pampanga, south of Manila on December 21, 2015 Noel Celis (AFP/File)

"The five agreed locations... reaffirms the shared committment of the Philippines and US to strengthening their alliance in terms of ensuring both countries' mutual defence and security," Foreign Department spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.

Defence Department spokesman Peter Galvez said separately the agreement "would greatly enhance our capabilities" in maritime security and disaster relief.

Philippine and US officials meeting in Washington on Friday announced that they had agreed to the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement (EDCA), which went into effect in January.

One of the installations is the Antonio Bautista Air Base in the western Philippine island of Palawan, directly facing the South China Sea.

Another is Basa Air Base north of Manila, home of the Philippines' main fighter wing, which is also close to disputed waters.

China claims virtually all the South China Sea despite conflicting partial claims by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.

It has been asserting its claim by occupying more reefs and outcrops in these waters, and building artificial islands including airstrips on some of them.

- Tense confrontation -

Bautista Air Base is just 300 kilometres (186 miles) east of Mischief Reef, an outcrop occupied by China in the 1990s despite angry protests by the Philippines.

Basa Air Base is about 330 kilometres from Scarborough Shoal, occupied by Chinese vessels after a tense confrontation with Philippine ships in 2012.

The other bases through which US forces can rotate through are a major army training camp with its own airstrip in the north, and two air bases in the central and southern islands of the archipelago.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said the two sides at their Friday meeting discussed next steps for implementation of the EDCA "and how it will 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 to the people of the Philippines."

Asked at a Washington briefing on Friday about a possible adverse Chinese reaction to the bases agreement, he said: "It's not about selling it to the Chinese or to anybody. It's about meeting our security commitments in a serious alliance with the Philippines."

Press reports quoted US ambassador Philip Goldberg as saying in Washington that US personnel and equipment would arrive "very soon."

Philippine officials said they did not know when the US forces would arrive.

The Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946, hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992 when the senate voted to terminate their leases amid growing nationalist sentiment.
Jordan to install cameras at Jerusalem mosque compound 'in days'

Jordan said on Sunday it will set up security cameras around Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the coming days to monitor any Israeli "violations".

In October, US Secretary of State John Kerry endorsed a plan to install cameras at the site in a bid to calm repeated disturbances, after talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed.

The Dome of the Rock pictured inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound surrounded by houses in Jerusalem's Old City, with the Mount of Olives in the background, on March 17, 2016 Thomas Coex (AFP/File)

But the Jordanian-run trust or "Waqf" that administers the site -- which houses the famed golden Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque -- then complained that Israeli police had blocked it from installing the cameras.

A "control centre" will be set up to monitor round-the-clock video surveillance of the compound, Jordan's Islamic Affairs Minister Hayel Daoud said.

The footage will be broadcast online to "document all Israeli violations and aggressions", he said in a statement, adding that no cameras would be installed inside mosques.

Clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces erupted at the compound in September amid fears among Muslims that Israel was planning to change rules governing the site.

The Israeli prime minister has said repeatedly there are no such plans.

The Al-Aqsa clashes preceded a wave of violence that has killed 198 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese since October 1, according to an AFP count.

The mosque compound is in east Jerusalem, which was annexed from Jordan in 1967. While Amman has retained custodial rights over the holy sites, administered by the Jordanian Waqf, Israel controls access to them.

Considered the third holiest site in Islam, and revered by Jews as their holiest site, known as the Temple Mount, the compound is a crucible of tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Top Philippine presidential candidates oppose legalising divorce

The Philippines looks likely to remain one of the few countries where divorce is illegal, based on a survey of the four leading presidential candidates on Sunday.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe, veteran mayor Rodrigo Duterte and former interior secretary Mar Roxas were asked during a presidential debate to raise their hands if they favoured legalisation of divorce.

Not one raised a hand in the brief segment. They were not given time to explain their stance.

The overwhelmingly Catholic Philippines is the only country aside from the Vatican that bans divorce Jay Directo (AFP/File)

The overwhelmingly Catholic Philippines is the only country aside from the Vatican that bans divorce.

Strong pressure from the Catholic church has stymied previous attempts to pass a divorce law even though a survey last year showed that about 60 percent of adult Filipinos support such a measure.

A survey earlier this month showed that Poe, the adopted daughter of the country's top movie star, has a slight lead in the run-up to the May 9 vote for the presidency.

She is followed closely by Duterte, who is running on a ruthless anti-crime platform; Binay, former mayor of the country's financial district of Makati; and Roxas, the anointed successor of outgoing President Benigno Aquino who is limited by law to one six-year term.

In another portion of the debate, the four candidates were asked who supported restoration of the death penalty.

Poe and Duterte, who openly boasts about killing criminals, both raised their hands despite the Catholic church's opposition to capital punishment.
At least 55 killed in two days of Yemen fighting

At least 55 people, including 14 civilians, have been killed in two days of fighting between pro-government forces and Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen, officials said Sunday.

The clashes came as UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was in the rebel-held capital Sanaa for meetings with the Huthis aimed at restarting peace talks with the internationally recognised government.

Since Saturday, fighting has raged in the outskirts of third city Taez as rebels try to retake positions lost in recent weeks to loyalists, military sources said.

Armed Yemeni tribesmen from the Popular Resistance Committees, supporting forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, hold a position in the area of Sirwah, west of Marib city, on December 18, 2015 Abdullah Al-Qadry (AFP/File)

Pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition managed earlier this month to break a months-long rebel siege of the southwestern city.

"At least 26 people, including 14 civilians, have been killed in 24 hours" in rebel shelling of residential neighbourhoods and loyalist positions, a local official told AFP.

Taez lies between Sanaa, which rebels overran in September 2014, and the port city of Aden -- the temporary base of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

On another front, six pro-Hadi fighters and seven rebels were killed Saturday in clashes in the southern province of Shabwa, where loyalists advanced in the oil-rich area of Baihan, another military source said.

In the neighbouring province of Marib, pro-Hadi forces on Saturday captured the Harib area, the military source said, adding that 13 rebels and three loyalists were killed in the fighting.

As well as the 55 dead in fighting between pro-government forces and rebels, two loyalists were killed late Saturday in an ambush that targeted a convoy heading from Taez to Aden, a military source said, accusing the Islamic State group of being behind the attack.

IS and Al-Qaeda militants have gained ground in southern Yemen since the coalition launched air strikes in the country in March last year, after the rebels closed in on Hadi in Aden, forcing him to flee to Riyadh.

Loyalists last summer recaptured Aden and four other southern provinces including Shabwa, but its northern area of Baihan remained in rebels hands.
Indonesians cheer Haryanto despite early Australian GP exit

Indonesians cheered and clapped as Rio Haryanto made his Formula One debut in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, despite the country's first F1 driver making an early exit.

Fans across Indonesia flocked to public screenings of the Melbourne race, with crowds gathering at shopping malls.

But the 23-year-old's F1 debut did not get off to a good start -- he left the race after just 18 of the 57 laps, with his Manor car experiencing driveline problems after a stoppage caused by a crash.

Manor F1 Team's Indonesian driver Rio Haryanto drives during the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 20, 2016 Peter Parks (AFP)

Nico Rosberg went on to win Sunday's race.

Haryanto's early exit, however, failed to dampen the exuberant spirits of his fans.

"He is still learning, there is no rush," Fachrul Subarkah, a member of a car club, told AFP at a screening of the race at a shopping mall in Tangerang, just outside the capital Jakarta.

"The fact that he is the first Indonesian who has raced in F1 makes us all proud."

Subarkah was among hundreds of men, women and children watching the race at the mall, cheering and clapping whenever Haryanto's face appeared on the big screen.

Before the race, some took selfies next to a replica of Haryanto's F1 car.

Even among Indonesian social media users, there was little sign of disappointment when he left the race -- only support for his efforts.

"Failed to finish, but I am still proud of you," Twitter user ItoListanto 85 said.

Some tried to blamed Manor for Haryanto's disappointing debut, suggesting there had been problems with the engine.

Haryanto's problems began even before Sunday's race.

He crashed in the pit lane in final practice Saturday and received a three-place grid penalty, leaving him starting from the back of the grid in Melbourne.

Despite Sunday's result, his countrymen are still hopeful Haryanto can do better in future.

"I hope that our national anthem will be played with him standing on the podium one day," Subarkah said.

Haryanto and his team had been locked in lengthy negotiations with Manor for months as they struggled to drum up the financial support needed to secure an F1 berth.
No vote on court pick in 'lame duck' session: Senate leader

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell vowed Sunday not to vote on Barack Obama's pick for the Supreme Court while Congress and the US president are in a "lame-duck" session following November elections.

Senate Republicans have been adamant that they will not hold a hearing and a vote on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, insisting that the decision should be taken by Obama's successor, who will not take office until January.

Some lawmakers have suggested however that a vote on a Supreme Court justice could be held after the November vote, during the two-month White House and congressional interregnum.

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (C) will not hold any hearings in hopes that a member of the Republican party will win the presidential election Alex Wong (Getty/AFP/File)

But McConnell, leader of the Republican-led Senate, told ABC television: "The American people are in the middle of choosing who the next president is going to be. And that next president ought to have this appointment, which will affect the Supreme Court for probably a quarter of a century."

"This is not something he does alone. He nominates; we confirm," McConnell told the This Week program.

"I can't imagine that a Republican majority in the United States Senate would want to confirm in a lame-duck session," he added in remarks to Fox News.

Republicans are betting that a member of their party may win the presidential election, and hope that their stalling tactics may allow them to put a conservative in the US high court seat left vacant by the death last month of justice Antonin Scalia.

Obama on Wednesday announced his choice of Garland, a 63-year-old centrist judge to replace conservative stalwart Scalia.

Republicans fear Garland will tip the even balance of the top court toward liberals.
Ethiopian Israelis protest after immigration plan axed

Hundreds of Ethiopian Israelis marched in Jerusalem on Sunday after the government cancelled plans to allow their relatives to emigrate from the African nation, calling the move discrimination.

The Israeli government had in November voted to allow the immigration of some 9,100 Ethiopians known as Falash Mura, descendants of Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity, many under duress, in the 18th and 19th centuries.

But on March 7, an official from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office informed members of parliament the decision would not be implemented because of budgetary constraints.

Israelis from the Ethiopian community hold up photographs of their relatives in front of Israel's Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on March 20, 2016 Menahem Kahana (AFP)

Police and organisers estimated the crowd at up to 2,000 people for Sunday's march, which ended outside Netanyahu's office.

"Stop the suffering, stop the discrimination, stop the racism," demonstrators chanted, holding signs bearing similar slogans as well as pictures of relatives left behind in Ethiopia.

"Our children, our parents are in Ethiopia," they chanted, marching alongside elderly residents wearing more traditional garb, some leaning on canes.

Antaihe Cheol, a 30-year-old resident of northern Israel, said his father and brother have been waiting to immigrate for 20 years.

"This is simply discrimination," he told AFP.

His friend Ashebo noted that the government actively encourages immigration of Jews from France, the United States and Russia.

"When it comes to Jews from Ethiopia -- everyone refuses," he said. "It's embarrassing."

Netanyahu's office said it was working on bringing to Israel "elderly, solitary and dependent Falash Mura to ease their condition".

But "the latest amendment to the budget law does not enable the government to take upon itself significant budgetary commitments to upcoming years, without regulating fiscal sources", a statement read.

The issue will be discussed in the coming months as part of the budget discussions, the premier's office said.

Netanyahu's office considers reuniting Falash Mura families an issue "of humane and social importance".

Leading the demonstration was MP Avraham Neguise, himself an immigrant from Ethiopia and a member of Netanyahu's Likud party.

Along with MP David Amsalem, Neguise has boycotted all parliamentary votes since being told the government was walking back its November decision, and reiterated on Sunday he would continue doing so until the decree was reversed.

Netanyahu's coalition holds only a one-seat majority in parliament.

Revital Swid, a lawmaker from the opposition Zionist Union, also accused the government of racial discrimination.

"Would the government tell even one Jew from Russia, or Europe, or America who had family in Israel, we don't have the money to bring you here?" she asked ahead of the march.

Previous demonstrations by the Ethiopian community against alleged discrimination have led to violence, but Sunday's march was calm.

Israel's Ethiopian community includes some 135,000 people.

Israel brought the bulk of Ethiopia's Jewish community to the country between 1984 and 1991 under the Law of Return guaranteeing citizenship to all Jews, but the law does not apply to the Falash Mura.

Israelis from the Ethiopian community hold up photographs of their relatives in Jerusalem on March 20, 2016, during a demonstration demanding he uphold the decision to bring their remaining brethren from Ethiopia Menahem Kahana (AFP)
Coast Guard: 9 Cuban migrants die, 18 rescued off Florida

MIAMI (AP)  Nine Cuban migrants died at sea and 18 others were rescued by a cruise ship after their 30-foot boat was found about 130 miles from the Florida coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The migrants were severely dehydrated when they were found Friday and said they had been at sea 22 days. The bodies of those who didn't make it were placed overboard, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney. The survivors were in bad condition.

"They could barely walk off the vessel itself," Barney said. "They were weak and they were shaking."

A Mexican navy sailor helps a Cuban migrant after being rescued in Cozumel, Mexico, Saturday, March 19, 2016. According to a U.S Coast Guard news release, "18 reported Cuban migrants were picked up by the Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship west of Marco Island, Florida. The 18 migrants were reportedly suffering from severe dehydration and claimed they left Cuba 22 days ago where nine of the migrants perished at sea during the journey." (Angel Villegas via AP)

The rescue by the Royal Caribbean ship took place about 130 miles west of Marco Island in southwest Florida. The migrants were in a "rustic" boat that was about 30-feet long, Barney said.

They were found by the cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas at about 7 a.m. Friday. The migrants boarded the ship and received food, water and medical treatment, Royal Caribbean said.

The company reported the event to the Coast Guard and made the decision to bring the migrants to its next port of call, Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise had departed Tampa on Thursday.

The rescue comes as President Barack Obama travels to Cuba to meet with President Raul Castro during a 2-day visit that begins Sunday. The visit is part of Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba. While the U.S. has eased travel restrictions to the island Cuba, many Cubans still risk their lives to reach the United States.

"The Coast Guard has observed a steady increase in illegal maritime migration attempts from Cuba to the southeastern U.S. since the U.S. announcement of normalized diplomatic relations with Cuba in December 2014," the Coast Guard said in a press release. Last month, 269 Cuban migrants attempted to reach U.S. shores and about 2,420 have tried to reach the United States by sea since last October.

On the same day Royal Caribbean rescued the group it found, the Coast Guard returned 42 other migrants to Cuba after they were picked up in the Florida Straits in two separate incidents earlier in the week.

Mexican Navy personnel help Cuban migrants after being rescued in Cozumel, Mexico, Saturday, March 19, 2016. According to a U.S Coast Guard news release, "18 reported Cuban migrants were picked up by the Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship west of Marco Island, Florida. The 18 migrants were reportedly suffering from severe dehydration and claimed they left Cuba 22 days ago where nine of the migrants perished at sea during the journey." (Angel Villegas via AP)

Mexican Navy personnel help Cuban migrants after being rescued in Cozumel, Mexico, Saturday, March 19, 2016. According to a U.S Coast Guard news release, "18 reported Cuban migrants were picked up by the Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship west of Marco Island, Florida. The 18 migrants were reportedly suffering from severe dehydration and claimed they left Cuba 22 days ago where nine of the migrants perished at sea during the journey." (Angel Villegas via AP)

The cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas is docked in the waters of Cozumel, Mexico, Saturday, March 19, 2016. According to a U.S Coast Guard news release, "18 reported Cuban migrants were picked up by the Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship west of Marco Island, Florida. The 18 migrants were reportedly suffering from severe dehydration and claimed they left Cuba 22 days ago where nine of the migrants perished at sea during the journey". (Angel Villegas via AP)
US hotel company Starwood to run 3 Cuban hotels

HAVANA (AP)  Starwood signed a deal on Saturday to renovate and run three Cuban hotels, returning U.S. chains to the island more than 50 years after American hotels were taken over by Fidel Castro's socialist revolution.

All Cuban hotels are state-owned so the deal puts a major U.S. corporation directly in business with the Communist government under a special U.S. license that pushes Washington's legal dismantling of the Cuban trade embargo further than ever before. In a once-unimaginable arrangement, a hotel owned by the tourism arm of the Cuban military will become a Sheraton Four Points.

The deal comes on the eve of President Barack Obama's historic visit to Cuba, which will open a new era between the former Cold War foes that has American travelers and businesses eagerly eyeing opportunities on the island nation 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of Florida.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Chief of Latin American Operations Jorge Giannattasio speaks to reporters, in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Starwood says it has signed a deal to renovate and run three Cuban hotels, returning U.S. chains to the island more than 50 years after American hotels were taken over by Fidel Castrois socialist revolution. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

Starwood's chief of Latin America operations, Jorge Giannattasio, said the company will invest millions to renovate and rebrand the Quinta Avenida, Santa Isabel and Inglaterra hotels, train and hire new staff and reopen the hotels by the end of the year. The Quinta Avenida is owned by Gaviota, a military-run tourism conglomerate. The Santa Isabel and Inglaterra, which are run by other state agencies, will be operated as part of Starwood's Luxury Collection brand.

It's unclear, however, how long Starwood can be called an American company. On Friday, Starwood called off a $12.2 billion buyout agreement with Marriott in favor of an offer from a group of investors led by the Chinese insurance company Anbang.

Cuban hotels are notorious for their ramshackle furnishings and poor service. Giannattasio said the Cuban Starwood hotels would be refitted with everything from new mattress to improved kitchen equipment and safety measures and managed by teams of expatriate Starwood employees.

Cuban law prevents widespread direct hiring of Cuban workers by foreign firms. International companies complain that their inability to directly hire Cuban employees, and if necessary demote or fire underperforming staff, hinders their ability to provide satisfactory customer service.

Giannattasio said he was confident that Starwood would have enough flexibility and control to maintain the company's standards in Cuba, although he declined to comment on details of the firm's arrangement with the Cuban government. Starwood will receive a fee for its branding and management services.

The number of visitors to Cuba surged nearly 20 percent last year, with nearly 80 percent more Americans flying to the island. The surge has overwhelmed Cuba's decrepit tourism infrastructure and left hotels above capacity.

Numbers are expected to rise even more sharply this year with the start of as many as 110 commercial flights a day from the United States, one of dozens of moves the U.S. administration has made to punch holes in the trade embargo as part of a broader normalization of relations with Cuba since Obama and Raul Castro declared detente on Dec. 17, 2014.

On Tuesday, the Obama administration removed the last meaningful restrictions on travel to Cuba, announcing that it would allow individuals to visit the island for "people to people" educational trips. While the ban on U.S. tourism technically remains in place, it becomes an honor system that is essentially unenforceable.

Americans will have to keep records for five years about what they did in Cuba, but won't have to submit them unless asked. The Obama administration previously loosened requirements by allowing organized trips without advance U.S. permission and independent travel for specific purposes like religious activities or sports events.

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Though they are legally required to disclose the names of any members or donore who give them more than $5K, the Commercial Energy Working Group  which lobbies against energy sector regulations  refuses to name any of its backers.

They're an incredibly prolific group, too: Public Citizen's Tyson Slocum calls them "one of the most active  and secret  organizations seeking to undermine energy market regulations."

Don't worry, though, it's pretty easy to make a good guess at who their backers are: Vitol, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch Shell, Hess Corporation and NextEra Energy Resources (possibly also Hess, BP, Shell, Luminant, and DTE Energy).

A member of the CEWG even sits on the Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which maintains federal oversight of derivatives. Ron Oppenheimer, an associate member of the advisory committee, is listed as a "Representative" of CEWG. But he actually works as a senior vice president and general counsel for Vitol, a Swiss-based derivatives trading company. When Slocum asked Oppenheimer to disclose the membership of CEWG at a public meeting of the CFTC advisory committee last month, he refused. Oppenheimer said the working group had no plans to make that information public. "If you feel entitled to formally provide advice to the government about how your members need relief from regulations, you've got to tell us who your members are," Slocum told The Intercept.

Mysterious, Powerful Lobbying Group Won't Even Say Who It's Lobbying For [David Dayen/The Intercept/Google Cache]

Mysterious, Powerful Lobbying Group Won't Even Say Who It's Lobbying For [David Dayen/The Intercept]
Chinese governor's false claims highlight rampant deception

BEIJING (AP)  A Chinese governor's rare admission of having given a misleading account about the plight of coal miners has prompted new laments among the public about pervasive deception practiced by China's bureaucracy, with even state media calling on officials to be more truthful.

Heilongjiang Gov. Lu Hao's assertion that 80,000 miners at his province's largest mining company had been fully paid triggered an angry protest by the workers. The governor soon backtracked and pledged to pay back wages.

His candor won some applause, but it also reignited questions online and even in state media about how he could have been so easily misinformed on such an important matter.

In this March 6, 2015 photo, Heilongjiang Gov. Lu Hao speaks at a group discussion during the annual session of National People's Congress in Beijing. Lu's assertion that 80,000 miners at his provinces largest mining company had been fully paid triggered an angry protest by the workers. The governor soon backtracked and pledged to pay back wages. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT

"There's hardly any thread of authenticity these days in the reports from subordinates to their supervisors in the government, and the superiors shall by no means believe any of those reports," wrote Hua Yuxi, a Chinese blogger. "Their statistics, their work summaries, and their achievements are all fully inflated."

The incident came just months after the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that officials in China's northeast admitted they had inflated economic data, apparently to meet targets and impress their superiors.

In one case, a county in Liaoning province inflated its fiscal revenue by 847 million yuan ($131 million) for 2013, state auditors reported last year. Xinhua said local governments had cooked the books to cover up fabricated data on everything from economic growth to investments, consumption, trade, urban projects and urban incomes, before investigators and cooperating officials uncovered the scam.

"Although officials at all levels know the dangers of inflated statistics, they feel they have no choice when they feel the pressure from performance evaluation, regional competition and promotions for themselves," Xinhua said.

The deceptions harken back to some of the darkest periods in recent Chinese history, particularly the 1958-61 Great Leap Forward, when communes were rapidly formed and the communist government vowed to surpass the West economically and show the superiority of its socialist system.

In answering to Beijing's hopes and demands, village cadres across the country massively inflated their reported yields of wheat and rice and the lies were trumpeted in state media. The lesson was costly as the government took possession of what were thought to be vast grain surpluses, contributing to a famine that claimed an estimated 30 million lives.

Six decades on, discussion of that tragedy remains largely taboo and official deceptions show no sign of departing the ways of Mao Zedong and other communist elites who considered that the truth had to be malleable in the service of the socialist cause.

Even Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has reportedly spoken of his distrust of official information. Quoted in a U.S. diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks, Li, then a provincial Communist Party secretary, described Chinese economic statistics as "man-made" and "for reference only," saying he preferred to look at raw data such as electricity consumption, bank loans and the cargo volume moved by railways.

No less than the party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, reported last year that local cadres in an unnamed Chinese village ordered children to drape themselves in white fertilizer bags and pretend to be a herd of sheep to please higher ranking officials on a poverty reduction inspection tour.

Then came the gaffe by Lu, who was speaking during the annual national legislature in Beijing on the challenges of orderly reducing the payrolls of the province's largest publicly owned mining company, Longmay Mining Holding Group Co., Ltd., which has been hemorrhaging cash and cannot make timely payments to its more than 200,000 employees.

Lu claimed Longmay made sure that 80,000 miners weren't owed "even a cent." The remarks seemed aimed at showing that Longmay and the provincial leadership were meeting the central government's expectations for competently handling economic challenges.

Carried in state media, Lu's remarks infuriated Longmay miners, who said they hadn't been paid in six months. Thousands of them and their families took to the streets on March 12 to demand back pay.

The same day, Lu's office admitted his error, saying he'd been misinformed. It issued a stern warning demanding officials tell the truth in briefing provincial leaders about important information and vowed to punish those less forthcoming.

But critics are skeptical.

Without the checks of a free press, local officials feel secure in passing upward false data to ensure a positive evaluation, Sun Liping, a professor at prestigious Tsinghua University, wrote on his personal microblog.

"A key is to have another feedback system, especially the press freedom," Sun wrote. The system's ability to distort or just plain delete information "actually hurts the people and hurts the country."

In this March 6, 2015 photo, Heilongjiang Gov. Lu Hao speaks at a group discussion during the annual session of National People's Congress in Beijing. Lu's assertion that 80,000 miners at his provinces largest mining company had been fully paid triggered an angry protest by the workers. The governor soon backtracked and pledged to pay back wages. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT

FILE - In this March 16, 2016 file photo, Chinese miners at the Longmay Fuli Mine change out of work clothes after a night shift in Hegang, Heilongjiang Province, China. Heilongjiang Gov. Lu Haos assertion that 80,000 miners at his provinces largest mining company had been fully paid triggered an angry protest by the workers. The governor soon backtracked and pledged to pay back wages. (AP Photo/Gerry Shih, File)
Researcher: New butterfly has clues to geology, climate

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP)  A new species of butterfly could provide clues about Alaska's geological history and its changing climate, according to a University of Florida researcher.

Research by lepidopterist Andrew Warren suggests that the newly discovered Tanana Arctic butterfly evolved from the offspring of two related butterfly species, the Chryxus Arctic and the White-veined Arctic. He thinks all three species lived in the Beringia region before the last ice age, reported The Daily News-Miner (http://bit.ly/1pyeusq ).

Scientists have been seeing the Tanana Arctic butterfly for more than 60 years, but its similarity to the Chryxus Arctic led them to believe it was the same species. Warren noticed its distinct characteristics as senior collections manager at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus.

This undated image provided by lepidopterist Andrew Warren shows the newly discovered Tanana Arctic butterfly. Research by Warren released on March 15, 2016 suggests that the newly discovered species evolved from the offspring of two related butterfly species, and he thinks all three lived in the Beringia region between Alaska and Russia before the last ice age. (Andrew Warren/Florida Museum of Natural History via AP)

The Tanana Arctic has white specks on the underside of its penny-colored wings, giving it a "frosted" appearance, and it is larger and darker than the other species.

It also has a unique DNA sequence that is very similar to that in nearby populations of White-veined Arctics, said Warren, leading to the hypothesis that the new species is a hybrid.

More field research is needed to find out whether the Tanana Arctic also exists further east into the Yukon. Arctic butterflies live in environments that are too cold and extreme for most other butterflies and can survive in part thanks to a natural antifreeze 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," said Warren.

He plans to return to Alaska and look for the butterfly next year. Warren wants to collect new specimens in order to fully sequence the genome, which could reveal the species' history and show whether it's truly a hybrid.

The Tanana Arctic lives in spruce and aspen forests in the Tanana-Yukon River Basin. Because butterflies react quickly to climate change, the new species could serve as an early warning indicator for the remote region.

"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."

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Russia: Black boxes from plane crash site are badly damaged

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (AP)  Aviation experts on Sunday began examining the black boxes from the FlyDubai flight that crashed amid high winds at an airport in southern Russia, killing all 62 aboard.

FlyDubai's Boeing 737-800 from Dubai nosedived and exploded in a giant fireball before dawn Saturday after trying to land for a second time in strong winds in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. FlyDubai confirmed all 62 people on the plane were killed. Most of the passengers were Russian.

Several planes had trouble landing at the airport at the time of the crash.

Russian Police and Emergency Ministry employees investigate the wreckage of a crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. 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. (AP Photo)

The Inter-State Aviation Committee said in a statement that the plane's data and voice recorders had been heavily damaged in the crash.

But Sergei Zaiko, deputy chairman of the committee, was quoted by Russian news agencies late Sunday as saying that the quality of material on the data recorder was high.

The black boxes were being viewed in Moscow by experts from Russia, the United Arab Emirates and France, the aviation commission said. The American-made Boeing plane had French-made engines.

At Rostov-on-Don, hundreds of people flocked Sunday to the airport, the region's largest, to lay flowers and leave candles and toys in memory of the dead. The city is 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow near the Ukrainian border.

Closed-circuit TV footage showed the plane going down at a steep angle and exploding. The powerful explosion left a big crater in the runway.

The airport remained closed, but workers on Sunday afternoon were repairing the damage to the runway, and plans are to reopen on Monday morning, the airport said in a statement.

FlyDubai's chief executive, Ghaith al-Ghaith, said on Sunday the plane had enough fuel to maintain its holding pattern, which reportedly went on for two hours. He expressed confidence in Russian authorities and said the carrier intends to resume flights to the airport once it reopens.

He reiterated that the Rostov-on-Don airport was open Saturday despite the high winds and was "good enough to operate" at the time of the crash, and that it was up to Russian authorities to make that determination.

Some of the crash victims were from rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine where fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,100 people in nearly two years. The war has turned the region's main airport of Donetsk into a wasteland, and many locals have been using the airport in Rostov-on-Don, across the border.

Self-proclaimed rebel authorities in Donetsk said Sunday that two residents had been killed in the crash, while the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reported that a family of three from the rebel-controlled town of Sverdlovsk in Ukraine was among the victims.

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Nataliya Vasilyeva and Jim Heintz in Moscow and Adam Schreck in Dubai contributed to this report.

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A previous version of this story has been corrected to show that the aviation commission didn't say in its statement that U.S. experts were viewing the black boxes.

Russian Emergency Ministry employees investigate the wreckage of a crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. 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. (AP Photo)

A woman mourns after putting flowers in memory for the victims of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Emergency workers on Sunday finished combing the debris-laden runway of the airport in southern Russia where the plane carrying 62 people crashed before dawn on Saturday. (AP Photo)

Russian Investigative Committee employees, center, and police officers investigate the wreckage of a crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. 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. (AP Photo)

A woman mourns after putting flowers in memory for the victims of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Emergency workers on Sunday finished combing the debris-laden runway of the airport in southern Russia where the plane carrying 62 people crashed before dawn on Saturday. (AP Photo)

People mourn for the victims of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Winds were gusting before dawn Saturday over the airport in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don when the plane carrying 62 people from a favorite Russian holiday destination decided to abort its landing. (AP Photo)

Russian Emergency Ministry employees investigate the wreckage of a crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. 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. (AP Photo)

People mourn for the victims of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Winds were gusting before dawn Saturday over the airport in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don when the plane carrying 62 people from a favorite Russian holiday destination decided to abort its landing. (AP Photo)

People, some of them relatives and friends of the victims of the crashed plane comfort each other at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. 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. (AP Photo)

People mourn for the victins of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Emergency workers on Sunday finished combing the debris-laden runway of the airport in southern Russia where the plane carrying 62 people crashed before dawn on Saturday. (AP Photo)

A woman mourns after putting flowers in memory for the victims of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Emergency workers on Sunday finished combing the debris-laden runway of the airport in southern Russia where the plane carrying 62 people crashed before dawn on Saturday. (AP Photo)

A woman mourns after putting flowers in memory for the victims of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Emergency workers on Sunday finished combing the debris-laden runway of the airport in southern Russia where the plane carrying 62 people crashed before dawn on Saturday. (AP Photo)

People mourn for the victims of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Emergency workers on Sunday finished combing the debris-laden runway of the airport in southern Russia where the plane carrying 62 people crashed before dawn on Saturday. (AP Photo)

People comfort each other as they mourn for the victims of the crashed FlyDubai plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Winds were gusting before dawn Saturday over the airport in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don when the plane carrying 62 people from a favorite Russian holiday destination decided to abort its landing. (AP Photo)
IS suffers blows in Iraq, Syria but still launches attacks

BAGHDAD (AP)  After months of losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is showing signs of wear and tear, and its opponents say they have seen an increase in desertions among the extremists. But the jihadis appear to be lashing back with more terrorist and chemical attacks.

Under a stepped-up campaign of U.S.-led and Russian airstrikes, as well as ground assaults by multiple forces in each country, the jihadis are estimated to have lost about 40 percent of their territory in Iraq and more than 20 percent in Syria. At their highest point in the summer of 2014, the group had overrun nearly a third of each country, declaring a "caliphate" spanning from northwestern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad.

At that time, the extremists were riding high, known for their courage, experience, readiness to die and brutality. Now, those battling them on the ground say they appear to be flagging.

FILE - This image made from video posted on Twitter by a Kurdish fighter shows a man that the Kurdish military says is an American member of the Islamic State group shortly after he turned himself in to Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, Monday, March 14, 2016. After months of losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is showing signs of the wear and tear, with commanders on the ground saying they are seeing an increase in desertions. But the jihadis appear to be lashing back with more terrorist and chemical attacks. (Kurdish fighter via AP, File)

"What we are witnessing is that Daesh are not as determined as they used to be," Lt. Col. Fares al-Bayoush, commander of a Syrian rebel faction, said, using an Arabic acronym to refer to IS. His 1,300-strong Fursan al-Haq Brigade has been fighting against IS and Syrian government forces for more than a year.

"Now there are members who surrender, there are some who defect. In the past they used to come blow themselves up," he said.

A Palestinian-American member of IS recently gave himself up to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, but so far, the reports of desertions are mostly anecdotal. Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama's envoy to the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS, said this week at a conference in northern Iraq that IS desertions have increased recently and more are expected, but he did not provide figures.

Clint Watts, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said IS is experiencing a phenomenon he's witnessed in other extremist groups that begin to lose territory.

"You've seen more and more reports of defectors just broadly, and you've also seen more reports of internal killings of so-called spies," Watts said. "As they lose ground and retract you start to see these fractures emerge in the organization."

The IS setbacks began over a year ago, when the fighters were forced out of the northern Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani by local Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led airstrikes.

In December, the predominantly Kurdish U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces , or SDF, under cover of intense coalition airstrikes seized the Tishrin Dam, which supplies much of northern Syria with electricity. In the weeks that followed the forces gained control of more areas.

In all of 2015, the jihadis lost 14 percent of their territory in Syria, according to IHS, an analysis group that monitors the conflict. In the past three months, they lost another eight percent, a sign that the erosion is accelerating. The IHS figure roughly matches an estimate of a 20 percent loss given this week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

In February alone, the SDF said it captured 2,400 square kilometers (927 square miles) consisting of 315 villages including the IS stronghold of Shaddadeh, on the main road linking the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the "caliphate." SDF spokesman Col. Talal Sillo said the command will meet soon to plan for another offensive in northern Syria.

In Iraq, IS territorial losses have been more gradual. Coalition airstrikes have cleared the way for ground forces to reclaim towns and cities from Sinjar in the country's north to Ramadi in the west. The coalition estimates that between the launch of the air campaign in August 2014 and January 2016, IS has lost between 21,000-24,000 square kilometers (8,100-9,200 square miles), about 40% of the Iraqi territory it once held.

Calls for a stepped-up campaign intensified after IS claimed responsibility for the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that left 130 dead and the Oct. 31 downing of a Russian jetliner from the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, which killed all 224 on board.

Deadly attacks in Turkey by IS that killed scores of people also spurred Ankara to tighten its closure of the border, making it difficult for the extremists to cross into Syria.

In an effort to squeeze the group's finances, coalition and Russian warplanes in Syria began increasingly targeting IS oil assets in November. IS has since had to cut salaries and benefits for fighters.

Last week, Iraqi, Syrian and U.S. officials confirmed that prominent IS military leader Omar al-Shishani died of his wounds from a U.S. airstrike in northeastern Syria earlier this month. U.S. special forces also recently captured the head of the IS unit researching chemical weapons in Iraq, and airstrikes have targeted the group's chemical weapons infrastructure.

"As bad things start to happen, the less motivated, less disciplined, less radical elements of the force break and run," U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren said. "We're going to keep seeing this."

The United States estimates that as of last month, IS fields 19,000 to 25,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria  down from an estimated 20,000 to 31,500  a number that was based on intelligence reports from May to August 2014. A U.S. official said the decrease reflects the combined effects of battlefield deaths, desertions, internal disciplinary actions, recruiting shortfalls and difficulties that foreign fighters face traveling to Syria.

Still, these developments do not necessarily make IS less of a threat.

In both Syria and Iraq, IS has launched some of its deadliest suicide attacks in recent weeks as well as a number of chemical weapons attacks. On Feb. 22, a triple suicide bombing in a Shiite suburb of the Syrian capital killed at least 83 people and wounded more than a hundred. In neighboring Iraq, a suicide truck bombing south of Baghdad killed 61 and wounded 95. In the northern Iraqi town of Taza, an IS chemical weapons attack last week killed one person and wounded more than 600.

IS also launched a coordinated assault on the northern Syrian border town of Tal Abyad and nearby villages. In days of fighting, 47 SDF fighters and 140 militants were killed, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition activist group that tracks all sides of the conflict.

Watts said that if IS can't use battlefield victories to rally its supporters, it will turn to terrorist attacks.

"In terms of being a conventional army that can take territory, they are less dangerous," Watts said. "But if your worry is regional and international terrorism they're going to be more dangerous."

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Mroue reported from Beirut.

FILE - In this undated file photo released online in the summer of 2014 on a militant social media account, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, militants of the Islamic State group hold up their weapons and wave its flags on their vehicles in a convoy on a road leading to Iraq, in Raqqa, Syria. After months of losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is showing signs of the wear and tear, with commanders on the ground saying they are seeing an increase in desertions. But the jihadis appear to be lashing back with more terrorist and chemical attacks. (Militant photo via AP, File)

FILE - This image made from Jan. 11, 2016 video released by the U.S. military shows an airstrike targeting an Islamic State group cash and finance distribution center near Mosul, Iraq. After months of losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is showing signs of the wear and tear, with commanders on the ground saying they are seeing an increase in desertions. But the jihadis appear to be lashing back with more terrorist and chemical attacks. (Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve via AP, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 9, 2016 file photo, a man kissed the forehead of an Iraqi soldier after security forces pushed out Islamic State group extremists from villages outside Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. After months of losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is showing signs of the wear and tear, with commanders on the ground saying they are seeing an increase in desertions. But the jihadis appear to be lashing back with more terrorist and chemical attacks. (AP Photo/Osama Sami, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 9, 2016 file photo, Popular Mobilization forces chant slogans against the Islamic State group as Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi tours the front line in Anbar, Iraq. After months of losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is showing signs of the wear and tear, with commanders on the ground saying they are seeing an increase in desertions. But the jihadis appear to be lashing back with more terrorist and chemical attacks. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 18, 2016 file photo, Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected fighter with the Islamic State group in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. Security forces arrested the fighter when he was hiding in one of the abandoned houses after the killing of his colleagues during the ongoing battle in Ramadi, officials said. After months of losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is showing signs of the wear and tear, with commanders on the ground saying they are seeing an increase in desertions. But the jihadis appear to be lashing back with more terrorist and chemical attacks. (AP Photo, File)

FILE -- In this Nov. 17, 2014 file photo, smoke rises from the Syrian city of Kobani, following an airstrike by the US led coalition, seen from a hilltop outside Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border. After months of losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is showing signs of the wear and tear, with commanders on the ground saying they are seeing an increase in desertions. But the jihadis appear to be lashing back with more terrorist and chemical attacks. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
Migrants keep arriving in Greece despite deal to return them

ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Hundreds of mostly Syrian asylum-seekers continued to arrive in Greece by sea Sunday despite the start of an international agreement to send migrants back to Turkey.

While the deal between the European Union and Turkey is officially in effect, the process for deporting migrants has yet to be worked out. Greek and Turkish officials are set to hold discussions on Monday. And Greece is still awaiting the arrival of 2,300 European experts, including translators, to help carry out the agreement.

In the meantime, the EU said any new arrivals in Greece from now on will be subject to possible deportation.

Volunteers help migrants and refugees on a dingy as they arrive at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on Sunday, March 20, 2016. In another incident two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

At least 875 new refugees  mostly Syrians, along with Iraqis and Afghans  landed on four of Greece's Aegean islands close to the Turkish coast between Saturday evening and daybreak Sunday. Two Syrian men were found dead of undetermined causes aboard a boat arriving on the island of Lesbos, and two girls were found drowned east of Rhodes, officials said.

The EU-Turkey plan, agreed to on Friday, aims to halt smuggling by sending migrants who do not qualify for asylum back to Turkey. As part of the deal, European nations will then accept refugees directly from Turkey, starting April 4. The hope is to discourage asylum-seekers from trying to make the dangerous trip across the Aegean Sea on their own in flimsy boats.

Turkey is also required to step up efforts to crack down on illegal migration. The deal puts Ankara on the fast track to get $6.6 billion in aid to deal with refugees on its territory. It could also lead to unprecedented visa concessions for Turks to visit Europe and a re-energizing of the country's EU membership bid.

Turkey, which is already hosting 2.7 million refugees from war-torn Syria, has been a primary departure point for Europe, while Greece has borne the brunt of arrivals. More than 1 million migrants have arrived in Europe over the past year.

Giorgos Kyritsis, a spokesman for the Greek government's Refugee Crisis Coordination Center, said none of the 2,300 experts promised by the EU has arrived yet.

The EU-Turkey deal "is in force. Its practical implementation remains to be seen," Kyritsis said, adding that Greece had done its part to prepare the temporary camps where the migrants will be processed.

Those who arrived in Greece up until Sunday morning will be subject to the old rules, which say that for every Syrian returned to Turkey, another Syrian will be resettled in an EU country, Kyritsis said.

A Turkish news agency reported Sunday that 320 would-be migrants to Greece had been intercepted in a coastal Turkish town. The private Dogan agency said the migrants were caught in the town of Dikili, a main crossing point to Lesbos.

Amid all this, Greece is still relocating migrants from its islands to temporary refugee camps on the mainland. A ferry carrying 1,169 migrants arrived Sunday at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens. Another ferry carrying some 1,300 migrants was on its way to Elefsina from Lesbos.

The arriving refugees were put on buses headed for a camp near the northwestern city of Ioannina. The camp will contain 420 tents that can house eight to 10 people each.

"I don't want (to) go back to Turkey, because I would be back to the work and the hard life. Difficult life. I wish (to) continue my race to Europe to see my family and continue my studies," Syrian refugee Amdelsher Abdel Hannan said as he was getting on a ferry to take him from Lesbos to the Greek mainland.

On the Greek border town of Idomeni, where about 10,000 migrants who were refused entry into Macedonia are stranded, the mayor criticized what he said are plans to make the sprawling, muddy, makeshift encampment permanent.

The government "asked us to bring sleeping cars through Hellenic Railways, approximately seven or eight cars to accommodate refugees. That's not the solution. I think the (camp) should be evacuated," said Christos Goudenoudis, mayor of Peonia.

"The locals are starting to fear what the migrants will do when they run out of money," Goudenoudis said.

Kyritsis told The Associated Press the government plans to evacuate the Idomeni encampment, not make it permanent.

Refugees started piling up in Greece after Austria and countries farther north started closing their borders to them.

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Online:

EU Commission Q&A on migration deal: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-963_en.htm

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Soguel reported from Istanbul. Petros Giannakouris in Lesbos, Costas Kantouris in Idomeni, Greece, and Raphael Kominis in Elefsina, Greece, contributed to this story.

A migrant girl casts a shadow on a plastic sheet on her way for the daily food handout at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A banner is placed on Syrian migrants who slept on the railway tracks protesting the border closure and preventing freight trains from passing between Greece and Macedonia at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A Greek police officer counts the migrants and refugees that get in a bus after they arrived in the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, on Sunday. March 20, 2016. Two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A migrant rests in the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Some 2,500 migrants currently on Lesbos and other islands are being taken to mainland Greece where they are placed in shelters before EU-wide relocation. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A migrant woman carrying a baby passes by Greek police officers in the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Some 2,500 migrants currently on Lesbos and other islands are being taken to mainland Greece where they are placed in shelters before EU-wide relocation. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants protest on train tracks near the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Some 2,500 migrants currently on Lesbos and other islands are being taken to mainland Greece where they are placed in shelters before EU-wide relocation. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants protest on train tracks near the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Some 2,500 migrants currently on Lesbos and other islands are being taken to mainland Greece where they are placed in shelters before EU-wide relocation. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A migrant boy walks through the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Some 2,500 migrants currently on Lesbos and other islands are being taken to mainland Greece where they are placed in shelters before EU-wide relocation. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A migrant child plays in the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Some 2,500 migrants currently on Lesbos and other islands are being taken to mainland Greece where they are placed in shelters before EU-wide relocation. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A migrant plays with a baby in the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Some 2,500 migrants currently on Lesbos and other islands are being taken to mainland Greece where they are placed in shelters before EU-wide relocation. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

The sun rises as migrants and refugees on a dingy arrive at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on Sunday, March 20, 2016. In another incident two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The sun rises as migrants and refugees on a dingy arrive at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on Sunday, March 20, 2016. In another incident two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

An overcrowded boat with dozens of migrants and refugees from nearby Turkey arrives at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two Syrian refugees have been found dead on that boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A boy covered with blankets looks on after overcrowded boat was carrying dozens of migrants and refugees from nearby Turkey arrived at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two Syrian refugees have been found dead on that boat that on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A dingy is seen at the shores of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two Syrian refugees have been found dead on that boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A child cries as she and her family arrived in the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. In another incident two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Migrants and refugees react on a dingy as they arrive at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Volunteers help migrants and refugees on a dingy as they arrive at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on Sunday. March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Women react as migrants and refugees arrive on a dingy at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on Sunday. March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Volunteers help migrants and refugees on a dingy as they arrive at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

An overcrowded boat with dozens of migrants and refugees from nearby Turkey arrives at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, on Sunday. March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A volunteer hugs a woman who cries for her unconscious husband after an overcrowded boat was carrying dozens of migrants and refugees from nearby Turkey arrived at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat that on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A woman reacts as volunteers try to revive her husband after an overcrowded boat was carrying dozens of migrants and refugees from nearby Turkey arrived at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat that on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A woman touches the face of her unconscious husband after an overcrowded boat was carrying dozens of migrants and refugees from nearby Turkey arrived at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat that on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A Syrian mother holds her baby who is covered with blankets after arriving with her family in the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, in an overcrowded boat with dozens of migrants and refugees on Sunday. March 20, 2016. In another incident two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A girl is covered with blankets after arriving with her family in the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, in an overcrowded boat with dozens of migrants and refugees on Sunday. March 20, 2016. In another incident two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A woman with a child disembarks from a dingy at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey, on Sunday. March 20, 2016. In another incident two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The sun rises as migrants and refugees on a dingy arrive at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on Sunday, March 20, 2016. In another incident two Syrian refugees have been found dead on a boat on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A woman reacts as volunteer try to revive her husband after an overcrowded boat was carrying dozens of migrants and refugees from nearby Turkey arrived at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Two migrants have been found dead on that boat that on the first day of the implementation of an agreement between the EU and Turkey on handling the new arrivals. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Migrants and refugees get on buses after their arrival on a ferry at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday is the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration goes into effect  but its implementation still remains uncertain. Greek authorities say they're not sure any migrants entering Greece will be processed and turned back before Monday. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis)

A Greek coast guard officer directs migrants and refugees after their arrival with a ferry at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday is the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration goes into effect  but its implementation still remains uncertain. Greek authorities say they're not sure any migrants entering Greece will be processed and turned back before Monday. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis)

A banner is placed on a Syrian migrant sleeping on the railway tracks protesting the border closure and preventing freight trains from passing between Greece and Macedonia, as people wait for a daily ration of food, at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Migrants and refugees disembark from a ferry after their arrival at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday is the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration goes into effect  but its implementation still remains uncertain. Greek authorities say they're not sure any migrants entering Greece will be processed and turned back before Monday. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis)

A woman lifts a baby in front of a convoy of buses at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday is the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration goes into effect  but its implementation still remains uncertain. Greek authorities say they're not sure any migrants entering Greece will be processed and turned back before Monday. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis)

Migrants and refugees make their way to get on buses after their arrival at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday is the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration goes into effect  but its implementation still remains uncertain. Greek authorities say they're not sure any migrants entering Greece will be processed and turned back before Monday. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis)

A woman carrying a baby disembarks from a ferry after her arrival along with other migrants and refugees at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday is the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration goes into effect  but its implementation still remains uncertain. Greek authorities say they're not sure any migrants entering Greece will be processed and turned back before Monday. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis)

A Greek coast guard officer directs migrants and refugees after their arrival on a ferry at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday is the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration goes into effect  but its implementation still remains uncertain. Greek authorities say they're not sure any migrants entering Greece will be processed and turned back before Monday. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis)

Greek police and coast guard officers wait for a ferry carrying migrants and refugees to dock at the port of Elefsina, west of Athens, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday is the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration goes into effect  but its implementation still remains uncertain. (AP Photo/ Yorgos Karahalis)

Migrant children look at Greek policemen standing on the railway tracks while waiting in line for a daily ration of food at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A woman holds a child next to a fire at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man reads from a religious book in a make shift mosque set up in a tent on the railway tracks at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man reads from a religious book in a make shift mosque set up in a tent on the railway tracks at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man gets a haircut from a fellow migrant at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Kurdish Syrians celebrate Nowruz, or New Year in the Farsi language, an ancient Persian festival, celebrated on the first day of spring, March 21, in Central Asian republics, at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A migrant woman walks in a field at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Kurdish Syrians walk holding the Kurdish flag on their way to celebrate Nowruz, or New Year in the Farsi language, an ancient Persian festival, celebrated on the first day of spring, March 21, in Central Asian republics, at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Burning wood collapses as Kurdish Syrians celebrate Nowruz, or New Year in the Farsi language, an ancient Persian festival, celebrated on the first day of spring, March 21, in Central Asian republics, at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Kurdish Syrians set up Kurdish and Greek flags preparing to celebrate celebrate Nowruz, or New Year in the Farsi language, an ancient Persian festival, celebrated on the first day of spring, March 21, in Central Asian republics, at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Kurdish Syrians set up Kurdish and Greek flags preparing to celebrate celebrate Nowruz, or New Year in the Farsi language, an ancient Persian festival celebrated on the first day of spring in Central Asian republics, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan and Iran, at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Kurdish Syrians celebrate Nowruz, or New Year in the Farsi language, an ancient Persian festival celebrated on the first day of spring in Central Asian republics, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan and Iran, at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Kurdish Syrians celebrate Nowruz, or New Year in the Farsi language, an ancient Persian festival celebrated on the first day of spring in Central Asian republics, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan and Iran, at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation as thousands are still staying on site after the closure of Macedonia's border. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Migrants celebrated Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year, standing next to a fire in the make shift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday was the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration went into effect, but its implementation still remains uncertain. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants celebrated Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year, standing next to a fire in the make shift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday was the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration went into effect, but its implementation still remains uncertain. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants celebrated Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year, standing next to a fire in the make shift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Sunday was the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration went into effect, but its implementation still remains uncertain. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Paris attacks suspect reported to be planning new acts

BRUSSELS (AP)  The top suspect in last year's Paris attacks told investigators after he was captured that he was planning new operations from Brussels and possibly had access to several weapons, Belgium's foreign minister said Sunday.

Salah Abdeslam had claimed that "he was ready to restart something from Brussels, and it's maybe the reality," Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said.

Reynders gave credence to the suspect's claim because "we found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons in the first investigations, and we have seen a new network of people around him in Brussels."

The federal penitentiary in Bruges, Belgium, where a convoy thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam arrived on Saturday, March 19, 2016 . Abdeslam 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)

Abdeslam, captured Friday in a police raid in Brussels, was charged Saturday with "terrorist murder" by Belgian authorities. He is a top suspect in the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.

Abdeslam was wounded during the raid, and a senior Belgian police official said that he was shot in the leg as he ran toward officers outside an apartment in the Molenbeek neighborhood.

The head of Belgium's special federal police unit, Roland Pacolet, told broadcaster RTL that one hypothesis being studied by police was that the suspect wanted to commit suicide.

"When someone comes out running toward the police, we have to ask ourselves some questions. What did he have in mind? What was he going to do? Either he wanted to get killed by the police, or he wanted to blow himself up near the police," Pacolet said.

He said that Abdeslam was unarmed.

Speaking to security experts at a German Marshall Fund conference in Brussels, the foreign minister said "we have found more than 30 people involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris, but we are sure that there are others."

Reynders urged European intelligence, law enforcement, and border authorities to exchange more information to help track the suspects down.

Interpol also has called on European countries to be vigilant at their borders, saying Abdeslam's accomplices may try to flee after his capture. The international police agency recommended closer checks at borders, especially for stolen passports. Many of the Nov. 13 attackers and accomplices traveled on falsified or stolen documents

Abdeslam's Belgian lawyer, meanwhile, threatened to launch legal action Monday against a French prosecutor, accusing him of breaching the confidentiality of the investigation into the deadly rampage in Paris.

Sven Mary told Belgian public broadcaster RTBF that part of the press conference given on Saturday by Paris prosecutor Francois Molins "is a violation. It's a fault, and I cannot let it go unchallenged."

Molins said Abdeslam, 26, told Belgian officials he had "wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France" as a suicide bomber, but that he backed out at the last minute.

France is seeking Abdeslam's extradition for trial there, but Mary said he would fight any attempt to hand over his client and that investigators have much to learn from the suspect, who was born in Belgium but has French and Moroccan nationality.

"Salah is of great importance to this investigation. I would even say that he is worth gold. He is cooperating, he is communicating, he is not insisting on his right to silence. I think it would be worthwhile now to give things a bit of time ... for investigators to be able to talk to him," Mary said.

In response, an official in the Paris prosecutor's office said French law allows prosecutors to speak about elements of an investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss this issue publicly.

Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens was cautious about how the legal proceedings will unfold against the suspect, but said the kind of extradition procedure being used would limit the possibilities for Abdeslam to appeal.

"It could take two months, two and a half months, and we will not be certain of the result before then," Geens said on RTL television.

The next official step in the legal process comes Wednesday when Abdeslam faces court in Brussels.

The suspect, who could be one of the rare jihadis to face trial and possibly speak during proceedings, awoke Sunday after his first night in a prison just outside the city of Bruges, western Belgium.

The prison has a special section for high-profile prisoners, with specially trained guards. Cells have double doors and any furniture or equipment is attached to the floor.

Abdeslam was shot in the leg Friday along with a suspected accomplice when they were captured during an anti-terror raid in Brussels. He was found at an apartment a mere 500 meters (yards) from his parents' home, where he grew up.

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Mike Corder in Brussels, and Angela Charlton in Paris, contributed to this report.

A special forces police officer awaits a convoy and ambulance thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam at the federal penitentary 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)

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)

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)
For black Cubans, Obama visit a source of pride, inspiration

HAVANA (AP)  Yolanda Mauri's ancestors almost certainly came to Cuba in chains, laboring as slaves on an island of French coffee plantations and fields of Spanish sugarcane.

Her parents became their family's first professionals, graduating with engineering degrees after Cuba's 1959 revolution ended segregation. Mauri, 26, graduated from an elite technical university with a degree in computer programming. Today, she struggles to patch together a living from poorly paid government work and freelance jobs like building websites. She feels the sting of racism in casual derogatory comments or a maitre d's refusal to seat her in an expensive restaurant.

For Mauri and hundreds of thousands of black Cubans, Barack Obama isn't just the first U.S. leader to visit their country in nearly nine decades. He's a black man whose rise to the world's most powerful job is a source of pride and inspiration.

A musician performs wearing a T-shirt designed with an image of President Barack Obama at a weekly rumba dance gathering in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 19, 2016. For hundreds of thousands of black Cubans, Obama isnt just the first U.S. leader to visit their country in nearly nine decades. Hes a black man whose rise to the worlds most powerful job is a source of pride and inspiration for a community that still struggles with informal racism and economic disadvantage despite the revolutionary governments attempt to end racial prejudice in Cuba. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

Obama's March 20-22 visit has raised Cubans' hopes that a new era in relations with the United States will bring an end to the U.S. trade embargo and improve life for everyone on the island. For Afro-Cubans in particular, the presidential trip carries a special charge, a hope that an African-American leader's near-universal popularity among Cubans of all races will help end lingering prejudice and inequality.

"He's black and in some moment of his life he must have realized that as an African-American he had to elevate his performance level because as a black person you have to work twice as hard to get the same result as a white," Mauri said. "I identity a lot with him because of that."

Cuba's culture is a blend of African and Spanish influence. The island's world-renowned music and dance traditions draw deeply from the cultures of the West Africans brought to the island as slaves. Its Santeria religion is a blend of Catholicism and the Yoruba practices of western Africa.

One of Fidel Castro's first acts after overthrowing Cuba's government was to declare an end to a regimen of segregation that mirrored unequal conditions for blacks in the United States. Afro-Cubans praise the country's incorporation of anti-racism into its official ideology, and acknowledge that black Cubans have made dramatic advances thanks to the revolution.

But nearly 60 years later, Afro-Cubans are underrepresented in the ranks of Cuba's political and economic elites and make up a disproportionate number of the urban and rural poor. Black Cubans have benefited less than their white counterparts from closer relations with the United States. Relatively few hold coveted, lucrative jobs serving foreign visitors.

Discriminatory hiring is particularly egregious in the elegant private restaurants where Cubans can earn more in a night in tips from tourists than the average monthly salary. There, as with many jobs in hospitality and tourism in Cuba, waiters, waitresses and bartenders are overwhelmingly white or light-skinned, mixed-race Cubans.

Cuba's state ideology of race-blindness means there's little official discussion of race, and few programs to help black Cubans overcome the legacy of slavery and segregation.

"People here look at blacks like they're the worst, and since Obama's black it's like we have a bit more status, here and over there," said Rosa Lopez, who sells snacks in a public market in a working-class Havana neighborhood of La Lisa. "Having a black president of the United States gives us just a little more pride."

Some black Cubans have taken to affectionately referring to Obama as "el negro," ''the black guy," in enthusiastic conversation about the president's pending arrival, and some of the most popular memorabilia for sale ahead of the trip are images of the president and first lady shown talking to each other with distinctively Afro-Cuban Spanish dialogue jokingly superimposed.

According to official figures, 10 percent of the population of 11 million identify as black. Another quarter identify themselves to census-takers as mixed-race, a racial class that also suffers social discrimination in Cuba, although often to lesser degrees.

In remarkably warm descriptions of his regard for the American president, Cuban President Raul Castro has specifically cited Obama's personal background as a factor in the new U.S.-Cuban relationship, without talking directly about race.

"I admire his humble origins and I think that his way of thinking stems from those humble origins," Castro said before holding a meeting with Obama at the Summit of the Americas in Panama in April 11.

For many in Cuba, of all races, Obama's historic status as America's first black president is inextricable from his history-making role in restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba and moving toward normalization.

"It was only an African-American man who's been able to loosen things up," said Orlando Vila, the 50-year-old chief of a self-employed crew of workman repairing a state-run warehouse in Old Havana. "He's faced the realities of life and now people here are expecting a change, too."

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Correspondent Andrea Rodriguez contributed to this report.

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Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mweissenstein

Afro-Cubans take part in a weekly rumba dance gathering in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Cubas culture is a blend of African and Spanish influence. The islands world-renowned music and dance traditions draw deeply from the cultures of the West Africans brought to the island as slaves. For Afro-Cubans in particular, the U.S. presidential trip carries a special charge, a hope that an African-American leaders near-universal popularity among Cubans of all races will help end lingering prejudice and inequality. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

Two Cubans smile widely as they take part in a weekly rumba dance gathering in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 19, 2016. For hundreds of thousands of black Cubans, Barack Obama isnt just the first U.S. leader to visit their country in nearly nine decades. Hes a black man whose rise to the worlds most powerful job is a source of pride and inspiration. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

Hair braider Dona Navarrete, whose stand is decorated with an American, and a Cuban national flag, adjusts her combs as she waits for clients in Old Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 19, 2016. President Barack Obamas March 20-22 visit has raised all Cubans hopes that a new era in relations with the United States will bring an end to the U.S. trade embargo and improve life for everyone on the island. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

In a shop decorated by national flags, barber Hector Oliva Buides styles the hair of client Damian Caballero Consuegra, in Old Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 19, 2016. One of Fidel Castros first acts after overthrowing Cubas government was to declare an end to a regimen of segregation that mirrored unequal conditions for blacks in the United States. Afro-Cubans praise the countrys incorporation of anti-racism into its official ideology, and acknowledge that blacks Cubans have made dramatic advances thanks to the revolution. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Yolanda Mauri smiles as she poses for a photo in her home in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Mauris ancestors almost certainly came to Cuba in chains, laboring as slaves on an island of French coffee plantations and fields of Spanish sugarcane. Her parents became their familys first professionals, graduating with engineering degrees after Cubas 1959 revolution ended segregation. Mauri, 26, graduated from an elite technical university with a degree in computer programming. Today, she struggles to patch together a living from poorly paid government work and freelance jobs like building websites. She feels the sting of racism in casual derogatory comments or a maitre ds refusal to seat her in an expensive restaurant. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)
Prince Harry visits Nepal quake victims, damaged structures

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP)  Britain's Prince Harry on Sunday visited with families living at a camp in Nepal for people made homeless by last April's devastating earthquake as he continued a trip that many hope will draw attention to Nepal's struggle to recover from the disaster.

Harry talked to families living in the camp at Bhaktapur, just east of the capital, Kathmandu, inquiring about the living conditions. He also spent part of the second day of his five-day official visit to the Himalayan nation at palace and temple areas damaged in the quake.

About 60 families have been living in tents at the Bhaktapur camp for nearly a year and remain uncertain about when they'll receive government assistance to rebuild their houses.

Britain's Prince Harry, center, waves as he visits heritage sites at Patan Durbar Square on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Prince Harry began a five-day official trip to Nepal on Saturday, meeting with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli and attending a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between the two nations. (Prakash Mathema/Pool Photo via AP)

It's just one of the camps scattered around Nepal where people have been forced to live since the earthquake struck, killing nearly 9,000 people and destroying about 1 million homes.

Authorities have been slow to push ahead with quake rebuilding efforts. A government reconstruction agency was finally appointed in December, but has yet to provide promised aid money to displaced families and guidelines to build new houses and structures.

Purushottam Suwal, 14, who guided Harry around the camp, said the prince asked about the living conditions and the traditions of the families.

Earlier on Sunday, Harry traveled to Patan, south of Kathmandu, visiting the city's old palace and Golden Temple areas, which suffered major damage in the earthquake.

"Now that a big international figure has come here, we hope it will internationalize our plight and hope we will get some help to reconstruct the damaged structures in the near future," said Bikash Ratna Dhakhwa, chief of the committee that takes care of the Golden Temple.

While the temple itself was mostly spared by the earthquake, the adjoining monastery, prayer house and assembly halls were all damaged. It's estimated that the repairs will cost 25 million rupees ($227,000), but so far only a fraction of that has been collected from private donors.

Hundreds of people gathered and cheered in the areas where Harry visited on Sunday.

"I had never imagined that he would come," said Sambridhi Rayamaji, a college student. "I am feeling really lucky, I am feeling really happy."

On Saturday, Harry met with Nepal's prime minister and attended a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between Britain and Nepal.

During his trip, the prince also plans to visit a forest conservation area and meet several retired Gurkha soldiers and their families. The prince served with a Gurkha battalion during a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Britain's Prince Harry, left, is welcomed by Nepalese girls during a visit to heritage sites at Patan Durbar Square on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Harry began a five-day official trip to Nepal on Saturday, meeting with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli and attending a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between the two nations. (Prakash Mathema/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prince Harry tries wood carving at heritage sites at Patan Durbar Square on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Harry began a five-day official trip to Nepal on Saturday, meeting with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli and attending a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between the two nations. (Prakash Mathema via AP)

Britain's Prince Harry visits heritage sites in Patan Durbar Square in the outskirts of Kathmandu Sunday, March 20, 2016. Prince Harry began a five-day official trip to Nepal on Saturday, meeting with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli and attending a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between the two nations. (Prakash Mathema/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prince Harry visits heritage sites at Patan Durbar Square on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Harry began a five-day official trip to Nepal on Saturday, meeting with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli and attending a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between the two nations. (Prakash Mathema via AP)

Britain's Prince Harry visits heritage sites at Patan Durbar Square on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Harry began a five-day official trip to Nepal on Saturday, meeting with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli and attending a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between the two nations. (Prakash Mathema via AP)

Britain's Prince Harry, left, visits heritage sites at Patan Durbar Square on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Harry began a five-day official trip to Nepal on Saturday, meeting with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli and attending a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between the two nations. (Prakash Mathema via AP)
In Mississippi, retiring officials can pocket campaign cash

JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  When former Mississippi Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck shut down her campaign committee in the closing days of 2013, she took a parting gift  the $158,342 remaining in the account.

Tuck had already withdrawn more than $103,000 from the account in late 2007 and early 2008, as she was going to work at Mississippi State University as special assistant to the president, initially making $160,000 a year.

She's hardly the only Mississippi official to cash out at the end of her career. An Associated Press review shows that of 99 elected officials who have left office in recent years, as many as 25 may have pocketed more than $1,000 when they closed their campaign accounts.

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2006 photograph, then Mississippi Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck speaks before a Joint Legislative Budget Committee in Jackson, Miss. Tuck, now a Mississippi State University vice president, shut down her campaign committee in the closing days of 2013, and took the $158,342 remaining in the account, which is allowed by law. Mississippi is one of five states where withdrawals are legal so long as state and federal income taxes are paid, with no restrictions on how itas spent. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

At least four others besides Tuck  who is now vice president of campus services at Mississippi State and didn't respond to the AP's requests for comment  took more than $50,000.

Mississippi is one of five states where withdrawals are legal so long as state and federal income taxes are paid, with no restrictions on how it's spent. A proposal to end the practice has consistently failed to win support from lawmakers, dying again this year without even a committee vote.

Experts say the practice makes campaign contributions perilously close to bribes.

"Your office is a public office and you should not benefit from it. You are personally gaining from your political office, and that is why they're giving to you. That's the fear," said Larry Noble, general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based group that seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics.

Tuck, a community college teacher who was raised by country store owners, wasn't wealthy. She faced scrutiny for taking loans, including $500,000 from well-known tobacco settlement attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs that she later repaid.

But she raised more than $3 million for her re-election bid in 2003, the most ever for a candidate for lieutenant governor, one of the most powerful posts in Mississippi's government. Tens of thousands apiece came from real estate agents, bankers, optometrists, nursing homes, electric utilities, insurers and hospitals. Tuck raised $360,000 in her final term from January 2004 to January 2008, but only $6,000 after saying she wouldn't run for office in 2007.

Mississippi's campaign finance records sometimes provide little clue about what happens to money after a candidate leaves office. Some just stop filing forms once they leave office without officially terminating their campaign committee. Many candidates close their accounts still showing cash on hand, providing no information about what happened to the money, though any disbursements over $200 are supposed to be disclosed.

House Speaker Tim Ford closed his account in 2003, showing a balance of $172,323. Ford died in 2015, and Stephen Holley, Ford's campaign treasurer in 2003, didn't return calls inquiring about what happened to the money.

Former House Transportation Committee Chairman Warner McBride said the $92,000 that disappeared from his account before he closed his committee was spent on an unsuccessful 2011 special election for northern district transportation commissioner. McBride said he didn't bother filling out disclosures, but provided bank summaries showing he drained his campaign account during the election period.

There is little oversight of the disclosures, and the secretary of state doesn't investigate if they are accurate. Little is done to pursue officials who stop filing disclosures. Unlike active candidates who fail to file, the Secretary of State isn't required to publish their names.

North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Virginia are the other states that still allow elected officials to pocket campaign money for personal use during or after their careers, based on a survey by the National Council on State Legislatures and AP research .

In South Dakota, former Gov. Bill Janklow took home $850,000 in 2011 as he was dying of cancer. His son told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader at the time that the family planned to give the money to charity after paying taxes on it.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, who has said he doesn't intend to run for office again, reported more than $1 million on hand in January after his successful re-election bid. Spokesman Clay Chandler said Bryant doesn't plan to keep the money and will spend it on other Republican candidates and nonprofits.

"By the time his term ends, he does not anticipate having much campaign money left," Chandler said.

Mississippi's ethics law says public servants can't use their offices to seek monetary benefits except for their legal salary. But the law has been interpreted to exclude campaign accounts. Tom Hood, executive director of the Mississippi Ethics Commission, said he was unaware people were helping themselves to such large sums.

"I don't know of any law that prohibits taking campaign money and putting it in their pocket, although it can raise some issues, depending on who the money is from and how much," Hood said.

Rachael Ring, a spokesman for Attorney General Jim Hood, Tom Hood's brother, said the most recent legal guidance on the subject is a 1978 attorney general opinion that said money converted to personal use would be taxable.

The opinion says campaign money not used for that purpose could present legal and ethical problems: "Simply put, a campaign contribution is not a gift to be used as a person may please."

Not everyone takes their leftover money. Gov. Haley Barbour, for example, converted his personal campaign account into a political action committee after his re-election in 2007 and mostly gave it to other Republican candidates, spending some on his own political expenses.

Some take only part of the cash. Former Secretary of State Eric Clark gave $40,000 to First Baptist Church of Brandon and took $55,000 for himself, what he called a "conservative estimate" of expenses he never recouped.

"If I had just wanted to pocket a bunch of money, I could have taken it all," Clark said. "That's how much I felt morally comfortable with."

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Follow Jeff Amy at: http://twitter.com/jeffamy. Read his work at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/jeff-amy

FILE - In this April 3, 2007 photograph, Insurance Commissioner George Dale, speaks at a press conference in Jackson, Miss. which is allowed by law. Dale, who cashed out at $105,264, said he took the money to support an autistic granddaughter, especially after he dies. Mississippi is one of five states where withdrawals are legal so long as state and federal income taxes are paid, with no restrictions on how it's spent. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2011 file photo, Eric Clark, a former legislator and a former Secretary of State, speaks at a conference in Jackson, Miss. Clark, who ran for the legislature five times and three times for Secretary of State, did not pocket his remaining campaign funds when he retired from elected office. He gave $40,000 to First Baptist Church of Brandon and took $55,000 for himself, for what he called a 'conservative estimate' of expenses he never recouped. Mississippi is one of five states where withdrawals are legal so long as state and federal income taxes are paid, with no restrictions on how it is spent. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Iran says US continues animosity despite nuclear deal

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's Supreme Leader said Sunday that Washington has continued its animosity toward Tehran, despite a friendly message by President Barack Obama marking Persian New Year.

State TV broadcast Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's New Year's speech on Sunday live from the northern city of Mashhad. He said of the U.S., "From one hand they send a New Year message and on the other hand they have kept economic sanctions," against Iran. "This is enmity."

Khamenei has final say on all state matters in Iran. He said many international companies continue to avoid working with Iran out fear of the U.S.

In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader on Sunday, March 20, 2016, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a message for the Iranian New Year, Iran. Iranians began their new year called Nowruz or New Day in Persian on Sunday which marks the first day of spring. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Obama on Saturday, in his annual video message marking the Persian New Year, said a landmark nuclear deal Iran reached with world powers last year makes it possible for Iran to rejoin the global economy, increase trade and investment, and create jobs and opportunities for Iranians to sell their goods around the world.

"The United States is severely working not to allow the deal's results to become beneficial for the Islamic Republic," said Khamenei. He said despite the deal "They have threatened us through other sanctions."

He said the U.S. has not fulfilled all of its commitments under the deal. "Banking transactions are still facing problems. The return of Iran's capital from abroad has faced problems. When we investigated, it was found out that they fear from the U.S."

He also said there is no guarantee that the next U.S. administration will honor all the commitments made by Obama's administration.

Khamenei dismissed the recent controversy over Iran's continued testing of ballistic missiles. Earlier this month, the country's Revolutionary Guard test-fired two missiles emblazoned with the phrase "Israel must be wiped out" in Hebrew.

After the launches, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Iran to "act with moderation," and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations called them, "provocative and destabilizing." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said the recent tests could trigger additional sanctions.

"What an outcry they raised over our missile issue saying, why did you test fire? Why did you launch the military exercise," Khamenei said.
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.
Suicide bombings in Turkey since July 2015

ISTANBUL (AP)  A look at the suicide bombings in Turkey since July 2015:

 July 20, 2015: A Turkish national who was an ethnic Kurd blew himself up in in the southern border town of Suruc, killing 33 mostly-Kurdish activists and wounding nearly 100 others in an attack authorities blamed on the Islamic State group.

 Oct. 10, 2015: Twin suicide bombings hit a peace rally outside Ankara's train station, killing 102 people. There was no claim of responsibility but Turkish authorities blamed the attack on a local cell of IS.

A security official works at the explosion site in Istanbul, Sunday, March 20, 2016. A suicide attack on Istanbul's 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. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

 Jan. 12, 2016: A suicide bomber blew himself up in the historic district of Istanbul, killing 12 German tourists. Authorities said the attack was carried out by an IS-linked Syrian man who had entered the country as a refugee.

 Feb. 17, 2016: A suicide car bomb apparently targeting military personnel in Ankara killed 29 people in an attack claimed by TAK, an off-shoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization.

 March 13, 2016: A Kurdish woman blew herself up in a car at a busy transport hub in Ankara, killing 37 people in an attack that was also claimed by TAK, also known as the Kurdish Freedom Falcons.

 March 19, 2016  A suicide bombing rocked Istanbul's main pedestrian street killing five people, including the bomber, whom the authorities identified as a Turkish national linked to IS. Like in the prior attacks blamed on IS, there was no claim of responsibility from the group.

Israeli medics from Magen David Adom load an Israeli who was injured in a suicide attack in Turkey, at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 20, 2016. A suicide attack on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street on 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. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Gaffe Proof? Trump vs. Clinton tests political pitfalls

WASHINGTON (AP)  When is a gaffe not a gaffe? When Donald Trump says it.

Over a period of 72 hours earlier in the month, the Republican front-runner faced a campaign crisis after unrest at his events forced him to cancel a rally in Chicago. He responded, not by apologizing but by justifying his supporters' violent reactions to protesters at his events and offering to pay legal fees.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton spent much of the same period cleaning up misstatements about former first lady Nancy Reagan's role in addressing the AIDS epidemic, whether her policies would kill coal-mining jobs and her husband's 1993 health care plan.

FILE - In this March 15, 2016, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during an election night event at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. Clinton spent much of a 72-hour time frame last week cleaning up misstatements about former first lady Nancy Reagans role in addressing the AIDS epidemic, whether her policies would kill coal mining jobs and her 1993 health care plan. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

The three-day window offered a glimpse into an extraordinary campaign cycle, in which strategists on both sides are wondering whether Trump's penchant for provocation has shifted the gaffe gauge in American politics.

His bombast already has shaken up the Republican primary contest. Now, as the race moves toward the general election, new questions have arisen about a double standard in political rhetoric __ one for Trump and another for everyone else.

"Trump's 'gaffes' haven't hurt him because a certain segment of GOP primary voters actually support the things he is saying and the way he is saying them," said Dan Pfeiffer, a former Obama adviser.

Mike DuHaime, a Republican strategist and former adviser to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's presidential campaign, says that the image Trump projects as a political outsider has superseded the controversy that surrounds him. Christie has endorsed Trump.

Whether by mistake or intention, there's little question that Trump's eruptions are key to his strategy.

Trump canceled a scheduled event on March 11 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, one of the country's most diverse campuses, despite a flood of incensed responses.

The result was a chaotic and violent scene after which Trump dominated the airwaves, starving his rivals for coverage in the run-up to the critical March 15 primaries.

The only time Clinton broke through the clutter was when she talked about Trump, a situation that wasn't lost on Democrats who noted his ability to stay on the offensive throughout the GOP primaries. But party strategists and Clinton aides believe that calculus will change in the general election, pointing to Trump's high negative ratings.

"Trump's statements, while they play very well with Republican primary voters, they've turned off the vast majority of Americans," said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, who is not advising Clinton's campaign.

Democrats have already begun stockpiling potential ammunition about the billionaire and are planning a coordinated effort to undercut his appeal.

"Republicans have utterly failed to police their own ranks," said David Brock, a Clinton ally who oversees multiple Democratic super PACs. "Should he get the nomination, I think progressives will be able to hold his feet to the fire in a way that Republicans never would."

Early efforts spilled out into the public this week when a Democratic group backing Clinton blasted out footage of Trump refusing to name his foreign policy advisers and instead cited his own "very good brain."

"Is this who we want," asked Priorities USA, a super PAC backing Clinton's bid, and quickly spliced the interview into an online video.

That's a strategy they used in 2012, when Democrats seized on a leaked video showing Republican nominee Mitt Romney at a private fundraiser in Florida dismissing "47 percent" of voters as backing President Barack Obama because they are "dependent on government." That comment helped Democrats paint Romney as a heartless plutocrat only concerned about protecting the wealthy.

"It fit perfectly with the narrative our campaign was telling about him, and it was one that voters found very believable about him," said Pfeiffer.

Other candidates haven't been nearly as immune.

Arizona Sen. John McCain was trailed by a comment he made in September 2008, hours before investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, when he said: "The fundamentals of the economy are strong." In that same election, Clinton seized on comments then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama made in a San Francisco fundraiser describing some small-town Pennsylvania voters as "bitter," saying they "cling to guns or religion."

In those cases, the screw-ups trailed them for days  if not years. But rather than try and clean up his commentary, Trump typically stands by his words and has yet to suffer any consequences in the primaries.

A new Trump campaign ad introducing the candidate to Arizona voters leaves little doubt that he's embraced many of his most provocative statements as he turns toward the general election. The commercial rattles off Trump's promises to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., build a wall on the Mexican border and "take" oil from the Islamic State group.

Republican strategist Danny Diaz, Jeb Bush's former campaign manager, believes Trump will be subject to more scrutiny in the general election. But he isn't sure how much it will matter.

"If I were the Democrats, yeah, I'd be worried," he said. "He doesn't feel constrained by the regular rules of the road. From a cultural perspective, he's something that we haven't seen before."

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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report from Key West, Florida.
Egypt Sinai mortar attack death toll rises to 15 policemen

CAIRO (AP)  Egypt's Interior Ministry says the death toll from a mortar attack on a checkpoint near northern Sinai's provincial capital of el-Arish has risen to 15 policemen killed.

The ministry says in a Sunday statement that the dead include three officers.

A Sinai-based Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for the Saturday attack, according to a statement circulated on social media. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.

In this photo provided by the Ismailia Governor's office, citizens and dignitaries attend the funeral of Mohammed Taha Hassan Bakhit and Bassam Hindawi, two victims of a Saturday mortar attack on a checkpoint south of northern Sinais provincial capital of el-Arish, at a mosque in Ismailiya, Egypt, Egypt, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Egypts interior ministry said the death toll in the attack has risen to at least 15 policemen, include three officers. 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 claim. (Ismailia Governor's office via AP)

The IS affiliate has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks against Egyptian security forces, which have intensified since the July 2013 military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
Voters casting ballots in 5 African countries

DAKAR, Senegal (AP)  Voters in five African countries are casting ballots on Sunday, including four presidential elections and a constitutional referendum. Incumbents in Niger and Republic of Congo are expected to sail to re-election, while Benin's runoff vote is less certain. Here is a brief look at the contests:

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BENIN  Benin's president is stepping down after the maximum of two terms, enhancing the West African country's democratic credentials. Sunday's race is between the current prime minister and a prominent businessman who was once accused of trying to poison the outgoing president, an allegation he denies.

A woman thumb is dipped in ink as proof that she has voted, during a constitutional referendum in Dakar, Senegal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Senegalese residents are voting on a referendum that would see some sweeping constitutional reforms including a reduction of the presidential term from seven to five years. (AP Photo/Carley Petesch)

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NIGER  The election in Niger pits the incumbent president against an opposition figure who was jailed from November to March on charges critics say were politically motivated. President Mahamadou Issoufou is campaigning on his credentials in the fight against Islamic militancy. His opponent left the country this past week to seek medical treatment in France for an unspecified ailment.

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REPUBLIC OF CONGO  President Denis Sassou N'Guesso, 72, who has been in power for more than 30 years is seeking another term after he organized a constitutional referendum that did away with an age limit that would have disqualified him from running again. The run-up to the October referendum was marred by violence, and mobile phone service was blocked in the country, which borders the much larger and well known nation of Congo.

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SENEGAL  Senegal is voting on a constitutional referendum that proposes 15 reforms that would make sweeping changes. In contrast with many African leaders, Senegal's President Macky Sall is asking voters to shorten the country's presidential term from seven years to five. The proposed changes also call for a strengthened National Assembly, better representation for Senegalese abroad, and greater rights for the opposition in national elections.

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ZANZIBAR  Voters are also casting ballots in Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous archipelago off the coast of Tanzania, though opposition parties there have called for a boycott. Zanzibar's vote in a re-run of an October ballot, which the main opposition parties say runs counter to Zanzibar's electoral laws.

A woman, left, walks past a constitutional referendum poster reading 'Vote yes' in Dakar, Senegal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Senegalese residents on Sunday voted on a constitutional referendum that could see sweeping constitutional reforms including a reduction of presidential powers and terms from seven to five years, on a continent where many leaders try to hold onto power.(AP Photo/Carley Petesch)

A woman holds up her thumb that has been marked with ink as proof that she has voted, during the election, in Niamey, Niger, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Nigers president is running for a second term against an opponent who had to campaign from behind bars before being flown last week to Paris for medical treatment. President Mahamadou Issoufou finished first in the first round of balloting last month but without the majority he needed to avoid a second round. (AP Photo/Gael Cogne)

A man cast his ballot during an constitutional referendum in Dakar, Senegal, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Senegalese residents on Sunday voted on a constitutional referendum that could see sweeping constitutional reforms including a reduction of presidential powers and terms from seven to five years, on a continent where many leaders try to hold onto power. (AP Photo/Carley Petesch)
For some Montana office seekers, it's not about winning

HELENA, Mont. (AP)  Candidate Bill McChesney has been speaking out against big money in Montana politics, but he gave incumbent Gov. Steve Bullock a big financial favor just by entering the Democratic primary.

Bullock can now keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions that he would have had to return if he had run unopposed.

Montana law allows campaign donors to give a gubernatorial candidate a maximum of $1,320  up to $660 in the primary and another $660 in November's general election. However, without a primary challenger, candidates would have to send back any amount exceeding $660.

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2016, file photo, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte addresses supporters in Helena, Mont. Most states have limits on campaign contributions, but Montana and South Carolina may be the only ones requiring candidates to return money when they run unopposed, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. (AP Photo/Matt Volz, File)

Most states have limits on campaign contributions, but Montana and South Carolina may be the only ones requiring candidates to return money when they run unopposed, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures

Some say Montana law should be changed to prevent "paper candidates."

It's become a ritual among Montana election watchers to see who Democrats and Republicans can wrangle into key races to skirt campaign finance rules.

That explains the phone calls Mark Perea received from Republican officials days before the March 14 filing deadline.

"There were people who were trying to make sure that I filed. Different people involved in politics were contacting me," said Perea, an antiques dealer in Helena.

The callers stressed the importance of giving voters a choice in the primary and prevailed on him to enter the governor's race against candidate Greg Gianforte. Some offered to pay the $1,982.02 filing fee.

Perea refused.

"I wouldn't run as a paper candidate. I would never do that," he said.

Though Perea didn't jump in, Terry Nelson did.

Nelson knows he stands little chance against Gianforte, a wealthy Bozeman businessman. But, he said, if Donald Trump can enthrall the masses despite throngs of early naysayers, why can't he?

Nelson's and McChesney's entries in the gubernatorial race  just days before the candidate-filing period ended March 14  follows a common trend in Montana election cycles. Election watchers say both parties use token opponents to comply with state law.

Robert Saldin, a professor of political science at the University of Montana, said the law needs to be changed to prevent such "farcical situations."

"There is a pattern here in Montana of people jumping in like this. They jump into the race and they basically don't do anything. They don't even attempt to mount anything approaching a real campaign. They just file their paperwork then sit at home," Saldin said.

Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer acknowledged the practice of recruiting dummy candidates, as they are called in political parlance, and said it might be time for the Legislature to revisit the issue.

Few, if any, will fess up to being part of the charade, he said. And neither would he.

"Sometimes people get into these races so their opponents can raise more money, and it looks like it's happening in some of these races now. But there's nothing illegal about it," Schweitzer said.

Jonathan Motl, the state's Commissioner of Political Practices, defended the rule, saying it helps limit the role of money in campaigns and promotes robust debate.

"Primary elections are set up to allow for the opportunity for debate to occur without impacting the winner's chance to then face the other candidate in the general election," he said.

McChesney said he's in the race to make a statement, not to help Bullock.

"My filing for election will give Gov. Bullock the opportunity to carry his primary collections into the general election, although that was not my purpose," McChesney said. "And I hope that doesn't overshadow  in fact, I hope that it would emphasize  the necessity for campaign finance reform."

Nelson said no one forced him to run, though a few Republicans urged him to run.

Nelson, who chairs the GOP's Ravalli County Central Committee, is making his first run for statewide office. He said he's running to give voice to the concerns of western Montana and to raise his name recognition.

"I believe that my running would be a big long shot," he said, "but you've seen what Trump's been able to do in the primary."

While McChesney and Nelson say they're in it to win it, they both donated $50 to the campaigns of their rivals before becoming candidates.
Pro-Israel policy conference nervously awaits Trump speech

WASHINGTON (AP)  As America's leading pro-Israel group prepares to hear from nearly all the presidential candidates, most eyes in the crowd of thousands of participants will be on Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

He's the wild card whose previous comments about Israel have created some anxiety among many who will attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference this week in Washington.

Expect Trump's Republican rivals, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, to espouse standard conservative fare. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton probably will stick to well-known positions. Rival Bernie Sanders  a Vermont senator who is trying to become the first Jewish candidate to win a major party's presidential nomination  is skipping the event.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during the Palm Beach County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Sunday, March 20, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Much like the American electorate at large, the pro-Israel community in the United States is anything but monolithic, and this year's conference appears set to highlight those different constituencies, including socially liberal Democratic Jews, establishment Republican Jews, and conservative evangelical Christians.

In a broad sense, all the candidates confirmed to speak on Monday fall into one of those categories. Except Trump  and therein lies the angst.

"Trump has said a lot of things about Israel over the years, most of it favorable but some of it more ambiguous," said Josh Block, a former AIPAC official who now heads The Israel Project. "This will be an opportunity to address the ambiguity before a serious foreign policy audience."

AIPAC bills itself as nonpartisan and has never endorsed a candidate. Yet the organization has delved into highly partisan political debates over issues of interest to Israel, most recently and notably the Iran nuclear deal, which it vehemently opposed. In that, it is at odds with ardent deal supporters Clinton and Sanders, and to a certain degree, with Kasich, the lone Republican who has not said he would automatically rescind the pact.

Trump and Cruz have promised, if elected, to rip up the agreement.

Beyond that, Cruz has pledged absolute support for Israel, but Trump has been far from clear on how he would approach matters of deep concern to pro-Israel voters.

Unlike Cruz, the real estate mogul and reality TV star has not said he would move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a perennial Republican campaign promise, and, unlike Cruz, he has said he will be neutral as a negotiator in trying to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Cruz's campaign website features an entire section on Israel; Trump's does not address it all.

On Mideast peace talks, Trump says: "You understand a lot of people have gone down in flames trying to make that deal. So I don't want to say whose fault it is  I don't think that helps." He also put off calls to clarify his position on the status of Jerusalem.

Trump said Sunday on ABC TV's "This Week" he will lay out his ideas for a peace deal in Monday's speech.

By contrast, Cruz is unabashedly pro-Israel and he called for Secretary of State John Kerry's resignation over what he considered anti-Israel bias. "A Cruz administration will on day one recognize Jerusalem as the eternal, undivided capital of Israel and the U.S. Embassy will be moved to Israel's capital city," Cruz says on his website.

Clinton, meanwhile, has a long history in the Middle East, including overseeing as secretary of state the Obama administration's first attempt to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace with former Sen. George Mitchell as envoy. Her stance against Jewish settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians has been criticized by some in the pro-Israel community, but she has been received warmly by pro-Israel groups in the past, not least because she has a track record.

Trump, on the other hand, has something of a checkered record with pro-Israel Republicans. He drew boos last year from the Republican Jewish Coalition when he refused to take a stance on the embassy location and further raised eyebrows by using what many consider to be offensive stereotypes in moments of attempted levity. Similar remarks will not be welcomed at the AIPAC conference.

In addition, as they have done nationally, Trump's positions on immigration and Muslims and his apparent vacillation on support he is getting from figures known for anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric have caused concern among AIPAC members. And, as with other communities, comparisons of Trump to Hitler and Mussolini have clouded their impressions.

Some have announced they will protest Trump, if not by disrupting his speech by walking out. Others have said the speech will be an important opportunity to hear Trump explain his views. The debate has played out in dramatic fashion since AIPAC issued its invitations and candidates began responding to them.

South Florida Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin is among a group of about 40 rabbis that plans to boycott Trump's address Monday evening, saying his appearance "poses political, moral, and even spiritual quandaries."

"We have been urging rabbis to simply not attend the Trump speech  to let our absence be felt and noted," Salkin wrote in a column for the Religious News Service last week. "Sometimes, you just have to scream  even silently."

Then there are those who believe the speech will be an important opportunity to hear Trump explain his views, no matter how much they may disagree, and stay on good terms with a viable candidate for the highest office in the land.

"It's important that the lobby keep itself on decent terms with whatever powers govern in Washington," commentator J.J. Goldberg wrote in the Jewish newspaper The Forward.

Writing in Time magazine, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt defended AIPAC's decision to invite the presidential candidates, including Trump, to speak. But Greenblatt also announced that his group will redirect money in the amount of Trump's contributions over the years to its No Place for Hate anti-bias education program, which addresses "exactly the kind of stereotyping and scapegoating he has injected into this political season."

"Even as the campaign has surfaced ugly rhetoric, we can reach higher," he wrote, calling on other Jewish groups to support similar initiatives.

The campaign battles will certainly continue no matter what the candidates say at the conference. But Trump's speech, in particular, will be dissected for months to come for clues on his views.
Boris Johnson refloats idea of Thames Estuary airport

Boris Johnson has attempted to resurrect the possibility of a new airport in the Thames Estuary.

The so-called Boris Island scheme was officially rejected by the Government-appointed Airports Commission in September 2014.

But the mayor of London's office has published a report which claims a four-runway hub either in the Thames Estuary or at an expanded Stansted Airport in Essex is the only way to secure the number of new routes required to boost the UK economy.

Boris Johnson believes an airport in the east of the capital would offer around double the number of long haul and domestic routes served by Heathrow

Mr Johnson believes a hub in the east of the capital would offer around double the number of long haul and domestic routes served by Heathrow while exposing 95% fewer people to significant aircraft noise.

He s aid: "If we are to secure the connectivity we need to support our future growth and prosperity - and do so without dire impacts on public health - then we must do better than Heathrow."

The Government is assessing whether to back expansion at Heathrow - the Airports Commission's recommended option - or Gatwick.

The 78-page document produced by the mayor's office - entitled Landing The Right Airport - says a four-runway hub would serve 114 daily long haul routes in 2050, compared with 75 at a three-runway Heathrow.

A report prepared for the commission warned that the estuary plan posed a "significant cost and risk to the taxpayer".

But the mayor's chief adviser on aviation, Daniel Moylan, told the Press Association the burden on taxpayers of a third runway at Heathrow would not be "very much lower" than the cost of a new airport.

He said an estuary airport would cost around 20 billion to 25 billion - with an additional 25 billion required for road and rail connections - while a third runway at Heathrow is estimated to cost 18.6 billion.

The mayor's report calculated that the surface access improvements required to enable Heathrow to expand without "significant consequences" for congestion and crowding would be more than four times the figure estimated by the Airports Commission, at up to 20 billion.

The commission did not take into account necessary schemes such as a direct rail link between the west London airport and Waterloo station or the cost of maintaining new roads and tunnels up to 2050, according to the mayor's office.

Mr Johnson said: "We need a long-term vision for the right airport that sustains our economy and safeguards our public health. I would urge Government not to turn its back on our future."

Asked about the probability of the estuary airport going ahead, Mr Moylan said the likelihood of "closing down" Heathrow expansion as an option "is quite high".

He added: "After that, everything is up for grabs."
Prince Harry visits earthquake-hit area after welcome from five virgins

Prince Harry has seen for himself the earthquake damaged suffered by some of Kathmandu's world famous historic sites as he was welcomed to the city - by five virgins.

The prince was given a tour of Durbar Square in the heart of the Nepalese capital city's old town, and even tried his hand at wood carving restoration work.

But when he first arrived at the popular tourist attraction he was greeted by the group representing the Panchakanya - the five virgins of Hindu myth.

Prince Harry receives flowers as he arrives at Patan Durbar Square to visit Kathmandu's historic Unesco World Heritage Site

The group of five young women - a lucky number in Nepalese culture - with their status as virgins representing purity, greeted their special guest with gifts of flowers and placed a garland of marigolds around his neck.

Signs of the devastating earthquake which claimed almost 9,000 lives in Nepal last April could be seen across the site of ancient temples, courtyards and towers dating back centuries.

Props supported the walls of many of the intricately carved wooden and brick buildings while piles of neatly stacked bricks marked the spot where walls or other monuments had collapsed.

Harry accepted the women's gifts with a smile before heading off for a tour of the area designated a Unesco World Heritage site.

Alisha Awale, 18, one of the five women who welcomed the prince, said: ''I've seen him before on television, I was really excited about meeting him and was wondering what he would be like.

''We freaked out when he was in front of us but it was a really happy moment. We welcome him with open hearts to Nepal and hope he enjoys his visit.''

Harry is on a five-day trip to Nepal which he hopes will ''shine a light'' on the country as it rebuilds after the earthquake.

His tour of Durbar Square in Kathmandu's Patan district gave the prince the chance to see the restoration work already begun on the monuments and he even tried his hand at wood carving.

When he joined some craftsmen quietly fashioning pieces of wood he looked at their handiwork and said: ''I did carving at school years ago but nothing like this.''

Sitting on the floor with the men, Harry watched closely as he was shown what to do but joked about his lack of skill: ''I can't do it, not many people can. I am showing how hard it is to do this - wow.''

When someone told him how much at ease he appeared on the ground, he quipped: ''Ten years in the Army, you learn to sit anywhere.''

Harry was left in awe of the magnificent Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex, named in honour of the monkey god, Hanuman, with its impressive galleried courtyards, featuring beautiful carvings.

Much of the monument was built by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century but a 1934 earthquake which struck Nepal destroyed a large amount of the structure.

Harry's appearance caught the attention of local school girls who screamed his name and he waved back and smiled.

He stopped to speak to several groups of tourists, asking one family: 'Why Nepal, why have you come here? Well done, it's so, so important to encourage people to come back. Why wouldn't you come back here? It's beautiful."

Among those he spoke to was Ciaran Ciarans who was in the square with young members of his family.

Mr Ciarans, who is working for the Red Cross, said: "He's right, when I came out here in October there was hardly anyone here. They so badly need the tourists to come back."

During his tour of Durbar Square's many courtyards and temples Harry made a traditional offering of a lit candle to a statue of Buddha at one of Kathmandu's holiest sites.

The prince lit a large candle, or lamp, in a metal cup and handed it to a priest guarding the icon at the 600-year-old Golden Temple. The offering of a burning lamp symbolises the impermanence of life.

When he arrived Harry was greeted by the temple's chief abbot, 94-year-old Turtha Raj Shakya, who gave him a gift of an orange holy scarf decorated with eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism.

Already wearing a garland of orange flowers given to him by the five young women, the prince said: "Orange is the colour of the day."

He was then taken into the tiny main courtyard of the temple, no bigger than half a tennis court, in which stood a large pagoda-style shrine as well as the shrine of the Buddha - covered in gold leaf, giving the temple its name.

As the prince stooped through a low doorway to enter the courtyard, he looked around him and said "Wow".

Local conservationist Anil Chitraker showed him around the building, explaining the significance of prayer wheels, bronze statues of monkeys and elephants that relate to stories told by the Buddha, and the importance of the temple itself, which serves as a religious and community hub for 5,000 people.

After lighting the lamp, the prince gave it to Sujan Shakya, 32, one of two priests guarding the shrine of the Buddha.

The chief priest, or baphaca, in the temple is 10-year-old Sumit Shakya, who is serving one month as guardian of the shrine. Tradition dictates that the job must always be done by a boy aged under 12, who must not leave the temple for the month that he is in charge.

The temple was built in 1409 on the site of a 12th century Buddhist monastery, and only survived last year's earthquake because of just-completed work to replace all of its rotting wooden beams.

After leaving the temple the Prince was taken into a public square behind it, where he met some of the 800 people who were given food and shelter by the temple's worshippers after their homes were destroyed by the earthquake.

He told one group: "Community spirit all over the world is forgotten. People are on their phones and so on, but when an earthquake happens it shows that the community spirit is still there."

Mr Chitraker said of the lamp-lighting ceremony: "In the Buddhist tradition, all this knowledge needs to spread, so when you light one lamp with the other lamp it symbolises how knowledge and wisdom spreads around the world.

"The butter that is being used to fuel the lamp ultimately runs out so it also symbolises the impermanence of life."

He went on: "The earthquake was devastating, so between the palace he has seen and the Golden Temple, it shows how a 2,600-year-old institution established by Buddha comes to life when there is a disaster.

"The people pooled their food, they pooled their fuel, they cooked for 800 people at the same time and they took care of their houses. Five days after the earthquake some people were already moving back into their houses."

Locals take photographs of the prince

Harry is greeted with a garland and a tilak (a mark placed on the forehead as a sign of respect)

Prince Harry visits the Red Cross pre-prepaidness Containers at Bhaktapur

Harry attempts wood carving in Patan Durbar Square

Prince Harry meets Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Harry speaks to locals

The prince enters Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, know locally as the Golden Temple

He looks at prayer wheels inside the temple

Prince Harry signs a visitors book inside the Hiranya Varna Mahavihar
Italy rescues 910 boat migrants, nearly 600 saved off Libya

MILAN/TRIPOLI, March 19 (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.
Exiled Tibetans to elect leader to sustain Dalai Lama legacy

By Abhishek Madhukar and Rupam Jain

DHARAMSALA/NEW DELHI, March 18 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of exiled Tibetans across India and overseas will vote on Sunday to elect a political leader, hoping the democratic exercise will help sustain their struggle to secure complete autonomy for Chinese-ruled Tibet.

The second election of its kind follows a decision by the Dalai Lama, the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate, to relinquish his political authority and vest it in a democratic system that could outlive him.

Concern about the globetrotting spiritual leader's health, after his admission to a U.S. hospital this year for treatment, has reinforced the importance of the vote to keeping the issue of Tibet alive.

The "Sikyong", or elected leader, will be solely responsible for political and diplomatic decisions, as the charismatic monk steps back from the limelight amid uncertainty over how his successor will be chosen.

Tibetan Buddhism holds that the soul of a senior lama is reincarnated in the body of a child after he dies. China says it must sign off on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 after a failed uprising.

"Even if China tries to select the next Dalai Lama, the Tibetans will continue to have an elected leader who is outside the Communist Party's grip," said P.D. Mukherji, professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

The contest will decide who leads the parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala, a town in India's Himalayan foothills where a community of Tibetans lives in exile with the Dalai Lama.

"China will see that CTA is going to stay here for a long time and the Tibetan freedom struggle will be here for a long time," incumbent Lobsang Sangay, who is seeking re-election, told Reuters.

Exiled Tibetans consider the CTA to be their legitimate government, but no country recognises it. China has lobbied to sideline the Dalai Lama from the international circuit, although he did address an audience in Geneva last week despite those efforts.

FREEDOM STRUGGLE

The elected leader will have to rally global support for Tibet's campaign for freedom, strengthen ties with India and discourage self-immolation by refugees when protesting against Beijing's ironclad control of the Himalayan region.

This month, a Tibetan schoolboy died in India after setting himself on fire to protest against Chinese rule in Tibet.

Sangay and his opponent, Penpa Tsering, both favour the "middle way" propagated by the Dalai Lama for more than 50 years that advocates non-violence while seeking autonomy for Tibet.

Representatives of the Dalai Lama held several rounds of talks with China up to 2010, but formal dialogue stalled amid leadership changes in Beijing and a security crackdown in Tibet.

One candidate who called for independence from China lost in preliminary elections held in 2015, as voters felt that opposition to Beijing would only undercut international support for, and weaken the economic condition of, exiled Tibetans.

Asked to comment on the leadership election, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing did not recognise the "so-called government in exile".
Trump candidacy stirs alliance angst in Japan

By Linda Sieg

TOKYO, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump's portrayal of Japan as a free-rider on security is stirring worries in Tokyo about damage to its U.S. alliance, and could embolden hardliners keen to bolster Japan's military in the face of a rising China.

The U.S.-Japan alliance has been the lynchpin of Tokyo's security policy for decades, but worries have simmered in recent years as to whether Washington will continue to be willing and able to defend its key Asian ally.

Comments from the Republican Party frontrunner have done little to allay those fears.

"If somebody attacks Japan, we have to immediately go and start World War III, okay? If we get attacked, Japan doesn't have to help us," Trump said at a campaign speech late last year. "Somehow, that doesn't sound so fair."

Trump has also accused Japan of stealing jobs and criticised the U.S.-led 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact that Tokyo sees as vital for strategic as well as economic reasons.

"If you listen to his comments (on security), the United States would become isolated so I think there is great anxiety for allied countries," Itsunori Onodera, who served as defence minister under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, told Reuters.

Last year, Abe spent considerable political capital enacting controversial legislation that allows Japan's military to defend friendly countries under attack, a major reinterpretation of the country's pacifist constitution.

"It is incumbent on Japan to protect itself and its defence is necessary for the alliance to be maintained in the best possible posture," said a source close to Abe.

OUTDATED VISION

Abe also wants to formally revise the post-war charter to further loosen limits on military action overseas.

"Most people consider Trump bad news, but for those who want to revise the constitution and strengthen the military, it actually provides a boost for their position," said a former Western diplomat still in touch with Japanese policymakers.

As host to around 50,000 U.S. troops, Japan is vital to Washington's "rebalance" of its economic and security focus to the Asia-Pacific region.

Trump did not respond to requests for comments about the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Both Washington and Tokyo are alarmed by China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Beijing has territorial rows with several Southeast Asian nations. Japan has a separate dispute with China over tiny islands in the East China Sea.

Like many Trump observers around the world, Japanese policy makers at first watched with amusement and then disbelief as the reality TV star and property tycoon garnered growing momentum.

Only in recent weeks have they begun taking Trump's chances seriously and are now scrambling to find out who is advising him on security, another government source said.

Japanese policymakers have not geared up specifically to counter what they see as his misleading rhetoric, which seems to hark back to an outdated 1980s vision of Japan, the source close to Abe said.

"I think it's too early. Number one, he has not made it known even to the American voters whom he counts on as far as foreign policy goals," the source said, adding they expected Trump would change if elected. "We are fully aware campaign rhetoric is dramatically different from real policies pursued by incumbents."

For now, though, Japanese government insiders say they are betting that if Trump becomes the Republican nominee and goes on to win the Nov. 8 presidential election, he would surround himself with experts who would draft more realistic policies.
Benin rivals face off in hotly contested presidential run-off

COTONOU, March 20 (Reuters) - Voters in Benin cast ballots on Sunday in a run-off election that pitted outgoing President Thomas Boni Yayi's hand-picked successor against his former ally turned political rival in a highly competitive race.

By relinquishing power after serving two terms in office, Boni Yayi stands in contrast to leaders in other African nations, including Burundi, Rwanda and Congo Republic, who have altered their constitutions in order to extend their rule.

Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou, a former economist and investment banker backed by both Boni Yayi and the main opposition Democratic Renewal Party, won a March 6 first round of voting with 28.4 percent of ballots.

He faces Patrice Talon, a businessman and powerful figure in the West African nation's cornerstone cotton sector, who garnered 24.8 percent of first-round votes.

Early turnout for the polls was light as many voters were in church for Palm Sunday services. Security forces were deployed near polling stations and few problems were reported early on.

"I am happy that everything is calm in Benin. I'm confident everything will be fine. Democracy is working," said Paul Abjibi, shortly after voting in Abomey-Calavi, a town just outside the commercial capital Cotonou.

There was no clear front-runner in the poll, and campaigning centred largely on how to best revive the economy, which is flagging in part due to falling oil prices that have hit its neighbour and largest trading partner Nigeria.

Civil society groups denounced both candidates' campaigns on Friday for allegedly distributing cash in an attempt to buy votes.
British minister who quit over austerity cuts says they are divisive

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - A senior British minister who resigned on Friday said vulnerable working age people were unfairly carrying the burden of deficit reduction, belying the prime minister's claim that austerity was being shared by all.

Iain Duncan Smith, who quit his post of work and pensions secretary over changes to disability welfare payments, said he had come under "massive pressure" to cut welfare budgets as part of a "desperate search for savings" ahead of Finance Minister George Osborne's budget statement last week.

Duncan Smith denied speculation that his resignation was triggered by his position on Europe, where his desire for Britain to leave the European Union pits him against Prime Minister David Cameron and Osborne.

He told the BBC that juxtaposing welfare changes against tax cuts for the wealthy in the budget was damaging to Cameron's Conservative party and to the country.

"That is deeply unfair and was perceived to be unfair," he said in his first interview since he resigned.

"And that unfairness is damaging to the government, it's damaging to the party and it's actually damaging to the country," he said on Sunday.

Cameron and Osborne's flagship policy of reducing Britain's budget deficit was being pursued at the expense of some of the poorest in society, he said.

"(The government) has become too focused on narrowly getting the deficit down without being able to say where that should fall other than simply on those who I think can less afford to have that fall on them," he said on the Andrew Marr show.

"I think it is in danger of drifting in a direction that divides society rather than unites it, and that I think is unfair."

He said he considered resigning a year ago, and had felt increasingly "isolated" in a government "losing the narrative that the Conservative Party was this one nation party caring for those who don't even necessarily vote for it".
Britain's Prince Harry meets survivors of Nepal earthquake

By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU, March 20 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry, on a four-day tour of Nepal, visited centuries-old heritage sites on Sunday devastated by earthquakes last year and met some survivors, many of whom are still living in makeshift shelters.

Nearly 9,000 people were killed, 22,000 injured and close to a million homes were destroyed in the tiny Himalayan country in two earthquakes in April and May last year.

Tens of thousands of survivors are still living in huts made from tin sheets and tarpaulin as reconstruction has been delayed by political bickering over a new constitution.

"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," Harry said at a government reception celebrating 200 years of ties with Britain.

The 31-year-old prince, who is fifth in line to the British throne, visited the Patan Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, near capital Kathmandu, to see damage to an ancient royal palace and surrounding temples due to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on April 25. The second, 7.3 magnitude quake struck on May 12.

The restoration of monuments is going on with traditional craft skills like wood-carving and gilding. He also visited some artisans working at the site.

Later Harry travelled to the temple town of Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu, and visited a pre-positioning site for quake emergency supplies - shelter kits, water and sanitation equipment - and met survivors at a camp for displaced families.

Since arriving in Nepal on Saturday, Harry has met with Nepal's first woman president, Vidhya Devi Bhandari, and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
Kenya says its forces kill 34 al Shabaab fighters in Somalia

MOGADISHU, March 20 (Reuters) - Kenyan troops killed 34 al Shabaab militants in two separate incidents on Saturday and Sunday in Somalia and two of its own soldiers were killed in an ambush, a military spokesman said.

On Saturday, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) killed 21 of the insurgents in the southern town of Afmadow in the ambush in which the two soldiers died.

David Obonyo, spokesman for KDF, said in a statement that on Sunday, Kenyan troops killed a further 13 fighters just north of Ras Kamboni, also in southern Somalia.

"The KDF soldiers pursued them following information of an intended probe attack. Following the incident, a middle level al Shabaab commander has been detained, 13 militants were killed," Obonyo said, referring to a reconnoitre attack by al Shabaab.

"Regrettably, KDF suffered two fatalities and five injuries. The injured were evacuated and are receiving medical attention," he said of the incident on Saturday. An improvised explosive device also damaged one of the Kenyan army's vehicles, he said.

He said from the two incidents, KDF troops had recovered 27 AK 47 rifles, five rocket propelled grenades, a pistol, two PKM machine guns and ammunition.

Somalia's government is battling to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation after more than two decades of conflict. Al Shabaab ruled large parts of Somalia until 2011, when it was driven out of Mogadishu by African Union (AU) and Somali troops.

The militants, who aim to topple the Western-backed government, often inflate casualty numbers and downplay the number of their own fighters killed.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesman, told Reuters on Saturday their fighters had killed 12 soldiers in the Afmadow attack.

In January, Kenyan troops as part of the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM) took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border. No exact casualty figure has been given.
Zanzibar holds disputed re-run vote amid tight security

By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala

ZANZIBAR, March 20 (Reuters) - Tanzania's semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago went to the polls on Sunday amid tight security in a re-run of disputed elections that have been boycotted by the main opposition party.

Zanzibar's electoral authority annulled a previous ballot on Oct. 25 on grounds of fraud. The opposition Civic United Front (CUF) says it won those elections and it had warned of violence on the Indian Ocean islands if Sunday's ballot went ahead.

Polling stations closed at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) and election officials started counting the vote, a Reuters reporter said.

Zanzibar President Ali Mohamed Shein, who won in 2010 on the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party ticket with 50.1 percent of the vote, expressed confidence about the outcome.

"I expect to win with a landslide victory," he told reporters after casting his ballot.

The CUF urged its supporters to boycott the presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections in a move that could mean a shoo-in for the ruling CCM party.

CUF leader Seif Sharif Hamad, who opted to remain in Dar es Salaam while the elections were conducted in Zanzibar, said whoever is declared the winner of the re-run polls would lack legitimacy to rule the archipelago.

"Zanzibar will likely experience violence in the coming future after enjoying peace and tranquillity over the past five years," Hamad told reporters.

Other smaller opposition parties are taking part in the vote, but elections in Zanzibar are usually tight two-horse races between the CCM and CUF.

Security was tight around polling stations. Zanzibar elections have previously been marred by violence.

President Shein said the repeat elections were peaceful.

Asked to comment on the opposition CUF's decision not to take part in the polls, he said: "It's their decision ... they decided to boycott the elections. We have nothing to say."

Zanzibar authorities temporarily banned passenger ferry services between the semi-autonomous islands and mainland Tanzania on Sunday, in what officials said was a move aimed at making sure there were no disruptions to voting.

Zanzibar was rocked by post-election violence in 2001, resulting in the death of more than 35 people.

Shein stood in the previous polls against his main challenger, the CUF's Hamad, who has lost four elections since 1995 by narrow margins.
EU-Turkey deal could see Kurds moving to Germany en masse - German conservative

BERLIN, March 20 (Reuters) - A prominent figure in the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives said on Sunday a deal between the European Union and Turkey to halt illegal immigration to Europe could lead to Kurds heading to Germany en masse.

The deal agreed on Friday envisages Turkey taking back all illegal migrants who cross the Aegean Sea to Greece, while the EU accepts an equal number of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and gives the Turks funds, visa-free travel rights and accelerated EU membership negotiations.

"It could ultimately lead to more immigration, especially if you take visa freedom into account. Many, many Kurds fleeing the Turkish government could come to Germany," Markus Soeder, a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and finance minister for the state of Bavaria, told German public broadcaster ZDF.

The Turkish government has banned the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast and is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

CSU leader Horst Seehofer told newspaper Bild am Sonntag the deal between the EU and Turkey was "not a breakthrough, but rather an intermediate step on the way to a sustainable European solution" and added there was a danger of Germany bearing the greatest burden for taking in refugees again.
Defiant Bosnian Serbs honour Karadzic before Hague genocide verdict

By Daria Sito-Sucic

PALE, Bosnia, March 20 (Reuters) - Bosnian Serb officials opened a student dormitory on Sunday named after their wartime leader Radovan Karadzic in a show of defiance before he faces Thursday's verdict on alleged genocide during the Bosnian war.

Karadzic was the first president of the self-declared Bosnian Serb Republic, which the Bosnian Serbs tried to carve out of Bosnia and link to Serbia during the 1992-95 war. It survives as an autonomous part of Bosnia under the United States-brokered Dayton peace accords that ended the war.

The United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague will hand down its verdict on 11 counts of genocide and war crimes allegedly committed by Karadzic during a war in which 100,000 people were killed.

"We dedicated this dormitory to a man who is without doubt one of the founders of the Republika Srpska, to Mr Radovan Karadzic," said Milorad Dodik, the Serb Republic nationalist president, while opening the dormitory in Karadzic's wartime stronghold of Pale along with Karadzic's wife and daughter.

Dodik, who has repeatedly threatened the secession of the Serb region from Bosnia, said the moment was "strongly symbolic" and chosen ahead of the Karadzic verdict after a five-year trial that he said was "humiliating for the Serb Republic".

"We see that this is selective justice, that it's not the justice for all parties, that it is directed against one people and its representatives," Dodik told students, teachers and local officials who gathered for the event.

A sleepy mountainous village before the war, Pale grew into a town after Karadzic set up his headquarters there and brought his supporters from Sarajevo during the 43-month siege of the capital by his forces, during which about 11,500 people died.

He is widely seen as the mastermind behind the Bosnian Serb campaign of ethnic cleansing that forced two million people from their homes and led to thousands being held, tortured and raped in detention camps.

Milos Milisic, the president of the Serb Republic's Student Union, said the name of the dormitory "Dr. Radovan Karadzic" was not important to students.

"The students could not influence (the name), they were not authorised and did not interfere in naming it," Milisic told Reuters. "It means nothing to us. For us, the most important thing is the dorms have been opened."

But for some, such as journalism student Bobana Djevres, the name is well-deserved.

"I think that Karadzic was the most responsible for the creation of the Republika Srpska and for making this town a university centre," Djevres said.

She expects a positive verdict for him on Thursday.

"After all, he is ours, but the law will make a judgment."
Bangladesh gets FBI help on bank heist, cyber expert missing

By Serajul Quadir

DHAKA, March 20 (Reuters) - Bangladesh police met an official of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Dhaka on Sunday to try to track down culprits in an attempted $951 million cyber heist from the country's central bank.

Initial investigations aim to identify the origin of a transfer order for $81 million that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York paid from Bangladesh Bank's account there to casinos in the Philippines, a senior police official told reporters.

The transfer, one of the largest cyber heists in history, was among 35 requests that unknown hackers made for payments from the bank's New York Fed account in early February.

Other requested transfers from that account, which Dhaka uses for international settlements, were apparently blocked.

Former finance secretary Fazle Kabir took over on Sunday as head of the central bank after the former governor Atiur Rehman resigned amid complaints from the government that it had only learned of the heist a month later from the media.

Also on Sunday, the wife of a cyber crime expert reported he had disappeared after being abducted from a motor rickshaw in the early hours of last Thursday. He had met police on Tuesday and told the media he knew three user IDs used for the heist.

Senior police official Mirza Abdullahel Baqui said after meeting the FBI official that criminals in six countries were apparently involved in the heist.

"This is the biggest transnational organised crime ever seen in Bangladesh and so we sought both technical and human assistance (from the FBI)," he said.

The officials also discussed how to proceed with their investigation, he added.

A government investigative committee led by former central bank governor Mohammad Farash Uddin began its probe into the heist on Sunday. "This is a wake-up call," he said of the unprecedented breach in the bank's computer security.

A Philippines Senate hearing last week was told that $30 million of the $81 million haul was delivered in cash to an ethnic Chinese casino junket operator in Manila. The rest was transferred to two casinos in the Philippines.

According to his wife, cyber crime expert Tanveer Hassan Zoha was blindfolded by unknown people in plainclothes early on Thursday before being taken away in a vehicle.

He had gone on Tuesday with a special police force to the central bank where they spent several hours. Afterwards, he told reporters he knew three of the user IDs involved in the heist.

Kamrun Nahar Chowdhury, Zoha's wife, said police had refused to investigate her husband's disappearance and she had appealed to the government for help to free him. Police were unavailable for comment.
Colombia's ELN rebels free soldier hostage

BOGOTA, March 20 (Reuters) - Colombia's second-largest rebel group has freed a soldier hostage held for more than six weeks, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Sunday, meeting a government condition for the start of peace talks.

The National Liberation Army, or ELN, released Jair de Jesus Villar to representatives of the ICRC and the Roman Catholic Church, the humanitarian organization said in a statement.

Villar was captured by the guerrillas on February 3 and was being held in rural Antioquia province.

The 2,000-strong ELN has been conducting exploratory talks with the Colombian government, but President Juan Manuel Santos has repeatedly said formal negotiations would not begin until Villar and a civilian hostage were freed.

Civilian Ramon Jose Cabrales, from eastern Norte de Santander province, has been held by the group for more than six months.
India is a strange country. At one time all one needed to prove loyalty or affinity was to wear a costume, mention a genealogy, talk about any affinity to place. Place has mnemonics, a spiritual resonance which space did not have. Today, however, things have become different. We have a new set of rituals.

There are not the old rites of passage where traditional societies had rites of manhood or sacred thread ceremonies. These are tests, but like IIT entrance exams, which one has to pass with regular frequency. Today we have patriotism tests where loyalty has to be certified for ethic, marginal and dissenters. The new opposition is between loyalty and sedition. It replaces the old one between citizen and refugee.

Dissenters

Beyond loyalty tests, there is the branding or marking of dissenters by condemning them to a neither-land called the train to Pakistan. Today the train to Pakistan is a fictitious entity, a device which conveys or marks dissenters as non-belonging, out of India, moving towards Pakistan but belonging to neither place.

A train to Pakistan today is an act of labelling. When the distinguished Kannada author, UR Ananthamurthy, said he would not like to live in a Modi-ruled India, Giriraj Kishore immediately put him on the train to Pakistan. It is the one train that needs no waiting, no reservations for dissenters, there is a perpetual tatkal. Dissent facilitates an efficiency of disposal from bureaucratic states which are otherwise slothful.

Khushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan.

The very idea of the train to Pakistan sends one down memory lane. Firstly, the idea of the train and the metaphor of the journey is a poetic one. Trains have dominated the cinematic landscape and in fact one cannot think of movies without trains. But the train to Pakistan is a significantly poignant memory. Mention it and one thinks of the Partition, of the exodus of refugees from both sides. One thinks of the train to Pakistan as a reciprocity of murder and rape.

In fact, it has become such a significant fiction, that people even internalise the memories of their parents and grandparents.

Years ago while doing fieldwork I remember the political scientist, Chandrika Parmar, talking of a businessman, a manufacturer of effluent treatment plants talking of travelling on a train from Lahore to Amritsar. He talked of hiding in the bathroom watching the killings. He talked in copious and impressive detail. It took the interrogator six interviews before she discovered that the informant had internalised the memories of his father. He was a child during the Partition and he and his mother had crossed the border several months before this event.

Silence

In a literary sense the train to Pakistan immediately evokes two major writers. First, Manto and of course, Khushwant Singh.

In Manto's stories, the very silence, the taken for granted was evocative. One of his stories begins with the sentence that the train from Lahore to Amritsar was five hours late. A simple sentence denoting a length of time. Yet it captured worlds of understanding. Readers knew that the journey was of half an hour.

They knew that the delay meant murder and mayhem. Manto did not have to describe the goriness of violence. All he needed was a simple statement that provided a trigger to memory a mnemonic that unleashed memories of holocaust still waiting to be unravelled.

As legendary as Manto was Khushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan, a legendary novel which was also produced as a major movie. Singh shows that the train had become a reified memory of pain. In the earlier part of the novel he talks of the role of the train in the everydayness of memory.

The driver always insisted on pressing the siren as he passed the village. The train was also time-keeper to the crucial rituals of the society. The Muslim priest, he had an hour to go after the siren for prayers to begin and the Hindu priest realised rituals would begin an hour after the Muezzin. This easy rhythm of train gets frozen as a carrier of innocent victims between Lahore and Amritsar.

Memory

Today the Partition and its history might seem distant but its memories are alive, glowing like tired embers in Punjab and Bengal. In fact, the memory today has become a floating metaphor, a floating signifier for displacement, exile and mayhem. The train to Pakistan is a list like the ship of fools during the medieval era. Regimes did not know how to classify mad people. Madness was a liminal, intermediate category.

As it was not classifiable it was not locatable. Mad people could not live on land. They were therefore put on ships and sent out to sea. As a result we have the idea of the ship of fools.

Train to Pakistan evokes similar memories. The train is now the home of dissenters, anti-nationals, people you don't agree with. Today, it is not just an object of condemnation. It has become a precious category, a place where dissenters feel at home. I would love to be on this new train to Pakistan and I was thinking of all the dissenting intellectuals, marginal, writers, protesters who I would enjoy the journey with. The train to Pakistan is what I wish to propose as a toast to every country. Bon voyage.
Kashmir Valley with neighbouring areas is witnessing heavy rains and, at many places, snowfall and snowstorms for the past few days causing flash floods in some parts of the region. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar: The Indian Army on Sunday located and pulled out the frozen lifeless body of Sepoy Vijay Kumar from 15ft deep snow, after three days of exhaustive search operations in Kargil. The army jawan along with another soldier was swept away by an avalanche in frontier Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week.

Rescue teams of the Army on the third day of a gruelling search operation, managed to recover the mortal remains of Sepoy Vijay Kumar K from under twelve feet of snow, defence spokesman Lt. Col. N.N. Joshi said. He added the search operation continued for three days despite adverse weather conditions and up to 15 feet of snow accumulated in the area of avalanche occurrence. Avalanche rescue dogs, deep penetration radars and metal detectors were also pressed into service in the rescue operation.

The victim was a resident of Vallaramapuram village of Thirunelvelli district of Tamil Nadu and is survived by his parents and two younger sisters. Army is in the process of evacuating his mortal remains from the area after which they will be moved to his native place where the cremation ceremony will take place with full military honours, the defence spokesman said. Lt. Gen. DS Hooda, Army Commander (Northern Command) has expressed his deep condolences to the family of Sepoy Kumar.

vijgd Sepoy Vijay Kumar's mortal remains were retrieved by the Indian army

At 10.45 pm on March 17, an avalanche triggered by a mild earthquake hit an Army post at an altitude of 17,500 feet above sea level close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil sector. Sepoy Kumar was along with another soldier Sujit on surveillance duty in the area. Both were swept away by the avalanche and while Sepoy Surjit was rescued by a team of Army rescuers early next day, sepoy Kumar was missing since. Defence spokesman said that sepoy Sujit is stable and recovering at a nearby hospital.

On February 3, nine Army soldiers including a junior commissioned officer were buried alive when a huge wall of frost and snow crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier, smothering a vast area which also had an Army camp located on it in the southern side of the area at a height of 19,600 feet in eastern Ladakh. A tenth soldier Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, a resident of Betadur village in Dharwad district of Karnataka, was miraculously pulled out alive from an arctic tent buried under 25 feet of frost and snow though in critical condition by the rescuers on February 8, six days after the incident. But he too died in Army's Research and Referral Hospital three days later.

Meanwhile, J&K police has rescued eleven families of civilians in neighbouring Ganderbal district after landslides triggered by incessant rains in the area hit their houses on Sunday. Kashmir Valley with neighbouring areas is witnessing heavy rains and, at many places, snowfall and snowstorms for the past few days causing flash floods in some parts of the region.

A police statement issued here on Sunday said that a retaining wall at village Rangil in Ganderbal district collapsed, damaging two nearby residential houses. In another incident a major landslide hit half a dozen houses in village Wanyarm Wangth of the same district. The police rescuers evacuated eleven families from these areas to safer locations, it said.

The authorities have issued avalanche and mudslide warnings for several places in the districts of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipore, Kargil, Anantnag, Shopian and Kulgam of the state. People have been advised to remain indoors in avalanche prone areas of the districts where as school in some parts of the State have been closed till further orders as a precautionary measure, officials said.

The vital Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed for the fourth day on Sunday, disrupting supplies of essentials including petroleum products to the Valley. Also, dozens of passenger vehicles and trucks have been stranded en route. The Srinagar-Kargil highway is also closed due to hostile weather conditions.
The second election of its kind follows a decision by the Dalai Lama, the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate, to relinquish his political authority and vest it in a democratic system that could outlive him. (Photo: AP)

Dharmsala: Tens of thousands of exiled Tibetans across India and overseas will vote on Sunday to elect a political leader, hoping the democratic exercise will help sustain their struggle to secure complete autonomy for Chinese-ruled Tibet.

The second election of its kind follows a decision by the Dalai Lama, the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate, to relinquish his political authority and vest it in a democratic system that could outlive him. Concern about the globetrotting spiritual leader's health, after his admission to a U.S. hospital this year for treatment, has reinforced the importance of the vote to keeping the issue of Tibet alive.

The "Sikyong", or elected leader, will be solely responsible for political and diplomatic decisions, as the charismatic monk steps back from the limelight amid uncertainty over how his successor will be chosen. Tibetan Buddhism holds that the soul of a senior lama is reincarnated in the body of a child after he dies. China says it must sign off on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 after a failed uprising.

"Even if China tries to select the next Dalai Lama, the Tibetans will continue to have an elected leader who is outside the Communist Party's grip," said P.D. Mukherji, professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

The contest will decide who leads the parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala, a town in India's Himalayan foothills where a community of Tibetans lives in exile with the Dalai Lama. "China will see that CTA is going to stay here for a long time and the Tibetan freedom struggle will be here for a long time," incumbent Lobsang Sangay, who is seeking re-election, told Reuters.

Exiled Tibetans consider the CTA to be their legitimate government, but no country recognises it. China has lobbied to sideline the Dalai Lama from the international circuit, although he did address an audience in Geneva last week despite those efforts.

Freedom Struggle

The elected leader will have to rally global support for Tibet's campaign for freedom, strengthen ties with India and discourage self-immolation by refugees when protesting against Beijing's ironclad control of the Himalayan region. In March, a Tibetan schoolboy died in India after setting himself on fire to protest against Chinese rule in Tibet.

Sangay and his opponent, Penpa Tsering, both favour the "middle way" propagated by the Dalai Lama for more than 50 years that advocates non-violence while seeking autonomy for Tibet. Representatives of the Dalai Lama held several rounds of talks with China up to 2010, but formal dialogue stalled amid leadership changes in Beijing and a security crackdown in Tibet.

One candidate who called for independence from China lost in preliminary elections held in 2015, as voters felt that opposition to Beijing would only undercut international support for, and weaken the economic condition of, exiled Tibetans.

Asked to comment on the leadership election, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing did not recognise the "so-called government in exile".

"We hope that any country, especially those which want to have good relations with China, (does) not provide any convenience or platform to any so-called Tibet independence activities of anti-China separatists," Lu told a news briefing.
BENGALURU: Legislators of principal Opposition, BJP, have found another issue to haul the state government over the coals: measly allocation of funds in the budget presented on Friday for development of north Karnataka.

BJP MLAs and MLCs from Hyderabad Karnataka region expressed their displeasure about an insignificant increase of Rs 700 crore for improvement of the backward region. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has allocated Rs 3,000 crores, up from Rs 2,300 crore earmarked in the budget presented last year for developmental activities.

Mr Somanna Bevinamarada, MLC, told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Siddaramaiah has ignored development of Hyderabad Karnataka region.

He lamented the fact that the CM has not earmarked funds for Sarvajna Pradhikara, Abigara Choudaiah Pradhikara and Santa Shisunala Development Board. He alleged that the CM has not earmarked adequate funds for projects in the Krishna basin.

The CM has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for Hyderabad Karnataka regional development board, an amount similar to that earmarked in the previous budget.

Comparing the allocation for area development in 2015-16, Mr. Siddaramaiah has enhanced only Rs 55 crore this year. In 2015-16, he has allocated, Rs 1,761 crore, this year he has allocated Rs 1,816 cr for overall development program under planning and area development.

Mr. Siddarmaiah ignored the Malnad Aread Development, Bayalu Seeme Development Board and Karavali Abivrudhi Pradhikara in budget for 2016-17. He, however, has provided Rs 40 crore, Rs 35 crore and Rs 10 crore, respectively, in 2015-16 budget for these three boards.
Hyderabad: Minister K.T. Rama Rao was in his elements in the Legislative Assembly on Sunday, leading the ruling party from the front in the absence of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Legislative affairs minister T. Harish Rao from the House. While the CM skipped the House, Mr Harish Rao is in Delhi to attend an official programme.

While the entire Opposition joined hands to corner the government over drought and other issues, Mr Rama Rao came to the ruling partys rescue with his oratory skills.

Though senior ministers were present in the House, the combined Opposition led by K. Jana Reddy pushed the treasury benches into a defensive mode with their sharp remarks on government's failure to tackle the drought situation and to provide copies of Demands on Grants in advance to members.

Even as the treasury benches watched helplessly, Mr Rama Rao took the mike and launched a counterattack on the Opposition. He reminded how the TRS leaders had fought for compensation for farmers hit by Cyclone Nilam in 2012 and were laughed at.

Despite Seemandhra CMs openly discriminating against Telangana, you kept mum then to save your Cabinet posts. Its an irony that you are talking now about Telangana farmers, Mr Rama Rao said, adding that even other leaders did not bother to fight for the interests of Telangana farmers.

Siddipet civic Body polls on April 6

Following dismissal of petitions by the Hyderabad High Court, State Election Commissioner V. Nagireddy on Sunday announced the schedule for the Siddipet Municipal Council polls and fixed April 6 as the polling day.

Siddipet in Medak district, presently being represented by irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, will go for polls for 34 wards, comprising 88,982 voters. Under the revised rules, filing of nominations will begin from Monday (March 21) and end on Wednesday (March 23).

Scrutiny of papers will take place on Thursday (March 24) and withdrawal of nominations will end on Friday (March 25). Counting of votes will take place on April 11.
Mumbai: 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."

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Wisconsin: In a horrifying incident, a teenage girl has been arrested on the charges of brutally killing her parents and locking her sisters in a room and later fleeing from her home in Wisconsin, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

The 17-year-old Ashlee Martinson stabbed her mother, Jennifer Ayers 30 times, minutes after ruthlessly shooting her step-father, Thomas Ayers, Martinson's father was in a room upstairs while her mother was in the living room.

Reports say that Martinson's mother ran upstairs to the bedroom when she heard the gunshots. As her mother entered the bedroom, Martinson attacked her too. After killing her parents, she locked her three minor sisters in a room with some food and later fled the scene.

Martinson said that she ran away with her 22-year-old boyfriend, Ryan Sisco.

Ashlee Martinson and her boyfriend Ryan Sisco. (Photo: Facebook)

Martinson has been charged with first-degree homicide. She and her boyfriend were arrested from Boone County in Indiana.

Martinson's arrest came after probe led investigators to a 'horrific' blog that she operated. The blog titled 'Nightmare' revealed Martinson's abnormal behaviour and her gruesome thoughts on death and murder.

In her blog, she introduced herself as 'Vampchick'. She wrote a poem on March 2, 2015, on death which read, "Walking into a small cabin... Marveling at the sweet horrors of blood that I thirst for. I then take the next victim who in unconscious. I tightly bind them to a low table."

Martinson wrote the poem days before the death of her parents.

Her ghastly poem further read, "I clean the dry blood off my tools from a previous session" adding "I bend down as they start to wake. Welcome to hell. I whisper in her ear. Never again will you see the light of day."

Upon her arrest, Martinson told investigators that she had an argument with her parents when they tried to stop her from meeting her boyfriend.

Martinson and Sisco were arrested from Boone County, Indiana. (Photo: AP)

Martinson also revealed that initially she had considered committing suicide, but when her father got furious, she thought of killing him instead.

Investigations revealed that Martinson had a disturbed relationship with her parents.

Martinson is due to be sentenced on June 17 and upon conviction can face up to 120 years in prison.
Bruges, Belgium: 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.

Read: Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam arrested in Brussels

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.

Read: Obama congratulates Belgium, France over Paris suspect arrest

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.

Read: How Paris attacks prime suspect gave investigators a slip for so long

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.

Read: Next step for top Paris attacks suspect: extradition effort

I can already tell you that we will oppose his extradition, Mary told reporters however.

Sven Mary, lawyer for captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam, is surrounded by media as he leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on Saturday. (Photo: 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.

Read: Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam leaves Brussels hospital

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.

Salah Abdeslam suspected of being involved in the attacks that occurred on November 13 in Paris. (Photo: AFP)

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.

Read: Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam spends first night in jail

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.

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.

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. (Photo: AP)

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.

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.
Hundreds protested Donald Trump in New York and blocked a major road in the southwestern state of Arizona, where a demonstrator was punched and kicked at a rally.





The latest attempts by opponents to disrupt the campaign of the top US Republican White House hopeful resulted in a handful of arrests, police and witnesses said.



In Tucson, Arizona a protester with a sign showing Trump's face and the words "Bad For America," was kicked and punched by a member of the audience while being escorted out of the venue by security, video posted online by NBC showed.



The network reported that the audience member was handcuffed and taken away before being charged with assault with injury, according to police.



Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, demonstrators who gathered at Manhattan's Columbus Circle, near one of the billionaire real estate mogul's luxury buildings overlooking Central Park, shouted the slogan "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay."



Amid a considerable police presence, protesters held up signs that read "Deport Trump" and "Build a wall around Trump."



Also spotted in the crowd were placards which read "Don't let bigotry Trump our constitution" and "Will trade 1 Donald Trump for 25,000 refugees."



At least one person was arrested on the city's famous Fifth Avenue during a brief skirmish that was quickly brought under control by police.



The demonstration was organized by a group called Cosmopolitan Antifascists, with others joining in.



Ordinary New Yorkers turned out for the event, concerned by Trump's status as the clear frontrunner for the Republican party's nomination ahead of November's presidential elections.



Trump "is racist, he is sexist, he is homophobic, he is Islamophobic, xenophobic, he is a fascist. It has serious implication for the future of America," Patrick Waldo told AFP.



"If we start closing our borders to some people based on their religious beliefs, that is completely unconstitutional... we start going to a World War II Germany kind of situation and I don't want that in my country," the 31-year-old historian added.



Trump has called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States, just one example of rhetoric by the candidate that has sparked controversy on the 2016 campaign trail.

"Everything he says is racist, is false. It hurts my feelings," said Nour Hapatsha, a 22-year-old Muslim born in the United States.


Rahul Gandhi today mounted a sharp attack on the Prime Minister and the BJP in the wake of the Uttarakhand crisis, saying it has exposed the "true face of Modiji's BJP" and declared that the Congress would fight this "demagoguery with democracy".





Targeting the ruling party at the Centre over the issue, he said in a series of tweets, "Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar".



"Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy. This attack on our democracy & Constitution, first in Arunachal & now Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modiji's BJP", the Congress Vice President said.



Congress government in Uttarkhand led by Harish Rawat plunged in a crisis two days back with nine party MLAs turning rebels and opposition BJP approaching the Governor staking claim to form the government.



Governor Krishna Kant Paul had yesterday asked Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the state Assembly by March 28.



The Governor's directive to Rawat came even as BJP, claiming majority with support of nine rebel Congress MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, stepped up efforts to form its government, contending that the Rawat ministry has been reduced to a minority.

While BJP claimed the support of 35 MLAs including the rebel Congress legislators, Rawat said he still enjoys a majority in the Assembly as none of the rebel MLAs have quit the party or the CLP. He also said that five of the rebels were in touch with him.



Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had 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.



Congress had yesterday 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 had said.
A manager with a branch of the Punjab National Bank has been accused of trying to embezzle over Rs 76 lakh. After an inquiry by the bank, Manoj Aggarwal has confessed that he did it after being trapped in a financial crisis, police said on Saturday.





The bank has recovered the money from Aggarwal, a resident of west Delhis Tilak Nagar. He was posted as manager (establishment) with the banks Bhikaji Cama Place branch.



Aggarwal was also designated as database administrator in the head offices security divison since July 2013.



The bank told police that Aggarwal committed the irregularities by using accounts maintained at the head office.



He debited these accounts with different amounts on various dates and credited the same to his personal account without any authority for personal gains, said a police officer. Aggarwal made 56 debit entries amounting to Rs 76.70 lakh.



Aggarwals activities were detected during audit of the accounts carried out by the bank. A probe was then carried out by the banks inspection and audit division (IAD).

DH News Service
If you feel you are being followed or fear for your safety in north Delhis Mongolpuri area, you can now access a house or a shop near you demarcated as a safe house

.



A unique community initiative by the residents of Mongolpuri to ensure women and child safety in the area has been launched recently and is going to start from next week. The project includes identifying shops and households that can be marked as safe zones and can be accessed by women for seeking help during the time of distress.



Under this initiative, the identified houses and shops would have the safer cities logo through which anyone who wants to seek help can approach them.



In the first phase, almost 100 families and shopkeepers in five blocks of Mangolpuri area have agreed to be a part of it. In a meeting held on March 5, families were apprised about the women and child safety issue in the locality and their consents were taken to be a part of this initiative.



Brain child of NGO Plan India, it is a part of a larger campaign called, Safer city program developed in partnership with Women in Cities International in order to address the increased risks and opportunities for adolescent girls (13-18 years) in cities.



Kiran, a resident of Mongolpuri who has agreed to become one of the members of the project, said, In the meeting, we were trained on how to deal with the person who knocks our doors for help. We were also made to meet the police officials of the area police station so that there is a co-ordination between us.



The logos, to be distributed by the NGO, are being given a final shape so as to make them readable and easy to comprehend by anyone. The NGO is also working to have neon or luminescent colour logos which will be visible during the night hours.



According to a survey conducted recently, the number of crimes against women is very high in Mongolpuri and Madanpur Khadar, so we have started out with these two areas. The programme strives to increase safety and access to public spaces for women and girls, said Kriti Gulati from Plan India NGO.



Several awareness raising events are being organised to increase citizen support on the issue of girls safety. This is supplemented by a social media campaign to enhance visibility and participation and an opportunity to pledge their support for a safer Delhi.


Anti-encroachment drives are not a new phenomenon in the area administered by New Delhi Municipal Council, but for the last two months the civic agency has been making a more determined effort clear out illegal occupants. However, officials are calling a normal drive.





Cant you see the difference after clearing the encroachers from footpaths? Illegal occupation leads to congestion. It leads to eve-teasing, to organised crimes, says Y V V J Rajasekhar, director (enforcement) NDMC.



But probe further, and it becomes clear that a slew of beautification plans and the larger goal to make the area smart are the reasons behind the agencys recent thrust anti-encroachment thrust.



Starting from the next financial year in April, we have several plans to make the area around Connaught Place a truly world-class one. Pedestrianisation, smart regulation of traffic, smart parking, which will ultimately lead to improvement in air-quality, says H P Singh, superintendent engineer (road 1).



We have visited several western countries to study their cities. For a heritage city like Delhi, Switzerlands Berne is the ideal model. We will display public art at the central park in CP, like the ones we have in European cities, Singh adds.



Around 10,000 road side vendors and their families depend upon markets in the NDMC area for their livelihood. The recent anti-encroachment drives have suddenly pulled the rug under their feet by making them jobless.



According to Raju Singh, president of Akhil Bhartiya Path Vikreta Association, two vendors lost their lives due to the shock.



For the last two months the drive has been very intense. They are uprooting the poor roadside vendors in the name of encroachment and Smart City, Raju says.

Terming the anti-encroachment drive as illegal, Raju says the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court have multiple times upheld their right to carry out commercial activities on pavements.



On 30-08-1989, in a judgemen, Supreme Court said that a citizen has a right to do business on pavement, he says.



He adds that on 09-09-2013, Supreme Court gave an order that the vendors cant be removed from pavements till a town vending committee is constituted.



The committee will include representatives from roadside vendors, Delhi Police, NDMC, traffic police and market association. The committee will survey the area, and then provide licences to the vendors, and then decide about a hawking zone and a non-hawking zone, Raju adds.



The town vencing committees were proposed in a law enacted by Delhi government in 2016, he reminds.



Until the committee becomes operational the anti-encroachment drive should be stopped, Raju reasons.



Rejecting the argument that vendors are a road block in the path of making the NDMC area a Smart City, Raju says that if the area can be made smart why cant the same done for the vendors.



Provide them a stall or just a space in the hawking zone, where they can sell their stuff, he says.



NDMCs superintendent engineer in charge of Connaught Places beautification project, H P Singh, nods approval when told about this. Yes, we can have a flea market like the ones in some foreign countries. I agree with this idea, Singh says.

However, it is a matter of conjecture whether a flea market will have enough room for all street vendors in the area.



Market associations are another stakeholder in the beautification as well as the anti-encroachment drive in the NDMC area.



But Atul Bhargava, president of Connaught Places market association, lauds the ant-encroachment efforts.



Urging the council to clear all illegal vendors, especially the paanwallahs, Bhargava says that due to them the market is not achieving its full potential. There are some authorised vendors but several others too operate and this causes a lot of problems. It becomes difficult to commute through the lanes they are sitting on and minimum space is left for passers-by.



Due to the paanwallahas, the walls are spotted with paan stains, which sullies the otherwise international look of the market. They should all be taken to some other areas, he adds.



But the vendors association are not too pleased by the idea of relocating from CP. For them, its a market for everyone not only for the rich.



A lot of lower middle class and poor people also come here to see CP. They cant afford to go to a showroom to buy a product, so they just visit our stalls and buy the stuff at a much cheaper rate. The idea of removing poor vendors is just because they are an eyesore is dictatorial, says Raju.




The New Delhi Municipal Council has spent crores and almost 10 long years on the never-ending renovation of Connaught Place. Though a refurbished CP was inaugurated in 2013, there are many pending tasks and the civic agency is still struggling to maintain the area.





Betel stains on walls and garbage dumped in corners are major eye sores in the area. Now, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to utilise the Smart City fund to improve the facilities further. How it plans to achieve something which has not been made possible in so many years is still left to be seen.



There are many challenges ahead in the NDMC Smart City project. In the recent past, many ambitious projects have got stuck. Redevelopment of Chanakyapuri Cinema got caught in arbitration, protests and court cases stalled attempts to free public spaces of encroachment.



Projects like CP redevelopment and free Wi-Fi, which are now under the Smart City mission, have not delivered as planned.



The free Wi-Fi project was launched in the two posh markets, Khan Market and Connaught Place, in 2014. But it lost popularity soon among visitors and traders who claimed that the connectivity was so bad that even basic applications did not work.

Even by NDMCs own admission, the experience has been disappointing. To be honest, the project has not been successful, says an NDMC official.



Now, under its Smart City concept note, the NDMC has ensured free Wi-Fi service in an extended area and not just the two markets. According to the plan, the service will be available in residential areas, major markets and bus queue shelters.



The NDMC has proposed another multi-level parking under its jurisdiction. This is even when similar existing facilities in citys hotspots remain underutilised.



The agency currently has multi-level car parking at two locations under its jurisdiction  Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Sarojini Nagar. The third one at Kasturba Gandhi Marg, which was designed to accommodate 1,528 vehicles, was stalled after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) raised objections over its location near the 13th century monument Agrasen Ki Baoli.



Even the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had in its report last year said that non-adherence to statutory regulations led to its stalling.



The existing multi-level car parkings are not operating in their 100 per cent capacity currently, an official said.



One, there is lack of awareness and second, it is also due to certain behavioural problems. People do not like to walk even a few steps and try to take their cars to the nearest possible location to their destination, which causes traffic jams, the official added.



He says traffic jams also cause CO2 emissions, resulting in air pollution. To address the problem, the NDMC is planning to introduce a park and ride feature.



We will be introducing either electric or hybrid buses which will be available from parking lots. These will be 10- or 20-seater buses available at small intervals for last mile connectivity. By this, our parking lots will at least be full, and also pollution can be controlled. An app in this connection will also be launched, he said.



According to the Smart City note, NDMC has a goal to achieve World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality standard of 10 micrograms per cubic metre for PM 2.5 by 2025. Though it has to be achieved in the long run and is not high in the agencys priority list, it still seems improbable.



Lutyens Delhi, which has only around three per cent of the capitals land area and

less than one per cent of its population, alone cannot make this happen and pollution levels in the rest of Delhi will have an effect on the levels in

this area.



It also aims to clear all sums by 2025. The previous plans to revive slums have not been fruitful and a vast divide between two sections under the NDMC jurisdiction is as stark as it was years ago.



The NDMC has not proposed changes in the infrastructure in the protected Lutyens Zone but has instead proposed interventions through technology like water ATMs and smart toilets.



We are providing lot of facilities but people are not aware how to get these. This may be due to bureaucracy or lack of awareness. Our main problem is publicity due to which public feedback and support is not much. Even under the smart city challenge, we scored highest in many components but lost in public feedback. This shows we are not able to reach out to public and we need

to work a lot on this, the official said.



When asked how the agency plans to fulfil the promises, given that many projects have failed before, official said this would be done through fixing accountability and a special focus will be given to operations and maintenance.



One of the major points under the smart city proposal will be levying heavy penalty on the concessionaire. Earlier there was no such clause which led to failure of projects. But now, be it Wi-Fi or maintaining toilets, we are introducing the concept of heavy penalties on non-performance, he said.




Being one of the richest civic bodies in the country, the New Delhi Municipal Council rightfully deserved to be chosen among the 100 cities in the country to be turned into a Smart City. Despite having favourable infrastructure and abundance of resources, timely completion of projects is the real challenge faced by the council that will be getting funds from the Centre in a phased manner over a span of five years.





Last year, the Union government announced its Smart Cities Mission and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area was shortlisted to be developed into a Smart City in the first phase.



The NDMC has marked over 500 acres covering Connaught Place and adjoining areas like Gole Market, Janpath, Ashoka Road and Mandi House where the council has started providing smart services including better LED lighting and water ATMs.



Recently, while presenting the Budget 2016-17, Chairperson NDMC Naresh Kumar had said, After selection in stage I of the Smart City Mission, the NDMC has submitted the Smart City Proposal to the Ministry of Urban Development on December 15, 2015 for stage II of the Smart City Mission.



The NDMC is expected to receive Rs 194 crore from the Union Urban Development Ministry in the form of tied grant as first instalment, which shall be matched by an equal contribution by the council, he added. Kumar has emphasised on the need to not only provide civic services to the residents, but also to make the area liveable and sustainable, with a stress on quality of services provided.



To make the NDMC area world-class, the authorities have initiated the process of converting over 18,00 electricity poles into smart street poles with LED lights . Some 116 existing parking spaces will be equipped with centralised mobile-based smart parking management system. A mobile app will inform the motorist of free space and will help city planners to efficiently manage spaces.



Officials say the NDMC is striving to make its operations environment-friendly. The council will soon complete installing 1.7 MW rooftop solar panels on its schools buildings, they add.



In the coming year, the council will install 1.5 MW rooftop solar panels on the NDMC buildings. Also, a 10 MW solar power plant is proposed to be developed.



The NDMC is also in the process of signing Twin-City Agreements with international cities to facilitate cooperation and exchange of ideas, information and assistance. It will also develop an Incubation Centre to help entrepreneurs create start-ups. The NDMC is mulling to offer space at seven subways in the Connaught Place area to public sector banks for setting up e-banking facilities.



The NDMC 2016-17 Budget says that children in NDMC schools from classes 6 to 12 will study in technology-enabled smart classrooms.



Subject curriculum would be made available digitally to facilitate teaching for which high-end computers, interactive white boards, short-throw projector will be provided in such classrooms.



Implementation matters

Though the NDMC has a great potential to be developed into a world class city as it is amongst the richest municipalities, the smart strides of the NDMC may be hampered by the slow pace of implementation of projects, say experts.



It is one of the richest municipalities as it has many five stars hotels. These hotels are on profit-sharing basis with the NDMC. The NDMC has Lutyens Delhi zone which has many bungalows where three per cent of the total population of NDMC lives. The Lutyens Delhi zone is spread across 30 per cent of the total area of the NDMC, says Anil Dewan, Professor of Architecture at School of Planning and Architecture.



The area has a high potential but little has been achieved so far. It takes a long time to implement projects in India. The 2010 Commonwealth Games projects are yet to be completed. The Connaught Place redevelopment project hangs in balance, he adds.



The market associations at Connaught Place echo similar concerns.

The Connaught Place doesnt have CCTV surveillance. During the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Connaught Place was supposed to get CCTV cameras, but we havent got any so far, says Atul Bhargava, president of New Delhi Traders Association.



The NDMCs proposal to pedestrianise the inner circle of Connaught Place has irked traders.



We met the NDMC chairperson on Friday and told him that we dont want pedestrianisation of the inner circle. Its too far-fetched to think that people would park their vehicles at the Baba Kharak Singh Marg and come to shop here. Nobody is going to do that. We will lose out on lot of business then. Only 10 per cent of our customers come by Metro, rest of the people take Metro to visit Palika, Shankar Market and their offices. The smart city initiative means that the council should regularise traffic movement instead of stopping it at some stretch completely, adds Bhargava.



Traders have also been raising eyebrows over the NDMC move to remove parking from Block B and E.



Connaught Place is in a serious need of a cleanliness drive. We had spent Rs 2 lakh last Diwali to give a new look to CP and whitewash the paan stains in collaboration with the NDMC. But things are back to square one, says Bhargava.



The real problem is lack of civic sense among the public. So the NDMC has to take some serious steps like closing of all paan shops at CP to keep the market place clean, he adds.Also the NDMC should engage a private contractor for lifting garbage and maintaining the upkeep of the public loos in its areas.



The traders say that tourist buses should be allowed to enter Connaught Place from Janpath and exit from Baba Kharak Singh Marg.



NDMC official say that the council will create 100 modern disabled-friendly public toilet complexes as smart public-amenities centres across the NDMC area. These will have a drinking water dispenser, an ATM machine and a blood collection centre. They will be lit by LED powered by solar panels installed on the rooftop.



Hawker row

Some argue that the NDMC area should be made a hawker-free zone. We arent against the livelihood of anybody. All we want is that the NDMC should have separate vending zones where hawkers should be allowed to sell their goods. There should be a mechanism to rehabilitate beggars and victims of substance abuse, says A K Rathore, a retired government official.



Experts say that there are a large number of heritage monuments at the NDMC area. The authorities have to be sensitive in carrying out smart projects, without destroying such structures. The area attracts a large number of tourists not only from the country but also all over the world. So the council can have several tourist hubs, art galleries and shaded walkways for pedestrians, says P S N Rao, professor at School of Planning and Architecture.



The NDMC can put in more effort to make its surroundings more energy efficient as well as user-friendly, add experts. The council should deploy electric vehicles and install sensor-based signals so that wherever traffic gets accumulated, the timings of the red light signals can be changed for the smooth flow of traffic, adds Rao.






Army teams today recovered the body of a soldier who had gone missing following an avalanche in Kargil area of Jammu and Kashmir.





"Rescue teams of army on the third day of a gruelling search operation managed to recover the mortal remains of sepoy Vijay Kumar K from under 12 feet of snow," a defence spokesman said here.



He said the search operation continued for three days despite adverse weather conditions and up to 15 feet of snow in the area of avalanche.



Rescue dogs, deep penetration radars and metal detectors were also pressed into service, he said.



"Vijay, who belongs to Vallaramapuram village of Thirunelvelli District of Tamil Nadu, is survived by his parents and two younger sisters.



"Army is in the process of evacuating his mortal remains from the area after which it will be moved to his native place where the cremation ceremony will take place with full military honours," the spokesman said.



Sepoy Sujit, the soldier who was rescued on the first day itself, is medically stable and recovering well, he said.



Lt Gen D S Hooda, Army Commander Northern Command, has expressed his deep condolence to the family of Vijay Kumar K, the spokesman said.
Kannada film star Shivaraj Kumar paid tribute to the 12th-century Indian philosopher and social reformer Basaveshwara, a pioneer of the idea of democracy, here along the bank of River Thames.





Kumar, who has acted in over 100 films, along with wife and daughters, paid their tribute to the Basaveshwara statue yesterday.



Shivanna, as Kumar is fondly known, said he was extremely delighted to pay tribute to Kannada poet "Basavanna".



The statue was unveiled in the London Borough of Lambeth by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year.



This was the first conceptual statue approved by the UK government in the vicinity of the British Parliament as a mark of respect to the Indian philosopher.



Basaveshwara (1134-1168) was an Indian philosopher, social reformer and statesman who attempted to create a casteless society and fought against caste and religious discrimination.



In an attempt to create a casteless society and eradicate untouchability, the social reformer solicited the marriage of an upper caste bride with a lower caste bridegroom.



He created a model Parliament 'Anubhava Mantap' that had equal proportion of men and women, people from all socio- economic backgrounds and encouraged people to debate and discuss various issues.



India has recognised Basaveshwara as one of the pioneers of democracy and his statue was installed in the Indian Parliament in 2002 during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.



On behalf of the Basaveshwara Foundation, former mayor of Lambeth Neeraj Patil -- the architect behind the statue -- welcomed the film star and his family.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked his party workers not to get distracted by "irrelevant" issues raked up by the opposition and said their sole focus should be to move ahead with government's mantra of development.



If tough nationalist discourse was the highlight of party chief Amit Shah's address and the political resolution adopted by the meeting, Modi chose to dwell on his government's works, saying the party has always taken up the cause of nationalism and now is the time for development.



"We should not engage in irrelevant issues. We should work on our agenda. Our rivals will try that we remain engaged in irrelevant issues and the government's work is not discussed among the people.



"We should move ahead with one mantra: vikas, vikas, vikas. This is the answer to our country's all problems and we are working in this direction. Change is happening and the wheel of progress is moving fast. The party and government are working shoulder to shoulder," Modi said.



Home Minister Rajnath Singh briefed reporters about the Prime Minister's address, which was not open to the media, and said Modi told the audience that a lot of work was done in the 22 months the party has been in power and no allegation of corruption has been levelled against it.



In an apparent dig at opposition parties, Modi cautioned party workers against those who are not happy with the government's "unprecedented" development works, saying they will rake up futile issues to make things difficult for them. "You should remain unaffected."



Asked about what Modi spoke on nationalism, a issue that has dominated the two-day meet, Singh said, "He (Modi) said nationalism is our strength... We have alsways done agitation on the issue of nationalism and moved forward. Now time has come for development. There is a need for development."



Highlighting the government's schemes, like providing LPG connection to the poor, electrification of over 6500 villages so far and disbursement of Mudra loans to lakhs of people, he asked party workers to reach out to the beneficiaries.



Earlier, moving the political resolution, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu hailed Modi as a "God's gift to India" but Singh insisted that it was not part of political resolution.



A statement from the Naidu's office had attributed the remarks to him in which he also called the Prime Minister messiah for the poor.



The party also announced that Modi will go to Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar's birthplace in Madhya Pradesh on his birth anniversary on April 14, a move also likely aimed at wooing crucial Dalit votes ahead of UP assembly election early next year.



Modi also praised the BJP's organisational growth and said now there is a need for "capacity building" among party workers so that they could play a robust role in building the nation.



There was a need for them to engage with constructive government works like 'swachh bharat' and 'beti padhao, beti bachao'.



Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Modi said he connected people with the freedom movement by taking up their causes.



Hailing the budget, he asked party leaders to publicise its smaller highlights, like the provision of allowing small shops to remain open seven days a week.



Speaking about the government's ongoing work to provide 18,500 villages to electricity, he said the party should go to the newly-electrified villages and celebrate 'urja utsav' with the beneficiaries.



He also emphasised on the use of technology, saying it is a tool for development. Shah in his remarks announced that the party would observe between April 14, Ambedkar's birth anniversary, and April 24, Panchayati Raj day, various programmes across the country focusing on the weaker sections and farmers.



Modi will also address a meeting of panchayat representatives on April 24, Rajnath Singh said.



Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Piyush Goyal, Prakash Javadekar and Narendra Singh Tomar also made presentations about their ministry's works at the meet.
Like in several other countries in East and South East Asia, middle-class Indians are known to have fervent zeal when it comes to educating their children. In the Asian region, including India, education is considered probably one of the most trusted ways for upward economic mobility, especially for the middle class.





However, if India has to emerge as the global economic powerhouse and the startup capital of the world, access to education needs to be pervasive  available to every child irrespective of his/her socio-economic background. And not just that  quality of education needs to be enhanced significantly too, across the board  in private, government aided and government schools.



Reports around a recent survey of learning achievement of class X students by NCERT indicates that majority of the states/Union Territories are performing below the overall average score in all subjects, with private schools doing marginally better than the government and government-aided schools. Standing of our students at international level is not very encouraging either. As per results declared in 2012, India ranked second last among the 73 countries that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted annually to evaluate education systems worldwide by the OECD. It appears that India has not participated in this exercise in recent years.



There are several chronic administrative and infrastructure-related issues that riddle our school education systems, in some case despite the best of efforts and intentions of administrators and teachers to fix them. In private schools, the basic infrastructure and teacher attendance may not be a pressing challenge, however in government schools lack of infrastructure, accountability and teacher absenteeism is rampant.



The student-teacher ratios are far from optimal in most places; teachers subject matter expertise often inadequate or outdated due to lack of resources, timely training and heavy teaching loads. And while there are thousands of passionate and committed teachers out there, there are many more who are not in this profession by choice. Teacher remuneration is low compared with the other highly sought-after professions making it unattractive for the bright minds of the society to take up teaching voluntarily.



So how do we fix this? We have to start with an attitude shift towards teachers and the teaching profession. For example, in Finland, teachers are afforded the same respect as other top professionals such as doctors and lawyers. No wonder that the Finns are also extremely discerning about who can qualify to be a teacher they select candidates only with strong academic performance and clear aptitude for teaching.



After we have the right pool of candidates, we need to empower them and keep them motivated by offering autonomy, resources and competitive compensation. It is important to ensure that teachers undergo refresher courses and training at regular intervals. Like in the private sector, e-learning for teachers can be a solution to ensure continuous teacher training at scale.



Opening up the system for teacher evaluation, for example, probably on the lines of RateMyProf where students can rate teachers, will bring back transparency and accountability. Introducing technology in the classrooms for the sake of it may not help teachers, only burden them with the pressure of using it without any tangible benefits either for students or for themselves. So the right approach would be to understand the challenges faced by the teachers and then building the technology ground up to address these issues which will improve effectiveness and efficiency.



Fortunately, there are several other factors that are in favour. The government is focused on building Digital India where quality education reaches the most inaccessible corners driven by digital learning. With governments clear focus in increasing connectivity, more and more students will have access to the Internet. Public universities are slated to provide Wi-Fi access to students soon and hopefully such initiatives will percolate down to the school level as well. The government has declared that books and learning materials of CBSE curriculum would be made available online for free for students around the country soon. These are all steps in the right direction.



With the governments emphasis on building digital highways and using digital platforms to make government services transparent and incorruptible, there is renewed opportunity for us to improve the standard of teaching/learning across government schools- in both urban and rural areas. There have been many other innovative overtures in the area of education technology that can be complementary to traditional offline learning methods.



(The author is the CEO and Co-founder of Vedantu)




In the anguishing wait for a new kidney, tens of thousands of patients on waiting lists may never find a match because their immune systems will reject almost any transplanted organ. Now, in a large national study that experts are calling revolutionary, researchers have found a way to get them the desperately needed procedure.





In the new study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, doctors successfully altered patients immune systems to allow them to accept kidneys from incompatible donors. Significantly, more of those patients were still alive after 8 years than patients who had remained on waiting lists or received a kidney transplanted from a deceased donor.



The method, known as desensitisation, has the potential to save many lives, said Dr Jeffery Berns, a kidney specialist at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine and the president of the National Kidney Foundation.



It could slash the wait times for thousands of people and for some, like Clint Smith, a 56-year-old lawyer in New Orleans, mean the difference between receiving a transplant and spending the rest of their lives on dialysis. The procedure, Smith said, changed my life.



Researchers estimate about half of the 100,000 people in the United States on waiting lists for a kidney transplant have antibodies that will attack a transplanted organ, and about 20% are so sensitive that finding a compatible organ is all but impossible.



In addition, said Dr Dorry Segev, the lead author of the study and a transplant surgeon

at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, an unknown number of people with kidney failure simply give up on the waiting lists after learning that their bodies would reject just about any organ. Instead, they resign themselves to dialysis, a difficult and draining procedure that can pretty much take over a persons life.



Desensitisation involves first filtering the antibodies out of a patients blood. The patient is then given an infusion of other antibodies to provide some protection while the immune system regenerates its own antibodies.



For some reason  exactly why is not known  the persons regenerated antibodies are less likely to attack the new organ, Segev said. But if the persons regenerated natural antibodies are still a concern, the patient is treated with drugs that destroy any white blood cells that might make antibodies that would attack the new kidney.



The process is expensive, costing $30,000, and uses drugs not approved for this purpose. The transplant costs about $100,000. But kidney specialists argue that desensitisation is cheaper in the long run than dialysis, which costs $70,000 a year for life.



Although, by far the biggest use of desensitisation would be for kidney transplants, the process might be suitable for living-donor transplants of livers and lungs, researchers said.



The liver is less sensitive to antibodies so there is less need for desensitisation, but its certainly possible if there are known incompatibilities, Segev said. With lungs, he said, desensitisation is theoretically possible, although he said he was not aware of anyone doing it yet.



In the new study, 1,025 patients at 22 medical centres who had an incompatible donor were compared to an equal number of patients who remained on waiting lists for an organ or who had an organ from a deceased but compatible donor.



After eight years, 76.5% of those who received an incompatible kidney were still alive, compared with 62.9% who remained on the waiting list or received a deceased-donor kidney and 43.9% who remained on the waiting list but never got a transplant.



The desensitisation procedure takes time  for some patients as long as two weeks  and is performed before the transplant operation, so patients must have a living donor. It is not known how many have someone willing to donate a kidney, but doctors say they often see situations in which a relative or even a friend is willing to donate but is incompatible.



Often patients are told that their living donor is incompatible, so they are stuck on waiting lists for a deceased donor, Segev said.



In recent years, an option called a kidney exchange has helped some in this situation. Patients who have incompatible living donors can swap donors with someone whose donor may be compatible with them. Often, there are chains of patient-donor pairs leading to a compatible organ swap.



That process can be successful, said Krista L Lentine, the medical director of the living donation programme at the St Louis Centre for Transplantation, but patients often still cannot find a compatible organ because they have antibodies that would reject almost every kidney. In those cases, desensitisation may be the only realistic option for receiving a transplant, said Lentine, who was not involved with the study.



Emotional bond



Dr Jeffrey Campsen, a transplant surgeon at the University of Utah Health Sciences Centre who also was not a study investigator, said his group focused on exchanges and had been fairly successful. But he also comes across patients whose donors do not want to participate.



There is a hurdle if the donor and patient have an emotional bond, he said. The new data showing the success of desensitisation lets people get behind it, Campsen said, adding, I do think it is something we would consider.



Smith, the New Orleans patient who went through desensitisation, had progressive kidney disease that slowly scarred his kidneys until, in 2004, they stopped functioning. His sister-in-law, Allison Sutton, donated a kidney to him, and he had a transplant, but after 6 1/2 years, it failed. He went on dialysis, spending four days a week hooked up to dialysis machines for hours. It was keeping him alive, he told his friends, but it was not a life.



Then a nurse suggested that he ask Johns Hopkins about its desensitisation study. I was like, whatever I could do, he said. He discovered that he qualified for the study. But he needed a donor.



One day, his wife was talking on the phone to a college friend, Angela Watkins, who lives in Augusta, Georgia, and mentioned that Smith was praying for a donor. Watkins husband, David Watkins, a judge in state court, had been friends with Smith in college and the two wives, also college friends, had kept in touch over the years. Watkins told her husband about the conversation, and they asked themselves if they should offer to donate.



We talked and researched and prayed, David Watkins said. Finally, he said, they came to a conclusion. We have a moral obligation to at least see if we would qualify. And he thought that he should be the one to go first. If he did not qualify, his wife could be tested.



That was four years ago, and Smiths new kidney is still functioning and he is back to his active life, forever grateful to his friend.



Every night. he says, during my nightly prayers with my wife, I thank God for bringing David and Allison to me and for giving me the gift of life. But for David giving me this gift, I would still be in that dialysis chair.




A 25-year-old man died after his two-wheeler crashed into a car near Marathahalli market close to Varthur main road in eastern Bengaluru early on Sunday morning.





V J Naveen, a small-time real estate agent from Vibhutipura, was riding back home after visiting friends when the accident occurred around 2.30 am. A car moving from Old Airport Road and headed for Marathahalli took a sharp right turn near Marathahalli market. Naveen, who was also riding fast, couldnt control his two-wheeler and crashed it into the car.



The collision was so powerful that Naveen fell from his motorcycle, suffering severe head injuries. The car driver took him to a hospital and escaped. Naveen succumbed to injuries. The Old Airport traffic police said they were looking for CCTV footage to trace the car.


Two men were found dead under mysterious circumstances near SRS road, Peenya, in northern Bengaluru on Sunday morning.



The Peenya police said that around 8.35 am they received information from the public that two men were lying dead within 100 metres of each other on a footpath. One of the deceased was aged about 45. The police are trying to identify him.



The other man was identified as Elumalai, 45, a resident of Siddhartha Nagar, Jalahalli, who worked as a painter. His identity was established based on information given by an auto-rickshaw driver who was in the crowd that had gathered around the body.



He told the police that he knew Elumalai as both lived in the same locality. The police later informed Elumalais family which said he was a drunkard.



There are no external injuries on the bodies. There is a bar close to where the first body was found. We are investigating if the two men consumed liquor at the bar. We are checking the CCTV footage to find this out, said a senior police officer who is part of the investigation.



While no cause of death is immediately known, the police suspect it was caused by the liquor consumed by the deceased. We are waiting for the post-mortem report. If its proved that alcohol consumption led to their death, we will take action against the bar owner, he said. For now, a case of unnatural death has been registered.




A 15-year-old girl, who attempted suicide by setting herself ablaze at her house in Janata Nagar under JJ Nagar police station limits three days ago, failed to respond to treatment and died at Victoria Hospital on Saturday night.



The police said that Soundarya, a school dropout, had set herself on fire on Thursday evening as she could not bear the torture of her boyfriend, who was pestering her to marry him.



The victim was living with her parents Kumar and Meenakshi, the daily wage labourers. She was in a relationship with her neighbour Pravin, 21, an employee of an apparel showroom. On Thursday evening, Soundarya, who was alone at home, doused herself with kerosene and set herself on fire. The neighbours, who heard her screams, rushed to her house and doused the fire. They shifted her to Victoria Hospital. Soundarya's parents, who were informed about the incident, alerted the police. Doctors declared that Soundarya had suffered 90% burns and her condition was critical.



On Friday, Soundarya, in a statement to the police, said Pravin was constantly harassing her to marry him and even threatened her that he would reveal their relationship and circulate their photographs in the area. Unable to bear the torture, she tried to commit suicide by setting herself ablaze, police said.



During the investigation, it was found that both of them were in a relationship for a long time and a few months ago, they had eloped and returned home after a few days. Pravins parents approached her parents with a marriage proposal. But Soundaryas parents did not approve of the relationship. They told that they cannot get their daughter married, as she is a minor and also they did not like Pravins conduct, said a senior police officer.



Pravins parents conveyed the message to him and he grew furious. He started threatening to reveal details about their relationship to everyone in the area. Thats when Soundarya decided to kill herself, added the officer. Based on Soundaryas statement, JJ Nagar police booked Pravin on charge of abetment to suicide and arrested him.


Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa urged the Centre for the release of 11 Indian fishermen, who have been detained by the Kuwaiti police recently.





It has been reported that 10 fishermen from Tamil Nadu along with one fisherman from Kerala went to Kuwait in July, 2015, to work as fishermen. While the sponsors sent the fishermen for fishing for about six months in the boats, 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 dependant families back at home,, she said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu, which could not secure the poll tie-up with Vijayakanths DMDK, is getting support from smaller outfits and associations every day with the MMK pledging its support to the front on Sunday.



In addition, the Tamil Nadu Schools Association led by its chief Nandakumar also extended his support to the DMK in Assembly polls.



The MMK contested the 2011 Assembly polls as an ally of the AIADMK and won two of the four seats it had contested, with Jawahirullah himself getting elected from Ramanathapuram.



In the past one week, more than 30 minor and fringe parties and organisations have expressed their support to the DMK-Congress Front for the polls.



The noted sizeable smaller parties that pledged support the to DMK include the Periyar Ambedkar Munnetra Kazahgam, Jananayaka Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, All India True Christian Council, South India Viswa Kharma Munnetra Sangam and the Puratchi Bharatham Makkal Katchi.



Associations such as Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Employees Welfare Sangam, Village Temple Priests and Folk Arts Jodithargal Welfare Sangam, Gramani Makkal Vazhvurimai Welfare Sangam and Christian Protection Movement haved also extended their support to DMK during the past one week.



The DMK, which was ditched by Vijayakanths party, is desparately looking for support of smaller parties especially caste and religious based outfits, which has notable voter base especially in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu.



A senior DMK leader said apart from the parties which met the party high command extending their support, more than 10 parties have written to our leader stating that they want to extend their support. These parties are not strong enough to fight the polls along, he said.


Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has accused Sangh Parivaar affiliates of sponsoring and brewing communal hatred and mistrust in the country for political gains. He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to swing into action and stem this rising tide, lest its too late.



In a letter to the Prime Minister, former Union Minister drew his attention towards a series of incidents of victimisation and persecution of Muslims involved in cattle trade since the BJP-led coalition came to power at the Centre.



Radical bigots tortured and hanged two cattle traders Muhammad Mazloom and Azad Khan while they were taking buffaloes to market in Latehar district of Jharkhand two days ago, Azad said.



With great dismay, I am impelled to observe that such episode of brutality and mob violence seem to give a spectacle of some parts of the world where democracy does not exist. he said, referring other incidents including lynching of a Muslim in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, last year.



The Congress leader noted that the cow slaughter was banned in most of the states and there was no confusion about it. Its no bodys case that cow slaughter should not be banned. However, the normal transport and trading of animals from one place to another should not be targeted. It must not be with a pre-conceived notion that such transport and trade is meant for cow slaughter and the mobs and vigilantes sponsored by the affiliates of Sangh Parivaar to recklessly target the members of the minority community, he demanded.



Azad warned that the growing incidents of persecution of Muslims in the country could have serious implication on survival of democracy as well as Indias growth and development. He charged the BJP for taking no perceptible effort to reign in such elements responsible for vitiating the countrys atmosphere, saying that leaders of the ruling BJP and affiliates of Sangh Parivaar, Ministers, MPs, MLAs had persistently been making provocative and offensive statements to polarise the communities.
The issue of interim orders by the high court quashing the suspension of Nagari MLA R K Roja of YSR Congress for one year by the Andhra Pradesh Assembly will be taken up by the Assembly on Monday.



While the treasury benches are gearing up to thrash out the issue even without including the opposition which has declared that it will boycott the discussion, the woman lady MLA has moved the high court with a contempt petition against the Assembly that barred her entry into the premises over her misbehavior unbecoming of a elected legislator. The high court will take up that petition on Monday.



While the TDP government and their speaker will be discussing the issue on Monday, we (YSRC) will stand in support of the judiciary. We will see that the orders of the high court are honoured by the Assembly, YSRC party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said. Jaganmohan Reddy hopes that the high court would summon Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao and the Legislative Affairs Minister Yanamala Raamakrishnudu to admonish them for not honouring its orders.



Not budging an inch, the AP Assembly has already filed an appeal to the high court division bench against the interim order. It has been arguing that the Assembly, which has imposed a ban on Rojas entry, has the powers to either repeal or reinstate it. Roja has misled the high court by suppressing the facts that it was she that has maligned the honour of the house, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said commenting on the on the interim orders of the single bench.



However, TDP Dalit Legislator V Anitha, who complained against Roja to the committee, is demanding stern action against Roja.



It was on December 18 last year during the winter session of the Assembly, Roja made derogatory comments against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the House calling him Ca-Ma CM (Call Money CM) and also on Anitha and few other TDP legislators. The visuals which were repeatedly played by the news channels also showed Roja gesturing her foot wear towards the treasury benches and making gestures.



Even as the YSRC says that the footage is doctored and questioned how only one side of the footage was selectively leaked by the Assembly Secretariat, Legislative Affairs Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu moved the suspension motion against Roja which was adopted by the House with voice vote. Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao then gave a ruling suspending Roja from the House for one year.



What about my rights, I am well educated Dalit woman and Roja made derogatory comments on my character in the well of the House. After the live telecast I was too ashamed to show my face to my children and my husband. I could not come out into my constituency for almost a week, a teary V Anitha who deposed before the Privileges Committee said demanding stern action against Roja.



The section under which I was suspended is valid only for the winter session, Roja said. The way I have been suspended from the House, has pained me a lot. I didnt use inappropriate language against anybody. This is budget session and I must not be deprived of a chance to highlight problems of my constituency, Roja said. She added that the privileges committee cant take action against her as one cant be punished twice for the same crime.
The Defence Ministry may take a call on making Goa the permanent venue for Aero-India after reviewing the conduct of DefExpo 2016, which is being held in the coastal state for the first time in the last week of March.



Almost four years ago, a Defence Ministry panel recommended shifting the biennial air show from Bangalore, due to flight safety issues  a move opposed by the Karnataka government  presumably because of the revenue loss to the state.



The proposal was first placed before Arun Jaitley during his short tenure as the Defence Minister, but it is now before his successor Manohar Parrikar, who hails from Goa.



The Def Expo 2016, to be kick-started in Quitol in Quepem taluka in south Goa on March 28, is a test case to determine whether the state would be able to cope up with the infrastructure needs required for organising such big defence shows where several types of aircraft including fighter jets will fly. The reasons for shifting the show from Bangalore include short runway (7200 ft), close proximity to the highway, adverse impact on the training schedule of the Indian Air Force and operational problems faced by the Bangalore International Airport.



In the absence of a safe flying environment, participation of fighter jets in Aero India was going down over the years, while other air shows in Asia are becoming popular, sources said. Goa was selected as the best alternate site after surveying locations in Puducherry, Kochi, Chennai and Udaipur, but the decision is stalled due to political pressure.



The permanent infrastructure for Aero-India including a 10,000 ft runway would come up only after a government approval, sources said.



Goas Industries, Trade and Commerce Minister Mahadev Naik said out of 220 acre land that the government holds in that area, 150 acres were given to the Defence Ministry to organise the prestigious show, using temporary infrastructure.


The rebel MLAs, as per the sources, are likely to claim before the BJP leadership in New Delhi that we are the true representatives of the PDP and the right wing party should go ahead with alliance with them.



While PDP stalwarts like Member of Parliament Tariq Hameed Karra, who would otherwise oppose alliance with the BJP, have been conspicuous for their silence, some of the MLAs from the prospective rebel group believe that government formation was unduly delayed. While the PDP is tight lipped over the reports of rebellion, the rival National Conference (NC) has created flutters through its posts on the social media. NC leader and party spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu was among the first to hint at the rebellion in the rival ranks. He tweeted: Thick rumour in media circles about a big group of PDP MLAs led by a senior leader leaving for Delhi on Tuesday. Last ditch effort? Faction?



This was followed by a post by another NC leader Tanvir Sadiq, who this afternoon added more spice to the story. While retweeting Mattus post, Sadiq added: They say, a former cabinet minister of @jkpdp wants to stake a claim for the top post, after MM (Mehbooba Mufti) was snubbed & sent back.



But the million dollar question is about the anti-defection law on how the rebels will be treated? While defections are common in other states, especially when there is no clear majority for any party, in Jammu and Kashmir, it is not an option for parties to increase its strength.



Jammu and Kashmir has its own anti-defection law, different from the national law that prevents the elected representatives from defying their party whip. According to the anti-defection law effective in the rest of the country, if less than one-third of the total elected representatives of a party defect or defy party whip at a time, they are disqualified. But the state law is more stringent.

With chances of PDP-BJP government formation turning bleak, fears of internal rebellion and possible split within the PDP has become a major worry for the party president Mehbooba Mufti.The rumours are flying thick and fast here that a group of more than a dozen Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLAs may oppose the party decision of having stretched so long the government formation and may directly extend support to the BJP in the government formation.
The BJP is planning to take on the ruling Congress in the ongoing budget session of the legislature for diluting the powers of the Lokayukta by constituting the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).





The State government through, an executive order last week, divested the Karnataka Lokayukta of its powers to investigate corruption cases and created the ACB for the purpose. The move was met with opposition from various quarters on the ground that it was a deliberate attempt to kill the Lokayukta institution.



Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar on Sunday said BJP will move an adjournment motion against the government in the legislature on the issue. We are planning to take on the government on ACB and also on its failure to mitigate the sufferings of the people due to drought. Our leaders will meet and take a decision on Monday morning on which issue to take up first, he said.



Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said there will be clarity on the independencyof the ACB once the government comes with a detailed notification and also a police manual spelling out the functioning and responsibilities of the ACB.



Shettar said the ACB will be a puppet in the hands the state government. He said that the decision had been taken to protect Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and some of his Cabinet colleagues. Speculation was rife on Sunday that the Congress high command had expressed its displeasure with Siddaramaiah for taking an unilateral decision on constituting the ACB.



The high command is said to have communicated to the State leadership that before taking any major decisions it should be first discussed in the party forum. However, no prominent leader confirmed the development.



To a query whether there had been any internal discussion on ACB in the party, Jayachandra evaded a direct reply. Once the government passes an order, thats it, he said.



Gagandeep appointed ADGP



The State Government has appointed senior IPS officer K V Gagandeep as Additional Director General of Police of the newly constituted Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).



M A Saleem has been appointed as Inspector General of Police in the ACB. Gagandeep is Principal Secretary to Home Department while Saleem is the Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic). The ACB has also been given the status of a police station. Power to register cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the authority to take up investigations will be vested with officers of the rank of DySP and above, official sources said.



Search is also on for a building to house the ACB headquarters in Bengaluru. Office space in Khanija Bhavan on Race Course Road could be shortlisted, sources said.



Rethink ruled out



The State government on Sunday said it was firm on its decision to constitute the ACB and there will be no rethink.



Law Minister T B Jayachandra said, We have taken a decision to constitute the ACB. There is no question of going back. We are ready to face the opposition in the legislature. We will clarify our stand.






The city police here on Sunday arrested one Firoze Khan, the MD of Safex Infra India, another chit fund company currently under investigation by the CBI.



He has been on the run for a long time. After his arrest, the city police handed him over to the premier investigating agency.



Khans chit fund company which had been charged with siphoning nearly Rupees 25 crore deposited by common investors was earlier being probed by the crime branch of the state police.



In fact, the crime branch had arrested eight officials of the tainted company including four of its directors. However, Khan has been nabbed for the first time.



The CBI is currently probing into the illegal activities of more than 41 chit fund companies which were operating both inside the state and outside on the direction of the Supreme Court.



The crime branch of the state police is also conducting its own investigation in the multi-crore scam separately.



Several high-profile individuals including one sitting MP and a sitting MLA besides a couple of farmer MLAs and owners of state-based media companies have already been arrested by the CBI in connection with the multi-crore scam. While a senior sitting BJD MLA Prabhat Tripathy is already out of prison on bail, a sitting BJD Lok Sabha member, Rama Chandra Hansdah is still behind the bars.


The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) has stoked a controversy after it made it mandatory for the Urdu authors to undertake in writing that their books, to be procured under a scheme, did not contain anything against the policies of the government.



Tariq Anwar, a member of the NCPUL and a Congress MP, on Sunday described the move as biased and an attack on freedom of expression, demanding that the council must withdraw its decision with immediate effect.



To get their books purchased by the NCPUL under a scheme, Urdu authors are now required to fill a form, declaring that their book, journal or booklet does not contain anything which goes against the policies of the Indian government, national interest, or which promotes disharmony between the various communities. As the requirement to fill up such a declaration form led to an outrage, the council issued a clarification on Saturday claiming that the said form, to be filled by the authors, was not something new and that this had been the practice for the last many years for the books sponsored by the NCPUL.



The councils claim, however, was categorically rubbished by Anwar as well writers and former director of the NCPUL Khwaja Ekram. This is absolutely false, Anwar told Deccan Herald.



The councils clarification was issued by the Human Resource Development Ministry. I will raise the issue in the councils meeting and also write to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, demanding withdrawal of ICPULs decision. Attempts are being made to take away the freedom of expression since the Bharatiya Janata Party led coalition came to power at the Centre, Anwar added.



Author Shahnaz Nabi, whose book had been purchased by the council under the scheme last year, said he had not been asked to furnish such a declaration form.



Though the council did not mention any details about the book and its content, sources said that it was book written by Afzal Misbahi who had mentioned Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birthplace as Punjab. But, a committee set up to look into the complaint against the author gave him a clean chit as he had attributed this incorrect information about Azad to book by some other author.


The organs of a 21-year-old brain dead patient, including his heart, were harvested in the City on Saturday night. The patients heart was taken from BGS Global Hospitals near Kengeri to Narayana Health City on Hosur Road through a green corridor.





R Santosh (21) was declared brain-dead at 6 pm at BGS Global Hospitals and his organs were harvested. While his heart was transplanted to a patient at Narayana Health City, his liver and kidneys were transplanted to patients at BGS Global Hospitals. His corneas were sent to Narayana Nethralaya.



According to official sources in BGS Hospitals, Santosh met with an accident on March 17 near Hosur where he worked as a photographer. He was refered to BGS Global Hospitals from a hospital where he was initially admitted. Santosh suffered severe head injuries and failed to respond to treatment. Later, his father Rajanna consented to organ donation.



A green corridor was created at midnight to transport his heart.Dr Julis Punnen, transplant surgeon from Narayana Health City, took the heart in a car to save time. Dr Punnen said that they managed to cover the distance in 28 minutes. A car is faster than an ambulance. All we need is a car with lights and a siren.



The ambulance has a maximum speed of 80 km per hour while a car can travel at around 100-120 kmph, he said. The transplant surgeon recalled that in the past, he had to take a harvested heart in his car as the ambulance driver had gone out for tea. On that day, I thought of a possibility which was quicker and it worked, he said.


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One of Donegals top travel agents Cormac Meehan will assume the Presidency of the Irish Travel Agents Association when he is formally appointed at the associations AGM on April 7.

The popular Bundoran man is the only nominee for this influential and prestigious position and will be elected unopposed at the AGM.

Cormac has been active in both the auctioneering and travel industries for all of his working life after taking it over from his father who founded the business over 80 years ago.

In spite of the competition from the internet Mr Meehan told the Democrat that there is now a swing back to traditional travel agency bookings. People are now looking for security, a guarantee and actually like to speak to someone who has experience of the product. Strangely, the largest growth market is the under 25 age group  they just don't have the time to browse all night. That is fine for the Silver Surfer, the over 60s who have more spare time.

Cormac is looking forward to his tenure in what he described as a challenging few years ahead  meanwhile he is still doing the odd 5K race at leisure for such worthwhile charities as the NW Hospice and the Irish Heart Foundation.
Sixth class pupils in Stramore N.S. Churchill, were delighted to receive a specially commissioned 1916 plaque from Jacqui Dillon, director of Donegal Education Centre for winning the overall award in their category for the 1916 Decade of Commemoration history project.

Their project focused on the 1916 War of independence activity in the local area and of a Dungloe man Con O'Boyle who was shot in the locality.

A local dancehall, once a very vibrant social centre, a disused shed today, was named after him The Con O'Boyle Memorial Hall.

Local people including grandparents were interviewed and their memories and local knowledge recalled and logged in the project.

Jacqui said the judges were very impressed with the overall presentation and the local focus on people who fought here like Con O'Boyle and Peadar ODonnell.

The children highlighted the fact that it was not only in the main focal points of Ireland that the battle for Independence was fought but also in rural isolated areas like Glendowan who rose to the challenge, died for the cause and these unsung heroes were commemorated in their own special way by proud communities.
Tara Littlefield knows firsthand about the need for people to donate blood.

Littlefield worked over 20 years as a trauma nurse at two local emergency rooms and now works at LifeSouth Community Blood Centers.

Ive seen it save so many live, and it saved my life twice, Littlefield said. To me its the biggest gift you can ever give, the gift of life.

Littlefield said only about 4 percent of the population donates blood. But she said for every one person who donates blood it could help save up to three other people.

Donated blood saved Littlefields life on two occasions.

A 2007 diagnosis of stage three ovarian cancer later led to surgery.

When I was having surgery I hemorrhaged, and I started bleeding, she said. She needed red blood cells and platelets during surgery, two of the three components obtained from donated blood with the third being plasma.

My little girl was just 18 months old, and I had a tumor the size of a volleyball, she recalled. If somebody hadnt donated that blood and platelets I wouldnt be here today. Somebody gave part of themselves so I could still be here. It makes a difference in the way you look at life, having a stranger give of themselves so you can live.

A blood donation saved Littlefields life a second time while she was taking some time off work after receiving treatment for cancer. She suffered a knee injury while at the beach when a wave brought her back down hard onto the ground while swimming in the gulf.

Littlefield said the accident left her with a fractured femur bone in her leg, which tore up the cartilage in her knee. The injury happened in August 2011. Over the next two years she went through five surgeries, including two partial knee replacements and then a full knee replacement.

I had a total replacement of the knee and when I woke up from surgery I had blood hanging right there next to me, she recalled. I feel like somebodys been there twice for me now. If somebody hadnt done what we do here at this facility I wouldnt be here now. Its very humbling to know somebody saved my life twice.

After Littlefields knee injury the orthopedist said shed never work again. Then a friend told her about an opening at LifeSouth Community Blood Centers.

I really thought about it, and prayed about it, Littlefield said. Its something I was always good at, taking care of people.

She put her application in late in 2014 and started in December of that year.

A door opened, and I think that was Gods way of saying this is where you need to be, she recalled. For me it was a way for me to pay it forward, and give back.

Need for blood

Beverly Holland, the regional manager at LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, said the need for blood grows as the population grows, which includes the Wiregrass.

We are collections only. We have to send it off to the LifeSouth hub in Montgomery where they test it, Holland said. It comes back to our collection center and we log it into our inventory, and then we deliver it to our hospitals.

Holland said LifeSouth Community Blood Centers provide blood to six area hospitals: Southeast Alabama Medical Center, Flowers Hospital, Dale Medical Center, Wiregrass Medical Center, Medical Center Barbour and Mizell Memorial Hospital in Opp.

While any blood donation is valued, the blood center currently has an emergency need for O- blood to be donated. She called O- one of the more uncommon types of blood, but its also considered the universal donor. According to a LifeSouth statement only 9 percent of people have O- blood.

If people dont know their blood type they can find out when they donate. Some of the more common blood types include O+ and both positive and negative blood types for A and B. But she said the AB blood type is even more rare than O- blood.

O negative is one we always really try to get too, Holland said. It can be accepted by most anybody. Just about anybody can use it.

Donating blood

Holland said people can donate blood every 56 days.

People interested in donating blood can go to either the LifeSouth website at lifesouth.org or the American Red Cross website at redcrossblood.org and type in their zip code, which will bring up the closest donation location.

According to Kristen Stancil, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross, anyone can donate who is 17 or older or 16 years old with parental consent. People must also weigh at least 110 pounds and be in generally good health.

The blood donation process typically only takes about an hour, which includes a questionnaire and screening.

When you come in we register you, you go through a series of questions to give us a general idea of your overall health, Holland said. Of course we dont want to take you if you have a fever or any other type of infection.

Holland said LifeSouth Community Blood Centers has recently revised their questionnaire to include travel destination questions for areas impacted by the Zika virus. She said it specifically talks about the Caribbean area, and how recently people visited the area. If someone answers yes, then typically several more questions follow possibly leading to someone being deferred from donating.

Its very, very specific so the donor can help determine if its safe to donate at this time, Holland said. Were being very, very vigilant to what could be potentially hazardous to the blood.

Holland said they have a large yellow sign posted on all the blood mobiles and collection locations, such as the main Dothan collection center at 3833 Ross Clark Circle.

The fact that its yellow and its right there on the door it causes people to stop and read it, Holland said. We made sure were attacking the virus.

Holland also said the questionnaire includes questions about whether people were in Europe between 1980 and 1996 because of the Mad Cow disease. She encouraged people to let their staff know if theyve been to those certain areas of the world, and when.

Its a good idea if youre a regular blood donor and youre planning a Caribbean trip to just give us a call first, Holland said. Again its better safe than sorry. I wouldnt want to be that person that passed something hazardous to an already compromised body.
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.
Local residents have expressed their anger after a meeting with the management of St Marys College Dundalk about the schools proposed new building.

Local residents have expressed their anger after a meeting with the management of St Marys College Dundalk about the schools proposed new building.

About 40 residents have objected to the plan and those who attended the latest meeting with the school management described it as a PR stunt.

In a statement, the residents said they only received superficial information at the two meeting and there was no detailed discussion about their concerns.

They said at the first meeting it appeared as if planning approval was a matter of fact as far as the school was concerned. At the second meeting they expected to meet representatives from the National Treasury Management Agency, but this had not happened.

They said as concerned residents they had submitted many objections, but the flooding issue is probably the most topical. The adjacent Fair Green Road has been closed several times recently because of flooding. The proposed new school building will be built on an elevated site of at least 1.5 metres emphasising the potential for high flood waters.

They said many residents are already using sandbags to protect their homes.

They are also concerned about traffic and cutting down of trees along St Marys Road which will affect the architectural heritage of the area. And they are worried about existing buildings being left unsed.

It was a good opportunity for us to hear first-hand from people living close to the school, Mr O Murchu chairman of the schools board of management said about the meeting.

And to try and address any legitimate concerns they (the residents) may have about what is planned.

Naturally, there was a lot of interest in finding out how the new school building will impact on those who live nearby and we sought to provide both information and reassurance. We remain open to further discussions and engagement.

In terms of the planning process, our professional team are currently assembling the further information requested by the local authority last month. One of the big opportunities that the new school building project gives us is to address existing issues around access for vehicles to and from the school when pupils are being dropped off or collected. Using separate entrances and exits will help ease congestion at the morning and afternoon peaks.

Mr Con McGinley, principal St Marys College, said he is aware of the limitations of the current buildings. The only current classrooms that meet best practice in terms of space and layout are in our four prefabricated buildings. The new school building will mean that the boys and girls who attend St Marys College will have access to the very best of modern school accommodation. Ours will be one of just 12 new secondary schools in the country to proceed to construction this year and it is testament to the whole school community and the support we have always enjoyed in Dundalk that we have been approved.
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Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020.
Mexico City, Mar 20 (EFE).- People who work on behalf of humanity - soldiers, nurses, single parents, and even a dog - are among the real heroes of the director and the main protagonists in the new film 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'.

During a press conference in Mexico City Saturday, director Zack Snyder referred to the well-known maxim that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

"I don't know if power is corrupting us, but it is a topic surprisingly fun and interesting to play with in a movie," he said.

"I think that there are public servants and powerful people that really do the best they can to help humanity, and indeed they are the heroes," the American filmmaker added.

On the other hand, Ben Affleck, who plays Batman in the new film, said that "the heroes are all around us; people who serve their country in the armed forces, police, ambulance drivers, emergency personnel, teachers, nurses, single parents."

"Everyday heroes are everywhere, I am sure that they are among you, and even among some journalists!" Affleck said to the crowd with a touch of humor that provoked ripples of laughter among reporters.

On a more serious note he discussed "people who dedicate their lives to the service of others and make sacrifices," as well as his personal heroes, mentioning his brother and grandfather.

And with a voice that broke with emotion, Affleck referred to his former wife and actress Jennifer Garner, who he separated from after a decade of marriage.

"What Jennifer does with our children goes beyond heroism. It is fabulous; she is an amazing mother."

Affleck then mentioned some of the actors he has worked with, including those who preceded him in the role of Batman, such as Christian Bale, Val Kilmer and George Clooney.

"Definitely they were some very large shoes that I had to fill, and I feel very humble and grateful to have the opportunity to do this," he said.

British actor Henry Cavill, who plays Superman, said that he considers it very difficult to pinpoint what traits define heroism.

"So I'm going to talk about my personal heroes, that are my closest friends, my family, and sometimes my dog," he said.

"And what makes them heroes for me is not only that they are excellent people - apart from my dog, who is a great dog - but they are an example to those around them; they make them better people. That for me is what is to be a hero," Cavill added.

A similar opinion was expressed by Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who plays the role of Wonder Woman, when she mentioned her family and friends.

"I know so many heroic people, even some of those with whom I work. For me a hero is someone who tries to do good things for the outside world, other people, and not for their own benefit. So I think that we all have our heroic moments," Gadot said.
Havana, Mar 20 (EFE).- Former Cuban President Fidel Castro received Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for a meeting in Havana that came on the eve of the arrival Sunday of U.S. President Barack Obama.

Castro and Maduro held a two and a half hour meeting on Saturday, the Venezuelan president told Cuban state media, adding that he found the former Cuban leader writing and editing articles, "full of optimism and tremendous force."

He also said that 89-year-old Castro - who stepped down from power in 2006 - was the "most informed man on the planet" and remains attentive to the plans for cooperation between Cuba and Venezuela, especially those related to food production.

Maduro made the statements to Cuban media at the Havana airport, from where he returned to Venezuela after a visit of more than one day aimed at reaffirming the alliance between his country and Cuba with the renewal of the annual plan of bilateral collaboration.

On Friday, he also met with his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, who decorated him with the Jose Marti Order, the highest distinction given by the Cuban government.

The Cuban government reiterated its "unwavering" support for Maduro's government and criticized the U.S. executive order declaring Venezuela a threat to its security.

Obama is expected to arrive in Havana Sunday evening in a historic visit to underpin the process of rapprochement between the two countries.
Re: Train suicide



In the old days there was stigma about burial rights too. The family of a schoolfriend had to lie in order for her father to be buried. In the Catholic faith, it's a *sin* to take your own life, so you were not allowed to be buried on consecrated ground. Talk about adding insult to injury ...



Paris RER gets its fair share of jumpers too. It does my head in ... I feel so sorry that those people get so desperate, that they truly feel there is no other way out.

One of my best friends committed suicide by hanging himself. He was such a lovely guy. It took a long time to come to terms with it, and for a long time, I wondered, what if I'd dropped in that day, what if I'd called, would it have made a difference ?In the old days there was stigma about burial rights too. The family of a schoolfriend had to lie in order for her father to be buried. In the Catholic faith, it's a *sin* to take your own life, so you were not allowed to be buried on consecrated ground. Talk about adding insult to injury ...Paris RER gets its fair share of jumpers too. It does my head in ... I feel so sorry that those people get so desperate, that they truly feel there is no other way out.
Re: Can we be prosecuted for abusing someone in English in Switzerland? Quote: speakeron Hierachy of c**t:



1) Americans: Really, really offensive. It's considered an insult direct purely at women. No American would use this term lightly and will always be super-offended if you use it in pretty much in any way.





I was once staying in a backpacker's hostel in Antigua, Guatemala. A group of early 20-ish American girls got up at 5am to get ready to catch a bus. They were making a hell of a racket, and woke up the whole hostel. I got out of bed and asked them politely through the door to keep the noise down. Sorry, they said. But they didn't stop, just kept talking and laughing obnoxiously, even louder. I went back a minute later and asked them, very politely, again. They didn't really answer this time, and I went back towards my room. Then I heard the girl who'd been the loudest call me an asshole to her friends. I dropped all attempts to be polite, stuck my head out of the door, and barked at her 'Shut up, you disrespectful c**t!'



Jaws dropped in astonishment and disbelief, from both my traveling companions and the group of loud girls.



Not a peep more was heard Yep, it's the most offensive word we've got.I was once staying in a backpacker's hostel in Antigua, Guatemala. A group of early 20-ish American girls got up at 5am to get ready to catch a bus. They were making a hell of a racket, and woke up the whole hostel. I got out of bed and asked them politely through the door to keep the noise down. Sorry, they said. But they didn't stop, just kept talking and laughing obnoxiously, even louder. I went back a minute later and asked them, very politely, again. They didn't really answer this time, and I went back towards my room. Then I heard the girl who'd been the loudest call me an asshole to her friends. I dropped all attempts to be polite, stuck my head out of the door, and barked at her 'Shut up, you disrespectful c**t!'Jaws dropped in astonishment and disbelief, from both my traveling companions and the group of loud girls.Not a peep more was heard
Re: No-Go with PostFinance Long delayed



I ended up not opening an account with post finance, and went to UBS instead. Process on Post Finance went:

1) Online application

2) Initial paperwork received in mail

3) Returned Initial Paperwork

4) Received "Confirmation" of my account being opened, with included note that card and details would arrive promptly

5) Received request from different division in PostFinance for further documents to open my account (including a W9 and privacy/facta waiver)



Between 4 and 5 was about a week. I never received the cards/details promised in 4, and canceled after 5 (had already opened a UBS account and didn't need the redundancy). All communication was in English - which was extremely helpful



For those interested - UBS went something like this:

1) Walked into branch and asked to open account

2) Unfortunately Americans need to be dealt with by a special office, and no appointments are available today

3) Asked for directions to the nearest Credit Suisse

4) "Let me double check our schedule"

.....

5) Immediate meeting with American manager, account opened on the spot (With FACTA/W9/etc all done in the office). I did have my attestation de permise (work permit confirmation) with me, otherwise this would not have worked

(Yes, it really did happen that way)



So it does appear that Post Finance have no problems with Americans any more, although there may be some initial hassles getting it opened
Amal and George Clooney might be one of Hollywood's most glamorous couples, and now they are giving a few lucky fans the chance to meet and greet them in the comfort of their very own home. Apparently, it's to benefit Hillary Clinton and her Presidential campaign, too.

According to USA Today on Friday, the Democratic Presidential hopeful is offering supporters a chance to meet Amal and George by tweeting a number to text to be entered into a contest.

"Are you with Hillary? So are they," it read, with a picture of the movie star and his bride, the London-based human-rights lawyer.

Are you with Hillary? So are they Enter for a chance to meet Hillary, George, and Amal at the Clooneys' home. pic.twitter.com/3Ko8hwCqWn  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 18, 2016

George has been very vocal for his support for Hillary and even condemned her potential Republican rival, Donald Trump, by hinting that he doesn't have the credentials to be the nation's next Commander-in-Chief with some rather scathing remarks.

"He's just an opportunist. Now he's a fascist; a xenophobic fascist," he said. "You can count on Americans to do the right thing after they've exhausted all the other possibilities."

Stay tuned with Enstars for all the latest on Amal and George Clooney along with the entire 2016 race to the White House right here.
To reach me for collaborations, sponsorships, and event invitations, I am contactable at

the-ice-angel@hotmail.com


Los Angeles, Calif., USA - Today at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher David Wong, University of California - Los Angeles, USA, will present a study titled "Saliva Liquid Biopsy." The AADR Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research.

Researchers performed a prospective blinded study on 37 non small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients to explore if saliva can be used to detect actionable epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in NSCLC patients at the Sichuan Lung Cancer Institute in Chengdu, China. The frequency of EGFR mutations is three times higher in Asian countries.

For each patient, both pre- and post-biopsy/surgery, plasma and saliva were collected. Codes were removed from samples and blinded. Biopsy tissues were genotyped for EGFR L858R and exon 19del by digital PCR (ddPCR) while plasma and saliva were assayed for same EGFR mutations by electric field induced released and measurement (EFIRM). The results were statistically analyzed at the MD Anderson Cancer Center for concordance analysis with the tissue-based genotyping data.

Saliva liquid biopsy (sLB) correctly predict both EGFR exon 19del and L858R status for all 37 pre- and post-surgery/biopsy saliva samples (AUC=1.0). Plasma from the same 37 patients' pre- and post-surgery/biopsy were measured by sLB with AUC=1.0 for exon 19del, and AUC=0.96 for L858R. Signals in saliva are cleaner than that in plasma for L858R. For exon 19del, both plasma and saliva have clean separation between mutants and wild types.

This study confirmed the performance of saliva liquid biopsy for detecting epidermal growth factor receptor mutations from pre-biopsy plasma and saliva samples, providing confidence that sLB can be translationally and clinically validated.

This is a summary of oral presentation #1552, "Saliva Liquid Biopsy," which will be presented on Saturday March 19, 2016, 8 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, room #407.

###

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.
AURORA, Colo. (March 21, 2016) - Despite national guidelines urging emergency department doctors to ask suicidal patients if they have access to firearms or other lethal implements, only about half actually do, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The researchers interviewed 1,358 patients from eight emergency departments (EDs) in seven states who had either attempted suicide or were thinking about it.

"We asked the patients about their access to firearms and then reviewed their charts," said the study's lead author Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "We found in about 50 percent of cases there is no documentation by the doctor that anyone asked the patients about firearms access. That means there is a large group of patients we are missing a chance to intervene for."

Some 25 percent of potentially suicidal patients who said they had guns at home kept at least one of them loaded and unlocked. Half of them had easy access to guns which put them at risk for future suicides.

According to the study, published in the latest edition of Depression and Anxiety, emergency departments are a key setting for suicide prevention with 8 percent of patients admitted for either attempting suicide or having `suicidal ideation' or thoughts of ending their own lives.

"Multiple ED visits appear to be a risk factor for suicide and many suicide victims are seen in the ED shortly before death," the study said. "Based on models using national suicide statistics, ED-based interventions might help decrease suicide deaths by 20 percent annually."

Still, previous studies suggest that ED doctors are skeptical about the effectiveness of such intervention and do not ask or counsel patients about their access to lethal means of ending their lives once they leave the hospital.

This study seems to confirm that.

"This rate of assessment falls short of national guidelines recommending that all suicidal patients receive counseling about reducing access to firearms and other lethal means," Betz said. "Lethal means assessment is important for both overall risk assessment and for safety planning for patients being discharged."

While it is difficult to control access to sharp objects, supplies for hanging and medication given their widespread availability, patients with easy access to guns are at an especially high risk.

Those who commit suicide often do so minutes after making the decision. And approximately 90 percent of firearm suicides are fatal compared to 2 percent of medication overdoses.

Betz said doctors could make a plan with the families of these patients. They could ask them to lock up firearms or remove them from the house for a period of time.

Some doctors are reluctant to ask patients about this because they don't know if they should and if they do, what to do with the information.

"It is legal and appropriate to ask about this when it is relevant as it is in the case of suicide attempts or suicidal ideation," Betz said. "Do it in a respectful, non-judgmental way and it will usually be well-received. Still, there isn't a lot of training on this. As a result, we are missing the chance to save a lot of lives."

###

The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.
Idris Elba thinks it will be the "will of the nation" if he plays James Bond.

Idris Elba

Elba has been heavily tipped to follow Daniel Craig in playing the iconic British spy, but he insists he has never had any contact with the team behind the franchise.

He said "If human beings want to know if there's any connectivity between all of us, the one thing I've heard around the world universally is, 'You'll be great as James Bond'.

"It's all rumour-ville. I'm not speaking to the James Bond people, and they're not speaking to me.

"So if it was to happen, there you go - the will of the nation."

Though the 43-year-old star has played a wide variety of roles during his career, he admitted portraying the late Nelson Mandela in 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' will always be a highlight.

He told HELLO! magazine: "Playing Nelson Mandela was one of the great moments in my career.

"I felt I'd entered the upper echelon of my profession.

"When it comes to playing bad guys, it's often more interesting to play those characters because they allow you to explore different and intense emotions."
In episode five of Britain's Darkest Taboos, viewers will learn about the murder of Rana Faruqui who, at the age of 35 was stalked and murdered in cold blood by an ex-partner.

We got the opportunity to chat to Rana's sister Gemma about the horrific crime, her worries when the murderer is due for parole in 2017 and more.

Can you tell us a little bit about your sister Rana and what type of woman she was?

Rana was 11 and a half years older than me. We had a close relationship that became closer as I got older. She was a feisty woman who loved her horses. She was independent, strong and fun loving, but vulnerable when our Dad died in April 2002, as she was a Daddy's girl.

Rana was murdered by ex-partner Stephen Griffiths - do you remember the first time you met him and if so, what were your first impressions of him?

I met him at the end of 2002 when she had just started seeing him. She wasn't sure about him but wanted to give it a try. I thought he was a bit strange but there was nothing I could put my finger on. Personally, I didn't think it would last.

He stalked Rana after their relationship had ended - did she ever confide in you about this and what sort of things did she tell you he would do?

She told me that he had been seen by a neighbour loitering outside her house. He was also at a horse event taking photos of her. She also told me that he emailed and texted her several times a day. She wasn't scared of him - she just found him annoying and irritating. Two weeks before he killed her, the brakes were cut on her car. She was sure it was him.

Griffiths is eligible for parole next year - what are your worries with his potential release?

We are obviously worried for our safety and that of our family but we are convinced that he is a danger to women and he will offend again. No woman who meets him is safe.

How do you feel the justice system worked, or perhaps failed you in this case despite Griffiths getting a 'life' sentence?

A life sentence doesn't mean life - the fact that he has killed someone and could potentially be out of jail in 14 years is sickening. 'Life' should mean life! The justice system failed us. We have a life sentence and will never see Rana again but he could come out of jail and start living his life again. Where is the justice in that?

What sort of impact has Rana's death had on your life in the past 12 and a half years?

I miss Rana every day. She has missed my wedding and being involved in my children's lives. She'll never see them grow up, watch them learn how to ride their pony. She was my friend as well as my sister so I miss going for a drink with her or a chatty email. She had so much to live for and her life was cut short by someone who was so insignificant in her life. I see how her death has affected my mother and brother as well as myself - we all miss her and all the positive major events in our lives are bittersweet as she is not there to share them with us.

Britain's Darkest Taboos - My Daughter: Stalked, Then Murdered By Her Ex is on Sunday 20 March at 9pm, only on Crime + Investigation.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Lydia Bright's hotel room was once broken into by monkeys.

Lydia Bright

The 'Only Way is Essex' star, who is known for gallivanting around Asia with her sister Georgia, has admitted she returned to her room last year when she was exploring Thailand to find the cheeky creatures smashing up her stuff.

Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, she said: "There's actually not that many monkeys in Cambodia. There's loads in Thailand though. They're really annoying. One time I went back to my hotel room, and I had accidentally left my window open, and I found loads of them rummaging through my stuff. My room was completely trashed. Stuff was everywhere."

Meanwhile, although the 26-year-old beauty enjoys packing her essentials into a backpack and travelling the world, she's currently tied up looking for a new home in Essex with her long-term boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent, so her plans to globe-trot this year have been put on hold for a little while.

She explained: "We are buying a house together. We still haven't found something. Well we did but it fell through. So we've been looking the last six months but we're still looking and we like went a looked at one this morning."
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Paint company Sherwin-Williams Co. (SHW), Sunday said it has agreed to buy rival Valspar Corp. (VAL) for an enterprise value of $11.3 billion. Sherwin-Williams will pay Valspar shareholders $113 per share in cash for each share held. The price represents a premium of about 41% to Valspar's volume weighted average price for the 30 days up to and including March 18. The deal accelerates Sherwin-Williams growth strategy by expanding its global platform in Asia-Pacific and EMEA. The deal has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies. Sherwin-Williams and Valspar have highly complementary paints and coatings offerings and this combination enhances Sherwin-Williams position as a premier global paints and coatings provider. The combined company would have pro forma 2015 Revenues and adjusted EBITDA of about $15.6 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively. The acquisition is subject to antitrust review and is expected to close by the end of the first quarter in 2017. Sherwin-Williams and Valspar believe that no or minimal divestitures should be required to complete the transaction. Sherwin-Williams CEO John Morikis said, 'Valspar is an excellent strategic fit with Sherwin-Williams. The combination expands our brand portfolio and customer relationships in North America, significantly strengthens our Global Finishes business, and extends our capabilities into new geographies and applications, including a scale platform to grow in Asia-Pacific and EMEA.' Morikis said the combined company will achieve estimated annual synergies of $280 million within two years and long-term annual synergy target of $320 million. SHW closed Friday's trading at $288.69, up $1.60 or 0.56%, while VAL closed trading at $83.83, down $0.86 or 1.02%. 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.
DHAKA Bangladesh police met an official of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Dhaka on Sunday to try to track down culprits in an attempted $951 million cyber heist from the country's central bank.

Initial investigations aim to identify the origin of a transfer order for $81 million that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York paid from Bangladesh Bank's account there to casinos in the Philippines, a senior police official told reporters.

The transfer, one of the largest cyber heists in history, was among 35 requests that unknown hackers made for payments from the bank's New York Fed account in early February.

Other requested transfers from that account, which Dhaka uses for international settlements, were apparently blocked.

Former finance secretary Fazle Kabir took over on Sunday as head of the central bank after the former governor Atiur Rehman resigned amid complaints from the government that it had only learned of the heist a month later from the media.

Also on Sunday, the wife of a cyber crime expert reported he had disappeared after being abducted from a motor rickshaw in the early hours of last Thursday. He had met police on Tuesday and told the media he knew three user IDs used for the heist.

Senior police official Mirza Abdullahel Baqui said after meeting the FBI official that criminals in six countries were apparently involved in the heist.

"This is the biggest transnational organised crime ever seen in Bangladesh and so we sought both technical and human assistance (from the FBI)," he said.

The officials also discussed how to proceed with their investigation, he added.

A government investigative committee led by former central bank governor Mohammad Farash Uddin began its probe into the heist on Sunday. "This is a wake-up call," he said of the unprecedented breach in the bank's computer security.

A Philippines Senate hearing last week was told that $30 million of the $81 million haul was delivered in cash to an ethnic Chinese casino junket operator in Manila. The rest was transferred to two casinos in the Philippines.

According to his wife, cyber crime expert Tanveer Hassan Zoha was blindfolded by unknown people in plainclothes early on Thursday before being taken away in a vehicle.

He had gone on Tuesday with a special police force to the central bank where they spent several hours. Afterwards, he told reporters he knew three of the user IDs involved in the heist.

Kamrun Nahar Chowdhury, Zoha's wife, said police had refused to investigate her husband's disappearance and she had appealed to the government for help to free him. Police were unavailable for comment.

"We don't know why he was picked up," she told Reuters.

(Reporting by Serajul Quadir; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Lahore: The prosecution in the Mumbai attacks case on Sunday filed a fresh petition in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court to amend charges against the seven accused of banned LeT by including the postmortem reports of the 166 victims of the 2008 terror attack.

"The prosecution has filed an application in the Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad with regard to amendment in the charges against the seven accused of banned LeT. Since the (seven) suspects are already facing abetment to murder, the inclusion of postmortem reports of 166 victims of the Mumbai attacks is necessary in the charges," a court official told PTI.

The official said Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are accused of abetment to murder, attempted murder, and planning and executing the terror attacks on India's financial

capital on November 26, 2008.

The official said the court has issued a notice to the defence lawyers for arguments in the next hearing.

The court office will fix the next date of hearing as coming Wednesday (March 23) is a public holiday in connection with Pakistan Day.

The Mumbai case hearing is usually held every Wednesday.

In the last hearing on March 16, the prosecution told the trial court that Pakistan was waiting for a reply from the Indian government about sending (Indian) witnesses to Pakistan for recording of their statements.

The foreign ministry of Pakistan has written to the Indian government asking it to send all 24 Indian witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the trial court.

Earlier, Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar said that the trial court had already completed recording the statements of all (Pakistani) witnesses in the case which has been underway in the country for more than six years.

"Now the ball is in India's court. The Indian government should send all Indian witnesses of the Mumbai case to Pakistan to record their statements so that the trial could further move ahead," he had said.

Last month, the trial court had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to present all 24 Indian witnesses (in the court) to record their statements.

It had also ordered to bring the boat(s) used by Ajmal Kasab as it is a case property and should be duly examined.

Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, is living at a undisclosed location after getting released from jail on bail in April last year.

The other six suspects are in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.

PTI
Jammu: BJP on Sunday said it was in touch with several PDP legislators who were in favour of government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, but added it will "never" accept new conditions for alliance put forth by Mehbooba Mufti.

"Several PDP legislators who are in favor of the formation of the government in the state and who also don't

want midterm polls in the state are in touch with the BJP leadership for the formation of the government," BJP legislator Ravinder Raina said.

The Nowshera MLA said the party would stick to the Agenda of Alliance that had been agreed upon with PDP a year ago, adding that any deviation would amount to disrespecting former late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

"There is no question of accepting the new conditions laid down by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the BJP for the formation of government in Jammu and Kashmir. I have come to know that she (Mehbooba) has put forth new conditions, but BJP will never accept them. We will strictly follow the Agenda of Alliance that was agreed upon between the two parties a year ago," he said.

He said BJP has "several options" to form government in the state, if the alliance with PDP breaks down, but would disclose them "when the time comes".

The need of the hour for both the alliance partners (PDP and BJP) was to form government based on mutual trust and respect the aspirations of the people of Jammu and the people of Kashmir regions, he said.

"People of Jammu gave a thumping majority to BJP while people of Kashmir voted for PDP, hence it is time for both the parties to provide a democratically elected government to the people, as Governor's rule is no substitute to it," Raina said.

Asked whether the BJP would encourage defection within PDP, he said that his party would do no such thing.

"More than half of the legislators who were elected to the assembly are first timers and none of them want midterm polls. If the PDP does not come ahead to form the government we will explore other options," he said.

Raina said BJP will not "surrender" its ideology and would follow its "nationalistic policies", including in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Area wise and population wise Jammu is far bigger than Kashmir valley, but we have less number of assembly seats, we will continue to fight for the delimitation of the assembly seats, we will continue to fight for the refugees from west

Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK)," he said.

PTI
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
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi on Sunday mounted a sharp attack on the Prime Minister and the BJP in the wake of the Uttarakhand crisis, saying it has exposed the "true face of Modiji's BJP" and declared that the Congress would fight this "demagoguery with democracy".

Targeting the ruling party at the Centre over the issue, Gandhi in a series of tweets said, "Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar".

"Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy. This attack on our democracy & Constitution, first in Arunachal & now Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modiji's BJP", the Congress Vice President said.

Congress government in Uttarkhand led by Harish Rawat plunged in a crisis two days back with nine party MLAs turning rebels and opposition BJP approaching the Governor staking

claim to form the government.

Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJP's new model, after failure in Bihar  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 20, 2016 This attack on our democracy & Constitution, first in Arunachal & now Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modiji's BJP  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 20, 2016 Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 20, 2016

Governor Krishna Kant Paul had yesterday asked Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the state Assembly by March 28.

The Governor's directive to Rawat came even as BJP, claiming majority with support of nine rebel Congress MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, stepped up efforts to form its government, contending that the Rawat ministry has been reduced to a minority.

While BJP claimed the support of 35 MLAs including the rebel Congress legislators, Rawat said he still enjoys a majority in the Assembly as none of the rebel MLAs have quit the party or the CLP. He also said that five of the rebels were in touch with him.

Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had 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.

Congress had on Saturday 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 had said.

PTI
Dehradun: Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the membership of the House for violating the party whip and alligning with opposition BJP.

Main opposition BJP has meanwhile claimed that 35 MLAs including 26 from BJP and nine from Congress had already given a notice for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker to the Vidhan Sabha Secretary for his alleged failure to conduct the House in an impartial manner even before he issued the notices to the rebel Congress MLAs.

Notices have been issued to the nine rebel Congress MLAs following a request from party chief whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking action against them for violating the party whip in the state Assembly.

The notices have been pasted on the walls of the houses of the MLAs concerned which asks them to submit their replies to the Speaker by 26 March evening.

However, Pradesh BJP president and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajay Bhatt said as a notice of no-confidence has already been moved against the Speaker and he should quit his post.

Rebel Congress MLA from Narendra Nagar and a staunch Bahuguna loyalist Subodh Uniyal questioned the justification of the notices by a Speaker "who had lost the confidence of the majority of MLAs for his "failure to act impartially" by not allowing a division of votes on the budget in the House.

Facing a political crisis, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday got a breather with Governor Krishna Kant Paul asking him to prove his majority on the floor of the state Assembly by 28 March.

PTI
The director of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's Asian American and Pacific Islander outreach efforts is leaving the campaign for a position with the Colorado Democrats, a campaign official said on Saturday.

The departure of Lisa Changadveja comes ahead of Democratic nominating contests in states with the highest proportion of Asian American voters, like Washington later this month and California in June.

"She was an instrumental part of helping build our AAPI program and those efforts will continue with events over the next few weeks," campaign spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said in an email to Reuters. "The campaign is expected to announce a new Director of AAPI Outreach very soon."

Changadveja had announced her departure to campaign supporters in an email dated March 18, saying she had "tremendous faith in the campaign's commitment and ability to continue engaging our community as we move through the rest of the primary and prepare for the general election."

"I will be leaving Hillary for America as I have recently accepted a new job at the Colorado Democratic Party," she said in the email, seen by Reuters.

Changadveja did not immediately return requests for comment.

Minority communities have been key voting blocs for the Clinton campaign, helping her rack up wins over Bernie Sanders, the U.S. senator from Vermont who is her main rival for the Democratic nomination to the Nov. 8 presidential election.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders form about 6 percent of the U.S. population, a figure that does not include people of mixed race, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

They make up nearly 15 percent of the population of California, which holds its nominating contest in June, and around 9 percent of the state of Washington, which holds its Democratic caucus on March 26.

Asian Americans have also been among the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States, on occasion outstripping the growth in the Latino population, according to the Census.

A study by the University of California, Los Angeles last year found that the Asian-American electorate will double to 12 million voters by 2040.

Changadveja joined the Clinton campaign in September, according to her LinkedIn page. She previously served as the LGBTQ and AAPI director for Ready for Hillary, a Super PAC that supported a Clinton run for the presidency, according to the page.

(Editing by Richard Valdmanis, Mary Milliken and Bernard Orr)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Rostov-on-Don: Aviation experts on Sunday began examining the black boxes from the FlyDubai flight that crashed amid high winds at an airport in southern Russia but said the cockpit voice and data recorders were badly damaged.

The Boeing 737, which flew from Dubai to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, exploded into a fireball early on Saturday after missing the runway in bad weather as it was reportedly making its second attempt to land after circling for several hours.

Sergei Zaiko, deputy chairman of the Inter-State Aviation Committee, told Russia's Channel One that experts today were looking at the data recorders, which were delivered to Moscow earlier in the day. But the committee that investigates plane crashes in much of the former Soviet Union said in a statement they had been badly damaged and it was not immediately clear what, if any, data could be retrieved.

The black boxes were being viewed by experts from Russia, the United Arab Emirates, France and the US, since the American-made Boeing plane had French-made engines.

Investigators confirmed that all 55 passengers and seven crew, including nine different nationalities, with two from India and 45 coming from Russia, died instantly and launched a criminal probe into whether pilot error, a technical fault or poor weather was to blame. The Indians killed were identified as Mohan Shyam and wife Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan.

State-owned Rossiya-24 on Sunday interviewed a woman living nearby who said she was woken up by the sound of the explosion.

"The housed started shaking. I looked out of the window: the sky was red and in a few seconds it was over," said the woman, whom Rossiya did not identify.

Closed-circuit TV footage showed the plane going down at a steep angle and exploding. The powerful explosion left a big crater in the runway and pulverized the plane and passengers' remains.

Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said on Sunday that emergency service workers had completed their "search and rescue" operation by 1130 IST at the site where tangled debris was spread across a wide area and that authorities were now waiting for investigators to give the green light to let repair teams onto runway. Sokolov said he expects the airport to open early Monday.

Investigators were to spend the day combing the scene for clues of what caused the crash, Sokolov said, with representatives from state-owned budget airline FlyDubai - a sister firm of Emirates Airlines - arriving to aid the probe.

Sources told Russian news agencies that the two black boxes from the Boeing jet, holding vital flight data, had been transported to Moscow for examination.

Authorities also said they were starting the grisly task of identifying the collected human remains using DNA samples from relatives.

Residents in Rostov-on-Don, a city of some 1 million around 1,000 kilometres south of Moscow, laid flowers and cuddly toys at the airport entrance as they tried to digest the tragedy.

"I came to give remembrance to those who died. I am from Rostov myself and although I don't personally know those killed, a lot of names are well known, it's a small city," local resident Boris told AFP.

The arrivals and departures boards in the terminal were red with cancelled flights as the airport remained closed but officials said that it could start working again normally as early as tomorrow.

The passengers on board flight FZ981, which took off from Dubai at 2350 IST Friday and had been due to land at 0410 IST, 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.

Investigators said in an initial statement yesterday that 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.

Unconfirmed security footage on Russian state television appeared to show the jet plummeting nose first into the ground at high speed before exploding. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash.

With inputs from agencies
Moscow: 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 am 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 Emirates 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 21 January, 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 31 October 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.

IANS
JAKARTA/BEIJING Indonesia will summon China's ambassador over an incident involving a Chinese fishing vessel in the Natuna Sea, a minister said on Sunday, as Beijing accused it of attacking the ship in traditional Chinese fishing grounds.

The move comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea over China's land reclamation there and over its claims on vast swathes of an important shipping corridor. Several Southeast Asian countries have overlapping claims in the area.

Indonesia was attempting to detain the Chinese vessel for fishing illegally in waters near the contested South China Sea when a Chinese coast guard vessel intervened, fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti told reporters in Jakarta.

"What we will ask the ambassador is that if they say their nine-dash line does not claim Natuna then why is there still illegal fishing happening there," Pudjiastuti said, adding the ambassador will be summoned by the foreign ministry on Monday.

"Their government should not stand behind illegal and unregulated fishing," she said.

China's foreign ministry, in a statement sent to Reuters, said the trawler was carrying out "normal activities" in "traditional Chinese fishing grounds".

"On March 19, after the relevant trawler was attacked and harassed by an armed Indonesian ship, a Chinese Coast Guard ship went to assist," it said.

"The Chinese side immediately demanded the Indonesian side at once release the detained Chinese fishermen and ensure their personal safety," the ministry added.

China hopes Indonesia can "appropriately handle" the issue, it said. Indonesian foreign ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea that are also claimed by several Southeast Asian countries.

Indonesia is not a claimant in the disputed South China Sea, but has raised concerns over China's inclusion of the resource-rich Natuna Islands in its so-called "nine-dash line".

China says that it does not dispute Indonesia's sovereignty over the Natuna Islands.

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Istanbul: A Turkish member of the Islamic State militant group was responsible for the suicide bombing in Istanbul on Saturday that killed three Israelis and an Iranian and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's interior minister said on Sunday.

Efkan Ala identified the bomber as a man born in the southern province of Gaziantep, adding that five people have been detained so far in relation to the bombing.

"We have determined that Mehmet Ozturk, born in 1992 in Gaziantep, has carried out the heinous attack on Saturday in Istanbul. It has been established that he is a member of Daesh," Ala told a news conference broadcast live on television, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Israel has confirmed that three of its citizens died in the blast. Two of them held dual citizenship with the United States. An Iranian was also killed, Turkish officials have said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel was trying to determine whether the attack had been aimed at Israelis.

The bombing was the fourth such attack in Turkey this year, bringing the death toll to more than 80. Saturday's attack on Istiklal Street, Istanbul's most popular shopping district, appeared similar to a January suicide bombing blamed on Islamic State that killed at least 12 German tourists.

In that attack, the suicide bomber blew himself up among tourists near the city's historic centre.

NATO member Turkey faces multiple security threats. As part of a US-led coalition, it is fighting Islamic State in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling Kurdish militants in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s.

Police were on high alert across Turkey on Sunday after the previous day's attack and due to concerns about potential clashes between security forces and Kurdish militants during a spring festival this weekend that is widely celebrated by Kurds.

AP
BRAZZAVILLE 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.

The government denies it is preparing election fraud and says publishing alternate results is illegal and aimed at inciting post-election chaos.

(Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; editing by David Clarke)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A recent series of news articles have exposed a growing tragedy within South Sudans civil war  the widespread rape and slavery of women and children, and the use of women as a form of payment for soldiers. As destruction and human rights violations mount in South Sudan, it is difficult not to draw parallels to the rampant kidnap and sex slavery of Yazidi women by the Islamic State, which has most recently garnered attention for forcing sex slaves to use birth control or obtain abortions to remain saleable. These stories, and the horror behind them, represent only the newest chapter in a millennia-old tale.

Over the past thousand years, the landscape of war has changed dramatically. From soldiers on horseback and boiling oil thrown over castle walls to bayonets and muskets to tanks and rocket launchers to snipers and nuclear warheads, there is perhaps no industry that has seen a greater shift in technology and technique than war. Where once messengers and war cries were the prime method of communication, modern fighters send encrypted code over secure wireless networks.

Alongside the development of more advanced, and more deadly, war practices, international war and human rights law has struggled to stay in-step. Complex treaties and bodies of law attempt to tackle areas of war not previously considered, or even imagined.

For all that has changed, there is one thing that remains stubbornly the same  the targeted destruction of women through rape and sex slavery. It is only during the past few decades that this issue has been examined as a systematic weapon used against women and society rather than a series of isolated incidents targeting specific individuals, but while shedding a light on such crimes is a modern trend, this abuse of women is ancient. Accounts of rape in wartime have been documented in Ancient Greece and Rome and rules regarding the taking of women have been outlined in major historical religious texts, including the Bible, the Koran, and the Torah. Saint Augustine, sixteen centuries ago, is said to have referred to rape as an ancient custom. Just as rape and sexual abuse of women in wartime spans epochs, it also spans across every geographical area of the world, affecting women on every continent.

Wartime rape is also shockingly prevalent. It does not just happen during some historical periods, or during some wars. Wartime rape occurred in antiquity, continued into the middle ages, when it was a common practice during the Byzantine wars to rape or to demand sexual acts for payment, and sometimes as a condition of peace, and has made its way into modern warfare.

World War II in particular showcases the prevalence of the victimisation of women through rape, with such atrocities being committed by the Japanese army, Australian army, US Army, Soviet army, British army, French Moroccan and Senegalese troops, and German troops and occurring in both Europe and Asia. The Japanese army forcibly sent an estimated 200,000 comfort women, many of them Korean, to military camps as sexual rewards for the soldiers, while the North African French soldiers raped over 7,000 women in Italy. It has been estimated that up to two million German women were raped by Soviet soldiers before the end of WWII.

When war and systematic rape are mentioned together, the first example that springs to the mind of many is the tactic used by the Serbian army in the early nineties of raping Bosnian women and forcing them to carry to term Serb babies, a popular and devastating method of ethnic cleansing. This particular strategy has been used around the world in violent campaigns to dilute genetic pools and divide communities. During the struggle for Bangladeshs independence in 1971, such sentiments were expressed by the Pakistani troops, who raped Bangladeshi women and forced them to give birth to Punjabi children. Similarly in Rwanda, rape was a widespread method of genocidal efforts.

Rape as a genocidal effort is not the only face this crime takes. Clearly, forcing women to take birth control before raping and selling them runs contrary to this aim. In the case of the abduction and sex slavery of Yazidi women, the aim of the Islamic State seems to be a mixture of reward for their fighters and religious destruction. This twofold purpose is reminiscent of Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, when women were raped and forced into brothels for the pleasure of Nazi men. In the case of the South Sudanese soldiers, the kidnap and rape of women has the dual function of ethnic punishment and payment, in lieu of cash, of the fighters. The rape of women is viewed as a type of winners reward, along with cattle and other loot.

This notion of women as a reward is exemplified particularly well by the widespread rape of Vietnamese women by American military men, the use of brothels on military bases, and the organized sex tours to nearby countries for military men on leave. Far from condemnation, the American government displayed not only tolerance, but also encouragement of the idea that women could, and should, be used as sexual outlets for fighting men.

In the early nineties, women in Haiti were subjected to widespread sexual violence if they or their families politically opposed the military authorities.

During the second Sino-Japanese war, during an event known as the Nanking Massacre or the Rape of Nanking, Japanese soldiers committed a particularly violent form of systematic rape that included going door-to-door and gang raping women, children, and the elderly. Children who were too small were cut open to make room. Often, the victims would be immediately slaughtered. In Columbia, paramilitary troops invaded El Placer and raped women on a regular basis over a period of seven years, murdering some and enslaving others.

So what makes rape such an enduring aspect of war? Perhaps it is exactly this flexibility and multipurpose-ness of the act, which can be used to spread terror and distrust, wipe out an ethnic group, degrade an identity, or act as motivation and rewards for fighters and winning armies. Rape has the added advantage of under-reporting, the misconception that rape is individual, and a lack of focus on this type of crime.

The rape, sex slavery, and sexual abuse of women during wartime do not only affect the victims. These acts tear apart families and communities. Not only do women suffer from depression and suicide, they can be rejected by their families, and by their communities, forced to bear shame and isolation. In societies where a womans sexuality is heavily policed, women are re-victimised and devalued for having been raped. Such was the case following the Bangladesh Liberation War, when women who had been raped were socially excluded and shamed, leading to high rates of depression, suicide, and infanticide, despite governmental efforts of re-integration.

Women in other parts of the world typically fare no better in the aftermath of war. Despite a heightened interest of the international community in rape as a war crime, prosecution rates remain low and prevention strategies do little to stop rape on the ground. Over the past several decades, media outlets and the international community have shed a spotlight on this timeless tragedy, formed new organisations dedicated solely to eradicating wartime rape, sent international peacekeepers to protect communities, and held international trials for perpetrators of this violence. Even with these efforts, wartime rape remains a constant threat in modern conflicts.

To add insult to injury, women have also been victimised at the hands of the very system designed to protect them. Reports of UN Peacekeepers sexually abusing girls in the Central African Republic, Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, among others, show how pervasive the issue really is, and how the destruction of women in war goes far beyond the idea of friends and enemies, and gives new shades of meaning to the term war crimes.

Although the endless line of new cases of rape and sex slavery on every side of conflict may paint a grim picture, there is still a light at the end of the tunnel. The rape of women during times of war may be timeless, but it does not have to be inevitable. What is happening to the women in South Sudan, the Yazidi women, and women in conflict everywhere should be a wake up call for the entire international community. Over the course of history, we have rethought nearly every aspect of warfare; it is long overdue that we rethink this one.

Ash Moore holds a Masters degree in Human Rights and is pursuing a Juris Doctor at Washington University School of Law. She tweets @at_ashmoore
In the build-up to WrestleMania 32, the Flickering Myth writers look back at previous installments of the Showcase of the Immortals.

The Card:

The Godwinns vs. The Headbangers vs. The New Blackjacks vs. Doug Furnas & Phillip LaFon (Four Team Elimination Match)

IC Title Match: Rocky Maivia vs. The Sultan w/The Iron Sheik & Bob Backlund

Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/Chyna vs. Goldust w/Marleena

WWF Tag Title Match: Mankind & Vader vs. Owen Hart & The British Bulldog (Double Count-Out)

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret The Hitman Hart (Submission Match)

Ahmed Johnson & The Legion of Doom vs. Faarooq, Crush & Savio Vega.

WWF Title Match: The Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid

Lows:

Peculiarly, the lowest point of this event also just happens to be the WrestleMania debut of a future WWE Champion and global icon; Dwayne The Rock Johnson.

Wrestling under the name Rocky Maivia (a homage to his father and grandfather respective), The Great One had started his WWF career with success, picking up the Intercontinental Title. Here he would defend against The Sultan; a character played by Solofa Fatu Jr, who would later become Rikishi.

Both characters drastically lacked any real momentum or connection to the crowd. Rocky was a white-meat babyface who had all but been rejected by fans who were ready to embrace edgier characters. The Sultan was a cartoonish heel; a relic of an era that had already come and gone. By 1997, pro wrestling crowds had changed their appetites, and both these competitors would have to overhaul their gimmicks to reflect that change before they were able to gain any traction.

The in-ring action was as lacklustre as the characters involved. The Sultan applies a Chinlock for what seems like eternity, effectively sucking the life out of the entire arena in the process. Then, out of the blue, Rocky pulls off a roll-up victory. Not even the likes of The Iron Sheik and Bob Backlund were able to breathe any life into this one.

Highs:

There are two stand-out matches on the WrestleMania 13 card; one is a criminally underrated main event, and the other has a legitimate claim to being called the Greatest WWF Match of all Time.

The Submission match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart was something of a backup plan heading into the event. Originally, Mania 13 was meant to see Hart conquer Shawn Michaels in a rematch of the previous years main event. However, due to Michaels back injuries/unwillingness to lose to his arch-nemesis, the plans had to be reshuffled.

Although it may have been Plan B, if the Hart/Austin feud was rushed then you couldnt tell at all. Hart played the role of the returning babyface, perplexed as to why the fans who once cheered for him were now supporting Austin, a loudmouth heel. It was a fascinating build, culminating a masterful double-turn.

The match itself was a total show-stealer, battled out by two masters of their craft (its easy to forget what a fantastic technical wrestler Austin was, prior to his broken neck). If fans wanted to cheer The Texas Rattlesnake before this match, then by the end of it they were simply desperate to. His brash refusal to submit, combined with the increasingly despicable actions of Hart, confirmed his status as the most popular member of the roster. In short, this match propelled Austin to unprecedented heights.

Given the quality and drama of the Submission Match, following it was always going to be an impossible task. Perhaps it is for this reason that Mania 13s main event gets a bad reputation, but its an unjust one.

Like Hart/Austin, the rivalry between Sid and Undertaker was a late-addition due to the Shawn Michaels absence. Sid was an adequate heel champion, but was never really seen as more than a placeholder (think 2015s Sheamus). The Undertaker was in the early stages of The Streak, and some way off churning out the level of performances he has in the past decade. All these elements combined seemed to be the perfect recipe for a poor-quality main event

but it wasnt.

It was never going to be a technical masterpiece like the aforementioned match, but as a gritty clash of giants it was solid. The in-ring work was of a high standard (higher than youd expect from Sid), and both men had their gimmicks nailed on. Its also worth noting that The Undertaker was long-overdue a decent WWF Title reign (his first was just 6 days).

Overview:

Like its main event, WrestleMania 13 is often underrated. Austin versus Hart alone make this a must-watch, but the rest of the card is above-average also.

It is perhaps to think of this as a transitional edition of the event; wedge between two distinctive eras of professional wrestling. The Attitude Era may not have officially kicked off until Mania 14, but the seeds were certainly sewn here. The Rock, Mankind, and Triple H all appear on this card, while Austin and Undertaker hit major career milestones.

Jackson Ball  Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn

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The feature directorial debut of Michael Carney, starring Greg Kinnear, Djimon Hounsou and Renee Zellweger was set for an April 29th release date but has now been pushed back to 2017.

According to Variety, Same Kind of Different As Me  which is based on the 2006 book of the same name  has been slotted in by Paramount for a theatrical release date of February 3rd next year.

Kinnear and Hounsou will play Ron Hall and Denver Moore, an arts dealer and a former Louisiana sharecropper, who after a chance meeting form an unlikely friendship with the help of Kinnears onscreen wife Deborah, played by Renee Zellweger. The movie is inspired by true life events written in the memoirs of the three involved. Jon Voight and Olivia Holt will also star.

No word on exactly why the date has been pushed back since filming wrapped up in late 2014. Carney co-wrote the screenplay with Alexander Foard, whom he previously worked with on short film Jew.

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Iced Vanilla Cookies (Valentine's Day)

Medium

Preheat your oven to 180C Place your butter, sugar and vanilla seeds into your mixing bowl and beat until they are combined on slow or with your spoon. Mix in the egg until combined. Tip all the flour in and beat on slow until dough is formed
At long last, Elon Musk and SpaceX are building a Hyperloop.

We actually reported that story back in February, referencing SpaceX's plan to partner with engineering firm AECOM (ACM 2.74%) to build a superfast Hyperloop test track next to SpaceX's California headquarters. There, SpaceX will test out an idea first floated by its founder, Elon Musk, three years ago -- that it should be possible to build a 21st-century subway system, featuring "pods" traveling through pneumatic tubes along the ground -- at speeds rivaling those of an airplane in the sky.

Already, the idea is catching fire in multiple locations. Prior to SpaceX's announcement, similar trial runs were proposed by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) in California's Quay Valley, and by the similarly named Hyperloop Technologies, which is building in the Nevada desert. In each case, these companies are taking Musk's idea and running with it -- sans support from SpaceX.

But here's the key: All three of these tracks are being designed as test beds to figure out how to build a viable commercial Hyperloop. Today we're talking about taking that next step and building a working Hyperloop in the real world.

More specifically, in Slovakia.

The news

As announced last week, HTT has just signed an agreement with the Slovakian government to "explore building a local Hyperloop system" in Bratislava. According to HTT, this pilot project would not be cheap -- perhaps $200 million to $300 million just for an intracity system. But it would be manageable. Taken at the midpoint, $250 million would amount to about 1% of the $23 billion Slovak budget.

And Slovakia may not stop there. According to HTT's press release, the Slovaks are already looking beyond this initial project, and weighing plans to build follow-on Hyperloops to connect Bratislava with Vienna, Bratislava with Budapest, and even a cross-country Slovakian system that would stretch 250 miles in length, and connect Bratislava to Kosice. Traveling at an average speed of 600 mph, Slovakia estimates these multihour car trips could be reduced to just durations of just eight, 10, and 25 minutes, respectively, by Hyperloop.

What does it mean to investors?

That sounds like good news for the citizens of Slovakia -- and even better news for the 500 engineers and other specialists who make up the part-time volunteer workforce at crowdfunded HTT, and who are all working on this project in exchange for stock options. With a paying customer in hand, those options will now be worth something.

But as for the rest of us, we, too have a chance to cash in on the Hyperloop phenomenon. This is because, according to HTT, one of the companies that its worker collective has partnered with to do the actual building of the Hyperloop is AECOM -- as in the same AECOM that SpaceX is partnering with to build its test track. That means that out of the four minimum, and seven maximum, Hyperloop projects that are in the works, AECOM has a hand in at least two, and perhaps as many as five of them.

So what else do we know about AECOM?

Well, we know it's not "profitable" -- at least not as profits are calculated under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In fact, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, AECOM lost money in both 2014 and 2015 and in three of the past six years.

On the other hand, S&P Global data also show that despite its habit of reporting net losses under GAAP, AECOM produces a pretty steady flow of real cash profits from its business -- about $515 million in positive free cash flow last year, for example. Weighed against the stock's $4.8 billion market capitalization, that works out to a price-to-free cash flow ratio of about 9.3 -- not bad for a stock that Yahoo! Finance estimates will grow its profits at close to 10% annually over the next five years.

On the third hand (yes, unfortunately, when it comes to investing, there's often a third hand to deal with), AECOM also carries pretty heavy debt load -- about $3.9 billion net of cash. Personally, it's this last factor that worries me most and prevents me from recommending AECOM stock despite its current low valuation.

Then again, if this Hyperloop phenomenon keeps taking off like it's done so far and AECOM keeps winning Hyperloop construction contracts from the likes of SpaceX and HTT, this story could change in a hurry.

In my book, that's not enough to make AECOM a "buy it now" stock. But it does make it a stock to watch.
Marijuana appears to be set up for what could be its best year ever.

The plant, which is currently illegal at the federal level, has expanded like a weed over the past two decades. A whopping 23 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use since 1996, and four states have legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes since 2012.

Colorado has been a specific shining example of the industry's success. After generating $699 million in legal medical and recreational marijuana sales in 2014, Colorado fell $4 million shy of hitting $1 billion in legal sales this past year. It nonetheless generated $135 million in tax revenue and licensing fees in 2015, of which at least $35 million will be steered toward the state's education system. Legislators in states where marijuana is legal are likely thrilled with the tax revenue boost, and national polls continue to show steady or growing support for legalization.

So what's standing in the way of marijuana's ongoing expansion? Look no further than the federal government. President Obama doesn't have marijuana on his agenda in his final year in the Oval Office, and Congress appears in no rush to act, either.

The primary reason for inaction on Capitol Hill is tied to the safety profile of marijuana. Only within the past decade or so have researchers really stepped up their analysis of the potential medical benefits of marijuana. In prior decades the focus had almost exclusively targeted the adverse effects of the plant. The end result is that lawmakers on Capitol Hill have a mountain of negative data they could potentially pore over, and a considerably smaller amount of positive long-term data. Until regulators feel that they can make an educated decision on marijuana's safety profile, they simply won't change its federal scheduling.

Move over, skeptics, because this marijuana study is great news

However, a new broad-based marijuana study released by two Norwegian researchers last week and published in the online journal Addiction suggests that marijuana may not be as "dangerous" as first believed when it comes to operating a motor vehicle.

The researchers had one simple task in mind: analyze to what degree acute cannabis intoxication increases the likelihood of a vehicle crash. To do this they examined two separate studies.

The first study replicated two previously published meta-analyses (studies that look at multiple other studies under one umbrella), but aimed to correct "methodological shortcomings." This included a group of nearly 51,000 people, of which roughly 23,000 were controls and the remainder were cannabis intoxication case examples, and a second sample size of more than 93,000 cases, of which almost 89,000 were controls.

Study two was a revised meta-analysis that involved 28 estimates from 21 observational studies. All told, study two included a sample count that almost reached 240,000.

Their findings showed that prior studies failed to properly account for certain "known confounders," such as age and gender, thus skewing the results. Following adjustments that were not applied in previous studies, researchers determined that cannabis-impaired driving led to an increase in crash likelihood at a factor of 1.2 to 1.4. In plainer terms, it was a statistically significant increase of low-to-moderate proportions, which is in stark contrast to prior study findings. Comparatively, alcohol increased the likelihood of a motor vehicle crash by a factor of almost four.

This study is important, but there are other concerns

This study could prove particularly important for supporters of the marijuana movement because it's large, representing multiple hundreds of thousands of cases, and it examined data over more than a three-decade period (1982 through 2015). In other words, it could be construed as largely representative of the global population.

More importantly, it hits on one of the largest marijuana concerns; namely, what might happen to driving under the influence offenses if marijuana is legalized nationwide? Lawmakers are clearly worried about what sort of recipe smoking marijuana and driving a vehicle could create, but this study may indeed help lessen those fears.

Of course, this is by no means the last worry for legislators. For example, concerns remain about the consumption of marijuana edibles. It's a lot tougher for state regulators to govern edibles since they aren't as easily recognizable as a marijuana product and could, in theory, wind up in the hands of minors much easier (which is a major concern of lawmakers). Regulators also worry about whether or not THC-content in edible products is consistent from one batch to the next.

There are also worries about other societal impacts. For instance, based on data from the Seattle Police Department, property crimes rates jumped by more than 8,000 incidences from 2012 to 2014, after recreational marijuana's approval. By a similar token, total crime in Denver County jumped 29% from 2012 into 2013, and another 15% from 2013 into 2014. It's not concrete that marijuana is to blame, but the coincidence is uncanny.

Keep this in mind

For investors following the progress of marijuana, there is clear excitement. According to ArcView Market Research, legal marijuana sales expanded 15% to $5.4 billion in 2015, and they are forecast to grow by 30% per year through 2020. This would imply a $22 billion industry by the end of the decade. Investors would struggle to find this sort of growth from other industries.

The concern is that few avenues exist for investors to take advantage of this growth. Very few marijuana stocks trade on reputable exchanges, meaning it could be tough to get accurate and up-to-date information on marijuana companies. Even with more than $5 billion in legal marijuana sales, you'll also struggle to find publicly-traded marijuana businesses that are profitable.

Perhaps the bigger concern is that inaction on Capitol Hill continues to put marijuana businesses at two inherent disadvantages. First, they have no ability to take normalized tax deductions. The other issue is banks tends to ally themselves with the federal law regardless of whether or not states have legalized marijuana. For marijuana businesses, this means minimal to no access to basic banking services such as checking accounts and lines of credit.

Thus, even though marijuana's long-term outlook may have brightened a bit with the aforementioned study, the drug itself still remains a long shot to make investors money.
With dozens of possible tax deductions out there, it's hard to keep track of every single tax break the IRS offers. Many people think they've claimed every deduction they qualify for, but there are always last-minute deductions that get overlooked.

So before you file your 2015 tax return, click through to find out which last-minutetax breaks and deductionsyou might be missing out on -- and how you can take advantage of them before the April 18 tax deadline.

1. AlimonyBreaking up is hard to do, but it can be tough on your pocket book, too -- particularly if you're responsible for making spousal support payments. The good news: Alimony is a secret tax write-off filers might not know about."Alimony payments are a hard-fought battle in many divorces, and no one wants to pay them," said Michael Eckstein of Eckstein Tax Services in Huntington, N.Y. "But, for the person stuck paying them, they're tax deductible."

To qualify to deduct spousal support payments, you and your ex must be legally separated and live in separate homes. The payment must not be considered as child support or as part of a property settlement.

2. Miles driven between jobs"If you drive your car between two different employers, that mileage is deductible, provided you drive from one employer location to a different employer location," said Kenneth Reid of MasterType Accounting and Business Services in Chicago, Ill. If you work a day job at General Electric, for example, but after work head over to Target for your part-time gig, that mileage can be deductible."If you drive your vehicle while at work for your employer, this mileage is deductible," added Reid. "For example, you work in an office, and you are required to drive to the office supply store to purchase office supplies, or if you are required to drive your vehicle to make deliveries to customers while on the clock."Still, miles spent commuting are not deductible. The standard business mileage deduction for 2015 is 57.5 cents.

3. UniformsWearing a uniform to work might not be fun, but it can add a boost to your tax return when April rolls around. It's one of the hidden tax breaks many workers don't know about."Many times, people are required to purchase uniforms that are only appropriate to wear at work. The cost of these uniforms and the cost of cleaning the uniforms are both deductible," said Reid.To deduct the cost and upkeep of work clothes, they must be worn as a condition of employment, and can't be considered suitable for everyday wear. A button-down shirt and a tie probably won't qualify. However, scrubs, police officer uniforms, and hard hats likely will.

4. Tools and supplies"Some people are required to purchase tools in order to perform their jobs, and the cost of the tools are deductible," said Reid. That is, so long as the cost incurred totals at least 2% of your adjusted gross income for the year.Auto mechanics, construction workers and landscape architects can easily incur expenses that exceed the 2% threshold. So can teachers, who "often must purchase school supplies in order to do their job," said Reid, who added that teachers do receive a small $250 deduction for the purchase of school supplies. Even so, that "deduction is often far less than what the teacher actually spends for the school supplies that are needed throughout the school year."

5. Investment-related feesThere are certain secret tax breaks for those who work with a financial professional, so long as those investment expenses exceed 2% of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income."A typical client who uses a financial planner or investment advisor can deduct IRA custodial fees, investment advisory fees, safety deposit box fees -- if the box is used to store investment-related storage -- and even transportation costs to your investment advisor's office," said Matt Hylland, financial planner and investment advisor for Hylland Capital Management.You can also deduct the cost of tax advice and preparation, as well as losses on traditional or Roth IRAs (upon distribution). In addition, any legal fees incurred while collecting taxable income or getting tax advice can also be deducted.

6. Local and sales taxesThere are even hidden tax breaks for your local or sales tax paid during the year. "You're permitted to deduct state or sales tax on your federal return," said Ryan Saltz, Esq., licensed tax professional at Tax Defense Network. "This can be incredibly helpful, particularly if your state does not tax your income." Note, however, that you can't deduct both.If you're not sure which deduction would be a better bet, the IRS offers a sales tax deduction calculator, so you can estimate your spending tax. You'll need a record of your receipts to prove your spending and the sales tax you paid throughout the year.

7. Gambling lossesWhat happens in Vegas might stay in Vegas, but the good news for gamblers is that they can bring home hidden tax breaks from any losses incurred."Since hardly anyone makes money gambling, people often forget that casinos will send them a W-2G as income for their gambling winnings," said Micah Fraim, independent CPA in Roanoke, Va. "To offset this, taxpayers can also deduct losses on their Schedule A, up to the extent of their winnings."Still, you can only deduct gambling losses to offset winnings during the same year. "You don't get a tax break for getting too optimistic at the poker table," he said.

8. Moving expensesRelocation costs are a bear, but if you're moving for work, you might be the beneficiary of one or more of these secret tax write-offs. "If the new job is at least 50 miles farther from your old home to your old job, then it is very possible that the expenses are deductible," said Fraim.Deductible expenses include the cost of packing and transporting furniture, appliances, even your household pet. It also includes travel and storage expenses, so long as they're incurred within a specified window of time."But beware," said Fraim. "The IRS has several stipulations, such as staying and working in the location for 39 weeks during the first 12 months of your arrival." You also can't deduct any expenses that are reimbursed by your employer. No double-dipping allowed.

9. Private mortgage insurance premiumsMost homeowners know they can write off real estate taxes and mortgage interest from their home. What they might not realize is that they can also get a tax break on their private mortgage insurance premium, which most borrowers pay if they put down less than 20% of the purchase price when they bought their home."That deduction can be anywhere from $50 to $200 per month on a loan in the neighborhood of $250,000," said David Hryck, tax lawyer and partner with Reed Smith. The deduction starts to phase out at an adjusted gross income of $100,000 for most taxpayers.

10. Savings for individuals with disabilities"In the past, disabled persons could not accumulate more than $2,000 in assets," said ZM Ishmurzina, CPA and partner with Artio Partners. "Otherwise, they would be disqualified from receiving Social Security benefits and Medicaid."Last year, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) act was introduced, which lets any taxpayer, such as one's parents, contribute up to $14,000 per year in the account of a disabled person. Contributions are made with after-tax dollars, but qualified distributions are tax free."The ABLE account allows disabled taxpayers to accumulate up to $102,000 without risk of disqualification," said Ishmurzina. "A person must have become blind or severely disabled before turning age 26 in order to qualify."

11. Hosting a foreign exchange studentIf you've hosted an international student while they studied in the U.S., there's a tax break for that. You can deduct $50 for any month when an exchange student lives in your home for 15 days or more.To qualify, it "requires an official agreement with a sponsoring organization, and the student must be a full-time high school or secondary school student -- and not a member of your family or a relative," said Tim Gagnon, assistant academic professor of accounting at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University.

12. Adopting a child"The federal government allows families to use a tax credit, which is worth up to $13,400" when adopting a new family member, said Lisa Greene-Lewis, CPA and TurboTax expert. "Qualifying adoption expenses include attorney fees, travel costs -- if directly related to the adoption -- and court fees."To qualify for the credit, a taxpayer must owe taxes -- it's a non-refundable credit, although the balance of the credit can be carried forward for up to five years. The adopted child must also be under the age of 18 or physically unable to care for him- or herself, and can't be a stepchild.

13. Driving to your rental property"If you own a rental property, you're able to deduct miles driven in conjunction with inspecting and taking care of the property," said Fraim. "For demanding properties or properties that are out of town, this can be a huge deduction."That includes miles spent driving to collect rents, make property repairs or for routine maintenance, like landscaping duties. You can't deduct miles driven from your home to a rental property, which would be considered a commute. The rate for 2015 is 57.5 cents a mile.

14. Medical expenses"Deducting medical expenses on your tax return is tough," said Fraim, adding that healthcare costs have to exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income, or 7.5% if you were born before 1951, before you can start deducting. Still, there are other tax breaks that can benefit those with costly medical expenses."Good alternatives, when they are available, are Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)," added Fraim. "These accounts allow you to spend money for medical purposes with pre-tax dollars."Workers can contribute up to $2,550 to an FSA each year, which can be used to pay out-of-pocket dental costs, co-pays and even deductibles. However, it can only be offered through your employer, and you can only carry $500 over to the next year. Basically, use it or lose it.An HSA is more flexible, with a higher contribution limit -- $3,350 per year -- and contributions can grow tax-free from year to year. Even better, you can roll it over if you switch jobs. However, it's only available for those with a high deductible healthcare plan.

15. Forgiven mortgage debtThrough 2016, "if you experienced a foreclosure, short sale or loan modification, you will be able to exclude the amount of debt forgiven on your principal residence from your taxable income -- up to $2 million," said Greene-Lewis.

The cancelled debt must be from your primary residence. Second homes, rental and business properties don't qualify. Also, the mortgage must have been used to buy, build or substantially improve your home. If you took out a second mortgage to pay off your credit cards, it won't qualify.

This article originally appeared at GoBankingRates.

The article 15 Last-Minute Deductions You Don't Want to Forget 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.
Here today, gone tomorrow. That's how quickly stocks can fall out of favor with Wall Street. But let's be honest: Wall Street gets it wrong and savvy investors who can pick out their mistakes could be greatly rewarded. Here are three stocks that Wall Street hates and our contributors' thoughts on each: Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM), Fitbit (NYSE: FIT), and Snap (NYSE: SNAP).

Rebounding retailer

Daniel Miller (Williams-Sonoma, Inc.):If you're looking for a stock Wall Street hates that's poised for a rebound, Williams-Sonoma could be just what you're looking for. Williams-Sonoma is a retail and direct-to-consumer leader in the fractured home-furnishings business. Beyond its namesake Williams-Sonoma stores, it offers brands such as Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Rejuvenation.

Image source: Getty Images.

As you may have noticed, there's been a trend over the past year: Retailers are getting hammered by Wall Street. There's a common theme within that trend, and that's that retailers lacking an e-commerce story are failing. That's why Williams-Sonoma is better positioned to rebound over the next few years: Its e-commerce business generates about half of its total revenue.

The e-commerce story is far from the only bullish factor in its investing thesis. Its brand portfolio hits many relevant demographics, including kids and teens, which enables it to be a leader in a less competitive younger demographic. West Elm is a newer concept for young professionals. Williams-Sonoma also has an owned supply chain -- it controls every aspect from product development to manufacturing, distribution and sale -- which enables it to drive costs lower compared to its competitors.

There's more good news for potential investors. It recently announced it would bump up its quarterly dividend by 5% for a total of $0.39 per share, roughly equal to a 3% yield at recent prices. In addition to its dividend, the company has a proven concept with an owned supply chain and room to grow overseas -- as recently as 2015 global sales generated only 6% of total revenue. Wall Street loves to hate Williams-Sonoma, but it could be wrong about this retailer.

When wearables go out of style

Travis Hoium (Fitbit): Few companies have gone from stock market darling to dud as quickly as Fitbit. And after a year when it lost $102.8 million on sales of $2.2 billion, there's not a lot of positive momentum for the company.

The challenge Fitbit has faced lately is similar to that seen by many product companies. It grew on the back of popular products, but when growth slowed and new products didn't sell as well as anticipated, an excess of inventory built up, leading to writedowns and financial losses. That was the story of 2016 and it's difficult to see an easy path back to growth or profits.

What Fitbit needs today is focus. It was built on being a wearable for everyone, but today's wearables market is becoming more segmented and wearables fromApple and Samsungare better suited for the versatile mass-market crowd. Fitbit needs to stay focused on growing in one or two markets where it has a sustainable competitive advantage. Right now, I'm not sure even Fitbit knows which market it wants to focus on, which is a big reason this stock is so hated by Wall Street.

Overpriced to the extreme

Tim Green (Snap Inc.): After soaring on its first day of trading, shares of "camera company" Snap Inc. have tumbled. A flurry of negative commentary and analyst sell ratings have helped push the stock down more than 25% from its peak. More than 15% of all shares have been shorted, with many investors having the same idea.

The big problem with Snap is its valuation. It is currently valued at roughly $23 billion despite producing just $404 million of revenue in 2016. That's a price-to-sales ratio of nearly 60. The company is losing boatloads of money to produce this meager revenue, posting a net loss of $514 million last year.

Beyond the valuation, the Snapchat app's core functionality is being copied left and right. Instagram added a Snapchat Stories-like feature last year, and Facebook has now added a similar feature to its Messenger app. Snapchat's user growth is already showing signs of slowing, and the wholesale copying of its core features won't help.

Is Snapchat anything more than a niche messaging app? We'll find out soon enough when Snap begins reporting quarterly results. If user growth slows further, it will be impossible to justify the outrageous valuation.

10 stocks we like better than Snap Inc.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 Snap Inc. wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

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Daniel Miller has no position in any stocks mentioned. Timothy Green has no position in any stocks mentioned. Travis Hoium owns shares of AAPL. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends AAPL, FB, and FIT. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on AAPL and short January 2018 $95 calls on AAPL. The Motley Fool recommends WSM. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Last week, Delta Air Lines officially took delivery of the first of 45 Airbus A321s that it will receive over the next three years. As these new planes enter Delta's fleet, they will play a big role in keeping unit costs down while improving the customer experience.

Delta's first A321 arrived from Airbus last week. Photo: Delta Air Lines.

Delta orders the A321Delta ordered the A321 a few years ago to continue replacing its older domestic planes. The A321 is the largest member of the Airbus A320 aircraft family. Delta's fleet already includes more than 100 of the smaller A319 and A320 models.

Airbus is transitioning its narrow-body production to the new, fuel-efficient A320neo series, so Delta was able to get a big discount on the outgoing model. In recent years, Delta has shown a firm preference for buying older aircraft models like the A321, particularly for its domestic fleet. The company isn't willing to pay a big premium for the newest, most fuel-efficient models.

The A321 is still very efficientThe A321 may not be state-of-the-art technology anymore, but it is very cost-efficient relative to the planes it will replace. Delta will configure the A321 with 192 seats, making it one of the largest planes in Delta's domestic fleet. Larger planes within a given size class tend to have lower unit costs, because they spread relatively similar total costs over more passengers.

The only planes bigger than the A321 in Delta's domestic fleet are the 757 -- which is typically outfitted with 199 or 234 seats, depending on the version -- and a handful of 261-seat 767s that are scheduled to retire soon. However, these models are significantly heavier than the Airbus A321. As a result, the A321 easily tops them in fuel efficiency.

For the most part, the new A321s are likely to replace Delta's aging MD-88s, many of which are nearly 30 years old. The MD-88s have only 149 seats and use very old engine technology. As a result, Delta's A321s will have 29% more seats at little or no incremental cost.

Making the A321 spiffyDelta recently embarked on a retrofit program to update the interiors of its existing Airbus A319 and A320 fleet. The planes are getting all-new interiors, with improvements to the seats, overhead bins, seat-back TVs, cabin lighting, and lavatories.

The A321s will be outfitted with a similar interior. From a passenger perspective, two key features are overhead bins that slope up toward the ceiling -- creating a much less claustrophobic environment -- and power outlets that will be installed in every row.

Delta's new A321 has an attractive, modern interior. Photo: Delta Air Lines.

The result is that while Delta is packing a lot of seats onto its A321s, it's doing so in a way that will still offer a good experience for customers.

Getting ready for serviceDelta won't put the A321 into scheduled service right away. While Delta has already flown the first aircraft back to the U.S. from the Airbus delivery center in Germany, it is expected to enter scheduled service in early May.

Initially at least, Delta plans to operate the A321 on high-density routes to Florida from its main hub in Atlanta. This will allow the carrier to put its newest aircraft model's high passenger capacity to good use.

The article Delta Air Lines Receives Its First Airbus A321 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Adam Levine-Weinberg is long January 2017 $40 calls on Delta Air Lines, The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Internet.org logo. Image source: Facebook.

Facebook has a problem in Asia -- or at least that's how the media has portrayed the situation in recent months.

The world's largest social media network has weathered negative commentary from users, regulators, and the media, who claim Facebook's free Internet.org service violates the principles of net neutrality -- a policy the firm has championed in developed countries in recent years.

However, the reality of the situation appears more nuanced than originally imagined, as Facebook's head of Asian operations recently demonstrated.

Impressive growth in Asia In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Facebook vice president for Asia Pacific Dan Neary debunked the idea that his firm is having growth issues in Asia with a healthy dose of cold, hard data. According to Neary, roughly 540 million of Facebook's 1.6 billion monthly active users (MAUs) live in Asia. What's more, its user base in Asia has expanded nicely over the past year, rising about 20% from 449 million. While that's not fast-paced by Facebook's previous growth standards, it's sharply higher than the social media platform's overall user growth pace, which tallied 14% globally over the past year.

What's more, Facebook's growth in the region appears widely dispersed across a range of countries -- though China, which has blocked the service, remains noticeably absent. India is home to 130 million MAUs, making it Facebook's second-largest country in terms of subscribers. Moreover, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines are each home to user bases that number in the tens of millions.

Image source: Facebook

Facebook has faced heightened scrutiny and criticism -- especially in India -- over its Free Basics service, which provides complimentary access to a limited number of websites, including its core social media service. However, the scant options offered by Free Basics have rankled many in the country, and Indian regulators effectively banned the service through a ruling last month. Viewed through the lens of its actual user data, though, Facebook's Asian growth appears demonstrably healthy, and its overall prospects there brighter than ever. That should be welcome news for shareholders.

All-important region AsFacebook sketches its plans for the next decade, the Asia Pacific region stands without question as the most important one. Among the company's internal goals is to grow the number of total Facebook users to 5 billion by 2030 -- an ambitious goal considering that in 2015, the global population of Internet users was just 3.2 billion. Bridging that gap is one reason companies have launched initiatives like Internet.org or Alphabet's Project Loon.

Certainly the Asia Pacific region offers the greatest growth opportunity for Facebook. Take India for example. As mentioned above, the country is already home to 130 millionFacebook users. And though this figure is certainly significant for the company, it still falls well short of the 1.25 billion citizens in the world's largest democracy. Even after subtracting out China's 1.36 billion people, Facebook's 540 million users in the region represent less than 18% of the region's remaining population. That's an absolutely massive opportunity for the company, and one that it must address in order to justify its admittedly lofty valuation.

To sum up, Facebook's progress in the Asia Pacific region is better than many have assumed, especially in light of recent negative press. However, the larger truth also remains that Facebook must find new solutions and methods of tapping into the world's most populous region to continue to deliver on its mission to make the world more connected and to deliver returns for shareholders in kind.

The article Facebook's Asian Net Neutrality Flap May Not Be Hurting It as Much as People Think originally appeared on Fool.com.

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Andrew Tonner has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends GOOG, GOOGL, and FB. 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.
At long last, Elon Musk and SpaceX are building a Hyperloop.

Here's what a Hyperloop looks like (in concept, at least). Image source:Tesla Motors.

We actually reported that story back in February, referencing SpaceX's plan to partner with engineering firm AECOM to build a superfast Hyperloop test track next to SpaceX's California headquarters. There, SpaceX will test out an idea first floated by its founder, Elon Musk, three years ago -- that it should be possible to build a 21st-century subway system, featuring "pods" traveling through pneumatic tubes along the ground -- at speeds rivaling those of an airplane in the sky.

Already, the idea is catching fire in multiple locations. Prior to SpaceX's announcement, similar trial runs were proposed by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies(HTT) in California's Quay Valley, and by the similarly namedHyperloop Technologies, which is building in the Nevada desert. In each case, these companies are taking Musk's idea and running with it -- sans support from SpaceX.

But here's the key: All three of these tracks are being designed as test beds to figure out how to build a viable commercial Hyperloop. Today we're talking about taking that next step and building a working Hyperloop in the real world.

More specifically, in Slovakia.

The newsAs announced last week, HTT has just signed an agreement with the Slovakian government to "explore building a local Hyperloop system" in Bratislava. According to HTT, this pilot project would not be cheap -- perhaps $200 million to $300 million just for an intracity system.But it would be manageable. Taken at the midpoint, $250 million would amount to about 1% of the $23 billion Slovak budget.

And Slovakia may not stop there. According to HTT's press release, the Slovaks are already looking beyond this initial project, and weighing plans to build follow-on Hyperloops to connect Bratislava with Vienna, Bratislava with Budapest, and even a cross-country Slovakian system that would stretch 250 miles in length, and connect Bratislavato Kosice. Traveling at an average speed of 600 mph, Slovakia estimates these multihour car trips could be reduced to just durations of just eight, 10, and 25 minutes, respectively, by Hyperloop.

What does it mean to investors?That sounds like good news for the citizens of Slovakia -- and even better news for the 500 engineers and other specialists who make up the part-time volunteer workforce at crowdfunded HTT, and who are all working on this project in exchange for stock options.With a paying customer in hand, those options will now be worth something.

But as for the rest of us, we, too have a chance to cash in on the Hyperloop phenomenon. This is because, according to HTT, one of the companies that its worker collective has partnered with to do the actual building of the Hyperloop is AECOM -- as in the same AECOM that SpaceX is partnering with to build its test track. That means that out of the four minimum, and seven maximum, Hyperloop projects that are in the works, AECOM has a hand in at least two, and perhaps as many as five of them.

So what else do we know about AECOM?

Well, we know it's not "profitable" -- at least not as profits are calculated under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In fact, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, AECOM lost money in both 2014 and 2015 and in three of the past six years.

On the other hand, S&P Global data also show that despite its habit of reporting net losses under GAAP, AECOM produces a pretty steady flow of real cash profits from its business -- about $515 million in positive free cash flow last year, for example. Weighed against the stock's $4.8 billion market capitalization, that works out to a price-to-free cash flow ratio of about 9.3 -- not bad for a stock that Yahoo! Finance estimates will grow its profits at close to 10% annually over the next five years.

On the third hand (yes, unfortunately, when it comes to investing, there's often a third hand to deal with), AECOM also carries pretty heavy debt load -- about $3.9 billion net of cash. Personally, it's this last factor that worries me most and prevents me from recommending AECOM stock despite its current low valuation.

Then again, if this Hyperloop phenomenon keeps taking off like it's done so far and AECOM keeps winning Hyperloop construction contracts from the likes of SpaceX and HTT, this story could change in a hurry.

In my book, that's not enough to make AECOM a "buy it now" stock. But it does make it a stock to watch.

The article The First SpaceX Hyperloop Could Be Built in Europe originally appeared on Fool.com.

Rich Smithdoes not own shares of, nor is he short, any company named above. You can find him onMotley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handleTMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 278 out of more than 75,000 rated members.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Tesla.

Tesla Motors is very much a battleground stock these days. The company is sure to elicit a wide range of investor opinions spanning the entire spectrum. A lot of the company's future prospects hinge on the success or failure of the forthcoming Model 3, set to be unveiled at the end of the month. The Model 3 represents Tesla's shot at the mainstream market, starting at $35,000 before incentives.

On paper, that would position Model 3 in the entry-level luxury sedan market, which moved about 500,000 units in the U.S. last year. However, I believe that the Model 3's market opportunity is actually significantly larger, considering the company's demonstrated ability to attract buyers from lower-end markets.

I'm not the only one.

Word on the StreetOn Friday, Bernstein put out a research note (via Barron's) discussing the Model 3's prospects. The bullish tone of the analysts was partially what drove Tesla shares higher that day. The analysts believe that Model 3 will serve as a sort of wake-up call for the auto industry, accelerating industrywide investments in EV technology. Incumbent automakers have already been developing EVs for a few years now, but Model 3 could dramatically increase those commitments.

Image source: Honda.

Furthermore, Bernstein doesn't think Model 3 will only compete with other luxury cars such as the BMW 5 Series or Audi A6. Honda Motor and Toyota had better watch out, too:

"But with a mid-priced addition to Tesla's product mix, the company will no longer be competing just with the BMW 5- series and Audi A6. It will be competing with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry."

That echoes my own sentiments precisely:

"All of a sudden, we're now talking about Model 3 potentially competing with the Camry and Honda Accord and other non-luxury sedans. Now that is a huge market (Camry and Accord alone sold a combined 784,742 vehicles in the U.S. in 2015)."

This is a massive market segment that we're talking about.

T-minus 11 daysThe Accord and Camry have been brand-defining models for Honda and Toyota for years, thanks to a wide range of factors including reliability, affordability, and value retention. A big unknown is how Model 3 will score in these departments.

Tesla's Model S has already been putting pressure on Toyota's Prius, thanks to a large overlap in environmentally conscious customers. Meanwhile, Honda has been struggling with a variety of quality issues (Honda had to recall its brand new 2016 Civic just months after launch due to a major engine problem), and recently appointed CEO Takahiro Hachigo has vowed to fix some organizational problems within the company.

March 31 can't come soon enough.

The article I'm Not the Only One Who Thinks Toyota and Honda Should Be Scared of Tesla's Model 3 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Evan Niu, CFA owns shares of Tesla Motors. Evan Niu, CFA has the following options: long January 2018 $180 calls on Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Flickr user Pablo Evans.

Marijuana appears to be set up for what could be its best year ever.

The plant, which is currently illegal at the federal level, has expanded like a weed over the past two decades. A whopping 23 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use since 1996, and four states have legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes since 2012.

Colorado has been a specific shining example of the industry's success. After generating $699 million in legal medical and recreational marijuana sales in 2014, Colorado fell $4 million shy of hitting $1 billion in legal sales this past year. It nonetheless generated $135 million in tax revenue and licensing fees in 2015, of which at least $35 million will be steered toward the state's education system. Legislators in states where marijuana is legal are likely thrilled with the tax revenue boost, and national polls continue to show steady or growing support for legalization.

So what's standing in the way of marijuana's ongoing expansion? Look no further than the federal government. President Obama doesn't have marijuana on his agenda in his final year in the Oval Office, and Congress appears in no rush to act, either.

The primary reason for inaction on Capitol Hill is tied to the safety profile of marijuana. Only within the past decade or so have researchers really stepped up their analysis of the potential medical benefits of marijuana. In prior decades the focus had almost exclusively targeted the adverse effects of the plant. The end result is that lawmakers on Capitol Hill have a mountain of negative data they could potentially pore over, and a considerably smaller amount of positive long-term data. Until regulators feel that they can make an educated decision on marijuana's safety profile, they simply won't change its federal scheduling.

Image source: Pixabay.

Move over, skeptics, because this marijuana study is great news However, a new broad-based marijuana study released by two Norwegian researchers last week and published in the online journal Addictionsuggests that marijuana may not be as "dangerous" as first believed when it comes to operating a motor vehicle.

The researchers had one simple task in mind: analyze to what degree acute cannabis intoxication increases the likelihood of a vehicle crash. To do this they examined two separate studies.

The first study replicated two previously published meta-analyses (studies that look at multiple other studies under one umbrella), but aimed to correct "methodological shortcomings." This included a group of nearly 51,000 people, of which roughly 23,000 were controls and the remainder were cannabis intoxication case examples, and a second sample size of more than 93,000 cases, of which almost 89,000 were controls.

Study two was a revised meta-analysis that involved 28 estimates from 21 observational studies. All told, study two included a sample count that almost reached 240,000.

Their findings showed that prior studies failed to properly account for certain "known confounders," such as age and gender, thus skewing the results. Following adjustments that were not applied in previous studies, researchers determined that cannabis-impaired driving led to an increase in crash likelihood at a factor of 1.2 to 1.4. In plainer terms, it was a statistically significant increase of low-to-moderate proportions, which is in stark contrast to prior study findings. Comparatively, alcohol increased the likelihood of a motor vehicle crash by a factor of almost four.

Image source: Office of Public Affairs via Flickr.

This study is important, but there are other concernsThis study could prove particularly important for supporters of the marijuana movement because it's large, representing multiple hundreds of thousands of cases, and it examined data over more than a three-decade period (1982 through 2015). In other words, it could be construed as largely representative of the global population.

More importantly, it hits on one of the largest marijuana concerns; namely, what might happen to driving under the influence offenses if marijuana is legalized nationwide? Lawmakers are clearly worried about what sort of recipe smoking marijuana and driving a vehicle could create, but this study may indeed help lessen those fears.

Of course, this is by no means the last worry for legislators. For example, concerns remain about the consumption of marijuana edibles. It's a lot tougher for state regulators to govern edibles since they aren't as easily recognizable as a marijuana product and could, in theory, wind up in the hands of minors much easier (which is a major concern of lawmakers). Regulators also worry about whether or not THC-content in edible products is consistent from one batch to the next.

There are also worries about other societal impacts. For instance, based on data from the Seattle Police Department, property crimes rates jumped by more than 8,000 incidences from 2012 to 2014, after recreational marijuana's approval. By a similar token, total crime in Denver County jumped 29% from 2012 into 2013, and another 15% from 2013 into 2014. It's not concrete that marijuana is to blame, but the coincidence is uncanny.

Image source: Flickr user Cannabis Culture.

Keep this in mindFor investors following the progress of marijuana, there is clear excitement. According to ArcView Market Research, legal marijuana sales expanded 15% to $5.4 billion in 2015, and they are forecast to grow by 30% per year through 2020. This would imply a $22 billion industry by the end of the decade. Investors would struggle to find this sort of growth from other industries.

The concern is that few avenues exist for investors to take advantage of this growth. Very few marijuana stocks trade on reputable exchanges, meaning it could be tough to get accurate and up-to-date information on marijuana companies. Even with more than $5 billion in legal marijuana sales, you'll also struggle to find publicly-traded marijuana businesses that are profitable.

Perhaps the bigger concern is that inaction on Capitol Hill continues to put marijuana businesses at two inherent disadvantages. First, they have no ability to take normalized tax deductions. The other issue is banks tends to ally themselves with the federal law regardless of whether or not states have legalized marijuana. For marijuana businesses, this means minimal to no access to basic banking services such as checking accounts and lines of credit.

Thus, even though marijuana's long-term outlook may have brightened a bit with the aforementioned study, the drug itself still remains a long shot to make investors money.

The article This Might Be the Best Marijuana Study You'll See All Year 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 has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

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To some degree, I felt immense pride and joy as the president of the United States entered Cuba today, becoming the first to do so in 88 years. However, as I watched the live television feed from Havana, all joy was replaced with sadness. You would have thought, that for such a historic and significant event, the Cuban people would have been informed about the visit, and the various stops that President Obama was scheduled to make. All of that information was limited to the people, and most of them were not aware of timing or scheduling of todays events.

In other words, the Cuban people were not given the chance to express their gratitude to Obama by making themselves visible to welcome the American delegation to Cuba. They were never given the chance. You would have imagined that with the historical landing of the presidents motorcade, the streets of Havana would have been lined with hope. Instead, the live television feed of the motorcade was not shown on the island. The people instead watched a taped, delayed version.

In another troubling turn of events, just hours before Obama arrived the civil rights group Ladies in White tried to stage a non-violent protest on Palm Sunday, but they were arrested by Cuban security forces. These women represent the sons and daughters of Cuba that have been thrown in jail over their attempt to express the desire for basic human rights.

And so, as I listened to the Cuban analyst talk about what the presidents visit may represent for human rights in Cuba, all that I could think about is what the Cuban government itself wants, which is to stay exactly the way that it is. I do not believe that Obama has a true understanding of how unwilling the Cuban government is to change. If Obama believed that he was going to be able to preach about civil rights and open doors for the Cuban people during this visit, he is sorely mistaken. His message to Cubas government will fall on deaf ears.

Let me remind you that the reason we broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in the first place was because of their totalitarian communist regime and what it implied for the developing island. At the time, our leaders believed that it was the only way to keep Fidel Castro in check. Now, I do agree with Obama that the strategy did not work, and as a result Cuba became more isolated and the people suffered tremendously.

I believe that the Cuban government wants to form a Chinese-style regime. They want open commerce but they dont want any governmental change when it comes to the people. It is now up to Obama to prevent that from happening just 90 miles away from the U.S. coast. In doing so, he must approach this newfound relationship that we have with them as one of compromise, and not one made of victories and defeats.

So while I am skeptical of what Obamas visit to Cuba will mean for the people, I am in a way still hopeful that it marks the beginning of a very long process toward freedom for them. It will be a long time before they are able to exercise their own rights, but let us hope that this is the beginning of a path that leads to their democratic voice, their human rights, and their ability to become a self sustaining nation, which is what every Cuban wants.
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.
Donald Trump will reportedly meet Monday in Washington with nearly two dozen influential Republicans, with the apparent hope of improving relations with the GOP establishment.

The Republican presidential front-runner will be in the nations capital to speak at the annual policy conference for AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major pro-Israel group.

Trumps meeting with Republican lawmakers and other party leaders, as first reported by The Washington Post, will be his first major discussion with them since last fall, when he was on Capitol Hill to protest President Obamas Iranian nuclear agreement.

The off-the-record meeting was reportedly organized in part by Alabama GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions, who has endorsed Trump.

The names of the attendees have not been released, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News Sunday that hell be in his home state of Kentucky on Monday, while Congress is on a two-week recess.

At least some factions of the so-called Republican establishment have tried to stop Trump from winning the nomination, in part by supporting other candidates, purportedly backing negative-advertising campaigns and speaking out against the billionaire businessmans agenda, which includes a vow to dismantle the establishments grip on politics, government and wealth.

Meanwhile, Trump has continued to call for party unity to help defeat the Democratic presidential nominee, which increasingly appears to be Hillary Clinton, as he continues to win primaries, add delegates and eliminate primary challengers.
More U.S. military troops are going to Iraq in the aftermath of an Islamic State rocket killing a Marine and seriously injuring others this weekend, the Pentagon said Sunday.

The attack occurred Saturday in the northern Iraq town of Makhmur, roughly 75 miles southeast of the ISIS-stronghold Mosul.

The undisclosed number of troops will be a detachment from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and will support Iraqi forces and international ground operations, according to the Pentagon, which issued the announcement for the U.S.-led Joint Task Force  Operation Inherent Resolve.

The Pentagon on Sunday identified the Marine who died as Staff Sgt. Louis F.Cardin, of Temecula, Calif. Cardin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th MEU out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

President Obama has pledged numerous times there would be no "boots on the ground" in the fight against the Islamic State, the terror group also known as ISIS.

Roughly 3,700 U.S. troops are now 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.

The 26th MEU is deployed to maintain regional security in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean, according to the Pentagon.

Members of the unit are aboard three U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships: the USS Kearsarge, the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington and the dock-landing ship USS Oak Hill, according to the units website.

The unit and the Navy amphibious-ready group deployed in October from Norfolk, Va.

Exactly how many people were injured in the attack Saturday is still unclear.

However, a U.S. official said the number is less than five and that they were flown to a hospital away from the base.

"It was a lucky strike by ISIS," the official also said.

The Marine who died in the attack is the second American killed fighting ISIS since combat operations began in August 2014.

In October, Army Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler was killed during a hostage rescue in Iraq. He was the first American casualty in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2011.

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 U.S. military spokesman said the U.S. would still have access to question him further should the need arise.

It was the second time in the past year that U.S. Special 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 Umm Sayyaf with conspiracy to kill 26-year-old American aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was held captive by the Sayyafs and later became a sex slave for ISIS emir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews
An 11-year-old childs discovery of his parents dead bodies in their New Jersey home on Saturday is being investigated as a domestic violence-based murder-suicide, prosecutors told NJ.com.

A neighbor said the boy ran to their house and said, I cant wake up my mother and father on Saturday morning, PIX11 reported. The child called authorities and reported his parents werent breathing around 10:20 a.m. The familys home is located across from Bergenfield High School.

When they arrived, police found a 36-year-old woman dead in an upstairs bedroom and a 44-year-old man dead in a basement utility closet, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal told NJ.com. The man is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but the womans cause of death was not disclosed.

The identities of all involved have not yet been released.

The 11-year-old child was placed in the custody of authorities. Officials said he wasnt physically harmed.

Women at the scene, identified by NorthJersey.com as co-workers of the deceased woman, said the woman worked at a nearby Dollar Tree but had not shown up for her shift on Saturday and she wasnt answering her phone. They said the man had three daughters from a previous marriage.
Los Angeles police said Saturday hikers found what appears to be a human skull in Griffith Park.

Lt. Ryan Schatz said the two hikers stumbled upon the skull around 2 p.m. about 400 feet from the Brush Canyon trail near the Hollywood sign. He said the skull appeared to be several years old.

Other body parts have not been located. The search for more bones and body parts is expected to continue Sunday and include cadaver dogs, according to KTLA.

Schatz said coroner and homicide investigators closed access to the area. Investigators are still determining how long the skull had been at the park or the persons cause of death.

Covering 6  square miles in the eastern Santa Monica Mountain range, Griffith Park is considered the largest municipal park in the nation.

KTLA reported that the discovery of the skull comes three years after body parts belonging to Hervey Coronado Medellin were found in the Bronson Canyon area.

Medellin was a retired airline worker and last October his boyfriend was found guilty of strangling him to death.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from KTLA.
An Illinois police officer shot three times on Saturday while investigating a break-in at a vacant structure remained in critical but stable condition on Sunday, officials said in a Facebook post.



Officer Tim Jones, 24, was shot in the jaw and neck Saturday morning and is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Jones has been on the force less than a year.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man accused of shooting Jones as 21-year-old Thurman Reynolds of Park Forest, who was killed when officers returned fire. The gun Reynolds used had been reported stolen out of Texas, police said. A second gun was also found in his possession.



The Park Forest Police Department said Jones was in "excellent medical hands." He has already undergone emergency surgery for a gunshot wound to the head.



"A Park Forest Police Officer is with him and his family 24 hours a day," the Facebook post said. "That's the thing about this job: When tragedy strikes, it's not just a job, it's family.

"We are overwhelmed by the show of support from citizens far and wide and from law enforcement agencies across the country."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


The death of a Marine Corps recruit during boot camp at South Carolina's Parris Island training depot is under investigation.

In a statement released Sunday, Parris Island spokesman Capt. Greg Carroll identified the deceased recruit as Raheel Siddiqui, 20, of Taylor, Mich.

Carroll said Siddiqui had died Friday, just eleven days after he had arrived at Parris Island. He declined to provide further details about Siddiqui's death, except to say that the matter was being examined by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The recruit is the fourth person to die at Parris Island since 2005, according to The Marine Corps Times. In February of that year, 19-year-old recruit Jason Tharp drowned after struggling to pass a combat water survival test. A staff sergeant was later acquitted of negligent homicide.

More recently, another recruit died after a physical fitness test in 2006 and a drill instructor was found dead in 2014.

All female Marine recruits and male recruits who live east of the Mississippi River attend boot camp at Parris Island, The Marine Corps Times reported. The training site hosts about 20,000 recruits each year who begin their Marine careers with a 13-week boot camp.

Click for more from The State.
A broken flagpole at a community center in Northern California has a Navy vet seeing red.

George Russell wants to fly the Red, White and Blue at the King Kennedy Memorial Center in west Modesto. He said hes been trying for years to get the City of Modesto to address the problem.

As a veteran, all I ask is the flagpole. Fix the flagpole, Russell, who is in his 70s, tells KXTV.

Flag thieves broke the cable to raise and lower the American flag a long time ago.

Russell urged the city to mount the flag permanently and install a light to fly it at night to foil any vandalism.

But the fix would cost Modesto nearly $10,000, the station reported.

Russell complained that the city is already spending $75,000 on a bicycle race thats not even taking place in Modesto.

Why you spending $75,000 to house bike riders and feed them and you cant fix a flagpole in front of a city-owned building? Russell told the station.

KXTV told viewers that union electricians have stepped up to install the light for free.

We just want to do what is right and add a light to the flagpole and get it flying for him, union rep Bobby Stutzman said.

Modestos new mayor, Ted Brandvold, said Russell hasnt been ignored for years.

He told the station work on the flagpole will begin soon.
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.


Shots were fired early Sunday on a downtown Austin, Texas, street crowded with people celebrating at the South by Southwest music and technology festival, police said.

Austin Police said several shots were fired into the air around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and witnesses said the gunfire caused the crowd to run in panic.

Police said one person was taken into custody and the gun was recovered, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

There were no reports of injuries, the paper reported.

Just witnessed shots fired at SXSW causing crowd of people to run in panic, a local TV reporter tweeted early Sunday.

Just witnessed Shots fired at SXSW causing crowd of people to run in panic. Details still pending. #SXSW  Kristin Diaz (@KristinDiaz_TV) March 20, 2016

Saturday was the last night of SXSW 2016.

The City of Austin sent out a tweet early Sunday warning of shots fired near the intersection of Sixth Street and Trinity that was closed to traffic and extremely crowded, the paper reported.
A Texas high school teacher who is also a church leader was charged last week with engaging in lewd conduct with boys during naked sex parties at his home.

Police say Jared Anderson, 28, played games with at least ten teenage boys during the parties and coerced the boys to engage in sexual acts with each other and with him, according to Fox 29 San Antonio.

Cops told the station Anderson held one party with seven boys, between the ages of 15 and 17, on Feb. 12. There was a sign on the door that said, The last one to strip naked loses, the station reported.

He is also alleged to have exchanged lewd texts with a 17-year-old.

Anderson was arrested Wednesday.

Up until then he was teaching English at Judson High School in San Antonio. He was also group leader at a local church, Fox 29 reported.

Police declined to say if any of the alleged victims were his students.

The parents of some of the boys showed detectives apologies Anderson allegedly sent to them in texts, the station reported.

This all stems from a report that came in a few days ago where two victims presented themselves over at one of the substations and reported that this individual had hosted them for some parties at his house, San Antonio Police Sgt. Jesse Salame told the San Antonio Express-News.

The paper reported that police believe the number of alleged victims may be more than the seven to ten who have been identified.

Anderson was jailed on two counts of sexual performance of a child and one count of indecency with a child. He was being held on bail totaling $150,000.

Jail records did not identify his defense attorney.

The Judson school district placed him on administration leave. He became a teacher more than two years ago.

Click here for more from Fox 29 San Antonio.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


The U.S. Department of Defense says a coalition service member killed Saturday by enemy fire in northern Iraq was a Marine from Southern California.

Officials say in a press release Sunday that Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, of Temecula, died March 19 from wounds suffered when his unit was hit by rocket fire. The incident is under investigation.

Cardin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Saturday that the attack occurred at the Makhmour base outside the Islamic State group-held city of Mosul.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief the media.

The last killing of a U.S. service member in Iraq was in October 2015.
PARIS  As the fall 2016 collections wrapped up in Paris, designers made clear what they are hoping shoppers will buy next season. But only a few tried to articulate new ways of thinking about beauty, power and statuswhich gets to the heart of why we buy anything at all.

Instead, they made declarations about trends and styling to editors and retailers who had just had their body scanned and their bags inspected to see their collections. The security, in the wake of the November terrorists attacks, served as a reminder that fashion shows may be filled with champagne toasts, dainty hors doeuvres and overdressed women, but fashion itself  Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Hermes, Louis Vuitton  is serious business, part of the cultural identity of France and the personal identity for much of the world. I shop for luxury goods; therefore I am.

Designers invited guests into dark grottoes, empty lofts, 17th century mansions, opera houses and hotel ballrooms.

If the shows are a fair indication of what retailers will stock in the fall, consumers will find a glut of leopard print and snakeskin. There will, in fact, be all sorts of prints, ranging from Egyptian references at Givenchy to swans at Stella McCartney.

Shoes will be covered in fur and eventually you will stop thinking that they look like bedroom slippers, or at least cease to care. Platforms will once again be in vogue, which doesnt really matter because most women never stopped wearing them in the first place. And there will be lug-soled boots and shoes to wear with everything.

Skirts are pleated and mostly long, except when they are short, and then they are very short and unforgiving. Dresses are deliberately big and a little dowdy, so youll probably want to stick with skirts. If you venture to trousers, they will be oversized and, at Celine, were shown dragging across the floor in a manner that will make a dry cleaner smirk in anticipation. Sweaters and shirts will be oversized, too, and so will your coat. There are also bomber jackets and puffer coats galoreand most of them are quite enticing. In particular, there are excellent feather-free velvet parkas from Stella McCartney that could go to a formal dinner and easily fit in with all the cashmere and fur.

If you should decide that a blazer is your thing, consumers have been instructed by the likes of Balenciaga and Off-White to wear it with one half yanked off your shoulder like you just barely escaped a mugging. Your lipstick is likely to be nearly black, by the way, which will make you look as though you did not escape a mugging but rather stood your ground and lost the fight.

The contorting of frocks is one of the most notable developments to emerge as a trend over nine days of fashion shows. Its part of a broader argument against fashion as a rarefied craft. The designers who espouse it are not creating stodgy, old-fashioned clothes. Instead, they are applying all the techniques of the past to the silhouettes of today. Many of these design houses, such as Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Miu Miu and Chanel, mounted runway productions that put viewers as close as possiblefront row for allto the clothes. The point was not just to get a whiff of an idea but to really lean in and inhale deeply.

And, in fact, it is something to see one of these collections from only a few feet away. No matter how one might feel about the aesthetics of the clothesthe shapes, the colors, the length of a hemlinethe undeniable fact is that they are crafted with breathtaking skill.

Miu Miu, the collection designed by Miuccia Prada, was an extravagance of fur trimmed coats, denim and velvet, and brocade coatsmany of them bejeweled. It was a collection of eccentric strokes and jarring combinations, but it also looked rich. Each piece had its own little bit of magic.

At Valentino, designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli offered up pretentious, long-winded show notes promising something emotional tangibility, which sounded ponderous and dreadful. But then, they showed an elegant ode to dance.

A single pianist provided the soundtrack, the music crescendoing as the collection became more lavish and exuberant, the music drifting into sweet pianissimo when the garments were their most fragile. There were tulle skirts and feathered dresses that recalled Swan Lake and ankle-grazing, body-conscious dresses that evoked Martha Graham. The leggings and oversize coats that resembled the going-to-studio style of off-duty dancers.

These were clothes worth taking the time to study. They were familiar and inspiring.

The conversation about when to show a collection and when that collection should be available to consumers traveled over from New York where it was Topic A during that citys fashion show season last month. Some designers, such as the team at CourregesSebastien Meyer and Arnaud Valianthave decided consumers should not have to wait and their show was filled with items immediately available. Their collection consisted of separates in a variety of colors and fabrics, each strutted past the audience like a conveyor belt of bonbons ready for the plucking.

Who wouldnt want one of Courregess overcoats with a built-in body warmer that activates with a push of a button on the sleeve or a colorful parka?

At Givenchy, designer Riccardo Tisci gave his audience a cacophonous melange of Egyptian-inspired prints, snakeskin and leopard spots. The many patterns and textures gave the eyes no respite.

Louis Vuittons Nicolas Ghesquiere, however, got the balance right. On the final, dreariest day of fashion shows here, rain blew sideways and the pathways to his black tents, on the grounds of the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois du Boulogne, had turned to gloppy rivers of mud. But Ghesquieres collection sparked with color. He stitched up color-blocked sweaters and dresses, molded peplums and brightly colored leathers.

Other houses were more focused on suggesting authenticitywhich in fashion means street style, quotidian style. Designers such as Vetements Demna Gvasalia, who showed his debut collection at Balenciaga, bring a sense of preciousness to the banal. In doing so, they eschew the traditional rules of fashion and what we value. Good for them.

Virgil Ablohs Off-White collection has developed that reputation. His show was called You Dont Belong Here, referencing a scene from the film Pretty Woman when haughty boutique clerks dismiss star Julia Roberts because of her tarty appearance.

But too many influences from other housesMaison Margiela, Celinehad seeped into Ablohs collection and muddied his point-of-view. He spent too much time self-consciously manipulating jackets and coats. Does anyone truly want a blazer that hangs off the body with one sleeve wrapped around the torso in an embrace? Its an odd flourish that fails to further the fashion conversation.

But Abloh at least deserves applause for his desire to be among the handful of designers who aim high. They dont want to create the best version of what already exists; theyre not trying to revive something that once existed. They aim to whip up something entirely new.
On Feb. 25, three Caroline Middle School visited the Virginia General Assembly and shadowed pages during a live legislative session. Ariana Adamek, Lydia Tillapaugh and Jonathan Parker, all seventh-graders at Caroline Middle, were selected by teachers and administrators for this unique opportunity. The three students, accompanied by Kathleen Beane and Jennifer Moore, began the day by meeting with Del. H. Buddy Fowler, the representative for Caroline and Hanover counties. The eventful trip was capped off when the students and chaperones were recognized and introduced by Del. Fowler from the floor of the General Assembly.
Allan was born on May 26, 1926, to Otto and Helena (Wendt) Rathke in Beemer, Neb. He graduated from high school and was drafted during World War II. After being discharged for a short time, he rejoined the U.S. Army from which he retired in 1971, having served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. During an assignment in Japan, he met his future bride, Mary Lou Lamb, and they were married in January 1955, in Arlington. After the Army, he joined Hechts, later Macys, for 20 years, finally retiring for good in 1991. Allan and Mary moved to Fredericksburg in 1992, where they became members of Redeemer Lutheran Church.
100k Factory: Ultra Edition Announced for Launch on April 5th

Aidan Booth & Steve Clayton have announced the followup of their hit product, 100k Factory; 100k Factory: Ultra Edition, being released on April 5th, 2016

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According to Aidan Booth, "100k Factory 'Ultra Edition' is built around the same principles as the original version (FAST, SCALEABLE, PROFITABLE), but the way they get to the end result (ie. the money) is different. 100K Factory Ultra Edition is all about selling physical products on students own eCommerce stores, but in a VERY unique way.

In this case, students are able to leverage the power (and predictability) of physical product sales (high converting eCommerce stores, often with 5% conversion rate or higher) WITHOUT the need to place large inventory orders or have mammoth amounts of stock on hand. They'll be able to do it by dropshipping DIRECT from China to the consumer, with no money down, this is Phase 1 of their system (in the first edition of 100k Factory students relied on Google Adsense, Facebook ads or affiliate marketing... not the case this time around)...

Site setup, testing, and product selection are important, but the thing that takes this to the next level is the traffic, and like in the first edition of 100k Factory, they've comprehensively solved the traffic problem. ie -- Low cost ads that result in instant and exceptionally high conversions."

Readers can learn more about the program as it's released or read an indepth review and video walk-through by visiting the website below.

About Jeff Lenney: Jeff Lenney is an Internet Marketing Super Affiliate, making upwards of $150,000 per month. He created his website, www.JeffLenney.com to help aspiring internet marketers fulfill their dreams. He offers honest product reviews such as this one, as well as actionable advice and tips on Internet Marketing for newbies to expert affiliate marketers.

For more information about us, please visit http://jefflenney.com/product-reviews/100k-factory-review-and-bonus/

Contact Info:

Name: Jeff Lenney

Organization: Jeff Lenney



Source: http://marketersmedia.com/100k-factory-ultra-edition-announced-for-launch-on-april-5th/105307

Release ID: 105307

For more information visit r



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Land Century Introduce Unique New Deal Of The Day To Offer 20% Savings On Real Estate

Land Century has created the only Deal of the Day deal in the real estate market where a selected property gets a special discount of up to 20% every single day.

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The deal of the day changes every day, but an archive has been made available to enable people to see what kind of discounted real estate deals have been made available in the past, including two thousand dollars off 10 acres of land in Presidio, Texas, and more. The deals of the day have been designed to provide special incentives to those who are regular visitors to the site and our scouring the market for that perfect bargain.

The land available on the website spans the entire United States, and includes beautiful leafy green waterside plots alongside vast desert tracts, as well as in demand urban development plots. The result is an exciting and varied combination of groupon like real estate properties offered that will make ideal investments for those looking to diversify their portfolio.

A spokesperson for Land Century explained, "Nothing like this has ever been done before in real estate, and we are in a unique position to be able to offer these outstanding deals because of our strong relationships with our clients, who trust us to be able to secure the best price for them. Individuals can opt in to deal of the day candidacy, and the actual deal for any given day is chosen at random, ensuring individuals should check back regularly."

About Land Century: Land Century provides significantly lowered, below market prices for land and cheap houses in need of renovation through an established network of wholesale providers. Individuals are guaranteed to find the cheapest prices for land across the US through Land Century. They have also introduced the unique Deal of the Day where up to 20% further discounts are introduced.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.landcentury.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Lucy Markovic

Organization: Land Century



Source: http://marketersmedia.com/land-century-introduce-unique-new-deal-of-the-day-to-offer-20-savings-on-real-estate/107459

Release ID: 107459

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Travel Experience Sharing Social Media Blogger GoneVaca App & Website Launched

New website and travel app GoneVaca is a social media start-up platform for travelers and bloggers to come together, creating an online travel community where they share content such as travel experiences, tips, advice, recommendations, interests and adventures.

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New travel app, GoneVaca, is a social media start-up platform for travelers and bloggers to come together, creating an online travel community where they share content such as travel experiences, tips, advice, recommendations, interests and adventures.

More information is available on the GoneVaca website: http://www.gonevaca.com.

Travel sharing social media company GoneVaca is dedicated to information sharing of content from travelers and bloggers. Members of GoneVaca have the ability to post photos, videos, reviews, travel tips and advice from their personal experiences and adventures. Members also have the opportunity to connect with travel bloggers for travel articles to help them plan their future trips.

Travel communication and news shared on GoneVaca is about the traveler and is presented from the traveler's viewpoint. It provides authentic dialogue between members, allowing them to access real life experiences and recommendations, directly from a GoneVaca traveler who experienced them. Members have the ability to connect with other travelers who have the same interests, adventure level and travel desires, and to create lifelong travel friends. Family and friends can also follow a traveler's journey via the app.

GoneVaca travel sharing app features include: offline use, allowing travelers in remote locations to create content ready to upload when they reconnect to the Internet; advanced search, allows for searching on specific events, festivals, conventions and so on, and connecting with fellow travelers at these events; reward points, members collect points for app and website usage entitling them to free airfares, hotel stays and vacation packages; travel news and weather, update in a live feed; and location by association, lets travelers find exact locations of hotels, restaurants or any other specific point posted by another member, via geo-tagged images corresponding to Google Maps.

Unlike other sites, GoneVaca is set up as an unbiased, go-to resource for travel information, acting as a genuine review site as well as providing tips and advice on vacation sales, where to book travel (or not), great deals, value for money, and so on, shared from fellow members and travelers. A GoneVaca member reviews their whole vacation; activities, tours, eating experiences, not just the hotel room they rented for one night. A traveler researching their next trip can connect with a GoneVaca member, even a local at their planned destination, to chat about the trip, view images and videos and read travel logs.

GoneVaca plans to be the biggest social media travel community, revolutionizing the travel experience. The app is targeted toward Millennials, the 18 - 35 age group, representing 60 percent of international tourism. It is expected that they will spend more on travel services in the next ten years than any other age group. Of the 2 million worldwide Smartphone users, 85 percent of them are Millennials.

For more information about us, please visit http://GoneVaca.com

Contact Info:

Name: Jimmy Smith

Organization: GoneVaca

Address: 707 Torrance Blvd. Ste#105, Redondo Beach, CA

Phone: 424-610-8398

Release ID: 107726

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Find Dentists in BC is for People looking for a Dental Clinic in their city.

Find Dentists in BC announced the availability of their new Dental Clinics in BC Service. More information can be found at find-dentists-bc.ca.

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Customers looking for the latest Dental Clinics in BC will soon be able to get involved with Find Dentists in BC. Today Catreena Wood, Owner at Find Dentists in BC releases details of the new Dental Clinics in BC Service's development.

The Dental Clinics in BC Service is designed to appeal specifically to People looking for a dentist in British Columbia and includes:

Find a local dentist - This feature was included because it is an easy one stop website to find a dental clinic in any City in British Columbia, Canada. This is great news for the consumer as it gives the customer one location to find a dentist no matter where they live in BC..

City page for a local dentist. - This was made part of the service, since it allows a dentist to have their website on the city page to attract new patients. Dentists who invest in the service should enjoy this feature because it gives them more exposure to the local market for attracting new clients..

Contact page for new City requests. - Find Dentists in BC made sure to make this part of the Dental Clinics in BC Service's development so that Dentists located in Cities that do not have a "City Page" on the website can request to have a new page added. Clients of the Dental Clinics in BC Service will likely appreciate this because this allows them to request that their city gets added to the website.

Catreena Wood, when asked about the Dental Clinics in BC Service said:

"This website provides listings for local dentists across the province of BC. It is great for people looking for an new dentist and it gives the dentists a place to list their business."

This is the latest offering from Find Dentists in BC and Catreena Wood is particularly excited about this launch because it is a game-changer for local business marketing.

Those interested in learning more about Find Dentists in BC and their Dental Clinics in BC service can do so on the website at find-dentists-bc.ca

For more information about us, please visit http://find-dentists-bc.ca/

Contact Info:

Name: Catreena Wood

Organization: Find Dentists in BC



Release ID: 107698

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Tri Med Training Institute Announces Upgraded Website Launch with New Features

Tri Med Training Institute introduces their newly upgraded website as well as updates on the training programs offered at the private, post-secondary vocational school located in Colton, California. More information can be found at http://www.tmti-edu.com/.

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Today, Marcus Ortiz, owner at Tri Med Training Institute, releases details of their newly upgraded website as well as updates on the training programs offered at the private, post-secondary vocational school located in Colton, California.

Tri Med Training Institute Service is designed to appeal specifically to individuals who have dreamed of working in the medical field but need to get started on a career path quickly. Phlebotomy, using a needle to obtain blood for testing and analysis, is the main program at this top phlebotomy training school in California. They also offer supplemental accelerated programs for medical assistants and licensed vocational nurses who want to obtain their phlebotomy certification.

Features of the new website include:

The ability to pay online, providing a more convenient way for potential students to fund their training. This feature makes the site more user friendly by offering multiple methods of payment such as PayPal and all major credit and debit cards. Tri Med Training Institute also offers individualized payment plans to help with budgeting for an education.

The updated website allows interested students to download information about phlebotomy and CPR training, HIPPA compliance (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), as well as TMTI's school catalog and enrollment agreement. There is a complete breakdown of classes with pricing and payment options for new phlebotomy students as well as accelerated program for licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and medical assistants interested in attaining a phlebotomy certification in California.

Tri Med's newest course is Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certification. For healthcare providers, the basic CPR requirement is part of the certification called the BLS, also known as Basic Life Support. Tri Med Training Institute is offering a traditional CPR class with extra information included to cover the specific needs of the healthcare industry. This service was added because CPR goes hand-in-hand with the healthcare sector, so it will give an individual entering the medical field an advantage with this lifesaving technique.

Tri Med's main focus is Phlebotomy Certification, a fast-track option for people who are interested in the medical industry but need to start earning income as quickly as possible. Because classes are offered on the weekend, this program is ideal for someone who wants a new career but needs to keep working at their current job until their phlebotomy training is complete. Weekday classes are also included for the more traditional students.

This Southern California phlebotomy training program now offers all-inclusive packages, which incorporate scrubs, books, state certification fee and national exam testing fee and more. Additionally, there is job placement assistance and clinical externship opportunities.

Tri Med Training Institute offers additional courses after completion of the phlebotomy program

1) Venipuncture Skills Class - 3 hours

Three hours of venipuncture lab practice designed to help students sharpen their venipuncture skills and technique before starting clinical externship or before starting that new job.

2) National Exam Prep Course - 4 hours

This course is designed to tie everything together from the basic and advanced phlebotomy programs as well as expanding upon the field of phlebotomy. Included are critical and valuable test-taking techniques and information, quizzes, lecture, practice tests and information proven to assist students in passing the challenging national exam on the first try, with an exceptional passing rate in the 90th percentile.

Both of these classes are an added bonus and are absolutely free to all students who attend TMTI. Also, these classes occur every month and can be attended for free by current or former students.

Marcus Ortiz, when asked about the new features at Tri Med Training Institute Service, said:

"No other school offers a package like ours. Our goal is to help our students prepare to compete and surpass the competition for phlebotomy jobs after obtaining certification."

Mr. Ortiz is particularly excited about this launch because their number one priority at Tri Med Training Institute is producing highly trained phlebotomy students with a solid core understanding and knowledge of phlebotomy, skills set, and job placement opportunities to help them succeed in a very competitive market.

Those interested in learning more about Tri Med Training Institute can do so on their website at http://www.tmti-edu.com/

For more information about us, please visit http://www.tmti-edu.com

Contact Info:

Name: Marcus Ortiz

Organization: Tri Med Training Institute

Address: 930 S. Mt Vernon Ave #300, Colton, CA 92324

Phone: 909-824-9000

Release ID: 107716

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Late last year, a group called JAB Holding splashed out $13.9bn to add Keurig Green Mountain, the biggest group in the US single-serve coffee market, to its growing list of coffee investments.

The deal capped a three-year, $30bn acquisition spree, during which JAB bought up groups ranging from instant coffee specialists in Europe to hipster coffee chains in the US and prompted suggestions that a challenger to Nestles dominant Nespresso brand could be emerging.

At the same time, the deal sparked another round of interest in the principal owners of JAB Holding: four members of Germanys intensely private and immensely wealthy Reimann family: Wolfgang, Stefan, Renate and Matthias.

Keurig Green Mountain coffee packs, which form part of JAB's growing list of coffee investments  Bloomberg

Through JAB, the family owns stakes in some of the worlds best-known brands. As well as its investments in the coffee sector, JABs burgeoning portfolio encompasses a 8 per cent stake in Reckitt Benckiser, the consumer goods conglomerate, and a 77.4 per cent stake in the US fragrance group Coty, which owns the Calvin Klein and David Beckham perfume brands. On top of this, the holding company also controls luxury marques Jimmy Choo, Bally and Belstaff.

Last year, Forbes put the combined wealth of JABs four principal owners at $16bn, which would make the clan one of Europes wealthiest business dynasties. Representatives of the family and JAB declined to comment for this article.

The Reimanns march to industrial prominence began in the early years of the 19th century. In 1823, Johann Adam Benckiser, whose initials are enshrined in JABs name, bought a chemicals business in Pforzheim, a small town in the south-western German province of Baden-Wurttemberg.

A few years later, Ludwig Reimann, the great-great-grandfather of the Reimanns who now own JAB, joined the company and married Benckisers daughter. After Benckisers death, Reimann took over the company, which had by now moved some 100km north to Ludwigshafen, paving the way for his descendants to etch the familys name into the annals of German industry.

The last of the Reimanns to actively be involved in the day-to-day running of Benckiser was Albert junior, Ludwigs great-grandson, who inherited the company in 1952 and pushed it in the direction of consumer goods. He died in 1984, leaving equal stakes to his nine adopted children.

Although all nine of Alberts children had initially kept the 11.1 per cent stakes they inherited, by 2003, Wolfgang and Renate (who are siblings) and Matthias and Stefan (who are brothers) had bought out the other five.

In 1997, the family took Benckiser public and two years later engineered a merger with the British consumer goods group, Reckitt and Colman, to form Reckitt Benckiser.

Investing family wealth directly in companies is increasingly in vogue

The family members who sold out of the business then followed a well-trodden path by relying on a family office to manage their wealth. Subsequently they founded Deutsche Kontor Privatbank, a private bank based in Munich, to offer wealth management services to other non-family members.

Those who kept their stakes have put their fortune in the hands of a small group of trusted advisers who run JAB  currently Peter Harf, Bart Becht and Olivier Goudet. Harf started at Benckiser in 1981, while Becht joined in 1988. Goudet, a former Mars executive, joined in 2012. The family members play no role in the operative businesses. The trio of managers make suggestions to the family members on possible investments, which they then discuss, but that the family has the ultimate say.

The set-up has prompted comparisons with 3G, a private equity group run by three Brazilian tycoons, that has been buying up brands in the consumer goods sector. However the difference, according to Pablo Zuanic, an analyst at Susquehanna, is that at 3G the managers also provide the cash. At JAB, the Reimann family provides the capital, but the driving force behind the day-to-day strategy is the three managers, he says.

A model shows headgear from Belstaff, the British heritage brand  Getty

Investing family wealth directly in companies, rather than in a more traditional portfolio of different asset classes, is increasingly in vogue, according to bankers who deal with the super-rich.

The stars are aligned behind this sort of approach because it gives families greater control over the entities they are invested in and often also higher returns as a result of investing their money for the long term, says Philip Higson, vice-chairman of Swiss Bank UBSs global family office group.

According to UBS, which has one of the worlds biggest wealth management business, between 40 and 50 per cent of all investments by family offices go into what it calls illiquid investments, which include assets such as property, but also direct stakes in companies.

Precisely what the Reimanns will do next is as little known as the family itself. But given the dynamics of the coffee industry, where the family and JAB have been making their most concerted play of late, analysts suspect that further direct investments could follow.

The Reimanns newest asset, Keurig, co-operates with a number of third-party brands, whose coffee it sells along with its coffee-dispensing machines. This means it is potentially vulnerable to some of those brands walking away. The best way to deal with this, says Zuanic, would be for the family vehicle to buy up more brands of its own. JAB has to have bigger plans in coffee for this deal to make sense, he says.

James Shotter is the FTs Frankfurt correspondent
Who is actually in charge in Brazil? Last week it seemed to be Dilma Rousseff, the countrys hapless president. Last weekend, it looked to be the people, as an estimated 3m protesters marched in Brazils largest ever anti-government demonstration to demand Ms Rousseffs impeachment on corruption charges. Then, on Wednesday, it seemed that it was Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or Lula as he is known.

The charismatic former president rejoined the government, at Ms Rousseffs invitation, to act as her chief of staff  a key power-broking position that plays to his reputation as an irresistible negotiator and all-round political whizz.

But a day later, just as Mr Lula da Silva was being sworn in, a federal judge issued an injunction to suspend his appointment. Whether or not Judge Itagiba Catta Preta Netos ruling is upheld, the fact it was issued reflects how tenuous both Ms Rousseffs and Mr Lula da Silvas position have become. To fully appreciate that, one has to wind back the clock to Wednesday morning.

In his new role, Mr Lula da Silva would have, in effect, ended Ms Rousseffs presidency. In practice, Lulas third term as president has begun, wrote Eduardo Solese, a columnist at Folha de S.Paulo, the leading daily. Dilma will have to get used to it.

But why did Ms Rousseff invite her own political immolation? Cynical self-protection is as plausible a motivation as the multifarious roles she wanted him to perform.

Ostensibly, Mr Lula da Silva had four tasks. First, like a co-pilot who takes over an aircraft in a nose-dive, he would take control of the joystick from Ms Rousseff, Brazils least popular president ever. He would then resume contact with ground control by bringing the governments most important coalition allies fully on board.

That would help stabilise the plane  and protect Ms Rousseff  as stronger coalition support would help fend off her impeachment. Lastly, Mr Lula da Silva would navigate the aircraft through Brazils worst economic turbulence since the 1930s and land it safely in time for the 2018 elections. Stabilising the economy is not entirely implausible; he dispelled market doubts when he first won the presidency in 2002.

But mutual self-interest rather than patriotism may be the bigger reason for his appointment.

Mr Lula da Silva faces separate money-laundering and corruption allegations. On Wednesday, protests flared up after secret police phone recordings of a conversation with Ms Rousseff fuelled accusations his appointment was a ruse to protect him from arrest.

The key point here is that, as a minister, Mr Lula da Silva can be tried only by the Supreme Court. That does not offer him guaranteed escape from the judicial process, but it may slow it down. Such cynical manoeuvring, strongly denied by Brasilia, is why street protests erupted again on Thursday.

Ms Rousseff, after in effect orchestrating a coup against herself, has  without apparent irony  called Mr Lula da Silvas suspension the screamings of those trying to pull off a coup detat.

Investors, uncertain as to what to make of it all, have generally turned on their heels. Brazil was already suffering from the drop in commodity prices and the hangover of a credit boom. But fast-growing economies such as Chile, Colombia and Peru, which have suffered much the same pressures, show happier outcomes. Rather, Brazils distinguishing problem is the anti-corruption drive at Petrobras and other institutions.

As a result, many mainstream politicians are now in disgrace and nearly all are unpopular. Over the weekend, even the opposition leader was booed.

The depth and scope of Brazils corruption purge, led by apolitical judges, has scant parallel elsewhere. It holds out the promise of a better way of doing things. That new order may be stillborn. Meanwhile, the old one is going down in a brawl.

johnpaul.rathbone@ft.com

This story has been updated to reflect more recent developments
What is one to make of the rise of Donald Trump? It is natural to think of comparisons with populist demagogues past and present. It is natural, too, to ask why the Republican party might choose a narcissistic bully as its candidate for president. But this is not just about a party, but about a great country. The US is the greatest republic since Rome, the bastion of democracy, the guarantor of the liberal global order. It would be a global disaster if Mr Trump were to become president. Even if he fails, he has rendered the unthinkable sayable.

Mr Trump is a promoter of paranoid fantasies, a xenophobe and an ignoramus. His business consists of the erection of ugly monuments to his own vanity. He has no experience of political office. Some compare him to Latin American populists. He might also be considered an American Silvio Berlusconi, albeit without the charm or business acumen. But Mr Berlusconi, unlike Mr Trump, never threatened to round up and expel millions of people. Mr Trump is grossly unqualified for the worlds most important political office.

Yet, as Robert Kagan, a neoconservative intellectual, argues in a powerful column in The Washington Post, Mr Trump is also the GOPs Frankenstein monster. He is, says Mr Kagan, the monstrous result of the partys wild obstructionism, its demonisation of political institutions, its flirtation with bigotry and its racially tinged derangement syndrome over President Barack Obama. He continues: We are supposed to believe that Trumps legion of angry people are angry about wage stagnation. No, they are angry about all the things Republicans have told them to be angry about these past seven-and-a-half years.

Mr Kagan is right, but does not go far enough. This is not about the last seven-and-a-half years. These attitudes were to be seen in the 1990s, with the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Indeed, they go back all the way to the partys opportunistic response to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Alas, they have become worse, not better, with time.

Why has this happened? The answer is that this is how a wealthy donor class, dedicated to the aims of slashing taxes and shrinking the state, obtained the footsoldiers and voters it required. This, then, is pluto-populism: the marriage of plutocracy with rightwing populism. Mr Trump embodies this union. But he has done so by partially dumping the free-market, low tax, shrunken government aims of the party establishment, to which his financially dependent rivals remain wedded. That gives him an apparently insuperable advantage. Mr Trump is no conservative, elite conservatives complain. Precisely. That is also true of the partys base.

Mr Trump is egregious. Yet in some respects the policies of his two leading rivals, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, are as bad. Both propose highly regressive tax cuts, just like Mr Trump. Mr Cruz even wishes to return to a gold standard. Mr Trump says that the sick should not die on the streets. Mr Cruz and Mr Rubio seem to be not quite so sure.

Yet the Trump phenomenon is not the story of just one party. It is about the country and so, inevitably, the world. In creating the American republic, the founding fathers were aware of the example of Rome. Alexander Hamilton argued in the Federalist Papers that the new republic would need an energetic executive. He noted that Rome itself, with its careful duplication of magistracies, depended in its hours of need on the grant of absolute, albeit temporary, power to one man, called a dictator.

The US would have no such office. Instead, it would have a unitary executive: the president as elected monarch.

It is unwise to assume constitutional norms in the US would survive the presidency of someone who neither understands nor believes in them

The president has limited, but great, authority. For Hamilton, the danger of overweening power would be contained by first, a due dependence on the people, secondly, a due responsibility.

During the first century BC, the wealth of empire destabilised the Roman republic. In the end, Augustus, heir of the popular party, terminated the republic and installed himself as emperor. He did so by preserving all the forms of the republic, while he dispensed with their meaning.

It is rash to assume constitutional constraints would survive the presidency of someone elected because he neither understands nor believes in them. Rounding up and deporting 11m people is an immense coercive enterprise. Would a president elected to achieve this be prevented and, if so, by whom? What are we to make of Mr Trumps enthusiasm for the barbarities of torture? Would he find people willing to carry out his desires or not?

It is not difficult for a determined leader to do the previously unthinkable by appealing to conditions of emergency. Both Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt did some extraordinary things in wartime. But these men knew limits. Would Mr Trump also know limits? Hamiltons energetic executive is dangerous.

It was the ultra-conservative president Paul von Hindenburg who made Hitler chancellor of Germany in 1933. What made the new ruler so destructive was not only that he was a paranoid lunatic, but that he ruled a great power. Trump may be no Hitler. But the US is also no Weimar Germany. It is a vastly more important country even than that.

Mr Trump may still fail to win the Republican nomination. But, should he do so the Republican elite will have to ask themselves hard questions  not only how this happened, but how they should properly respond. Beyond that, the American people will have to decide what sort of human being they want to put in the White House. The implications for them and for the world of this choice will be profound. Above all, Mr Trump may not prove unique. An American Caesarism has now become flesh. It seems a worryingly real danger today. It could return again in future.

martin.wolf@ft.com

Letters in response to this column:

President Trump will find it hard to match Augustus / From Rosario A Iaconis

Trumps progress raises concerns over a populist tyranny / From Daniel J Aronoff
Only eight years ago, De Beers celebrated the opening of Snap Lake  a landmark project for the diamond producer.

The diamond mine in Canadas remote North West Territories was De Beers first outside its African heartland and the first completely underground diamond mine in the country. By the end of 2014, $2.2bn had been spent on development and operations.

Yet today, not a single diamond is being produced at Snap Lake, which has been closed with the loss of more than 400 jobs as De Beers responds to one of the worst market downturns in diamonds for years. This year, De Beers will consider whether the mine has a viable future. As recently as 2014 the mine was producing 1.2m carats of diamonds annually.

The temporary closure of the mine summed up the problems facing the diamond industry during 2015, when a downturn gathered pace and led to financial pain for miners, dealers and retailers.

The industry confronted a perfect storm of problems in 2015, said Philippe Mellier, De Beers chief executive, this month.

Today, a greater degree of cautious optimism is apparent but many diamond analysts think the sector could still face tough times this year as the impact of rising supply and weak demand continues to be felt in the market. Elevated inventory levels of rough diamonds and weak end markets will inhibit any recovery in rough diamond prices for at least 12 months, analysts at Liberum, the equities brokerage, say.

There is a degree of consensus in diagnosing what has gone wrong in the industry over the past 18 months. Supply from projects such as Snap Lake and other new mines had grown steadily over a six or seven year period. It was absorbed by the midstream of the diamond trade  the polishers and dealers  aided by widely available cheap finance.

But signs of cooling retail demand, particularly in China, and more caution by the banks that provided financing for the diamond trade, led to pressure to reduce midstream inventories.

Manufacturers and channel players had built considerable speculative stockpiles, supported by inexpensive financing and an industry-pervasive belief that rough diamond prices could only rise, analysts at Citi, the investment bank, say. When prices began to decline in 2015 amid tepid demand growth, particularly from Asia, and there was reduced industry financing as a prominent diamond financing bank reduced exposure, a pronounced destocking cycle ensued.

Industry upheaval has led to friction between large miners such as De Beers and some customers

The consequent period of inventory indigestion, as many in the trade describe it, led to much lower demand for mined rough diamonds. At De Beers, rough prices fell 15 per cent in 2015  contributing to the pressure on mines such as Snap Lake. De Beers also shut its smaller Damtshaa mine in Botswana.

Industry upheaval has led to friction between large miners such as De Beers and some customers over how the pain is being shared. De Beers, which has begun to introduce more transparency into its operations, insisted in December that its price cuts were leaving room for its customers to be profitable.

The industry turmoil last year points to a big difference between todays diamond market and the situation a couple of decades ago, when De Beers had a monopoly on supply and could manage the market more effectively to control prices.

During last years downturn, De Beers, which is now owned by Anglo American, and its main rival, Alrosa of Russia, the largest miner by volume, did cut sales to try to manage supply: Liberum estimates that the duo have built up 20m carats of rough inventory over the past 18 months, against an annual market of 135m carats.

But today the pair control less than half of diamond supply, according to Citi, so their ability to influence the market is limited. Miners such as Rio Tinto, Petra Diamonds and Dominion Diamond are all a larger force than they were just four years ago.

The trade is now focused on how quickly demand will stabilise and increase, helping to eliminate the overhang of inventory. The signs are mixed.

Underlining its claims to be more transparent, De Beers has started to publish data from its 10 annual diamond sales events (known as sights). The first two sights of 2016 achieved revenues of $545m and $610m, regarded as a strong result. Meanwhile, Johan Dippenaar, chief executive of Petra, said last month that he was encouraged by stable diamond market conditions. And De Beers has taken the lead in pumping more money into marketing spending to encourage demand.

Yet there are continued headwinds in the form of the strong US dollar, which is dampening demand from some emerging markets. Chow Tai Fook, Chinas biggest jewellery retailer, reported a 20 per cent drop in demand for gem jewellery over its key Chinese new year period. And weaker oil revenues for states in the Middle East are also denting consumer demand.

Notwithstanding the shutdown at Snap Lake, De Beers is preparing for the opening of a new Canadian mine this year  Gahcho Kue. Mr Mellier takes comfort in the fact that, while emerging markets remain fragile, the worlds largest and most mature market  the US  remains buoyant.

We have seen the American consumers love affair with diamonds go from strength to strength, he said in a speech this month. As the industry begins once again to increase its investment in advertising, there is an excellent opportunity to win back share of wallet from other luxury products.
The continuing and escalating issue of replacing old sewer lines will impact local residents pocketbooks this summer when a $9.50 utility fee increase goes into effect.

The Philomath City Council unanimously approved the hike on the recommendation of city finance director Joan Swanson.

Were very sensitive to our customers and fee increases to them, Swanson said. This fee increase would add $9.50 a month to every residential customer and we understand thats significant to them and for them. But at the same time, we have a responsibility to keep our funds solvent and take care of our expenses.

For residents, the increase breaks down to a $7 hike in the base sewer rate, doubling the street utility fee from $2 to $4 and adding 50 cents to the monthly storm drain fee.

If you look at our sewer base fee, our current fee is $18, Swanson said. If you look down the list of all the other cities, ours is substantially lower than everybody elses and I think its time to bring that up a bit.

Swanson was referring to information provided to councilors that showed how Philomaths rate compared to neighboring cities. As of February, only Corvallis ($17.24) and Toledo ($11.50) had lower base sewer rates.

The increase from $18 to $25 will push Philomaths rate higher than Harrisburg ($19.65) and Lebanon ($22.98) but will still be significantly lower than many others, including Adair Village ($48.37), Albany ($37.78), Sweet Home ($36.70) and Monroe ($35.47).

Swanson sees the sewer base fee increase as a necessary evil.

Without a substantial rate increase, those pipes continue to cause us significant problems and were not making any headway towards getting them replaced, she said.

The volume charge per unit of water consumed remains at $5.

In the past, I normally try to increase the volume rates, but as I said, the base fee is starting to fall behind significantly so I felt it was time to just go ahead and raise that this year and hopefully itll stay at that same rate for the next few years, Swanson said.

Based on numbers provided by public works director Kevin Fear, about 80 percent of the 37,000 feet in old sewer lines still need to be replaced. The lines are commonly referred to as being constructed in 1952, but they also involved those that went in at other times during the 1950s and early 1960s.

The city just recently fixed a collapsed line on Ash Street in between 17th and 18th streets, which carried a bill of around $3,000 because of the 11-foot depth and being able to find it. Fear said, Were getting three or four bad breaks a year.

Councilor Doug Edmonds said I think its high time that we address this and Eric Niemann added, If we dont start applying some money, this problem is going to become a bigger problem.

City manager Chris Workman said as an enterprise fund, the sewer utility should have enough revenue each year to cover the cost of maintaining the citys wastewater service.

Maintenance includes not only inspecting the lines and clearing blockages, which we have been doing well, but also replacing old pipe as it begins to fail, which we have not had money to do very well, Workman wrote in a summary to councilors. The additional revenue generated with this fee increase will allow public works to plan annual wastewater line replacement projects, beginning with the areas of greatest concern.

Swanson said the citys water funds have been doing well and saw no need for an increase.

The city has experienced issues with its general fund this year, which led to doubling the street utility fee from $2 to $4.

Many years ago, the street fund was suffering due to insufficient gas tax revenue, Swanson wrote in a summary to the council. To help boost revenues, we transferred three of our franchise revenues out of the general fund and to the street fund.

But now, additional revenue is needed with more strain in the citys general fund.

Our fund balance continues to drop, mostly due to our flat property tax revenue, Swanson said. Were not having new growth and our revenues are staying pretty consistent while our costs continue to increase.

Swanson said the easiest solution would be to return some of the franchise fees back to the general fund. Thus, a recommendation was made to move the Comcast franchise fee, which would add about $50,000 back to the general fund. As a result, lost revenue will be seen in the street fund.

The street utility fee brings in about $50,000, Swanson said. By doubling the fee, we could make up for the lost revenue.

The storm drain fee had been $1.50 per month for 17 years but Swanson said costs have continued to increase. The 50-cent hike to $2 was proposed to residential customers and a proportional increase for other multi-residential, commercial and industrial users.
Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 19, 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

Fighter aircraft conducted one strike in Syria:

-- Near Ayn Isa, a strike destroyed an ISIL rocket position and an ISIL mortar position.

Strikes in Iraq

Rocket artillery, ground attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 25 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Al Baghdadi, four strikes struck two ISIL bed-down locations and two ISIL staging areas.

-- Near Al Huwayja, a strike destroyed an ISIL anti-air artillery piece.

-- Near Fallujah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units.

-- Near Hit, seven strikes struck an ISIL training camp, two ISIL car bomb factories, an ISIL bomb factory, two ISIL tactical units, destroyed an ISIL tunnel, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL supply cache, and an ISIL car bomb.

-- Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bunker and two ISIL assembly areas.

-- Near Mosul, six strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL assembly area, an ISIL supply cache, and three ISIL vehicles, and damaged an ISIL-used bridge section and suppressed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL fighting position.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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US steps up bombing campaign in Afghanistan: Report

Iran Press TV

Sat Mar 19, 2016 10:57AM

The United States has significantly stepped up its bombing campaign in Afghanistan to roll back the Daesh terrorists who have expanded their territory outside of Iraq and Syria, according to a report.

US drones and warplanes carried out about three times more strikes in January and February in Afghanistan dropping a total of 251 bombs and missiles - than they did during the same period last year, the New York Times reported, citing Air Force data.

The widening campaign has been in response to a decision by US President Barack Obama to give military commanders more leeway to launch airstrikes against Daesh positions in several Afghan provinces.

It also comes a little more than a year after Obama declared an end to all combat missions in Afghanistan, sparking a debate in Washington whether the administration should respond to every emerging Daesh threat.

American and Afghan commanders say the strikes have dealt a blow to the terror organization, but they are more concerned about a resurgent Taliban that is stronger now than at any point since 2001.

Under the existing rules of engagement, US commanders can order airstrikes against the Taliban only when the militants pose a direct threat to US forces or Afghan troops.

The US military, however, has been given more latitude in targeting Daesh forces.

General John Campbell, who commanded American forces in Afghanistan until earlier this month, said that broader authority has enabled him to take more aggressive measures against Daesh.

Campbell has in recent weeks asked the White House to give him similar authority to strike the Taliban.

The top general recently told soldiers at a US base in Afghanistan that Taliban militants believe "they are operating from a position of strength" in the absence of a robust US military presence in the country.

"So the only thing I can affect is my authority to strike different groups and my authority to provide different enablers to the Afghans," he said in a recent interview with the Washington Post.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday that President Obama has told him and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford that he wanted to see Daesh defeated by the end of his term in office.

"That's what he said he wants," Carter said at an event hosted by Politico. "He said, 'Get this done as soon as possible. I'd like to not leave this to my successor.'"

Carter and Dunford are in the process of making recommendations to Obama that would expand the US military's authority in Afghanistan.

Retreating from a major campaign pledge to end the war in Afghanistan, Obama announced late last year that he would keep thousands of US troops in the country past 2016.

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Cameroonian, Nigerian Forces Free Hundreds of Boko Haram Hostages

by Moki Edwin Kindzeka March 19, 2016

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.

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Egypt: Militants Kill 13 Police at Sinai Checkpoint

by VOA News March 19, 2016

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.

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N Africa al-Qaeda branch claims Algeria gas plant attack

Iran Press TV

Sat Mar 19, 2016 10:16AM

Al-Qaeda's North African affiliate has claimed responsibility for an attack on an Algerian gas plant in the Sahara operated by the British Petroleum (BP) and Norwegian Statoil.

The al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack on the In Salah plant in a statement on Saturday, saying the bombing was in response to shale gas extraction.

Although no casualties were reported in the attack, the facility was closed as a precaution. State energy company Sonatrach also said the country's gas production had not been affected.

The statement added that the government had suppressed demonstrations against pollution from extractions in the region. The group threatened both the Algerian government and Western companies.

"Even if your (Algeria's) Western masters believed you were in control previously, how will you justify your position now?' AQIM said.

The Algerian Defense Ministry said two homemade rocket shells targeted an area near the production site on Saturday.

The AQIM has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks across the the North African region in recent months, including a shooting attack in Ivory Coast which left nearly 20 people dead, last week.

Back in 2013, nearly 40 people lost their lives in a hostage-taking at another gas plant in Algeria, In Amenas gas plant, also operated by BP and Statoil. The country's oil and gas infrastructure has been heavily protected by the army since.

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Suicide Bombing Rocks Istanbul

March 19, 2016

by RFE/RL

A suicide bomber has killed himself and four others in a central Istanbul shopping district, wounding at least 36 more people in the fourth such attack in Turkey this year.

The March 19 blast struck the shopping and tourism area of Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian avenue lined with international stores and foreign consulates.

The blast occurred a few hundred meters from an area where police buses are often stationed.

Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that seven of those wounded were in serious condition and at least 12 of them were foreigners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the bombing killed two Israeli citizens.

Turkish officials said one Iranian was also among the dead.

U.S. officials said two Americans were killed, and Ireland said 'a number' of Irish citizens were hurt.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, which immediately drew international condemnation.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault issued a statement calling the attack 'despicable and cowardly,"

"The United States stands in solidarity with our NATO ally Turkey in combating the common threat of terrorism," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

The attack is the latest in a spate of bombings that have rocked Turkey this year.

A car-bomb explosion in the capital, Ankara, on March 13 killed 37 people.

Three weeks earlier, a similar attack in the capital killed 29.

Both of those attacks were claimed by Turkey on the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, a splinter group of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

A suicide attack in January in Istanbul killed 12 German tourists. Ankara blamed that attack on the Islamic State extremist group.

With reporting by Reuters, CNN, dpa, and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/turkey-istanbul-suicide-bombing/27623064.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Two Americans Among 5 Killed In Istanbul Suicide Blast

by Dorian Jones March 19, 2016

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.

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 country's 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 they've 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.

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UNSC censures North Korea ballistic missile launches

Iran Press TV

Sat Mar 19, 2016 7:25AM

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has strongly condemned the recent series of ballistic missile launches by North Korea, calling them a threat to regional and international security.

In a statement issued after a Friday meeting called by the US, the 15-member council slammed the North's missile launches as "unacceptable" and urged Pyongyang to comply with Security Council resolutions, which prohibit all ballistic missile activity.

The council held the closed-door meeting after North Korea reportedly fired at least one long-range ballistic missile from a site north of the capital, Pyongyang, which flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) into the Sea of Japan.

Pyongyang had also fired short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off the country's east coast on March 10 amid joint annual war games by the US and South Korea. Those launches also draw a wave of international condemnations.

The UNSC further "expressed grave concern" over Pyongyang's missile tests and "stressed that all these launches were unacceptable."

The statement also called on all nations to redouble efforts to implement all UN measures against the North, including the new sanctions, which were imposed on Pyongyang latest nuclear test on January 6 as well as a February 7 rocket launch reportedly aimed at placing an earth observation satellite into orbit.

The sanctions, described as toughest ever, target the country's military, mining, trade and financial sectors.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the firing of missiles on March 18 as "deeply troubling," urging Pyongyang to halt "these inflammatory and escalatory actions." He also called on North Korea to comply with the UN resolutions.

Japan's UN Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa also said the recent missile launches showed Pyongyang had taken the message from the new sanctions resolution "totally wrong," expressing hope, however, that the international community could unite to force the North to change its policy.

US Ambassador Samantha Power condemned the launches, saying they showed that the North continues to defy international calls for changing its behavior.

Military experts in South Korea said the missiles launched by the North on Friday was of the Rodong type, a scaled-up Scud variant with a maximum range of around 1,300 kilometers (800 miles). They said the missiles were launched from road-mobile vehicles.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said the North "appears to be speeding up test launches to advance its nuclear capabilities."

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 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.

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Iraq forces close in on Daesh in Anbar's Hit

Iran Press TV

Sat Mar 19, 2016 8:55AM

Iraqi forces have recaptured more areas from the Daesh Takfiri group as they close in on militants holed up in the flashpoint western city of Hit in Anbar Province.

Led by the elite Counter-Terrorism Service, forces from the police, army and local tribal fighters managed to seize control of a bridge in the city of al-Baghdadi, located northwest of Hit along the Euphrates, local media said on Saturday.

Iraqi forces launched an offensive earlier in the day to retake Hit, a city located 145 kilometers (90 miles) west of the capital Baghdad, which was seized by Daesh in late 2014. The operation also aims to liberate Kubaysah, a smaller town east of Hit.

Iraq's al-Summeriyah TV said pro-government forces recaptured a cement factory in Kubaysah on Saturday.

The recent advances come two days after Iraqi forces seized al-Muhammadi neighborhood of Hit on Thursday, hoisting the Iraqi flag on top of a government building in the area.

The Saturday army gains in Hit and its surrounding areas are the latest in Anbar after the government managed to recapture the provincial capital of Ramadi in late December.

The United Nations said in a statement Thursday that more than 50,000 people have been internally displaced in Anbar since the start of 2016 as a result of intense fighting between the government and Takfiri militants.

The International Organization for Migration has said more than 1.5 million people were displaced in Anbar since the beginning of 2014.

The Iraqi military on Friday managed to provide aid agencies with access to thousands of people who have been displaced in areas around the city as a result of the fighting.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was able to deliver aid for the first time to around 12,000 people west of Ramadi.

Katharina Ritz, head of the ICRC delegation in Iraq, called on government forces to allow more aid to reach civilians affected in the area.

"We don't know how they managed to survive," Ritz said of those rescued, adding that repeated access is crucial in order to help the "remaining thousands of people who urgently need humanitarian aid."

Iraq also plans a major offensive for the liberation of Fallujah, located north of Ramadi and just 50 kilometers from the capital Baghdad.

Military sources say Fallujah's liberation will be followed by the long-anticipated offensive to retake Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province in the north, which is viewed as the stronghold of Daesh in Iraq.

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Arctic Version of Mi-8AMTSh Helicopter Joins Russian Air Force

Sputnik News

12:30 19.03.2016(updated 15:17 19.03.2016)

The first Mi-8AMTSh-VA helicopter, adapted for freezing Arctic weather conditions, has been delivered to the Russian Armed Forces by the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant in southeastern Russia, Zvezda TV reported on Friday.

According to Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, 13 Mi-8AMTSh assault/transport helicopters, including one adapted for flights in the Arctic, have already been supplied by the Ulan-Ude plant.

The Mi-8AMTSh-VA is fitted with powerful engines, an ice-protection system, and ski landing gear designed to tackle sub-zero conditions up to minus 40 degrees Celsius as well as extreme weather hazards.

The Mi-8AMTSh-VA is a "northern" version of the famous Mi-8AMTSh Terminator, which, in turn, is a dedicated armored assault variant of the Mi-8AMT helicopter. Its armament is derived from Mi-24 gunship.

The Mi-8AMTSh-VA is powered by a pair of gas-turbine engines with a reinforced transmission and boasts multiple navigation systems.

The helicopter employs an advanced cabin-heating system used on spaceships.

The maximum range with main and auxiliary fuel tanks is 1,300 kilometers.

 Sputnik

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Armored Buildup: Russia to Turn T-72 Tank Into Advanced War Machine

Sputnik News

18:46 19.03.2016

While the world has kept its eyes on Russia's military successes in Syria Moscow has continued modernization of its military forces with full force.

Russia is planning to modernize its 150 T-72 main battle tanks to the T-72B3M version. The upgraded vehicles will be comparable to the more advanced T-90, but with much lower costs.

Currently, there are 500 T-90A and T-90AM tanks in service with the Russian Armed Forces. But the bulk of the Ground Forces rely on the Soviet-era T-72 and its numerous modifications.

In order to upgrade its ground forces, especially during an economic crisis, Russia will modernize its ageing main battle tanks while working on the newest T-14 Armata.

Russia will spend 2.5 billion rubles ($37 million) to upgrade 150 T-72Bs to the advanced B3M standard, Uralvagonzavod deputy director Alexey Zharich told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

On average, 17 million rubles ($250,000) will be spent on each tank which means that the upgrade is a 'relative bargain for the capability the vehicle is expected to deliver," analyst Dave Majumdar noted in his article for The National Interest.

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 tank's 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.

"It's not clear if the Russians are modifying the vehicle's 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, it's 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 tank's 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.

 Sputnik

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DPP denies talk of downgrading allies' importance

ROC Central News Agency

2016/03/19 12:41:23

Taipei, March 19 (CNA) Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday denied a media report which said voices are mounting within the party arguing that 'diplomatic allies are useless' to Taiwan.

According to a story published Saturday in the United Daily News, since China and the Gambia resumed diplomatic ties on Wednesday, there have been concerns whether Taiwan will suffer 'an avalanche of ruptured diplomatic ties' after the DPP administration assumes office in May.

Pro-DPP academics have recently begun to argue that losing several diplomatic allies in the future will be 'within a tolerable limit," the report said.

It also said some of the scholars have even argued that as long as Taiwan retains the support of the United States and Japan, the country's survival will not be threatened even if the number of its diplomatic allies drops to zero.

DPP spokesman Wang Min-sheng (), however, dismissed the report as untrue.

Wang said no one has made such statements, whether it was during meetings of the DPP's think tank, meetings on international affairs, or other advisory meetings.

He stressed that maintaining good relations with Taiwan's diplomatic allies, fully developing the country's foreign ties and enhancing its global status have always been the top goals of the DPP's foreign policy.

The DPP has pledged on many occasions that after it returns to power, it will do its utmost to consolidate Taiwan's relations with its diplomatic allies and to promote peace, stability and prosperity.

Wang added that Taiwan is willing to contribute positively to the international community and hopes to obtain support and recognition through such efforts.

There have been concerns that, unless President-elect Tsai Ing-wen () complies with Beijing's demand on one China, the Chinese would restart its efforts to woo Taiwan's diplomatic allies after a hiatus of eight years under President Ma Ying-jeou ().

China sees Taiwan as part of Chinese territory, to be united by force if necessary.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/cs

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Britain Expected to Sign 15-Year Defense Deal With Ukraine

Sputnik News

16:18 19.03.2016(updated 16:19 19.03.2016)

The United Kingdom will sign a 15-year defense treaty with Ukraine providing for an increase in the number of joint training missions and British military instructors, Ukraine Presidential Administration spokesman on military operations Andriy Lysenko said Saturday.

KIEV (Sputnik)  On Thursday Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak and UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces Penny Mordaunt signed a new defense agreement. According to Mordaunt, the UK agreed to double its assistance to the Ukrainian defense ministry.

In the past year, about 2,000 members of the Ukrainian army has been trained by the UK military instructors. Ukraine also received over $1.4 million worth of equipment from the UK.

"The United Kingdom will sign a 15-year-long defense treaty with Ukraine The agreement provides for an increase in the number of joint training missions, the British military experts, along with enhanced sharing of intelligence data and expertise," Lysenko told a press briefing.

 Sputnik

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To the editor:

In response to, GOP candidates a laughingstock, (March 15, page A6), the author started off by saying abortion is legal and a womans right, but what I dont understand is why arent the rights of the fetus (or baby) respected?

Supposedly, the safest place in the world for any human being is in the womb, and people who say they are for abortion (or pro-choice) do not seem to take that into account. All life is sacred, and all means all, from conception to death. To take life on purpose is murder. Call it what you will, but it is still murder.

God condemns murder and calls it sin.

As for the upcoming election, yes, this is the most unusual election I have ever seen, but most of the people who will vote for a president this fall are angry at what has happened in Washington for the past seven years.

While the Democrats deserve part of the blame, I also blame the Republican leadership in Congress, which has been a disgrace as they have not hindered President Barack Obama from doing anything he wanted to do. Every time there was a chance to stand up and fight, Republican leaders would talk tough and then cave. When the Republican won control of the Senate in 2012, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would talk tough and then cave. I would not be one bit surprised if McConnell caved and end up confirming a Supreme Court justice.

Any of the 17 Republican candidates who started out running for president this time would make a far better leader for this nation than what we have had for the past seven years. Lets look at the Democratic field  one is a confirmed socialist who wants everything given to everybody and the other is a woman who thinks it is owed to her because her name is Clinton.

Hillary Clinton does not know what the truth is; I heard a clip of her where she said that no Americans were killed in Libya. Has she had that ambassador and three other Americans in hiding to bring them out when she is inaugurated? I dont think so.

Republicans presidential candidates included one woman, one black and two Hispanics  and Donald Trump has done what the RNC has said it wanted to do and that was to bring all groups into the party.

The field this year is what I call diversified  and each of those candidates had new and fresh ideas, not the same old tired Democratic talk we have heard for years The Democrats keep wanting to take what people work to earn and give to people who can work but dont. I am not saying Republicans dont want to help people who cannot provide for themselves  we should help them  but if people can work they should, and the policies of the current administration has hindered that a great deal.

WILLIAM HENDERSON

Danville
Last week's celebration of National Agriculture Day across the nation was perhaps dampened when the Senate voted down legislation to advance bioengineered food labeling and establish a standard for marketing products of agricultural biotechnology, according to some agriculture industry officials.

"Due to these actions, interstate commerce will be severely threatened; small, family-owned food companies face penalties that include a $1,000 per day, per product fine should their products intentionally or unintentionally cross into Vermont's borders," said Mike Conaway, San Angelo's congressman who is chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.

"America's farmers will lose access to vital technologies; and our ability to continue to provide the world's safest, most abundant and affordable food supply will be threatened," Conaway said.

Vermont has a law that takes effect July 1 requiring labels on all genetically modified foods, said former Agriculture Secretary John Block. A handful of other states also want some kind of labeling.

"First, we can't have a patchwork of different labels for every different state," he said. "And second, there is no reason to label GE foods. It is deceptive  suggesting there is something wrong with GE foods. Two thousand studies have found GMOs to be as safe as non-GMOs."

Block said the senate legislation sponsored by Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, chairman of Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, was to put a stop to the costly state laws that would drive up consumer prices and suggest consumers should avoid GE foods.

"Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called 'modern biotechnology' or 'gene technology', sometimes also 'recombinant DNA technology' or 'genetic engineering'," according to the World Health Organization.

The first genetically modified food approved for release was the Flavr Savr tomato in 1994. It was engineered to have a longer shelf life by inserting an antisense gene that delayed ripening. In 1995, the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) potato was approved for cultivation, making it the first pesticide producing crop to be approved in the USA.

Other genetically modified crops receiving marketing approval in 1995 were: canola with modified oil composition, Bt maize, cotton resistant to the herbicide bromoxynil, Bt cotton, glyphosate-tolerant soybeans, virus-resistant squash and another delayed ripening tomato.

By 2010, 29 countries had planted commercialized biotech crops and a further 31 countries had granted regulatory approval for transgenic crops to be imported.

In 2011, the U.S. was the leading country in the production of GM foods and 25 GM crops received regulatory approval. Last year, 92 percent of corn, 94 percent of soybeans, and 94 percent of cotton produced in the U.S. were genetically modified strains.

The legislation introduced by Roberts sought to establish a standard for marketing products of agricultural biotechnology.

"There are many marketing techniques available to provide consumers with information about the products they choose to purchase," Conaway said. "Biotechnology is not an issue of safety.

"Therefore, government mandated warning labels having nothing to do with product safety and serve no purpose other than to disparage one product over another," Conaway said.

Jerry Lackey is the agriculture editor emeritus. Contact him at jlackey@wcc.net or 325-949-2291.
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Decreases outpace changes across country

By Brittney Martin, The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

AUSTIN  Texas women had nearly 9,000 fewer abortions in the first full year since new restrictions forced more than half of the state's abortion clinics to close.

Provisional data recently released by the Department of State Health Services show a 14 percent reduction in the number of abortions performed in 2014 compared with the year before.

Nationally, abortion rates have steadily decreased in recent years, but the drop in Texas is dramatic. The Associated Press found that abortions decreased by about 12 percent nationwide from 2010 to 2013-14. Texas abortions decreased by 30 percent in that five-year span.

The reasons for the decrease, nationally and in Texas, are hard to nail down.

Cynthia Meyer, a spokeswoman for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is defending the law in a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, said the national trend suggested "that demand for abortion is decreasing as a whole."

"And that's a positive thing," Meyer said.

Kate Connors, a spokeswoman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said that although the final data are not yet available, it's "common sense" that when clinics close, "you make it harder for women to get abortions."

Dr. Daniel Grossman, an OB-GYN who studies the effects of recent reproductive health legislation in Texas with the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas, Austin, said the state drop in abortions is "much steeper than what's being seen nationally."

"It's highly likely that it is related to the limitations on access," Grossman said. "It all sort of fits together to indicate that this law is creating significant burdens on women that some are unable to overcome."

A survey by The Dallas Morning News revealed that 23 of the state's 40 abortion clinics had stopped offering the procedure since July 2013. That's when former Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill into law requiring all doctors who perform abortions to maintain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and all abortions to be performed in hospital-like surgical facilities.

The sweeping law also included a ban on the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy and changed the rules for how doctors can prescribe abortion-inducing drugs. It drew national attention in part because of the dramatic filibuster that then-Sen. Wendy Davis used to temporarily derail the bill.

Two Planned Parenthood clinics transferred their abortion services to facilities that comply with the new restrictions, and one additional compliant clinic opened in San Antonio in June 2015  bringing the total number of clinics open in Texas today to 18.

The state says the requirements are meant to make the procedure safer, but providers argue that they are unnecessary for patients to be safe and that the state is trying to force clinics to close.

Abortion providers sued to block the requirements, and after 21/2 years of back and forth in federal courts, the U.S. Supreme Court is now reviewing the restrictions.

During oral arguments before the justices March 2, Justice Samuel Alito, appointed by George W. Bush in 2006, lamented that the case record didn't provide more evidence about why each clinic closed.

Information about clinic closures can be difficult to nail down, even for providers and the state's health agency. The Department of State Health Services doesn't track why facilities close. Some stopped providing abortions before technically closing their clinics or surrendering their licenses. Others stopped providing abortions for a short time but then started again.

After surveying administrators from the closed clinics, The News determined that 18 clinics said they closed because of the 2013 law.

One of the contested provisions  requiring all abortions to be performed in surgical centers  went into effect for two weeks in October 2014 after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed its constitutionality. Ten clinics closed before the Supreme Court blocked enforcement and allowed them to reopen.

Justice Elena Kagan, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010, called the period a "controlled experiment" of the law's effect.

The state questioned whether the law caused the closures of seven facilities that stopped providing abortions before the restrictions went into effect.

Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas, which operated six of the seven facilities, say the law was a factor in their decisions to close, as does the other clinic, All Women's Medical Center in San Antonio.
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Congrats, Donald Trump. You've done really, 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 of argument 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 recently 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 also have 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? Your braggadocio actually works for you. 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 from klutziness on stage to foolish stands on issues to a past of deceptions more politically dangerous than yours. 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 if needed. 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. Contact him at speaktojay@aol.com.
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The following editorial appeared in the March 11 Houston Chronicle:

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is on to something when he complains about recent tuition increases at the University of Texas at Austin and other public universities, including the University of Houston. He and state Sen. Kel Seliger, the Amarillo Republican who chairs the Senate Higher Education Committee, sent a letter to public university presidents and chancellors last week decrying the increased financial burden students and their families will have to bear. Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott has convened a tri-agency task force charged with studying how to make college more affordable and how to help students enter the workforce more quickly with marketable skills.

We applaud both efforts, and we look both to state government and to public higher education for solutions. One place to start is to return tuition rate-setting to the Legislature.

Lawmakers relinquished control in 2003. Since then, tuition at Texas colleges and universities has more than doubled and fees have continued to spiral upward, in part because those same lawmakers who handed over rate-setting powers also have consistently cut state funding. That way, they can complain about rising costs and the increasing burden of student debt without taking responsibility for resolving the problems.

"Thirteen years ago the governor and legislative leaders decided to abdicate their responsibility to adequately invest in educational opportunities for Texas families and passed the buck to our universities," state Sen. Rodney Ellis told the Chronicle via email last week. As a result, we've effectively priced the opportunity for higher education, and access to the American dream, out of reach for numerous working and middle-class families across the state."

The Houston Democrat was one of several lawmakers from both parties who filed legislation last year that would either have capped tuition increases or put the Legislature back in control. The legislation went nowhere, although Ellis intends to keep pushing.

There was a time when lawmakers really meant it when they speechified about education being an investment in the nation's future. In Texas, and elsewhere, that commitment has waned. For example, 25 years ago, for every dollar a student paid in tuition at a University of Texas System institution, the state provided more than $4 in funding. That figure is now down to less than 35 cents.

The Legislature reduced funding to UT by $92 million in the 2012-13 biennium. Although lawmakers have since restored $50 million, that's still quite a gap. Patrick and friends can't simply blame the universities.

"We've spent years blaming schools for doing what they had to do to keep their doors open," Ellis said. "It is time to put the horse back in the barn and require the Legislature to do the job they were elected by the people to do  invest in our universities at a level necessary to ensure they provide the quality education that Texans deserve at a cost Texas families can afford."

The universities aren't blameless. State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, noted recently that the average resident undergraduate at UT-Austin can now expect to pay $304 more than last year; at both Texas A&M and UH, it's $208 more. Schwertner blames, in part, what he calls "academic one-upmanship." ''Each new program, building, administrator or faculty member comes with a price tag," he wrote in the Texas Tribune recently. "Some costs are modest, others dramatic, but all end up on the bottom line of a student's tuition statement."

Whether it's locking in tuition rates for students who finish in four years; curtailing excessive bonus enticements for all-star teachers and researchers; resisting the urge to build, build, build; empowering the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as it looks for ways to eliminate unnecessary duplication, colleges and universities have a responsibility as public institutions. In Patrick's words, they "must identify ways to make college education more affordable for students and families across Texas rather than identifying how much they can increase tuition."
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The following editorial appeared in Sunday's Corpus Christi Caller-Times:

Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas' two U.S. senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, have impressive credentials as lawyers steeped in constitutional law. Both Abbott and Cornyn are former Texas attorneys general and Supreme Court justices. Cruz was the state's solicitor general and clerked for former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

All three are reputed strict constitutionalists, a label that means they are strict conservative interpreters of the Constitution for what it says, not what they would like it to say or what they think they can stretch it to mean.

Yet these three constitutional loyalists have volunteered their services to a conspiracy to stretch that revered document like a rubber band until it frays or snaps. In response to the unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, they want to obstruct President Barack Obama's constitutional duty to replace him. They agree that the Senate should shirk its duty to consider and approve whom Obama nominates unless the nominee is discovered to be incompetent  which nominee Merrick Garland is well known not to be.

These three Texas Republicans have chosen fealty to a specific desired political outcome over loyalty to the Constitution. The Republicans simply don't want Obama or any Democrat to make that appointment and they are willing to contort the Constitution to do it.

The party line into which our three crackerjack Texas lawyers have bought is that the appointment of Scalia's successor should wait for the next president on the premise that the people should have a say by choosing the president who makes that appointment  and that therefore the Senate should ignore Obama and his nominee.

Actually, in fairness to Cruz, we should give him credit where blame is due. He was ahead of his party in staking out this position and should be acknowledged as its architect.

Never mind the ignoring of the obvious  that the people already chose Obama, twice. We're not good enough at math to count all the holes in the GOP argument. The bigger issue is that the supposed deeper understanding of the Constitution that Abbott, Cornyn and Cruz possess, and their devotion to purity of constitutional interpretation, compounds the egregiousness of their participation in the scam.

It's, you know, kind of like a cop robbing a bank. No one should do it, but least of all a cop.

In response to Garland's nomination, all three Texans issued statements against Obama doing what a president is supposed to do and in favor of the Senate not doing its job. All three embraced the notion that, in Cornyn's words, "Texans and the American people deserve to have a say in the selection of the next lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court."

The only way to give the voters the say they supposedly deserve is to do something the Founders did not intend  bypass middleman lame-duck presidents and let the people elect the Supreme Court. These three strict constitutionalist wiseguys know that's the logical destination for the illogical path they have chosen.

The voters they're so deeply concerned about should remember, henceforth, how willingly these three disrespected the Constitution and rejected their supposed core principles. If this were the last year of a Republican administration, no doubt Abbott, Cornyn and Cruz would rediscover that they are strict constitutionalists. Actually they're just loosey goosey opportunists.
F1 will revert to the qualifying system of 2015 at the next race in Bahrain, after the farcical debut of the new 'musical chairs' format on Saturday.

Team bosses got together in the Melbourne paddock before Sunday's Australian grand prix and voted unanimously to simply scrap the new concept in its entirety.

The next step is to get the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council to rubber-stamp the change.

"If we want, we can have the old system back overnight," Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene told Bild newspaper.

"There are ways to communicate digitally. Then we go 'ping, ping, ping' and we have the old format," he explained.

However, it is believed that some voices argued in the meeting that the new system should be modified rather than scrapped altogether, as it was Q3 rather than Q1 and Q2 that proved the most unsuccessful.

Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz said: "Q1 and Q2 were good but the ending (Q3) should be the same as last year, because it was very exciting, no?"

But the team bosses agreed unanimously that 'musical chairs' had been so bad on Saturday that leaving it in place was not an option.

"I believe it is easier to just return to what we had," said Haas' Gunther Steiner.

"That is better than trying to come up with something new and miscalculating again."

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg agrees: "The most sensible option is to return to last year's format, which has totally proved itself."

(GMM)
Toto Wolff has admitted Max Verstappen is on Mercedes' radar for the future.

Jos Verstappen, the F1 teen sensation's father, is openly confirming that while Toro Rosso was the right move for Max initially, he wants his son to be in a "top car" for 2017.

The 18-year-old made his mark on the sport with his audacious overtakes last year, and on Saturday got his 2016 campaign off to an impressive start by qualifying fifth.

"Mercedes and Ferrari are far ahead but I think you can call us 'best of the rest'," Max said.

Olav Mol, the well-known Dutch television commentator, told Ziggo Sport Totaal that "Max made a huge point to the team bosses" with his pace in Australia.

Wolff, the team boss at Mercedes where Nico Rosberg is out of contract at the end of the year, is openly impressed.

"It is clear that he (Verstappen) has a great future in F1. It would be stupid not to consider him as the opportunity arises. But at the moment this is not an issue," said Wolff.

That is because Red Bull beat Wolff to putting Verstappen under long-term contract for 2015 and beyond.

"Max did not surprise me in his first year," the Austrian said. "I knew how good he was.

"Now he is clearly ready for the next step," added Wolff. "I know that Red Bull has high expectations for him so I would be very, very surprised if Max is not driving a Red Bull in 2017."

(GMM)
Haas will not get the $10 million start-up bonus that was paid to F1's most recent team newcomers.

To entice the three new teams - known originally as Virgin, Team Lotus and Hispania - onto the grid for 2010, the bonus was paid by Bernie Ecclestone because teams only get official income based on performance from the previous year.

"There's no money in the first year," the F1 supremo told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt in London.

But even the $10 million will now not be offered to Haas.

"It's not the end of the world for Haas," Ecclestone is quoted by Forbes. "When they come into formula one they know. They asked to come in. Nobody asked them."

And he warned that team owner Gene Haas, a billionaire American thanks to his machine tool company Haas Automation, will have to spend a lot of money on F1 in the future.

"If somebody wants to be competitive they come in and over four years they have to spend $1 billion as Red Bull did," said Ecclestone. "So we will have to wait and see."

(GMM)
Round 1 went to gun owners.

Circled on the calendars of domestic-violence prevention groups for a year, Round 2 is here.

A revamped proposal to confiscate the firearms of people served with a temporary restraining order is set to rekindle an emotional debate Monday at the Capitol. It pits two immovable objects against each other. A hearing on the legislation is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

Victims advocates  backed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and a number of police chiefs  say it should be a no-brainer to take weapons out of the hands of those deemed to be a potential threat.

Access to a firearm in a domestic-violence relationship makes it five times more likely the victim will lose their life, said Karen Jarmoc, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

But gun owners claim the measure, which would require the surrender of firearms within 24 hours of being served with a temporary restraining order, violates their due-process rights. They say that nearly half of all temporary restraining orders dont reach permanent status.

We still oppose it, based on that theres no due process to step in front of (a) judge, said Scott Wilson, president of the 22,000-member Connecticut Citizens Defense League. Its a one-sided order where someone may simply have some sort of ax to grind.

Questions of necessity

The current law allows gun owners under temporary restraining orders to keep their weapons and ammunition until they appear before a judge, which can take up to 14 days. The bill's supporters, influenced by the 2014 death of Oxford mother of two Lori Jackson  whose estranged husband shot her to death after she got a temporary restraining order against him  say that's far too long.

What were talking about is protecting women, children and families from violence in all forms, and this is one piece of that, said Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Last spring, a similar measure stalled at the 11th hour in the state Senate, with lawmakers consumed by a budget showdown and Democrats tabling the legislation before Republicans could introduce a motion killing it.

State Rep. J.P. Sredzinski, R-Monroe, a Public Safety and Security Committee member, said police responding to domestic-violence incidents already have the authority to execute an ex parte warrant and seize weapons.

Last year, I had some concerns with it, because the bill didnt really do anything more than what we have now, Sredzinski said.

Sredzinski said he would have to review this years version of the bill before taking a position on the proposal.

In contrast to last years bill, the current version includes a provision for pistol permits and firearms to be returned immediately to an individual if a temporary restraining order is vacated or withdrawn.

So we want to make it very clear that if the restraining order is not entered, you get your gun back and your permit, Tong said.

Another major change to the proposal affects law enforcement officers, who would be able to appear before a judge on an expedited basis if served with a temporary restraining order.

The governors support

Both this years and last years bills were introduced by the governor, who has championed gun control reform since the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

This is just common sense  we should be able to work across party lines on these issues, Malloy said last month. We should be able to agree that a person with a temporary restraining order should not have a deadly weapon. We are either for protecting victims of domestic violence, or against it.

The bills opponents say that it does not make accommodations for assault weapons and high-capacity magazines  grandfathered-in under the states ban  to be returned. They also raised concerns about the waiting period to have weapons returned if a restraining order is lifted, as well as the discretion of state police to seize weapons of individuals that they determine to be a risk.

So why would we suspend somebodys rights for 14 days and basically assume theyre guilty? said state Rep. Alfred Camillo, R-Greenwich. I dont see the purpose for this bill.

Sen. Michael McLachlan, R-Danbury, said he wants to hear both sides, but that he has underlying concerns about the legislation.

In the past, my point has been, we have a process in place currently to remove guns from anyone for that matter, but youve got to get a judge to order it, McLachlan said. If we can get a judge to issue an arrest warrant, then we can get a judge to take someones guns away. Due process is very important in my book, and thats what Im concerned about.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
GREENWICH  Greenwich Catholic School is set to break ground within the next month on the renovation of its upper-school building, school officials said.

The approximately $1.5 million project calls for adding two classrooms and refurbishing existing ones in the upper-school building, which houses some 150 students in grades six through eight. The building work is scheduled to be completed in the fall.

I am incredibly grateful to everyone in our school community who has championed this project from its inception, said Greenwich Catholic Principal Patrice Kopas. Bishop (Frank) Caggiano and his leadership team at the Diocese of Bridgeport have also provided us with immeasurable guidance and support as we move into the construction phase.

A total of about 415 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade attend the co-ed school on North Street, the only school in Greenwich that belongs to the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Greenwich Catholics Imagine capital campaign, which went public in October 2014, is raising the funds for the renovation. So far, the campaign has raised slightly more than $2 million toward its $2.5 million goal. The balance of the contributions not used for the renovation would support other capital projects.

Families of current students, alumni and their families and faculty and staff have contributed more than 100 gifts and pledges.

Theres definitely a sense of excitement, said Cici Coutant, the schools director of advancement. It means a lot because weve said that since day one this project and campaign is about more than bricks and mortar and a new building. It has also been a way to re-engage parents and alumni and transform the culture of giving at the school.

The school is still in line to collect what would be its largest ever contribution: Greenwichs Dougherty family will donate $250,000 from its Greenwich Catholic Education Trust Fund if the school can raise $500,000 after the announcement of the challenge in May 2015. Greenwich Catholic has raised approximately $350,000 toward the challenge gift, according to Coutant.

I think theyre making good progress, said Jim Dougherty, the trusts trustee. Its encouraging that they were already able to raise more than $250,000 toward the goal.

The Doughertys have long-running ties to Greenwich Catholic. Now an attorney in town, Jim Dougherty attended the seventh and eighth grades at the school from 1970 to 1972. His two adult children are also alumni, and he has two sisters who taught at the school. His father, Bruce, was one of the schools co-founders.

Jim Dougherty was honored for his and his familys support of Greenwich Catholic at the schools Spring Soiree fundraiser Friday night at the Italian Center in Stamford.

Its a big honor, Jim Dougherty said. You dont do these things for the honors, but its nice when youre recognized. We have a long-term multi-generational relationship with the school, so Im happy to accept this for the whole family.

pschott@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter: @paulschott
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
Hartford parents, teachers and students came out in full force to last weeks Board of Education meeting to protest devastating school cuts. Owing to budget shortfalls, the district is cutting guidance counselors, intervention specialists, and other critical staff, art, sports, enrichment, SAT prep, textbooks, summer school, tutors and more. Many of Hartford high schools will be left with one counselor for 350-400 students. As one parent said, they are cutting the support Hartford students need; and the subjects that motivate them to come to school.

Hartford schools already suffer severe resource deficiencies. One high school has no library or computer lab. Another has no copier in the library, and no curricular material for certain classes. The culinary academy has no money to buy food for cooking class. The nursing academy cannot offer physics, though physics is a prerequisite for any nursing school. One high school is so overrun with rodents a teacher came in one morning to find five mice in traps she laid the night before. Teachers are forced to find vendors themselves and fill out orders in vain attempts to obtain supplies that never arrive. So they buy them out of their own pockets.

The conditions in which these students have to learn, and these teachers have to teach, is shameful  especially in Connecticut, a state consistently in the top five on the list of wealthiest states in America.

Hartford is not the only Connecticut school district suffering. According to a supplement to this years Is School Funding Fair: A National Report Card, issued by the Education Law Center (my employer) and Rutgers, Connecticut is the only state consistently among the five wealthiest states to have districts on the list of Americas most financially disadvantaged school districts. This year, two districts are featured on this list: Bridgeport and Danbury.

Since this list has been compiled, starting in 2012, Connecticut districts have been featured every year. Connecticut also has the dishonorable distinction of being the only wealthy state featured on the list of states whose funding system disadvantages the highest share of low income students; as measured by the percent of statewide enrollment concentrated in those most disadvantaged districts.

The National Report Card revealed some other disturbing facts about Connecticuts lack of commitment to its public schools, especially those serving our neediest children.

As one of the wealthiest states, Connecticut does a poor job of maintaining competitive wages for teachers  a key ingredient to recruiting and retaining a strong teaching force. Connecticut teachers starting out earn 79 percent of the average salary of similar non-teaching professions. The report compares teachers with other professionals in the same labor market of similar age, degree level and hours worked. At age 45, that average drops to 73 percent of similar non-teaching professions.

An important measure of school funding fairness is the student-teacher ratio. High-poverty schools require more staff to address the challenges faced by their students. Small classes, reading and math specialists and support services are particularly necessary, for example. However, Connecticut is one of the few states with higher student-teacher ratios in poorer districts as compared to their wealthy districts. In fact, Connecticut is 46th out of 50 states plus Washington, D.C., in student-teacher ratio fairness.

High-quality pre-K is a vital component of education; reducing placement in special education and improving academic and life outcomes. Sixty-two percent of Connecticuts 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in pre-K, but only 48 percent of Connecticuts poor children are. That disparity lands Connecticut in 45th place out of 51.

The deprivation of essential resources in Connecticuts poorest districts is the crux of the CCJEF case, now on trial in Hartford. The plaintiffs seek adequate funding for basic educational necessities.

They are on solid ground. A new longitudinal study out of Berkeley demonstrates that school finance reform makes a real difference for students. The study, based on nationwide data, found that school finance reforms lead to substantial increases in revenues in low-income school districts, and to increases in student achievement. This study confirms a 2014 national study from Northwestern showing improvement in achievement, especially for poor students, when school funding increases. Earlier state-specific studies found similar results.

The evidence is clear. Connecticut schools need more resources, and school finance reform is the answer.

However, this year, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made the deepest cuts to education in Connecticut history, while diverting more than $100 million dollars to privately run charter schools.

It is time for our elected officials in this, one of Americas wealthiest states, to start doing right by our poorest children.

Wendy Lecker is a columnist for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group and is senior attorney at the Education Law Center.
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BRIDGEPORT  If Armando A.J. Perez has learned anything in his long quest to become chief of the citys police department its patience.

That virtue paid off Thursday, when Perez took the oath of office as Bridgeports acting chief to the thundering applause of hundreds of police personnel, state troopers, city officials, religious leaders and private citizens.

Considered a shoe-in for the departments top job when his friend, Joseph Ganim, was elected mayor, Perez, who climbed up the ranks from patrolman to head of the detective bureau in his 32-plus years on the force, saw his hopes dimmed when Bill Finch re-signed Chief Joseph Gaudett to another five years hours before Finch surrendered the mayors post to Ganim.

To put it mildly I was disappointed, Perez, 60, said earlier Thursday from behind police chiefs desk.

I remember that next weekend, I went with my family to Manhattan and we were sitting in St. Patricks Cathedral for Mass, behind the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, he recalled. The cardinals sermon was about patience patience was a virtue  he kept harping on the word patience. Later, when we were walking on Fifth Avenue, I turned to my wife and asked her if the cardinal was trying to tell me something.

Three months after Perez reflected on that sermon, the new Bridgeport mayor swore him in at the City Council Chambers in City Hall, the domed ceiling echoing with Scottish bagpipes and Cuban guitar.

Police union President Sgt. Charles Paris told the Post he would look for a return to community policing under Perez, a policy he said had begun to make the city a safer place before being abandoned by the department.

We missed out on it for many years, Paris said. It made a huge difference compared to where we were.

The union endorsed Ganim over Finch, apparently angling for a police regime change.

When Paris took the podium Thursday, he remembered the cars Perez drove when the two friends were younger men. He especially recalled a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro with a decal  a rising sun  that puzzled Paris at the time, but now made sense.

The sun rose in Bridgeport today, Paris told the audience. We have a new chief, and were proud of him.

Sgt. Joseph Hernandez, the president of the Bridgeport Police Hispanic Society, remembered Perezs softer side, even during busy shift changes.

He always stopped you and asked you, How are you? How was your day? How is your family?,  Hernandez said.

Perezs first act  after Ganim administered his oath as chief  was to remember and congratulate two of his colleagues who just became chiefs in other towns after long careers in with the BPD  James Viadero, now in Newtown, and John Cueto, the new chief of Duck, N.C.

Then Perez vowed to cut crime rates in Bridgeport, with the cooperation of other local law enforcement.

We're going to clean this place up; were going to make this city the safest city, Perez said. Later, he added, I will not have 108 people shot in this city. I will not have 18 homicides. It is unacceptable.

In 2015, there were 19 homicides in Bridgeport. So far this year there has been only one.

Perez said the thought of being chief had taken some getting used to, but it was the first thing to enter his mind when he woke up Thursday.

I am the chief of the Bridgeport Police Department, and I will lead this department as long as God gives me strength.

The new boss

Gaudett, agreed this week to resign as chief to take over the citys emergency communications center as a consultant, for roughly the same salary he had earned.

When the chiefs seat is vacant, the city has traditionally mounted extensive searches to identify candidates. But the citys hiring law allows the mayor to appoint a member of the Bridgeport Police Department as the acting chief of police, who is then entitled to run the department until a permanent successor is named.

Perez also thanked Guadett for his service at his swearing-in Thursday.

Chief Gaudett is now in a good position, Perez told the Post. He is overseeing a system that he created, and I know we will be working well together for the betterment of the department.

Perez also said he was not about to cast stones, But the store is a mess. The Police Department is down about a hundred officers through retirements and exoduses to suburban departments offering greater salaries.

The prior administration dismantled a number of the departments units, handing those responsibilities to the state police and the feds. Thousands of dollars seized as evidence disappeared from a safe in the departments records room.

And then there was the racist letter that an investigation determined was written by the officer who reported receiving it. That cop, no longer with the force, said he was told to write the letter by Lt. Lonnie Blackwell, the president of the minority police organization The Guardians and head of the training academy.

Blackwell has denied any connection to the letter but is on administrative leave pending a hearing before Perez.

There is no room for that kind of hatred in the Police Department, said Perez. I believed we were past that. ... I have a lot of work to do, a lot of healing to do.

With the encouragement of Ganim, Perez has brought together the different divisions into a unified anti-violence task force that has already been responsible for some high-profile arrests and seizures of guns and drugs.

He said the task force brings together veteran detectives along with younger officers such as Sgt Jason Amado, who has gotten very familiar with whats going on in the streets. Perez is also giving the captains a greater role and the four deputy chiefs have been given new tasks.

Perez also hopes to eventually hook up the citys camera surveillance system to those of stores and businesses.

What we can now do with technology is amazing, he said.

Sense of community

But Perez said he would also like to bring back the feeling in the department when he came on in the early 1980s.

It was like a family, he said. And we were much closer to the people in the community.

Perez recalled that on his second day on the job, he was assigned to the midnight shift in the P.T. Barnum housing project. He was riding with a veteran cop who ordered him to start ticketing cars parked illegally around one of the projects courtyards.

It was freezing out and my pen wasnt working, and as I was going along I could hear people shouting ... out the windows at me, Perez said.

When he got back into the car, the senior officer told him to go back out and take the tickets off the cars.

When I finally go back into the car I was shivering, and this son of a gun asked me what I had learned. I told him I learned how to freeze ... accomplishing nothing and he told me, No, you learned how to make friends in the project.

The easiest thing to do as a police officer is to arrest someone, Perez continued. Sometimes you have no choice, and no one is above the law, but there are a lot of poor people in the community and a lot of kids who just need an opportunity to belong.

So the department is going back to community policing, with plans to reassign officers to the housing projects on a permanent basis.

I spent my first five years in P.T. and its a tough place, Perez said. But to this day I can go there and walk around without any fear. The kids that I saw and talked to when I was first there are now adults and they remember me and thats want I want for my officers.

While Ganim is his friend, Perez was adamant that he is his own man.

I run this department, no one else, he said. Im going to be fiscally responsible and Im going to run the department.

Staff Writer Alex N. Gecan contributed to this report.




Haiti - NOTICE : Power cuts scheduled...





In a note, the Electricity of Haiti (EDH) informs its customers in particular and population in general, that "as part of the construction project of the substation Tabarre / Airport, whose completion is imminent, the rehabilitation works of the distribution line, will take place from Monday 21 to Wednesday, March 23, 2016.



Therefore, the planned outages will be registered from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., to the abovementioned dates including in the following areas: Strret Justin Juste, BRANA, Airport Mais Gate, Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ), Rue Chabiscot, Comme-il-Faut, Strret Jeudi, DINEPA, SOGED, Street Barbe de Marbois, Street Magua, Cite Okay, Imprimerie le Natal, Dynamic Entreprises, Street Charles Fequiere, International Red Cross, OFNAC... 



EDH said that this work will improve the service offered to its customers, especially commercial and industrial customers.



"EDH understands that this work, although essential will be a major inconvenience to its customers and calls for the cooperation of residents of the area for the completion of this work in the best conditions and on time."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Environment : The natural reserve of La Hotte selected by UNESCO





The International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO added 20 sites to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves during its meeting in the capital of Peru on 18 and 19 March. The newly adopted sites include 18 national site and one transboundary site shared between Spain and Portugal. The Council also approved 9 extensions to existing Biosphere Reserves. Following the withdrawal of two sites at the request of Austria, this brings the total number of biosphere reserves to 669 sites in 120 countries, including 16 transboundary sites.



The site of La Hotte joined the World Network of Biosphere Reserves :

Located in the south-east of the country the biosphere reserve encompasses both terrestrial and marine areas. The region is considered a biodiversity hotspot due to its wide climate range: from humid to subtropical dry. The reserve covers six mountain peaks culminating at 2,347m, as well as a coastal and marine ecosystem in the north (Iles Cayemites) and south (Ile-a-Vache). It is home to more than 850,000 inhabitants, whose main economic activities are farming, agroforestry, fishing, commerce, and handcrafts.



Learn more about the Man and the Biosphere Programme :

The Man and the Biosphere Programme was created by UNESCO in the early 1970s as an intergovernmental scientific endeavour to improve relations between people around the world and their natural environment. Biosphere reserves are places for learning about sustainable development aiming to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with the sustainable use of natural resources. New reserves are designated each year by the International Co-ordinating Council of the Programme, which brings together elected representatives of 34 UNESCO Member States.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11333-haiti-environment-survival-of-the-macaya-park-is-both-political-and-civic.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9469-haiti-environment-visit-of-president-martelly-to-the-national-park-la-visite.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9445-haiti-politic-official-visit-of-irina-bokova-and-michaelle-jean.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9356-haiti-environment-$12mm-for-the-macaya-natural-national-park.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9136-haiti-environment-$9mm-grant-for-the-protection-of-the-macaya-national-park.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2117-haiti-ecology-rediscovery-of-amphibians-that-have-disappeared-since-1991.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Diplomacy : France deeply concerned about the Haitian crisis





Thursday at the UN Headquarters in New York, Alexis Lamek, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, in his address to the members of the Security Council stated that France was deeply concerned about the interruption of the electoral process in Haiti and uncertainties that accompany it.



Excerpts from the statement of Representative of France to the UN :

"Mr. President,



France is deeply concerned about the interruption of the electoral process in Haiti and by the uncertainties that accompany it.



Haiti has more need than ever of stable institutions and vested with democratic legitimacy, to be able to meet the many economic, social and humanitarian challenges the country faces. The Haitian people must also be able to see that the choices it makes through the ballot box are duly reflected and respected.



We have taken note of the inter-Haitian political agreement of 5 February. This is a compromise that goes in the right direction, having avoided a vacuum of governance and laying the foundation for the continuation of the electoral process. The success of this agreement remains closely linked to the effective implementation of all its provisions, at the earliest. We call upon all Haitian political actors including the Provisional President to do everything for that happens and that the return to constitutional order intervene as soon as possible. Everyone must show responsibility, restraint and comply with the spirit of compromise of the Agreement of 5 February.



It is particularly important that the necessary measures are taken to enable the conclusion of the electoral process in accordance with the agreed timetable. The early entry into function of an inclusive transitional government and confirmed by Parliament as well as the reactivation of the Provisional Electoral Council are essential steps and urgent in this regard. The Electoral Observation Mission of the European Union concluded that, despite some irregularities, mostly due to the inadequate training of electoral agents, there was no significant alteration of the outcome of the first round of elections presidential. Nothing is therefore opposed to the results announced by the Provisional Electoral Council constitute the basic reference for the organization of the second round.





[...]

We are in favor the continuation of discussions on the future of the Minustah [...] In this regard is seems us important to stress that the revival of the Mission's reconfiguration process can not be delayed indefinitely by the current political stalemate, at the risk to jeopardize the United Nations ability to respond better to the needs of the Haitian population. We encourage the Haitian actors to take responsibility to conclude the current electoral cycle as soon as possible.



[...]

The situation in Haiti concerns us all. The support of the international community and the United Nations involvement remain more than ever necessary. But our responsibility within this Council is to do everything for they are as relevant and effective as possible. The challenges facing Haiti and the expectations of its population commit ourselves to take the necessary decisions. Haitian political actors must now be fully aware of that [...]"



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Economy : Stephanie B. Villedrouin laureate of Young Global Leaders 2016





Friday, the World Economic Forum released the names of the 121 laureates of the Class of 2016 of Young Global Leaders (YGL). Scientists, government leaders, future business leaders, social activists and artists, aged under 40, who are shaking up policy, society and the world around them.



More than half of the laureates of the Young Global Leaders Class of 2016 are women and the majority are from emerging economies. Taken together, they represent the very best of this generation and, as public services worldwide face funding shortfalls, they emphasize the need for future leaders to be tech-savvy, civic-minded innovators.



The Class of 2016 includes notably "Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin Haitian Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries, which fights against prejudice in the media on the chaos, corruption and poverty to transform the image of Haiti given to the Public" said the statement of the Young Global Leaders Forum, she is one of 7 YGL nominated for Latin America alongside Carolina Rossini (Brazil ) Vice President, International Policy, Public Knowledge, Jonathan Nathusius (Guatemala) Chief Executive Officer at CEMACO, Maria Lopez Castano (Colombia) Director, Semana Sostenible Magazine, and Sustainability at Semana Publishing Group, Patricia Ellen (Brazil) Principal to McKinsey & Company, Pia Mancini (Argentina) Chairwoman at The Democracy Earth Foundation and Simon Gaviria Munoz (Colombie) Director of National Planning Department of Colombia.



Of the 121, the majority have already agreed to join the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGLs), a diverse community whose members work together on initiatives that benefit society. YGL efforts to date have led to initiatives and businesses aimed at tackling global water shortages, the working conditions of factories in poor countries, a waste-free world, poor health and education for schoolchildren and spinal injuries.



Current and former YGLs head governments and Fortune 500 companies, win Nobel Prizes and Academy Awards, become UN Goodwill Ambassadors and Social Entrepreneurs. The new YGLs will be asked to work with one another over the next five years resolving some of the worlds toughest challenges.



HL/ HaitiLibre




















By William Schwartz | Published on 2016/03/19

Once again, Yeong-sil lounges around just in the peripheral issue of major political questions, this time out on the frontier. Nothing immediately important happens. There ends up being a timeskip following a somewhat anticlimactic death scare for King Sejong, leading me to believe that "Jang Yeong-sil - Drama" focuses on certain historical incidents more out of obligation than because of actual relevancy.

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Even the science is fairly lacking this episode, because Yeong-sil's water clock is remarkable less for being new and more for having a very elaborate diorama style design. It's always worth mentioning that the set builders for "Jang Yeong-sil - Drama" are pretty exceptionally competent. The clock is the work of a true artisan. Yeong-sil is, regrettably, not actually an artisan, so I find it strange how these kinds of innovations are always ascribed to Yeong-sil personally.

The greater point here, though, is on the visibility of science and why that's important. Most of the clock designs we've seen so far are, in addition to being intricate, fairly obscutory. When the Chinese couldn't figure out how their own legendary water clock worked, part of this was due to the design not being all that intuitive. While a good scientific engineer could break the clock apart, to a normal person the functionality was practically witchcraft, because it wasn't clear what was causing the moving pieces to move in a predictable pattern.

Yeong-sil's new clock does make the water element reasonably obvious, hidden as that aspect is among the clock's more elaborate details. But an even better example is the Korean alphabet, as "Jang Yeong-sil - Drama" finally hits upon a plausible geo-political conflict. China finds the notion of a Korean alphabet to be offensive, because as they see it, the Chinese alphabet is perfection that should be considered inalterable. All of this ties into social control. Just as Korean elites seek to control the education of the lower classes, so to do the Chinese wish to control Korea for the same reasons.

This is all a very good analogy that suddenly makes the motivation of the villains in "Jang Yeong-sil - Drama" make a lot more sense. Although I still don't approve of the drama's tendency to center major scientific breakthroughs around arson and swordfights, the material is interesting thematically and presented in such a way that the political stakes feel quite real. I just wish that we'd gotten to this point a lot sooner- where long-term strategic thinking is the main motivation point rather than generic spite.

Review by William Schwartz

"Jang Yeong-sil - Drama" is directed by Kim Yeong-jo, written by Lee Myeong-hee, Ma Chang-joon and features Song Il-kook, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Young-chul, Park Sun-young, Kim Do-hyun, Son Byung-ho,...
Published on 2016/03/20 | Source

Incheon International Airport is to get a capsule hotel and self check-in counters as part of measures aimed at boosting passenger traffic, it said on Monday.

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Incheon airport plans to build the 67-room capsule hotel by the end of this year. Such cubbyhole sleeping quarters already exist at Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Heathrow in London. Each capsule also has a toilet and shower occupying minimal space.

An airport staffer said, "At present, passengers who have long waiting times before their red-eye flights or arrive early in the morning experience inconveniences. Capsules will only cost W8,000-9,000 per hour", (US$1=W1,189).

The check-in process will also be simplified. The airport will set up mobile self check-in zones with tablet PCs and desktops, and passengers will be able to receive their electronic boarding passes on their smartphones.

The airport hopes to install eight of these zones by 2020.

Also, the airport will open its departure gates half an hour earlier at 6 a.m., set up three more security checkpoints and add 100 security staff in the departure area to cut down on processing time.

The measures are expected to shorten outbound passenger processing time from the present average 43 minutes to 40.
Lisey's Story, by Stephen King, is somewhat of a departure for the writer, who is known mainly for his work in the horror genre. This is a story about the supernatural, and there is some graphic content  most notably in the scene in which Lisey is tortured and maimed  but there is less graphic content than King ordinarily uses.

The story focuses on Lisey Landon and her husband, Scott, who is a famous writer. Scott died not all that long ago, and Lisey is still adjusting to his absence when a university professor, Joseph Woodbody, asks Lisey for Scott's unpublished manuscripts, which are rumored to be gathering dust in Scott's old home office. Lisey can't really deal with going through Scott's things just yet, so she puts the professor off.

Meanwhile, through flashbacks, we learn more about Scott and how unusual he truly was. He had an uncanny healing ability, for instance, and he could disappear. When he disappeared, he was usually travelling to a place he called Boo'ya Moon, which was where he healed himself in a magical pool, and where he got his ideas for his books.

We also learn about Lisey's three sisters, one of whom is self-destructive. At one point, this sister, Amanda, has a fit and drinks her own blood, and eventually Lisey and her other sisters have Amanda committed for her own safety.

Then Lisey finds a dead cat in her mailbox. And not long after that, she's visited by a man named Jim Dooley, who is working for Professor Woodbody. Dooley demands that Lisey give Woodbody Scott's manuscripts, and he tortures Lisey, then leaves.

Lisey discovers she, too, can travel to Boo'ya Moon, and she goes there and heals herself in the pool  but she can't stay long; Boo'ya Moon is not a safe place. From there, she sets out on a path of revenge against Dooley, and the results are spectacular.
For about a decade, I have been following the story of one of natures oldest mother birds.

The oldest known breeding bird in the wild, a Laysan albatross named Wisdom  shes at least 65 years old  became a mother again last month. Wisdom lives with her mate, Akeakamai, at Midway Atoll Na-tional Wildlife Refuge, part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

The chick was observed still coming out of its shell on Feb. 1, and days later was named Kukini, which is a Hawaiian word for messenger. Wisdoms mate had been on the nest since Jan. 20 when he took over incubation duties while Wisdom headed out to sea. Wisdom returned just as the Super Bowl ended with her belly full. Shortly after Wisdoms return, Wisdoms mate was on the march toward the shoreline and im-mediately took flight in search of food.

Wisdom is an iconic symbol of inspiration and hope, noted Refuge Manager Robert Peyton in a press release on the subject of the hatching of Wisdoms latest chick.

Peyton explained that from a scientific perspective, albatrosses are a critical indicator species for the worlds oceans that sustain millions of human beings as well. In the case of Wisdom, she is breaking lon-gevity records of previously banded birds by at least a decade.

With over a million albatrosses on Midway Atoll alone, this shows just how much is left to learn about the natural world around us, Peyton said.

The story of this amazing bird is even more astonishing given her maternal success. Wisdom has raised at least eight chicks since 2006, and as many as 40 in her lifetime. Just as astounding, she has likely flown over three million miles since she was first tagged on Midway Atoll in 1956.

To put things in perspective, consider this statement by Bruce Peterjohn, Chief of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Centers National Bird Banding Laboratory.

That is up to six trips from the Earth to the Moon and back again, he noted What is also miraculous is that biologist Chandler Robbins, who banded her as a breeding adult in 1956 on Midway Atoll, sighted her 46 years later near the same nesting location. Today, at the age of 97, Robbins still comes to work on occasion doing what he loves to do.

Wisdoms chick is not the only bird in town. Albatrosses arrive on Midway Atoll in late November by the hundreds of thousands. In December U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteers counted 470,000 active nests across the entire atoll  since each nest represents two adults, the total breeding population at Mid-way is 940,000. A low estimate of Midways overall population, this number does not account for the non-breeders present in the colony, resting, searching for a mate, and practicing their mating dance skills.

Wisdom has nested since the late 1950s on Midways Eastern Island behind Bravo Barracks. She was banded as a nesting adult in the same location by Robbins in December 1956. Robbins estimated that she was a minimum of five years old at the time.

Another albatross  a Northern Royal Albatross that lived on the South Island of New Zealand and was named Grandma  reached a banded age of 51.5 years and probable actual age of 61 years or more.

Wisdom and her mate have successfully fledged a chick annually in recent years. She is the worlds old-est Laysan albatross. If human, she would be approaching senior citizen status today.

Wisdom, as well as her chick, survived the same tsunami that laid waste to much of Japan on March 10, 2011. FWS released an official announcement five days after the natural catastrophe stating that surveys of the three islands revealed that more than 110,000 albatross chicks  about 22 percent of that years albatross production  were lost as a result of the tsunami and two severe winter storms that hit in January and February. At least 2,000 adults also died.

Even through such setbacks, Wisdom has thrived. She is one very special creature. FWS personnel who have worked on these islands to monitor albatross and other bird populations cherish her, and not only because she has provided valuable information about the longevity of these majestic birds. Wisdom weighs only eight pounds, but she has been producing chicks to increase the population of her kind for half a century.

The Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis, is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. Compared to other relatives in the albatross family, the Laysan Albatross is a small bird. It is the second most common seabird in the Hawaiian Islands, with an estimated population of 2.5 million birds. Although numbers are thought to be increasing, the Laysan Albatross has not recovered from extensive hunting that drastically reduced the population in the early 1900s.
BRISTOL, Va.  Reclaiming Americas First Principles (RAFP) a local public interest organization will host a 13-week study course on the U.S. Constitution. The Institute on the Constitution, creator of the course, said the class will help individuals across America understand their own history and more fully appreciate their heritage by reacquainting them with the worldview and vision of our founding fathers.

Information from the institute goes on to say, We believe that by understanding the way in which the framers of our Constitutional Republic viewed their relationship to God, to other nations, among the vari-ous states and each other, we can gain valuable insight into the foundational principles of America and the difficulties that face us in this time and the times to come.

The class is free and open to the community, but for those who want a Certificate of Completion a $50 course syllabus with lecture notes, articles, test, copies of historical documents, etc., is required.

The class will begin on April 2 and run through June 25. It begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m. Classes will meet in the J. Henry Kegley Meeting Room of the Bristol Public Library, 701 Goode St., Bristol, Virginia. Registration is required for the class and can be done by calling Roscoe Trivett at rhtrivett@gmail.com or the library 276-821-6148 or emailing marketing@ Bristol-library.org.

A portion of the class will be conducted by video by Dr. John Eidsmoe, professor of Constitutional Law at Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama. He is also AL and senior staff attorney to the Alabama Supreme Court.

Also presenting will be Jeffrey Cobble, Esq., an attorney in Greeneville, Tennessee. He is admitted to practice in federal courts and before the Supreme Courts of both Tennessee and Pennsylvania. He is a published author, frequent speaker, lecturer and teacher.
Indias relations with Israel are on an upswing. The visits, first by President Pranab Mukherjee and then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, in the last few months, have prepared the groundwork for the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister, possibly later this year.

There is bound to be opposition within the country from the Left and other groups but Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears intent on pursuing a foreign policy driven by our national interests.

The visit would provide a fillip to our growing bilateral ties. There are Israeli investments in India in agriculture and high-tech areas, and the annual bilateral trade is nearing the $5 billion mark, excluding defence. Israel has proved to be a reliable partner and in 1999, during the Kargil War, supplied the urgently-needed defence equipment.

Read | Israel is honoured to host President Mukherjee: Daniel Carmon

At a press conference shortly after opening our embassy in Tel Aviv in May 1992, I was asked whether defence cooperation with Israel was on the anvil. I had to admit that commercial logic dictated that we should be interested in what Israel had to offer in meeting our requirements.

After the Gulf War, the Middle East Peace Process acquired positive dynamics. The Madrid Conference in 1991 was followed by twin track negotiations: Separate bilateral negotiations between Israel and its neighbours Jordan (Palestinians were part of this delegation), Lebanon and Syria; and, multilateral negotiations in five separate groups focusing on water, environment, arms control, refugees and economic development.

India was keen on being part of the security dialogue. However, Israel insisted on India first establishing diplomatic relations before being allowed to join the process. This precipitated our decision to establish a resident mission in Israel. Foreign secretary JN Dixit rightly justified this decision as having been taken keeping in view the legitimate interests of India.

Support for the Palestinian issue was important from the standpoint of our domestic political considerations and, our relations with the Arab world given the presence of a large Indian diaspora there and that most of our oil supplies were sourced from there.

Read | Narendra Modis Israel visit and its meaning for the Jews in India

This decision was taken in consultation with PLO chairman Yasser Arafat. His sense of pragmatism was shared by Faisal Husseini, head of the Palestinian office at Orient House in East Jerusalem. In my early days in Israel, I used to meet Husseini regularly and he showed commendable understanding of our decision.

Today, it has become a norm for nations to seek to optimise their relations with diverse and often competing power centres. But at that time our decision to de-link the Palestinian issue and our relations with Israel was a bold one. Credit for this must go to then Prime Minister PV Narsimha Rao. One of his first initiatives after the establishment of our embassy was to send MS Swaminathan, father of our green revolution, to Israel to study what we could learn from their experience in the fields of agriculture, drip irrigation, water conservation and solar energy.

Ironically, even as Rao was optimistic about our engagement with Israel and despite Dixits backing for establishing full diplomatic relations, the brief given to me by the head of division in the Ministry of External Affairs was that I just go through with the technicality of opening the embassy in Tel Aviv and do nothing further. Thankfully Dixit told me to keep my eyes and ears open and recommend what in my assessment would be in Indias best interests.

Read | Israel elections: Netanyahus back and whats in it for India

Soon after arriving in Israel I realised that our foreign ministry establishment would take time to get over years of prejudices built into our foreign policy.

In May 1993 Israels foreign minister Shimon Peres visited India but got a lukewarm response. He was not received by our prime minister and had to be content with delegation-level talks with a junior minister at the foreign ministry. The return visit of external affairs minister Jaswant Singh took place only in 2000.

In retrospect, I find justification in Israel moving forward with our state governments that were only too eager to explore cooperation with Israel, particularly given its reputation in drip irrigation technology.

I recall Sharad Pawar, then Maharashtra chief minister and Congress leader, leading a delegation of over 500 farmers to the Agritech trade fair in Tel Aviv in early 1993. This was followed by visits of several of chief ministers in quick succession. In fact, the mission had the unenviable task of advising prospective high-level visitors to space out their visits so that we could plan their trips and service the delegations satisfactorily. The relationship thus witnessed a flying start despite the coyness and hesitation on the part of our foreign ministry.

Read | India and Israel can gain from each others history

In the words of PR Kumaraswamy of Jawaharlal Nehru University, who used to teach at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem when I was in Israel, the current improved state of relations signifies maturation of India-Israeli ties. While we have not hesitated to develop close bilateral relations with Israel we still continue to fully support the Palestinian aspirations for an independent State and remain firmly opposed to Israel continuing to build settlements in the Palestinian territories.

Virendra Gupta is a former ambassador and opened the Indian embassy in Israel in May 1992. The views expressed are personal.
Its hard to imagine now that in my days at Delhi University, I could go for a boat ride on the Yamuna (for Rs 10 ) or that I went to her banks to eat thukpa and momos at the Tibetan Monastery. We sometimes hitched a ride down Ring Road on scooters driven by respectable-looking men; you could, those days. We were possibly among the first lot of girls who wore jeans to college and cut our hair. I remember that a classmate with a short, smart bob was sympathetically asked by a rural lady,Kes jal gaye? (Did your hair catch fire?).

But while we did these modern things, we saw the river as a special someone. We considered ourselves killingly cool but cooler still was the thought, imbibed from childhood through song and story that the Yamuna was a dear and beautiful person. As a child, I was greatly charmed by the bath prayer, Gangecha-Yamunechaiva Godavari-Sarasvati Narmade-Sindhu-Kaveri, jalesmin sannidhim kuru (O waters of our sacred rivers, give us sanctuary). Consequently, even a balti-bath of boiling hot water in summer was special because the water was the Yamunas. And Jamuna ke paani was what we drank, whatever our religion, reportedly about 57 million of us.

Read: Kejriwal asks Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to help clean up the Yamuna

This was no mere substance bereft of rich, layered context. When I was driven over the Yamuna or taken to the Okhla Barrage to see her in spate I did namaste and had a 10 paisa or four-anna coin ready to throw in as an offering. I probably learnt these small graces on long-ago train journeys from Bombay to Madras when we clanked over a big river, perhaps the Tungabhadra.

Read: The Yamuna, our biggest source of water, is dead

Over the years I built up an impression of a charming, wistful sweetness about the Yamuna compared to her grand sisters. The strong, confident, unswerving Narmada, for example, really seemed to laugh at piffling humanity. The austere Ganga was thronged by far too many ascetics who seemed to own her in a way I never could. But the Yamuna seemed a more simpatic a personality than those regal rivers. She had changed her course, jumped here and there, run away from saints and kings alike and cared nothing for Cities and Thrones and Powers.

Read: Ammonia in Yamuna five times higher than normal

She seemed curiously childlike but somehow spiritually liberated, a true malang or fakir by temperament who was least interested in maintaining her position as a royal river. Thats how she appeared to me and it seemed to go a long way back. For instance, although she should have just quietly made way, she had leapt impulsively to touch the basket with a baby in it that a man had carried on his head across her waters that rainy night in Shravan. She had consoled even Shiva when he was mad with grief for Sati, absorbed the Great Gods sorrow, grown dark with it. Whereas proud, unwilling Ganga had come haughtily to earth and dealt impersonally with human frailty, free-spirited Yamuna was invested by myth-makers with an affectionate nature and loving-kindness. Other rivers seemed respected, Yamuna seemed loved.

Clearly that culture of appreciation is long over. Dear Yamuna, you deserved better from modern India.

(The views expressed are personal)

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Actor Vivek Oberoi says director Ram Gopal Varma is a genius when it comes to making gangster and underworld crime drama films. The 39-year-old actor, who made an impressive debut in 2002 with Company, is once again teaming up with Varma for its sequel, Company 2. People have written his (RGV) obituary but it doesnt matter to me...I believe he is an eccentric genius. I am not worried about doing the film (Company 2) with him. Even I have seen the highs and lows in my career but we all bounce back, said Vivek.

He is a genius when it comes to dealing with gangster and underworld films. I am fan of his such work, he added.

Company was a fictional expose on Mumbais underworld loosely based on Dawood Ibrahims terror outfit, D-Company and had actors Ajay Devgn, Manisha Koirala and Mohanlal.

Read: Vangaveeti to be Ram Gopal Varmas last film in Telugu

Read: Vivek Oberoi to voice the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Vivek is thankful to Varma for giving him a break in Bollywood and is excited to work with him again. It was 14 years ago he gave me a great beginning in the film industry with Company. He brought out the best in me...It is one of the milestones of my career, he said.

The first part had achieved cult status. We want to make sure the second part is equally exciting. We are taking every step carefully, he said.

The Grand Masti actor was, however, little reluctant to divulge details and said, It is too early to give out details about my role as he is working on the script.

Watch: Ajay Devgn, Vivek Oberoi in Company

Vivek is also turning a producer with Company 2 and apprised that the film will be made in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, casting for which is currently underway. It is my first production and I dont want to disappoint people. So we are working very hard on getting everything correct, he said.

The film will go on the floors in mid of this year.

Follow @htshowbiz for more.
Bollywood actors often talk about getting under the skin of their characters while preparing for their roles. At times, this process involves acquiring a skill or learning something completely new. In fact, many actors even test their limits for their films, and dont mind going the extra mile.

For instance, Tiger Shroff  who made his Bollywood debut with Heropanti (2014), and is already trained in taekwondo and wushu  turned to Kalaripayattu for his next, Baaghi.

In fact, Kunal Kapoor, who is currently preparing for his multi-lingual film, Veeram, has also turned to the same form of martial arts. It has been a physically demanding role. I trained in Kalaripayattu with a teacher from Kerala. I had trained in it earlier as well, but the northern style of Kalaripayattu is mostly weapon-based, with swords and daggers. So, I had to work on a whole new set of skills, he says.

Watch: John Abraham in Rocky Handsome trailer

On the other hand, John Abraham learnt Tai Chi and Aikido in Thailand for his upcoming film, Rocky Handsome. When I came back [from Thailand], and people saw my body, it was full of black and blue marks. I didnt know which side to sleep on, the actor had told HT Cafe in an interview in the past. The films director, Nishikant Kamat, had also said, We wanted to do something that we have never seen in Indian cinema before, and John being John, did his best.

In fact, ever since Salman Khan was announced as the lead actor for director Ali Abbas Zafars Sultan  the film is based on the life of a wrestler  everyone was curious about the films female lead. Finally, Anushka Sharmas name was announced. It was revealed that she will play the character of a wrestler from Haryana. Soon enough, the actor started preparing for the role, and spent six weeks learning different wrestling styles. Anushkas trainer, Jagdish Kaliraman, says, Wrestling is a difficult sport, but in spite of that, Anushka gave it her best. During the training, she observed every move that we showed her very carefully.

Anushka will be seen as a wrestler in Sultan. (Twitter)

In the past, Priyanka Chopra, who is currently making waves globally, also underwent rigorous training to convincingly play the role of boxer Mary Kom in a biopic. The actor had to master boxing in 45 days. Besides training in the gym, she did shadowboxing for hours.

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The amphitheatre at the India Habitat Centre was packed to capacity for Nawaznama, the session with actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui on day five of the six-day Spring Fever Festival in Delhi, which ends on March 20.

In the hour-long session, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and writer-journalist Rituparna Chatterjee, who is co-authoring his memoir spoke to Hindustan Times Brunch editor Poonam Saxena about the forthcoming book, and Nawaz spoke about his days of struggle, the many memorable roles that he has played and of finally finding success in Bollywood.

The memoir, to be published in 2017, would focus on the ups and downs in the actors journey from the small town of Budhana in Uttar Pradesh to Bollywood. When asked whether the account would be a sanitized version of his life, Nawaz promised to put it all down as truthfully as possible. On the process of co-authoring the book, he confessed that he just told the qissas from his life to Chatterjee and had no idea how she was going to put it all together. Chatterjee said the process of writing the book was very organic. She said a part of the book would be devoted to Nawazs mentor Anurag Kashyap and that it was too early to divulge more about the memoir.

Nawazuddin talked about his initial days in acting at the event. (HT Photo)

Nawaz, however, did reveal that he was currently shooting a romantic film where he would be seen opposite British model and actor Amy Jackson (of Singh is Bling fame). He admitted that he had not found much luck with women in real life though. In fact, the famous parmisan date scene between him and Huma Qureshi in Gangs of Wasseypur 2 was inspired by an incident from his life, which did not end very well.

The Gangs of Wasseypur 2 star was at his candid best, endearing himself to the audience with his simplicity and political incorrectness. He admitted that when he landed at the National School of Drama in Delhi, he did receive quite a cultural shock in the big city, especially when he saw women smoke in public. I nearly fainted the first time I saw a girl smoke at NSD and I thought that such a girl would let you do anything to her, he said, quickly admitting that he learnt later that it was completely wrong to make such assumptions.

Nawaz, who has starred in films such as Kahaani (2012), Talaash (2012), The Lunchbox (2013), Badlapur (2015), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), had to struggle for long after he graduated from the NSD in 1996 before he got his first big break in Peepli Live (2010).

HTs Poonam Saxena in conversation with Rituparna Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. (HT Photo)

When asked whether he ever thought of giving up and going back home, Nawaz said he did, but then going back would have meant either Budhana, where he had been told before he left that he had little chance of tinsel town success (na shakal na soorat) or Delhi where theatre directors would taunt him with aa gaye?. This fear made him stay. Nawaz said he worked very hard and he was satisfied as long as work, no matter how minuscule the role, kept coming his way. His first break in a Bollywood film was a cameo in the Aamir Khan-starrer Sarfarosh (1999).

Speaking of the diverse characters he has portrayed, Nawaz said he found Faizal Khan, the small-town gangster from Gangs of Wasseypur 2, to be quite difficult to play as he was nothing like that man in real life. It is hard to distance yourself from such characters. I need time to normalise after playing such roles that seem to take something away from your life and make it feel dry, he said.

Read: Nawazuddin Siddiqui seen farming while on family vacation in UP

Read: Nawazuddin Siddiqui denies assaulting woman, police verifying details

Stressing on the importance of training in the craft of acting, Nawaz said that anyone can become a star, but not everyone can become an actor. You need to learn, practice and gain experience just like in any other profession, he said. On being requested by the audience, he also enacted his famous railway station entry scene from the film Bajrangi Bhaijaan where he played the role of Chand Nawab, a Pakistani TV journalist.

When he was asked by a member of the audience if there existed any discrimination between stars and actors in the film industry, Nawaz said there was no such thing and everyone had their share of struggle. Even a star kid gets just one launchpad film, he pointed out. After that there is struggle for everyone.

Follow @htshowbiz for more.

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Sonam Kapoor is never the one to mince words. While her contemporaries Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone are bagging plum projects in Hollywood, the actor says that she, too, has been looking for work abroad.

When asked about her Hollywood plans, she says that she will only pick up something worth her while. Its not like I havent gone abroad and tried to get work there. There is amazing work happening there. But be it Bollywood, Hollywood or China it has to be something that can help me grow, she says, adding, Im really happy for Priyanka and Deepika. They are doing great work. In fact, I love watching Quantico, I am addicted to it.

Neerja review: Sonam Kapoor is the star of this searing biopic

The actor says that she would love to do meaningful films, irrespective of the language. Whether its Chinese, Tamil, English, or Iranian, as long as there is something that I can do in it, I will go ahead. It has to be worth the effort that Ill put in, says the 30-year-old.

The actor, who was applauded for her performance in her last film Neerja, says that she still has a long way to go. Dilli bahut door hai. There should never be a final moment. There has to be a longing to learn. You should always be a student. I am greedy for growth. But I am also very happy with where Im right now, she says.

Read: Sonam Kapoor reveals why Neerja isnt a Bollywood product

The actor says that its her father, actor Anil Kapoor, who inspires her to keep improving herself. This is my dads upbringing. He says that I can do better. Everyone is saying that I have performed my best in my last film, but I feel that I can do much better than this. I will try very hard, she says.
Actor Purab Kohli, who was busy shooting for his upcoming film that also stars actor Farhan Akhtar, was supposed to start shooting for Nikhil Advanis TV project. However, Kohli has spoken to the makers of the show and taken a break to bring his fiancee Lucy and their three-month-daughter, back from London. And there are rumours that Purab is planning to tie the knot now.

I have been busy shooting various projects. And whatever little time I got from my schedule, I flew to London to meet my fiancee Lucy and my daughter Inaya. Even if that meant only for the weekend. Now that some of my projects are over, I have decided to bring my family back to India for good, before starting shoot for the next project. Also, Inaya can now take the long flight from London to India, says Purab.

Read: Purab Kohlis Jal in race for two Oscars

Talking about how they met, a source says, Purab met Lucy through his sister. Lucy and Purabs sister were pretty good friends. Then they started dating. When they realised that Lucy was pregnant they put marriage on hold till the time their baby arrived. Now that she is here and old enough to fly to India with them, they are planning to tie the knot. You never know, he may come back married too.

Purab became a father in December last year and he had expressed the desire to marry in 2016.

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As we know, most Indians in the United States hate Donald Trump, but they like the Donald Trumps of India. And, most Kashmiri students in Delhi hate Indias Donald Trumps, but they admire the Trumps of Kashmir, who want to create a sovereign Islamic republic, deny minorities their property rights and shroud all women.

And so it goes across many parts of world. People who are haters of one Trump are lovers of another Trump. This is not irrational. Nationalism is never blind love for real estate but, like activism and global sports, always an elite self-interest that co-opts and enlists underclass suckers to work for the privileged. The best way to achieve this end is through patriotism.

Is that what the chief deceit is in the demand of some Patriots that all of us must chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai?

Last week I kept muttering, Bharat Mata Ki Jai. I really did, I am not trying to be amusing. I told iPhones Siri the chant. I hope you dont think it is too odd, I even went into the bathroom to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai aloud with honest passion. I was trying to arrive at what is my problem with what is essentially a reasonable slogan. I even believe in it in substance.

The problem, I realised, was not that the thugs of Shiv Sena chant the same thing, or that political criminals and murderers chant it. Also, culturally there was no problem. Culturally, I am closer to venerable sari-clad mamas than Jewish women in robes. For a person who grew up speaking Tamil and alleged Malayalam, Hindi, of course, is a foreign language, but that was not the problem. Maybe the issue was that an atheist, whatever the label might mean, is not habituated to the humility of worship?

Read | Bharat Mata Ki Jai should be the only definition of nationalism: Kher

Finally I decided that the problem with chanting the slogan was that it was too easy. Like saying Hail Mary. Nationalism that is easy is worthless. It is like the religiosity of criminals and jerks.

There is a lot of facile nationalism that is going on. Patriots are claiming devotion for the nation by just mouthing some words or claiming that ancient India was so great it... you know the details. Actually you can fill in anything.

There is a more difficult and meaningful type of nationalism that is possible  like not evading taxes; laying down high aesthetics for new temples; inventing modern architectural designs that are not imitations of Western cultural sentiments; accepting that English is now an important Indian language; delivering higher education in Indian languages; finding the courage to abandon Indias obsolete family planning policy that chiefly involves performing risky surgeries on impoverished women; and promoting the idea that it is not a crime to produce more Indians, even if they are born of poor Indians. What can be more nationalistic than saying that there should be more Indians in the world, not less? There is a lot more to nationalism than chants.

Read | Where does the RSS figure in the nationalist scheme?

The Patriots should accept that over the past five years or so Indians across the classes have become nationalistic in ways that are more sophisticated than what the Sangh stands for.

In fact, the Patriots do not seem to realise they are fast losing monopoly over nationalism, at least a modern, powerful form of nationalism that does not look like nationalism at first glance. Even the posh, who are repulsed by the idea of nationalism, are taking to that emotion.

Read | Hyper-patriotism has no place in a modern democracy

In the heart of the phenomenon is the fact that for material, cultural and feudal reasons, Indias elite and the urban young have solidified the idea of home. It now appears to them that they are most secured of their social status here than in the West. It is true that the freest way to live is to reject the idea of home but in the practical world this high form of atheism is beyond the means of most people.

They need the idea of home because everybody else has a home. And, for the first time in the history of modern India, not counting a brief period after Independence, the elite and the young are directly invested in making home a better place. The Sangh was a beneficiary of this phenomenon in the last general elections but since then urban Indian nationalism has evolved into something more complex and broader than the Sanghs narrow provincial view.

Protests against a Caucasian documentary-maker who portrayed India in a poor light or against a multinationals genetically modified organisms, or against Facebooks effort to connect Indias billion are minor manifestations of this trend. A deeper expression of the phenomenon is in the Left-activist territory.

Among a broad section of the youth, for instance, there is today a greater concern for women, ecology, the poor and every type of human who is vulnerable to the actions of the strong. Not a long time ago, an Indian street protest would feature laughing men waving to television cameras. But now street demonstrations are serious, and they involve most sections of society. Also, every day common citizens are educating the poor, fighting with municipalities, taking on builders and politicians. One day, there might even be lane discipline, who knows.

Read | RSS leader says homosexuality a psychological problem

The seeming transformation of the most influential of all Patriots, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is a recognition of the changing ideas of nationalism. The RSS will soon abandon its traditional shorts. The Sanghs push against the decriminalisation of homosexuality, too, is an acceptance that nationalism and modernity need not be arch-enemies. But it is still caught in an archaic form of nationalism that deals in cows and Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

Manu Joseph is a journalist and the author of the novel, The Illicit Happiness of Other People

Twitter: @manujosephsan

The views expressed are personal

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A man reportedly killed three stray dogs and a puppy outside Green Park metro station in south Delhi, police announced on Sunday.

A PCR van received a call on March 15 about three dogs lying in a pool of blood near an exit of the metro station. The team also found the corpse of a puppy at the spot, they said.

The area CCTV footage showed a man suddenly attacking the dogs and killing them all in around 18 minutes.

The footage was uploaded on YouTube on Sunday.

An FIR has been registered at Hauz Khas police station against the accused under IPC sections 428 and 429 and provisions of Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act. The accused has not been identified yet, a senior official said.

Residents also informed about similar cases in the area. Police is analysing the CCTV grab and checking if the same accused is involved in all such cases, he said, adding a team has been formed to nab the accused.

Meanwhile, an NGO on Sunday announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh on social media for anyone who helps identify the suspect, police added.
The Supreme Court has ruled that it is okay for the photographs of governors, Union ministers, chief ministers and state ministers to appear in government advertisements. This modifies its 2015 order that allowed only pictures of the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India.

Read | Now CMs, governors, Union and state ministers can feature in govt ads

The issue relates to governments obligations to inform citizens and the establishments propensity to use that facility solely to enhance the visibility of political leaders. In fact, the courts order last year was a reaction to the misuse of taxpayer money over the years, which saw every conceivable anniversary or public ceremony used an excuse to issue advertisements with ministers and other worthies featured prominently.

The court has now heeded the pleas of some state governments which sought a review of the order. In a sense thats only fair. The Prime Minister is, after all, a party political figure and regulation that enhances his visibility exclusively can only be at the expense of regional leaders. The Courts earlier ruling also served to sever the link between proclaimed achievements of governments and leaders supposedly responsible for them. Denying such causal claims deprives the electorate the chance to make rounded judgments on executive decisions, which ultimately translate into firmer political preferences. The new order makes that possible.

Analysis | SC ruling on govt ads tramples on executives domain

There are other angles that leaders should be mindful of. The use of taxpayer money for popularising governmental narratives puts Opposition parties at a disadvantage, tempting them to use similar devices when in power and perpetuating the spin cycle. Regulatory standards can be devised but compliance will be challenging to ensure.

Parties may be better off reflecting on the content of advertisements to enhance credibility of ministers. Relentlessly positive narratives become a tough sell when reputations are constantly under pressure amid the media glare. Being visible in representative democracy is admittedly difficult. But politicians should know that the citizens aesthetic demands are a lot more evolved now.
The unpredictability in climate patterns is hitting Indias farm sector year after year. The damage so far has mercifully been less than that of last year, when about 20 million hectares of farmland were flattened by rains.

The loss this year has, however, not been negligible at least in Punjab and Haryana, where the wheat, pulses and mustard crops have been severely affected. This has been compounded by several other problems: Two consecutive droughts in 2014 and 2015 (the rainfall deficit was 14% last year and 12% in 2014), and virtually no winter rain, leading to water reservoirs becoming almost dry.

Though the Union Budgets focus this year has been the farm sector, to which the allocation was Rs 35,984 crore, apart from the Rs 38,500 crore to the MGNREGS, the government may have to come up with mid-term palliatives if the problems mount.

Read | Winds, rain likely in coming days, wheat farmers worried

Indias farm sector had a relatively good run from 1987, the year of severe drought, to 1999, when the monsoon was less than bountiful. From 2001, Indias villages went into a phase of crisis, particularly in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, with problems ranging from farmer indebtedness resulting out of the slightest crop failures, leading to suicides; weakening social welfare, resulting in malnourishment and migration of the rural people, etc.

The situation went from bad to worse, reaching a climax in 2006, when then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced a Rs 3,750 crore debt relief package for six districts of Vidarbha. In 2009-10, the worst drought in three decades shrunk farm growth to almost zero from 1.6% the year earlier.

On rough estimates 40% of Indias landmass is now drought-affected, with there being scarcity in drinking water, irrigation water, energy to run pumpsets, etc. The governments new crop insurance plan, which promises to compensate farmers when 33% of the crop (it was 50% earlier) is damaged and gives a 50% hike in compensation, may do some damage control, but crop loss estimates are done by a corrupt system run by lekhpals and patwaris.

Read | Stung by rains, Punjab looking to implement new crop cover schemes

Indias GDP, a sixth of which comes from agriculture, is projected to grow at 7.6% in 2015-16. And the more worrying fact is that agricultural GDP has been growing at 2-4% over the past 15 years, which include years of high growth. However, the good news is that the El Nino factor, which crippled the monsoon in the past two years, is wearing out, giving hopes for good rains this year.

However, the government must have its contingency plans ready for Indias villages, where close to 70% of the population lives and which generates a lot of demand for several industries.
The body of soldier Vijay Kumar  who was swept away by an avalanche at an altitude of about 17500 feet in Kargil sector last Thursday  was recovered from under 12 feet snow on Sunday, the army said.

The avalanche hit the army post and swept away two soldiers who were on surveillance duty. Rescue operations were launched immediately by the army and one soldier was rescued that day itself, and he is now stable and recovering well.

The search operation continued for three days despite adverse weather conditions and up to fifteen feet of snow in the area of avalanche.

Avalanche rescue dogs, deep penetration radars and metal detectors were also pressed into service in the rescue operation, a defence spokesperson said.

Sepoy Kumar was a native of Vallaramapuram village of Thirunelvelli district in Tamil Nadu and is survived by his parents and two younger sisters.

Army is in the process of evacuating his mortal remains from the area after which they will be moved to his native place where the cremation ceremony will take place with full military honours, the spokesperson added.

Lt Gen DS Hooda, army commander, Northern Command expressed his deep condolences to the family of Kumar.

Last month, 10 soldiers died after being buried in an avalanche in Siachen. Lance Naik Hanamanthapa, who was found buried alive under 25 feet of ice, passed away at the Army RR hospital in New Delhi, four days after his rescue.
Chemists have now sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention on the ban of 350 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs.

FDC medicines combine two or more drugs in a single pill. While the idea is to benefit the patient in terms of faster recovery, many experts feel some therapeutic groups, when clubbed together, might lead to drug resistance. In India, many pharma companies obtain licence from a state to make FDCs, and sell them without the consent of the Central government.

The Bangalore District Chemists & Druggists Association (BDCDA), which represents around 4,000 chemists of southern India, has written a letter to the Prime Minister.

In its communique dated March 16, the association has requested Prime Minister Modi and minister of health and family welfare, JP Nadda, to withdraw or keep in abeyance the gazette notification regarding prohibition of manufacture, sale and distribution of FDC drugs.

We express our fear on prohibition of 344 FDC drugs at a single stretch. This may damage the image of the system and the ministry, said the letter signed by VHarikrishnan, president of the BDCDA.

Last week, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggist (AIOCD), which includes the BDCDA and represents 750,000 medicine sellers across India, had written to the Drug Controller General of India, citing the possibility of closing their shops for at least 30 days due to the ban.

Chemist associations in different states are planning to move courts on the ban.

Urging the government to reconsider its decision, the BDCDA has asked ministers and direct authorities for sufficient data, which has resulted in subjective satisfaction to the conclusion that the said FDCs are likely to involve risks to human beings.

It has asked the government to share details on study/deliberations, which have been carried out to decide whether safer alternatives, or really safe, are efficacious.

Meanwhile, last week, chemists across the country also warned the government that the ban would lead to the shortage of almost 5,000 medicines, including generics, from the market.

Doctors have also expressed disappointment at the governments decision.

The decision of banning combination drugs is not at all welcoming. Combinations help in reducing the dosage in terms of taking multiple tablets at a time and also reduces the cost of treatment, said Raman Sharma, internal medicine, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute.

For instance, medicine dose of a diabetic patient otherwise includes about eight drugs in a day, but in a combination dose, he ends up consuming not more than three drugs.

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On March 14, a self-proclaimed advocate in Tamil Nadu, TS Arunkumar Villupuram, put up an unusual Facebook post.

Dont worry if you have committed an honour killing. Come to me and I will take up your case and see that you are saved. There is no crime called honour killing, the post read with the advocates email address included.

In fact the killing is a punishment for having violated honour. Parents have the right to punish the killing of honour.

Chennai-based activist Geetha Narayanan immediately shared the post and tagged Chennai police commissioner.

In two days the post was taken down and the account closed after a Chennai lawyer sent him a notice.

But Arunkumar was only one of hundreds of such accounts, many of whom congratulated the killers of Sankar, a young Dalit man who was killed allegedly by the family of his upper-caste wife, Kausalya, last week.

Since June 2013, Tamil Nadu has seen the murder of 80 young men and women who dared to marry or fall in love in violation of strict caste rules but not a single conviction.

Most victims are girls, often killed in public or forced into suicide by their own families for daring to love and marry a Dalit man.

The reason for the lack of convictions is that the families the perpetrators of violence -- hush it up in cooperation with the administration and police. If a Dalit man is murdered, his family usually follows up the case in court.

Is caste more important than your daughters life, I asked a father whose daughter had been killed, says Kathir, the Madurai-based founder of Evidence, an NGO documenting atrocities against Dalits.

Yes, he replied. Caste is more important than God. Because caste is what makes God.

Political parties silent

The AIADMK and DMK, both dominant caste parties, are silent on the issue.

Ramdoss, leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, a Vanniyar-based political party, walked out of a press conference when asked to respond to Sankars killing. PMK activists are known to have mobilised against Dalits in the wake of love affairs between Vanniyars and Dalits. Only Vaiko, the founder of MDMK, called for an end to such practices.

But how does casteism persist in a state known for the Dravidian movement? The values of the non-brahmin movement were implicitly anti-Dalit and explicitly anti-Brahmin, says C Lakshmanan, a Dalit scholar at the Madras Institute of Development Studies.

While the non-Brahmin middle-level castes grew stronger, they too acquired feudal, hierarchical values and continued to discriminate against Dalits.

Read | TN: Dalit victims father-in-law surrenders, denies role in attack

According to a policy note on the police department, the number of murders due to caste was 12 in 2012, 7 in 2013 and 18 in 2014. The number of murders over love affairs or sexual causes was 321 in 2012, 351 in 2013 and 320 in 2015.

The cases multiply in certain districts in west, south and central Tamil Nadu, where these castes dominate the administration, courts, police, political parties and the economy.

But in spite of overwhelming evidence, the state government remains in denial. In 2012, Tamil Nadu was one of a handful of states who didnt send details of honour killing cases to the Supreme Court.

Films glorifying regressive feudal traditions of certain castes, who dominate both the film industry and politics contribute to this mindset, says Narayanan.

In July 2015 Gokulraj, a Dalit man was murdered for talking to a woman from the dominant Gounder caste.

Yuvaraj, the founder of a Gounder youth group and accused in the killing, evaded arrest for six months and then engineered a surrender drama with hundreds of his supporters, embarrassing the police.

The dominant political and social status of the castes concerned  usually Vanniyars, Gounders and Thevars  is the main reason for the persistence and the official denial of these deaths, says Prabhakar, an activist.

Read | Murdered TN Dalits family gets threatening letter
The 24-year-old daughter of a retired deputy superintendent of police (DSP) from Border Security Force (BSF) was kidnapped by unidentified men here in Hisar on Saturday night.

Family members came to know about the matter when they received a call from their daughters mobile phone and an unidentified person asked her family members to give them Rs 20 lakh as ransom.

An FIR has been registered at the city police station. My daughter went to buy clothes from the market on her scooter. We then received a call from her mobile phone that she had been kidnapped and that if we want our daughter back we should come with Rs 20 lakh to Jind road, Shakuntala Devi said.

I informed my husband, who further informed the police. Investigation into the matter has begun, Shakuntala said in her FIR.

When contacted, superintendent of police (SP) Hisar, Ashwin Shenvi confirmed the matter and said, Five teams have been formed to solve the case. Two teams from CIA-staff, two special staff and one of SHO city teams are investigating the matter. Police will arrest the accused soon.
Uttarakhand governor KK Pauls directive that the Congress government prove its majority in the state assembly by March 28 has put embattled chief minister Harish Rawat in a catch-22 situation. For one, he doesnt know what to do with the nine rebel MLAs of his party.

Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has said that the anti-defection law is in place, and whoever found guilty of violating it will have to be acted against. However, if the Congress does not get its nine rebels disqualified under the law, they may vote against the Rawat government during the trial of strength. If it does, the party would risk being reduced to a minority in the 70-member assembly.

The Congress  which has 36 six members (including nine rebels) in the House  enjoys the support of one Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, three independent, and two BSP MLAs. The BJP has 28 MLAs. If the nine rebel MLAs led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna support the BJP, Rawat can be dislodged. The saffron party has claimed the support of a BSP MLA as well.

Disqualification under anti-defection law

According to paragraph 2(1)(a) of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, a member can be disqualified if he/she voluntarily gives up membership of a party, and under paragraph 2(1)(b), when he/she votes (or abstains from voting) contrary to the directive issued by the party.

In the 1994 Ravi Naik vs. Union of India case, the Supreme Court (SC) had said: Even in the absence of a formal resignation from membership, an inference can be drawn from the conduct of a member that he has voluntarily given up his membership of the political party to which he belongs.

Read: Governor asks Uttarakhand CM to prove majority in assembly by Mar 28

If the conduct of Congress rebels is observed in the context of the anti-defection law and the SC ruling in Ravi Naiks case, it can be concluded that they have voluntarily given up their membership of the party. So, will the Congress invoke the anti-defection law against its rebel MLAs  expelling Bahuguna and other rebel MLAs?

If Congress rebels are expelled

From the rebels point of view, their expulsion is unlikely to make things easier for them. They may still be required to follow the Congress whip and vote for the Rawat government during the floor test, thanks to an SC ruling.

In the 1996 Viswanathan case, the court had ruled that an expelled member was bound by the partys whip even after expulsion, and failure to adhere to it would result in his/her disqualification from the House. However, it had provided relief to former Samajwadi Party leaders Amar Singh and Jaya Prada on November 15, 2010, declaring that they could not be disqualified from Parliament under the anti-defection law even if they defied the whip of their former party.

Though the matter was referred to a larger bench, so the contradictions on the important constitutional issue could be resolved, it still remains pending before it.

What does a split mean under anti-defection law

The BJP, for its part, appears quite keen to form a government in the state with the support of the rebel MLAs. If the rebel Congress MLAs are disqualified, it would require the support of at least four more MLAs to reach the magic figure of 32 (it currently stands at 36). According to law, it requires at least two-third members of a legislature party to form a new political group, or merge with another political party without getting disqualified under the anti-defection law.

Read: Will resign if I lose majority in House, says Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat

Added to the Constitution as the tenth schedule by the 52nd amendment during Rajiv Gandhis tenure as the prime minister in 1985, the anti-defection law originally recognised a split if at least one-third members of the legislature party decided to form or join another political party.

However, this provision was done away with by the 91st amendment to the Constitution in 2003. The amendment, which came into force in January 2004, does not recognise a split in a legislature party. Instead, it recognises a merger that requires at least two-third members of a legislature party to join another political formation or form a new one without inviting the wrath of the anti-defection law.

Will the BJP succeed in engineering a split in the Uttarakhand Congress Legislature Party? Given the complicated political scenario in the state, it appears headed for the Presidents rule in the near future.
The air force will critically evaluate this week why it missed two targets during a much-touted combat exercise at Rajasthans Pokhran test facility on March 18, said a top IAF officer familiar with the drills.

A US-made Paveway laser-guided bomb (LGB) dropped by a Mirage 2000 warplane at night failed to hit a predetermined, stationary target at the Chandan firing range  the IAFs biggest air-to-ground range where fighter pilots train on delivering heavy weapons.

The French-origin fighters target was an enemy radar site, designated as 3N.

The detailed analysis of Iron Fist, an exercise held every three years to deter a conflict, will look into why the accuracy of the air-to-ground precision weapon was degraded, said another officer.

The Soviet-origin OSA AK-M surface-to-air missile system also failed to hit its mark. The missiles design is such that it does not need direct contact with the target to explode. A proximity fuse automatically blows it up when it gets to a certain distance from the target.

One of the two missiles could not engage its target. It appears the fuse did not function as the missile may not have been close to the target, the officer said.

Weapons not striking targets under controlled conditions are a cause of concern, but an IAF source said the possibility of 10% of weapons not functioning was built into the tactical planning process.

In Pics: Indian Air Force shows its Iron Fist in Pokhran

IAF spokesperson wing commander Rochelle DSilva told HT on Sunday the ammunition and weapons had performed as expected. She added that in a combat scenario, the air force would increase the number of assault platforms depending on the nature of the threat.

An Indian Air Force aircraft demonstrates mid-air refuelling capability. (PTI Photo)

The 181 aircraft, including 103 fighter planes, other weapons systems and air warriors involved in Iron Fist will de-induct by March 22 after which the IAF will analyse the hits and misses in detail.

It will involve feedback from pilots, footage from unmanned aerial vehicles, radar images and inputs from the South Western Air Command that conducted Iron Fist, said a senior officer at the air force headquarters in the Capital.

On the positive side, the IAF said the light combat aircraft scored hits with its LGB and R-73E air-to-air-missile in the first public display of the indigenous fighters capabilities during the exercise. Attacking in a dive mode, two Mirage 2000s destroyed another radar site  designated as target 5  with five 250-kg Spanish bombs.

A Sukhoi-30 fighter jet dropped four 450-kg high-speed low-drag bombs to render an enemy runway unfit for combat operations, while another destroyed a bridge with an Israeli Griffin LGB.

Upgraded MiG-29 and MiG-27 fighters, Jaguars, MiG-21s, Hawks and Mi-35 helicopter gunships struck their targets at the exercise during which 572 rockets, 81 bombs and nine missiles were fired, including the indigenous Astra beyond-visual-range missile and the Akash missile.

Read: Indian Air Force admits cant fight China, Pak at the same time
BJP said on Sunday it was in touch with several PDP legislators who were in favour of government formation in Jammu and Kashmir but added that it will never accept new conditions for alliance by Mehbooba Mufti.

Several PDP legislators who are in favour of the formation of the government in the state and who also dont want midterm polls in the state are in touch with the BJP leadership for the formation of the government, BJP legislator Ravinder Raina said.

The Nowshera MLA said the party would stick to the Agenda of Alliance that had been agreed upon with PDP a year ago, adding that any deviation would amount to disrespecting former late chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

There is no question of accepting the new conditions laid down by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the BJP for the formation of government in Jammu and Kashmir. I have come to know that she (Mehbooba) has put forth new conditions but BJP will never accept them. We will strictly follow the Agenda of Alliance that was agreed upon between the two parties a year ago, he said.

He said BJP has several options to form government in the state if the alliance with PDP breaks down but would disclose them when the time comes.

The need of the hour for both the alliance partners (PDP and BJP) was to form government based on mutual trust and respect the aspirations of the people of Jammu and the people of Kashmir regions, he said.

People of Jammu gave a thumping majority to BJP while people of Kashmir voted for PDP, hence it is time for both the parties to provide a democratically elected government to the people, as governors rule is no substitute to it, Raina said.

Asked whether the BJP would encourage defection within PDP, he said that his party would do no such thing.

More than half of the legislators who were elected to the assembly are first timers and none of them want midterm polls. If the PDP does not come ahead to form the government, we will explore other options, he said.

Raina said BJP will not surrender its ideology and would follow its nationalistic policies, including in Jammu and Kashmir.

Area wise and population wise Jammu is far bigger than Kashmir valley but we have less number of assembly seats, we will continue to fight for the delimitation of the assembly seats, we will continue to fight for the refugees from west Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), he said.
Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das on Sunday said he has directed the state administration to ensure that incidents like the Latehar lynchings, where two Muslim cattle traders were hanged from a tree, are not repeated.

The police have arrested some people in this regard. In Jharkhand, an act is also there that no one can take animals outside the state. The police are working to contain the situation. I have directed the administration to ensure that such incidents dont recur, Das told ANI.

The bodies of two cattle traders, one of whom is a teenager, were found hanging from a tree in Jhabbar village in Jharkhands Latehar district on Friday.

Read: Cow activist, 4 others held after 2 Muslim cowherds hanged to death

While police arrested five people in connection with the case on Saturday, three others are still absconding.

Sources said the hands of the two cattle traders were tied and their bodies bore injury marks, indicating they were hanged after being beaten to death.

Though police dismissed reports that the situation in the region was tense, they have banned large gatherings in the area for the time being. Balumath had witnessed clashes between Hindus and Muslims over cow slaughter three months ago.

(With ANI inputs)
A thriving liquor mafia in Madhya Pradesh is using boats owned by disgruntled tribals to smuggle alcohol worth Rs 1.5 million every day across the Narmada into the dry state of Gujarat.

Three big gangs are using more than 30 lifeboats in the tribal-dominated districts of Jhabua and Alirajpur to smuggle alcohol, using both arms and money power in collusion with police and excise department officials, local residents allege.

Earlier the boats were used to smuggle bullocks and calves to Maharashtra but since Maharashtra banned cow slaughter, the boats are now of no use for me. But some people involved in illegal smuggling are still using it. They have about half a dozen of boats, said a boat owner, requesting anonymity.

The boats that cost between Rs 4 and 8 lakh help smugglers avoid police attention as no license or identification is required to operate them. HT found some of the boats were made in the United States, Japan and other countries.

Till now, Alirajpur Police have raided the river-borne consignments only twice, in 2012 and 2015.

The illegal trade is helped by tribal discontent that peaked after the excise department auctioned liquor shops in Jhabua and Alirajpur for 125 crores and 118 crores respectively in 2015, whereas locals prefer toddy.

Over 85% of the district is comprised of Bhils and Bhilala tribes, and they avoid consuming alcohol because it is too expensive.

From what I understand, the excise department is promoting illegal smuggling in the area. Why are they auctioning shops at such high prices when they know the area is tribal dominated and no consumes it, said a senior police officer.

Madhya Pradesh tops the country in seizure of liquor with a total of 51, 646 cases registered in 2014, with the high number indicating a thriving smuggling trade into Gujarat.

But local officials say only 10% of the liquor that passes through the state gets seized.

A person involved in the smuggling said consignments reach Alirajpur districts Kakarana village, a hub of liquor trade, in the morning and are kept in the ravines for the day.

Six people guard the liquor with pistols and sharp-edged weapons. In the night, they transport the alcohol to Gujarat through Bhuchiya (in Nandurbar district) and by morning the boat returns, said a former smuggler.

Residents allege the state government has done little to clamp down on smuggling. Raids and seizure of vehicle used for smuggling are few and far between, they say.

A section of Alirajpur police know what is going on here but the smugglers bribe them. This is also a fact that police never know that the level of trade, said a person who used to be involved in smuggling.

Some boats are used to transport people to Barwani and parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat but the numbers are very few.

Deputy Commissioner (Excise) Vinod Raghuvanshi told HT the department knew of some gangs working in the area. We have seized boats and liquor in huge quantity from Narmada in last one year. Whenever we get information about the smuggling we act on it, he added.

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A young legislator of the Bombay assembly led about 4,000 Dalits to assert the right of social outcasts to water in public places 89 years ago.

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkars march to Chavadar water tank in the municipality of Mahad in Maharashtras Raigad district has since been talked of only in limited circles in the country. Never in terms of a major civil rights movement.

The Mahad satyagraha (non-violent movement) is comparable to Mahatma Gandhis Dandi march and Martin Luther Kings Selma march, said Anna Bhau, a Dalit campaigner. It represents the collective articulation of our rights and our decision to assert them  But in India, the word satyagraha means Gandhi.

But every Dalit in Mahad remembers Ambedkars contribution and his memory stays in images, books, flags, banners, and even brochures of life insurance policies that carry a small picture of the marginalised peoples icon who wrote the Constitution.

Every year on March 19 and 20, Dalits from across Maharashtra make a beeline for this dusty town and congregate at Chavadar tank.

Ambedkar converted to Buddhism on the Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur on October 14, 1956. So Buddhist monks lead the prayers; Samata Sainik Dal members, in blue caps and cream trousers, parade around town; cultural activists alternate between speeches and singing songs in praise of Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb. Seminar halls ring with rousing speeches on Dalit empowerment.

But the epicentre of the movement cries for attention. Chavadar is so dirty and polluted that Ambedkar disciples like Veena cannot drink its hazardous water, but we do dip our feet.

Shiv Sena legislator Bharat Shah Gogole promised to clean the tank by next year.

Subodh More, whose grandfather RB More suggested the Mahad movement to Ambedkar, said some of the landmarks associated with the icon were in a sorry state of neglect.

The library of the Dr Babasaheb National Memorial is ill-equipped. The Dak Bungalow in which he stayed in nearby Dasagaon on the way to Mahad is in ruins, he said.

These aberrations were forgotten in the euphoria celebrating Ambedkar in a town that upholds his biggest fight  caste discrimination. Caste feuds are uncommon here. Caste crimes usually happen in Bihar and UP, Shiv Senas Gogole said.

Dalits, called untouchables, were banned from using water bodies and roads used by upper-caste Hindus. Ambedkars Mahad satyagraha was a fight against this age-old, discriminatory custom.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi reset the political discourse on Sunday, asking BJP workers to focus solely on development and not get distracted by the Oppositions attempts to deflect attention with irrelevant issues.

Modi flagged his agenda at the end of the two-day national executive in the Capital, in which senior party and ministerial colleague M Venkaiah Naidu eulogised him as gods gift for India and the messiah of the poor.

Party functionaries agreed with Naidu but the Prime Ministers message clearly underlined his immediate challenge -- crucial assembly polls in four non-BJP-ruled states this April-May after crushing defeats in Bihar and Delhi.

The Prime Minister told party workers that his governments sole focus is vikas, vikas and vikas (development), Union home minister Rajnath Singh said.

Modi wants BJP workers to fan out and spread the message of a corruption-free government and development to the masses. Instead of getting involved in controversies and non-issues, he asked them to become soldiers of nation-building, Singh said.

Naidu listed Modis presence on the Time magazine list of 30 most influential people, his 18 million Twitter followers and his soon-to-be unveiled wax statue at Madame Tussauds as global recognition of his achievements.

But Modi focused on broadcasting information about his governments accomplishments since he rode to power in 2014 on the promise to turn around the economy and bring overall development. But 22 months on, he is saddled with allegations of perpetrating religious intolerance and hegemony, and of being anti-Dalit and anti-farmer.

Read | Spell out steps taken to tackle riots: Sufi outfit asks Modi govt

A good show in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the April-May election is crucial for the party to recover from its Bihar blushes and the inability to iron out differences with alliance partner PDP in Jammu and Kashmir.

There is a perception that the governments pro-poor and farmer-friendly policies and initiatives such as the Jan Dhan Yojana, rural electrification schemes and cleanliness programmes are not being adequately communicated to the masses, with controversies overshadowing the political discourse.

The Prime Minister attempted to change the narrative as he urged party workers to stay on the development agenda course.

He cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi, who used to take up ground issues and link them to Indias fight for Independence, Singh said.

Our leadership, policy and ideology are different from others because we have decisive leadership, Singh said.

Modis focus on development counterbalanced the BJPs political resolution at its national executive that reaffirmed the partys commitment to nationalism, national unity and integrity.

The BJP said nationalism guides its belief and those refusing to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai are disrespecting the Constitution. The party is caught in a nationalism debate after JNU student leaders were charged with sedition for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans and AIMIM parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi commented on March 13 that he wont chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai even if a knife is put to his throat.

Read | Over 450 years ago, Nostradamus predicted Modis rule: Rijiju
Saying that there is a sense of fear among Muslims due to riots, an outfit representing Sufis on Sunday urged the government to alleviate the concerns.

It also asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to spell out the steps taken to tackle small or big communal incidents and riots that have taken place so far across the country.

All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) president Syed Mohammad Ashraf asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rectify historical blunders and pay heed to the communitys demands, including measures to tackle the trend of replacing Sufism by extremist ideologies.

Speaking at a mass congregation marking the conclusion of the first World Sufi Forum in New Delhi, Ashraf said there has been a lack of representation for majority of the Muslim populace on key positions and urged the government to look into it.

At the gathering at Ram Lila Maidan, AIUMB also released a 25-point declaration, in which it urged governments across the world -- including the Modi dispensation -- to revive Sufism in their bid to combat terrorism.

Read | Allahs 99 names, terror: What PM Modi said at World Sufi Forum

There is a sense of fear among Muslims due to riots. Government should alleviate this fear and Home Ministry should spell out what steps have been taken with regard to all the small or big communal incidents and riots that have taken place so far in different parts of the country, the declaration reads.

The outfit denounced every course of sectarianism and described it as threat to Indias solidarity.

We request all governments of the world, especially the Government of India, to extend full cooperation for the revival of Sufism, it added.

Ashraf expressed concern that there have been concerted efforts to weaken Sufism in India and to replace it with extremist and radical ideologies and sought the governments intervention in arresting the trend.

In the past few decades, there have been concerted efforts to weaken Sufism in India and replace it with extremist and radical ideology... The phenomenon is dangerous, not just for the Muslim community but also for the country. We request the Prime Minister to rectify these historical blunders, he said.

Asked about the alleged atmosphere of intolerance, Ashraf said, We cannot determine the picture based on a few incidents. We should treat these as causes for alarm. We should try and ensure that our Ganga-Yamuna culture is not affected since there are signs that it is being weakened. Then we should try and strengthen it.

The four-day World Sufi Forum, inaugurated by the Prime Minister and being attended by delegates from 22 countries, concluded on Sunday with the declaration of the 25-point agenda by AIUMB.

Read | Sufi meet to Time interview: Six times Modi spoke on freedom of faith
Uttarakhand speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal on Sunday issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs, asking why they should not be disqualified from the membership of the House for violating the party whip and aligning with the opposition BJP.

The notice  pasted by the Dehradun administration outside the apartments allotted to them at the transit hostel here  seeks a point-wise clarification from the MLAs on the reason behind their joining BJP members in raising slogans inside House against the party leadership, besides a detailed explanation for their meeting the governor to lodge a complaint against the government. The rebel MLAs  Vijay Bahuguna, Subodh Uniyal, Pradeep Batra, Shailarani Rawat, Harak Singh Rawat, Kunwar Pranav, Shailendra Mohan Singhal, Amrita Rawat and Umseh Sharma  have been asked to respond in seven days.

The Uttarakhand government was hit by a fresh crisis on Friday, when nine rebel Congress MLAs stood with BJP members during the voice vote to object to the passage of the finance bill. Uttarakhand governor KK Paul has asked chief minister Harish Rawat to prove his governments majority by March 28, even as the BJP sought its dismissal.

The speakers notice was served after Indra Hridyesh, the chief whip of the Congress, filed a complaint against them. Reports have also emerged that Kunjwal may disqualify the rebels on March 28, when the government faces a floor test.

Rebel legislators, however, said the document cannot be considered legal when they had already submitted a notice against Kunjwal and deputy speaker AP Maikhuri to the Vidhan Sabha secretariat. We submitted a notice (against the speaker and deputy speaker) on March 18. When the Speaker himself is under question, then what right does he have to serve us notice? Congress rebel Umesh Sharma Kau, who is camping in Delhi, asked HT over the phone.

Read: Disqualify or not: Rebels put Uttarakhand Cong in catch-22 situation

The Congress MLA, who enjoys close ties with former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, said he and his colleagues were not against the party itself. However, Sharma refused to say whether he was open to reconsidering his stand, instead asserting that the number of rebels would increase in the days to come.

I am confident that six more MLAs will join us, and our number will reach 15. We are now a separate group within the Congress, the first-time MLA from Raipur constituency said.

Chief minister Harish Rawat has claimed that five of the rebel MLAs were in touch with him, and could return to his fold soon. But the rebels, who went to Delhi to meet the BJP brass, are keeping their cards close to their chest.

Sources say the chances of the Congress rebels joining the BJP are remote, and it was more likely that they would form a separate group. Deputy speaker AP Maikhuri, on the other hand, admitted that the political developments had given rise to a significant legal question. We are seeking expert opinions. The expert will see who served the notice first (the rebels or the speaker), he told HT.

Rawat, however, didnt seem too stressed by the sudden uncertainty in the states political atmosphere. In what could be an attempt to send a message that everything is under control, he was seen going about his normal schedule for the month  including playing Holi with party workers  without dwelling a lot on the problems at hand.

Nevertheless, sources say that he may soon rush to Delhi to hold talks with the central leadership. The central leaders are in touch with the CM. Rawatji is in Doon now, and going about his scheduled meetings, Rawats spokesperson Surender Kumar told HT.

In the house of 70 legislators, Congress needs the support of 36 members to prove its majority. It currently has exactly that number, while the BJP has 28, Bahujan Samaj Party has two and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal has one. Three other members are independents.

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Manmohan Vaidya, All India Prachar Pramukh of the RSS, in conversation with Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Does the Sangh Parivar see itself as the custodian/torchbearers of the Hindu society and religion and why?

No. We never thought of the RSS as a custodian of religion or anything. We only create awareness about our ancient cultural values among people. It is a false allegation against the RSS, by those very people who pose themselves as a custodian or saviour of the entire society. They see the RSS through the prism of religion.

What according to Sangh is its role in the present Indian society?

The RSS basically is engaged in the work of character building and organising the entire society of the country. Society needs people with integrity, character, discipline, work culture, awareness and pride about our ancient spirituality - based view of life. It needs people with a feeling of love and a bond for all irrespective of caste, language, way of worship et al. Only then can the country march ahead, progress and prosper. Creating such people is the role of Sangh and we are seeing more and more people coming forward to do some social work, just out of this bond of love.

How far do you think does the RSS social and religious views matter to the common Indian.

The RSS does not work in religious arena. But the cultural, social views and conduct of swayamsevaks in society has resulted in growing credibility and confidence about the RSS. This is the source of widespread and consistent growth of the organisation. All sections of the society welcome, accept, support and trust the RSS across Bharat.

Hinduism allows pursuing different disciplines and beliefs within it. The importance given by the RSS to the worship of Lord Rama or devotion to cows is seen as an attempt to narrow down an essential diverse faith.

In RSS we have swayamsevaks who follow different religious disciplines and beliefs (including Christianity and Islam). Some may worship Lord Rama as a deity but for many Lord Rama is an embodiment of our cultural values and is adored by all irrespective of ones gender, caste, religion, language or province. The cow has been the backbone of our prominently agrarian society because of the medicinal importance of its milk, urine and dung. It is becoming more relevant seeing the menace created by excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, resulting in the growing importance of organic farming.

Even other countries are studying and accepting the importance of Bharatiya breed of cows. It has nothing to do with faith. In Rajasthan there is a Muslim working for cow protection and having a Gaushala.

Read | #ChaddiNahiSochBadlo: Twitter reacts as RSS swaps shorts for trousers

Often the RSS and its affiliates like the VHP underscore that Hinduism is under attack from other religions. This, when the RSS says Hinduism is a way of life...

The RSS has never blamed others and thinks that we ourselves are responsible for the present condition of Hindu society. Hence we are working amongst Hindus for social transformation. But Hindus are attacked and discriminated by people from a particular religion who think that Hindus do not subscribe to the faith they believe in. What happened to Pandits in Kashmir, Reangs and Chakmas in Mizoram? Their only fault was that they were Hindus and refused to convert. What has happened recently in Malda, West Bengal? Somebody from UP said something (allegedly blasphemous) some months ago. The person is arrested and in police custody. Why were the Hindus in Malda attacked, their shops burnt and property looted? It happened only because Hindus are in minority and the administration is biased.

The RSS was supposed to pass a resolution on population imbalance. You had sought a wider debate on the Upamanyu Hazarika Commissions report that illegal migration from Bangladesh is threatening to reduce the indigenous population of Assam.

Sarsanghachalak Mohan ji Bhagwat in his Vijayadashami speech has already addressed this issue stressing the need to have a national population policy that looks at the total resources available and young hands needed for our country after 50 years. We have discussed this issue in our last national council meeting at Ranchi in October 2015.

BJP President Amit Shah recently said there is no question of compromising the core ideology of Sangh Parivar in any action of the central government or the BJP. How much weight does the RSS pull in shaping BJPs policies?

I cannot speak on behalf of Amit Shah or BJP but I think BJP as a party has its own ideology which is reflected in its manifesto that BJP made public before the 2014 Parliamentary elections.

Bhaiyyaji Joshi said at the Pratinidhi Sabha that the prosperous should not demand reservation and it has to be seen if benefits of caste-based quotas have reached the intended beneficiaries. This was followed by the RSS saying it backs quotas for SC/ST/OBCs in its current form. Is there pressure from the BJP to not articulate the Sanghs stand on reservation?

Unfortunately, social discrimination has been practiced in Hindu society for centuries and it is based on birth in a particular caste. Such sections were deprived of the facilities and self-honour others were enjoying. Reservations were provided for such class to bring them at par with others. As long as there is social discrimination in our society, reservations should continue. We all should work together to end caste-based social discriminatory practices and create a Samarasa Samaj. If the benefit of reservation has not reached the most deserving section of the society even after more than 65 years of independence, we need to look into it and come with some corrective measures to realize the vision of the Constitution makers at the earliest.

Read | The RSSs stand on job quotas, surprisingly, makes a lot of sense

The RSS has passed resolutions for accessible, affordable and quality healthcare and education, you have flagged budget cuts for these welfare sectors; which are the other areas where you think the government needs to focus more?

It is essential that quality education and healthcare facilities be accessible and affordable to all. Not only the government but social institutions, educational trusts and social leaders also should take initiative for this. That was the focus of the resolutions passed at the Pratinidhi Sabha  2016 in Nagaur (Rajasthan).

The RSS has been complaining that there has been a surge in the attacks against RSS members. Your comment.

It is really a matter of serious concern that RSS members are attacked and killed mercilessly. In Kerala one Sujith was assaulted and killed in front of his old parents and family members by CPM goons. Recently a peaceful protest march of BJP supporters was attacked with stones and iron rods by CPM workers injuring 26 including ex BJP state president of Kerala V Muralidharan. What is shocking is no political party and so-called torch bearers of humanity, votaries of freedom of expression or democracy have come forward to condemn this murderous vendetta. No media has covered this dastardly incident on prime time or written editorials or held discussions on TV channels. But such violence will not deter the confidence, commitment and resolve of RSS workers to serve Bharat Mata.

There has been a demand, especially the youth to push for decriminalisation of homosexuality. Dattatreya ji also indicated at the India Today conclave that it is not a crime. Do we see the RSS agreeing to the opinion that homosexuality should be decriminalised?

Dattareyji himself has clarified in his tweets that homosexuality is not a crime, but socially immoral act in our society. He has not advocated punishment, but they have to be treated as a psychological case. Gay marriage is institutionalization of homosexuality. Hence it should be prohibited. Approach to homosexuality should be no criminalization, no glorification either.

Read | RSS leader says homosexuality a psychological problem

Has there been any decision yet on allowing marriage for full-time pracharaks?

Changing with time has been a characteristic of Hindu way of life. Accordingly, changes also occur in RSS functioning from time to time and this tradition will continue. There is a misconception about Pracharaks. There may be at least 3,00,000 active workers of the RSS holding some charge. Not all of them are Pracharaks. Most of the Sangh work is carried out by earning members with families or by students. In many districts, there is not even a single Pracharak and still growth is visible in these areas. There are a few who are not paid, but decide to devote all their time to doing the work of the RSS as their first priority. These are called Pracharaks. They are hardly one per cent of the total number. When a Pracharak wants to marry he may opt for it and continue to work as a RSS Karyakarta. He then ceases to be a Pracharak as his priority naturally will be family matters.

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More than two years after Army authorities asked Gurdial Kaur, 99, the widow of a World War II veteran, to go to Rangoon to get the records of her husbands service before she could be paid pension after his death, the woman has finally petitioned the Punjab and Haryana high court and the Army authorities have been issued notice for April 12.

Gurdial, the widow of Naik Harnam Singh of the Myanmar (earlier Burma) Army, is entitled to family pension on the death of her husband in 2012, but has not been paid a penny since, with her application lost in the maze of the armys maze of legalese and bureaucracy.

An instance of this is the army letter to her on October 8, 2013, that asked her to fetch her husbands service record from Rangoon (the erstwhile capital of Myanmar), even as that country shifted its capital to a new city, Naypyidaw, in 2006.

As things stand now, even the Adjutant General Branch of the Army is not clear on which record office has to process her case.

Even the President was approached

When pension was first delayed to her after the death of her husband, she wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee for help who marked her letter to the ministry of defence. The letter then reached the army headquarters. The record offices of Artillery, Punjab Regiment, Bihar Regiment, Parachute and Army Air Defence claimed that they did not have any record pertaining to Naik Harnam Singh.

Finally, the office of Artillery Records who asked her to approach Rangoon in Myanmar.

Gurdial then approached the high court in March this year claiming that her case was being kept in abeyance by the army even as there had been extensive correspondence between her and the army. In the petition, she claimed that the army officials had been totally devoid of any empathic approach towards her and had been merely engaged in internal discourse all the time.

She also claimed that her case was languishing from one table to another, from one record office to another, at the behest of the army authorities.

I have not got anything so far. I cant go from one office to another at this age, she said. The last pension her husband got was of around Rs 8,400.

After the British annexed Myanmar to the Indian province during their rule, a uniform system of administration throughout the colonial government was established. The system remained even after Myanmars separation from British India in 1937; whereby, many Indian nationals continued serving in Myanmar, as in the case of Harnam. He even served with the Myanmar Army during World War II.

As per the Myanmar government, in the event of death of the military personal concerned after retirement, the family pension was restricted to the period remaining up to 10 years from the date of retirement or up to the date on which the concerned personal would have attained the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

In 2009, the Indian government brought out a policy for paying pension to such employees. Harnam gained from the policy and continued to get pension till his death in 2012.

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A Sikh international conclave will be held at Patna from June 8 to 10 as part of the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh.

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who presided over a high-level meeting here to review the arrangements to commemorate the occasion, asked Punjabi University vice-chancellor Jaspal Singh to provide a list of eminent Sikh intellectuals and scholars for this.

The chief minister also gave the nod for organising a series of six seminars/symposia on the life and ideology of the guru in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Anandpur Sahib, Punjabi University Patiala and Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar, which would be attended by renowned Sikh scholars and academics. Besides, a poetry recitation competition would be held at Paonta Sahib.

Badal asked the presidents of the SGPC and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee to make arrangements for running special trains from Punjab and Delhi for taking devotees to Takht Sri Patna Sahib on this occasion.
Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday dismissed the income tax department complaint against his son Raninder Singh in a Ludhiana court as a classic case of political vendetta borne out of bruised egos and a haunting memory of a humiliating defeat.

Read more: Capt Amarinders son gets notice for lying about foreign bank accounts

Reacting to the complaint, Amarinder maintained that he had full faith in the judiciary and expressed confidence that his son will come out clean in the case after the due judicial process.

It is not for the first time that the issue had been raked up. They have been doing it for the last two years since my Amritsar win and every time they tried it, they failed miserably and will fail once again, he said.

Questioning the timing of the complaint, he said the way it was circulated to the media proves beyond any doubt the real intentions of the people at whose behest it was being done.

Otherwise, how come the copies of the complaint were circulated among the media almost at the same time while it was being lodged in the court, he asked. They knew that the complaint will not hold any ground in the judicial process and therefore decided to go for a concurrent media trial in an obvious bid to defame me when elections in Punjab are less than a year away and the SAD-BJP alliance is headed for a complete rout, he added.

I thought Arun Jaitley (union finance minister) had put his defeat behind him and decided to move on with the important portfolio he is holding despite his humiliating electoral defeat, but I was wrong as he has not been able to forget that defeat. It seems that every time he recalls the 2014 April of Amritsar his bruised ego haunts him and it concludes in an IT notice/case against my one or the other family member, Amarinder said.

The former chief minister said he was not the only one in the Congress who was being targeted by the BJP government at the Centre, particularly its finance minister. This list is long and it tends to get longer with passage of time, he said, while pointing out names of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice- president Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram and Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh.
Cracks have started appearing on the newly constructed railway overbridge under Southern Bypass, which has raised a question mark on the quality of material used by the public works department (PWD) to build the bridge.

The railway overbridge was closed on Saturday to carry out repair work and avoid any mishap. The overbridge will remain closed for next two days.

The Southern Bypass (along Sidhwan canal) connects Ferozepur Road with national highway-1 via Doraha, while the railway overbridge connects BRS Nagar and Jawaddi.

Southern Bypass project is one of the dream projects of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who had shared the aerial view photos of this overbridge and other bridges of southern bypass on his Facebook page to show the development in the project a week ago.

Sources said some commuters noticed cracks and a cavity on a portion of the railway overbridge near BRS Nagar on Friday evening and informed the PWD about it. This has put PWD officials in an embarrassing situation as it is one of the major projects of the state government.

When HT team visited the bridge, none of the officials present was willing to comment on the issue. A few workers were seen dismantling the damaged slab, while some officials were investigating to find out the reasons behind cracks. Later, higher PWD officials also visited to inspect the bridge.

Meanwhile, some people, who clicked photographs of the bridge last night, claimed that a cavity had appeared on the bridge along with cracks.

RTI activist Kuldeep Singh Khaira has demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter. He said department should find out, how cracks appeared on the overbridge. Sampling of material used in construction should be done from various places. Besides, proper inspection of bridges should be conducted to avoid any tragedy, he said.

PWD executive engineer APS Brar said, Cracks have appeared on a portion of the bridge. We are investigating the matter. Axle of a heavy vehicle broke down here a few days ago and the driver had installed a jack to lift the overloaded vehicle, which can be the reason behind cracks.

The damaged portion is being dismantled and repair work will be completed in three days after which the bridge will be opened for public. He also assured to instal caution boards at the earliest, he said.

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Sitting on the hunger strike from the past over a week, Hindi teachers alleged the state government of making a joke out of their protest by not meeting their demands, despite promises.

As many as 512 Hindi Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Teachers Union has been on protest since March 12 and has been demanding the regularisation of their jobs. The state president of the union, Shaminder Singh, said as per the rules they should have been regularised on April 1, 2015, however, the state government has failed to deliver on their promise.

Rakesh Gupta, a member of union, is on indefinite hunger strike from past one week and his health is deteriorating, said Shaminder, adding that if anything happened to him, then state government would be responsible for that.

Meanwhile, Gupta said, The government has been promising to regularise our services and increase the pay scale from the past many years, but all such promises have proved to be hoax.

He said they were recruited by the government through proper channels in 2012 and as per the rules, were supposed to be regularised on April 2015. However, we were still working on the contractual basis, he added.

He said teachers of the union were being paid Rs 10,300 honorarium per month, which was not enough to feed an average family of four members. He said after getting regularised, their salaries would jump to over Rs 30,000 per month.

Gupta said they had submitted over 40 memorandums to state education minister Daljit Singh Cheema and had only received false promises in return.

Meanwhile, the government doctors checked Rakeshs health condition and said his blood pressure and body weight was declining fast. He needs to be hospitalised soon, said the doctor.

Shaminder said the Sangrur district administration had arranged their meeting with Cheema on March 18 at Chandigarh. A group of union members waited at secretariat for the whole day, but no such meeting took place. This only shows that the state government has the expertise in cheating people, said Singh.

Meanwhile, on March 20, the union members from all over the state reached Sangrur and held a massive protest at Mahavir Chowk, Sangrur and blocked the national highways 64 and 71 for over three hours. Gupta said, As the governments tenure is nearing its end, it is trying to grab as much money to fill their own pockets. Whatever this government is doing, they will have to pay for it later.

During their protest, Shiromani Akali Dal Sangrur MLA Parkash Chand Garg requested the union leaders to lift off the protest and to clear the way for the public. The union members gave a memorandum to Garg and he assured them solution of their demands soon.
Last week I was invited to the prestigious Khalsa College in Amritsar to talk about this columns (Punjabi By Nature) journey as well as to discuss with students their aspirations, expectations and duties in the present political scenario of Punjab.

Before I opened the stage for interaction, I read out a letter that I had addressed to the youth via this column a few years ago.

Let me share some crucial points that emerged out of this interaction. They can also be taken as pointers by administrators in education as well as politicians, who I feel are underestimating the aspirations, power and zeal of the youth. And if they think that they have their hand on the pulse of the youth, they are either grossly mistaken or not doing the right thing.

The most significant aspect of the discussion was a collective desire of students to receive with world-class education. The visible fire in their bellies to match up to the best in the world did not come as a surprise to me but perhaps caught the staff unawares.

And trust me, this discovery is not specific to Khalsa College. I have felt this yearning in students all over Punjab.

Also, visible among students was the desire to work towards developing a scientific and academic temper as opposed to a religious or jingoistic one. Anger, frustration and disillusionment towards the politician and the system were evident on their faces. They rued that their future had been hijacked by a narrative that did not see them as more than just a vote.

Why has no political leader talked about promoting an atmosphere where Punjab can create a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs? Why is no one talking about making Punjab the home of inventions and innovations?

Unfortunately, growth, innovation and progress do not happen to countries and states that just keep harping on about history and religion. The two can form only a modest part of the narrative, but cant become the narrative itself. Has anyone celebrated Science Day on the same scale as any historical or religious event? How about dedicating a Gurus birthday to education? After all, its the most vital asset the youth can grow with.

Instead of wasting money on taking budhiyaan (term used by Punjab politicians to address village women) for tiraths (religious trips), shouldnt the Punjab government take students to centres of excellence?

Students also asked me what the course of action should be if they wanted to show displeasure or dissent on issues that concerned them. Has anyone written a letter to their local MLA, MP, administrator or their college authorities to flag issues that concern them, the nation or the state? I asked. (HT Photo)

The fact of the matter is that Punjab is on a treadmill where you feel like youre clicking miles but youre hardly moving forward.

Today, no discussion is complete without getting into issues of reservation, intolerance, sedition, patriotism and nationalism versus anti-nationalism.

Students also asked me what the course of action should be if they wanted to show displeasure or dissent on issues that concerned them.

Has anyone written a letter to their local MLA, MP, administrator or their college authorities to flag issues that concern them, the nation or the state? I asked.

None of us, they said. But the seed had been sown as students pledged to effectively use the art of letter-writing and proper use of social media to voice their concerns. They also promised that they would do it in a manner that was decent and dignified for it to achieve the desired goal.

Sir, the other day Mrs Harsimrat Badal came to our college and was accompanied by Bibi Jagir Kaur. Bibi Jagir Kaur is convicted, and we didnt like her presence. How can we show our dissent over this? asked a student.

The question left me with great hope, because not only did it reflect how closely the youth was observing politicians but how its conscience was still alive.

Did you write to Mrs Badal? Do write to her expressing your sentiments, I replied. She is a reasonable lady and Im sure she will ensure that this doesnt happen again.

We are ready to contribute our bit as citizens, said the students as the two-hour session drew to a close. With hope, I exited the campus that I can say is one of the most beautiful in the world.

(Email the writer at singhkhushwant@hotmail.com)
Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has said that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is the biggest enemy of the state for he is defaming its youth as drug addicts. By doing so, Rahul has proved that he is anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh, Sukhbir said in Amritsar on Sunday.

He said if the Congress leader really believed in what he was talking, Rahul should make the Youth Congress workers go through the dope test. The result of the test should be taken as the ground reality on drug menace, he said.

Read: Only 16,000 drug addicts in Punjab, AAP-ruled Delhi worse off: Sukhbir

Read: Sukhbir wrong: Punjab indeed has a drug problem, worse than India, world

Interacting with mediapersons at the information centre here after paying obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahib along with his wife Harsimrat Kaur, Sukhbir claimed that Punjab had touched newer heights of prosperity under the SAD-BJP regime. Leaders of the Congress and other opposition parties are spreading lies and maligning the image of Punjab. How can Punjabis, known for bravery and producing food to satiate the hunger of the entire country, be branded as drug addicts? Sukhbir said.

Attacking the Congress, the junior Badal said the truth was out with the notice to PPCC chief Captain Amarinder Singhs son Raninder Singh over familys accounts in foreign banks, besides other assets overseas.

Reiterating his stand on SYL canal issue, the deputy chief minister said there never was a need for this canal and Punjab would never share its water even if sacrifices were to be made.

Commenting on the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders making a beeline for deras, Badal said every party had its own game plan for elections. Chief minister Parkash Singh Badals and my plank is development for which we are working hard, he said.

Reviews development projects progress

After paying obeisance at the Darbar Sahib, Sukhbir reviewed the progress of some local development projectsTown Hall, beautification of area around Harmandar Sahib, Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), city entry gateand instructed the officials concerned to complete them within deadline. He said the holy city would get a different look once the projects were complete.

Deputy commissioner Varun Roojam, commissioner of police Jatinder Singh Aulakh, Akali leaders Gurpartap Singh Tikka, Navdeep Singh Goldy, Ajaibir Pal Singh Randhawa, Rajinder Singh Marwaha and others were also present.
Two prisoners brought to the district courts from Kapurthala jail for the hearing of cases against them managed to flee from the police custody on Saturday after lacing the cops share of beverage ordered during lunch at a roadside eatery with an intoxicant, rendering them unconscious.

However, reacting quickly, the Amritsar city police managed to re-arrest one of the two absconding accused identified as Manohar Kumar, while the other accused Gurbhej Singh, still remains at large. The police have booked all the six persons, including the two accused and the four cops on duty in this regard under relevant sections of the law in a case registered at Civil Lines police station.

The accused cops have been identified as Vijay Kumar, Mahinder Singh, Samuel Masih and Janak Raj. They have been admitted to the emergency ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital for treatment.

Giving details, inspector Sukhwinder Singh, SHO, Civil Lines police station, said the four cops had accompanied the two accused lodged in Kapurthala jail for hearing of cases against them in the district courts. Post hearing, all six decided to have lunch and went to a roadside eatery near the courts where they all ordered juice. Two cartons of juice were servedone, which was consumed by the two accused, while the other carton was shared by the four cops on duty, he said.

While the cops fell unconscious soon after consuming their share of juice, the accused fled, the SHO added. He maintained that Manohar Kumar was re-arrested soon from the vicinity of Vigilance Bureau police station. The four cops have been admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital for treatment. They have been booked under the relevant sections for negligence of duty, he maintained.

The SHO said efforts were being made to arrest the other absconding accused. He added that the arrested accused would be produced in the court. Further investigations are being held into the matter, he said.
Punjab revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Sunday hit out at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for his no politics on water comments, saying his u-turn on Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal will be political suicide for him.

During his Punjab visit, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener had categorically said that SYL canal should not be completed, but after returning to Delhi, Kejriwal changed track thereby hurting the feelings of Punjabis, he claimed.

The Delhi CMs comments on Friday had come a day after Haryana irrigation minister O P Dhankar, in a letter to Kejriwal, said his state wont be able to continue supply of water to Delhi as he stood against the interests of farmers and people of Haryana.

Kejriwal has always indulged in opportunistic politics, and such people will never do anything good for Punjab, Majithia alleged.

Only Punjabis can take care of the states rights and the people having specialisation in opportunistic politics and double standards can never understand the depth of various issues relating to Punjab, the minister said.

Distributing a grant of Rs 29 lakh for development works in Bhullar and Haans villages, Majithia said SAD will fight the 2017 assembly elections in Punjab on the issue of development and claimed they would register a historic hat-trick of victories.

We are fully confident that the people of Punjab once again will extend their wholehearted support to the party and pave way for a record third-time SAD-BJP government in the state, he said.

Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal have ensured overall development of rural and urban areas with special emphasis on building world class infrastructure, making the state power surplus and ensuring that benefits of welfare schemes reach the targeted populace, Majithia said.

On Rahul Gandhis claim of having patriotism in his blood, the minister said that he does not want to comment on the Congress vice-presidents personal feelings but the reality is that people have rejected the Gandhi family-led Congress and it has been limited to just 45 Lok Sabha seats.
A four-year- old boy in Ohio, United States, died after his stepmother allegedly put his legs in scalding hot water as a punishment.

Anna Ritchie, 25, put her stepson Austin Derreck Coopers legs in very hot water in a bathtub before sending him to bed at their home in Franklin, Ohio, police said.

Franklin police said Ritchie admitted to punishing the child, putting him in a tub of hot water which caused burns to his legs. The boy was put to bed early and found dead the next morning.

Police said they responded to a call from Boulder Drive in Franklin on Wednesday when the child was found unresponsive.

He was rushed to Atrium Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death was ruled a homicide.

Theres nothing a 4-year-old could do to deserve a punishment like this, said Franklin Police chief Russ Whitman was quoted as saying by WLWT-TV.

Our officers, our detectives and myself, we all have kids and some of us have grandkids now. Our hearts and prayers go out to the childs family. Nobody should have to go through something like this, he said.

Investigators said after the little boy was sent to bed, no one checked him overnight until he was discovered not breathing the next morning.

Police said the childs father was in the apartment at the time but investigators are still trying to figure out if he was involved.

Neighbours said they are horrified by the allegations.

Its heartbreaking. I cant believe that baby lost its life. Its just disturbing how somebody could actually hurt a 4-year-old like that, let alone any child and to just do it and be okay while theyre doing it and to know that baby is just screaming for help and there was nobody there to help him, a neighbour said.

Ritchie had been charged with endangering a childs life and is being held in Warren County jail on a $100,000 bond. With the homicide ruling, additional charges are likely, and her bond was raised to $350,000.
Baltej Singh Dhillon, who made history after being appointed the first turbaned Sikh officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), was honoured at an annual event held to eradicate racism on Saturday.

Organised by Spice Radio in partnership with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, it was second annual Raise Your Hands Against Racism campaign that was launched on the occasion of Martin Luther Kings birth anniversary last year.

Dhillons appointment in 1990 had stirred lot of controversy as it led to quite the racist backlash with rightwing groups openly opposing his recruitment. However, he won the fight despite many challenges and hostility.

Dhillon told HT that the RCMP will soon have turbans for commissioned Sikh officers like himself which means uniform rules are going to be amended to accommodate turbaned officials.

Dhillon is the first individual to be honoured as part of the anti-racism initiative that was started by Spice Radio CEO Shushma Datt, a seasoned broadcaster in the local South Asian community. She has announced that each year trailblazers like Dhillon will be recognised and honoured for standing up against discrimination in any form.

The campaign coincides with the festival of Holi and participants are encouraged to dip their hands in colour and leave their handprints on a sheet of white paper along with a statement against racism at different locations across Greater Vancouver.

People from different ethnicities thronged to all these locations in Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey and White Rock to participate in the campaign. The volunteers wore t-shirts carrying slogan #HandsAgainstRacism. The campaign location in Surrey, with a sizable Punjabi population, remained a crowd puller where Indo-Canadian MLA Harry Bains also showed up.

Both Vancouver and Surrey municipalities made proclamations recognising the campaign.

At the opening event held at Roundhouse Community Centre, prominent South Asian scholar Suresh Kurl spoke about the significance of Holi and its relevance in the fight against racism. Shiamak Davar dance team and a team of drummers led by popular radio host Gurp Sian performed on the occasion.
Last week, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a student at the American University in Washington DC that he had more Sikhs in his cabinet than his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, he was stating a fact but also being facetious.

He appointed four Sikhs in November, giving the high-profile national defence portfolio to combat veteran Harjit Sajjan. But that throwaway remark was evidence of the evolution of the Sikh community in Canadian politics.

Theres a certain amount of pride and it speaks to Canadas multicultural policy but I dont see it as a challenge to India, said Satwinder Kaur Bains, director of the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

While the cliche coming-of-age has often been applied to such moments in time, in this context its very very appropriate, Bains said.

Read | I have more Sikhs in cabinet than Modi: Canada PM Justin Trudeau

But it isnt just in the cabinet that Sikhs are becoming more influential. Recent changes to immigration policy, announced this month by the new Liberal Party government, simplified the process of family reunification and removed the waiting period for spouses to become permanent residents, both significant demands within the community.

As Bains pointed out, The Sikh community has remained invested in its culture. India is still the main source country for marriage. The fourth cohort of Indo-Canadians didnt want to see that eroded.

Canadas Sikh population is estimated to be between 500,000 and 700,000, and as a percentage of the countrys population may be higher than that in India. But its political significance has increased because it is concentrated largely in the Greater Toronto Area and the Vancouver Metro region, with their wealth of seats that decide electoral majorities.

Read | Meet Harbance Singh Dhaliwal,the first Indo-Canadian minister

The Liberal Partys victory in the 2015 parliamentary election can partly be attributed to winning over the community. In fact, its campaign graphic for how the middle-class would benefit from proposed tax cuts showed a family named Singh.

If you simply look at the numbers, its a significant change. Thats a sizeable portion of the cabinet, said Shinder Purewal, professor of political science at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, BC.

But Purewal, who ran as a Liberal candidate for parliament twice, was sceptical of the impact this will have long-term, even as he described Trudeaus statement as childish.

Individuals have become more powerful. But its the bureaucracy that makes the decisions. You dont see Sikhs here. Same thing, perhaps, in private boards. I want to see if this trend of political power leads to more power in the public and private sectors.

Herb Dhaliwal, the first Indo-Canadian and Sikh to be appointed a minister in the Western world, on the other hand, is thrilled: Im proud that others have come forward. There are more Sikhs with much bigger portfolios. That says a lot about our country.

Sikh symbols like the turban or kirpan are no longer alien to Canada. Unlike in the US, where Sikh stand-up comedian Jus Reign recently had to remove his headwear for security reasons, in Canada their higher profile has meant greater understanding.

There is no why, just because. Sikhs are part of the Canadian mosaic, Bains said, stressing the countrys policy of multiculturalism, even with its faults, had helped the process. That mainstreaming of Sikhs has helped them win nearly 20 seats in this House of Commons, with a handful in non-traditional areas.

Dhaliwal made history in 1997, and Bains believes each minister will say they stand on the shoulders of giants.

Sikhs have been engaged in Canadian politics since they first came to the country, but it took nearly 90 years for them to arrive in Ottawa, the capital and centre of political power in Canada.

Read | 5 turbaned Sikh MPs, 5 South Asian women enter Canadian Parliament

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Less than two decades ago, then Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien made history when he appointed a first-term MP to his cabinet. That was Harbance Singh Dhaliwal, better known as Herb, who became the minister for revenue and customs in 1997 and the first ever Sikh (and Indo-Canadian) to hold such a post in the Western world.

Now, as current Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quips he has more Sikhs in his Cabinet than his Indian counterpart, Dhaliwal recalls his reaction: I remember saying, Welcome to the New Canada. If somebody had told my grandfather I would one day become a minister, he would have told them, You drank too much Scotch!

In 1993, Dhaliwal was among the first batch of Indo-Canadians elected to the Canadian House of Commons. He remained a minister till 2004, when he retired from politics.

I had done my public duty, he said in an interview, Politics for a businessman is a losing proposition. Its about public service. I had got the opportunity and I did some good things.

Dhaliwal was born near Jalandhar and came to Canada aged five. Now 63, the father of two daughters and two sons, he runs a business in Vancouver. He remains engaged with India, as his non-profit provides sanitation in Punjab villages.

Im very happy that I was the first minister, he said. He worked with Justin Trudeaus father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau (and named his eldest son Justin as well). But the situation was far different in his time: We didnt have mentors. Our community was not as active. We helped to politicise the community.

The constituency he represented, Vancouver South-Burnaby, was later dissolved, and it largely gave way to a seat that has elected Ujjal Dosanjh, another former minister and the first from the community to become premier (equivalent to chief minister) of a province (British Columbia), and current minister of national defence Harjit Sajjan.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trumps second rally of the day in Arizona was studded with repeated interruptions from protesters, along with an incident in which a member of the crowd punched and kicked a protester and another that involved Trumps campaign manager.

Earlier protesters had blocked a main highway leading into the Phoenix suburb where Donald Trump staged a campaign rally Saturday just days ahead of the Arizona primary.

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.

Trump was in Arizona to campaign ahead of Tuesdays primary in which the winner will take all 58 delegates at stake. Polls show Trump leading his rivals in Arizona, a border state where Trumps hard-line on immigration has drawn support from Republican voters.

Trump was introduced at the rally by Joe Arpaio, the tough-talking sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of Arizonas population. Arpaio has supported harsh measures to deal with immigrants living illegally in the US He has forced inmates to wear pink underwear and live outside in tents during triple-digit Fahrenheit (temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius) heat.

Trumps 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 at the partys national convention in July. They are hoping for a contested convention in which delegates would be freed to turn from Trump if he fails to win a majority on the first ballot. Trump has won 678 delegates in contests held thus far, according to a count by The Associated Press. Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates, and Kasich is in third with 143.

His rivals hope to offset a likely Trump win in Arizona on Tuesday with a strong showing in the Utah caucuses, where Mormons account for two-thirds of the states 3 million residents. Limited polling shows Trump running second to Cruz, but ahead of Kasich, said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. The delegates will be distributed according to percentage of votes  unless a candidate gets more than 50 percent, which would give that person all 40 delegates.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and the Mormon faiths most visible member, said he intends to vote for Cruz in the caucuses, but stopped short of endorsing the Texas senator, an uncompromising conservative.

In Arizona, thousands of Trump supporters gathered for the outdoor rally in the Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills where Arpaio lives. Officers with the sheriffs department were posted throughout the park, on rooftops and on patrol.

Trump 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 of the US Constitution which guarantees the right to bear arms.

Trump supporter David Nelson, 62, had to walk about four miles (6.5 kilometers) to the rally because demonstrators had blocked the road.

You dont see me at Bernies 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.

Standing in front of the tall, steel fence that divides the US and Mexico, Sanders vowed to keep immigrant families together during a visit to Arizona.

Sanders was accompanied by Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada and US 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. A small group of people who identified themselves as deported US military veterans stood on the Mexican side of the border fence cheering for Sanders.

Sanders accused Trump of using harmful rhetoric.

I would hope that all of us are rightly appalled by the divisive, bigoted and xenophobic comments of people like Donald Trump, Sanders said.

Sanders vowed to expand two programs spearheaded by President Barack Obama which aim to protect immigrants in the US illegally from deportation.

The Vermont senator has focused his campaign almost exclusively on Arizona in the past week as he looks to rebound from his defeat last Tuesday in five state contests to Hillary Clinton, which gave the former secretary of state an almost insurmountable lead of more than 300 pledged delegates. He was also scheduled to hold another rally late Saturday in Phoenix.

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.

Some had feared that the event in Fountain Hills could devolve into violence reminiscent of last weeks Trump rally in Chicago, which was canceled over safety concerns. Confrontations involving protesters, Trump supporters and police have become standard at Trump rallies across the country.

Later Saturday in Tucson, Arizona, dozens of protesters made their way into another Trump rally and interrupted Trump as he spoke. In typical form, Trump had the protesters kicked out, but urged the crowd of about 1,000 people to be nice to them.

Several thousand miles away in New York, demonstrators also took to the streets to protest the Republican presidential hopeful, marching with a heavy police presence to Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper where Trump lives. Demonstrators chanted: Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay.
Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. 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.
It is expected, with the current progress in technology, that robots will pretty soon be doing more things that were once unique to humans. Food deliveries will soon be done by machines, and cars will soon need no human drivers to function. Soon, maybe even restaurants will be fully manned by robots.

For Carl's Jr. and Hardee's CEO Andy Puzder, the idea of having a restaurant with an all-machine staff is not a bad idea. In fact, after visiting Eatsa, one of the world's first fully-automated restaurants that employs just a handful of kitchen workers alongside a full-on machine staff, Puzder stated that he would like to explore the idea further.

"I want to try it. We could have a restaurant that's focused on all-natural products and is much like an Eatsa, where you order on a kiosk, you pay with a credit or debit card, your order pops up, and you never see a person," he said.

Part of the reason behind the Carl's Jr. CEO's interest in an all-robot restaurant is the continuing rise in the cost of labor. As a vocal voice against the initiatives to raise the minimum wage in America, Puzder firmly asserted that a rise in minimum wage would equate to a rise in automation.

"With government driving up the cost of labor, it's driving down the number of jobs. You're going to see automation not just in airports and grocery stores, but in restaurants. If you're making labor more expensive, and automation less expensive, this is not rocket science," he said.

Of course, the technology required to fully run a restaurant using machines is still under development. For Puzder, however, the technology would be well worth the wait. After all, considering the fact that robots are more efficient than humans by nature, the pros in utilizing machines in the workplace far outweigh the cons.

"They're always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there's never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case," he said.

Having a restaurant fully manned by robots might not be an attractive idea for many, especially since having a restaurant without any human staff would probably foster less human contact than what is healthy. According to the CEO, however, having little interaction in restaurants is no problem at all.

"Millennials like not seeing people. I've been inside restaurants where we've installed ordering kiosks and I've actually seen young people waiting in line to use the kiosk where there's a person standing behind the counter, waiting on nobody," Puzder said.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Microsoft has found itself under fire after its recently concluded 2016 Xbox Game Developers Conference was widely criticized for featuring scantily-clad female go-go dancers as entertainment in the otherwise professional networking event.

Considering that Microsoft has been trying very hard to address diversity and equality in the tech and gaming industry, the sheer presence of the female entertainers was enough to make a number of female GDC attendees quite uncomfortable.

Among those who responded negatively to the entertainers' presence was the editor of Tin Man Games, Kamina Vincent, who was one of the first who reported on the issue.

"The hired dancers were immediately noticeable from their outfits because they seemed dressed completely differently to everyone else for the event, wearing a cleavage-enhancing crop top and short miniskirt," she said.

Indeed, from a certain perspective, the fact that the dancers were wearing provocative clothing seemed like two steps backward from what Microsoft has been trying to do so far.

Responding to the incident, Microsoft has issued a full apology, with Xbox chief Phil Spencer fully denouncing the incident.

"It's unfortunate that such events could take place in a week where we worked so hard to engage the many different gaming communities in the exact opposite way. I am personally committed to ensuring that diversity and inclusion are central to our everyday business and our core values as a team, inside and outside the company," he said.

The Xbox chief further pledged that the matter is being taken very seriously and that those responsible would face appropriate action from the company.

"That was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated. This matter is being handled internally, but let me be very clear - how we represent ourselves as individuals, who we hire and partner with and how we engage with others is a direct reflection of our brand and what we stand for," he said.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if this is not the first time Microsoft events featured female entertainers, such as the controversial dancers in the 2016 GDC. Games Developer Brianna Wu stated that the trend has been going on for some time.

"This is a pattern with Microsoft at their professional events. I have seen them hire scantily clad women to perform at their parties at San Francisco, most recently during Gamesbeat," she said.

"I'm a very sex-positive feminist. The issue here isn't the women, who are simply making a living. The problem is it's very inappropriate for a professional networking event."

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
There is an area deep in the ocean known as the twilight zone, where daylight cannot reach. New research has revealed that life in this area constitutes a huge potential source of fishmeal and Omega 3 fatty acids.

Consequently, this untapped source of protein could be used to feed the world's population and offset food shortages linked to climate change and reduced crop productivity. However, researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) warn that it is critical to develop sustainable management strategies before exploiting the deep sea.

The most common fish living in the twilight zone - 200 to 1,000 meters underwater - are lanternfish, including the Bristlemouth Cyclothone, which is considered to be the most abundant vertebrate species on the planet. These fish are commonly called Myctophiids, of which there are 245 species, measuring between 10 and 15 cm long. Myctophiids, along with squid and crustaceans, migrate to the surface from great depths to feed at night. During the day, however, they can be detected using acoustic surveys 500 meters under the surface.

If estimates from the latest study hold true, the twilight zone far surpasses all current fisheries with 90 percent of the world's total fish biomass. This, the researchers say, is the equivalent of 1.3 billion tons of fish biomass per person on Earth, excluding squid and krill. The only problem is that the twilight zone exists in a kind of "no man's water," where there are no rules for fishing.

"Life in the twilight zone is a huge potential source of fishmeal and Omega 3 to feed the world's population. But we have also to deal with a kind of 'no man's water,'" explained lead author Michael St. John, an oceanographer from DTU.

With little knowledge of the biological processes in the twilight zone, the researchers say that it is impossible to accurately estimate how large a fishing stocks it can sustain. In fact, this zone is thought to be home to more than 1 million species not yet known to science.

"Of all the research I've done in my career, this is the most important, I'm sure. We need fundamental knowledge on fish biology and spawning success in order to define the limits of sustainable exploitation," St. John added. "The investigation would focus on the role they play as food for other species, such as tuna and sharks, and we would like to preserve that function. Life in the twilight zone plays a huge role as a buffer in relation to climate change, because they remove carbon from the atmosphere when the community feeds on carbon-carrying marine snow in the water and then swim back into the depths where the carbon is stored and thus can not contribute to global warming."

There are currently no economically viable ways to fish at such great depths. However, researchers expect that this will soon change, as the high essential fatty acid content of some species will make exploitation more economically viable. Therefore, further research is required if fish resources in the twilight zone are to be exploited in a sustainable manner.

"As coastal stocks are overexploited, alternative marine resources in the twilight zone will be of growing interest. There have already been several attempts to exploit the mesopelagic community and the fear is that it may lead to an unregulated 'gold rush,' as soon as the technology is available and the cost justified," St. John concluded. "Therefore, the world community is faced with a major challenge."

The study was published in the March 17 issue of the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The March 9 front-page Chronicle story, "What $800 million bought," told us of the visit to the banks of the Rio Grande by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. As Chronicle reporter Mike Ward related, Patrick was there to see firsthand the result of the legislative initiative to beef up border security - an effort he championed. "We're miles ahead of where we were," Patrick told Ward. "And we can expect to have to continue our efforts here, because if we stop, the cartels will come right back in." What if he's wrong about the show of force as a way to combat illicit drug trafficking? And what if the state of Texas, and for that matter, U.S. drug policy, has been wrong-headed all along about our approach to combatting drug cartels?

Journalist Tom Wainwright is addressing the question with his new book, "Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel." The question is implicit and nagging, and as the following excerpt shows, his observations spotlight fallacies in the conventional wisdom that undergirds U.S. drug policy.

One of the most startling successes in the history of the war on drugs took place recently in an office in Austin, Texas. Officials in the state's Department of Public Safety executed an operation that, at a stroke, seized more than $1.6 billion in drugs from organized crime. The operation was notable for its stealthiness. It was carried out without a single shot being fired, or a single person being hurt. In fact, no officers even had to get up from their desks, let alone draw their weapons.

The billion-dollar bust was made when officials decided that instead of calculating the value of the drugs they seized at the border using wholesale prices, they would instead calculate them using much higher retail prices. With a single tweak to a spreadsheet, the value of drugs intercepted in the state shot up from $161 million to $1.8 billion. Conveniently, the tenfold upward revision came just a week before the department was due to hand in a performance review. Whether it is Mexican generals fanning the value of a marijuana bonfire or Texas border agents nudging up the worth of their drug seizures, the people in charge of the war on drugs often seem to demonstrate a selective understanding of economics. It may not be all that surprising that police officers make unreliable economists. But what would happen if economists were given a chance to be police?

The idea isn't as strange as it sounds. In an office block set in parkland in south Wales, a group of statisticians is compiling data on some highly unusual subjects. The analysts, who work for the Office for National Statistics, Britain's official number-cruncher, devote most of their time to recording everyday things such as inflation and unemployment.

But since 2014, as well as measuring the size of the regular economy they have been ordered to measure the economic activity carried out by criminals. So far they have restricted their inquiries to the markets for drugs and sex, using the same accounting model that they apply to legitimate businesses.

There is something strange about reading through the statisticians' methodology. But the sober analysis of crime as business is being used ever more widely, as governments realize that there is something to be learned from looking at organized crime as a profit-making enterprise. Running through this book is evidence that official efforts to tackle the drugs industry have been hampered by four big mistakes.

Mistake One: The obsession with supply

Whereas the relentless focus of the war on drugs is on the supply side of the business - the traffickers - there is an overwhelming case instead for prioritizing the demand side, the consumers.

If the supply side is to be attacked, it should be at the end of the chain, in the rich world, where the product is valuable enough for its confiscation to do some economic damage to those who sell it. There is another reason that focusing on the supply side is misguided, even if it can be made to work. When the price of a product goes up, the amount consumed generally falls. But the size of the fall in consumption varies. Measuring elasticity in drug markets is tricky, because the data on both price and consumption are so hard to verify. But most of the evidence suggests that demand for drugs is inelastic.

The inelasticity of demand for illegal goods and services has two worrying implications for a policy that focuses on supply. First, it means that even big successes in forcing up the cost of drugs (or coyote crossings, for that matter) translate to only small victories in what counts, namely, the number of people buying the drugs (or crossing the border illegally). Second, large increases in price coupled with only small decreases in demand mean that with every enforcement "success," the value of the market increases.

Mistake Two: Saving money early on and paying for it later

(W)hen it comes to fighting crime, money is no object - as long as it is spent on enforcement, rather than prevention. Governments argue, to cheers from voters, that public security is priceless. Money spent on prevention, by contrast, is audited with great care. If funds are scarce, prisoners, drug addicts, and other potential offenders are often among the first to feel the pinch. It is understandable that society isn't in a hurry to lavish money on these characters. But it has turned out to be an expensive principle to uphold.

Making cuts to rehab and education programs in jails might save a few thousand dollars. But if it means even a handful of prisoners failing to learn to read, or to kick their drug addiction, and as a result reoffending rather than finding work on their release, the cost is immense.

Mistake Three: Acting nationally againsta global business

While drug traffickers have embraced globalization, running truly borderless businesses that span multiple countries and even continents, most attempts to thwart them have stuck to rigidly demarcated national boundaries. This approach has led to many examples of apparent success in one country that in fact comes at the expense of a failure of equal size somewhere else.

It is hardly surprising that national governments don't think much about problems that exist beyond their own borders. Colombia's crackdown on coca cultivation has been perfectly successful from Colombia's point of view, even if it hasn't done much damage to the international market. The trouble is that whereas cartels are multinational businesses, there exists no real multinational regulator to keep on top of them. The closest thing is the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. But it seems to be so committed to defending the strategy of suppressing supply that it isn't a very honest assessor of the policy's shortcomings.

Mistake Four: Confusing prohibition with control

Despite governments spending well in excess of $1 trillion enforcing prohibition, the net result since 1998 is that total consumption of marijuana and cocaine has increased by half, and consumption of opiates has almost trebled. This is not what success looks like.

Legalizing drugs is a cause that for many years was promoted mainly by people who enjoyed smoking pot, who pointed out that it was less dangerous than plenty of other substances that were already legal. This was perfectly true, but it failed to persuade the public; most people understandably took the view that the world had enough dangerous distractions already, without adding marijuana (and perhaps other, more harmful drugs) to the mix. In recent years, however, the argument has been inverted. The case now most often made for legalizing drugs is not that drugs are safe - it is that they are dangerous, and that bringing them within the law is a more effective way to control them than leaving them to the mafia.

---

A few months after coining the phrase "war on drugs," Richard Nixon was in the Oval Office discussing a government-designed antidrugs brochure with his chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman. Nixon was furious.

"They put in as a quote from the president on the front of the pamphlet, with a picture, and a good strong picture and the rest, that said that the problem of drugs is our number one and must be dealt with 'in a variety of ways,'" Nixon fumed. "When I saw 'variety of ways' I god damned near puked. And I thought, for pity's sake, we need 'all-out war,' or 'all fronts,' or, uh, 'despicable.'"

Haldeman agreed. "Handle it 'in a variety of ways' really says we don't know how to handle it," he told the president. "Which may be the truth. But it sure as hell isn't the thing to say."

This has been the approach of most governments ever since: unsure how to handle the world's growing addiction to drugs, they have resolutely stuck to the unsuccessful policies already in place. With every passing year, the result becomes plainer to see: the "all-out war" approach has failed to cut the number of consumers, while it has driven up the price of a few cheap agricultural commodities to create a hideously violent, $300-billion global industry.

The time has surely come to try out more "varieties of ways" of tackling the drugs industry. Until there is a radical change in strategy, business conditions for the mafia will remain promising. Half a century after Nixon's war was declared, sadly, there has never been a better time to run a drug cartel.

Wainwright is the Britain Editor of The Economist. He joined the Britain section in 2007 to cover a beat including crime and justice, migration and social affairs. In 2010, he became the newspaper's Mexico City bureau chief, responsible for coverage of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. "Narconomics" is available from PublicAffairs, a member of The Perseus Books Group. Copyright 2016.
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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-03-20 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/> CONTENTS [01] Energy Min Skourletis estimates program review can be completed in March [02] Governments do not fall from verbal errors, says gov't spokeswoman Gerovassili [01] Energy Min Skourletis estimates program review can be completed in March "The coalition with ANEL is based on honesty despite the great differences that exist. I do see any reasons right now to tell that the cycle of this cooperation has closed," Energy Minister Panos Skourletis said in an interview with Sunday's Avghi newspaper. Skourletis also called the incident with Alternate Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas "politically funny" and added: "There was no consideration that such a fact could undermine the coherence of the current ruling majority. If this was the case, it would be associated with much deeper and more serious problems." Regarding the refugee problem, he stressed that this does not concern only Greece. "At this critical juncture it will be proved if Europe eventually follows the path of solidarity and European values or make choices that will lead to the development of centrifugal trends and far-right voices and potentially its decomposition." The Greek minister estimated that the program review can be completed in March and reassured that the implementation of the government's parallel programme is an integral part of the entire government programme. [02] Governments do not fall from verbal errors, says gov't spokeswoman Gerovassili "Governments do not fall from verbal errors," government spokeswoman Olga Gerovassili on Sunday said in an interview with "RealNews" newspaper and added that the parliamentary cohesion remains solid. Asked whether Alternate Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas remains on the government, Gerovassili said that any estimates before the meetings between the prime minister and the two ministers are pointless. She stressed that Mouzalas is one of the most tireless, efficient and with broad social acceptance government members. She also accused main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis of misguided statements and inconsistency. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Believe it or not, it was just 10 years ago - on 21 March 2006 - that Jack Dorsey set-up and sent the very first tweet on the new social media platform Twitter. Whilst his message was pretty simple - 'just setting up my twttr' - Dorsey effectively created the phenomenon of micro-blogging through his 140 character count. Today, tweeting is common practice, spawning some 6,000 tweets per second, 500 million tweets per day and around 200 billion tweets per year.

Twitter's 140 character limit was based on the standard length of an 'old' text message using original mobile phones. In China, because Chinese characters are words in themselves, a tweet is actually 140 words long but the effect is the same: messaging which is succinct and immediate as people share their as-live experiences across a medium that remains free to use. It's now easier in many ways to keep in touch with someone via Twitter than other messaging platforms like email or text but in many ways, it is still very much in its infancy in terms of the evolution of communication in civilised society. Given its brief history, it's quite possible that in 10-15 years' time, the social networks we use today - Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram - may not look or be used like they are today.

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Interestingly, the 10th anniversary of Twitter coincides with the 10th anniversary of the academic discipline of Web Science, established by the University of Southampton and MIT to study the evolution of the web, how it impacts on our lives and how we impact on it. Through Web Science, my colleagues and I around the world are asking questions about how we currently use Twitter and how we may wish to use it in future. We're trying to gain an understanding of all the good things we use Twitter for as well as all of the bad because of the importance we now place on social media in our daily lives.

So over the last decade, what has Twitter given us and how has it really changed the world?

1.Twitter is now the "go to" source for breaking news. From acts of war to air crashes to celebrity gossip - Twitter gets there first. Official government response to such events increasingly takes the same route rather than rely on the more traditional press release.

2.Hashtags have fundamentally changed how we access and manage information, for example to harness support for a cause. Free tools such as Twitter are particularly important for charities or social enterprises operating on very limited budgets. Major successes include #icebucketchallenge and #nomakeupselfie which raised millions of pounds for charity as people took to Twitter and other social media to encourage donations by sharing photos or video of their own embarrassment. #Brexit is a current example that will be interesting to track over the next few months in the lead up to the EU referendum.

3.Real time public messaging ups the ante for customer service, in a very broad sense of the term. Twitter provides significant collective value to users of real time information about weather, traffic conditions or train delays. Brands can make or break on how well (or badly!) they respond to a crisis. "Always on" short messaging services such as Twitter offer the potential to transform traditional business processes and the timescales associated with them. For example, live video of a major product launch event can be broadcast through Periscope and queries addressed via Twitter while the event is still taking place.

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4.On a professional basis, Twitter has transformed the ways in which we connect, communicate and collaborate in terms of both teaching and research. It allows us to keep up to date with our subjects, follow events remotely that we often cannot attend in person, and engage with others to build global networks. It is also an increasingly important tool in recruitment, for both employers and potential employees to demonstrate their credentials.
Sometimes it's the people with whom we work most closely that end up knowing us the best. So it has proved with George Osborne and Iain Duncan Smith. IDS said this morning the Chancellor's policies are "damaging for the Government, damaging for the party and damaging for the public". He said David Cameron's administration is: "In danger of drifting in a direction that divides society rather than unites it". And he made the damning observation that the Government, and the country is: "Hamstrung by short-term savings", an acknowledgement that Labour was right to point out Tory spending cuts were simply too fast and too deep. The former Work and Pensions Secretary now opposes the welfare cap, one of the Government's flagship policies. It is a stunning development.

Duncan Smith's observation in his resignation letter to the Prime Minister was revealing. In it, he said: "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".

For once IDS has hit the nail on the head. George Osborne is a man who always puts his career before his country. The nation's economic interest is not his primary concern. If it was, he would not have claimed that a booming economy meant he had 27billion to fund pre-election giveaways in his Autumn statement last year, only to blame a faltering economy six months later for a financial black hole that will leave the country 56billion worse off over the next five years. His desire to succeed David Cameron as Prime Minister prompted him to cut taxes for the wealthiest, despite warnings from experts that he couldn't afford to do so, and plug the financial shortfall by taking money from the disabled. That decision, in the words of one of Iain Duncan Smith's closest allies, was 'morally indefensible'. A good number of backbench Tory MPs share the former welfare secretary's disgust over Osborne's 1billion raid on Personal Independence Payments, and it is now likely to be reversed.

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Yet again, one of Osborne's budgets is unraveling before his eyes. Osborne is remarkably error-prone for a man who has only ever been focused on his own political advancement. He has now delivered eight budgets in his six years as Chancellor. Virtually every one one of them has been a disaster. His March 2012 budget was famously labeled an 'omnishambles' after taxes on churches, charities, pasty makers and even caravan owners had to be reversed.

His first budget as Chancellor in a Conservative majority government last year had as its centrepiece an attack on tax credits that had to be hastily scrapped in the face of a Parliamentary rebellion led by his own MPs. But the 2016 Budget may prove to be Osborne's nadir because it has demonstrated beyond doubt that he places his own political interests ahead of the national interest. He was determined to please Tory MPs by cutting taxes, even when the country can't afford it, and despite the fact it means the UK is now less well-placed to weather a global recession should one arrive.

The Office of Budget Responsibility has said he only has a 50% chance of achieving his stated aim of creating a budget surplus by 2020, and warned of more austerity ahead. The Institute of Fiscal Studies called his budget "disingenuous" and attacked his "rhetorical nonsense". Jeremy Corbyn summarised the budget perfectly when he told the House of Commons it had "unfairness at its very core".

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We now know that's a description even Iain Duncan Smith agrees with. George Osborne's lifelong ambition of becoming Prime Minister is now disintegrating before his eyes because of a political miscalculation of epic proportions. How long before his Tory colleagues decide to put the country before their Chancellor's career and boot George Osborne out of the Government?
Fabian Gehweiler via Getty Images Playing with her smartphone at the window during sunset.

A crowdfunding campaign is calling on Australians to help keep a domestic violence helpline up-and-running after the funding which enabled staff to answer 700 percent more calls is now running dry.

The Queensland Womens Legal Service (WLS) helpline could only answer five percent of incoming calls before it received a $100,000 grant from the state attorney-general. With an increase in staffing and technology upgrades, the helpline has answered more calls in the first few months of 2016 than in the whole of 2015.

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The helpline, which helps domestic violence victims claim their legal rights once leaving a relationship, needs another $100,000 to keep helpline running until mid-2017.

WLS coordinator Rosslyn Monro told The Huffington Post Australia many women leaving violent relationships dont pursue -- or struggle to claim -- their rights because of the power imbalance theyve long endured.

I would see our service as being post crisis but being critical to maintaining long term safety, Monro said.

We know that many of the tragedies that occur with domestic violence are not while women are in the relationship, its post separation.

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Sometimes it can be months or years after separation that some women are killed because the more that theyre seen to be getting on with their life and moving on from him, the more dangerous it becomes.

We know that safe separation is a long term process when theres violence, so women will need to continue to work with their ex-partner around children, around property and making sure that they can do that safely.

The crowdfunding campaign comes as community legal services across the nation unite in a national campaign to fight federal funding cuts.

Community lawyers met with federal MPs in Canberra on Wednesday to argue their case against $11-12 million cuts nationally each year from 2017 to 2020.

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On the national stage, community legal centres are facing a 30 per cent cut as of 2017.. we just eat further and further into what are already stretched services, Munro told HuffPost Australia.
The Blog Sunday Roundup

This week, as several more states went to the polls, the nomination contests were further clarified even as the results seem to bring us closer to chaos. A victorious Donald Trump warned that if he were ahead in delegates and yet denied the nomination "you would have riots" at the convention in Cleveland. An RNC spokesman later claimed Trump was "speaking figuratively," but given the violence we've already seen at Trump rallies, that seems unlikely. In fact, on Thursday a report by The Economist listed the possible election of Trump as one of 10 "global risks" ranking equal to "the rising threat of jihadi terrorism" and higher than "Chinese expansionism." Thankfully, Friday was a much needed World Sleep Day, celebrating the power of sleep. It's a cause that's even been embraced by the global management consulting company McKinsey, which has added a sleep specialist to its ranks -- no, that's not an Onion headline -- and recently issued a report entitled "There's A Proven Link Between Effective Leadership And Getting Enough Sleep." It's a good thing, because in this environment, we need all the leadership we can muster.
Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin gestures speaking during his interview to French daily Le Figaro in Sochi on Russia's Black Sea coast, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008. Putin said in an interview published Saturday that he expects the next U.S. administration to improve the two countries' strained relations. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Pool)

Early in its existence, the Soviet Union turned Vladimir Lenin's dictum that "religion is the opium of the people" into official policy.

Atheism was what Lenin wanted for the Soviet empire, and it's what it got.

Assuring such an outcome were laws discouraging faith -- such as requirements that religions register with the state -- and denying Communist Party membership to anyone religious.

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Many people expected a flowering of faith when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991.

But it hasn't happened, largely because the countries that emerged from the ashes of the USSR have repressed most religions, the main exceptions being Russian Orthodox Christianity and certain brands of Islam.

The repressed have included denominations of Christianity that are widespread in other countries, such as Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians.

As with other regrettable trends in the former Soviet Union, Russia has set the tone for the repression of religion.

Countries as diverse as Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia have followed the Russian example.

Russia's enactment of a law governing religion in 1997 has made it difficult for faiths besides Russian Orthodox Christianity to survive, let alone thrive.

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Religions were required to register in Russia before 1997. The new law required them to reregister by 2001, and made it more difficult for them to do so. About 2,000 were unable to comply with the new regulations, and were disbanded.

The Russian Orthodox Church was required to reregister, too. But because the law gave it special status as Russia's traditional faith, and because most government officials viewed it as the country's only legitimate religion, it had no trouble reregistering.

Vladimir Putin's lock on Russia's leadership since 2000 has given the Russian Orthodox Church an even more commanding position in the country's religious picture.

Putin has publicly called the church, which he attends, a vital part of Russian life and tradition.

Not surprisingly, Russian Orthodox Church leaders have hailed him as a great leader.

Belarus is one of the former Soviet countries that has passed a religious law modeled after Russia's.

The legislation bans faiths that are not registered with the government, requires government approval of all religious materials, prevents non-citizens from leading religious organizations, and prohibits most religious meetings in private homes.

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As in Russia, the law assures that the Russian Orthodox Church holds a commanding position in the country's religious life.

Russia passed anti-terrorism legislation in 2002 and 2007 that critics say has been used to repress non-Orthodox faiths.

It was billed as legislation to help law enforcement go after religious and nationalist extremists, but it has been used to prosecute members of such peaceful faiths as the Jehovah's Witnesses and Hare Krishnas.

Kazakhstan passed sweeping anti-terrorist legislation after a series of radical-Islamist attacks unnerved the country in 2011.

Although ostensibly designed to help law enforcement go after extremists, the law has been used to shut down religions that Kazakhstan deems "non-traditional." Only five faiths fall into its "traditional" category: Russian Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.

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The law requires a faith to have 50 members to obtain official recognition at the local level, 500 members to obtain recognition at the regional level and 5,000 members to obtain recognition at the national level. If it fails to mount those numbers, it it considered to be operating illegally.

The Kazakhstan legislation had the repressive effect critics had predicted. In the year after it was passed, the number of denominations the government sanctioned fell from 46 to 17.

People of faith both inside and outside Kazakhstan couldn't help but note the irony that President Nursultan Nazarbayev had long trumpeted the country's ethnic and religious tolerance -- and part of the evidence he offered was that Kazakhstan recognized more than 40 faiths. Despite the post-2011 crackdown, Nazarbayev continues to paint Kazakhstan as a faith-tolerant society.

Armenia's main brand of Christianity enjoys the same privileged position that Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan's do.

At one time the government used to excuse Armenian Apostolic Church clergy and seminarians from the country's mandatory military service. But it jailed members of denominations who refused to serve because they were conscientious objectors -- in particular, Jehovah's Witnesses.

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Changes in the law have led to conscientious objectors being allowed to perform alternative public service under civilian -- rather than military -- leadership.

Meanwhile, Armenian schools require students to take a course on the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The course is mandatory; students cannot opt out on religious grounds.

Although the course is supposed to be about the role the church has played in Armenia's development, in practice it is often focuses on the church's precepts and beliefs, critics say.

In other words, it is a proselytizing and faith-affirmation tool, according to the detractors.

As the examples from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia show, the former Soviet Union has a long way to go in bestowing religious freedom on all its citizens.

In fact, the trend in the past 10 to 15 years has been to shrink rather than expand such freedom.

The only hope for those who embrace non-traditional faiths is that the repression will ease as time passes.

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What did people used to eat in the past? Why? And how did they eat? What meanings did they attribute to ingredients, dishes, culinary techniques, and table manners? Who was invited to the table and who was excluded? Where did the food come from and how did it get to them? These are some of the questions that food historians strive to find answers to. As I have argued before in this blog, it is not just curiosity that pushes us to explore bygone practices and habits revolving around producing, trading, eating and cooking food. We also explore these past practices to reveal interesting aspects of historical events and phenomena that we would otherwise not fully appreciate. In fact, at times it was the need for regular supplies of food that determined important decisions regarding economics, commerce, war, and peace.

This semester I am teaching a course on Food History and Globalization, where we look at how commodities and cash crops such as spices, sugar, coffee, or tea actually shaped the destiny of entire populations and whole nations. We could not comprehend many significant cultural-historical events, such as slavery, many aspects of the development of banking and insurance, as well as numerous technological breakthroughs in transportation without assessing the impact of food production via the development of plantations in the Western Hemisphere in the late fifteenth century. In class, students learn to approach historical sources, trying to make sense of concepts, languages, and cultures that may be quite foreign. As we discuss readings and other materials, we reflect on how we get to know what we know from the past. While written texts provide much information, we also examine objects, archaeological remains, landscapes, and images. What we end up with are often the perceptions and the world views of the people that wrote journals, built machines, and painted visual representations of their reality.

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It is not easy to reconstruct whole worlds out of fragments. It is a painstaking endeavor that requires curiosity, reflection, familiarity with the existing research, the careful evaluation of sources, comparisons with other available materials, and overall a whole lot of patience. "Foodways and Daily Life in Medieval Anatolia: A New Social History" by Nicolas Trepanier provides a great example of this kind of meticulous yet passionate work in food history. His topic, food in Turkey around the fourteenth century, may come across as arcane to many readers on this side of the Atlantic - whether researchers, writers, or food professionals. To be fair, I suspect that not many in the Old World are conversant with it either. However, this is a crucial period in which the Greek Byzantine influence was waning, while the Turkish tribes from Central Asia that had started penetrating the Mediterranean world in the previous centuries were settling down and establishing polities that, over time, would give origin to the Ottoman Empire, an important player in world history till its demise in 1922.

Like any culture in transition, medieval Turkey is extremely fascinating and Trepanier provides us a detailed account of the food-related aspects of daily life. He does it by explaining at each turn what sources were available (very little visual material, it turns out), how he used and interpreted them, and how he cross-examined them with other sources to assess their validity and the information they provided. Besides its methodological qualities, the book is also interesting because the Anatolian society of the time was dealing with many phenomena that we now consider as the result of modern phenomena of globalization: although they had various origins, spoke distinctive languages, worshipped different gods, and enjoyed unequal access to power, the populations of Anatolia found ways to share the same geographical spaces, both in urban and rural environments. Foodways were both intensely indigenous and exposed to the vagaries of migrations, wars, and trade. The elites - and to a certain extent, also the commoners - were influenced by very different cultures (the Arab, the Persian, and the Turkish ones), negotiating their own local responses and values.

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Perspective plays such an important role in our lives. Although the first optical microscopes were built in the early 17th century, it wasn't until the publication of Giambattista Odierna's ground-breaking work, "L'occhio della mosca (The Fly's Eye)" in 1664, that a detailed description of how living tissue was constructed appeared in print. Since then, microscopy has led to a continued exploration of microorganisms.



When Apollo 8 was launched on December 21, 1968, (more than 300 years after Odierna's findings were published), its crew became the first humans to witness Earthrise from outer space and see Earth as an entire planet. Looking back on the experience, Commander Frank Borman II stated:

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"I think the one overwhelming emotion that we had was when we saw the Earth rising in the distance over the lunar landscape -- it makes us realize that we all do exist on one small globe. For from 230,000 miles away, it really is a small planet. The view of the Earth from the Moon fascinated me -- a small disk, 240,000 miles away. It was hard to think that that little thing held so many problems, so many frustrations. Raging nationalistic interests, famines, wars, pestilence, don't show from that distance. When you're finally up at the moon looking back on Earth, all those differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend, and you're going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can't we learn to live together like decent people."

From such a distance it's impossible to focus in on situations involving rape, sexual taboos, political assassinations, and television soap operas. However, when such stories are adapted for the stage, seething passions, burning betrayals and personal crises (real or imagined) take on a much greater sense of urgency.

Two Bay area theatre companies recently invited their audiences to peer through a dramatic lens and witness combustible dramas with the objectivity of a scientist watching microorganisms on the surface of a glass slide. Because both plays were adaptations that include elements of magical realism, some things were able to be seen with crystal clarity; others were a big hot mess.

* * * * * * * * * *

First performed at the Deutsches Theatre in Berlin on January 12, 1895, Henrik Ibsen's drama entitled Little Eyolf is getting a new lease on life from the Aurora Theatre Company, which recently presented the world premiere of Mark Jackson's terse adaptation entitled Little Erik. While Ibsen's basic characters remain the same, the issues they confront in Little Erik demonstrate how a 120-year-old drama can become painfully relevant to a modern audience in the hands of a skilled playwright. As Jackson explains:

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"Nature demonstrates that quality takes time, that dirty air makes a sunset more beautiful, that every so often lightning needs to burn the forest down so new life can grow. There is something dispassionately passionate about nature -- its patience and its brutality. Human beings over-complicate things. Our complications are like the layers of dead leaves on the forest floor, choking new possibilities. Sometimes it takes a disaster to wake us up to what's under our noses. This clash between human expectations and the brutal patience of nature felt very alive in what Ibsen wrote."

Wilma Bonet (The Rat Wife), Joe Estlack (Freddie),

and Jack Wittmayer (Erk) in a scene from Little Erik

(Photo by: David Allen)

"Because Ibsen's original was so unbelievably melodramatic, I felt it would be more effective to take the bones of his plot and the blood of his themes and put them in a contemporary body. Everything in the play was pitched at such a hysterical level. I almost couldn't take it seriously. But as I read it, the situations and emotions felt, undeniably at times, shockingly current. I was really struck by how frank some of the characters were. The female lead was very upfront about her sexual needs. The class issues at work felt very familiar. Even the undercurrent of surrealism seemed somehow in touch with our contemporary culture and its daily explosion of strange images."

Marilee Talkington (Joie) and Joe Estlack (Freddie)

in a scene from Little Erik (Photo by: David Allen)

The drama is primarily focused on two couples whose lives are intertwined in ways they can barely comprehend.

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Joie (Marilee Talkington) is a tough and driven tech industry executive who enjoys the success she has earned along with the feeling of being needed by her top-level employees. While her impressive earnings have allowed her to pay for a dream house built in an idyllic woodland setting north of San Francisco and underwrite her husband's six-month solo trip through Europe (to be spent writing a book while trying to find himself), they haven't necessarily brought her happiness. Nor have they been able to fulfill her sexual needs.

(Marilee Talkington) is a tough and driven tech industry executive who enjoys the success she has earned along with the feeling of being needed by her top-level employees. While her impressive earnings have allowed her to pay for a dream house built in an idyllic woodland setting north of San Francisco and underwrite her husband's six-month solo trip through Europe (to be spent writing a book while trying to find himself), they haven't necessarily brought her happiness. Nor have they been able to fulfill her sexual needs. Freddie (Joe Estlack) is Joie's itinerant, artistic husband, a low-achieving dreamer whose tendencies toward procrastination, whimsy, and a short attention span have often been enabled by his wife and sister. Having returned from his travels abroad, Freddie has suddenly been gripped by an urge to become a super-father to his disabled son.

(Joe Estlack) is Joie's itinerant, artistic husband, a low-achieving dreamer whose tendencies toward procrastination, whimsy, and a short attention span have often been enabled by his wife and sister. Having returned from his travels abroad, Freddie has suddenly been gripped by an urge to become a super-father to his disabled son. Erik (Jack Wittmayer) was not Joie's main goal in life. Convinced that she did not want to have children, she nevertheless relented in order to make Freddie happy. Although Erik had a normal birth, one night while his parents were making love on the floor, he fell off the kitchen table and landed on his head, suffering irreversible nerve damage. At an age where he should be enjoying a normal childhood, Erik is a cripple who wishes he could be like other children. His mother loves her son, resents him, and feels guilty about being the cause of his disability. His somewhat estranged father sees Erik as the shiny object which could become his newest fixation.

Mariah Castle (Andi) and Marilee Talkington (Joie) in

a scene from Little Erik (Photo by: David Allen)

Andi (Mariah Castle) is Freddie's sister who, having babysat for Erik while Freddie was in Europe and Joie was at work, is much closer to the boy than either of his parents. When their mother died just before Freddie was about to embark on his European jaunt, Andi urged him to pursue his dreams while she stayed home to sort out their mother's belongings. In the process, she discovered a letter from her mother that opened up a Pandora's box of possibilities. When she shows up unexpectedly at Joie and Freddie's home in the woods, tensions are obviously building between her brother and his wife.

(Mariah Castle) is Freddie's sister who, having babysat for Erik while Freddie was in Europe and Joie was at work, is much closer to the boy than either of his parents. When their mother died just before Freddie was about to embark on his European jaunt, Andi urged him to pursue his dreams while she stayed home to sort out their mother's belongings. In the process, she discovered a letter from her mother that opened up a Pandora's box of possibilities. When she shows up unexpectedly at Joie and Freddie's home in the woods, tensions are obviously building between her brother and his wife. Bernie (Greg Ayers) is the nerdy architect who has been dating Andi in the hope that she will marry him. Having received a commission which would require him to split his time between offices in San Francisco and Japan, Bernie hopes he can convince Andi to join him on his great adventure.

(Greg Ayers) is the nerdy architect who has been dating Andi in the hope that she will marry him. Having received a commission which would require him to split his time between offices in San Francisco and Japan, Bernie hopes he can convince Andi to join him on his great adventure. The Rat Wife (Wilma Bonet) is a curious woman who earns her living cleaning people's houses and has a special skill. Like the legendary Pied Piper of Hamelin, she has a talent for getting rid of rats (who follow her down to the river and eventually drown in the sea). Joie vehemently rejects the woman's solicitation but is too busy arguing with Freddie, Andi, and Bernie to notice that Erik has followed the Rat Wife out of their home.

Marilee Talkington, Joe Estlack, Jack Wittmayer, and Mariah

Castle in a scene from Little Erik (Photo by: David Allen)

Erik's subsequent drowning (accompanied by a shocking revelation) leads to a critical meltdown for Joie (who must grieve for the child she never wanted to have), Freddie (who must contemplate living without Joie's financial support), and Andi (who must fend for herself, even if it means crossing the Pacific Ocean to escape an emotionally volatile and cringe-worthy situation).

Greg Ayers (Bernie) and Mariah Castle (Andi) in

a scene from Little Erik (Photo by: David Allen)

Jackson has directed his adaptation of Ibsen's play with a crisp and terse approach which balances the magical realism of the Rat Wife with the selfish goals that keep driving Joie and Freddie apart instead of bringing them together. While Marilee Talkington's performance anchors the evening, strong praise goes to Joe Estlack and Jack Wittmayer for their performances as her errant husband and crippled son. As always, Wilma Bonet (an actor who has no trouble commanding the stage), steals the show with minimal effort.

From the playwright's perspective, much of Little Erik revolves around the challenge of defining personal happiness in today's high-tech, materialistic world. As Jackson notes:

"There's a great deal of pressure in society for everyone to be really, really impressive in a very perfected way. It's so unrealistic and, even though anyone would say they know that, still we succumb to these expectations. I personally can't reconcile any of this with the kinds of things I see in nature."

In a brilliant use of the classic deus ex machina as a narrative tool, Mother Nature interrupts this orgy of self-centeredness and bitter recriminations with a breathtaking jolt which forces Joie, Freddie, Andi, and Bernie to reassess their immediate priorities. Aided by Wolfgang Lancelot Wachalovsky's projections, set designer Nina Ball continues to amaze with her skill at creating an atmosphere of stark elegance that can highlight the personal tensions between Jackson's characters and instantly force them to embrace unexpected levels of humility.

Marilee Talkington (Joie) and Joe Estlack (Freddie)

in a scene from Little Erik (Photo by: David Allen)

* * * * * * * * * *

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the Magic Theatre's production of Dogeaters, but the harsh truth is that there were many moments during the show when I found myself thinking "This is boring." In fact, the play's opening night performance was one of the few times I've been in a theatre where the audience's reactions were so markedly divided.

Sitting near me were several Filipino-American women who, like Justin Bieber fans, would squeal and laugh hysterically whenever someone onstage did something as simple as inhaling.

There are numerous moments during the play when characters spoke in Tagalog. Unlike the Filipino-American members of the opening night audience, I was one of the attendees who was disadvantaged by not being fluent in that language. While I understand that this is due to a cultural difference, because of the obvious language barrier I missed out on understanding some critical statements and pivotal moments in the drama.

Nester (Melvign Badiola) and Barbara (Esperanza Catubig) are

two popular radio actors in a Filipino soap opera in Dogeaters

(Photo by: Jennifer Reiley)

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Because Dogeaters unravels against a backdrop of political corruption in the Philippines over the course of several decades, there are numerous flashbacks as Rio Gonzaga (Rinabeth Apostol) arrives from the United States to visit her family.

Rio (Rinabeth Apostol) visits her grandmother (Charisse Loriaux)

in a scene from Dogeaters (Photo by: Jennifer Reiley)

Unable to make it to Manila in time for the funeral of her beloved grandmother, Lola Narcisa Divino (Charisse Loriaux), Rio is met at the airport by her father (Chuck Lacson) and her celebrity-crazed cousin, Pucha (Julie Kuwabara). During her visit, Senator Domingo Avila (Ogie Zulueta) is assassinated, Rio has a visit with her grandmother's ghost, and tracks down two gay men -- Andres "Perlita" Alacran (Jomar Tagatac) and Chiquiting Moreno (Melvign Badiola) -- whom she remembers from her childhood.

Throughout the evening, radio actors Nestor Noralez (Melvign Badiola) and Barbara Villaneuva (Esperanza Catubig) reappear as gushing hosts of the Young Miss Philippines beauty pageant, mocking the characters in a Filipino soap opera, and commenting on the celebrities attending the Manila International Film Festival.

While corruption reigns supreme (the bodies of 169 workers killed during construction of the Manila Film Center were buried under cement), it plays out differently in various levels of Filipino society. In one the most glamorous examples, drunken sexpot and film star Lolita Luna (Charisse Loriaux) portrays the mistress of married businessman Severo "Chuchi" Alacran (Chuck Lacson).

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Christine Jamlig as Daisy Avila in Dogeaters (Photo by: Jennifer Reiley)

After winning the Miss Philippines contest, Daisy Avila (Christine Jamlig) becomes romantically involved with a notorious leftist named Santos Tirador (Mike Sagun), who is summarily killed by the authorities. After being raped by General Nicasio Ledesma (Jomar Tagatac) and his soldiers, Daisy escapes and joins a rebel army in the mountains.

Joey Sands (Rafael Jordan) is the unwanted child of a Filipino woman and African-American soldier who grew up in poverty and is working as a DJ while battling problems with substance abuse. Although he works at the famous CocoRico club under the beady eyes of its drag queen owner, Perlita, Joey is frequently pimped out to foreigners and visiting celebrities by his adoptive Uncle (Ogie Zulueta). During the film festival, he ends up becoming an exotic boy toy for filmmaker Rainer Fassbinder (Lawrence Radecker). However, after witnessing the assassination of Senator Avila, Joey becomes a fugitive who must rely on Perlita's underground connections in order to save his life.

Jomar Tagatac as Perlita in Dogeaters (Photo by: Jennifer Reiley)

In supporting roles, Carina Lastimosa Salazar appears as Trinidad "Trini" Gamboa, a young woman who falls in love with the equally virginal Romeo Rosales (Jed Parsario), an aspiring actor who believes that his looks will open doors. Parsario also shines as a luckless waiter who must ask customers whether they wish to order fresh or canned fruit and as Perlita's deformed servant, Pedro. Perhaps the best written scene in the play is the one in which reporter Bob Stone (Lawrence Radecker) attempts to interview the Philippines' wily First Lady, Imelda Marcos (Beverly Sotelo), to no avail.

Imelda Marcos (Beverly Sotelo) gives an interview to reporter

Bob Stone (Lawrence Radecker) in a scene from Dogeaters

(Photo by: Jennifer Reiley)

First published as a novel, a stage adaptation of Dogeaters was workshopped at the 1997 Sundance Theatre Program with Magic Theatre's Loretta Greco and author Jessica Hagedorn joining forces to make the story theatrically viable. Both women remember the experience as a labor of love. As Hagedorn recalls:

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"When the play was done in New York by the Public in 2001 and did so well, my dream was that someone in San Francisco would pick it up. There's such a huge Filipino community here and the play would have such resonance for them. Plus, San Francisco is where my mother and I relocated from Manila, and where I came of age as an artist. This time around, the really exciting thing for me is that I get to reimagine certain scenes in the play, even write some new ones, and somehow (after all these years) the play remains relevant."

Chuck Lacson as Severo "Chuchi" Alacran and Ogie Zulueta

as Senator Domingo Avila in a scene from Dogeaters

(Photo by: Jennifer Reiley)

While the Magic Theatre's production of Dogeaters benefits immensely from Hana Kim's scenic and projection design (as well as Brandin Baron's costumes and Sara Huddleston's sound design), it left me cold.

Could it be that, in an age when violence and rape have become inescapable elements of popular media, staged depictions of brutality against women and well-choreographed blowjob simulations have lost their shock value?

Was the overlay of so many interwoven subplots too difficult to follow?

Unfortunately, by the end of the evening, I realized that (perhaps because I had not read Hagedorn's novel), I did not care about a single character onstage. That's a real problem.

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Carina Lastimosa Salazar as Trinidad Gamboa and Jed Parsario as

Romeo Rosales in a scene from Dogeaters (Photo by: Jennifer Reiley)

While I especially enjoyed Beverly Sotelo's characterization of Imelda Marcos and Charisse Loriaux's portrayal of Lola Narcisa Divino, the strongest (and most versatile) performances were delivered by Jomar Tagatac, Ogie Zulueta, Jed Parsario, and Melvign Bediola.
By Jasmine Chia, Harvard Class of 2018

Tamir Rice. Rekia Boyd. Tyisha Miller. Walter Scott. Eric Garner. Trayvon Martin. Laquan McDonald.

As the list gets longer, the scars get deeper. People call it 'police brutality.' The paradox of a state apparatus endangering the citizens it is meant to protect.

At Harvard's JFK Jr. Forum, "Divided We Fall: When Police and Communities Collide," Kennedy School students opened with the line: "We can waste our lives drawing lines, or we can live our lives crossing them." It was a powerful statement of political idealism, but one in stark contrast with reality. The reality of policing in America is this: the lines have been painted in blood by history and have been made into walls by institutions.

One thing that all the panelists at the Forum - #BlackLivesMatter leader Brittany Packnett, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, former Superintendent at the Chicago Police Department Garry McCarthy and Washington Post reporter Tom Jackman - agreed on was this: the police are a small part of a much bigger failed system.

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As I began my interview with McCarthy, I told him I'd arrived in America in 2014. He said, "You probably came the wrong year." In 2014, Laquan McDonald was shot sixteen times by police officer Jason Van Dyke. Video of the incident was not released until 14 months later, after much public protest, when a judged forced its release. Protests flared and, a week later, McCarthy was fired.

But that was a particular moment. This story is 300 years older. When asked how the police could regain the trust of people of color, McCarthy said, "I don't think we ever had trust. Because slavery was written into the constitution of the United States of America, and then over the years those racist policies that were laws such as Jim Crow, segregation, black codes, you name it, through the years were enforced by the white police officer." When Candy Crowley questioned how legitimacy is possible, Annise Parker interrupted, "Safety comes first." But when the choice between safety and legitimacy becomes either/or, and when safety means different things to people of different races, it is not just police who have failed America. It is the entire criminal justice system.

Therefore, police cannot remain the sole target of public anger. In Packnett's words, "the point is not to break off one branch, the point is to uproot the entire tree." We can, and should, focus our attention on instruments of oppression. But when we do, reform-minded officers like McCarthy take the fall as individuals. Since McCarthy left office, the murder rate in Chicago increased by 120%.

Politicians like Rahm Emanuel, Chicago City Mayor, need to be held accountable. We cannot just demand greater change from those who execute the laws - greater change needs to come from those who legislate them. In the words of Packnett, "Systems aren't broken. They are functioning in the way they are intended to." It is not just a matter of crossing those lines. It's a matter of bringing down that blood-soaked wall.

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What do Fig Jam, the so-called Neighborhood Integrity Initiative (NII) and Janette Sadik Khan's new book Streetfight have to do with one another? More than you might imagine.

Los Angeles is of course a city of competing ideals. And perhaps we're better for it. How dull life here would be if there was no tension, no civil civic dialogue about urban life in this massive caldron of cultures and lifestyles.

For all its laid back southern California vibe, Los Angeles as we know it is the result of sharply competing visions of the promised land.

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And those different ideals were very much on display Friday at a panel discussion on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative at the Westside Urban Forum (WUF).

Sure, it is hard to listen without going apoplectic as someone who supports the no-growth Neighborhood Integrity Initiative makes their case for the misguided ballot measure by citing an unsupportable anecdote that his friends are the ONLY residents of the high-end condo at Western and Wilshire who ride the Purple Line subway. Yes, that's what the panelist, an adjunct instructor at the USC Price School of Public Policy no less, actually said to the dumbfounded crowd.

Fortunately, there were more intellectually honest experts on the panel including Mark Vallianatos of the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College, Alan Bell, a former Deputy Director of the L.A. Planning Department and moderator Con Howe of Cityview Los Angeles Fund. For years the Westside Urban Forum has provided a much needed service in this town bringing important land use topics like the NII to the fore.

What does Janette Sadik-Khan's book (written with co-author Seth Solomonow) have to do with all of this? The book, and Sadik-Khan's critical work on which the book is based making cities more pedestrian and bike friendly, is very much a playbook for the future of growing cities like Los Angeles. Take the chapter entitled, Density is Destiny, in which the authors explain how "Cities' geographic compactness, population density, and orientation toward walking and public transportation make them the most efficient places to live in the world." As L.A. and other cities grow and urbanize the work of Sadik-Khan and like-minded urbanists are helping ensure that our growth is sensible, with amenities like public plazas, protected bike lanes, bus rapid transit and streets that are safer for pedestrians and drivers alike.

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And Fig Jam, the street happening on North Figueroa in Highland Park? The free one day event featured a temporary bike lane and a parklet designed to improve the street by drawing attention to the area's rich past and demonstrating what will be when the bike lane and parklet are made permanent.

Delicious. But also an illustration of Sadik-Khan's and a growing chorus of smart local urban planners' and advocates' vision in action. Fig Jam was the work of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), L.A. Great Streets LA, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), Los Angeles Walks and other local partners.



Street by street, we are building a city whose thoroughfares are safer, greener and more pleasant for the growing numbers who choose to live here. Think Vision Zero, L.A.'s road safety policy that promotes smart behaviors and roadway design that anticipates mistakes so that collisions do not result in severe injury or death. Other U.S. cities that have adopted this eminently sensible goal include New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, San Jose and San Diego.

It's a movement. And it's why L.A. has embraced smart density with public plazas, pedestrian and bike amenities along transit and put the single driver car, the freeway and sprawl in the rear view mirror. Or, as Hilary Norton of Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic (FAST) put it in her question to the panel at WUF, the timing of the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative seems particularly poor coming at a time when we are enhancing our ability to build sensible transit-oriented communities with the construction of new rail lines that can efficiently move lots of people.

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Respect.

Sensible urban growth built with public plazas, pedestrian and bike amenities along transit corridors is something we should all unite behind.

What else?

Please go to the polls and vote against the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative next March. And let's make safe streets & transit-oriented density our destiny.
A year ago, the Oklahoma City Public School System (OKCPS) was stunned when the size of our racial "discipline gap" was revealed in Are We Closing the School Discipline Gap? by Daniel Losen et. al. of the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Oklahoma Gazette's Ben Felder was correct in reminding us of the words of Jonah Edelman, co-founder of Stand for Children, who "wrote in a column for The Daily Beast last year. 'This is the No. 1 civil rights issue of our time.'" The OKCPS used the report as an opportunity to move beyond punishment when enforcing our district's code of conduct.

Oklahoma City may or may not have acted too quickly in a dramatic effort to cut suspensions without creating enough of an alternative system for the schools facing the greatest challenges. Even if the 90% low-income district had been able to take more time to plan and to fund the socio-emotional supports needed to replace punitive measures, the rapid move toward positive alternatives would have been a challenge.

The fundamental problem faced by OKCPS schools that serve every child who comes in their doors is that the extreme proliferation of charters and magnet schools has created impossible challenges for schools that have less than $9000 in per student funding. In a metropolitan area of more than a million persons, families can choose from 24 school districts, as well as OKCPS magnet and charter schools. Worse, state funding has been cut by about one-fourth and deeper cuts are scheduled for next year.

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The result is about 5,000 high school students with no choice but to attend neighborhood schools with intense concentrations of kids from generational poverty, who have often been terribly traumatized. In 2010, Oklahoma City had 20,000 children being raised by grandparents, foster parents, or other guardians; most attended neighborhood schools in a district that is up to 46,000 students.

Now, the New York Times reports that the Center for Civil Rights Remedies analyzed the data of nearly 5,000 charters and it reports that:

Based on data from the 2011-12 school year, the report found that charter schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels suspended 7.8 percent of students, compared with 6.7 percent of students in noncharter schools. Among students with disabilities, charter schools suspended 15.5 percent of students, compared with 13.7 percent at noncharters. At the extreme end, there were 235 charter schools that suspended more than half of their students with disabilities.



Even in elementary schools, "less than a third of charter schools suspended more than 10 percent of black students, while at the high school level, close to 40 percent of charter schools suspended one in four or more of black students enrolled that year." Since the strictest schools, those who proclaim "No Excuses!," tend to be the most racially segregated, it is particularly worrisome that, "Black students were more likely to be suspended at even higher rates when enrolled in segregated schools, with high concentrations of African-American pupils."

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The Times further explains, "Advocates for the disabled were particularly concerned about the higher rates of suspension at charters, given that charter schools enroll a lower proportion of students with disabilities than traditional public schools." It cites the senior staff lawyer at the National Disability Rights Network who says, "So these are the children who manage to get in who are being suspended."

So, how do test-driven, competition-driven reformers respond to this new report about the civil rights movement of the 20th century?

Nationally, reformers claim that the numbers aren't so bad. They forget, however, that charters rarely accept and retain the students facing the greatest challenges. The kids who have endured the most trauma (or multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences [ACEs]) are much less likely to apply to No Excuses charters. Even so, the suspension rate for charter students is 14% higher than noncharters. The suspension rate for special education students is 16% higher.

The higher suspension rates for special education students are especially relevant to the OKCPS because it is debating a once-secret plan to dramatically expand charters. Proponents of the plan tout the good outcomes posted by two charters: the high-poverty Hupfeld Academy and the low-poverty John Rex Academy. But, according to the OKCPS Statistical Profile (2015), they serve about 1/3rd as many special education students as the elementary schools that charters would replace. Moreover, they cite OKC's KIPP Reach, which not only has a much lower percentage of low-income students than neighborhood middle schools, (76% vs 90+%) but it only serves about 1/3rd as many special education students.

By means of comparison, KIPP does not come remotely close to serving as many high-challenge middle school students as my old schools of John Marshall and Centennial. But, the OKC KIPP had a total enrollment of 315 and it had 189 out-of-school suspensions. My former schools enrolled a total of 581 middle school students and had 217 out-of-school suspensions. In other words, despite all of its advantages, KIPP's suspension rate per enrollee was about 75% higher than my schools.

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In a city full of secondary school charters, only Santa Fe South H.S. comes close to serving as many low-income students as OKC neighborhood schools, and it earned a B+ on the School Report Card. But, Santa Fe South M.S. earned a D+. One explanation for the differing outcomes may be that the high school serves about 1/3rd fewer IEP students than the middle school. Both serve about half as many IEP students as neighborhood high and middle schools.

Until recently, I'd been focusing on how to learn from the OKCPS effort to cut suspensions, how to improve our system of providing supports for struggling students, and how to keep the effort up next year when huge budget cuts are enacted. This underfunded process has been excruciating in many schools, but it is on track to reduce suspensions by less than 20%. (The trajectory of the suspension reduction indicates that they may be reduced by significantly less than 20%)

This experience raises the question of what it would take for charters to reduce their suspensions by 14 to 16%. Even if they reversed the disciplinary part of their business models, and promised to cut their suspension rates and made good faith efforts to do so, would they be capable of cutting suspensions as much as the OKCPS has?

I had hoped that Oklahoma City would respond to the difficulty of the challenge by emulating New York City's recent effort where 19 district and charter schools will share best practices around restorative justice discipline programs and instruction for English language learners. Maybe that is still a possibility.

But, that brings us to the most important questions in regard to the charterization plan that should have been asked. Even if we were not hamstrung by the huge budgetary shortfall, how could Oklahoma City hope to establish an unknown but large number of high-quality charters? (The first wave of new charters could amount to about 1/6th of the number of neighborhood schools that now remain in the district after years of creating choice schools.) Even the local high-quality charters have no experience with neighborhood schools that serve all comers, so why should we believe they would be able to avoid excessive suspensions while dealing with challenges that they rarely face? And what will happen in the lesser-quality charters?

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Photo: Martin Hofsten

Brian Freeman is an internationally bestselling author of psychological suspense novels. His books have been sold in 46 countries, and have been Main Selections in the Literary Guild and Book of the Month Club. His novels have been nominated for prestigious awards, and two have won the Macavity Award and an award presented by the International Thriller Writers Organization. Before breaking into the fiction writing world, Brian was a communications strategist and business writer, and served as director of marketing and public relations for an international law firm.

Goodbye to the Dead is the 7th novel in the Jonathan Stride series. Jon Stride's first wife died of cancer eight years earlier, but memories hang over his relationship with fellow detective, Serena Dial. When Serena witnesses a brutal murder outside a Duluth, Minnesota bar, she stumbles onto a case going back to the last year of Cindy Stride's life. Though the murder weapon was never found, that earlier case led to the conviction and imprisonment of a prominent surgeon, Janine Snow. During the current investigation, Serena finds the gun used in the murder for which Dr. Snow was convicted; and Jon Stride begins questioning whether he made a terrible mistake eight years earlier by helping put an innocent woman in prison.

Jonathan Stride is a fascinating character. Tell us a little about him.

Jonathan Stride is very much the classic northern Minnesota man. He's had a good deal of loss in his life, he's not a super-hero and doesn't always make the right choices; but he's got an inner determination to seek out the truth. That's why I chose the name 'Stride' for him. I wanted a name that conveyed a sense of step-by-step determination. Despite the losses in his life, he tucks his chin against the wind and keeps moving on.

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There's a very realistic trial depicted in Goodbye to the Dead. How did you gain knowledge of courtroom procedure?

Since my first novel Immoral, I haven't written a courtroom situation. One of the best things about writing books is your research takes you to discover different lines of work. I spent a lot of time with one of Minnesota's county attorneys talking about the specifics of trial strategy. He shared with me his expertise and even some trial transcripts. I absorbed a good deal of information trying to make the trial scenes as compelling and realistic as possible.

There's also a riveting scene of mayhem at a Duluth mall. Did current events play into your having included that as part of the novel?

Certainly, that was on my mind. The scene was similar to a situation which occurred about nine years ago. It was after Columbine, but before so many of these massacres that have been occurring at what seems to be a weekly or monthly pace. I wanted to capture how a terrible tragedy like that might enter a community like Duluth; and I also wanted to portray the impact it would have on the people involved. Additionally, I wanted to explore how local law enforcement could misread the signs of impending horror. As I said, Stride isn't a super-hero and couldn't see the signs of danger until it was too late.

You once said, 'My stories are about the hidden, intimate motives that draw people across some terrible lines.' Will you elaborate on that?

There are many writers who tell different kinds of stories in the thriller genre: political thrillers, spy thrillers, urban crime stories among others. I like to focus on psychological issues. For me, the drama emerges out of the emotions, secrets, and backgrounds of the characters. I like to tell small stories that ripple out of the dilemas and decisions people make. I love exploring different characters and their personal choices, along with the impact of those decisions.

That's where the thrills come from in my books. It's always coming from inside the heads of the characters.

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And being inside the heads and lives of characters in a 'small' story makes it more the kind of story with which a reader can relate, right?

Absolutely. That's exactly what I hope for when I write a novel. I want the readers to put themselves in the characters' shoes. I'm always looking for balance: I want the relentless pace of a thriller, but I also want a character's story to linger in the reader's mind after the book has been read. I want the reader to think back about the story and reflect on what happened. Because I'm not writing about a super-hero, some readers might be screaming at Jonathan Stride for having made a wrong choice; but at the same time, they might find themselves shedding a tear for the character and the situation in which he's embroiled.

You also said, 'I don't like books where the characters are all good or all bad. I want them to live in the real world where morality means tough choices and shades of gray.' Tell us more.

I understand it can be very appealing to have the perfect hero who never makes mistakes and who always saves the day, but that's not how the world works. I think people are far more complex. As a writer, I like to present people and themes where there aren't easy answers. At the end of the novel, I always solve the puzzle, but that doesn't mean the characters don't remain struggling with loose ends or unanswered questions. I don't like presenting easy answers because I don't think there are any. I believe life is too complex for those simple solutions.

I know you became a published novelist at age 41, but said 'I started my first novel in the sixth grade.' What did you mean?

I can remember sitting in class in the sixth grade. I was starting a novel called Checkmate, which was about the murder of a chess grandmaster. Writing fiction has been in my blood for a very long time.

I understand you feel you had two unusual inspirations for your career. Tell us about them.

On the reading side, I always credit my grandmother. She was the great reader in the family and was a fan of mysteries and thrillers. She would always say, 'I'm reading this great book. It's got lots of bodies in it.' (Laughter). That's the environment in which I grew up.

The other person I always credit is my eighth grade composition teacher. She recognized my love of writing and told me, 'When you come to my class, don't worry about the lesson plan. Just sit and write your own story.' That's what I did through most of her classes. From that point forward, writing is what I knew I wanted to do.

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What's the most important lesson you learned about writing?

I always tell aspiring writers one-hundred percent of unwritten books have never been published.

I really believe as writers, we tend to be our own worst enemies. We psych ourselves out; we lose confidence; we look at what we've written and want to tear it up. The fact is writing is a daily, internal battle. And, it doesn't get any easier the more books you write. You keep raising the bar and putting more pressure on yourself to be better.

You're hosting a dinner party and can invite any five people from any walk of life, living or dead, fictional or real people. Who would they be?

My wife would have to be there because if she wasn't with me in a social situation, I'd be completely lost. I recently lost my Dad, and it suddenly hit me that I'll never have another chance to talk with him again. I'd sure want to have him there, as well.

As a kid, one writer I loved reading was Robert Ludlum. I don't write books anything like his, but as a teenager, I just loved his novels. I never got a chance to meet him before he passed away. I would love to sit down and talk with him about what he did in the thriller world. As a kid, I loved classical music, especially the symphonies of Gustav Mahler. I had the impression he was a tortured soul in creating his work. Last guest would be Erma Bombeck, who would lighten the mood. She would bring everyone back into the real world, the reality of everyday life.

What's coming next from Brian Freeman?

I have two books coming out in 2017. I just wrapped up a new thriller set in San Francisco, and I'm already digging in on the next Jonathan Stride novel.

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Congratulations on writing Goodbye to the Dead, a twist-filled psychological suspense novel exploring the nature of good, evil, duplicity, obsession, love and the power of past decisions.
University of Toronto.

This is college admissions decision season -- a time when many young people have traditionally looked forward to an educational experience quite different from what they had (sometimes just endured) in high school. The days of checking off boxes to prove their worthiness to some future gatekeepers would be over. In college there might be requirements, but there would also be much more freedom, much more relevance, and much more intellectual excitement.

But the discourse about colleges and universities today is undermining these hopeful expectations. Everywhere one looks, from government statistics on earnings after graduation to a bevy of rankings that purport to show how to monetize your choice of major, the message to students is to think of their undergraduate years as an economic investment that had better produce a substantial and quick return.

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There are good reasons for this. One is the scourge of student indebtedness. When students graduate with mountains of debt, especially from shady institutions graduating a small percentage of those who enroll, they can fall into a vicious cycle of poor choices and ever more limited horizons. They are collateral damage in a world of rising tuition. While the wealthiest families have been benefiting from enormous tax breaks, many states have dis-invested in public universities, putting great pressure on these institutions to collect tuition dollars. Middle-class and low-income students often borrow those dollars to pay the bills. And the bills grow ever greater as colleges raise tuition in part to meet the demands of rich families for campus amenities so that their children can live in the style to which they have grown accustomed.

But even students without the pressure of loans are being encouraged to turn away from "college as exploration" and toward "college as training." They hear that in today's fast-paced, competitive world, one can no longer afford to try different fields that might improve one's ability to interpret cultural artifacts or analyze social dynamics. Learning through the arts, one of the most powerful ways to tap into one's capacities for innovation is often dismissed as an unaffordable luxury.

Parents, pundits and politicians join in the chorus warning students not to miss the economic boat. Study science, technology, engineering and mathematics, they chant, or else you will have few opportunities. Other subjects will leave you a "loser" in our not-so-brave new world of brutal change. College, they insist, should be the place where you conform and learn to swim with this tide.

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As president of a university dedicated to broad, liberal education, I both deplore the new conformity and welcome an increased emphasis on STEM fields. I've been delighted to see mathematics and neuroscience among our fastest growing majors, have supported students from under-represented groups who are trying to thrive in STEM fields, and have started an initiative to integrate design and engineering into our liberal arts curriculum.

Choosing to study a STEM field should be a choice for creativity not conformity. There is nothing narrow about an authentic education in the sciences. Indeed, scientific research is a model for the American tradition of liberal education because of the creative nature of its inquiries, not just the truth-value of its results. As in other disciplines (like music and foreign languages), much basic learning is required, but science is not mere instrumental training; memorizing formulae isn't thinking like a scientist. On our campus, some of the most innovative, exploratory work is being done by students studying human-machine interactions, using computer science to manipulate moving images to tell better stories, and exploring intersections of environmental science with economics and performance art.

Fears of being crushed by debt or of falling off the economic ladder are pressuring students to conform, and we must find ways to counteract these pressures or we risk undermining our scientific productivity as well as our broad cultural creativity.

I've heard it said that students today opt for two fields of study, one for their parents and one for themselves. Examples abound of undergrads focusing on: economics and English; math and art; biology and theater. But we make a mistake in placing too much emphasis on the bifurcation. Many students are connecting these seemingly disparate fields, not just holding them as separate interests. And they are finding that many employers want them to develop these connections further. Exploration and innovation are not fenced in by disciplines and majors. Students who develop habits of mind that allow them to develop connections that others haven't seen will be creating the opportunities of the future.

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When Thomas Jefferson was thinking through a new, American model of higher education, it was crucial for him that students not think they already knew at the beginning of their studies where they would end up when it was time for graduation. For him, and for all those who have followed in the path of liberal education in this country, education was exploration - and you would only make important discoveries if you were open to unexpected possibilities. About a century later W.E.B. Du Bois argued that a broad education was a form of empowerment not just apprenticeship. Both men understood that the sciences, along with the humanities, arts and social sciences had vast, integrative possibilities.

This integrative tradition of pragmatic American liberal education must be protected. We must not over-react to fears of being left behind. Yes, ours is a merciless economy characterized by deep economic inequality, but that inequality must not be accepted as a given; the skills of citizenship acquired through liberal learning can be used to push back against it. We must cultivate this tradition of learning not only because it is has served us well for so long, but because it can vitalize our economy, lead to an engaged citizenry and create a culture characterized by connectivity and creativity.

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The strategic constants in the wake of Russia's military redeployment out of Syria include the following: First, the continuation of the US-Russian partnership in the Syrian arena, and its expansion into Yemen and Iraq where the remaining time Barack Obama has in the White House will be used to consolidate achievements in bilateral relations. Second, the regime in Syria has been given a new lease on life, though through state institutions rather than by clinging to certain individuals in their posts, while opening the door to radical changes in the equation of power. For example, the army command, rather than the presidency, could be given to an Alawite. Third, maintaining a long-term strategic relationship with Iran, but with the expansion of the policies of rapprochement with the Arab Gulf countries, Egypt, and Algeria to ensure balance in Russian relations with Sunni Arabs, so that Moscow does not appear like an exclusive ally to the Shiites in Iran. Fourthly, making way for Sunni forces to intervene on the ground in the war against ISIS and similar terrorist groups, as the boots on the ground in the international anti-ISIS alliance, which could be developed to become under joint US-Russian leadership in the region, including in Syria. Fifthly, fortifying the Russian interior and Russia's neighbors against any possible retaliatory attacks resulting from Moscow's continued spearheading of the war on Sunni extremism in alliance with Tehran-backed Shiite militias - which explains the Russian decision to avoid becoming further implicated in the Syrian quagmire. Sixthly, strengthening Russia's position in the global scene as an essential power in decision-making. Moscow will not accept to be bypassed anymore. Seventhly, containing economic repercussions on Russia if it continues its comprehensive intervention in Syria without an exit strategy, bearing in mind that the value of the ruble has been declining in a way that hurt the economy and that oil and gas prices have been falling drastically. Eighthly, taking advantage of available opportunities through reconciliations and settlements, in order to secure investments, open markets, and sell arms to the Gulf states. And ninthly, Russia gains a foothold in the Middle East in Syria's strategic bases, which will also be a foothold near the shores of Europe and NATO.

President Putin's decision reconfigured his intervention in Syria through a gradual and partial withdrawal of his forces there, amid negotiations, escalation, and talk of federalism in Syria. The decision came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Moscow had evidence of Turkish military presence inside Syria, and as Moscow was warning Ankara should it continue to transport arms into Syria. It also came in the wake of a visit by the Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Tehran and his meeting with President Hassan Rohani amid talk of Iranian mediation between Russia and Turkey in exchange for Turkish mediation to improve Saudi-Iranian relations.

Putin's announcement of his strategy of the Middle East coincided with increasing US - Russian coordination in Yemeni affairs, with indications they both agree to the priority of protecting Saudi national security along the Saudi-Yemeni border with mutual guarantees, including their influence on Tehran to prevent it from sending advisors and militias to Yemen as it had done in Syria.

Russian diplomacy is keen for the upcoming visit by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Moscow to succeed, and become the key to better relations with Riyadh and other capitals of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Russia wants to build on what was achieved during the recent visit by the emir of Qatar to Russia, which also tackled the future of gas, Russia, Qatar, and Iran being the world's top exporters. The visit also tackled the Turkish-Qatari traditional support for the Muslim Brotherhood as opposed to Moscow's utter hostility to this group's rise to power in any Arab or Muslim country, most importantly Syria. Russian diplomacy has made it clear to Gulf diplomacy that it is prepared to turn the page on the hostility towards its previous policy in Syria, in return for active cooperation in crushing terror group and preventing the rise of fundamentalist groups to power. The statement by veteran diplomat Sergei Lavrov praising Saudi efforts in facilitating the formation of a serious opposition grouping is but one example of the kind of developments that have taken place in Russian thinking and policy.

Not long ago, Russian diplomacy was criticizing Saudi diplomacy for pushing the parties of the Syrian opposition to create the High Negotiations Commission (HNC), as tasked by the Vienna process to settle the Syrian conflict. Moscow was trying to force Syrian oppositionists into the list agreed upon in Riyadh, and was escalating on issues like defining who is an oppositionist and who is a terrorist in Syria. Suddenly, Lavrov praised Saudi efforts after the opposition delegation arrived in Geneva to handle negotiations brokered by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura with the regime - though Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said talking about the future of Assad was a red line and the head of the regime delegation Bashar al-Jaafari said Damascus rejects any discussion of a "transitional phase."

These statements were tantamount to an obituary for the Vienna process, which is considered the legitimate offspring of Russian diplomacy. This was preceded by positions made by Damascus that annoyed Moscow, which saw them as undermining the credibility of Russian policy: Russia failed to stop barrel bombs, and was surprised by Damascus's announcement it would hold parliamentary elections that conflict with the timetable of the Vienna process, which requires elections to be held within 18 months after a new constitution is drafted and a political transition is negotiated.

All this obstruction coming from Damascus sought to prolong Russia's military intervention until Bashar al-Assad's agenda is implemented. But Vladimir Putin did not want to play that game. The Russian president has indeed rescued Assad by intervening in Syria more than six months ago. However, Putin did not want to be involved militarily in Syria for more than four months. His intervention was coupled with an exit strategy, and he did not want to slip into a quagmire in Syria that the West perhaps wished him to fall into, as he believes. Second, the mainstay of Russian military intervention in Syria are the strategic interests there represented in military bases and state institutions led by the army, and not keeping one man in power.

This does not mean, however, that Putin is prepared to abandon Assad or turn the table against him. In reality, Assad remains important in Putin's calculations. Realism suggests that Putin's US-style pragmatism makes him willing to abandon Assad ins his long-term strategy, if needed. True, Putin is keen on having a reputation of loyalty to his allies against the opposite reputation the US has, but the man fully understands the language of interests and deals.

And because Putin's legacy in the countries where he intervened militarily is a legacy of partition, some fear this would be his legacy in Syria. However, geopolitical reality could prevent partition in Syria in the full sense. Rather, the federal model could be pursued, a model adopted by the US, Russia, and Switzerland albeit in different modes of implementation.

What matters to Putin is what US policy towards him will be like after Barack Obama leaves the White House, and how his relations with Europe would evolve in light of the sanctions imposed on Russia over its meddling in Ukraine. Putin is also concerned about what it is going to take to save the Russian economy, which has paid a high price for Putin's military and diplomatic adventures. Other questions include how terrorist Islamic groups can be defeated, and how he would benefit from his strategic foothold in Syria, with implications for both the Middle Est and NATO.

Vladimir Putin is a practical man. He is relying on Donald Trump because he is an arbitrary man to the point of farce. However, Putin realizes the dangers of arbitrary thinking, and he does not trust the US establishment whether it endorses this candidate or fights that candidate. True, Trump appears as if he is an anti-establishment candidate, but he could also be the product of the establishment for a specific purpose. Most probably, Hillary Clinton will become the next US president with support from the establishment. Putin is concerned about what Hillary, a veteran politician, may be carrying to the White House. Especially so when Hillary probably remembers how she was tricked by Lavrov, who upended the Geneva Communique, before Lavrov made sure to facilitate success for her successor Kerry, making her appear as a failure.

Regardless of the history of US-Russian relations at the start of Barack Obama's term, the current partnership between Russia and the US on Syria and Iran is crucial. It is a radical change in the relationship between the two countries, and in their respective relationship with key players in the Middle East region.

It is clear that Barack Obama has had tense relations with Arab countries, from Egypt to Saudi Arabia, and that he has prioritized the relationship with the Iran yet without daring to have this be at the expense of the Israeli ally. Obama started out his term by endorsing the Turkish model for changing Arab regimes, supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen. He waged warfare through drones, which destroy others without returning coffins to the US carrying the bodies of American soldiers. He withdrew America from others' wars. He paved the way for Russia, Iran, and militias - as well as terrorists from all around the world - to join the battles but far away from American cities. He fought all these wars with others' men and materiel, fulfilling the American desire to do so and helping the US economy recover through military industries and arms exports.

Barack Obama showed Putin an America that is old and infirm, unable and unwilling to be the world's leader, and suggesting to Putin that there is a vacuum for him to fill. Putin pounced on the opportunity. However, it is now time now for Putin to curb Russia's dash, because the fine print in the US invitation to Russia contains a plot to implicate it in a quagmire that reverses Russian gains made under Obama. This is why Russia has made its recent move.

The Russian rectification would be beneficial if other parties involved in the Syrian war learn from it, especially Hezbollah. Iran is aware of the meanings and implications of Russian strategic decisions, and is in turn engaged in developing strategies for exit and for remaining. The player outside these calculations is Hezbollah, which is not yet aware of the implications of its involvement in Syria and Yemen while others are taking steps back. Perhaps the best thing Hezbollah can do for itself and Lebanon is to develop an exit strategy from Syria. An exit strategy is not foolish; it is greatly prudent.



Translated by Karim Traboulsi

http://www.alhayat.com/Opinion/Raghida-Dergham/14535011/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A
A sign calling on the Republicans in the Senate to hold confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Merrick Garland prior to a press conference by Senate Democrats outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, March 17, 2016. / AFP / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

It's one of my proudest moments as a civics teacher -- and I didn't have to say a word: I had helped the students in my American history class prepare to debate whether the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified.

But once the debate began, I just stepped back and listened. My 11th graders backed their strongly-held opinions with facts, played devil's advocate and respectfully challenged each other's reasoning. For a teacher, it doesn't get much better than that.

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Boy, could we use more of that kind of thoughtful yet passionate discourse and engagement in civic life today.

Republicans in the United States Senate are letting politics trump their constitutional duty to give President Obama's Supreme Court nominee a full and fair hearing and an up-or-down vote.

The frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination is normalizing hate speech and promoting the use of violence against peaceful protesters with calls to "beat the crap out of them," among other threats.

America needs a crash course in civics. More importantly, we need to ingrain an understanding about the rights and responsibilities of citizens into our collective experience.

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Weingarten addresses a rally in New York City on March 2, 2016. Photo credit Mike Campbell

Perhaps the need has grown so acute because civics education, like other areas of social studies, has been pushed to the back burner in American schools, a victim of standardized testing mania in which "what gets tested is what gets taught" (which, prior to recent changes in federal accountability rules, was only math and English).

But, in a very real sense, American democracy is being tested, and we need an informed, engaged citizenry that is deeply involved in civic life. Civic education in our public schools is essential to achieving this -- after all, the purpose of public education is to prepare our young people not only for college and career, but also for citizenship.

We need to send young people into adulthood knowing their rights, responsibilities and power as citizens. They need to have a sense of agency in their lives, to realize that they can be change agents in their own communities and neighborhoods, and that they are the "people" in "we the people." The most important role in a democracy is not president or prime minister, but citizen.

For adults, we need to create an adequate understanding of local, state and national government and how it functions -- regardless of ideology, candidate or party -- so they have a critical lens through which to examine promises and policies.

Take the misinformation about the Common Core State Standards, for example. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump repeatedly claim they'll abolish those standards if they're elected. But states -- not the president -- choose whether or not to adopt these standards, and 42 states have chosen to adopt them. And the new Every Student Succeeds Act prohibits the federal government from requiring any particular set of standards. The constant repetition of clear falsehoods exploits the widespread lack of understanding of federalism and is intended to further erode the public trust.

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An hour watching cable news, a scan of my Twitter feed or a day talking with people (outside of Washington, D.C.) makes it clear that we are engaged in a fight for the very soul of our country. People are angry -- with good reason. They are anxious about the changing economy and their ability to get by, much less get ahead. And they don't think their representatives in Congress are doing anything to make things better. But rather than stoking fears and frustrations and turning people against each other, we need to acknowledge that anger and the unrealized aspirations underneath it. Educating people about what citizens can do in a democracy can help move their anger to action.

Regardless of ideology, every American should have a sense of civitas.

The Supreme Court nomination process underway is one such teachable moment. In President Obama's eloquent remarks introducing Merrick Garland, his nominee to the Supreme Court, Obama asked senators not to make the confirmation process "an extension of our divided politics" but to "reflect on the importance of this process to our democracy."

Indeed. Ours is a system of laws rooted in our Constitution. At its best, it rises above the momentary fray and considers, instead, our children, our children's children, and the democratic values and institutions we bequeath to them.

Regardless of party or ideological leaning, every American should have a sense of civitas. Whether that sense is ingrained, instilled by family or informed in public schools, it is vital to the strength of our democracy. It can be taught in school through approaches like project-based learning, where students solve problems and work in teams. It can be strengthened through service learning. It can be developed in debate societies.
President Barack Obama, center, shares a laugh with House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., after walking down the steps of the Capitol in Washington, with from Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., left, and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, right. after attending a "Friends of Ireland" luncheon. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The Republican National Convention meets in Cleveland July 18 through 21. A week later, the Democrats gather in Philadelphia. Let's look into the crystal ball and imagine the scenes.

In Cleveland, it may be a coronation of Donald Trump, but more likely, the GOP elite, which is belatedly getting its act together, will cause Trump to fall short of a first ballot victory by a few votes. Then things will get truly ugly.

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Right now, Republicans have what games theorists call a collective action problem. If Cruz and Kasich could agree on a block-Trump alliance, each could ask his supporters to vote for whichever of the two is stronger in a given primary. Then, depending on who has more delegates, they could duke it out for the nomination in Cleveland, and maybe team up as a ticket.

Given that GOP primaries from here on are generally winner-take-all affairs, except in a few states that deliberately send lots of uncommitted delegates, such a tactical alliance could probably block Trump. Since he has never won an absolute majority in any primary (he came closest in Massachusetts of all places with 49.3 percent), the anti-Trump forces can presumably outvote the Trump forces if they can agree on a single candidate.

But if Kasich and Cruz don't strike a deal, Trump could win a plurality of votes in most states, win a majority of delegates, and be the nominee. For now, however, let's assume he falls just short. What then?

For all the mutual loathing of Trump, Cruz, and Kasich, it's just possible that Cruz or Kasich would cut a deal with Trump to be the vice presidential nominee and put Trump over the top.

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Donald Trump may be an incipient Mussolini but he knows how to make a deal. And I'd put nothing past Ted Cruz. On the other hand, the determination to nominate anybody but Trump will be fierce.

If Trump, with more delegates than anyone else but not quite a majority, is denied nomination, all hell will break loose -- literally. There will be more than a thousand angry Trump delegates in the hall. Trump has predicted -- many would say encouraged -- riots if he doesn't get the nomination.

Meanwhile, outside the hall there will be tens of thousands of protestors appalled at Trump's racism. There will be street confrontations between anti-Trump and Trump forces (maybe in brown shirts by then), making the police violence at the Chicago 1968 Democratic National Convention look tame. Expect the National Guard to be called in.

Cleveland has a large African-American population, as well as a rainbow of lots of liberal students. Maybe holding the Republican convention there was not such a great idea.

And Ohio happens to be an open-carry state. Guns are allowed in public places. If gun-toting Trump and Cruz delegates are inside the hall, people could get killed.

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Not a pretty picture of the GOP to present to America via national media.

I will come back to the post-nomination story in a moment. But first, what about the Democrats?

Superficially, the Philadelphia story will be similar. Most likely, about a thousand very disappointed Sanders delegates in the hall, and Sanders supporters demonstrating outside. But there the similarity ends.

There will be immense pressure on likely nominee Hillary Clinton to move even further in a progressive direction -- from Sanders delegates, from Sanders himself, from Elizabeth Warren and from all of the activist groups around the Democratic Party who have been so energized by the Sanders campaign. There will be pressure for a very anti-Wall Street platform, and pressure to name a progressive running mate.

I would be amazed if there is violence. Most of the violence directed at Occupy and at Black Lives Matter has come from police, not from demonstrators. After the GOP debacle in Cleveland, Democrats, even left-wing Sanders Democrats and socialists, will want to show that they are the grown ups, capable of being members of a functioning democracy and being part of a sane governing coalition.

I would also be amazed if Hillary Clinton does not go a very long way to accommodate the concerns and demands of the Sanders forces, since they are where the energy is. Her election literally depends on bringing them on board and avoiding a party split. If Hillary is welcoming, I'd be amazed if Bernie went away mad, or encouraged his young supporters to do so.

To be sure, some of the Sanders people will be dispirited and disaffected, but not most. The stakes this year are simply too high.

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The analogy that comes to mind is 1968, when Democrats splintered and Richard Nixon sneaked in as winner. But this time the 1968 analogy fits the Republicans -- if Democrats can avoid the cheap satisfaction of the circular firing squad.

However, there is one more awful wrinkle. Let's go back to the Republicans in Cleveland. If Trump is the nominee, the establishment Republicans will very likely mount a third party campaign.

Conversely, if Trump has the most delegates and he is denied nomination, he will very likely run as an independent. So expect a three-way race, one way or the other.

And if either third party candidate wins some states and none gets an Electoral College majority, under the Constitution the election would be thrown into the (Republican) House to pick the next president. That would probably be House Speaker Paul Ryan.

This is a revolutionary year, but revolutions fail more often than they succeed. Wouldn't it be the height of irony if after all the politicized anger at the shafting of working people -- represented by Sanders on the left and (weirdly) by Trump on the right -- the financial and political establishment managed to keep the lid on, with one of the most conventional rightwing and pro-corporate figures in American politics, Paul Ryan?

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Indeed, my colleague Peter Dreier suggests two ways for Paul Ryan to become president -- either as the compromise Republican nominee at a brokered convention; or if the decision is thrown into the House for the first time since 1824.

You say you want a revolution? Just imagine America under President Ryan.

I often quote the eminent British historian, A.J.P. Taylor, who studied the abortive nationalist and democratic European revolutions of 1848, all of which were crushed in short order: "It was a turning point of history, but history didn't turn."

Things don't always come round right. This should be a year when Trump finally blows up the bogus Republican alliance between social conservatives and Wall Street billionaires who play the dog-patch base for suckers; a year when Sanderista activists finally blow up the Wall Street capture of the Democrats. It may yet happen.

But never underestimate the power of elites. Stay tuned, stay active, and stay vigilant.

--

Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect and professor at Brandeis University's Heller School. His latest book is Debtors' Prison: The Politics of Austerity Versus Possibility.
James Bond -- aka 007-- needs no introduction. Since 50 years now, the world knows about him and the films that made him famous. Everybody has a favorite actor in the role, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, opinions abound on who made him better and fans of both the novels and the movies always rejoice to the announcement that a new edition will soon be made, will soon come to screens of the world - and when a new actor is scheduled to take on the glamorous role, bets have driven the celebrity news columns to a frenzy.

If you are a fan, surely you wouldn't want to miss the upcoming exhibit arriving soon in Paris -- the show will address everything Bond. The 50- year retrospective of James Bond reunites over 500 original objects to completely immerse oneself into the demented world of the most famous spy of all.

Design was always a big thing in the movies, from cars to pens, from fashion (that impeccable tailored tuxedo!) for suave James and the Bond girls, from real landscapes to majestic hotels, the style was always a dominant trait of every 007 story. The spectacular actions were always framed in the most magnificent locales and real-life places and architecture.

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Paris in the Spring.

Just in time for spring and the welcomed new things to do in the city in flowers. Each spring brings a festival of shows, trends, cafe openings and lighter fare menus. With the markets revived in crisp new fruits and veggies, the temptations are plenty after so many months of hot soups and comfort food.

The location of the exhibit is a sight in itself: La Grande Halle de la Villette, built in 1865, is a former slaughterhouse, made of cast iron and glass, now transformed into a vast cultural center in Paris 19th arrondissement. Last renovated in 2007, the historical building is used for trade fairs, art exhibitions, music fest, as well as open-air showing of movies.

007

From Dr. No to Spectre, artifacts, weapons, cars and clothing from each movie will be on display. Some wardrobe has never been shown outside of the sets of the movies. Even though it is a very British creation, as written by Ian Fleming, after his death, the tradition of spy novels continued with various authors keeping the legacy of Fleming intact throughout the many other titles written after his passing. Ten of them as of today have continued to create explosive stories.

The actors playing James have not always been British either, with George Lazenby (Australian) and Barry Nelson (American). But they were the exceptions. The other super males are British, Scottish, or Irish - including the most recognized of all, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, David Niven, and finally Daniel Craig. Who's to say who the next Bond will be?

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More info:

JAMES BOND 007 Exposition

Grande Halle de la Villette

211 avenue Jean Jaures 75019 Paris

Prices in Euros: Adult 21, 99 ; under 12 16, 99 ; free for under 4.

Special Monday price for adults 18,99 

Metro stop: Porte de Pantin.
I recently read an excellent essay by Sanford J. Ungar. Published in Foreign Affairs, the piece explains why it's so important for Americans to study abroad. "The trouble is that relatively few Americans currently enjoy this kind of life-changing overseas experience," writes Ungar. He cites many reasons for this, including inflexible curriculum requirements at American institutions of higher learning and the extra costs that could come with such an endeavor. Another significant problem is "the lack of curricular and socioeconomic diversity among those who do go overseas." (The majority of students who study abroad are white and come from elite backgrounds.) Ungar notes that there have been some steps in the right direction. However, "efforts to increase the number of Americans studying abroad have been piecemeal and only partially successful."

The United States would undoubtedly benefit if more Americans were to study abroad. In an increasingly interconnected world, having a more nuanced understanding of world affairs (including language skills) will become ever more relevant. Yet, moving beyond issues of competition in the global marketplace, U.S. global leadership, and the strategic and national security implications associated with this idea, Ungar's thoughtful piece has reminded me of how important, how absolutely vital my study abroad experiences were in shaping my worldview and encouraging me to appreciate diverse perspectives and different customs.

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During college, I was lucky. I got to study abroad on three occasions. I spent summers in Innsbruck, Austria and Buenos Aires, Argentina. I lived in Valencia, Spain for a semester. I travelled widely on all three occasions. Those moments abroad forced me out of my comfort zone and deepened my intellectual curiosity. I was challenged, not just to learn and appreciate what people from different countries and backgrounds think. I began to understand the importance of appreciating why people think the way that they do. I met numerous people who were passionate (and often not in a positive way) about U.S. foreign policy and other aspects of American culture.

In Argentina and Spain, I lived with host families; I remained an outsider, of course, but I also go a feel for what it's actually like to live in Buenos Aires and Valencia. I learned things that people staying in dormitories with other Americans probably wouldn't learn. I had conversations that people who don't study abroad probably cannot have.

For me, studying abroad was an educational gateway to a world that I wasn't sure even existed. It's one thing, for example, to read about Argentinean politics in The New York Times, it's quite another to be discussing it over a bottle of Malbec in the heart of Buenos Aires. It's one thing to learn about Spanish literature and culture in Athens, Georgia, it's quite another to be doing it over a three-hour lunch in a major city on Spain's eastern coast. Besides, having to defend one's ideas in a second language is usually a worthwhile experience.

At times stressful, other times exhilarating, those moments abroad were rarely (if ever) dull. I left college knowing that I was fortunate to have had the chance to go abroad. Having said that, many of my peers, who'd had similar upbringings to me, could have studied abroad, but chose not to; it didn't seem to interest them, though I suspect fear or anxiety may also have been factors.

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If those establishment Republicans who really do want to stop Donald Trump also want to beat Hillary Clinton, their options have narrowed to just about one. They need to get Ted Cruz to withdraw from the race and throw his support to Ohio Governor John Kasich. And they better not wait till the convention, where a thoroughly fanciful food fight against dear leader Trump would tear their party apart.

As for the ballyhooed effort by a few elements of the Republican establishment to take down Trump with negative ads, well, it hasn't worked and it's now mostly unravelled. The supposed big money campaign is mostly melting away, as we see from reports of the most recent meetings, and Trump looks dominant in polls for most upcoming state primaries. And as for the option of backing Cruz ... fuhgeddaboudit.

The falangist Texas senator is so politically extreme and personally repellent, that last according to his own Republican Senate colleagues, that he would be easy pickings for Hillary. At least Trump has the potential to upend normal campaign dynamics with his Fox News/"reality" TV/social media-derived mastery of the present media culture. And he is certainly quite effective at tearing down his opponents, as media favorites Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio learned the hard way.

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Hillary certainly hasn't mastered the new media disorder. As unpopular as the neo-fascist Trump may be, her credibility problem, thanks to the e-mail gaffe and perpetual nonsense, may be worse than his. But the former secretary of state did effectively turn the Bern down to a flame with her impressive five-state sweep last Tuesday, squelching the socialist senator's Michigan breakthrough with a huge win in Ohio (gaining support over the closing weekend after Sanders had closed the gap), along with expected landslide wins in Florida and North Carolina. Sanders has an important role to play going forward building a big vote and powerful progressive wing, but his tantalizingly close performances in Iowa and Nevada, where he had real opportunities to upend Hillary, will haunt him.

As for the Duce, er, Donald, the billionaire bully boy took four out of five Republican contests, including a near 20-point humiliation of establishment fave rave Marco Rubio in his home state Florida.

"Bye bye, little Marco, you're fired!" Yes, I find Trump quite entertaining -- though I always put him in the media section -- and have even worked up an impression of the guy. I also find him to be sinister as hell, as you may have noticed.

Anyway, Trump's it for the Republicans. He only lost to Kasich, the quite decent governor of Ohio, in the Ohio primary. Everywhere else, he won, despite $23 million in attack ads against him in the previous two weeks. Trump says it was $43 million, by the way, but what else would you expect from someone who says he's the most presidential guy ever, "except for the great Abe Lincoln."

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That's perfect, you know, "the great" Abe Lincoln. Trump is such a dyed-in-the-wool huckster he can't turn it off, even when it's obviously unnecessary.

"I'm more presidential than those other guys on Mount Rushmore though. My plane's much better than the Jefferson Airplane. Solid gold fixtures. Classy. World classy. The other guys there didn't even have planes. Losers. I'm the most successful person ever to run for president. ..."

Ahem. Back to business. But hey, if you can't laugh about the devolution of a once, well, not embarrassing political party, what can you laugh about?

Of course, the real joke, which is kind of on us all, is that, quite unlike Cruz, who has no dynamics as a candidate, Trump might just win. In a demolition derby campaign, naturally. I don't expect him to win, but if a few things go wrong for Hillary and the Dems -- economic downturn/terrorist spectacular/geopolitical humiliation/Clinton scandal -- and his own luck holds, Donald Trump is president.

Which you can bet a lot of big-time Republicans know. So what if he's a neo-fascist? In world history, conservatives have not infrequently worked with neo-fascists. And it's not like it's that giant a step for a party sliding in that direction for a long time. As then U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell said before the inconvenience known as Watergate: "This country is going to go so far to the right you won't recognize it."

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Mitchell was the New York bond lawyer who arranged for the then ex-Vice President Richard Nion to move to New York and join his Wall Street firm after getting trounced in the California governor's race by Pat Brown. He then served as Nixon's campaign manager -- implementing the notorious "Southern strategy" to take advantage of white backlash against the Civil Rights Act -- and then as attorney general before becoming a top Watergate conspirator.

So this stuff does predate the Fox News strategy of aggregating and activating a mass right-wing base. And Fox News chief Roger Ailes was, wait for it, Nixon's groundbreaking media consultant in 1968 prior to the rest of his pre-Fox career as a conservative Republican consultant.

So what Ailes proceeded to do with Fox News in the past decade actually had a strong set of predicates. (Nixon, of course, has a rather mixed heritage of a paranoid sort of repressive policy on the one hand and some otherwise surprising creative moderation in aspects of environmental and social welfare policy.)

The strategy that former Nixon media consultant Roger Ailes pursued in aggregating and agitating most of what has become the Republican base via Fox News programming derives from the previous examples of the big evangelical Christian TV ministries, the Talk Radio Right of Rush Limbaugh and his ilk, and the frequently central online conveyor belt role played by the Drudge Report.

And so, as moderation evaporated, the Republicans became the party of low taxes for the rich and big corporations, denialism of much of modern science (especially evolution and climate change), seething resentment of "the other," and crackpot interventionism and imperialism.

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Seeing and seizing the main chance, Trump neatly slid into virtually all of these emerging tendencies in an already activated and angered media base.

Evangelical Christians, for example, have demonstrated how their brand of followership slots neatly into Trump's neo-fascist politics throughout the primaries, despite Trump's laughable lack of religiosity, much less belief in the ethical teachings of Christ.

Neoconservatives, however, stick out with their resentment of Trump for his criticism -- very much after the fact, mind you -- of the invasion of Iraq. But Trump, while not satisfying neocon elites still trying to claim they weren't wrong on the Middle East, nonetheless satisfies what populist neocon sentiments there are through his crude but effective talk of American exceptionalism and promise of triumph over threatening foreigners.

Against Trump's shrewd gut-level appeal to basic instincts in the party's now quite Foxonian popular core, establishment Republicans have proved to be mostly flat-footed and/or half-hearted.

The reality is that most party establishment folks are lobbyists, mercenary consultants and PR types, elite fundraisers of the One Percent, Beltway think tank propagandists, and career politicians.

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To most folks like this, an obvious stiff like Jeb Bush or a chameleon-on-plaid like Marco Rubio is a consummate professional and true leader. (To Trump, they were fresh meat.)

A shallow, ADD, insular political media, missing Trump entirely, gilded all that into something it decidedly was not, something which Trump was all too happy to implode like an old casino long overdue for demolition.

For Trump, who is a phony, looks oddly real compared to what was supposedly the greatest Republican presidential field in memory.

The Dems have their own problems, of course: too tied both to Wall Street and narrowcast unions, as well as too PC. Their path forward is complex. But the Dems are a party of hope, not hate.

And what of moderate, modern Republicans? Well, though I'm not a Republican, I was with John McCain 2000 and Arnold Schwarzenegger (the latter, not incidentally, utterly essential to California's world leadership on renewable energy, new transportation, and climate change.) But McCain has moved to the right and Arnold, who helped Kasich win the Ohio primary, has just established his Arnold Classic multi-sport festival on every continent except Antarctica. The only moderate Republicans around much now are on Mad Men. And that show, notably set in the 1960s, has concluded its original run.

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John Kasich is a good man, a thoughtful, non-radical, non-hating conservative. But in no other Western nation would anyone serious really call him a moderate.

We've come a long way, baby.
The news that candidate Trump is going to address AIPAC, the American Jewish lobby group that lobbies U.S. government support for Israel, is part of a great unhinging.

About the controversial invitation, one line of argument insists that AIPAC never should have invited Trump for reasons that should be obvious. A second line of argument is promoted by those who allege that the very fact that AIPAC invited Trump represents the lobby's true ideological colors, indeed the racist underpinnings of Zionism. In defense of the lobby, a third line of argument claims that AIPAC traditionally invites to its convention major candidates from both parties with a serious chance of securing their party nomination.

But the traditional protocols by which any leading candidate is invited to AIPAC ignores how much the old status quo is now threatened by a fundamental state of collapse. Reflecting what's wrong with AIPAC, the controversy reflects what's wrong with Israel, America, and American Judaism.

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-- Israel is today a country led by an extremist radical rightwing government whose members openly espouse anti-Arab racism while undermining democratic norms in the name of ethnocentric and religious forms of Zionism -- namely those very shared norms that are supposed to establish the bedrock foundation to U.S.-Israel relations. After some nearly fifty years of occupation, Israel is becoming unrecognizable to large segments of the American and American Jewish public.

-- American political discourse today is dominated by an extreme authoritarian who traffics openly in angry populism, religious intolerance, crude racism, xenophobia, and gross misogyny. Fueled by the very media upon which the candidate heaps contempt, he represents a political phenomenon crossing over into political violence. A clear redline should have been drawn in this particular case. Racism is as American as apple pie, but its best instincts and institutions are pluralist and democratic. In Donald Trump, the Republican Party if not the country itself is becoming almost unrecognizable.

-- By inviting Trump to its convention, AIPAC, having long since become dominated by rightwing Zionism, no longer represents a bed-rock consensus in the American Jewish community. Technically, AIPAC is supposed to support whichever government in Israel the people there elect, and elicits support from whichever candidates are chosen by the American people. The protocol courting Democrats and Republicans alike may have once worked more or less well; but today not so well. The invitation legitimates the position of a rank American demagogue while aligning the American Jewish community with an extreme rightwing currents in Israel. In the process, AIPAC undermines democratic norms in the two countries whose alliance the organization promotes.

Many Jews in the United States are applauding Bernie Sanders for skipping the meeting. The Trump invitation only confirms what they already believe about Zionism. Indeed, it would be both easy and unrealistic simply to wash one's hands and walk away from AIPAC and the cause it represents. But for most American Jews, too much has already been invested politically, morally and emotionally into Israel for that to either happen or to end up well. For the Jewish community, it will be nothing less than a disaster to watch in the public eye a room full of lobbyists applauding when a demagogue panders to them with simplistic words and crude expression about two countries facing complex and potentially fatal challenges.

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Politically and morally, Zionism and Israel cannot afford to be hitched to the candidate of white supremacism, particularly to the anti-Muslim racism he promotes. Regardless of ideological persuasion and party affiliation, the best thing for the United States, for Israel, for the American Jewish community, and for AIPAC itself as an organization would be for people inside and outside the convention to come together in rigorous protest and to recommit to democratic norms when Trump speaks.
"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."
TAUSEEF MUSTAFA via Getty Images Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti (L) looks on during celebrations marking India's Republic Day at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar on January 26, 2016. The anniversary of the partition of the sub-continent in 1947 is often a tense period in Kashmir, a picturesque Himalayan territory which has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule. AFP PHOTO / TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP / TAUSEEF MUSTAFA (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)

SRINAGAR -- PDP President Mehbooba Mufti is likely to call a meeting of senior party leaders in the coming days to clear the "misgivings" about the deadlock over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir with BJP.

"The PDP president is likely to hold a meeting with senior party leaders in the next few days to inform them about the last week's developments on government formation," sources in the PDP said.

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The sources said the date of the meeting has not been finalised yet as several senior party leaders are stuck in Jammu due to closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

The PDP and the BJP failed to end the deadlock on government formation as the meeting between their respective party presidents -- Mehbooba and Amit Shah on Thursday -- could not make any headway.

While the BJP said it could not form the government based on fresh conditions put forth by the PDP, the regional party maintained that there were no new demands made by it but only wanted assurances on a timeframe for implementation of the "Agenda of Alliance" agreed between the two parties last year.

"The BJP is trying to give an impression that the PDP is making some new demands for the government formation which is not true.We only want implementation of the agenda of alliance.These misgivings have to be cleared," the PDP source said.

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The sources said the issues flagged by the PDP president during her meeting with BJP top leaders are part of the agenda of alliance which was finalised by PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with the national party.

"The PDP president has made it clear time and again that she will stand by her father's decision of forming an alliance with the BJP as he was convinced that it is in the interests of the people of the state.All that Mehbooba wants to ensure is that the promises made to her father in terms of political initiatives and economic progress of the state see the light of the day," they said.

The sources said Mehbooba may also hold a press conference "in a day or two" to put forth her party's stand on the ongoing deadlock.

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Opening Remarks at the 2016 China Development Forum  China in the New Five-Year Plan

By Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, IMF

Beijing, March 20, 2016

As Prepared For Delivery

Your Excellence, Vice Premier Zhang Goali, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; good morning! Zao Shang Hao! 

I always find it such a great pleasure to come back to Beijing in the Springtime--and in the company of such an esteemed audience. I would like to thank Mr. Li Wei and his colleagues at the Development Research Center for inviting me here today.

Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate China on its leadership of the G20 this year.

During the Two-Session meeting that concluded last week, China launched the new Five-Year Plan. The Plan clearly articulates President Xis vision of the path to "rejuvenate" the Chinese nation. One way to interpret the Plan's main objectives is growth and development for the people, by the people, and shared with the people.

China is the midst of an historic transition which will transform its economy and deliver economic and environmental sustainability. This transition is good for China and good for the world.

We should expect that, like any major transition, it will at times be bumpy. A delicate balance needs to be struck between shifting to a relatively slower but more sustainable pace of growth, and advancing much-needed structural reforms.

Three policy imperatives can help guide this balance, combined in what I call the ONE principle. What is that? O pen, N arrow, E xpand.



 Open -- the Chinese economy: make it more market-driven and deepen its integration with the global economy. The inclusion of the renminbi in the SDR basket is a clear demonstration of China's continued commitment to further integration.



 Narrow -- the gap between the rich and the poor, the rural and the urban, and with greater emphasis on green development. This will ensure that prosperity is durable and widely shared.



 Expand -- innovation and entrepreneurship, increase investment in R&D, and move up the value-added chain. This will generate new drivers of growth.

O pen, N arrow, E xpand -- the ONE principle.



These key elements are brought together by the Five-Year Plan. Their implementation will help China to achieve higher-quality, more inclusive, more sustainable growthand to realize the Chinese dream.

As the Chinese proverb goes: When people work with one mind, they can even move Mountain Taishan ren xin qi, tai shan yi []

The IMF remains China's steadfast partner. Together, we can move Mountain Taishan!

Thank you.
Imperial Valley News Center

The United States Welcomes Release of Djiboutian Prisoners of War

Washington, DC - The United States welcomes the release by Eritrea of four Djiboutian prisoners, taken captive after the 2008 conflict over the shared border between the two countries.

We remain concerned for the remaining prisoners of war who have not been reunited with their families. We thank the Government of Qatar for their mediation efforts to bring about their release and this contribution to regional peace and security.

We reaffirm our strong support for Qatars ongoing efforts to mediate and the work of the Governments of Djibouti and Eritrea to resolve outstanding issues.
California Woman Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Multimillion Dollar Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Sacramento, California - United States District Judge John A. Mendez sentenced Vera Kuzmenko, 46, of Loomis, to 14 years in prison for multiple counts of mail and wire fraud, witness tampering, and money laundering associated with her involvement in a mortgage fraud scheme that cost financial institutions over $16 million, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

On December 4, 2015, after a 16-day trial, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts for Kuzmenko and Rachel Siders, 40, of Roseville. Siders is scheduled to be sentenced on June 21, 2016.

According to evidence presented at trial, from late 2006 through early 2008, Kuzmenko and Siders engaged in a mortgage fraud scheme involving over 30 properties in the Sacramento area. They were responsible for securing more than $30 million in residential mortgage loans on more than 30 homes purchased through straw buyers. Records introduced at trial showed Vera Kuzmenko received millions of dollars.

Kuzmenko, who had been a licensed real estate agent for part of the scheme, created fraudulent loan applications on behalf of the straw buyers. The loan applications contained materially false information as to the straw buyers income, employment, assets, and intent to occupy the residences. The loan paperwork also hid from lenders millions of dollars of payments that went to the defendants. She also served as a straw-buyer herself. With respect to the witness tampering count, the evidence showed that after Kuzmenko learned the FBI was investigating her, she told various witnesses to lie to the FBI and blame a dead woman for the fraud.

U.S. Attorney Wagner stated: There were many causes for the mortgage crisis that decimated the national economy and hit the Sacramento region so especially hard. One factor that did not help, and that contributed to the explosion of foreclosures in our neighborhoods was the proliferation of mortgage fraud schemes like the one operated by Vera Kuzmenko. My office will continue to seek to hold accountable those who profited from such schemes, and the sentence imposed today is a significant reminder that there is a heavy price to pay for those who seek to profit through fraud.

Vera Kuzmenkos scheme cost financial institutions over $16 million, said Michael T. Batdorf, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation. Fraud in the mortgage industry has played a major role in almost crippling this nations economy. While todays sentencing cannot reverse the damage caused by these defendants, IRS-CI is committed to investigate individuals who engage in deceptive and fraudulent behavior, fueled by greed.

As the mastermind of a scheme to intentionally defraud members of her own community, Vera Kuzmenko, coordinated a network of individuals who perpetrated a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme, said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Manuel Alvarez of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Sacramento field office. Her sentence cannot undo the damage done to her communitys trust and financial well-being, but it will ensure justice for victims and serve as a warning to other would-be fraudsters.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lee S. Bickley and Michael D. Anderson and Special U.S. Attorney David J. Ward are prosecuting the case.

On October 20, 2015, Judge Mendez sentenced co-defendants Peter Kuzmenko, 37, of West Sacramento, to 19 years in prison; Aaron New, 41, of Sacramento, to 11 years and three months in prison; Nadia Kuzmenko, 36, formerly of Loomis, to eight years in prison; and Edward Shevtsov, 52, of North Highlands, to eight years in prison. They were found guilty on February 13, 2015, after a 21-day trial, of multiple counts of mail and wire fraud associated with the mortgage fraud scheme. In addition, Peter Kuzmenko, Edward Shevtsov, and Aaron New were found guilty of money laundering associated with the scheme, and Nadia Kuzmenko was found guilty of witness tampering.
Former Correctional Officer at Susanville Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes

Sacramento, California - Jordan Kinglee, 23, of Susanville, pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud for smuggling cellphones into prison, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, while working as a correctional officer at the California Correctional Center (CCC) in Susanville, Kinglee smuggled cellphones into the prison for an inmate. A friend of the inmate, who was not in custody, paid Kinglee more than $8,000 to smuggle the cellphones. As a correctional officer, Kinglee was prohibited under California law from providing cellphones to prisoners, receiving any compensation from prisoners or their representatives, and from any barter or dealings with any prisoner. Kinglee was arrested on May 12, 2015.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Office of Internal Affairs Northern Region, and the Susanville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Christiaan Highsmith is prosecuting the case.

Kinglee is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on June 9, 2016. Kinglee faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Three Charged in Arson Fraud Scheme Involving Seven Sacramento Area Commercial Buildings

Sacramento, California - Three Sacramento-area men have been charged in a 60-count indictment for a scheme to commit multiple arsons for profit, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

The indictment returned by a grand jury on February 25, 2016, and unsealed today, charges Jamal M. Shehadeh, 57, of Sacramento, with all counts: seven counts of arson, 52 counts of mail and wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. Brian J. Stone, 57, of Elk Grove, is charged with 13 counts of mail fraud or wire fraud, and Saber A. Shehadeh, 73, of Sacramento, is charged with three counts of mail fraud. As a result of the scheme, the defendants and their associates received over $1.5 million in insurance proceeds.

According to court documents, the defendants participated in an arson fraud scheme that ran from at least December 2009 through September 2013, involving seven fires at six commercial buildings in Sacramento and Carmichael. Jamal Shehadeh owned and operated various businesses, many of which burned in commercial structure fires. Saber Shehadeh owned Tru Value Market and a nearby corner property, which were destroyed in two of the fires. Brian Stone provided business consultant services that included assisting with the insurance claims.

The dates and locations of the fires are as follows:

1007 E Street and 427 10th St., Sacramento  December 27, 2009 511 Broadway, Sacramento  June 9, 2010 427 10th St., Sacramento  August 15, 2010 6964 65th St., Sacramento  April 23, 2012 5725 Marconi Avenue, Carmichael  September 24, 2012 910 University Avenue, Sacramento  October 15, 2012 2764 Fulton Avenue, Sacramento  June 16, 2013

According to the indictment, Jamal Shehadeh and others working with him and at his direction obtained insurance policies that covered fire damage for businesses owned and controlled by the defendants and their associates. In some cases, false statements were made to insurance representatives in order to obtain insurance coverage. Once Jamal Shehadeh knew that insurance policies existed, he deliberately set fires or caused fires to be set that damaged the businesses and at least one vehicle.

According to the indictment, after the properties were destroyed and damaged by fire, the defendants submitted insurance claims. Those claims contained false statements regarding the amount, cost, value, and true ownership of property damaged and destroyed in a particular fire, as well as the prior income of the business, the amount of lost business income, and whether a business had reopened.

As part of the scheme, the defendants made false statements regarding the identity of the company doing the post-fire cleanup, the relationship between the insured and the company doing the cleanup, the actual cost of the cleanup, and whether other companies had been consulted to do the cleanup work and had submitted bids and estimates. In some cases, the defendants used a company that Jamal Shehadeh controlled for the cleanup, while misrepresenting to the insurance companies that it was a third-party company.

In furtherance of the scheme, the defendants personally, and through their associates and companies and accounts that they controlled, received insurance proceeds from the insurance companies.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District and the City of Sacramento Fire Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Anderson and Christopher S. Hales are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the defendants face the following possible penalties: The maximum statutory penalty for mail fraud or wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The statutory penalty for arson of property used in commerce is five to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. There is a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for the first count of arson to commit a federal felony, a mandatory 20 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence for each subsequent count and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum statutory penalty for money laundering is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Male menopause: Myth or reality?

Scottsdale, Arizona - Hormone changes are a natural part of aging. Unlike the more dramatic reproductive hormone plunge that occurs in women during menopause, however, sex hormone changes in men occur gradually. Here's what to expect, and what you can do about it.

Debunking the male menopause myth

The term "male menopause" is sometimes used to describe decreasing testosterone levels or a reduction in the bioavailability of testosterone related to aging. Female menopause and so-called male menopause are two different situations, however. In women, ovulation ends and hormone production plummets during a relatively short period of time. In men, hormone production and testosterone bioavailability decline over a period of many years and the consequences aren't necessarily clear.

So what's the best way to refer to so-called male menopause? Many doctors use the term "andropause" to describe aging-related hormone changes in men. Other terms include testosterone deficiency syndrome, androgen deficiency of the aging male and late-onset male hypogonadism.

Understanding male hormones over time

Testosterone levels vary greatly among men. In general, however, older men tend to have lower testosterone levels than do younger men. Testosterone levels gradually decline throughout adulthood  about 1 percent a year after age 30 on average.

Recognizing low testosterone levels

A blood test is the only way to diagnose a low testosterone level or a reduction in the bioavailability of testosterone. Some men have a lower than normal testosterone level without signs or symptoms. In this case, no treatment is needed. For others, low testosterone might cause:

Changes in sexual function. This might include erectile dysfunction, reduced sexual desire, fewer spontaneous erections  such as during sleep  and infertility. Your testes might become smaller as well.

Changes in sleep patterns. Sometimes low testosterone causes sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, or increased sleepiness.

Physical changes. Various physical changes are possible, including increased body fat; reduced muscle bulk and strength; and decreased bone density. Swollen or tender breasts (gynecomastia) and loss of body hair are possible. Rarely, you might experience hot flashes and have less energy.

Emotional changes. Low testosterone might contribute to a decrease in motivation or self-confidence. You might feel sad or depressed, or have trouble concentrating or remembering things.

However, some of these signs and symptoms can be caused by underlying factors other than low testosterone, including medication side effects, thyroid problems, depression and excessive alcohol use. There are also conditions, such as obstructive sleep apnea, that might affect testosterone levels. Once these conditions are identified and treated, testosterone typically will return to a normal level.

Feeling your best

If you are experiencing signs and symptoms that might be the result of a low testosterone level, consult your doctor. He or she can evaluate possible causes for the way you feel and explain treatment options.

You can't boost your natural testosterone production, but these steps might help:

Be honest with your doctor. Work with your doctor to identify and treat any health issues that might be causing or contributing to your signs and symptoms  from medication side effects to erectile dysfunction and other sexual issues.

Make healthy lifestyle choices. Eat a healthy diet and include physical activity in your daily routine. Healthy lifestyle choices will help you maintain your strength, energy and lean muscle mass. Regular physical activity can even improve your mood and promote better sleep.

Seek help if you feel down. Depression in men doesn't always mean having the blues. Depression can cause men to suppress their feelings and become more aggressive or irritable. Men also might try to self-medicate by abusing alcohol or other substances.

Be wary of herbal supplements. Herbal supplements haven't been proved safe and effective for aging-related low testosterone. Some supplements might even be dangerous. Long-term use of DHEA, for example, has no proven benefits and might increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Treating aging-related low testosterone with testosterone replacement therapy is controversial. For some men, testosterone therapy relieves bothersome signs and symptoms of testosterone deficiency. For others, however, the benefits aren't clear and there are possible risks. Testosterone replacement therapy might increase the risk of heart attack, prostate cancer or other health problems. If you wonder whether testosterone treatments might be right for you, work with your doctor to weigh the pros and cons.
Vast Majority of People With Mitral Valve Prolapse Wont Need Surgery

Rochester, Minnesota - The vast majority of people who have mitral valve prolapse do not require surgery. For some, though, surgery is needed eventually. To monitor your condition, you should have regular follow-up appointments with your doctor, along with imaging exams of the mitral valve. How often you need these appointments depends on the severity of your condition. Antibiotics before dental work no longer are recommended for people with mitral valve prolapse.

Your mitral valve is located between your hearts upper and lower left chambers  the left atrium and the left ventricle. The valve is made up of two triangular-shaped flaps of tissue called leaflets. Mitral valve prolapse happens when the leaflets dont close tightly together when your heart beats. During mitral valve prolapse, the leaflets bulge, or prolapse, into the upper chamber (left atrium) as the heart contracts.

Many people arent aware that they have mitral valve prolapse, because it often doesnt cause any symptoms. Its usually found on an exam thats done for another reason. However, in some cases, mitral valve prolapse can cause blood to leak backward into the left atrium, a condition called mitral valve regurgitation. Although it doesnt always lead to symptoms, mitral valve regurgitation may trigger symptoms such as a racing or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, fatigue or chest pain.

If you have mitral valve prolapse without mitral valve regurgitation, or if it is mild, treatment usually isnt required. Your doctor likely will suggest you have regular follow-up exams to monitor your condition. Many people with mitral valve prolapse have these exams once a year.

Youll also likely have an ultrasound examination of your heart, called an echocardiogram, on a regular basis. Echocardiograms use high-frequency sound waves to create images of your heart and its structures, including the mitral valve, and the flow of blood through the heart. How often you need an echocardiogram depends on the severity of your condition. It can vary from about every five years in mild cases, to every six months in severe cases.

Mitral valve prolapse usually does not get worse or cause other problems. If, over time, however, you develop severe mitral valve regurgitation, then surgery may be necessary. If left untreated, severe mitral valve regurgitation eventually can cause heart failure, preventing your heart from effectively pumping blood.

Surgery for mitral valve prolapse involves repairing or replacing the valve. For many people, repair surgery that preserves their own valve can effectively correct prolapse and regurgitation. If valve repair isnt possible, then the damaged mitral valve is replaced with an artificial valve. The artificial valves are either mechanical or they are made from animal tissue.

Your second question about antibiotics is a good one. Doctors used to recommend that some people with mitral valve prolapse take antibiotics before certain dental or medical procedures to prevent an infection in the inner lining of the heart called endocarditis. Thats not the case anymore. According to the American Heart Association, antibiotics are no longer necessary for people who have mitral valve regurgitation or mitral valve prolapse.

If you havent already done so, talk to your doctor about how often you need to have follow-up appointments for mitral valve prolapse. If at any point you start to develop symptoms that could be related to the prolapse, make an appointment to see your doctor promptly.  Dr. Sorin Pislaru, Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Increased risk of mild cognitive impairment following traumatic brain injury

Dallas, Texas - Traumatic brain injury appears to be related to both increased risk and earlier onset of mild cognitive impairment, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

Researchers discovered those who had experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) with loss of consciousness for more than five minutes were at greater risk of being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, and showed signs of that impairment 2.3 years earlier on average than those with no TBI history. The study analyzed cases of 3,187 people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment versus a normal-cognition group of 3,244 in a large, multicenter national database.

Other studies have implicated traumatic brain injury as a risk factor for later development of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimers disease, but this report was the first of a possible link between TBI and MCI. The study was published recently in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease.

The researchers found several important variables associated with a higher risk for MCI: TBI with loss of consciousness for greater than five minutes, certain genetic risk factors, and a history of depression. However, these MCI risk factors need closer examination, researchers said.

This is one of the first studies to demonstrate later-life risks of mild cognitive impairment in relation to a remote history of traumatic brain injury in a large population sample, said senior author Dr. C. Munro Cullum, Professor of Psychiatry, and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern. We cannot yet determine who is at greatest risk for later-life cognitive decline following TBI, but these results suggest that a relationship exists for some people. Our ultimate goal is to identify various risk factors that may play a role.

In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that TBIs accounted for approximately 2.5 million emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States. Mild cognitive impairment, which typically occurs later in life, affects 10 to 20 percent of those aged 65 and older, according to the Alzheimers Association.

In the database sample group, researchers found TBI patients who had lost consciousness were 1.2 to 1.3 times more likely to be diagnosed with MCI than those who had not suffered brain injuries. Much of that elevated risk also was influenced by a history of depression, added Dr. Cullum, who holds the Pam Blumenthal Distinguished Professorship in Clinical Psychology.

The data came from patient information documented in the National Alzheimers Coordinating Center database, which is pooled from 29 National Institute of Aging-funded Alzheimers disease centers in the U.S. The group studied included those age 50 or older who had initial and follow-up visits completed between September 2005 and December 2013.

TBI is hypothesized to activate a neurodegenerative process that may interact with age and other factors over time, Dr. Cullum said. This study shows a correlation between TBI and MCI, but more research remains to be done to explore this apparent link. Factors such as neuroinflammation and buildup in the brain of proteins such as tau or amyloid following injury and over a persons lifetime may play a role.

For more information on this and related studies, Dr. Cullum will speak at the Spring Forum of the Friends of the Alzheimers Disease Center, scheduled at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 31 at UT Southwestern. Dr. Cullum, a member of the Alzheimers Disease Center at UT Southwestern, will discuss the relationship between traumatic brain injury and cognitive disorders later in life. The free presentation is open to the public; reservations can be made by calling 214-648-2344.

Lead author of the study was Christian LoBue, a graduate student in UT Southwesterns Clinical Psychology Program, and contributing authors were David Denney, also a graduate student; Dr. Linda Hynan, Professor of Clinical Sciences and Psychiatry; Dr. Heidi Rossetti, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry; Dr. Laura Lacritz, Professor of Psychiatry, and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics; Dr. John Hart, Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, and Psychiatry; Dr. Kyle Womack, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, and Psychiatry; and Dr. Fu Woon, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry.

Support for the study came from UT Southwesterns Alzheimers Disease Center, the National Institutes of Health, and the Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair (TIBIR) at UT Southwestern. Founded in 2014, TIBIR embodies a comprehensive and transformative approach to how brain injuries are prevented and treated.

UT Southwestern has established the Peter ODonnell Jr. Brain Institute, a comprehensive initiative dedicated to better understanding the basic molecular workings of the brain and applying these discoveries to the prevention and treatment of brain diseases and injuries.
[File photo]

Educational authorities in Sichuan Province, southwestern China, will commission more materials to meet the growing demand for bilingual books.

The educational bureau of Aba (also translated as Ngawa) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan said it had published 56 Tibetan and mandarin Chinese bilingual books.

In the next five years, 560,000 books will be distributed to kindergartens and schools in the prefecture, it said.

China is promoting bilingual education in all Tibetan areas, however, efforts have been held back as supporting literature is in short supply.

Aba leads bilingual literature publication in Tibetan areas. Its educational bureau asked academics to translate, publish and distribute material for preschoolers in March last year. The books are not yet for sale to the public.

Khenpo, a fifth grade student in Aba, said she and her classmates liked the book's illustrations.

Ma Qingchun, a mandarin teacher at Aba Ethnic Boarding School, which is attended by mostly Tibetan-speaking students, said rural students speak Tibetan better, but children who grow up in the city have a better grasp of mandarin. The bilingual books help them use the language they are comfortable with to assist learning the other.

Most of the books are about science and stories such as "Wanderings of Sanmao," a popular Chinese animation, and "Father and Son," written by German writer E.O. Plauen.

Some books are written in Tibetan dialects, such as Amdo. "My Grassland, My Home" is one for elementary students. It covers traditional rituals, craftsmanship and the "Epic of King Gesar," the Tibetan legend. The chapter on hada etiquette, a long, scarf-like piece of white silk used by Tibetans for blessings, teaches students how to present hada to their elders, esteemed religious figures, peers and juniors.

"The books help the students learn about their own identity and culture," said Yummetso, a fifth grade Tibetan language teacher at Aba Ethnic Boarding School.

Most of her students have read all 32 bilingual books, and they are asking for more, she said.

"We would like more sci-fi as well as some on animal lives, popular science and detective stories," she said.
El Centro Sector Border Patrol Agent Rescues Two Migrants in All-American Canal

Winterhaven, California - An El Centro Sector Border Patrol agent assigned to the Calexico Station rescued two faltering migrants who attempted to swim across the All-American Canal while making illegally entry into the United States on Tuesday.

Our agents often rescue migrants who are put in nightmarish and grave situations by ruthless smugglers, said El Centro Chief Patrol Agent Rodney S. Scott. I commend the agents of the Calexico Station for their quick response and selfless dedication to save these two people from almost certain death had they been swept into the nearby hydro-electric plants intake system.

The incident occurred approximately 18 miles east of the Calexico Downtown Port of Entry at around 7:35 p.m. Border Patrol Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) operators observed a man and woman enter the All-American Canal near the Drop 3 Hydro-electric Plant.

The man appeared to be pulling the woman across the canal by using an inner tube as a flotation device. Border Patrol agents were dispatched to the area. An agent noticed that the man and woman appeared to succumb to the canals frigid waters and strong current. The pair perilously clung to safety buoys in a last ditch effort to keep from being sucked into the hydro-electric plant.

Upon seeing the couples precarious situation, an agent entered the water and single-handedly rescued the man and woman.

The agent, who is also a certified Emergency Medical Technician as part of the Border Patrols Emergency Medical Response Program, examined the pair and determined that they did not require any further medical treatment.

The couple, both Mexican nationals, will be processed for removal from the U.S.

The El Centro Sectors Community Awareness Campaign is a simple and effective program to raise public awareness on the indicators of crime and other threats. We encourage public and private sector employees to remain vigilant and play a key role in keeping our country safe. Please report any suspicious activity to the Border Community Threat Hotline at 1-800-901-2003.
United States Condemns Terrorist Attack in Istanbul, Turkey

Washington, DC - The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack today on Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and our hopes for a quick recovery for those wounded. We will remain in close touch with Turkish authorities during the investigation.

The United States stands in solidarity with our NATO Ally Turkey in combating the common threat of terrorism. This vicious attack is the latest in a series of indefensible violence targeting innocent people throughout Turkey  Turkish citizens and international visitors alike.

These acts of terrorism only reinforce our determination to support all those across the region working to promote peace and reconciliation.
Message on the Occasion of Nowruz

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "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 Irans 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!"
Inflatable Halloween Pumpkin Twice the Size of a House Rings in Spooky Season
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If Clark Gable hadnt uttered Francamente me ne infischio, rather than the better-known English equivalent, would millions in Italy have even seen Gone with the Wind? The countrys voice-over artists insist not.

Italy is a country of castes and special interests, from pharmacists and taxi drivers to politicians and lawyers, but perhaps none is more serene in its power than the group that puts the words in the mouths of the biggest Hollywood celebrities.

But last week French film star Vincent Cassel has dared to speak out against this formidable group, the film dubbing industry. In Italy it is difficult to see a film in the original language, because the voice actors here are a mafia, said Mr Cassel ahead of the release of his latest film A Moment of Madness, which opens in Italy on 24 March.

The power of the dubbers is legendary, and they have even become stars in their own right among mollycoddled Italian cinema-goers for whom the expression Original Language strikes fear into the heart.

Theres film dubbing in France, too, said Mr Cassel, but the dubbers dont have so much power that they run the show. There are creators and the dubbers. The dubbers stick to the voice-overs. When theres a dubbers strike the cinemas [in France] dont close.

And in Italy, strike they do. In June 2014, millions of Italian relevision viewers were unpleasantly surprised to switch on their favourite American sitcoms and hear unfamiliar English being spoken by the actors, accompanied by Italian subtitles.

The sudden exposure to lingua originale came thanks to a strike organised by the countrys several  and powerful  dubbers unions.

Mr Cassel said some of the meaning in his new film, a comedy drama set in Corsica, was lost by having characters speak Italian, rather than French with Parisian and Corsican accents.

Roberto Pedicini, who has done voice-overs for Mr Cassel in the past, although not in this latest film, and who does the dubbing for Kevin Spacey and Javier Bardem, said Italians couldnt be expected to learn every language, and that subtitles were often inaccurate.

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Actor Vincent Cassel said some of the meaning in his new film was lost by having characters speak in a different language (AP) (Getty)

He told the Adnkronos news agency: It would be nice to see every film in its original language. The problem is that wed have to learn really diverse languages, given that the most awarded films at festivals are Asian or from the Middle East. And subtitles are often misleading or compromised.

Massimo Cestaro, the general secretary of the biggest Italian dubbers union, the Associazione Nazionale Attori Doppiatori, told The Independent on Sunday that he didnt see what all the fuss was about.

Every so often this argument comes around. But its not my members who decide whether the film is dubbed or in original language, its the producers. And its normal for books and novels to be translated into different languages and no one complains about that. So whats the difference?

He added: We shouldnt use the word mafia, because that describes something different and very serious.

Italys long and uniquely strong tradition in film dubbing may have started with the first Italian films, when visually expressive actors handicapped by dull voices were dubbed by more mellifluous colleagues.

Mr Cestaro said the tradition was reinforced after the Second World War, when Italian cinema goers were subjected to an invasion by American films, which they were not ready  or willing  to digest in the English language.

As the dubbing industry grew, so did the skill and fame of its main stars, some of whom became associated in the minds of Italian cinema goers with one or more Hollywood stars.

Some celebrated Italian screen actors have also had important dubbing roles. One example is Giancarlo Giannini, who starred in many Hollywood films, including the James Bond pictures Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, as well as doing Italian voice-overs for Al Pacino.

By now, the dubbing culture appears here to stay. Mr Pedicini summed up why: The question is simply this. To make an Italian film appeal to the largest number of people it has to be dubbed. If it werent dubbed, the new film of Cassel would be seen by many fewer people.
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In an announcement that will surprise anyone who saw the disaster that was Terminator Genisys, Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced he will be back as the titular character in the sixth instalment in the series.

Speaking to Australias Channel 9, the Governor of California said when asked about the possibility of him starring in another Terminator film: I am looking forward to it, absolutely.

While he did not go on to speak about any plot details, the news that any sequel is still happening comes as quite a surprise as Paramount previously removed both intended sequels from its release schedule.

Originally, Genisys 2 was set for release in 2017, yet the slot has instead been filled by the Baywatch reboot. Meanwhile, the third films release slot - set for 2019 - remains empty.

TV reboots in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 TV reboots in pictures TV reboots in pictures The X-Files A case for Mulder and Scully? David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files . TV reboots in pictures Full House The cast of Full House circa 1987. The original series first aired in 1987 and ran for eight seasons until 1995. It is set to return and be shown on Netflix. ABC TV reboots in pictures The Powerpuff Girls A new series of the late Nineties superhero series is expected in 2016 with new voice actors as the girls. TV reboots in pictures Heroes Sylar, Peter and co make a welcome return to our TV screens with a third series of the popular show Heroes. NBC TV reboots in pictures Thunderbirds Meet the Thunderbirds of 2015: L-R, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John in front of their home, the exotic Tracy Island. The CGI versions are a far cry from the puppets of the '60s version. ITV TV reboots in pictures Danger Mouse Pointless host Alexander Armstrong takes over from Sir David Jason as the lead in the upcoming Danger Mouse CBBC'S remake. PA TV reboots in pictures Red Dwarf The Emmy Award winning sci-fi comedy is to return in 2016 and 2017 with some of the original cast: Craig Charles as Dave Lister, Robert Llewellyn as Kryten and Chris Barrie as Arnold Rimmer. TV reboots in pictures House of Cards Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in Netflix original series House of Cards. Nathaniel Bell TV reboots in pictures Poldark Actor Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark in BBC1's remake of its classic 1970s series. BBC TV reboots in pictures Teletubbies The original 'Teletubbies' are set to return to our screens, 20 years later. BBC TV reboots in pictures The Clangers Rex Features TV reboots in pictures Doctor Who The Doctor looks pensively as he holds a tangerine BBC

Most believe the films were shelved as Genisys did remarkably badly at the US box office. However, it managed to make a lot more overseas, particularly in China where, in just a single day, it outdid its total domestic US gross, making $89 million.

In a seperate interview in Australia, Schwarzenegger surprised journalists by stopping questions after being asked about his relationship with US republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
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Although Paul McCartney may have written dozens of hit singles, hes never owned many of the songs he produced. While writing for The Beatles alongside John Lennon, ownership of the compositions went straight to Northern Songs - a company founded by the bands manager Brian Epstein.

In 1967, after Epsteins death, the company was sold to ATV Music after a bidding war with Lennon and McCartney. ATV was consequently bought by Michael Jackson, in the process ruining his relationship with McCartney.

10 years later, Jackson merged ATV Music with Sony, the Japanese company purchasing the remainder of Jacksons stake earlier this month.

However, thanks to a US copyright act, the Wings frontman has begun the process of reacquiring his own back catalogue.

According to Billboard, the US Copyright Act of 1976 allows writers to reclaim their songs from publishers, with songs written before 1978 reclaimable 56 years after initial release. In other words, the McCartney-Lennon back catalogue will be reclaimable starting 2018.

Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Show all 7 1 /7 Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles John Lennon 'looking thoughtful' www.RingoPhotoBook.com Ringo Starr/Genesis Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles 'These people are looking at us in our car, so I photographed them' www.RingoPhotoBook.com Ringo Starr/Genesis Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Paul McCartney: 'He was a great poser. Mr Rock'n'Roll, with the shades and the action' www.RingoPhotoBook.com Ringo Starr/Genesis Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Paul and John in the studio www.RingoPhotoBook.com Ringo Starr/Genesis Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles George Harrison, 'who liked a laugh' www.RingoPhotoBook.com Ringo Starr/Genesis Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Paul McCartney with Brian Epstein in a Beatles wig www.RingoPhotoBook.com Ringo Starr/Genesis Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Ringo Starr's photos of The Beatles Paul 'being very Liverpool' with Jane Asher www.RingoPhotoBook.com Ringo Starr/Genesis

In order to reclaim publishing ownership of a song a songwriter must file with the U.S. Copyright Office, terminating the publishing anywhere from 2 to 10 years before the 56 years elapse, in order to obtain ownership of that songs publishing in a timely manner, Billboard notes. Accordingly, McCartney reportedly filed for termination for 32 of his and Lennons songs on the 15 April 2015. Unfortunately, the copyright will only belong to McCartney in the US.

While the bassists half of the songs will return to him, Lennons will not belong to his estate. Yoko Ono sold the rights to his music to Sony/ATV Music in 2009, those rights lasting the entire copyrights lifetime (70 years).
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Even though the next season of Doctor Who wont air until 2017, Peter Capaldi has confirmed that the titular characters new companion has already been cast.

"There will be a new companion, along any minute," Capaldi told Brazilian website Omelete via Radio Times, "which I'm very excited about, 'cause obviously I know who that is and we've been doing a bit of work together already and it's very exciting. Because it's a very different sort of take on it.

What does that mean, a very different take? Perhaps an alien creature as a companion? The actor added that - unlike with Jenna Colemans Clara Oswald - the new partner will not have prior knowledge of the Doctor.

"Clara had prior knowledge of the Doctor," Capaldi continued. "It was conceived as a human connected to your timeline, and so had access to the cosmic nature of the Doctor. She understood a little about how he was. And as she was already with [Eleventh Doctor] Matt [Smith], she knew the Daleks and the TARDIS. Now we have someone who knows very little about the Doctor."

Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? Show all 11 1 /11 Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 337806.bin Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279060.bin Getty Images Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279063.bin Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279065.bin Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279066.bin Getty Images Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279068.bin Getty Images Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279069.bin BBC Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279070.bin BBC Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279072.bin Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279073.bin Doctor Who: has age withered this Time Lord? 279074.bin Adrian Rogers/BBC/PA Wire

Previously, rumours have been swelling that Game of Thrones Maisie Williams may be joining Capaldi as a long serving companion, but this new information proves that theory false as her character has had extended interaction with the Doctor.

Doctor Who will return later this year for a Christmas special, while season 10 will return in 2017, marking Steven Moffats last stint on the show.
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On the evening of 19 March the lights went out not just all over Europe, but throughout the world. But far from being a harbinger of doom  as in Sir Edward Greys celebrated observation on the eve of the First World War  it was a sign that one of the worlds most perilous, impending problems might yet be solved.

Scores of millions of people in a record 178 countries switched off at 8.30pm last night, to mark this years Earth Hour, participating in the worlds biggest ever demonstration to stop climate change escalating out of control.

But for the first time in the events 10-year history  and despite new alarming evidence of warming last week  they were pushing at an opening door. For last December the world reached an unexpectedly ambitious agreement in Paris to address the problem.

Some 366 landmarks around the world  ranging from the Sydney Opera House to Big Ben, from the Gherkin in London to the Colosseum in Rome, from Salisbury Cathedral to the Empire State Building  went dark last night. And so did Buckingham Palace, home to a remarkably green activist royal family (even the Queen has quietly indicated her concern about climate change).

Restaurants laid on special candle-lit dinners, the Forestry Commission organised night-time explorations and WWF, the events organisers, issued a list of 60 things to do in the dark, including going stargazing, wearing fluorescent fancy dress and telling scary stories  but not the activity that, perhaps, first springs to mind.

One no-no, however, was to light candles  unless they were 100 per cent beeswax or soy: normal ones, made of petroleum products, could release more carbon pollution than keeping the lights on.

Studies have shown that past Earth Hours have reduced electricity consumption by four per cent. But it is designed to be symbolic action, rather than an exercise in energy reduction. This year there is more to demonstrate about than ever. Last month, it was revealed on 14 March, was not merely the warmest February ever, but witnessed the biggest month-on-month jump in temperatures ever recorded  and by a big margin. Normally cautious climate scientists called it jawdropping terrifying, and a true shocker.

Worse, the previous record rise occurred just the month before, in January. This has been the warmest winter ever worldwide, and February was the tenth successive record-breaking month.

Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Show all 12 1 /12 Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Big Ben Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Houses of Parliament Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Alhambra palace, Granada Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Russia Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Florence's Duomo Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Belarus humanist Francysk Skaryna and National library Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off the 'Buda Palace' , Budapest Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off the Acropolis, Athens Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Vilnius Cathedral, Lithuania Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off The Sony Center at the Potsdamer Square, Berlin Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Switzerland Earth Hour 2015: The lights go off The dome in Cologne, Germany

Arctic sea ice  as exclusively predicted in The Independent on Sunday last month  is at its lowest ever winter maximum after what the blue-chip US National Snow and Ice Data Centre calls a season of unrelenting heat, while the extreme weather is also contributing to record droughts in Africa and Vietnam, and helped cause the biggest cyclone ever to hit Fiji, costing the country a tenth of its GDP.

Scientists are already predicting that 2016 will be the hottest on record, for the third year running, finally exploding sceptics claims that global warming has stopped. Professor Stefan Rahmstorf, of Germanys Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, says the world is in a completely unprecedented climate emergency, while Deke Arndt, of the US governments National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, describes it as moving to a new and hotter neighbourhood.

And yet, Earth Hour had something to celebrate. Last week it was revealed that, for the second successive year, carbon emissions failed to increase in 2015 , even though the world economy grew  something that had not happened, even once, in four decades. Chinas emissions actually fell by 1.5 per cent, as the worlds biggest polluter cut its use of coal and increased renewables.

Fireworks heralded the start of Earth Hour in Sydney (AFP/Getty)

For years the world has been investing more money in building power stations generating electricity from renewable sources than in ones fired by fossil fuels. Last year these provided a staggering 90 per cent of the worlds new power.

And in December in Paris the worlds governments unexpectedly agreed to phase out carbon emissions altogether by the second half of the century, committing themselves to meet every five years to set ever more ambitious intermediate targets, with the aim of holding the increase in the earths temperature since pre-industrial times to well below the 2C since pre-industrial times long regarded as the threshold for dangerous climate change

Present reduction plans fall well short of this, but there is now at least a chance of averting disaster. And last week a paper by Michael Jacobs of the Institute for Public Policy Research  who was at the heart of both the Paris and failed Copenhagen summits  concluded that the agreement was the outcome of an unprecedented show of political power by a broad and diverse coalition of forces from civil society.

Earth Hour will have played a part  and, with many other actions  may help ensure eventual success.
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Sometimes it takes an outsider to make you realise what your real values are. Some 10 years or so ago, senior IoS staff were whisked off to a Hertfordshire hotel for one of those dreadful corporate away days. During the afternoon, we were lectured by a style journalist about the errors of our woolly liberal ways, and chided for our lack of interest in gadgets, bling and other shiny things. Giving an example of what we could be writing about  which would, he assured us, pep up our too-worthy paper no end  he cited a 1,000 watch. A hand was raised at the back. It belonged to staff writer Cole Moreton. "Surely," he said, "the whole point of The Independent on Sunday is to be a paper for people who aren't interested in 1,000 watches." A murmur of agreement rippled round the room.

The man of style went on his way, no doubt thinking we were incurable. I was left with other thoughts. What more could we do to champion the values that had so appalled our guest speaker? As it happened, an annual newspaper ritual was The Sunday Times Rich List  a catalogue of those who had made or inherited vast sums. Well, putting celebrities and the mega-rich on a plinth and genuflecting before them was no more our style than 1,000 watches. An antidote to this wealth worship was needed, and my idea was this: we would have a list of those who enriched the country or their communities, rather than themselves. It would chronicle 100 people who gave back to society rather than took from it: charity founders, volunteers, carers, fundraisers, youth mentors, conservationists and other such selfless folk.

In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Show all 45 1 /45 In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Anthony Bennett and Bernard the Bear representing the Great Ormond Street Hospital Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Ted McCaffrey and Rufus Bear Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Lisa Markwell, editor-in-chief of the Independent on Sunday, with Ted McCaffrey and Rufus Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Anne-Marie Huby, co-founder and managing director of JustGiving, and Helen Dagley Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Mike Zeidler, Amy Parker and Genny Jones Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (front) Ru Morrison and Alan Gaudry (back) Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Alison Sayers, Robert Sayers, Shamash Alidina, Vicky Johnson and Pastor Gbola Bright Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Mohammed Zaffran is a community activist in Birmingham Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Danny Bent Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Princess Bright and Pastor Gbola Bright. Pastor Bright founded and runs Bright Futurez (also known as the Bright Academy), which offers courses and counselling to children from deprived areas Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Sara Smith and Phillip Howells Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) David Feindouno and Jasim Wale Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Solomon Smith and Mohamed Hashi Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Trevor Fairhurst and Sheila Fairhurst Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Luke Lancaster and Beth Deer Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Jon Meech and Elizabeth Grier-Menager Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Vince Knight Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Brian Cole Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Lisa Markwell, editor-in-chief of the Independent on Sunday, addresses the party Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Lisa Markwell takes a selfie Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Anne-Marie Huby, co-founder and managing director of JustGiving addresses the party. Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society, speaks to the Happy List Party Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society, reads a letter from the Prime Minister, David Cameron Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society, presents the "Points of Light" award to Dominique Harrison-Bentzen. Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Lynne Beckett Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Tim and Lynne Beckett Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Jenni Simons & Thomas Waters Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Robert Sayers and Jim Clifford Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Robert Sayers and Jim Clifford Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Danielle McCarthy, Paul Dixon and Sue Dixon Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Claire Wesley and Barbara Wesley Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Claire Crawford and Viv Morgan Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Grenville Jones, Christine Steele and Kevin Carr Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Wendy Daws Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Vicky Johnson and Primrose Panglea Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Genny Jones and Wendy Daws Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 (l-r) Sean O'Grady, Katie Morrison and Nicola Dillon Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Simon Anderson and Claire Anderson (with dogs Miele and Olga) Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Emily Smith and Chris Loving Micha Theiner In Pictures: Happy List Party 2015 Happy List Party 2015 Sam Conniff and Vivienne Conniff Micha Theiner

Tristan Davies, then editor, gave me the go-ahead and so, in April 2008, The Happy List was born. Since then, every year we have found truly inspiring and previously unsung people to celebrate. Among them: Birdie McDonald from north London, who has fostered more than 850 children; lifeboat volunteers such as Ian Johns from East Sussex, who, in 37 years of service, responded to 630 emergencies, helping save 337 lives; Barbara Wragg, a Sheffield woman who gave to charity much of her 7.6m Lottery win; Carole Hicks, a Hertfordshire lollipop lady who, for 30 years, gave each of the children she saw across the road a birthday present and handmade card; wacky fundraisers such as Doris Long, an 85-year-old abseiler, and Flo and Jim Essex, a Somerset couple who raised 160,000 by, among other things, lying on a bed of nails; Robin Standing, an Edmonton volunteer with the Red Cross for 58 years; Ben Bell, a London youth worker who set up Urban Hope, which helps 150 disadvantaged youngsters a week; Ray Coe, a London teacher who donated a kidney to save the life of a pupil; Fred Richardson, volunteering with the Royal British Legion for 66 years; Fred and Vivian Morgan, so horrified by the suicide of a bullied girl that they converted their 10-bedroom Warwickshire home into a school for troubled pupils; and Jenni Thomas, who founded Child Bereavement UK, which has helped huge numbers of families; former gang members who now keep kids out of trouble; the man who created Britain's first Fairtrade town; and sick children who have raised millions for the hospital that treated them.

Successive editors John Mullin and Lisa Markwell gave the Happy List every support, and, under Lisa, we teamed up with Just Giving and the Grange St Paul's Hotel in London, where for the past two years we have had a party for Happy Listers. Media in Australia, India, Italy and US have produced their own versions, and, a few years ago, I began to work with Bristol's Happy City Initiative to encourage cities to have their own Happy Lists. So far, Bristol and Brighton have one, and Bath and Nottingham are among others that may join them.

The Happy City Initiative and I are determined that the Happy List will continue  keep an eye on independent.co.uk for new developments. And along the way, we'll ensure that the values of the readers and staff of the paper where it began live on.
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Andrei Lussmann has every reason to be very, very happy with his customers: their votes mean that his eponymous restaurant group will be unveiled as the winner of the Peoples Favourite category in the Food Made Good Awards, the Sustainable Restaurant Associations annual celebration of the UKs ethical eateries.

But if he could change one thing about the 3,000 people that each week eat at one of Lussmanns Fish & Grills three sites  in St Albans, Hertford and Harpenden  it would be to persuade them to order more vegetables. He wants to feature more vegetarian dishes on his menu but he needs people to order them. We have to make vegetables more superior, more impressive and more charming on the plate, he told The Independent on Sunday, which is supporting the Food Made Good Awards.

But we need our customers to be more engaged and to try something they might not usually try, he added.

Recommended Read more Food Made Good Awards lead the charge in sustainable dining revolution

Mr Lussmann vowed to put sustainability at the heart of his business when he opened his first restaurant 15 years ago. He served ethically sourced British produce long before it became fashionable for every menu to detail the birthplace of each chicken on offer. He stuck to seasonal ingredients, perplexing diners craving air-freighted strawberries in February. For years, fish options were limited to cod or haddock until the Marine Stewardship Council had certified that more species were safe to serve.

Speaking to the IoS before the awards, Mr Lussmann criticised people for not paying more attention to where their food comes from when they eat out. People suspend their values on whether chicken should be free-range from an Indian restaurant. Thats why with Lussmanns, for eight years we didnt tell anyone what we were doing. We didnt want to come across as being sanctimonious or righteous or preachy.

Andrei Lussmann and his head chef Nick McGeown (Paul Winch-Furness)

Halving the steak options to two has cost him money but it prompted more people to order fish, he said. Id like to reduce it to one steak, forcing our customers down other routes. But its difficult outside of London. People want classics, dishes they can understand. Whenever we rehash something, the overarching feedback is, What are you doing to the menu? Its a very, very tough line between remaining interesting and ahead of the curve and not [becoming] too bohemian.

Mr Lussmann will share the spotlight at a lunch to celebrate the Food Made Good Awards winners with Jamie Oliver. Raymond Blanc, the SRAs president, will crown the campaigning chef as his Sustainability Hero on 22 March. Whether he is challenging school caterers head-on, here or in the USA, or throwing himself into campaigns with an unrelenting passion and commitment to persuade the nation to buy higher-welfare chicken, Jamie carries people with him, leading them to a better place, Blanc said, singling out Olivers campaign to tackle childhood obesity for special praise. Mr Oliver said getting the award was a great honour, adding: This one is extra special because it bears the name of one of my heroes. The award was judged before the Governments sugar tax was announced in last Wednesdays Budget.

Lussmanns Fish & Grill is one of 20 British restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, contract caterers, universities and hotels that will be honoured on 22 March for their dedication to serving their diners delicious, ethical and sustainable dishes.
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Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has held a meeting with the man responsible for maintaining China's strict propaganda policy.

Liu Yunshan is one of the people who oversees China's "Great Firewall", ensuring the country's nearly 1.4bn inhabitants can only access a strictly censored version of the internet.

According to state-sponsored news sources in China, Mr Liu told Mr Zuckerberg that Facebook should share its knowledge, experience and data in order to help "internet development better benefit the people of all countries."

 Facebook to pay more tax

Mr Liu was head of the Central Propaganda Department between 2002 and 2012. He is now the First-ranked Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China.

He also continues to hold a position in the Politburo Standing Commitee, and work as the Chairman of the Commission for Building Spiritual Civilisation, chief of the Propaganda and Ideology Leading Group and President of the Central Party School. He is seen as China's top official overseeing ideology and propaganda work.

Chinese dissident Tie Liu has written: "For over a decade, with publishing and television all under Liu Yunshan's control, there hasn't been a single newspaper reporting the truth, not a single book that could stand on its feet, and not a single good movie or television series."

The meeting, held as the Facebook chief executive visited Beijing for an economic conference, comes at a time when the Chinese government is tightening its control over the internet.

Facebook and Twitter are already banned, while online news sources tend to be heavily censored in order to fit the political agenda of the country. And Mr Liu recently warned internet users not to cross the "baseline" when discussing the country's ruling Communist party.

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

Despite Facebook being blacklisted by the government, Mr Zuckerberg remains a popular figure among China's tech-savvy metropolitan population. He has been unsuccessfully wooing the Chinese government for years to try and access the country with the world's largest number of internet users.

The website was once accessible to Chinese citizens, but it was blocked following the Urumqi riots in 2009, when Xinjiang independence activists used Facebook to organise civil unrest.

Between 200 and 600 people died in the anti-government riots, while at least 10 men have since been executed for their role in the conflict. The riots were sparked by tensions between the Han majority and the Uyghur ethnic group, who are agitating for greater independence and access to land they view as rightfully theirs.

Chinese people are able to access Renren, a site similar to Facebook which complies with the government's strict censorship laws. Users are blocked from posting about subjects such as the Tianamen Square massacre, anti-government activism and the counter-cultural religious practice Falun Gong.
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With the Budget out of the way the focus switches to something vastly more important: Brexit. Ten years from now no one will care about what was in the Budget, but we will all remember what happened on 23 June 2016.

There are two insuperable problems about this debate. One is that many people have such strong views they are not going to be swayed by mere economic arguments. So we will have more scare stories of millions of jobs being at risk were we to come out, and more visions of sunlit uplands of economic freedom if we did. But if the decision is emotional, rather than economic, there is not much that economists can contribute.

The other problem is that the economic uncertainties are so huge, that more or less any set of calculations is open to challenge. We have form on this. When the UK debated joining the euro, there were similar warnings from both sides. Big business, in the shape of the Confederation of British Industry, and the heads of many large companies including Unilever, Nissan, Toyota, WPP, and the Virgin Group all urged Britain to adopt the euro. Smaller businesses and the Treasury were against. Remember Gordon Browns five tests, which effectively ruled out joining? Last week Sir Dave Ramsden, chief economic adviser to the Treasury, pointed out at a Kings College London seminar with Ed Balls that the tests look pretty good now. That was nice for Ed Balls, who largely wrote them, but the experience does show how we should distrust experts on both sides.

The most calm and moderate assessment of the economics that I have found comes from Open Europe, a think-tank that is itself neutral on the issue but is broadly in favour of market solutions to economic issues rather than regulated ones.

The study was done a year ago and its conclusion was this. At worst, were the UK to leave the European Union its GDP would be 2.2 per cent lower in 2030 than it would have been were we to stay in. And at best it would be 1.6 per cent higher. Those are extreme results, and a more realistic range would be minus 0.8 per cent to plus 0.6 per cent. There are many other assessments, some more negative, as to the costs of Brexit, but the Open Europe proposition that the impact either way would not be huge seems to me a decent place to start. That does not, however, help much in the decision, so let me put forward another way of looking at it.

What has the EU ever done for us? Show all 7 1 /7 What has the EU ever done for us? What has the EU ever done for us? 1. It gives you freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe As a member of the EU, UK citizens benefit from freedom of movement across the continent. Considered one of the so-called four pillars of the European Union, this freedom allows all EU citizens to live, work and travel in other member states. What has the EU ever done for us? 2. It sustains millions of jobs A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, released in October 2015, suggested 3.1 million British jobs were linked to the UKs exports to the EU. What has the EU ever done for us? 3. Your holiday is much easier - and safer Freedom to travel is one of the most exercised benefits of EU membership, with Britons having made 31 million visits to the EU in 2014 alone. But a lot of the benefits of being an EU citizen are either taken for granted or go unnoticed. What has the EU ever done for us? 4. It means you're less likely to get ripped off Consumer protection is a key benefit of the EUs single market, and ensures members of the British public receive equal consumer rights when shopping anywhere in Europe. What has the EU ever done for us? 5. It offers greater protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime Another example of a lesser-known advantage of EU membership is the benefit of cross-country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime. What has the EU ever done for us? 6. Our businesses depend on it According to 71% of all members of the Confederation of British Influence (CBI), and 67 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the EU has had an overall positive impact on their business. What has the EU ever done for us? 7. We have greater influence Robin Niblett, Director of think-tank Chatham House, stated in a report published last year: For a mid-sized country like the UK, which will never again be economically dominant either globally or regionally, and whose diplomatic and military resources are declining in relative terms, being a major player in a strong regional institution can offer a critical lever for international influence.

The UK will always be part of the European economic space, and the difficult issue for us is that Europe as a whole accounts for a smaller proportion of the world economy every year that goes by. So the question is how we should play our semi-detached role, focusing more on the rest of the world but not risking weakening our biggest market in the meantime. If you baulk at the idea of our being semi-detached, note that we are outside the two biggest centralising EU projects, the euro and the Schengen agreement, and there is zero prospect of us joining either.

Given this, are we better to be just in the EU, as we are now, but opting out of its most important centralising projects? Or would we be better to be just out  perhaps as a member of an enlarged European Free Trade Area with Norway and Switzerland  but opting into EU agreements where it suits us? The first is vastly easier in the short term, and people who know more than I do about the detail of the deal David Cameron did with Europe seem to think it was a pretty good one. But we would, were we to remain, have a string of negotiations like that one every time we found some new EU policy to be unacceptable.

The option of being just out would mean the negotiations happen now, and we should not kid ourselves that they would be sweetness and light. We have a strong hand. For example we are BMWs fourth biggest market, after the United States, China, and Germany itself. Germany would not want to damage that. But Europe would be angry with us and might not act rationally. In the long run Brexit might be cleaner, but the journey would be bad-tempered indeed.

A lot of people have asked me where I stand on this. I think on balance the risks of Brexit are not worth the modest advantages they might bring. We have not exactly been held back by EU membership, or at least not much, and will continue to outperform it. In any case we dont know how Europe will develop. It may even become a more successful region, though I doubt it. Meanwhile, however, semi-detached is not too bad, and that I predict is how the wise British electorate will vote on 23 June. You want a number? It will be 57 per cent for staying in, 43 per cent for getting out. So there.
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Star Wars actor John Boyega has apologised for any misunderstanding over his comments about diversity at the Screen Nation Awards.

The 24-year-old Bafta-winning actor offered his thoughts on the diversity debate and the lack of screen roles for black and minority ethnic actors during his acceptance speech on Saturday.

To complain about what is going on is not going to benefit us. It is not, Boyega said after being presented with the award for best male performance for his role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Be the change you want to be. Be the change. And continue and focus. Thank you so much.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Show all 24 1 /24 Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere John Boyega, left, and Oscar Isaac poses for photographers upon arrival at the European premiere of the film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AP Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British actress Daisy Ridley attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British musician Noel Gallagher and family attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British actor John Boyega attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Romeo and Brooklyn Beckham attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at Leicester Square AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere US filmaker George Lucas and partner Mellody Hobson attend the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Mark Hamill gives a red carpet interview during the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Actress Carrie Fisher poses with stormtroopers - as her dog watches on AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British actress Daisy Ridley attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere US actor Adam Driver attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Harrison Ford signs autographs for fans on the red carpet PA Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Writer-director J.J. Abrams attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British actor Peter Mayhew - who has played Chewbacca in all the Star Wars films - attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Warwick Davies poses for a selfie with Star Wars droid BB-8 AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Star Wars droid BB-8 attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Actor Warwick Davies and family attend the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Star Wars drones C-3PO and R2-DT attend the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Stormtroopers, Darth Vader and Chewbacca attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at Leicester Square AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Star Wars characters attend the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Fans dressed up as Star Wars character pose ahead of the European Premiere of "Star Wars The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Fans dressed up as Star Wars character pose ahead of the European Premiere of "Star Wars The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Stormtroopers march through London's Leicesrer Square AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Stormtroopers make their way down the red carpet ahead of the premiere AFP/Getty Images

The Peckham-born-and-raised actor, who also won a Bafta for his role, later took to Twitter to clarify any confusion over his position.

Regarding my comments at the screen nation awards (just to clarify) I am not saying that complaints are invalid or should not be heard. I am saying that words without action can't help right now. I agree that we need to be heard but some do the talking and no work," he wrote.

I was full of emotion receiving the award and just wanted to say that there was work to be done.

I'm not in this position without the people that champion me. I was in Peckham struggling not too long ago. I'm not above anyone X love. Really feel bad for not clarifying and quite fearful that I've mislead many. Not about respectability tactics. I'm really sorry X.

The Screen Nation Awards, which took place in London on Saturday night, recognises emerging and established black and ethnic minority talent, helping to propel black film into the mainstream.

The overwhelming majority of Boyegas followers tweeted their support for him, with many expressing gratitude for the clarification.

A minority of others disagreed, with one user arguing that: "There are great black actors that have 'worked hard' that spoke up about this. He needs to choose his words more carefully".
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Why are we asking this now?

The tomb of Tutankhamun, the king of ancient Egypt who became famous when Howard Carter discovered his tomb nearly intact in 1922, is now a hot topic again.

That's because Dr Nicholas Reeves, an eminent Egyptologist and former director of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, published a paper demonstrating how behind the walls of this small tomb, there were more rooms as demonstrated by thin cracks in the decorative paintings. In his opinion, the rooms could contain the remains of Queen Nefertiti.

The scans of the walls were done in November 2015 but the results were only released on the 17 March 2016 by Dr Mahmoud Eldamaty, the Minister of Egyptian Antiquities since 2014.

What was found?

Using ground-penetrating radar (radiating electromagnetic pulses into a surface then analysing the type of response), a team composed of the Egyptian minister and various specialists performed a scan of the walls of the burial chamber and treasury of the tomb of Tutankhamun. These scans indeed indicate that there are openings behind the West and North walls of the burial chamber.

Further examination of the resulting data indicates that there are organic and metallic remains behind each of these voids. This means that they were intentionally created and carefully concealed, with access plastered over and then decorated to hide it from view.

They were so well hidden that they lay undiscovered for nearly a century after the first opening of the tomb.

Who was Tutankhamun?

His tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and Douglas Berry, and surprisingly seemed to have gone unnoticed by past and recent tomb robbers. The famous golden head mask exposed in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo is one of the most impressive pieces of its funerary goods, but the wooden panels and statues are just as unique in their designs.

Tutankhamun was the eleventh king of the 18th dynasty (16th  13th century BCE), who reigned for nine years and died when he was approximately 18 years old. DNA analyses indicate that he was the son of Akhenaten, the previous king, and of Akhenatens sister, a royal concubine. He died with no heirs, which allowed two army generals to access the throne, Ay followed by Horemheb.

After the break from orthodoxy of the Amarna period, Tutankhamun and his successors resumed the ancient form of the religion and started extensive temple constructions in the country.

What more do we want to know?

Tutankhamuns tomb is unique not only because it was one of a few preserved from robbers, but also because its plan differs greatly from the other tombs of the period.

The tombs were carved and excavated by workmen within the Theban mountain (on the opposite bank of modern Luxor), thus hiding the royal remains and funerary furniture deep into the mountain.

The funerary material that was uncovered was unprecedented for any king in our records. This means that a lot of it seems unique. It is possible this new discovery will change our opinion, if it appears that another member of the royal family was buried in these hidden rooms.

Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Show all 21 1 /21 Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Carter and a worker examine the solid gold innermost sarcophagus, October 1925. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Carter examines Tutankhamun's sarcophagus, October 1925. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Carter, Callender and two Egyptian workers carefully dismantle one of the golden shrines within the burial chamber, December 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Carter, Mace and an Egyptian worker carefully roll up the linen pall covering the second shrine, 30th October 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Inside the outermost shrine in the burial chamber, a huge linen pall with gold rosettes, reminiscent of the night sky, covers the smaller shrines within, December 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Carter, Callende, and two workers remove the partition wall between the antechamber and the burial chamber, 2nd December 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour A statue of Anubis on a shrine with pallbearers' poles in the treasury of the tomb, ca.1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas work on a golden chariot from Tutankhamun's tomb outside the "laboratory" in the tomb of Sethos II, December 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Howard Carter, Arthur Callender and an Egyptian worker wrap one of the sentinel statues for transport, 29th November 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour In a "laboratory" set up in the tomb of Sethos II, conservators Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas clean one of the sentinel statues from the antechamber, January 1924. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Ornately carved alabaster vases in the antechamber, December 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Chests inside the treasury, ca.1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour A gilded bust of the Celestial Cow Mehet-Weret and chests sit in the treasury of the tomb, ca.1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Under the lion bed in the antechamber are several boxes and chests, and an ebony and ivory chair which Tutankhamun used as a child, December 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour A gilded lion bed and inlaid clothes chest among other objects in the antechamber, December 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour An assortment of model boats in the treasury of the tomb, ca. 1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour A gilded lion bed, clothes chest and other objects in the antechamber. The wall of the burial chamber is guarded by statues, december 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour A ceremonial bed in the shape of the Celestial Cow, surrounded by provisions and other objects in the antechamber of the tomb, December 1922. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Howard Carter, Arthur Callender and an Egyptian worker open the doors of the innermost shrine and get their first look at Tutankhamun's sarcophagus, 4th January 1924. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Tutankhamun's burial mask, November 1925. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome Discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb - in colour Lord Carnarvon, financier of the excavation, reads on the veranda of Carter's house near the Valley of the Kings, ca.1923. Image courtesy of Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, colourised by Dynamichrome

What can we expect?

The most low-key discovery would be the beginning of halls extending the tomb further than its actual plan, in which offerings had been made. Upgrading from these finds, it could be that these rooms contain more of Tutankhamuns funerary goods.

It has been suggested that it contains the burial of another royal member of the family. This is possible, but until further exploration is made we should be cautious. But one may hope 

Why is everyone referring to this as Nefertitis tomb?

In 2015, Dr Nicholas Reeves published his theory about potential rooms in Tutankhamuns burial and mentioned that they would be a likely final resting place for Akhenatens wife, Nefertiti.

During his reign, she had a major role in the new religion and possibly too in the governing of the country. She survived her husband and may have become a regent of Tutankhamun in his early years, or may even have assumed the ruling position on her own, as Pharaoh Neferneferuaten.

In the Egyptian Museum, many mummies have been scanned and identified during the Egyptian Mummy Project. From all the currently known mummies, none match the age and physique of Nefertiti.

 Restored Tutankhamun

One mummy, who had been suggested to be Nefertiti by Dr Joann Fletcher, has in fact been identified as Tutankhamuns mother - the royal concubine. It is possible the mummy of Akhenaten himself may be among those for which the lack of contextualised information renders identification complex.

Neferititi is, therefore, a likely candidate for the hidden chamber - particularly as she died before Tutankhamun. It could also be the final resting place of a major court official whose tomb was "borrowed" for Tutankhamuns impromptu death.

Why should we care that this tomb has been found now?

This could be an extraordinary discovery: not only the fact that there may well be precious objects, unseen creations and lengthy texts, but mostly because this is an unique opportunity to understand the way Egyptians managed their death.

As it is only happening now, this discovery will be recorded with the latest technology and the process itself will be a matter for posterity.

How will it change our understanding of ancient Egyptians?

In Egypt, thanks to the dry climate, human and organic remains are extremely well preserved. Understanding the concepts and designs of their burial customs provides an insight into their culture and habits.

Evidently, the individuals like Tutankhamun buried in the Valley of the Kings were mostly of royal birth or closely related to it. But as ancient Egyptian society fit a very clear hierarchy, we can expect the actions of those at the top to be reflected on those at the base of the pyramid.

We will need to adapt the data slightly to understand the common people - but the archaeological evidences hidden here will build on our understanding and knowledge of a whole civilisation which started more than 5,000 years ago.
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A controversial report into how a violent, mentally disturbed patient was released from NHS care to a charity-run housing project where he battered a care worker to death with a fire extinguisher should be kept secret, health service bosses have said.

Michael Meanza was freed from Butler House, a mens pre-discharge unit at Ealing Hospital run by West London Mental Health NHS Trust (WLMHT), in April last year, after a mental health tribunal deemed him well enough to be conditionally discharged.

Despite being the subject of a hospital order since the 1990s, and with a history of assaulting staff and patients, Meanza was sent to Collette House in Acton  mental health accommodation run by London Cyrenians Housing. It was there he bludgeoned 38-year-old Jenny Foote after she objected to him playing rock music at full volume in the early hours of the morning of 7 July last year.

Recommended Read more Broadmoor attacks fuel fears that cuts put public and staff at risk

Ms Foote had threatened to evict Meanza, 47, from the hostel and said that he would be stopped from seeing his girlfriend.

Sentencing him to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey this month, with a minimum term of 24 years, Judge John Bevan QC said he had no doubt that Meanza would be an on-going danger. He said that the parole board would have to think long and hard before considering him for release.

The judge highlighted Meanzas violent past  16 previous convictions for 79 offences, mainly in the 1980s and 1990s, which included an assault on a member of hospital staff and an assault on a female patient on a psychiatric ward after she refused to perform a sex act on him in exchange for cigarettes  but said it was a question for others whether the hostel had been an appropriate place for him.

Jenny Foote was bludgeoned after she objected to Meanza playing loud rock music (PA)

In mitigation, Bernard Richmond QC, defending, said: It would be easy to demonise Mr Meanza and label him as Mr Angry. That would be too simplistic.

Whether Collette House was the appropriate place for a man with his difficulties is a question others will have to ask themselves. The reality was a woman who should not have had to deal with a man like Mr Meanza alone was in a position where she had to do just that.

Speaking outside court following the verdict, Ms Footes brother, Michael, criticised the authorities who decided to house Meanza at the Collette House hostel.

Its quite clear lessons need to be learned, he said. They knew what he was capable of and we also know from the evidence which was given he knew how to play the system. So maybe he should have been in a more secure environment, given the way he was put in Collette House.

A former manager with London Cyrenians Housing has claimed that more could and should have been done to prevent Ms Footes murder.

Michael Meanza was freed from a mens pre-discharge unit at Ealing Hospital in April last year (PA)

Staff were saying to the management team for weeks before [the murder], that this man was extremely dangerous and psychotic, he was making threats to kill a member of staff, the former LCH employee wrote in an anonymous letter to The Independent on Sunday.

The staff, and in particular Ms Foote, have been completely let down by the management team. The warnings were there and no one listened to the staff.

The former LCH manager claimed the charity has done nothing to improve safety following Ms Footes murder and that Collette House has not changed any aspect of working practice following her death.

The letter also makes a number of other accusations about LCH, saying that managers rarely visit staff on projects and that severe staff shortages mean that staff are being put at risk. It also says, ... managers are unable to guarantee the safety of staff who express that they are in fear for their safety and are demoralised.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA UK news in pictures 7 September 2022 Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2022 Visitors at the PoliNations garden in Victoria Square, Birmingham, which is made up of five 40ft high tree installations and over 6,000 plants. 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The charity did not respond to questions.

Following the murder, WLMHT commissioned a multi-agency serious untoward incident review which it said was chaired independently. The trust itself was the lead agency for the review.

A spokesperson for the trust said that a summary of lessons learned had been circulated internally to relevant parties but that it would not be releasing details of the findings to the public.

Paul Gallaghers reporting on the West London trust has resulted in his nomination for Science and Health Journalist of the Year for 2015 at this weeks Society of Editors Press Awards
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Police let the secret membership list of a controversial group which advocated sex with children to sit in a drawer, leaving several of those named on it free to commit serious child abuse, The Independent on Sunday has learnt.

Detectives were given the membership list containing more than 300 names and addresses of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) group in the 1980s, but effectively did nothing with it. One member of the group, which publicly campaigned for adults to be allowed to have sex with children from the age of 10, was convicted 27 years after police were first given the names.

The list has now been passed to the independent Goddard inquiry, which is looking at whether public bodies and other institutions took their duties seriously to protect children from abuse.

Recommended Read more The great British paedophile support campaign of the 70s

Claims of police inaction over child sex abuse allegations comes as Scotland Yard was reportedly planning to announce this week that it will end Operation Midland, its controversial investigations into allegations of VIP child sex abuse and murder.

It is reported that Harvey Proctor, a former Conservative MP who has been questioned by Operation Midland detectives, will be told this that week police are discontinuing the investigation, which has also been examining the late Lord Brittans conduct. Police declined to comment on 19 March.

Labour MP Tom Watson said: The PIE list shows that there were clear intelligence lines that could have been investigated at the time. It only begs the question: how many of those individuals went on to commit sexual crimes before they were finally brought to justice? I am sure the Goddard inquiry will investigate this area of institutional failure.

Charles Napier was on the PIE list (Getty)

One of those on the list and later convicted was Charles Napier. Napier was jailed for 13 years in 2014 for hundreds of sex attacks on schoolboys. The file also contains a John Napier, who had been convicted for running a child brothel in London in the early 1970s. Metropolitan Police sources admitted the PIE list had been all but ignored until recent paedophile allegations surfaced. The police had the lists from the late 1980s, at a time when it was not a crime to be a member of the PIE. The files sat in a drawer, metaphorically speaking, until 2012, when Operation Fairbank decided to go back and have a look.

Another PIE member, Leo Adamson, was sentenced to one year in jail for refusing to tell police a computer password during a search for child sex abuse images.

There are 307 names on the PIE list

A Scotland Yard source said: They were looked at briefly at that point just to make sure that none of the people on the list were involved with work with children. The problem was that although the names on the list would undoubtedly have been of interest, it would have been very difficult to get a warrant to go barging in and demand to look at someones hard drive, for example, on the basis of them having been a member of a legal organisation 30 years earlier. Certainly it could have provided a steer, but you couldnt make it the basis of an investigation.

The late horologist Keith Harding is also on the list. Recent reports have suggested Harding may have been influential among high-profile paedophiles, having reportedly been visited at his shop in East London by Cyril Smith MP and Jimmy Savile.

Tom Watson: How many went on to commit sexual crimes? (AFP/Getty)

Another name that appears is that of a known paedophile, the late senior diplomat Sir Peter Hayman. However, the name, without an accompanying address, appears to have been written in by hand by a police officer at a later date.

There are 307 names on the list seen by The IoS, including four women. Some of the names are false or known pseudonyms. Not all of the addresses given appear to be accurate. There are several members living abroad, and one of them currently appears to be a childrens entertainer.

Some of the PIE members also feature on a list amassed by the US Customs child pornography and protection unit which collected a list of British customers of American suppliers of child abuse images. The US list was also supplied to UK law enforcement agencies but little if anything was done about it. One of those on both lists is former school teacher Terence Waters. In 1994, he was jailed for 10 years for possessing indecent images of children and sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy.

Leading anti-child sex abuse campaigners said that they were astonished at the police inaction over the PIE membership list. Peter Saunders, founder and former director of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood, said: It is a bit like the police being given a list of IS supporters and doing nothing about it. The idea that they had all those names on the US list and the PIE list and yet they were not even monitored and no action was taken against them is astonishing, he said.

We know that those who look at sexual images of children often go on to become contact offenders, so had more action been taken as a result of the police having the lists, many children would not have been abused. There still seems to be a mindset that says we should all just move on and leave the past in the past, yet people have a lifetime of trauma to deal with and the police should have recognised that in their handling of these cases.

* This article originally appeared in The Independent on Sunday (Paedophile register was ignored by police, 20 March) and referred to Leo Adamson, a former member of the Paedophile Information Exchange. It went on to quote a campaigner who said that those who look at sexual images of children often go on to become contact offenders, so had more action been taken as a result of the police having the lists [of PIE members names], many children would not have been abused, as is clear from the case of Adamson. We would like to make clear that Mr Adamson has not been convicted of any sexual offences, contact or otherwise. He was convicted in 2011 of refusing to give police a computer password during a search for child sex abuse images and sentenced to a year in prison. He denies that he had opened any of the encrypted files on this computer. We apologise to Mr Adamson. 22/6/16
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The historic, cultured, foodie city of Winchester has been named the best place to live in Britain.

Once home to King Alfred, and now home to many fine gourmet restaurants, spectacular period architecture and a wide selection of independent stores, the city was described as practically perfect in the annual Sunday Times best Places To Live guide.

The survey uses criteria including crime rates, house prices and school performance along with the views of locals to arrive at its conclusions.

Winchester Cathedral (Wikipedia)

But for some residents, it was the addition of a Waitrose that secured the city the number one spot, with one unnamed resident telling the Sunday Times: Eight years ago, when Susie and I were thinking of moving here, I almost told her I couldnt do it because there wasnt a Waitrose. Luckily, one opened the year after we moved in."

The citys stony walls and winding pathways make it a particular favourite of many film and TV scouts  Les Miserables, The Da Vinci Code and Wolf Hall were all filmed there.

The Romantic poet Keats wrote Ode to Autumn inspired by his strolls through the city and Winchester retains the feeling of a eighteenth century town with its large cathedral amd Georgian looking streets.

Britain's best places to live Show all 10 1 /10 Britain's best places to live Britain's best places to live East: Orford in Suffolk Britain's best places to live London: Fitzrovia in central London Britain's best places to live Midlands: Ledbury in Herefordshire Britain's best places to live North East: Harrogate in North Yorkshire Britain's best places to live Northern Ireland: Ballycastle in County Antrim Britain's best places to live North West: Whalley in Lancashire Britain's best places to live Scotland: Stockbridge in Edinburgh Britain's best places to live South East: Midhurst in West Sussex Britain's best places to live South West: Falmouth in Cornwall Britain's best places to live Wales: Penarth in Vale of Glamorgan

The frequency and range of festivals were also cited as factors, while the city's quality of schools was listed as one of its biggest appeals.

Free school, Peter Symonds sixth-form College holds the Oxbridge record with 43 of their students being offered a place this year alone.

However, such idyllic living does not come cheap, with a four-bedroom terraced house in the city centre priced at 700,000. Only seven miles away in the town of Alresford, the equivalent price is 500,000.

Winchesters mayor, Cllr Angela Clear told the Winchester Daily Echo: We are very lucky to have a city like Winchester, with brilliant schools, great food, spectacular countryside and a place we feel safe.

A Winchester street (Pixabay)

But I have issue with the fact that Winchester has become a very exclusive and desirable place to live, which is pushing up the price of housing.

We have to be careful not to build a moat around Winchester with a draw bridge to stop people from coming here.

However, I can see why it was named as number one. Having lived here all my life I think has just about everything. 

 The 20 most powerful passports in the world

In 2015, the top spot went to Moseley in Birmingham for its edgy reputation, with acres of splendid wilderness.
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When Suzanne and Helen opened the door of the cramped, box-like apartment in Albert Road, I didnt even notice the small, huddled figure on the sofa. It was only when Helen, one of the two people who look after Clare Hollingworth in her Hong Kong home, stood aside that I saw the very elderly lady in a red cardigan with thin hair and jutting jaw and heavy spectacles and realised that I was looking at the reporter who wrote the greatest scoop of the Second World War.

Yes, in August of 1939, this crouched little woman  104 years old, sightless now and moving only with the greatest difficulty around her tiny flat  boldly crossed the Polish-German frontier in a British diplomats car and saw General Gerd von Rundstedts Wehrmacht tanks, in their thousands, lined up to invade Poland.

There are some interviews that a journalist remembers  those that betray a politicians cruelty, a soldiers brutality, the courage of a doctor under fire, the kindness and dignity of a man or woman who have lost their family  but in this little home on the far side of the world, I was lost. How do you talk to a colleague who has been deprived of much of her memory, whose moments of extraordinary vision and bravery return only in occasional seconds of clarity and then bleakly disappear? Did she think, when she reported the German invasion of Poland, that the Nazis would win the war, I asked her? No, I thought theyd lose the war, she answers emphatically. Because they didnt care about people. As good a description of all fascist dictatorships, I suppose.

But then she confuses her father with a family doctor called Anderson  a handsome man  and announces that she wrote her last report only the day before we meet  I know the feeling well!  and makes it clear that she still thinks she is a working correspondent. Ive been lucky so far, she says. I work hard. Yes, maybe luck is what it is all about, surviving as a correspondent. And Clare Hollingworth has been very, very lucky. She reported from Poland, Germany, Algeria, Beirut, India, Israel and China. I enjoy action, she once told a radio interviewer. I enjoy being in a plane when theyre bombing something.

But her greatest scoop remains her first. She borrowed the British consuls car, a Union flag fluttering on the bonnet, to drive over the still  just  peaceful frontier from Poland into Germany in August 1939, bought some batteries and wine at a local shop and, driving back, noticed that the wind lifted some vast hessian sacks in a valley below her  and revealed hundreds of Wehrmacht tanks lined up in battle order.

Clare Hollingworth during her time as a war correspondent

The frontier is still closed to local traffic, she wrote. Everywhere I saw signs of the most intense military activity. In the two miles between Hindenburg and Gleiwitz, I was passed by 65 military dispatch riders on motorcycles. The only cars to be seen were those belonging to the military.

1,000 TANKS MASSED ON POLISH FRONTIER  TEN DIVISIONS REPORTED READY FOR SWIFT STROKE was The Daily Telegraphs headline next morning. By then, Clare was back in her Polish hotel in Katowice and saw the first German tanks moving past her window. When she called the British embassy in Warsaw, a diplomat refused to believe her story  so she held the telephone out of her bedroom window so he could hear the sound of German tank tracks.

When I ask her, all of 77 years later, whether the embassy really didnt believe the Germans had invaded, she thinks for a while. They knew, she says. Oh yes, they did. But the Telegraphs foreign desk was seemingly more sceptical. They wanted London to be the place of power politics, she remarks, by which I think she means  and this is the problem when you talk to such an elderly soul, there have to be assumptions  that the desk thought they knew better than she did. She has written, long ago, of her problems with her employers. But did she know she had written the biggest scoop of the century? I had a pretty good idea, the old lady beside me says. And she smiles and laughs a little and asks for a glass of wine.

Helen brings the wine  we have been joined by her great-nephew Patrick from Moscow and an American ex-journalist friend, Cathy Hilborn Feng  and gives the glass to her, half wine, half water, to sip. Patrick gestures to a grey filing cabinet by the window and pulls open one of the lower drawers. It is packed to the brim with unopened champagne bottles, gifts from the flock of journalists who have come, over the years, to celebrate Clare Hollingworths endless birthdays  champagne to be enjoyed, no doubt, over the birthdays to come. Patrick takes care that her passport remains up to date  part of Clares world in which a newspaper may still call on her for one final assignment.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Her greatest post-war scoop came in 1963 when she was working for The Guardian and based in Beirut  I loved it, a place that was really home, she tells me, where you could go anywhere in a car and find your way, and I changed homes several times  and heard that her colleague on The Economist and The Observer, Kim Philby, had defected to Moscow. His sudden absence from the Lebanon press corps had been noticed, but Clare prowled the harbour and was shown the Beirut port records which disclosed that a Soviet vessel had sailed without warning from Lebanon on the very day Philby disappeared. Frightened that they might be libelling Philby if they got the story wrong, The Guardian sat on the story  for three months!

On top of the champagne-filing cabinet, there is a photograph of Clare in a war correspondents uniform, sitting with a British officer in a lounge room in Beirut  it must have been taken during the Second World War, since most of her pictures at this time show her in uniform  and I recognise the same type of large Lebanese wooden panel doors which connect the rooms in my own Beirut apartment today.

Clare Hollingworths epaulettes (Imperial War Museum)

The British invaded Lebanon in 1941, defeating French Vichy troops. Alan Moorhead, one of the other greats among the wars correspondents, covered the same story. When I tell Clare that, at 104, she must have outlived all her colleagues  a world record for journalists  her memory reconnects perfectly. Its quite incredible for me  104! she says.

That memory zooms towards her like a satellite in outer space, brushing planet Earth and total recall. Ask her why she chose to become a journalist and, quick as a flash, she replies: People asked me to. I enjoyed it. Its good to be in charge of a lot of things. You get the point?

Did she mean that she liked both writing history and being read? Both. And then the satellite swishes off to another planet and Clare is saying that she saw the ruins only yesterday  the ruins of 1939 Poland or the Roman ruins of Lebanon?  and that Ill be able to read her latest story in the paper tomorrow. On the wall is an old copy of the front page of the South China Morning Post, recording one of her birthdays.

Her friends occasionally take her, in good weather, 100 yards down Albert Road to the fine old Foreign Correspondents Club  where she celebrated her 104th birthday in October  and where we later sit alone with Patrick and Cathy at Clares table, in a small corner dominated by photographs of the Vietnam war. Clare could sometimes misbehave a little, Cathy says, banging her cane on the floor for attention, shouting a little too loudly. But who can blame Clare? I spent our chat together, bellowing my questions into the veterans right ear. My wife tells her she looked very well, and she replies: Youre flattering me. And when told that she does indeed look good, she says: I feel it.

So there was only one question left for an Independent on Sunday correspondent. Did the future of newspapers lie in websites, in computers, I asked her? Newspapers will all end up on computer, she replies, but this was a bad thing. Why? She thought for several seconds. You have to feel the paper, she says.

I think about this as the plane taking me back from Hong Kong to Beirut via Paris soars over Siberia that same night, and I wonder whether scoops mattered on websites.

And then, some hours later, our flight captain announced that we would soon pass over the Polish-German border. Stalin moved the Polish borders west. But those roads which Clare Hollingworth travelled in 1939 still exist. And somewhere a few miles away, in the pre-dawn darkness below me, 77 years ago, was the very spot where Clare saw Von Runstedts legions about to launch the invasion that started the most titanic war in the history of the world. You cant take a scoop like that away from anyone.
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Police in London have reportedly been ordered to prepare for as many as 10 terror attacks happening at once across the capital, in a dramatic escalation of the capitals readiness in the wake of the Paris shootings.

Quoting a Government minister with knowledge of the proposals for enhanced security, the Sunday Times reported that police had made cracking down on firearms a top priority.

It comes after an alleged gang of gunrunners appeared in court charged with smuggling an evil shipment of 22 Czech-made assault rifles and nine sub-machine guns into Britain from Eastern Europe.

In pictures: Mock terror attack in London Show all 5 1 /5 In pictures: Mock terror attack in London In pictures: Mock terror attack in London Mock terror attack A policeman approaches a gunman during the mock attack PA In pictures: Mock terror attack in London Mock terror attack Members of the rescue services tend to a casualty Reuters In pictures: Mock terror attack in London Mock terror attack An injured passer-by sits on the curb while a body lies nearby during the mock exercise PA In pictures: Mock terror attack in London Mock terror attack A police officer carries a casualty to safety Reuters In pictures: Mock terror attack in London Mock terror attack Members of the emergency services tend a casualty Reuters

The National Crime Agency (NCA), which was critical in the operation to arrest the suspects in that case, had reportedly been given new orders amid fears of a Paris-style attack involving terrorists returning from Syria using heavy weaponry.

The unnamed minister was quoted as saying: We used to plan for three simultaneous attacks but Paris has shown that you need to be ready for more than that.

We are ready if someone tries with seven, eight, nine, ten.

According to the Sunday Times, army regiments outside London were also on standby to help the capital in the event of a major coordinated incident.

A spokeswoman for the NCA told the Independent the threat picture in the UK had changed significantly in the wake of recent attacks in Europe, including the Paris shootings.

 London trains for terror

The Metropolitan Police are the lead force in London, but we continue to work with our partners both nationally and internationally, she said.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, a Home Office spokesman said they do not comment on operational matters and matters of national security.
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Frustrated drivers who use short cuts off the main roads during rush hours are increasing journey times for everybody else, researchers have found. And they suggest that persuading drivers to give up their short cuts could cut time wasted in congestion for other drivers by almost a third.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Americas Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) looked at five major cities across the globe  Boston and San Francisco in the US, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Lisbon and Porto in Portugal  to see how changing drivers routes at rush hour could ease congestion.

And they discovered the key to clearing the congestion was more socially aware routing.

Recommended Read more 5 charts that show which jobs have the worst commutes

In their paper Understanding Congested Travel in Urban Areas, the scientists examined the way drivers travel between set points in the five cities at morning rush hour times using mobile phone and road map data from authorities. It revealed that on average 15-30 per cent of the total minutes lost in congestion is caused solely by selfish routing.

In other words, drivers choosing to take short cuts before rejoining a main carriageway actually create more congestion.

Computer modelling of more socially aware choices of routes, in other words not cutting in and out of traffic, revealed a significant impact on congestion. And the scientists argued if some commuters could be persuaded to take slightly longer routes at peak times then it would relieve congestion overall.

For those taking a hit for their fellow commuters, it would mean around five to eight minutes on their journey time. However, overall it would cut the time wasted by all in congestion by up to 30 per cent.

Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the team concluded: The unwillingness to give up time is the defining factor in drivers failure to reach an optimal state on their own.

We find that routing solutions that mimic socially optimal configurations have a limit of decreasing time lost in congestion by up to 30 per cent.

Our findings indicate a net bias towards benefits, meaning the number of drivers who benefit outnumber those who sacrifice.

Appealing to drivers altruistic instincts when behind the wheel could prove difficult unless they were incentivised, the researchers admitted.

And so Antonio Lima and Marta Gonzalez, two of the scientists behind the work, suggested a smartphone app offering rewards for commuters sacrificing time for the greater good of their fellow drivers. Smartphone apps could offer points and vouchers to drivers who are willing to take longer routes that avoid congested areas, they said.
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Best known for grilling politicians and cutting down celebrities, BBC veteran Andrew Neil appeared to have met his match while interviewing a schoolgirl.

The Daily Politics presenter was left red-faced after 10-year-old Charlotte from Wirrel delivered a cutting jibe towards Mr Neil during a debate about the sugar tax and the nanny state on the CBBC programme All Over the Workplace.

When asked by Mr Neil, You know what I mean by the nanny state, the government telling you what to do, isnt this just another example of the government trying to tell you what to do? Charlotte, helped by a notebook of well-researched notes and statistics, replied: Well Mr Neil, do you remember on January 31st 1983 when seatbelts were made compulsory?

It wasnt a popular idea. People didnt like it. But do you know how many lives it saved a year? Three hundred lives per year because the government did something.

10-year-old Charlotte (BBC/ Youtube)

Responding, Mr Neil said: "When I was your age and someone told me not to do something, that usually meant I tried to do it."

To which Charlotte dealt the cutting blow: Well, maybe you werent educated properly enough about health and wellbeing."

Taken aback, the former editor of the Sunday Times humbly replied: Many people have said that.

Charlotte appeared on the CBBC special along with Henrietta from Worcester, also 10, who said during the debate on Friday: If it's saving lives and helping the NHS, I think we should be told what to do.

The debate took place before George Osborne announced a sugar tax on the soft drinks industry as part of the 2016 Budget.
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The UK Government is using taxpayers money to bolster the Ethiopian security forces responsible for the imprisonment of a 60-year-old Briton facing the death sentence, it can be revealed.

Human rights groups have condemned the British Government after using Freedom of Information laws to uncover the fact the UK is spending hundreds of thousands to fund a training centre run by the Ethiopian military.

Andargachew Andy Tsege was arrested in Yemen in June 2014, while en route to Africa from the Middle East. The whereabouts of the father of three, from London, were unknown until weeks later when it emerged he had been imprisoned in Ethiopia. A death sentence was passed against Mr Tsege  an opponent of the Ethiopian government who fled to Britain as a political refugee in 1979  after a trial held in his absence six years ago.

Recommended Read more Fears grow for British activist languishing in Ethiopian jail

His plight has been repeatedly raised with the Ethiopian government by British officials. But it has now emerged that the UK spent more than a million pounds subsidising security projects in Ethiopia while Mr Tsege has languished on death row.

The funding has been given by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), through a Conflict, Security and Stabilisation Fund set up by the Government last year.

Half a million pounds has been spent on a masters degree programme in security sector management and 546,500 has been given to the Ethiopian Peace Support Training Centre, according to an FCO response to a Freedom of Information request.

The UK Government refused to divulge details of a human rights risk assessment made prior to the funding being given, citing the need to protect information that would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other states.

Mr Tseges partner, Yemi Hailemariam, mother of their three children, told The Independent: Since Andys disappearance, our family has been in agony  all we want is for him to come home. Its deeply worrying to think that, throughout all this, the UK is supporting the same Ethiopian security apparatus that has detained Andy.

We sincerely hope that the Foreign Office is using its close links to Ethiopias government to secure Andys release  rather than supporting his kidnappers.

Maya Foa, head of the death penalty team at Reprieve, said: This funding raises potentially serious questions over the UKs approach to Ethiopias security forces  forces who were responsible for the kidnap and rendition to Ethiopia of British national Andy Tsege in June 2014.

Kevin Laue, legal advisor at the human rights charity Redress, said: Instead of demanding his release and return, the UK Government appears to be bolstering the capacity of the Ethiopian security services  the very institution behind this continuing travesty of justice.

This comes amid mounting concern over the welfare of the 60-year-old father of three.

In an analysis of a transcript from a visit by British officials to Mr Tsege at Ethiopias notorious Kaliti prison last December, Dr Ben Robinson, a psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, said the Britons mental health has declined precipitously since being detained in Ethiopia.

David Cameron is under increasing pressure to intervene. The Prime Minister is planning to visit Ethiopia later this month. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is Mr Tseges local MP, said: I have written to the Prime Minister asking him to demand his unconditional release. It is completely unacceptable that a British citizen should be treated in this way by a state that purports to be a respected member of the international family of nations.

In a statement last night, a Government spokeswoman said: The Foreign Secretary again raised Mr Tseges case with the Ethiopian foreign minister, in person on 13 February, making it clear the way he has been treated is unacceptable.

They added: Separately, we support training courses that are designed to give members of the Ethiopian military an improved range of skills in non-combat areas while they serve on regional peace missions that are vital to UK interests.

Background: Ethiopias Mandela

Andargachew Andy Tsege has been desecribed as Ethiopias Nelson Mandela by campaigners and suporters, including Clive Stafford-Smith, the director of Reprieve.

The head of an opposition movement called Ginbot 7, he came to Britain as a political refugee in 1979. In June 2014, while he was on route from Dubai to Eritrea, he disappeared during a stopover in Sanaa, Yemen. Two weeks later, it emerged that he had been arrested by the Yemeni authorities on the basis of a security agreement between Yemen and Ethiopia. Mr Tsege had been transferred to Ethiopia, and remains in prison there.

Six years ago, at a trial held in his absence, Mr Tsege was given sentenced to death for allegedly plotting a coup and planning to kill Ethiopian officials  claims he has denied.
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The NHS repairs budget has been slashed by 1.1bn, in an unpublicised cut included in George Osborne's 2016 Budget.

The Chancellor did not mention the cut in his Budget speech, and the 30% decrease in funding was only uncovered following a Labour-sponsored review of the Budget by the House of Commons Library.

The capital budget of the NHS is used to fund repairs and replace out-of-date or broken equipment. The NHS was expected to be allocated 4.8bn to cover this area, but the Budget revealed the health service will only be receiving 3.7bn of capital budget,

George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance Show all 8 1 /8 George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance Debt forecasts up, growth forecasts down The OBRs new forecasts have downgraded growth in all of the next five years to 2020. The watchdog says the economy will only grow by 2 per cent in 2016, as opposed to the anticipated 2.4 per cent. Borrowing and productivity growth are also down  with forecast borrowing in 2018-198 16 billion higher George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance New tax on sugary drinks The Chancellor announced a new tax on sugary soft drinks, which is projected to raise 520 million. At least some of the money will be spent on doubling funding for school sport, the Chancellor says. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the levy George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance Tax cut for higher earners paying the 40p rate The Chancellor has raised the threshold for paying the higher rate of income tax to 45,000. The higher rate is paid by roughly the richest 15 per cent, currently people earning over 42,386 George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance Increase in tax-free income tax threshold The tax-free allowance increase to 11,500 in April 2017  up from 10,600 now. The Chancellor previously raised the allowance from 6,475 in coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The Conservative manifesto pledges to put the allowance up to 12,500 by the end of the Parliament George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance New devolution for counties and powers for London and Manchester The West of England, the East of England and Greater Lincolnshire will all get elected mayor-led combined authorities with new powers. The Chancellor says they are backed by 1 billion new funding. Greater Manchester will get new powers of criminal justice while London will keep its business rates  giving whoever is elected Mayor a lot more spending power George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance Fuel duty frozen for sixth year running The Chancellor had planned to end the fuel duty freeze he had put in place for the whole previous parliament. In the event, he has announced a freeze for another year George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance All schools to become academies As reported yesterday the Chancellor unveiled legislation to turn all schools into academies. He said all schools would either be academies or on their way to being academies by 2020, and that funding had been set aside to fund the change George Osborne 2016 budget at a glance Lifetime ISA The Chancellor announced a new savings account to encourage under-40s to save for retirement  for every 4 saved, the Government will top this up by 1 up to the value of 4,000 a year. Tax-free ISAs will also be increased from 15,000 to 20,000

It will cost the NHS an estimated 4.3bn to complete all outstanding maintenance work. This includes 458m of repairs classified as "high-risk", which could endanger patients' lives and wellbeing if they are not repaired.

Serious issues classified as "high-risk" include leaking roofs and out-of-date scanners.

Speaking to the Guardian, shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander said: Five years of Tory neglect has left many hospitals with ageing equipment and a growing bill for urgent maintenance.

 Corbyn slams Disability budget

However, rather than properly investing in our NHS, George Osborne has raided the money hospitals need to carry out these essential repairs and replace out-of-date equipment. This is bad for patient care."

But a spokesperson for the Department of Health rejected the criticism, saying: This government is investing 10bn in the NHSs own plan for the future, and weve made almost 4bn available for capital projects this year which local trusts can apply for to undertake maintenance or building projects."

Last year, the Chancellor of the Exchequer asserted that he would not be cutting core NHS services, despite reducing funding for the organisation as a whole.

However, an independent review by the Health Foundation revealed his planned cuts would actually cut the total NHS budget by 20% over the next five years.

The news follows the revelation, in a separate review carried out by the Liberal Democrats, that the NHS had been hit by a further 650mn of "secret cuts". These cuts were made by passing the burden for pension funding from the government to the NHS, reducing the amount of money available to fund front-line services.
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David Cameron has admitted for the first time his fear Britain could sleepwalk out of the EU  as the Tory civil war over Europe exploded into the open following the dramatic resignation of Iain Duncan Smith.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent on Sunday, Mr Cameron conceded that the result of the 23 June referendum was now on a knife edge and revealed his biggest concern was in persuading enough people to turn out to deny victory to the Brexit campaign.

On 19 March Downing Street battled to fend off claims Mr Cameron had lost control of his party over Europe, amid a series of budget rebellions that threaten the Governments bid to eradicate the deficit by the next election.

Mr Duncan Smith quit late on Friday with a bombshell resignation letter that blamed indefensible cuts to disability benefits, despite the Governments U-turn on the measure after a backbench backlash.

The Prime Minister hit back at Mr Duncan Smith, saying he was surprised and puzzled by his resignation. Downing Street sources said he had failed to voice any concerns to No 10 at any stage before quitting.

As late as Thursday he was saying he would happily go out to defend them, the source added.

Mr Cameron swiftly replaced Mr Duncan Smith by promoting the Welsh Secretary, Stephen Crabb  a pro-European brought up by a single mother on a council estate.

David Cameron in his Downing Street office with Tom McTague (Jason Alden)

The row exposes the increasingly hostile divisions within the Tory party over the EU referendum, which threaten to derail No 10s bid to keep Britain in Europe.

Speaking to The IoS in its final edition, Mr Cameron issues his most impassioned appeal to wavering voters yet, imploring older Eurosceptics to keep Britain in the EU  for the sake of their grandchildren.

The Prime Minister asks parents to think about your children, warns against jeopardising European peace  and claims Britains relationship with Europe could be frozen for a decade if there is a vote to leave.

Speaking candidly about his time in No 10, Mr Cameron also admits that the attempts to stop Libya sliding into chaos after the 2011 toppling of Muammar Gaddafi have not been sufficient and  intriguingly  refuses to rule out serving in a future government after the 2020 general election. But it is Mr Camerons provocative call to arms over Europe which is likely to provoke the strongest reaction from Conservative MPs in the wake of Mr Duncan Smiths resignation.

Sipping black coffee in his private office in No 10, the Prime Minister admits he is concerned about the state of the polls  the latest of which showed a slight lead for the out campaign.

What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Show all 5 1 /5 What's the European Parliament ever done for us? What's the European Parliament ever done for us? A cap on the amount of hours an employer can make you work The Working Time directive provides legal standards to ensure the health and safety of employees in Europe. Among the many rules are a working week of a maximum 48 hours, including overtime, a daily rest period of 11 hours in every 24, a break if a person works for six hours or more, and one day off in every seven. It also includes provisions for paid annual leave of at least four weeks every year Getty Images What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping the people of Britain to avoid smoking In 2014 MEPs passed the Tobacco Products Directive strengthening existing rules on the manufacture, production and presentation of tobacco products. This includes things like reduced branding, restrictions on products containing flavoured tobacco, health warnings on cigarette packets and provisions for e-cigarettes to ensure they are safe What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping you to make the right choices with your food Thanks to the European Parliament, UK consumers have access to more information than ever about their food and drink. This includes amount of fat, and how much of it is saturated, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and so on. It also includes portion sizes and guideline daily amount information so people can make informed choices about their diet. All facts must be clear and easy to understand What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Two year guarantees and 14-day returns policy for all products Consumers across the EU have access to a number of rights, from things which are potentially very useful, to things which used to be annoying. For example, shoppers in the UK receive a two-year guarantee on all products, and a 14-day period to change their minds and return a purchase, these things are useful www.PeopleImages.com-licence restrictions apply What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Keeping your air nice and fresh (and safe) Believe it or not, although the situation is improving, some areas of the UK have appalling air quality. A report by the Royal College of Physicians released on 23 February says 40,000 deaths are caused by outdoor air pollution in the UK every year. Air pollution is linked to a number of illnesses and conditions, from Asthma to diabetes and dementia. The report estimates the costs to British business and the health service add up to 20 billion every year

My fear is turnout, he says, bluntly. I think a lot of people might think: Well, in the end, its the rational thing to stay, but Ill let other people make that choice for me. Dont. This is very close, no doubt about it. Turnout, he says, is going to be a really important factor in the result.

Whether you either passionately think we should stay in, or on balance think we should stay in, or on a balance of risks think we should stay in  for heavens sake get out and vote in, because you might wake up and find out youre out.

Mr Cameron is concerned the rational argument for staying in the EU will not be enough to defeat the out campaign. I feel very confident that the case for remaining in a reformed Europe has all the strongest arguments, but, he admits, there is also a very important inter-generational and emotional case that needs to be made.

He wants older voters to feel a sense of duty not to pull the rug out from under the next generation. Think about your children, think about your grandchildren, think about the country and the world you want them to grow up in. It must be a world in which we are trying to co-operate and work together more with other countries.

It is worth standing back and thinking here we are, the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War  This continent which was in conflict for so much of the 20th century has found a way of peaceful coexistence, and that is something we should want to be part of and want to share in.

Mr Cameron says he is teaching his own children that Britain is special and should belong to international organisations in order to shape the worlds future as well as its past.

David Cameron claims a vote to leave Europe could set the country back years (Getty)

I think the world I want my children to grow up in is [one] where theres a big, bold, brave Britain at the heart of these institutions trying to deliver a world based on the values we care about  democracy, freedom, rights Thats the kind of country I want my little ones to grow up and inherit.

He calls on young voters to talk to their parents and grandparents to ask them to vote in. I think that would be quite a strong message from young people starting out on life. Mr Cameron wants to inject some passion into the debate: I think the inners need to grab hold of all the rationality we can  because we are winning that argument  but also put in a dose of emotion and patriotism about Britains place in the world and our future.

Despite his appeal to the higher ideals of European unity, Mr Cameron insists it is still necessary to warn people of the more mundane dangers of leaving. Its not frightening people, talking about the alternatives  its just project reality. Weve just got to talk about what life might be like.

He claims a vote to leave could set the country back years. Britain would spend the next seven to 10 years trying to work out what the future was like outside the EU and what our relationship would be with it.

That to me is a bit like pressing pause on your countrys future; and when you press pause in the modern world you actually go backwards, because the rest of the world doesnt stand still while you figure out what your relationship is. The rest of the world moves on.

In contrast, he believes Britain can be a swashbuckling, trading, successful, buccaneer nation of the 21st century within the EU.

Mr Cameron also claims leaving the EU would embolden Britains enemies. He comes close to saying Russias president, Vladimir Putin, would welcome a Brexit vote.

I think he probably he starts to say, before checking himself. I dont know, I havent asked him. But, he adds: Putin has an interest in trying to divide and weaken the West. He respects strength and unity, not weakness and division.

A slightly menacing sign of Russian strength is on display behind Mr Camerons desk, where four ornamental swords sit on the mantelpiece, including one from Mr Putin. Theres probably a listening device in there, the PM jokes as he poses for photographs.

Its not the only gift from the Kremlin which has pride of place in Mr Camerons office. He shows off a special Russian doll of British prime ministers. The largest doll is of Mr Cameron, with Gordon Brown and Margaret Thatcher both nestled inside  but for some reason no Tony Blair.

Perhaps fearing his own place in history could be similarly wiped out if he loses the referendum, Mr Cameron is keen to enlist all the help he can get. The PM is adamant that Barack Obama should not shy away from intervening during his visit to Britain next month  despite the pleas from Tory Eurosceptics to stay out of the debate.

David Cameron welcomes Vladimir Putin to the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland in June 2013. The PM comes close to saying Russias president would welcome a Brexit vote (PA)

I think its good that our friends and allies around the world are saying what they think, but the British people will make up their minds on their own.

He says Mr Obama will say his piece in his own way. Mr Cameron could be forgiven for being less welcoming to the US President after being publicly chastised by him over the descent into chaos in Libya. Mr Obama accused the Prime Minister of being distracted after helping to remove the former dictator, allowing the country to slide into anarchy.

The PM insists he is not angry with the US President. No, not at all. He adds: We all have to accept that what has been done hasnt been sufficient  Everyone has to take responsibility for the fact that Libya is in a bad condition. But he insists the UK and France were right to intervene to stop Gaddafi from butchering people in Benghazi.

Frankly, were better off without him, he says, adding: Theres still Semtex washing around in Northern Ireland that came straight from Gaddafi. But Mr Cameron does appear bruised by the disaster that has unfolded in the country. He admits that in spite of all our efforts, we havent seen progress in Libya towards a single unified government. That, he admits, is a real problem.

Mr Cameron sets out  with an almost resigned weariness  the measures he took to help the new Libyan regime. In my defence, I would say we piled in with aid; we helped to train Libyan defence forces; we got the Libyan prime minister to the G8; we set up international meetings to help support him; we went to the UN to pass resolutions to help the new government.

But, he says: The truth is the Libyan political factions have not been able to agree on unity and the disbanding of militias and all the things necessary to build a functioning state, so everyone has to take their responsibilities.

Despite receiving a rare public rebuke from the White House, Mr Cameron carefully sidesteps getting involved in the US elections after being asked if he is alarmed at the rhetoric emerging from the presidential race.

Barack Obama said David Cameron had risked damaging the special relationship (Getty)

Look  were two countries united by a common language and we have some similarities in our politics, but a lot of our politics is very different. But its a lively contest.

One of the things I most admire about America is they have created a genuine melting pot society, a country of opportunity; you can be of any religion, colour, ethnicity, persuasion and make it to the top of your chosen field. And thats something I admire about America and hope they continue with.

Its hard to imagine this patrician Tory admiring anything about Donald Trump, but hes canny enough to avoid saying so. After all, he may have to deal with him in little over six months time  as long as hes still in his own job.

At just 49 years old, six years into being Prime Minister, Mr Cameron looks remarkably unaffected by the strains of office. He is a politician on whom the burden of power rests more lightly than most  despite the stresses of such a tumultuous week.

Surely he looks across the Dispatch Box at his 66-year-old rival Jeremy Corbyn and wishes he had not ruled out standing for a third term? No, I think it was the right thing to say, the right thing to do. But he still plans to stand again as an MP. Does this mean he could serve in a future Tory government?

I dont want to get into more speculation, he says  flatly refusing to rule it out. I have said enough about all this. I have said I will serve a full second term as Prime Minister, and my intention is to stand again as an MP.

At the moment, Mr Cameron is less concerned about his future after 2020 than being forced out of Downing Street before he has even turned 50 in October.

The picture of his wife Samantha and their children on his desk probably goes along way to explain his commitment to stand down. But if he can survive the next few months, perhaps 2020 may not be the end of Mr Cameron after all.
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David Cameron would welcome a leadership challenge to get rid of the t***s on the Eurosceptic right of the Conservative party, a minister has said.

As the Tory civil war over Europe exploded into the open following the dramatic resignation of Iain Duncan Smith on Friday evening, reports of the Prime Minister facing a potential leadership challenge shortly after the European referendum are also emerging.

Around 50 MPs are required to demand a vote of confidence in the Tory leader.

The minister, who is supporting the remain campaign, told the Sunday Times: He [Cameron] wants to fix the problem. He wants to get rid of the t***s who have caused all the problems. There will be a reckoning.

 Iain Duncan Smith's resignation - How it happened

A senior backbencher added: The way this is going a leadership contest is inevitable and George has zero chance of winning it. I know of 30 people who would put in a letter before breakfast on June 24.

In a separate interview Baroness Altmann, stated that her ex-boss Iain Duncan Smiths resignation from the Cabinet was designed to inflict maximum damage on the Conservative party leadership.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent on Sunday, David Cameron admitted for the first time his fear Britain could sleepwalk out of the EU. He conceded that the result of the 23 June referendum was now on a knife edge and revealed his biggest concern was in persuading enough people to turn out to deny victory to the Brexit campaign.

On 19 March Downing Street battled to fend off claims Mr Cameron had lost control of his party over Europe, amid a series of budget rebellions that threaten the Governments bid to eradicate the deficit by the next election
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Conservative in-fighting is threatening to spiral out of control in the wake of Iain Duncan Smiths dramatic resignation from the Cabinet.

The announcement on Friday evening has triggered an escalating row among some of the party's most senior figures, prompting a series of increasingly strident public statements.

As the Government descends into virtual open warfare, see what each minister has said so far:

Iain Duncan Smith

Iain Duncan Smith confirmed to the Andrew Marr Show that he had been considering resigning since last year (BBC)

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Mr Duncan Smith said there needed to be "fairness" in the way the government balanced its books.

He said: "My deep concern has been that this very limited narrow attack on what is working age benefits means we simply don't get that balance. We lose the balance of the generations".

He denied his resignation had been motivated by the EU referendum campaign and said the welfare cap was "abritrary" and accused Chancellor George Osborne of pursuing "a desperate search for savings".

He said they needed to consider cutting pension benefits: "We have a triple lock on pensions which I was proud to do six years ago but with inflation running at 0% we really need to look at things like this".

He said the Government was "in danger of drifting in a direction that divides society rather than unites it."

 Iain Duncan Smith talks about his resignation on Andrew Marr

Amber Rudd

Amber Rudd: Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Getty)

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd, told Murnaghan on Sky News that she does respect Mr Duncan Smith but to suddenly launch this bombshell on the rest of us in a way that is difficult for us all to understand is just really disappointing".

She added that the former work and pensions minister was completely wrong to suggest the Conservatives were falling short of being a one nation government.

I do resent his moral high tone on that when the rest of us are absolutely committed to a one nation government, she said.

"I do find his manner and his approach really disappointing."

Ros Altmann

Ros Altmann insists private pensions have a future (Susannah Ireland)

Ros Altmann, the pensions minister, made an extraordinary statement attacking IDS on her Twitter account.

She posted: Shocked by IDS news. He championed reforms he now says hes resigning over. Sadly seems all about EU referendum.

IDS undermined my efforts to help on important pension policy issues like womens pensions. Looking forward to working with Stephen Crabb."

Shailesh Vara

But fellow DWP minister Shailesh Vara hit back at Lady Altmann, saying he remembered events differently.

"I have to say I'm surprised by Ros's comments," he said.

"The fact is that I recall Ros attending all the meetings at which we openly discussed government policy and then we both went out to defend the policy in the Commons and Lords, which as you know wasn't always easy to do.

"Ros's recollection does not accord with mine and I'm sorry that this has all happened."

Priti Patel

Employment minister Priti Patel addresses the Work and Pensions Select Committee (House of Commons)

Mr Duncan Smiths former colleague, Priti Patel, also rallied to his defence.

"Iain has always provided support and encouragement in all aspects of my work in DWP," she said.

"All meetings with our ministerial team have been constructive and every minister has had the freedom to take forward policy ideas in their brief, to lead media campaigns and engage freely with parliamentary colleagues."

Justin Tomlinson

Disabilities minister Mr Tomlinson said: "Iain has always conducted himself in a professional, dedicated and determined manner. He actively encouraged ministers and teams to engage, challenge and develop ideas.

"We were to be ourselves, our judgement backed as we worked as a team both for DWP and the government."

 Iain Duncan Smith's resignation - How it happened

Graham Brady

Though not a minister, Mr Brady is chairman of the influential Conservative backbenchers' group the 1922 Committee.

On Pienaar's Politics, he said: "The worst thing you can do is impune somebody elses motives for what they are doing and what they are saying. We are all involved in this because we have strong beliefs and are passionate about our country.

"I would caution colleagues and senior advisers in government just to reflect on the damage that can be done."
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Iain Duncan Smith has sparked a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Conservative Party with an astonishing attack on the Governments record, warning that David Cameron and George Osborne risk dividing society with their cuts to welfare.

The former Work and Pensions Secretary, who resigned on Friday citing alarm at new 4.4bn cuts to disability benefits, told the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show that the Government had to stop bearing down on working age benefit claimants to cut the deficit, branding the Chancellor's budget, which included tax breaks for higher earners, deeply unfair.

In his first interview since resigning, the former Conservative leader denied that his departure was the beginning of a coup against Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne, or that it was linked to the Cabinet split over the EU referendum.

Recommended Read more Watch Iain Duncan Smith launch furious attack on Cameron and Osborne

But in condemning key pillars of the Governments reform agenda, he delivered a serious blow to the authority of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor.

He described the welfare cap as arbitrary and accused Mr Osborne of pursuing a desperate search for savings, which he said had come at the expense of reforms that would help benefits claimants back into to work, and risked destroying the Conservatives claim to be a one nation party.

Yes we need to get the deficit down but we need to make sure we widen the scope of where we look to get that deficit down and not just narrow it down on working age benefits, he said. Otherwise it just looks like we see this as a pot of money, [and] that it doesnt matter because they dont vote for us.

He said the Government was in danger of drifting in a direction that divides society rather than unites it.

That I think is unfair. Im not in the business of morality and everything else, I leave that to churchmen. I simply say that as far as I am concerned the risk is there.

Mr Duncan Smith said resigning had been a painful decision, but had not been about attacking the PM or Europe.

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 defended his own record as Work and Pensions Secretary, during a tenure in which he endorsed previous cuts to the welfare budget, as well as controversial policies such as the bedroom tax and the troubled transition to Universal Credit. He claimed he had worked hard behind the scenes to even out and smooth out those policies.

It has been reported that the Prime Minister branded his former Cabinet colleague dishonourable on hearing of his decision to resign, while extracts from a new book by former Lib Dem Coalition minister David Laws claim that Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne attempted to sack Mr Duncan Smith four years ago.

Responding to his latest salvo against the Government, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd said Mr Duncan Smith was completely wrong to say the Government was not pursuing one nation conservatism and said she resented his high moral tone.

We are a team as a government, as a cabinet and he has broken ranks with that team and its upsetting, she told Sky News Murnaghan programme.

But Mr Duncan Smiths former colleague, pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann told BBC Radio 5 Lives Pienaars Politics she believed his resignation had been all about Europe.

Its been the impression Ive had for some time that Europe was the thing that really mattered and the rest of it not so much, she said. I do think this definitely has to be about Europe. The timing of it and the way its happened when the policy that he had supported, wed already agreed to revisit.

She said Mr Duncan Smith had silenced her for months, preventing her from speaking to the media or tweeting about the Governments pensions and welfare reforms.

Iain has pushed through these measures, he has supported these measuresweve had discussions about it and hes explained why the current system needed to change, it wasnt working well. Therefore I am really surprised he has resigned in this way.

I really do think this is all about Europethe department has supported the cutsAs far as my experience is concerned it seems to be this is about Europeits about the difficult relationship between certain personalities at the top of government, she said.
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George Osbornes leadership hopes are dangling by a thread amid mounting Tory anger at the disastrous fallout from last weeks Budget, and widespread expressions of support for Iain Duncan Smith.

Tory ministers and MPs lined up to vent their frustration at Mr Osbornes failure to consult over a series of controversial measures, including the proposed cuts to disability benefits which sparked Mr Duncan Smiths shock resignation on late on 18 March.

However, allies of the Chancellor hit back at the former Work and Pensions Secretary  accusing him of being intellectually not up to the job and of quitting before the referendum to escape the blame for overseeing his departments universal credit fiasco.

The explosive row exposes the depth of ill-feeling within the Tory party which has been exposed by the EU referendum campaign.

David Cameron moved quickly to replace Mr Duncan Smith with the loyalist Stephen Crabb, while Alun Cairns was promoted to Secretary of State for Wales. Many ministers were privately seething about Mr Duncan Smiths behaviour, but there was widespread acceptance that Mr Osborne had been badly damaged by the row.

One former Tory leadership contender, David Davis, said: Its the third time. After the omnishambles and tax credits, now this. This wont help the George the master tactician myth.

He added: The problem has been brewing for six years. Iain kept being asked for large savings on very short notice. That often ends up causing a lot of misery for the people who are reliant on welfare.

Mr Davis dismissed claims that the referendum was the real reason for the resignation. Choosing to resign is a pretty painful decision. He would not have resigned for minor tactical advantages in the EU debate, he said.

Duncan Smith's resignation means that George Osbornes Finance Bill could be defeated this week (Getty)

Friends of Boris Johnson have also made it clear they back Mr Duncan Smith. A source close to the Mayor of London said: It was just too much for Iain. Its certainly damaging for George and his future ambitions. What goes up must come down.

One ministerial aide said that Mr Osbornes position was precarious, comparing Mr Duncan Smiths resignation letter to Geoffrey Howes 1990 speech which brought down Margaret Thatcher. The aide added that Mr Osborne could be forced to go within the next two weeks.

He added: This has very badly damaged him [Mr Osborne]. The fact of the matter is lots of MPs were worried about PIP [the Personal Independence Payment] and nobody was listening to them.

The resignation also means that Mr Osbornes Finance Bill could be defeated this week. The Chancellor thought he had calmed a rebellion on an amendment over renewable subsidies  Labour is angry that the EU is trying to force VAT to be increased from 5 per cent to 20 per cent on solar panels.

Conservative Eurosceptics have signed up to this amendment, but it looked as though the rebellion had been crushed by Mr Osbornes concession that he would make sure solar remained exempt from the higher rate.

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However, Labour is pressing on with the amendment because Mr Osborne has not guaranteed that this exemption would be made permanent. A Labour source said about 20 Conservative MPs were now expected to rebel.

A Tory rebel said: If you drew a Venn diagram of people who dont like the EU and people who dont like George it would be a circle.

The rebellion should be enough to defeat the Government, which has a slender working majority of just 16. This would be the first Government defeat on a Finance Bill since 1994.

Rebecca Long-Bailey, the Labour MP who tabled the solar amendment, added: We want proper legislative action to protect green jobs, and thats what our amendment would allow, so unless the Government gives us cast-iron guarantees then it will stay on the order paper.

Demonstrating the depth of division within the Tory party, the MP Stephen McPartland insisted that Mr Duncan Smith had lost his way and welcomed his resignation.

Mr Duncan Smith is understood to have threatened to resign on up to four previous occasions.

A pro-EU minister said: Hes decided to quit rather than get pushed after the referendum. There was a feeling that intellectually he was not up to the job. But at the end of the day, the big loser in this is Osborne  this is going to damage him quite a lot. A source close to the Prime Minister said Mr Cameron had been surprised by Mr Duncan Smiths resignation, given that disability benefit cuts were not raised as an issue at the Budget Cabinet meeting.
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Senior allies of Jeremy Corbyn want the embattled Labour leader to carry out a second reshuffle before Septembers party conference, despite the botched attempt to change its top team only two months ago. Corbynistas were frustrated that their leader failed to oust his Foreign Secretary, Hilary Benn, who backed the Government over Syrian air strikes. Mr Corbyn is fiercely against the bombing, but Mr Benn overshadowed his arguments with one of the most celebrated parliamentary speeches of recent years.

Instead, Mr Corbyns only major moves were to sack Michael Dugher, who had been campaign manager for rival Andy Burnham during the leadership election last year, and replace him at Culture, Media and Sport with Maria Eagle. Ms Eagle was demoted from Defence, where she clashed with Mr Corbyn because she supports the renewal of Britains nuclear deterrent. Mr Corbyn is vice-president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

One ally, who is a senior MP, said Mr Corbyn must be more decisive in a second reshuffle and sack Mr Benn. Others said they have heard gossip about such a move in Parliaments tearooms. The source added: You cant have a foreign secretary who disagrees with the leader over Syria. Hilary Benn is our issue. This reshuffle could take place at the end of August or the start of September.

Recommended Read more Jeremy Corbyn defends reshuffle saying the party has emerged stronger

However, there is little appetite for this in the leaders office, which was so badly bruised by Januarys debacle, dubbed the longest reshuffle in history. The reshuffle had been briefed to the media for weeks, yet still took several days to complete when it finally got under way.

Some supporters also want Mr Corbyn to reduce the size of his Shadow Cabinet, which they think is unwieldy at 31 members. There are 22 members of David Camerons top team, although another eight are eligible to attend Cabinet.

Mr Corbyns mandate among Labour members is arguably the biggest of any major party leader in history, taking 59.5 per cent of the vote. A left-wing backbencher for more than 30 years, Mr Corbyn scored an unexpected victory, with Mr Burnham a distant second with 19 per cent.

But his leadership is deeply unpopular in the Parliamentary Labour Party  few MPs voted for him and they believe he is taking the party too far left to be capable of winning the 2020 general election. There have been reports that MPs would like to mount a coup later this year before party rules are changed to make it more difficult to oust Mr Corbyn.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA UK news in pictures 7 September 2022 Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2022 Visitors at the PoliNations garden in Victoria Square, Birmingham, which is made up of five 40ft high tree installations and over 6,000 plants. The PoliNations programme aims to explore how migration and cross-pollination have shaped the UKs gardens and culture PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2022 Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews take part in the traditional Pier Walk along the harbour walls of St Andrews before the start of the new academic year PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2022 The Massed Pipes and Drums parade during the Braemar Highland Gathering at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2022 Number 12 Company Irish Guards at Wellington Barracks, central London, before commencing their first Guard Mount at Buckingham Palace PA

The plotters are struggling to find a candidate, although Dan Jarvis, a former soldier, recently made a speech on the economy that was considered an effort to mark out his political philosophy and build momentum for an eventual tilt.

Many MPs believe Mr Corbyn could be replaced only by a member of the soft left, which has led to speculation that Lisa Nandy, the trade unionist shadow Environment and Climate Change Secretary, is a possible contender.

But another figure who fits the soft left bill, shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Owen Smith, is thought to be on manoeuvres. Labour sources said he is networking the 2015 intake of MPs, while the Pontypridd MP is also popular among his colleagues in Wales.

Mr Smith has previously admitted to having leadership ambitions, but insisted Mr Corbyn will remain in the post until the 2020 election.

Separately, former home secretary Alan Johnson told the Scottish Labour Party conference in Glasgow that Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Chris Grayling are responsible for producing a tide of drivel about the UKs relationship with the EU.

Dan Jarvis has been touted as a possible leader-in-waiting for the Labour party (Getty) (REX Features)

Mr Johnson, who is leading Labours 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 does not understand how Nicola Sturgeons party can argue for breaking up the Union through Scottish independence while also being in favour of the UK remaining in Europe.

The irony of the SNPs belief  in the benefit of working with others for the greater good  as long as its 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 its vital for trade and jobs. I find that slightly paradoxical.
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A Labour peer and ally of Tony Blair has threatened to resign from the party unless Jeremy Corbyn makes it absolutely clear that anti-Semitism will not be tolerated among its members.

Lord Levy, who served as the former Prime Ministers Middle East envoy and is one of the partys leading Jewish figures, said that he had been shocked and horrified by the comments of two party members, one of whom was expelled and one suspended, following anti-Semitism allegations. He also expressed concern over the recent resignation of the co-chair of Oxford Universitys Labour club, Alex Chalmers, who expressed concerns that some fellow members had some kind of problem with Jews following allegations of anti-Semitic bullying within the club.

Labour has launched an inquiry into the Oxford Labour dispute, but many members feel the party leaderhship should go further.

Concerns over anti-Semitism among the party membership came to a head last week when member Vicki Kirby was suspended by the party after it emerged her Twitter feed contained posts describing Jews as having big noses and suggesting Zionists consider Hitler their God.

And activist Gerry Downing was expelled from the party earlier this month for posting a blog which appeared to blame the 9/11 attacks on Western foreign policy. He had also tweeted a link to an article on social media that said it was time to confront the Jewish question.

Speaking to Sky Newss Murnaghan programme, Lord Levy agreed with a suggestion that the Labour leadership had not gone far enough in cracking down on anti-Semitism in the party, and warned that he would start to question his position if he saw no action.

Frankly, it is now up to the leadership to make sure that there is a clear and unequivocal message out there that anti-Semitism in any form will not be tolerated within the Labour party, he said.

If they dont make that clear then I will start to question my being a Labour peer and a proud member of the Labour party.

Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of not going far enough to stamp out anti-Semitism in the Labour party (Getty)

The former music industry executive said that no party could be complacent about anti-Semitism. I was told when I was taking someone into the Lords that some on the other benches made comments quietly in the back: Whos the Jew boy bringing into the House now? he said.

Former Labour MP Tom Harris last week called on the party to confront what he called its problem with Jews. [The party] can acknowledge that problems existence, confront it and deal with it. Or it can shrug, mutter something about UN Security Council resolutions and continue to court the support of those on the far left who are the source of the problem, he wrote in The Daily Telegraph. Jewish members of the party have scant reason for optimism about which course will be pursued.

Mr Corbyn faced questions upon becoming leader about his previous links to figures accused of anti-Semitism, including his support of a pro-Palestinian group founded by the self-confessed Holocaust denier Paul Eisen.

Although Mr Corybn has made clear he has no current contact with Mr Eisen and has condemned anti-Semitism, most recently speaking out about online abuse targeted at Labour frontbencher Luciana Berger, he has faced accusations that relations between Labour and the Jewish community have come under strain since he became leader.

Last week, Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies, one of the countrys most senior Jewish figures, claimed that most people in the Jewish community cant trust Labour. Allegations of anti-Semitism, racism, bullying, intimidation, candidate misconduct  there should be no place for any of that in the Labour Party, he told the London Evening Standard last week.

The partys internal investigations into events at the Oxford University Labour club, led by Baroness Royall, will now also consider complaints made by a student at the London School of Economics, it has emerged.

Speaking to Sky News, Lord Levy also questioned whether Mr Corbyn would prove capable of exploiting the disarray in the Conservative Party following the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith. The peer said: We desperately need a leader who can take advantage of that so as to prepare us to get back into power. I dont think weve got the leader who is able to do that. I would like to be proven wrong, but I doubt it.

A Labour spokesperson said: Jeremy Corbyn condemns all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism.
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Buckingham Palace has rejected a report that the Queen "refuses" to meet Barack Obama during his visit to Britain next month, saying it was always the plan for the President to travel to Windsor Castle for lunch.

President Obama is expected to call for the UK to vote to stay in the EU during a trip here, shortly after the Queen's birthday on 21 April.

According to the Daily Mail's Ehpraim Hardcastle column, Elizabeth "refuses" to meet her fellow head of state in London, with the President being forced to trek up to Windsor Castle instead.

Recommended Read more Barack Obama to urge Britons to back remain vote in EU referendum

A source added: "But hed be well advised not to give a pro-EU sermon over lunch after the row about the Queen supporting Brexit."

Confirming the visit - details of which were first reported in the Independent on Sunday - this week, the White House said that Mr Obama "will be received by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle for a private lunch".

"The visit will allow the President to offer his gratitude to the British Government and people for their stalwart partnership with his Administration and the American people throughout his Presidency," it added.

A Palace spokesman took issue with the use of the word "refuses", however.

The Queen is at Windsor of that time of year anyway for Easter Court so it was "appropriate" for the meeting to take place there, he added, before offering three presidential precedents.

He said: "President Reagan stayed at Windsor in 1982 and President George W Bush visited The Queen at Windsor during his last full year in office in 2008, and of course Windsor is the setting for a number of State Visits, most recently for the Presidents of Ireland and France.

"Going back further in time, The Queen received President Eisenhower at Balmoral Castle in 1959."
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Until recently Godfrey Mwampembwa was one of Africas best known political cartoonists and one of the prized assets of Kenyas Daily Nation newspaper.

When he was suddenly dismissed from the paper late last year, many were left baffled. None more so than Mr Mwampembwa himself.

Mr Mwampembwa, whose pen-name is Gado, learned of his fate from the papers editor-in-chief, Tom Mshindi, when he attempted to return early from sabbatical.

He said, They have decided not to renew your contract, he told The Independent. I said, Who are they? He couldnt answer.

My reading is that the biggest pressure came from this administration.

The Daily Nation, East Africas most influential newspaper, is owned by Prince Karim Aga Khan, a British businessman and the hereditary leader of the worlds 15 million Ismaili Shias, who confer him with demi-god status. He now stands accused of acquiescing to demands from the Kenyan government to gag the newspaper in a bid to protect his business interests in the country. The government is by far the countrys biggest advertiser and has the power to extend or rescind tax breaks.

Prince Karim, whose fathers ex-wives included the actress Rita Hayworth, grew up in Nairobi and founded the Daily Nation in 1960, building it into the countrys foremost newspaper. But his vast business empire  including the Aga Khan hospital, the Serena hotel chain, insurers and a Kenyan bank  has long since dwarfed his media interests.

As his empire has grown, so, too, have his vulnerabilities. In Uganda, President Yoweri Musevenis antagonism to Prince Karims media interests led to a taming of his newspaper the Daily Monitor.

Since November last year, a series of senior journalists have been purged from the Daily Nation as well as Gado, including a managing editor who wrote a searing New Years editorial attacking President Uhuru Kenyatta over his failure to tackle corruption.

The Aga Khan, pictured with the former Empress of Iran Farah Pahlavi, is accused of gagging his own paper (Getty)

The cuts have left the industry reeling, with executives and journalists accusing the Aga Khan of scheming with the government as the country heads into tense elections next year. Many fear that the government is seeking to roll back hard-won freedoms.

The Aga Khans spokesman declined to comment, but the government denied claims of state-led pressure. This has nothing to do with the presidency, said Manoah Epinisu, presidential spokesman. Anyone saying that must be absolutely mad.

Widely regarded as Africas most talented satirist, Gado lampooned African politicians with merciless aplomb. But, arguably, it was his endless drawings of President Kenyatta in shackles, when he faced charges at the International Criminal Court over ethnic violence, which drew most fire. I was told that they, the board, say you have to stop, Mr Mwampembwa, a Tanzanian, recalled. I was pretty much a marked man.

His troubles escalated with the publication of a cartoon pillorying Tanzanias then-President, Jakaya Kikwete, and he was persuaded to take time off to allow tempers to cool, before he was cut loose. But if Gados departure had a sense of inevitability about it, the exit of other critical journalists did not.

Denis Galava, a seasoned journalist, was the most senior editor at the paper the day he wrote his now infamous leader, a no-holds-barred open letter to the president that went viral on social media.

We reject the almost criminal negligence with which your government has responded to our national crises this past year, he wrote in the 2 January editorial. With the exception of a few family businesses and tenderpreneurs [those who win government contracts by tender] who raked in billions of shillings  thanks largely to political patronage  everyone is losing money in this country.

Mr Galava said events took a rapid turn. Once it started trending, I knew automatically that the political and business class would be upset, he said. Within hours of publication, the State House, the Presidents official residency, was on the phone, he said, asking: Why is the Nation declaring war against the President on the first day of the year?

Mr Galava was officially sacked for not following correct procedure. He is contesting his dismissal, claiming such formal procedures did not exist.

Morale at the Daily Nation plummeted amid reports of a hit list of undesirable reporters and editors reportedly supplied to the Aga Khan at State House in December. Three journalists were made redundant this month in a sudden move that took their superiors by surprise. They included the Sunday Nations news editor and the investigations editor.

Insiders privately suggest that coverage of massive corruption scandals, including allegations by the opposition that $1bn (690m) raised by a eurobond sale remains unaccounted for, hit too close to home. Mr Galavas affidavit purportedly includes emails from Mr Mshindi, the editor-in-chief, urging reporters to go slow on sensitive stories.

The reality is that all media is under a lot of pressure from the government, said Joseph Odindo, a former Daily Nation editor and now editor-in-chief at The Standard, owned by the family of the former president Daniel arap Moi. There is arm-twisting, indirect pressure on content and editorial decisions, Mr Odindo said

Mr Mshindi said of his decision to sack Gado that no contract is everlasting. Accusations that management was caving in to government pressure were, he said, unfounded. We have a very strong reputation of independence, he said. Nevertheless, the Daily Nation is facing threats to a reputation built on coverage of events such as the states ruthless suppression of the pro-democracy Saba Saba riots in 1990, despite pressure from the Aga Khans representative to pull stories. That opened the floodgates for the critical coverage that helped usher in multiparty democracy.

Under Mwai Kibaki, President between 2002 and 2013, Kenyas media independence flourished, but freedoms were threatened anew when Mr Kenyatta took power in 2013.

Mr Kenyatta, son of Kenyas first post-independence leader, has had a combative relationship with the press, his alleged role in the 2007-08 post-election violence defining his candidacy. When an article displeases him, he is alleged to thump his desk with a fist and dispatch aides to harangue the writer.

Its a government that is really, really sensitive to critical reporting, and it doesnt hesitate to put on the screws, said Patrick Gathara, a cartoonist and commentator.

The government has attempted to push through draconian press and security laws, with the most anti-democratic provisions already struck out by the Supreme Court. Critical bloggers face harassment and detention.

How the Daily Nation responds to its current crisis, Mr Gathara said, will prove critical as elections approach. More government interference is inevitable. The practice is now established, he said. If they can go after the Nation, they can go after anyone.
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Protesters have shut down a highway on the route to a Donald Trump rally in Arizona.

The protesters parked their cars and trucks across the highway to block traffic near Fountain Hills, around 30 miles outside the city of Phoenix.

Footage of the scene shows cars backed up for miles down the highway.

Some of the trucks were towed away by police.

Mr Trump is scheduled to attend rallies in Fountain Hills and Tuscon ahead of Tuesday's Republican primary in Arizona.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

He was forced to abandon a rally in Chicago last Saturday after violent clashes erupted ahead of the event.

The Republican frontrunner has found himself at the centre of mounting controversy over violence at his rallies.
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The last sitting US President to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge, who arrived on a US battleship in 1928, to be greeted by a Cuban artillery salute. When Air Force One touched down at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana on Sunday, the welcome extended to Barack Obama was rather less spectacular, but no less warm. As he met with the staff of the new US Embassy in the Cuban capital, Mr Obama describe his three-day trip as a historic visit and a historic opportunity.

The re-establishment of relations with Cuba is one of Mr Obamas signature foreign policy accomplishments, and the visit is timed to strengthen those ties ahead of the results of the US presidential election in November. As if to emphasise his personal stake in US-Cuban partnership, he is being accompanied by his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha.

The Obama family began their visit to the island nation with a tour of Old Havana on Sunday afternoon, sightseeing on foot despite heavy rain.

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez upon arrival to the airport in Havana, Cuba (AP)

Several hundred people greeted them with applause and shouts of Obama in the square outside Havanas Cathedral, where Mr Obama met with Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega. Cardinal Ortega, along with Pope Francis, was instrumental in brokering the recent rapprochement between the two historic foes.

In December 2014, after 18 months of secret talks, Mr Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced the two nations would at last begin normalising relations for the first time since Cubas Communist revolution in 1959. The countries have since re-opened embassies in Washington and Havana, while US airlines are due to resume services to Cuba this year. On Tuesday, Mr Obama will also attend a baseball game between the Cuban national team and US major league team the Tampa Bay Rays, a symbol of the two countries potential cultural links.

Mr Obama announced his arrival on Twitter:

Republicans in Congress remain opposed to reconciliation, and have so far refused to end Cubas 54-year economic embargo. There are five Republicans among a delegation of almost 40 members of Congress travelling with Mr Obama as part of the US delegation. Their arrival was a source of great excitement, with the Stars and Stripes fluttering alongside the Cuban flag in some areas of the spruced up capital  an unlikely sight given the decades of distrust between the nations.

Obama in Cuba Show all 6 1 /6 Obama in Cuba Obama in Cuba U.S. President Barack Obama makes a face towards a group of children in the audience as he stand on stage with first lady Michelle Obama as he is introduced by Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis Charge d'Affaires to the U.S. Embassy in Cuba Obama in Cuba President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez upon arrival to the airport in Havana, Cuba Obama in Cuba U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle approach Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez as they arrive at Havana's international airport Obama in Cuba US President Barack Obama waves after his arrival on Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba Obama in Cuba US President Barack Obama carries an umbrella as he is followed by First Lady Michelle Obama after their arrival on Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba Obama in Cuba The 'Air Force One' jet carrying US President Barack Obama touches down at the Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba

Mr Castro was not at the airport to greet Mr Obama personally yesterday, but the two are due to meet for talks on Monday before a state dinner. On Tuesday, Mr Obama will give a speech in Havana outlining his hopes for future US-Cuban relations, which US officials expect to be broadcast live across the island nation. The venue for the Presidents speech is the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso, the same theatre where Coolidge addressed the Pan-American Conference 88 years ago.

Afterwards, Mr Obama is expected to meet with Cuban dissidents. On Sunday morning, before he landed in Havana, police broke up an anti-government demonstration by the activist group Ladies in White, who protest regularly every Sunday in the capital and are routinely detained.
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Amid continuing protests and violence at his campaign events, GOP presidential front runner Donald Trump plans to host a meeting of top Republicans on Monday to encourage the party to coalesce around his candidacy.

The closed-door conclave marks the first time the billionaire property developer has met with members of the GOP establishment in Washington DC since autumn 2015, when few believed he was likely to become the partys presidential nominee.

Protester Bryan Sanders, centre left, is punched by a Trump supporter as he is escorted out of a rally in Tucson (AP)

Those invited include members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as other influential figures  many of whom have not endorsed Mr Trump. The meeting is intended to foster party unity, The Washington Post reported.

So far Mr Trump has the backing of one US Senator, Arizona Republican and immigration hardliner Jeff Sessions, and a handful of House Republicans. He has also been endorsed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and the governors of Florida and Maine.

Yet the meeting comes days after another group of conservatives, the Never Trump group, huddled in Washington, hoping to halt his rise.

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'

Beyond the Beltway, public opposition to Mr Trump continues to swell. On Saturday, protesters blocked traffic approaching a rally near Phoenix, Arizona, forcing some Trump supporters to walk several miles to the event.

Meanwhile, a crowd of hundreds of immigrant-rights activists and anti-fascists converged on Trump Tower in New York. Later on Saturday, at a Trump rally in Tucson, a 32-year-old man was arrested after he assaulted a protester who was being led from the venue with a friend wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood. Footage shows the assailant punching and kicking the protester.

At the same rally, Mr Trumps campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and an unidentified man were caught on camera arguing with a young demonstrator. Mr Lewandowski can be seen reaching for collar of the protester, who is subsequently yanked backwards.

The Trump campaign claimed it was the unnamed man to Mr Lewandowskis left who had tugged at the protesters shirt, but Mr Lewandowski is already under scrutiny after being accused of grabbing a reporter by the arm at another event a week ago.

Mr Trump praised his campaign manager for his spirit. The billionaire, who has been accused of inciting violence at his rallies, placed the blame for the incidents squarely on the protesters.

Monday's meeting in Washington comes before Mr Trumps speech later in the day to a conference hosted by the pro-Israel group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Mr Trump has angered some pro-Israeli power brokers by saying he would be neutral in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But he told ABC: Theres nobody more pro-Israel than I am. All other candidates intend to speak at the conference, except for Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders, who said he was too busy.

Republican primary voters go to the polls on Monday in Arizona and Utah. Mr Trump is more than 10 points ahead in Arizona, a winner-takes-all state with 58 delegates up for grabs. His closest challenger, Ted Cruz, is likely to triumph in neighbouring Utah, according to a poll this weekend.
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A US hotel company has signed a deal with Cuban authorities making it the first US firm to return to the island since the 1959 socialist revolution.

Starwood agreed on Saturday to renovate and run three hotels in Havana, Cubas capital city.

As Cuban hotels are state owned, the groundbreaking deal will put a major US corporation directly in business with the Communist government under a special US license.

The deal comes just before President Barack Obamas historic visit to Cuba - the first visit made by a US president for nearly 90 years.

The White House has eased travel restrictions between the US and Cuba Getty (Getty Images)

Starwoods chief of Latin American operations, Jorge Giannattasio, said the company will invest millions to renovate and re-brand the Quinta Avenida, Santa Isabel and Inglaterra hotels.

The Quinta Avenida is owned by Gaviota, a military-run tourism conglomerate. The Santa Isabel and Inglaterra, which are run by other state agencies, will be operated as part of Starwoods Luxury Collection brand.

The firm's plans include training and hiring new staff, refitting the hotels, improving kitchen equipment and bettering safety measures.

Starwood aim to reopen the hotels by the end of the year and will receive a fee for its branding and management services.

The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Show all 10 1 /10 The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Attempts made on Castro's life since he came to power in 1959: 638 (according to Fabian Escalante, former Cuban security chief) Reuters/Prensa Latina The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Castro is a baseball fan - with 16 teams making up the Cuban National Baseball League Reuters/Kimberly White The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Size of the original rebel army led by Castro and including Che Guevara that sailed to Cuba in 1956, eventually toppling President Batista on 1 January 1959: 82 STF/AFP/Getty Images The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Acts of "civil disobedience" logged in Cuba in 2005, according to a report by the exiled Cuban Democratic Directorate: 3,322 Miguel Vinas/AFP/Getty Images The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Age at which Castro began smoking cigars: 15 Age at which Castro gave up smoking cigars: 59 Jorge Rey/Getty Images The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Jorge Rey/Getty Images The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Reuters/Andrew Winning The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Total number of Cubans believed to have emigrated while Castro was in power: about 1.4 million (81 per cent of whom have settled in North America) Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Duration of a speech Castro made at the UN in 1960: 4 hours 29 minutes (listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest speech made in the United Nations) Tom Mihalek/Getty Images The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures Films: Castro is listed as an "uncredited extra" in the 1946 musical Holiday in Mexico and as a "poolside spectator" in the romantic comedy Easy to Wed (also 1946) Hrvoje Polan/AFP/Getty Images

Cuban law puts limits on the number of Cuban workers directly hired by foreign firms, which international companies say limits the customer service they can provide.

Mr Giannattasio said he was confident Starwood would have enough control to maintain the companys standards in Cuba, although he declined to comment on the details of the firms arrangement with the Cuban government.

Starwood is also involved in what may be the biggest takeover of a US firm by a Chinese company.

On Friday, Starwood called off a $12.2 billion buyout agreement with Marriott in favour of an offer from a group of investors led by the Chinese company Anbang Insurance.

Tourism in Cuba rose by almost 20 per cent last year, with nearly 80 per cent more Americans flying to the island after President Barak Obama eased travel restrictions to the country.

Numbers are expected to rise even more steeply this year with the start of as many as 110 commercial flights a day from the US.

On Tuesday, the Obama administration eased restrictions on travel to Cuba, US citizens will be allowed to travel to Cuba for "people to people" educational trips and Cuban citizens will be allowed to open US bank accounts.

Mr Obama began the process of normalizing relations with Cuba in December 2014, after more than 50 years of frozen ties between the two countries. He and Mr Castro spoke at a conference last year and shook hands, symbolizing the renewed cooperation.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Kim Jong-un can be seen inspecting a missile launch and military exercises in a new set of images released by North Korea.

Taken at undisclosed locations and on unknown dates but believed to be recent, the images show the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea observing the launch of a missile.

Released by state-controlled newspaper Rodung Sinmun, the photographs are said to picture a "powerful nuclear deterrent... so as to get ready to make nuclear strikes at the enemies from anywhere on the ground, in the air, at sea and underwater".

Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch Show all 11 1 /11 Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch The North Korean leader inspects a missile launch from a safe distance Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch Kim Jong-un discusses plans with military leaders Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch A ballistic rocket of the type launched by the DPRK in defiance of UN sanctions Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch UN officials tracked two ballistic missile launches from North Korea on Friday 18 March Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch The Supreme Leader laughed with officials as the missiles were fired Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch Kim Jong-un was also pictured observing military exercises Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch Tanks fire missiles during military manoeuvres at an undisclosed location Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch The exercises are timed to coincide with military drills by the US and South Korea Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch As well as a tank-driving competition, amphibious craft carried out landing and anti-landing exercises Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch Including paramilitary reserves, the North Korean army is the largest in the world Kim Jong-un inspects military exercises and missile launch The Supreme Leader appeared pleased with the show of force

It comes after the nation was condemned by the UN Security Council for launching a medium-range ballistic missile 500 miles off its coast. A week prior to that launch, North Korea also fired short-range ballistic devices into the sea.

In response to those launches, the UN has imposed its toughest sanctions yet on the pariah nation, including mandatory searches of cargo entering and leaving the country and a total ban on the movement of small arms across the North Korean border.

The USA and South Korea are also currently running an annual series of military manouevres, which Pyongyang views as preparations for an imminent invasion. A total of 17,000 American and 300,000 South Korean soldiers are carrying out over a month of military exercises, putting on a significant show of force as tensions heighten in the region.

 The moment US student Otto Warmbier stole poster of 'Kim Jong il' in North Korea

In response, North Korea has begun a military sabre-rattling of its own. The new pictures above show the Korean People's Army tank competition.

Speaking to the state-controlled news source, 'Supreme Leader' Kim Jong-un said he was "pleased to witness the sky-high spirit of the KPA," and noted that "the tank represents the spirit".

Not pictured are further exercises conducted at the coast, involving simulated attacks from sea and defences against landing craft.

Those drills involved warships, air cover, artillery and snipers, and are said to be a direct response to the joint US-South Korea Operation Foal Eagle.

Decrying the military exercises being performed by his southern neighbours, Mr Kim said: "If they destroy even a single tree or a blade of grass in our inviolable territory, I will strike... the hordes of the puppet military with a deadly baptism of fire so that they may not exist any longer."
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Giving money to beggars may generally be considered an act of kindness  but in the Italian town of Bordighera, it is now supposed to be an offense punishable with a fine.

The town's mayor, Giacomo Pallanca, made the decision in response to complaints about homeless men and women begging for money, according to Italian newspaper Il Secolo XIX and the news site the Local. Pallanca defended the policy in an interview, arguing that punishing beggars was impossible because they can't or will never be able to pay.

Since real organisations are often behind this phenomenon, we must eradicate it by discouraging those who offer money, Pallanca was quoted as saying.

Italy, just like most European countries, has an extensive welfare system that allows homeless citizens to apply for social housing or unemployment benefits. That is why some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have made it illegal to beg for money. Italy has no such restriction, which has raised questions over the Bordighera rule's compliance with national law.

Supporters of anti-begging initiatives point out that begging is a profitable source of income for organised crime groups. Child beggars suffer most, as they are denied an education, they'll have nutrition issues, health issues, Christine Beddoe, the U.K. director of an initiative called End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking, told the BBC in 2011. They'll also grow up believing that this is the only way, or the normal way, of earning a living, she said.

Similar arguments have been made in Italy in support of the new rule in Bordighera. Speaking to the Local, Steve Barnes, who heads a charity for homeless Italians, said, A move like this also eliminates the risk of supporting organised street crime.

Copyright: Washington Post
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The baby daughter of a family who drowned when their car slipped off a pier in Ireland was rescued before the car went under, according to reports.

Local people managed to save the fourth child, a baby girl, from the car after she was reportedly handed or thrown out of the window just seconds before her family's vehicle sank.

A family of three more children and two adults died in the car after it slipped on algae at Buncrana Pier in Co. Donegal in north-western Ireland, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

The surviving child, believed to be a few months old, was rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital by ambulance crews but her condition is not yet known.

It is believed the family were from nearby Derry in Northern Ireland and were visiting the area, the Irish News reported.

Several emergency response teams attended the scene - including a Rescue 118 helicopter from nearby Co. Sligo.

The Irish coastguard said the incident was a "tragic accident".

Locals have said there have been a number of incidents where cars get into difficulty near the pier in recent months at the slipway usually used by ferries.

A Garda spokesman said emergency crews were still at the scene.

He said: "Gardai and emergency services are at the scene of an incident that occurred at Buncrana pier this evening.

A car entered the water and a search of the area is currently ongoing.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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"No further information at present."

An eyewitness told Donegal Daily: "I am looking at a number of people, I don't know how many yet and they are covered with blankets.

"Nobody knows what happened. It is just so sad, so distressing".
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A Turkish official has reportedly been sacked over a tweet in which she appears to have wished almost a dozen Israeli tourists wounded in a bomb attack in Istanbul were dead.

The attack on Saturday saw five people killed, including the bomber himself, three Israelis and an Iranian, while 11 other Israeli nationals were among 36 injured in total.

Shortly after details emerged of the victims of the attack, a tweet was posted by the account of Irem Aktas, a board member in the womens branch of the ruling AK Party for the Istanbul district of Eyup, which read: I wish that the wounded Israeli tourists were dead.

The tweet sparked outrage among both Turks and Israelis on social media, and appears to have prompted an angry personal intervention from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Mr Netanyahu had ordered his foreign ministry to demand an official condemnation and apology from the Turkish government.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon told the Post if it was legitimate, the tweet was a shocking and ugly statement.

Ms Aktass account appears to have been deleted in the wake of the post, and according to the Times of Israel she has since been fired from the AK Party.

On Sunday, Turkeys interior minister confirmed reports the bomber had been identified as Turkish-born Isis militant Mehmet Ozturk, who had no previous criminal record and was born in 1992 in Gaziantep province, which borders Syria.

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

The attack targeted Istanbul's pedestrian Istiklal Street, which is linked with shops and cafes in an area that also has government offices and foreign missions.

It was not immediately clear if the Israelis were specifically targeted, the Associated Press reported. The Israelis' bodies and other Israelis wounded in the blast were being evacuated while a senior Israeli foreign ministry official to arrive in Istanbul for meetings with Turkish officials.
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A copy of Adolf Hitlers infamous Mein Kampf owned by the dictator himself has reportedly sold for over $20,000, an auction house has said.

The book, written by the leader of the Third Reich during his time in jail, was sold at the Alexander Historical Auction in Chesapeake City  alongside a thousand other World War Two items.

Mein Kampf, first published in 1924, was Hitlers political manifesto, filled with an arsenal of hate-filled diatribes towards Jews  including his plans to exterminate them.

It was sold for $20,655  or, just over 14,000  to an American buyer. There were more than ten bidders, on phone and online, according to the Local.

Bill Panagopulos, owner and auctioneer of Alexander Historical Auctions, told ABC he understands the controversy around the item, but added its not a reason to get rid of it. Why is it important to preserve history? he said.

The good and the bad, so that we dont repeat the sins of the past. Its important that we have them and keep them in front of us.

"This book has generated a lot of controversy especially in light of present-day comparisons of certain political candidates with Hitler and suggestions that their political beliefs are in line with his. I'm not going to comment on that but it's surprising the number of comments we've received along those lines.

ABC adds that the book was found by members of an American field artillery unit, and after it was discovered, 11 officers signed the first page: From Adolf Hitlers apartment on May 2, 1945.

The book was considered a failure when it was first released but went on to sell 5.2m copies between the Nazis rise to power in 1933 and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939  a sign of the power of indoctrination.

After the Second World War, the Allied forces gave the copyright over to the state of Bavaria, which banned the reproduction of the book.
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Tensions between Belgian and French authorities are threatening to stymie the investigation in the wake of the capture of Salah Abdeslam.

Abdeslam, who spent his second night in a maximum-security prison in Bruges, is assumed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out the November Paris attacks that killed 130 people.

While Belgian authorities are not commenting officially, they are thought to echo the concerns of Abdeslams Belgian lawyer, who announced legal action against the Paris prosecutor Francois Molins on 20 March, accusing him of breaching the confidentiality of the investigation.

Nobody in Belgium has communicated anything apart from a few general observations about Salahs medical condition, said Sven Mary, who was hired as Abdeslams lawyer shortly after his arrest in a police raid in Brussels on 18 March. In an attempt to suck up to French people by reading from an interrogation... it seems to me that a bridge has been crossed.

The move by Mr Mary is likely to slow the process of extraditing Salah to France and cloud the investigation at a time when law enforcement authorities across Europe are expected to be working together closely to tackle the threat from terrorism.

Mr Molins revealed on 19 March that Abdeslam told Belgian officials he had wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France as a suicide bomber in the Paris attacks, but that he backed out at the last minute.

Speaking to broadcaster RTL, Belgian justice minister Koen Geens did not comment on Mr Marys planned lawsuit, but did underline the need for everyone involved in the investigation to respect confidentiality and procedures.

It follows a series of exasperating incidents in recent months for Belgian authorities, who felt their investigations were compromised by French officials leaking information to journalists.

The raid that caught Abdeslam was almost thwarted by the irresponsibility of some of the press, according to Claude Fontaine, the head of Belgiums judicial police. He pointed in particular to French weekly news magazine LObs, which revealed on the afternoon of 18 March on its website that Salah Abdeslams fingerprints were found in a house raided in south Brussels on 15 March. As a result, the elite police brought forward their raid on the house in the Molenbeek district where Abdeslam and an associate were hiding.

The capture of Abdeslam is seen as a rare coup for the Belgian authorities after a series of dead ends. However, they have been on the receiving end of criticism from French officials, who note the Molenbeek connection in many recent Islamic terrorist attacks, including the Charlie Hebdo killings in January 2015 and the Madrid bombings in 2004.

While Belgian investigators said the Abdeslam trail ran cold soon after he returned to Brussels on November 14, the day after the attacks, residents in Molenbeek have said he continued to wander through the neighbourhood with his accomplices and even used to walk past the police station.

French MP and former anti-terrorist official Alain Marsaud said on 19 March either Salah Abdeslam was very smart or the Belgians were rubbish, adding, Belgian naivety cost us 130 lives. Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders, said his comments were deplorable.

Abdeslam was shot in the leg on 18 March along with a suspected accomplice, Mounir Ahmed Alaaj, also known as Amine Choukri.Abdeslam has been charged with terrorist murder and participating in a terror group.
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Disgraced ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been around the block a few times, but with his 80th birthday approaching this year the mogul is, in desperation, resorting to the internet.

Italys self-declared elder statesman will attempt to navigate the perilous path through the world wide web, with its seedy distractions and various viruses, to reinvigorate the Italian centre-right, which is dying a slow death.

To beat the [centre left Democratic party] PD and the [Five Star Movement] M5S, I knew this oldie would have to make a return, Mr Berlusconi told a political rally in Palermo on Saturday. How? Not only with radio and TV. I have finally decided to study the internet. I will launch a major campaign on the web.

With Italys centre-right tying itself in knots and sinking in the polls, Mr Berlusconi, who won three elections before being kicked out of office following a series of sex scandals and the 2011 sovereign debt crisis, has constantly sought new ways to revive his ailing conservative Forza Italia party.

But pundits are asking how far the billionaire will get, with Italys far-right parties on a roll. Poll figures released last Friday show Forza Italy, which commanded a third of the electorate at its height, falling to 10.6 per cent.

In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 1994 The billionaire media tycoon wins elections with his Forza Italia (Go Italy) party, following a wave of anti-corruption investigations that decimate the old political order. He is forced to step down just months later after his coaltion partner pulls out. Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2001 Berlusconi wins elections for a second time after a powerful media campaign in which he promised to slash taxes and unemployment. He goes on to serve the longest stint as Prime Minister in Italy's post-war history Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2006 Berlusconi steps down after being narrowly defeated by a centre-left coalition led by Romano Prodi, right, a former president of the European Commission. Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2008 Mr Berlusconi wins a third election victory following the collapse of Mr Prodi's government due to internal disagreements over Italian troop deployments in Afghanistan Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2009 Veronica Lario, Silvio Berlusconi's wife, files for divorce and accuses her husband of cavorting with under age girls Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2011 Silvio Berlusconi steps down following a parliamentary revolt and a growing number of sex scandals and criminal investigations Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2013 Silvio Berlusconi is sentenced for having sex with a then under age 17-year-old prostitute nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer. He also loses a second and final appeal over a tax fraud conviction Getty

It has already been overtaken by the far-right, populist Northern League, whose poll ratings at nearly 15 per cent, appear impervious to the racist and homophobic outbursts from its politicians.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzis ruling PD rose slightly from 34.3 per cent to 34.5 per cent and the anti-establishment M5S rose from 24.5 per cent to 24.8 per cent, in Ixes weekly poll for Raitre television.

In Palermo, Berlusconi accused Mr Renzi, not without reason, of being a leader without a mandate. The Prime Minister is abusive and illegitimate, he said, referring to the fact that Mr Renzi is the third Italian leader in a row to be appointed by the President rather than elected, thanks to a series of hung parliaments.

But for conservatives, the real crisis comes from the splits in their own movement. A number of dissidents from Mr Berlusconis party have formed their own conservative New Centre Right group, which props up Mr Renzis government in the Senate.

And in a political litmus test, Romes coming mayoral elections will see a Giorgia Meloni of the far-right Brothers of Italy party enter the race, despite Mr Berlusconis insistence that the more moderate Guido Bertolaso should be the candidate of the right.

Mr Bertolaso angered the anti-immigrant Northern League for daring to suggest that Italys Romani minority is discriminated against. The Leagues leader Matteo Salvini is now backing Ms Meloni.

Mr Berlusconi has dismissed Ms Meloni and her party as a bunch of ex-fascists because of their links to the old Alleanza Nazionale party, which grew out of Mussolinis fascist movement.

But the billionaire had no compunction about forming governments with the Alleanza Nazionale or the Northern League, in the past, when it suited him. Now that has changed and many people who used to vote for Berlusconi now vote for Salvini and even Meloni, said political scientist and pundit Roberto DAlimonte, noting the rise of anti-migrant and anti-EU sentiment. Theres a hole in the political centre ground.
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Two Syrian refugees have spoken about how they handed over a suspected paedophile to police officers, after they allegedly caught him trying to rape a seven-year-old girl.

Bashar Al-Ali, 29, from Deir ez-Zor, and Dlar Sedo, 24, from Aleppo, told the Daily Mail they were in the Idomeni camp in Greece when they heard the girl's father shout: "He's trying to rape my daughter."

They rushed towards the woodland to find the Afghan refugee allegedly trying to undress the girl behind a row of temporary toilets.

After grabbing the man, they marched him to the police, who arrested him.

Refugees lead the man through the camp (EPA)

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mr al-Ali said: "The Afghan man took her behind the toilets and then she started to scream.

"I ran over and saw that he was trying to remove her t-shirt and trousers. I grabbed him and started kicking him."

Police restrain the alleged paedophile (EPA)

The men were pictured leading the alleged paedophile a mile through the camp, while other refugees tried to hit him.

Mr Sedo said: "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."

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

Mr Sedo added: "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.

"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."

 Migrants form human chain

The Greek interior minister said refugees are living in conditions comparable to Nazi concentration camps when he visited the Idomeni camp, which sits on Greece's border with Macedonia.

Despite being planned for just 2,500 people, the camp hosts around 12,000 refugees in wet, cold and muddy conditions.
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Hadi Bayrams eyes fill with tears. Rockets here, bullets there, the baker says, gesturing at the damage to his modest premises located within the historic district of Sur, in the city of Diyarbakir in south-east Turkey. As he kneels in the rubble, harsh sunlight illuminates the shards of glass scattered around the building that has housed his business for decades.

The scene of a battle between Turkish security forces and fighters with links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Mr Bayrams bakery is just another mound of concrete, metal and glass that was once an integral part of life in the traditionally Kurdish neighbourhood.

For months, conflict has been a constant feature of life in Diyarbakir and across south-east Turkey, the latest bloody episode in an fight for Kurdish autonomy by the PKK that can be traced back to 1984.

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The Turkish state deem the PKK a terrorist organisation, as do a number of Western states, and in December, government forces imposed a 24-hour curfew across a number of areas in the south-east as part of military operations carried out against the group.

The curfew in Sur is now gradually being lifted street by street. For those who managed to flee the fighting to other areas of the country, it has allowed them finally to come home, while those who stayed now have a chance to assess the damage to their property.

The issue of burials is also fresh in the minds of many. In one part of Sur, families gather each day inside Diyarbakirs Dicle Firat Cultural Centre, and a protest takes place. Relatives of those killed in the conflict clutch pictures of loved ones, asking the Turkish government to give back the bodies of those killed in the fighting.

An elderly Kurdish woman waits to be allowed back to her home in Sur (AFP/Getty)

Sakir Gokalp is one of these people. When I went to the morgue to find my brother it was impossible. One boy was run over by a tank, he was like minced meat. I feel like crying, but what can I do? Its hopeless. No one will help us,

Mr Gokalps brother was killed fighting in Sur as part of the PKK. He was 18. Two weeks ago, Mr Gokalps father got a call saying his son had been killed in the violent clashes between Turkish special forces Kurdish fighters, many of them young men. We were looking for him for a long time. We thought he was in Iraq or Syria but it turned out he was fighting here in Sur, a district not far from our home, Mr Gokalp explains, as weeping women pray nearby.

This latest outbreak of fighting between the PKK and Turkish forces is one of the bloodiest since the 1990s, and comes after the breakdown of a fragile peace. In March 2013, the jailed PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, had called for a ceasefire after negotiations with the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the then prime minister and now president. That finally collapsed in July 2015. The current military operations and curfews in the south-east of Turkey have been described as a collective punishment by human rights group Amnesty International.

Andrew Gardner, a researcher on Turkey for Amnesty International, was refused access to Sur while trying to gather data on the curfews last December.

There are two areas of concern here. One is the curfews, which amount to collective punishment; and the second is use of force, he said. The violence has escalated and were seeing an increase in the use of heavy weaponry as curfews are extended. We estimate about 300,000 people have been forcibly displaced by the conflict.

As the military operations move from one region to the next, the fragile peace of 2013 seems a distant memory. Turkish soldiers patrol Kurdish neighbourhoods under curfews  right now there are curfews in seven Kurdish districts and cities scattered around the south-east. Those who lived under the curfew in Sur have told of food shortages and lack of water, as tanks and snipers searched for PKK fighters in Surs winding streets, which are surrounded by an ancient wall.

There have also been dozens of civilian deaths during the military operations in recent months, although the Turkish government have repeatedly denied suggestions that is has been deliberately targeting residents. The decision by PKK fighters to create trenches and dig in within a number of areas has also helped to create a situation where civilians are in danger.

Matters have been further complicated for the government by the conflict in neighbouring Syria, which has helped to create the worst refugee crisis in decades and also given Mr Erdogan a number of problems. The success of Syrian Kurdish forces linked to the PKK in fighting Islamic State has deeply unnerved Turkeys political leadership and the military. It has also complicated the relationship between Ankara and its Western allies such as the US, which, despite deeming the PKK a terrorist organisation, has supplied arms to its offshoot in Syria.

In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Show all 19 1 /19 In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrian boys cry following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian defense ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Konashenkov strongly warned the United States against striking Syrian government forces and issued a thinly-veiled threat to use Russian air defense assets to protect them AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrians wait to receive treatment at a hospital following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Alepp Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia. Antonov said the Russian air strikes in Syria have killed about 35,000 militants, including about 2,700 residents of Russia AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civil defence members rest amidst rubble in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members look for survivors at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members carry an injured woman on a stretcher at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Volunteers from Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, help civilians after Russia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria The aftermath of Russian airstrike in Talbiseh, Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Smoke billows from buildings in Talbiseh, in Homs province, western Syria, after airstrikes by Russian warplanes AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Air Forces carry out an air strike in the ISIS controlled Al-Raqqah Governorate. Russia's KAB-500s bombs completely destroy the Liwa al-Haqq command unit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia claimed it hit eight Isis targets, including a "terrorist HQ and co-ordination centre" that was completely destroyed In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A video grab taken from the footage made available on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website, purporting to show an airstrike in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A release from the Russian defence ministry purportedly showing targets in Syria being hit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia launched air strikes in war-torn Syria, its first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Russian warplanes carried out strikes in three Syrian provinces along with regime aircraft as Putin seeks to steal US President Barack Obama's thunder by pushing a rival plan to defeat Isis militants in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria, a thousand kilometres away. The targets include ammunition factories, ammunition and fuel depots, command centres, and training camps A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

The rhetoric from Turkish government officials about the Kurdish issue has also escalated recently in the wake of a number of bombing attacks across a number of Turkish cities in recent weeks, some claimed by Kurdish militant groups, particularly the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), an offshoot of the PKK.

Mr Erdogan has called for the legal definition of a terrorist in the country to be expanded to include all those who are believed to help groups such as the PKK, through what the government sees as propaganda. This would include journalists, academics and authors.

Turkish media has also reported recently that Mr Erdogan said he planned to annihilate all terrorists, while officials in the ruling Justice and Development Party have defended the military operations in the countrys south-east, using the recent bombings as justification.

For many in the Sur district of Diyarbakir, it is the rebuilding of their lives they must concentrate on, rather those bigger political issues.

Mahmut Simsek, a former tourism official, is helping families to locate the bodies of those killed in the city, in areas hidden from onlookers by large sheets of plastic, and protected by Turkish Special Forces with rifles.

The population of Sur was about 65,000 people; half of the district is still under curfew, he says. Unfortunately that was the area people lived in and that is where the heaviest fighting took place.

When the baker Hadi Bayram is asked about the PKK and the fighting he stares at the ground.

War and more war, is all he offers. Weeks and maybe months of restoration lie ahead, an overwhelming challenge for a man broken by a conflict that shows no sign of ending.
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A detachment of US Marines has been dispatched to Iraq to join the ground fight against Isis.

The Marines sent are from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), an air-ground fighting force of 2,200 soldiers. However, it is not clear how many of these soldiers will actually be deployed to Iraq.

There are around 3,600 US army personnel already stationed in Iraq. They are leading air strikes against Isis forces, supplying arms to the Kurdish peshmerga, carrying out humanitarian air drops and providing intelligence and support to the Kurdish and Iraqi armies.

Inside Isis secret tunnels Show all 7 1 /7 Inside Isis secret tunnels Inside Isis secret tunnels Network of underground tunnels was discovered by Kurdish forces after they regained the town of Sinjar in Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels A member of the Peshmerga forces inspects a tunnel used by Isis militants in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Reuters Inside Isis secret tunnels An entrance to the tunnel used by Islamic State militants is seen in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Inside Isis secret tunnels The secret tunnels allowed militants to freely move underground Inside Isis secret tunnels The tunnels appear to be wired with electricity Inside Isis secret tunnels Some of the tunnels are 30 feet deep Inside Isis secret tunnels Concerns remain that parts of the tunnels are rigged with explosives

There have been occasional ground clashes between Isis fighters and members of the US-led coalition, but the primary role of the US has been in supporting Iraqi and Kurdish ground troops with air strikes as they attempt to retake Isis-controlled territory.

US special forces have made occasional forays into Isis territory, for example liberating 70 hostages during a raid in October 2015. A US sergeant was killed in the assault.

The news comes one day after an American Marine was killed in a rocket attack. It was the second combat death of a US serviceman in the country since the US-led intervention against Isis began.

Though the role of the Marines is yet to be revealed, the latest deployment is a significant step towards the use of conventional warfare tactics. Such a shift in policy is a politically divisive move in the US in the aftermath of the protracted and bloody Iraq war.

Speaking in January, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said: "We're looking for opportunities to do more, and there will be boots on the ground. I want to be clear about that."

 Iraq's political leaders face Shia dissent

His comments were echoed in February by the top-ranking US general in Iraq.

Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland said: "We have shifted from a pure counterinsurgency focus and are now preparing the [Iraqi security forces] to conduct what we refer to as combined arms operations,

"There is a good potential that we will need additional forces to provide those capabilities. The ability to integrate infantry, armor, artillery, air power, engineers and other assets on the battlefield provides the Iraqis with a decisive advantage over a static enemy dug in behind complex obstacle belts."

A 2015 poll revealed that a slight majority of US citizens were in favour of boots-on-the-ground intervention, with 53 per cent of respondents backing the move.

However, an expert on Isis' brand of eschatological Islamism has warned this move will play into the enemy's hands, moving a step closer to what Isis theologians believe will be a final battle between Muslims and infidels in Syria.
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This week, the English family courts have sent yet another message in support of families and free choice.

This comes hot on the heels of the courts celebrating the choice of older teenagers last week, when out of court discussions were encouraged over Madonna and Guy Ritchie's 15-year-old son Rocco's wish to stay living with his father in England.

This week it is the chance of the devoted parent and homemaker to shine.

The news that a judge has ordered 90 per cent of a couples assets to the wife, who had given up her career and significant earning potential to raise the couples children, has given the sacrifices made by her and all homemakers the credit they deserve.

The judge felt becoming a stay-at-home mum had left Jane Morris with a low earning capacity and rusty skills, having spent her time raising three children during their 25-year marriage, leaving a successful career in recruitment to do so.

London has earned itself the title of divorce capital of the world  and for good reason. In stark contrast to other nations and legal jurisdictions, where the primary carer of children (not always but usually the woman) can be left with little to nothing, our world acclaimed legal system starts from a 50-50 basis.

This means that in principle, the assets built up during marriage will be divided equally between the man and the woman. However, if the need of one person is seen to be greater  for example, if the primary carer needs more than 50 per cent in order to put a roof over childrens heads, keep them in their schools or generally look after their best interests  then the courts will order that they receive more.

This week's monumental decision in favour of Jane Morris is a recognition from the courts that her lack of ability to earn going forward and her responsibilities at home mean that she should receive more of the familys assets. As the court sees it, the husband can and will build his finances back up again.

Raising children while pursuing a professional career or other paid employment is not only possible in the UK but is filled with huge potential; I am surrounded by dedicated career women with loving families and wonderful children.

But for some, the choice is made to make a life in the home full-time  and the work, time and effort that goes into this should not be overlooked. Neither should it result in them receiving less of a financial award than a working mother or any other primary carer during a divorce. Particularly when sacrifices have been made in reaching that joint decision.

Although a double page splash on a spouses reckless spending is a reasonably regular phenomenon, maintenance payments are often made with the care of children in mind.

This case also shows that the courts will continue to raise the flag on the shirking of financial responsibilities. More and more prison sentences  often suspended in the first instance  are being handed out to those wont pay maintenance to their former partners (who are, again, not always but usually women).

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The heat is being turned up on those who try to short-change their spouses and I can only see the temperature rising on this.

This case is a celebration of parenthood. All mothers, and indeed fathers, who are the primary carers of their children will have their contributions to the family fully recognised by the family court in the division of their finances.

This is not just a victory for one woman and her legal team, but a victory for parents everywhere.

Georgina Hamblin is Director at family law firm Vardags
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Dear Troll,

Forty-six: that is the number of your fake profiles that I have blocked on my Facebook blog so far, and still they keep popping up. Many of those profiles are named after me, and feature my picture, so that you can attack my readers as if it is me doing the attacking (and when I type my own name into Facebooks search bar, the empty blog pages all appear, a parade of masks youve made in my likeness).

I cant keep up with you any more. I don't have a drug or a disorder to provide me with limitless energy; I am just an ordinary man who wants to express his thoughts on the internet. I cannot spend my life sitting with my phone in hand waiting to block you.

It was a post about not spell-checking racists that first inspired your anger. Not because you are a racist (you assure me), but because you thought the suggestion that attacking racism rather than grammar was deeply offensive to you.

Through your attacks on me, I can see why: you dedicate your life to belittling people, and perhaps you find it difficult to think of ways to express your disagreement that arent centred on hatred and aggression. What I wrote unintentionally hit upon a deeply-rooted fixation of yours - a desire to abuse - and it made something inside you crack.

Through our days of pointless combat, I have thought about you a lot, and as I picture you as you really are - the flesh-and-blood you, not the carnival of characters you hide behind - its hard not to feel sympathy.

I imagine you sitting there in front of your computer for unbroken hours, un-showered and unfed, endlessly opening new email addresses, creating new accounts to replace the ones Ive blocked - a quick gulp of long-cold coffee to keep you going - frantically typing your furious messages, exhilarated by the thought of the hurt they will cause when I read them - gulp! - attacking my motives, my family, my sexuality - gulp! - calling me pompous, self-aggrandising, a cunt - gulp! - deluded, an egomaniac, an ars-licker, a racist, a fascist - gulp! gulp! gulp! - all the while trying to ignore the rising scent of your own unwashed body, growing steadily worse as the neglected hours pass by, trying to resist the painful urges of your bladder, the grumbling in your empty stomach

Outside, in a world that existed long before Facebook, and will exist long after it too, days you will never see drift into nights through which you will hardly sleep, and the earths gentle tilt will shortly begin to tempt the little seeds that lie out of sight in the soil, waiting patiently to become the floral abundance of this years Spring.

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Dear troll, our world is so much bigger than the internet, and so much more beautiful. No funny cat video will ever match the softness of a real cats fur, or that wonderful vibration in your toes when she is purring at the foot of the bed. The funny thing is, you have reminded me of the warmth in this world. You have brought me new friends - the many people who have rushed to my defence though they know me only through the words I have written for them; and youve brought out the best in my real life friends too: messages of support, phone calls, text messages, and at least six very good hugs (and counting).

If I had started my blog because I am an attention-seeker, as you suggested, then I never would have imagined it could bring me as much attention as you have sent my way. But the purpose of my blog is actually to bring more compassion into the world - and yes, even trolls need a little compassion sometimes.

That is why I have decided to hand my blog over to you. For the next few days, you have my permission to write anything you like there. You may clone my profile, attack and swear as much as you need to. Please, feel free to be creative: invent new characters, new methods of abuse. Don't hold back: I want you to know that you have been heard. I want to help you to get this anger out of your system.

As for me - my boyfriend has just come back from the isle of Eigg, and his parents are in town. For the next few days I will be out in our beautiful world, eating fish and chips, feeling the lips of the man I love against my own. I will squeeze his warm hand tightly as we walk headlong into whatever crazy weather this Scottish winter still has left in store for us, and his parents will entertain me with stories of my beloved from the time before I knew him (how could he never mention his school trip to Russia?!).

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I hope you can get over this episode soon, so that you can get out into the fresh air as well - but if not, thats alright too, because my blog will be there for you whenever you need somewhere to put your angst. I know you hate it when you think Im being pompous, but I really cannot think of any words better than the ones I wrote in the post that originally inspired your anger:

We will never change someone by breaking them down, only by building them up.

And so I am building you up, dear friend; I am giving you the space you need to express whatever it is that troubles you. As you wreak your havoc my blog will surely lose some followers - but thats OK.

Maybe you will be so effective in your campaign that you will whittle them away completely, until it is just me and you there, in a crazy hall of mirrors of your creation. But thats OK too, because at that point I will switch off my phone and unplug my laptop, and I will go to visit my two beautiful nephews. I will prop them up next to me on the sofa, one on either side, and I will read Green Eggs and Ham with all the funny voices.

I will be able to smell the clean shampoo smell coming from their hair, and hear the outrageous laughter when the protagonist finally admits that he does like green eggs and ham, after all: he just needed Sam-I-Am to help him figure it out. I will pull them close, and I will delight in the warmth of real human skin, soft and smooth and clean, a feeling that cannot be made up, copied, or stolen.

Good luck, friend. Enjoy your time as the virtual Emlyn; the real Emlyn will be out walking in the sunshine, searching for the first green shoots of Spring.
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In the two years or so of this columns existence, it has covered a great many subjects  whatever amused, entertained or raised an eyebrow was considered fair game. But there is one subject that was never touched on in Out There. Im talking about the J word, and while I have written about my own (complex) relationship with the Jewish thing in other places, I have always steered clear of it here.

But now seems as good a time as any to rectify that situation, not least because last week the comedian David Schneider, inspired by the second suspension from the Labour Party of the activist Vicki Kirby, took to Twitter to present his Are you anti-Semitic? A personal guide to lefties and others. While I agree with everything Schneider says, one point felt particularly pertinent: If you think a Jewish conspiracy controls the media/international finance/politics/the BBC, you are anti-Semitic. There is no conspiracy. I am well-connected in the Jewish community so Id definitely be invited, and Ive heard nothing.

Likewise, David, likewise. In fact, never mind the international Jewish conspiracy people, Im still waiting to be approached by the Association of Jewish Writers and Journalists.

Cape of good hope

The feelgood Facebook story of the week comes from South Africa, where a businessman by the name of Jay Margolis spotted the following on a beach in the affluent suburb of Bantry Bay, Cape Town.

So this afternoon I was waiting for a client, he wrote on his page, and I see this chap putting two bags of rubbish in the bin. When I come back 45 minutes later, I see him filling another two big bin bags and wait for him to have a chat.Turns out hes embarrassed about the pollution, and wants the beaches and seas looking good for the tourists. He hasnt been asked to do this, and doesnt have a job. He tells me that he cleans the beaches every day, for no other reason than to make the place nice. What a legend, Siyabulela Dan Magobiyane! City of Cape Town, give this man a job.

And guess what? After becoming something of an online sensation, Cape Town did just that, with Magobiyane given a bed for the indefinite future at the Haven Night Shelter and a job as an assistant driver at a rubble removal company called Cape Skip. Facebook. Its not just for sprogs, selfies and smugness, right?

Slam punk!

When the 40th anniversary of punk rock received a 99,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund last year, various establishments  including the BFI, the Design Museum and the British Library  launched a joint celebration under the banner Punk London. Not everyone was quite so taken with the idea, though.

Joe Corre is the co-founder of Agent Provocateur and the son of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. Talk about alternative and punk culture being appropriated by the mainstream, he huffed in a press release announcing his intention to burn his 5m punk memorabilia collection in Londons Camden Town on 26 November.

Among the kinder reactions on various social-media threads were the following: Agent Provocateur sold to a private equity firm for 60m. Yeah mate, youre punk and, You know whats really punk? Not having a 5m punk collection.

The 40th anniversary of punk rock received a 99,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2015 (Getty)

Bore necessities

A book published next week catches my eye. The Upside of Downtime: Why Boredom is Good represents many years of research by Sandi Mann, a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire. But while full of fun lists, quizzes and facts to reinforce how easily bored we all are, it is not until the final chapter, 242 pages in, that the book tackles the subject its title promises, in a section called The Benefits of Boredom.

Naturally, I skipped straight to those pages. I would have read the whole thing, but, you know, I got bored.

How Pee-wee saw the future

The article of the week appeared in PC Mag, where Evan Dashevsky argued that the visionary most responsible for shaping todays technology was the 1980s comic character Pee-wee Herman. Its hard to ignore the eerie similarities between todays tech and the sentient inhabitants of Pee-wees Playhouse, Dashevsky argued. The evidence? A Magic Screen that looked like an iPad, a Picturephone booth that looked like Skype and a Siri-like character called Globey. Quick! Catch the repeats on Netflix, now.

Meme artist

Youve probably seen that internet thing that puts pictures of, say, muffins next to pictures of chihuahuas and asks you to spot the difference. The meme is the brainchild of a woman called Karen Zack who, last week, offered the following rules for going viral: 1) Do whatever you want. 2) Stick to it. And on that bombshell .

Twitter: @simmyrichman
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This column is not about the sugar tax because I cannot decide whether it is an idea that is utterly brilliant or truly terrible. What I do know is that the best way to reduce obesity in children is through exercise. At least two hours of PE lessons a week, led by a dedicated teacher, plus a rich and diverse array of sporting activities before or after school keeps schoolchildren focused, relaxed, happy and healthy. If only we had a Jamie Oliver for sport, inspiring teachers, parents and children to take up exercise and to lobby the Government to push sport in schools. Just imagine what could be done.

This is why there is great potential in the plans, unveiled by George Osborne in the Budget and by Nicky Morgan in the education white paper, for extending the school day to 4.30pm. Working parents across the country will be delighted at not having to find that extra hour of childcare. But the longer school day must not mean loading more lessons onto children already burdened with homework. The extra hour must be for extra-curricular activities and nothing else or the law of diminishing returns will take over. Private schools may have longer hours and produce excellent results but they also have longer holidays.

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The Chancellor spoke in his Budget of a devolution revolution and, like the most difficult of revolutions, education reform is incomplete. The white paper  the most wide-ranging in the sector for years  represents unfinished business for the Conservatives. By forcing every school to become an academy by 2022, ministers say they are finishing what Tony Blair started. But that is misleading: Blairs ministers created academies to protect children from failing schools, not to replace one established structure, LEAs, with another  a network of multi-academy trusts.

Despite the claim that these school reforms are part of the devolution revolution, they represent another heave to the centre. While academies may be free from local-authority control, academisation  to use the Prime Ministers word  is a centralising, Whitehall-driven reform that is not about choice. Nor is converting schools to academies about driving up standards.

The Education Select Committee last year found no evidence that the change improved attainment and, in any case, 83 per cent of primary schools are judged good or outstanding but only 14 per cent of primaries are academies. A huge structural change, against the will of many schools, just so the Government can say they have completed the task on academies seems unnecessary and costly. As Schools Week reported, the 140m set aside is not sufficient to convert 16,000 schools into academies, suggesting that the schools themselves will have to meet a lot of the cost.

Similarly, the proposal to axe parent governors from school boards is taking away choice from families. Children are the front line in schools and without parent governors their voice will be diminished.

The Government should stop regarding education reform as unfinished business and listen to parents, teachers and children.

Irritable Duncan Smith

The wording of Iain Duncan Smiths stunning resignation letter may have had added piquancy thanks to his position on the opposite side of the EU referendum debate to George Osborne and David Cameron, but the ex-welfare secretarys anger over disability benefit cuts is real.

He has been furious with the Chancellor for years over his departments budget being squeezed, and No 10 and No 11 knew it. This backdrop makes the way the PM and Osborne handled the two days between the Budget on 16 March and the resignation on 18 March all the more strange.

After Nicky Morgan said on the BBCs Question Time on 17 March that the benefit cuts proposal was just a suggestion, No 10 insisted early on 18 March that the DWP was committed to it. Yet by that afternoon the U-turn from the Treasury came, making Duncan Smith look like a chump. Why didnt the Prime Minister or Chancellor realise that IDS, a leading Brexiteer, was an unguided missile? Shouldnt they have handled the fallout a little better?

As Juliette and Jamie Oliver prepare for a fifth child, he should know better than to lecture new mothers (AFP)

Jamies boob revolution

I understand Jamie Olivers passion about sugar, even though I am uneasy about the impact on low-income families of taxing it. At least the TV chef is an expert in this area and his views should be respected.

What is less understandable is his new drive for more new mothers to breastfeed their babies. Oliver denies that this is a new campaign as such but his remarks have understandably caused irritation among women. Oliver uses evidence linking breastfeeding to reduced incidence of childhood obesity but the scientific research on this is contested: a 2013 study in The Journal of the American Medical Association cast doubt on previous studies and suggested the link had been overplayed.

Whatever the evidence, I think Oliver, whose wife is pregnant with their fifth child, needs to be wary of lecturing mothers on breastfeeding. Of course, breastmilk is best for a baby but for those women who struggle to get their child to feed, the last thing they need is Olivers sunny-side-up preaching.

Goodbye to all that

For my last column in the last Independent on Sunday I thought I would look back to my first, from the summer of 2013. I wrote about Tom Watson, who had just resigned as Labours election co-ordinator after the row over Labours candidate for the Falkirk by-election. In his resignation letter, Watson wrote that he felt like hed seen the merry-go-round turn too many times and it was time to jump off and spend more time with his family.

Of course, Watson is enjoying a political renaissance as Labours deputy leader  he is not only back on the carousel but is one of the men operating the funfair. It is a reminder that political careers do not always follow a rise-and-fall arc but can have repeated downfalls and comebacks (see also Iain Duncan Smith). For me it is time, for now, to jump off the merry-go-round.

Twitter: @janemerrick23
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In bringing in tax cuts for the middle classes while cutting welfare benefits, George Osborne has been criticised for having lost his touch.

It is not his touch that he has lost; it is his Liberal Democrat conscience. During the Coalition, Osborne had to get his Budgets agreed with Lib Dem ministers, who would have fought against an unequal package of measures like this latest Budget.

Now Osborne is displaying himself as the Conservative he is, reinforced by his need to please the Tory right wing, most of whom are Eurosceptic.

Coalition leads to moderate, centrist measures; one-party government gives the influence to the extreme wing of the ruling party.

Alison L Willott

Tregare, Monmouth

For many years some dental undergraduates, and some in other disciplines, have had the opportunity to gain experience, through mock-ups, in the problems encountered by people who live with certain disabilities.

Examples include completing an application form wearing their prescription spectacles with lenses coated with petroleum jelly, illustrating one visual problem;

for mobility difficulties: the restrictions arising from confinement to a wheelchair while moving around the campus.

However, nothing can replicate living with a serious disability 24 hours a day.

George Osborne and other sceptic MPs need to discover the importance of quality support, financial and practical, to live with a serious impairment.

Readers might like to make suggestions for a 24-hour impediment for these politicians to live with and to appreciate handicapping conditions personally.

Peter Erridge

East Grinstead

In any other context, prior to 2010, divisions in the governing party, the resignation of a Cabinet minister, and a majority of only 12 would lead to calls for a general election, or a change of Tory leader at the very least.

We have been led down a path by the dangerous five-year terms legislation to dictatorship by illegitimate groups of MPs, unaccountable also to an ineffective opposition, who appear to be able to continue to rule without any sense of the anger and disconnection that their actions create in the general population.

John Evans

Pulborough, West Sussex

I think the most unbelievable of Damascene conversions simply never took place. If Nadine Dorries can be taken at her word, IDS begged, threatened and pleaded with her to change her mind and vote for what he vehemently claimed to be his bill, and this surely chimes with our perception of the mans political leanings. Friend of the downtrodden? Leave it out.

If this is an accurate recollection of the encounter, then the reason given by the Work and Pensions Secretary for his resignation looks 180 degrees out of kilter with the truth. In the way things usually turn out, his real motive for walking away will perhaps soon emerge.

Eddie Dougall

Walsham-le-Willows, Suffolk

The Chancellors Budget demonstrated that the Government has decisively turned its back on one-nation Conservatism and sold its soul to the have yachts.

Ivor Morgan

Lincoln

IDS resigns, citing the pairs callous and unjust approach to benefit changes. Our conclusion is that IDS is a nice man, Cameron and Osborne are nasty. That nice Mr Duncan Smith is in favour of Brexit, unlike those Bullingdon bounders who are in favour of staying in. Therefore, when it comes to the EU referendum, it is clear which way reasonable and caring people should cast their vote.

Funny, in the past I never had IDS down as a benevolent, Robin Hood-like defender of the poor and needy. Didnt many of the draconian changes emanate from his department, with his apparent blessing? Isnt this just an obvious political ploy: retain the initiative in the referendum campaign, embarrass your opponents and blacken the publics view of them? Or have I just been watching too many episodes of House of Cards and Scandal?

M T Harris

Waltham, Lincolnshire

Does Iain Duncan Smiths resignation mean we can keep benefits for the disabled and abolish George Osborne?

Kim Thonger

Rushden, Northamptonshire

Takeaway tax would cut waste

As I walk around our lovely countryside, I am often troubled by the amount of litter, dropped in even the most remote places. Takeaway bags, cups, polystyrene trays and drinks cans are strewn over our local moorland and fields.

As an individual, I do my best to pick up what I can, to dispose of it in our own bin at home, but feel that I am fighting a losing battle. So I was interested by environment minister Rory Stewarts suggestion that paper cups might be taxed.

I suggest that, as it is not just paper cups that are causing litter problems, an appropriate solution would be to swap the tax currently charged on eating in at establishments to fall instead on take-out facilities.

If more people ate their food in restaurants, pubs and cafes, rather than taking it away, less litter of all kinds would be produced. Also, more jobs would be created to serve the people who are eating and drinking in these establishments. Its a win-win solution.

Liz White

Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

Maths lovers dont need relevance

Emilie Lamplough suggests (letter, 19 March) that maths teaching should be made more relevant.

However, last summer, there was a news item about a maths exam question involving probability and a bag of sweets. One comment on the website for this newspaper was from a student who complained that maths was hard enough without examiners trying to make the problems relevant to the real world.

I found maths interesting in its own right, and still enjoy maths the way I enjoy a piece of music. I recall being taught about imaginary numbers at school, and they proved not relevant to anything until I was doing a physics degree, where they turned up in both the study of alternating electric currents and quantum mechanics. And 100 years ago who would have known that the study of prime numbers would play an important part in encryption for e-commerce?

Conversely, I failed O-level French, despite immediately seeing how useful knowing a foreign language could be. It wasnt the teaching  the rest of my class passed. I just have no aptitude for languages, the way that some people have no aptitude for maths.

There may not be a solution to the problem. Indeed, one thing maths has taught me is that it is possible to have a problem to which there is no solution.

Paul Dormer

Guildford

This isnt the Christian way

Dave Haskell (letter, 19 March) says that it would be a simple Christian act to transfer money from the overseas aid budget instead of cutting the disability budget. No, it would be better to keep higher income-tax thresholds and corporation tax as they are and give the money saved to the disability budget. Its more Christian to stop the rich getting richer than to deprive poor communities in the Third World.

Stuart Gregson

Alton, Hampshire

No, Dave Haskell, I do not think Jesus would have advocated taking money from those who have absolutely nothing (overseas aid budget) to give money (disability allowance) to those who probably have a roof over their heads and access to food and welfare.

Charity does not begin at home, it begins in the area of greatest need.

Brian Dalton

Sheffield

That awfully ubiquitous question

While I applaud everyones efforts to analyse the grammar of the students eggs/bacon/beans request, your correspondents are neglecting the initial opening to the conversation. I wonder, was it How may I help you? or What would you like? No, I fear it was probably the question that never receives the answer it warrants: The ubiquitous Are you all right there?

Geoff Dougherty

Little Sutton, Cheshire

Irrespective of the phraseology used by the student in ordering his eggs, the response of the server would inevitably have been: Absolutely.

Dougal Dixon

Wareham, Dorset

Half woman ...half fishy tale

I enjoyed John Walshs piece on mermaids (How the whole world went mad for mermaids, Radar, 19 March). However, he omitted the well-known statement made by a mermaid, that she actually preferred to lie on the beach but her other half preferred to go in the water.

David Hasell

Thames Ditton, Surrey
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On Friday, Belgium police captured Salah Abdeslam, a key conspirator and member of the Islamist gang that murdered so many innocents in Paris last November. Belgium PM Charles Michel is triumphant: This evening is a huge success in the battle against terrorism. Monsieur Michels bombast is typical of Western leaders  they revel in their victories and never think about why so many young Muslims, born in Europe, are turning to violent extremism.

Not one of the EU nations has, to date, taken on Saudi Arabia, the promulgator of hardline Islam and zealous intolerance. Saudi Arabia went into Belgium in the late sixties and spread Wahhabism among the newly arrived Muslim migrants. To date, $70bn has been spent on this global brainwashing and destabilisation programme. This Tuesday evening on ITV, a secretly filmed documentary investigates the nefarious kingdom. Will this exposure alter Europes special relationship with the most evil of empires? No.

Here is a dire warning: Europe is losing the battle against terrorism because its leaders still indulge the sponsors of terrorism, unthinkingly aid and abet the propagandists of Isis and germinate animosity and rancour in a new generation of Muslims. EU governments never say sorry, never let complexities divert them from their macho missions, seem incapable of thinking holistically, do not engage with history or the hinterlands, undercut democratic values, can only react to events as they happen and thereby endanger the lives of millions of citizens.

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The police and special forces expect multiple terror attacks in London. Other cities are preparing for new blasts. These crimes are indefensible. And no, I am not saying that the West deserves these bloodbaths or is wholly to blame for them. Repulsive Islamists and their ideologies are hell-bent on annihilating modernity and cumulated human cultures. But I do believe that European politicians have, over many decades, created the conditions for fanaticism to seed and grow. The abysmal official responses to the refugee flows are leading to new anti-Western furies.

Here is a friend of mine, a Muslim woman, who works in the City and lives in a grand home: I was born here, have done well. My faith is private and I have no time for fundis ( fundamentalists). But I am shocked. How can Cameron, my Prime Minister, treat refugees like they are cockroaches? Those children? Would he do this if they were white people from Zimbabwe? I now understand how a young Muslim turns and loads up on hate. My own son is so full of anger. Me too. The media and our leaders  except for Mrs Merkel  demonise refugees and fill up on self-pity. The migration crisis is all about us. Sickening.

Now Turkey  where the government daily violates human rights  is paid billions to take the migrant problem out of Europe. Men, women and children from Africa and Arabia have become traded meat. And all the while, our politicians wax lyrical about Europes values and higher civilisation. Can you not see how this dissonance affects those with links to those places? And humane indigenous citizens too?

I recently met a young, wannabe jihadi. Salim (not his real name) is 19 and very bright. His mum wrote and requested me to meet him. He went on and on about being a despised Muslim, about Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syrian refugees. He wants to join the caliphate because he feels he has no future in England. He was like a tethered animal wanting to break free of the life he knew.

His mum now has cancer and he has sobered up. However, his views on these misguided wars are not treacherous and are widely shared. (The police will not get these names out of me. Many readers write to me privately and I cannot break that trust.)

The European crusaders who attacked Iraq and Libya and play hidden war games in Syria have never accepted responsibility for the churn, chaos, rage and violence that they left in their wake. Western sanctions and bombs wiped out more people in Iraq than Saddam ever did. Read Patrick Coburns new book, Chaos & Caliphate, which chronicles these historical catastrophes. For Salim and his ilk, these killer facts fuse with their own life stories of confusion and rejection and the amalgam combusts.

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Abdeslam was kept safe and hidden by those who live in Molenbeek, an overcrowded Muslim ghetto stuffed with no-hopers. Some inhabitants describe the place as Europes biggest jihadist factories. Why should this be so? Because the very air is thick with disillusionment and breathed in by all those who live there.

In the Sixties, Belgium welcomed cheap factory labour from Morocco and other Arab lands. The old industries died and families were marooned with no jobs, low skills and a sense of failure. They believe successive governments used and then discarded them. Francoise Schepmans, the mayor of Molenbeek, has now come out and spoken about the culture of denial, which now must be broken. Belgium needs to address its racism and neglect of Muslims who are in its national bloodstream. So too France, Germany, Spain, Britain, Denmark and so on.

Our political elites need to be honest, savvy and ethical. They must refrain from impetuous militarism and reach out to estranged Muslims. Remember, the West beat communism using political and economic seduction. Weapons, oppressive laws and racist discourse will not defeat Islamist terrorism. Soft, smart power just might.
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One of the most controversial pieces I have written for The Independent on Sunday was published in December 2014, with the headline The police may mean well, but theyre wrong. A number of sexual assaults had happened near to where I live  one at 8.15pm, the others between 2am and 5am  and the police had advised women to try to avoid walking alone at night and keep to well-lit main roads. At the same time, a series of burglaries happened in my street, on weekdays between 9am and 5pm. I waited for the police to advise householders to try to avoid leaving the house unattended during the working day or only live in well-lit main roads, but of course it didnt happen. Householders cannot be expected to put their lives on hold while police try to catch a villain; only women who go out can.

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The reaction to that article upset me, because it proved that I was right to worry about the polices statement. If you ignore official advice, some people told me, then you deserve to be raped. The well-meaning but clumsy police attitude told women who work late, or work shifts, or go out with friends, or live in badly lit cul-de-sacs, or walk alone at night because were grown-ups and pay our taxes and mind our own bloody business, that we are asking for it. We must give up our freedom, or end up being victims and being blamed for it, too.

Now, two winters have passed during which women were meant to stay in during the hours of darkness. I carry an attack alarm, know some self-defence techniques, and look over my shoulder everywhere I go, but am I actually allowed out yet? Unfortunately nobody was ever charged in relation to the offences, a police spokeswoman confirmed last week. So, women, keep on not going out.

But wait: we know that men are about twice as likely as women to be attacked by strangers, with young men most at risk (based on crime surveys in England, Scotland and Wales); and in violent crimes, men are about five times more likely to be the offender. So why is it women who are told to stay in and keep out of trouble? Still?

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Women first staged Take Back the Night marches in the 1970s, before I was born, to protest against just this kind of injustice. Likewise, the Equal Pay Act 1970 preceded my existence, and it is still being continually updated because it has not yet stopped employers paying women less than men for doing the same work.

Some readers, I know, are sick of hearing about this. Trust me, not as sick as women are of living it. So if were boring you by forever mentioning that this s*** happens, then hurry up and end sexism so we can all talk about something more interesting instead. Ill stop banging on about this when it stops happening. Until then, Im not staying in, Im not shutting up and Im not sorry.

Twitter.com/@katyguest36912
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The Independent on Sunday has never been party political. We have not advised our readers how to vote. We have always, however, been strongly committed to values and causes. We were founded 26 years ago as a European, green newspaper, socially and economically liberal and wedded to social justice.

That was why, when David Cameron became Prime Minister six years ago, at the head of a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, we gave him the benefit of the doubt. We worried about his, and his partys, Euroscepticism, but we accepted that the doubts of the British people about the European Union had to be recognised and thought that his pragmatic approach might be effective.

We thought his early aspiration to be the greenest government ever was a little extravagant, but it was, in truth, a low bar. Not only that, but he had said the right things in opposition, and a Lib Dem was now Energy and Climate Change Secretary.

Finally, we thought his rebranding as a compassionate Conservative was more than a cosmetic exercise. While we disagreed with the speed at which he and George Osborne planned to cut the deficit, we thought it would be done in such a way as to protect people on low incomes.

We even respected the rebirth of Iain Duncan Smith, the anti-EU rebel and Thatcherite former leader, as a crusader against poverty. So now, six years on, where do we stand?

On Europe, The IoS respects the democratic case for the referendum, although its timing has been decided by the need to manage a divided Conservative Party rather than by the changes in the EU. Mr Camerons renegotiation was a sensible rebalancing of the relationship. We are impressed by his appeal to you today to vote to stay in the EU on 23 June for the sake of your children and grandchildren. If he succeeds, that would be very much in the national interest.

On the other two fronts, however, we have been, as the Prime Minister said in his reply to Mr Duncan Smiths letter of resignation on Friday, puzzled and disappointed. The clean green rhetoric of the early days gave way to the cynical ambition to be the slowest ship in the EU environmental convoy. At best, Mr Camerons record has been mixed, at a time when climate change has been a long global emergency.

It is on social justice, however, that we have been most disappointed.

Over Mr Camerons first five years, Mr Osborne halved the deficit, which is what we thought his target should have been in the first place. Unfortunately, the deep cuts in public spending in the first two years stalled the recovery that had been under way. But those on low incomes were protected and, thanks to an unexpected jobs miracle, inequality of incomes actually fell slightly.

Recommended Read more Social justice is political pie in the sky

Looking back, it may be that Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander did more than was appreciated at the time to ensure that the burden of deficit reduction was borne reasonably fairly.

Since Mays election, however, the burden of closing the rest of the deficit was planned to fall overwhelmingly on the shoulders of the working poor. Mr Osbornes first attempt to cut tax credits was beaten back in the House of Lords, but last weeks Budget confirmed that the low-paid and disabled will lose over the next four years, while top-rate taxpayers will gain.

Mr Duncan Smith may not have resigned simply as a protest against such manifest unfairness, but if he had he would have had our full support. The Chancellor had the gall to use the phrase social justice in his Budget speech. The Prime Minister ought to insist that Mr Osborne change direction now, so that he and Mr Cameron could aspire to use the words without blushing.
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This will be one of those columns that leaves the writer, and possibly the reader, wanting a shower. How could anyone with pretensions to compassion attack a man who has been through hell with a desperately disabled child, for his treatment of the disabled, without feeling dirty? On the other hand, how can anyone with an average share of humanity look on the Ultimate Cage Fight between George Osborne and Iain Duncan Smith without feeling baffled and enraged by the Prime Minister?

Cynically, you can admire David Camerons legerdemain. The art of conjuring, as the newly late Paul Daniels knew, is diverting the eye away from the action. Whether by chance or cunning, Cameron has achieved this. Ever since Fridays shock resignation reminded him of the need to beware the IDS of March, most attention focuses on the former Works and Pensions Secretarys motives and implications for the Chancellors leadership ambitions. Almost no one has dwelt on how Cameron sanctioned the sustained raid on disabled benefits which Duncan Smith cites, a little unconvincingly, as the sole catalyst for his flounce.

This reaction reminds us that Camerons political hero is Mr Tony Blair (the master) who was so adroit at using lightning rods to spare himself the heat. Until exposed by the invasion of Iraq, he protected his reputation by having others (Alastair Campbell, Peter Mandelson, Cherie, even Gordon Brown) take the heat generated by things for which only a Prime Minister should ultimately be accountable.

To some extent, all governments operate in this way. Whatever Harry Truman claimed to believe, any leaders guiding tenet is that the buck stops somewhere else. But Blair enforced this more skilfully than most, and it permitted him to cling to the pretty straight kinda guy facade long after it should have been apparent that he was a rogue and a charlatan.

Cameron has emulated his role model by outsourcing domestic policy almost in its entirety to an overmighty Chancellor, allowing him to play the part of innocent bystander when he chooses. If a Budget enriches high earners and cosseted pensioners by further impoverishing the poor  well, its CEO Osbornes job to write the Budget, isnt it, and non-executive Chairman Daves merely to endorse it?

But where Blairs enmity with Brown gave him genuine cover from Budget disasters, Camerons friendship with Osborne offers him none. These two really are in it together. And what precisely it is that theyre in, or certainly ought to be, is a quicksand quagmire of their own creation.

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

After six years as their useful idiot, prosecuting their jihad against the vulnerable in the heart-rendingly naive belief that he was freeing the needy from the shackles of dependency, Duncan Smith finally snapped. You cannot discount wounded pride as a contributory factor with such a brittle, petulant man. Anticipating the sack after the EU referendum may have played its part. But whatever cabal of reasons lay behind his resignation, and however absurd it sounded coming from the frontman for the bedroom tax, he said something so ringingly true that it cannot be tainted by suspicions about his true feelings. He described these proposals for disability cuts as immoral.

Immoral, while technically correct, doesnt go far enough. This is transcendently disgusting. It induces a purity of rage that borders psychosis. The idea of sons of privilege blithely nudging horrendously difficult lives closer towards the impossible could tease out the teenage revolutionary in a 92-year-old duke. No one who supported such cuts  no one who failed to oppose them  has a right to think of themselves as a Christian.

 Iain Duncan Smith's resignation - How it happened

Cameron not only regards himself as a Christian. He has experienced levels of stress, anxiety, exhaustion, agony, misery and grief, as the parent of a severely disabled child who died, that most of us could imagine in only the barest outline, if at all.

He was, by all accounts, a magnificent father to his son. In general, so far as one can tell, he is not a callous person. Yet somehow, he has sat back these past years and committed a terrible sin  charitably, one of omission  by failing to prevent the disabled being implicitly slandered as scroungers. He let them be stigmatised, leading to an unconscionable surge of verbal and physical assaults. He allowed their lives, and those of their carers, to be made bleaker for the loss of respite care. But why am I falling into that lightning rod trap of using the passive tense? This buck, if no other, stops with Cameron. It is he, as Prime Minister, who has made those lives bleaker.

How someone who went through what he did with his son could fail to defend those going through it now (and without the wealth that cushions families like his from such indignities as begging local authorities for heavily rationed incontinence supplies), I have no idea. But then this is not one for the pundit. This is a case for a team of psychoanalysts working round-the-clock shifts in Vienna.

Cameron tells us he was puzzled and disappointed (that modern synonym for so furious I could cut out his liver and force-feed it to him) by Duncan Smiths resignation. Our Viennese friends might interpret this as blatant projection. If Cameron is not puzzled by his own disregard for the disabled, if he isnt furious with himself for colluding in their victimisation, one day he may be.

It is now less likely Osborne will succeed him, but within a few years Cameron will leave office all the same. And when he does, long after the feuding of recent days is forgotten, when the scorching heat of lightning gives way to the cooler judgment of history, he will be remembered as much as anything for how chillingly he was able to separate the personal from the political.
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So what do you really think of George Osborne? Someone shot that question to me in a television studio (while we were off-air) last week in the wake of the Budget.

It rather stumped me. I spend so much time in these columns lambasting the Chancellors decisions that Id assumed the answer was obvious. But, actually, Im pleased I got asked because it made me think. And it brought home to me that, perhaps contrary to appearances, I dont believe everything the Chancellor has done in the six years since he became Chancellor (at the remarkably young age of 38) has been economically damaging and woefully misguided.

There have been policies announced by Mr Osborne over that time which have been sensible, but which I havent stopped to praise because there has, frankly, been so much else to object to. But with the Chancellors political standing at quite possibly its lowest ever ebb today, maybe this is a good time to redress that imbalance (at least a bit).

Lets start with last weeks Budget. The special tax on sugary soft drinks announced by the Chancellor was an example of a sound, evidence-supported, policy. The design of the new levy is not perfect, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies stressed last week, but it targets a clear negative externality (of the type I wrote about last week) in the form of obesity healthcare costs imposed on society at large. It was also welcome to see Mr Osborne face down the drink industry lobbyists. Only a few months ago, the Prime Minister had ruled out any sort of sugar levy, apparently under pressure from the lobby.

It reminded me of another sensible reform from the Chancellor in the 2012 Budget. This would have equalised the VAT treatment of all hot takeaway food. This, readers will recall, led to one of the most powerful backlashes the Chancellor had (before now) experienced, and he rapidly had to scrap what became known as the pasty tax. But the original policy was right.

Its silly that takeaway fish suppers and kebabs are subject to VAT but hot pasties are not. Yes, it would have meant more expensive pasties. But if politicians want to help people on low incomes, they should do it by bolstering tax credits, not through subsidising various random snacks and making the indirect tax take leaky. The universal media monstering Mr Osborne got of pastygate was a depressing spectacle for anyone who cares about sensible tax reform.

Another historic and much-reviled move from Osborne was his decision, also in 2012, to cut the additional rate of tax on incomes higher than 150,000 from 50p to 45p in the pound. This is what gave Labour its famous tax cut for millionaires sound bite, and there are still those who regard the move as a historic mistake by the Chancellor that forever stained the compassionate rebranding of the Conservative Party.

Recommended Read more The buck should stop with the PM for his immoral cuts

Yet in economic terms there was nothing wrong about the cut in the rate itself. The additional revenue the higher rate introduced by Labour brought in may well not have been worth the trouble, as Mr Osborne argued at the time.

Moreover, there are many more practical ways to take money off the very wealthy than taxing their income more, not least through a progressive tax on high-value housing. Whether we like it or not, the fact is that rich people can shift their incomes quite easily to avoid the income tax net. They cant shift their mansions though.

What both the 45p rate and the pasty tax imbroglio ought to bring home is that the best way to look at the tax and benefits system is not the progressivity of any single particular measure, but the progressivity of the system as a whole. If some giveaways to the rich are compensated elsewhere by takeaways from them progressives have no reason to worry. And if the poor are compensated for tax rises by higher income elsewhere, ditto. Meanwhile, if tax reforms make the system more efficient and rational, the broader economy will ultimately benefit.

More recently, some of Mr Osbornes labour-market reforms have been reasonable. The big minimum wage hike represents something of a gamble that productivity will pick up to match it, but its not a crazy one. Some distinguished labour-market experts think it a good idea.

The Apprenticeship Levy on employers is also a sensible innovation  and done right it could help shift us to a German-style system of building up the technical skill levels of the workforce through a close partnership with business. Both moves, by the way, belie the image of the Chancellor as an anti-state ideologue.

On trade and economic openness, the Chancellors instincts are often sound. He deserves credit for backing Britains membership of the European Union so forcefully. He has reportedly been a defender of immigration in the Cabinet, emphasising its economic benefits. The arguments the Chancellor makes for welcoming inbound investment from China  even into our nuclear infrastructure  are also good. The Northern Powerhouse emphasis on regional rebalancing and devolution of power is absolutely welcome. Mr Osbornes liberalisation of peoples access to their retirement savings has an economic logic to it.

He did a good thing by setting up the Office for Budget Responsibility  which has proved its worth as an independent watchdog. Just imagine the uproar there would be today if it were announced that the economic forecasting process were to be taken back into the Treasury.

So does this list of successes make up for the Chancellors regressive and clumsy assaults on welfare spending, the slashing of environmental subsidies, the freezing of fuel duty, the race-to-the-bottom approach to corporation tax rates, the pandering to the pensioner vote?

Does it mitigate the stoking of demand for scarce houses, the reckless slashing of capital infrastructure expenditure, the failure to push through structural reform in banking, the harmful fiscal rules and so much else? Does it excuse the cynicism, the cowardice, the shamelessness and (above all) the rampant economic illiteracy of much of the past six years?

Of course not. But, still: credit where its due.
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Arriving in Hong Kong from the permanent crisis in the Middle East, the first thing you to say is: what are these people complaining about? Surely Hong Kongs freedoms are as essential to Peking as authoritarianism is to mainland China. Why would anyone mess with this post-colonial Shangri-La when its banks and Western businesses are turning it into a shop-front for communist China?

The old but locally made British Star ferries still putter between Hong Kong and Kowloon, the metros are impossibly clean, the rich enjoy shopping malls that look like cathedrals. But then you read the words of Leung Chun-Ying, Hong Kongs chief executive last year: In the coming year [the Chinese Year of the Sheep], I hope that all people in Hong Kong will take inspiration from the sheeps character and pull together in an accommodating manner to work for Hong Kongs future.

Sheep is how many British colonial rulers might have described their native subjects. We also liked the locals to be accommodating. But the democracy protests which so angered Peking in 2015 brought no resolution to the question: what will happen in 2047, when Chinas 50-year Basic Law for Hong Kong  agreed before we left in 1997  runs out? Will that be the end of one country, two systems?

The disappearance of five staff from Causeway Bay Books  sellers of literature critical of the mainland government  and the reappearance of at least two of them in mainland China, suggests that one country may already be ignoring the Hong Kong system.

The Brits usually tried to persuade native protesters that independence was on the way. But the Chinese have adopted the opposite tactic. After a Hong Kong student magazine suggested the UN recognise the territory as a separate country, the head of Chinas parliamentary law committee, Qiao Xiaoyang, said future sovereignty for Hong Kong would be impossible. Those who fear democracy will end in 2047, take note.

But you can tell something is amiss when the South China Morning Post reports that US diplomats had a chat with the Hong Kong Indigenous group, under the headline: US officials did meet radical localists. What? Surely, local radicals. But no, localists has entered the English language in Hong Kong. And an article in the same paper this month argued that Hong Kong youth had an overdose of postmodernism, a state of mind in which, apparently, truth and values are no longer absolute.

I repaired to the old Foreign Correspondents Club to see Professor Frank Ching, a former Wall Street Journal and New York Times writer who teaches foreign relations at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In the last few years, theres a feeling that the press is under a lot of pressure, he says. Kevin Lao, the editor of Ming Pao newspaper, was attacked by people with knives two years ago after a series of articles on corruption. A documentary movie about 1997-2007 called The Decade of Hong Kong appeared in cinemas but was quickly removed.

Anna Wu Hung Yuk, is a member of Hong Kongs executive council and she has much to say about Britains political heritage. She believes Hong Kong suffers from an identity crisis as well as a social mobility crisis  little money, not enough jobs for the young, the impossibility of paying for even a small city apartment  and this might be a conversation in Beirut or Cairo if it wasnt for her suppressed sense of injustice. I was born British and my nationality was removed from me. I no longer have a right of abode in the UK. I hold an HK-issued passport for the Special Administrative Region and my nationality is now Chinese. In other words, she was born British and her nationality was taken away from her.

The British only allowed democracy when they knew they were going to leave. In their history books here, the British never taught us about the opium wars. Now history is no longer a compulsory subject.

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Im glad Im not a Hong Kong citizen. Theyre not obsessed with history  theres little animosity towards Japan over its atrocities in China as there is on the mainland. Like Switzerland, theyve got to be neutral and make a living. But these people grew up under British laws and the Western concept of representative government and democracy.

Now many international companies employ mainland youths with fluent English and Mandarin (rather than Hong Kong Cantonese) and, so many told me, they have good connections on the mainland. A-ha, wasta! Its the Arabic word for influence that can mean the difference between life and death in the Middle East.

Which makes one ask the obvious question: is the future freedom of Hong Kong perhaps really in the hands of folk like HSBC and Citibank and the other 68 world banks whose offices are here? I doubt if they care much about banned books or the opium war or localism or postmodernism or old British passports.
A man in his early 70s has died in a five vehicle crash in Co Cork.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and his body has been taken to Cork University Hospital for a post mortem examination.

Gardai said the man had been the driver of a lorry which collided with four cars.

A horse was also killed.

The accident happened shortly after 12.30pm on the N20 Cork to Limerick Road at Ballydahin, Mallow.

The occupants of three of the cars - three men and three women aged from their mid teens to late 60s - and the passenger in the lorry, in his late 20s, were taken to hospital for treatment to non-life threatening injuries.

Two people in the fourth car were not hurt.

Emergency services and The Red Cross attended the scene.

Gardai have appealed for any witnesses to contact Mallow Garda Station on 022 31450.
A One4all gift card transaction involves four stakeholders - the seller, the purchaser, the recipient and the retailer. And as market leader with 7,000 retailers, 1,800 sales outlets and 5,000 corporate clients in Ireland, we have many stakeholders!

Our biggest stakeholders are our retail partners and our overriding purpose is to drive incremental business into their stores.

Through outlets such as An Post, we offer them thousands of non-competing sales channels they wouldn't normally have access to. The nationwide An Post network alone gives retailers an extra 1,100 sales outlets.

We also work with over 5,000 Irish businesses in the area of rewards and incentives, offering the One4all gift card as a flexible and tax-efficient reward.

However, what may surprise some is that neither we nor our retail partners get any income until the One4all gift card is spent. The marketing challenge for us then is to get the card holders to spend. Some of our retail partners work with us year round to achieve this, and tactics can range from simple point-of-sale messages at the till to in-store announcements and mutual promotions.

For the past four years we've invested in an annual above the line and PR campaign with the sole aim of driving One4all gift card redemptions. This means we work with retail partners to offer an added-value incentive to customers when they spend their gift card during a specific period.

Last year was a good example.

Working with Crumlin Children's Hospital, we donated to the hospital every time a gift card was spent in one of our retail partners over a week-long period. It was a great success, helped also by five of our retail partners joining in and so 1 was donated every time a card was redeemed in one of their stores. The campaign's success shows the value of innovative thinking and partnerships that add value to all concerned.
Data has now overtaken voice calls as the main use for mobile phones in Ireland

The story of communications and media in Ireland is increasingly the story of mobile phones. A third of all web access here now comes from our handsets, according to industry trackers such as Statcounter. And we now have the highest penetration of phone internet users in Europe, North America and South America.

Data has now overtaken voice calls as the main use for mobile phones in Ireland, according to supporting statistics from Ireland's telecoms regulator.

"The Irish watch more mobile video content than any other nation," said the online video technology company Ooyala recently. "Irish viewers have wholeheartedly embraced portables as a primary device, with over 60pc of all video plays happening on mobile phones alone."

So uploading and downloading things on our handsets, or just browsing on them, is now more important to us than talking on them. This means news, social media and messaging.

In this context, issues of adequate mobile coverage around Ireland have become more heated in the last 18 months.

In the most recent Dail sitting devoted to telecoms issues, the only question that TDs wanted to talk about was mobile coverage - in particular, coverage in areas outside cities and large towns came in for highly-critical scrutiny. TDs weren't willing to accept assurances from either the operators or the telecoms regulator that mobile coverage is in a competent state in rural areas.

While TDs like to grandstand on such issues without disclosing their own roles as ultimate policymakers in mobile coverage levels, there is a tipping point being reached on the matter. Like broadband, adequate mobile coverage is entering a phase where it is an essential utility rather than a new-fangled luxury. And this means everywhere, not just in the cities.

Unfortunately, virtually all of the legislative and regulatory infrastructure in place right now is based on a licensing system that says operators need only cover between 70pc and 90pc of the population.

Why less than 90pc? Because that's the European standard licensing mechanism. It was designed this way to encourage as many operators into the market as possible, so they would compete, invest and build out networks to win more business.

To be fair, this has worked to a significant degree. Ireland has eight mobile operators and the country's two biggest networks, Vodafone and Three, have invested billions into their Irish operations in recent years. Furthermore, Ireland is now the cheapest place in Europe for prepaid mobile accounts and the third cheapest for consumer postpaid accounts.

But the current licensing setup may simply not be adequate to serve the needs of a population that has moved completely over to mobile as a primary means of communication.

Focusing mainly on the 90pc, mobile networks may be leaving up to half-a-million Irish people behind.

Privately, operators say that their basic 2G coverage extends to 99pc of the population, with 3G and 4G still reaching 90pc or more. But these figures are generally not open to review. For the most part, they remain internal and private.

To verify compliance with licensing obligations, ComReg tests coverage in the cities and along designated primary and secondary roads throughout the country. (It publishes these maps.) But it does not really know what coverage levels are in most of the country's geographical areas, because it has not actually ventured into those areas with testing equipment.

"The mobile operators have produced their coverage maps, but we haven't verified those maps," conceded ComReg chairman Jeremy Godfrey last week. "These are places where a very significant minority of people live. When you look at maps, it's a much bigger proportion of the land area of Ireland. There's a need for better quality information."

But even if that "better" information is gleaned, what is the future for mobile coverage in rural areas? Do we accept patchy, weak coverage in unpopulated places as the price to pay for cutting edge, advanced speeds (Dublin coverage is among the best in Europe) in urban areas?

This is not an easy question. Universal service obligations could well come with a public subsidy cost.

"It's a policy issue," said Godfrey. "If the government decided it wanted to give that right... money would need to be found to fund the gap between what's economic and what's not economic. If the licence conditions are too onerous, maybe nobody will take on the licences at all."

Fair point. But, like rural broadband, we may soon need state subvention here.
Ger Deering has been Ireland's Financial Services Ombudsman for just under a year, having taken over from predecessor Bill Prasifka last April. His office handles complaints from consumers around the country about financial service products, from credit cards to house insurance.

Deering joined an organisation that had come under fire after being perceived by some to be too pro-bank. An Oireachtas Finance Committee criticised it for finding against consumers in seven out of 10 complaints.

His first move as Ombudsman was to initiate a review of how the office worked, performed by consultancy BearingPoint. This resulted in sweeping changes that took effect at the beginning of February.

The review surveyed people who had complained to the Ombudsman over the past two years and consulted with consumer groups, the Central Bank, the Department of Finance and financial service providers.

"Everybody said the same thing to us," Deering said in conversation with the Sunday Independent. "Everybody said they wanted a simpler, faster, less legalistic and informal way of resolving disputes, that we had become very formal, very legalistic

"It was taking a long time to get complaints through the system because of that formality. The same process applied whether it was a small value complaint or a life-changing one.

"We were set up as an alternative to the courts. So it's very important, when the Oireachtas sets you up in that way, that you don't turn yourself into a court of law."

The reforms put in place prioritise mediation over adjudication. Before, the Ombudsman's team mainly consisted of investigators and adjudicators; in future it will mainly consist of dispute-resolution officers.

They will talk to complainants and financial service providers over the phone and in person and seek mutually agreeable settlements, rather than handing down hard-and-fast rulings about who was in the wrong.

Companies that settle can avoid being named and shamed; a rule allowing the Ombudsman to publish the names of companies who it regularly found against was introduced in 2013.

"This model works," said Deering. "I was involved in the establishment of the Workplace Relations Commission and part of what was introduced there was an early dispute resolution service.

"That was picked up from the labour relations agency in Northern Ireland and also the Private Residents Tenancy Board, which does it with disputes between tenants and landlords. They would all cite an 80pc success rate for mediation. Whereas in 2014 we had only eight cases resolved by mediation. We are way ahead of that already this year."

His office retains the right to adjudicate on matters that can't be resolved through mediation - the people who make the decisions are Deering, Deputy Financial Services Ombudsman Elaine Cassidy and its head of legal and investigations. They can award compensation of up to 250,000 and, crucially, order a policy to be reinstated.

There will be an increase in the number of complaints upheld when the office next reports results, Deering indicated. The number of complaints received overall is falling, which he attributes to economic growth as well as the introduction of the "name and shame" rule.

Another review project was also recently completed by the his office, on the decisions it made on tracker mortgage complaints between 2009 and 2015.

This was provided confidentially to the Central Bank to inform the regulator's own ongoing review of tracker mortgages across all lenders. Recognition last year by Permanent TSB that more than 1,000 of its customers had been incorrectly denied trackers was followed by an industry-wide probe of the matter.

"Really what we looked at was what kind of information were people given when they moved from a tracker to a fixed rate, what was their entitlement when they came back off that fixed rate," said Deering.

"I have to say, the terms and conditions across all the banks were quite different. And indeed they changed over time in banks. We would be aware of clauses in certain banks that changed as they went along."

Its analysis also looked at timing.

"The Central Bank sent out an industrial letter in 2010, I think it was, when they had concerns about how trackers were being dealt with, so they were very interested to know did any of these events happen after that."

The Ombudsman found that problems with tracker mortgages were not limited to before 2010, they "were spread all over the period of time".

Mortgage issues reported in the last six years "really all had to do with fixed rates and trackers", Deering added. "Varying different terms and conditions, varying different methods, varying different everything but at the nub, it was about when people moved from a tracker, or never went on to a tracker, which was in their letter of offer."

Outstanding complaints to his office on tracker mortgages have now been put on hold, pending the Central Bank review and banks' own internal reviews. He and the Central Bank are also of the view that previous dismissals of complaints by the Ombudsman should not now stand in the way of people getting redress, though no previous decisions will be reversed.

"There is no mechanism to reverse them. They will stand. But that does not stop, in my view, a bank from implementing their redress scheme. There is nothing to stop a bank putting someone back on a tracker, irrespective of what decision they got from here.

"Both myself and the Central Bank have the same view on this. We are both of the view that whether somebody got a finding from here or not should not preclude them, and does not preclude the Central Bank, from putting them back on a tracker.

"I have written to all of the CEOs of the banks telling them that I believe everybody who has had a complaint before this office should not be treated any differently by virtue of having a complaint here.

"I think it's very important that nobody should be disadvantaged."

Because the Central Bank's review criteria are wider, he said: "There are people undoubtedly who will be included in the Central Bank scheme who, if they had taken the same complaint here, would not have gotten the same outcome."

Hopefully it will have "a good ending for a lot of people", Deering added. "That is my main objective in this, to ensure that anybody who is entitled to a tracker should get one."

He isn't seeing any major changes in the types of products that consumers complain about - though the newbie on the block is pet insurance.

One that consumers regularly bring up is reviewable whole-of-life insurance policies, which allow providers to ratchet up the cost of premiums as people get older. Most of these problems stem from a lack of understanding about the product and a lack of information given at the time they were sold, he said.

"The trouble with life cover is that as you get older, unfortunately the risk gets higher and costlier. That may not have been fully explained at the time. But because of the six- year rule [statute of limitations], we can't look back."

The statute of limitations, which prevents his office examining problems with products that originated more than six years ago, inhibits the Ombudsman rarely, he added - only a small percentage of cases.

"It's not for me to defend any particular product but I think sometimes people lose sight of the fact that they have had life cover for 10, 15, 20 years

"You'll never hear anybody saying: 'I paid my house insurance for 10 years and I got nothing.' Life insurance should be the same way. But I accept that there was some confusion around these policies, that some people thought they were buying some sort of an investment policy when in fact they were buying into a life policy. They were a complex product, I have no doubt they could have been sold better and explained better.

"We are constantly saying this to providers, that it is critically important that information is properly conveyed, whether it is a life insurance or a house insurance policy. I also feel strongly that if insurance companies need to know something, then they need to ask the question.

"People are sometimes given a general question and asked to disclose any material fact that might influence the insurer when writing out a premium.

"Well, I don't believe it's for the consumer to figure out what will influence an insurer, I think it's up to the insurer to ask the consumer what they need to know. For example - have you any previous claims? Because the consequences of not declaring a previous claim can be catastrophic.

"Most do ask," he concedes. "But not always.

"It depends who is selling the policy. The policy isn't always sold by the insurance company themselves. This is something I think, as we get more into turning insurance into a consumer product and an easy buy, that's something I am very worried about.

"Look at somebody buying online, buying in the supermarket. It is a serious product they are buying and serious questions need to be asked and answered at that point. So I would put a huge emphasis on that.

"Insurers need to work with, whether it's a broker or whoever is selling their insurance product, they need to make sure that the intermediary is providing them with sufficient information. It isn't sufficient to say that the question wasn't asked."

On whether he has detected any improvement in the behaviour of financial service providers, Deering said it is too early to say given his short time in office.

"But I will say that there is a bit to go. I think they are trying, they are trying to deal with some of their complainants in a better way. I know some of the legacy cases I have here I wouldn't be happy with how they were handled. I am asking service providers to engage with complainants earlier."

Four-fifths of the complainants surveyed by BearingPoint said they had not been given an opportunity to talk to their provider before they went to the Ombudsman.

"Our legislation is quite strong and quite good. I intend, quite frankly - and I have said this very clearly to providers - I intend to use the full ambit of the legislation available to me."
House-hunters can get used to traipsing around north Dublin, as more than one in six of the 8,093 housing projects started last year are in Fingal.

In all, almost 60pc of new-builds are in Dublin and the surrounding counties.

Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford combined accounted for less than 20pc of new projects.

That is according to figures provided by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), which points to the commencement statistics to give an indication of where new houses will come on stream this year.

Foundations were laid for 1,368 housing units in Fingal in 2015.

Director of Planning at Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly said there was a simple reason for this.

"It's the location of most of the development land for the Dublin region" and "obviously demand is high in the capital."

Ms Farrelly said there was planning permission in place for 10,000 units that could be "built today" across areas like Swords, Malahide, Blanchardstown and Clonsilla.

The "level of (building) activity is proportionately low" compared to the number of planning permissions and "financial factors" may be delaying some projects, she said.

One firm building in the area is Hora Homes, which plans to have finished 155 houses at Beresford, Donabate by 2018.

Sales director Aidan Hora said the village was attractive because it's on the coast, like Malahide or Portmarnock, but at more affordable prices.

"We've been there since 2013 - very traditional three- and four-bed semis and the odd detached. It's a really steady market," he said while adding that his firm hadn't yet experienced the kind of queues that were common during the boom.

The company is also building in Co Meath and Mr Hora believes that increased supply in the housing market is coming.

"There's a lot of stuff in the pipeline," he said, pointing to large projects around Dublin, including those by big international firms.

One such development is at Cherrywood, south Dublin. Last November, Hines Ireland submitted the first planning application for a road network to pave the way for a new urban centre there.

There are plans for a new town along with up to 3,800 apartments and houses at the site.

But while there is some activity in Dublin, it's still a far cry from the heady days of the boom and construction across the country is well short of meeting demand.

In 2006, a record 93,019 housing units were completed before that number fell through the floor during the crash.

There were just 12,666 units finished last year.

Department of the Environment figures show that 920 houses were finished in January and the CIF expect 11,000 to 12,000 completions overall this year.

It's still a long way off the 25,000 a year that the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has said is needed to meet the demands of a growing population.

Of the 8,093 housing construction projects begun last year - more than 38pc or 3,105 - are in Dublin with around 20pc (1,763) in Kildare, Meath, Wicklow and Louth.

Cork accounts for 10pc, Galway is at 4pc and Limerick and Waterford are around 2pc each.

Almost 40pc of all the units commenced in 2015 are once-off houses, though the bulk of these are outside Dublin. The proportion of once-off builds is 73pc in Galway.

The city's Mayor, Frank Fahy, said that much of the construction there in recent years had been finishing projects that had stalled during the crash.

He said there were planning applications for estates but he would be "hard-pressed" to name major developments in the city and that much of the building in the county was in the once-off sector.

The Fine Gael councillor said there was "serious demand" for family homes and new estates.

He added; "The Government needs to start a major house-building project - let it be Nama or whoever. It has to be done. We have serious issues with housing," he said pointing out that there are more than 4,000 people on the social housing waiting list in Galway city alone.
The developers at the centre of a storm about Tyrrelstown residents being asked to leave their homes approached social housing agency Tuath with a proposal to sell it up to 40 of their properties.

Rick and Michael Larkin, directors of construction firm Twinlite, have been under fire since 40 tenants at the West Dublin estate were told their leases would not be renewed, with their houses set to be sold.

The letters have prompted concern that the tenants will be displaced or left homeless amid a major housing crisis engulfing the capital.

However, it has emerged that Twinlite approached Tuath earlier this year with a view to the voluntary agency buying up to 40 of the 103 houses due to be sold, despite what a Twinlite spokesperson described as "apprehensions" about selling a large number of the units for social housing.

Tuath, which says that it was not its intention to displace any residents from their homes, has not yet made a bid for the properties, but said that a due-diligence process had commenced.

"As part of normal due diligence, the association was in the process of undertaking a scheme appraisal, including an assessment of whether it was feasible to acquire the properties with tenants in situ," said a Tuath spokesperson. Tuath recently acquired 32 apartments in Co Wicklow for 7.2m, using State funding.

Twinlite built the Tyrrelstown houses with financing from Ulster Bank. Those loans were later bought by Beltany Property Finance, an affiliate company of Goldman Sachs.

A total of 103 houses are set to be sold in the area by European Property Fund (EPF), which bought the houses from Twinlite and whose beneficial owners are members of the Larkin Family. The Larkins insist the planned sale did not involve any backroom deals with Beltany.

"As a result of regulatory changes to the rental market and improving market conditions, EPF has since decided to exit the residential rental business altogether and Twinlite, in its role as asset manager, is organising the sell-down of the houses," Twinlite said.

Several of the 103 houses are 'sale agreed' with tenants and Twinlite's 'plan A' is to sell the houses to tenants, as it believes that this would be the best way to hedge its bets on values. The company would also consider selling in blocks to investors over the next four years, the Twinlite spokesperson said.
Zamano already has a mobile marketing product, Message Hero, which allows marketers to reach their customers via text message. Getty Images

Irish-listed mobile phone technology company Zamano is eyeing up a merger with Silicon Valley-based SoHalo, the Sunday Independent understands.

The deal, if it proceeds, would have the potential to reposition Zamano to take advantage of the fast-growing mobile-marketing sector and drive growth.

SoHalo's products are designed to enable marketers to engage more deeply with their target audience.

One notable feature is that its platform enables marketers to reward customers - in the form of things like loyalty programme points, event tickets and Visa and Amazon gift codes - for connecting their social media profiles to the marketers' company or brand.

SoHalo is based in Redwood City, between San Francisco and San Jose in California.

Zamano has already guided the market that it is on the hunt for deals.

"During 2015, the group examined a number of opportunities in mobile media, payments and messaging, with a view to growing the business and diversifying its product and service base," the company's CEO Ross Conlon said when Zamano reported its 2015 full-year results, in which it announced a 12.9pc jump in pre-tax profit to 2.4m.

"In 2016, it remains an ongoing objective of the group to find acquisition or partnership opportunities for the business in the web and mobile marketing space," he added.

Zamano already has a mobile marketing product, Message Hero, which allows marketers to reach their customers via text message.

For 2015, it reported a jump in end-of-year net cash from 4.6m to 6.3m.

Other products in the company's innovative portfolio include a cloud-based messaging service intended for businesses and a mobile payments product that allows people to pay for products by having a charge added to their mobile phone bill.

A conditional approach to buy Zamano for 20c a share was made by an undisclosed buyer last year, but the deal did not proceed.

The Sunday Independent understands that this deal did not go through as the parties were unable to agree on terms.

Informing the market in October that the deal had failed to progress, Zamano said it would "continue to seek investment, acquisition and joint-venture opportunities to enable it to grow and diversify its business".

When contacted by the Sunday Independent, a spokesperson for Zamano said the company had no comment to make. SoHalo did not respond to a request for comment.
Even a casual look through comment sections that require people to use their Facebook identity makes it clear that anonymity is not a cure-all. People are still willing to make comments that could be considered uncivil when using their real name... (stock)

The tastemakers and tech literati gathered in Austin, Texas last week for SXSW, the annual extravaganza of film, interactive media and music. But amongst the hipster bands, indie movies, and a keynote from Michelle Obama, there was one session of interest to online publishers who value an engaged audience.

It was called 'Comments are terrible: but they don't have to be'. And yes, it focused on online comments and commenters.

Participants included the Coral Project (an open-source software initiative from the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Mozilla Foundation and the Knight Foundation), which is building a tool to help publishers create communities around their journalism.

Also on the bill was the Engaging News Project, part of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas, which shared some recent research on commenters and comment readers.

The study revealed that 55pc of Americans have left an online comment and 78pc have read comments at some point. Fifty-one per cent of Americans do not read news comments or leave comments on news sites.

"Readers comment for a number of different reasons," says Dr Talia Stroud, director of the Engaging News Project and associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

"From our research, the number one reason people gave for commenting was to express an opinion or emotion.

"People also said that they wanted to add information or correct inaccuracies. In addition, they were interested in taking part in a debate or discussing with others.

"I think that these reasons show that people have diverse motivations for commenting - from wanting to express themselves, to wanting to have a connection with others."

So that's why readers leave comments.

But what's in it for publishers? Why should they facilitate such conversation and open themselves up to trolling, bickering and bitchiness?

"The costs and benefits vary widely, depending on how much effort newsrooms put into their comment section," Stroud says.

"For journalists, comments can be a way to come up with new story ideas or seek out sources for a story. Some commenting platforms provide a source of revenue for newsrooms.

"Commenters also tend to be some of a site's most loyal audience members, so comment sections can be a way to engage this group."

Stroud is aware that a slew of sites, like the Verge, Re/Code, USA Today's For The Win, and others have recently turned off commenting and shunted community engagement over to social media.

Does she see this as a short-term strategy?

"For some sites, this may be the right decision, particularly if they don't have the resources to manage the space in any meaningful way. For other sites, I think that there are tremendous benefits to cultivating a community interested in discussing the content."

The study uncovered mixed feelings about issues like moderation and anonymity.

Some 42pc of respondents felt that news sites should remove offensive comments; the same number considered comment sections homes to free speech which should not be policed or moderated.

And 67pc of respondents felt that anonymity allowed commenters the freedom to say things they wouldn't normally say, while 48pc felt that anonymity raised the level of disrespect.

Stroud believes that there are pluses and minuses to anonymity.

"It can be liberating for people to express opinions that they would not feel comfortable sharing using their real name," she says.

"At the same time, people in our survey were concerned that anonymity could give rise to disrespectful interactions.

"But even a casual look through comment sections that require people to use their Facebook identity makes it clear that non-anonymity is not a cure-all. People are still willing to make comments that could be considered uncivil when using their real name."

The research also found that those who comment on news sites were more likely to be male, have lower levels of education and lower incomes. Does this mean that commenting offers an outlet to a group that has been disenfranchised?

"It is certainly possible that comment sections provide a forum where those whose views are not well represented can express themselves," Stroud says. "But I don't want to overstate it - silence still takes place online when people don't feel comfortable expressing their views."

Sure, the Engaging News Project's research is specific to America - but Stroud feels that people's motivations for commenting are similar the world over.

When it comes to the effect of onerous defamation legislation - like we have here in Ireland - Stroud believes that overly heavy-handed moderation may stifle open discourse.

"I think that moderation can help to remove offensive content," she says, "but there's a lot of grey area in what is considered offensive, so it could cut off the free exchange of ideas if done too aggressively."
Demonstrators demand the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in Sao Paulo. Brazil's real is down 12pc in the past year despite a rally this year fueled by traders' optimism that Rousseff will soon be gone. (Photo: AP)

They were the darlings of the Davos set, the bookends of the BRICs. Simultaneous booms raised millions out of poverty and generated billions for a lucky few.

But now, Brazil and South Africa are united by political scandals and economic misfortune. Gloom has descended as the presidents of each country fight off corruption allegations that threaten to end their political careers.

For the leaders Dilma Rousseff and Jacob Zuma, it's a stunning fall from grace - a humiliation made worse by markets rallying on the prospects of their demise.

"What many thought would be locomotives of growth have become risks," said Mario Blejer, Argentina's former central bank governor and a vice-chairman at Banco Hipotecario. "They gave the appearance that lots of progress was taking place. Suddenly we saw it was really just a lie."

Their rise always had an aspect of illusion. Their emergence was launched as part of an investment thesis promoted by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. In 2001, the firm's Jim O'Neill Christened the BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India and China, as the engines of global growth; they were later joined by South Africa to become the BRICs.

The challenge now is whether South Africa and Brazil - which only became fully-fledged democracies over the past 30 years - can prove they have the ability to clean house as their economies sputter. Failure to do so threatens to undo the gains of the past decade and send markets into a tailspin. It could also fuel social unrest.

"These events tend to further dissociate governing elites from the wider populations - even more so when administrations campaigned under socially progressive agendas," said Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce, an emerging-market economist at Standard Chartered in London. "They weaken the social contract between the state and the people."

Both nations have been battered by the global slump in commodity prices. In Brazil, that's led to the longest and deepest recession in at least a century. In Africa's most-industrialised country, the government has struggled to keep the lights on, cutting into growth - a key concern of credit-rating companies, such as Standard & Poor's, as they threaten to downgrade debt to junk.

Meantime, Rousseff is facing massive protests and an implacable judicial system in a sprawling investigation into wrongdoing at the state oil company. For Zuma, the ruling ANC is questioning undue influence among wealthy friends.

"Now that they've been hurt badly by the commodity bust, their weaknesses become more clearly revealed," said Alfredo Saad Filho, a professor of political economy at SOAS University of London. "All the limitations, contradictions, and lack of governance problems emerge."

Their heydey with investors has long passed. Goldman Sachs closed its BRIC fund last year after it lost 88pc of its assets since the 2010 peak. South African bonds are the worst performers across emerging markets over the past six months, with the yield on 10-year notes rising to 9.18pc.

Brazil's real is down 12pc in the past year despite a rally this year fueled by traders' optimism that Rousseff will soon be gone.

Of the 40 million people who climbed into Brazil's middle class during the boom years, almost one in 10 has already slid back down. Across the Atlantic, South Africa's jobless rate of 24.5pc is even worse than it was at the start of Zuma's term and the highest among the 85 countries tracked by Bloomberg.

In systems beset by corruption, Rousseff and Zuma may just have had the misfortune of being in power when the music stopped, according to Mark Blyth, a professor of political science at Brown University in the US. In periods of sustained growth, "you don't notice the corruption", he said.

Still, while they fight to stay in office, they've suffered worse. Rousseff (68), a former Marxist guerrilla, was imprisoned for three years under Brazil's military dictatorship in the Seventies.

Zuma (73), South Africa's fourth post-apartheid leader, was arrested in 1963 and sentenced to a 10-year jail term for attempting to overthrow the state.

"Both countries have the capacity to recover," said Dirk Kotze, a politics professor at the University of South Africa in Pretoria. "It's very much going to depend on the top leadership - it can be addressed, but the current leadership in Brazil and South Africa can't do it."

Bloomberg
Vladimir Putin's homegrown credit-ratings firm is up and running - and foreign competitors are already feeling the heat.

In the past three weeks, Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings have said they plan to stop issuing local ratings rather than agree to having their Moscow branches regulated by the Russian government at the cost of breaking international sanctions.

As the New York-based firms scale back, the venture known as ACRA is poised to fill the void when it starts publishing opinions in the second half.

Russia is squeezing the business of foreign-ratings assessors since downgrades it condemned as politically motivated last year pushed the sovereign below investment grade for the first time in more than a decade. The finance ministry and central bank plan to use ACRA to replace the so-called big three as their yardstick to measure credit quality of investments.

"Cutting off international agencies from national ratings, the state is protecting the local provider," said Ivan Guminov, chief fund manager at Ronin Trust in Moscow. "Until this moment all important ratings were provided by the big three and a new local player would have had a hard time to conquer a share on this market if it had to compete with them. "

Moody's last week announced it would close its joint venture in Moscow of 12 years, and on Friday it withdrew Russia national scale ratings.

On February 29, Fitch said it will probably stop issuing local ratings on Russian companies, the same day that ACRA (which stands for Analytical Credit Rating Agency) applied for a licence to operate in Russia. Standard & Poor's said it is in talks with the central bank about how to maintain a domestic presence under the new rules.

The Bank of Russia announced plans to start a company immune to "geopolitical risks" in July after S&P and Moody's cut Russia's rating to junk because of the economic impact of sanctions imposed over Ukraine.

On March 4, Moody's said it may downgrade Russia's Ba1 rating further because of the oil shock. The central bank will stop using S&P, Moody's and Fitch in its decision-making, according to Elena Chaikovskaya, head of financial markets development. ACRA is so far the only agency which asked for accreditation under new rules, she said on Monday.

In the weeks that followed Putin's annexation of Crimea two years ago, oligarchs associated with the president faced US penalties. That prompted foreign ratings firms to withdraw coverage on banks the businessmen controlled, leaving the finance ministry with no way to assess how safe its deposits were.

"It happened that we didn't have any idea of those banks' credit quality," Deputy Finance Minister Alexey Moiseev said last month, explaining why Russia needs an alternative to the big three firms. Credit assessments from international firms have long been used by private investors in Russia to manage risk and by the Bank of Russia to regulate the financial industry.

Other local investors will also see it as a positive, said Suki Mann, a former head of European credit strategy at UBS Group AG.

"It can provide transparency and ultimately it will help investors with their own decision-making processes," said Mann. ACRA's board is headed by an American, Karl Johansson, who advised the Russian government while at Ernst & Young in Moscow. Ekaterina Trofimova, a former banking analyst for Russia and former Soviet states at S&P, will run the new venture. Some 27 shareholders, including Sberbank, Raiffeisenbank and Severstal PAO among others, will each have 3.7pc of 3bn rubles (40m) of the authorised capital.

ACRA won't have a political agenda and its 23 analysts have "very deep knowledge of Russian industries," Johansson said. Outside investors are more likely to see the venture as an attempt by Russia to hit back at the West, said London-based money manager Paul McNamara, who helps oversee 4bn of assets at GAM UK, who said he will disregard the research.

"Any Russian agency would undoubtedly be regarded as being in the pocket of the Kremlin," McNamara said. The move is a "standard response to being downgraded. Nobody in the market cares."

Bloomberg
Although best known as the wife of legendary horse trainer, the late Vincent O'Brien, Jacqueline O'Brien was an accomplished photographer and writer in her own right.

Her lavishly-illustrated books include Ancient Ireland, Great Irish Houses and Castles, and Dublin: A Grand Tour (with Desmond Guinness). She also wrote the official autobiography of her husband, 'master' of world-famous Ballydoyle Stud in Co Tipperary and a partner, with their son-in-law John Magnier and businessman Robert Sangster, in the establishment of the even more famous Coolmore Stud.

At his side for nearly 60 years, she witnessed the disappointments and triumphs of his career, which included winning almost all the major horse races in Ireland and England, first as a national hunter trainer and later as the supreme practitioner of the 'sport of kings', flat racing.

Born Jacqueline Wittenoom in 1927 in Western Australia, she was the daughter of Charles Wittenoom, a well-known politician and MP and the grand-daughter of Edward Wittenoom, who's family had a town named after them.

Her last book, On We Go: the Wittenoom Way, has been hailed in Australia as a comprehensive social and cultural history of the area where she grew up.

After graduating from the University of Western Australia, Jacqueline went travelling in Europe and on a visit to Dublin was introduced to Michael Vincent O'Brien, then a young man with lofty ambition. He took her racing the following day and they were engaged to be married before she went home.

"My father bought a horse to get himself more votes, but it went around the course very fast and died of dope! He didn't like trainers and he thought they were all a bunch of crooks, so when I told him about Vincent at first, I said he was a farmer," she said later.

Ballydoyle, which would be her home for much of the rest of her life, was in fact little more than an ordinary farm when the newlywed O'Briens moved there after their wedding in 1951. They had two daughters, Elizabeth and Susan, quickly. They didn't have much money and worked hard on and off the farm. Jacqueline's job was sending a weekly letter to each of the stable's owners with a progress report on their horses, which made her proficient at writing.

She became an accidental photographer when she took over the job of photographing horses for the sales, something that had proved difficult as before that they had to send to Dublin for a professional. "I decided to get myself a Roloflex camera and at least I was on the spot when the sun came out," said Jacqueline. "So I started photographing the horses. I'd go to trainers' yards, and I loved doing that. I would meet the trainers and their wives and sometimes I would photograph the children. I really loved that; I got to know everybody."

Despite a growing family - the O'Briens had three more children, Jane, David and Charles - she always combined motherhood with working, both for her husband and pursuing her own passion for photography. Her husband's supreme confidence in his own ability never ceased to amaze her, especially in their early years. "He'd never even been to Cheltenham, he didn't even know where to stand to watch the race. It was quite extraordinary - Ireland at that time was a place where the English bought the horses; but the thought of a horse actually being trained here and brought over to England, to win their best races, was absolutely unheard of," she said in an interview.

"Another piece of great fortune in Vincent's life was marrying Jacqueline," said the great BBC racing commentator Sir Peter Sullevan. "She cannot be given enough credit for bringing up a lovely family and for sustaining her husband and looking after him absolutely brilliantly." She was particularly good at entertaining owners, allowing Vincent to concentrate fully on his horses. His final Group 1 winner, Fatherland in 1992, carried her colours to victory.

The O'Brien family were steeped in racing, with their eldest daughter Elizabeth marrying the film producer Kevin McClory, while Susan married John Magnier and Jane married Philip Myerscough.

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Their two sons, Charles and David, followed in their father's footsteps as trainers. David famously won the Epsom Darby with Secreto in 1984, beating his father's horse El Gran Senor. He subsequently gave up training and retired to France to run a vineyard.

On Vincent's retirement the couple moved to a home in the K-Club and since his death, in 2009, at the age of 92, Jacqueline divided her time between homes in Ireland and Australia.

She died in Dublin last Tuesday, aged 89, and is survived by her children and her brothers, Bob and Richard. Her funeral mass took place in St Patrick's Church, Celbridge, Co Kildare yesterday.
Kit harrington stars as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones

Kit Harington has insisted he plays the dead body of Jon Snow in the new season of fantasy drama Game of Thrones.

The 29-year-old actor, whose demise in the finale of the fifth season left fans distraught, tried to dodge claims that his character would somehow be resurrected.

Despite Jon Snow being stabbed multiple times by his brothers, Harington has been photographed on set in Northern Ireland during filming of the sixth series of the successful HBO gore-fest.

I had to be a dead body in Northern Ireland, Harington told The Sunday Times Culture magazine.

You cant just forget that hes actually died.

I had to be a dead body.

So there was a certain amount of filming that had to be done.

Im bloody good at playing a dead body. It was some of my best work.

He also attempted to explain away the fact that his long hair has remained in the same style which would be demanded be a return to the Jon Snow role.

I like it. I got too attached, he said.

A trailer for the new Game of Thrones season was released earlier this month and gained 30 million views online in less than 24 hours.

Jon Snow is seen lying in a pool of his own blood at the start of the new clip.

Video of the Day

HBO have confirmed that Game of Thrones will return on April 24 with viewers in Britain able to watch a simulcast on Sky Atlantic at the same time as US-based fans.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
FAMILY HISTORY: Fergals great-grandfather, sergeant Paddy Hassett of the Royal Irish Constabulary, seen sitting in the front, middle. His son Paddy, Fergals grandfather, would later join the IRA during the War Of Independence, radicalised by the aftermath of the Easter Rising

After a week in rainy Bosnia in pursuit of a war criminal I came home to an Ireland where the sun was shining. In Sarajevo the lived experience of a war of competing nationalisms is vividly present.

Twenty years - a mere flicker of time in the long Balkan memory - has passed since the slaughter ended. I was struggling to shake the testimonies of murder, rape and ethnic cleansing out of my head as I took the road to Knockanean in Co Clare. This is where my mother's people came from before their migration to Cork via Waterford in the late 19th century.

My great-grandfather grew up on a small farm in Knockanean and went to the local school. With several of his brothers he joined the RIC after leaving school, an escape from rural poverty which drew thousands of young Catholic men into the service of the Crown. His son Paddy, my grandfather, would turn his back on all of this and join the IRA during the War of Independence, radicalised by the aftermath of the Easter Rising.

I have always wondered what the old RIC man would have thought of his son's decision. Was there bitter family conflict? Or would Patrick Hassett the elder, like a lot of RIC men, understand the forces that drove a younger generation into arms after 1916? My grandfather was dead before I was old enough to ask him.

Last week, Knockanean National School was commemorating the revolution which began the overthrow in Ireland of the empire Patrick Hassett served. The children staged plays; they composed a wonderfully creative 1916 soundscape; they read excerpts from the proclamation, like Amara Neyer from Nigeria who was allotted the pledge to cherish "all the children of the nation equally."

The music was as good as you'd expect in the country of Willie Clancy and Martin Hayes.

A boy called Oran Flynn brought in a picture of his great-great-grandfather who fought in Dublin and later ended up as an officer in the Free State army. The songwriter Declan O'Rourke came and performed his ballad Children of '16, with the entire school accompanying him in the bright sunshine, before everybody escaped for the Easter holidays.

There was no shrill nationalism here. After my Balkan travels I was more than usually sensitive to atavistic display. The most moving moments came during a short play about the child victims caught in the crossfire of the rebellion.

When the head teacher, Jim Curran, asked the children what they would include in today's proclamation, they spoke of ending economic injustice, the need for proper healthcare and fighting discrimination against minorities.

I felt a surge of hope. This was a world away from the national schools of my childhood. Jim and his teachers came across as open-minded and deeply committed. How wonderful it was to talk through a school full of eager young faces and questioning minds.

And there was humour. I ask another teacher, John Corbett, if they had any refugee children in the school? "We do. We have a lad from Tipp - he's settling in well," came the reply.

I said a few words, speaking of my great-grandfather and his son and the paths they chose. I also reminded the children of the successive political detonations which prepared the way for the Rising: the mobilisation of a loyalist army against Home Rule, supported by the leader of the Tory party who threatened to support an armed rebellion against the democratically elected government; the threat by the British army to mutiny rather than enforce Home Rule against the will of Ulster Protestants; the significance of the outbreak of World War I and the plan to enlist German help.

I was in my first year of school when the 50th anniversary was celebrated. I was imbued with the cult of the martyred heroes. Blood sacrifice was our noble heritage. They were the times in which I grew up. We marched around the schoolyard and recited the proclamation. Dev came on a visit, old and going blind and unheroic to my child's eyes.

My actor father appeared in a drama celebrating revolutionary martyrs like Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmet. We were all off to Dublin in the Green, in the Green. At five years of age in 1966 nobody was going to give me a nuanced account of the revolution or the complex legacy it had bequeathed us. Nor would I have understood had they tried.

In any case, nobody could have guessed then how complex it would turn out to be. The Troubles were three years away, although there were ominous stirrings. The first loyalist murders of Catholics took place later in the spring and in early summer of 1966. The gun re-introduced into Irish politics by the UVF would in time be eagerly taken up the IRA.

None of that can be forgotten in these weeks of commemoration. We cannot pretend that there is no link between the violence of 1916 and 1969. This is not to say that one caused the other, or to place the blame for the atrocities of the UVF, UDA, the Provos and the INLA on the shoulders of Pearse and Connolly. That is a tempting polemic but indulges in the same simplification that has poisonously infected nationalist and loyalist versions of the Irish story. It assumes an absolute inevitability about the passage of history which I do not accept, in Ireland or anywhere else.

The violence in Dublin in 1916 certainly shaped attitudes on both sides in Belfast. It inspired successive generations of republicans to take up arms.

The proclamation made very clear the right of armed men to act in the name of the Irish people without asking their permission.

Now, after 30 years of butchery, we have a working peace process. The vast majority of republicans and loyalists have put away their guns. The armed forces of the British state have been withdrawn from the streets. The assassins who received their intelligence from state agents have vanished into the murk of history.

But as recently as this month the remaining minority who espouse physical force nationalism were still killing fellow Irishmen, basing their right to do so on the actions of the men of 1916.

Rest in peace prison officer Adrian Ismay, and may all Ireland remember you amid the trumpets and marching of the official commemorations.
UP AND DOWN THE LIFFEY: The Helga gunboat was able to shell rebels with impunity

This Easter, as our North Atlantic island "remembers, reflects and reimagines", there is a tragic irony. Irishmen and Irishwomen... we still don't get it. And this irony reflects how well we were colonised!

Quite simply, the rebel leaders omitted one key element in sealing off Dublin city centre in 1916. Namely the sea. Essentially the British steamed up and down the Liffey with troops and the Helga gunboat, shelling the rebels with impunity.

Fact is, the rebel leaders did not think about the sea and blocking off the Liffey. Although it is a moot point as to whether or not the rebels could have done anything to prevent this happening, the real irony is that 100 years later, this fact has been lost, therefore preventing us from remembering.

Enterprise, sport, literature, and above all the maritime are passions of mine.

Entrepreneurship and dynamic thought processes need to be part of our DNA, starting at home and in primary school.

The political system does not "get" entrepreneurship nor does it get the maritime - whether it's in government departments, frontline services or private enterprise. Ministers speak of creating jobs, but in reality jobs are created by people spotting a good opportunity, securing the necessary resources and funding, then taking a risk.

Maritime and ocean resources provide untapped potential from a tourism, cultural, sporting and enterprise perspective. Ireland was so well colonised that the maritime is still not centre stage. 1916 celebrations are a classic example and the irony is that we still don't get it. Education and learning are key to facilitating people exploring new opportunities and developing new skills.

As far back as the 1850s, it was debated in Westminster that if the Irish gained access to the sea, Irish trade, commerce and travel would increase and the island would "always be a threat to the empire". As a result, government funding was diverted to developing unnatural ports, such as Liverpool, instead of natural deep sea ports in Ireland.

Many civilisations such as the Spanish, Portuguese, French and Dutch all built their societies through seafaring, travel and trade.

Ireland's only seafaring was on one-way emigrant ships and small inshore coastal crafts such as Galway hookers. The Irish were simply not allowed, or encouraged, to own ships and go to sea. It also still remains one of the great mysteries of the world how thousands starved during the famine while the sea teemed with fish.

Led by Minister Simon Coveney, the outgoing government implemented an inspired 'ocean wealth' strategy. It presented an environment and potential for employment from sporting, cultural, tourism and commercial marine opportunities. With a powerful vision such as the IMERC project in Cork Harbour, this agenda needs to be part of a sustainable long-term strategy.

Whatever the outcome of the current political lottery, this needs to be above politics (just as other core health and housing issues). To champion this I have decided to take the plunge rather than sit on the quayside as an independent candidate for the NUI Seanad elections - and I as a 'newbie' need votes to push me in.

We are an island nation. Yet maritime awareness is absent from a large part of the DNA of our national psyche. And while issues such as housing and health are critical, we must not lose sight of the fundamentals in wealth creation for future generations, as 'islanders'.

Unless our government invests in sectors such as the maritime, we will not generate the revenue for society to look after those who are less fortunate than others.

When Asgard II, our national youth training vessel, was lost, the government kept the insurance money and scrapped the programme. If a school burned down, few communities would tolerate the insurance money going elsewhere rather than rebuilding that school.

On a personal level, I am also highlighting the vision of the Atlantic Youth Trust plan to build a North-South youth development vessel. The project is based on research from 16 countries around the world where every child aged between 15 and 18 years of age, regardless of their background, would have the educational opportunity to go to sea.

It is ironic that 100 years on, as we commemorate the 1916 Centenary, the sea remains the Cinderella of our island in the North Atlantic - nearly seven-eights of our territory is the ocean shelf underwater - and this does not include East Galway when it rains!

Enda O'Coineen is chairman of Kilcullen Kapital Partners and president of the Atlantic Youth Trust charity.

He has been endorsed and seconded by outgoing Senator Feargal Quinn as an independent candidate for the 2016 NUI Seanad elections.

See www.endaocoineen.ie, email enda@endaocoineen.ie
Who was Constance - also known as the Countess or Madame - Markievicz? It's odd that the question has to be asked about someone who had such a significant part to play in the making of the Republic. Without the Fianna for instance, the corps of well-trained erstwhile boy scouts, Easter 1916 would probably have been another of those hopelessly amateurish attempts at rebellion the Irish went in for.

It might not have even happened at all. It was Markievicz who founded the Fianna, together with the Belfast Quaker, Bulmer Hobson, as a nationalist alternative to Baden Powell's imperialist, and no less militaristic, boy scouts (and who ended up in Flanders fields). She was a romantic nationalist but more far-seeing and realistic than most of those romantics and on the long road to independence became a committed politician.

She was the first woman to be elected to the House of Commons, or to any parliament, selected time and again by the people in her under-privileged Dublin constituency to be their representative. She was the first woman to serve in cabinet, as minister for labour in the Dail. All this was interrupted by periods of imprisonment in Britain and here which broke her health.

In an era of giving up your advantages for your convictions she gave up more than most. As a Gore-Booth from Lissadell in Sligo, an artist married to a Polish artist from the same landed class, she could have stayed within her privileged and charmed life. Instead she 'left her class' and chose isolation, discomfort and relative poverty for 'the cause of Ireland', as she saw it.

So why is she not recognised as a hero of the independence movement? Why is she absent from the roll-call of the famous? Why, when she is mentioned, is it as a peripheral figure, and then often sneeringly, as little more than an attention-seeker? Why is her contribution so often reduced to the - false - charge that she shot a constable during the Rising?

Apart from the falsity of this allegation, it's odd that of the many people killed on both sides in that week, no one else is named as a perpetrator except for her - and the infamous Captain Bowen-Colthurst who wantonly shot Francis Sheehy-Skeffington among others.

When I wrote a biography of Constance 20-odd years ago it was one in a series of the lives of Irish women. I chose her because among the subjects offered to me I knew least about her. The others included women such as Maud Gonne, Lady Gregory and the Parnell sisters and, like almost everybody else, I knew about them mainly because of their connection with more famous men.

Markievicz stood alone, self-driven and self-confident. She was more than a muse or an enabler or a facilitator, the preferred roles for women to play.

But its these qualities that seem to incite dislike and hostility. We like to think of ourselves as liberated but assertiveness in women is actually less acceptable now than it was in her time. Then too though, she had her detractors, notably Sean O'Casey, though in fact it's hard to find others.

It was Sean O'Faolain, her first biographer, who set the tone that would prevail.

Her friend Helena Molony described his book, published in the retrogressive 1930s, as "bad, inaccurate, catty and misleading" and as a result Markievicz was "in great danger of being misunderstood". Maud Gonne was angered by "his smears at her". To her Markievicz was "a great woman". Kathleen Lynn - who transported arms in her car and kept them in her house and was just as militant as Constance - said she was "a grand soul, not like other people".

Helena Molony had a lot to say about the failure to acknowledge that women too can "embrace an ideal and accept it intellectually". O'Faolain was trying to prove that "any serious thing a woman does outside of nursing babies and washing pots is the result of being in love with some man or disappointed in love of some man or looking for the limelight or indulging their vanity".

Simplicity and sincerity was the keynote of Markievicz's character, according to Molony. She didn't seek the limelight but "when it came she enjoyed it and laughed at it, where another woman might be embarrassed by it".

Attitudes and prejudices change along with the times. These days O'Faolain's grounds for criticism are elided. But they are replaced by others and often no less catty.

What we can find hard to understand is her capacity to cast aside what most of us nowadays value so highly - privilege, money, position. Maybe this causes discomfiture and resentment, just as her ardour and disregard for the conventions might offend the more prudent and cautious.

But it is the matter of the constable's death at St Stephen's Green on Easter Monday that most commonly now excuses her vilification. There are at least three versions in circulation. I think it's true to say that most of her detractors know next to nothing about the facts; and the few who do prefer to ignore them.

The constable was Constable Lahiff, shot, according to the official report by the DMP - the Dublin Metropolitan Police - at 12pm or thereabouts, as the rebels were taking possession of the Green via the Fusilier's Gate. At this time Markievicz was at City Hall, delivering Dr Kathleeen Lynn, who was chief medical officer of the revolution, to her post. By the time Markievicz arrived at the Green in Dr Lynn's car, driven by Mark Cummins, the rebels were established there.

The only source for the allegation is 'testimony' from a Miss Geraldene (sic) Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald's account, said to be from her diary of that day, is kept in the British National Archives at Kew, marked Evidence Against Countess Markievicz and stamped July 14, 1917. That it's from her diary, 'kindly supplied' by her mother who lived in Birr, can't be verified however, as it consists only of two typewritten pages. In fact, it reads more like a deposition, taken down by someone tasked with gathering incriminating evidence.

Geraldene Fitzgerald, a trainee public health nurse, tells how she was on her way back to the Nurses Home on the Green after her morning rounds. At 12.30pm she was in High Street and took a longer route home to avoid Jacob's where the Sinn Feiners were in possession. Making her way to the south side of the Green she saw the Sinn Feiners inside, digging trenches while others "were ready with rifles to fire on anyone in military or police uniforms who passed that way".

She sat down to dinner in the dining room with some colleagues. It would now be approaching 1pm, if not later.

"We were just taking our soup when we heard the most awful firing outside. We rushed to the front room to see what was happening. What we saw was this... a lady in green uniform... holding a revolver in one hand and a cigarette in the other.... we recognised her as the Countess Markievicz...'

From the window the nurses saw a policeman coming from Harcourt Street. "He had only gone a short way when we heard a shot and then saw him fall forward on his face. The 'Countess' ran triumphantly into the Green, saying 'I got him' and some of the rebels shook her by the hand and seemed to congratulate her..."

Apart from the crucial matters of the timing and the location of the shooting, which are totally at odds with the DMP's report, there are other extremely questionable aspects to this account. Among them are that the likelihood of a remark, as Fitzgerald relates it, carrying from the west side of the Green and across a wide stretch of road noisy with the activities of the rebels, onlookers and the traffic still going up and down, is small.

The dining room would have been on the ground floor from where you could hardly see into the Green. Also, Constance was experienced with guns since her sportive youth at Lissadell and its difficult to imagine her exulting like an untried markswoman in the accuracy of a shot at such close range.

It's hard to know what to make of Fitzgerald's account or to say what she saw or did not see - only that it seems at the very least fanciful and based more on a year's worth of rumours than on reality. It could not stand up in a court of law, which may be why it did not appear on Markievicz's charge-sheet when she was tried on various grounds in 1920. Only the obstinately mischievous - to put it kindly - can continue to cite it.

There are of course Constance Markievicz's remarkable human qualities which tend to be lost in the myth and the mischief. You need only read her writings, especially the autobiographical pieces and letters, to see her ardent way of looking at life, her humanity and sensibility.

The thousands of Dublin's poor who turned out for her funeral when she died in 1927 saw it.

Anne Haverty's 'Constance Markievicz: Irish Revolutionary' will be published in a new and revised edition next month
MICHAEL PORTILLO: On the British side there was a failure to apply any sort of political nous to the situation. There was a long history of not understanding Ireland

'And now he passes into the ghastly, sepulchral half-world where failed or disgraced politicians tend to end up these days: a world of late-night chat-shows, desultory appearances on the back benches, chunky fees for after-dinner speeches, and - with luck - a couple of remunerative directorships. Life is not too bad: David Mellor has blazed the trail. But it is a tragedy in its way, though some will think not a very great one."

It's been a few years since those words were written in The Spectator about Michael Portillo but in the interim the tragedy, such as it ever was, seems quite relative. On the one hand, Portillo could be forgiven for looking ruefully at David Cameron and thinking that he could or should have had his job - he famously lost out on the leadership of the Torys. On the other, he fully gives the impression of enjoying the time of his life right now, delivering droll political and social commentary on the BBC and presenting well-reviewed documentaries where his wonkish enthusiasm combines with an on-camera assuredness that he somehow never evinced during his political career (he has his regrets on this score, he tells me).

He may have over-egged the pudding slightly when he recently said that he was "steaming toward being a national treasure" but to be fair, a decade-and-a-half after his exit from politics, he's a far cry from David Mellor and his tawdry tabloid dramas.

The latest of Portillo's documentaries is The Enemy Files, which explores the events around the 1916 Rising from a British point of view. The history of any conflict is written by the victors and so it's an interesting tack to take and one that helps the programme to cut through the commemoration fatigue, which has set in now for many of us.

There are illuminating contributions from Robert Fisk, Declan Kiberd and Kevin Myers but Portillo is an interesting and provocative choice to present the piece; he was of course a political supporter of Thatcher, never particularly noted for her pro-Irish policies, and as recently as 2012 was calling Bobby Sands "a terrorist" in the Guardian. But it's perhaps precisely these facts about him that make him the perfect person to cast a cold eye on British incompetence and arrogance during the 1916 period. "I was to bring a political mind to bear to [the documentary], having sat at the cabinet table myself, and it was thought that perhaps I could offer a view on the thinking at the time and critique the decision making," he explains.

"Given my general state of ignorance about 1916 I was surprised by a lot of things, but mainly I suppose, about how the Rising seemed to go off totally chaotically, at half-cock. It's supposed to happen on Easter Sunday and then it's called off. And when it happens on the Monday it's no longer an Irish-wide event. The use of the GPO is strategically non-sensical. On the British side there was a failure to apply any sort of political nous to the situation. There was a long history of not understanding Ireland and not taking it seriously."

This lack of Anglo nous expressed itself most completely in the failure of the British to understand that in putting the men of 1916 to death, they would make martyrs of them and mobilise the previously indifferent Irish population behind the nationalist cause.

Portillo was an early acolyte of Thatcher, who seemed to have zero compunction about producing martyrs - she faced down the hunger strikers after all. Does he feel, then, that in the decades after the Rising, the lessons of it were adequately absorbed by the British? "The British have not absorbed the lessons of 1916," he responds.

"When we were dealing with the Troubles a lot of martyrs were created. The question then was the same; do we bring the full weight of the law down on these people or do we recognise that they are involved in a political struggle? In the Eighties and Nineties we refused to recognise these people are prisoners of war. What the British did then was wrong but most of the alternatives would also have been mistakes."

But what about today? In The Enemy Files Robert Fisk compares the "cult of blood and martyrdom" of proclamation to the modern death cults of the Middle East. Portillo has publicly dismissed suggestions that poverty and extremism are linked in British Muslims - despite a Commons Home Affairs Committee report that said exactly the opposite. In discussing the refugee crisis he recently said - to the horror of many - that desperate migrants should be "dumped on a Libyan beach".

"What I said about radicals not being linked to poverty is simply a statement of fact," he responds. "The majority of people who have been radicalised in Britain have university degrees. I doubt that the level of poverty that they experience in Britain is comparable to the poverty that they experience in Muslim countries. As regards leaving people on Libyan beaches, I think that any policy that causes people to get drowned at sea should be thought through pretty carefully."

One of the key figures of the Rising - Roger Casement - has in the intervening century received an extra patina of martyrdom, deriving from the contemporary disgrace caused by his sexuality. Portillo had to deal with his own issues on this score. In 1999 he gave an interview to the London Times in which he talked about his "homosexual experiences" as a young man. It was a revelation that probably cost Portillo politically - he subsequently lost the leadership race - and won him zero street cred (he still had gay rights groups and one former lover accusing him of hypocrisy).

Given the huge evolution in political and social attitudes, does he feel he was given a rough ride back then? "I'm afraid I don't follow your drift," he tersely tells me. "You're into terrain that I'm just not into discussing. I'm not a political figure." Except, presumably, when he's presenting a programme because he "sat at the cabinet table". What about his regrets at speaking about the gay experiences at all? There was a sense at the time that he might have been better advised to say nothing and latter-day leaders - one thinks of David Cameron and the cocaine and pig sex stories - have learned the valuable lesson of simply letting things blow over. "Again I really am not getting into any of that. I'm not a political figure."

This is a standard refrain when Portillo gets uncomfortable - he said something similar to Jeremy Paxman in 1997. But of course since earliest life Portillo has been highly political. While other children had posters of pop stars or actors on their walls, the child Michael went to sleep, he tells me now, looking at a picture of Harold Wilson.

By the age of 11, this son of a Spanish refugee father - a pacifist who had come from Franco's Spain - and a Scottish mother was acting as a teller for the Labour Party in the 1964 general election. By 1966, he was running committee rooms for the party. He contested his first general election as a candidate in 1983 - and lost - but the following year he stood for and won the seat following the murder of the incumbent, Sir Anthony Berry, in the bombing by the IRA of the Grand Hotel in Brighton.

He was apparently shaken by the fall of Thatcher, but went on to become the youngest member of the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury immediately after the 1992 election. Thatcher herself said to him "great things are expected of you. You will not disappoint us".

Interestingly, he says that privately she in fact was not particularly prudish at all. "I don't know how many examples I could give you but I was with Cecil Parkinson when he had the affair with Sara Keays and Thatcher wanted to appoint him foreign secretary and he said to her [Thatcher] 'oh you mustn't do that, because I've gotten this girl pregnant.' And Thatcher replied 'oh, well, in that case I'd better make you Secretary of State for Trade and Industry!' Hardly: 'You're banished from cabinet.'"

Portillo himself remained close to the pulse of power for most of his career. Portillo supported John Major ahead of John Redwood during the leadership challenge but two years later he was out on his ear and schadenfreude was unconfined: one newspaper lead with the headline 'Nation Rejoices As Portillo loses seat'. After a particularly excruciating interview with Paxman, Portillo himself declared that his name had become "synonymous with eating a bucketload of shit in public".

He would eventually be re-elected and indeed became Shadow Chancellor under William Hague but, after another doomed leadership race, he was gone for good, leaving the party to Europhiles like Ken Clarke.

I'm interested to know, then, what he makes of the potential Brexit. "I am a firm believer in self-determination. If the Scots want to go their own way, they should be allowed to. If the Brits want to leave the European Union, the same would apply."

He gives Cameron "high marks on the economy and low marks on foreign policy. It's difficult for me to see that our interventions in Libya, Egypt have been in the British interest.

"I think Britain should be less interventionist and more circumspect about allowing pockets of terrorism to appear."

He has been married to Carolyn Eadie, a highly successful City headhunter, since 1982 ('Kiss the boys and marry the girls' ran a headline in the UK Independent at the time of his "homosexual experiences" confession), but they never had any children. He's said that he thinks this was a disadvantage during his political career but, now, at 62, an age when many people are enjoying the particular pleasures of grandparenthood, I wonder if he feels it was a disadvantage in life. Again, he stonewalls: "I really have nothing to say on that."

He's described himself, in his second career, as a "cork bobbing on the tide of fate" and says that media has brought up unpredictable pleasures. "When you're climbing the slippery political pole each next move is clear - you move from being a back bencher to being a whip and so on.

"Since I've left parliament there hasn't been a structure and I know can't predict what's going to happen next. I'm probably better known now for making documentaries like this one, than I am for being a politician and I'd never never thought that was possible."

The Enemy Files will be broadcast on RTE1 tomorrow at 9.35pm
Elizabeth's boots are just visible as she delivered Pearses surrender to General William Lowe on Moore Street during the Rising

One was a nurse and the other a dressmaker and furrier. One was the daughter of a docker, the other of a joiner. They went to convent schools together, became social activists together, and rebels together. They were working women who crossed paths with their sisters in society's upper echelons at gatherings of Cumann na mBan.

Despite their modest backgrounds, Elizabeth O'Farrell and Julia Grenan - along with James Connolly's secretary, Winifred Carney - were the only women trusted to stay behind to treat the wounded men on Moore Street as shells crashed around them and surrender loomed.

Elizabeth was chosen for the pivotal and risky task of delivering Padraig Pearse's surrender to General William Lowe on Moore Street under gun fire, while anxious Julia stayed behind. Elizabeth and Julia were also life partners, who lived together until Elizabeth's death in 1957, and who are buried together in the republican plot at Glasnevin Cemetery.

In the centenary year of 1916, all the women of the Rising are finally being remembered for their roles in the events, across books, street theatre and performance art. The lives of 77 women imprisoned at Richmond Barracks following the Rising are chronicled in a book by Mary McAuliffe and Liz Gillis. In the documentary Seven Women, to be broadcast on RTE tonight, the actress Fiona Shaw tells the stories of seven women volunteers, including one who kicked in the windows of the GPO in order to get in on the action.

The latest is Irish artist Jaki Irvine's tribute to Elizabeth O'Farrell and Julia Grenan, commissioned by the Irish Museum of Modern Art. It's a piece of performance art, involving bag pipes, the music of soldiers.

The stories of the women of 1916 reach across the decades to Irish women standing on their shoulders today.

Jaki Irvine came upon Elizabeth O'Farrell when a row erupted a few years ago over the air brushing of her feet from the photograph of Pearse's surrender to General Lowe.

"I became curious about the missing feet in the photo," said Irvine. She began researching the story of Elizabeth O'Farrell, peeling back the layers of her life to the relationship at its kernel, with Julia Grenan, a relationship that "amazed" her.

Irving was so drawn to their story that she wrote a novella called Days of Surrender, which was published in 2013.

Elizabeth O'Farrell was born at City Quay, the daughter of a dock labourer. Julia Grenan, the daughter of a joiner, lived in Lombard Street. They were friends since childhood and were both educated by the Sisters of Mercy. Elizabeth became a midwife. Julia was a furrier and dressmaker.

Their journey towards republican activism began when they joined the Gaelic League, the Irish Women's Franchise League, the Irish Women Worker's Union, and later Cumann na mBan. Constance Markievicz is said to have trained both women in the use of firearms.

The nature of their relationship was, naturally for that time, not public knowledge. But neither was it entirely private. Irvine also recounts the statement from the volunteer who was dispatched to tell them that the Rising was to proceed. Julia and Elizabeth were in the same house. "She spoke of waking them up, of Elizabeth coming down the stairs and Julia following down later," she said.

According to Irvine, when Elizabeth faced the gun fire to deliver the message of surrender, waving her white flag, the wounded James Connelly tried to sooth the anxious Julia, reassuring her that Elizabeth would be fine.

Their roles during the Rising were as couriers, delivering dispatches and ammunition, and nursing the wounded. When the GPO went up in flames on the Thursday of Easter Week, O'Farrell and Grenan, and James Connolly's secretary, Winifred Carney, refused to leave.

In an interview for RTE recorded before her death, Julia Grenan recalled how Pearse ordered the women to leave as the GPO went up in flames. "It was a request, he said, but now, he said it's an order," she said. "But fortunately, Winnie Carney and Elizabeth O'Farrell and myself were selected to go with the men to Moore Street. So we did that."

At Moore Street, O'Farrell and Grenan nursed the wounded. The leaders decided to lay down arms and Pearse chose O'Farrell to deliver the message on the basis that a woman was less likely to be shot down. In her account of the surrender, she described walking the streets, waving her white flag, bullets whistling around her, the intermediary delivering the conditions of surrender.

She stood beside Pearse on that Saturday afternoon as he capitulated in person to General Lowe. The moment was captured by a British photographer, but he failed to capture Elizabeth.

Many years later, she told Cistercian monks that she deliberately stepped behind Pearse when the shot was taken. Only her boots were visible when the photograph first appeared; even these were later erased from view.

Elizabeth O'Farrell described the surrendered troops lining up on O'Connell Street that Saturday night. But she did not join them. Instead she was taken overnight to a room above the National Irish Bank on O'Connell Street by a Lieutenant Royall, so she could resume delivering the surrender order to other units the next day.

He "provided me with supper, and procured a bedroom for me at the top of the house, in which I was fairly comfortable and slept well. Lieut. Royall sat on a chair outside my door all night. About 6 o'clock on Sunday morning I arose.

"On looking out of the window I saw about 300 or 400 volunteers and Miss Grenan and Miss Carney, who had left the Post Office with me, lying on the little plot of grass at Great Britain Street in front of the Rotunda Hospital, where they had spent the night in the cold and damp.

"All their arms and ammunition were piled up at the foot of the Parnell Statue. I had only just finished dressing when I was told I was wanted downstairs by Captain Wheeler to take round the orders to the other commandants."

Despite assurances that she would not be arrested, Elizabeth was imprisoned at Ship Street Barracks, stripped and searched. She was later released and brought to see General Lowe, who apologised. Her partner, Julia, remained in Kilmainham jail until May 9 of that year.

Julia and Elizabeth lived together for many years at 27 Lower Mount Street in Dublin, staunch republicans who in later years denounced the Treaty.
Next weekend marks the first anniversary of Graham Dwyer's conviction for the murder of Elaine O'Hara. According to media reports following his progress, the former architect has spent much of his 12 months behind bars writing up a storm, still trying to convince his old pals of his innocence and in some stomach-churning flirtation with a slew of female pen pals who have contacted him in jail.

A Russian woman who was thrown out of court for making gestures at him during his trial claimed last summer to be his "girlfriend". Victoria Andreenkova told The Star she had "fallen in love" with him after he wrote inviting her to visit him in the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise. He was "tender" and "very kind".

A couple of months later, the Sunday World got hold of taped phone conversations between Andreenkova and her now ex-boyfriend. He would "dream" about her getting searched by a prison officer when coming in to see him and remonstrated with her about talking to the media.

"Victoria, you are all over the media again. It's going to f**k up my appeal. The media is a huge part of my appeal, you can't talk to them. Just hang up, [and say] 'no comment, no comment'."

Others sent him sympathetic letters and handed over his collected responses to the newspapers, further enlightening the public as to his deluded mindset.

Thanks to an au pair based in Dublin who took it upon herself to write to him, we learnt that Dwyer has grown his hair long in prison and wears it in a ponytail. He claimed his nickname is Steven Segal or Jonathan Ross. He looked on the chubby side during his trial but in prison has taken to the gym and is vegetarian. He reads about himself avidly. In one letter, he called himself 50 Shades of Graham - the movie based on the bondage bestseller, Fifty Shades of Grey, was released around the same time as his trial began.

His delusion continues in his confident prediction that he will be released later this year when his conviction is overturned on appeal. In a letter to one au pair pen pal, he claimed to have 12 grounds for appeal worked on by a team of lawyers largely based on his contention that there was "no evidence" to link him to the murder of Elaine O'Hara.

"Just extreme sex stuff that shocked the journalists and jury!," he wrote.

He bragged about buying a drink when he gets out for Dr Marie Cassidy, the State pathologist who examined Elaine O'Hara's remains when they were found. Addressing medical students, she said there was no pathology evidence, she did not think the DPP would go ahead with the case, and when the jury went out, she expected a verdict of not guilty. Her comments would help secure his release, he told his au pair pen pal. In fact, he wrote at one point, he might need to "lie low" at her house when he gets out. The au pair who elicited these chilling insights into Dwyer later gave his letters to the Mail on Sunday.

Questions have to be asked about why women write to a misogynist like Dwyer. Even his own defence counsel admitted that there was no point trying to sell him to the jury as a nice man. And the letters that he writes from his jail cell also show his pathetic bravado and delusion - and an optimism that is totally out of place with a man serving life for murder.

"This is going to be a good year," he writes in one letter, predicting his imminent release.

Dwyer thought he would get away with murder when he stood before a judge and jury in the Central Criminal Court a year ago. The letters show that he still thinks he will get away with it now.

According to the prosecution, Elaine O'Hara (36) was the "almost perfect victim" and Dwyer thought he had committed the perfect murder. A relationship that started on a bondage website developed into the brutal sadomasochistic abuse of a vulnerable woman. He was the "master" and Elaine, psychiatrically unwell, lonely and troubled, one of his several and not always willing "slaves".

His fetish for bloodletting during sex culminated in the murder of Elaine O'Hara for sexual gratification, on the day she was released from a psychiatric hospital, lured by text message to a beach.

When the decomposed partial remains of Elaine O'Hara's body were discovered by a dog walker in undergrowth in Kilakee Woods in the Dublin Mountains in August 2013, Graham Dwyer was having a dinner in a Mexican restaurant with his unsuspecting wife, Gemma, to celebrate their birthdays. A month later, he was "drinking away, not a bother on him" at a boy scout reunion in Bandon.

He thought he had covered his tracks by using ready-to-go mobile phones and online aliases. He relied on his outward respectability to deflect from his violent sadomasochism. He was middle class, professional, with a wife and two children, living in a salubrious suburb of Foxrock in south Dublin. A bit of geek, his hobbies included cars and flying model aircraft. He had no convictions.

He was tracked down on the back of anonymous information passed to gardai that an "O'Dwyer or Dwyer" who worked on Baggot Street might be linked to discovery. They soon found Graham Dwyer, who and worked for an architects' firm on Baggot Street. When his bins were left out for collection, Chief Superintendent Dermot O'Sullivan searched them for something that would yield his DNA and found it in a tin of turtle wax. The DNA sample later confirmed that the semen they found on Elaine O'Hara's mattress belonged to Dwyer.

When Dwyer was arrested, he was so confident that he would get away with it that he insisted on being questioned through the night, declining their offers of a break. After his arrest, he wrote to his wife, who had walked out on him immediately: "They have no evidence except my name and someone else's phone number in that awful girl's diary. I do know her, yes, and was helping her. And I wasn't totally honest with you."

Awaiting the jury's verdict, he told prison staff he would be free and enjoying a meal in a restaurant once it was all over. The evidence was in video footage of him stabbing Elaine while having sex with her and the semen found on Elaine's mattress. He was filmed going in and out of her apartment building in Stepaside. He wrote fiction fantasising about stabbing a woman called Darci to death while having sex with her. (Darci was no fiction: she was Darci Day, an American who was suicidal when she met Dwyer online, who offered to kill her to save the job of committing suicide.) Analysts proved the ready-to-go mobile phones from which text messages were sent to Elaine O'Hara's mobile phones went everywhere that Dwyer went.

No amount of forensics could establish a direct evidential link between Graham Dwyer and Elaine O'Hara's remains that were found on the Dublin Mountains. Dwyer was convinced then that he would be acquitted. The jury found the compelling trail of circumstantial evidence led them to the inescapable conclusion that he was guilty.

Dwyer's appeal is due to be heard later this year. In his now public letters, he claimed to have a team of seven solicitors and barristers working on it. He is separately suing the State over the alleged unlawful retention of his mobile phone records, on foot of a recent EU directive. That case has been before the Chancery Court in February and is due before the courts again in April.

Dwyer would appear to have convinced those closest to him to stand by him. His father, Sean, and mother, Susan, and his two brothers, Brendan and James, regularly visit him in prison. As of the time of his trial, his wife, Gemma, had not.

Dwyer turned violent fantasy into violent reality, Judge Tony Hunt said at his trial. Fantasy is something for which Dwyer clearly has a talent. His life on the E3 landing of the Midlands Prison where he is confined alongside the serial killer Mark Nash and the brutal rapist Michael Murray, now involves watching Vincent Browne's newspaper round-up on TV3 to see if any newspapers have mentioned his conviction, and waging letter campaigns to his former friends protesting his innocence, and to female "fans", blaming his conviction on the jury's prudish reaction to his "sex games".
The six women worked at the Irish Consulate in New York for between 8 and 35 years

A group of staff employed by Ireland's consulate in New York are seeking to negotiate social security payments and compensation for alleged previous missed payments.

A legal advisor to the six women said they had been employed by the Irish consulate located at Park Avenue in New York for between eight and 35 years.

The women claim that the consulate did not pay into a social security fund on their behalf and advised them to file their tax returns as independent contractors.

They are entitled to be included in the US social security system and to be compensated for years of exclusion, the employees claim.

They are seeking to collectively bargain with the Department of Foreign Affairs under US industrial-relations law.

"This case is really very simple," their legal advisor, attorney-at-law Shane Humphries, told the Sunday Independent.

"It is about employees of the consulate in New York wishing to fully participate in the US tax and social-security system.

"For decades, they have been denied that opportunity. They simply wish to better prepare for retirement and to do so they need the full co-operation of the Irish Government.

"It will require the Irish Government to step up and do the right thing for a group of employees with over 100 years of combined service," said Shane Humphries.

"All they are asking for initially is the appointment of someone who can represent the Irish Government to collectively bargain with the employees to settle these longstanding issues in a equitable manner."

When queried on the matter, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: "The department does not comment on the circumstances of individual employees."

"As is standard across the mission network, the department complies fully with local labour law requirements in the US."

This is not the first time that a state agency has been challenged by a US employee over terms of employment.

A former long-time employee of Tourism Ireland recently sued the agency in the United States over post-retirement health-insurance entitlements.

A case filed in a California district court on behalf of Thomas Heneghan claimed that his former employer, Tourism Ireland, reneged on an agreement to pay for most of the cost of United States health insurance for him, his spouse and his dependant children for the duration of his retirement.

The former employee said he had made no other arrangements for health insurance up until his retirement in 2010, based on the agreement.

Heneghan's complaints include breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation.
Former Anglo Irish Bank chief David Drumm was greeted by a yellow ribbon attached to the front door of his childhood home in Skerries after his application for bail was granted by Dublin District Court last Tuesday.

The ribbon was put there by his family to welcome him home following what a source close to the former banker has described as a "nightmare period in his life" in which he spent five months detained in four prisons across two US states before being extradited to face 33 charges arising from his time at the helm of Anglo Irish Bank.

The Sunday Independent understands Mr Drumm has spent the last number of days resting following the ordeal, which saw him transferred for his own personal safety both between and within correctional facilities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Accompanied from the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street by his sisters Anne and Susan, his sisters-in-law, Fiona, Pam and Gina, and his father-in-law and mother-in-law Danny and Georgina, Mr Drumm arrived home last Tuesday afternoon to be reunited with his 80-year-old mother, Mary.

The meeting is understood to have been particularly emotional for Mrs Drumm. Having appealed in vain to a US judge to allow her son out on bail in the United States pending his extradition hearing which had originally been scheduled for March 3 last, Mrs Drumm later found herself turned away from the Plymouth Correctional Facility on Christmas Eve for "security reasons" when she tried to visit him.

The former Anglo chief is also understood to have been reunited last Tuesday with three of his four brothers and his sister, Adrienne, at the Drumm family home in north county Dublin.

A source familiar with the matter described the house as being filled with a "Christmassy" atmosphere, with most of Mr Drumm's 18 nephews and nieces in attendance.

Those unable to make it for the occasion made contact by Skype and Facetime throughout the evening and late into the night, while neighbours and friends are said to have "poured in" to offer Mr Drumm their support.

Mr Drumm's wife, Lorraine, and their daughters, Sarah and Ellen, are understood to have spoken to him by Skype from Boston in between making plans for their return to and resettlement in Ireland.

It is understood Mr Drumm's family returned to Dublin last Thursday.

Apart from his family and friends, it is understood that the former Anglo CEO has been contacted in recent days by a number of his former colleagues and clients with messages of support and goodwill.

The Sunday Independent has established that Mr Drumm intends to continue working for his US-based employer from his home in Dublin while he prepares for his trial, which is not expected to get under way until the middle of 2017 at the earliest.

In the case of Mr Drumm's trial, there are two books of evidence, as well as millions of documents and 400 hours of internal bank phone recordings involved. Dublin District Court was told last week that up to 120 witnesses could be called by the prosecution.
'Fianna Fail Priorities for Government" is 53 pages of policy the party hopes will win the hearts - and Dail votes for Taoiseach - of Independent TDs.

As titles go, it's not as poetic as 'An Ireland for All' - the name of its actual manifesto.

But then you campaign in poetry and govern in prose.

And with the party referred to as "Fiona Fail" at one point - it seems to be some hastily put-together prose at that.

The document was circulated to the Independent Alliance, and a separate 'rural five' group of Independents.

Where it differs from the manifesto is in increasing the number of priorities from four to six and setting deadlines for implementing them, at least in part.

The "core priorities" Fianna Fail fought the election on - creating jobs and supporting enterprise; cutting costs for families and improving services; tackling crime and developing community services; and dealing with the housing crisis - are all broadly covered under similar headings in the document.

However, two priorities - political reform and spreading the economic recovery - are identified with chapter headings in their own right for the first time.

"The way we do politics has to change," the chapter on reform begins in a statement that could be a comment on the unprecedented fragmentation of political groupings in the Dail as a bid to win support from diverse groups of Independents that want reform.

Each chapter begins with commentary about what Fianna Fail claims are the failings of the Fine Gael/Labour coalition.

In this case it lists failure to deliver "its promised package of holistic political reform".

The section specifically on Oireachtas reform runs to less than 400 words in Fianna Fail's manifesto.

Here the chapter on political reform is pushing 1,000 words and it's the very first section in the document.

Party leader Micheal Martin was quick to come out seeking time to discuss political reform in the days following the election, so it's no surprise that it gets such prominence here - especially with reform being a key concern of Shane Ross's Independent Alliance.

Under the heading, Fianna Fail outlines how it wants to reorganise government departments.

It would establish a Department of Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs.

This is a name-change from its manifesto plan to create "Minister for Community Support, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs".

It's a small tweak but it emphasises the rural part of the portfolio, perhaps to entice Independents that want a rural affairs minister.

In fact there's a clear theme throughout of offering titbits to the rural Independents like Clare GP Michael Harty and Cork South-West's Michael Collins who campaigned against the closure of garda stations in his area.

Among them are promises of more broadband investment within a year, to increase and expand the rural GP allowance, and a review of the decision to close rural garda stations.

"Rural Ireland has been neglected for five years and this needs to change," a section on rural communities under pressure reads.

Fianna Fail is definitely singing the rural Independents' tune.

Similarly - it was in Fianna Fail's manifesto - but the party wants to create a Minister for Climate Change which will combine functions from other portfolios, including environment, flood defence, energy and transport.

Its inclusion with prominence in the mini-manifesto - which describes climate change as an "existential threat" - could perhaps be seen as an attempt to appeal to the Green Party.

While the document reads with a certain amount of 'one-for-everyone-in-the-audience' feel in terms of policy, it does avoid the kind of parish-pump promises seen in previous deals with Independents.

The second priority that gets singled out for new prominence is chapter two, 'Strengthening and spreading the economic recovery'.

It appears to be a direct response to Fine Gael's failed election slogan 'Let's Keep the Recovery Going' - a message that played well in more affluent areas of Dublin, but fell flat in rural regions to that party's detriment.

"While there is an economic recovery, it is two-tiered, with many areas both in urban and rural areas across Ireland not feeling the recovery," Fianna Fail states.

In its commentary it says that in the year to quarter four of 2015, Dublin accounted for 52pc of the employment gains and points out that more than half of the country's GDP was generated in the Greater Dublin area.

That's put in the context of London, which the Fianna Fail paper says accounts for 20pc of the United Kingdom's GDP.

Fianna Fail says it wants income tax and USC reform and simplification, equal tax treatment for the self-employed and to revise the capital spending plan to "accelerate" its most jobs friendly aspects among the measures to spread the economic recovery.

As in the full manifesto, the housing emergency gets its own chapter and this chimes with the broad consensus across Leinster House that it's the most pressing issue facing TDs - so no surprise there.

A Minister for Housing is promised within six months, along with an all-party Oireachtas Committee to recommend and implement actions to tackle the problem "as a matter of urgency".

The party also sets out its plans for Health, Education and Crime and Policing.

Irish Water may have been a "red-line" issue, according to Barry Cowen in the days after the election, but here it's relegated to page 47 as part of a chapter called 'Cutting costs for families and communities under pressure'.

The same chapter has sections on climate change, Northern Ireland and 'Brexit' and could be viewed as where the authors included items for which they couldn't find another place.

The policy paper will win no awards for its prose. It scrambles to cover the bases of what Independents are after and has all the appearances of being quickly written.

But Fianna Fail has played its hand and set out its stall. Now it's over to the Independents to see if they'll allow themselves to be wooed.
As the Sunday Independent reported two weeks ago, Enda Kenny was first off the blocks to offer various deals to Independent TDs and smaller parties with a view to forming the next government, in the process securing his leadership and creating history as the first ever re-elected Fine Gael Taoiseach.

While Fianna Fail was still celebrating its election success, Kenny dispatched his fellow Mayo man, Senator Paddy Burke of Fine Gael, to hit the telephones with offers of positions at Cabinet, Ministers of State and chairman of Oireachtas committees.

The commentariat dismissed our revelation, as they have been prone to do, insisting instead on what was always the second most unlikely outcome: a Fine Gael/Fianna Fail grand coalition. But Kenny was two steps ahead, and had already turned the heads of the Independents, in particular, with the promise of high office. The most unlikely outcome, by the way, is another election. That is not going to happen.

Two days before our revelation, Enda Kenny was made to realise that the so-called grand coalition was never going to happen. The message was relayed to him by Micheal Martin, no less. under no circumstances would Fianna Fail enter a coalition with Fine Gael. That's what the Fianna Fail leader had told Independent TDs. And what's more, he told them they could go back and tell the Taoiseach that too. In fact, Micheal Martin let it be known that he would be happy to go to the country again rather than break an election promise and enter coalition with either Fine Gael, or Sinn Fein for that matter.

So, since March 4, Enda Kenny was aware there would be no grand coalition; in fact, with Michael Noonan in an adjoining room, he rang several Independents back that night to check precisely what it was that Martin had told them. The message was crystal clear, so Kenny then set about his business in earnest, aware that he needed all the support he could get to see off Fianna Fail's pretentions of a minority government - and to save his own skin.

With that in mind, he bigged up his two key negotiators, Simon Coveney and Simon Harris. The two Simons, more than anybody else, have emerged as the main influencers behind the scenes. If Kenny manages to pull off the most audacious bid in decades to form a government, and this weekend the odds are he will, then Coveney and Harris are the men - possibly the next Taoiseach and Minister for Finance respectively, when Kenny and Noonan step down within two years.

Because that is what Kenny has also promised the Independents and smaller parties: more than that, he is adamant he will resign as Taoiseach within that period, and Noonan will go with him - that is if Noonan is reappointed in the first place, such are the rising stars of Coveney and Harris. Although the likelihood is Noonan will hang on for as long as Kenny does - 18 months, give or take.

What of Leo Varadkar? The health minister is being blamed this weekend for messing up negotiations with the Social Democrats. "He was the wrong man, in the wrong place at the wrong time," a source said of the classical liberal politician sent in to do a deal with two former Labour ministers and Stephen Donnelly last week. The outcome of that was that the Social Democrats publicly announced it would not do a deal with Fine Gael or Fianna Fail.

There is also a wiser view that the Social Democrats never intended to enter government anyway, and have, instead, longer-term ambitions to build the party from Opposition.

The withdrawal of the Social Democrats has changed the arithmetic: Fine Gael has 50 votes, 51 if we include Michael Lowry, and Fianna Fail has 43.

Lowry's motivation is easy to understand. Fine Gael does not have any TDs in Tipperary. Whether Enda Kenny wants Lowry's support or not - he does, but cannot say so publicly - Lowry will be in a strong position to leverage deals for his constituency.

That leaves the other, mostly rural Independents, Greens and Labour to play for. Within that, there are all kinds of manoeuvres under way this weekend, the most significant of which is Fine Gael's attempt to break up the Independent Alliance. Say hello to the next Minister for Agriculture, Michael Fitzmaurice

The Roscommon TD, with new TDs Kevin 'Boxer' Moran and Sean Canney, now looks set to break from Shane Ross and Finian McGrath. Enda Kenny is no "political corpse" after all, it would seem. Within the Independent Alliance, they have taken to referring to Ross as "Shane Fein".

The Fine Gael tactic is clear. The party lost 11 TDs in Munster, for example, and haemorrhaged support throughout rural Ireland. The message to Enda Kenny was equally clear, and the message was from rural Ireland, not the Twitterati busily talking to themselves in Dublin. Kenny has listened.

So, right up there with "parliamentary reform" is the issue of "rural regeneration". Truth be told, rural regeneration is the real promise that looks set to push Enda Kenny over the line. Say hello to the new Minister for Rural Affairs, Michael Healy Rae, one of the smartest politicians in the country. Fact is, he would make a fine minister, and his brother can look after the constituency.

Now things start to get a little more complicated for Kenny: a third group of rural Independents will be harder to win over. They are Denis Naughten, Noel Grealish, Mattie McGrath, Michael Collins and Dr Michael Harty. These men remain unsure. Three among them - Naughten, Grealish and McGrath - could be appointed to Cabinet and/or Minister of State, but there is more to it than that.

Naughten has difficulties with Kenny - for example, related to the abandonment by Fine Gael of Roscommon Hospital; Grealish is aware he was elected on substantial Fianna Fail transfers; McGrath is gene pool Fianna Fail, and like the others, feels the electorate voted against Enda Kenny. Collins and Harty also campaigned against the outgoing Government. So there remains the prospect that Fianna Fail could win their support - if it really wants to.

These five Independents are also concerned about the stability of a Fine Gael-led minority government, and motivated by political reform. However, they may be convinced by Fine Gael to go with a radical rural regeneration agenda. The re-opening of garda stations and post offices in their constituencies can be a powerful motivator. If they do, Kenny will have over 60 votes and be virtually unassailable. Throw in Thomas Pringle, Maureen O'Sullivan and Katherine Zappone and he has almost 70. Throw in a Labour abstention on April 6 and Kenny has more than 70. Throw in the Greens and he has 76. Say hello to Eamon Ryan, the new Minister for the Environment, to include responsibility for climate change policy.

So where does all of this leave Fianna Fail? The new government will still require that party's support. This weekend Fianna Fail has circulated its 53-page government programme document to Independents and other parties. We publish large sections of it today. By and large it is cut and paste from its election manifesto, but gives the impression that it was put together in haste.

The above scenario, in fact, leaves Fianna Fail precisely where it wants to be: in Opposition, holding off Sinn Fein, blooding its new TDs, and forcing the implementation of a number of red-line issues for its tacit support. This weekend a senior Fianna Fail TD told me: "We will be the greatest beneficiaries of all."

The next election will take place shortly after Enda Kenny steps down, possibly to run for the Aras. Simon Coveney will need his own mandate, after all. The Independents will start to desert, and Fianna Fail will be poised to take 60 seats.
A bone fragment discovered 103 years ago in a Clare cave is about to re-write Irish history.

Scientists were astounded when tests showed the fragment, from a butchered brown bear, confirmed that humans were active in Ireland 2,500 years earlier than previously suspected.

The fragment was stored in a cardboard box in the National Museum for over 100 years but had only been subjected to detailed forensic tests over the past two years.

The incredible discovery by Dr Marion Dowd and Dr Ruth Carden will now re-write Irelands settlement history with the bone indicating that humans were hunting in Ireland in 10,500BC  some 2,500 years earlier that previously thought.

Amazingly, the bear bone was discovered in Clare back in 1903 but was left for over a century in a storage box in the National Museum without being forensically tested.

Dr Dowd of IT Sligo and Dr Carden of the National Museum decided to examine the bear bone and subject it to radiocarbon dating.

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The results have astonished Irelands scientific community.

Tests revealed that the patella or knee bone of the brown bear (Ursus Arctos)  which displayed clear marks of the animal having been butchered  dated back to the Palaeolithic period around 10,500BC.

That is 8,000 years before the Egyptian pyramids were built and 7,500 years earlier than the first Stonehenge monuments.

Brown bears are believed to have become extinct in Ireland around 1,000BC,

Until now, the earliest known human activity in Ireland was dated to the Mesolithic period around 8,000BC at Mount Sandel by the River Bann in Derry, close to a famous Iron Age fort.

Both scientists admitted that the Clare discovery will now rewrite the history books.

Archaeologists have been searching for the Irish Palaeolithic since the 19th Century, and now, finally, the first piece of the jigsaw has been revealed, Dr Dowd said.

This find adds a new chapter to the human history of Ireland.

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Dr Ruth Carden said the finding will provoke a new discussion on Irelands early human history.

From a zoological point of view, this is very exciting, since up to now we have not factored in a possible human-dimension when we are studying patterns of colonisation and local extinctions of species to Ireland, she said.

This should generate a lot of discussion within the zoological research world and its time to start thinking outside the box...or even dismantling it entirely!

The research paper written by Dr Dowd and Dr Carden was published today in the prestigious international journal, Quaternary Science Reviews (QSR).

Dr Dowd is a lecturer in Prehistoric Archaeology at IT Sligos School of Science and is a specialist in Irish cave archaeology.

The adult bear bone was one of thousands of artefacts originally discovered in Alice and Gwendoline Cave, Co Clare in 1903 by a team of early scientists.

They published a report on their investigations and noted that the bear bone had clear knife marks, indicating it had been butchered.

However, the bone was stored in a collection at the National Museum since the 1920s.

In 2010 and 2011, Dr Carden, a National Museum research associate and animal osteologist, decided to re-examine the large collection of animal bones in storage.

She studied the brown bear bone and documented it.

Dr Dowd noted Dr Cardens study and became interested in the bone and the precise era it dated from.

The Royal Irish Academy agreed to provide funding for radiocarbon dating tests in Belfast  the only method of assigning the bone to a precise time period.

The results were astonishing.

When a Palaeolithic date was returned, it came as quite a shock, Dr Dowd said.

Here we had evidence of someone butchering a brown bear carcass and cutting through the knee probably to extract the tendons. Yes, we expected a prehistoric date, but the Palaeolithic result took us completely by surprise, she added.

A second round of radiocarbon tests confirmed that the bear died circa 10,500BC.

Further analysis was ordered on the visible cut marks on the bone  and experts from the British Museum, University of York and European

University in Hungary revealed the marks were made on fresh bone and dated to the same era.

This made sense as the location of the marks spoke of someone trying to cut through the tough knee joint, perhaps someone who was inexperienced, Dr Dowd said.

In their repeated attempts, they left seven marks on the bone surface. The implement used would probably have been something like a long flint blade.

The bone was in fresh condition meaning that people were carrying out activities in the immediate vicinity  possibly butchering a bear inside the cave or at the cave entrance.

The experts are now hoping for funding to conduct further tests on the Clare cave material found in 1903.

They also hope to conduct a detailed examination of the cave itself using modern forensic equipment.

The 1903 excavation team included notable scientists such as Robert F. Scharff, Thomas J. Westropp and Richard J. Ussher.

They named the Clare cave after two women who lived in Edenvale House, the demesne on which the cave was located - sisters Alice Jane and Gwendoline Stacpoole.

The discovery mirrors major breakthroughs in the UK which have pushed the evidence of human history back to earlier eras.

National Museum of Ireland natural history keeper, Nigel T. Monaghan, said they hold two million specimens in storage.

We never know what may emerge (from research and tests), he said.

In 2013, a cache of flint tools unearthed on the Isle of Islay in Scotland confirmed local human activity in the Palaeolithic era.
The leader of the Catholic church in Ireland has made a plea for information about the Disappeared victims of the Troubles.

The remains of four people who were kidnapped, killed and secretly buried by republicans during the 1970s and 1980s have yet to be found.

Archbishop Eamon Martin said: "I appeal to the conscience of anyone who has information that might help find the others to come forward to the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, so that, even at this late stage, the remaining families can experience the consolation of being able to offer a Christian burial to their loved ones."

To date, the ICVLR, an independent body set up during the peace process, has recovered the remains of 12 people.

Last year two men -- Kevin McKee, 17, and 25-year-old Seamus Wright - were found in a shallow grave near Coghalstown in Co Meath last September.

They were discovered during searches for Cistercian monk Joe Lynskey who was snatched from West Belfast in 1972, just a few miles from where the body of Brendan Megraw was dug up at Oristown, Co Meath a year earlier.

To date, the searches for Mr Lynskey have been unsuccessful.

Seamus Ruddy who disappeared from Paris in 1985; Columba McVeigh who was abducted in Dublin in 1975 and SAS-trained Captain Robert Nairac who disappeared from a South Armagh pub in 1977, also remain missing.

The Archbishop was addressing an annual mass for the Disappeared in St Patrick's College, Armagh.

He added: "Over the past 17 years the families of those abducted, murdered and secretly buried have gathered to comfort one another and a close bond of empathy has developed among them.

"It is particularly merciful that many of those who have already had the comfort of bringing home for burial the bodies of their loved ones, continue to gathered in support of the remaining families who still wait in hope.

"The recovery and dignified laying to rest of of Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright since our gathering last Holy Week encourages us to continue to pray and not lose hope."
Our planet went through a dramatic change last month. Climate experts revealed that February was the warmest month in recorded history, surpassing the previous global monthly record - set in December. An unprecedented heating of our world is now under way.

With the current El Nino weather event beginning to tail off, meteorologists believe that this year is now destined to be the hottest on record, warmer even than 2015.

Nor is this dramatic jump in global temperature a freak triggered by an unusually severe El Nino, say researchers. "It is the opposite," said Professor David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey. "This is a catch-up of a recent hiatus that has occurred in rising global temperatures. We are returning to normality: rising temperatures. This is an absolute warning of the dangers that lie ahead."

Those dangers are now being dramatically demonstrated around the globe: drought in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific, which has forced the government there to issue a state of emergency warning; France observed its warmest winter since records began; while the sea ice that has formed in the Arctic this winter is about a million square kilometres less than its average for this time of year. This latter feature will have profound consequences. "A low sea-ice level in winter will promote a low level of sea ice next summer," said Vaughan. "Arctic summer ice - which is dwindling dramatically - is changing the region."

In particular, disappearing sea ice allows ships to get to once unreachable regions in high latitudes. As a result, plans to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic - a prospect that horrifies environmental groups - are being prepared by major oil companies.

Last month's jump in global temperatures represents an increase of 1.35C above pre-industrial levels and takes the world close to the 1.5C rise that last year's Paris climate deal was supposed to prevent. "Last month's figure is a one-off and it remains to be seen if temperatures are going to continue to rise this steeply," said Professor Richard Betts, head of climate research at Exeter University. "We are still not at an established 1.5C rise, but this is a worrying sign."

Scientists and politicians are keen to hold global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels because they fear that a world that warms to such a level will experience severe loss of ice, particularly from Greenland's glaciers, and that the melting will trigger considerable rises in sea levels.

Scientists warn there are many island states in the Pacific that will disappear if the planet undergoes that sort of warming. In addition, if the temperature increases to 1.5C, it will combine with ocean acidification to dissolve the world's already threatened coral reefs.

 Guardian
It's said that mankind now knows more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than we know about the deep sea floor but now Irish scientists are playing a key role in unlocking the secrets of the Atlantic Ocean.

A team of European, Canadian and American ocean exploration experts, led by Thomas Furey of the Marine Institute, have already discovered previously uncharted features of the Atlantic, including a spectacular range of ridges and under-sea mountains taller than our highest mountain, Carrauntoohil.

That mapping project, using the State's research vessel, RV Celtic Explorer, was one of the first to be carried out by the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance. AORA was set up three years ago on foot of the signing of the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Co-operation.

The main aim of the marine research resources of Europe, Canada and the US is to better understand the North Atlantic Ocean and promote sustainable management of its resources, particularly in the face of climate change.

And last week, as part of the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington DC, there was a further major step forward in the international co-operation initiative.

At the event, Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute, outlined the achievements so far and the ambitious plans ahead.

He also revealed that two more mapping expeditions will take place in the Atlantic later this year, when it is hoped that the Celtic Explorer will be joined by vessels from other nations.

It is a major undertaking.

During the last coast-to-coast seabed mapping, an international survey team joined the Celtic Explorer in St John's Newfoundland.

The team gathered information on the seafloor, depth, hardness and sediment cover, while at the same time acquiring valuable information on temperature, salinity and fluoresence.

They also surveyed the area of the Atlantic which is known as the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone.

These two parallel valleys and ridges are deep-water passages that provide the only submarine highway for deep-sea marine life between the northeast and northwest Atlantic.

Scientists believe that the zone is central to the mixing of cold nutrient rich southern bound waters and warmer nutrient poor northern bound waters and is home to a diverse array of marine life.

The stakes are particularly high in the search for knowledge of Earth's second-largest ocean.

Mapping the ocean will help define favourable habitats for fishing, key sites for conservation and safe navigation for shipping.
Gerry Adamss difficulty in entering the White House is being linked to last Octobers report that the Provisional IRA still exists and is involved in organised crime, senior security sources have told the Sunday Independent.

It is also understood that the decision to detain Sinn Feins Kerry TD Martin Ferris at Bostons Logan Airport last week was linked to his involvement in the gun-smuggling operation involving the notorious serial killer gangster James Whitey Bulger.

Ferris served a 10-year jail term for trying to land the seven tonnes of weapons that were supplied by Bulger in September 1984.

The Sunday Independent has learned that the whole Bulger-IRA connection is under re-examination amid claims that one of the US security agencies allowed the arms-smuggling operation to go ahead in order to protect Bulger, who was then a senior informant for the FBI.

It is understood that information is coming to light to link the Bulger-IRA arms deal to other black operations, such as the Iran-Contra affair, where secret US security figures were involved in illegal arms dealing at around the same time under the administration of President Ronald Reagan.

Adams and dozens of senior Sinn Fein figures have been feted in the United States as part of the peace process and concerns by security officials have been swept aside for years as part of the US administrations attachment to what was seen as one of the few major successes against terrorism.

But following last years murders of Gerard Jock Davison and Kevin McGuigan, the PSNI and British Government issued statements saying they both believed the Provisional IRA still existed and was responsible for the McGuigan murder, at least.

The insistence by Adams and Sinn Fein that the IRA does not exist was undermined by the report of the independent three-member group set up by the British Government in the wake of the McGuigan murder.

The report, by Lord Carlile QC, Northern Ireland senior civil servant Rosalie Flanagan and Stephen Shaw QC, found that: PIRA members believe that the PAC (army council) oversees both PIRA and Sinn Fein with an overarching strategy.

The US Secret Service said the refusal to allow Adams into the St Patricks Day event in the White House was the result of an administrative input error.

Martin Ferris was detained initially at the US Immigration clearance desk in Dublin Airport, causing him to miss his morning flight to Boston last Wednesday.

When he arrived at Logan Airport in Boston on a later flight, following a four-hour delay, he was again detained by security officials.

They removed his mobile phone and questioned him about his itinerary, which included events in Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts.

The phone was returned and he was allowed to continue after around two hours.

This was the first time that Adams and Sinn Fein figures had faced such scrutiny in the US since the aftermath of the IRAs murder of innocent Belfast man Robert McCartney, in January 2004, when the US Government reimposed a ban on Sinn Fein fundraising until the IRA claimed to have decommissioned its arsenal.
Party leaders may be at a loss to know how to form a government, but across Europe there are many examples of unlikely alliances and coalitions. But in some countries, voters are left waiting for months before a viable administration emerges.

SWITZERLAND'S 'MAGIC FORMULA'

For decades, Switzerland's government has been a coalition of the four major political parties in a ruling federal council.

Generally this has been designed so that each main party has a number of seats that roughly reflects its share of electorate.

Most laws are made and decided by parliament. However, ordinary citizens can put almost every law decided by their representatives to a vote in a referendum if they gather over 100,000 signatures.

GERMANY'S GRAND COALITION

If Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have doubts about jumping into bed together they could look to Germany's Grand Coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) for inspiration.

Chancellor Angela Merkel formed her latest coalition after her party fell short of an overall majority in the election of 2013. The CDU/CSU took about 41.5pc of the vote, the SPD won 26pc.

She also formed an alliance with the Social Democrats in her first government of 2005, and believes the marriage helped to steer Germany through economic crisis. The two parties have dominated government since the foundation of West Germany, and governments used to alternate between them in the same way as Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.

AUSTRIA'S ALPINE ALLIANCE

In Austria, the two largest parties - the Social Democrats and the People's Party - have forged an alliance for decades, despite their deeply differing outlook. For many years, there was effectively no opposition. Everything was proportional, with ministers from one party having a deputy from the other. Even the civil service was carved up between the two.

The alliance, led by Chancellor Werner Faymann since 2008, may have brought stability, but it also led to the emergence of the popular right-wing Freedom party as the main party of opposition.

BELGIAN WAFFLE

Enda Kenny and Micheal Martin are still far from being the slowest when it comes to government formation.

The world record for a democracy going without an elected government is held by Belgium, which went 589 days in 2010-11 because the opposing Flemish and Walloon factions were unable to agree on policy issues and form a governing coalition following national elections. During this period the country was ruled by a caretaker government, which was not able to make big decisions about budgets (though revenue came in just as before), the national debt, foreign policy and defence.

In the Netherlands, parties can also take months to form a viable ruling alliance.

SPANISH STALEMATE

Elections held before Christmas produced a fragmented parliament similar to our own Dail with no party winning a majority in the 350-seat chamber.

Party bosses have been locked in fraught negotiations since, but to no avail. If they fail to form a government within the next few months, another general election is likely to be held towards the end of June. But polls show that if there is another election, it could also end in stalemate.

The political crisis is complicated by the fact that the Catalonia region in Spain is seeking independence.
Anti-water charges protesters make their way down Dublins OConnell St in February. Photo: Frank McGrath

Embattled Irish Water is spending a fortune trying to improve its public image.

Ervia - the parent group of the under-pressure utility company - has admitted it spent more than 30,000 on external press and communications advisers in just four months.

Documents released to the Sunday Independent through a Freedom of Information request have shown that the body spent a total of 316,948 on hiring four Dublin-based public relations firms since January 2014.

However, the company - which employs an internal three-person, full-time press team - claims the high level of spending was necessary as it believed the media attention Irish Water received was "entirely unprecedented".

And Ervia said the substantial spend is "directly related to the significant and continuing media attention focused on Irish Water".

Since January 2014, the majority of the six-figure sum spent on external communications went to the Murray Consultants group, who have received 269,745.

A further 15,643 was given to Terry Prone's Communications Clinic in a one-off payment in August 2014, while Fleishman Hillard received 29,560 for work over a nine-month period in 2014.

Pembroke, which is now part of the massive PSG firm, received a sum of 2,000 for work carried out in January 2014.

The biggest single sum paid out was 36,153 in March 2015. This was also the same month that tens of thousands of protesters converged on O'Connell Street for an anti- water charges rally.

Just over 29,000 was paid out in November 2014. This was the same month that environment minister Alan Kelly and Irish Water managing director John Tierney apologised for what they described as "major failings" in how the semi-state company was set up.

A spokesperson for the company said that since the company was established in 2013, it has addressed more than 7,200 individual media queries.

"Irish Water has featured more than 72,602 times across print, broadcast and online media articles up to the end of 2015.

"The scale of the response required from this company to deal with this media attention has been significant and has directly contributed to a need to source additional professional communications support to deal with these queries and to assist in the proactive planning of specific media campaigns," a spokesperson added.

It is understood that both Fleishman and Murray groups provided "strategic proactive media planning support".

"This kind of external strategic support is normal for any large company with a large customer base and wide group of stakeholders," it said.

The internal press team comprises a head of media relations who joined the controversial company in March 2015, a senior press officer who was hired in June 2014 and a regional media specialist, who was taken on last December.

They work for Ervia and provide 'media support' across the group, which includes Irish Water.

The spokesperson said the companies competing to supply the 'communication support services' submitted tenders to Ervia and that the best value was sought.

"The process Ervia uses in acquiring goods and services at competitive prices meets best-practice standards as regards to public sector tendering."

Last week it emerged that Irish Water planned a 300m upgrade of the country's largest sewage plant in Ringsend, Dublin, which will increase its capacity by 50pc.
If successful, the breakthrough will give hope to thousands of other girls who are unable to conceive because their reproductive organs have been damaged by treatment for cancer and other diseases.

Surgeons are to implant a woman with an ovary frozen when she was a child, so that she can become a mother, in a world first.

The UK case involves a young woman of 23, who had her ovary removed and frozen at the age of just eight.

If treatment succeeds, Moaza Alnatrooshi will be the first woman in the world to become pregnant after having an ovary frozen before the onset of puberty.

If successful, the breakthrough will give hope to thousands of other girls who are unable to conceive because their reproductive organs have been damaged by treatment for cancer and other diseases.

Last year medics in Belgium revealed that they had managed to restore the fertility of a young women using frozen ovary tissue which had been removed when she was 13.

The 28 year old woman, whose tissue was taken and frozen before she chemotherapy as a teenager, gave birth to a healthy baby boy in November 2014.

But the current case is the first to involve a female patient whose ovaries were taken long before puberty began.

Moaza Alnatrooshi had her ovaries removed because she was being treated for beta thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder, at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

She had chemotherapy, which damages the ovaries, before a bone marrow transplant.

Specialists in freezing techniques were able to preserve the organ, in the hope it would allow her to one day have a family.

The ovary remained frozen until last year when Mrs Alnatrooshis doctor, Sara Matthews, a consultant gynaecologist at the private Portland Hospital for women and children in London, arranged for it to be sent to Denmark, where the transplant took place.

The patient and her husband, Ahmed then underwent IVF to increase their chances of pregnancy. Three embryos have been produced  one of which is expected to be implanted next month.

Mrs Alnatrooshi, who is from Dubai but is staying in Britain for her treatment, told the Sunday Times: "My mum did this huge thing for me which is that she froze my ovary and saved it for me until I grew up and used it.

"I want to believe I will be pregnant. I cannot wait for that day. I would like to say to all women that they have got to have hope."

Dr Matthews said the breakthrough could help many more women in future.

"This allows young girls who develop cancer or have other conditions that require chemotherapy, like beta thalassaemia, to have children where the vast majority, over 90 per cent would not be able to have their own children," she said.

"There is no other way at the moment to do it. You cannot grow eggs. You can't do IVF [before the chemotherapy] because they haven't gone through puberty. It is the only option for them and we have been able to prove that, in practice, it works."

Professor Claus Yding Andersen of Copenhagen University, who organised the operation in Denmark, said: "If Moaza becomes pregnant this will be the first pregnancy where eggs were derived from ovarian tissue removed at an early age, prior to puberty. Just the fact that such eggs can be fertilised successfully raises hope for the many young girls who will, unfortunately, experience childhood cancer.

"Hopefully this case will lead to the more widespread use of this procedure in the UK."

The first whole ovary transplant occured in 2008.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
The term 'the new homes market' is a phrase that sums up the uncomplicated nature of newly built residential property, comprising houses and apartments being built for sale purposes. However, where it becomes complicated is in the range and requirements of people needing such accommodation.

The demand side of the equation includes single people, couples, the young and not-so- young, growing families, retirees, investors, those that can afford to buy a home and those that cannot and, yes, the homeless. All these categories of people deserve to be looked after in the type of accommodation they require and also in the means to acquire it. This is not currently happening and as a result we have a deteriorating, dysfunctional market.

At present, the only people who can acquire a home are those with cash or the ability to obtain a mortgage by having substantial savings. Therefore, the vast bulk of people needing accommodation cannot obtain it because they are not in these two categories.

The State has an obligation to provide the conditions in which there is a sufficient supply of suitable residential properties to house all people needing accommodation irrespective of their financial capabilities. Currently, this is not happening. Numerous solutions have been put forward but there is little sign on the ground of real emergency action to deal with the problem. Dublin is the most seriously affected by the years of inaction and the current paralysis.

A centrally co-ordinated emergency programme is needed immediately to stimulate the building of houses and apartments in appropriate locations for both the sale and rental markets, including measures to facilitate the reduction of building costs to make it viable again to build residential accommodation, as well as measures to enable all categories of people to access accommodation. The State must accelerate the building of residential units for the homeless and those unable to access the funds to purchase their own home. Moving this obligation on to the building industry is not a solution and is counter-productive as it pushes up the cost of homes for private buyers.

A positive attitude about the role of investors is required by the Government if their funds are to be utilised to help solve the housing shortage. A more favourable tax regime is vital if this is to be achieved. A major programme of residential construction projects would be far more effective in moderating rental levels than any negative rent control measures, which historically depress supply and increase rents.

Ken MacDonald is managing director of Hooke & MacDonald
'Really we don't have a choice. If we are going to stop Dublin heading all the way to Drogheda, and all the way to Athlone, we have to put a ring around it," says John O'Mahony, vice president of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI), and managing director of architecture firm O'Mahony Pike.

"What we have to do is identify higher density cores within our suburban areas and develop them. You put apartments into them, which allow older people, empty-nesters, to move out, which releases stock to families to move into. This idea that you can build semi-detached houses forever doesn't work."

If we are to curtail urban sprawl and the rise of the four-hour-plus daily commute, apartment living seems to be the answer. And buyer demand is strong from both first-time buyers and those trading down.

Ken MacDonald of Hooke & MacDonald says they are finding "a continuing strong demand for apartments, particularly from owner-occupiers", among both first-time buyers keen to live close to the city centre, and those choosing to trade down from larger homes.

"There's a very strong market for apartments, especially in the city, and especially near strong transport links," says Stephen Day, divisional director of residential sales of Lisney. While investors are still interested in apartments, owner-occupiers will tend to be willing to pay a premium, he says. It's hard to quantify, but he estimates the figure as roughly 5pc more.

As with houses, shortage of supply is a huge problem. "It's cheaper to buy an existing apartment at the moment than it is to build a similar property, so it's not economically viable to build apartments. Except in, say, Ballsbridge or one or two other areas," says MacDonald.

As such, the majority of new apartments are at the higher end of the market, and are aimed at trade-down buyers who can afford high-quality homes in the more desirable parts of the city centre, such as Dublin 4, or the more picturesque suburbs like Clontarf, Greystones or Castleknock.

Hooke & MacDonald launched 23 apartments in Bracken Park, Castleknock, a Cosgrave development, in 2015, with all of the two-bed and three-bed units selling.

Sherry FitzGerald has had two launches: Seascape at Clontarf in March of last year, which has only five units left on the market, and 55 Percy Place, on the canal, which launched in January and has only one duplex apartment remaining.

Savills launched 31-33 Merrion Road early last year, and all 38 units have sold. It launched a second development of luxury apartments, Embassy Court, also in Ballsbridge, late last year and eight of the 10 first-phase units are sale-agreed. In both Seascape and Merrion Road, an overwhelming majority of the purchasers have been from the trading-down sector.

"The cost is higher than the sales value that you can actually get for apartments," says developer Aodan Bourke, director of Regency, the residential property development company. "A two-bed apartment in Dublin, unless you're in a wealthy 2, 4, or 6 area, is averaging around the 200,000 mark. You can't build an apartment for that; when you build in all the costs; you end up at a cost that is going to be above 200 grand."

Add on the costs of a basement space, and you are possibly looking at building costs of around 250,000-260,000, he estimates.

"The whole issue of affordability, it is an issue, there is absolutely no doubt about it," says O'Mahony, who is currently working on Capital Dock, a development that will include over 200 apartments, and Project Trinity on the site of the former Jurys and Berkeley Court hotels in Ballsbridge, phase one of which will include 200 apartments.

"From talking to some of my developer clients, they have identified a price gap between what a couple can actually raise in terms of a mortgage and what can be built by a developer to elicit a profit. I don't in any way believe that there's land hoarding going on," he continues. "Any developer who sees a market and ignores it on the basis that he's going to hoard land and come back in two or three years' time, that's rubbish."

Building apartments is not just more costly than building houses, it yields a potentially slower return.

"The main issue with suburban apartments is the underground car park," says Savills' David Browne. "It's a significant cost. The other issue stopping apartment building is, with housing, the builder can go in, you might put a couple of million into building a pair of show houses, and doing up the entrance, for example, but you quickly get your money out of it because you sell them down as you go, whereas with apartments you have to build the whole thing before you get one penny back. So it's much more difficult to fund."

The updated Planning Guidelines on Design Standards for New Apartments issued last December by the Department of the Environment were criticised for introducing smaller overall size guidelines. According to O'Mahony, however, "they have made a considerable improvement on the efficiency of apartment development" by reducing the number of dual-aspect units required, and allowing more units per corridor.

"We ran a test on it to see what the impact would be in a typical urban block and what we discovered is that you effectively halve the number of [lift] cores that you need to service an urban block without, in our view, reducing the quality of the units."

The new regulations "will make it more economical to build apartments, because you'll be able to get more to the core", says developer Michael Cosgrave, who launches another block of apartments in Bracken Park late next month.

The quality of apartments coming on the market is undoubtedly improving, and both increased storage space and additional on- site amenities are a feature - the Boland's Quay development, which will be brought to the market towards the end of 2018 by DNG, will have 41 apartment units, and include a gym, restaurants and cafes on site.

However, our adoption of apartment living as a lifestyle still has a long way to go.

"I think people are very much still using apartments as a stepping stone," says Stephen Day of Lisney.

"Unfortunately, in this country we have a poor view of apartments, whether it be that they may not have been built properly in the past, and also management companies have been very poorly [run]. That has exacerbated the public's perception of apartments. Also, prior to the regulations in 2007, a lot of apartments were very small, and we got that whole shoe-box scenario. All of those things together have led to people not being particularly enamoured with apartments," says Aodan Bourke.

O'Mahony identifies an important change in the nature of apartment development in Dublin. "Before the bust, apartments were almost solely built for sale. So developers would build apartment developments, sell them and move on. So their responsibilities disappeared.

"What we're getting now is that the thrust of development of apartments in the city areas is now actually being taken over by the multi-family development. That is, the development that's built to rent," he explains, citing investment firms Kennedy Wilson and Hines as examples. "Because of the affordability issue, the development of apartments, particularly in the city centre, is falling predominantly into that sector, which is really being dominated by the investors who have bought into that market.

"Now this is actually a whole new market to Ireland," O'Mahony points out. "But there are huge benefits to it in so far as it's being developed by developers who have a long-term experience in managing and renting apartments."
You might hate Monday, but you'll love our hand-picked selection of special offers... fresh every week.

29.99: Spring Break with Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus has a spring sale finishing at midnight tonight. Offers include Dublin to Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels from 29.99 each way, and Dublin to London from 24.99. Travel period: April 1 to May 31. aerlingus.com.

130pp: Three nights in Prague

Cassidy Travel, which recently opened its ninth TravelShop in Dublin at the Ilac Centre, has a three-night city break in Prague from 130pp. The package includes flights and a three-star hotel, departing Monday, April 25. A three-night departure on Thursday, April 28 costs 188pp. 0818 332500; cassidytravel.ie.

295pp: Over 50s in Spain

ITAA Member King Travel has an Over 50s offer bundling flights, seven nights at the 4-star Playaluna Hotel in Spain's Costa de Almeria, half-board and transfers from just 295pp. Travel is in April. 01 845-3600; kingtravel.ie; itaa.ie/offers.

399pp: May in the Costa del Sol

Sunway has flights, transfers and seven nights at the 4-star Vistamar Aparthotel from 399pp on a self-catering basis, based on May departures. 20kg checked luggage is included. 01 231-1800; sunway.ie.

399pp: Return flights to Colombia

You'll be going backwards to go forwards, but the price may be worth it. Turkish Airlines has flights from Dublin to Bogota, via Istanbul, from just 399pp return. The prices are based on travel from May 3 to July 14. turkishairlines.com

For the best hotel deals in our #MagicMonday destinations, and holiday hotspots all over the world, see hotels.independent.ie.

NB: All travel deals subject to availability/change.
My Week: Conor McGregor*

Monday: I wake up. Although, of course, I have not actually been asleep. No, no, my friend. Not in the way that other, mere mortal people sleep. Instead I have trained myself to metaphysicise; I have transmorgorified, I have metamorphisitised, I have fundamentally reimagined a way of resting my body, so that I am consciously wrestling with the inner movements of my muscles, even as my body believes it is sleeping. And while I do dat, my amigo, I am also full of the most beautiful feelings and emotions. My woman, my girl, the future first Lady of Ireland and myself, did go and promenade the town last night, with a pint of Guinness and my very good friend and training partner, Artem "The Russian Hammer" Lobov.
Premium

Dan O'Brien Opinion While we catastrophise about Covid, we ignore risk of running out of cash

We Irish view the world in an increasingly strange and unhealthy way. We catastrophise about Covid in a way other European countries do not. We focus on how bad the effects of the virus could get, on how many more restrictions might be imposed by Government and how helpless we are in the face of the virus.
Premium

Eoghan Harris Opinion Misery media fails to give due credit to the Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheal Martin must drive his advisers mad. Unlike Leo Varadkar or Donald Trump, he never bigs up success stories such as the effect of Level 3 Plus on Covid or his visionary Shared Island project. Last Friday, Tony Holohan and RTE cheerleaders seemed to imply Level 5 was responsible for the improved Covid situation. Not so.
Premium

New hospital for a tenner may come at too high a price

The Taoiseach is under a lot of pressure  the kind of pressure that leads to costly mistakes. It perhaps explains why he has been saying things that are not quite true. Micheal Martin is in a tight political corner. From all sides hes being told he has to get the contract signed for the new National Maternity Hospital.
HOW DID THAT ONE WORK OUT? Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, on Merrion Square, Dublin, in September 2013, during a Fine Gael unveiling of an online and mobile ad campaign inviting the public to guess how many people voted to elect the then Seanad. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Thirty-five years ago, I was sitting beside Fianna Fail general secretary Seamus Brennan at a charity do in the Mansion House.

I was contemplating a shot at the Seanad. Following a 1979 referendum, Seanad Reform was in the air. So I asked the late minister whether he felt that the Dublin University seats would be abolished or reformed before the pending 1981 election. Brennan responded that he expected that Seanad reforms enabled by the referendum would be enacted before polling day. I reckoned I was goosed.

Today, we are still waiting.

Last week, the media in Leinster House was sniffing around every corner for news of the government formation. Stories of splits, plots and treachery were circulating. Secret Fianna Fail-Fine Gael meetings were suspected. Mutterings that talks with the smaller parties and Independents were being exploited by the insiders - merely for the optics - abounded. The sudden fad for political reform was seen by sceptics as a flag of seduction being waved temptingly at smaller groups by all big parties.

The real action was elsewhere. Lurking in the background, behind the sudden, paper-thin public commitment to political reform, lay a frenzy of old-style horse-trading that would make Machiavelli blush. Politicians in the corridors of power were not obsessed by minor matters like government-building. The Seanad election was the only game in town. Today's Seanad elections are a living testament to the rude good health of unreformed democracy Irish-style. The fierce resistance to even minor proposals of Seanad reform over the last 35 years bodes ill for the credibility of the larger parties' conversion to political change.

Nobody, bar insiders, really understands how the Seanad is elected. That is exactly the way the big parties want to keep it. Suffice to say, the process is Byzantine, elitist and incestuous.

Let me first confess to having benefited personally from the Seanad. Seamus Brennan's forecast of an imminent change proved naive. I was elected many times on the unreformed Dublin University (TCD) panel. The university seats received more reprieves than the Aintree Grand National.

I accepted my good fortune while constantly advocating Seanad Reform. Indeed, the first motion I ever placed on the Order Paper back in 1981 was about the need for radical Seanad changes. A senior civil servant promptly sat me down and upbraided me for upsetting the apple cart when I was only a wet day in the Upper House.

The big parties never reformed the university seats. Easy targets, regularly derided as 'rotten boroughs' despite their combined electorate of nearly 200,000, they were the most democratic feature of an inherently undemocratic house. Insiders rightly feared that disturbing the Independent seats might attract the searchlights on their own senators and their unique method of election. So the system survives, unreformed to this day.

Outside the six university seats, 43 senators are elected onto five panels. They are supposed to represent various vocational interests, but they are really tailored to elect party politicians.

It is hard to secure a nomination for the vocational panels. Unless you are already a senator, a defeated TD or a favourite of one of the parties. Then it is much easier. The simplest route is to ask four of your party pals in the outgoing Seanad or the incoming Dail to sign your papers. If they agree, you are out of the traps, up and running. Ordinary citizens do not normally have four pals in the Dail or the Seanad.

Each TD or senator nominating can only sign one candidate's papers, so the nominators' signatures are gold dust. Sometimes they come at a heavy price. Horse-trading would be a euphemism for the activities that accompany the extraction of a signature from a current Oireachtas member to a candidate. There are no free lunches in Seanad politics.

Alternatively, a candidate can secure a nomination (just to run) from one of the so-called nominating bodies. These bodies are often drawn from the politically favoured, even the grant-aided bodies of Irish society. The dreaded social partners, Ictu and Ibec, use their surprise status as nominating bodies to run candidates for the Seanad.

So all candidates must be nominated by political insiders or politically-favoured organisations. The competition in both categories is intense. Furthermore, no nominating body with an ounce of political 'nous' would nominate anyone who does not already have impeccable political connections, and, consequently, a chance of ultimate election by his cronies.

So the selection process is utterly loaded in favour of the political establishment. Outgoing senators nominate the incoming. The first part of the exercise is self-perpetuating.

The second part is worse. Once candidates are nominated, they are on their own. Out they go into the political jungle to meet their electorate.

Fortunately for them, the political jungle is an insider's comfort zone. The electorate is a pool of political professionals, just like themselves, commonly known as city or county councillors. There is no more canny electorate on God's Earth than this collection of political geniuses.

They are delightful people, but tiger-shooting with them could be hazardous. Political intrigue is their survival kit.

Many of the Seanad candidates are themselves county or city councillors, seeking the votes of fellow county councillors, having been nominated by TDs or senators from their own party. They all know each other of old, many are veterans of the infamous county council conference circuit.

The electoral battle is an internal party turf war. Candidates usually only canvass their own party's councillors. Councillors rarely, if ever, cross party lines when voting. The number of seats a party will win in each panel is predetermined by the number of party votes. The only question is which individual party member comes out on top. The result is an orgy of blood-letting and back-stabbing. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour candidates tour the country in search of councillors of their own persuasion. The canvass often consists of persuading their own party's councillors that they are more loyal to the leadership than their rival party colleagues contesting the same panel. Or that they are more likely to win a Dail seat next time round. National policy takes a back seat. Or no seat. Talk of Seanad reform would go down like a lead balloon as the Seanad election is the councillors' moment of power.

The 2011 electorate consisted of over 1,000 voters. Not all of them were councillors because - just to seal the deal - outgoing senators and incoming TDs join them as electors. Not only do current Oireachtas members have rights to sign nomination papers, but they cast priceless votes on all five panels as well.

The electorate is tiny, political insiders to a person. The quota varies from panel to panel but it is not unknown for Seanad candidates to emerge successful with fewer than 30 votes. On the university panels you would need a minimum four-figure tally.

In the past, Independents have found it impossible to gain seats on any of the vocational panels because they were designed to give party candidates total domination.

This time round one or two Independents could slip through because of the spike in the number of Independent councillors returned at the 2014 local elections. Seanad reform could be forced from outside. If it happens it will be over the dead bodies of those parties now protesting a devotion to new politics.

The issue of Seanad reform has been ducked for 35 years. The last government was possibly the worst offender of them all.

Today, as the party chiefs enter dialogue for a politically reformed Dail and a new government, familiar plots are being hatched under their noses by the hour. Voting pacts are being struck by the bucketful. Cabals and caucuses are being held in smoke-filled rooms. Old politics is thriving.

The affairs of the nation play no part in the Seanad election.
Yesterday's suicide bomb attack in Istanbul, in which at least two Irish citizens were injured, has again brought terrorist violence to the very heart of the Turkish republic.

Coming only a week after a much deadlier suicide car bomb attack in Ankara, and following an upsurge in political and military violence last year, it suggests that the country is at risk of spiralling out of control.

Istiklal Caddesi, where yesterday's attack occurred, is to Istanbul something like what Grafton Street is to Dublin: a pedestrian thoroughway that plays an integral role in the city's life. Istanbul is too vast and sprawling to have a single central zone, but Istiklal is one of its pulse points. Almost everyone who has visited Istanbul will have walked it. For a suicide bomb to have detonated there will be almost unimaginably traumatic. It will not go unanswered; things are going to get worse.

It is not yet clear who was responsible, but there are only two real possibilities: Kurdish militants aligned with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), or members of Islamic State or one of its satellite groups. At this early juncture, the former seems more likely. The Ankara attack a week ago was claimed by an off-shoot of the PKK and came only days after an alarming interview with one of the PKK's leaders, Cemil Bayk, in which he said the rules of engagement were changing and that all Turkish targets would now be deemed legitimate.

The roots of Turkey's predicament run deep, but the politics of the last few years have done much to push the country towards the abyss. All political life in Turkey now revolves around the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who first came to power in the early 2000s, and who has been charting an increasingly polarising and authoritarian course for the country since at least 2007.

When it suited his political ends, Mr Erdogan made steps towards resolving the Kurdish question that none his predecessors had dared to make. There were moves towards improved cultural and political rights for Turkey's large Kurdish minority, and the initiation of a once-unimaginable peace process, including negotiations with the PKK leadership.

However, Mr Erdogan's commitment to this process was purely tactical. As soon as his needs changed, so did his policy. That happened last year. Mr Erdogan needs his party in parliament - the Justice and Development Party (AKP) - to achieve a super-majority so that it can initiate a process of constitutional reform that will transfer executive powers to him in the presidency. (He was previously prime minister, but he wants the more centralised power of a presidential system.)

In a general election last June, however, far from achieving a super-majority, the AKP lost its simple majority, triggering a period of instability and a new set of elections in November. It was between the two elections that Mr Erdogan upended his Kurdish policy, demonising Kurdish politicians as terrorist sympathisers and renewing the military's attacks on PKK bases in northern Iraq and elsewhere.

His electoral aim was twofold: to win votes for the AKP from hardline Turkish nationalists and from moderate Kurds. It worked. In a second general election held in November, the AKP restored its overall majority.

Ostensibly, this returned Turkey to the pre-June status quo. But the seeds had been sown for the chaos that is now beginning to unfold.

The Kurdish conflict began about four decades ago; tens of thousands of people have been killed, particularly in the 1990s. Worryingly, if the conflict slides back towards high-intensity violence, there is every likelihood that it will be significantly worse than in the 1990s. Back then, the conflict was largely contained in the predominantly Kurdish and heavily militarised south-east of Turkey. And a lot of it involved clashes in remote areas between PKK militants and Turkish armed forces.

The demographics and geography are very different now. Huge numbers of Kurds have moved from the poorly developed south-east to Turkey's biggest cities - Istanbul has become the city with the largest Kurdish population.

The risk of urban or guerilla warfare has increased greatly. So too has the risk that younger, less disciplined and more extreme militant groups will supplant the PKK.

All of this is taking place at a time when Turkey is at the heart of the EU's efforts to deal with the refugee crisis. It won't be true for long, but it is true at this current moment: the EU needs Turkey more than Turkey needs the EU. However, we shouldn't read too much into this. It is unlikely to alter significantly the prospect of Turkey eventually joining the EU, which, in my view, is close to zero.

Yes, the EU had to bend its knee to Mr Erdogan and his prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. And yes, the Turkish government has made some big demands in return for its co-operation with the one-for-one deal with which EU leaders hope to prevent the refugee crisis tearing the EU asunder.

But the fundamental political realities are these. First, for Turkey to join the EU would require the unanimous agreement of all 28 existing member states. To put it mildly, it would require a sea-change in political sentiment across the European continent for this to occur.

Second, the Turkish government may frequently rail against the unfairness of the accession processes - Turkey has been seeking membership since the 1960s - but much of this is an assertion of national pride rather than an expression of real political will to join.

Mr Erdogan has spent most of the last 10 years side-lining any domestic institutions or individuals that have had the scope to constrain his authority. The idea that he might want to submit himself to the myriad constraints of EU membership is implausible.

The biggest risk that stems from the current state of EU-Turkish relations isn't that Turkey's membership application might be fast-tracked as part of some refugee deal.

It's that EU leaders are too preoccupied with their own crises to prevail on all parties in Turkey to step back from the brink of a potentially disastrous conflict.

Aengus Collins is Chief EU Analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit. He was based in Istanbul from 2007 to 2011
If somebody had told you in 2012 that the country was heading rapidly towards a housing crisis, there's a strong chance you would have questioned their judgment.

But you could have done something worse than that. You could have followed the example of our politicians who failed to even listen to the stark and repeated warnings given by developer Michael O'Flynn that 2013 would be the year that Dublin and Ireland's other major cities would begin to experience housing shortages. In an interview with the Sunday Independent on December 30, 2012, Mr O'Flynn (pictured below) said: "Nobody wants to talk about property and that's somewhat understandable given where we've ended up. But to not do this [strategic review] now is going to be problematic in the future. I think a lot of housing shortages will show up in the next 12 months."

It's evident that even as he made that call, the Cork-based businessman understood the Government was unlikely to pay him much heed for fear of offending public and political opinion which at the time still mostly held that developers and bankers had acted in concert to bring the country to its knees.

But if Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his Cabinet colleagues didn't want to hear what Michael O'Flynn had to say on housing - the supply of which has now become the subject of a full-blown crisis along with our dysfunctional health service - they could at least have run his warning past Nama to see if it stacked up.

To be fair to Nama, its top brass could see what was coming down the tracks too. Nama CEO Brendan McDonagh made the following prescient statement to the national conference of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) on September 28, 2012.

Addressing his audience, Mr McDonagh said: "In certain areas and market segments, we are seeing the probability of supply shortages before too long."

Commenting on Nama's plans to address this, he added the agency had 2bn in funding available which would be "strategically targeted" where medium-term supply shortages arose. Appearing before the Dail's finance committee the following month on October 24, 2012, Nama chairman Frank Daly issued his own warning on the housing front telling the politicians that there were "emerging shortages in certain segments of the residential market, particularly in the Dublin family home market".

Brendan McDonagh meanwhile focussed his comments this time on the issue of property prices rather than housing supply, cautioning that values could give mixed signals for the near future at least with "sentiment towards property oscillating in line with developments in the wider economy".

That skepticism in relation to the prospects for the property market's recovery could go some way to explaining Nama's readiness to offload hundreds of apartments to international investors rather than make them available for sale to first time home buyers at affordable prices.

Mr McDonagh revealed that Nama was "looking at the option of facilitating the sale of entire blocks of apartments to equity firms which have teamed with property management specialists" interested in buying apartments "on a bulk basis". Since then, Nama has sold several prime apartment developments to major institutional investors.

Chief amongst these is the Irish Residential Properties REIT (I-RES). Since 2014, the Canadian-backed fund has completed two deals with Nama, acquiring a total of 1,203 apartments in Dublin.

The first transaction in 2014 saw I-RES take ownership of 761 apartments in Charlestown, Finglas; Lansdowne Gate in Drimnagh; Beacon South Quarter in Sandyford and Bakers Yard at the IFSC in Dublin city centre. The second transaction which took place earlier this year with a further 442 apartments along with 180,000 square feet of commercial space and a 1,900 sq ft basement car park from Nama at Tallaght Cross West for 83m. With real estate sources ascribing an estimated value of 40m to the portfolio's commercial space and car park, based on a price of 200 per square foot, the 442 apartments at Tallaght Cross West were effectively sold for an average of just 100,000 apiece - or some 90,000 less than the modular homes proposed as part of the Government's solution to the housing crisis.

Selling off apartments in bulk seems illogical when one considers that in many cases these potential homes were in the first instance offered by Nama to local authorities to meet their respective social housing requirements. While thousands of units were taken up, thousands more were rejected on the grounds that they were unsuitable. It's a curious situation when you consider that some 800 families are now homeless in the capital with many of them 'living' in hotel rooms. While Nama chiefs may justify the agency's decision to sell these apartments on the basis that its objective requires it to maximise the financial return for the taxpayer, these bulk apartment sales simply don't make sense when one examines a speech made by Nama chairman Frank Daly to the Waterford Chamber of Commerce on July 4, 2014 in which he focussed heavily on Nama's determination to do its bit to address the housing crisis, which by that stage was already unfolding rapidly.

Commenting on the "acute demand for new housing in Dublin", Mr Daly said "Nama could do a lot in this area" with its sites capable of delivering between 40pc and 50pc of the capital's residential demand up to the year 2019. Mr Daly said 3,000 residential units could be delivered on 'shovel ready' sites, while a further 19,000 units could be built on other potential sites over the short term.

He added that Nama could "call on an additional 500 hectares of development land which could be used for new units if planning and infrastructural impediments could be overcome. Outside of the capital, he said Nama was "currently assessing the potential for delivery across 1,000 hectares of residentially-zoned lands". "We are not sitting on our hands," Mr Daly insisted. Some 16 months later, on October 13 last, the Nama chairman's references in relation to his agency's potential as a property developer were formalised with the announcement of the 'Nama Residential Delivery Programme 2016-2020 in which it was indicated that Nama "can fund the delivery of 20,000 residential units by 2020".

Whether or not that is achievable remains to be seen. Certainly the proposed scheme has its detractors. It also has its opponents with five of the country's leading property developers led by Michael O'Flynn and Paddy McKillen currently in the process of challenging its very legality with the European Commission, claiming that it breaches Europe's rules on the provision of State aid.
Maria Walsh revealed that a cup of Barry's Tea always reminds her of home.

Maria Walsh has opened up about the difficulties she has faced when she returned to Ireland after six years spent in Philadelphia and admitted the adjustment was bloody hard.

The former Rose of Tralee moved home to Ireland after her year long reign as winner drew to a close and she admitted it was hard to rebuild her life here after being away for so long.

I moved back to Ireland last September after six short years away, Maria writes in her column in The Irish Sun.

My mindset and my gut were pointing to rebuilding once again in the country in which I was educated.

Expand Close Maria Walsh pictured at The P and G Beauty Luminescence Event at The Radisson Hotel Golden Lane,Dublin. Picture: Brian McEvoy / Facebook

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Whatsapp Maria Walsh pictured at The P and G Beauty Luminescence Event at The Radisson Hotel Golden Lane,Dublin. Picture: Brian McEvoy

As my Rose of Tralee stint was ending it offered me the Now or Never kick I needed.

Some didnt understand the concept, she said.

The Mayo girl has been fortunate to begin carving her way into a media career in Ireland after she was chosen to host last years TV3 Christmas Toy Show.

However, she revealed that it was tough to make the decision to leave her life in the US behind.

Like many of our young Irish diaspora I had a great career path, a trajectory of success, a home, a supportive circle of friends, while living in a historically beautiful city and being able to financially support myself.

Those things didnt involve our home- Ireland.

Expand Close Former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh / Facebook

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But its been bloody hard, she said.
It is the Islamic swimwear range with a little extra magic and sparkle.

In a sign of the growing diversity of shoppers, Marks and Spencer has put the burkini on shelves in Britain.

The burkini - designed to adhere to strict modesty standards - made headlines when donned by Nigella Lawson on a beach holiday five years ago as protection from sunburn.

The M&S version, which promises to cover the whole body without compromising on style, has already proved popular in branches in Dubai and Libya, where it has been on sale for three years.

Expand Close Mariah Idrissi, 23, became the first Muslim model to wear a hijab in an H&M ad Photo: H&M / Facebook

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Whatsapp Mariah Idrissi, 23, became the first Muslim model to wear a hijab in an H&M ad Photo: H&M

But this is the first time customers have been able to purchase the suits in the UK. irish shoppers can purchase the burkini online through the store's website.

The introduction of the range follows a trend for more modest clothing lines.

Fellow department store House of Fraser already sells lightweight Islamic headscarves, or hijabs, designed by company Shorso to be worn during exercise.

Last year a Muslim model in a hijab appeared in an H&M advert for the first time, and in January Dolce & Gabbana became the latest designer label to offer a modest-wear line, hot on the heels of other brands including Tommy Hilfiger.

The M&S three-piece burkini set comes in two styles - a blue floral number and a black version with a paisley print.

They will be available at the flagship Marble Arch store in London, as well as from the website, where Irish shoppers can purchase the burkini online.

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The product description on the retailers website promises the burkini covers the whole body with the exception of the face, hands and feet, without compromising on style.

The outfit is also said to be lightweight so you can swim in comfort. It comes in sizes from eight to 22.

In a trend-setting move, Nigella Lawson famously wore a full-length burkini on Bondi Beach in Australia five years ago

Her black outfit, paired with a cap, was worn to protect her complexion from the damage of the sun, a spokesman explained.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A pair of hikers have found a human skull off a trail near Los Angeles iconic Hollywood sign, police have said.

The two hikers stumbled upon the skull around 400ft from the Bush Canyon trail near the famous sign in Griffith Park, Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.

Lt Ryan Schatz said the skull appeared to be several years old and no other body parts have been located.

Lt Schatz said coroner and homicide investigators have closed access to the area and are searching for possible evidence.

The skull was found close to where authorities discovered a decapitated head four years ago. Gabriel Campos-Martinez was charged with murder in relation to the find in 2014 and pronounced guilty last year, CNN reports.

Covering 6.5 miles in the eastern Santa Monica Mountain range, Griffith Park is considered the largest municipal park in the nation.
The child was taken to a Dallas hospital (AP)

A woman has been charged after her two-year-old daughter suffered burns.

Officials in Texas heard that she told witnesses she'd put the child in the oven.

Deputies were called late on Thursday to a home because a child had burns.

The Somervell County Sheriff's Office said witnesses told deputies on arrival that 35-year-old Tasha Shontell Hatcher said she had put her child in the oven.

Hatcher was charged with injury to a child with serious bodily injury and formally read a criminal charging document on Saturday.

Her bond was set at $300,000.

The child was taken to a Dallas hospital.
Hundreds of passengers flying with Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways face flight cancellations over the next three days due to industrial action being carried out by French traffic control employees.

Ryanair has already cancelled seven flights due to depart from and arrive into Dublin Airport today.

The budget airline has also notified that another 13 scheduled flights will be grounded tomorrow due to the "unexpected strike".

A spokesperson for Ryanair has apologised for the disruption to passengers and are currently attempting to assist affected travellers.

The airline has condemned actions of the French ATC unions in a statement this evening.

"Due to yet another French ATC strike - the 41st such strike since 2009 - we regret we were forced to cancel a number of flights on Sunday, with further flights cancelled on Monday, and delays likely," Ryanair's Robin Kiely said.

"We sincerely apologise to all those affected by the unwarranted actions of these French ATC workers who continue to hold European consumers to ransom and we call on the French Government and EU Commission to take action to prevent any further disruptions.

"Its grossly unfair that thousands of ordinary European consumers have their travel and holiday plans disrupted by the actions of a selfish few."

All affected customers have reportedly been contacted by email and SMS text message and advised of their options: a full refund, rebooking on to the next available flight or rebooking onto an alternative route.

Those travelling tomorrow have been advised to check the status of their flight on the Ryanair.com website before travelling to the airport.

Passengers travelling from Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton Airport to French airports are also likely to experience lengthy delays or cancellations as a result of the strikes.

A spokesman for easyJet confirmed that 82 flights were cancelled on Sunday as a result of the strikes, including 32 scheduled to take off or land at British airports.

He added: "We have been pro-actively informing affected customers, so they have the opportunity to reorganise their journeys.

"Affected customers can change their flight free of charge or receive a refund. We advise customers to make any amendments to their booking on the Manage my Bookings area of easyJet.com.

"As well as affecting flights to and from France, the strike action is causing delays to other flights which use French airspace.

"We recommend that all customers travelling on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 March 2016 check the status of their flight on our Flight Tracker page."

"Although this is outside of our control we would like to apologise to all our customers for any inconvenience and would like to reassure them we are doing all possible to minimise any disruption as a result of the industrial action"

British Airways refused to disclose how many flights would be affected by the strikes, but said it was doing "all we can to minimise disruption to customers affected."

A spokeswoman added that larger aircraft were now being used and some flights were being re-routed.

Luton Airport confirmed that flights to Amsterdam and Nimes had been affected by industrial action, adding that four flights had been delayed as a result of a "knock-on effect in the network".

Additional reporting from Agencies
Abdeslam (left in picture) was caught on CCTV at a petrol station while fleeing back to Belgium

Abdeslam brought into custody by armed officers after they raided an apartment in the Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels on Friday

Salah Abdeslam, the key suspect in Paris terror attacks, is "cooperating" with Belgian police after his arrest on Friday, his lawyers said, raising hopes that Europe's most deadly terror network could be unravelling.

With the 26-year-old French-Moroccan apparently prepared to talk, Interpol issued an advisory to Britain and other member states to be extra vigilant at border controls as accomplices seek to flee Europe before being unmasked.

Last night a French prosecutor said that Abdeslam has admitted he wanted to blow himself up but then changed his mind.

Abdeslam has been charged with terrorism offences in Belgium a day after he was seized in a dramatic raid. He will fight extradition to France but has been co-operating with police, his lawyer says.

Abdeslam, 26, fled from Paris after the terror attacks in November, which killed 130 people, including 89 who were attending a rock concert at the Bataclan theatre. The so-called Islamic State (Isil) group said it was behind the bombings and shootings.

Abdeslam is charged with participation in terrorist murder and the activities of a terrorist group, Belgium's federal prosecutor's office said.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told a news conference: "Salah Abdeslam today during questioning by Belgian investigators affirmed that, and I quote, 'he wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France and that he had backed down'."

Abdeslam's assertions should be treated with caution, he added.

The 26-year-old French national, born in Belgium, is in custody following his arrest on Friday after four months on the run.

Investigators hope Abdeslam, who was shot in the leg during his arrest, will reveal more information about the Isil network behind the Paris attacks, its financing and plans.They believe he helped with logistics, including renting rooms and driving suicide bombers to the Stade de France.

Abdeslam is believed to have fled shortly after the attacks, returning to the Molenbeek district of Brussels. He was arrested in an apartment about 500m from his family home. His brother, Brahim, was one of the Paris attackers, who blew himself up.

Abdeslam was caught with a suspected accomplice, Monir Ahmed Alaaj, alias Amine Choukry. Alaaj, has also been charged with participation in terrorist murder and the activities of a terrorist group, the Belgian prosecutors say.

Prosecutors said Alaaj had travelled with Abdeslam to Germany last October, where his fingerprints were taken during an identity check. A false Syrian passport in Alaaj's name and Belgian identity papers under an alias were found in a flat in the district of Forest raided on Tuesday.

Friday's raid also saw three members of a family detained. They include Abid Aberkan, described as a friend of Abdeslam, who has been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation and harbouring criminals.

Another family member, identified as Djemila M, has been charged with harbouring criminals, but is not in custody, the prosecutor's office says.

Abid Aberkan's mother, Sihane, has been freed and faces no charges.

Given his apparently key role in providing logistics for the Paris commandos, Abdeslam could prove to be a mine of information. Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, described his arrest as a "major blow" to Isil in Europe.

"Anyone linked to Abdeslam will be concerned that their location could be revealed and attempt to run to try and avoid detection," said Jurgen Stock, Interpol secretary general. "It is now vital that countries continue to cooperate and make thorough checks against the information available to them to avoid suspects slipping through the net."

In particular, Interpol advised to look out for false passports, as many of the Paris November 13 attackers and accomplices travelled on doctored or stolen documents.

There are two known fugitives at large. Mohamed Abrini, 30, was filmed with Abdeslam on November 11 at a filling station on a motorway linking Paris and Brussels. A second suspect used false papers in the name of Soufiane Kayal at the border between Austria and Hungary on September 9 when he was travelling with Abdeslam.

Images of Abdeslam's arrest seen by Belgian site VTM suggest that at the time of his arrest, he was trying to hide a document that may have contained contacts.

After receiving treatment in hospital for a wounded leg, Abdeslam appeared before an investigating magistrate at Brussel's judicial police headquarters where he was formally charged over the November atrocities. France, which has issued a European warrant for Abdeslam's arrest, has requested he be extradited "as quickly as possible" - a process that Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, said could take two weeks.

Abdeslam's lawyer, Sven Mary, said he would fight extradition to France, but that his client was cooperating and had admitted to being in Paris that night.

More details have meanwhile emerged about an Algerian national, Mohamed Belkaid, shot dead in Tuesday's raid. It has emerged that the Algerian gunman newly linked to the November 13 attacks in Paris joined the Isil 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 dead by a police sniper in the raid that led authorities to Europe's most wanted fugitive.

Previously unknown to authorities, Mohamed Belkaid died last Tuesday in the apartment, firing on the police while his accomplices fled. But Abdeslam, the fugitive from the November 13 attacks, had left behind a fingerprint.

Belkaid's Kalashnikov was found near his body, along with an Isil flag and a book on Salafism, an conservative strain of Islam.

Elsewhere in the apartment, 11 Kalashnikov loaders and a large quantity of ammunition were found, the Belgian prosecutor said.

According to 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.

Isil 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 work 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 believe them to be authentic.

Belkaid's 'application' to Isil 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.

In a little over two years, Belkaid was transformed from an aspiring suicide bomber into a Kalashnikov-toting gunman linked to a cell that carried out the deadliest attack in France since the Second World War.

On Friday, prosecutors said Belkaid was "most probably" an accomplice of Abdeslam and used 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 to the cousin of Abdelhamid Abbaoud, the suspected ringleader.

Both Hasna Ait Boulahcen and Abbaoud died in a police siege of the apartment that had been paid for by that transfer, which was destroyed by a suicide attacker holed up with the two.

Telegraph

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Reporters stand in front of a prison in Bruges where Salah Abdeslam is being held, Belgium, March 19, 2016. Salah Abdeslam, the most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks, was arrested after a shootout with police in Brussels on Friday

An ambulence leaves a prison in Bruges where Salah Abdeslam is being held, Belgium, March 19, 2016. Salah Abdeslam, the most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks, was arrested after a shootout with police in Brussels on Friday

A special forces police officer awaits a convoy and ambulance thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam outside the federal penitentary 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

Belgian policemen walk in a street during a police action in the Molenbeek-Saint-Jean district in Brussels

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.

Expand Close An ambulence leaves a prison in Bruges where Salah Abdeslam is being held, Belgium, March 19, 2016. Salah Abdeslam, the most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks, was arrested after a shootout with police in Brussels on Friday / Facebook

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Whatsapp An ambulence leaves a prison in Bruges where Salah Abdeslam is being held, Belgium, March 19, 2016. Salah Abdeslam, the most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks, was arrested after a shootout with police in Brussels on Friday

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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.

Expand Close Reporters stand in front of a prison in Bruges where Salah Abdeslam is being held, Belgium, March 19, 2016. Salah Abdeslam, the most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks, was arrested after a shootout with police in Brussels on Friday / Facebook

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Whatsapp Reporters stand in front of a prison in Bruges where Salah Abdeslam is being held, Belgium, March 19, 2016. Salah Abdeslam, the most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks, was arrested after a shootout with police in Brussels on Friday

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.

Expand Close A special forces police officer awaits a convoy and ambulance thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam outside the federal penitentary 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 / Facebook

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Whatsapp A special forces police officer awaits a convoy and ambulance thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam outside the federal penitentary 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

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.
Irish tourists are facing an unprecedented level of threat abroad, from the overspill of conflicts in the Middle East and the growth of fundamentalist Sunni Islamism.

Last July's terrorist murders of Lorna Carty, from Robinstown, Co Meath, and Athlone couple Martina and Laurence Hayes at the popular seaside resort of Sousse in Tunisia underlined the threat facing tourists in the increasing wave of barbarism that is overtaking many African and Middle Eastern countries that had gained significant tourist business in recent years.

The three Irish victims were among 38 people shot dead by a lone Isil gunman as he calmly walked along the Sousse beach, shooting people indiscriminately.

Last weekend, a similar 'lone wolf' attack led to 18 deaths at the beach resort of Grand Bassam near the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan, an increasingly popular destination for Irish tourists in recent years. Sub-Saharan Africa is now one of the areas where Isil is focusing on destabilising economies dependent on tourist income, something that other terrorist groups, including the IRA, have attempted in the past.

In the mid-1970s and beyond, the IRA attempted to undermine the Northern Ireland economy by deliberately targeting tourist and business travel destinations in a series of bomb attacks on hotels and business locations. At its worst point, this led to a series of blast incendiary bomb attacks, culminating in the February 1978 attack on the La Mon Hotel in which 12 people were burnt to death.

The IRA also targeted tourist centres in Britain. In December 1983, six people were killed by an IRA bomb outside Harrods.

The Isil bombers and gunmen are following the example set by the IRA and many other terror groups of seeking to firstly destabilise their target countries by attacking their economies and then overthrow their governments.

The latest attack in Istanbul, in which there are Irish casualties, is being attributed to Kurdish terrorists carrying out revenge attacks for Turkey's aerial and artillery bombardments of Kurdish civilians who are being caught in the middle of the Turkish-Isil-Syrian conflict. Turkey is accused of attempting to crush Kurdish moves towards autonomy.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised those intending to travel that they should exercise "vigilance, avoid large public gatherings and all demonstrations and follow the instructions and advice of the local authorities."

Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, countries which have become very popular with Irish tourists all now carry the department's health warnings to "exercise caution" and to avoid travelling to some parts of these countries which have seen outbreaks of Isil terrorism. These countries have placed strong security presences around their main tourist destinations.

Following last July's attack in Tunisia, the country stepped up its counter-terrorism operations but this did not prevent a further attack in Tunis last December, in which 10 people were killed.

The threat is not confined to Africa and the Middle East with concerns growing in Asia over the rising threat in Muslim countries particularly Indonesia.
Protesters blocked a main road leading to the Phoenix suburb where Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump staged a campaign rally days ahead of the Arizona primary.

Tempers flared at the rally, but without the violence that marred Mr Trump's event in Chicago a week earlier. He never goaded the protesters as he usually does at campaign events.

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 road to the rally site, weaving between Trump supporters who booed and jeered them.

Mr Trump was in Arizona to campaign ahead of Tuesday's primary in which the winner will take all 58 delegates at stake. Polls show him leading his rivals in the border state where his hard line on immigration has drawn support from Republican voters.

Mr Trump was introduced at the rally by Joe Arpaio, the tough-talking sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of Arizona's population.

Mr Arpaio has supported harsh measures to deal with immigrants living illegally in the US. He has forced inmates to wear pink underwear and live outside in tents during 38C-plus heat.

Mr Trump's main rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, are desperately trying to prevent the real estate mogul from accumulating the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination at the party's national convention in July.

They are hoping for a contested convention in which delegates would be freed to turn from Mr Trump if he failed to win a majority on the first ballot. He has won 678 delegates so far. Mr Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates, and Mr Kasich is third with 143.

His rivals hope to offset a likely Trump win in Arizona on Tuesday with a strong showing in the Utah caucuses, where Mormons account for two-thirds of the state's three million residents. Limited polling shows Mr Trump running second to Mr Cruz, but ahead of Mr Kasich, said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah.

The delegates will be distributed according to percentage of votes - unless a candidate gets more than 50%, which would give that person all 40 delegates.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and the Mormon faith's most visible member, said he intends to vote for Mr Cruz in the caucuses, but stopped short of endorsing the Texas senator, an uncompromising conservative.

In Arizona, thousands of Trump supporters gathered for the outdoor rally in the Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills where Mr Arpaio lives. Officers with the sheriff's department were posted throughout the park, on rooftops and on patrol.

Some had feared that the event in Fountain Hills could descend into violence reminiscent of last week's rally in Chicago, which was cancelled over safety concerns. Confrontations involving protesters, Trump supporters and police have become standard at his rallies across the country.

Later in Tucson, dozens of protesters made their way into another Trump rally and interrupted him as he spoke. In typical form, he had the protesters kicked out, but urged the crowd of about 1,000 people to be nice to them.
A prime suspect for the Paris attacks was apparently planning more terrorist acts

Terror suspect Salah Abdeslam has told Belgian investigators he was planning to "restart something" from Brussels.

Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders said that Abdeslam told police "he was ready to restart something from Brussels, and it's maybe the reality".

Mr Reynders said authorities are taking the claim seriously because "we found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons in the first investigations, and we have seen a new network of people around him in Brussels".

Abdeslam, captured on Friday in a police raid in Brussels, was charged on Saturday with "terrorist murder" by Belgian authorities. He is a top suspect in the November 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.
The scene of the explosion in Istanbul (AP)

The suicide bomber who killed himself and four foreign tourists in Istanbul has been identified as a militant with links to the Islamic State group.

Turkey's interior minister Efkan Ala said the bomber was Turkish citizen Mehmet Ozturk, who was born in 1992 in Gaziantep province, which borders Syria.

He said Ozturk had no previous criminal record and five other people were detained as part of the investigation.

Saturday's explosion killed five people, including Ozturk, and wounded dozens of others.

Among the fatalities were two American-Israelis, another Israeli and an Iranian.

The attack targeted Istanbul's pedestrian Istiklal Street, which is linked with shops and cafes in an area that also has government offices and foreign missions.

"The identity of the terrorist who carried out this reprehensible attack has been determined," said Mr Ala.

"The findings obtained show that the terrorist is linked to the Daesh terror organization," the minister said, using an alternative expression for IS.

Turkey has endured six suicide bombing attacks in less than a year.

The country faces a wide array of security threats including from ultra-left radicals, Kurdish rebels demanding greater autonomy who are locked in battle with security forces in the south east, and the Islamic State group.

Turkey is also a partner in the US-led coalition against IS and its airbases are being used to launch bombing runs against the group in neighbouring Syria.

Two of the attacks this year hit the Turkish capital, Ankara.

An off-shoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Union claimed the February 17 car bombing that killed 29 people and the March 13 suicide bombing that killed 37 people.

On January 12, an attack that Turkish authorities blamed on IS claimed the lives of a dozen German tourists visiting Istanbul's historic sites. That attack delivered a bitter blow to the country's vital tourism sector.

Mr Ala said Turkey was determined to press ahead with its fight against terror groups but admitted it was difficult to prevent suicide attacks.

"We are working so that they do not happen," the minister said.

Well-wishers placed carnations and candles at the scene of the attack, with one placard reading "We are on the streets, we are not afraid of you."

Earlier, Israeli authorities raised the number of Israelis killed in the bombing to three, among them two who also hold US citizenship.

The third victim was identified as Avraham Goldman, 69, from Herzliya. The two others are Simha Damari, 60, from Dimona and Yonata Shor, 40, from Tel Aviv.

It was not immediately clear if the Israelis were specifically targeted. The Israelis' bodies and other Israelis wounded in the blast were being evacuated while a senior Israeli foreign ministry official to arrive in Istanbul for meetings with Turkish officials.

The attack came has Turkey heightened security across the country in the run-up to the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz on March 21. This is used traditionally by Kurds in Turkey to assert their ethnic identity and demand greater rights.

Mr Ala said 120,000 police and 80,000 military police were on duty during the Newroz period and more than 1,000 police checkpoints had been set up.
Elections in Anderson County: How to vote early and what to know
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By Frances Parrish of the Independent Mail

The mission of an alternative school is to help students get back on track.

Alternative school directors in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties are doing what they can to give their students the best chance.

There's no one way to run an alternative school.

The state department of education has a list of recommended strategies, such as small class sizes, counseling, community partnership or character education, but it's up to districts to decide how best to serve students.

"Alternative school should be viewed as an opportunity, not an obligation," said James Adams, an intervention specialist in Pickens County.

Unlike Pickens and Oconee alternative schools, which primarily focus on academics, Anderson Alternative School places the strongest focus on behavioral issues.

"They (students) are not placed here on academic intervention," said Anderson Alternative School Director Randolph Dillingham. "They're here for behavioral reasons. But most of the students do have low grades."

To keep order and discipline in the school, students wear military uniforms, and movement between classes is controlled and supervised.

"They learn to follow rules and learn to respect authority," Dillingham said.

Students are offered all of the core classes in math, science, social studies and English through online courses.

Dillingham encourages students to go back to their home school after they have improved their grades and behavior, but if they wish, students can continue at the alternative school. He said it's hard to statistically measure success, because some students may come back to the alternative school more than once, or the director may never see the students again. But the biggest success is for the students to graduate.

"Sometimes they can't get themselves together until something clicks in their heads," Dillingham said. "We had some go back in the middle of the semester, and so far they've been successful. Our biggest measure is if we have seniors get into trouble, our goal is to make certain they graduate."

It's not uncommon for school districts to change the programs in the alternative schools.

Pickens County Alternative School once provided a military-style boot camp similar to Anderson County, but when the school moved from the Simpson Academy building, the district no longer provided a behavioral program for the students. Once the school moved to the Career and Technology Center, the students were provided academic support through a program called C3, which left 70 kids without a behavioral program, said Henry Wilson, vice chairman of the Pickens County school board.

But the district is in the process of developing a blended model between academics and behavioral programs for the near future to accommodate more at-risk students.

Similar to Pickens County, Oconee County puts a strong emphasis on academic support, but also caters to behavioral problems in the newly revamped program. Director Tracy Long said the school recently changed from online classes to the traditional classroom with a teacher.

"They have one-on-one with the teachers," Long said. "We troubleshoot the gaps and get them back on track. "

No matter what the strategy, Adams said the goal is the same: to help students become successful.

Some students who attended alternative schools later return to thank the directors.

"A lot say they wouldn't have graduated without the C3 program," said Career and Technology director Ken Hitchcock. "I'm glad to hear that."

Follow Frances Parrish on Twitter @frances_AIM
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By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail

Voters from three counties will head to the polls Tuesday to choose from among five candidates in the Republican primary for the vacant South Carolina Senate District 4 seat.

The sprawling district covers eastern and southern Anderson County, a portion of Abbeville County and the western edge of Greenwood County. The seat became open when longtime Sen. Billy O'Dell died in January with one year left in his term.

The candidates in Tuesday's GOP primary are Anderson resident Willie Day, Williamston Town Councilman Rockey Burgess, state Rep. Mike Gambrell of Honea Path, Greenwood attorney Tripp Padgett and Williamston resident Mark Powell.

The winner of the primary is not expected to face any opposition in a May 17 special election.

If none of the candidates receives a majority of votes Tuesday, the top two vote-getters will meet in an April 5 runoff.

Anderson County Republican Party Chairman Dan Harvell said a runoff is likely because of the number of candidates on the ballot.

Harvell, who flirted with the idea of entering the race, said "it is amazing" how much money is being spent on the contest.

All told, the five candidates amassed more than $200,000 for their campaigns.

Gambrell and his wife loaned his campaign $50,000 and he also has received more than $42,000 in contributions, including donations from 15 political action committees totaling $10,249.

Burgess borrowed $50,000 from a bank and he and his wife have contributed another $5,100 to his campaign.

Padgett took out a $20,000 bank loan and he has collected more than $17,000 in contributions, mostly from residents in Greenwood County where the first-time candidate is hoping for a strong showing Tuesday.

In contrast, Day has collected $1,900 in donations during his first bid for elected office. Powell, who has made two unsuccessful runs for a state House seat in the past, says he has not raised any money as part of a deliberate effort to prove that he can mount a successful campaign without soliciting donations.

Gambrell is considered the favorite in the crowded primary. The chairman of the Anderson County legislative delegation has built name recognition among voters while representing a state House district that includes Belton and Honea Path. He also is a volunteer firefighter who served as chief of the Anderson County fire station in the Friendship community.

Gambrell is emphasizing his commitment to constituent service in the weeks leading up to the primary. He also is touting his endorsement from the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund.

Gambrell has faced criticism from the South Carolina Club for Growth for his past campaign expenditures and legislative voting record. Citing his support last year for a measure that would have increased the state's gas tax to pay for highway projects, the conservative group posted a 30-second ad on its Facebook page earlier this month that concluded: "Mike Gambrell: He's too liberal for us."

While Gambrell did not return phone calls seeking comment, he addressed the criticism in a March 10 post on his Facebook page.

"Half truths and innuendo abound," he wrote. "Wow, the lengths they will go to destroy someone still amazes me."

Burgess said that Gambrell has been "hiding in the shadows."

"I think he is under the impression that he is going to coast in," said Burgess, who is campaigning as a conservative who will act as a watchdog in Columbia for small-business owners.

Padgett is the only candidate who has voiced support during the campaign for raising the state's gas tax. He said a gas tax increase would be the fairest way to come up an adequate recurring source of money to fix South Carolina's roads and bridges.

Padgett also questioned whether the state's schools have become too dependent on costly technology that must be continually updated. He said he believes schools would be better off returning to "paper and pencil" while focusing on reading, writing and math fundamentals.

Day said he would like to see the General Assembly exempt education funding from across-the-board spending cuts during lean economic times.

He also has voiced support for term limits and expanding the state's Freedom of Information Act so that residents can have access to legislators' emails and correspondence.

Powell said that schools must do more to help students who are trying to achieve instead of wasting resources on children who won't apply themselves.

He also said he would support an increase in the state's sales tax to eliminate the need for property taxes.

Voters can cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at four precincts in Abbeville County, nine precincts in Greenwood County and 41 precincts throughout Anderson County.

Election officials are not expecting a large turnout.

Katy Smith, Anderson County's elections chief, said absentee voting in the primary has been "very slow."

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM

Polling places

Voters in the South Carolina Senate District 4 Republican primary will cast ballots at the following polling places from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Abbeville County

Broadmouth precinct  Turkey Creek fire station, 6855 Highway 252, Donalds

Donalds precinct  Donalds Town Hall, 125 W. Main St., Donalds

Hall Store precinct  Calvary Baptist Church, 5551 Highway 252, Ware Shoals

Keowee precinct  Keowee fire station, 4065 Keowee Road, Honea Path

Anderson County

Precinct 10: Barkers Creek-McAdams  Barkers Creek Baptist Church, 3207 Highway 252, Honea Path

Precinct 11: Belton  First Baptist Church, 105 Brown Ave., Belton

Precinct 12: Broadview  Johnson-Broadview Community Center, 114 Melody Trail, Anderson

Precinct 16: Broadway  Blue Ridge Baptist Church, 1340 Blue Ridge Ave., Belton

Precinct 18: Cedar Grove  Cedar Grove Elementary School, 107 Melvin Lane, Williamston

Precinct 20: Chiquola Mill  Honea Path Elementary School, 806 E. Greer St., Honea Path

Precinct 23: Craytonville  Craytonville fire station, 1118 Trail Road, Belton

Precinct 28: Flat Rock  Flat Rock Presbyterian Church education building, 909 Flat Rock Road, Anderson

Precinct 31: Friendship  Friendship fire station, 1938 Abercrombie Road, Honea Path

Precinct 32: Gluck Mill  Wellington Pentecostal Holiness Church, 4011 Calvert St., Anderson

Precinct 34: Grove School  Grove fire station, 1012 Brown Road, Iva

Precinct 35: Hall  Flat Rock-Bowen fire station 3115 Airline Road, Anderson

Precinct 37: High Point  Belton-Honea Path High School, 11000 Belton-Honea Path Highway, Honea Path

Precinct 38: Homeland Park  Homeland Park Elementary School, 3519 Wilmont St., Anderson

Precinct 39: Honea Path  Honea Path Middle School, 107 Brock Ave., Honea Path

Precinct 41: Iva  Iva fire station, 9711 Highway 81 South, Iva

Precinct 42: Jackson Mill  Iva Civic Center, 206 W. Church St., Iva

Precinct 47: Mountain Creek  Gethsemane Baptist Temple, 6116 Highway 81 South, Starr

Precinct 49: Neals Creek  Welfare Baptist Church, 2106 Bolt Drive, Belton

Precinct 51: Pelzer  Pelzer Community Center, 25 Pelzer Park St., Pelzer

Precinct 54: Piedmont  Piedmont Presbyterian Church 4, Academy St., Piedmont

Precinct 58: Rock Spring  Rock Spring fire station, 135 Highway 413, Belton

Precinct 61: Shirleys Store  Ebenezer fire station, 1416 Due West Highway, Anderson

Precinct 62: Simpsonville  Shiloh United Methodist Church, 135 Reid Bagwell Lane, Piedmont

Precinct 63: Starr  Starr fire station 7715, Highway 81 South, Starr

Precinct 65: Toney Creek  Shady Grove Baptist Church social hall, 1201 Shady Grove Road, Belton

Precinct 68: West Pelzer West Pelzer Primary School, 10 W. Stewart St., West Pelzer

Precinct 69: West Savannah  Ruhamah United Methodist Church, 116 Ruhamah Church Road, Starr

Precinct 71: Williamston  Palmetto Middle School, 803 N. Hamilton St., Williamston

Precinct 72: Williamston Mill  Calvary Baptist Church, 10 S. Academy St., Williamston

Precinct 73: Wrights School  Wright Elementary School, 1136 Wright School Road, Belton

Precinct 78: Anderson 3/1  Anderson University athletic campus, 431 Williamston Road, Anderson

Precinct 79: Anderson 3/2  Nevitt Forest Community School of Innovation, 1401 Bolt Drive, Anderson

Precinct 80: Anderson 4/1  First Baptist Church family life center, 307 S. Manning St., Anderson

Precinct 81: Anderson 4/2  Anderson V Career Campus, 1225 S. McDuffie St., Anderson

Precinct 82: Anderson 5/A  Southwood Academy of the Arts, 1110 Southwood St., Anderson

Precinct 83: Anderson 5/B  Southwood Academy of the Arts, 1110 Southwood St., Anderson

Precinct 85: Anderson 6/2  Anderson Recreation Center, 1107 N. Murray Ave., Anderson

Precinct 86: Varennes  Varennes Academy of Communication and Technology, 1820 Highway 29 South, Anderson

Precinct 87: Lakeside  Lakeside Middle School, 115 Pearman Dairy Road, Anderson

Precinct 111: Belton Annex  Belton Elementary School, 202 Watkins St., Belton

Greenwood County

Precinct 9: Northwest fire substation  2028 Highway 72, Greenwood

Precinct 10: YMCA  1760 Calhoun Road, Greenwood

Precinct 15: Hodges Town Hall  4511 Main St., Hodges

Precinct 29: Emerald High School  150 Highway 225 Bypass, Greenwood

Precinct 32: Greenville Presbyterian Church  125 Greenville Church Road, Donalds

Precinct 33: Westside Baptist Church  215 Highway 225 Bypass, Greenwood

Precinct 38: Greenwood city fire station #3  102 Jenkins Springs Road, Greenwood

Precinct 42: Lakeview Elementary School  642 Center St., Greenwood

Precinct 44: Grace Community Church  1611 Woodlawn Road, Greenwood
SHARE A marker along Brown Road in Anderson near a possible road intersection change, proposed by SCDOT at the Kings Road intersection. A sign along Cathey Road informs passing motorists of a SCDOT info meeting for proposed intersection improvements at the intersection of Concord Road and Harris Bridge Road in Anderson. A possible roundabout could link Cathey, Concord and Harris Bridge Road. A sign along Brown Road informs passing motorists of a SCDOT info meeting for proposed intersection improvements at the intersection of Kings Road and Brown Road in Anderson. Related Coverage Data show roundabouts in S.C. reduce serious wrecks

By Abe Hardesty of the Independent Mail

Motorists might soon be forced to drive in circles at two busy intersections on Anderson's north side.

South Carolina Department of Transportation officials recently said they plan to convert the intersections into roundabouts.

Common in Europe, but rare in South Carolina, roundabouts are circular intersections which guides traffic in one direction around a central island. Proponents say they improve traffic flow and reduce collisions.

Construction is scheduled to begin in summer or fall 2017 on a $2.2 million renovation planned at the intersection of Kings and Brown roads near the Lakewood subdivision.

At the same time, construction on another roundabout, costing $2.45 million, is planned at the confluence of Concord, Harris Bridge and Cathey roads.

Both Y-shaped intersections involve two-lane roads near subdivisions, where traffic volume is on the rise.

"They're old farm-to-market roads," DOT District 2 traffic engineer Nick Robovich said, "and as subdivisions have grown up around them, the traffic volume is much different from it was just a few years ago."

Both projects are scheduled for completion in 2018. They mark the first roundabouts in DOT District 2, an eight-county region that includes Anderson, Abbeville, Laurens and Greenwood.

Statewide, five roundabouts are under construction and 15 have been completed, including one in Greenville County at the intersection of Fork Shoals and Conestee roads, and another in Pickens County at the intersection of U.S. 178 and Old Pendleton Road.

Residents can see the proposed plan Thursday at the North Pointe Elementary School Auditorium, where a 5-7 p.m. drop-in meeting will offer displays for viewing.

City of Anderson Transportation Director Mike Gay, who also serves on the Anderson Area Transportation Study team, said the two proposed roundabouts can benefit the area for different reasons.

"The Concord/Cathey/Harris Bridge area is a more dangerous intersection. I think a circle will alleviate safety problems there," he said Friday. "Any time you eliminate a left turn, you've probably made an area safer."

The change at the Brown/Kings intersection "is more of an effort to keep traffic moving," he said. "In a three- or four-way stop, you can get long backups. In theory, a roundabout helps keep traffic moving."

Roundabouts typically force drivers to slow to speeds of 15-20 mph, minimizing collision impact.

All 15 built in South Carolina since 2011 are considered modern roundabouts  single-lane traffic which requires incoming vehicles to yield to traffic in the circle.

Older designs, known as the rotary type, allowed higher speeds and dual lanes.

Crashes at roundabouts are less frequent and less severe than stop signs or signals, DOT Program Manager Chris Jordan said.

"It eliminates all left turns," he said. "Generally, those are your most high-impact, high-injury collisions."

According to American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials, roundabouts in the U.S. have reduced the types of crashes involving fatalities or serious injury by 78 to 82 percent when compared to conventional stop signs or lights.

South Carolina ranks eighth nationally in highway fatalities per capita, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with about 17 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Anderson County experienced eight traffic fatalities in 2016, according to the DOT. Only Greenville County (11) has more.

"This is an old idea, but a new one for Anderson," said Fritz Wewers, assistant manager for SCDOT District 2. "We'll probably see a few problems early on, but over time, we expect collision numbers to improve."

The purpose of Thursday's meeting, Jordan said, is to provide information and solicit feedback from area residents. It will not include a formal presentation, but comment forms will be available and taken into consideration by engineers.

Jordan and Wewers expect negative reactions at Thursday's event.

Jordan, a civil engineer for 24 years, said "about 80 percent oppose it at first ... but generally, about 80 percent are in favor of it once they are constructed."

"I'm sure everybody can think of a reason not to build them," Wewers said. "But when they see the statistics behind them, I think they'll have a different view."

The projects have been in the planning stages since 2012, when funding was approved and engineering work began.

Work at the intersections was recommended by the Anderson Area Transportation Study Team. The type of improvement, along with the funding, is decided at the state level.

"I see a lot of positives. We expect it to increase safety and speed in getting through the intersection," Wewers said. "It (roundabout) makes the traffic move faster than a full stop-and-go."

Follow Abe Hardesty on Twitter @abe_hardesty
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FlyDubai flight FZ981 from Dubai to Russia crashed in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, killing 62 people onboard, including the crew and passengers, two of them who were from Kerala.

Gilu Joseph, an Indian Air Hostess working with FlyDubai is still in the shock of losing five of her loved colleagues in the accident.

Facebook

In an emotional Facebook post, Gilu bids a teary-eyed adieu to her friends.

"Thanks to everyone who called me or got in touch with me through Facebook and messages after hearing about what happened to the FlyDubai flight.

Even though I am alive, I lost five people whom I knew very closely. It will take more than a day, may be an entire lifetime to get out of this shock.

Some of my close friends are a bit scared to board the flight, I used to joke about them on this.

In the six years of my life in air, I have gone through a lot of stories and experiences.

From now every time the flight lands, I will feel it in my heart, not because of fear, but over the lose of my friends, some of them who were together with me even till last week.

FlyDubai is a family which grows in number every day. Earlier everyone used to know everyone else, but now there are a lot of new people in the airline who don't know each other.

But on the ill-fated flight were people like Laura, who shared a lot of fun and joy when we flew together, and even more loveable friend Maxim.

Facebook

Still can't believe that such an incident has happened and two ever smiling, always pleasant and helpful people are gone.

Life is a drama with huge twits. The direction of God, who makes the spectators go from crying to a state of being frozen, is a really strange one.

Last week while flying together with Laura, just for time-pass I had learned some Spanish words, one of them was "Te echo de menos" (I miss you). Today it has happened that I have to tell the same to you, my friend.

We will miss you guys and you will be remembered forever. You are never gone , you will live among us in our hearts.."

The post was originally published in Malayalm on Gilu Joseph's Facebook account.
It can only happen in Uttar Pradesh - over 5,000 people attended a canine wedding in Pawara village of Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh. The marriage took place as per Hindu traditions in the Pawara village which welcomed the guest with full fervour. The attendees came to the ceremony dancing to the tunes of the DJ. The 'groom' Shagun belonged to Basant Tripathy, while the 'bride' Shaguniya belonged to Jung Bahadur.

Traditional Indian cuisine was served to the attendees, who came for the wedding. Jung Bahadur gave a tearful send off to Shaguniya, who departed along with her groom in a car.
It was a windy day 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. Despite circling for two hours over the city located 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Ukraine border, the landing was a brutal calamity - the plane plummeted to Earth and exploded in a huge fireball, killing everyone aboard.

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 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow.

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.
Speaking at a government summit in the United Arab Emirates, advocate and lawyer Amal Clooney says governments around the world should be vocal, consistent, principled and transparent about human rights.

"The first piece of advice I would have from my experience is that governments need to be vocal about human rights," she said

ap

As a headliner speaker at the event, her presence may have raised more than a few eyebrows - attendees included the ruler of the emirate of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi. She says Arab countries are facing "an unprecedented human rights crisis" and that criticism of ruling systems should be met with dialogue, not prison terms, and protests with "crowd control," not bullets.

huffpost

"My advice to you is not only to be vocal and consistent, but also to be principled in communications about human rights. The fourth suggestion I have is to be quick," she said. "Governments must be prepared to be transparent and get their message out first."

She's been a vocal critic of the Saudi crackdown on freedom of speech, and also a campaigner of Syrian human rights.

The Lebanese-born British lawyer, whose maiden name is Alamuddin, is married to Hollywood actor George Clooney. Last month, the couple met German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the crisis in Syria and met with refugees in Berlin.
The Islamic State Is Pretext To Again Mug Libya By Moon Of Alabama March 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama "- There are currently two governments in Libya. A "moderately Islamist" one in the west in Tripoli and one in the east in Tobruk. The eastern one is internationally recognized and "secular" but also supported by some Salafist groups. Both governments have their own parliament and various supporting militia. In the middle of the long east-west coastline the Islamic State led by some cadres from Iraq and Syria has taken a foothold in Sirte. It is recruiting followers from north Africa and moving to capture nearby oilfields to finance its further expansion. The "west" is alarmed about this development and wants to intervene with military force. Special forces from several countries are already on the ground. But both governments and their parliaments do not want such foreign intervention. The UN or someone came up with the glorious idea of creating a third government which is supposed to supersede the two existing ones. The task of this third government will be to "invite" foreign forces and to rubber-stamp whatever they will do. That third government is now constituted in Tunisia and has zero power on the ground in Libya: [T]here is no guarantee that the other factions will back down. So what is a war between two rival governments backed by militias risks becoming a war among three rival governments, none of which recognize the others .. Naturally the Libyans hate that idea of a foreign imposed government. They will likely fight any third force that tries to usurp their sovereignty. Confronted with a foreign imposed government and foreign military forces more Libyans will join the Islamic State to fight the intruders. The shortsightedness of the UN and the "western" governments on this issue is breathtaking. But there is still a lot of money to be made in Libya and especially the French and British governments want to keep robbing the country blind. This requires some feet on the ground. The "brain" and a likely main profiteer behind all this seems to be one well known figure. A revealing piece in the Times of Malta describes some of the astonishing political-business connections behind the scenes: [A] major military operation by a collection of foreign powers is in the works to tackle Isis and install a UN-backed government but the shabby way it has been put together carries the risk it will blow back in everyones faces. First, there is the strange situation that [Britains Ambassador to Libya, Peter] Millett takes his orders from Britains Libya envoy, Jonathan Powell, a contractor to the FCO. Yes, the same Powell who, along with then prime minister Tony Blair, brokered the deal with Muammar Gaddafi to end his dictatorships isolation a decade ago - and lead to fat Blair consultancies with that same tyrant after the prime minister left office. Among other beneficiaries of this new opening up of Gaddafis dictatorship was a massive property development contract handed out to a company chaired by none other than Powells brother, Lord Charles Powell, which also involved an array of colourful London-based, well-known Arab millionaires. Which makes Powell more of a close relative of an interested party. Libya is awash with weapons and munitions of all kinds and these are bought and sold in open markets. With the right amount of money one can easily buy powerful anti-tank weapons or anti-air guns readily installed on the ubiquitous Toyota technicals. But Britain also wants to sell, not buy weapons: Millett revealed that he wants to sell Libya yet more [weapons] - but only to the right militias, that is, those supporting the new UN-backed government of national accord (GNA). The GNA, designed to replace Libyas two warring governments, in Tripoli and Tobruk, is the cornerstone of Western policy in Libya, designed to unite the country to turn its united guns on Isis. Hence the weapons. Millett insists the weapons will only go to the right militias, an echo of a Western statement about supporting the right kind of terrorists in Syria in the war against Isis. Here now comes the real business part with the most valuable piece being the Libyan Investment Authority with some $65 billion in assets. This fond is owned by the Libyan people but whoever controls it will be able to siphon off tons of money: Much of the fallout for this clumsy step to create a third government for Libya will be felt in Malta, where commercial battles rage between the two existing Libyan governments over control of a host of enterprises headquartered here - and which are soon to have unity government leaders also pushing for control. The Valletta court battle for the public telecommunications company LPTIC highlighted the complicated split and a new tussle is underway for control of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), the Tobruk-appointed office of which is situated in Malta. For now, the LIA battle is in London but in a bizarre twist the case was last week controversially stopped in mid flow on advice from Britains Foreign Office. The judge making the order, which keeps both existing governments from getting their hands on this $65 billion asset, is none other than William Blair, brother of - you guessed it, Tony. Never mind that Tony worked with the LIA in the latter Gaddafi years. Conflict of interest? Well, you decide. But to me this looks like another coup in the making this time by introducing a third government that will be completely controlled by foreigners. All this not to "fight the Islamic State" but for Tony Blair and others to control and rob whatever assets the Libyans have left. (How, by the way, is the Clinton Foundation involved in this?) I can not think of any positive outcome this hapless robbery attempt under the disguise of fighting the I slamic State will have for Libya and its people. Or for the people of those countries who's "elites" now again move to wage war on Libya.
Ted Cruzs Team of Islamophobes





By Derek Davison

March 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " LobeLog "- Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), one of the three remaining candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, is unveiling his national security team today, and Bloomberg View columnist Eli Lake was able to preview some of its members for his readers this morning. Calling the group an unlikely team of foreign-policy rivals, Lake argued that Cruz has chosen a wide array of advisors who hold divergent views with respect to at least one key foreign policy issue:

In a year when the Republican Party is breaking apart because of Donald Trump, the only man left with a chance to beat him is trying to build a big tentby GOP standardswhen it comes to foreign affairs. On Thursday, Senator Ted Cruz is set to announce his campaigns national security advisory team, and it includes many foreign-policy insurgents and a few more establishment types. The list includes conservatives who disagree on one of the most pressing issues facing the next president: defining and confronting radical Islam.

This is one way to describe Cruzs team. Another way would be to say that Cruz has assembled a collection of some of the most prominent Islamophobes in American right-wing circles and balanced them with a group of neoconservatives who only want to go to war against part of the Islamic world, not all of it.

The Most Notorious Islamophobe

Perhaps the most shocking name on Cruzs team, and the one Lake spends the most time discussing, is Frank Gaffney. After working in the Reagan administration, Gaffney went on to found the Center for Security Policy (CSP), where he has become known as one of Americas most notorious Islamophobes. Gaffney exhibits a standard variety of neocon militarism when it comes to opposing diplomacy with Iran, though he has diverged from many of his fellow travelers in opposing American intervention in Syria. But its on the subject of Islam here in the U.S. where Gaffneys unique paranoia takes wing. Gaffney has been the leading voice pushing a fringe right-wing theory that the Muslim Brotherhood has somehow infiltrated the highest levels of the U.S. government, a purely McCarthyite claim that fortunately hadnt been taken seriously by any prominent Republican before Cruz.

Gaffney has in the past called for a war on Shariah, comparing Islamic law to Nazism, Fascism, Japanese imperialism, and communism. He has praised the work of admitted white supremacists. He has found proof of President Barack Obamas submission to Shariah in, of all places, the logo for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. It was a pollan unscientific poll, at thatconducted by CSP that served as the basis for Republican front-runner Donald Trumps post-San Bernardino proposal to bar all Muslims from entering the United States.

Gaffneys unhinged theories have been complemented by his nasty personal invective. He once called for Secretary of State John Kerrys impeachment over the Iran nuclear deal and for the crime ofhaving an Iranian-American son in-law. He has accused Huma Abedin, former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons long-time aide, of working on behalf of the Brotherhood, a charge that drew criticism from, among others, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence Committee. He has also accused prominent conservative anti-tax activist Grover Norquist of Brotherhood ties, absent what appears to be any evidence whatsoever.

Gaffney is not the lone Islamophobic voice in support of Cruz. Frederick Fleitz and Clare Lopez, both high-ranking employees of Gaffneys CSP, are also on Cruzs team, and both have similarly venomous views on Islam. Fleitz, a close associate of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, once alleged that a left-wing conspiracy within the U.S. intelligence community was covering up proof of Irans active nuclear weapons program. Lopez has echoed Gaffneys belief that Muslim Brotherhood operatives have infiltrated the U.S. government. Through the Iran Policy Committee, where she formerly served as executive director, Lopez has close ties to the Iranian exile (and formerly designated terrorist) group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK). On the subject of Islam, Lopez actually wrote this in 2013:

Deeply rooted in pre-Islamic tribal social structures, some of the most primitive of all human drivesto conquer and dominate by forcewere brilliantly sacralized in Islamic doctrine. With assassination, banditry, genocide, hatred-of-other, polygamy, rape, pillage, and slavery all divinely sanctioned in scriptures believed to be revealed by Allah himself, the world is not likely to see an end to Islams  bloody borders or bloody innards  any time soon. In the traditional Arab and Muslim system, there is just too much at stake for those who win, as well as those who lose. There is no such thing as a win-win concept in Islam.

This person could be advising President Ted Cruz on national security.

Cruzs team also includes former federal prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy, who along with Gaffney has flirted with birtherism (the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not eligible to serve as president due to questions about his citizenship). McCarthy has also suggested that former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers, and not Obama, wrote Obamas autobiographical Dreams from My Father, and has repeatedly alleged that Obamas administration represents some sort of leftist-Islamist union to take America down from the inside. Apparently, per McCarthy, health care reform is Islamist. Who knew?

Balanced by Neocons?

To be fair to Cruz, his team also includes less conspiratorially minded neocons like Elliott Abrams, who has opposed diplomacy with Iran (hed prefer a war, thank you very much) and supports stronger intervention in Syria. But Abrams does not believe that America is at war with Islam or that nefarious Muslim agents have infiltrated the federal government at all levels. It also includes former Reagan administration official Michael Ledeen, who told Lake that Were at war with a coalition of radical Islamists and radical secularists. Its not all one thing, nor is Islam all one thing. Ledeen is perhaps best known for devising the Ledeen Doctrine, which, as related by National Reviews Jonah Goldberg in 2002, goes like this:

Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business.

I doubt Ledeen would say that the 2011 Libyan intervention qualifies, so that means the United States is long overdue for throwing some small crappy little country against the wall. One can only imagine which country a President Cruz, with Ledeen at his side, would pick.

Ledeen, who served for many years as the Freedom Scholar at the right-wing American Enterprise Institute before taking the same position at the neocon Foundation for Defense of Democracies, is at least as toxic as Gaffney. He was involved in the Iran-Contra affair during the Reagan administration and was a key advisor to Karl Rove during the George W. Bush years, advocating for the invasion of Iraq and for war with Iran. Ledeen even brings his own conspiratorial baggage. In the 1980s, he was known for pushing the Bulgarian Connection, the theory that the KGB was behind Mehmet Ali Agcas attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in 1981. In 2003, Ledeen speculated that French and German opposition to the Iraq War was all part of a deal theyd struck with radical Islam to weaken the United States. Summarizing this argument cant really do it justice, so read for yourselves:

How could it be done? No military operation could possibly defeat the United States, and no direct economic challenge could hope to succeed. That left politics and culture. And here there was a chance to turn Americas vaunted openness at home and toleration abroad against the United States. So the French and the Germans struck a deal with radical Islam and with radical Arabs: You go after the United States, and well do everything we can to protect you, and we will do everything we can to weaken the Americans.

It sounds fanciful, to be sure, Ledeen wrote of his theory. No kidding. At least he wont feel out of place in a Cruz administration.
Chilling Effect of Mass Surveillance Is Silencing Dissent Online, Study Says





By Nafeez Ahmed

March 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Motherboard "- Thanks largely to whistleblower Edward Snowdens revelations in 2013, most Americans now realize that the intelligence community monitors and archives all sorts of online behaviors of both foreign nationals and US citizens.

But did you know that the very fact that you know this could have subliminally stopped you from speaking out online on issues you care about?

Now research suggests that widespread awareness of such mass surveillance could undermine democracy by making citizens fearful of voicing dissenting opinions in public.

A paper published last week in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, the flagship peer-reviewed journal of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), found that "the governments online surveillance programs may threaten the disclosure of minority views and contribute to the reinforcement of majority opinion.

"What this research shows is that in the presence of surveillance, our country's most vulnerable voices are unwilling to express their beliefs online."



The NSAs ability to surreptitiously monitor the online activities of US citizens may make online opinion climates especially chilly and can contribute to the silencing of minority views that provide the bedrock of democratic discourse," the researcher found.

The paper is based on responses to an online questionnaire from a random sample of 255 people, selected to mimic basic demographic distributions across the US population.

Participants were asked to answer questions relating to media use, political attitudes, and personality traits. Different subsets of the sample were exposed to different messaging on US government surveillance to test their responses to the same fictional Facebook post about the US decision to continue airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

They were then asked about their willingness to express their opinions about this publiclyincluding how they would respond on Facebook to the post; how strongly they personally supported or opposed continued airstrikes; their perceptions of the views of other Americans; and whether they supported or opposed online surveillance.

The study used a regression modela statistical method to estimate the relationships between different variablesto test how well a persons decisions to express their opinion could be predicted based on the nature of their opinion, their perceptions of prevailing viewpoints, and their attitude to surveillance.

This sort of model doesnt produce simple percentages, but provides a statistical basis to explain variances in the factors being tested. In this case, the study found that 35% of the variance in an individuals willingness to self-censor could be explained by their perceptions of whether surveillance is justified.

For the majority of respondents, the study concluded, being aware of government surveillance significantly reduced the likelihood of speaking out in hostile opinion climates.

Although more nuanced than a blanket silencing, the study still concluded that knowing ones online activities are subject to government interception and believing these surveillance practices are necessary for national security play important roles in influencing conformist behavior.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most significant conformist effect was from people who supported surveillance. They turned out to be more likely to conceal other dissenting opinions, which they felt strayed from the majority view.

When such individuals perceive they are being monitored, they readily conform their behaviorexpressing opinions when they are in the majority, and suppressing them when theyre not, the paper concluded. These findings suggest that a persons fear of isolation from authority or government adds new chilling effects to public discourse.

What this research shows is that in the presence of surveillance, our country's most vulnerable voices are unwilling to express their beliefs online, said Elizabeth Stoycheff, associate professor of journalism and new media at the Department of Communication, Wayne State University, and lead author of the paper. This finding is problematic because it may enable a domineering, majority opinion to take control of online deliberative spaces, thus negating deliberation.

But, she added, the increasing complexity of surveillance, and its use in tandem with private industry, means that more research is essential to understand how surveillance is altering the way people interact online, with content, and with one another.

The study happens to confirm recent comments by Snowden himself last Saturday, during a live video address to a gathering of whistleblowers, journalists and technologists in Berlin.
Valentino's Ghost:



Powerful Documentary



How US Foreign Policy in the Middle East Drives Islamophobia at Home.



Experts ranging from Robert Fisk to John Mearsheimer and Melani McAlister explain how the U.S. media and government are the source of fear and loathing of Arabs, Muslims and Islam.



Posted March 19, 2016 Valentino s Ghost Trailer Full Documentary





This updated version of Valentinos Ghost addresses four current topics that werent in existence at the films premiere in 2012, offering radically different views from those of our national narrative, addressing such questions as: were the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists engaging in cultural bullying of the weakest ethnic minority in France? Did the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza seriously damage Israelis image abroad when Palestinians were able to upload phone videos of the bombings to the Internet? Are American Armed Forces killings and torture more barbaric that that of groups like ISIS? Is the movie American Snipers inherent racist viewpoint one reason for its phenomenal popularity?
By Gilad Atzmon

March 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " -

From: Sidney Blumenthal To: Hillary Clinton Date: 2012-07-23

Quoting an Israeli security source Sidney Blumenthal wrote:

[I]f the Assad regime topples, Iran would lose its only ally in the Middle East and would be isolated. At the same time, the fall of the House of Assad could well ignite a sectarian war between the Shiites and the majority Sunnis of the region drawing in Iran, which, in the view of Israeli commanders would not be a bad thing for Israel and its Western allies.

(https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/12171)

In 1982, Oded Yinon an Israeli journalist, formerly attached to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, published a document titled  A Strategy for Israel in the Nineteen Eighties.  The strategic plan later named The Yinon Plan suggested that for Israel to maintain its regional superiority, it must break its neighboring Arab states into smaller sectarian units engaged in endless tribal wars. The Yinon Plan implied that Arabs and Muslims killing each other was an insurance policy for Israel.

Most commentators on the Middle East and American foreign affairs now realise that the chaos in the Middle East has a lot to do with Israel and its supportive Jewish lobbies around the world. However, thanks to the newly leaked Clinton email archive we may have a document that provides confirmation that the Yinon Plan was, de facto, an Israeli strategy to create sectarian chaos in the Middle East.

According to the Wikileaks archive of former US Secretary of State Clinton, it appears that in 2012 the Israeli intelligence service considered a potential Sunni-Shiite war in Syria a favorable development for the Jewish State and the West.

In an email sent by Sidney Blumenthal to Hilary Clinton, an Israeli source is quoted suggesting that Iran would lose "its only ally" in the Middle East if the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad collapses. Such a development in the view of Israeli commanders would not be a bad thing for Israel and its Western allies, Blumenthal wrote.

It is crucial to point out that in his email to Clinton, Blumenthal also quotes an alternative view that is more reasonable and is far less enthusiastic about the escalation in Syria. Israeli security officials believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convinced that these developments (expanding Arab civil war) will leave them [Israelis] vulnerable, with only enemies on their borders.

This email allows us to look at a vivid Israeli political debate that occurred back in 2012. The Jewish State had to decide whether to destroy the Syrian people just to weaken Iran or alternatively to destroy Iran dor the sake of destroying Iran. History suggests that a decision was taken to destroy the Syrians first. And the outcome must be disappointing for Israel Iran is now stronger than ever.

Shockingly, in late 2015, after three years of disastrous Syrian civil war with hundreds of thousands of fatalities and millions of displaced people, Clinton, so it seems. still clung to the formula that Israels concerns with Iran should be fought on the expense of the Syrian people. In an email that US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sent to an unknown account on 11/30/2015 Clinton wrote:

The best way to help Israel deal with Irans growing nuclear capability is to help the people of Syria overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad.

Israel is not the only one to blame for the Syrian shoah; Hilary Clinton shares some of the responsibility. I suggest that Ms. Clinton consider inviting at least a few Syrian refugees to settle in Clintons suburban home. Such a move would prove that she can be empathic, merciful and hopefully regretful.
DPRK: Isolated, Demonized, and Dehumanized by the West By Andre Vltchek March 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Dissident Voice "- - Soon, most likely, there will be new brutal sanctions imposed against North Korea. And there will be massive provocative military exercises held, involving the US and South Korea (ROK). In brief, it is all business as usual: the West continues to torture DPRK; it is provoking it, isolating, demonizing and dehumanizing it, making sure that it wouldnt function normally, let alone thrive. Border at Panmunjom from DPRK side The submissive Western public keeps obediently swallowing all the shameless lies it is being served by its mainstream media. It is not really surprising; people of Europe and North America already stopped questioning official dogmas a long time ago. One of hundreds free public spaces in DPRK North Korea (DPRK) is depicted as some insane, starving, subnormal and underdeveloped hermit state, whose leaders are constantly boozing and whoring, murdering each other, and building some primitive but lethal nukes, in order to destroy the world. One of many Pyongyang theatres Those of us who are familiar with DPRK know that all this is one bundle of fat, shameless lies. Pyongyang is an elegant, well functioning city with great public housing, excellent public transportation, public places and recreational facilities, theatres, sport facilities and green areas. And despite those monstrous sanctions, the countryside is much more prosperous than what one sees in the desperate Western client states like Indonesia and Philippines. North Korean Country Road At least there is something; there have at least been a few decent reports that have been written about those grotesque lies and the Western propaganda. But the essential question remains: Why is the West so obsessed with demonizing North Korea? And the answer is simple: Like Cuba, North Korea dared to step on the toes of Western colonialism and imperialism. Sacrificing its sons and daughters, it helped to liberate many African countries, and it provided assistance to the most progressive forces on the most plundered and devastated continent. This is one thing that the West never forgives. It lives off the unbridled plunder of all continents; it essentially thrives by looting its colonies. Those countries that assisted the liberation struggles, those nations that fought for freedom of the colonized world  Soviet Union/Russia, China, Cuba and the DPRK  were designated by Western ideologues as the most dangerous and evil places on Earth. DPRK free public housing  is this what the west hates about DPRK? In Europe and North America, conditioned masses (they have been actually profiting from the colonialism and neo-colonialism for decades and centuries), are stubbornly refusing to comprehend this main reason why the Empire has made the people of North Korea suffer so terribly for years and decades. ***** My comrade, Mwandawiro Mghanga, Chairperson of SDP and also a Member of the Executive Committee of Africa Left Networking Forum (ALNEF) based in Dakar Senegal, wrote for this essay: The Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) condemns the unjustified sanctions against North Korea (DPRK) instigated by imperialism led by the United States of America. We are aware that imperialism has never stopped its cold and hot war against DPRK that through one of the greatest patriotic, heroic and revolutionary anti-colonial and anti-imperialist national liberation armed struggles succeeded in winning true independence in the northern half of Korea. When it invaded North Korea, US imperialism like Japanese colonialism earlier, suffered one of the most humiliating military defeats it will never forget in its reactionary history. We also know that the US and the West hates DPRK with venom for refusing to be a puppet of imperialism like South Korea. A dirty false propaganda war is waged against DPRK for refusing the capitalist and neo-colonial path of slavery, under-development and exploitation of person by person and instead choosing the path of development for freedom and humanity, socialism. We in Africa will not accept to be cheated by imperialists who have always been part and parcel of our problems. Imperialism is not and has never been a friend of Africa but its enemy. African patriots and revolutionaries will never allow imperialism to tell us who our friends are. For we know whom our friends are! And North Korea has always been Africas true friend. When the whole of the African continent was under Western colonialism, Korea under the revolutionary leadership of comrade Kim Il Sung was fighting Japanese colonialism and showing solidarity with Africa at the same time. After DPRK, in the name of socialist internationalism increased its moral, military and other material support to African countries in their struggle for liberation from colonialism, imperialism and apartheid. Immediately after independence from colonialism in the 1960s, thousands of Africans, including Kenyans, received free higher, technical and specialised education in the DPRK. DPRK not only offered arms, finance and other material solidarity to Namibia, South Africa, Angola and Mozambique in the war against apartheid and imperialism, but it also actually sent internationalist revolutionaries to Africa to fight side by side with Africans for Africa. DPRK fought with Egypt and Africa during the 1967 war against the brutal Zionist regime of Israel supported by the Western countries. Today DPRK is together with African countries in the demand for a new just international order. In this DPRK is blamed by imperialism and imperialist puppet regimes for being in the forefront and showing by its own example that a new just international order cannot be but anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, it must be socialist. North Korean internationalism is legendary, just as Cuban internationalism is. And this is the least that we can do right now, when the country is facing new tremendous and brutal challenges  to recall how much it gave to the world; how much it had already sacrificed for the sake of humanity! North Korean made sedans I spoke to people in Windhoek, who with tears in their eyes recalled North Koreas struggle against (South African) apartheid-supported regimes in both Namibia and Angola. Naturally, South African apartheid used to enjoy the full support of the West. To repay that favor, South African troops joined the fight against North Korea and China during the Korean War. Public Pool As mentioned by Mwandawiro Mghanga, North Korea fought against Israel, its pilots flew Egyptian fighter planes in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. DPRK took part in the liberation struggle in Angola and it fought in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Lesotho, and Namibia and in the Seychelles. It provided assistance to the African National Congress and its epic struggle to liberate South Africa from apartheid. In the past, it had aided the then progressive African nations, including Guinea, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mali and Tanzania. Arthur Tewungwa, Ugandan opposition politician from the Uganda Peoples Congress Party (UPC) compares the involvement of the DPRK and the West in his country and the African Great Lakes region: Uganda benefited from its relationship with North Korea in the 1980s when it helped the government to fight against the Museveni rebels who were supported by the US and UK. Morally, compared to the DPRK, the latter two have no leg to stand on with all the bloodshed they triggered in the Great Lakes Region. ***** Has North Korea been fully abandoned, left to its fate? Has it been betrayed? Christopher Black, a prominent international lawyer based in Toronto, Canada: The fact that the US, as part of the SC is imposing sanctions on a country it is threatening is hypocritical and unjust. That the Russians and Chinese have joined the US in this, instead of calling for sanctions against the US for its threats against the DPRK and its new military exercises, which are a clear and present danger to the DPRK, is shameful. If the Russians and Chinese are sincere why dont they insist that the US draw down its forces there so the DPRK feels less threatened and take steps to guarantee the security of the DPRK? They do not explain their actions but their actions make them collaborators with the USA against the DPRK. The situation is bleak, but most likely not fatal; not fatal yet. Jeff J. Brown , a leading China expert based in Beijing, does not hide his optimism when it comes to the Sino-Russian relationship with the DPRK: There is not a lot that North Korea does in the international arena, that Baba Beijing does not have its hand in. They are two fraternal communist countries and 65 years ago, the Chinese spilled a lot of blood and treasure to save North Korea from the West. Mao Zedongs son died on the Korean War battlefield, fighting against Yankee imperialism. There are two million ethnic Koreans living along the border with North Korea and another half a million Northerners living and working in China. Koreans are a recognized minority in China. No other country in the world understands North Korea like China does. This closeness is emblematic of their common border, the Yalu River, which is so shallow, you can wade across it. They also share boundaries with another key ally, Russia. China is North Koreas very, very big brother and protector. Frankly, vis-a-vis the upcoming UNSC sanctions against North Korea, I think the West is getting played like a drum, and it is the drum that gets the crap pounded out of it. Of course, both China and Russia have their long land borders with North Korea -roads and railroads inter-connecting all three countries. According to my sources in Moscow and Beijing, it is highly unlikely that the two closest allies of the DPRK would ever go along with the new sanctions, whether they are officially supporting them, or not. But the logic used by Christopher Black is absolutely correct: it is the West that should be suffering from the toughest sanctions imaginable, not DPRK. It is the West, not North Korea, which has murdered one billion human beings, throughout history. It is the West that colonized, plundered, raped and enslaved people in all corners of the planet. What moral mandate does it have to propose and impose sanctions against anyone? We are living in a twisted, truly perverse world, where mass murderers act as judges, and actually get away with it. North Korea spilled blood for the liberation of Africa. It showed true solidarity with robbed, tortured people, with those whom Franz Fanon used to call the Wretched of the Earth. That is why, according to perverse logic (which has roots in the Western religious and cultural fundamentalism), it has to be punished, humiliated, and even possibly wipe off the face of the earth. Not because it did something objectively bad, but because the objectivity lost its meaning. Terms good and bad are now determined by only one criterion: good is all that serves the interests of the Western Empire, bad is what challenges its global dictatorship. If you save the village that had been designated by the Empire as a place to be raped and pillaged, you will be punished in the most sadistic and brutal manner. North Korea did exactly that. Except that it did not save just one village, but it helped to liberate an entire continent!  All photos by Andre Vltchek  First published in New Eastern Outlook Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. His latest books are:  Exposing Lies Of The Empire  and  Fighting Against Western Imperialism .Discussion with Noam Chomsky: On Western Terrorism . Point of No Return is his critically acclaimed political novel. Oceania  a book on Western imperialism in the South Pacific. His provocative book about Indonesia:  Indonesia  The Archipelago of Fear . Andre is making films for teleSUR and Press TV. After living for many years in Latin America and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides and works in East Asia and the Middle East. He can be reached through his website or his Twitter .
The Syria Gambit  Geneva Peace Talks and Russias Pullout By Peter Koenig The Russian Air Force tracked and targeted a long column of terrorists crossing Turkish border to join their comrades in Northern and Northwestern battlefields in Syria. The terrorists, that were mainly Turkmen, were caught by the Russian Air Forces reconnaissance planes attempting to enter the Lattakia province from one of the Turkish border-crossings near Yayladagi. Upon the entry of Jeish al-Turkmen and al-Nusra Front into Syria, the Russian air fleet struck their convoy of vehicles in the Furniluk Forests, ending in the rebel fighters scattering around the border in order to evade the powerful aerial assault. When the Russian warplanes backed off, the Syrian Air Force launched their own airstrikes over the Furniluk Forests, keeping up the pressure on the trapped rebel fighters. FARS seems to be the only news agency, reporting on this western organized aggression.  The reasons may be obvious. As Russia is pulling out, a huge regiment of Islamic terrorists, whatever they are called (names are unimportant; they are just used to confuse) found it opportune to advance from Turkey over the Syrian border, camouflaged by a dense forest, or so they thought. Does anybody think that this would be allowed to happen without Erdogan having a clear go-ahead from his US Masters?  Turkey being a NATO protected US stooge, who got her marching orders from Washington. This is the prescription and scheme for the Syrian Peace Talks  taking otherwise place in an ambiance and environment of extreme hostility, Geneva, Switzerland, where the Swiss news blast day in, day-out lies and negative propaganda against Russia and Syria.  What hope? These Peace Talks (sic) are a farce if there has ever been one. On Monday, 14 March, at a Kremlin meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, President Putin announced to the surprise of many, especially the western media, partial withdrawal of Russian military presence from Syria, effectively declaring the end to the five-and-a-half-month Russian air campaign. Mr. Putin said: With participation by Russian troops and Russian military grouping, the Syrian troops and Syrian patriotic forces, we were able to radically change the situation in fighting international terrorism and take initiative in nearly all areas to create the conditions for the start of a peace process, as I said. I feel that the objective set before the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces is generally fulfilled, so I order the Defense Ministry to begin withdrawing the main part of our military group from the Syrian Arab Republic beginning tomorrow. I ask the Foreign Ministry to intensify the Russian Federations participation in organizing the peace process to resolve Syrias problems. At the same time, our base points  our maritime base in Tartus and our aviation base at the Hmeymim airbase  will function as before. They must be protected securely from land, sea and air. I hope that todays decision will be a good signal for all conflicting sides. I hope that this will significantly lift the level of trust between all participants in the Syrian peace process and promote resolving the Syrian issue via peaceful means. Before the announcement, Mr. Putin reassured the Syrian leader in a phone conversation that Russian presence in Syria will continue with a defense force at the two bases and in particular with the cutting edge S-400 defense system in place to guard against air intrusion particularly from Turkey. According to Al-Jazeera, Mr. Assads office confirmed the gist of the conversation, referring to the Russian pull-out rather as a scaling back of Russian forces. The statement clearly rejected speculations that the withdrawal decision reflected a rift between the allies, Syria and Russia. Mr. Assad said the Russian decision stressed the successes the two armies have achieved during fighting in Syria and restoring peace to key areas of the country. The Russian air campaign combined with the Syrian army on the ground and troops from Hezbollah and Iran have allowed Damascus to retake control over some 10,000 km2. A position that strengthens President Bashar al-Assads regime before the talks in Geneva. Of course, western media are propagating the decimation of ISIS and related terror groups as an US achievement. Given the continued presence of Russian troops in Syria, scaling back is perhaps more appropriate than withdrawal. It was never clear how many Russian troops were actually in Syria. Some estimates put them between 3,000 and 6,000. Some of them will certainly stay to observe and monitor the fragile cease fire that has been officially in place since 26 February. The timing of the Russian withdrawal was strategically perfect, as the so-called Peace Talks in Geneva were to start on Monday, 14 March, but so far didnt really get off the ground. Why would they? Warrying factions sitting around the same table for the first time  and with the scenario as mentioned before  large numbers of terrorists attempting to cross the Turkish-Syrian border at the time the talks were to begin, and the western medias non-stop Putin-Assad bashing  the signals are not positive. But most importantly, Washington and its NATO allies do not want peace. They want, as they wanted from day one of the US / NATO instigated 2011 civil war, a regime change  meaning Mr. Assad must go. This has not changed in the minds of the hawks of Washington, including Obama, who are under strong pressure from Israel  which together with the Zionist led Israeli lobby group, AIPAC, controls the US Congress and White House. Regime Change is Washingtons target. As we know from experience around the world  they, the exceptional country and super power, will not let go. Washingtons tenacity on Syria to fall is part of their Plan for a New American Century (PNAC). The US may make believe they are ready for negotiations, but they have no intentions whatsoever, never do, to adhere to any negotiated settlement. Eventually, there are always lies and pretexts, supported by the western presstitute media to break an agreement. The planned decimation and partition of Syria is a mere continuation of what Clinton started in Yugoslavia in the 1990, as was and is the destruction and partition of Iraq and Libya. So far the US / NATO evil forces have relented on Iran which is also conditioned to fall under the PNACs objectives, but the war games havent ended yet. As I said many times before, the US and her western vassals will not surrender or agree to a peaceful settlement until their last breath  which we can only hope, will come soon  for the sake of humanity. To remind readers, this western initiated 5-year active war  was in fact planned since 2007 with the CIA identifying terror groups in the region that could be trained and supported as opposition to the Bashar al-Assad regime once the trigger for war was pulled at the opportune moment. The opportune moment was the so-called Arab Spring, also planned and instigated years ahead by Washington. It engulfed the Middle East, starting in late 2010 in Tunisia, and continued in 2011 with Syria among many other Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries  and is ongoing. In the meantime, the 5-year Syria war has claimed close to half a million lives, and according to UNHCR, out of a population of 22.1 million, 6.5 million are internally displaced, half of whom are children, and over 3 million (some estimates say 4 million) have fled Syria for neighboring countries, mainly Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. At the end of 2015 almost 2 million Syrian refugees lived in Turkish refugee camps. They were part of some 4 million refugees lodged in relatively well organized camps. They started fleeing to Europe, when Turkey opened its floodgates in the fall of 2015, on orders of Washington. The refugees were to be used as a destabilizing weapon in Europe. About a million were absorbed in 2015 by Germany. Did Obama and Putin communicate before the Geneva talks?  Yes they did. Was there a bargain behind closed doors?  Perhaps so. But Vladimir Putin, the geopolitical chess player par excellence and Man of the Year, to whom humanity can be thankful that WWIII has so far been avoided  he is aware that Obama may not be trusted. The warlord number One, instigator of seven wars throughout the world and personal approver of every atrocious, illegal drone killing around the globe can certainly not be trusted ever, but must rather be despised. How must it feel in Obamas skin, knowing that he is one of the most hated men in the world, that he is a criminal, a spineless stooge of the western oligarchs, that he deserves to be judged by a Nuremberg-type tribunal, that once he leaves office he must be afraid to leave the country for fear of being arrested as a war criminal anywhere in the world?  Has his brain become so callous and insensitive that he can still sleep at night?  I often wonder, what does a man of this caliber do with the rest of his sorry life? The man who lied to the world proclaiming change from the Bush horrors, propagating Yes we can!, evoking tears in millions of his admirers during his inauguration ceremony in January 2009  how can he live if he has just a grain of consciousness left? Given the ceasefire the Geneva talks which require friendly faces by the Washington handlers, did Washington make some obfuscated agreements with Turkey, or even blackmailed sultan Recep Erdogan and the Saudis into collaborating, while the US military and NATO stay quiet for a while?  A make-believe propaganda stunt for the Geneva Peace Negotiations? Turkey being a NATO country must follow the Masters orders, or else. Turkey has spent billions in arming and supporting ISIS and Co. and in fighting the Syrian army, in setting up military bases in Syrias Turkmenistan. They have also made billions by stealing Iraqs and Syrias petrol, selling it to Israel and other rogue states. Ironically, this official Russian pull-out also coincides with Ankaras unofficial invasion of Northern Syria; and this just on the eve of the Geneva peace talks in which both Russia and Turkey are participating in. This looks and sounds like a Theater of the Absurd. However, Moscows withdrawal at the time Turkey invades Syria, might be a smart move to avoid a confrontation. Under NATOs collective security rule (Article 5) an attack on one NATO country equals an attack on all NATO members. And Turkey might have just been in Russias way, had Putin not pulled out at the right time his diplomatic joker, possible sidelining another US / NATO WWIII provocation. The Saudis are in a similar position. They spent billions in support for the terrorists, called rebels by the western propaganda liars. While the USs make-believe display of good-will in Geneva, their semi-clandestine Plan B envisages after a short regrouping of the terror forces  that Ankaras and Riyadhs army will play proxy for US  NATO, attacking Syrias army in an attempt to retake the lost territory  and always, always in an attempt to topple the Bashar al-Assad regime. This would be a new provocation for Russia to intervene  Putin has not ruled out a come-back  with the US / NATO watching, just ready to launch an attack on Russia  meaning an attack on the world  WWIII. No worries, such a move to the detriment of humanity would be well supported and sold as justified by the western presstitute media, to the point that the western populace would want even more US / NATO aggression on Russia and by then even on China to defend their western comfort and freedom from the eastern monsters. They cannot imagine that their paradise will eventually go up in flames  and they with it. This all demonstrates that the Geneva gambit is yet another expensive farce funded by the citizens of the world to boost the good image of the Master and its puppet allies in Europe  NATO and the lackluster European nations behind it. Never mind that  the two presidents expressed the hope that the full-format talks between Syrian Government officials and opposition representatives under UN aegis in Geneva will produce concrete results. And again, peace will not happen, because peace is unaffordable by the Masters of the Universe whose economies depend on wars fueled by their horrendous and horrendously lucrative weapons industry. Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a former World Bank staff and worked extensively around the world in the fields of environment and water resources. He writes regularly for Global Research, ICH, RT, Sputnik, PressTV, CounterPunch, TeleSur, The Vineyard of The Saker Blog, and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion  An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed  fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution!  Essays from the Resistance .
The Wrong Kind Of Victory By Dmitry Orlov March 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " ClubOrlov "- One often hears of the fact that the US spends more on its military than most other nations combined. This is usually presented as evidence that the US is more powerful militarilyperhaps so powerful that it could take on the rest of the planet, and prevail. I find this attitude highly questionable. If we look at what sort of defense the US actually spends money on, and what it gets in return in terms of military capabilities, an entirely different picture emerges: of a corruption-riddled blundering leviathan that is thwarting its own purpose at every turn.



To start with, assessing relative military strength based on relative levels of military spending is a lot like betting on a race horse based on how much the horse eats. Sure, horses have to eat, but a horse that eats ten times more than all the other horses is probably not going to come out ahead because there is something seriously wrong with it.



Then consider the fact that a dollar spent on the US military in the US is not directly comparable to a dollar's worth of rubles or yuan spent on in Russia or China; in terms of purchasing parity, the ratios can be 5 to 1, or even 10 to 1. If Russia gets 10 times the bang for the buck, there goes the assumption of supposed US military superiority based on how much the US military eats.



Also, let's not lose track of the fact that the US military has different objectives from the rest of the world's militaries: its goal is primarily offensive rather than defensive. The US military strives to dominate and subjugate the entire planet; everyone else simply tries to defend their territory, while a few countries also try to thwart the US military in its ambition to dominate and subjugate the entire planet.



In general, if the objective is unrealistic, it doesn't matter how much money is wasted in trying to achieve it. More specifically, it's a lot cheaper to break something than to make something work, and the US military, no matter how much money is spent on it, remains quite cheap to neutralize. For instance, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier costs somewhere around $5 billion, while a Russian Kaliber missile that can be launched from a fishing boat from 1200 km away and destroy it is competitively priced at $1.2 million apiece. To put these numbers in perspective, Russia can wipe out the entire US aircraft carrier fleet without exceeding its military training budget for the year.



But all of this matters only if the US actually spends money in trying to achieve some actual military objective. If the US military establishment mostly wastes its money on vanity projects and expensive technological albatrosses, then none of this matters at all, and this may very well be the case. Just look at what the US actually spends its defense dollars on:



 It spends it on military bases around the worldhundreds of them. What purpose do they serve? What does their presence achieve? Nobody knows. It's all part of US military activity: assessing and responding to threats, most of which are purely theoretical. It seems to have an irrational compulsion to not leave any spots on the planet without a US military base. This is mostly just a waste of resources.



 It spends it on a bunch of aircraft carrier groups. These are very useful for launching attacks on defenseless countries. But it is very important to keep these aircraft carriers outside of conflict zones that may involve China or Russia, or even Iran, because each of these countries has several cost-effective ways to destroy an aircraft carrier: ballistic missiles, supersonic cruise missiles and supersonic torpedoes. The entire aircraft carrier fleet is obsolete, and is another huge waste of money.



 It spends it on the Aegis integrated naval combat system, which is considered state-of-the-art and has been installed on a number of cruisers and destroyers. There is just one problem: it is trivial to shut down, as Russia has demonstrated. A jet fighter equipped with a basket of electronic countermeasures equipment called Khibiny was used to shut down Aegis. The jet (which was otherwise unarmed) then performed a dozen bombing runs on the defenseless US navy vessel.



 It spends it on disastrous development programs of various kinds. A classic example is Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, a.k.a. Star Wars: it never resulted in anything strategically useful. Another good example is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which cost over a trillion dollars to develop. It is supposed to be useful for a lot of different missions, but has turned out to be ineffective for all of them.



This list can be continued virtually ad infinitum, but just these examples make clear a basic principle: spending money on things that don't work does not make the US any stronger militarily.



Next, look at the manner in which the US spends money on defense. It spends it by paying military contractors, which are public companieshighly profitable ones. These defense contractors are not primarily interested in delivering value in terms of defense spending; they are interested in generating profits for their shareholders. This is the stated prime directive of all public companies. Therefore, it is safe to write off a good third of all defense spending which goes toward profits: this money may feather a lot of nests, but none of that is military-related.



Also, keep in mind that much of the money is actually just pretty much stolen. The Pentagon has not been audited in decades, and sums unaccounted for run into the billions of dollars. A great deal of defense-related spending is recycled using a variety of schemes into campaign contributions for members of US Congress, whose members then unfailingly vote for increased defense spending. There is also the scheme where defense contractors pay exorbitant consulting fees to retired officers in what is really a form of deferred compensation: the officers work for the defense contractors throughout their careers, but are only paid after they retire. Nobody knows what fraction of defense spending gets siphoned off using these or any number of other corrupt schemes, but it seems likely that the US military establishment is the single largest den of corruption that this planet has ever seen.



The little bit of money that might eventually get spent on developing useful defense systems runs into a truly insurmountable problem: lack of brains. You see, for generations now the US has been falling behind in science and math, along with almost everything else. There are some excellent universities and institutes in the US that graduate top-notch technical specialists, but they mostly graduate foreigners. At the graduate level in science and engineering, US nationals are a small minority.



Now, this doesn't matter in many technical fields, where it is common practice in the US to hire foreign-born specialists. But defense is special: it requires native talent, or the allegiance, and the morale for doing superior work, simply isn't there. And so the defense contractors end up being staffed by native-born knuckle-draggers who couldn't get a job that wasn't defense-related. In turn, the Department of Defense is staffed by similarly dim bulbs: highly caffeinated fitness freaks who run around looking busy, waiting for their next promotion, never criticizing their superiors, never questioning their orders no matter how idiotic they are, and never thinking too hard. What can a system like that achieve? Disasters, that's what.



And so that's what we see: a long sequence of unmitigated military disasters. The US has been involved in a long series of military campaigns against very weak adversaries, in which it proved itself capable of destruction, with staggering levels of collateral damage, and some very impressive unintended consequences such as the emergence of ISIS/Daesh/Islamic Caliphate, but not much else.



Critically, it has turned out to be utterly incapable of winning the peace. The ultimate objective of all military missions is cessation of hostilities on favorable terms. If this objective cannot be achieved, then the military mission is worse than useless. Has the US military been able to achieve cessation of hostilities on favorable terms in any of the countries in which it intervened militarilyAfghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, the Ukraine? No, it certainly hasn't.



The US defense establishment can be considered victorious in one sense only: it has conquered and subdued the people of the United States, and is extracting a plentiful tribute from them. It is a pure parasite, serving no useful purpose. It should be disbanded. As far as standing up to the neighbors, the Texas National Guard should be a good match to Mexico's Federales in case Mexico decides to stage a military-style reconquista, which is unlikely, since the de facto demographic reconquista is going so well. On the other hand, the northern border requires no protection it all, since it is inconceivable that Canada would ever pose any sort of military threat.



Of course, there is an alternative to voluntarily disbanding the US military: a resounding, humiliating military defeat at the hands of clever, cost-conscious adversaries. However, this plan is fraught with the danger of triggering a nuclear exchange, and highly placed Americans who are concerned that a nuclear explosion might interfere with their personal longevity plans should give the voluntary approach a good think.



P.S. Some people might find my criticism and suggestions unpatriotic because we should all support our troops. Rest assured, this has nothing to do with the troops: they do not get to make procurement decisions, and they do not get to choose their missions. As far as as patriotism is concerned, it is the sworn patriotic duty of the troops to serve and protect the people, not the other way around. But if you wish to be a patriot, then you too can serve and protect the people, the troops in particular (because, don't you forget, they are people too) by bringing them home and giving them civilian jobs doing something useful, or at least something that isn't harmful to the world at large or to the country's finances, environment, health, reputation or security. Dmitry Orlov was born in Leningrad and immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. He is the author of Reinventing Collapse, Hold Your Applause! and Absolutely Positive, and publishes weekly at the phenomenally popular blog www.ClubOrlov.com .
9/11: The FBI Report and the Dancing Israelis Standing Truth on its Ear Mark H. Gaffney On the morning of September 11, 2001 a Jersey City, N.J. housewife named Maria was making coffee in her kitchen when she received a phone call from a neighbor who excitedly told her to look out the window. When Maria looked she was shocked to see a plume of smoke rising from the World Trade Center about a mile away across the Hudson River. Quickly Maria grabbed some binoculars and stepped out onto the balcony of her high-rise apartment, known as the Doric Towers, which afforded an excellent view of lower Manhattan. Maria did not yet know that a commercial airliner had plowed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, but it was obvious that an ugly tragedy was in progress. As she watched, she noticed three men in the parking lot below who were behaving strangely. They were sitting or kneeling on the roof of a white panel truck and, like her, were watching the stricken World Trade Center. Oddly, however, the three men were celebrating. They were smiling and laughing, giving high-fives, taking photos, and one looked to be filming the World Trade Center as it burned. Their inappropriate behavior made Maria suspicious and, a few minutes later, when the men drove off in the van, she copied down their license plate number. When her husband returned home from jury duty, she discussed the matter with him, then, called the police and reported what she had seen. At 3:31 p.m., the FBI put out a be on the lookout (BOLO) all points bulletin and, about an hour later, East Rutherford police officers Scott DeCarlo and Sgt. Dennis Rivelli identified the white van, then stopped it on Rt. 3, near Giants stadium. The cops approached and instructed the occupants to exit the vehicle, but the driver refused and the officers, now with guns drawn, had to physically remove the occupants (there were now five of them). The men were hand-cuffed, read their rights, and taken into custody. All of them were between 22-27 years of age. Their names were Sivan Kurzburg, his brother Paul Kurzburg, Yaron Shmuel, Oded Ellner and Omer Marmari. The driver [Sivan Kurzburg] reportedly told officer DeCarlo, We are Israeli. We are not your problem. Your problems are our problems. The Palestinians are the problem. i Another occupant falsely said, We were on the West Side highway in New York City during the incident. A search of the vehicle turned up several passports, cameras, rolls of film, a sock stuffed with $4700 in cash, backpacks, notebooks and, according to the Bergen Record, maps of the city with certain places highlighted.It looked like they were hooked in with this. It looked like they knew what was going to happen. ii This story in the local newspaper was prescient, because the issue of foreknowledge would preoccupy the subsequent FBI investigation. The question was eventually answered, though as we will learn, not by the FBI. The five Israelis claimed to be tourists temporarily employed by a local moving company, Urban Moving Systems (UMS), based in Weehawken, N.J. The owner of the business was also an Israeli, 31-year old Dominik Suter whom FBI agents briefly questioned, before Suter fled to Israel with his family. At that point, the FBI obtained a warrant and searched the UMS premises. They found evidence of Suters hasty departure, uneaten sandwiches, cell phones and half-full coffee cups, as well as stored furniture and the belongings of numerous customers who had been left hanging. FBI agents seized documents and at least fifteen computers. The FBI placed the five Israelis in a federal detention center, isolated them from one other, and began to interrogate them closely. The investigation was driven by numerous discrepancies in their accounts, and by the mens strange behavior in the period before the second plane impact when everyone still assumed that the first crash was simply a tragic accident. Some of the Israelis were given as many as seven lie-detector tests in an effort to determine if they had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks. One, Paul Kurzburg, refused for weeks to take a lie-detection test, then agreed to take it, and promptly failed it. iii During interrogation, the Israelis reportedly explained why they were happy that morning. They said it was because the United States would now have to commit itself to fighting [Middle East] terrorism, that Americans would have an understanding and empathy for Israels circumstances, and that the attacks were ultimately a good thing for Israel. iv As we know, Likud-leader Benjamin Netanyahu made a similar comment when asked about 9/11. Its very good, Netanyahu told the press, then back-tracked, Well, not very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy for Israel. v The FBI investigation took a serious turn when two of the men turned up in a US national intelligence database, indicating they were known Mossad agents. Mossad is the Israeli equivalent of the CIA. Also, two of the men (it is not clear if these were the same two) were found to be in possession of round-trip airline tickets. The two had arrived in the US from Tel Aviv via Athens on June 15, 2001, and were scheduled to return to Israel on September 12, 2001, the day after the attacks. vi Was the suspicious timing of their planned departure just a coincidence? In March 2002, an un-named high-ranking US intelligence official told The Forward, a venerable New York Jewish newspaper, that the FBI concluded at the end of its investigation that the Israelis arrested in New Jersey had been conducting a Mossad surveillance mission on September 11, and that their employer, Urban Moving Systems, served as a front. vii ABC News conducted its own probe and reported a similar view on the networks prime-time show 20/20. viii During a taped interview with co-hosts Barbara Walter and John Miller, the Israeli detainees attorney, Steve Gordon, made a belated attempt at damage-control. Gordon said his clients denied the news reports that that they had been celebrating, or rejoicing, or even horsing around, that morning. But Gordons attempt to spin the story in a more favorable light remained at odds with the evidence found in the white van, namely, rolls of film plus the film pulled from three cameras, which when developed by the FBI appeared to confirm exactly what Maria first told police. The Israelis had taken portrait shots of one another with the burning World Trade Center in the background, and plainly were in a festive mood. The FBI never found the alleged videocamera, however. ix ABC consultant Vince Cannistraro, who formerly had served as CIA chief of counter-terrorism operations, later told journalist Christopher Ketcham that the question that most troubled FBI agents in the weeks and months after 9/11 was whether the Israelis had arrived at the site of their celebration with foreknowledge of the attack to come. According to Cannistraro, From the beginning, the FBI investigation operated on the premise that the Israelis had foreknowledge. x The FBI report Such a conclusion is consistent with the FBI report on the case, or rather, with the small part of it that was made public in 2011. Most of the FBI report, some 1280 pages or more in length, remains classified and will not be released until 2035. But even from the lesser part that has been declassified, it is evident that the FBI uncovered some disturbing material linking the Israelis to 9/11, material that was never reported by the US news media. xi For instance, the report mentions that the FBI received information from its Miami office that one of the 19 alleged 9/11 hijackers had utilized another Israeli-run moving company, Classic International Movers (CIM), also based in New Jersey. It seems that a number of Israeli-owned moving companies were operating in the New York area. Curiously, CMIs telephone number turned up in one of the notebooks found in the white van, all of which prompted the FBI to detain and interview four CIM employees. The four were Israelis and had served in the Israeli military; and all four had entered the US from various locations in South America. xii Although the outcome of the expanded investigation cannot be determined from the heavily censored FBI report, the connection to the 19 hijackers must have alarmed US intelligence experts. If Mossad agents were shadowing Arab terrorists in the US, it possibly meant the Israelis had prior actionable intelligence about the 9/11 attacks which they did not share with US officials. In another case, the FBI interviewed a former Urban Moving Systems employee who said he had quit Urban due to a high amount of anti-American sentiment present among Urbans employees. The former worker stated that, in addition to Israelis, UMS also employed Russians, Hungarians, and other foreign nationals. But the Israelis always spoke Hebrew among themselves and held frequent meetings in the company office, to which he and the other non-Jewish employees were never invited. The man said that an Israeli employee of Urban had once remarked, Give us twenty years and well take over your media and destroy your country. I hasten to add, this is straight out of the FBI report. I am not making this up, nor embellishing. xiii The same individual also offered a glimpse into the moving operation that could explain why UMS owner Dominik Suter fled the country. The former employee called Suter a crook and described how he would have the delivery teams fill up the trucks with empty boxes, because he [Suter] would charge the customers by cubic feet. He [Suter] would also have some employees stay on the trucks when they were weighed so that he could charge more. xiv If this is true, and Suter was engaging in shady business practices, it might explain why he fled. Suter might have feared exposure and possible prosecution. The testimony of the plainly disgruntled individual must be treated with skepticism, yet, one of the Israeli detainees (I will refer to him as the 5th Israeli) corroborated some of what he said. The fifth Israeli told the FBI that most of the foreign nationals employed at UMS lacked the necessary work-visas, which means that Dominik Suter made a practice of hiring illegals, and based on the testimony of his own workers, its clear he exploited their illegal status, paying sub-standard wages under the table, while avoiding payroll taxes. Suter definitely had cause for concern. Yet, as the reader is about to learn, his flight was also undoubtedly motivated by a much more serious matter. In the end, despite considerable evidence to the contrary, the FBI concluded that the five Israelis most likely did not possess prior knowledge of the WTC events. xv On November 20, 2001, the detainees were served a deportation order for visa violations, then escorted from a US immigration and naturalization center in Brooklyn to JFK international airport where they were put on a flight to Tel Aviv. Once safely back in Israel, three of the men went on a national television show, and during the interview one, Oded Ellner, told his audience that Our purpose was to document the event, xvi which of course implies foreknowledge. Ellners public admission reduced the FBI investigation to absurdity. Unfortunately, from there it gets worse, because the rest of the story is almost too terrible to contemplate. Yet, face it we must. The fifth Israeli It seems that one of the five Israeli detainees did not know enough to keep his mouth shut, probably because he was not a member of the core Mossad group, hence, was not in the loop. This fifth Israeli was apparently just a guy, a poor shmuck who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. According to the FBI report, the man broke down and sobbed repeatedly under interrogation, not what you would expect of a Mossad operative. The man told the FBI he barely knew the four other Israelis who were in the van with him at the time of the arrest, and did not even know their last names. Evidently, this fifth man was one of two Johnny-come-late-lies who joined the group after the high-fivers left the parking lot below Marias apartment. xvii This odd man out gave the FBI the fullest account of any of the detainees. He described in considerable detail the events of that morning; how he first noticed smoke pouring from the World Trade Center while en route to work; and how he arrived at UMS late, between 9:15 - 9:20 a.m., whereupon, he reported to the box packaging area in the UMS warehouse for some scheduled training. Apparently, the man was still a novice mover. He further explained that around 11 a.m. one of the other Israelis came in and announced that they are taking down the second building, at which point everyone in the warehouse hurried up to the roof to watch the mind-boggling spectacle. The fifth Israeli told the FBI that (and I quote) at the time [he, the fifth man] believed that the authorities had purposely collapsed the building to prevent the additional damage that would be caused by the building tumbling to its side. It was not until later that night when he saw a TV news report in jail that he realized that the planes had caused the buildings collapse. This is verbatim from the FBI report. Looking back with unblinkered hindsight, its clear that the naive fifth Israeli heard it right the first time from the other Israeli who knew the truth: that the World Trade Center was being systematically demolished in plain view of the whole world. Today, fifteen years after the fact, we know it was a demolition thanks to the independent research of some highly motivated scientists, engineers and truth-tellers, who over the years have gathered an overwhelming amount of evidence, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that explosives were used. xviii The basics have been known since at least 2007, when the physicist Steven E. Jones found explosive residues in samples of World Trade Center dust. xix Some of the evidence for explosives was actually compiled on the morning of the attacks. Indeed, it was being gathered at Hoboken, N.J., on the shore of the Hudson, even as the Israelis celebrated on the roof of the UMS warehouse a mile or more upriver at Weehawken. When Rick Siegel heard about the tragedy unfolding in lower Manhattan, he hustled to the Hoboken waterfront, set up his videocamera on a tripod, and began shooting. Over the next two hours, Siegel diligently filmed both collapses, but even more importantly, he captured an audio record of the enormous rumbling explosions that ripped through the towers in the moments before they fell. xx Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of shocked local residents who were also watching from the Jersey shore that morning must have heard the same enormous explosions, as did many more in lower Manhattan. Yet, not one of these Americans was ever asked to appear before the official 9/11 investigations and describe what he or she saw and heard, that morning. Siegels audio-video tape is almost as shocking on replay as the events of that day. The slightly muffled but nonetheless unmistakable sounds of huge multiple blasts carried quite well for more than two miles across the open water of the Hudson River. Siegels audio record is yet more corroborating evidence refuting the fiction that has pervaded the US media ever since: that plane impacts and fires brought down the twin towers. No way, we were deceived. The official story about 9/11 is probably the most monstrous lie ever perpetrated upon the American people. The Mossad team based in Weehawken not only had, by its own admission, foreknowledge of the attacks, the testimony in the FBIs own report, as I have attempted to show, suggests that the Israelis also knew, that very morning, that the World Trade Center was being demolished with explosives. S tanding truth on its ear Oded Ellners brazen admission that our purpose was to document the incident may have played well in Israel, but it raised a number of urgent questions for Americans, questions that still need answers. First and foremost: how did the FBI come to embarrass itself so badly? Indeed, how could the FBI have reached a conclusion 180 degrees from the truth? Especially since its investigation, judging from the portion of the FBI report that is available, appears to have been on track, at least initially. I suspect the answer is rather simple. Although the FBI had all of the necessary resources to do its work, it was hamstrung by the official story and thus, was unable to pursue leads that would have led to the truth. The idea of a demolition was so far out of bounds as to be unthinkable. This no doubt also explains why the FBI declassified the fifth Israelis eyewitness account. The FBI censor evidently failed to comprehend the significance of the mans testimony, pointing to the use of explosives. But the FBI was also shut down from above. A source at ABC News told journalist Chris Ketcham that there is a lot of frustration inside the bureau about this case. They feel the higher echelons torpedoed the investigation.Leads were not fully investigated. xxi ABC reported that a settlement was finally reached in the case after high level negotiations between Israeli and US government officials. xxii According to former CIA counter-terrorism chief Vince Cannistraro, there is no question but that [the order to close down the investigation] came from the White House. It was immediately assumed at CIA headquarters that this basically was going to be a cover-up so that the Israelis would not be implicated in any way in 9/11. Bear in mind, this was a political issue, not a law enforcement or intelligence issue. xxiii The travesty I have just described incriminates then-president G.W. Bush and VP Dick Cheney. We are left to ponder their obvious treachery, and the following incendiary question: how did the Mossad team in New Jersey know in real time that the Twin Towers were being demolished with explosives? The second updated and expanded edition of Mark H. Gaffneys 2012 book Black 9/11 will be released later this year. Reach Mark for comment at markhgaffney@earthlink.net

Notes:



i This was widely reported by many different sources.



ii Paulo Lima, Five men detained as suspected conspirators, Bergen Record, September 12, 2001.



iii ABC News, 20/20 with Barbara Walters and John Miller, June 21, 2002.



iv Christopher Ketcham, What Did Israel Know in Advance of the 9/11 Attacks?, Counterpunch, March 7, 2007.



v James Bennet, DAY OF TERROR: THE ISRAELIS; Spilled Blood Is Seen as Bond That Draws 2 Nations Closer, New York Times, September 12, 2001, posted at http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/day-terror-israelis-spilled-blood-seen-bond-that-draws-2-nations-closer.html



vi FBI Report, section one.



vii Marc Perelman, Discussion of the Dancing Israelis, Forward, March 15, 2001.



viii ABC News, 20/20 with Barbara Walters and John Miller, June 21, 2002.



ix The matter of the videocamera was never resolved. The FBI never found the video-cam, but neither did it find reason to question the reliability of the witness Maria, who in repeated interviews never changed her story. In fact, Maria gave a very detailed description of what she saw. She described the video-cam as a small handheld unit with a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. She also recalled that one of the men was holding it up to his face, moving the camera slowly from side to side, or, as she put it, panning the area. FBI Report, section one.



x Christopher Ketcham, What Did Israel Know in Advance of the 9/11 Attacks?, Counterpunch, March 7, 2007.



xi The declassified FBI Report about the five dancing Israelis may be downloaded at http://kennysideshow.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-dancing-israelis-docs_4.html



xii FBI Report, sections one and five.



xiii FBI Report, sections one and five.



xiv Ibid.



xv FBI Report, section five.



xvi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OyUoGUV7b8



xvii FBI Report, section three.



xviii Check out the papers at the Journal of 9/11 Studies, http://www.journalof911studies.com



Also check out the educational material posted by the Architects and Engineers for 9/11Truth, http://www.ae911truth.org



xix Dr. Steven E. Jones, Revisiting 9/11/2001 -- Applying the Scientific Method, Journal of 9/11 Studies, May 2007, posted at http://www.journalof911studies.com/volume/200704/JonesWTC911SciMethod.pdf



xx Siegels video can be purchased at his website http://www.911eyewitness.com



Or, watch it for free at Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ808QZjHxQ



xxi Christopher Ketcham, What Did Israel Know in Advance of the 9/11 Attacks?, Counterpunch, March 7, 2007.



xxii ABC News, 20/20 with Barbara Walters and John Miller, June 21, 2002.



xxiii Christopher Ketcham, What Did Israel Know in Advance of the 9/11 Attacks?, Counterpunch, March 7, 2007.
Is There a US-Russia Grand Bargain in Syria? By Pepe Escobar March 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Sputnik "- Its spy thriller stuff; no one is talking. But there are indications Russia would not announce a partial withdrawal from Syria right before the Geneva negotiations ramp up unless a grand bargain with Washington had been struck. Some sort of bargain is in play, of which we still dont know the details; that's what the CIA itself is basically saying through their multiple US Think Tankland mouthpieces. And that's the real meaning hidden under a carefully timed Barack Obama interview that, although inviting suspension of disbelief, reads like a major policy change document. Obama invests in proverbial whitewashing, now admitting US intel did not specifically identify the Bashar al-Assad government as responsible for the Ghouta chemical attack. And then there are nuggets, such as Ukraine seen as not a vital interest of the US  something that clashes head on with the Brzezinski doctrine. Or Saudi Arabia as freeloaders of US foreign policy  something that provoked a fierce response from former Osama bin Laden pal and Saudi intel supremo Prince Turki. Tradeoffs seem to be imminent. And that would imply a power shift has taken place above Obama  who is essentially a messenger, a paperboy. Still that does not mean that the bellicose agendas of both the Pentagon and the CIA are now contained. Russian intel cannot possibly trust a US administration infested with warmongering neocon cells. Moreover, the Brzezinski doctrine has failed  but its not dead. Part of the plan was to flood oil markets with shut-in capacity in to destroy Russia. That caused damage, but the second part, which was to lure Russia into an war in Ukraine for which Ukrainians were to be the cannon fodder in the name of democracy, failed miserably. Then there was the wishful thinking that Syria would suck Russia into a quagmire of Dubya in Iraq proportions  but that also failed miserably with the current Russian time out. The Kurdish factor Convincing explanations for the (partial) Russian withdrawal from Syria are readily available . What matters is that the Khmeimim air base and the naval base in Tartus remain untouched. Key Russian military advisers/trainers remain in place. Air raids, ballistic missile launches from the Caspian or the Mediterranean  everything remains operational. Russian air power continues to protect the forces deployed by Damascus and Tehran. As much as Russia may be downsizing, Iran (and Hezbollah) are not. Tehran has trained and weaponized key paramilitary forces  thousands of soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan fighting side by side with Hezbollah and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). The SAA will keep advancing and establishing facts on the ground. As the Geneva negotiations pick up, those facts are now relatively frozen. Which brings us to the key sticking point in Geneva  which has got to be included in the possible grand bargain. The grand bargain is based on the current ceasefire (or "cessation of hostilities") holding, which is far from a given. Assuming all these positions hold, a federal Syria could emerge, what could be dubbed Break Up Light. Essentially, we would have three major provinces: a Sunnistan, a Kurdistan and a Cosmopolistan. Sunnistan would include Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, assuming the whole province may be extensively purged of ISIS/ISIL/Daesh. Kurdistan would be in place all along the Turkish border  something that would freak out Sultan Erdogan to Kingdom Come. And Cosmopolistan would unite the Alawi/ Christian/ Druze/ secular Sunni heart of Syria, or the Syria that works, from Damascus up to Latakia and Aleppo. Syrian Kurds are already busy spinning that a federal Syria would be based on community spirit, not geographical confines. Ankaras response, predictably, has been harsh; any Kurdish federal system in northern Syria represents not only a red line but an existential threat to Turkey. Ankara may be falling under the illusion that Moscow, with its partial demobilizing, would look the other way if Erdogan orders a military invasion of northern Syria, as long as it does not touch Latakia province. And yet, in the shadows, lurks the possibility that Russian intel may be ready to strike a deal with the Turkish military  with the corollary that a possible removal of Sultan Erdogan would pave the way for the reestablishment of the Russia-Turkey friendship, essential for Eurasia integration. What the Syrian Kurds are planning has nothing to do with separatism. Syrian Kurds are 2.2 million out of a remaining Syrian population of roughly 18 million. Their cantons across the Syria-Turkey border Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin  have been established since 2013. The YPG has already linked Jazeera to Kobani, and is on their way to link them to Afrin. This, in a nutshell, is Rojava province. The Kurds across Rojava  heavily influenced by concepts developed by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan  are deep into consultations with Arabs and Christians on how to implement federalism, privileging a horizontal self-ruled model, a sort of anarchist-style confederation. Its a fascinating political vision that would even include the Kurdish communities in Damascus and Aleppo. Moscow  and that is absolutely key  supports the Kurds. So they must be part of the Geneva negotiations. The Russian long game is complex; not be strictly aligned either with Damascus or with the discredited opposition supported and weaponized by Turkey and the GCC. Team Obama, as usual, is on the fence. Theres the NATO ally angle  but even Washington is losing patience with Erdogan. The geopolitical winners and losers Only the proverbially clueless Western corporate media was caught off-guard by Russias latest diplomatic coup in Syria. Consistency has been the norm. Russia has been consistently upgrading the Russia-China strategic partnership. This has run in parallel to the hybrid warfare in Ukraine (asymmetric operations mixed with economic, political, military and technological support to the Donetsk and Lugansk republics); even NATO officials with a decent IQ had to admit that without Russian diplomacy theres no solution to the war in Donbass. In Syria, Moscow accomplished the outstanding feat of making Team Obama see the light beyond the fog of neo-con-instilled war, leading to a solution involving Syrias chemical arsenal after Obama ensnared himself in his own red line. Obama owes it to Putin and Lavrov, who literally saved him not only from tremendous embarrassment but from yet another massive Middle East quagmire. The Russian objectives in Syria already laid out in September 2015 have been fulfilled. Jihadists of all strands are on the run  including, crucially, the over 2,000 born in southern Caucasus republics. Damascus has been spared from regime change a la Saddam or Gaddafi. Russias presence in the Mediterranean is secure. Russia will be closely monitoring the current cessation of hostilities; and if the War Party decides to ramp up support for ISIS/ISIL/Daesh or the moderate rebel front via any shadow war move, Russia will be back in a flash. As for Sultan Erdogan, he can brag what he wants about his no-fly zone pipe dream; but the fact is the northwestern Syria-Turkish border is now fully protected by the S-400 air defense system. Moreover, the close collaboration of the 4+1 coalition  Russia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, plus Hezbollah  has broken more ground than a mere Russia-Shite alignment. It prefigures a major geopolitical shift, where NATO is not the only game in town anymore, dictating humanitarian imperialism; this other coalition could be seen as a prefiguration of a future, key, global role for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. As we stand, it may seem futile to talk about winners and losers in the five-year-long Syrian tragedy  especially with Syria destroyed by a vicious, imposed proxy war. But facts on the ground point, geopolitically, to a major victory for Russia, Iran and Syrian Kurds, and a major loss for Turkey and the GCC petrodollar gang, especially considering the huge geo-energy interests in play. Its always crucial to stress that Syria is an energy war  with the prize being who will be better positioned to supply Europe with natural gas; the proposed Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline, or the rival Qatar pipeline to Turkey that would imply a pliable Damascus. Other serious geopolitical losers include the self-proclaimed humanitarianism of the UN and the EU. And most of all the Pentagon and the CIA and their gaggle of weaponized moderate rebels. It aint over till the last jihadi sings his Paradise song. Meanwhile, time out Russia is watching.
The Indian police arrested 27 men this morning in the state of Odisha, for the alleged sexual assault of a holy statue of the Hindu god, Ganesh. The crime, which took place on Tuesday night, shocked the entire country, who had already been shaken by several sexual scandals over the last few years.

The 27 accused are presumed to be part of a larger group of men who pierced a hole in the abdominal area of a temple statue, before engaging in sexual intercourse with it.

The scene was witnessed by a few neighbours who contacted the police, but the men had already left when the authorities arrived on the site. Fortunately for the police, two of the men bragged about their crime to a group of friends, who immediately denounced them. During their interrogation, they rapidly gave the names of many other men who had participated in the crime.

The Odisha State police and the BhubaneswarCuttack Police Commissionerate launched a vast joint operation this morning, and were able to arrest 25 of the 31 suspects they were looking for. These men took part in one of the most horrible crimes in the history of the country, said Captain Jayesh Kumar, spokesman of the Odisha State Police. I really hope the tribunal will make an example of them, to show everyone that such unacceptable behaviors have serious consequences.

WNDR.
Ekiti is a state in western Nigeria. It was declared a state on October 1, 1996 alongside five others by the military under the dictatorship of General Sani Abacha. The state, carved out of the territory of old Ondo State, covers the former twelve local government areas that made up the Ekiti Zone of old Ondo State. With little known about this state by Nigerians, INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together 5 interesting fact to know about Ekiti.

 The land is popular for its forest resources, notably timber. Because of the favorable climatic conditions, the land enjoys luxuriant vegetation, thus, it has abundant resources of different species of timber. Food crops like yam, cassava, and also grains like rice and maize are grown in large qualities. Other notable crops like kola nut and varieties of fruits are also cultivated in commercial quantities.

 Ekiti land is buoyant in agricultural resources with cocoa as its leading cash crop. It was largely known that Ekiti land constituted well over 40% of the cocoa products of the famous old Western Region.

 Ekiti is also blessed with water resources, some of its major rivers are Ero, Osun, Ose, and Ogbese. More so a variety of tourist attractions abound in the state namely, Ikogosi Warm Spring, Ipole  Iloro Water Falls, Olosunta hills, Ikere, Fajuyi Memorial Park Ado  Ekiti and so on. The Ikogosi tourist centre is the most popular and the most developed. The warm spring is a unique natural feature, and supporting facilities are developed in the centre. The spring is at present being processed and packaged into bottled water for commercial purpose by a private company  UAC Nigeria.

 The spring water is said to have some therapeutic effects on some diseases like rheumatism and guinea-worm. People who have access to the spring use it for the battery of their vehicles instead of the normal battery water.

 Olosunta and Orole hills in southern Ikere-Ekiti are worshipped by the people of the area. Both deities are credited with some feats such as provision of children to barren women and protection of Ikere from warfare. They are believed to be responsible for the welfare of the town. Ikere Ekiti is usually described as the only unconquered town in Ekiti during the popular inter-tribal wars.
A former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, yesterday, hailed the verdict of the Supreme Court that gave the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) approval to prosecute him for alleged N2.4billion fraud when he ran the affairs of the state between 1999 and 2007.

Following the decisions of the Federal High Court and Appeal Court, both in Abuja, which refused to quashed the charges bordering on corruption and money laundering against him, the former governor had appealed to the apex court.

But the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal for lacking in merit.

Justice Suleiman Galadima, who wrote the lead judgments in both appeals, upheld the concurrent decisions of the lower courts, in refusing the appeals.

The five-man panel of the apex court, in its unanimous judgments, directed the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to assign the cases to new judges for accelerated hearing.

On Kalus case, Justice Galadima, whose judgment was read by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, said: The appellant had approached the Federal High Court, Abuja to quash the charges made against him by the EFCC.

The Court dismissed the case. He went to the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division. He lost and approached this court.

Having considered all issues raised and arguments by parties, I come to the conclusion that I cannot, but help in dismissing this appeal for lacking in merit. It is dismissed.

I affirm the decision of the court bellow, which rightly affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court, that it was not bound by the ex-parte order of the Abia State High Court as to vitiate the charges preferred against the appellant.

The learned Chief Judge of the Federal High Court should assign the case to another judge for expeditious trial, Justice Galadima said.

Other members of the panel: Justice Mahmud Mohammed (the Chief Justice of Nigeria), Bode Rhodes-Vivour, sylvester Nwgwuta and Datijo Mohammed agreed with the lead judgments in both appeals.

Reacting to the Fridays Supreme Court verdict, Kalu said yesterday that this is another opportunity to prove my innocence.

He maintained that all the records and facts of the case are in his possession and he is willing to submit himself for the rule of law to take its course.

That has always been my passion advocacy, right from the lower courts where the case emanated, he said from London.

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, Kalu added.

He assured the EFCC of his continued support and profound cooperation in any further investigation into this allegation, even as he claimed it is part of the price I have to pay for opposing the third-term agenda fiasco of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
A middle age man was on Friday sentenced to death by handing by the Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure, the state capital for stealing N30,000 in an armed robbery attack.

The man, Tope Ekundayo, had been standing trial before the court presided by Justice Williams Olamide for a two count charge of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Mr. Ekundayo, 38, was said to have carried out the robbery at Adebobajo area of Akure last year and was found guilty as charged.

According to the charges brought against the suspect in court by the counsels to the state government, Mrs Sola Adeyemi-Tuki and Mrs Jumoke Ogunjebi, they told the court that the convict had robbed one Ibekwe Mercy of the sum of N30,000 and other valuables at gun point but was later apprehended by law enforcement agents.

The two counsels also produced five witnesses against Ekundayo in court.

Although counsel to the accused, Mrs. Toyin Asake of the Nigeria Legal Aid Council, pleaded for leniency for her client being a first offender, the trial judge in his verdict ordered that Ekundayo should die by hanging to serve as deterrent to others.

Justice Williams said his judgment was based on the strength of evidence brought against Ekundayo by the prosecuting counsel, which shows that the suspect was armed during the operation.
A former Senior Special Assistant to immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the undisputed and authentic leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Southwest region of the country.

Okupe, who stated this in a Facebook post on Friday, carpeted the senator representing Ogun East, Buruji Kashamu, saying he cannot be described as a leader of the party merely because he runs a local non-governmental organisation in Ogun State.

It would be recalled that last Thursday, some leaders of the party from the zone visited the national chairman of PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff in Abuja, where they unanimously endorsed Kashamu as the Southwest leader of the party.

Mr. Obasanjo, who last year February publicly ordered his ward chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Usman Oladunjoye, to tear his membership card of the party to pieces, was until his resignation from partisan politics, the highest ranking member of the party from the Southwest zone.

But Dr. Okupe said despite the action, which he attributed to Mr. Obasanjos frustration with the intolerable happenings within the party at the time, the ex-president did not resign from the PDP.

He said: Senator Buruji Kashamu is not the leader of the PDP in the southwest. He is not even the leader of the party in Ogun state. He leads an NGO called Omo Ilu which engages in empowerment programmes in the state, mainly in the Ogun East Senatorial district.

Baba Obasanjo still remains the undisputed and authentic leader of the PDP in the South-West. The fact that he tore his membership card is not tantamount to resignation from the party. An action he has not undertaken to date.

Tearing of the membership card though a very negative action is undoubtedly a knee-jerk reaction to certain unacceptable or intolerable happenings within the party which can and will be redressed.

In his temporary absence, we have a collegiate or con-federal leadership of eminent and distinguished elders including Chief Bode George, Chief Ogunlewe, Aare Jubril Martins Kuye, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Chief Mrs Apampa, Dr. Lekan Balogun, Baba Richard Akinjide, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Shuabu Oyedokun, Iyiola Omisore, Prof Adeniran, Governor Fayose, Governor Mimiko, Senator Bode Olajumoke amongst others.

We are a proud and a foremost race in Nigeria. We have enviable political antecedents and capable of presenting nationally credible and acceptable leadership at any and all time.
The Nigerian Army has called for calm in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital and environs, as it began detonation of expired bombs and other explosives as well as demolition of unserviceable ammunition in the state capital.

The Army said the detonation of some expired and unserviceable ammunition and explosives became necessary to reduce the risk associated with their continuous storage.

The People of Abeokuta have lived under an atmosphere of apprehension following the strange and loud sounds that occurred every day with lightening.

But, the Army in its statement, signed by the new Army Public Relations Officer of 35, Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Major Rilwan Ishida, Friday, said the exercise would last for six months.

The Army further urged the people of the state not to panic anymore as the exercise continues.

According to Major Ishida, the Headquarters of Nigerian Army has authorised the Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps to demolish all the unserviceable ammunition and explosives held at the Nigerian Navy Ordinance Depot between March 8, and August 27,2016 .

The demolition would take place at 35 Brigade Demolition range, Alamala, Abeokuta.

The Purpose of the demolition exercise is to reduce the risk associated with the continous storage of unserviceable and obsolete ammunition and explosives at the Nigerian Navy Ordinance Depot.

It should be noted that demolition of explosives and ordinances come with loud noise that might be frightening especially to the elderly and babies, the Spokesman of 35, Artillery Brigade of Nigerian Army, said.
The Ekiti State Government has described as ridiculous, and open display of contempt for the rule of law, the claim by the Department of State Services (DSS) that it detained a member of the state House of Assembly, Afolabi Akanni, for committing security breach and that it was not aware of a court order on his release.

A spokesperson for the DSS, Abdullahi Garba, had while presenting Akanni, the member representing Efon-Alaaye state constituency in the Ekiti House of Assembly before newsmen at the DSS headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, to dispel rumors of the lawmakers death, said he was being held over weighty but unspecified security issues.

In its reaction on Friday, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and new Media, Lere Olayinka said the DSS should tell Nigerians when Hon. Akanni committed those offences amounting to breach of security? Did Hon. Akanni plot coup or is he leading insurgents to warrant his detention without trial?

Olayinka, who was flanked by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Idowu Adelusi, said as a result of DSS refusal to be served with the Court Order on March 11, the order was published in a national daily Thursday, as directed by the court.

The government, which explained why it raised the alarm over Mr. Akannis possible death on Wednesday, said; We wish to reiterate that the state government addressed the press yesterday, based on the information available to it and since the DSS was not talking to anyone concerning the status of Hon Afolabi Akanni and others in its custody, the government had no option than to bring the disturbing information to the public domain and also call for calm among residents of the State.

It said; From the pictures of Hon. Akanni that we saw on television and published in the newspapers, it is without doubt that he is terribly sick and in need of urgent medical attention, and the disturbing information about his death could have been informed by his critical state of health. Hon. Akanni even told journalists that he slumped twice yesterday and that he was refused access to medication.

Evidently and as even reported in the newspapers today, the Hon. Akanni paraded before the press by the DSS yesterday was very sick.

The press reported that he could not stand on his feet and we wish to ask the DSS whether it actually wants him (Akanni) to die!

If truly the DSS has facts and evidences that Hon. Akanni committed offence of security breach, why not charge him to court and prosecute him with the facts and evidences before the service? Or is the DSS waiting for Hon. Akanni to supply evidences with which he will be prosecuted?

If the DSS is claiming that Hon. Akanni is being held for committing serious security breach, why was the State Commissioner for Finance, Chief Toyin Ojo invited by the DSS? What is the correlation between Ecological Fund, claim of Federal Government refund to Ekiti State on construction of federal roads and State Security?

For clarity, Chief Toyin Ojo was asked by the DSS investigators how much was refunded to Ekiti State by the federal government on federal roads constructed/rehabilitated by the State government and how ecological fund released to the State was spent. He was also asked how Governor Ayodele Fayose election was funded. How are these issues related to the security of Nigeria? What is the business of the DSS with the finances of Ekiti State?

Also, former Special Assistant to the governor on Internally Generated Revenue, Ropo Ogunjobi is being kept in the DSS custody since March 4.

Did he also commit serious security breach or he is just being held to extract information as to the finances of Ekiti State in furtherance to the mandate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gladiators in the State, who are working on what they called the 2006 Template?

Did Secretary to the State Government, Dr (Mrs) Dupe Alade, Chief of Staff; Chief Dipo Anisulowo, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; Owoseni Ajayi, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Kola Kolade, Commissioner for Works; Kayode Osho, Special Adviser on Political Matters; Alhaji Demola Bello and other officials of the State government already listed for arrest and indefinite detention also commit serious security breach?
Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that schools in the state will not go on holidays before the Easter festivities.

It is common practice among public and private-owned schools across the country to end the term before Easter.

But Mr. El-Rufai insists that while Good Friday and Easter Monday are established public holidays, which are mandatory and are declared by the Federal Government, state-owned schools in Kaduna will not be ending the second term before Easter.

According to him, the pupils will observe the declared holidays and afterwards, return back to school to complete the 12-weeks that make-up the term.

In a statement posted on his Facebook wall on Friday, the governor stated that it is falsehood and baseless blackmail to suggest that schools must end the second term before Easter.

El-Rufai, who is already in the eye of the storm over a controversial bill that seeks to license religious preachers in the state, stressed that the school term is not a religious issue. The tendency to place a religious hue on everything is irresponsible.

He added: Pupils in Kaduna State will have their Easter break on the prescribed public holidays and return to school to conclude the second term.

The curriculum is based on a 12-week term. The schools resumed for second term on 18 January and will complete the 12 weeks in April. Kaduna State will not curtail its school term to 10 weeks. Education cannot be abridged to appease prejudice.
Veteran Nollywood actress and President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ibinabo Fibresima has been sentenced to serve a 5 year jail term for her involvement in the fatal accident of Dr Suraj Giwa in 2006.

Ibinabo was sentenced to five years in prison by a Lagos High Court for reckless driving which resulted in the death of a staff, Giwa Suraj of a Lagos state hospital in 2006.

Ibinabo for the past few weeks has dominated the headlines following the dismissal of her appeal against the sentence.

Popular Nollywood director and critic, Charles Novia on Thursday, March 18 shared an eyewitness account of the accident that happened in February 2006.

The anonymous witness who goes by the name, De Gaulle claims to have been present at the scene of the accident and narrated how Ibinabo wasnt responsible for the doctors death.

Here are five things he said about the accident below:

1. That evening, what happened was that the Doctors car was coming from the Victoria Island axis of the first Lekki Roundabout which leads into the Lekki Phase One Estate, while another SUV which was being driven by Ibinabo was coming out from the estate, if I remember correctly. I cannot tell who was speeding or what but we heard a loud crash and then I think the doctors car somersaulted while the other car driven by Ibinabo was flung a few metres to the other side.

2. It was early evening. There was still the last trace of evening light. It might have been just before seven oclock or after seven. But it wasnt late.

3. What got my attention was the special number plates on the car which read  DANIEL WILSON a popular musician in the nineties in Nigeria.

4. At that point, the man was very much alive. I swear he was alive and groaning but he was alive. His arm was crushed or underpinned by the impact of the car and I still think that it was the inexperience of the area boys and bystanders in trying to pull the man out of the car, which killed him faster.

5. She didnt run away from the scene of the accident at all. I was the person who put her in a taxi to a hospital.
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, has denied speculations that he decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after losing the national chairmanship position.

Mohammed said this at a stakeholders meeting called to settle differences within the party in the state.

According to him, 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.

Mohammed, therefore, called on party members to ensure that all fences were mended in order to bring the party to its real upper status.

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, Alhaji 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.
A Councillor representing Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, Mr. Dickson Sunday, has disclosed that the mass killings of the Agatu people is being carried out by the Fulani herdsmen with active support of mercenaries hired from neighbouring countries.

Hon. Sunday, who is the immediate past Councillor of Edikwu ward 1, in Apa LGA of Benue State, in an exclusive interview with told Per Second News said that the Fulanis started their attacks in small numbers and later expanded to large numbers.

Initially they were coming in small numbers, but later we discover that they began to hire other Fulanis from other neighbouring countries to help them kill the Agatus.

When they are coming, they come in large numbers and with sophisticated weapons. In fact the weapons they are using even our Nigerian police cannot afford those kinds of weapon. When they are coming, they will be shooting sporadically, throwing tear-gas, burning down houses, and slaughtering people like animals.

Hon. Sunday described as untrue, the allegation that the the crises started following the killing of 10,000 heads of cattle belonging to the herdsmen by the Agatu people, saying that the crises started when the Agatu people drove the herdsmen out of their land because of the damage on their farms lands by their cattle.

What the Agatu people do mostly for a living is farming. Most of the food we eat in Benue State comes from Agatu. The fulani herdsmen will allow their cattle enter into the farmlands of the Agatu people, and the cattles will end up eating or destroying the crops.

It is very painful to see that after farming and expecting to reap the fruit of your hard labour, you end up discovering that your labour is in vain. This kept going on for months, the people kept reporting the incident to the traditional ruler to help them out. After series of meetings with them, the incident kept reoccurring.

The best option for the Agatu people was to tell the herds men to leave their village but they refused saying this is Nigeria and they have the right to stay anywhere they want as far as Nigeria constitution is concern, and that is how the crises started.

Most of the Agatu people are now in Otukpo, Apa, and Adoka. So many of them are displaced. Their wives, husbands, children were killed and some of them made them orphans. The herdsmen not only kill the Agatus, they also go to their farms to destroy the foods stored in their bans.

Some Agatu farmers store some of their farm produce in their bans in the farm. The fulanis will also go to their farms with their cows, and allow their cows to eat the foods stored in the bans, when their cows have eaten to their satisfaction, they will set the remaining foods ablaze, Sunday said.

Speaking further, he noted: They attack at anytime of the day and because they are well armed, the villagers cant fight them. Once they see the Fulanis coming, they will take to their heels and those who cant run fast enough are killed.

Agatu is a large community. Any area that the Fulanis discover that soldiers are deployed to, they wont attack that area again, instead they will move over to the next area.
The Police Command in Enugu on Sunday confirmed the electrocution of a paint factory owner and an electrician in Nsukka.

The commands Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, made the confirmation in a statement he issued in Enugu and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Amaraizu said that the incident occurred on Friday at Uwani-Ugwu-Umuakashi community in Nsukka Local Government Area.

Uwani-Ugwu-Umuakashi community in Nsukka was thrown into mourning following the recovery of two corpses from a well located inside a paint factory in the community.

It was identified that one Samuel Ezema now deceased had allegedly invited the co-deceased identified as Emmanuel to effect repairs on his faulty factory water pumping machine located inside a well in the factory.

And, as he was effecting the repairs on the sumo machine, he got electrocuted alongside the owner of the factory who had gone inside the well to assist him, he said.

He said that the police had begun investigation into the incident, and that the corpses had been deposited at Faith Foundation Hospital Mortuary, Nsukka, for autopsy. (NAN)
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. It was not immediately clear if the two Americans had dual citizenship or were additional fatalities. 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 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) 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.
The Lagos State Police Command on Sunday said adequate security measures have been put in place to safeguard residents ahead of the Easter celebrations.

The police will not hesitate to carry out its responsibilities at all times that will include the Easter period, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmos told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Already, the operational strategy is still on the ground to ensure safety of lives and property of all, and this will continue either during festive or non-festive period.

Lagosians who are not criminally minded should enjoy their Easter celebration, but for the criminals, they should know that we will continue to bring them down.

Residents should also be security alert and report any suspicious character and observation to the police for further investigation.

The command will not stop to provide security for Lagosians and will ensure that the state is free from any form of criminality,  she said.

Badmos wished residents a peaceful Easter celebration and urged them to always help the police with useful information.
A 23-year-old electrician has been sentenced to six weeks imprisonment by an Abuja Grade 1 Area Court for attempting to defraud a pastor in Kubwa, Abuja.

Leadership

Kanos Unfolding Political Drama Of Kwankwasiyya Amana And Gandujiyya Akida

The unfolding battle of wit in Kano over who controls political power in the state is taking a deeper crisis dimension.

The Nation

Former Oyo state governor, Otunba Christopher Alao Akala, has said that he was grateful to God for not allowing him to win the 2015 governorship election in Oyo state, saying he would not have been able to cope with the dwindling resources accruing to the states currently.

Tribune

What would have been a calamitous scene was averted at Mile 12 bus stop as two BRT buses were inches away from colliding with each other.
The President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has called on Christians to be united in order to ensure peaceful coexistence among the people of the country.

Orisejafor made the call when he inaugurated the new executive members of the Niger State chapter of CAN in Minna.

If there is anytime the church needs to come together, its now, this is the time the church needs to be knitted together, he said.

He enjoined Christians to demonstrate true love in their daily lives towards ensuring peaceful coexistence of the people of the country.

According to the CAN President, who was represented by the associations Director of National Issues, Mr Sunday Oibie, there is no better time for the church to pray for the country than now.

He adjudged the election of the Niger chapter officers to be the best so far in the country.

This is the best elections of CAN so far conducted across the country, before now, the elections of CAN have the capacity to tear the church apart.

But God in His infinite mercy has been helping us to conduct the elections without any problem.

To avoid unnecessary petitions and court cases, we have made it compulsory for the national body to be fully involved in all state elections, he said.

He advised the new executive to embrace forgiveness and live in the love of Jesus Christ.
The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed that one person died while 12 others were arrested during Saturdays National and State Assembly rerun elections in the state.

The Public Relations Officer of the command, Ahmad Muhammad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Saturday that it received report about the death of one person in Eleme, Eleme Local Government.

Muhammad, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said 10 people were arrested in Eleme while two were picked up on their way to Akinima, Ahoada West Local Government Area.

The suspects committed election-related offences. They are being interrogated while investigation has commenced on the offences committed, he said.

He also said the police did not know what caused the death of a middle-aged man in Eleme and that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area received the report.

Mohammed said the command did necessary deployments to ensure credible elections in the state. (NAN)
Refugee boats continued to arrive in Greece in the eastern Mediterranean, despite a recent deal between the EU and Turkey  whereby refugees will be deported back to Turkey  coming into effect. At least five boats, carrying more than 30 refugees each, arrived from Turkey between Saturday midnight  when the agreement came into force  and Sunday morning.

The majority of the refugees who arrived were from Syria, Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Greek island of Lesbos, said. Under the deal struck on Saturday, for every Syrian returned, the EU will resettle one from a Turkish refugee camp.

But people who managed to reach Europes shores were hopeful they would not be turned back. I dont think they will reject us because we are coming from a destroyed city. We are asking for asylum on humanitarian grounds, Ahmed, a refugee from Aleppo, told Al Jazeera upon his arrival in Lesbos.

Not only is there war in our country but the situation in Turkey is bad for us. Those who arrived in Greece want to make their way to mainland Europe, some in search for a better life and others to be reunited with their family members who made the journey before them.

We endured four years of war, bombardment, rocket attacks  I dont want to be sent back to Turkey because my father and two sisters are in Germany and I miss them, Rola Hallak, another refugee from Aleppo, said. The EU-Turkey deal aims to strangle the main route used by refugees travelling to the EU and discourage people smugglers, but it has faced criticism from rights groups and thousands took to the streets of Europe in protest.
Governor of Ekiti, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has raised the alarm over the endangered 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.

Fayose, 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.

According to him, 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.
Il governo per il 2016 sblocchera circa 20 miliardi di investimenti in infrastrutture. Questa la ricetta per dare la spinta decisiva alla ripresa emersa dal confronto tra Matteo Renzi e Graziano Delrio andato in scena ieri sera al Nazareno. Nello specifico, alla scuola andranno 1 miliardo e 220 milioni di euro, per lo sblocca Italia sono previsti 3,2 miliardi e per il dissesto idrogeologico altri 3 miliardi.

Per Rfi saranno stanziati 4 miliardi e per il contratto di programma Anas 1 miliardo e 115 milioni. In opere dei provveditorati dovrebbero essere investiti 4,5 miliardi, mentre agli aeroporti dovrebbero andare 228 milioni, 468 milioni al piano casa e 900 milioni ai porti; in ambito locale sono previsti 260 milioni per Tpl e 500 milioni di interventi nei comuni.

I cantieri che si possono sbloccare rapidamente, ha spiegato il premier durante il seminario nella sede del Partito democratico, rappresentano circa 20 miliardi di investimenti: risorse gia stanziate ma ancora ferme al palo. In questo momento e il ministro Delrio a dettagliare la serie di interventi possibili nel breve periodo.
U.S. vs. China Military Spending: Which Is Bigger?

The United States is the world's biggest military spender, and China is a distant second on the list. In fact, the U.S. spends almost as much on its military as the eight other nations on the top 10 list of military spenders combined.

In 2019, the U.S. remained the world's top military spender by far, at about $649 billion. China was second at about $261 billion.

The U.S. is the world's top military spender, followed by China as a distant second. India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia round out the top five.

China has been aggressively stepping up its military spending in recent years.

After several years of cutbacks, the U.S. has begun increasing its military budget.

Top 5 Big Spenders

Global military expenditures rose 3% to $1.9 trillion in 2019, according to the latest figures available from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks the numbers on military spending from year to year.

The top five military spenders were the U.S., China, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, SIPRI reported.

The U.S. spent $649 billion on its military to 2019, according to SIPRI. That's significantly more than China, second on the list of top military spenders at $261 billion. India, third on the list, spent a relatively modest $71 billion.

Together, the report says, the U.S. and China are responsible for half of the world's military spending. Overall, global military spending rose by 3.6%, its fastest growth in a decade.

The SIPRI data on military spending is compiled from open sources, including primary and secondary sources.

U.S. Military Spending

U.S. spending on military has actually been declining for decades as a percentage of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). From a late 1960s peak of 9.42% during the Vietnam War, defense spending as a percentage of GDP declined to 3.41% in 2019, according to the World Bank. The U.S. trimmed actual dollars from its military budget between 2011 and 2015.

The belt-tightening period seems to be at an end, at least for now. The nation's 2018 spending represented a 4.6% increase, the first since 2010. The additional money is to be spent on a military modernization program that was approved during the Obama administration and is intended to continue for another 20 to 25 years.

U.S. defense spending for the 2020 fiscal year was set at $731.7 billion.

Some argue that the U.S. has woken up to find itself no longer the planet's sole military superpower. "For the first time in decades, the United States military apparatus does not possess a clear advantage on the world stage," said DefenseNews.com. "The flattening of the technological landscape and emergence of peer adversaries requires that the U.S. innovate to remain dominant."

China Military Spending

It may come as no surprise that a nation with a 4,000-year history of achievement is unlikely to play second fiddle for more than a couple of centuries.

In 2013, President Xi Jinping coined the phrase "the Chinese Dream" to capture the country's domestic, regional, and global ambitions.

The next century may well be defined in part by the tension between the American dream and the Chinese dream.

China spent $250 billion on its military in 2018, an increase of 83% during the period from 2009 through 2018. The U.S., as noted, spent $649 billion, but that represents a reduction of 17% during the same period.

That was enough for China to take second place on the list, outspending a top 10 that also includes Saudi Arabia, India, France, Russia, the U.K., Germany, Japan, and South Korea.

$18 billion Total Chinese military budget in 1989. The figure rose to $261 billion in 2019.

It could be argued that China actually outspends the U.S. on its military when personnel costs and purchasing power are taken into account. In fact, Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley made that argument in front of a Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in May 2018.

Chinese military spending has risen consistently since at least 1989. The figure for that year was $18 billion.

Special Considerations on Military Spending

Global military spending hit $1.82 trillion in 2018, an overall increase of 3.6% that was largely driven by the U.S. and China.

Other nations are spending urgently, if not as lavishly, on defense. Germany increased its spending 10% to $49.3 billion in 2019, a fact that the Stockholm Institute attributes to the perception of increasing aggression from Russia. Bulgaria and Romania also stepped up their defense spending.
In the first quarter of 2020, the People's Republic of China recorded their first contraction in gross domestic product (GDP) since official records began in 1992. The National Bureau of Statistics of China reported a year-over-year GDP decline of 6.8% for the quarter. However, bolstered by its efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and reopen its factories, China experienced a GDP rebound, with the government reporting a 3.2% GDP increase in the second quarter of 2020. This was followed by a 4.9% GDP increase in the third quarter.

What impact has China's swift ability to restart its economic engines had on the U.S. economy and the global economy? To answer these questions, you need to first assess the economic position of China within the world economy.

Key Takeaways The economies of the United States and China are intricately linked, due to the two nations sharing a large trading partnership of goods and services.

In 2020, China started the year with a historic GDP decline of 6.8% caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

 After reopening its factories, China's growth rebounded dramatically; the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts China will be the only major world economy to experience growth in 2020.  

 China's economic growth in 2020 is attributed to its ability to meet the world's demand for medical equipment, electronics, and other items needed during the pandemic.

The Size of China's Economy

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts China will be the only major economy to grow in 2020, with projected real GDP growth of about 1.9% for the year. This is in stark contrast to the U.S. economy, which is expected to shrink by 4.3% in 2020. The IMF expects European nations to post negative growth numbers in 2020 as well, with the United Kingdom estimated to contract by 9.8%, Germany by 6%, and France by 9.8%.

The sheer size of China's economy has had a lot to do with its ability to regain positive momentum. China, the most populous country in the world, had the second-largest economy, ranked below the United States with a GDP of $14.3 trillion in 2019. However, this high GDP did not necessarily indicate the wealth of the country. The country's GDP per capita was only $16,785 as of 2019, compared to the U.S., which had a per capita GDP of $65,118.

Over the decades, many global manufacturing companies have located their manufacturing units in China, attracted by the nation's low labor costs and cheap supply materials. This allowed companies to produce goods cheaply, and it explains why many of the products we use in our daily lives are made in China.

Relationship With the U.S. Economy

China is the third-largest trading partner (the first and second being Canada and Mexico, respectively) of the United States, with $558.1 billion in total goods traded in 2019. Of that amount, export goods accounted for $106.4 billion and import goods were $451.7 billion, bringing the U.S. trade deficit with China to $345.3 billion.

This deficit is financed partly by capital flows from China. China holds more U.S. Treasury securities than any other foreign country except Japan. According to the Treasury, China owns $1.06 trillion in U.S. debt securities as of Sept. 2020.

All of these statistics show the importance of the Chinese economy and why any developments in China, be they negative or positive, can influence the worlds largest economy, the United States.

$14 billion The value of U.S. agricultural products exported to China in 2019. The top domestic export categories included soybeans ($8.0 billion); pork and pork products ($1.3 billion); and cotton ($706 million).

The Chinese Slowdown

Starting in 2010, China's economic growth rate began to gradually decline. The GDP growth rate dropped from 9.6% in 2011 to 7.4% in 2014 (see graph below). The rate continued its decline to 5.95% in 2019 and 2.3% in 2020. The 2020 GDP growth is impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Economists have raised concerns that this slowdown in the Chinese economy would have negative impacts on the markets that are closely related to this economy, such as the United States.

Effect on Unemployment Rates

U.S. companies that generate an important portion of their revenues from China are likely to be negatively affected by lower domestic demand in China. This is bad news for both shareholders and employees of such companies. When cost-cutting is necessary to remain profitable, layoffs are usually one of the first options to consider, which increases the unemployment rate.

China's Silver Lining in 2020

China's role as "the world's factory" has been a key factor in its ability to quickly rebound in 2020. The nation is well-known for its abundance of lower-wage workers, a strong network of suppliers, lower tax rates that keep the cost of production low, competitive currency practices, and government support that reduces regulatory hurdles.

While the rest of the world struggled to regain its economic footing, China's ability to reopen its factories and post impressive GDP numbers in the second and third quarters of 2020 proved that the nation's economy was still growing.

If anything, the COVID-19 pandemic has cemented China's importance in the global supply chain. Much of China's 2020 growth has been attributed to its factories meeting the world's demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), medical equipment, electronics (such as laptops), and other items that have been in short supply as the rest of the world shuttered its factories while complying with mandatory stay-at-home orders.

The Bottom Line

China, with its giant economy, has a huge influence on world economies. In 2020, the nation proved its resilience and was able to reopen its factories relatively early in the year, supplying the U.S. and other global economies with much-needed exports.

However, one of the biggest long-term risks to China's economy could come in the form of economic decoupling. Throughout the year, tensions between the United States and China have escalated over a number of issues, including Hong Kong, the prolonged trade war, and increased tech rivalry. An economic decoupling could mean a reduction or severance of ties between the world's two largest economies. China, for its part, has taken steps to reduce its dependence on the U.S. economy, building partnerships with other nations through its One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiatives.
WhatsApp launched a new update for its iPhone app last night.

According to the whats new section, the update finally adds support to the Display Type feature and the quick camera button in chats lets you quickly choose a recent camera roll photo.

In addition to these features, WhatsApp has quietly added a new voice calling button in the chat window next to the name. The call button seems to be for WhatsApps VoIP calling feature, as it is quite similar to the call button available on its Android app. But before you get excited, please note that the button doesnt make WhatsApp calls, instead it launches the Phone app, and makes a regular phone call.

WhatsApp started rolling out its voice calling feature to Android users few days back. Heres how it works on Android:

The voice calling feature on the iPhone app was spotted in the wild few days back, but WhatsApp seems to have rolled out to the voice calling button to the public with yesterdays update. It remains to be seen when the company plans to enable the feature, but it does look like the launch is imminent.

Let me know if you can see this new voice calling button in the chat window after installing the latest update.

Download link:

 WhatsApp (Free)

[Image credit: TechCrunch , thanks Igsaan for the tip!]
Press Release

Comoros, Egypt and Guyana bring IPU membership to 170 parliaments

Lusaka/Geneva, 20 March 2016

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has today welcomed back Comoros, Egypt and Guyana as Members of the Organization. Their admission at the opening session of the 134th IPU Assembly in Lusaka, Zambia, has increased the IPU membership to 170, marking a significant step forward in the Organizations goal to achieve universal membership.

Parliamentary elections in Egypt at the end of 2015 had paved the way for the country to rejoin IPU. The 2011 revolution, which led to the dissolution of parliament the following year, had left Egypts membership in abeyance. Egypt, which had first joined IPU in 1924, had been one of IPUs oldest continuous Members.

In the wake of the Arab Spring, IPU started working with Egypt to put in place a fully functioning parliament and to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of its new Members and staff.

Comoros had first been an IPU Member in 1979 and Guyana in 1981. An unconstitutional dissolution of Guyanas Parliament in 1985 had led to its suspension from the Organization.

IPU warmly welcomes Comoros, Egypt and Guyana back to the global parliamentary fold. Egypts return is the result of continued engagement on a roadmap to democracy and particularly significant because once again, the whole of the Arab world is in IPU, says Saber Chowdhury, IPU President.

With a membership of 170, IPU has reached a milestone which will only serve to make us redouble our efforts to engage those parliaments who remain outside of IPU, the President added.

The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) also became an Associate Member of IPU, whilst the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR) was given observer status.

More than 670 MPs from 131 countries, including 87 Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Parliament are attending the 134th IPU Assembly, which continues until 23rd March.

The issue of how to rejuvenate democracy in light of the growing need to strengthen public confidence in politicians and political institutions is the main focus of the 134th Assembly. The event is also putting a spotlight on issues of terrorism and the protection of cultural heritage.

Later today, IPU Members will decide on an emergency issue which will form the basis of a resolution that will be adopted by the IPU membership later in the week. Proposals include action on the global population of unregistered children, human trafficking, the growing humanitarian crisis in the world, Palestine, and parliamentary powers in democracies.

Follow or take part in discussions on Twitter using #IPU134.

Photos of the event will be made available on Flickr.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. It works to safeguard peace and drives positive democratic change through political dialogue and concrete action.
In honor of the 1916 Rising centenary, Irish Network-DC and the Irish Embassy will host a series of cultural events exploring Irish history and culture in Washington, D.C. over the year.

Next month marks the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, the insurgency that led to the Irish War of Independence and the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922.

This is who we are in 2016, says Irish Ambassador Anne Anderson. We want to be true to the historical legacy of 1916. At the same time, we know we have unfinished business on our island. Were not complacent about the 100-year journey or where we have arrived.

We want to offer opportunities for people to explore different dimensionsthe cultural, the political, the economicin more depth, Anderson says. Culture is our most important calling card. And we want to be able to, yes with pride, celebrate the one hundred years, but through lectures and panels and those kinds of exchanges reflect and ask serious questions.

Solas Nua, a D.C. based organization dedicated to contemporary Irish arts, is hosting the Solas Rising, which will include film screenings, book readings, theater, musical performances, and visual exhibits.

Paddy Meskell, the chairman of Solas Nuas board of directors, told the Washingtonian that Irish cultural heritage has broad appeal in the capital city.

In Washington, there are so many ethnic groups apart from the Irish, much of whose historical experiences are like Irelands, says Meskell. They were colonized, many of them got their independence in the 20th century, and many have come to America because the newly independent country didnt deliver on its earlier aspirations and ideals.

Solas Nuas programming will examine Irish identity by taking a look at both the history of Ireland and the future of the country.

Through contemporary Irish artists exploring how Ireland has managed its last 100 years, where have we done well, what forces have shaped us, what decisions have we made, that provides an opportunity for other ethnic groups to look at their own journey, Meskell says.

The Kennedy Center will present Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture, a three-week-long festival starting in May, featuring performances from some of Irelands best musicians, dancers, and theater companies as well as talks, a literature series, and other events.

The festival lineup includes Irish actress Fiona Shaw as the festivals artist-in-residence; The Plough and the Stars, a play set during the Easter Rising, presented by the Abbey Theatre; contemporary dancers Jean Butler and Colin Dunne; world-class mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught and tenor Anthony Kearns; Irish ensemble The Gloaming; and authors Paul Muldoon, Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, and Colm Toibin.

We want to update the legacy view of Ireland and promote the positive, modern, and educated reality, Irish Network-DCs Nick Rowan says. Our nation has evolved extraordinarily since the Easter Rising of 1916 and we will examine that journey through the eyes of well-known Irish and Irish-American speakers, as well as consider the road ahead.
More than 350 former workers and associates of Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) will reunite in Limerick to share their memories and experiences of what was once the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States.

This will be the final ever Pan Am World Reunion and is only the second to be hosted in Europe.

Foynes was the first European Airport to which Pan Am began operating commercial transatlantic services on July 9 1939 under the command of Captain Harold Gray. The Yankee Clipper was the airline's first Boeing B314 NC18603 allocated to the Atlantic division. A replica of the aircraft is on display at Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum.

Saturday the 18th August 1945 was a record day for Pan American World Airways operations in Foynes, two clippers, the Atlantic and the Dixie arrived from New York in the morning and returned that night. 101 transatlantic passengers were handled at the airporta record for a days operation by one airline. Travelling were nationals of Great Britain, Argentina, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Czechoslovakia, Netherlands and the USA.

Captain Charlie Blair, husband of the late Maureen O'Hara, was a frequent visitor and flew the last scheduled passenger flight from Foynes to New York in October 1945.

The forthcoming reunion program will feature talks, workshops, networking events and a visit to the former airport at Foynes allowing former pilots, engineers, administration staff, ground handlers, and air hostesses, many of whom are now in their 70s and 80s, to recount their times with the airline

Reunion attendees, who later went on to become successful businessmen and women, filmmakers, journalists and authors after Pan Am's demise in 1991, will also don their old Pan Am uniforms during the three-day reunion.

Among those travelling to Limerick next month is Edward Trippe, son of Pan Am founder and commercial aviation pioneer Juan Terry Trippe (1899  1981) as well as Captain Don Cooper who was based with the carrier in Berlin for many years. Attendees will be from Singapore, Europe, South America, Guam, Hawaii, Canada and from all over the United States.

Margaret O Shaughnessy, the Director of Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum initiated the event two years ago when she spoke at one of the Pan Am Reunions in Long Island, New York.

"One of the attendees Merry Barton and I stayed in touch and I am delighted we have been successful in bringing this unique aviation event to Ireland," she said.

XXX EMBED FOynes

For more information visit www.panam.org and www.flyingboatmuseum.com.
United States Congressman Brendan Boyle has pledged his support for justice for Ireland's youngest and longest missing child following a meeting with her twin sister on Capitol Hill this week.

Ann Dohertys battle for the truth began when her 6-year-old twin sister, Mary Boyle, went missing in March 1977 on her grandparent's remote farm in Cashelard, Co Donegal. Her remains have never been found.

Doherty and senior Gardai who worked on the case believe Mary was sexually assaulted and murdered by someone she knew and that her body was dumped close to where she went missing. She also believes she knows who is responsible for the horrible crime but that political intervention early in the police investigation attempted to cover the killers tracks, leaving the perpetrator to walk free.

For years the Donegal woman has worked to win justice for her sister, traveling to Westminster, Stormont and Brussels to raise awareness about the case abroad in the hope that the Irish authorities will finally act.

This week she met with members of the United States Congress to inform them that Mary's killer is being shielded by An Garda Siochana (the Irish police force) and that a politician interfered in the investigation shortly after the murder, ordering that certain people were not to be considered suspects.

Accompanied by investigative journalist Gemma O'Doherty, Doherty had a lengthy meeting with Congressman Brendan Boyle on Capitol Hill in the lead up to St. Patricks Day, and the Democrat from Pennsylvania, whose father is from Glencolumbkille in Donegal, pledged his support.

Wearing a Donegal tie to the meeting, Congressman Boyle offered to assist them in their search for truth and justice in whatever capacity he can, expressing particular concern that Mary's remains had not yet been found and that her killer is still at large.

"It was a pleasure to meet Congressman Boyle today, Doherty said.

He listened with compassion and interest to our testimony about Mary's death and was most concerned. He has great affection for Donegal - his father's homeland - and that is obvious not least because of the large picture of Glencolumbkille on his office wall.

Spending all of last week in Washington D.C. meeting with politicians, Doherty also met with a series of senior politicians from Northern Ireland including Secretary of State Theresa Villiers, First Minister Arlene Foster, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, and Nigel Dodds DUP MP for North Belfast.

They also met with former congressman and human rights lawyer Bruce Morrison and Fr. Sean McManus of the Irish National Caucus.

PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton and chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board Anne Connolly have since agreed to meet with Doherty in Belfast in the coming months after they were informed of the case, in particular of the allegations of Garda malpractice in the investigation.

"Having spent a number of days in Washington D.C. meeting politicians and others, I've have to say I have encountered more concern for my sister here than in the corridors of power in Ireland where Frances Fitzgerald and Micheal Martin both refuse to meet me, Doherty stated.

I hope Irish-American politicians can use their influence now and encourage the government to set up an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption in the case and also to impress upon Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan that an arrest of Mary's killer is long overdue.

I am asking him once again to return Mary's remains to me so that I can give her a proper burial, have a grave to visit, and try to achieve some sort of closure for myself."
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.

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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.
Jean Kennedy Smith, the last remaining child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, is to write a book, The Nine of Us, about her famed family. It is due for release in October.

The former Ambassador to Ireland, now 88, who played a major role in the Irish peace process has signed a major contract with Harper to write the book.

Smith was the eighth child in the most famous 20th Century family in America, which included President JFK; Attorney General Robert Kennedy; Senator Edward Kennedy; Jean Kennedy herself; Eunice Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics; Patricia, who married screen star Peter Lawford; Kathleen Kennedy, who lived in Britain during the war, married into high society and died in a plane crash; Roseary Kennedy, who was born with severe mental problems and underwent a mental lobotomy; and Joe Kennedy Jr, who died on a World War 2 dangerous flying mission

Jean Kennedy was represented by agent 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.

As the last of the clan and now aged 88 Jean Kennedy continues to lead an active life.

Jean Kennedy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in February 1928 on her elder sister Kathleen's eighth birthday.

She has been described as the shyest and most guarded of the Kennedy children. She attended Manhattanville College where she met and befriended two future sisters-in-law: Ethel Skakel, who married her older brother Robert in 1950 and Joan Bennett who married her younger brother Ted in 1958.

On May 19, 1956, she married Stephen Edward Smith in a small chapel of the Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. During the early 1960s, they settled in New York City. They had four children.

Smith was considered to have a great political mind and was deeply involved with the political career of her older brother John, working on his 1946 Congressional campaign, his 1952 Senate campaign, and ultimately his presidential campaign in 1960.

She and her siblings helped Kennedy knock on doors in primary states like Texas and Wisconsin and on the campaign trail played the role of advisor more than volunteer, citing her parents family lesson of working together for something.

Kennedy Smith and her husband were present at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, when Sirhan Sirhan shot and fatally wounded her brother Robert after he had won the Democratic 1968 California U.S. presidential primary.

In 1974, Kennedy Smith founded Very Special Arts, now known simply as VSA "the international organization on art and disabilities. "VSA is dedicated to creating a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts.

VSA annually serves over 7 million people across American and in 52 countries. Smith has traveled extensively throughout the world on behalf of VSA to advocate for greater inclusion in the arts for people with disabilities. In 2011, Smith was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama for her work with VSA and the disabled.

In 1993, Smith was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton as the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland continuing a legacy of diplomacy begun by her father, who was the U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James's (United Kingdom) during the administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As ambassador, she played a pivotal role in the peace process in Northern Ireland for almost five years before retiring from the post. She successfully advocated for the U.S. government to grant a visa to Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, which directly led to the IRA declaring a ceasefire in 1994.

Irish President Mary McAleese conferred honorary Irish citizenship on Smith in 1998 in recognition of her service to the country. During a ceremony, McAleese praised Smith's "fixedness of purpose." Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern told Smith, "You have helped bring about a better life for everyone throughout Ireland."
Up until now, the events of the 1916 Rising have been examined primarily from the Irish side, with very little analysis of the event from the British perspective.

For the British, the Rising was a calamity, the Irish Times reports. The Rising precipitated the independence of one corner of the UK, led on to the partition of Ireland and the Troubles and emboldened British colonies elsewhere to seek their freedom, in turn hastening the end of the British empire.

A new documentary entitled The Enemy Files, airing Monday in Ireland on RTE One, will tell the story of the Easter Rising from the British side.

The film is presented by former British cabinet minister turned broadcaster Michael Portillo.

Portillo, who was defense secretary during the Canary Wharf bombings of 1996 which ended the IRA ceasefire, graduated from Cambrige with a degree in history but says he is no expert on the Easter Rising.

According to the Irish Times, he was hired for the film to bring a British politicians perspective of the time and to extricate the context from a centurys worth of debris that has accumulated on top of this issue.

The title of the documentary comes from the enemy files which are the British cabinet papers, intelligence dispatches. diaries and memoirs from British soldiers from the period.

The Rising was the result of a monumental failure of intelligence on the part of the British secret service.

The British had intercepted telegrams between the German embassy in the US and Berlin stating that a Rising would happen on Easter weekend 1916. But despite this intelligence, nothing was done.

Major buildings in Dublin were left nearly undefended and Chief secretary Augustine Birrell and commander-in- chief in Ireland Sir Lovick Friend remained in London on the date in question.

Portillo believes that Birrell had become complacent.

He has been in the job for eight years and I think he has a genuine affection for Ireland and a genuine understanding of Ireland.

This leads him to believe that the Irish are not going to rise up, Portillo says.

He is so firm in that belief that it overcomes all evidence to the contrary.

He simply dismisses it because it doesnt fit with his view which is derived from his intuition about the Irish people.

However, there were no easy solutions for the British once the rebels decided the rise up. If the British has round up all potential rebel leaders, this would have only led to another dilemma as Eoin MacNeill, leader of the Irish Volunteers, had issued a warning that any attempt to clamp down on them would lead to military action.

Says Portillo: I would have made the same mistake or I would have made a different mistake. But probably all the options would have been a mistake.

Portillo also examines the actions of British prime minister Herbert Asquith who basically washed his hands of the whole affair and let Gen John Maxwell handle it.

He says that by 1916, Asquith was worn down by the burdens of office and lacked the firmness of purpose needed to deal with the aftermath.

Asquith never settles on any policy at all. It is not that he orders the executions, but it is that he doesnt stop them. He never gets his mind around the idea that there is any political price to be paid.

He believes that in the context of the time, because the rebels had killed 115 British soldiers and had dealings with Germany, Britains enemy, the executions of the 16 leaders could be justified. However, the situation demanded a political response at the time which was largely absent.

Portillo believes that the reference in the Proclamation to our gallant allies in Europe, meaning Germany, was added by Patrick Pearse to provoke the British.

How do you expect the British not to shoot people who refer to the gallant allies? It is not central to declaring independence for Ireland.

The whole thing makes sense without having to mention Germany at all. If you pursue this theory that Patrick Pearse wanted martyrdom, then you know this is all part of it.

Portillo compares the 1916 Rising to a farce on a state where nothing goes right, yet it turned out to be a significant moment in history.

It is difficult to predict what are the things that are going to change the fate of nations, he says.
The actor, a member of the Travelling Community, was on to discuss issues facing Travellers in Ireland and impressed many with his passion and conviction.

Well done, @johnconnors1990 for speaking up for yourself and your community and for doing so with passion and conviction #LateLateShow  Donncha O'Connell (@DonnchaLaw) March 18, 2016

Host Ryan Tubridy came in for sharp criticism from many viewers however for his handling of the interview.

Connors has added his voice to those critics, accusing Tubridy of "denial of racism" on the programme in a powerful Facebook post.

The actor listed examples of discrimination faced by Travellers, before addressing Tubridy directly.

"See Ryan you and me live in different worlds. My world has shaped me in such a way that I have the ability look past stereotypes, question popular opinion, think for myself and have empathy for people who have it hard or are experiencing injustice.You live in a comfortable bubble. Enjoy it."

If you cannot see the embedded Facebook post click here.

HT: breakingnews.ie
The garda was arrested on Monday morning on Chancery Street, in Dublins north inner city, in the company of a low-level drug dealer, who was also arrested.

The Organised Crime Unit (OCU) will conduct a detailed investigation into the background of the garda in a bid to determine whether or not he was passing on information to drug gangs.

As well as phone histories and bank records, gardai will also examine his use of the Garda Pulse computer system and all his arrests to date.

Senior Garda sources said they were concerned at both the amount of cocaine he was caught with  8 gramme  and associates he has been linked with.

His arrest was the culmination of work by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI).

The garda is stationed in south west Dublin, where some of the countrys biggest, and most violent, drug gangs are based.

Gardai are very conscious of other recent cases, including in Finglas, north Dublin, where an officer was arrested on suspicion of passing information to a local drug boss.

Gardai have been looking at this man for the last few months because of his drug habit and associations with people in the drugs trade, said one senior source.

He said the garda had been caught with 8g of cocaine, which he said was more than enough for personal use. Depending on street prices for a gramme of cocaine, at between 80 and 100, the quantity would have a total value of 560 to 800.

The NBCI detained him under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act 1996 on suspicion of selling or supplying drugs under Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.

If he was being held for possession only it would be under Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. He can be detained for up to seven days. It is possible the 8g were for him and friends, and that he was not commercially selling drugs, but that is considered to be sale or supply.

The OCU are looking at his associations with other people in case he was compromised, said the Garda source. Part of the line of investigation is, has he been giving information about Garda activities.

Those who know the garda say he was active enough as a garda and had a good few captures, meaning arrests or seizures.

But sources said these successes are now tainted and that all arrests and seizures he was involved in will have to be investigated.

A second Garda source said the force took this issue seriously: Anybody who engages in illegal activity, and that includes guards, will be subject to investigation and will be pursued.

It can bring the force into disrepute. It could also compromise the force. It could involve more than him. Drugs invariably involve money and debt.
Lismore, West Waterford 169,000

Sq m 61 (660 sq ft) & 41 sm m (450 sq ft)

Bedrooms:1 (&2)

Bathrooms: 2

BER: Exempt

MOST people look will look at a run down derelict cottage and see a ruin  only a few can look at it, imagine what it once was and see the possibilities of what it might be.

Falling in to the second category is ceramic artist and potter Rachel Milotte, and her husband the investigative journalist Mike Milotte: the well-known investigative reporter won the 2010 Irish Film and TV best current affairs documentary award for Freefall, looking at Irelands economic and financial collapse, while in 2012 he published an updated version of his 1997 book, Banished Babies: The Secret History of Irelands Baby Export Business, which exposed the scandal thousands of Irish infant dispatch to the US.

Between them the creative artist and dogged writer and researcher turned a ruined cottage in the foothills of the Knockmealdowns into the summer home they imagined it could be.

Set amidst rolling countryside with views of hills and valley, its now a picture-postcard thatched cottage with whitewashed stone walls, green windows and a renovated stone barn.

And, inside it has all the traditional features you could expect, including a large fireplace, exposed beams and latched doors.

When the Milottes came across it, the 19th Century cottage at Ballysaggart had been abandoned for a few years since the death of its last owner Mick Moore.

It was September 2001 and the couple had completed their fourth renovation project on their home in Rathmines and were looking for another, in hill-walking territory, as a holiday home.

What they found, five miles from Lismore, was a run-down cottage, with dilapidated thatch and no running water, septic tank, toilet, bathroom, or electricity.

Amazingly the only electricity on the entire property was a single light in the cow shed.

The Milottes, who wanted to go hill walking in the Knockmealdowns, said yes as soon as they saw it and agreed the deal the same day. 

The location  atop a hill with virtually 360 degree visibility  was stunning, says Mike.

Renovations took three years and involved importing Turkish thatch and Mike and Rachel spending weekends and spare time working on it.

The services of a local stone worker and thatcher were secured and also those of a plumber who put in gas heating and a carpenter who made timber double-glazed sash windows for the cottage.

During the process a new living room was added on, constructed with large polystyrene blocks imported from France.

These were slotted together and filled with concrete to provide double insulation, reveals Mike.

After fixing up the cottage they worked on renovating the old stone barn nearby, insulating it with 100mm of Kingspan.

Once the interior work was complete, the Milottes began reclaiming the site, planting lawns as well as hazel trees and fruit trees.

They acquired an adjoining field and planted 300 or 400 trees including hawthorn, beech, oak, birch, and ash.

At a distance of around 30 metres from the house they put a fruit cage with raspberry canes, rhubarb, blackcurrant, gooseberries, and artichokes.

Outside the living room window they added a west facing patio to take in the views.

For the best possible vantage point, the Milottes advise visitors to go to the top of the meadow from where they can see Helvic Head, Dungarvan Bay, and also get uninterrupted views of the Knockmealdowns.

Looking to the west they say the site offers views of the Araglin valley and to the south, the Blackwater valley.

In 2012, Rachel and Mike  who had worked for 17 years on RTEs Prime Time programme  moved to London.

They sold their Dublin home and rented out this rural hideaway as a holiday let  calling it Mike Moores Cottage, in honour of its previous owner.

They say its been let 26 weeks every year and has attracted visitors from all over. As a picture-postcard Irish cottage with scenery, it has achieved very favourable mention on TripAdvisor.

Since their move, the Milottes have visited less and, finding it difficult to maintain from a distance, have reluctantly decided to sell. Mick Moores Cottage is now listed by Sherry FitzGerald Reynolds who are guiding it at 169,000.

In addition to an abundance of thatched charm and scenic tranquility, the property offers over 1,100 sq ft of living space as well as a site of around an acre.

In the 660 sq ft cottage theres a tiled kitchen/dining room, with a small number of units, a Belfast sink and a stove as well as a timber floored living room with a stove and patio doors. Inside the oldwalls too theres a small utility area, a timber floored bedroom and a bathroom with mosaic tiles.

In the 450 sq ft converted barn there are two timber-floored rooms as well a studio used for pottery making and a shower room. Theres also a storeroom with extra insulation where the Milottes planned to put a sauna for relaxation after the exertions of a day spent hiking the hills.

Auctioneer Sinead Reynolds says interest in the cottage is coming from both far and near.

Weve had viewings from UK and Irish buyers. A lady drove down from Dublin especially to see it and we have bookings with more viewers coming from the UK.

VERDICT: Mick Moore would certainly be amazed by what Mike Milotte has made of his cottage: more prime times ahead.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey appeared on The Today Show to celebrate the company's 10th anniversary. While there, he shared news about the company's policies and stances.

On the 140-character limit, Dorsey said, "It's staying. It's a good constraint for us. It allows for of-the-moment brevity."
NEC Australia Managing Director, Tetsuro Akagi says the partnership will deliver more competition to the Australian market for business intelligence software and transform the WingArc1st product line for English-speaking markets worldwide.



Under the partnership, NEC Australia's Melbourne headquarters will serve as the home base for the rollout of WingArc1st technology to the global market, and the partnership between NEC Australia and WingArc1st opens up new opportunities for Australian tech entrepreneurs.



NEC Australia and its technology partner Genix Ventures, an Australia-based business process automation specialist, will jointly work with WingArc1st to globalise its analytics platform, business intelligence dashboard as part of an integrated suite of business process automation solutions.



NEC Australias General Manager, Consulting and Business Solutions, Paul Howie said: "Im excited about the collaboration and innovation currently generated from the partnership.



"Our joint focus is to bring our customers proven best-of-breed technology from across the globe, to assist in solving complex business challenges.



"The partnership brings together an impressive mix of global and local innovation to assist our customers in Australia."





Tetsuro Akagi said the arrangement leverages the 2015 Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA) that facilitates trade with Australias second-largest trading partner, Japan.NEC Australia strives for innovation when engaging with Australian customers and this partnership demonstrates our sense of responsibility to ensuring we can contribute globally, Akagi said.Yuichi Kimura, chief operating officer of WingArc1st said: For us at WingArc1st, this partnership is an important step towards globalising our software.We recognise Melbourne as a centre of excellence in IT and we will be uniquely positioned not only to launch our products in the Australian market but to integrate our software into the market leading solutions that are being developed by NEC Australia and Genix.Steven Godinho, Genix Ventures founder and Managing Director, believes the WingArc1st offerings will open up new ways of working with information."Our work with government departments and large corporates has made it clear that end-users need the ability to access and analyse data in real time. WingArc1st has more than 20,000 customers and their products advance the transition to user-driven analysis of business information."Our customers want reasonably priced Business Intelligence solutions  the MotionBoard BI tool fulfills this need - and WingArc1st's SVF is by far the most advanced document assembly tool available worldwide."NEC Australias Paul Howe said: "Im excited about the collaboration and innovation currently generated from the partnership."Our joint focus is to bring our customers proven best-of-breed technology from across the globe, to assist in solving complex business challenges."The partnership brings together an impressive mix of global and local innovation to assist our customers in Australia."
Dr. Lawrence Nycum has been named a member of the board of directors for North Carolina Institute of Medicine. Nycum is the senior vice president of medical affairs at Novant Health. Nycum has served in a myriad of leadership roles including president/chief of staff of Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and medical director of Novant Health Oncology Specialists. The North Carolina Institute of Medicine is an independent, quasi-state agency that was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1983 to provide balanced, nonpartisan information on issues of relevance to the health of North Carolinas population.

Dr. Kirk Walker has been inducted as an honorary member of Pi Alpha Honor Society at Elon University. Walker is with Novant Health Forsyth Pediatrics in Kernersville and is an educator for physician-assistant students. Pi Alpha Honor Society is a national honor society for the physician-assistant profession and recognizes those who exhibit significant academic success as well as service to the profession, leadership and research. To become an honorary member, one must serve the physician-assistant profession in the areas of scholarship, leadership or service.

Nine attorneys from Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete have been named as N.C. Super Lawyers. The attorneys are from the firms Asheville and Winston-Salem offices. Jill Stricklin was selected in employment and labor law, and was also named to the Top 100 Attorneys in North Carolina and the Top 50 Women Attorneys in North Carolina lists. Terry Clark, John Doyle, Randy Loftis and Robin Shea of Winston-Salem and Jon Yarbrough of Asheville were also named as 2016 Super Lawyers in employment and labor law. Kenneth Carlson of Winston-Salem was named in the alternative dispute resolution category. Penni Bradshaw of Winston-Salem was named in the immigration (business) law category. William McMahon of Winston-Salem was named as a Rising Star in employment litigation-defense. Each year, no more than 5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in Winston-Salem.

Dr. Gary Gunderson has been named a member of the roundtable on Population Health Improvement by the Institute of Medicine. Gunderson is with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. As member of the roundtable, he will represent the work of FaithHealthNC which is regarded as a new care model that brings together clinical systems, public health and community partners including more than 1,500 visiting clergy to improve care of Wake Forest Baptist patients.

Alisa L. Starbuck has been promoted to the new position of vice president, womens and childrens health services and executive director, Brenner Childrens Hospital at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Starbuck, formerly chief nursing officer, will be responsible for strategies, facilities, operations and quality of care for all womens-and childrens-related patient care services of the Medical Center, its affiliations and its outreach sites.

Dr. Richard Lord has been promoted to the new position of vice president, clinical operations-population health at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. In his new role, Lord will collaborate with clinical and academic leaders to develop the strategic vision and organizational capabilities needed to implement population health management across the Wake Forest Baptist system and its clinically integrated networks. He also will work toward further developing relationships with community partners to improve population health and will maintain his duty as chair of the department of family and community medicine.

Dr. Chadwick D. Miller has been named chair of emergency medicine and executive director of emergency services at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Miller has served as interim chair of emergency medicine since June 2015. Miller will be responsible for 13 emergency departments in this region encompassing more than 500,000 annual patient visits and will direct the departments clinical care, medical education and basic and clinical research. He is the lead investigator on a clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health studying the use of cardiac MRI to evaluate patients who enter the emergency department with chest pain and also co-directs the Critical Illness, Injury and Recovery Research Center at Wake Forest Baptist.

Dr. Barry R. DeYoung has been named the Robert W. Prichard Chair at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. DeYoung is a professor of pathology at Wake Forest Baptist. The chair was established in recognition of the contributions that Dr. Robert W. Prichard made to the department of pathology and the medical center. Prichard served as chair of the department of pathology for more than 20 years.

Joshua B. Durham and Jason B. James have joined Bell, Davis & Pitt P.A.s Charlotte office. Durham was previously a partner at Poyner Spruill LLP. He focuses on litigation and intellectual property and has represented clients in numerous industries, including financial services, transportation, hospitality, wireless communications, and automotive equipment manufacturing. James has 15 years of legal experience and practices in the areas of litigation, construction law, and commercial and business tort law. He was also with Poyner Spruill LLP. James is a mediator certified by the N.C. Dispute Resolution Commission. With the addition of these two directors and plans for further growth in the near future, the Charlotte office of Bell, Davis & Pitt is in the process of expanding its space in uptown Charlotte.

CBRE Group Inc. has been named the top global brand in commercial real estate for the 15th consecutive year by The Lipsey Company. Lipsey, a training and professional development firm specializing in commercial real estate, has surveyed commercial real estate professionals on their perceptions of the industrys leading brands since 2001. CBRE has been ranked No. 1 every year that Lipsey has conducted its brand survey. Earlier this month, CBRE was ranked among Fortunes Most Admired Companies in the real estate industry for the fourth consecutive year. CBREs affiliate CBRE-Triad serves the Triad.
Karen McElwee Lloyds mother, Rosalie, (pictured between her two sisters) died in March 2013 at age 88 and suffered from Alzheimers disease in her final years. Credit: Rick Wood

SHARE Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman who was the unwitting source of cells that were cultured by George Gey to create the first known human immortal cell line for medical research. Courtesy of Lacks family Karen McElwee Lloyd is overcome with emotion as she describes her mothers last few years suffering from Alzheimers disease. Lloyd agreed to participate in a state Alzheimers registry so that her son may benefit from research in later life. Rick Wood Karen McElwee Lloyd, who is participating in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention, displays a photo of her mother. Her son, Xavier, is at her side. Rick Wood

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While African-Americans are nearly twice as likely as whites to develop Alzheimer's disease, a history of abuse and arrogance by the scientific community is frustrating efforts to recruit people of color to join dementia research programs.

Consider Henrietta Lacks, suggested Gina Green-Harris, director of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute's Milwaukee Outreach Program.

Lacks was a 31-year-old African-American mother of five who died of cervical cancer in 1951 and was buried without a tombstone in Halifax County, Va.

Today, she has been made famous by the book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and is known to scientists throughout the world by the first two letters of her first and last name: HeLa.

Eight months before Lacks' death, a doctor at what was then Johns Hopkins Hospital removed a slice of her malignancy and gave it to George Gey, a researcher trying to find human cells capable of living outside the body.

Without Lacks' knowledge or permission, Gey cultured her cells. It was a medical breakthrough, and Gey freely distributed Lacks' cells to researchers throughout the country.

Jonas Salk used Lacks' cells to develop the polio vaccine. They have been launched into space and used in the production of drugs to treat Parkinson's, leukemia and the flu. Commercialized, they have generated millions of dollars in profits and countless PhDs. Their reproduction is measured in metric tons.

Lacks' family got nothing. They didn't even know the cells had been taken until the mid-1970s.

And while the ethical and legal issues raised by Lacks' story are still debated, it has particular meaning, Green-Harris said, for African-Americans.

"Folks that remember what happened to her," Green-Harris said, "those folks are still alive."

"What we are bucking up against," she said, "is history."



Green-Harris has spent years bucking against history, knocking down its walls and replacing them with bridges  cultural viaducts  that stretch from Milwaukee's black neighborhoods all the way to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Medicine and Public Health.

When she began her work in Milwaukee in 2008, the first wall she hit was a stigma uniquely associated with her cause.

"Not about Alzheimer's," she said. "About UW."

"The community was, like: 'Well, you come and take from us, but you don't give us anything. You come and take information from us, and then you don't come back and disseminate it,'" she said.

"Researchers don't respect our culture and our values. They come to the community saying, 'This is about my agenda.'"

Andrea Garr, a dementia care specialist and researcher at the Milwaukee Department of Aging, said that kind of arrogance grinds hard against old wounds.

The African-American community, she said, has "had to be self-contained. We've had to be self-reliant. We have had to do it ourselves because we could not trust the greater community to do anything for us."

"In fact," she said, "they will come in and destroy us. Look at history. Time after time after time, the greater community has come in and destroyed our community  over and over again."

Setting up a well-intended research program is not enough to pierce this mistrust.

"Just because you build it, we may not come," Garr said.



Green-Harris is part of the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention.

Its goal is to better understand the biological, medical, environmental and lifestyle factors that can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's. Enrollment began in 2001, and more than 1,500 people have volunteered across the state. The goal is to follow participants for 15 to 20 years.

By 2008, the study included only seven African-American participants.

"If we, African-Americans, don't participate in the research, here's what's going to happen," Green-Harris said.

"When we find the intervention, when we find the cure, when we find something that is preventive  if we are not part of this, it won't reflect us, and we won't be able to use it."

When Green-Harris began her outreach to Milwaukee's African-American community, it was by providing services. She asked people what they needed. She asked what concerned them most.

Heart disease? Then she offered support for families dealing with heart disease. Financial stability? She offered workshops on financial literacy. Diabetes? Here, she said, is what we can do to help. Cancer? Here's how we can help you.

"We started where they needed us to start," Green-Harris said. "And we listened. It was not about research. It was about service."

In time, people began to ask about the Alzheimer's program. That, Green-Harris said, is how she knew people wanted to hear about it: They asked.

"This wasn't six weeks," she said. "This wasn't even six months. This was almost a year and half later. The community began to trust us. The community began to see we were really here."

The number of African-American participants has grown to 122. The goal is to double that.



Karen McElwee Lloyd is one among those 122.

Lloyd watched Alzheimer's hollow out the lives of her two aunts before it took the life of her 88-year-old mother, Rosalie, in March 2013.

Lloyd, who is 53, has a 17-year-old son, Xavier, and she says what motivated her to join the WRAP study trumped any reservations she might have had about the history of medical research in the African-American community.

"Love," she said. "It was about my mom. It was about my son."

On a recent evening, Lloyd sat at the computer in her living room, Xavier seated nearby, filling out a college financial aid application.

"It's too late for my mom. It's probably too late for me. But it's probably not too late for Xavier," she said.

Lloyd's mother lived for 11 years after her diagnosis. At one point, Lloyd was caring for her mother, caring for Xavier and working two full-time jobs. There were times of utter exhaustion.

She gave Xavier a hug.

"This is my child," she said. "By the time he reaches his 60s, maybe there will be a cure, or maybe a way to slow its progression.

"Something."

The Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute is recruiting African-Americans and English-speaking Latinos who have at least one parent who developed Alzheimer's disease to participate in its WRAP study. It is also recruiting African-Americans and Latinos with no parental history of Alzheimer's to participate in the WRAP study control group. Please call the WRAP site closest to you. For Madison, call (800) 417-4169. For La Crosse, call (800) 362-5454, Ext. 27187. For Milwaukee, call (414) 219-5159.
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An unexpected donation of three hand grenades prompted the Goodwill Industries store in Franklin to be evacuated Saturday afternoon.

Employees at the Goodwill store discovered the grenades while going through donated items, according to Franklin police.

As a precaution, the store was evacuated until the Milwaukee Police Department's hazardous devices unit responded and determined that the grenades were inoperable and posed no threat.

Police said it didn't appear there was any attempt to cause harm.

Though it doesn't specifically mention hand grenades, Goodwill's list of items it won't accept does include weapons.
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There's only one incumbent Milwaukee alderman  Jim Bohl  who is not facing a challenge in the April 5 election.

That means a staggering 14 out of 15 Common Council seats, including two open spots, will be on the ballot.

While many aldermen will keep their seats, there clearly will be some new faces at City Hall after next month's vote.

The races:

District 1. Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, who was first elected to the Common Council to represent the north side district in 2004, is facing a challenge from Vincent G. Toney, a child welfare worker.

District 2. The decision by longtime Ald. Joe Davis not to seek re-election during his failed mayoral bid triggered a five-way primary race for the open seat on the north side. The two candidates who advanced in the February primary were Cavalier "Chevy" Johnson and Sherman Morton. Johnson worked as a staff assistant in Mayor Tom Barrett's office but left that position to run for Common Council. Morton has worked as Davis' aide at City Hall for more than 11 years.

District 3. Ald. Nik Kovac, who was first elected in April 2008, faces challenger Shannan Hayden for his seat representing the city's east side, Riverwest and part of downtown. Kovac, who serves as chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee, recently tangled with Hayden in a yard sign dispute. The alderman, a Green Bay Packers fan, also hosts a "Packerverse" call-in show at Riverwest Radio.

District 4. Ald. Bob Bauman, who was first elected in April 2004, faces a challenge from Monique Kelly for his seat representing downtown and the west side. Bauman, who served as an attorney for nearly three decades, is a longtime historic preservation advocate and vocal proponent for expanding public transportation. Kelly, who has worked in human resources, says crime is the most pressing issue facing the district.

District 6. Ald. Milele Coggs, who was first elected to represent the near north side and part of downtown in 2008, faces a challenge from community activist Tory Lowe.

District 7. The west side seat opened up when Ald. Willie Wade announced in November that he wouldn't seek re-election. The top two vote-getters in the February primary who will face off in April are Milwaukee School Board President Michael Bonds and County Supervisor Khalif Rainey.

District 8. Ald. Bob Donovan is trying to defend his seat representing District 8 on the south side while he runs for mayor against incumbent Barrett. He faces a challenge from Justin Bielinski, who previously worked for Milwaukee Public Schools and has served as a youth worker and has worked and volunteered for political campaigns.

District 9. City Hall veteran Ald. Robert Puente, who was first elected in 2004, faces a challenge from a community activist. Puente, who served 27 years with the Milwaukee Police Department, is trying to defend his seat from Chantia Lewis, a board member for the worker rights group 9to5 Wisconsin.

District 10. Ald. Michael Murphy faces a challenge from Richard Geldon. Murphy, who is currently the longest-serving member of the Common Council, was first elected in a 1989 special election. He's served as its president since February 2014. This isn't Geldon's first run for public office  he has repeatedly challenged Murphy.

District 11. Ald. Mark Borkowski is trying to defend his seat from Tim Kenney. Borkowski, the newest Common Council member, was elected in August to serve out the remainder of the aldermanic term left vacant by the death of his friend Joe Dudzik, who was killed in a motorcycle crash. Borkowski previously served as a longtime Milwaukee County supervisor. Kenney, who works for the Department of Defense at the 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee, has been endorsed by state Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee). Carpenter narrowly lost to Borkowski in last year's race.

District 12. Ald. Jose Perez, who was first elected to the Common Council in 2012, faces a challenge from Angel Sanchez. Sanchez previously represented the near south side district and was Milwaukee's first Latino alderman when he was elected in 2000. But Sanchez served just one term before being ousted in a rematch race by Jim Witkowiak, whom he'd defeated to win the seat.

District 13. Ald. Terry Witkowski faces a challenge from Chris Wiken. Wiken announced early last year that he would move from Brookfield to Milwaukee and run against Witkowski to represent the 13th District on the city's far south side, saying his decision was spurred by his opposition to the Milwaukee streetcar. Wiken is the manager of The Packing House restaurant, which his family founded in 1974. Witkowski, first elected to the Common Council in a special election in July 2003, voted in favor of the streetcar and has said he would like to see it extended to the airport.

District 14. Ald. Tony Zielinski will face off against challenger Meagan Holman. Zielinski, whose district covers much of Bay View, was first elected to the Common Council in April 2004 and previously served years as a Milwaukee County supervisor. Holman previously served as a Milwaukee School Board member but decided not to run again after her first four-year term.

District 15. Ald. Russell Stamper II faces a challenge from Sean Muhammad. Stamper, a lifelong Sherman Park resident, was elected to the Common Council in 2014. Muhammad describes himself as an educator, mentor and advocate.
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MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Here are opportunities offered by the Volunteer Center of Greater Milwaukee, a service of the Nonprofit Center. Call (414) 273-7887 or visit volunteermilwaukee.org.

Share your website design skills to re-engineer a website for the Center for Deaf-Blind Persons. Call (414) 481-7477.

Drive patients to weekday appointments and cancer treatments in Milwaukee or nearby counties. Call American Cancer Society at (800) 227-2345.

Answer telephones, screen calls and schedule appointments Tuesdays; must have MS Office experience. Call Holton Street Clinic at (414) 264-8800.

Help at special events such as Food and Froth, Member's Nights, Sneak Peaks throughout the year for the Milwaukee Public Museum. Call (414) 278-2711.

Assist Grand Avenue Clubmembers open the thrift shop and sort and price donations weekdays for an agency helping people with mental illness. Call (414) 727-3363.

Set up, count and sortT-shirts, escort students, tune and prep instruments and direct guests at US Cellular Arena for Biennial Music Festival May 3-5. Call MPS at (414) 773-9823.

OZAUKEE COUNTY

Opportunities are available from the Volunteer Center of Ozaukee County, 885 Badger Circle, Grafton. Go to volunteerozaukee.org or call (262) 377-1616.

Help kids with autism learn to ride bikes as a volunteer for the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin.

Volunteer to play music for hospice patients at Horizon Home Care & Hospice.

Make or buy take-out lunch for Habitat for Humanity construction volunteers.

Volunteer for Independence Firstand assist people with disabilities.

Watch children while their parents attend workshops at Ozaukee Family Services.

WAUKESHA COUNTY

Opportunities are available from United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. If interested call (262) 409-2406, or emailvolunteer@unitedwaygmwc.org.

Mentor high-school age young women on professionalism, resume building and interview prep with United Way's Women's Leadership Council's three weeklong mentoring series. Visit with students for an hour Wednesday mornings April 6-20.

Hand out food to families in need through the Boys & Girls Clubs Mobile Food Pantry program.

Play with childrenand have fun during Ozaukee Family Services Child Care program 5:45 to 7:15 p.m. April 4.

Counsel your peers and be a good role model for the youth residing at Walker's Point Youth & Family Services.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Opportunities are available from the Volunteer Center of Washington County, 1530 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 1, West Bend. Call (262) 338-8256 or visit volunteernow.net.
Cancer patient Terry Gaffney of Fond du Lac is using a cap fitted with electrodes to disrupt growth of his tumor. At a recent checkup, his wife, Jane, removes the cap so he can undergo an MRI. Credit: Michael Sears

By of the

Terry Gaffney sat in the waiting area, filling out paperwork before the latest MRI scan of his brain tumor. On his blue checked shirt, he wore a button that said, "I'm not dead yet..."

"I'm certainly glad I don't have to check 'Yes' to the question about 'gunshot wound or shrapnel,'" he said as he ran his pen down the form on his medical history. His wife, Jane, smiled.

Gaffney, a 66-year-old retired lawyer from Eden, just outside Fond du Lac, was in a good mood for a man with brain tumor the size of a clementine orange.

In truth, he was nervous.

His body felt good, and the last time he felt good, the news on the MRI had turned out to be very bad. On that occasion, in late August, he'd been coming off a couple of encouraging MRIs. He had a false sense of security. That worsened the shock.

There was no mincing words. His doctor at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin, neuro-oncologist Jennifer Connelly, makes a practice of telling patients the verdict as soon as she walks in the door.

He had two to four months maybe, Connelly told the family on that day in August. Thanksgiving looked iffy, Christmas a long shot.

And yet, here it was February, with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's all joyful and all in his rearview mirror. The couple's two sons had visited. "The holidays were excellent," Gaffney said. "I certainly was elated to have made it."

The difference might have been a new device called Optune. A cap fitted with arrays of electrodes and worn on the head all day and all night, Optune uses alternating electric fields to disrupt the tumor in the vital process of cell division. If the cells don't divide, the tumor doesn't grow.

Connelly has been using the device since January 2015 with good results. Gaffney was her 19th patient to use it. He started soon after that grim MRI in August.

Gaffney was facing a formidable foe. Glioblastoma is a very aggressive cancer. The standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation carries a median survival of just 12 to 15 months. As brain cancers go, this one is anything but rare.

"It is unfortunately the most common thing," Connelly said. "It's what I see every day."

Optune doesn't cure glioblastoma. But it appears to increase a patient's length of survival. A 2015 study in the Journal of The American Medical Association found that the treatment added about five months to the median survival.

That may not sound like much, but Connelly thinks of it this way: "Every month can get a person close to that grandchild being born, that child being married."

Patients need to wear the device day and night, as many hours as possible. Gaffney slept with the cap plugged into the wall. For the most part, he removed Optune only to take a shower.

"He has it plugged in at night, 24/7," said Jane Gaffney, also 66.

Wearing the cap so often made his head warm.

"He's a hothead," she teased.

'Eye problem' checked

The first sign of trouble came when Terry and Jane were enjoying themselves on a Viking River Cruise through six countries in Europe. It was November 2014, and Terry was having trouble reading the maps.

"He had trouble decoding the words," said Jane. "I thought he was losing his eyesight."

When the Gaffneys returned to Wisconsin, Terry went to get his "eye problem" checked out.

He had always been healthy  did his own yard work, took brisk walks, was known around Fond du Lac as "the walking lawyer." He kept a pair of gym shoes under the desk.

For lunch, he ate an apple and a yogurt. He shunned high fructose corn syrup.

Now he had a feeling something was wrong. He was having trouble recalling his computer passwords.

At St. Agnes Hospital in mid-December 2014, Gaffney told the doctor: "I'm a lawyer. I want it straight. I give it to my clients straight and I want you to give it to me straight."

The doctor told him. You'll have surgery. You'll have radiation. You'll have chemo.

The surgery took place Dec. 18 at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Jane watched the hospital staff wheel her husband to the operating room.

Terry, a former captain in the Army Reserves, was singing a marching song from the Boer War.

'Completely stable'

A year had passed and it was now early 2016. Gaffney was back in the doctor's office waiting for the new MRI, wearing his "I'm not dead yet..." button and feeling a little nervous.

Besides using the Optune cap, he'd been taking two chemotherapy drugs and a steroid to reduce swelling in the brain.

A nurse went through his symptoms.

Any headaches? No.

Pain? No.

Fatigue? No.

Sleep? "Last night I was a little nervous," he admitted.

The nurse finished up.

Connelly swept into the office, announcing, "MRI looks good."

"I was worried," Gaffney acknowledged. "I felt so good, I thought there would be a real meltdown. The Irish are always superstitious."

"It looks completely stable," the doctor said. "Unchanged. ... I think we just hold steady, just keep doing what you're doing."

Gaffney's expression relaxed.

"Every day is St. Patrick's Day," he said, greeting good fortune with some caution. "I'm smart enough not to count my chickens."

A few weeks later, on a Sunday evening in early March, Terry crossed another item off his bucket list. He and Jane watched the final episode of Downton Abbey.

In a few days, he would surpass the median survival period for glioblastoma patients.

"My singing voice is gone," he said, "but I'm feeling good."
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Madison  Gov. Scott Walker's former corrections secretary is in an employment battle with Attorney General Brad Schimel.

In a letter last month, former Corrections Secretary Ed Wall told Schimel he was worried the attorney general would prevent him from eventually reclaiming his old job as the head of investigations for the Department of Justice  which he said would ruin his career.

Wall left his job as corrections secretary last month. He returned to his position at the Department of Justice but was immediately put on paid leave to avoid conflicts of interest with a probe into abuse allegations at the state's Northwoods youth prison. He may be interviewed as part of that investigation, according to the Department of Justice.

Wall, who makes $108,000 a year, could be on leave through 2016 because the investigation could last that long.

But Wall is concerned Schimel might not let him ever return to his job as administrator of the Division of Criminal Investigation.

In his six-page Feb. 11 letter, Wall told the attorney general he'd talked to Department of Justice lawyers about his job and was worried the agency "was going to potentially destroy my law enforcement career by playing HR games and moving me into an unknown job. They would take away my law enforcement status that I have worked my whole life to maintain, take away my position, take away the benefits of my job, sacrifice my reputation and cast me aside because I had only done what I was asked to do (by taking the job as Walker's corrections secretary)."

The letter was among documents released to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel under the state's open records law that also included emails and a 32-page packet that Wall contended showed he had a right to be in charge of the investigation unit.

In one of the emails, Wall expressed interest in getting a state car and other equipment while he was on paid leave. He didn't get it, according to the department.

"Since this is not a disciplinary administrative leave, do I receive my law enforcement credentials, state vehicle, equipment, phone, computer, etc.?" Wall wrote in a Feb. 6 email to Jayne Swingen, the department's human resources director.

When Wall took the political appointment from the governor as corrections secretary, he had the right to return to his civil service job leading the investigation unit.

But Wall and DOJ officials appear to differ over whether the agency can move him into a different position. At bottom, the dispute is not over whether Wall will have a state job, but what that job will be when he comes off paid leave.

Schimel spokeswoman Anne Schwartz said she would not comment on whether the attorney general would try to put Wall into a different job. Wall's attorney, Dan Bach, said if Wall's job changes, he will likely appeal the move to the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission.

Wall departed from the Department of Corrections as the state and federal investigation at the juvenile prison north of Wausau ramped up. That probe began in January 2015 and is looking into allegations of prisoner neglect, child abuse, sexual assault and destruction of records.

Wall complained to Schimel in one letter that putting him on leave made it appear he was "somehow under scrutiny" even though he was the one to ask for the probe. In an email, he argued he was being treated like a "pinata" in media accounts of the investigation.

Schwartz said Wall was put on paid leave from DOJ to ensure there are no questions about how the investigation was conducted, adding that Wall could be interviewed for it.

In his letter, Wall bemoaned his treatment by the previous attorney general, J.B. Van Hollen, and claimed Van Hollen had asked to help him get a job for his wife. Like Schimel and the governor, Van Hollen is a Republican.

Wall wrote that before becoming corrections secretary in 2012, he had assurances from Van Hollen and others that he could return to his job heading the investigation unit.

According to Wall, Van Hollen later told him he wasn't going to run for re-election in 2014 "and asked me if I could get (Van Hollen's wife, Lynne) an attorney's position at DOC so they would have a steady income and insurance."

Wall said he encouraged Lynne Van Hollen to apply but didn't otherwise get involved in the process.

She got the job in January 2014. Wall called her a good attorney, but said there were "bumps in the road with her."

Lynne Van Hollen "wasn't very well liked and was causing some divisiveness amongst some of the legal staff," Wall wrote.

J.B. Van Hollen later asked Wall to promote his wife to chief counsel, but Wall didn't do that. She left her $86,000-a-year job in July 2015.

According to Wall, J.B. Van Hollen told him at that point that if he returned to the Department of Justice, he could give him his old job heading the investigation unit for one day and then move him into another job. Wall considered that "a veiled threat that my restoration could be thwarted if I wanted to come home to DOJ."

He wrote that he presumes Van Hollen has spoken to current DOJ officials "and he may have made some suggestions we see playing out now."

The Van Hollens were traveling and could not be reached for comment.
Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan  The photographers who come to the sprawling Zaatari camp in Jordan all ask to take photos at sunset when the light will be best. But the camp closes to outsiders at 3 in the afternoon.

Reporter's Notebook Previous Entry Next Entry



Follow along with photos, videos and notes from reporter Mark Johnson and photojournalist Mark Hoffman on our Follow along with photos, videos and notes from reporter Mark Johnson and photojournalist Mark Hoffman on our Journey to Jordan page.

Just this week another photographer asked the Jordanian police for permission to photograph at sunset.

"In Zaatari camp," the officer answered, "there is no sunset."

We learned this story from our translator, Ihab Muhtaseb, who was with the photographer, one of many who have asked and been refused.

In Zaatari there is no sunset.

The more refugees we spoke to the more that phrase became a metaphor for the camp itself. Opened in July 2012, the camp was supposed to be temporary. It began with one district. Muhtaseb visited the camp on its third day of existence.

Zaatari is now a full-blown city of 80,000, though like no city most Americans have ever seen. There are now 12 districts, as well as a series of Children's Safe Zones, playgrounds of sorts.

If it is temporary, no one can say when it will close. The camp will turn four years old in July.

READ MORE International reporting for this project is supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

twitter.com/majohnso markjohnson@journalsentinel.com
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.
We've just completed Sunshine Week  an effort to recognize the fundamental importance of open government to a democracy, spearheaded each year by the American Society of News Editors and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Last Sunday I wrote about the need to replace obsolete campaign finance rules with new laws revealing campaign donors at the state and federal level. Many of you wrote to ask how we might get that done. Please, let's keep that conversation going.

The purpose of the new disclosure rules would be to let citizens know who is behind political advertising and their interests in the outcome of the race.

So if, for example, tribal casino operators flooded cash into commercials backing Democrats, voters could take into account upcoming gambling contract negotiations with the state. Or, if a multi-national mining company flooded cash into commercials backing Republicans, voters could take into account its desire to dig a huge mine in northern Wisconsin.

Both of those things actually happened in Wisconsin and citizens were left in the dark. Within months of being elected with the help of last-minute tribal donations in 2002, Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, signed exclusive, permanent gambling compacts with the tribes that were so generous they were eventually ruled unconstitutional. A decade later, Gov. Scott Walker and Republican legislative leaders crafted new laws easing environmental regulations on mining operations within months of being reelected with the help of mining company donations. In each case, citizens only learned of the donations thanks to investigative reporting long after the elections.

Shouldn't voters in a democratic republic have the right to know whether their elected representatives are working for them or for powerful special interests, who may even live in a distant state or foreign country?

Of course. But this donor information is becoming increasingly difficult to find at the same time that more money than ever is flowing into elections.

When the U.S. Supreme Court determined that buying political commercials was a form of speech protected by the First Amendment, it effectively rewrote a century of campaign finance laws. The problem, right now, is that the old restrictions on donor influence haven't yet been replaced, at either the federal or state level, with new rules to limit or shed light on the power of the few to buy disproportionate influence over our elected officials.

After reviewing some of the best state disclosure laws out there, here is a simple starting point:

Let's ask all candidates for office, their campaigns and the political parties to disclose the names, addresses and occupations of donors who contribute significant sums, currently $200 or more. Electronic records of such donations should be publicly available and updated weekly or more frequently in the months before  and immediately after  an election.

In addition, any person, corporation or group would be considered a political participant if they design, produce or disseminate advertisements that name or depict a candidate, or a ballot initiative, within 60 days of an election. If they coordinate directly with the candidates or parties  as is now legal in Wisconsin  they would be subject to the same disclosure rules.

Political participants that operate independently of the parties and candidates would need to disclose the names, addresses and occupations of donors who give the maximum campaign contribution allowed in the state  currently $10,000 for governor, supreme court and other statewide offices.

These new disclosure requirements would simplify campaign finance laws while also making them more effective. So long as citizens know who is participating in elections they can determine whether powerful interests are having undue influence.

This is not a partisan issue. The same rules would apply for unions and George Soros, billionaire backer of Democrats, as for industries and Charles Koch, billionaire backer of Republicans. What's more, the rules would apply in primary elections.

Why would any honest politician of either party oppose timely disclosure rules?

Some big donors won't like it. They'll claim fear of criticism might inhibit their willingness to advocate with dollars. But in reality they don't want to lose power by negotiating in the light of day, where support for rewriting laws and taxpayer spending must be won through public forums and open bidding processes, as our nation's founders intended.

The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who concurred in the "Citizens United" decision that made the old campaign finance laws obsolete, was also an outspoken champion of public disclosure in politics.

"Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, without which democracy is doomed," Scalia wrote.

If you agree with the need to disclose who is financing our elections, please contact your state and federal representatives and let them know.

Thank you.

George Stanley is the editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached via email atgstanley@journalsentinel.comand followed on Twitter @geostanley
A Joint Statement from Access Now, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Apple is engaged in a high-profile battle against a court order demanding it write, sign, and deploy custom computer code to defeat the security on an iPhone. As civil liberties groups committed to the freedom of thought that underpins a democratic society, this fight is our fight. It is the fight of every person who believes in a future where technology does not come at the cost of privacy or individual security and where there are reasonable safeguards on government power.

This is a fight that implicates all technology users. There are already bad actors trying to defeat the security on iPhones, and an FBI-ordered backdoor will only assist their efforts. Once this has been created, malicious hackers will surely increase their attacks on the FBI and Apple, hoping to ferret out clues to this entrance routeand they may well succeed.

The precedent created by this case is disturbing: it creates a new pathway for the government to conscript private companies into building surveillance tools. If Apple can be compelled to create a master key to unlock this iPhone, then little will prevent the government from ordering any company to turn its products into tools of surveillance, compromising the safety, privacy, and security of everyone.

Our organizations are committed to defending the security and human rights of everyday people whose data will be implicated by this shortsighted policy.

We call on the Obama Administration to heed the advice of neutral security experts, engineers, and even his own advisors who have affirmed the dangers inherent in the order issued to Apple. We urge them to reject the calls of those who seek to undermine our security, whether through backdoors into our software, master keys to unlock our digital data, or pressure on companies to downgrade our security.

Over 100,000 people have called for President Obama to stand up for security in our devices through savecrypto.org. Its time for the President to be accountable to them, and to all of us.

We ask our supporters to join this call by sharing this graphic with President Obama and the rest of the world.

Via Electronic Frontier Foundation
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IMEMC |  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said rights group Breaking the Silence had crossed a red line, following allegations that the group collected classified information from members of the Israeli military.

The PM launched the allegation shortly after Israels Channel 2 aired an investigative report based on video footage obtained by undercover members of right-wing NGO Ad-Khan that reportedly documented Breaking the Silence questioning members of the military on operational activities.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, meanwhile, called for a criminal investigation against Breaking the Silence on accusations that the group collected sensitive classified information.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, on social media, accused Breaking the Silence of blackening the face of Israel to the world and potentially damaging state security.

Breaking the Silence told Channel 2, in response to the allegations, that the organization works carefully to publish only materials approved by the military censor.

According to Maan, the group charged the right-wing government of attempting to silence Israeli citizens and members of the military who opposed the ongoing military occupation, pointing to the PMs response as a cause for concern regarding the future of democracy in Israel.

The incident marks ongoing targeting, by right-wingers, of Breaking the Silence, which collects testimonies from Israeli veterans, in an effort to document every day life in occupied Palestinian territory and expose Israeli war crimes.

Ad-Kan, the group that collected the video footage in question, is a far-right Israeli group which exposes leftists and human rights activists in a self-described effort to protect legitimization of Israel as a state.

The group has placed moles in Breaking the Silence before to gather information on its activities. Ad-Kan in January attempted to vilify former Israeli Foreign Ministry director-general Alon Liel through video footage showing him voicing support of the groups efforts to increase international pressure on Israel.

The ex-diplomat also praised members of Breaking the Silence as the most moral, wisest people who were not brainwashed by right-wing messianic propaganda. The footage eventually led to many Israeli officials to call for his dismissal last month.

Israels right-wing government in recent months has upped pressure on NGOs that aim to protect the human rights of Palestinians. The Knesset last month approved the first reading of the NGO transparency bill, denounced by critics as a move to delegitimize and weaken human rights organizations in Israel.

Israeli watchdog Peace Now responding to the passing of the first reading by saying the bill was a violent and discriminatory act of public shaming against those criticizing the government.

Voicing concern regarding freedom of speech, the group said in a statement: Coercing specific civil society organizations to mention their funding sources in every possible occasion is no different in principle than the wearing of special badges.

It continued: To improve Israels image in the world, whats needed is a change in policy rather than a crackdown on dissent.

Via IMEMC

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

Open Society Foundations from last summer: Breaking the Silence: Israeli Soldiers Come Clean
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Despite the Russian announcement of a determination to withdraw the bulk of its air force from Syria, Moscow has underlined that some planes would remain and would continue to fly missions against groups the Russian Federation considers terrorists,including al-Qaeda (Jabhat al-Nusra) and Daesh (ISIL, ISIS). Thus, on Saturday the Russian air force flew 70 missions against Daesh positions in the historic city of Palmyra (called Tadmor in Arabic).

It is not clear how many deaths these air raids produced. The Syrian Arab Army and Hizbullah, the Lebanese party-militia that fights alongside the SAA, have made advances in the past two weeks into the hills above Palmyra.

When Daesh was strong in the Palmyra area (they took the city last May), they used it as a base for expeditions that attempted to cut the road between Damascus and Hama. That threat appears to have impelled the regime of Bashar al-Assad to strive to retake the ancient city. With regime troops and their allies now within striking distance of the city itself, the Russians are softening up the minions of the phony caliphate from the air.

At the same time, apparently in a bid to forestall reinforcements from being sent from al-Raqqa, the Daesh capital, either Russian or regime planes flew dozens of missions against al-Raqqa. The strikes left at least 39 dead, with some sites reporting deaths among women and children. The Iranian al-Alam news site maintained that high Daesh officials were killed in the bombings, including the chief judge of al-Raqqa and the citys governor.

Al-Alam also maintains that dozens of Daesh fighters have abandoned Palmyra and are attempting to get to al-Raqqa.

Daesh is now caught in a powerful pincer movement. The YPD Kurds are moving on it from both the west and from the north. Now the regime is moving against it from the southwest.

The Syrian regime had for a long time declined to fight Daesh because Baath commanders were sure that they werent lethal to Damascus itself. Some argue that the regime wanted to defeat the Free Syria Army while allowing Daesh to grow, so as to present the West with a choice of backing al-Assad or of coddling Daesh. Given how beastly Daesh is, it was a sure bet that the US would take any side against it, including that of the regime.

If such a strategy once existed, it appears to be being abandoned, as the regime marches northeast to Daesh strongholds.

During the current ceasefire, the Russians and the al-Assad regime are not able to hit the remnants of the Free Syrian Army and anger the US They are therefore concentrating on Daesh, as well as on al-Qaeda, which regime planes bombed in the Ghouta region near Damascus on Saturday.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

New China TV: Syrias Assad hails Iran, Russias role in war on terror
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TeleSur |  

Democracy Has Absolutely No Value Any Longer'

The Turkish president made the comments in the context of the governments fight against the Kurdish PKK resistance group.

In the fight against the Kurdish insurgency in the country, there is no place left for democracy and freedom of speech in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, arguing that his governments crackdown on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group outweighs the rule of law.

If the state doesnt strike its fist in a velvet glove on the heads of terrorists, they will continue hurting us each day, Erdogan said in a televised speech Wednesday.

This issue has no relation to human rights, freedom of thought, freedom of press and democracy. Those who use these concepts along with terror and terrorist should know that they have been making our nations conscience bleed.

His comments came a few days after Turkey was hit by a second bombing in the capital Ankara in less than a month. The bombing Sunday killed at least 37 people and injured hundreds.

Erdogan said that his government sees anyone who comes out against Ankaras military operation in the mainly Kurdish southeast regions as an enemy, even those calling for an end to the conflict. Those who stand on our side in the fight against terrorism are our friend. Those on the opposite side are our enemy, he said in the televised comments.

More than 150 civilians have been killed since August as part of Turkeys major operation against the PKK in the Kurdish regions.

Erdogans comments come as the European Union is on the brink of finalizing a deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees into Europe through Turkey. Human rights activists accuse the EU of turning a blind eye to Turkish government abuses against the Kurdish minority and its crackdown on freedom of speech and critical media for the sake of the controversial refugees deal.

Turkeys leadership is on a dangerous trajectory and the current policy of the EU is making the journey easier, European Policy Center said in a report Wednesday.

The Union is viewing every aspect of its relationship with Turkey through the prism of the migration/refugee crisis. With this approach the EU is both morally bankrupting itself and at the same time helping push Turkey deeper into authoritarianism. Furthermore, the EU is sending a very wrong signal to other candidate countries, the report added.

Via TeleSur



related video added by Juan Cole:

Euronews: Evidence suggests female PKK militant bombed Ankara
In "Mrs. Cop 2" Kim Sung Ryung took in a new team member and ran into Kim Beom in the middle of the investigation.

On the 2nd episode of SBS weekend drama "Mrs. Cop 2" (script Hwang Joo Ha, director Yoo In Shik) broadcast on Mar. 6th, Yoon Jung (played by Kim Sung Ryung) created her own team.

At this, Park Jong Ho (played by Kim Min Jong) showed how uncomfortable he is when he had manipulated the former Boondang murder incident of the former female university student. In addition to this, Park Jong Ho was disappointed in Ko Yoon Jung who couldn't pick a team member until the promised time. In the end, Park Jong Ho said, "Do you think the leader of the strong team looks like some women's group leader? Why are you looking at the position of the strong team in Seoul?" At this, Ko Yoon Jung thought back to the Boodang University kidnapping incident. Ko Yoon Jung who was investigating into this incident pointed to the taxi driver to be the murder suspect, especially with the evidence box and forensics evidence.

Meanwhile, "Mrs. Cop 2" shows a female cop who is amazing at her work and is a great leader. Nonetheless, she has no skills in being a mother and with her passionate heart, she shows what working moms go through in Korea through the challenges of holding multiple roles.
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Today I have a practical exam; that means doctors are shadowing me. Its my turn to talk with patients about their diagnoses, and Ive been looking forward to that part of medicine.

Its my second patient; shes here for vaginal discharge. I go in, introduce myself and explain my role. Im still mediocre at documentation, but Im good at putting patients at ease, so we make small talk. She just moved here from Chicago  a fresh start after a tough breakup. Shes a manager at a luxury apartment.

You can tell shes had years of working people from all walks of life. Her manner is polished. If she werent sitting on the exam table in a paper robe, youd assume she was the doctor and I the patient. Were close in age. We talk about how cold Seattle is and how difficult apartment management sounds. I joke that I quit social work (my former career) to avoid dealing with difficult customers. We have that in common. Were close in age. Under different circumstances, we might have been friends.

But thats not why shes here. Shes having discharge and complaining about the smell. She figures its a yeast infection  shes prone to those  and maybe some antibiotics will help. I complete the exam and get samples. She gets dressed while I go to the lab and run through the differential diagnoses. My patient has trichomonas vaginalis, which is sexually transmitted. Strange, she said she had no new partners. Maybe there was a one-night stand she didnt want to talk about. Its not a big deal; patients skimp on details. They lie. They forget.

The other, more plausible reason for her diagnosis doesnt cross my mind until I re-enter the room. I thank her for waiting. She smiles and says its no problem at all. Then I deliver the bad news. The happiness, the excitement, and hope of her fresh start drains from her eyes. All the polish, the finesse  its gone.

Yeah, he wasnt faithful, she says. Thats why I left him.

We talk about all the treatment options, but by the end of the appointment, its clear shes going to need a full testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Her manner is different now, shocked and sad. The paper robe is in the trash, and shes back in business casual. But her previous confidence is gone. Then I realize she still has it; its keeping her from crying, from losing whatever cool she has left.

She hangs on while I take her to the lab. HIV test, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia  theyre all on the agenda now. You can tell shell have a long afternoon  a trip to the pharmacy, some angry phone calls. She sits down with disbelief and chips at the rhinestones on her phone case.

I want to fix this; Im supposed to be the doctor, right? But Im up against a problem beyond medicine: loss of hope. In a matter of seconds, her optimistic anticipation turned to empty shock. I try to find a sticker for her, the kind we give to little kids when they cry from shots. Dora the Explorer? Care Bears? But I realize a sticker wont help.

Instead, I put my hand on her shoulder. I start to say, Its going to be OK, but I stop short, realizing we dont know if thats true. Instead, I say, Hang in there. I hope your day gets better, and Im here for you. She buries her face in her hands. What else can I do?

C. J. Hua is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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By Ed Palm

"All veterans are like some veterans, are like no other veterans."

I was heartened to hear Peter Schmidt say that a few weeks ago at Olympic College. Schmidt, a clinical psychologist with the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, was holding a PTSD Workshop, and that line was his takeaway.

The theme of Schmidt's presentation was that we shouldn't stereotype veterans, much less presume that every veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress is disturbed, dysfunctional and potentially dangerous. There are degrees of post-traumatic stress, and there is a distinction to be made between post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder.

As a Vietnam veteran and a former academic, I worry that this distinction is lost on the public in general and on academics in particular. Academics pride themselves on being open-minded, but they're really not. They're just better at articulating and defending their prejudices.

Thanks to today's GI Bill, which covers tuition and a living stipend, colleges and universities are seeing a great influx of veterans. As a former GI Bill student, I did my part to "prep the zone"  as we used to say "in country"  with "The Veterans Are Coming, the Veterans Are Coming!," an article I published in 2008 in "Inside Higher Ed." My main point was that professors should not be wary of veterans. Instead, they should expect veterans to be "academically reborn" and to rank among the most mature and motivated students they have.

Olympic College certainly seems to be onboard with that message. Two years ago, I reported on how OC's Veteran and Military Support Center (VMSC) was helping to smooth the transition from military to academic life ("A veterans' community at OC," Nov. 3, 2013). The VMSC is a well-appointed comfortable room  a "clean, well-lighted place," as Hemingway would say  where veterans can socialize and relax between classes. It also offers free coffee, computer access and volunteer tutoring.

The college, however, has lately begun to enhance and formalize it efforts to attract and accommodate veterans. In October, it received a three-year grant of $318,319 from the U.S. Department of Education to create a Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success (CEVSS).

I met the center's newly appointed Transition Manager for Veteran Student Success, Casey Reed, in the course of Schmidt's workshop, and I recently interviewed her to find out what she is doing to make her center live up to its name.

Reed impressed me as a good fit for her position. A Navy wife herself, Reed earned an M.A. in counseling from Western Michigan University. Her professional experience includes working for the Fleet and Family Support Centers at Naval Base San Diego and Naval Base Kitsap. Reed can also be credited with knowing the ins and outs of OC, having worked for two years with OC's Educational Opportunity Center before her current appointment.

The CEVSS will live on past the three-year duration of the grant, Reed assured me. The grant requires that OC develop a plan to make the CEVSS a permanent office.

Toward that end, Reed has developed four objectives: (1) to train faculty and staff regarding veterans' needs and concerns; (2) to increase veteran student enrollment; (3) to focus on "fall-to-fall persistence"; and (4) to improve the completion rate.

It would seem that the college has already met the second objective. Reed said that 800 veterans and 100 active-duty students were enrolled for the winter quarter. The active-duty numbers have been coming up, Reed added, thanks to the efforts of Kevin Askin, a newly appointed educational adviser charged with touting OC at the Bremerton and Bangor bases as well as Naval Hospital Bremerton.

The college likewise seems to be doing well in meeting the third and fourth goals. "As a whole, our veterans do nearly as well in fall-to-fall persistence and just as well in completion rates when compared to the entire student population at OC," Reed claimed. "Veterans do really well," she added, because "they come with a mission," and they're generally above the usual distractions of college life. Reed also credited a separate orientation with helping veterans navigate the college's bureaucracy and the college's tutoring center with improving retention.

As for the first objective, Reed said she routinely meets with faculty and holds focus-group meetings with students to set goals and to determine priorities as well as to listen to any complaints or concerns. The faculty, she said, have all been supportive, and OC's veteran students seem to be satisfied with the college's efforts on their behalf.

Reed's contributions notwithstanding, I suspect that the social and informal support resource I reported on two years ago  the college's Veteran and Military Support Center  still plays an important part in making veterans feel welcome and wanted at OC. Stay tuned. For a future column, I'm planning to revisit the VMSC and to report on how it's faring.
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By Kitsap Sun Staff

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND  Three people were injured and taken to the hospital  two by helicopter  after a three-car wreck Saturday on Bainbridge Island that snarled traffic all afternoon.

Bainbridge police and medics were called to the intersection of Highway 305 and Reitan Road at about 2:56 p.m. The wreck occurred when a car made an unsafe left turn from Reitan Road onto the highway, said Bainbridge Police Sgt. Trevor Ziemba. Three doctors who happened to have been passing by were able to give immediate assistance to the injured people.

Two people were flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries, Ziemba said, and another was taken by ambulance to Harrison Medical Center.
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Dale Magneson, Silverdale

Let's show Clinton our distrust

Forty years ago, as a private first class, the federal government spent $20,000 trying to determine whether I could be trusted with state secrets. The government takes this vetting process very seriously. Those of us who held clearances were indoctrinated that the release of materials could endanger lives and damage the security of the United States. The penalty for release is a stay in prison at Fort Leavenworth.

Hillary Clinton was specifically asked whether she has ever lied to the America people. She "doesn't believe" that she has. That statement may be debated, but she has clearly misled Americans. She state that none of her email was classified. After the fact, others have determined that hundreds of her emails should have been classified.

Two facts should be made clear: 1. The use of a nonsecure means of communication to pass state secretes is itself a crime. 2. Mrs. Clinton, as secretary of state, an initiator of sensitive email communication, is required to classify such information. If she didn't do so, she breached her duties.

As a trained attorney and presumably a very bright person, Clinton's "mea culpa" is inexcusable. Her failures are malfeasance in office and are calculated to deceive us. She obviously believes that she is above the law.

President Obama should have named a special prosecutor to determine whether Clinton has broken any laws. We know that due to political affiliations, this is unlikely. The only thing to be done for such gross negligence is to inform her at the ballot box that she cannot be trusted.
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By George Will

Both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are blaming free-trade deals for the decline of working-class jobs and incomes. Are they right?

Clearly, America has lost a significant number of factory jobs over the last three decades. In 1980, about 1 in 5 Americans worked in manufacturing. Now it's about 1 in 12.

Today, Ohio has a third fewer manufacturing jobs than it had in 2000. Michigan is down 32 percent.

Trade isn't the only culprit. Technological change has also played a part.

When I visit one of America's remaining factories, I rarely see assembly-line workers. I don't see many workers at all. Instead, I find a handful of technicians sitting behind computer screens. They're linked to fleets of robots and computerized machine tools that do the physical work.

There's a lively debate among researchers as to whether trade or technology is more responsible for the decline in factory jobs. In reality, the two can't be separated.

Were it not for technological breakthroughs we wouldn't have the huge cargo containers, massive container ports and cranes, and satellite and Internet communications systems that have created highly efficiently worldwide manufacturing systems.

These systems have relocated factory jobs from the United States to Asia, especially to China. Researchers have found that the biggest losses in American manufacturing started in 2001, when China joined the World Trade Organization, requiring the U.S. to lower tariffs on Chinese goods.

MIT economist David Autor and two co-authors estimate that from 2000 to 2007 the United States lost close to a million manufacturing jobs to China  about a quarter of the total decline in those years. Robert Scott of the Economic Policy Institute puts the loss since 2001 at about 3 million.

This doesn't mean free trade has been entirely bad for Americans. It's given us access to cheaper goods, saving the typical American thousands of dollars a year. A recent study by economists at UCLA and Columbia University found that free trade has increased the real incomes of the U.S. middle class by 29 percent, and even more for those with lower incomes.

But trade has widened inequality and imposed a particular burden on America's blue-collar workers.

If you're well educated, free trade has given you better access to worldwide markets for your skills and insights  resulting directly or indirectly in higher pay.

On the other hand, if you're not well educated, the trade deals of the last quarter century have very likely taken away the factory job that you (or your parents or grandparents) once relied on for steady work with good pay and generous benefits.

These jobs were the backbone of the old American middle class. Now they're almost all gone, replaced by lower-paying service jobs in places like retail stores, restaurants, hotels and hospitals.

The change has been a dramatic. A half century ago, America's largest private-sector employer was General Motors, whose full-time workers earned an average hourly income (including health and pension benefits) of around $50, in today's dollars.

Today America's largest employer is Walmart, whose typical employee earns just over $9 an hour. A third of Walmart's employees work less than 28 hours per week and don't even qualify for benefits.

The core problem isn't really free trade or even the loss of factory jobs per se. It's the demise of an entire economic system in which people with only high-school degrees, or less, could count on good and secure jobs.

That old system included strong unions, CEOs with responsibilities to their employees and communities and not just to shareholders, and a financial sector that didn't demand the highest possible returns every quarter.

Trade has contributed to the loss of this old system, but that doesn't necessarily mean we should give up on free trade. We should create a new system in which a greater share of Americans can be winners.

But will we? The underlying political question is whether the winners from America's current economic system  people with college degrees, the right connections and good jobs that put them on the winning side of the divide  will support new rules that widen the circle of prosperity to include those who have been on the losing side.

Those new rules might include, for example, a much larger Earned Income Tax Credit (effectively, a wage subsidy for lower-income workers), stronger unions in the service sector, world-class education for all (including free public higher education), a single-payer health care plan, more generous Social Security, and higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for all this.

If the winners refuse to budge, America could turn its back on free trade  and much else. Indeed, there's no telling where the anger we've seen this primary season might lead.
The SMH reports:

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.

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.

Goldstein is one of the jewels in the Victorian crown for the Liberal Party, centred around the citys well-heeled Bayside suburbs of Brighton and Sandringham.
The ACLU is speaking out against SJR 39, which would allow individuals, organizations and businesses to deny some services for LGBT people.
River Place in Cedar Falls won top honors for a new residential project in the Best Development Awards presented by 1000 Friends of Iowa.
SHARE Nathan Burcham Sara Fulton Kristin Grove Allison Klesse

Nathan Burcham has joined Burcham Benefits as a financial adviser.

Lynne Lawson Fugate has joined the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians as CEO. She was previously senior vice president at SmartBank.

Sara Fulton has joined Summit Medical Group as director of operations. She previously was vice president of operations for TeamHealth. Christina Shuey has joined Summit as a nurse practitioner at Turkey Creek Internal Medicine. She previously was a registered nurse at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

Dr. Jack Lacey, senior vice president and chief medical officer with nearly four decades of service at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, will retire on March 31. Lacey is credited as the physician leader who helped create Knoxville Area Project Access, a partnership with the Knoxville Academy of Medicine as well as physicians and health systems in the Knoxville area that has provided pro bono primary and specialty health care services for the uninsured and medically underserved in the region since 2005.

Glenn Leland has joined Priority Ambulance as chief growth officer. He previously was CEO of TransCare in New York.

Stone & Hinds, P.C. promoted S. David Lipsey to shareholder. He previously was an associate.

David Lively has been promoted to the newly created position of director of facility operations and engineering for the Public Building Authority of Knoxville and Knox County. He was previously facility director for the Knox County Health Department. Kristin Grove has joined PBA as senior project manager for the property development department. She previously was a partner at Johnson Architecture. Lt. Joel Weeks has been promoted to supervisor of security and life safety for the organization.

Richie Livingston has joined Pershing Yoakley & Associates as a consulting staff member.

Susan Martin will return to her position as faculty in the University of Tennessee Department of Classics effective July 1. She previously was a provost and senior vice chancellor with the university.

Joel Moran has joined Shoffner Mechanical Services as an HVACR representative for commercial and industrial clients. He previously was with Lee Co. in Nashville.

Nanomechanics Inc. founder and president Warren Oliver, PhD, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Oliver was elected "for contributions to the development and commercialization of nanomechanical testing technology," according to the NAE. He is one of 80 new members and 22 foreign members elected this year.

Craig Patterson has joined Checkpoint Systems as a national accounts manager for major retail in source tagging and RFID integration.

Lindsey Reigelsperger has joined Wood Properties as a commercial property assistant.

The U.S. Department of Energy has appointed Kennetha Eikelberg and Elizabeth Ross to its Oak Ridge Environmental Management advisory board.

Stacy Waddell has joined South College as vice president of academic support and student services. She was previously director of student services at Argosy University in Nashville.

Young-Williams Animal Center recently elected new officers and announced the new members of the 2016 board of directors. The officers are chairwoman Kristi Lively of Village Veterinary Clinic, vice-chairwoman Janet Testerman of Scripps Networks Interactive, secretary Bob Thomas of Cumulus Radio and Knox County Commission, treasurer April Harris. The new members are Brad Van Der Veen of Radio Systems Corporation, Allison Klesse Smith of Village Veterinary Clinic, Natalie Stair of JB&B Capital, LLC, and Melissa White of Lexus of Knoxville.
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MEOW MIX

The Tennessee Valley Cat Fanciers, Inc. will return to Knoxville for its 39th Annual Cat Fanciers Association Cat Show on Saturday, March 26. Cat lovers will have the chance to see over 40 feline breeds at the Jacob Building at Chilhowee Park.

This show regularly has over 200 competing cats. Not only are pedigreed cats in the show, there is also a household pet entry.

With the help of Young Williams Animal Center, Feral Felines of East Tennessee, and the Stray Connection, kittens and cats are brought to the show and are open to the public to adopt. There will be vendors at the show as well, including Siamese Rescue, Smokey Mountain Cat House, Pet Supplies Plus, Feral Feline Furniture, and plenty of other toy vendors.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tickets are $6 at the door, $4 for seniors and students.

DISCUSSING DIGITAL

Knox County Public Library invites the public to its monthly book discussion on Wednesday, March 23, at the East Tennessee History Center. Dr. Suzie Allard, associate dean for research in the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information, will discuss "Big Data: a Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think" by Viktor Mayer-Schonberger at noon in the History Center auditorium, 601 South Gay Street.

Big data is a revolution occurring around us, forever changing economics, science, culture, and the very way we think. But it also poses new threats, from the end of privacy as we know it to the prospect of being penalized for things we haven't even done yet, based on big data's ability to predict our future behavior.

Allard's research interests focus on how scientists and engineers use and communicate information, with a focus on projects related to science data. Her research and teaching focus includes digital libraries.

FARRAGUT FARMS

Step back to the good ol' days when Farragut was a farming community. It is these farms, owned by families like Everett, Thornton, Bevins, Mabry and Sherrill, that the Museum of Farragut is honoring with an exhibit, which runs through May 27, called "Farragut Farmers," showcasing farming tools and other equipment that were part of everyday life on the farms of years gone by.

To find out more, visit the Museum of Farragut inside the Farragut Town Hall from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Like us at www.facebook.com/knoxvillefamily and www.facebook.com/knoxvilledotcom
When Todd and Libby Wickman head out for a two-hour pet walk, the exercise often stretches a bit longer  as much as five hours.

Not because their three pets are rowdy, jerking and tugging at their leashes or running pell-mell through the countryside.

Quite the opposite. They're gentle as a warm spring breeze.

It's just that the four-legged trio tend to attract lots of human company. Everybody wants to stop, talk, ask questions and extend a friendly pat.

There's Graceland, a 2-year-old rescued pit bull. And mixed-breed terrier Major, also 2 and also a rescue dog. Neither ever met a stranger they didn't love at first ear-scratch.

And then there's J.J.

At 6 months of age, he's the baby of the crew and always hogs the attention.

Uh, because that's what he is. A hog.

"Actually, he's a miniature potbellied pig," Libby corrected me. "We've had him since he was 3 weeks old. He was so young, my husband had to take him to work so he could feed him a bottle on his lunch break.

"We've discovered a lot of people have potbellied pigs as pets," she added. "It's just that they keep them on farms instead of the house and don't walk 'em around on a leash."

The Wickmans are former Illinois residents who moved to Dandridge 18 months ago. He works at the University of Tennessee; she's a pediatric nurse. It was Todd's insistence that got them into the pig business.

"He always kept saying he wanted one, and I kept resisting," Libby noted with a laugh. "Finally, he said, 'I've put up with you for 14 years, so now it's time for you to put up with a pig.' "

It was love at first oink.

"Pigs make great family pets," she said. "They're very low maintenance. J.J. and Graceland are best friends. He loves squeaky toys, too.

"He's potty trained. He knows his name and will come when you call him. You have to be careful with him out in the yard because he does want to root around, but he's a great weed eater; he loves dandelions and clover."

And he's not dirty.

"Pigs wallow in mud because they don't have sweat glands," she said. "They do that to stay cool. We bathe J.J. once a month in baby shampoo. More than that and his skin would get too dry.

"We feed him a commercial pig mixture, plus lots of fresh veggies and fruit. You have to watch the calories, though. If you feed them too much, they'll get obese."

After seeing J.J. in the flesh, I gotta admit two things:

1. He's dang-near the cutest pet I have ever encountered.

2. It's going to be a while before I order the pork plate at Buddy's.
A Rural/Metro firetruck in Knoxville Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

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By News Sentinel Staff

KNOXVILLE  A man was taken to the hospital with minor injuries Friday night after his mobile home was destroyed in a fire.

Rural/Metro Fire Department responded to reports of a fire at about 10:30 p.m. at 7634 Clinton Highway, said Battalion Chief Jonathan Rood. The residents were not home at the time fire started, but after returning to find their mobile home engulfed in flames, called authorities.

The man was injured when he tried to rescue animals, Rood said, citing the incident report. Rood did not know how many animals were in the home and if any of them were rescued.

The man was taken to North Knoxville Medical Center on Emory Road.

A cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said. The American Red Cross is assisting two people displaced by the fire, Rood said.

More details as they develop online and in Sunday's News Sentinel.
SHARE State Sen. Bill Ketron

By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  Legislators have struck a deal with Gov. Bill Haslam on control of appointments to the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission, according to Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron.

Ketron announced the compromise to the Senate State and Local Government Committee last week in presenting an amendment to SB2095. The measure was then unanimously approved by the panel.

Under current law, the governor appoints all three members of the ABC, which regulates the state's system for sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages  except beer, which is mostly left to local governments.

As introduced, the bill would have expanded the number of commission members from seven, letting the governor keep three appointments but giving the speakers of the House and Senate two appointments each. The governor's appointees would thus become a minority on the panel with legislative appointees holding a 4-3 majority.

As amended, the bill will instead expand the commission to five members  the governor keeping three appointees and each speaker getting one appointment. Haslam will thus keep a majority of the appointments, Ketron said, but legislators will "have more eyes working with the (ABC executive) director  to give him more direction" with the state's alcoholic beverage industry in an expansion mode.

To avoid increasing taxpayer costs, Ketron said, the bill also reduces the payment to ABC members from $500 for every ABC meeting "whether they show up or not" to $300 per meeting. And there's a provision that says any member missing more than half of ABC meetings in a calendar year will lose his or her seat.

Ketron said  "no offense to the current members"  that in five of the ABC regular monthly meetings during 2014 only two commissioners attended; and that in 2015, there were six meetings with only two commissioners on hand.
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By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  In its final meeting, the House Agriculture Subcommittee killed bills to put new restrictions on fluoride in drinking water and to require labeling of food from genetically modified plans.

The fluoride bill would impose new requirements on water systems for reporting the amount of fluoride they add to water to officials  or that naturally occurs  and providing notice to consumers. The bill specifies that the notice include a warning that "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that children aged birth through eight (8) years are at risk of developing dental fluorosis by consuming fluoride during the time when teeth are forming under their gums."

Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Old Hickory, sponsor of HB949, said it would simply mean "informed consent" for consumers and "all we're asking for is disclosure."

But critics said the measure would discourage use of fluoride, which has proven benefits, and the language used in the legislation makes inaccurate statements. TennCare officials, the panel was told, suggest the "overregulation" of fluoride would prompt many water systems to discontinue use, leading to a 16 percent increase in tooth decay that would cost TennCare's dental program $24 million.

The measure was killed on voice vote with no member recorded as supporting it  though Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, voiced some support during the brief debate.

Rep. Joe Towns, D-Memphis, brought two bills before the subcommittee dealing with labeling of products.

HB1217 would require that plants and seeds sold in Tennessee be labeled to indicate open pollination, genetic modification, and hybridization.

HB1218, entitled the "Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Act," would require foods from genetically modified plants be labeled as such.

"We just want people to know what we're putting in our bodies," Towns said. "That's all this is."

But Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, said such legislation is "unfounded and baseless" and told Towns "you've eaten this (genetically modified food) every day of your life for the last eight or 10 years."

Vermont enacted similar legislation, Holt said, costing "millions" to be spent unnecessarily.

The first bill failed when Towns could not get the necessary seconding motion for passage from a subcommittee member. The second got a seconding motion, then was killed on voice vote.
Volunteer cuddler Sandra Coggins holds a week old baby girl in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at East Tennessee Children's Hospital being treated for neonatal abstinence syndrome Jan. 28, 2016. The volunteers play an important role in comforting NAS infants. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  An impassioned and unresolved controversy over whether to continue criminal prosecution of women who give birth to drug-addicted babies has birthed a bipartisan and unanimous committee crusade to spend more state money on treatment for addiction.

All members of the state House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, where the opposing sides argued emotionally and at length about the "fetal assault bill" last week, signed on afterward to a proposed state budget amendment that would provide $10 million in new funding "for the sole purpose of drug addiction treatment services for pregnant women and newborn babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome."

The bill, HB1660, appeared on the verge of defeat after a Sevier County judge who presides over a drug court joined others in telling legislators that a two-year experiment in authorizing prosecution of addicted mothers has been a failure. The others included a Blount County mother who is among about 100 women prosecuted under the law  she drew applause after testifying, with legislators joining in a technical violation of legislative rules  as well as a doctor specializing in neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, and people involved in addiction treatment.

Legislators in 2014 made Tennessee the first state in the nation to enact such a statute, deeming illegal use of drugs just prior to birth a misdemeanor assault on the fetus  thus the "fetal assault" label. But included in 2014 was an automatic repeal on July 1, 2016, unless renewed by the General Assembly.

Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, R-Lancaster, who sponsored the 2014 law as well as the bill this year to keep it on the books permanently, joined the committee members in signing as a co-sponsor of the $10 million drug treatment budget amendment, drafted by Rep. William Lamberth, R-Cottontown, a former prosecutor who staunchly supports the measure.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Stewart of Nashville, a staunch opponent of renewal, pushed for an immediate vote on Weaver's bill after testimony ended. The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, had indicated he could not support renewal after the testimony and another member, Rep. Micah Van Huss, R-Gray, said he could not support it either "because of the abortion issue"  referring to contentions the law has led pregnant women to seek abortions rather than face the possibility of criminal prosecution.

But Lamberth called for a week's delay in the vote, proposing to do two things in the interim  draft the budget amendment and rewrite the bill to ease concerns over abortion. After some back-and-forth dispute, Stewart agreed to the postponement. By Friday, Lamberth had fulfilled both his promises, providing copies of the budget amendment  with Stewart among the co-signers  and a rewrite of the bill itself.

The revised bill, scheduled for consideration Tuesday, includes a provision declaring "no woman shall be prosecuted under this subsection for use of a narcotic drug that occurred before the 25th week of the woman's pregnancy." Since Tennessee law prohibits abortion after the 25th week of pregnancy, Lamberth said, the effect is to eliminate any incentive to choose abortion.

Last week's hearing began with Weaver showing a video of crying, convulsing infants suffering from NAS that Farmer called "heart-rending." A narrator explains that the babies, withdrawing from addictive drugs their mothers had taken, cannot sleep for more than 15-20 minutes at a time and vomit any nourishment consumed.

Weaver said the fetal abuse law is a tool used as a "velvet hammer" to prod women into seeking help for their addictions. Keeping the law on the books, she said, will be "giving a voice to these tiny, innocent babies."

Two leaders of Life Choices, a Memphis-based organization that helps women deal with unexpected pregnancy, and Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich testified in support of renewal.

The Life Choices representatives said the law has often led women to seek help, and Weirich said the law is used only to prosecute "the worst of the worst" cases, where women have refused treatment and given birth to a child suffering addiction.

Duane Slone, a Circuit Court judge who oversees drug court programs in Sevier, Cocke and Grainger counties, sought to counter their testimony. He began by saying he did not have a video to match Weaver's presentation, but held up a picture and declared, "I do have a photograph of a young guy who spent his first 52 days on earth withdrawing from opiates, barbiturates, cocaine and about anything else you can imagine  and that's my 5-year-old son, Joseph. ... When I see the heart of people like General Weirich and Rep. Weaver, there's compassion there and I admire where they're coming from. Our heart beats the same that way. But I disagree with approval of this legislation."

He said statistics make two main points about the law's shortcomings:

Northeast Tennessee had 52 percent of NAS births statewide in a recent year, almost all based on abuse of prescription opioid drugs, he said, and not heroin or cocaine as often cited by advocates of the fetal assault legislation. Shelby County had just 2.1 percent of NAS cases and Davidson County just 4 percent, he said, while Knox County had 11.6 percent. Slone's district had 28 percent.

While the urban counties have treatment centers in place, typically funded mostly by private donations, the rural counties do not, he said. A pilot program in Sevier County partly funded by the county and including a contraception program, he said, provides shelter for five women at a time and has been successful, perhaps preventing more than 40 NAS births  but there is a far larger demand.

East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville has found the number of NAS newborns at the facility has remained stable since passage of the 2014 law, although far fewer of the mothers had sought prenatal care. Slone said the "drastic" decline in women seeking prenatal care shows women are being discouraged from looking after the welfare of their babies. The judge and a spokesman for the hospital did not return a reporter's calls seeking specifics of the data on Friday.

Brittany Nicole Hudson of Maryville, who pleaded guilty to violation of the current law after giving birth to a baby girl on the side of a road in October 2014, told the committee she had heard of the statute and was "scared" about seeking prenatal care  although she had done so prior to birth of a previous child when there was no such law.

"I did not get clean because of this law," Hudson said, noting she is now "clean"  thanks to many people who have helped her  and is working at a treatment center, where she knows of other women fearful of prosecution.

On the other hand, Latoni Lester of Memphis, who was also charged with violation of the law and who also said she has since gone through successful treatment, told the committee she supports the law. But Lester also said in response to questions that she knew about the law, but nonetheless took cocaine the night before her daughter was born.

Dr. Steven Patrick, a Vanderbilt University professor of pediatrics who is also engaged in research on NAS for the National Institute of Health, said the situation should be treated as a "public health problem, not a criminal justice problem." The American Medical Association and virtually all physician-oriented and research organizations, he said, oppose the law now.

Patrick said the law discourages mothers "from being forthcoming" and seeking help they need. He also said the law ignores alcohol abuse by expectant mothers, a far more common problem  although drug addiction is growing, mostly because of illegal use of opioid prescription drugs.

Mary-Linden Salter, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug & Other Addiction Services, told the committee that up to 1,000 pregnant women apparently are on waiting lists for drug treatment at any given time, since only a handful of facilities offer treatment for pregnant women  and some of those require private payment. Salter contended the current law discourages addicted women from seeking treatment and, when they do, none is available.

Gov. Bill Haslam has proposed an expansion in drug court funding in his proposed budget for the coming year, Salter said, but that covers only the administrative costs of operating the courts and does not provide anything for treatment expenses typically involved in referrals by drug courts. Slone cited similar concerns.

Salter said her organization and others involved in addiction treatment are seeking a $30 million expansion in state funding for such programs. Lamberth said he believes the legislator-supported $10 million measure has a better chance of winning approval.

In an exchange with Patrick, Lamberth expressed exasperation at one point after repeatedly declaring sympathy for addicted women trying to cope with their problem. The legislator asked the doctor whether he thinks it should be a crime for a mother to put an illegal drug into infant formula given her baby and, if so, why it should be any different to put an illegal drug into her body prior to giving birth.

Patrick said as to drugs in baby formula, "the answer is obvious." He avoided a direct answer to the second part of the question, but called the issue "a complicated problem" that warrants "a complicated approach" in response, including treatment not now available in many cases to addicted mothers.
SHARE State Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga Rep. Joe Armstrong D-Knoxville District 15 " Part of Knox County

By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick has dropped an effort to change state law so that future legislators would be prohibited from dealing in cigarette tax stamps as Rep. Joe Armstrong is accused of doing.

Armstrong, D-Knoxville, faces trial in August on federal tax evasion charges stemming from what the indictment says was a profit of about $500,000 from cigarette tax stamp transactions in 2007. After reading reports of the indictment, McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said he was surprised that the transaction itself was legal and introduced HB1440  also sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris  to make it illegal.

But McCormick said he had encountered concerns with the legislation on several fronts and ultimately decided to drop the push for passage. Officially, he took it "off notice" last week in the House Agriculture Subcommittee, which has now closed for the 2016 session.

The majority leader said, however, that he still intends to take up the issue  though probably not until next year  by seeking a change in House rules governing legislator behavior.

Armstrong allegedly collaborated with a tobacco wholesaler to buy Tennessee cigarette tax stamps in 2007 before a tax increase  that Armstrong supported  was imposed. When the tax increase was enacted, the tax stamps were sold at a profit.

As drafted, McCormick's bill would require a tobacco wholesaler, in the case of a future cigarette tax increase, to promptly pay the extra tax on any stamps the dealer is holding at the time the tax increase occurs.

McCormick said in an interview that the state Department of Revenue initially proposed revising the bill in a way that would have increased state revenue and "I didn't like that."

Further, McCormick said he realized that a "little guy who sells cigarettes in his business" would logically try to buy tax stamps in advance if he knew the tax was going up.

"If somebody wants to do something crooked, why make other people suffer?" he asked. "That's not fair."

He considered an amendment to make the law apply only to legislators, McCormick said, but lawyers told him that it might violate the state and federal constitutions to apply such a law to only one group of residents. Thus, he said, a change in the House rules appears to be a better procedure.

Current rules arguably could be interpreted to prohibit a lawmaker from such dealings, he said, but a change is needed to "make that clear."
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Mother Olga Yaqob, founder of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, was born and raised in Iraq.

In a recent book, she writes about "merciful hope" and how one encounters it via charitable acts. Giving food to the hungry. Visiting the sick. Welcoming the stranger. She discovered these "were not only a service to others but also a much deeper encounter, in which Jesus invited his followers to see him in those whom they served." She saw God in those who suffered terribly, unjustly, alone. "In the midst of the darkness of violence, hatred, bloodshed, and deaths of both civilians and military personnel, faith in God became my anchor in the face of such a storm."

In her war-torn country, Mother Olga would bury unclaimed bodies, carrying them in her arms. "They were very difficult times in my life. I had to take responsibility for bringing their bodies to our convent to wash them according to the custom of the culture in order to prepare them for burial." She looked to Mary as her model, "who stood at the foot of the cross when they took down the body of her only Son and laid him in her arms, that precious body, beaten, pierced, and covered with blood."

Terror reigns in Iraq today, and it has driven many Christians from their homes. A new report from the Knights of Columbus and In Defense of Christians documents some of what has happened to the Christians targeted by ISIS. Among images that jump off the pages of a nearly 300-page study: A Christian man from Mosul who committed suicide after he had to watch as ISIS fighters "brutally raped his wife and daughter in front of him." Or the woman who "was victimized so often that she resorted to defecating on herself to make herself less desirable, and had to be trained to use the bathroom again after she escaped." According to the report, "ISIS is estimated to have taken over 1,500 Yazidi and Christian girls as sex slaves. They are bought and sold on an open slave market, and are often raped in rapid succession by a number of fighters in a single night."

And these are just some of the horrors we know.

On Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. has determined that ISIS' action against the Yazidis and other minority groups in Iraq and Syria constitutes genocide, following in the footsteps of the EU parliament, among others.

What the sloganeering of a certain presidential candidate misses is that America's greatness is rooted in something more than ourselves, greater than ourselves. American exceptionalism can be a boast, but it can also be a humble and confident prayer. It's a reminder that we must protect, defend, welcome and lead, with gratitude for the freedoms we have. Listening to the crowd at a primary victory party one recent Tuesday, the masses seemed more like spectators at a sporting event than people bent on the hard work of restoring virtue to the troubled republic.

Before he became Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio said in a conversation with his good friend Rabbi Abraham Skorka, "Participating in political life is a way of honoring democracy." When we don't take that as seriously as we ought, democracy ceases to honor us. Some of the radical social experiments codified by the judiciary in recent decades certainly contributed to the unraveling of what healthy social order there was.

I keep hearing how America is a religious nation. If that's going to mean anything, now is the time for people of faith to humble ourselves, examine our conscience and see if we are giving what we should to our society. And it can start simply, by going out of your way for another. Remembering the forgotten, the lonely. Visiting the sick. Learning from a girl in a war-torn country looking for hope and meaning. Remembering who we are and want to be.
Tennessee football score vs UT Martin: Live updates

Undefeated Tennessee faces UT Martin in its homecoming game. Can the Vols continue their high-scoring streak? Check here for updates from the game.
As if the Republican Party did not have enough problems already  with Donald Trump rapidly becoming the official face of the GOP  President Barack Obama has nominated chief judge of the District of Columbia Circuit, Merrick Garland, to the U.S. Supreme Court. A judge of impeccable credentials, Garland was confirmed in 1997 with seven currently-serving Republican senators voting yes.

Just moments after the president announced Garland's nomination, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took to the well of the Senate to announce his opposition to any nominee put forward by Obama. Claiming that the people deserve a voice in the selection process, McConnell conveniently forgets that the American people have weighed in twice before, electing Obama in 2008 and again in 2012. Clearly, McConnell and others of his ilk did not like the results of those elections. Let us never forget that on the very night of Obama's first inaugural ball, McConnell and some of his allies were meeting in a Capitol Hill basement office to plot how to scuttle the new president's agenda. They are still at it.

McConnell and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, cite the non-existing "Biden Rules" in an attempt to justify the GOP's malfeasance and dereliction of duty to uphold their responsibilities under the Constitution. Tennessee Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker stated their opposition before the nominee was even known. The Constitution says the president shall nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate appoint justices of the Supreme Court. Nowhere does the Constitution suggest that either the president or the Senate has any leeway in carrying out their constitutional responsibilities. "Shall" is not fudgeable.

In 1992 when then-Sen. Joe Biden, Senate Judiciary Committee chair, the position Grassley now holds, was addressing the possibility of a vacancy should a justice retire in the waning days of President George W. Bush's second term, the whole thing was a "what-if" esoteric exercise. Now McConnell, Grassley and other Senate obstructionists to all things Obama are trying this thinly veiled tactic. It was wrong when Biden trotted it out then, and it is wrong now.

Republicans are playing with some serious fire. There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs this fall, 24 of which are controlled by the GOP. Polls clearly show that the public feels the president's nominee should be given a full hearing and a vote. Several of the Republican Senate seats will be highly contested. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., is very vulnerable and is being challenged by a former governor of her state. So are Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc. It will be extremely difficult for McConnell to hold his troops together as the challenges to their incumbencies grow stronger. Already creaks and cracks can be heard from the ranks within the GOP as public pressure begins to mount. With nearly two-thirds of the American public calling for confirmation hearings, those creaks and cracks are certain to intensify.

McConnell and all the Republicans should be scrambling to hold hearings on the Garland nomination rather than trying to run out the clock until after the November election. But with Trump having all but locked up the nomination, it should not be beyond imagination that Trump will lose. It is becoming clearer each day that the GOP is coming apart at the seams, just as its predecessor, the Whig Party, did over the issue of slavery in the mid-19th century.

Wednesday, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, opened the door to a lame-duck Senate confirmation hearing for Garland after the November election. Presumably, Trump will have lost and the centrist Garland would be the best Republicans could hope for. But why would Democrats opt for that deal? Many Democrats are less than thrilled at Obama's pick. Would they then choose to withdraw the Garland nomination in favor of a more liberal justice? Just a thought.

McConnell is playing word games with the Constitution. According to him, the Constitution says the president has the "right" to nominate Supreme Court justices. But that is not what the Constitution says. Article 2, Section 2 of that document says the president "shall" nominate them and does not offer any opt-out clause for the Senate not to do its duty to provide "advice and consent." McConnell and his party have spent seven long years trying to thwart the president at every turn. Now with Trump, the all-but-certain GOP presidential nominee, the chickens will be coming home to roost.
Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, presides over a Senate floor session in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Ramsey, who was a key figure in the Republican takeover of all three branches of state government, later announced that he will not seek re-election to another term. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

Tennessee's lieutenant governors, who under our state constitution hold the position by virtue of being elected as speaker of the state Senate, have always been addressed simply as "governor"  certainly not "lieutenant" and generally not even "speaker"  except when formally presiding over Senate debate.

Ron Ramsey has not been as adamant about the label as his predecessor, the late John Wilder, but has embraced the inherent concept incorporated within the labeling  that the person holding that office is equal to the state's chief executive in Tennessee's power structure.

Ramsey, who announced his political retirement last week, did more to make that concept reality than anyone since the 1960s senatorial rebellion against the then-established tradition of letting the governor dictate who would be elected lieutenant governor.

Indeed, some folks contend that Ramsey has been more influential in controlling state policy in recent years than Gov. Bill Haslam, who defeated him in the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary. That's an exaggeration, but there has been a steady trend toward assertion of legislative independence from the governor and dominance over the judicial branch of government during Ramey's decade-long reign of Senate rule.

Ramsey has been on generally friendly terms with Haslam, bantering at times over such things as who has the greatest grandchildren. On politics and policy, Ramsey has engaged in far more collaboration with the governor than confrontation.

Still, when Ramsey has chosen to confront, he has often prevailed, perhaps most prominently in engineering defeat of Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal last year, but in a few less-noticed skirmishes as well. But the governor has won a few, too, usually thanks to the House Republicans, led by Speaker Beth Harwell, breaking ranks with Ramsey's Senate Republicans.

The Senate supermajority, which achieved that status in substantial part because of Ramsey and his pioneering political action committee, is pretty much in lockstep with its speaker. While a staunch conservative with tea party inclinations, Ramsey has also been a moderating influence on occasion in cooling the passions of the extreme right wing.

RAAMPAC, one of the first "leadership PACs" in Tennessee, initially was an abbreviation for Republicans Achieving A Majority PAC. It has raised and spent millions to elect Republican legislators over the years.

Ramsey has been bold in political leadership and refreshingly candid in dealing with media types, far more so than Haslam or Harwell. The House speaker is eyeing a run for governor in 2016 and cautious about doing anything that could be used against her in a campaign and, more importantly, is dealing with House factions that are not in lockstep at all.

An example of the differences this year: Ramsey prodded Haslam to proceed with an increase in fuel taxes. The governor, after spending months promoting the general proposition, balked. Harwell dodged a position, basically, and happily endorsed waiting until next year.

Now, with Ramsey leaving, the governor will be without his help should he try a gas tax hike in 2017. That could be a problem for the cautious chief executive. It's doubtful that the next Senate speaker, whoever that may be, will have the same mastery of influencing internal Senate politics.

So Haslam was doubtless speaking truth when he declared that he'll miss the "smart and effective" Ramsey. Many others will, too, for different reasons. Even Senate Democrats, who have been treated individually with civility and respect by Ramsey even as he aggressively sought to destroy their party generally within the state, expressed regret at his retirement.

Ramsey became speaker in 2007, defeating Wilder in a Senate floor vote filled with partisan intrigue. The enigmatic Wilder, a nominal Democrat twice censured by his own party, held the position for 36 years, apparently longer than anyone has ever held a similar legislative power position anywhere in the U.S. Ramsey, an absolutely dedicated Republican, displayed a striking difference by leaving the scene after just 10 years.

Maybe he's more like a couple of other former lieutenant governors, George Oliver Benton and Frank Gorrell, who became highly influential lobbyists after leaving office? If so, any prospective client would be wise to hire him.

Read more from Tom Humphrey at "Humphrey on the Hill:"
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I am writing regarding the guest column by John Compton titled "Shaping leaders to compete in business requires more inclusiveness." Compton says, "Increasingly, our student body is more diverse, and they need to see a faculty and administration that are a reflection of them." The focus for the University of Tennessee and other entities should be on hiring the most qualified people and not on discriminatory factors like race and/or gender. At best, it is discrimination and a waste of time and money to hire someone of a particular race and/or gender. At worst, it is that plus shortchanging other people like students with someone less qualified than another person who applied for the same position. Besides, is there any evidence that shows race and/or gender of the faculty/administration makes students learn better?

Andrew Norris, Madisonville, Tenn.
Outgoing Doosan Chairman Park Yong-maan speaks during a recent interview with the press. / Yonhap



By Jhoo Dong-chan





Outgoing Doosan Group Chairman Park Yong-maan will head Doosan Infracore, the group's construction equipment affiliate, to improve the company's financial structure, according to sources familiar with the issue, Sunday.

Park's decision to step down as chairman of the country's mid-tier conglomerate comes at a time when investors say that the initial public offering (IPO) plan of Doosan Infracore International's (DII) parent Doosan Bobcat will be credit positive, if implemented.

Park's primary mission ahead of the IPO plan is to soothe growing complaints by investors of Doosan Infracore China (DICC), as Doosan is wrangling with lawsuits over its unfulfilled promise to pay the Chinese affiliate more dividends.

According to industry sources, a legal battle between Doosan Infracore and investors of DICC started in earnest over dividends.

The investors filed a lawsuit against Doosan Infracore at the end of last year, demanding a return of their principal investment in DICC as well as 15 percent interest. Doosan Infracore immediately organized a defense counsel for a legal response against the investors' move.

Doosan Infracore hired Kim & Chang, the nation's largest and most prominent law firm with 950 professionals, while investors chose M&A specialist law firm Shin & Kim as their legal counsel.

In a pretrial conference that took place earlier this year, investors claimed that Doosan Infracore did not perform the company's duty to carry out the IPO when the company listed DICC in 2011. The company reportedly suffered mounting debts because of poor sales in China.

Due to the company's sales losses, the investors decided last year to sell their shares.

The investors' move deepened the strife between Doosan Infracore and investors, as company officials worried such a move would negatively affect the group's preparations for listing Doosan Bobcat.

The investors claimed that Doosan Infracore did not cooperate with the DICC's IPO process in the sales of their shares while the company insisted that they helped the investors by designating global investment bankers as consultants.

The investors blamed Doosan Infracore for not performing their duties to protect DICC shareholders' rights and demanded full returns of their investments including 15 percent interest.

The legal battle between DICC investors and Doosan Infracore was considered to be a major obstacle in Doosan Group's efforts to float Doosan Bobcat in August.

In order to help the U.S.-based construction equipment-making company be listed this year, Park is believed to be joining Doosan Infracore after handing the group's management to his nephew Park Jeong-won.





Urgent situation

Park is expected to head the company not as just an honorary chairman but work on the frontlines to improve Doosan Infracore's finance structure through the planned IPO of Doosan Bobcat and manage the legal battle with DICC investors as well.

"The IPO, if it proceeds as planned, will help improve the credit profile of both DII and its ultimate parent, Doosan Infracore," said Wan Hee Yoo, a vice president at Moody's Investors Service, said in a recent report to clients.

Moody's said the IPO will improve Doosan Bobcat's and DII's corporate governance and transparency.

Doosan Infracore, which owns a 75.5 percent stake in Bobcat, has been disposing of all possible assets to secure liquidity as it struggles to stay afloat amid its slowing China business. The company recently selected MBK Partners, a Seoul-based private equity fund, as the preferred bidder for the sale of its profitable machine tool business, expecting to earn some 1.2 trillion won.

In 2015, Bobcat earned 4 trillion won in sales and its operating profit was 385.6 billion won. But Doosan Infracore as a whole saw its operating profit shrink to 27.3 billion won from 453 billion won in 2014.

Doosan Infracore's outstanding debt reached 5.05 trillion won as of last December and it paid 300 billion won in interest payments last year.

The company expects the debt will fall to about 3 trillion won after the sale of its machine tool business and the floating of the Bobcat IPO.
POSCO Chairman Kwon Oh-joon sits inside Ssangyong Motor's newly launched mid-size Tivoli Air SUV during a sales exhibition for the vehicle at the POSCO Center in southern Seoul, Tuesday . / Courtesy of POSCO



By Jhoo Dong-chan

POSCO Chairman Kwon Oh-joon has stressed that the biggest priority in business is to move the hearts of customers.

"Japanese carmaker Toyota has carried out a marketing strategy under which it will be the customer's friend for life, whereas other Japanese auto brands only emphasized their technological achievements," Kwon said at a recent meeting with company employees.

"As a result, Toyota won customers' hearts and became the largest automaker in sales volume."

Kwon's emphasis on human-centered business strategies has been frequently mentioned regardless of time and place this year, according to a statement from the local steel giant.

During the in-house meeting on Feb. 27, the chairman also underlined the importance of a human-centered approach in business.

"POSCO has been consistent in promoting our proprietary technical and commercial strategies for increased sales. Now, we need to put ourselves in our customers' shoes to understand their needs and values."

He also pointed out that leadership is about building up character to seek harmony between group members and lead them to a better future.

During the company's general shareholders' meeting on March 11, Kwon vowed to pursue human-centered business management and do his best in communication not only with customers but also with employees.

As part of his communication efforts, Kwon participated in a test drive of Ssangyong Motor's newly launched mid-size Tivoli Air SUV at the POSCO Center in southern Seoul, Tuesday.

Ssangyong Motor is one of the company's customers, and the Tivoli Air is 71.1 percent outfitted with POSCO-made high-tension steel plating to protect drivers and passengers in the event of an accident.

A POSCO official said the company is providing the venue for the mid-size SUV's exhibition and sales inside POSCO Center to help the automaker's sales.

It is unprecedented for the company to allow automakers to display their vehicles and sell inside the company building, an official added.

Believing in the value of workers for the company's success, Kwon reportedly meets with employees casually on various occasions.

He organizes regular lunch meetings with employee groups including female workers, workers with three children and workers who participate in charity activities.

Kwon also met with workers at the company's Gwangyang steel plants to discuss how to boost their morale, March 12.

"We sometimes gain experience and learn through losing business or contracts," Kwon was quoted as saying during the meeting with the plant's workers.

"But losing people is losing everything. They are the future of the company and a source of the company's technology."
Yeo In-hong, vice minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, checks a variety of kimchi at a Daesang FNF plant in Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, on Jan. 5. The plant exported 891 kilograms of kimchi to China for the first time last December after China eased its sanitary and quarantine rules on and resumed the import of kimchi, one of Korea's national dishes. / Courtesy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs



Korea urged to prop up falling sales in Japan, expand into Southeast Asia, Middle East



By Lee Hyo-sik





Yeo In-hong, vice minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs

Korea's aggressive campaign to export agricultural and food products has bolstered the global sales and competitiveness of domestic farms, according to the second-in-command of country's agriculture policymaker.

Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Vice Minister Yeo In-hong said the government will make every effort to increase food shipments to China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as to prop up the falling sales of Korean food items into Japan, the nation's single largest export market.

In an interview with The Korea Times, Yeo said more local farms should turn their eyes to foreign markets to find new customers, stressing that the government will extend them all the necessary support for overseas expansion.

"If Korea stops selling agricultural products overseas, it would put significant downward pressure on the domestic prices of many food items because of excess supplies," the vice minister said. "To create more decent jobs and strengthen local farms, Korea has no choice but to try to increase the outbound shipments of its agricultural goods."

Yeo admitted that the government's goal to increase food exports to $8.1 billion this year from last year's $6.1 billion would be difficult to achieve, given the increasing non-tariff barriers and intensifying competition across the globe.

"Despite these unfavorable global market conditions, we decided to set the goal high to show how serious we are about selling locally-grown agricultural products abroad," he said. "To emerge as a winner in the global market, farmers, food companies and the government should actively cooperate to offer foreign consumers high-quality agricultural and food products at attractive prices. The government will do its part by providing food exporters with market information, as well as customs, quarantine and logistics-related services. We will also draw up tailored marketing strategies for each foreign market."

China is the most promising market for local food exporters, the vice minister said, adding that the demand for Korean food products in the world's second-largest economy have increased over the years, with more Chinese people willing to pay more for Korean products than locally-grown or produced goods.

"After the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement went into effect last year, China has eased sanitary and quarantine rules on kimchi, fresh milk and other local food items," Yeo said. "In addition to China, we should more aggressively target Japanese consumers who have cut back on Korean food items. We can capitalize on the hallyu,' or the Korean cultural wave, and promote K-food more actively in Southeast Asia and the Middle East."





Turning China into second domestic' market

Domestic food firms should turn China into their "second home" market and capitalized on increasingly wealthy Chinese consumers, many of whom regard Korean products as safer and more sanitary, Yeo said.

The demand for Korean food products in China has increased, with more Chinese people willing to pay more for Korean products than locally-grown or produced goods.

In China alone, the ministry aims to increase agricultural and food exports by up to 32 percent to $1.4 billion in 2015 from last year.

Korean food companies have been selling a wide range of products into China, including red ginseng, over the years. The mainland recently resumed the import of kimchi and fresh milk, as well as began to buy rice and "samgyetang," or chicken soup with ginseng, and other food items from Korea.

"Korea should first target wealthy consumers residing in Beijing, Shanghai and other large cities, and promote the premium image of Korean food items," the vice minister said. "In addition to Lotte Mart and other Korean retailers present China, the government will help domestic companies expand their sales network by forming business ties with Chinese retailers."





Boosting food exports to Japan

It is also crucial for Korea to increase food shipments to Japan, its single largest food market, in order to achieve its $8.1 billion goal, Yeo said.

"Our food and agricultural exports to the world's third-largest economy, which accounts for 16.5 percent of the total, fell to $1.17 billion in 2015 from 1.4 billion in 2012," he said. "Korean companies and farmers have been hit hard by the falling yen, which has made Korean products more expensive in the Japanese market. Japan's continuing economic downturn and declining interest in hallyu have also dampened the consumption of Korean food items there."

Even though Korea has diversified its export destinations over the past few years, Japan is still the largest destination for its food products, the vice minister said. He said the government, in cooperation with food companies and farmers, will conduct more market studies to discover and nurture products that have the potential to be popular among Japanese consumers, as well as organize more promotional activities."





Southeast Asia and Middle East

Korean food exporters have been successfully using hallyu as a marketing tool to expand their presence in Southeast Asia, Yeo said, stressing that they should also make efforts to cater to the rapidly changing taste of the region's young population.

"In addition, the government will assist food firms in obtaining halal' certification to increase the food shipments to Middle Eastern nations," he said. "The Middle East, which imports most of its food, presents significant opportunities for domestic food firms. The government will soon open an export support center in the region, through which local companies and farmers can get marketing information, learn to obtain halal certification and implement marketing strategies."

Over the past few years, Korea has been making greater efforts to tap into Arab countries as its next major market. To sell food items there, exporters have to obtain halal certification.

The term halal means lawful or permissible in Arabic, and Muslims are required to consume only halal food. Halal certification is given only to food items that are slaughtered, processed or manufactured in accordance to Islamic law.

For example, for a food product to be halal, it must be free of pork, alcohol or meat-derived food ingredients such as collagen.

Also, the agriculture ministry has been working to ship fruits and other fresh produce to India, Africa and other largely untapped markets as part of its market diversification efforts.
George Tanasijevich, managing director of Global Development for Las Vegas Sands Corp.



US gaming operator plans to build $10 bil. casino resort



By Kim Jae-kyoung

SINGAPORE  Las Vegas Sands Corp. will push ahead with its plan to build an integrated resort worth more than $10 billion with a restricted-entry casino in South Korea, according to a senior executive of the U.S. resort and casino operator.

In a recent interview at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore, George Tanasijevich, managing director of Global Development for Las Vegas Sands Corp., said that the firm will convince the Korean government and people of the opportunity its resort can offer, "whatever it takes."

Tanasijevich, who also serves as CEO of MBS, a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands, is responsible for the group's global development activities.

"We understand this is an important decision for the Korean government and people. We are patient and the pace of this doesn't determine our interest level," he said.

"Our interest level is high because we think the opportunity presented by the (Korean) market is a very strong one. So we will follow the guidance of the Korean government and Korean people."

The government has previously thwarted the Nevada-based company's proposals to build a world-class MICE (meeting, incentive tour, convention and exhibition) focused resort a few times because Sands' model requires legal gambling for locals.

"I wouldn't say that our efforts have been thwarted. We recognized that this is a process we have to go through to educate people what the opportunity is and what we would like to do," he said.

"We weren't asking for the opportunity to develop something starting right at that moment in time. It was more of us continuing this education process where we hope to explain what we could in the contribution we would make."

The Singapore-based CEO said that Sands is willing to invest more than $10 billion, nearly twice its $5.6 billion investment made in developing MBS.

When asked whether $10 billion would be the maximum investment amount, he said, "It depends on how many buildings we are allowed to build and how many locations we are allowed to build in. It can be more than that."












Comedian-turned-film director Shim Hyung-rae announced Saturday the production of a sequel to his fantasy movie "D-War" from 2007.



The sequel, "D-War II," is the first "Hollywood-class" science fiction movie to be produced in China, Shim said at a news conference in Beijing. Production will begin around June with the movie slated for release worldwide in the summer of 2017, he said.

With the new movie, Shim said he aims to garner more than 4 billion yuan ($618 million) in revenue.

"China's film market is growing awfully bigger," the 58-year-old director told reporters in Beijing. "It will carry significant meaning in that South Korea and China get to forge collaboration in the video contents sector after their free trade agreement deal."



The movie's production will be financed by the movie production and distribution arm of the state-run Chinese Culture Group Co., which has invested 500 million yuan ($77.3 million).

Shim, who will join the production as the chief producer, said the quality of the computer-animated film will exceed its competitors in Hollywood, stressing that the movie-making technique has grown 10-fold compared to the past.

With the subtitle "Mysteries of the Dragon," D-War II depicts a fictional war between the U.S. and Russia in 1969 as the two countries try to land the first human on the moon.

The original movie attracted 8.4 million viewers in South Korea and grossed $11 million in the U.S. (Yonhap)


By Park Si-soo



The producer of the mega-hit TV drama series "Descendants of the Sun" has decided to end the program as scheduled, despite its huge popularity in Korea, China and many other Asian countries.

Jung Sung-hyo, a director of KBS, a state-run broadcaster that produced the drama, said the last of the 16 episodes would go to air on April 14. Its eighth episode aired last Thursday rated a 28.8 percent.

"We want to take advantage of the popularity, but it's impossible to add new stories because the entire series was pre-recorded," Jung said.

"Descendants of the Sun," which features top Korean actor Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, has sparked a craze in many Asian countries, including China where the drama is broadcast simultaneously.












By Chung Hyun-chae





Na Kyung-won

Rep. Na Kyung-won of the ruling Saenuri Party filed a lawsuit Friday against a journalist employed by news website Newstapa who wrote a report alleging that Na's daughter was given preferential treatment when applying to study at a university in 2012.



"I filed a criminal complaint against the journalist who falsely reported on the admission of my daughter to a university," Na said in a press release issued the same day. She said she will also file a civil suit for defamation and seek compensation.



According to the news report on March 17, Na's daughter, Kim, who has Down Syndrome, was accepted to study at Sungshin Women's University through a special selection process for the disabled even though she allegedly mentioned her mother's social status during the interview. Under the admissions rules, disclosing family connections is regarded as an act of cheating.



The report also said that Kim exceeded the time limit during a performance test in which she was to play drums because Kim forgot to bring the necessary backing tracks for her performance.



Renowned guitarist-composer Lee Byung-woo, who was one of the interviewers as a professor of the College of Convergence Culture and Arts at the university, allegedly provided a favor to Kim by ordering school staff to find a cassette player.



According to the report, Lee defended Kim, saying that she performed well. Lee has also been under fire following the report.



At this, Na wrote on her blog on Friday, "My daughter went through the normal process. At that time she had already passed the first examination at another university, but chose Sungshin after receiving the final acceptance letter from them."



She described her daughter's life as being trampled on by the media because her mother is a politician.



"I will hold the media responsible for the distorted coverage," Na said. "A special favor is different to consideration. The disabled need social care."



Denying the allegation, the university also made it clear that it will take all legal actions against the news outlet.



"The online site spread false information citing groundless allegations," the university said in its press release.



Newstapa pointed out that Na did not respond to any requests for an explanation before the news broke.



"Even now, Na is not giving any explanation for the key issues, while highlighting that she is the mother of a disabled child," the media said.
By Yi Whan-woo





Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, the founder of the minor opposition People's Party, said Sunday that his party welcomes all lawmakers who oppose a political system dominated by the two major parties.

Ahn's comment comes after a series of departures of minority faction lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Minjoo Party (MPK) in protest of their respective party's decision to exclude them from being nominated as candidates to stand in the general election scheduled for April 13.

"The upcoming parliamentary elections are about the People's Party's fights against the pro-Park Geun-hye faction in the Saenuri Party as well as the pro-Moon Jae-in faction in the MPK," Ahn said during a press conference held at the party office in Mapo, Seoul.

"Forming a coalition is necessary among all of those who hope to break the old and regressive political system and step toward the future."

"Our party is open to anyone who is in pursuit of reform in a rational manner. I believe we'll be able to convince the people if we join hands and call for end of the political system dominated by the two major parties," he said.

He criticized both the Saenuri Party and the MPK for their respective nomination processes to select election candidates, claiming that only those close to President Park and MPK's heavyweight Rep. Moon Jae-in are being chosen.

"The Saenuri Party is picking the supporters of her majesty, who are not representative of the people, while making political retaliation against rational-minded politicians," Ahn said.

"Regarding the MPK, most of the nominees turned out to be Moon loyalists and I'd say the party has thoroughly centralized power on the pro-Moon faction.

He called for implementing a multi-party system, saying "The future of politics will be too dark if those people from dominating factions occupy the National Assembly."

The People's Party has 21 lawmakers. These include Reps. Boo Jwa-hyun and Chyung Ho-joon who joined the party last week after the MPK excluded him from the nomination process for choosing April 13 electoral candidates.

Boo was an aide to Rep. Chun Jung-bae, who co-leads the People's Party along with Ahn.

Both Chun and Ahn were in a minority faction within the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), the predecessor of the MPK. They founded the People's Party in February after quitting the NPAD.
Protesters, most of whom are conservative Christians, rally in front of Seoul Station in central Seoul, Saturday, against the government's Muslim-friendly policies to attract more tourists from the Middle East. / Yonhap



By Jung Min-ho

Conservative Christians have stepped up their movement against the government's Muslim-friendly policies to attract more tourists.

About a hundred protesters rallied near Seoul Station, Saturday, with no violence reported.

The protesters expressed their clear opposition to any state-funded activities that they believe will strengthen Islamic influence in Korea.

The protestors, largely from conservative Christian groups, said they will continue to protest against such activities, including provincial governments' projects to build facilities for halal food, which is permissible for Muslims to eat under Islamic law.

"Many provincial governments promote that they can attract more Muslim tourists to their regions by building such facilities. However, we as Christians should not put money ahead of our faith. That is why we reject the idea," a rally organizer, who serves as a missionary in a church in Seoul, told The Korea Times.

"We are not trying to incite hatred or convey any radical messages. We are just concerned that provincial governments may be helping Islam grow its influence here, and they have no idea about what the consequences their pro-Islam policies will bring to our country."
A father who is suspected of helping his wife kill a four-year-old daughter and discard her body in 2011 is escorted by police officers before getting into a police vehicle on the way to Cheongju District Court in North Chungcheong Province, Sunday. / Yonhap



Gov't urged to closely monitor missing children



By Lee Kyung-min

Education and law enforcement authorities faced mounting calls, Saturday, to strengthen monitoring of possible child abuse, following the death of a four-year-old girl.

Cheongju Cheongwon Police Station in North Chungcheong Province said Sunday they are investigating the death of the girl that allegedly occurred in December 2011.

Her mother, surnamed Han, 36, was found dead in an apparent suicide, Friday, hours after returning home from the police station, leaving behind a note that read "I never meant to kill her. I am so sorry."

This is the fifth child abuse death case since the Ministry of Education began conducting inspections of all households with children absent from school or with uncertain whereabouts since last December.

The latest case was initially not detected because the education authorities only visited homes of 5,900 elementary school students until late January. But they belatedly included preschoolers and middle school students for the inspections in February. As of Sunday, out of a total of 286 such missing children, 267 were confirmed safe, and the remaining 19 cases are under investigation, the ministry said.

Police said that her stepfather, surnamed Ahn, 38, denied any involvement in the death of his daughter, claiming that he was at work while the alleged killing happened and that he did not file a police report because Han was begging him not to.

According to Ahn, Han told him that she put her daughter in the bath tub four times for wetting herself, and that Han witnessed her falling unconscious afterwards, police said.

Ahn said the body of his daughter was left outside in the corner of a veranda for three days before they took her away and buried her on the mountain hill in Jincehon. The body has yet to be discovered.

Police launched the investigation last Thursday after a 28-year-old social worker in the region called police when the parents failed to provide the location of the daughter and refused to answer questions on the matter.

Earlier, a social worker had a call from the elementary school, which the girl was supposed to have enrolled in, informing her that the child had failed to come to school for three years.

The worker called the child's home, and while Ahn said that the girl was staying with her grandmother, the grandmother denied that she ever visited her over the past five years.

Police detained Ahn on suspicion that he aided and abetted in the murder of a child and discarding the body afterwards. Police have filed an arrest warrant with the prosecution against Ahn.
Rep. Chin Young announces his defection to the the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea during a press conference at the National Assembly, Sunday. Chin, who served as the first health minister under the Park Geun-hye administration, quit the ruling Saenuri Party after being excluded from nominations for the April 13 general election. / Yonhap



By Rachel Lee

Rep. Chin Young, a former health minister, joined the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), Sunday, after being excluded from the ruling Saenuri Party's nominations for the April 13 general election.

Chin made the announcement at a press conference along with MPK interim leader Kim Chong-in, saying he will begin a new chapter in his political life with the opposition party.

"Thinking about the old days, what I had pursued in the beginning of my political career was completely stranded," Chin said.

Chin's joining of the MPK drew mixed responses.

Cheong Wa Dae and the Saenuri Party labeled Chin a turncoat, while MPK leader Kim hoped that his defection illustrates an ugly power struggle inside the ruling party in the lead-up to the general election.

The three-term lawmaker, who represents Yongsan-gu in central Seoul, has become the second former member of the pro-Park Geun-hye faction to join the MPK, following Cho Eung-chun, a former presidential secretary who was nominated by the opposition party for Namyangju A in Gyeonggi Province.

Cho was the first health and welfare minister of the Park Geun-hye administration. He resigned after a conflict with the presidential office over a key campaign pledge on the basic pension.

Chin strongly criticized the ruling party.

"I was engulfed by the power politics and also engaged in factionalism as well as political divisions," he said.

He added that "genuine party politics matter, not a faction with a mastermind behind it."

"I am determined to fight for the democracy and livelihoods of the people of Korea," Chin said.

Chin is reportedly taking a position in the MPK's elections planning committee.

"We express deep gratitude for Chin's decision to build democracy together with us when he became a victim with no choice but to leave the ruling party," MPK leader Kim said. "Chin is determined to contribute to the development of the country's democracy through fair competition among parties. And I believe he will be great for the MPK."

Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae expressed criticism over Chin's decision to join the opposition.

"At the end of the day it's his personal choice, but this was the second time the lawmaker has left the President," a presidential aide official said. "We do not understand why he had to join another party to pursue his political career. Chin has made such comments to make himself look good in front of the opposition party, but it was cowardly."

Saenuri Party lawmakers echoed a similar view.

"After enjoying all privileges as a party member and also a minister under the Park government, he immediately defected from the party once he failed to win nomination for the election," said Rep. Lee Jang-woo. "That's what I'd call an example of old politics."

"Chin crossed a line he shouldn't have," said a two-term lawmaker of the same party on condition of anonymity. "This is not just a matter of politics, but also a matter of ethics."
Danish Ambassador to Korea Thomas Lehmann speaks at the "Greenland Tourism, Design and Food Seminar" at the Shilla Hotel on March 16. / Courtesy of the Danish Embassy



By Rachel Lee

Greenland, the world's largest island, is not so well known in Korea, but it soon will be.

A group of Greenland businesspeople visited Seoul to promote their country as well as to seek investment opportunities for Korean companies at the "Greenland Tourism, Design and Food Seminar" at the Shilla Hotel on March 16.

The Danish Embassy organized the seminar, with visiting delegation headed by Greenland Minister for Industry, Labor, Trade and Foreign Affairs Vittus Qujaukitsoq.

"We are pleased to have Minister Qujaukitsoq and the Greenlandic business delegation in Korea," said Danish Ambassador to Korea Thomas Lehmann.

Qujaukitsoq said, "Greenland is a powerhouse with enormous potential in natural resources, meaning huge business and investment opportunities for Korean companies."

Representatives from tourism companies like South Greenland and Visit Greenland as well as from the food sector  which included Fisheries Royal Greenland and Polar Seafood  attended. Delegates talked about "Tourism, Fashion, and Fisheries" and "Investment in Natural Resources and Infrastructure."





Iceberg near Ilulissat in Greenland

"Right now we don't know how many Koreans are in Greenland, but we do see them, although the numbers are small," said Lykke Yakaboylu, a senior consultant at Visit Greenland. She gave a presentation on tourism in Greenland.

Yakaboylu said raising the awareness of the county was the first step towards gaining attention in Korea.

"Right now we don't offer our information in Korean, but the pictures talk for themselves and if the Koreans are pioneers like the people we attract, they will also be pioneers in setting up tours to Greenland.

"We are not aware of any companies in Korea offering tours to Greenland at the moment."

The Danish-born travel consultant said Greenland was a country where tradition and modernity co-existed and people had respect for nature.

"We have a deeply rooted respect for the nature, which means that we don't freak out when there is a storm and we are stuck somewhere for three days because flying is not an option," she said."

"In Greenland, you can choose to take things at a slow pace, go catch an Arctic char by hand or chat with your friends on Facebook.

"[It's] a place that may be challenging to get to, but where you are rewarded by tnature's  whether it's the northern lights on a dark clear winter night or the massive icebergs that can be seen from your hotel window or close up by boat under the midnight Sun."

She described Greenland a "nation of hunters," where people used dog sleds to go ice fishing in winter.

"We have had sheep farming in the southern part of Greenland for a long time, but most of our food resources come from wild nature  especially from the sea, where seals have always been important  both for the meat and the fur.

"Seal soup is something we enjoy and it is basically just water, seal, onion and rice. But nowadays you can have a culinary experience based on Greenlandic ingredients, but with a modern Nordic taste."

Music was an important in Greenland, she added.

"Every year 10 to 15 albums are released featuring Greenlandic music, which is quite impressive with a population of only 56,000," she said. "Most Greenlanders sing or play an instrument."

Greenland, a former province of Denmark, has a low population density, with more than 80 percent of the land covered by ice.

The country has had its own parliament since 1979 and has limited self-government.
Philippines Ambassador to Korea Raul Hernandez, third from left, hosts an opening ceremony for Philippines cultural promotion office Sentro Rizal Seoul at the embassy in Seoul on March 6.

/ Courtesy of Embassy of the Philippines



By Rachel Lee

A Philippines cultural promotion office has opened in Seoul.

Philippines Ambassador to Korea Raul Hernandez held an opening ceremony at the embassy on Mar. 6 for the launch of Sentro Rizal Seoul.

More than 50 guests attended the function, including representatives from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Korea Culture Association, the Seoul Global Center, and the Multicultural Museum, as well as leaders and members of Filipino community organizations across Korea.

According to the Philippines Embassy, Sentro Rizal Seoul is the 17th cultural promotion office opened at Philippines diplomatic missions around the world. Established by the National Culture Heritage of 2009, Sentro Rizal is dedicated to global promotion of Filipino arts, culture and language. Named in honor of Dr Jose Rizal, its principal mission is to educate children of overseas Filipinos about their roots.

"It is also in line with our advocacy to educate the numerous Filipino-Korean children of their roots, history, and values," the ambassador said. "We envisage Sentro Rizal Seoul to be an effective platform for promoting the history, language, beauty and the greatness of the Philippines."

"For us here in South Korea, the establishment of Sentro Rizal Seoul will form a critical part in our efforts to implement programs that will promote and enhance the Philippines' national image in Korea."

After the inauguration ceremony, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Chairman Felipe de Leon, Jr. gave a two-hour lecture on Filipino identity and culture entitled "What Makes Filipinos Filipino?"

Along with the inauguration of Sentro Rizal Seoul, the Philippines embassy also organized its first Cinema Sentro Festival featuring two historical blockbuster movies, "Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo" and "Heneral Luna" at the Lee Byung Hyung Hall in the War Memorial of Korea.
Greek Ambassador to Korea Dionisios Sourvanos contributed the article below to commemorate its National Day on March 25 and the 25th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between Greece and Korea  ED.



On March 25 1821, the Greek War of Independence started and later, in 1830, the independence of the Modern Greek State was recognized by the International Community.



Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic, therefore, celebrates this year the 195th anniversary from the beginning of the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Rule and the 186th anniversary from the Declaration of the Independence of Greece.



Greece and Korea have had a longstanding tradition of friendship and cooperation through our common struggles for peace and democracy. Most importantly, though, the two countries have forged unbreakable ties of brotherhood through Greece's participation in the Korean War. Ten thousand Greek troops fought under the United Nations Command, and 187 young Greek soldiers lost their lives while more than seven hundred were wounded in action, in order to protect the freedom of the Korean people and guarantee their right to live in a democratic country.



This year, Greece and Korea celebrate another very important milestone in their excellent relations as the year 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral Diplomatic relations.



The Greek community in Korea is small (around 350 people) and mainly consists of personnel involved in work on Greek-owned ships at the shipyards of Ulsan, Busan and Mokpo, as well as a growing number of university professors, teachers and researchers, as well as students and businessmen. The Orthodox Metropolis of Korea maintains eight churches and two monasteries and plays a substantive role in preserving and enhancing the presence of orthodoxy in Korea which goes back 110 years.



During the past year, Greece has been faced with another exceptional challenge allowing our country once again to amply demonstrate its steadfast and unwavering commitment to the principles of humanitarian assistance as well as to the respect and protection of fellow human beings by welcoming and providing shelter to unprecedented numbers of refugees that reach the Greek islands of the Aegean, after having faced severe life-threatening situations at their struggle to survive and escape the flames of war that have ravaged their countries over the past several years.



The current Greek government, which took office seven months ago, is committed to co-operate with all our partners and honour our obligations, in order to bring the country back on track towards sustainable growth. In this context, it is important for us to secure the cooperation and active support of the Republic of Korea.



The Korea  Greece Agreement for Economic Cooperation and the Korea European Union Free Trade Agreement can play a significant role in further developing bilateral economic cooperation.



At the moment, both countries are working hard to prepare a joint ministerial committee that will take place in Athens on May 23, 2016.



Recently, Greece has progressed a lot towards overcoming a severe economic crisis. The country's public finances have been stabilized and the banking system has been recapitalized. Also, structural reforms, that are underway, are expected to restore the competitiveness of our economy.



It is the right time for Korean companies to invest in Greece, in sectors such as energy, telecommunications, maritime technologies, banking, tourism, fiber optics, logistics, transportation and many others and take advantage of immense opportunities, created by the economic crisis.



Besides, there is the untapped area of cultural exchanges, being less explored and contributing to comprehending the culture and civilization of both countries.



I wish the best for the further improvement of our relations with Korea, in honor of the 25 years of excellent diplomatic relations.






German experts to discuss energy



The German Embassy will hold a seminar on decarbonization at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Seoul on March 21.

The seminar is titled At "The German Energy Transition  how to simultaneously secure competitiveness and transform the energy sector of an industrialized

nation towards decarbonization."



Director General for European and International Climate Protection Policy at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Frans-Josef Schafhausen will discuss decarbonization with Korean exerts

including Visiting Professor KAIST at the Graduate School of Green Growth Kim Sang-hyup.



According to the embassy, Germany predicts that its economy will save about $50 billion in spending on fossil fuels by 2020, while the share of renewable energy production reach 35 percent and carbon emissions will be down 40 percent.



The country will increase its energy security because Germany now imports between 85 and up to 100 percent of fossil fuels, ranging from natural gas to uranium.



Germany aims to reduce carbon emissions by up to 95 percent by 2050, which will require much more substantives changes in German society and production patterns.









Seoul goes green for St. Patrick's Day



At this time of the year, landmarks around the world are getting ready to go green in honor of St. Patrick's Day, and Seoul is no exception.

Irish Ambassador to Korea Aingeal O'Donoghue has hosted a series of events to celebrate the Ireland's national festival this year.



On March 15, the ambassador held a St. Patrick's Day business breakfast for Irish and Korean businesspeople. Pat O'Riordan, Enterprise Ireland director for North Asia, gave a briefing. "Bilateral trade relations between Ireland and Korea are

growing strongly with both economies having vibrant and complementary export sectors," he said.



The Irish Embassy also hosted a reception at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. The reception showcased Irish food as well as an exhibition on the centenary of the Easter 1916 Rising  a key moment on the path to independence.



To commemorate those of Irish birth and heritage who fought in the Korean War, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sung-choon and the ambassador

laid wreaths at the Irish Memorial at the Korean War Memorial on March 17.



This year's highlight for Koreans and the Irish Community was the annual "St. Patrick's Day Festival," at D-Cube City Plaza, Sindorim, on March 19. The festival

has gone from strength to strength as more and more young Koreans get to know Ireland and share in the culture and traditional music.
By Bruce E. Bechtol Jr.

Recent rhetoric emanating out of North Korea suggests that the isolated communist state will take violent action against its democratic neighbor to the South. Some pundits and academics have suggested that we should now be on the alert for large-scale violent conflict initiated by Pyongyang. But evidence based on past precedent indicates otherwise. The most likely action that we could see initiated by Pyongyang would be a small, violent provocation (violent meaning intended to cause casualties). North Korea has in fact conducted a number of violent provocations over the years  and I will thus discuss the aspects of these provocations, and the most likely scenarios during which they could occur.

Violent provocations conducted by the North Koreans over the past 40 years (to include cyber/electronic warfare attacks) have four things in common:

1) They are intentionally initiated during moments in history when they will have the likelihood of garnishing the most attention on the regional and perhaps even the world stage

2) They always appear to be incidents that are small, easily contained, and quickly "resolved."

3) They have involved always changing tactics and techniques.

4) North Korea denies responsibility for the event.

Without exception, North Korea's provocations have followed this trend. There are four likely scenarios for provocations Pyongyang could initiate in coming days or weeks.

Likely Scenario 1: Northern Limit Line Attacks:

Since 1999, North Korea has repeatedly initiated violent attacks in the Northern Limit Line area off of the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. This area serves as the de facto "maritime DMZ" between the two Koreas, and has been the scene of violent acts numerous times between 1999 and 2010. Provocations have included naval battles, artillery attacks, and submarine attacks. Future scenarios could include Special Operations Forces attacks on one of the five ROK islands in the area  to include attacks on civilians.

Likely Scenario 2: DMZ Attacks.

North Korea has initiated numerous violent attacks (meant to inflict casualties) against both South Korean and US forces along the DMZ. The most recent attack was during the summer of 2015, when two ROK soldiers were badly wounded from mines planted on their side of the DMZ by North Korean Special Forces.

Likely Scenario 3: Cyber/Electronic Warfare Attacks.

North Korea has initiated numerous cyber-attacks against South Korean targets. These attacks have focused on government web sites, systems for radio and television networks, and NGO's who have spoken out against North Korean policies. In addition, North Korea has jammed GPS communications on civilian aircraft (hundreds of them) flying into Incheon airport (the international airport that serves Seoul). All of these attacks have proven to disrupt activities in South Korea  though none have been deadly to date. These attacks  both cyber and EW  have occurred in recent years (within the past three years), and are the newest form of North Korean low level, asymmetric prevocational behavior. While cyber-attacks against the South can be considered almost routine now, large scale attacks against a number of high value targets, conducted simultaneously, have the potential to cause serious disruption in ROK government and society.

Likely Scenario 4: Terrorist Attacks/Assassination Attempts.

While these attacks have received little attention outside of the Korean Peninsula in recent years, they continue to exist. There have been attempts to assassinate high-ranking defectors in Seoul (in the past 10 years), and attempts to kidnap defectors in Europe (in the past 24 months) to bring them back to North Korea that have been confirmed. Further, the capability of Reconnaissance General Bureau personnel to carry out either assassination attempts or acts of terror (eg; gas attacks) has been confirmed in open channels and would likely be at least partially successful should Kim Jong-un decide to authorize this activity.

Proposed Policy Solutions: The United States needs to support its ally in Seoul by fully cooperating on anti-provocation measures. Further, it is important to make predictive statements about this activity, and to note that it often occurs during annual ROK-US exercises that take place in late February to mid-March (or soon after they conclude). North Korean violent, low-level provocations can and should be treated the same as nuclear tests or long-range missile launches. That is to say, they should be responded to with swift, robust actions that will send a message to North Korea that the United States will not tolerate Pyongyang's rogue state behavior and fully supports counter-measures taken by our key ally in Seoul.

Bruce E. Bechtol Jr. is a professor of political science at Angelo State University, and is the author or editor of six books on North Korea, most recently "North Korea and Regional Security in the Kim Jong-un Era: A New International Security Dilemma." Contact him at bruce.bechtol@angelo.edu.
Seung Ki-bae, the president of Seoul and Yeouido St. Mary's Hospitals, said he will make the hospitals as "an integrated biomedical platform that can embrace anything and everything about the field." /Korea Times





'St. Mary's Hospital will grow beyond a healing place'



By Jung Min-ho, Kim Eil-chul

The hospital of the future may not look like a hospital at all. It will use more technologies in almost all areas; triage and surgery, for example, may be done entirely by an artificial intelligence (AI) device.

But important changes will happen in the hospital's purposes and functions, according to Seung Ki-bae, the president of Seoul and Yeouido St. Mary's Hospitals.

"In the future, big hospitals will turn into something like biomedical platforms that can embrace anything and everything about the field," he said in an interview. "Their primary function will change from providing medical care to sharing research ideas and results."

In other words, hospitals will serve as a platform for other entities (such as research institutions and medical device firms), as well as an input provider that can, for instance, help biomedical businesses develop or improve.

Seung believes major hospitals will move inevitably toward that direction.

"Think about it. Hospitals are the best institutions to collect biomedical information because they are the ones that attract sick people. Also, doctors are the best people that can turn such data into something useful and practical. Doctors know what they and their patients need better than anyone else," he said.

Under his watch, Seoul and Yeouido St. Mary's Hospitals are already working to bring this vision to life. As a first step, Seung is trying to integrate the operating systems of the two hospitals under Catholic University of Korea  one in Gangnam District and the other in Yeongdeungpo District.

The core of the scheme, which is called "One Hospital System," is to share patients' medical information and try to find the best treatments for them based on the combined resources of the two hospitals.





Seung is one of the most renowned cardiovascular specialists in Korea, along with Park Seung-jung at Asan Medical Center. /Courtesy of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital



For example, a patient who needs a bone marrow transplant can get the necessary check-ups in any of the two hospitals but will receive the surgery at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, which is better equipped for such operations. On the other hand, a patient with a rare or chronic disease will receive treatment mainly at Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital.

"For patients, the biggest advantage of the system is consistent treatments and access to the best possible medical services of the two hospitals at each treatment stage," Seung said. "The integrated system allows medical workers to share patients' medical information immediately and to work closely together to help them get back to life."

The system also reduces unnecessary tests and therefore medical costs for patients, he noted.

For hospitals, the system means more biomedical data and more know-how about efficient data management.

None of the two St. Mary's hospitals is the largest one in Korea. But together, Seung believes, they can have a significant edge over other major hospitals as a research data collector and manager, which will become increasingly important in the future. If One Hospital System proves to be a success, it could expand to all 39 hospitals and clinics of the Catholic University of Korea and beyond.

"Global research-focused hospitals, such as M.D. Anderson, Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, focus more on strengthening their networks than on purchasing more devices and building more complexes," he said.

Ultimately, Seung wants to create a single, widely trusted hospital brand for the Catholic University. As part of the effort, he has adopted a regulation that requires all doctors in both hospitals to wear the same uniforms.

One might be concerned that less expenditure for patients mean less revenue for hospitals. But Seung disagrees, believing the hospital's main revenue resources will inevitably have to change.

"Research data and results can be used to facilitate tomorrow's healthcare innovations, such as developing new drugs or medical devices," he said. In the long run, he noted, information and ideas would create the most revenues for hospitals.

In 2014, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital won two research grants for medical device projects from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The grants will give the hospital a total of 14.7 billion won ($12.5 million) in funding until 2019. The hospital-affiliated Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine also received 61.7 billion won in research funds in 2014, the country's third highest, after Yonsei University College of Medicine and University of Ulsan College of Medicine.

Seung plans to continue to increase investment in the hospitals for other research areas, such as stem cells and dementia. For the first time, he also decided to give 1.8 billion won to anyone who has innovative research ideas this year. "What we want to do with the money is to encourage an academic atmosphere for workers," he said.

His management philosophy is that every penny that comes from patients should eventually be used for them and should not go to the hospital's profits

"Giving is the spirit of Christianity, and that spirit is what built a Catholic hospital in the first place," Seung said. "Eighty years ago, when almost everyone was poor, Christians chipped in to build a 24-bed hospital in Myungdong. That's how the hospital was born."







A renowned cardiovascular specialist

Seung is one of the most renowned cardiovascular specialists in Korea, along with Park Seung-jung, the interventional cardiology director at Asan Medical Center.

In his study, details of which were reported in his paper "Stents, versus Coronary-Artery Bypass Grafting for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease," published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008, Seung demonstrated that stent implantation is safe as a surgical method in a three-year period. In collaboration with Park, he conducted another study, details of which were reported in the article "Randomized Trial of Stents versus Bypass Surgery for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease," published in the same journal in 2011, providing additional support for his previous study's finding.

The field of vascular diseases is one of the key areas that Seoul St. Mary's Hospital will focus on.

"The field showed the biggest rate of growth last year, only after orthopedics. With the nation's rapidly aging population, the field is expected to continue to grow," Seung said. "Along with bone-marrow transplantation and ophthalmology, the field is also one of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's fortes. We will keep trying to cement our lead in the areas."

The hospital's cardiovascular center, most notably, is the only such center in Korea that treats the entire human body, he noted.

"The mechanism in the treatment of all vascular diseases is basically the same, but the hard part is to encourage cooperation from all related departments in the hospital," Seung said.

However, when he served as the head of the hospital's cardiovascular center, he successfully brought together specialists from all related departments, including those for the brain and cardio. "This is probably the biggest achievement I made during my time as the center's leader," he said.

"Since then, we have seen a profound effect of integration and cooperation at the center."

One Hospital System is just a bigger version of such integration, which has already proved very positive and powerful, he said.
By Benson Kamary

About three years ago, I defended my thesis on a comparative study of my country, Kenya, and Korea in the context of new media technology as a culture-shaping agent. As a way of subduing nervousness, I told the dissertation panel that the names Kenya and Korea begin with the letter "K"and comprise of five alphabetical letters. They chuckled. Apparently both countries have about the same GDP size, except that this fact was only true approximately 60 years ago! But that is a story for another day.

Let's talk about "hell." Several media outlets recently carried stories about "Hell Joseon," a newly coined term referring to how tough life in Korea is. A survey reportedly showed that eight out of 10 Koreans wish to emigrate. A young schoolgirl in a video interview trending on Facebook proclaimed that she would rather live in "any country beside Korea." On her retort I muttered "Chinja" (really)? But let's excuse her knowledge of global affairs. You see, many people around the globe continue to have more appetite than food or overwhelmed by sleep but no place to lay their heads on. If you asked me, there is a lot of struggling out there.

But let's be fair. Korean young people's concerns about rigid systems and related social pressures are genuine, yet not hellish  in my opinion. I have read about Korea in the 50s and 60s. I also have heard from people who ate one meal in three days after the Korean War. Globally, and this is unfortunate, conflicts, poverty, corruption and lack of economic opportunities continue to drive millions of people to devastation. Yes, young Koreans deserve to be listened to, nurtured and empowered to respond to the actualities of the so called "Joseon Hell" open mindedly.

From an educator's point of view, having studied in Korea and now teaching here, I can easily echo what is already in the public domain: Korea's education is riskily competitive. As I argued in this newspaper before, a worldview which outlines education's purpose as for making money and living happily thereafter is not only misplaced but also fallacious. Such a view is tantamount to commodifying education instead of training learners to respond to the needs of the society in which they live.

As I concluded my thesis back then, I cited a number of ways in which Korea's development could be a model for my motherland. Nevertheless, I cautioned that "if Kenya is to emulate Korea, she should be careful enough to study the social impact from some of the aspects of Korea's rapid development including stressful working culture and competitive education system.

A few days ago, an article on this newspaper asserted that Korea's stressful life is a killer and "Koreans remain among the unhappiest people in advanced economies with many of them suffering from depression, although in appearance cutting-edge technology, flashy buildings and wide streets dominate their environment."

In my opinion, Korea needs to have a conversation with itself. As I see it, such a conversation is a responsibility of all the stakeholders  parents, students, teachers, private sector and the government.

On campus I relish our Mentoring Program, a platform where a few students meet with a professor for guidance, questions, discussion and yes, to talk about real life struggles. With my students, we talk, we laugh, we shout, we eat, and sometime go silent reflecting on what society has made education to be, and our role in it. If our education does not lead us into a reflective conversation about our bliss and struggles in the society, I wonder what will.
By Tom Plate



There is a way one can be wrong even when technically one is right. This happens upon approaching (what I call) the famous "twilight zone" of common sense. When you find yourself entering, knowingly or not, this zone of cosmic uncertainty, the recommendation here is to, as quickly as possible, rise above principle' (see John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage) and notch down to a less elevated posture. This is the way the best way to avoid severe political turbulence.



Consider the "twilight zone" experience of a senior diplomat from China at a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva who flipped out when Council members, ginned by the U.S, tried to make political hay out of the unresolved case of the "Five Missing Booksellers." The details of this bizarre story scarcely need to be recounted to the well-informed readers of this newspaper.



Taking the view that this entire matter is sovereign to the authority of the People's Republic of China  and thus no one else's darn business  Fu Cong, the Chinese deputy permanent representative in Geneva, pulled few punches in countering the American diplomat who raised the issue. That was US ambassador Keith Harper, detailed to the Rights Council, for whom the "unexplained recent disappearances and apparent coerced returns of Chinese and foreign citizens from outside mainland China" raised doubts about the commitment to its "one country, two systems" principle for Hong Kong.



Mr Fu went ballistic: "The US is notorious for prison abuse at Guantanamo prison, its gun violence is rampant, racism is its deep-rooted malaise," he declaimed. "The US conducts large-scale extra-territorial eavesdropping, uses drones to attack other countries' innocent civilians, its troops on foreign soil commit rape and murder of local people. It conducts kidnapping overseas and uses black prisons."



Fu's bombast has some basis in fact, of course. Truth be told, many Americans also wish we'd invest more energy and enthusiasm cleaning up our own backyard instead of complaining about others' maintenance of theirs. People in glass houses who initiate stone-throwing would be wise to consider their own vulnerability. But little ever seems to cause us a moment's lecturing pause  as if elevating the imperfections of other nations makes our own seem less grievous or urgent.



Fu's fulmination was also completely consistent with his government's proclaimed policy of official non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. However, the reality of Hong Kong is that Hong Kong hovers in a global "twilight zone"  not in a normal political realm. Since the 1997 handover, its astonishing high profile has not gone away; even two decades later it remains a premier global city. Normal sovereignty standards do not apply; but the reality of "one country, two systems" does. Hong Kong is not, after all, Wuhan, much less Macao. Fu, it seems, was splashing around in the bumpy international political twilight zone and didn't realize it.



A grounded position on the Missing Booksellers Case came recently from the Press Freedom Committee of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong. It urged "the Chinese government  to engage in good-faith dialogue when legitimate concerns are raised over possible breaches of international legal norms and human rights, such as in the case of the five Hong Kong residents. The FCC calls for the immediate release of the five detained to prevent further weakening of damaged confidence among the local, international and business communities in the robustness of Hong Kong's rule of law and protection of free speech guaranteed by the Basic Law."



In principle, to be sure, Hong Kong is now an integral part of China. There is no quarrel with that. But the issue here isn't the sovereignty principle; it's common sense, especially when you're in the political twilight zone. Yes, we offer diplomat Fu the courtesy of acknowledging that he was speaking from principle, as he saw it. And I cannot say that Fu's outburst seemed insincere or out of line; the U.S provoked him. But what to think? Principle or common sense?



In this context the rumination of hard-charging Chinese author Yang Jisheng, in acknowledging an award from the Neiman Society of Harvard University recently, acceded to the need for modesty when entering the twilight zone of issues impossible: "[Ours] is an unfathomable profession: while journalists are not scholars, they're required to study and gain a comprehensive grasp of society. Any journalist, no matter how erudite and insightful, will feel unequal to the task of decoding this complex and ever-changing society."



But Yang would also be first to reject a journalism of hedging that reflects intimidation by hard issues of significance. The constant worry that history may reverse the view we have today for more a deeper, more rounded one in the future cannot handcuff us from trying to decode the present.



So to me there remains a special brilliance and deep cosmopolitan validity to the policy of one country-two systems originally recommended by Deng Xiaoping that is vital to maintain  not just for Hong Kong but perhaps as much for Beijing as well. Thus, the Xi Jinping government might well consider offering a full and un-redacted report on how this bizarre Bookseller-Five Case came about; why it is not good for Mother China; and what measures will be implemented to insure that its like can't happen again. Only due diligence of this high level can bring this unnerving affair to a proper end. The political wisdom and maturation thus displayed would increase China's soft power around the world more than any number of Olympic-size edifices. As for diplomat Fu, he was not wrong; he was just caught in the twilight zone. It's a tricky place for anyone.



Columnist Tom Plate, Loyola Marymount University's Distinguished Scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies, is the author of the "Giants of Asia' book series.




Korea may face flare-up in anti-foreigner sentiment

Suspicions toward foreigners often reside on the edge of natives' consciousness, waiting for a chance to jump out and materialize at the first sign of provocation. The maturity of a society may be measured by its level of tolerance to and ability to absorb any such challenge, and move on.

By this standard, Korea has been untested and is unprepared for Islamophobia, whipped up by the multiple organized attacks by the Islamic State (IS), the extremist terrorists, threatening to sweep the world.

If left unattended, there is a possibility that uneducated fear of Islam and Muslims will feed on itself and grow out of control. Thereby, it is important for the government to make early intervention to educate people about the differences between Islam and IS. The difficulty in this task lies in the dual role for the government, which also is stepping up its surveillance to ferret out and expel any IS elements at the earliest stage. But it may be alleviated by Muslims openly promoting the peaceful nature of their religion and condemning the extremists.

Already, the conflicting writing is on the wall.












By Andrei Lankov

On March 2, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution that introduces new sanctions against North Korea. Resolution 2270 is by no means the first document of this kind: every new nuclear test resulted in yet another U.N. resolution and set of sanctions.

However, Resolution 2270 is unusually tough. It might be the first time the U.N. Security Council has introduced measures that can hit the North Korean economy really hard.

The resolution itself envisions several bans (on top of the bans that were introduced earlier), but two bans are of special significance. First, it unconditionally bans North Korean exports of gold, vanadium and titanium ores and rare earths minerals. Second, the resolution bans the export of iron ore and coal as well, but this ban is conditional: according to the article 29(b), the coal and iron ore can be exported for purposes unrelated to the nuclear and missile program.

Apart from Resolution 2270, South Korea and the United States undertook unilateral measures. South Korea closed the Gaeseong industrial zone that brought up to $100 million a year into the North. The U.S. introduced "secondary sanctions'' against people and companies engaged in financial transactions with North Korea or employing North Korean workers (export of workers has become a major source of income for North Korea in recent years).

In general, if these measures are fully implemented, North Korea is bound to face a crisis. Coal is its major export item, constituting about 40 percent of all North Korean exports, while minerals amount to the two-thirds of North Korea's entire exports.

Of course, diplomats assure us that ''sanctions will not hurt common people,'' but this mantra, obligatory in our politically correct times, should not be taken seriously.

Of course sanctions will hit common people and will probably reverse the improvement of North Korea's economic situation that began about 10 years ago and sped up under Kim Jong-un. It remains to be seen, of course, whether such sanctions will influence government policy on the nuclear issue. Most likely they will not.

However, one should not forget that Resolution 2270 has a loophole the size of floodgates: the caveat that coal and iron ore exports can be allowed if the earnings are not used for further development of the nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

North Korea, in spite of all the recent changes, is a closed country, where the government is quite capable of hiding all internal structures. Documents can be easily forged, while officials and North Korean employees will say to foreigners exactly what they are ordered to say. In other words, normally there is way to verify whether profits from a particular deal are going to be used for the prohibited activities or not. Thus, in every case the buyer will have to decide.

In this case, buyers are going to be overwhelmingly Chinese. China is not nearly the sole trading partner of North Korea (some 90 percent of the total trade volume), but China also needs North Korean coal. Thus, the future of the North Korean economy largely depends on what position China will take.

So far, it appears that China is inclined to be tough. Many observers were surprised that China voted for Resolution 2270, and the first reports seemingly indicate that China is serious about enforcing the bans as well. However, will this resolve continue for more than few months? This is an open question.

On the one hand, Beijing is annoyed by North Korea's risky behavior and brinksmanship. China, one of the five officially recognized nuclear powers, does not like nuclear proliferation. Last but not least, China is annoyed because North Korea's antics create a reason (or excuse) for the U.S. to maintain and increase its military presence near China.

On the other hand, China does not want instability or even regime collapse in North Korea  which excessive pressure might produce. So far, China has been careful not to overplay, and one can suspect that the same policy will be followed now.

So, if the sanctions create an excessively hard situation in North Korea, China is likely to take a softer approach  and Resolution 2270 gives Beijing an opportunity to do so. Nonetheless, for the time being the Chinese message to Pyongyang is clear and tough.

Professor Andrei Lankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul. Reach him at anlankov@yahoo.com.
By Park Si-soo



North Korea fired a mid-range ballistic missile into the East Sea Friday morning, said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The missile was fired at 5:55 a.m. from the Sukchon region, north of Pyongyang, and flew for about 800 kilometers before falling into the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, it said.

This came eight days after the reclusive state fired two short-range missiles in an apparent show of anger against new U.N. sanctions and Seoul-Washington joint military drills that will end today.

China has urged the North to refrain from provocative actions to avoid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
By Lee Min-hyung



SK Telecom said Sunday it would not extend its leading position in the telecom market into the broadcasting sector, dispelling fierce opposition from its rival carriers.



The move came last week when the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) released a report which revealed market shares for each carrier in 2014. However, the carriers expressed mixed reactions in interpreting the statistical data.



The report said SK Telecom accounted for 46.2 percent of the telecom market share by subscribers as of the end of the year, down from 48.1 percent from the previous year.



"The statistical data clearly shows our telecom market share keeps declining, proving that the industry competition is getting more activated," SK Telecom said in a statement.



But its rivals KT and LG Uplus joined forces, claiming SK Telecom is highly likely to extend its dominance into other areas including the broadcasting industry by continuously launching bundled products  including telecom and high speed Internet  through the proposed takeover.



KT and LG Uplus cited other data in the report and issued a joint press release that read, "The report says SK Telecom took up 51.1 percent of the market share in mobile-based bundled product markets in the same year, showing SK Telecom is expanding its dominating position into other areas." The bundled products include high-speed Internet, internet protocol television (IPTV), cable television, wired and wireless telephones. Mobile carriers here are launching such bundled products as part of their key marketing strategy to increase their market share.



The two carriers urged the relevant government agencies  the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP), the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and the Korea Communications Commission (KCC)  to take into account such concerns while screening documents for the controversial takeover plan.



SK Telecom, however, expressed regret over the rivals' interpretation by saying, "KT held 35.1 percent market share for its mobile-based bundled product market in the same period, compared to 28.6 percent for its mobile-only market share." This shows that KT is also taking advantage of the bundled product market, which means the company also seeks to expand its influence into other sectors in a way that SK Telecom does, SK added.



This is not the first time KT and LG Uplus have stepped up their criticism against SK Telecom, since the nation's top mobile carrier announced its takeover plan in November. Under the proposed plan, SK Broadband, SK Telecom's IPTV subsidiary, will merge with CJH. Both sides have since remained poles apart, holding a series of press events to announce their positions over the issue.



SK Telecom hopes the government wil grant approval for the deal, as the 90-day legal deadline for the screening process ended earlier this month since the company submitted documents in Dec. 1. The MSIP, which holds the key to final approval, has yet to make a decision, citing the graveness of the issue.




Top ratings agency stresses neutral impact' of deal



By Kim Yoo-chul



Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) said on Sunday that a proposed takeover by SK Telecom of CJ HelloVision (CJH) will have a negative impact on the financial soundness of the telecom company.



"This deal would have a somewhat negative impact on SK Telecom's financial metrics," Park Jun-hong, associate director of corporate ratings at S&P, said in an interview with The Korea Times.



The executive didn't elaborate, but added that if the plan, under review by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) and the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), proceeds, it is unlikely to hugely boost SK's content business.



"It would modestly improve SK Telecom's competitiveness in the media and fixed-line telecom sectors," said the executive, "but the level of improvement would depend on the approval conditions, if any."



Shareholders of CJH recently agreed to the proposed takeover by SK Group's telecommunications affiliate.



Of those attending a recent CJH shareholders' meeting, around 97 percent  equivalent to 75.2 percent of the total  voted in favor of the takeover.



S&P said the SK-CJH deal won't help SK Telecom's credit rating. "In our base case, we assume that the deal would go through and have a neutral impact on SK's current credit rating," it said.



S&P maintains an A-credit rating for SK Telecom.



According to Park, S&P's decision on why the multi-billion dollar deal would have a neutral impact is based on its belief that SK Telecom doesn't need much spending to close the deal.



"There will be no significant cash outflow related to this deal. S&P doesn't see a material impact on SK Telecom's current A- rating," he said.



Market competitors KT and LG Uplus joined forces in opposing the acquisition by claiming that it may hurt fair market competition because the deal is a combination of market leaders in the telecom and cable TV industries.



Park said that S&P doesn't have a "strong view" on whether the deal would go through as that is subject to regulatory approval with "uncertainties."



However, S&P remained positive about the long-term financial soundness of SK Telecom and said that the deal won't significantly deteriorate its bottom line.



"This is because we factored in limited cash inflows from its content business under our current base case scenario," the executive explained.



Park said SK Telecom's lower dependency on SK hynix is also another reason the top Korean telecom operator will maintain its industry leadership.



"S&P consolidates SK hynix on a pro-rata basis when we analyze SK Telecom," it said.



"We reflected SK hynix's weakening performance over the next 12 months given the uncertain operating environment in the memory semiconductor industry."



Pro-rata refers to proportional allocation. In accounting, this means the allocation of sales, expenses, assets, liabilities or other items among participants, based on each participant's proportional share of the whole.



"However, this wouldn't have a significant impact on SK Telecom's cash flow given its relatively small ownership of SK hynix," S&P's Park said.



SK Telecom is the biggest shareholder of SK hynix, owning a 20.1 percent stake.




The photo shows Samsung Electronics' "Crystal View" ultrasound diagnosis technology monitoring embryos' skeletal systems. The company said Sunday it has teamed up with its medical equipment affiliate Samsung Medison to unveil a series of medical technologies at the KIMES 2016 medical expo to be held at the COEX for four days from Thursday.

/ Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung

Samsung Electronics has developed an ultrasound diagnosis technology that can monitor the skeletal muscle systems of embryos, in collaboration with its medical equipment affiliate Samsung Medison.

The company unveiled the so-called Crystal View technology at the medical equipment exhibition show KIMES 2016, which ended Sunday.

The diagnosis technology allows doctors to monitor musculoskeletal systems of embryos through the company's own diagnostic ultrasound technique, the company said in a statement.

Expectations are that the new technology will increase the accuracy of treatments, as Crystal View will allow medical personnel to monitor embryos' health conditions in more detail which has so far been impossible with such systems as 3D reconstruction of embryonic structures.

The move came as the nation's leading electronics giant has sought to expand its presence into the healthcare industry in recent years. In particular, the company focused on developing diagnostic medical imaging technology as one of its growth areas.

"During the medical expo, we have exhibited our premium ultrasound diagnosis equipment that can clearly show embryos' shapes with a volume rendering technique," the company said in a statement.

The technology is waiting for approval from relevant government agencies for commercial use.

At the event, the company also unveiled other medical equipment products. In particular, Samsung said it plans to tap into the veterinary equipment market in its bid to expand into the rapidly growing global veterinary market.


By Park Si-soo



The U.S. presidential race is becoming a one on one showdown between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton after the two scored decisive wins in make-or-break nomination contests in "Super Tuesday 2,"last week.



In this climate, Trump is under increasing pressure from conservative mainstreamers to drop  or modify  his aggressive attitude that has stirred controversy even within the conservative bloc and adopt a more generous approach to encourage millions of swinging voters and ethnic minorities.



Korean-Americans are one of these groups, comprising about 0.6 percent of the U.S. population, or around 1.7 million people.



It remains uncertain how Trump will appeal to them in the lead-up to the Nov. 8 presidential election. No matter what he does, however, it seems that it will not be easy for the real estate developer-turned-politician to win the hearts of Korean-Americans.

"I really don't give s**t about him. I'm not voting for him," said a voter with ethnic roots in Korea in an email interview with The Korea Times. Living in Los Angeles, she wanted to remain anonymous. "I still can't believe that there are so many ignorant U.S. citizens out here who support him  It makes me sad."



Another Korean-American living in San Francisco echoed her view.



"I think any reasonable person with an ability to sustain basic life functions would be against Trump," he said. "He is a bold, smart man, exploiting the secret, unspoken, politically incorrect views that Caucasians must harbor against minorities. Otherwise, Trump would not have come this far."



He said Trump had "verbalized what most white Americans may feel but cannot and will not say in front of their minority friends and neighbors." He said that if Trump was elected, it would be an embarrassment to the U.S. as well as the world.



Erica Oh in New York called Trump's presidential bid "pure comedy."



"This presidential campaign is a gift to me. It's a pure comedy and I am entertained as hell," she said.



Another Korean American in Michigan called Trump a "business man" whose political ideas would only create more conflicts in and outside the U.S.




The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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Defenders of the economic status quo in America continue to assert that economic inequality (1) doesn't exist, (2) isn't as bad as you think, or (3) is actually good for everybody.

That's despite empirical evidence that the gap between the rich and the middle class is wide and growing and that the trend is hollowing out the middle class, as well as sociological findings of its corrosive effect on society and politics. Among the "grave moral consequences of widening inequality in an environment of modest growth" identified by political economist Benjamin M. Friedman in 2009, for instance, are "racial and religious discrimination, antipathy toward immigrants, [and] lack of generosity toward the poor"--all features of our current campaign landscape.

The distribution of adults by income is thinning in the middle and bulking up at the edges.  Pew Research Center

The best graphical illustration of the economic trend we've seen is the animation below, showing the shift in "middle income" households from 1971 to 2015. It was created by the data team at the Financial Times, based on statistics from a December 2015 report by the Pew Research Center on America's middle class. (The chart recently picked up a silver at the Malofiej awards of the Society for News Design's European district.)

Income inequality, animated (Alan Smith/FT.com)

The chart shows the peak representing the income blocks with the largest percentages of households moving from the "middle income" category toward the lower income range, while the largest single block, households with annual earnings of $200,000 or more, moving from a small share of the total to the largest single share, easily outstripping all other income segments. Each bar in the graphic represents the percentage of adults by $5,000 increment of income except the last one on the far right, which covers all income in excess of $200,000. All figures are in 2014 dollars.

Pew divided U.S. households into five segments: two low-income groups with income of up to $41,868 in 2014 dollars, two upper-income groups with income over $126,608, and everyone else between those two marks.

Pew places the middle range of US household income at $41,869-$125,608. Its size in population is shrinking relative to the two lower and two upper income ranges. (Pew Center) (Michael Hiltzik)

The percentage of Americans living in middle income households is shrinking compared to those in low- and upper-income households. (Pew Center) (Michael Hiltzik)

"The distribution of adults by income is thinning in the middle and bulking up at the edges," Pew reported. The percentage of adults in the highest-income segments grew from 14% in 1971 to 21% in 2015, while those in the lowest two income categories grew from 25% to 29%. Middle income households as a percentage shrank from 61% to 50% in that time. No wonder that those considering themselves middle-income feel as if they're a diminishing breed.

The Financial Times further noted that Pew found a demographic divergence, too: "Older Americans were the biggest gainers by far in terms of their progression up the income tiers during the current century, and also when compared with the start of the 1970s....The group aged 18-29 has seen the biggest slide."

Some of the debate over income and wealth inequality in America rests on the definition of just what "middle class" means. As we pointed out last year, "middle class" as a demographic definition has been declining in terms of income; those who fit the demographic definition of middle class have been feeling a increasing and genuine economic pinch over the years.

The sociopolitical implications of this trend are frightening, especially to those whose income places them above it. That explains much of the desperation of efforts, mostly by conservatives, to explain it away, often by asserting that Americans are much richer than they think and will enjoy a more comfortable retirement than they're led to expect, or dismissing concern about economic inequality as "one of the myths propagated by the left." The argument often is based on the notion that doomsayers fail to take into account pension and Social Security income, but the truth is that pension income tends to accumulate at the high end of the income scale, and Social Security benefits are modest.

These graphics tell a more direct story. Inequality in income and wealth is a troubling headwind for the American economy, it's getting worse, and it's a real danger looming in our political future.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltzik's blog.

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Forget foosball tables or free snacks. The latest employee benefit for recruiting and retaining young employees is more practical.

On Tuesday, Fidelity announced that it had begun offering a perk that would help employees repay their student loans. All full-time employees at the manager level and below can get up to $2,000 a year paid toward their student loan, up to a total of $10,000. Employees still make their own payments, while Fidelitys benefit is sent directly to the loan provider by a third-party vendor and applied to the principal, reducing the overall size of the loan.

The Boston financial services company joins a small but growing number of firms that are helping ease the pain of student loan debt for their millennial employees  while offering benefits that arent as permanent as a salary increase. PwC announced in September it would extend a similar benefit to its workers. Smaller companies such as Chegg and LendEDU offer the perk, and third-party vendors say many more are expected to announce the benefit in coming months.

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A survey by the Society for Human Resources Management from June said only about 3% of companies in its survey offer the perk, but its director of compensation and benefits, Bruce Elliott, expects that number to grow.

The trend is a response, of course, to the fact that for young workers, student loans have become a major financial burden. Education debt has soared in recent years, nearly tripling since the early 1990s and reaching an average of $35,000 in 2015, according to data from the publisher Edvisors.

After asking employees about their biggest challenges, we were surprised to learn that student loans were at the top of the list, says Jennifer Hanson, who leads Fidelitys associate experience and benefits. It was causing them to put off important things, whether it was buying a house or getting married.

But the move also comes as employers facing a tight labor market want to stand out in particular to younger, college-educated employees. Millennials are the largest segment of the labor force, and in response, employers are tailoring benefits to their needs. For instance, many are expanding family leave benefits.

One way Elliott says he knows a trend has legs is that start-ups get founded to cater to the market and act as administrators for the new perks  in this case, verifying that employees have student loans and then handling the logistics of paying the loans directly on the employers behalf.

Tuition.io, which is administering Fidelitys program, says it is talking to some of the largest U.S. companies. The chief executive of another vendor, Gradifis Tim DeMello, says it has 100 companies scheduled to offer the benefit in coming months, including 19 Fortune 500 companies.

Another company, Student Loan Genius, says its seeing interest in a recently introduced platform that helps companies repurpose the money theyve budgeted as 401(k) matching contributions. When workers make a student loan payment, it triggers the company to make a 401(k) contribution on their behalf.

Millennials eyes are not on retirement, its How do we get rid of our student loans, control our debt? says Tony Aguilar, the founder of Student Loan Genius. These sorts of benefits, he says, are for a different generation with different problems.

Part of the appeal of these benefits to companies is that they are flexible, Elliott says.

Its a way to differentiate total compensation without creating an increase in base pay, he says. About 25% of Fidelity employees have student loan debt. The program does not have an age limit, and employees who still carry student loan debt well into middle age would benefit from it. Even employees who dont qualify for the benefit have said they love it, Hanson says. It sets Fidelity apart.

And that, of course, is exactly what companies want when it comes to benefits like this, Elliott says. Were absolutely going to see a lot more innovation on benefits  especially as it relates to this generation.

Jena McGregor writes a column analyzing leadership in the news for the Washington Posts On Leadership section.
The gig: G.J. Hart (the initials stand for Gerard Johan) heads California Pizza Kitchen, the restaurant chain based in Playa Vista. As chief executive and executive chairman, Hart, 58, oversees a company with nearly 300 eateries and 14,000 employees around the world. Hart has been in charge of turning around the fast-casual chain, which suffered years of sales declines before it was taken private in 2011. He has led efforts to revamp both the menus and the look of the eateries to keep up with the changing palates of Americas diners.

The Dutch boy: Hart was born in the Netherlands and immigrated with his parents and sister to the U.S. at age 5. Growing up in modest circumstances, Hart said he knew hed have to make his own way in the world. He got his first job as a Little League umpire at age 13. Hart also worked as a Kmart cashier, a highway flagman and a Howard Johnsons dishwasher and short-order cook. Ive always wanted to get ahead, Hart said.

Turkey calling: Because he had to put himself through college, it took nearly nine years for Hart to earn a business management degree from James Madison University in Virginia. During that time, he worked at a poultry company, starting as a trainee hanging turkeys and eventually working up to general manager. The president was tough as nails but nurtured and gave Hart a management job in his early 20s. The mentor championed Hart when the business restructured; as a result, he got a minority stake at age 25. What I did learn, besides leadership, is that I love the food business.

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Emergency man: Hart said much of his success can be attributed to being perpetually available  a 911 person, as he calls it. Are you always there? he said. Or do you let the phone ring and not call people back? Capitalizing on opportunities was crucial. Hart said he snatched a chance in his late 20s to become president of the U.S. arm of a New Zealand food import company. Despite his youth, the board gave Hart the job because they thought Dutch people had integrity and were good businesspeople, he said. In my mind, its always this mentality  seize the opportunity, because you dont when its going to come, and you need to be ready.

Texas BBQ: In the late 1990s, Hart met Kent Taylor, the founder of the barbecue chain Texas Roadhouse, at a conference in Napa Valley. Hart was living in New Orleans working for Copeland Investments, founded by Al Copeland, the man behind Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken. Back then, Texas Roadhouse operated only a handful of restaurants. The founder recruited him aggressively; in return for a large pay cut, Hart would get the chance to invest in restaurants as the chain grew. I would take a huge step back financially to bet on the future of something cool and very different, he said. The concept  targeting smaller towns in Middle America, and requiring buy-in from managers  was worth the risk, Hart said. The chain went public in 2004. Hart not only had a very good stake in the business, but he also became CEO.

California dreaming: Then Golden Gate Capital, the private equity firm that acquired California Pizza Kitchen in 2011, came calling. Hart said he had envisioned staying at Texas Roadhouse forever. He and Taylor had built the barbecue chain as a team, but Hart wanted to see if he could succeed solo. I had to see if I was any good, Hart said. Plus, the private equity firm gave him a chance to invest in the chain when he joined in 2011. Hart said he has a substantial stake in California Pizza Kitchen but declined to be specific.

Town halls: The pizza and pasta chain was battered by the rise of fast-casual rivals like Chipotle and a rigid top-down approach, Hart said. He traveled the country holding town-hall-style meetings with about 5,000 employees, asking for their input. It took a long time before workers started believing that his collaborative management style was real, Hart said. At his first meeting with senior team members, Hart said he asked one executive his opinion on a question. He literally looked behind him, like, Whos he talking to? Hart recalled. Once you put someone in a box, they are going to stay in the box unless you open them.

Swallowing change: In just a few years, Hart has made many changes. Servers man fewer tables to improve customer service. Employees are hired for attitude, not experience. And even longtime employees, like managers and tenured cooks, are required to work nights and weekends. The menu has been slimmed down and incorporates dishes with more local ingredients. Many of these changes were initially hard for employees to swallow, Hart said. I got an earful in some cases, he said. But I was willing to listen. Thats the key: consistency, genuineness and being open and willing to listen.

Off the clock: In his spare time, Hart likes being active, including biking and boating. Anything outdoors, he said.

Family: Hart and his wife, Heather, have four children. Hart has a 32-year-old daughter, Ashley, from a previous marriage; he also adopted Heathers three kids from her first marriage: Hillary, 25; Ashley, 23; and Randall, 14. Both Ashleys have the same middle initial  S.  and the last name of Hart. Flying as a family often involves a conversation with Transportation Security Administration officials. The TSA really doesnt know what to do, Hart said. They think were nuts.

shan.li@latimes.com

Twitter: @ByShanLi
Los Angeles International Airport has returned to the list of the worlds top 100 airports. But just barely.

After failing for several years to make a top 100 ranking that is based on a survey of 13.5 million air travelers, LAX broke into the list in 98th position last year and moved up to 91st this year.

The worlds top airport was Singapore Changi Airport, followed by Incheon International Airport in South Korea and Munich Airport in Germany, according to the annual rankings by SkyTrax, an air-transport industry research company based in Britain.

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The top U.S. airports were Denver International, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

LAX, which hosted nearly 75 million passengers last year, ranks low because of dirty facilities, long lines and rude staff, according to air travelers who have posted reviews on the SkyTrax website.

This is a terrible airport, the worst I have visited in the last couple of years, an Australian traveler wrote on the website in January about LAX. I would try to avoid this airport in future.

LAX officials say the airport will continue to improve by tackling one of its biggest shortfalls: a lack of connection to mass transit.

Los Angeles County transit officials have approved funding for a light rail station, connected to a people-mover system to link a consolidated car-rental facility, a ground transportation hub and the LAX terminal area. Unfortunately, the multibillion-dollar rail project to LAX isnt scheduled to open until 2023.

As we continue to modernize the airport and improve congestion and create an atmosphere that makes people feel they are appreciated, LAX will move up the ranking, LAX spokeswoman Mary Grady said.

LAX got hit with more bad news this month: In a ranking of airports with the longest lines at customs and immigration checkpoints, LAX came in fourth, with an average wait times of about 20 minutes.

The longest waits were at John F. Kennedy International Airport (25 minutes) in New York, San Francisco International Airport (24 minutes) and Miami International Airport (22 minutes), according to Global Gateway Alliance, a nonprofit New York advocacy group promoting improved public access.

To read more about travel, tourism and the airline industry, follow me on Twitter at @hugomartin.

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In the energy world, the ability to store electricity at an affordable price is the treasure sought by utility engineers and financial wizards.

SolarReserve believes it has found a solution.

The Santa Monica company recently completed what it touts as a first-of-its-kind solar power plant that stores electricity using salt. The facility, in Nevada between Reno and Las Vegas, is 20 times larger than a SolarCity-Tesla solar and storage operation in Hawaii, which incorporates batteries.

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Called Crescent Dunes, the SolarReserve power plant is a 110-megawatt facility with 10 hours of energy storage. That translates into 1,100 megawatt hours of storage, enough to power 75,000 homes. In other words, the facility can run for an additional 10 hours at the full 110 megawatt output just from the stored energy, with zero sunshine.

Crescent Dunes manages this by using rings of billboard-size mirrors to reflect the sun onto a tower filled with salt. The molten salt boils water, producing steam that powers electricity-generating turbines.

With Californias requirement that 50% of the states electricity generation come from renewable sources such as solar and wind power by 2030, storage facilities such as Crescent Dunes have great potential.

So far, in the industry thats the state of the art, molten salt storage, said Yogi Goswami, a professor at the University of South Florida and an expert on solar power.

Goswami, who has experimented with salt storage at the Tampa university, said SolarReserve is demonstrating the commercial potential of the technology. But such energy storage has drawbacks, he said, including the corrosive nature of salt and the high cost.

SolarReserve has gotten around the corrosion problem by encapsulating the salt in ceramic balls.

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FOR THE RECORD

March 21, 11:25 a.m.: An article in the March 20 Business section about a solar power plant that stores electricity using molten salt stated that the SolarReserve facility uses ceramic balls to encapsulate the salt as a way to avoid corrosion. The facility doesnt use such a method. University of South Florida professor Yogi Goswami has used that technique in his work on energy storage.

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As for the cost: The price tag for Crescent Dunes was $1 billion, or about 13.5 cents a kilowatt hour, roughly twice as much as the lowest-priced natural gas facility, which can run at about 7 cents to 9 cents a kilowatt hour.

Because SolarReserve custom-designed the Crescent Dunes facility, the company said it was a bit pricier than it expects future units to cost. The company expects future plants to be more competitive with natural gas facilities less than 10 cents a kilowatt hour.

Past tower technologies such as ESolars Sierra SunTower, a small pilot project that began producing electricity in 2009 in Lancaster, used solar thermal technology that proved costly to operate. Solar thermal technology uses panels to heat liquids. The liquids flow through pipes to boil water and generate steam that powers turbines.

Because of the cost of solar thermal, ESolar and other firms began pursuing molten salt storage as a cheaper alternative.

For now, the biggest advantage of a facility such as Crescent Dunes, the company said, is that it doesnt require natural gas or other fossil fuels, yet it can run round-the-clock. SolarReserve said the utility that buys the electricity produced at the facility wants it for only about 16 hours a day.

In the downtime, the salt never becomes a solid. The temperature never falls below 500 degrees and reaches 1,050 degrees when heated  three times the temperature used to bake a cake.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said in a statement that Crescent Dunes shows what is possible when the public and private sectors come together to build the next generation of clean energy technology.

Kevin Smith, chief executive and co-founder of SolarReserve, said that if California and the rest of the nation are to meet clean energy goals, power storage or more fossil fuel plants will be needed to provide support for when the wind isnt blowing or the sun isnt shining.

The way California is going to solve that is either with plants like ours or conventional natural gas, Smith said. Were a few years away before the U.S. starts taking storage more seriously. Right now the U.S. market isnt demanding as much storage as some of the international markets.

SolarReserve has been working to build solar storage facilities across the globe, including one of the largest such operations in northern Chiles Atacama Desert. SolarReserve also has operations in China, South Africa and Dubai.

In Nevada, SolarReserves Crescent Dunes supplies electricity to NV Energy. Company spokeswoman Faye Andersen acknowledged that the facility provides power to NV Energy but declined to comment further about the operation.

Although California is by far the nations leader in generation of solar power, the state has not capitalized on storage technologies.

Southern California Edison operates one of the largest storage units at its Tehachapi facility, which uses lithium-ion batteries to store wind power.

David Song, an Edison spokesman, said the Tehachapi storage facility operates at 32 megawatt hours, or about 3% of SolarReserves Crescent Dunes plant. Song declined to speculate about the viability of a facility such as Crescent Dunes within the Rosemead utilitys operation.

Smith co-founded SolarReserve in 2008 and now has seven international offices that operate in 20 countries and 114 employees.

Smith said he believes his companys technology will increasingly capture Californias attention as it spreads across the globe, even though the states utilities havent wanted to tap the new operation just yet.

Right now theyre not focusing on implementing these storage solutions, Smith said.

But it will come. It has to by definition.

ivan.penn@latimes.com

Twitter: @ivanlpenn

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When Jacob Jonas the Company performs, energy doesnt just seem to bounce off the walls, it reverberates off of bodies.

For the Side Door Series this weekend, the company is presenting two new pieces by its artistic director, Jacob Jonas, plus his breakout 2014 work, In a Room on Broad St. The program, which closes Sunday, opened on Friday to a packed studio at the Los Angeles Ballet Center.

In a Room on Broad St. was an explosive display of the companys vitality and range. If break dancing and concert dance had a baby, it would be the Jacob Jonas company. With balletic arabesques, acrobatic flips and spinning headstands, the dancers showed that they could hold their own in the studio and on the street.

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Jill Wilson and Wesley Ensminger perform the premiere of Primary during the program Friday from Jacob Jonas the Company.

(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

Whereas the company pulled out all the stops for In a Room, the debut of Primary was an exercise in concentration and control. The severe and svelte trio of Jill Wilson, Wesley Ensminger and Brooklynn Reeves was laser focused on the moves.

Reeves sensuously rolled her exposed belly and back, all while rising on an unshakable toe point. Wilson sliced the air with scissor-like precision, and Ensminger landed in the same leg-contorting twist on the floor even after vaulting into the air several times. The tension they generated was breathtaking.

Jacob Jonas embodies disease, and Marissa Labog is its target in Obstacles, a piece that Jonas dance company premiered Friday in Los Angeles.

(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

However, the evenings second debut, Obstacles, fell into a disappointingly familiar routine. Based on 23-year-old Mallory Smiths battle with cystic fibrosis, the duet pitted Jonas, symbolizing the disease, against co-choreographer Marissa Labog, representing Smith. Jonas, using his body as a blockade, stonewalls Labogs progress across the room thwarting her earnest attempts to dive under his legs, climb over his shoulders and side-step his assaults. The confrontation is repeated ad nauseam, proving Obstacles to be a tribute thats more tedious than tender.

Jacob Jonas may take some struggles too literally, but when it comes to dance, his imagination is wonderfully wide open.

------------

Jacob Jonas the Company

Where: Los Angeles Ballet Center/Side Door Theater, 11755 Exposition Blvd. (entrance on Stoner Avenue), Los Angeles

When: 8 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: $25

Info: www.eventbrite.com/e/jacob-jonas-the-company-side-door-series-tickets-20589117605
Its hard to think of a case with details more spectacular: A videotape featuring wrestling star Hulk Hogan having sex in a canopy bed with the young wife of a good friend  a guy whose legal name is Bubba the Love Sponge Clem.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, sues the website that published portions of the tape, the New York-based gossip site Gawker.com. A Florida jury deliberates just six hours before ruling in Bolleas favor and awarding him a staggering $115 million in damages.

Aside from offering jaw-dropping details, the case also raises crucial issues about privacy in the age of Internet phenomena such as revenge porn.

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People are thinking a little bit more about the concept of what is newsworthy, because whats changed is the concept of who a public figure is, said Mary Anne Franks, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law and the legislative and tech policy director of the nonprofit Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, which advocates for privacy issues.

Society can be contemptuous toward a celebrity because theyre a celebrity, and people think that a celebrity can deal with this, Franks said. But nowadays you can be turned into a public figure because of a sex tape that is released of you.

The verdicts legal scope is, for now, limited. Fridays decision emerged from a jury trial in a district court, which means it doesnt set precedent.

It might have influence on plaintiffs or attorneys based on the same claims against publishers, said Amy Gajda, a law professor at Tulane University and author of The First Amendment Bubble: How Privacy and Paparazzi Threaten a Free Press. But it wouldnt have precedence until it is decided on appeal. And at that point, it will have binding precedential value only within that particular jurisdiction of Florida.

Still, the case might be cited by other courts deciding similar cases.

Any time there is an unusual fact pattern, she said, courts will look to other states for a similar pattern. Which means that Bollea vs. Gawker Media may wield some influence as a reference point for other jurisdictions, but its results cant be held up as binding legal precedent. (Unless, of course, the case ended up at the U.S. Supreme Court.)

But the Hulk Hogan verdict has emboldened privacy advocates, who say that 1st Amendment rights dont trump an individuals right to privacy  no matter how famous the person. Unlike other celebrity-versus-media legal battles, the issue here was privacy, not whether published material was defamatory or false.

You should be able to control who sees you naked. It doesnt matter if you are promiscuous or not promiscuous.  Mary Anne Franks, University of Miami School of Law professor and the legislative and tech policy director of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative

Howard Weitzman, a Santa Monica-based attorney who represents celebrity clients such as pop star Justin Bieber  nude photos of him were recently leaked online  said that the Hogan case sends an important message.

I believe there is a growing dislike of reckless conduct in this age of digital distribution, he said in an email. When someones privacy is clearly violated, the victim is entitled to some safeguards. In my opinion, such distributors have a duty to act in a decent and responsible manner rather than rushing to satiate perceived prurient interests.

Gajda said that the legal notion of privacy extends back to 1890, when Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis published a much-cited Harvard Law Review article, The Right to Privacy, and that this includes matters of a sexual nature.

In my assessment of the cases and the law and society, nudity and issues involving sex have traditionally been protected from the time right to privacy began, she said. So while the media may be free to cover some famous persons sexcapade as newsworthy, posting images or video of the act without permission can violate the celebritys privacy.

In the Internet age, its a concept that is being put to the test as nude photos and old sex videos pop up online, distributed by vindictive ex-lovers or hackers who bust into iCloud (such as the hackers who posted revealing images of actress Jennifer Lawrence to the Web in 2014).

After a photo or a video appears on the Internet, the Webs cut-and-paste powers of regeneration make it virtually impossible to take down  even if an individual is armed with a pile of injunctions.

Its an issue that isnt just affecting celebrities, but private citizens too, who have to contend with the phenomenon of revenge porn.

The term we prefer is nonconsensual pornography, Franks said. Its not about the motives of the person who posted it. Its sexually explicit material distributed without consent.

Certainly, Hulk Hogan is an unusual poster boy for a privacy movement because the reality show star has openly discussed his physical endowments and his sexual exploits, among other unsavory bits.

But Franks says his public persona is not the issue. He doesnt seem like a victim in the traditional way, but we need to think about the principle here, she said. You should be able to control who sees you naked. It doesnt matter if you are promiscuous or not promiscuous.

Though celebrity sex tapes back in the days of Rob Lowe and Pamela Anderson may have been greeted with some public amusement, these days they are just as likely to raise public ire. When the images of Lawrence were published, some writers described it as a sexual assault and another example of the harassment of women. Lawrence called it a sexual violation.

All of this may explain why the jury in Florida was so willing to award Hogan such an extraordinary sum -- $15 million more in damages than he was seeking.

Whether the amount or the verdict will stick on appeal remains to be seen. But at a moment in which questions of privacy are in the ether  from NSA surveillance to the FBIs battle with Apple over its iPhone source code  attitudes about what might appear to be a silly celebrity sex tape may be shifting.

In a way, said Gajda, these cases call out for a Supreme Court resolution.

Twitter: @cmonstah

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Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to your weekly field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

My colleague Steve Zeitchik and I were just in Austin, Texas, at the energizing and inspiring South by Southwest Film Festival. It was a jam-packed few days with high-profile premieres from films such as Everybody Wants Some, Keanu, In A Valley of Violence and Sausage Party, plus exciting discoveries with Miss Stevens and Jean of the Joneses.

And I moderated an hourlong conversation with This American Life host Ira Glass. A film he produced, Mike Birbiglias Dont Think Twice, was one of the highlights of the festival.

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Well have more screening and Q&A events coming soon, so check back at events.latimes.com for more info.

Nonstop movies. Movies nonstop.

Midnight Special

Among the films at SXSW was the North American premiere of Midnight Special, the new film from Jeff Nichols. Its a bold, ambitious movie with vision and emotional heft starring Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton and Adam Driver in the tale of a young boy with extraordinary powers and the adults who surround him.

Midnight Special announces the arrival of a filmmaker in total control of his technique as well as our emotions, wrote The Times Kenneth Turan in his review. A bravura science-fiction thriller that explores emotional areas like parenthood and the nature of belief, its a riveting genre exercise as well as something more.

In the New York Times, A.O. Scott wrote, This is a film that generates much of its suspense through genre sleight of hand. If I even try to tell you what kind of movie it is  crime story, road picture, science-fiction allegory, religious prophecy  I might be telling you something youd rather not know just yet.

In an insightful interview with Emily Yoshida at The Verge, Nichols described how he matches storytelling and technical prowess when he said, My characters arent chess pieces. I dont move them around some big board. I actually care about these fictitious people.

Steve Zeitchik also wrote about the film, and as Michael Shannon said to him of Nichols, The first time Jeff mentioned Midnight Special to me, he described it as a chase film where Id be driving a cool, old car late at night  and that was about it. He saw the film very clearly even without knowing what it was about.

My Golden Days

Recent winner of the best director prize at Frances Cesar awards, Arnaud Desplechin is simply a gem. The film he won that prize for, My Golden Days, is something of a continuation of his earlier My Sex Life  How I Got Into An Argument, but entirely self-contained and totally fresh. Its a story of the first true love for the character of Paul Dedalus, played as an adult by Mathieu Amalric and as a young man by newcomer Quentin Dolmaire.

The story is straightforward; the telling, less so, said Manohla Dargis in her review for the New York Times. The brilliant French director Arnaud Desplechin likes to mix lofty touchstones with George Clinton beats.  Theres a restless intelligence to his sampling, which always feels organic, experiential instead of merely ornamental. In My Golden Days, which largely takes place in the 1980s, every musical, literary and fashion cue speaks to the moment when Paul began a feverish love affair.

As Kenneth Turan put it in his Times review, Film has always been especially effective in portraying what it can feel like, what it can mean to be in love, and My Golden Days is right up there with the best of them.

Ill be publishing my own interview soon with Desplechin and Amalric, but Justin Chang at Variety had his own conversation with the director. As to the way in which the film connects adulthood to adolescence, Desplechin said, I guess its coming from a worry that I have  this idea that you are not sure that you have your own identity, that you are not sure who you are, etc. Its a crisis that we go through when we are adolescents.

Krisha

Actress Krisha Fairchild appears at the Majestic Cannes International Film Festival 2015 for her movie Krisha. (Stephanie Cornfield / For The Los Angeles Times)

The winner of the grand jury prize at last years SXSW, Trey Edward Shults Krisha is just now hitting theaters. A bracing drama of addiction and its impact on family, the film was, as Shults likes to point out, made at his mothers house starring his aunt.

In his review for The Times, Robert Abele said, This astonishing debut feature offers a simultaneously dread-filled and empathetic picture of a damaged soul.

Richard Brody in The New Yorker said, Fairchild, who performs like a counterculture Gena Rowlands, is irresistibly passionate and volatile even in repose, and Shults displays a bold visual and dramatic sensibility with his impressionistic rearrangement of time and his repertory of darting, whirling, plunging, and retreating camera moves, which seem to paint the action onto the screen.

Our limitations helped make this special, Shults said to the APs Jake Coyle. Everyone has a unique life. Everyone has something unique around them. Maybe that doesnt mean cast your aunt and mom and grandma in the lead roles in your movie, but who knows. Get creative and let the limits spur that creativity.

Steve Zeitchik profiled the real-life Krisha Fairchild last year at the Cannes Film Festival. Im not like my character, she said to him there. Maybe a little. The big personality part.

Too Late

A low-budget Los Angeles-set detective drama written and directed by Dennis Hauck, Too Late is formally ambitious and driven by a moody lead performance by John Hawkes. In the film, Hawkes plays a local P.I. who is drawn into a case that turns unusually personal. The story is told in a series of one-take scenes that each last the length of a projected reel of a 35-mm film print. (Nerd alert: The film is even debuting in 35!)

In the Hollywood Reporter, Sheri Linden noted Hauck injects just enough weirdness to brush the cobwebs off even the most cliched of his five settings.

Youve seen a lot of movies like Too Late, and yet you havent, wrote Michael Nordine in LA Weekly.

I spoke to Hauck last year when his film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Of his decision to shoot on film and even make the length of a film reel into a structuring device, he said: I look at it, and it looks better to me. It just feels special to me, like a real movie. I love cinema, and I dont want it to be made up of the same raw materials of zeros and ones that everything else in the world is made up of these days.

The Clan

There are just so many terrific movies opening right now, even we cant quite keep up. One movie not to overlook is Argentine filmmaker Pablo Traperos The Clan, which picked up a best director prize at last years Berlin Film Festival. Based on a true story, it features an absolutely ferocious lead performance by Guillermo Francella as a man who tries to turn a kidnapping ring into a family business.

In Film Comment, Mike Sragow said Francellas performance is one of the damnedest things youll ever see  and I do mean damnedest. Few actors have made evil so insidiously accessible.

The Telegraphs Robbie Collin noted Traperos muscular, assured filmmaking by saying, Theres such an irresistible, black-hearted swagger to his latest that Martin Scorsese would immediately recognise a kindred spirit. Effortless tracking shots, spasms of sickening violence and a perfectly pitched jukebox soundtrack are all conspicuously and stylishly deployed, sometimes all at once.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, doubling down on his opposition to President Obamas Supreme Court nominee, said Sunday that theres no way the Republican-controlled Senate will hold a confirmation vote  not even after the November election.

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In the party-line fight over whether to hold a confirmation vote on Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, Republicans have insisted on allowing the next president to fill the seat vacated by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. But that has raised speculation about what might happen if a Democrat wins in November: Would the GOP members of the Senate relent and accept Garland, who has a relatively moderate record? Or would Obama withdraw the pick, allowing the next president to make a different choice?

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McConnell dismissed the notion of a lame-duck confirmation vote.

I cant imagine that a Republican-majority Senate, even if it were soon to be a minority, would want to confirm a judge who would move the court dramatically to the left, McConnell said on Fox News Sunday. Thats not going to happen.

Likewise, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said that Obama will not withdraw Garlands name, no matter what happens in November.

We will stand by him from now until he is confirmed and hes sitting on the Supreme Court, McDonough said, also on Fox News. That means Obama will stick by Garland through the end of his term, McDonough said.

Garland, 63, a former federal prosecutor who supervised the Oklahoma City bombing case, is chief judge of the court of appeals for the District of Columbia. He has a record as a cautious centrist who has been deferential to executive authority.

McConnells redrawing of his tough line against the Senate taking up the nomination came as some members of his party have been suggesting that Garland should get a hearing and a vote. On Friday, Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois said his colleagues should just man up and take a vote.

McConnell, noting that Kirk is running for re-election this fall, said that wont happen. President Obama calling this judge a moderate doesnt make him a moderate, he said, saying the real issue is the impact this will have on this court for a quarter century.

Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the minority leader, on Sunday predicted that Garland would ultimately prevail.

Mitch McConnell has said a lot of things, Reid said on NBCs Meet the Press. But his Republican senators are not going to go over that cliff with him. Theyre not going to do it. As I told Merrick Garland, This is going to break. Youre going to become a Supreme Court justice.

Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich, a candidate for president, made waves on Saturday when he suggested he would be open to nominating Garland if hes elected. He received, you know, overwhelming support, I think even from Sen. [Orrin] Hatch, so of course wed think about it, Kasich said in an interview for CBS Face the Nation that aired Sunday. Kasich was referring to Garlands appointment to the federal bench during President Clintons administration.

Kasich later walked back that statement. In an effort to be polite today, apparently Ive created a little bit of a situation, he told reporters. ... Hes not going to be my pick for the Supreme Court.

joseph.tanfani@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter: @jtanfani

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Another fight erupts at a Trump rally

Another Donald Trump campaign event erupted in violence on Saturday when a protester at a Tucson rally was beaten and kicked by an audience member.

The man, identified as Bryan Sanders, was wearing an American flag shirt and carrying a picture of Trumps face superimposed with the Confederate battle flag. A video of the attack shows an audience member ripping the sign out of his hand and following up with a flurry of kicks and punches before being pulled away.

The suspect was identified as Tony Pettway, 32. He was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge, according to reports. Unlike other Trump supporters who have been involved in violence at Trump rallies, the video shows the apparent Trump supporter who punched Sanders is black.

In prior rallies, Trump has encouraged physical confrontations, telling crowds that he would like to punch protesters and expressing nostalgia for the good old days when protesters would be carried out on a stretcher.

I was protesting Trumps facism, his racism, his lies and his women-hating, Sanders said in a video interview after the event, saying he was an independent who had just attended a Bernie Sanders rally.

You have this which is facism and an angry mob, he said. Were going to stop this. Its not going to continue. If it takes someone being punched in the face, no problem.

Before the event, other protesters blocked a Tucson highway for hours, saying they were trying to stop the rally from taking place. Also Saturday, video surfaced showing Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski grabbing at the collar of a young protester in Tucson.

On Sunday morning, the chairman of the Republican National Committee said that he didnt think the violence at Trumps events was tarring the image of the party.

Its certainly not something that we would condone, as far as the continuation of violence, and it goes for both sides, chairman Reince Priebus said on CNN.
I was in Florida last week, attending Donald Trump rallies and talking with the voters who love him. My question was straightforward: Whats the secret of the front-runners appeal?

Yes, Trump is attractive to voters who are angry  angry about the economy, illegal immigration and political correctness. And some of his supporters feel threatened by racial diversity, to put it mildly. But thats only part of the answer.

What Trumps supporters also hear from their champion is a message of unbridled optimism  a promise that he can repair the economy, bring jobs back and Make America Great Again.

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Trump is running as a candidate of Hope and Change.

Just listen.

Were going to make our country rich again, Trump promised last week in Palm Beach, Fla. If I win  Apple and all of these great companies will be making their product in the United States, not in China.

Were going to bring back all our jobs, he told voters in Tampa. Were going to end up having great, great healthcare  for a fraction of the price.

Trust me, he added. I know about healthcare.

And his over-the-top, all-purpose promise: Were going to win so much, youre going to get tired of winning.

Trump knows exactly what hes doing. Make America Great Again  thats optimism, he said last month. Some people say, Oh, such negativity. Its just the opposite.

The voters who put their faith in the real estate promoter seem to think Trump can fix almost anything, including the economy, healthcare, schools, veterans benefits, military strength and U.S. relations with Israel. Trump, they believe, will sweep all obstacles out of the way and impose simple answers on complex problems.

His supporters didnt all fit the stereotype of the angry blue-collar voter either. Sure, some rallygoers scowled and muttered vulgarities when asked if they would talk with someone from the mainstream media. But others were talkative, cheerful and educated.

Trumps not a politician, hes a businessman, and thats what America needs, Norm Holt, a genial retired firefighter from Largo, Fla., told me. He can get more done than a politician can.

Hes whip-smart, hes a leader, said Tina Collier, a retiree from Arlington, Va. Hes going to do things other people havent done.

The idea that businesspeople are better qualified than politicians to run the country may be an illusion -- but Trump didnt invent it.

Im just ready for change, said Allison Polikoff, a middle school teacher from Plantation, Fla. I think he can do a lot for education, too.

Some of this sounds like simple frustration. If a generations worth of politicians hasnt solved the countrys problems, maybe its simply time to give someone else a chance. Besides, as Ben Carson said last week, Were only looking at four years.

But theres also a dose of magical thinking born of the old American ideal of entrepreneur as all-purpose problem solver.

Trump isnt the first businessman to offer his commercial prowess as proof that he can run the government.

Herbert Hoover campaigned for president in 1928 on his success as a mining engineer and executive. Data processing mogul H. Ross Perot ran as a third-party candidate in 1992 saying, My strength is creating jobs and fixing things.

And the Republicans last presidential nominee, in 2012, was a former venture capitalist who argued that business experience was a basic qualification for the presidency. That was Mitt Romney, whos now trying to rally Republican opposition to Trump.

The idea that businesspeople are better qualified than politicians to run the country may be an illusion  but Trump didnt invent it.

Theres a potential lesson here for anyone, Republican or Democrat, who hopes to keep Trump away from the White House.

His rivals in the GOP have been trying to dent his appeal by pointing out that hes not a real conservative, that hes needlessly divisive, and that he has a record of demeaning women. All true  but Trump supporters dont seem to care.

Perhaps it would be more effective to argue that Trump isnt the business genius he claims and that his proposed solutions are bogus. It would be better, in other words, to take on the validity of his optimism.

Most of Trumps promises are an amalgam of nonsense and fantasy.

His plan for reviving manufacturing jobs is a 35% tariff on automobile imports; he never mentions that the cost would be paid by American consumers, even before the trade war that would ensue. His skimpy plan for great, great healthcare doesnt add up either; nonpartisan analysts say it would insure fewer people and cost more money than Obamacare. And so on.

Romney tried his hand at bubble-popping earlier this month. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud, he said on March 3. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. Hes playing the American public for suckers.

Thats the right message. Now its up to Ted Cruz and John Kasich, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to make it.

Because if Trump wins the presidency, even his most well-meaning supporters will soon discover that hes a quack.

As Trump might put it: Sad!

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @doylemcmanus

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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Monogamy is a mystery. A Martian zoologist, visiting Earth and noting our basic biology  not to mention our frequent philandering  would conclude that monogamy is not natural to the human species. So why is it so widely promulgated, especially in the modern Western world?

Of course, just because monogamy isnt natural doesnt mean it isnt possible or even desirable. Our species is often at its best when we do things that dont come easily, such as learning to play the violin or, perhaps, sticking with one mate till death do us part. But the question remains: Why does society urge upon us a lifestyle that goes against something so basic as our demonstrable interest in multiple sexual partners?

Monogamy [may represent] a trade-off in which powerful men essentially ... forego the obvious advantages of the seraglio in return for wider social peace and harmony.

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Although 100% monogamy is exceedingly rare among animal species, it is found in a few cases, my personal favorite being a parasitic worm known as Diplozoon paradoxum that inhabits freshwater fish. Males and females meet as adolescents, whereupon their bodies fuse together, and they remain sexually faithful even beyond death. Among the handful of mammals that are mostly monogamous, the adaptive benefit is two-parent child care, something that our own species finds especially important, given that human babies are profoundly helpless at birth and remain needy long after that.

But there is also an obvious evolutionary payoff for males (of pretty much any species, including Homo sapiens) to have multiple sexual partners. More matings mean more reproductive opportunities, more chances for genetic survival, even if baby-making isnt generally the avowed intent of sex these days. It should come as no surprise that early on, more than 80% of human societies were preferentially polygynous  one male mating with many females.

For females in general and human females in particular, the biological benefit of polyandry  one female, many males  is less clear, but this hasnt dampened many womens enthusiasm. Reproductively, it may represent a route to amassing more protection or resources, or it may be a mechanism for finding ever-fitter genes for ever-fitter offspring.

On balance, humans are somewhat polygynous and  paradoxically  somewhat polyandrous too. This does not mean that we are wildly promiscuous, but it indicates that as a species we show the characteristic evolutionary imprint of polygamy, not lifelong fidelity to one sexual partner.

Evolutionary biology cant exactly say why so many humans gave up polygamy and made the cultural move to monogamy. We just dont know, although there are theories and subtheories. One is a more nuanced version of the two-parent advantage: Monogamy may improve the survival rates of offspring because males will know which babies are theirs and will therefore be more likely to support them. There is much biological wisdom behind the saying Mommys babies, Daddys maybes, and monogamy diminishes the maybe.

I would venture an additional impetus.

Imagine a polygynous society  the most common human polygamous arrangement  in which the average harem is made up of, say, 10 women. This means that for each male harem-keeper, there are nine unsuccessful, resentful bachelors liable to make trouble.

The simple reality is that polygyny is disadvantageous for humans because it pretty much ensures a complement of sexually and reproductively frustrated men. (As it turns out, it may also be bad for women in that it increases female vs. female competition for reproduction, but thats another story.)

This bad news about polygyny, by the way, runs counter to the lascivious notions of many males who regret they werent alive in our distant harem-keeping days. Their imaginings are actually rather comical, analogous to someone remembering a past life as Emperor Napoleon when the overwhelming statistical likelihood is that, were past lives real, he would have been the poor boob who froze to death on the Russian steppes. Instead of satiated sultans, most men in polygynous cultures would have been miserable celibates.

In short, in addition to its benefits when it comes to child-rearing, monogamy is a great democratizing institution. Compared to polygyny, it enables many more men to have a wife and a chance at a family. So we can hypothesize that Western society adopted monogamy as a trade-off in which powerful men essentially agreed to forego the obvious advantages of the seraglio in return for wider social peace and harmony.

I think monogamy is part of our egalitarian ethos; indeed, it may have set the stage for social equality. Consider the contribution that socio-sexual frustration has apparently made to unrest in the Arab world, where limited economic prospects contribute to limited mating opportunities.

Similarly, look at the situation of modern China, where an excess of men seems poised to generate unpredictable disorder.

Within the United States, Bill Gates could surely afford a few hundred wives, and the anthropological record is clear that in many societies, for a lot of human history, men with his wealth literally did just that. Of course, Gates just doesnt seem the type, but that is probably testimony to our cultural norms rather than how biology whispers within us.

At the same time, monogamy doesnt guarantee democratic or egalitarian outcomes, any more than a public promise of sexual exclusivity on ones wedding day guarantees it in someones private life.

And just as biology pushes men in particular to depart from monogamy, it seems plausible that strong socio-evolutionary factors push back. One is dual parenting. And the second may well be the degree to which a one-man, one-woman system gives those of us with fewer assets than a billionaire the opportunity to partake of our own personal harem, even if its a harem of one.

David P. Barash is an evolutionary biologist and professor of psychology at the University of Washington; his most recent book is Out of Eden: The Surprising Consequences of Polygamy.

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A house in the La Libertad neighborhood of Tijuana relies on the corrugated iron border fence erected under President Clinton for its back wall. The engineers who designed the fence in 1994 left three feet of American soil on the Mexican side, to allow for repairs without the need for diplomatic agreements. That means this homes inhabitants can pass freely between two nations under one roof. The matriarch jokes that, with the way her bed is positioned, she dreams in America while her feet remain squarely in Mexico.

For millions of people in the United States and Mexico, our border fortifications are not about abstract political ideas or campaign promises. They are objects as real as the walls of their houses. Yet, under the national gaze, the boundary has become totemic, standing for the specter of terrorism, demographic change and a thousand domestic ills. No one has worked harder to mythologize the border than candidate Donald Trump, whose experience with the actual boundary is mostly of the fly-over variety.

A good look at the [border] fortifications already in place tells us all we need to know about Trumps claims: Theyre worthless.

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Trump is making a big pitch for blocking the 1,952-mile boundary between Mexico and the United States with a beautiful wall that will help make America great again. But his boasts of this walls height and strength find resonance at an odd time, as the number of people living illegally in the United States is the lowest in a decade, and net migration from Mexico has dipped below zero. How the wall will make us great and its real costs do not figure into campaign rhetoric.

A good look at the exorbitantly expensive and generally ineffective patchwork of fortifications already in place tells us all we need to know about Trumps claims: Theyre worthless. To put up a concrete structure 35 to 40 feet high, as he keeps saying he would do, will require feats of funding, land acquisition, environmental wrangling and construction that are mind-boggling. Fact-checkers suggest a cost of $25 billion; Mexico is adamant that it wont pony up; and estimators doubt it could be close to done in four years.

The idea of sealing the southern U.S. border goes back a long way. In 1979, President Carter proposed what came to be known as the Carter Curtain  $12 million in fencing at Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. Every president since has added a layer to the edifice. President George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. It called for nearly 700 miles of at least two layers of reinforced fencing, also at border cities. By 2010, the budget and momentum dwindled, leaving 670 miles completed in various forms at an estimated cost of $2.4 billion. Vast swaths remained a single layer. Some sections were especially expensive  a 3.5-mile stretch in San Diego cost $58 million.

The most immediate effect of the secure fence was environmental, as canyons were filled in and the haunts of mountain lions, wolves and jaguars were bisected. In terms of human migration, it worked best as a cost inflator. Anecdotal evidence suggests a three-fold rise in the price paid by migrants crossing with a professional guide in urban locales. But the wall did not stop illicit traffic.

In 2013, I peered over a steel and concrete section of Americas fence beside the Libertad house, where a dirt ramp made a viewing platform. The second layer was steel mesh topped with razor wire, about 100 yards into U.S. territory.

No matter what we build, people will continue to go over, around, under and through it in every way imaginable.

The new barrier had already suffered so many patch jobs, it resembled a pair of hobo pants. A former guia, a professional who guided migrants to Imperial Beach from Playas de Tijuana, told me that enterprising drug and people smugglers would sometimes cut a garage-door-size piece from the fence, apply hinges to it and replace it to make a reusable portal. He said vehicles could literally drive through. I didnt believe him until I talked to Border Patrol agent Brian Kelly.

Ive seen it, Kelly said of a similar hole cut in the fence at Campo, midway along the California border. An expert tracker, Kelly read the results on the ground . We got burned by five or six vehicles.

But going to all that trouble to get across the border is actually overkill. Type border wall car jack into YouTubes search engine, and youll see ski-masked smugglers in Arizona defeating our $3.9 million-per-mile barrier with a $24 car jack that raises a single layer of metal-mesh fence between posts set in concrete.

In fact, no matter what we build, people will continue to go over, around, under and through it in every way imaginable: rope ladders, tunnels, jackhammers or car jacks on land; dive-scooters and jet-skis where the fence dead ends in the Pacific Ocean. Even technological defenses can be bested. Laser trip wires and night-vision cameras are defeated by dense ocean fog near Imperial Beach. Seismic sensors buried in the ground are defeated by movement that doesnt pound or shake, but rolls  like bicycles.

Border scholars point to an equation at the heart of the if you build it, someone will cross it enterprise. When a society prohibits a good or service for which a market exists  think alcohol, gambling or Mexican labor in the U.S  it immediately injects value into those goods and services. The more resources government puts into defending the prohibition, the more lucrative the market may become, in this case incentivizing creativity, innovation and efficiency on the part of smugglers, guides and migrants.

To my mind, if Trumps concrete wall is built from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific, maintaining it would become something like the painting of San Franciscos Golden Gate Bridge: continuous, end-to-end, year after year. In fact, no great wall  not the Walls of Troy, Hadrians Wall, the Great Wall or the Berlin Wall  has remained intact, and none served the intended purpose for long.

If migrants are coming for economic reasons, long-term solutions lie with fair economic policy. If newcomers are fleeing political turmoil, long-term solutions will be arrived at through just foreign policy. I believe that the ability to say who comes and who goes is a basic component of national sovereignty, but the current strategy of wall-and-defend  of trying to manufacture a solution at the actual boundary line  yields minimal results while exacting a hefty price on our national treasury and collective dignity.

Kimball Taylors latest book is The Coyotes Bicycle: The Untold Story of Seven Thousand Bicycles and the Rise of a Borderland Empire.

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Donald Trump struck a combative posture on illegal immigration amid vigorous protests Saturday as he sought to rally Arizona Republicans three days before the states winner-take-all presidential primary.

More than 100 protesters blocked the main road leading to Trumps rally in this Phoenix suburb, chanting that he was a racist.

Get this clown out of my town! they shouted, carrying signs that read, among other things, Trump = Hitler and Combat white supremacy.

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Three people were arrested for blocking the roadway. Some of Trumps supporters, including retirees, had to walk three miles in the hot Sonoran Desert sun to his rally at a lakeside park.

At a rally later in Tucson, Trump criticized protesters who were trying to block supporters from getting into that event too.

Theyre taking away our 1st Amendment rights, Trump said. Theyre troublemakers. Theyre no good.

The New York billionaire looked across the crowd and said one troublemaker was wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Trump called him a disgusting guy.

If they had a match, theyd burn the American flag, Trump said of the hecklers disrupting his remarks.

Introducing Trump at both rallies were two top advocates of Arizonas stringent measures against illegal immigration: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.

In Fountain Hills, Arpaios hometown, Trump blamed immigrants in the country illegally for so many killings, so much crime. He then went after rival presidential candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich, saying his approach to illegal immigration was tougher than theirs.

Cruz, a senator from Texas, wasnt born in our country, folks, Trump told several thousand supporters spread across the grass. He was born in Canada. Hes weak on immigration. Hes in favor of amnesty.

As for the Ohio governor, Trump said: Kasich is a nice guy, but honestly very weak on illegal immigration. Thats the end of him, certainly as far as Phoenix is concerned, and as far as Arizona is concerned.

In advance of Tuesdays primary, Trump is running a television ad on Arizona stations saying he will stop illegal immigration by building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and bar Muslims from entering the United States as a temporary step to prevent terrorism.

Were going to have a big, beautiful wall that nobodys crossing, he yelled to the crowd in Fountain Hills. And nobodys going underneath either, by the way, just in case you had any question. Dont worry about the tunnel stuff.

Protesters hollered from a grass slope outside the rally, Trump is hate! But uniformed deputies from Arpaios office kept them so far away that they could barely be heard.

At the makeshift roadblock, protesters denounced the candidate as his supporters looked on.

Trump is very misogynistic, racist, sexist and a fascist, said Jeanne Mayeux, a 52-year-old Fountain Hills resident who carried a sign that said, Stand against racism.

Mayeux is a member of MoveOn, one of several liberal groups that organized the protest. I believe he would be a real danger if he gets into office, she said.

Bill and Evelyn Hoffman, Republican retirees from Rio Verde, Ariz., were in the first car directly facing the protesters.

This is a bunch of nuts, but thats all right; they have their rights, said Bill Hoffman, 80, sporting a black cap with Trumps Make America great again slogan. I dont like his methods, but what he stands for, I believe in.

Evelyn Hoffman, 76, added, He got the whole country interested in politics, and hes indebted to nobody.

At both rallies, Arpaio and Brewer praised Trumps call for the border wall. And in Tucson, Arpaio boasted of the arrests in Fountain Hills.

We locked up some demonstrators, he said to a burst of cheers, and threw them in jail.

Twitter: @finneganLAT, @LATSeema

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Theres a disconnect between the message being delivered by the Democratic candidates for president and the message being delivered by Democrats running on the presidential ballot for Californias seat in the U.S. Senate.

Driven by the success of Bernie Sanders presidential challenge, the national campaign has lurched to the left in a big way. Hillary Clintons campaign speeches are now almost echoes of the Vermont senators, as both emphasize condemnation of Wall Street for excesses leading up to the nations 2008 economic crash. Both demand better behavior from what Sanders calls corporate America, and both threaten a crackdown otherwise.

The biggest presidential issue of late has been trade and its effect on American jobs. Sanders argues that almost all trade deals should be shredded, blaming past accords for decimating manufacturing and other jobs located in the United States. Clinton  who has supported past agreements, although she opposes the pending Trans Pacific Partnership measure  has countered that as president she would enforce new job-protection measures.

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None of that is being talked about in the low-key race for a Senate seat that has been held since 1992 by Democrat Barbara Boxer, who is retiring. The rhetoric in that race has been conventional, exactly what might have been uttered one, two, three political cycles ago.

That reflects two realities. First, despite the states wacky national reputation, its political figures havent been at the tip of the ideological spear.

Atty. Gen. and Senate candidate Kamala Harris in Los Angeles. (Damian Dovarganes / AP)

Arnold Schwarzenegger ran and won twice statewide as a moderate Republican, a bit ahead of the pack on issues like climate change but not outside the bounds of the states political leanings, all girlie men bravado and dramatically staged events notwithstanding.

Democrat Jerry Brown campaigned as a Sanders precursor when he ran for president in 1992, full of outrage about the nations campaign finance system and about the moderate stances of his opponent Bill Clinton. (The two have since made up.)

But Brown  whether in two terms that started in the 1970s or the two that started in 2010  has governed in Sacramento as a relatively conservative Democrat when it comes to the budget and the role of government. He, too, has pushed hard on climate change measures, with even more support from voters than Schwarzenegger.

The states senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, has all but defined centrism in Washington, confounding Democratic presidents almost as much as Republican ones. Boxer, while more liberal, has focused on issues other than the economic populism that Sanders has championed.

The second reality is that California itself is different than the states that have most recently defined the presidential campaign and the candidates arguments. Though trade has been a negative in the industrial Midwest, where it is blamed for the closure of factories that moved to other countries or simply vanished, California has a hugely diversified economy. Trade, in California, can represent a closed factory  or an explosion of jobs at the states ports and elsewhere.

In addition, the dominance of Latinos in the state Democratic Party shifts the conversation. In Michigan and Ohio, Sanders and Clinton were talking mostly to white and African American voters. In California, about 3 in 10 Democratic voters in the most recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll were Latinos. They are, as a group, much more optimistic about the economy and may not react as Midwestern voters did to an anti-Wall Street, anti-trade argument.

The messages from Democrats running for Senate may change as the June 7 primary and Nov. 8 general election near. But so far, theyre lacking the populist edge of the presidential candidates.

Both candidates, state Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), laid out their arguments at last months state party convention. The Democrats are competing against several Republicans, with George Duf Sundheim and Tom Del Beccaro polling the highest, for spots in the top-two primary.

Sanchez called attention to her support in the past for the standard issues important to Democratic constituencies, including immigration reform, abortion rights, gun control and protections for organized labor. She mentioned the Pacific trade deal only in passing  and not in connection with its effect on jobs.

I oppose TPP without hesitation, she said. I refuse to grant special trade status to nations that trample on human rights.

Harris mostly set up her candidacy as an antidote to the politics of poison she said were coursing through the Republican presidential campaign. She, too, mentioned the traditional roster of Democratic goals, including all that Sanchez cited plus voting rights. Of the issues most prominent in the presidential campaign, only college debt surfaced, in one line.

So Democrats, heres what I believe this election is about, she told delegates. Its about moving forward, together. Its about who we are and who we want to be.... Its about rejecting us versus them and that mantra of yesterday.

Hard-fought campaigns tend to hone the candidates messages, particularly on issues with some pull among voters. The Senate race has been anything but hard fought; Harris and Sanchez have spent most of their time raising money and doing their day jobs, and the contest sometimes seems more theory than reality. But given the primary is less than three months away, the messages will either get honed soon or they never will.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

@cathleendecker

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Full coverage of the state party convention

Updates on California politics

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When California Republicans cast their votes in the June 7 primary, an election that could decide the GOPs presidential nominee, theyll probably be confronted by the ghosts of candidates past.

That means Republicans could still cast a vote for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, even though they all have ended their campaigns.

Theyre all on the states presidential ballot alongside the Republicans still in the race: New York billionaire Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

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Under California law, candidates who have dropped out can be removed from the ballot only if they file an affidavit with the secretary of states office before April 1.

The secretary of states office has not received an affidavit from any presidential candidate asking to be removed from the ballot, said agency spokesman Sam Mahood. The secretary of states office sends a letter, outlining the process to be removed from the California ballot, to presidential candidates who announce an end to their campaign.

Its possible, albeit a long shot, that Bush, Rubio or another of the other candidates who dropped out could win some delegates in California. The vast majority of delegates are awarded, three at a time, to the winner of each of the states 53 congressional districts.

Sacramento political consultant Rob Stutzman, who volunteered for the Bush campaign, said its highly doubtful any of the candidates who withdrew from the race will pick up more than a few percentage points. Most presidential primary voters are well informed about the candidates still in the running, he said.

If someone is going to go the trouble of voting, I would think they would want their vote to count for somebody who can be nominee, Stutzman said.

 How does the delegate process work, and why do we hear so much about them during the election? We broke down the process for you using Peeps. Track the delegate race and see also: The Iowa caucus explained using gummy bears For more, go to latimes.

Stutzman suspects Trump would be the main beneficiary if any of the bygone candidates happen to win delegates, since Cruz and Kasich are the ones who desperately need to make up ground.

In Floridas March 15 presidential primary, Bushs name was still on his home states ballot. He finished in fourth place with 1.8% -- or 43,503 votes. Trump won the state by nabbing 45.7% of the ballots cast, or more than 1 million votes. In North Carolina, Carson won 10,918 votes, nearly 1% of those cast. The others had a few thousand votes between them.

But consider that in Californias June 2014 primary election, more than 300,000 ballots were cast for former state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) for secretary of state. That was good enough for third place, even though Yee had dropped out of the race after being accused three months earlier of conspiracy to run guns and political corruption. (A federal judge recently sentenced Yee to five years in prison.)

The California presidential ballots were set back in February under the states rules for determining which candidates make the cut.

On the Democratic presidential primary ballot, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also will have company. Martin OMalley, who ended his campaign after a poor showing in Iowa, was not on the initial list of candidates cleared for the ballot and his name will not appear in June. But Clinton and Sanders will be joined on the ballot by Roque Rocky De La Fuente of San Diego, Henry Hewes of New York, Keith Judd of Texas, Michael Steinberg of Tampa and Willie Wilson of Chicago.

phil.willon@latimes.com

Follow @philwillon on Twitter for the latest news on California politics

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With police departments across California continuing to equip their officers with body cameras, state lawmakers are trying again to set rules for their use, including one of the thorniest policy issues: who gets to see the footage and when.

The debate will force legislators to weigh deep transparency and privacy concerns that dont have clear ideological answers, as is evidenced in the details that have emerged from two competing bills within the Democratic caucus.

Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) wants to ensure that body camera footage, especially in high-profile cases, would be released as soon as two months after the incident occurred -- a big change from current practice which provides no guarantee any footage would ever come to light.

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Quirk said his bill is motivated by the circumstances surrounding the release of video footage depicting the police killing of Chicago teenager Laquan McDonald. McDonald was killed in October 2014, but Chicago police didnt release the video until after intense public pressure 13 months later. The officer involved was charged with murder in the hours after the videos posting.

I dont want that to happen in California, Quirk said in an interview.

Though Quirks bill would probably speed up public release of video recorded by an officers body camera, a bill from his Democratic colleague, Assemblyman Jim Cooper of Elk Grove, calls for a slower approach. Coopers proposed legislation emphasizes a ban on releasing body camera footage while criminal and civil cases are ongoing.

Cooper, a former captain in the Sacramento County Sheriffs Department, was on a legislative trip to Australia and unavailable for comment. Coopers public safety aide Mike Ziegler said body camera footage is evidence that should be protected.

I cant think of one type of evidence that is routinely released for public review prior to the adjudication of a criminal or civil case, Ziegler said.

Coopers bill would allow for the release of body camera footage only with a court order.

Many large police departments in California, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Oakland, already equip at least some of their officers with body cameras. Generally departments restrict all public access to the footage outside of a courtroom or police review panels that include citizens, though Oakland had made some videos public through records requests.

Last year, multiple body camera bills failed in the Legislature as lawmakers couldnt reach agreement on broad standards for their use amid heavy pressure from law enforcement. The most prominent effort came from Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), who decided to withdraw her bill rather than amend it so that police officers could review camera footage before writing their reports. Coopers new bill also would give officers the ability to see body camera footage of incidents before filing reports.

Weber had planned to revisit body camera legislation this year, but has decided to defer to her colleagues bills, according to her spokesman.

Public disclosure of body camera footage varies widely across the country. Seattles police department has posted redacted versions of its videos on a YouTube channel and has released footage of police-involved shootings almost immediately after they occurred. By contrast, state lawmakers in South Carolina decided last year to keep all police body camera videos under wraps.

Twelve states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws regulating public access to police body camera footage and another two dozen have legislation pending, according to a tally from the nonprofit Reporters Committee For Freedom of the Press. Most of the states that have passed laws have restricted access to the footage beyond what their public records laws would otherwise allow, an attorney for the nonprofit said.

Quirk, who plans to continue revising his bill, said one reason the majority of legislative efforts have failed in California is that the technology is so new his colleagues arent sure how to handle its implications. State lawmakers, he said, are still learning about it.

Frankly, I dont know if any of the bills, including mine, will be [able to pass] this year, Quirk said.

liam.dillon@latimes.com

Twitter: @dillonliam

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Two comets are headed for a historic flyby of Earth this week, and you dont want to miss them.

The bigger of the two bodies, known as 252P/LINEAR, is about 750 feet in size and surrounded by an emerald green cloud of gas. It is expected to make its closest approach to our planet on March 21 at 5:14 a.m. PDT.

At that time, it will come within 3.3 million miles of Earth, or about 14 times farther from our planet than the moon on March 21.

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The next day, at 7:30 a.m. PDT, a second, smaller comet known as P/2016 BA14 will come even closer --flying within 2.2 million miles of our planet or 9.2 times farther from the Earth than the moon.

That will make it the closest comet to fly past Earth since 1770, according to Sky & Telescope, and the second closest comet to zip past Earth in recorded history.

There are many more asteroids in near-Earth space than comets, which are significantly more rare, said Michael Kelley, an astronomer at the University of Maryland. When a comet does come this close to Earth it is something to get excited about, and take advantage of to learn whatever we can.

It is possible that comet 252P/LINEAR will be visible to the naked eye eventually. It is expected to grow brighter as it flies toward the sun and more gases sublimate out of its nucleus. However, it will be too far south in the sky to be visible in the northern hemisphere at the time of closest approach.

P/2016 BA14 appears to be quite small and may never grow bright enough to be easily spotted without a telescope, experts said.

If you want to see live video of the comets as they zip past Earth online, the astronomy website The Virtual Telescope is planning two live broadcasts on March 21 and 22.

The bigger comet, 252P/LINEAR, was discovered in April 2000, but the smaller comet was only spotted two months ago in late January. Astronomers using the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii originally had it pegged as an asteroid rather than a comet because they could not yet see a tail.

Russian astronomer Denis Denisenko of Moscow State University noticed that little P/2016 BA14 had a remarkably similar orbit to 252P/LINEAR and wondered whether the two bodies might be related. He shared this observation on the Yahoo Comets mailing list where international professional and amateur comet-watchers trade information.

Kelley and his colleague at the University of Maryland, Matthew Knight, saw Denisenkos post and were intrigued.

------------

FOR THE RECORD

March 20, 11:18 p.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified University of Maryland astronomer Matthew Knight as Michael Knight.

------------

What are the chances of such an unusual comet and a random asteroid having a similar orbit and Earth close approach? Kelley wrote on his blog in February. Probably very small! A lot of suspicion was starting to be cast on this so-called asteroid.

That same month, Kelley and Knight were able to take images of P/2015 BA14 using a 4.3-meter telescope in Arizona. Both observations showed that the small asteroid did indeed have a tail. It was a comet after all.

It was a really exciting moment, Kelley told The Times. I study comets all the time, but I never get the chance to discover them. This was the closest Ive come.

Now the astronomy community is trying to determine the relationship between the two bodies. It is extremely improbable that two totally independent comets would fly so close to Earth at almost the same time, Kelley said. Although their orbits are not identical, they are close enough to suggest that they may be two pieces of the same comet that broke apart in the recent past.

To find out, astronomers around the world plan to closely observe the two comets with a variety of instruments, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Goldstone Deep Space network, to see how similar their orbits are and whether their gas clouds have the same spectral fingerprint.

Kelley said a comet might fracture in two for a a number of reasons. It is possible that the larger body began to rotate too fast and needed to shed mass to stay together. It might be that energy from the sun causes the ices in the nucleus to warm up so rapidly in a particular area that pressure builds up and causes an explosion. Or, it could be that the comet got too close to a planet and the planets gravity caused it tear apart.

The researchers hope to learn more after the two comets, or possibly two pieces of a single comet, speed by this week.

No matter what they learn, it should be interesting.

Do you love science? I do! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.
A government watchdog group is alleging that the Glendale Police Department ignored civil service rules after the police chief communicated with a professional panel assembled to evaluate candidates for promotion from lieutenant to captain late last year.

The panels recommendations were ultimately thrown out, and the test for captain readministered and evaluated by a different panel of experts, but the Glendale Coalition for Better Government argues the promotion was predetermined and that reforms are necessary to combat what it perceives as internal biases.

NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in the 818 >>

But police sources argued that the police chiefs input to the panel sought to reduce, not encourage, bias, and that ultimately, the promotion process was fair.

The coalition, a group of business owners and residents who advocate for accountability and transparency in government, recently posted on its website emails from the police chief that it obtained using state open records laws that, members argue, show favoritism.

The group pointed to a series of emails in which Police Chief Robert Castro, who is Latino, indicated that many past promotions were done for political and racial favor.

He continued, I do not play that game so that is why I asked you to help me.

Coalition members are now seeking the reimplementation of a community panel  made up of community leaders and city employees  to help with hiring and promotions.

I dont think these positions are the chiefs positions to give out to whoever he wants, said coalition board member Roland Kedikian. These are Glendale positions. Glendale clearly articulated a system of how they want these positions given.

At the core of the matter is communication that took place in November. The hiring panel scheduled a conference call for Nov. 23, and the following day, Castro emailed the group again, indicating that one applicant withdrew, but he named three who were still in the process.

According to Glendales civil service rules, Castro would ultimately be able to select the candidate for promotion but would be required to choose from among the professional panels top-three list.

Before Castro took the helm of the department more than two years ago, allegations of favoritism were widespread.

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Castro said earlier this week that his intention with his first captain promotion was to find a peacemaker who could communicate with and be respected by the entire organization.

I needed a captain that could bridge that gap among all the different people in the organization and make them have confidence that they were going to get opportunities to be successful regardless of what their past history may have been, Castro said, adding that this perspective was important for panelists to know. Ive sat on many oral panels for many agencies. Its critically important to know the history of our organization for them to know what were looking for.

The candidates not included in Castros email included two men, one of whom is Armenian, were both promoted to lieutenant in November 2013, just more than two years before interviewing with the panel. The third candidate not listed was an Armenian woman whos been a lieutenant since 2010.

Civil service rules require that lieutenants have two years of experience in the position before they are eligible to promote.

On Dec. 1, the panel, which included John Neu, chief of the Los Angeles County district attorneys office investigations bureau, along with Torrance Police Chief Mark Matsuda, Covina Police Chief Kim Raney and Azuza Police Chief Sam Gonzalez, interviewed and were asked to rank six applicants.

But the results of the exam were thrown out by Human Resources Director Matt Doyle  three days later after he learned of the pre-interview conversations.

At a subsequent Civil Service Commission meeting that month, Laura Stotler, then-president of the Glendale Management Assn., asked the commission to investigate the incident and restore a community panel as part of the process, which the commission eliminated in October at Castros behest.

Sometimes the community just doesnt understand all the intricacies of what a chief needs for his No. 2 people in running the organization, Castro said at the time.

The commission on Dec. 9 declined both of Stotlers requests.

Former Glendale Police Capt. Todd Stokes, who at the time served as the police managers representative for Glendale Management Assn., also hoped the commission would investigate the incidents impact on union members.

As the union representative for the sworn managers, Im concerned any time theres a violation of law or rules that impact my members in a negative way, Stokes said.

The candidates were interviewed a second time a couple months later by a different panel of law enforcement professionals chosen by Doyle, according to city spokesman Tom Lorenz.

Multiple sources said the second round of rankings was almost the same as the first, with the same three candidates making the top of the list.

Ultimately, Stewart Brackin, a 24-year department veteran whod been a lieutenant since 2010, received the promotion to captain.

None of the other candidates filed grievances or complaints about the process, Lorenz said.

For Kedikian, thats immaterial.

The applicants should be aware of all the rules, not the unwritten rules, the hidden rules, where the chief could communicate his needs, Kedikian said. My concern is not about who lost or who won  I dont care. But what my concern, the coalitions concern, is that process is not rigged.

Kevin Todd, current president of the Glendale Management Assn., said via email Thursday that the union is satisfied with the cancellation and subsequent recruitment process.

Other sworn employees voiced their support for the chief and his judgment.

I am confident that any communication that Human Resources deemed inappropriate was done with the departments best interests in mind, said Glendale Police Officers Assn. President Jason Ross, adding that the union supports the single-panel method.

--

Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek
All three branches of Brazils government are accused of wrongdoing. Old political heroes are being cast in new, unflattering light. And streets across the country have been filled with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators.

Ge de Souza, a doorman in downtown Sao Paulo, pointed to streets Saturday and offered his assessment of the unfolding political crisis: In my house, I guess everything is just OK. Out there, its all chaos.

Protesters have been demanding President Dilma Rousseff be removed from office and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva be sent to prison. Other protesters have been defending them.

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Everything is changing every few hours, and absolutely no one knows what will happen next, the doorman said.

After overseeing nearly a decade of economic growth and enormous social gains for the poor, the ruling Workers Party now appears helpless as Brazil plunges into the sort of economic collapse and institutional crisis that was common here in the last century.

Over the last week, a dizzying array of judicial actions, government reorganizations and media revelations have left it unclear who is governing the worlds fifth most populous nation.

The political crisis is taking up all the oxygen in Brazil, said Peter Hakim, president emeritus at the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank that focuses on relations with Latin America. This is coming to a head. It has to be resolved soon.

It began with a corruption probe.

Since 2014, federal investigators have been slowly uncovering a multibillion-dollar kickback scheme at the state-run oil company, Petrobras, building cases and arresting increasingly high-level members of Brazils political and economic elite.

At the same time, the economy was moving into deep recession as prices for oil and its other commodities dropped. Rousseffs approval ratings sank to historic lows as allegations that she mismanaged the budget put her at risk of impeachment. She has not been directly implicated in the corruption scandal.

Everything is changing every few hours, and absolutely no one knows what will happen next.  Ge de Souza

The investigation took an explosive turn this month when federal police brought Lula in for questioning and Sao Paulo state prosecutors requested preventative imprisonment while they look at his relationship to properties involved in the scandal.

Then Rousseffs government announced that it intended to make the former union leader and president  who left office in 2010 as one of the worlds most popular leaders  her chief of staff, a move that would hand his case from the current investigators to the Supreme Court.

Antigovernment protesters poured back into the streets.

Adding another shock, a prominent federal judge, Sergio Moro, released tapes of Lulas tapped conversations with various government officials and Rousseff.

The tapes, which soon were heard on television and the Internet, were filled with tawdry language and personal attacks  and, in the view of some government opponents, evidence that Rousseff sought to appoint Lula in order to keep him out of prison, or that Lula had tried to influence the Supreme Court.

The government shot back that Moros action was illegal and that the tapes didnt demonstrate what the critics said they did.

This is how coups start, Rousseff said Friday, invoking some of South Americas darkest history. Rousseff is a victim of torture by the military dictatorship that took power after a U.S.-backed coup in 1964.

Some legal scholars and journalists have accused Moro of overstepping the duties of his office and pulling the judiciary into the political muck.

There has been no suspicion of wrongdoing in the judiciary until now, said Sergio Salomao Shecaira, a professor of criminal law at the University of Sao Paulo. But regarding Moros actions in releasing the tapes there is more than suspicion of a crime having been committed: There is concrete evidence.

As for Rousseff, political analysts said they see multiple paths to a quick departure from office: Impeachment by Congress, annulment of her 2014 victory by electoral authorities or  least likely  resignation.

Its not clear who would take her place. Nearly half of Congress, including prominent members of the opposition, is under investigation for possible criminal activity.

The legality of Lulas appointment to the Cabinet has been a running debate, with a series of judges going back and forth on the issue since last week as opposing protesters have taken turns occupying the streets around the country.

Marco Antonio Siqueira, a 32-year-old advertising professional who came out to oppose Rousseff on Thursday in Sao Paulo, said he felt indignant about the unfolding political soap opera but compelled to make his voice heard. Im not in favor of radicalization, he said. But to have a big change, sometimes big steps need to be taken.

The next day, a Lula-led rally brought tens of thousands onto the same streets and around the country.

Gabriel Victor, a student, said that Rousseff and Lula had made many mistakes. But Im here because I dont support impeachment, he said. We do need a political revolution, but not in the form of impeachment right now.

The polling firm Datafolha released a survey Saturday indicating that 68% of Brazilians support impeachment.

In the afternoon, antigovernment protesters retook parts of Avenida Paulista, one of Sao Paulos main thoroughfares. They set up tents on the sidewalk and said they would leave when the government falls.

Bevins and Rigby are special correspondents.

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The prime minister of a Tibetan government-in-exile called for China to engage in dialogue on autonomy for their homeland, as tens of thousands of Tibetans around the world voted Sunday for new leaders who are not recognized by Beijing.

Buddhist monks in crimson robes lined up along with hundreds of Tibetan men and women in schools, government buildings and the courtyard of the Tsuglakhang Temple in Indias northern city of Dharmsala, where the exiled government is based, to cast their votes in a festive atmosphere.

It was the second election since the Dalai Lama stepped down as head of the government in 2011 to focus on his role as a Tibetan spiritual leader. Some 80,000 voters have registered, and results are expected next month.

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The dialogue [with China] will be the main initiative, said Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay, who is running for re-election against parliament speaker Penpa Tsering.

I hope Chinese President Xi Jinping in his second term in 2017 will look at the Tibetan issue and take the initiative [to hold talks with Tibetan exiles], he said.

But he added that the reality on the ground is repression.

The Dalai Lama and his followers have been living in exile in Dharmsala since they fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.

Both candidates continue to support a middle way advocated by the Dalai Lama, which calls for seeking regional autonomy under Chinese rule.

Some groups have been advocating independence for Tibet as little progress has been made in the dialogue with China. But their representatives couldnt win enough support in the first round of voting last year to be in the running for the prime ministers post.

There has been little discussion about the future of Tibet, said Bhuchung D Sonam, a Tibetan writer. For example, how the two candidates would approach the issue of Tibet in terms of talking to China.

China doesnt recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile. It hasnt held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.

Lobsang asked the Indian government to recognize Tibet as a core issue of its policy. New Delhi considers Tibet as part of China, though it is hosting the Tibetan exiles.

He said that Tibet has become more of an issue for India, and mentioned New Delhis concerns over the falling water levels of the Brahmputra River, which flows from Tibet into India, as well plans for a railway link.

In that sense, I think Tibet is becoming an important issue not just simply for human rights but also from geopolitical point of view, environment point of view and from climate change point of view, he said.

Exiled Tibetan officials say at least 114 monks and laypeople have self-immolated to protest Chinese rule over their homeland over the past five years, with most of them dying. Radio Free Asia puts the number of self-immolations at 144 since 2009.

Beijing blames the Dalai Lama and others for inciting the immolations and says it has made vast investments to develop the Tibets economy and improve quality of life.

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President Obama set foot in Cuba on Sunday, the first sitting U.S. president in nearly 90 years to visit this island nation, amid hopes that his push to mend a half-century of Cold War enmity will launch a new era of cooperation.

This is a historic visit and a historic opportunity, Obama said shortly after Air Force One delivered him, wife Michelle, their two daughters and a large entourage to the rainy Cuban capital.

Under large black umbrellas, Obama and his family were greeted by top Cuban officials, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and the ministrys Americas director, Josefina Vidal. Obamas formal welcoming ceremony with President Raul Castro takes place Monday.

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Obama is making this trip to solidify his long efforts to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba, to make the process irreversible under a future administration, and to improve the United States standing throughout Latin America.

In his first act here, Obama met with the staff of the American Embassy, itself established only last summer. He joked about the last U.S. president, Calvin Coolidge, to come to Cuba.

Back in 1928, President Coolidge came on a battleship; it took him three days to get here, Obama said. It only took me three hours.

He said this three-day visit was only a very first step, adding, Como andan? (Hows it going?)

Later, the Obamas toured the architectural gem that is Old Havana, escorted by the citys historian, Eusebio Leal, who showed them a 19th century portrait of Abraham Lincoln at a colonial-era palace. Crowds outside cheered Obama, who at one point waved to photographers and called out, Gracias!

The Obamas also met with Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the top Roman Catholic official in Cuba who was instrumental, along with Pope Francis, in promoting the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement that led to the December 2014 announcement of renewed diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Since then, the U.S. has lifted numerous restrictions on travel, trade and banking transactions with Cuba. The Castro government, on the other hand, has been slow to follow in kind.

Although Castro is eager to welcome Obama, his government is also determined to reassert its own socialist values that it insists will not be bent to U.S. will.

In recent days, Cuban officials have said that only lifting the half-century-old U.S. economic embargo against Cuba  and not the smaller measures announced by the Obama administration  will significantly benefit the Cuban people.

Certain U.S. government officials have stated lately that the objective of these new measures is to empower the Cuban people, Rodriguez said huffily late last week.

The Cuban people empowered themselves decades ago, Rodriguez said, referring to the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power and installed a communist government that would become the Western Hemispheres staunchest Cold War foe of the United States.

In our [new] relationship with the United States, under no circumstance is the realization of internal changes in Cuba on the negotiation table, he said.

Any additional changes in Cuba, which was already allowing a measure of free enterprise and public expression, will most probably not come until after next months annual congress of the Communist Party.

Several hours before Obamas arrival, Cuban security agents and pro-government demonstrators broke into the weekly protest march by the Ladies in White group, an organization of the wives and daughters of current or former political prisoners.

There was noisy scuffling as the Ladies attempted to stage a sit-in along their weekly route on 5th Avenue, and the pro-government groups shouted slogans honoring the Castros. Plainclothes agents eventually rounded up several dozen members of the Ladies group and hauled them away in buses. It was unclear how long they will be held, but the government wants to prevent meetings of dissidents with the Obama delegation.

The issue continues to roil this historic trip.

The White House has insisted that the president will see whomever he wants.

But a leading human rights activist told the Los Angeles Times that many dissidents were ordered by Cuban security officials to stay inside their homes during Obamas visit and skip their meeting with him. They plan to defy the order, Elizardo Sanchez said, and U.S. Embassy officials were setting up transportation for the activists.

Such controversy aside, Obamas visit was met with excitement and enthusiasm from ordinary Cubans.

In the bar at Havanas Parque Central hotel, Cuban staff gathered around a television to watch Air Force One touch down.

When Obama and his family emerged from the plane, waving, chef Alejandro Chirino laughed and smiled.

I feel so happy, like the rest of the world, said Chirino, 43.

Bartender Sahely Monduy said the history-making moment marks the end of an era.

Right now, we forget the past, she said. We need to leave all that has happened between our countries behind.

Monduy, who has an uncle in Los Angeles, said its time Cuba and the U.S., separated by just 90 miles of water, focus on what they have in common. We are family, she said.

Guillermo Martin Sanchez, 27, who had ducked under a balcony in Old Havana during the heavy rain, said he hopes Obamas visit leads to a swift end of the U.S. embargo.

But that will not immediately solve Cubas economic woes, Sanchez said.

The problem here is with our own government and how it runs our economy, he said. The price of things goes up quicker than the salaries do.

He urged Obama to see the real Cuba, not the one for tourists.

He needs to see how we live, how we suffer, Sanchez said.

Obama believes the steps toward normalization will ultimately benefit U.S. economic and diplomatic interests  the delegation also included business leaders and entrepreneurs such as chef Jose Andres, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns and officials of Starwood and Marriott  whereas Cuba will change only at its own, slow pace.

The Cuban government wants to hold its ground against Washington to exhibit strength, especially for its traditional leftist allies and harder-line elements of the government and Cuban society. Obama has been criticized at home for seemingly making numerous concessions in exchange for very little from Havana, but that is how both sides, for different reasons, apparently want it.

Cuba will change on Cubas time, said Kevin Casas-Zamora, a former Costa Rican vice president now at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington.

Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report.

Twitter: @cparsons, @TracyKWilkinson

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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.

Several planes had trouble landing at the airport at the time of the crash, with one trying to land three times before giving up and diverting to another airport, experts said.

Russias Emergencies Ministry said the Boeing 737-800 operated by FlyDubai was carrying 55 passengers, most of them Russians, and seven crew members. FlyDubai confirmed there were no survivors and said four children were among those killed.

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It was FlyDubais first crash since the budget carrier began operating in 2009. Its fleet consists of mint 737-800 aircraft like the one that crashed.

Closed-circuit TV footage showed the plane going down in a steep angle and exploding. The powerful explosion left a big crater in the runway and pulverized the plane, but investigators quickly recovered both flight recorders. The cause of the crash wasnt 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 Rostov regional Gov. Vasily Golubev.

According to weather data reported by Russian state television, when the FlyDubai plane first tried to land, winds at ground level werent dangerously strong, but at an altitude of 500 meters (1,640 feet) and higher, they reached a near-hurricane speed of around 30 meters per second (67 mph).

Later, when the plane crashed, winds near the surface reached 22 meters per second (49 mph) and could have been even stronger at altitude.

Several planes had landed in Rostov-on-Don shortly before the Dubai airliner was scheduled to touch down, but other flights later were diverted.

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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. It said a Russian Aeroflot plane scheduled to land around the same time made three landing attempts but then diverted to another airport.

Flightrader24s data indicated that the Dubai plane began climbing again after a go-around when it suddenly started to fall with a vertical speed of up to 6,400 meters per minute (21,000 feet per minute).

It was an uncontrollable fall, 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 the pilots would have understood seconds before the crash that they were going to die, but passengers and the cabin crew likely didnt realize they were facing imminent death.

FlyDubai CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said the plane attempted to land in line with established procedures. He added that the pilots hadnt issued any distress call and hadnt attempted to divert to an alternate airport.

As far as we know, the airport was open, and we were good to operate, he said, adding that the plane couldnt have landed without air traffic controllers permission.

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, he added.

Al-Ghaith said the planes pilots, who were from Cyprus and Spain, had 5,965 and 5,769 hours of flying time, respectively, making them quite experienced. The cabin crew included two Russians and citizens of the Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan.

The plane was built in 2011 and underwent a detailed maintenance inspection known as a C check in January, he added.

President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the victims families, and top Russian Cabinet officials flew to the crash site, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Russian border with Ukraine, to oversee the investigation.

Alexander Neradko, head of the Russian state civil aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, said that it was up to the pilot to decide if weather conditions allowed the landing and that traffic controllers in Rostov-on-Don acted in line with standard instructions.

Our air traffic controllers were acting in full accordance with international rules, and there is no reason to talk about any flaws in their work, he said in televised remarks from Rostov-on-Don.

A local online newspaper, Donday.ru, released what it said was the recording of conversations between the Dubai planes crew and air traffic controllers, in which the pilot, who sounded calm, was inquiring about weather conditions. The authenticity of the tape couldnt be independently confirmed.

Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, who also arrived in Rostov-on-Don, said the airport fully conformed to modern standards.

"(The airports) complete overhaul was completed last year, and it has received all the necessary clearances, including international ones, he said.

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 attempt at landing.

Emirati authorities, including the president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sent condolences to Putin. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the Emirates vice president and prime minister, expressed his regrets on his Twitter feed.

In a statement expressing shock and grief, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades confirmed that the pilot was a Cypriot, Aristos Socratous from Limassol.

Officials said the plane and bodies of the victims were blown into small pieces by the powerful blast, making identification long and difficult. Investigators, however said the planes cockpit conversation recorder and another one recording flight data were in satisfactory condition.

The airline was launched in 2008 by the government of Dubai, the Gulf commercial hub that is part of the seven-state United Arab Emirates federation. It has expanded rapidly in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.

Dubai is a popular destination for Russian vacationers, and many Russian expatriates live and work in the city. The carrier has been flying to Rostov-on-Don since 2013. The airline says, in all, it operates more than 1,400 flights a week.

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.

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The National Border Patrol Council is saluting Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump as the "only candidate" to support their mission of keeping the border safe and immigrants out of the U.S.

"Mr. Trump is the only candidate that has publicly expressed his support of our mission and our agents," National Border Patrol Council president Art Del Cueto of Local 2544 said in a statement on behalf of the organization's 18,000 agents.

The organization's nod toward Trump puts them in the company of Phoenix Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, both of whom are immigration hardliners who have endorsed the man who has vowed to deport as many as 11 million immigrants if he is elected.

Group Shares Trump's Immigration Views

In acknowledging the NBPC's longstanding policy of not formally endorsing any candidate, Local 2544 officials posted to their website, the group "is pleased to inform voters that 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."

The statement went on to further praise Trump for expressing an interest in the concerns of border patrol agents and a willingness to view things from their perspective.

"We do not seek to give tours but if asked we will happily provide a tour that gives a realistic idea of what our Agents face on a daily basis," the statement added. "Donald Trump is the only candidate who has expressed this interest."

Pro-Immigration Forces Raise Their Voices

Meanwhile, pro-immigration forces took to the streets across the state on March 19, to raise their voices to Trump's proposed policies just hours before polls are scheduled to open in Arizona for the Republican primary.

Protester's blocked traffic leading into Fountain Hills, Arpaio's hometown, where Trump was scheduled to give a speech early Saturday morning.

"Donald Trump, shut it down, Phoenix is the people's town," demonstrators chanted.

Trump was also slated to appear at a town hall meeting with Fox News host Sean Hannity. The town where the rally is being held doesn't have its own police force and Arpaio's office is entrusted with providing police protection for the area.

"If they violate the law, they will go to the tents," he vowed of protesters. "I will have my vans out there to transport people who violate the law."
Pro-immigration forces took to the streets in Phoenix on Saturday, shutting down traffic near where the Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump was scheduled to address supporters and ending in the arrest of at least three people.

With just two days remaining before polling places in Arizona are slated to open for the GOP primary on Tuesday, the debate over immigration is becoming an even hotter topic among voters in the border electorate filled state.

Early Saturday, protesters streamed along the Fountain Hills area, halting cars and blocking the town's only main road as Trump prepared to address followers at a rally in Maricopa County.

Trump Vows to Deport as Many as 11 Million

Throughout his campaign, the bombastic New York City real estate magnate has made immigration a red-hot issue, vowing to deport all 11 million immigrants now estimated to be in the U.S. if he is elected.

For much of the day, groups of largely peaceful protesters held signs reading "Dump Trump" and "Trump is Hate."

Maricopa County Sheriff Deputy Joaquin Enriquez vowed demonstrators would be taken into custody if they did not comply with orders to move along. The three people arrested were reported to have tied themselves to their cars to delay getting towed.

"We are here to send a message loud and clear to Donald Trump that he is not welcomed in Arizona and we will not allow his racism and bigotry to go unchecked," said Francisca Porchas, one of the protest organizers. "It's a slap in the face to the Latino community for him to be here joined by Sheriff Joe Arpaio who has actively terrorized the Latino community and is the biggest symbol of anti-immigrant racism across the country."

New York City Protests

Protests have become the norm at and outside of Trump's campaign rallies of late. At a Saturday rally in New York, at least two people were arrested from among a group that convened in front of the Trump Tower to have their voices heard.

"Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay,'' the midtown crowd chanted.

Hours earlier in Utah, groups of pro-immigration forces held signs that read "no racism, no fascism" outside a Trump rally where he again vowed to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out immigrants.

Polls Show Trump Leads in Arizona

Recent polling shows Trump leading the Republican field in Arizona with 34 percent of the vote to Texas Senator Ted Cruz's 21 percent and Ohio Governor John Kasich's 13 percent.

Roughly 30 percent of the population in Arizona is Hispanic, but the state still boasts some of the harshest anti-immigration policies in the country.
Borgward factory primed for production, sales to begin next month

Mar 20, 2016, 5:01pm ET

The SUV will have a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Revived German marque Borgward has established a China-based sales subsidiary as its Beijing plant readies for production. Sales of its first model, the BX7 SUV, are expected to commence next month.

"We have successfully established partnerships with nearly 100 dealers to date," CEO Ulrich Walker is reported to have said according to Paul Tan. "Moreover, this dealer network is expected to grow to 120 dealers by the end of 2016, and 200 in 2017, covering key cities of the Chinese market.

Power has been revealed to be a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine capable of 221 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. A 7-speed dual-clutch transmission will be the shifter of choice and all-wheel-drive will be available as well.

The new plant in China's capital will have an initial capacity of 160,000 units. A second phase of plant expansion will increase that to 360,000. By 2020, Borgward believes it can build 800,000 cars a year, and by 2025 that number will double to 1.6 million. Walker says the company will adhere strictly to "German Industry 4.0" manufacturing standards to assure the highest quality.

The BX7 will go on sale next month, launching at the Beijing Motor Show.

Live images by Ronan Glon.
First-gen GMC Acadia becomes Acadia Limited for 2017

Mar 20, 2016, 9:23am ET

GMC is keeping the old Acadia around for at least one additional model year.

GMC has announced the first-generation Acadia crossover (pictured) will be sold alongside the new second-gen model that bowed a couple of months ago at the Detroit Auto Show for at least one model year.

Presented a decade ago, the first-gen model is receiving the Acadia Limited nameplate for the 2017 model year. Trade journal Automotive News explains GMC parent company General Motors decided to keep both models around for manufacturing-related reasons. The Acadia is currently assembled in Lansing, Michigan, while the new second-gen Acadia will be built in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Axing the original Acadia would have forced GM to temporarily reduce the Lansing plant's output.

It doesn't sound like GMC is making any major mechanical modifications to the original Acadia. Markedly bigger and heavier than its replacement, the eight-seater crossover will carry on with a 3.6-liter V6 engine rated at 288 horsepower and 270 lb-ft. of torque. Front-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission will continue to come standard, and all-wheel drive will remain offered at an extra cost.

GMC will publish full details about the 2017 Acadia Limited in the coming weeks. The brand new 2017 Acadia is scheduled to arrive in showrooms before summer.
Mar 19, 2016, 5:01pm ET

Restoration of first US-market Honda begins

The 50-year-old Honda N600 was only recently discovered to be serial number one.

Honda has begun restoration of its first US-market passenger car, a 1967 Honda N600. The car was discovered by a long-time restorer of the model, who had it in his possession for years before he discovered it was serial number 000001.

The N600 was a front-wheel-drive hatchback based on Japan's supercompact class called kei cars in its home country. While Japanese versions were powered by a 360cc motor in line with kei requirements at the time, US-bound markets did not have such displacement limitations, allowing Honda to install a 600cc air-cooled two-cylinder, four-stroke engine good for about 31 horsepower and a top-speed of 77 mph. The car itself weighed less than 1,120 pounds. The N-Series also served as styling inspiration for the N-One.

This particular car, which Honda is calling Serial One, was discovered by N600 expert Tim Mings of southern California. Mings discovered it at a swap meet nearly 10 years ago and bought it without knowing its significance. It wasn't until years later when he scraped off the grime covering the serial number that he realized it was the first N600.

The car is one of 50 from the first batch imported to the US as a pilot program for Honda Automobiles. It's one of three known to have survived. Mings has been restoring N600s for over 20 years, and calls this the most important project he'll ever undertake. When it is complete, it will reside at the American Honda collection.
The deadlines looms to register to vote or switch political parties ahead of presidential primary election in New Jersey.

Christopher Borick, political science professor and director of the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College, said unlike most primary seasons, this year New Jersey has a realistic chance of being relevant in terms of having an impact on the (presidential) nomination."

New Jersey has a closed primary election, meaning only voters registered as Republicans or Democrats can cast a ballot in their respective party's race.

New Jersey's primary is June 7, with the Republican National Convention following July 18-21 in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention scheduled the week of July 25 at the Wells Fargo Center and Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. That's when each party's nominee will be selected, based on delegates, ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.

How to register to vote in New Jersey

New Jersey's 2016 deadline to declare a change of party affiliation is April 13, with the deadline to register to vote May 17. Registered voters who are unaffiliated can declare for a party the day of the primary.

To change affiliation, voters can print a form and mail it to their home county's commissioner of registration. Address the forms as follows in:

Warren County

Commissioner of Registration

Mr. Harold Brown

Cummins Building

202 Mansfield Street

Belvidere, NJ 07823

Hunterdon County

Commissioner of Registration

Stephanie Pierce

71 Main Street

Bldg. 3A, 3rd Floor

P.O. Box 2900

Flemington, NJ 08822-9952

Voter-registration applications can also be printed at home from www.state.nj.us/state/elections for Warren County residents and Hunterdon County residents and mailed in.

Registration forms are also available at the above commissioner of registration offices, from your municipal clerk, at Division of Motor Vehicle offices and while conducting business at the following agencies:

NJ Medical Assistance & Health Services Program

WIC (Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infant & Children)

Work First NJ Programs

Division of Developmental Disabilities

Office of Disability Services - Department of Human Services - Public Offices

Armed Forces of the United States Recruitment Offices

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services - Department of Labor

Commission of the Blind & Visually Impaired

County Welfare Agency or County Board of Social Services

Not sure of your registration status in New Jersey? Voters can check online at voter.njsvrs.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Deadlines loom to register to vote or switch political parties ahead of the presidential primary election in Pennsylvania.

Christopher Borick, political science professor and director of the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College, said unlike most presidential primary seasons, this year Pennsylvania has "a realistic chance of being relevant in terms of having an impact on the (presidential) nomination."

Pennsylvania has a closed primary election, meaning only voters registered as Republicans or Democrats can cast a ballot in their respective party's race.

How to register to vote in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania deadline to register to vote in this year's presidential primary election is March 28.

Pennsylvania began last year allowing voter registration and registration changes, including party affiliation, to be done online at register.votesPA.com. Voters can also check their registration status at www.pavoterservices.state.pa.us and watch a video on how to navigate the online process.

Registering to vote and making changes can also be done in person, including at Northampton County Voter Registration at 670 Wolf Ave. in Easton or the Lehigh County office at 17 S. Seventh St. in Allentown.

Voters can also print and fill out a form and mail it in.

The online process has helped get about 166,000 voters registered as of last week, up from about 100,000 in mid-February, Pennsylvania Department of State spokeswoman Wanda Murren said.

She encourages registering ahead of the deadline, as submitting an application marks the start of the registration process that is completed in each county's voter registration office.

"No one is registered as soon as they get off of that site," Murren said.

What's at stake

On the Republican side, the role the state's primary plays may be that of spoiler, as the GOP establishment opposed to leading Republican candidate Donald Trump tries to block his path to the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination for Election Day in November.

Put it this way," Borick said of Pennsylvania's 71 delegates, "they might not determine if one of the candidates remaining is the nominee, but they can certainly have an impact on blocking Donald Trump from going to 1,237 delegates, which is the majority needed to win on the first ballot.

On the Democratic site, "Certainly Hillary Clinton's in a very strong position in terms of the number of delegates that she's amassed and the lead she's built over Bernie Sanders," Borick said. "He's vowed to stay in to the convention, therefore he'll be fighting state-to-state, so there should be a contest still on by the time it comes to Pennsylvania."

In Northampton County, where voters say they identify with scores of political agendas, the action seems decidedly on the Republican side as the April 26 primary approaches.

The county's ranks of registered Democrats grew from 92,453 on Oct. 28, 2015, just before the most-recent general election, to 93,551 as of Wednesday, according to Northampton County Voter Registration. That's an addition of 1,098 Democrats, or a growth rate of 1.2 percent.

Republicans more than doubled the growth rate of Democrats in Northampton County, going from 64,842 to 66,959 over that span. That's 2,117 more Republicans eligible to vote in the primary, or 3.3 percent more than last fall.

"I suspect that we'll see a lot of campaign activity in this state," Borick said of Pennsylvania, including in population centers such as the Lehigh Valley.

He'd be "very surprised" if all of the remaining presidential candidates don't visit the state, he said, "which is odd for us because almost always the race is almost over as it gets to us."

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Pennsylvania Turnpike toll booth worker in the south-central part of the state was killed Sunday morning during an attempted robbery, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

(file photo)

Three people died in the apparent robbery attempt, according to reports.

It happened at the Fort Littleton exit shortly before 7:30 a.m. and the toll booth operator has not been identified.

A separate report, from ABC 27, said three people were killed in the incident at the toll booth in Fulton County.

Coroner Berley Souders confirmed to the Associated Press that three people were dead, and his office was waiting for a forensic team from state police.

State police and a turnpike spokesman said more information would be released later.

Carl DeFebo, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, did not immediately return messages seeking information.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
John Reinhart

Easton Area School District Superintendent John Reinhart

(Rudy Miller | Lehighvalleylive.com)

Several school districts in our area -- Allentown, Saucon Valley, Salisbury among them -- have banned strip-searches of students by school personnel. Why can't Easton do the same?

Easton School Superintendent John Reinhart offers a gripping argument, recalling an incident in which a junior high student in Easton brought a gun to school, hid it in his clothing, and ended up shooting himself in the guidance office.

As a result of that experience, Reinhart believes the school board shouldn't close the door when it comes to strip searches of students -- the introduction of a gun changes the equation, tipping the balance from one's Fourth Amendment rights to the security of everyone in the school.

Hard to argue with that.

As a parent, would you surrender the right of your child to be free from intrusive personal searches, if the certain tradeoff were freedom from bullets flying in school?

Perhaps. But that's a black-and-white proposition. The interpretation of individual rights by the courts is often pinned to specific circumstances that don't necessarily tell a school principal what is constitutional and what is not.

The Fourth Amendment -- "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures" -- begins with the assumption of protection against the state. A landmark 1969 Supreme Court decision declared that "students don't shed their constitutional rights at the school house gates."

Since then, the Supreme Court has upheld, in a 1985 case in Piscataway, N.J., the power of school officials to go through the purse of a student suspected of smoking tobacco. In 2009, the Supreme Court held that an Arizona school went too far in strip-searching a 13-year-old girl to see if she was hiding ibuprofen tablets, forcing her to hold out her bra and shake it. Without suspicion of a clear danger to other students or staff, the court said, a strip search violates a student's constitutional rights.

Throughout these cases, the courts have revisited the idea of "reasonable" intrusion for the public good. That is where the Easton Area School Board finds itself today, tiptoeing between student rights and student and staff expectation of a safe learning environment.

At recent school board meetings, some Easton parents objected to any strip-search authorization. Assistant to the Superintendent Alyssa Emili said if such a search had to be done under the policy being considered, it would be conducted by someone of the same gender as the student, with a witness of the same gender. Privacy would be a priority.

Privacy, however, isn't just cover from prying eyes; it's the underlying assumption of the Fourth Amendment.

We think Easton, as other districts have done, should rule out strip searches and call the police to handle these situations. The need to keep schools safe from violence can't be overlooked; neither can the potential for officials to justify intrusive searches, whether they involve weapons or not.

The law gives schools latitude to inspect lockers, cars, outer clothing, backpacks, to turn pockets inside out, to bring in drug-sniffing dogs. Nothing is about to change those restrictions.

When it comes to ordering kids to take off their clothing, Easton seems to be arguing for a "gun exception." No one wants to be on the wrong side of this issue, whether it's a misjudgment about an actual weapon or a lawsuit on behalf of those searched without merit. When the Fourth Amendment enters iffy territory in our schools, police are in a better position to decide how far to go.
A man who caught the attention of officers dragging a chair down a Washington Borough street was charged with marijuana possession.

(file photo)

James Cornish, 21, of Washington, on March 13 at 12:46 a.m. March 13 was seen by a patrol officer dragging a chair down the middle of Cornish Street. The officer stopped Cornish and he was found in possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, Washington Township, Warren County police said.

Cornish was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and violating a borough ordinance of maintaining a nuisance.

He was processed and released pending a court date.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Lynne Featherstone and Lindsay Northover were outstanding DfID Ministers. During their tenure, with the support of Liberal Democrats in both houses, and throughout the party, for the first time, radical commitments such as an to end Female Genital Mutilation by 30% by 2018 were included in UK Government policy. Furthermore, those Liberal Democrat ministers, insisted that commitments to the rights of LGBT people and people with disabilities be central to FCO and DfID policy and programmes.

They did so, not just because of our unshakeable commitment to human rights, but because the UKs unique history with the Commonwealth nations and relationships with European partners, give an unparalleled position from which to be an influence for good in the world.

This summer, the UK government has an opportunity to attend the 2016 Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference, which will be co-hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Government of Uruguay. It will involve the main international donors who support and fund LGBTI programmes. It is a rare opportunity for the UK government to leverage the political commitment of the coalition government by involving other governments, and the private sector, in developing good practice guidance on funding, supporting NGOs to bring about change on difficult subjects.

DFID already has considerable experience of working on sensitive issues that cut across national and international politics, social, political and religious values. This includes DFIDs work on female genital mutilation (FGM) and safe abortion where, through sensitive work with local stakeholders, identifying local champions and building coalitions we have been able to support changes in attitudes and locally led policy change. We would like to how they are going to take the lessons learned on and apply them to LGBT rights.

Across the world disabled people are at the back of the queue when development aid programmes are rolled out. 2.9 billion people live in 76 countries where being lesbian, gay or bisexual is illegal. Countries such as Russia and Nigeria pass populist laws which spell hurt and harm for anyone who is LGBT. American evangelical Christians fund church operations throughout Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America to preach homophobia and fan the flames of discrimination.

This conference is an opportunity to redress the balance in the fight against prejudice and discrimination. It is an opportunity to give hope to LGBT people across the globe who live in fear of persecution. Liberal Democrats in government would not have thought twice about leading the fight. The question is, do the Tories care about LGBT rights, or just about winning seats in England? Liberal Democrat peers are on the case.
Its the second week of David Laws coalition revelations serialised in the Mail on Sunday. This week we have him telling us that:

To take them in turn:

You have to wonder why we bought and publicised the 8bn figure, too. Its all very well for David Laws to tell Andrew Marr today that Norman Lamb was always sceptical about it, but I seem to recalls making a massive thing about how we were the only party who was going to meet the 8bn request in full. If we knew that the figure was nonsense then, why on earth did we not say loudly and lay out the choices that the nation faced in a much more realistic way?

On Marr, David Laws emphasised how the Lib Dems helped IDS veto Treasury requests for further welfare cuts, confirming that Osborne saw it as a cash cow.There are problems with this analysis, though. Danny Alexander seemed to be hand in glove with Osborne on a lot of this stuff, at one point calling people affected by the Bedroom Tax bedroom blockers. Also, a lot of the really awful ideas, from the rape clause to the capping at two children were IDSs idea.

Theresa May at one point said shed bring in the Head of MI5 to publicly back the Snoopers Charter. Nick Clegg described it to Cameron as gay marriage on stilts  comparing it to how same sex marriage had gone down in the Tory Party. Its a pity he didnt have the same attitude on secret courts. Her reaction to Norman Bakers appointment is just as we Lib Dems thought it would be. Its interesting, though, that even Norman didnt slate her too much when he resigned. When Miriam Gonzalez Durantez edited the Today programme at New Year, she talked about how May and Nick were a million miles apart, but he had an admiration for her for always doing what she said and being meticulously prepared for meetings. Lynne Featherstone echoed that sentiment when I spoke to her earlier this year.

The meeting with Eric Pickles does not show Cameron in a good light. Cameron wanted to make private landlords check immigration papers. Pickles was dead set against this. They had a massive row and Cameron stormed out.

Laws says that way back in 2012, Cameron and Osborne were petrified of Boris. They offered Clegg a sort of electoral pact for the 2015 election. The fireworks that would have ensued if they had tried to get that one through the party would have been interesting to see. A combination of two fingered salutes and a two word response involving a word that rhymes with duck would have been the more muted reaction. It was undeliverable, undesirable and would have ruled out the possibility of any fightback.

If we hadnt had all the IDS furore, Laws revelations would have been top of the headlines today. There is some very interesting stuff in the book. Im looking forward to reading the full story in context when the book is published on Tuesday.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
When we went into the rally at Conference 9 days ago, there were two bits of paper on our seats. Och, thatll just be Euro campaign tat, I thought. Actually, it wasnt. Tim issued a challenge to everyone in the room. These bits of paper were membership forms and he told us to get out there and recruit two members each by the end of this month.

Leaders have made such challenges before and not much has come of them. You see, it needs us to actually make the effort and once the passion of the rally has died down and weve got into the bar, we forget all about it. But we shouldnt.

Why should we bother?

There are three very good reasons why we should get out there and recruit as many people as possible.

The more the merrier

You might be looking at a garage full of Focus leaflets wondering how you are going to get them all delivered before the next leaflet is ready. You might be the only Lib Dem in the village wondering if you are ever going to have company. There isnt a circumstance in which having more people is going to anything other than a very good thing. More people to share the load. More people to help you achieve more than you ever thought possible. More people who have different friends and contacts and networks.

New ideas

You can just see what the amazing people who have joined us since May have brought us. It was brilliant to walk into rooms in York and see lots of people Id never seen before. They have brought with them creativity and new ideas, things like Your Liberal Britain and Lib Dem Pint which have become part of the partys vocabulary. They didnt even exist this time last year. Heavens, Lib Dem Pint is so popular, its even happened in Glasgow. Amazing people came our way, like Becca and Wendy and Joyce Onstad and Jim Williams. At the Conference rally, Dr Saleyah Ahsan spoke so powerfully about her work as a junior doctor, inviting us to stand with her through a gruelling shift  eating when she does, going to the toilet when she does. I doubt many of us would last.

And look at fantastic people like Lauren Pemberton-Nelson who ran such a spirited campaign in the Faraday by-election in Southwark.

Money

If none of that grabs you, remember that there is serious money in it through the Membership Incentive Scheme. Born over a curry in Edinburgh a couple of years ago, this means that it is well worth the while of local parties to recruit members cos they get a good whack of all the membership subs back if they grow. Here are the details:

Net growth of between 1 and 10 members will qualify local parties to receive 18% of all their membership subscription fees paid during that quarter.

Net growth of more than 10 members will qualify local parties to receive 33% of all their membership subscription fees paid during that quarter.

Not to be sneezed at.

Who might join?

This is where its worth having chunks of your life that you dont spend with other Lib Dems. What about your friends and family? If any of them show any sort of enthusiasm about the EU, for example, its worth asking them to join. Similarly, anyone who volunteers admiration for Tim Farron or their local Lib Dem campaigners in any way. Anyone you hear complaining about the Snoopers Charter. Lets face it, theres no point in them joining Labour or the SNP who passed up the chance to kill it last week.

When youre canvassing, get into the habit of asking anybody who expresses enthusiastic support if they would like to join to help whoever the candidate is get elected.

Also, make sure that youve engaged with all the new members who joined last year. They need to have a reason to renew.

How do they join?

All the details came out in an email last week:

Direct debit is cheaper, environmentally friendly, and substantially increases your retention rate. This means you dont have to ask as many people to renew each year, making your life easier! If you dont have a copy of the membership form, you can download one here. Alternatively, sign them up by going to: www.libdems.org.uk/join.

Your recruitment successes

If you have joined recently, tell us why in the comments below. If your local party has had success with a recruitment campaign, tell us how you did it.

If we succeed in Tims challenge, we could have 65000 members within the next 10 days. If we are going to meet his target 0f 100,000 members by 2020 we have to get cracking. Good luck!

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
A SPECIAL edition of the Kilmallock Journal has been launched in honour of the 1916 Centenary.

The journal was launched on Saturday night in Kilmallocks Pastoral Centre by Betty McElholm who, God willing, will celebrate her own centenary next year and whose family were very much affected by the events of that period.

Eamon ORiordan, chairman of Kilmallock Society welcomed everybody and narrated a slideshow of artwork and illustrations which feature in the Kilmallock Journal.

The guest speaker was Donal Thurlow who worked in the UK for 30 years teaching and lecturing in Irish History and Anglo Celtic Literature. Donal has welcomed the trend in modern history of telling the story of the ordinary person rather than that of the kings and emperors. Local journals play a big part in this, he said. He also condemned the downgrading of history in our schools.

History makes us, he said, and we in turn make history.

One of the articles in the journal refers to a column in the Limerick Leader in 1916 which was loud in its praise of Slan le Maigh written by Kilmallock poet Aindrias Mac Craith who is buried in Kilmallock. In introducing Maureen Lynch who sang this great song, Noel Collins referred to the popularity of the song at the time and the dedication of leaders like Eamon De Valera and Michael Collins to the Irish language and culture. Each of the contributors were then presented with complimentary copies of the journal.

This 80-page journal which has a huge variety of articles of local interest by local people and costs 10 is now on sale in the reopened museum and local shops.
A POLISH national drove into the boundary wall of a secondary school causing 2,600 worth of damage, Kilmallock court heard.

Lukasz Cwiklinski, aged 31, of Wolfe Tone Street, Kilmallock pleaded guilty to no insurance, careless driving and hit and run.

Sergeant Michelle Leahy said at 3am on January 25, 2015 gardai attended a road traffic accident in Kilmallock.

A car had driven through the boundary wall of a secondary school [Colaiste Iosaef]. There was no car at the scene, said Sgt Leahy.

Following an investigation, gardai made contact with Cwiklinski. Sgt Leahy said he admitted he was the driver.

Brendan Gill, solicitor for Cwiklinski, said his client is a Polish national who arrived in Ireland nine years ago.

He paid full compensation of 2,600 out of his own pocket. He has always been in gainful employment - first in construction and now with Ballyhoura in IT. He resides with his parents, said Mr Gill.

The solicitor produced a number of policies of insurance on which the defendant was a named driver. But on the night of the night incident he wasnt insured due to a paperwork error.

It is a technical offence, said Mr Gill. This was accepted by the State.

He had an unblemished record. When contact was made with him he made full and frank admissions.

To his credit he came up with 2,600 for the secondary school. They are not at a loss. He has met the charges fairly, said Mr Gill.

Judge Marian OLeary used her discretion not to disqualify him from driving for no insurance and fined him a total of 850 for the three offences.
THE Limerick Chamber has put in place a marketing fund for the city, which it is hoped will see increased footfall in the centre.

Chamber CEO Dr James Ring confirmed at a meeting of the business group that a total of 30,000 is being allocated in a bid to replicate the success of the Milk Market, which attracts 16,000 visitors each Saturday.

While the Chamber has put forward 10,000 this has been double matched by Limerick City and County Council, and a steering group has been put in place, led by Helen ODonnell to ensure it is being spent correctly.

It is about transferring the success of the Saturday Milk Market to the rest of the city. But more than this, it is about sending the message that on both Saturdays and Sundays, Limerick is open for business, and there is lots on, Dr Ring said.

He said retailers need to develop a shopping centre mentality, organising promotions and events to making shopping more accessible. On top of the 30,000 funding, Dr Ring also confirmed that half of the subscription every new member pays to join the Chamber will be allocated to the fund.

The steering committee in place includes Liam Dwan, Brown Thomas, James Ryan, Centra, Daphne Greene of the Greenhills Hotel, Sean Lally of the Strand Hotel, Donncha Hurley, the Absolute Hotel and Liam Flannery of Flannerys Bar.

Metropolitan district mayor Jerry ODea, a ratepayer himself, feels the council will not be found wanting when it comes to allocating further funding depending on the success of the scheme. He said: I believe fundamentally we have a very sound footing for this city to do business and increase business.

We have put forward the idea we need to seriously address our marketing efforts. The council, I believe, are very pro-active in terms of matching funding.

More than 100 people were at the Hunt Museum meeting of the Limerick Chamber, which was focused on rejuvenating the urban area, and was facilitated by Dr Lisa OMalley of the University of Limerick.

At the event, Limerick Leader columnist Nigel Dugdale believes in order to get feet on the streets, youngsters need to be nurtured.

Young people are passionate about where they are from. They have a huge part in changing the perception of Limerick, he said.

Dr OMalley suggested that transition year students at schools across Limerick are engaged with to set up projects in the centre.

She said that in order to bring young families to the city, festivals should be held.

These events cannot make money. They need to lose money simply for the sake of having people come in and see what the city is like, and enjoy it, she said.

Architect Richard Rice again raised the issue of the University of Limerick, saying the college has not engaged with the city properly.

This view was backed up by Dr OMalley, who said: I think historically it differentiated itself from the city. It said come to UL because we are three miles outside. It was used as a strength. But what I think the university realises now is there are a whole load of reasons to be part of the city.

Some traders complained that beggars, and feral groups of youths were putting people off visiting.

General election candidate Sarah-Jane Hennelly said: The only thing missing from the city is people. There are the same number of people begging in Galway and Dublin, but it is less noticeable, as there are more around.

Jeweller Tadhg Kearney feels Limericks legacy image is not doing it any favours, and called for the local business community to talk the urban area up.
THE founder of Pieta House Joan Freeman says she believes the charitys signature Darkness into Light fundraiser would not have grown so quickly were it not for Limerick.

Upwards of 7,000 people are expected to walk at dawn in Limerick City this year to remember loved ones who have lost their lives to suicide, and raise money for the suicide prevention charity, which has a centre in Mungret.

They will be joined by thousands of people at separate Darkness into Light walks in both Kilmallock and Newcastle West. All walks kick off at 4.15am.

Symbolically, people will walk or run the five kilometre circuit from the bleak, dark nighttime, through the dawn and the rising of the sun.

On this the successive seventh year the fundraiser has taken place in the city, Ms Freeman says she doesnt think its popularity would be quite so widespread were it not for the effort on the Shannonside; this year, 115 Darkness into Light walks will take place across four continents.

She said: If Limerick had not kick-started the walk and the service, I dont think we would have made the progress we have made. I really believe that.

Ms Freeman makes a point of attending the press launch of Darkness into Light Limerick each year. She was at the Strand Hotel last week where she was joined by the Unity Gospel Choir, as well as many well-known faces locally.

I genuinely love Limerick, she said, There is a courage about the people of Limerick. Remember they were the first county outside Dublin not only to host a Darkness into Light event, but also to bring a service to their community. They did it for the love of their own people, their own community. They have this courage, they have a resilience. One thing which strikes me is they are not afraid to admit there are problems. Limerick embraces everything that is given to it.

All the money raised from the walks in Limerick will go to support the Pieta House centre here  last year some 160,000 was raised.

Now a truly global phenomenon, Darkness into Light will make its debut in Iceland this year, while Ms Freeman says she will mark the tenth anniversary of the Pieta House service by joining the walk across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

However, when the Darkness into Light walk marks its tenth anniversary here in Ireland two years from now, the charity founder says she will join the Limerick City walk.

Speaking at the launch last week in the Strand Hotel, Ms Freeman added: Were so grateful to the people of Limerick for your continued support.

Your courage, vision and generosity has helped to change the dialogue around suicide and self-harm and allows Pieta House to bring hope to over 5,000 people every year. Together we are leading the way with Darkness Into Light, now reaching communities from Kilmallock to Abu Dhabi and many more across the world.

Pieta House is marking its tenth anniversary this year. In that time, more than 20,000 people have availed of its services, with some 5,000 of these seeking help this year.

Online registration and further details of Darkness into Light walks both locally and across the world are available now at www.darknessintolight.ie.

Alternatively, call 061-484444 for information.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

If you use a car to get around, every time you get behind the wheel you're confronted with a choice: how will you navigate to your destination? Whether it's a trip you take every day, such as from home to work, or to someplace you haven't been before, you need to decide on a route.

Transportation research has traditionally assumed that drivers are very rational and choose the optimal route that minimizes travel time. Traffic prediction models are based on this seemingly reasonable assumption. Planners use these models in their efforts to keep traffic flowing freely  when they evaluate a change to a road network, for instance, or the impact of a new carpool lane. In order for traffic models to be reliable, they must do a good job reproducing user behavior. But theres little empirical support for the assumption at their core  that drivers will pick the optimal route.

For that reason, we decided to investigate how people make these choices in their real lives. Understanding how drivers build a route to reach their destination will help us gain insights into human movement behavior. Better knowledge of individual routing can help improve urban infrastructure and GPS directions systems  not just for one driver, but for everyone. Beating congestion is a big goal: one estimate put the cost of traffic in 2014 at US$160 billion in the U.S., with 42 extra hours of travel time and $960 worth of extra fuel for every commuter.

How do people really go?

Using GPS data collected for several months for hundreds of drivers in four European cities, we studied individuals' routing behavior, looking for interesting patterns in their choices.

We discovered that people use only a few routes when moving between their relevant places, even when those trips are repeated again and again over extended periods. Most people have a single favorite route for trips they perform routinely and a few alternatives routes they take less frequently to the same destinations.

So did people in fact usually choose the optimal route?

In short, no. It turned out roughly half of the favorite routes are not the optimal routes suggested by navigation devices, such as those offered by some popular mapping apps for smartphones. If we also consider drivers' alternative choices, even fewer routes are optimal  only a third overall minimize travel time.

Our data provide empirical proof that drivers are not taking the optimal route, directly contradicting the shortest travel-time assumption.

Why would drivers take a nonoptimal route?

Whats behind this result? A unique answer that is valid for every driver wont be easy to find.

Prior small-scale studies found that many factors, some seemingly minor, might influence route preference. For example, people tend to choose routes going south rather than routes of equal lengths that go north. People favor routes that are straight at the beginning, instead of shorter ones that arent straight. Landmarks also influence route choice, by attracting more trips than travel-time minimization would expect. A novel app for iPhones builds on that very concept and allows people to find the most interesting route between two points.

People might not be able to determine which route is optimal, among all possible choices, because of limited information and limited ability to process big amounts of information. Or, even if they can, people might deliberately make different choices, according to personal preference. Many factors can influence preference, including fuel consumption, route reliability, simplicity and pleasure.

Drivers' apparent flexibility on route choices may provide an opportunity to alleviate overall congestion. For instance, smartphone apps could offer points and vouchers to drivers who are willing to take longer routes that avoid congested areas. Navigation app Waze has already changed drivers' habits in some cities, so its not so far-fetched to imagine a gamification system that reduces congestion.

How far from the best route are we?

For our next study, rather than trying to understand what drives individual route choices, we aimed to quantify how far those choices are from optimal.

A sample of the transformed trajectories reveals the shape of human routes. Regardless of the real start and destination points, every transformed trajectory begins at the circle on the left and ends at the circle on the right. (Image credit: A. Lima et al. J. R. Soc. Int. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0021, Author provided)

Its hard to directly compare all the different trips undertaken in a city, because they involve many locations and are different in length. To make this task easier, we transformed trajectories so that they all look alike, regardless of their actual source, destination and length. We rotated, translated and scaled each route so that all trajectories would start and finish at the same two points in a new reference system. After this transformation, all the routes look as if they spanned the same two points; they all look similar in length, but their shape is preserved. What we found by plotting a sample of the transformed routes was the intrinsic variability in human routes.

Intriguingly, our abstraction of all the trips sort of looks like a magnets force lines, with the routes' origins and destinations in place of the magnets north and south poles. By analyzing a density plot of the transformed trajectories, we found the vast majority are fully contained within an ellipse that has the same shape independent of the scale, with the start and endpoints as foci. This ellipse effectively makes up the boundary of human routes.

The density plot shows how likely you are to be at any position between the start (on the left) and the destination (on the right). Colors indicate, in logarithmic scale, from dark to bright, the spots more likely to be occupied by drivers on that trip. (Image credit: Antonio Lima, CC BY-ND)

The ellipse also helps us measure how direct a route is. The ellipses eccentricity tells us how elongated it is. An eccentricity close to 1 means the ellipse is similar to a line (high width and low height), while an eccentricity close to 0 means it is similar to a circle (width and height roughly similar).

Generally, a straight route is not a viable option because of physical obstacles, such as buildings. Drivers deviate from that idealized shortest path according to the street network and personal preferences. While these two phenomena are hard to model, we found that they are bounded by a ellipse of a particular shape, having a high eccentricity equal to 0.8.

To our surprise, the observed shape of the ellipse did not change with distance between the endpoints. It looks like in an urban setting, drivers are willing to take detours that are roughly proportional to the distance between their starting point and destination. Routes that involve bigger detours are simply not taken, or split into two separate trips.

Our study uncovered basic rules of a realistic routing model that captures individual behavior in a urban environment. These findings can be used as building blocks for new routing models that better predict traffic. And now that we know drivers have some quantifiable flexibility in their routes, we can use this information to design incentive mechanisms to alleviate congestion on busier roads, or carpooling plans based on individuals' preferred routes.

Marta Gonzalez, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Antonio Lima, Ph.D. student in Computer Science, University of Birmingham

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates  and become part of the discussion  on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science.
A student in a social studies class chose to do a video interview with this writer as a final exam, focusing on local history.

The young woman arrived at the session with a list of questions about Laredo while her father handled the camera.

We set the stage for the project by asking the student how much she knew about Laredos history. She replied, Not very much.

She knew the date of the towns founding and the name of the founder who brought the first family of settlers from a small town (Ciniega de Flores) on the Pan American Highway near Monterrey.

Near the end of the session, the student asked, What do you think was the most important or most significant thing that happened in Laredo?

To this day, I dont have a clue what the girl was expecting for an answer. I replied, The arrival of the railroad from the coast and the north (1881).

History tells us that the final years of the troubled 19th century on the Texas-Mexico border (The Catarino Garza Wars, September 1891-1893) marked a period of significant change on the Rio Grande frontier.

The vecinos on both sides of the of the river were introduced to the prosperous lifestyle under a free trade (zona libre).

Developers, investor and now boosters projected a new image as a zone of economic and cultural modernity, Elliott Young wrote in a chapter he titled Boom and Busts in his 2004 book, Catarino Garzas Revolution on the Texas-Mexico Border.

Young observed, The border had outgrown its frontier days of Indians, bandits and economic stagnation.

The border was poised, its proponents argued, to assume its position at the forefront of the emerging binational commerce.

Some border Mexicans, like Garza, questioned this narrative of progress and development.

Garza and his followers, nevertheless remained modern liberals and echoed the rhetoric of the developmental ethic and recognized the tremendous costs of this progress for the Mexican community on the border.

The Garzistas did not oppose progress and free trade, but they were against the kind of progress and free trade that had been pursued by the Porfiano regime and norteamericano capitalists.

They adhered to modern liberalism and supported the developmentalist ethic while recognizing the tremendous costs of this progress for the free trade for the Mexican community.

From Catarino Garzas handwritten autobiography (in Spanish), the author concluded that wealthy outsiders, usually norteamericanos or European foreigners, displaced ignorant poor Mexico Texans or Mexican Americans.

It would not be a coincidence for a savvier mejicano (Tejano elite) to fool an unsuspecting mejicano out of a home, ranch, animals if not money.

Land owners and merchants were doing quite well near the end of the 19th Century (1890s), Elliott Young observed from Catarinos manuscript.

A contributing factor was the arrival of the railroad, increasing property values and opening new possibilities for the commercial exploitation of mining and agriculture.

Banker were giddy at the prospect of buying up land and developing industries while it was still relatively cheap to do so, Young wrote.

Government officials could not have been happier about the prospect of turning this troublesome zona libre of conflicts and war into a stable region producing revenues for the national treasury.

For those distant from the border, the Catarino Garza rebellion was a reminder of the earlier days of wars, bandits and contrabando (smuggling).

To this day, descendants recall stories of Laredo and Valley merchants who made fortunes supplying goods (and weapons) to both sides of border conflicts.

It also posed the uneasy sense that the economic boom could also go bust quickly.

History tells us a number of landowners and merchants saw the Catarino Garza skirmishes as an opportunity to expand their trade at a moment when the Mexican government (Porfirio Diaz) was imposing duties and taxes on transactions that previously had been free.

There is a bit of the Zona Liber (free trade) habit at local international crossings like it was 125 years ago, except the levies are now assessed and collected on crossers to the Mexican side under unwritten policies of discretion

(Odie Arambula is at oarambula@stx.rr.com)
To the editor:

I am no Trumpian.

Yes, I realize that angry voters often make poor choices.

I am happy that some letter writers are proud of their ethnic roots.

According these letter writers, Democrats serve the peoples interest regardless of ones ethnic roots or sexual identity.

You dont need to vote for a specific party because of your ethnicity.

I find it strange that people of color and those with Spanish surnames have to vote for Democratic Party candidates to be true to their roots.

I believe we all have more than one interest group to which we belong, and I doubt that Democrats alone have the answer to all the various issues this nation faces.

How is voting by ethnic or sexual identity relevant to the individual?

Some say that having someone from your ethnic group representing you makes your opinion better heard.

I am from a small ethnic group of Northeast Europeans - the Finns.

We Finns will never elect many of our group so we vote for politicians from both parties.

I am a disabled military retiree. I am interested in how well the Veterans Administration provides the promised support to me and all veterans.

I believe that the problems of the past several years have not been addressed well by the Democrats and President Obama because of their ties to government employee unions.

I am a homeowner and pay taxes to the city, county, LCC and UISD. As a tax payer, I am interested in how the various governmental agencies use the money I help provide.

At the federal level, we are not getting value for our taxes and spending more than we take in.

Promising what you cannot deliver without bankrupting future generations for the present generation is immoral.

If we vote our common interest in the coming presidential election, we will vote for the candidate who will work to lower or eliminate the federal debt of 19 trillion dollars.

I will vote for the individual who supports eliminating the debt, but as of mid-March, neither Tramp nor Clinton is advocating less spending.

My voting interest lies not in my military service or ethnicity, but in the ability of the governments - federal, state and local - to provide the services I cannot provide on my own.

As Benjamin Franklin said, We must, indeed, hang together or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

Dont be a one issue voter.

We all pay taxes and deserve an honest government that serves us regardless of our ethnic origin and intellectual ability.

Sincerely,

Joseph Pelto
North Longford band Brave Giant scooped a 2,000 prize last Wednesday, after being crowned winners of the Le Crunch Apple of My Eye Song Contest at Whelans, Dublin.

The group - consisting of Mark Prunty (guitar/vocals), Podge Gill (guitar/vocals), Ross McNerney (banjo/mandolin), Emmett Collum (drums) and David Kilbride (bass) - were one of five finalists, whittled down from the hundreds of entries received for the competition.

Their mash-up of Bob Marleys Is This Love? and Daft Punks Digital Love, aptly titled Is This Digital Love? proved popular on the night, when they performed it to a packed audience and a panel of judges including Niamh Farrell (HamsandwicH), Shane Dunne (Indiependence) and Paddy McKenna (Joe.ie).

Of course, many had already seen the entry, as the video went viral within hours of its release in mid-February. It had been viewed over 50,000 times before the final.

Pointing out that the response to the competition had been immense, Sandrine Gaborieau, Marketing Director of Le Crunch, thanked all who entered before adding; As usual, there was a very difficult choice to be made by the judges but we feel that Brave Giant just pipped the other finalists to the post.

Acknowledging the efforts of Joe.ie and Her.ie in helping to run the competition, Sandrine added; Wed like to wish Brave Giant the very best in what we all hope will be a long and successful career for them.
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

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On Mar. 17, Al Nusrah Front leader Abu Muhammad al Julani released a statement commemorating the fifth anniversary of the uprising against Bashar al Assads regime. We congratulate the people of al Sham [Syria] and the Islamic Ummah [worldwide community of Muslims] on the pass of five years of their blessed revolution and their blessed jihad, Julani wrote, according to a translation by SITE Intelligence Group.

Julani concluded by arguing that the jihadists are one with the Syrian people. For we are from the people of al Sham and al Sham is from us, nothing can separate usfrom its people except death, Allah willing, Julani claimed.

The success or failure of al Qaedas project in Syria hinges, to a large degree, on whether Julani is right. Al Nusrah, which easily has thousands of fighters, is al Qaedas official branch in Syria.

The available evidence suggests Al Nusrah is widely respected on the ground five years into the rebellion. There are pockets of resistance, but the West has no real strategy for harnessing this discontent and diminishing al Qaedas influence in the rebellion. Perhaps that is not even currently possible.

Still, the events of the past two weeks highlight a liability al Qaeda has long sought to minimize in Syria. Protesters took to the streets in some areas to denounce Al Nusrah. It does not appear that the protests were widespread, but they were noteworthy.

Earlier this month, Al Nusrah clashed with the 13th Division, a Free Syrian Army (FSA) faction based in Maarrat al Numan, a town in the northwestern Idlib province. During the days that followed, protesters rallied against Al Nusrah and Jund al Aqsa, another al Qaeda-affiliated group. The two jihadist organizations had raided the 13th Divisions headquarters and bases in Maarrat al Numan in mid-March, capturing FSA fighters and their weapons in the process.

A Twitter feed (@JAN_Violations) that documents Al Nusrahs transgressions posted photos and videos of a protest in Maarrat al Numan on Mar. 18, the day after Julanis statement was published online.

Some of the images purportedly show Al Nusra and Jund al Aqsa fighters looking on from nearby rooftops as civilians denounced them. It is difficult, using social media alone, to gauge how significant the protests in Maarrat al Numan really are. But the photos and videos indicate that there is at least some discontent with al Qaedas guerrilla army in areas where other fighting factions have a reasonably strong presence.

Not to be outdone, Al Nusrah organized its own protests on the anniversary of the revolution. Al Nusrahs official Twitter feed posted images of rallies in Idlib, Aleppo and elsewhere during which al Qaedas black banner was flown, often alongside the nationalist Syrian flag. The photos were intended to reinforce the perception that Al Nusrah remains an integral part of the rebellion. Indeed, this was al Qaedas intention all along.

Al Qaedas popular revolutionary model

As The Long War Journal has reported on multiple occasions, al Qaeda seeks to inculcate its Salafi-jihadist ideology within the Syrian population. It is using the conflict to build a broader and deeper base of popular support for its cause. Like the Islamic State, Al Nusrah seeks to enforce a harsh version of sharia law and build an Islamic emirate. However, al Qaeda and the Islamic State follow two different strategies for achieving these goals.

The Islamic State is a top-down authoritarian organization. Abu Bakr al Baghdadis men argue that they have resurrected the caliphate, which was formally dissolved in 1924. The Islamic State explicitly markets its graphic executions and amputations under sharia law, saying the punishments are divinely justified. From the Islamic States perspective, Muslims who do not accept its legitimacy as a caliphate are to be terrorized into submission. Muslims who oppose the Islamic State, including even other jihadists, are deemed apostates or infidels.

In contrast, al Qaeda adheres to a bottom-up strategy, seeking to become popular with the people. From al Qaedas perspective, Bashar al Assads regime must fall before it can build a stable Islamic State. Al Qaedas representatives have begun to lay the groundwork for governance in the areas controlled by Al Nusrah and its closest allies. But al Qaeda will not publicly declare that an Islamic emirate exists in Syria until it is reasonably certain such a state can survive.

Unlike the Islamic State, Al Nusrah has embedded itself deep within the insurgency against Assad and his allies. This makes it difficult to untangle al Qaeda from the less extreme factions. Al Nusrah often cooperates with other groups that share only part of its agenda.

Al Nusrah also does not produce propaganda highlighting its enforcement of sharias harshest penalties. It eschews Islamic State-style propaganda because it does not want to offend Muslims who may be appalled by such draconian methods. Abu Firas al Suri, a veteran al Qaeda operative who is a member of Al Nusrahs management team, has explained that Al Nusrah even enters into agreements with other factions concerning the laws that will be implemented in areas liberated from the Assad regime. In al Qaedas view, many Muslims have lived in countries where the supposedly true version of Islam has not existed for many decades. Therefore, al Qaeda seeks to educate the public concerning its version of sharia before forcing people to adhere to it.

The Islamic State achieved significant success after breaking from al Qaeda in 2013 and 2014 and following its own top-down model for waging jihad and governing territory. But al Qaedas presence in Syria has been underestimated. In addition to its own battlefield prowess, al Qaeda has successfully harnessed the resources of other groups to achieve victories, particularly in northwestern Syria. And rebel groups that have dared to oppose Al Nusrah have been quickly annihilated. Meanwhile, the jihadist ideology has spread throughout Syria, which is exactly what al Qaeda wants.

It is unlikely that any rebel factions can roll back Al Nusrah. Even the 13th Division, which fought with Al Nusrah earlier this month, cooperated with al Qaedas Syrian arm before the two sides finally came to blows. And the 13th Division, which has received support from the US and its allies, proved to be no match for al Qaedas men once a firefight ensued.

Five years into the Syrian war, the West does not have a strategy for defeating Al Nusrah. In fact, Western-backed groups often fight alongside al Qaedas paramilitary fighters.

As a result, there is much truth in Julanis statement. The jihadists are from the people in many areas of Syria. This is not true everywhere, but it doesnt have to be. Nearly 15 years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, al Qaeda has raised a guerrilla army in Syria. Thousands of jihadists now claim to represent the people.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

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Starwood Luxury Collection to Manage Two Hotels in Cuba

Long-time Havana icon,(pictured), will join The Luxury Collection and will undergo renovations before raising its new brand flag later in 2016. A national landmark just steps from the Gran Teatro de La Habana in the heart of downtown Havana, the Inglaterra first opened its doors in 1875 and is home to the famed Gran Cafe el Louvre, which has hosted artists and travelers for over a century. Upon completion of the preservation and conversion projects later this year, the hotel will offer 83 rooms and reopen under The Luxury Collection banner.The Company also announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent to convert the famedinto a member of The Luxury Collection, pending U.S. Treasury Department approval. The nineteenth century colonial-style palace is situated on the Plaza de Armas and overlooking Havana Harbor, the Santa Isabel will offer guests a conveniently situated respite in the heart of Havana's historic city center, with 27 rooms, including 11 suites.The Luxury Collection brand is comprised of world-renowned hotels and resorts offering unique, authentic experiences that evoke lasting, treasured memories. For the global explorer, The Luxury Collection offers a gateway to the world's most exciting and desirable destinations. Each hotel and resort is a unique and cherished expression of its location; a portal to the destination's indigenous charms and treasures. Originated in 1906 under the CIGA brand as a collection of Europe's most celebrated and iconic properties, today The Luxury Collection brand is a glittering ensemble, recently surpassing 100 of the world's finest hotels and resorts in more than 30 countries. All of these hotels, many of them centuries old, are internationally recognized as being among the world's finest.Visit website:
On 18 March, the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) commemorated its 10th anniversary.



ReCAAP is a cooperation between Asian countries, but also other countries such as Denmark, the United States, the Netherlands, Norway and Australia take part in knowledge-sharing and problem-solving. Furthermore, ReCAAP has given inspiration for cooperation on combating piracy in Africa.



Increase in number of incidents

Today, the cooperation on combating armed robbery against ships and their crews in Asia is of great importance. Recent five years have witnessed an increase in the number of armed robbery incidents in South-East Asia. Despite a number of less serious incidents, there have also been serious situations. In 2015, there were a total of 12 captures  11 of which occurred on oil tankers in order to steal the oil.



In order to reduce the number of armed robbery incidents, ReCAAP has been striving to optimise the cooperation between the countries of South-East Asia. As a result, the number of incidents has been decreasing in the last six months, and no ships have been captured.



Cooperation and development continue to be prioritized

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, a special High-Level meeting was held in which several ministers from the cooperating countries took part. At the meeting, a clear signal was sent about the need for continued cooperation and for the development of ReCAAP into a "Centre of Excellence". The goal is that this should come about in the years up to 2020.


Austal USA was awarded a $14 million Littoral Combat Ship contract modification by the U.S. Navy to conduct special studies and analyses, the Navy announced this week. This is the second $14 million LCS modification contract for Austal USA this month.



This award is an option exercised by the Navy to modify the original LCS 10-ship block-buy contract to allow for continued review of the program.



Our workforce is strong, the production line is hot, and our LCS program has a great deal of momentum right now, said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. Our partnership with the Navy remains strong as we continue to deliver the LCS and prepare for the advanced high-speed future frigate.



Austal will provide engineering and design services to reduce acquisition and lifecycle costs for the Independence-variant LCS.



The company was awarded $14.656 million in LCS modifications, Mar. 2, to perform planning and implementation of design changes identified during construction periods. The corrections and upgrades support sail-away and follow-on post-delivery test and trial periods.



The USS Independence (LCS 2) has sailed over 86,000 nautical miles since delivery while the USS Coronado (LCS 4) has sailed over 23,000 miles, executing the Navy's traditional post-delivery test and trials schedule.



Austal USA is currently building ships under a $3.5 billion LCS 10-ship block-buy contract and $1.6 billion Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) 10-ship block-buy contract both from the U.S. Navy. Seven LCS and three EPF are currently under construction at the companys headquarters and ship manufacturing facilities in Mobile, Alabama.
Eight Sailors aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) were injured when an arresting gear parted during a routine landing by an E-2C Hawkeye aircraft.



There were no fatalities and the Sailors are listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.



The injured Sailors were working on the flight deck at the time of the mishap. Six have been transported to Norfolk Sentara General Hospital for treatment. Two remain aboard IKE.



The names of the injured personnel will not be released. Their families are being (have been) notified.



The aircraft regained flight and returned safely to its base at Norfolk Naval Station Chambers Field. Initial reports are the aircraft was not damaged and no aircrew members were injured.



The ship is off the Virginia coast conducting carrier qualifications for Composite Training Unit and Joint Task Force Exercises (COMPTUEX/JTFEX) in preparation for their upcoming deployment.



An investigation is underway to determine the cause.


Contracts for unique equipment supplies were awarded during the visit of Rosneft Chairman of the Management Board Igor Sechin to China.



Zvezda Far East Shipyard and Nantong COSCO Heavy Industry Co.,Ltd(CHIC) have signed a contract for the supply of 9 cranes for Zvezda shipyard in the presence of Igor Sechin, Rosneft Chairman of the Management Board. The document was signed by Evgeny Kraynov, Zvezda Project Leader and Zhao Zengshan, General Manager of Nantong COSCO Heavy Industry Co. Ltd.



According to the contract, CHIC is to supply equipment with unique characteristics to the construction site of Zvezda shipyard in 2016-2017  a 1200 t Goliath crane, four 320 t cranes and four 100 t cranes.



In addition, Zvezda Far East Shipyard and Suzhou Dafang Special Vehicle Co. Ltd have signed a contract for the supply of five self-propelled heavy transporters. The document was signed by Evgeny Kraynov and Huang Jinghui, General Manager of Suzhou Dafang Special Vehicle Co., Ltd.



Suzhou Dafang Special Vehicle is to supply two 650 t transporters, two 320 t transporters and one 150 t transporter.



Operational sites Inspection

Igor Sechin inspected the operational sites, involved in the production of equipment for the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex. The Head of Rosneft said: "The contracts awarded today are an example of mutually beneficial cooperation with our Chinese partners. Chinese companies are among the leaders of the industry. Deliveries of unique shipbuilding equipment will facilitate the task of building one of the leading shipyards in the world."
Erdogan Repudiates Democracy, Freedom and Rule of Law

Tyrants operate their own way, eliminating whatever interferes with their iron-fisted rule - Erdogan one of the regions worst, a tinpot despot in a part of the world ruled by dictators.



Anyone supporting freedom fighting Kurds he calls terrorists are considered enemies of the state, subject to prosecution, imprisonment or assassination.

Hes waging no-holds-barred war on his Kurdish citizens, massacring civilians, burning hundreds to death vindictively, desperate people taking shelter in basements succumbing to his viciousness.



US and other Western leaders ignore his worst crimes. EU ones cut a deal to turn Turkey into a refugee dumping ground, a giant concentration camp denying their fundamental rights - sealing their borders, expelling desperate people, turning their back on human need they bear responsibility for causing complicit with Washington.



Erdogan intends stealing much of the EU bribe offered for his own regime and personal use, including waging war on Turkish, Iraqi and Syrian Kurds.



He wants opposition parliament members stripped of their immunity, leaving them vulnerable to prosecution and imprisonment for criticizing his policies.



Mainly he wants pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party of Turkey (HDP) MPs targeted, saying I no longer see as legitimate political actors the members of a party which is operating as a branch of a terrorist organization - freedom fighting Kurds wanting fundamental rights he denies them.



On Saturday, a blast in central Istanbul killed at least five, wounded dozens more, the death toll likely to rise - the third major act of violence in Turkey this year. Two others rocked Ankara, the nations capital.



Kurdish terrorists are always blamed, true or false. Erdogan uses these incidents to his advantage - solidifying iron-fisted rule, waging war on fundamental freedoms, eliminating them altogether, turning Turkey into a full-blown dictatorship.



Western leaders ignore his worst crimes, in bed with the devil in dealing with him.

By Stephen Lendman

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com

His new book as editor and contributor is titled Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

He lives in Chicago and can be reached in Chicago at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.



Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday through Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national topics. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 2016 Copyright Stephen Lendman - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




The Henry County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider approving a revised request for carryover funds from the Henry County School Board.

Last month, Henry County Schools Supervisor Dr. Jared Cotton requested action on several items regarding the fiscal year 2016 carryover funds. The carryover amount totaled $1,075,991, of which the supervisors agreed to release $725,491 toward construction of Bengal Tech at Bassett High School.

The school board also requested the use of $350,000 toward other items, on which the board of supervisors deferred action until the presentation of the fiscal year 2017 county budget.

On Tuesday, Cotton will bring a revised request to use the $350,000 on other items, including an additional $130,500 toward Bengal Tech and $220,000 toward paving projects at Axton Elementary and Rich Acres Elementary.

According to board documents, county staff has recommended the approval of the additional $130,500 toward Bengal Tech, because the project is on a tight timeline.

However, the board documents continue, county staff recommends that action on the other requests be deferred until presentation of the fiscal year 2017 budget, which is anticipated to be extremely tight.

Also at the boards 3 p.m., the supervisors are scheduled to:

-Consider approving program documents for the Smith River Small Towns Business District Revitalization Project.

The Smith River Small Towns Business District Revitalization Board held its first meeting March 3, and the board reviewed and approved the Business District Revitalization Project Program Design/Guidelines and the Business District Revitalization Project Program Income Plan. Both documents require approval by the board of supervisors in order to meet guidelines established by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (VDHCD).

-Consider a resolution regarding signature authority of the Henry County Sheriffs Offices jail inmate fund.

According to board documents, Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry is asking the board to approve a resolution which would update the funds signature authority, allowing specific law enforcement personnel to more effectively conduct day-to-day transactions relating to the fund.

The fund is comprised of cash on inmates of the Henry County Jail at the time of their arrest and contributions to them from their family members. The funds can only be used for the health and welfare of specific county inmates.

-Consider awarding a contract to Watch Guard Video Inc. of Allen, Texas in the amount of $120,380 for the purchase of 24 in-car camera systems for the Henry County Sheriffs Office. Funds for the purchase are included in the fiscal year 2016 capital improvements plan budget.

-Consider awarding a contract GCS Electronics Inc. of Martinsville for the purchase and maintenance of a new Avtec Scout radio dispatch console system at a cost of $106,968 annually for six years. The radio would be used by the Martinsville-Henry County 9-1-1 Communications Center.

The award is contingent upon available funds in the 9-1-1 Center fiscal year 2017 operating budget. The 9-1-1 Center is funded jointly by the city of Martinsville and Henry County with the county serving as the fiscal agent.

-Consider an additional appropriation of $4,227 from the U.S. Department of Justice SCAAP (State Criminal Alien Assistance Program) grant. According to Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry, the grant will be used to improve the camera system inside the Henry County Jail.

-Consider a resolution in honor of the Ridgeway District Rescue Squad, which on April 16 will celebrate its 40th anniversary. The resolution will be presented to the squad at 10 a.m. on the day of the celebration event.

-Consider a proclamation establishing April 2016 as Fair Housing Month in Henry County.

The countys grant contract with the VDHCD require that for each grant year that a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project is active, the county must conduct one activity that promotes fair housing.

-Hear a monthly update from Mark Heath, President and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation.

-Hear a monthly report on delinquent tax collection efforts from Henry County Treasurer Scott Grindstaff.

-Hear matters presented by the public.

Toby Deal of the Horsepasture District has requested time on the boards 3 p.m. agenda to discuss road issues and business license fees.

-Approve accounts payable.

-Review monthly financial reports.

-Receive informational items, including the county administrators report.

-Enter closed session to discuss appointees to the Blue Ridge Regional Library Board, the Planning Commission, the Henry-Martinsville Social Services Board and the Patrick Henry Community College Board; pending legal matters; acquisition/disposal of real estate; and as-yet unannounced industries.
CARTER

Larry Edward

Quietly and peacefully Larry Edward Carter (fondly called "Teddy Bear" and Fryin Size") completed his earthly journey on Thursday, March 17, 2016, in his home on Brookside Road, Axton. He was predeceased in death by his parents, Edward Carter and Marion Elizabeth Gravely Carter. At an early age during a week in revival, Larry joined the New Design Baptist Church along with a group of his relatives and friends.

A hard worker all of his life, Larry attended Chapel Elementary School until sixth grade. He graduated from Stony Mill Elementary School in the seventh grade. As a senior he was among the last graduates of Southside High School of Blairs, in 1969.

Soon after graduation Larry married Sarah Ann Carter. Three children were born from this union, Arhonda Cassandra Carter, Larry Christopher Carter and Tremayne Edward Carter. Larry worked in several capacities during his lifetime. The last two places of employment were Goodyear Tire and Rubber and Hooker Furniture.

Throughout his lifetime, Larry was driven by a spirit of determination to make things work, regardless of the challenges ahead. He worked hard. He played hard. Never one to seek handouts, he took care of his business in his own way of doing things. One of his favorite ways to past the time was by playing spades and having a good time at "The Store".

With his siblings, Kenneth Carter (Mildred), Arlene Carter, Wendell Carter (Janie), Phillip Carter (Betty) and Deborah Ann Carter Breedlove (Harry), unbreakable family ties developed. Through all of his life and its bumps and curves, the Carter clan kept the love of family as the focus of sisterhood and brotherhood. Three grandchildren, (Laya Young, Joshua and Janycia Carter) added energy and happiness to Larry's ever-growing family circle. Whatever the situation, Larry fought as a soldier's son should. He studied. He lived. He loved. He left a legacy of working hard and learning to make things work when possibly only he could "see" the vision ahead.

The Carter family and many others will have memories of "Teddy Bear" and his footprints in the sands of time. In Larry's favorite words, "God knows".

A graveside service will be conducted Sunday, March 20, 2016, at 3 p.m., at the New Sharon Grove Baptist Church, Wyatt Farm Road, Axton, Va., with the Rev. Larry Penn, officiating. Family and friends will assemble at the gravesite at 2:45 p.m. Howerton Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
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cookstah!.jpeg

This Shih Tzu puppy named Cookie is the latest family dog for columnist Garry Brown; Brown is continuing his many years of talking to dogs and never getting any answers.

(MELISSA BROWN )

For most of my life, I have been asking questions of family dogs, and getting no answers. By now, I should know better, but I just can't help it. I keep asking.

For me, it all started with Midge, the first dog I knew as a family member. (There are photographs of me with a collie named Bonnie, but I was too young to remember her).

Midge, an overweight, black cocker spaniel, came to us at the end of World War II when I was 13 years old. She was an ideal companion, always ready to have her belly rubbed.

One day, though, she started yapping away for no apparent reason.

Then came the inevitable inquiry, posed in frustration by my dad: "What are you barking at?"

Ah, there it was, undoubtedly the most-asked question in the history of dogdom.

If Midge could have answered my dad, it might have gone something like this: "Well, I thought I heard something on the front porch, and I wanted to let you know about it. Just doing my watchdog job, OK."

Since that unforgettable cocker, our family has had a succession of three Labrador retrievers (spanning a total of 37 years) and, now, a Shih Tzu puppy named Cookie.

The other day, I fell back into the trap. Yes, I actually asked Cookie what he was barking at, knowing full well that he would answer me only with that patented blank stare.

As it turned out, he somehow sensed that we had visitors, a backyard full of turkeys (26 of them at last count). When I finally saw those big black birds - a regular sight in our neighborhood, by the way - I said, "Well, why didn't you say so."

So there it was, yet another of those infernal doggie questions.

"Why ask why," my wife said.

Why, indeed? But we all keep doing it.

Questions posed to dogs follow a predictable pattern. Some are caused by inexplicable behavior on their part, others by our failed attempts to anticipate what they need.

In the inexplicable-behavior department, the most-asked question of Cookie is a rather gross one: "Why are you trying to eat your poo?"

We worried about that one until his vet told us that such behavior is common among puppies of the small breeds. We have been assured that he will outgrow the habit, but we're still waiting.

Meanwhile, when you try to anticipate what he's going to do next, more questions arise. Like:

* Do you want to go out?

* Do you want your dinner?

*Do you want to go for a walk?

Alas, no answers.

Puppies have a way of raising questions around the house, too. In that regard, one inquiry stands way above the rest: "What are you chewing?"

It's usually followed by, "Where did you get that?"

We have learned that our low-to-the-ground pup has a tendency to act like a vacuum cleaner as he trolls the front and back yards. Invariably, he'll have tiny twigs or bits of oak leaves in his mouth when he comes in from a walk. So, we almost know the answer to the "what are you chewing" question, but we ask, anyway.

Puppies seem to watch every move that family members make, especially as we attempt to eat a meal. This, of course, leads to further questions like "What do you want" or "What are you looking at."

One of my favorite unanswered questions - "Are you crazy, or what?" - was reserved for our chocolate Lab, Koko. On cold winter mornings, she would submerge herself in deep snow, then roll over on her back and thrash around while looking at me with her tongue hanging out.

Crazy? Don't ask.

As for Cookie, a question often arises when he hustles down the hallway, carrying something in his mouth. I just can't help asking, "What are you doing?" Or, "What have you got there?" Or, an old standby, "Where did you get that?"

Quite often, he can be caught carrying off a slipper, sock or shoe, all good stuff to chew on. Why doesn't he chew his own chew-toys? Again, don't ask. Also, no point in asking why he's already threatening to chew through one of the legs of my writing desk.

So it goes in the wonderful world of dogs. We keep asking questions, and they keep ignoring us.

Sometimes, it can get to be downright exasperating. When that happens, there's one question that covers it all:

"NOW what are you doing?"

Garry Brown can be reached at geeman1918@gmail.com.
Thousands of spectators gathered in South Boston on Sunday to celebrate the city's iconic St. Patrick's Day parade.

The parade bills itself as the second largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the country. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a South Boston Democrat, marched near the front. The parade featured military men and women, police on horseback, high school bands, union floats, and lots and lots of green.

The City of Boston tried to halve the length of the parade route this year, citing security concerns with drunken revelers. But after organizers from the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council filed suit, a federal judge ordered the City of Boston to allow the parade to stick to its traditional 3.2 mile route.
HOLYOKE - Two men were shot on West Street Sunday afternoon in the city's Flats neighborhood.

One man was shot in the ankle and the second shot in the thigh at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday on the sidewalk in front of 77 West St., Police Chief James Neiswanger said. No arrests have been made.

Both men have been brought to an area hospital by ambulance. It is too soon to say how seriously they were injured, he said.

One of the victims lives in the neighborhood where the shooting happened. The second lives in Springfield, Neiswanger said.

The shooting was reported just as the St. Patrick's Parade was wrapping up less than a mile away on High Street. "It does not seem to be related to the parade and the road race at this point," Neiswanger said.

Preliminary information also does not tie the incident to a Saturday afternoon shooting in the city. At about 4:30 p.m., one man was injured in a shooting at the intersection of Dwight and Linden Streets. The crime happened a few blocks away from the route for the St. Patrick's Road Race that attracted more than 7,000 runners.

An officer who witnessed the alleged shooting reportedly fired at the suspect after he refused to stop and attempted to flee the scene. The officer missed the man, but he was later apprehended.

On Sunday, Police blocked off West Street as they searched for shell casings and other evidence at the shooting scene.

One of the stray bullets also struck one of the homes in the neighborhood, apparently breaking a window, he said.

"This is an element that sometimes deals in drugs," Neiswanger said, adding he is not sure if this shooting is specifically drug-related.

Neighbors gathered outside as police investigated.

Marilyn Rodriguez, who lives near the shooting, said she heard five or six shots and then went outside to see that two men had been injured.

She said she knows one of the victims, who she said is in his early 20s. Rodriguez said she did not know the other man.

"He is a good kid. I think he will be OK," she said.

Rodriguez said she was relieved the shooting happened while children were away from the neighborhood and watching the parade. Typically on a nice day children are outside playing on the street's sidewalks. Her own grandchildren ride their bikes up and down the street all the time.

"It's ridiculous. People are hurting each other and they don't think of the kids," she said.

No one else was injured in the shooting. Holyoke detectives are being assisted by Massachusetts State Police.

This is a breaking story. Updates will be posted as more information becomes available.
HOLYOKE  The first time Finnoula "Finn" Montalvo attended the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade was in her mother's belly, and she has not missed a parade since.

"I like all the floats and the cars, and my mom always makes them(marchers) do a jig, which I think is really funny," said the 10-year-old, who attended the event with her mother, Paula Burke, as well as her grandmother and other friends and family.

The parade is celebrating its 65th year and Finn's family has been hosting a parade day party for at least 40 years.

"We love Holyoke, it is a great place to live and the parade is an opportunity to celebrate that," said Burke, who is a lifelong resident of the city. Her family has a long history in Holyoke and her great-grandfather John H. Woods was even mayor of the city at one time.

While Finn's family has been attending the parade ever since she can remember, there were many new faces in the crowd including Richard and Teresa Delphia and their daughter Anne Barber and her husband Gene Barber, all of Pittsfield.

"I had heard it was a great parade and we decided to come check it out," said Gene Barber from behind a bright green fake beard. The family dressed up for the occasion sporting green and white hats decorated with shamrocks.

Richard Delphia kept it simple with just some green beads around his neck.

"We are big fans of parades in Pittsfield," he said referring to the large 4th of July Parade held in the city every year.

Teresa Delphia and Anne Barber both said they were enjoying the parade experiance.

"Everyone seems excited and have all been very nice. We're happy to be here in Holyoke to celebrate," said Delphia who will also be celebrating her 60th wedding anniversary this month.

While the parade is about the bands and floats and marchers, it is just as much about the people who set up tables, chairs, and even grilling stations, at the break of dawn each year, to get the perfect view.

For Paula Burke there is no better place to be on parade day.

"We love being from Holyoke and living in Holyoke. This is all about tradition, heritage, family and being together," she said.
NEWARK, Delaware - A 20-year-old man from Massachusetts died Saturday after falling from the roof of a three-story home in Delaware, according to the Newark, Delaware Police Department.

Police have not released the man's name or his hometown in Massachusetts.

Officers from the Newark Police Department were called to the 100 block of West Main Street around 4 p.m. after the man fell from the roof. The man was taken to an area hospital where he later died.

"This investigation in is the preliminary stages and there are no additional details available at this point," police said. "Although the subject is not a University of Delaware Student, the University Police are on scene assisting the Newark Police Victim Services Unit with providing access to victim and counseling services."

The News Journal reports that University of Delaware fraternity members live in the home, although the residence is not a fraternity house. The man who died was not a student at the university.
national weather service map 3/20/2016

(National Weather Service)

SPRINGFIELD - A winter storm heading into Massachusetts will bring flakes into the Springfield area Sunday night, but meteorologists said there would only be a small amount of snow in the area.

The Springfield area is expected to receive about two inches of snow, according to Western Mass News meteorologist Don Maher.

New computer models have shifted the storm a little to the west, which changed the predicted snowfall totals in Western Massachusetts. Maher said meteorologists continue to track the storm.

The eastern part of Hampden and Hampshire counties could see the heavier snow bands of the storm. It's possible some of those areas could see over two inches of snow, Maher said.



Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Taunton said the snow would most likely end in the Springfield area around 8 a.m. Monday.

Alan Dunham, meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said Plymouth County and Bristol County are expected to see the most snow during the storm. Both counties are expected to receive 6-to-10 inches of snow.

The morning commute on Interstate 95 and Routes 24 and 3 in those areas are going to be the worst in the state, Dunham said.

Boston is expected to receive about 6-to-8 inches of snow. Worcester appears to be on track to receive 4-to-5 inches of snow. The snowfall in Worcester will end around 9 a.m, Dunham said.
WORCESTER - The city has declared a parking ban as meteorologists predict Worcester could see an much as five inches of snow overnight.

The parking ban will begin Sunday at 8 p.m. A winter storm is predicted to cover some parts of Massachusetts with snow starting Sunday night. Worcester is expected to see 4-to-5 inches of snow. Snowfall should end around 9 a.m. in Worcester, according to meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Taunton.
BAll 21 Molnar.jpg

Parade president Michael T. Ahearn, left, with Dan Ahearn and Michael Ahearn.

(David Molnar | The Republican)

"Walking, I am listening to a deeper way. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands."

 Linda Hogan

By MICHAEL AHEARN

It is and honor and a privilege to welcome you to the 65th annual Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade. I would like to thank the members, I mean my parade family, for the love and support they gave me this Parade year. It will never be forgotten.

When I joined the Holyoke Committee in 2002 and I was overwhelmed with the organization. After getting more involved year after year I came to realize this group is a family, and a very tight knit family to say the least. The dedication and enthusiasm to the Reunion Weekend and their loyalty to the City of Holyoke is immeasurable.

I would like to congratulate this year's award winners, Grand Marshal Patti Devine, Citizenship Award winner Dinn Bros., Rohan Award Winner Marc Joyce, O'Connell Award winner Jim Wildman and Gallivan Award Winner Sue Doran. I look forward to marching the streets of Holyoke with you.

Thank you to Mayor Morse, the Holyoke City Officials, the Holyoke Police, Auxiliary Police and Fire Departments, and the Holyoke DPW for their support helping with the continued success of the Parade and Road Race.

A special thank to our many sponsors who support all of our events leading up to and continuing through the Road Race and Parade weekend. We appreciate your support!

And to my family: Mom, Dad, Pat, Dan, Molly, Jenny, Jackson, Aiden, Rowan and Finley, Thank you. Having you in my corner and marching in this parade means the world to me.

Slainte.

Michael T. Ahearn is the, 2016 President of the St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke.
The Spence and Cleone Eccles Family Rural West Conference http://web.stanford.edu/group/ruralwest/cgi-bin/drupal/ , co-sponsored by the University of Montana and Stanford University, attracted academics, journalists, policymakers and lawyers from across the Rocky Mountain West.

This is the first time in the four year history of the event that it has been held in Montana. The general discussion centered on the larger topic of how the relationship between people and place defines the rural American West and its communities.

Stanford University Political Science Professor Bruce Cain says hosting the conference in Montana provides a unique opportunity for the program and attendees.

By Ariana Lake

Full Story: http://www.kpax.com/story/31514163/regional-leaders-discuss-rural-issues
Are you putting together a business plan? Well, good luck with that. Ive seen lots of business plans over the past few decades that have been prepared by many well-meaning business owners for themselves, their bankers and their investors. Just about all of them have been useless.

Want to know why? Its almost always one or more of the following three reasons.

By Gene Marks

Full Story: http://sba.thehartford.com/finance/3-reasons-why-your-business-plan-is-useless?cmp=EMC-SC-SBA-03432973

***

Heres how to write a realistic business plan with a long shelf life.

Before you write a lengthy business plan, consider starting to sell your product and service so you have some real-world experience to design your business model around.

By Kelly Spors

http://sba.thehartford.com/finance/how-to-give-your-business-plan-a-very-long-shelf-life
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"This gene mutation can be in both the blood and the tumor tissue of patients, and in the tissue, it's in high percentages," said Ko, the study's corresponding author. "We believe that once this gene is mutated, it induces the tumor to grow."GT198, which is also a coactivator of receptors for steroid hormones such as estrogen, is normally regulated by estrogen, Ko said. But once mutated, GT198 can enable tumor production without estrogen. "Regardless of how much hormone you have, it's out-of-control growth," Ko said of the resulting classic, rapid growth of cancer.In a cancerous breast, scientists have seen the problems with the various components of breast tissue but could not fully explain why they happened. The tissue, called the stroma, includes fat cells, or adipocytes, that provide padding; fibroblasts, which make the framework for tissue; pericytes in blood vessels, which are contractile cells that help regulate blood pressure; as well as myoepithelial cells comprising the outer layer of the ductal system through which milk flows.The new study backs up a few steps and shows that mutated GT198 also directly affects stem cells found on blood vessels that make these various components of breast tissue. "This puts it together," Ko said."It's a new target in cancer. It's very exciting," said Dr. Nita Maihle, MCG cancer biologist, associate center director for education at the university's Cancer Center and a study co-author. "This tells you that all the different types of stromal cells in breast tissue are affected by the GT198 mutation because they all come from a common progenitor cell."The net effect is a tumorigenic environment filled with what Ko calls inappropriate offspring. "Here is a cause-consequence relationship," she said.Next steps include pursuing therapies, including antibodies and herb-derived treatments, that target the misguided progenitor cells, instead of only targeting the cancerous breast tissue they produce, Ko said. "We think the way to treat breast cancer is to target the progenitor cells. We want to kill these cells that are feeding the tumor rather than just killing the tumor cells, which is less effective."In a 2013 study in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Ko and her colleagues showed tumor cells containing mutated GT198 protein in the stroma in various types of ovarian cancer, indicating the gene could also be a source for ovarian cancer.Ko first cloned the human GT198 gene while a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, and subsequent studies by her and others have shown it has multiple roles that also include regulating stem cells, cell suicide and turning other genes off and on.All cells have the GT198 gene but most adult cells don't express it. In the breast, for example, it may be transiently expressed in a pregnant woman preparing for milk production and, potentially, in the case of breast injury. Males express it in the testes.Ductal breast cancer, which is in the ducts that carry milk, is the most common type of breast cancer and lobular carcinoma, which begins in the milk-producing glands, is the second most common. Most breast cancer comes from the cells that line those ducts, Maihle said.BRCA1 and 2, genes whose proteins are supposed to work as tumor suppressors and also repair DNA damage, were the first known risk factor genes for familial breast cancer as well as ovarian and other cancers. About 4 percent of familial breast cancers would include inherited mutations of GT198, which is also considered a causative gene in sporadic cases, Ko said.Source: Eurekalert
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Dr. Wakeland and colleagues sequenced millions of DNA base pairs from more than 1,700 people, which allowed precise identification of the genetic variations contributing to SLE, he said. Specifically, the researchers identified 1,206 DNA variations located in 16 different regions of the human genome associated with increased susceptibility to SLE. They then showed that almost all of them (1,199) modify the level of expression of specific molecules that regulate immune responses, he said.In addition, the two-year study identified many of the specific regulatory variations that were changed in SLE patients and demonstrated that accurately identifying such so-called causal variants increased the accuracy of the genetic association of individual SLE risk genes with susceptibility to SLE. "Prior to our study, such a comprehensive sequence analysis had not been done and little was known about the exact genetic variations that modify the functions of the genes that cause SLE," added Dr. Wakeland, who holds the Edwin L. Cox Distinguished Chair in Immunology and Genetics.The scientists began their comprehensive sequence analysis using the DNA samples of 1,349 American Europeans (773 with SLE disease and 576 without) from sample collections at UT Southwestern, the University of Southern California, UCLA, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and the Universite Catholique de Louvain in Belgium.They then determined the precise DNA sequences at SLE-associated genetic regions scattered throughout the genome. They found that SLE risk is associated with specific clusters of DNA variations, commonly called haplotypes, and that some haplotypes increased the risk for SLE while others provided protection from SLE. After identifying the sets of DNA variants that increased SLE susceptibility in Caucasians, they used multiple public databases, including the international 1000 Genomes Project (2,504 genomic samples from the global human population) to determine whether these haplotypes also were found in South American, South Asian, African, and East Asian populations.They discovered that the variants and haplotypes were distributed across subpopulations worldwide. Their findings indicate that many common haplotypes in the immune system are shared at different frequencies throughout the global population, suggesting that these variations in the immune system have ancient origins and persist in populations for long periods, Dr. Wakeland said. "We thank the many SLE patients and control participants whose sample contributions were essential for these studies," the researchers wrote.Dr. Wakeland and colleagues plan to continue the research by obtaining more DNA samples and expanding their analysis to additional SLE risk genes with the goal of obtaining a data set that can be used to predict an individual's unique risk of SLE, as well as the likelihood of benefiting from specific treatments. "It is feasible that this same type of genetic analysis will allow the clustering of SLE patients into specific groups, based on their genetic predispositions, which would improve clinical management and potentially allow the development of more targeted therapies," Dr. Wakeland said.Earlier this month, UT Southwestern announced that Dr. Wakeland, whose laboratory has long served as the institution's Genomics and Microarray Core Facility, will be leading a large DNA-sequencing initiative to address important clinical challenges. The new clinical sequencing facility, in collaboration with the Department of Pathology, will provide panel sequencing for cancer and other diagnoses, and eventually expand to whole-exome and whole-genome sequence analysis for a variety of patients.The laboratory will be established in the BioCenter on the East Campus. To commit full effort to this initiative, Dr. Wakeland will step down as Chair of Immunology, but will remain in this role until his successor is named. "This clinical sequencing core facility will generate laboratory data to be used for the evaluation of patient tumors. I hope we will someday expand to genotyping patients to identify potential susceptibility to autoimmune disease and many other conditions as the field of precision medicine develops," Dr. Wakeland said.Source: Eurekalert
The politically fraught endeavor is a follow-through on a nearly 2-year-old warning that those immigrants who don't win permission to stay in the United States would be sent packing. It comes at a time when Republican presidential candidates are pushing for tougher immigration action.

Homeland Security officials have kept a wary eye on the border since more than 68,000 unaccompanied children and roughly as many people traveling as families, many fleeing widespread violence in Central America, were caught crossing the border illegally in 2014. The effort to step up enforcement against families and young immigrants started in the midst of a new wave of such immigrants.

Previous efforts to curb illegal crossings seemed to work initially, as the number of children and families making the journey dropped about 40 percent between 2014 and 2015. But that number started to rise again late last summer. At the same time, the immigration court system faced a backlog of more than 474,000 cases.

Now Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is touting government efforts to find and deport families as well as those unaccompanied children who are now adults and have been ordered home.

One of those unaccompanied children-turned-adults targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement is 19-year-old Wildin David Guillen Acosta. He said he came to the United States from Honduras by bus, car and on foot after a gang member threatened his life.

"He'd say, 'I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you,'" Acosta said in Spanish. "I told my mother, and she told me to come to the United States."

Speaking in an immigration jail in rural Georgia, Acosta said he was afraid to go home.

"There's a lot of violence, a lot of death," Acosta said. "They'll kill you for a telephone."

His mother, Dilsia Acosta, said her son came to the U.S. in June 2014 at the peak of the crossings. Wildin Acosta was arrested in January after a judge ruled that he should be deported.

Wildin Acosta had been going to school and working since arriving in North Carolina. He had hoped to win asylum.

Wildin Acosta's lawyer, Evelyn Smallwood, said Friday that he may be sent back to Honduras as soon as this weekend, despite a pending request in immigration court to reopen his case. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has not told Smallwood when Wildin Acosta may be returned.

"We are asking that ICE not interfere with his opportunity to have a fair hearing," Smallwood said.

Since October, more than 800 immigrants who arrived as unaccompanied children have been sent home, according to ICE statistics. Other formerly unaccompanied child immigrants with pending deportation orders have been detained in preparation for deportation.

"We have sent out thousands of leads on (unaccompanied children) who have final orders issued by the immigration courts, some in absentia, some in person, and we are out looking for those leads," Tom Homan, ICE's chief of enforcement and removal operations, told lawmakers in February. "I have 129 (fugitive operations) teams out there every day."

About 10,000 unaccompanied children have been ordered out of the country since July 2014, but roughly 87 percent of those orders were issued in absentia, according to Justice Department figures.

Johnson said the arrests should come as no surprise since he announced in late 2014 that new border crossers were an enforcement priority.

"We do not have, and cannot have, an open border so we have to have enforcement at the border," Johnson told The Associated Press. "Are enforcement actions against families pleasant? No, of course not. In a very personal way, I recognize that."

The arrests have angered immigration advocates and Democrats who argue it is dangerous to send families and young immigrants back to dangerous and impoverished Central American countries.

And the efforts come at a complicated time for Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who are both vying for the Hispanic vote. Both candidates have promised to be more lenient in enforcing immigration laws than President Barack Obama.

Kevin Appleby, director of international migration policy for the Center for Migration Studies, said the administration is "caught in a difficult spot."

"Before they start deporting unaccompanied children wholesale they have to fix ... the legal system so these children have a fair opportunity" to fight to stay in the country, Appleby said.
The U.S. signed the treaty with Great Britain in 1916. The British were acting on behalf of Canada. Similar agreements were reached shortly thereafter with Japan, Russia and Mexico. All are designed to protect birds that migrate across international borders.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial curriculum takes students in 4th-8th grades through the history of bird conservation and will introduce them to environmental legislation and the concept of treaties. Students also will learn about 14 Michigan birds.

The centennial celebration in Michigan also includes monthly stories on featured birds in DNR publications and education programs at parks.
The first death of a U.S. Marine in combat against the Islamic State in Iraq and the wounding of several others in a rocket attack Saturay highlights the difficulty of the U.S. military's "accelerated" campaign to take back Mosul and Raqqa from the militant group.

The Defense Department on Sunday identified the Marine as Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, of Temecula, California, who died of wounds suffered when the enemy attacked his unit with rocket fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has repeatedly said the military is on an "accelerated," if indefinite, timetable to oust the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from its two main strongholds. He said last Friday that President Barack Obama has been pressing for it to happen before he leaves office.

"That's what he (Obama) said he wants," Carter said at a Politico Playbook breakfast. "That's what he's told me and Gen. Dunford," referring to Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford.

Carter has said that taking Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of ISIS in northeastern Syria and Mosul in northwestern Iraq were the keys to defeating the terrorist group. Obama has told him to "get this done as soon as possible. I'd like to not leave this to my successor," Carter said.

When asked about Obama's remarks as relayed by Carter, Air Force Col. Pat Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, echoed previous statements by officials at CentCom, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in Baghdad and Carter himself in declining to give a schedule for taking Raqqa and Mosul.

"I'm not going to put a timeline on it," Ryder said, while adding that the U.S. military was "moving as fast as possible" in concert with the capabilities on the ground of the Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Iraq and with the Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria.

Ryder spoke in a phone briefing from CentCom headquarters in Tampa to the Pentagon on Friday, a day before the announcement of the Marine's death at a firebase in Mahmour, about 60 miles southeast of Mosul.

Using another acronym for ISIS, Ryder said that "ISIL is heavily contesting those areas" around Mahmour to prevent an Iraqi security forces buildup there for an eventual assault on Mosul and also in the area northwest of Baiji, where Iraqi forces have been attempting to clear a path up the Tigris river valley up to Mahmour.

Ryder also noted continuing ISIS attacks in and around Ramadi in southern Anbar province, which Iraqi forces declared cleared on Feb. 9 after a months-long offensive to retake the city about 70 miles west of Baghdad. "ISIL may have lost this terrain but they haven't given up on it," he said.

The Marine killed Saturday and the others who were wounded were "providing force protection fire support at a recently established coalition fire base near Makhmour" and had come under fire from ISIS rockets, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement on Saturday.

"This is the second combat death since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve, and it reminds us of the risks our men and women in uniform face every day," Cook said.

The first U.S. service member to be killed in combat in Iraq since the U.S. began bombing ISIS in August 2014 was 39-year-old Special Operations Army Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler. He was killed last October in a firefight while coming to the aid of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in a raid to free hostages in an ISIS prison near Mahmour.

Wheeler's death appeared to conflict with the rules against "boots on the ground" combat and limiting the U.S. military's role to the air campaign and training, advising and assisting local forces.

However, Carter said shortly after the raid in which Wheeler was killed, "This is combat" and "we expect do to do more of this kind of thing."

Dunford said again last week in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee that operations to retake Raqqa and Mosul had already begun in the form of "shaping" operations to isolate the two cities. He also declined to put a timetable on the assaults.

"It's already started, it's a slow and steady squeeze," Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy to the coalition formed to combat ISIS, said in an address last Saturday to the American University of Iraq at Sulaymaniyah, The Washington Post reported. However, "it's going to be a long campaign," McGurk said.

Despite the resilience shown by ISIS, an analysis by IHS Jane's last week said the campaign to defeat the terrorist group was succeeding and had reached a "turning point" in terms of loss of territory and efforts to cut off the group's funding and its ability to recruit foreign fighters.

"The tide of the war is turning against the Islamic State," HIS Jane's said. "The Islamic State is increasingly isolated, and being perceived as in decline."

--Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Almost 100 people mostly from Haiti who were rescued from an overcrowded boat off the Florida coast had no food or water for...
The Padres benefited from the qualifying offer system this winter, writes Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. When Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy declined their qualifying offers, it earned the Friars the 25th and 26th picks in the next amateur draft. The experiences of players like Ian Desmond and Dexter Fowler have led many to expect sweeping changes in the next collective bargaining agreement. While visiting the Padres camp today, MLBPA chief Tony Clark cautioned that changes would be wrapped in together with revenue sharing, service time, the luxury tax, and other factors. As Clark explains, its not useful to look at items individually when the entire agreement should work in concert. Clark is also expected to visit the Indians today, tweets Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com.
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(Photo courtesy of Green Buzz Agency/Feature Photo Service for IBM)

From robot greeters to pathway cars

Keith Brophy, executive director of the Michigan Small Business Development Center, shared his Top 10 Tech Trends to watch in the next decade, according to Grand Valley State University's Seidman College of Business. Brophy's predictions were shared at the 15th annual aimWest Tech Trends, held March 16 at City Flats in Grand Rapids.

In this photo, visitors to the Hilton Hotel in McLean, Va. meet "Connie," a robot concierge named after Conrad Hilton and powered by IBM Watson and WayBlazer. Connie, in pilot testing at the hotel, uses cognitive computing and machine learning to answer questions posed in natural language about the hotel, local tourist attractions and restaurants -- while learning with each interaction.

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AP Photo | Eric Risberg

Connected, self-driving vehicles

These self-driving vehicles, owned by companies rather than individuals, will become our primary means of transportation.

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AP Photo | Google

Transportation pathways

These pathways would be restricted to connected, self-driving vehicles will replace many roads.

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AP Photo | SYLWIA KAPUSCINSKI

Personal robots for businesses

Personal robots will be deployed by consumer-oriented businesses to address customer facing tasks and to collect vast amounts of customer interaction data in the process. In this photo, a remote-controlled robot is used for communication between a doctor and a patient in a hospital in Dearborn, Mi.

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AP Photo | Ted S. Warren

Emotional companion devices

Emotional companion devices with targeted expertise will become commonplace, with JIBO serving as a pioneer. In this photo from 2009, Eric Horvitz, former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, poses with a camera from a currently non-functioning computerized receptionist outside of his in his office at Microsoft Corp., in Redmond, Wash.

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AP Photo | Alastair Grant

Workforce displacement

The economy will dramatically transform with significant workforce displacement as new industries emerge centered on Gig and automated services. In this photo, a delivery robotic device that has the capacity to hold some 6-8 kilos of cargo has is looked at by a member of the public in London, Thursday, March, 10, 2016. The six wheeled intelligent robot that uses GPS systems will make its debut in Greenwich after talks with the local authority led to a partnership with the firm.

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AP Photo | AJ Mast

More personal monitoring devices

Personal monitoring technologies deployed by citizens will join multiple governmental data streams to provide ongoing environmental and security threat assessments. In this 2016 photo, Brett Broviak, a manager of respiratory and sleep services at IU Health North Hospital, shows off his Fitbit fitness tracker for the camera on the hospital's campus in Carmel, Ind.

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AP Photo | Space Imaging

Sattelite deployment

Satellite deployment will become much cheaper, easier, and more frequent, leading to breakthroughs in weather and climate monitoring, reductions in the cost of mobile communications, and an acceleration of the space arms race.

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Jim Harger | MLive

Drones grow up

Drone use matures into a blend of automated connected vehicle and automated connected drone technologies working in tandem, such as truck deployed delivery drone fleets and first responder vehicle early arrival drones. In this 2015 photo, Tyrone Wright of Riders Hobby Shop in Grand Rapids holds a drone that sells for $1,000. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates more than 1 million drones will be gifted this Christmas.

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AP Photo | Dave Wasinger

More people will go off-the-grid

Powering homes and small businesses efficiently, earth-friendly, and off-the-grid will become the norm. In this photo taken in 2015, an American mule foot pigs presses its snout up against the fencing at the Sandy Acres Farm homestead in Grass Lake, Mich.

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AP Photo | Gary W. Meek

Virtual reality workplaces

Work teams will increasingly function in virtual reality workplaces, built on a combination of real colleagues, AI-clones of real colleagues, and AI-created colleagues. In this file photo, a Georgia Tech student and a professor work on programming her own tabletop robot.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- At least five people were taken to the hospital from the Hill Street area near the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon.

Authorities had calls for unconscious people in the Hill Street area at around 2 p.m. March 19, and Joyce Williams of Huron Valley Ambulance confirmed several people were taken to the hospital.

Four people were taken in stable condition to the University of Michigan University Hospital and one person was taken in unstable condition, Williams said. Huron Valley Ambulance could not confirm the reasons for transport.

Ann Arbor police said a number of calls for unconscious individuals on Saturday were believed to be related to alcohol use.

Ann Arbor police Sgt. Patrick Maguire said police responded to a number of calls for parties and noise complaints on Hill Street near Tappan Avenue and South State Street throughout the day. He said the number of calls wasn't unusual for a celebratory day.

College-aged party-goers on the street were decked out in green for a seemingly belated St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Darcie Moran covers cops and courts for MLive and The Ann Arbor News. Email her at dmoran@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter @darciegmoran.
OCEANA COUNTY, MI - A 34-year-old Ludington man was killed Saturday in a two-vehicle crash in Oceana County, authorities said.

The crash occurred at 4:35 p.m. on North Oceana Drive at the exit ramp for northbound U.S. 31 in Weare Township, according to Michigan State Police.

Police said the crash occurred when Charles Sielski made a left turn from the U.S. 31 exit ramp onto North Oceana Drive and his vehicle was struck by an eastbound vehicle.

Sielski was taken from the scene to Spectrum Lakeshore hospital in Shelby where he was pronounced dead, according to a news release issued by MSP.

Police said the two occupants of the eastbound vehicle suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Police said Sielski and the two occupants of the other vehicle were all wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash and speed and alcohol are not believed to have been factors.

Police are continuing to investigate the crash.

Rex Hall Jr. is a reporter for MLive.com. You can reach him at rhall2@mlive.com. Follow him on Twitter.
ALBIOIN, MI - A physician whose research contributed to placing the Flint water crisis in the national spotlight is helping Albion College celebrate Women's History Month.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha will speak about "Health Risks of Children Growing Up in Poverty" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, in Room 101 of the college's Towsley Lecture Hall. Admission is free.

Hanna-Attisha is director of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine's Pediatrics Program at Flint's Hurley Hospital.

She gained national attention after reporting in September that a proportion of Flint children younger than age 5 had seen lead levels in their blood nearly double after the city began using water from the Flint River.

Dismissed at first by officials, Hanna-Attisha's findings have been verified and the water crisis in Flint has now become a national issue and topic on this year's presidential campaign trail.

Hanna-Attisha's speech is being hosted by Albion College's Women's and Gender Studies Program, Anna Howard Shaw Women's Center and Institute for Healthcare Professions.

For more information, call 517-629-0226.
JACKSON, MI - Members of the Concord, Springport and Climax-Scotts high school bands have joined forces to form The Masterworks Ensemble.

Jackson County residents can see this group perform two times within the next week.

Concerts are set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Concord High School and 7 p.m. Monday, March 28, at Springport High School.

"We're performing music that is far and away more difficult than most high school groups even attempt," Springport music director Jeff Szekely said in a press release. "But by combining our strengths it gives us a chance to give kids a great experience with great music."

The Masterworks Ensemble concert contains music by British composer Gustav Holst, including "First Suite in E flat for Military Band" and "Marching Song."

The ensemble also is performing Pavel Tchesnokov's "Salvation is Created" under the baton of CMU student teacher Sarah Ball, an alumna of Concord High School who currently is student teaching at Springport.

This is the sixth year that The Masterworks Ensemble has existed. Springport has been a part of the group for four years, while Concord is joining for the first time this year.

"We think this is a great experience to be a part of," said Jason Fritz, director of the Concord band. "It's really challenging our students and stretching their abilities."

The bands met at Springport High School on Saturday, Feb. 27, to rehearse and take masterclasses from professional musicians and music educators from across the state, including Carol Hoste of The Detroit School of Music and Jamie DeVoe of Davenport University.
IM

Ingrid Mattson talks about the Qur'an April 14 at Saginaw Valley State University.

(Courtesy)

KOCHVILLE, TWP., MI -- Ingrid Mattson will discuss the Quran, the Muslim holy book, at 6 p.m. April 14 in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University.

Mattson is speaking as part of the Dr. Anna Akbar Memorial Lecture Series on Culture and Islam. Her topic is "Qur'an: Text, Context and Tradition."

Mattson earned her doctorate in 1999 from the University of Chicago. She is a senior fellow of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Jordan. From 2009-2010, she was a member of the Interfaith Task Force of the White House Office of Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.

She is a past member of the Council on Global Leaders of the C-100 of the World Economic Forum and the Leadership Group of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project.

The event is free.
Nairobi (AFP) - The Kenyan military said Sunday it killed 34 Islamic insurgents in two separate battles in neighbouring Somalia this weekend.

Military spokesman David Obonyo said two Kenyan soldiers were also killed and five others wounded when Shebab militants staged an ambush in Afmadhow, southern Somalia, on Saturday afternoon.

"21 Shebab militants were killed," Obonyo said, during what he described as a "fierce engagement".

Last week, the Kenyan army said it thwarted an attack on a military camp also at Afmadhow, killing 19 militants.

Obonyo said 13 more Shebab fighters were killed in a separate operation on Sunday in Sarira, north of the southern port town of Ras Kamboni, in which "a middle level Shebab commander" was also captured. In both incidents weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, were seized, Obonyo said.

In January, the Al Qaeda-aligned Shebab overran a Kenyan military camp in El-Adde, southern Somalia, manned by up to 200 soldiers, killing a large number of them although Nairobi has refused to say how many died.

The attack, which was widely regarded as Kenya's worst-ever military loss, was the third major assault on isolated bases manned by soldiers of the multinational African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Camps set up by Burundian and Ugandan troops have also been attacked with scores of soldiers killed each time.

As a result of the string of attacks AMISOM forces have withdrawn from a number of towns in southern Somalia and observers say the troops are largely in garrison mode, hardly venturing out into hostile territory.

Earlier this month, the US said it carried out an air strike on a Shebab training camp north of the Somali capital Mogadishu killing 150 fighters, a figure disputed by the insurgents.

The strike marked a shift in US strategy in Somalia which had previously focused on targeted killings of a small number of Shebab fighters with suspected direct links to Al-Qaeda, rather than mass attacks on foot soldiers.

The Shebab was ousted from Mogadishu in August 2011 and has since lost much of the territory it once held. Today, it concentrates on guerrilla attacks in the Somali countryside, bombings and suicide raids in towns and cities, and terror assaults in Kenya where small groups of Shebab gunmen have attacked a mall in Nairobi and a university in Garissa in recent years.

Shebab fighters have targeted AMISOM in Somalia because, in the absence of a functioning national army, the 22,000-strong force is the only protector of the internationally-backed government that the jihadists are committed to overthrowing.

Shebab attacks have increased in tempo since the start of the year, seen as an attempt to destabilise the government ahead of an election due later this year.
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20.03.2016 LISTEN

A suicide bomb attack at a busy shopping area in the Turkish city of Istanbul has killed at least four people, officials say.

Three Israelis and an Iranian died, Turkish media reports. Another 36 people were injured in the blast near a government building on Istiklal Street.

No-one has admitted carrying out the attack, the latest in recent months.

The Turkish government has blamed Kurdish militants for previous attacks and has retaliated against them.

Saturdays attack in Istanbul  Turkeys largest city  occurred at about 11:00 local time (09:00 GMT).

Uwes Shehadeh was some 500m (1,640ft) away when he heard a horrific and horrible noise.

People didnt know what was going on. It was very chaotic. Everyone was screaming and running away, he told the BBC.

Istanbul is on high alert and people are very worried as to what will happen next.

Israelis were among the injured too. Two Irish citizens, one national each from Germany, Iceland, Dubai and Iran were also wounded.

.

Both the so-called Islamic State (IS) and Kurdish militants have claimed recent attacks in Turkey.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said terror groups are targeting civilians because they are losing their struggle against Turkish security forces.

Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against IS and allows coalition planes to use its air base at Incirlik for raids on Iraq and Syria.

Turkey has also been carrying out a campaign of bombardment against Syrian Kurdish fighters of the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), which it regards as a extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

A two-year-old ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK broke down last summer.

Since then, more than 340 members of Turkeys security forces have been killed along with at least 300 Kurdish fighters and more than 200 civilians.

-bbc


Accra, Mar. 19, GNA - Awulae Attibrukusu III, Vice President of National House of Chiefs has called on 'genuine businessmen to come and invest' in the Western region as the area abounds with many investment opportunities and potentials.

'Western Region is the home of Ghana's Oil industry and the chiefs and people are ready to welcome genuine businesses; we are ready to release our lands to genuine businesses to operate and provide jobs and training to our people, especially the youth', Awulae Attibrukusu, who is also the Omanhene of the Lower Axim Traditional Area, said.

Speaking at the launch of the Italian Business Association of Ghana (IBAG) in Accra, Awulae Attibrukusu said what the chiefs were interested in, was to partner with genuine people to develop the human resources by building the capacity of young men and women in the area to also work and earn a living to enable them become useful citizens.

The launch, which created a platform for cultural, economic and trading opportunities between Italy and Ghana, was attended by representatives of government agencies, diplomats and business associates.

It was also used to outdoor the Association's Constitution as well as its aims and objectives.

While cautioning 'fake businesses to stay off the Region', Awulae Attibrukusu explained that the Western Region was now more populated due to the oil production in the area and as such, there was the need to expand infrastructures like roads, health and educational facilities, saying that would need investors who are interested in a win-win situation to invest in the area.

He said there were also many tourism potentials with many old forts and castles that needed to be developed to boost tourism and income for the country.

He commended members of IBAG for taking the bold step to mobilize themselves to aid their business operations both in Ghana and in Italy.

Nii Amaa Ollennu, Vice President of IBAG, called on all who desire to invest, build and strengthen business relationships with Italian companies in Ghana and Italy to join the Association to help attain strong business connections.

He said the Association was opened to all companies and individuals from all nationalities who are interested to do businesses in the Ghanaian and Italian markets.

He said currently, there were over 118 Italian Companies registered in Ghana but the Association was yet to vet and know which ones are operational and what assistance could be given to dormant companies to stand on their feet.

Mr Ollenu said after the launch, members would immediately hold a first meeting to discuss the issue of land acquisition, which was a major factor in operation, to enable members to have knowledge about how to acquire land for business operation in Ghana and in Italy.

He said the Association further intends to organise focus interviews, events, workshops and seminars on specific sectors of the economy by bringing experts to the table, while facilitating business-oriented capacity building programmes for members to enable them advance in their various business endeavours.

'We are also focused on advisory services for Ghanaian companies with business interest in Italy as well as Italian companies that are planning to invest in Ghana by sharing local knowledge of the territory acquired over the years to help new investors understand the Ghanaian/Italian market.

'We hope to create cultural exchanges between Italy and Ghana; undertaking various projects and activities as part of IBAG's social responsibilities'.

IBAG was registered and incorporated in June 2015, and it is opened to all companies and individuals as a non-profit, non-political and non-religious association that supports free expression of views and opinions, collaborating with other associations and chambers of commerce to become the voice of the business community in dealing with government institutions and bodies as well as networking and lobbying.

Ms Laura Carpini, the Italian Ambassador, said most Italian businesses in Ghana were involved in various trading activities in the food industry, restaurants, ceramics, building and many more, and all were helping to develop the economy.

She said the creation of IBAG would give visibility to the operations of Italian businesses that would also help with the work of the Embassy in promoting the relationship between Ghana and Italy.

GNA
Accra, Mar. 19, GNA - Mr Yukiya Amano, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has expressed his satisfaction at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission's (GAEC) numerous achievements in the peaceful application of nuclear science for national development.

Mr Amano, who is on a working visit to the country, said he was impressed by Ghana's performance so far in her application of nuclear science in solving major health, agricultural and educational challenges.

He cited the establishment of a Medical Technology Park for research and development and training for early detection and treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer as an amazing stride that the IAEA would gladly support and invest in.

This, he said, was due to the fact that these diseases are on the increase globally and account for millions of preventable deaths each year.

Mr Amano said the perception by many that cancer was a disease for developed world was now a myth, as the ailment was the cause of about 2000 deaths annually in developing countries, most of which were often detected too late due to the lack of appropriate or limited health facilities.

The IAEA, he said, has been a key collaborator of GAEC which has gone through major expansions in human resource capacity which include the establishment of the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, University of Ghana, Atomic Campus.

Mr Amano commended GAEC for applying nuclear science and technology at its GAMMA Irradiation Facility to improve agriculture by way of extending the shelf-life of perishable commodities such as tubers, grains, vegetables and fruits, and also in the sterilization of medical products like infusion sets and surgical instruments.

Ghana, he said, was an important partner of the IAEA and has over the years played major roles in its activities such as a Governorship appointment to the Board, and he was confident that the country would maintain the gains made so far through its peaceful application nuclear science and technology and improve upon existing ones.

Mr Amano was welcomed to the Commission at a durbar on Friday, to commemorate his visit.

He was also entertained with various cultural performances by the GAEC Basic School and harmonious rendition of music by the resident choir of the Commission.

Mr Amano was later accompanied by Mr Mahama Ayariga, Minister, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Benjamin J.B Nyarko, Director-General of GAEC, Mr Kaoru Yoshimura, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, and other dignitaries, to Commission the new Pelletron Accelerator, which was named after the former Director-General of the Commission, Prof. Emeritus Edward Akaho.

Prof. Nyarko said the new facility which was the second of its kind in West Africa would enhance research and training in areas including environmental, plant medicine and food contamination, archaeology and geological samples, as well as forensics.

GNA
Accra, Mar. 19, GNA - Mr Stephen Essien, the Director for Tigo Business, has called on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana to embrace technology and use it to grow their business.

Speaking at an SME Clinic organised by Union Savings and Loans in Accra, Mr Essien urged the small business owners to look into connectivity, business applications, devices, security, payment platforms and solutions and service support as they are some of the crucial elements that will make them more efficient and drive innovation.

He said Tigo business has invested in various products and services in this regard to support SMEs.

He said several studies indicated that mobile technologies are the leading cause of innovation in most SME businesses.

'We know from our internal studies that SMEs need access to the same technology as the big players. This will help them stay competitive and offer a more flexible and responsive service that meet and anticipates customer needs,' he said.

Speaking to the clinic's theme, 'Managing your business for success in an Election year' an Economic Analyst, Toma Imirhe, told the participants that from historical trends, consumer demand for goods and services are comparatively low in a Presidential and Parliamentary election year and this is due to tight liquidity. He, however, expected liquidity to pick up in the run-up to the elections.

Unless there are further falls in the global market prices of Ghana's primary export commodities, Mr Toma Imirhe said, the expected exchange rates would remain stable until the third quarter of the year.

He, however, expected the cedi to depreciate in the last few months of the year due to increase money in circulation and speculative demand for foreign exchange.

The SME clinic brought together over 100 SMEs from Accra and it was aimed building their capacity on record keeping and understanding macro-economic issues.
Accra, Mar. 18, GNA - Mrs Naa Odey Asante, Managing Director of the Christian Community Microfinance Limited (CCML), has been crowned the 'Overall Best Finance Personality of the Year 2015' in the third edition of the National Women in Finance Awards.

She emerged from a competition that comprised distinguished female bankers in the financial sectordrawn from the banking, insurance and microfinance sub-sectorsto take the crown from the previous winner Ms. Abiola Bawuah, Chief Executive Officer of the United Bank for Africa (UBA).

The CCML boss also scooped the award for 'Microfinance Personality of the Year' for her prudent leadership that has led to the transition of her institution from a financial non-governmental organisation to a deposit-taking microfinance company.

A release issued to the Ghana News Agency on Friday, in Accra, said the National Women in Finance Awards (NWIF), organised by Women in Finance magazine, seeks to recognise and reward the efforts of women actors who are breaking the odds to become successful leaders and achievers in the financial sector.

It said this year's edition was on the theme, 'Towards improvement in service delivery; the role of women finance professionals'.

Mrs Asante expressed her gratitude for the prestigious opportunity to show the business world what they have got.

She attributed the sterling feat to the continuous support from family and the strong team spirit that exist in the workplace.

'It is important that people focus on their vision and not be cut off by the challenges and shortcomings. It is also good to pay attention to the people around you; they could be your source or motivation and encouragement,' she said.

Mrs Asante urged fellow women in the country to strive hard to achieve whatever mission that they set out; and dedicated the awards to the CCML team and loyal customers of the bank.

She said: 'I feel excited that this award has been given to me; it is a real indication that hard work and diligence pays off. I will encourage my fellow women to pursue every vision that they set up to the finish.

'This is a strong message that everywhere and wherever you are, if you put yourself in whatever you do, you will be recognised and appreciated. I say a big thank you to the customers of the bank whose efforts and dedication has pushed me to win this award,' she added.

GNA
Niamey (AFP) - Niger holds its first-ever presidential run-off Sunday, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou on track for a second term after his main challenger was flown from jail to a Paris hospital and with the opposition boycotting the vote.

The election pits 64-year-old Issoufou, a former mining engineer nicknamed "the Lion", against jailed opposition leader 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.

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 situation has created a tense atmosphere in the country where three-quarters of the population live on less than $2 (1.80 euros) a day.

- Clear-cut victory expected -

Niger's history is peppered with military coups and it 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.

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 desolate 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.

- 'Unfair treatment' -

The opposition coalition has alleged fraud in the first round, claiming "unfair treatment between the two candidates" and has vowed not to recognise the results, even though Amadou has not himself said he would withdraw from the race.

"We are calling on people to stay at home. Issoufou can announce whatever results he likes, that's of no concern to us," said Ousseini Salatou, spokesman for the COPA 2016 opposition coalition.

Religious groups, tribal leaders and trade unions have called for calm and dialogue.

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.

He was evacuated on Wednesday to Paris for medical treatment.

Polling stations open at 8:00 am (0700 GMT) and will close 11 hours later after which the electoral commission has five days to announce the result.
Cotonou (AFP) - Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou goes head-to-head with businessman Patrice Talon on Sunday in the decider of Benin's presidential election, with little to separate the two after first-round voting.

Here are the main subjects dominating the minds of the west African country's 4.7 million voters:

- Youth unemployment -

The 15-34 age group makes up some 60 percent of Benin's working population.

Officially, the unemployment rate is under 4.0 percent but with 85 percent of workers in the informal sector of the jobs market, the figure does not reflect reality.

With few jobs available, many university graduates end up driving motorbike-taxis that are increasingly found everywhere in Benin.

Zinsou, standing for outgoing president Thomas Boni Yayi's Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin party, promises 350,000 jobs by 2021, especially for the young and women.

Talon, who made his money in the key cotton sector and running Cotonou's port, has pledged to take steps to encourage job creation in the private sector.

- Corruption -

When he was first elected in 2006, Boni Yayi vowed to stop endemic corruption in several key sectors such as the port in Benin's commercial hub, Cotonou, and the cotton industry.

But his two terms have been marked by several embezzlement and bribery scandals.

In 2010, the head of state was implicated in a major savings scandal, dubbed locally the "Benin Madoff affair" after the disgraced US financier Bernie Madoff, in which thousands of Beninese lost money.

The construction of a new national assembly buidling in the administrative capital Porto Novo has also eaten up millions of dollars but never been finished.

Last year, the Netherlands suspended aid to Benin after four million euros earmarked for drinking water schemes disappeared.

- Health and education -

Benin, which has a population of 10.6 million, is considered by the World Bank to be a low-income country with poor ratings in health and education indicators.

Free primary school education is seen as a positive from Boni Yayi's presidency even if subsidies do not always reach schools, said political analyst Simon Asoba.

"Headteachers end up asking parents for contributions" to ensure that schools function, he added.

Boni Yayi also created a universal scheme to open up access to healthcare to the poorest in society via an average monthly subscription of 1,000 CFA francs (1.5 euros).

But the scheme is not yet up and running.

Zinsou's manifesto makes development a key priority, including helping the 100,000 poorest families and improving medical infrastructure.

- Port is beating heart -

The port is the beating heart of Benin and accounts for almost half the country's tax receipts and more than 80 percent of customs tariffs.

It handles some 90 percent of Benin's overseas business and sells itself as a transit port for neighbouring Nigeria to the east and surrounding countries such as Niger and Burkina Faso.

Major infrastructure work has been carried out, including the construction of a new quay, allowing it to handle twice as many containers in 2014 as it did in 2008.

A computerised management system of truck arrivals and departures has been put in place as well as a single counter to handle all transactions, helping to streamline procedures and cut graft.

But waiting times remain long due to a lack of available space and the new checks.

Ships often wait up to a week before offloading, said forwarding agent Leandre Kodjo Sonou.

"Some ships go to Lome in neighbouring Togo and bring in the containers by lorry, which is quicker," he added.

The port of Tema, in Ghana, is also a main competitor for business.
Dear sir,

Thank you for representing the people of our constituency in the parliament of Ghana. Until you were elected as the member of parliament in 2004, we were all hoping to get a vibrant and energetic youngman to represent us since the constituency was counted among the poorest in the country due to lack of good roads, drinking water, good schools, hospital, stable electricity power supply, jobs for the youth, etc.

After your first term, we were told you couldn't change anything because you belonged to the minority or the opposition party, fine. By the grace of God, you and your party were voted peacefully into power in 2008 and since then things have moved from bad to worse.

As you read now, students after completing the junior high school have to travel at least 20km before attending the Senior High school in other constituencies. When someone is seriously sick, it is only God who can save him because the clinics in the communities are equal to the red cross' first aid boxes.

Today, if anyone wants to travel to communities like Agona Amenfi, Adjakaa Manso, Jedua Kesse, Ankasie, Dominase and the likes, it's either he goes with a safety boot or a big truck to carry him from one point of the road to the other (Evidence in pictures). In this century, people in your constituency has to suffer to get water to drink. About 90% of the youth are into Illegal mining (galamsey) due to lack of jobs and for the electricity power situation, it's unbearable.

Honourable, is it that the government is not responding to your concerns or you're not pushing at all? Please let the people of your constituency know because although Ghanaians are crying because of poor governance, some of your colleagues are doing tremendously well. For instance, your colleague Hon Alex Kyeremeh of the Techiman North Constituency in the Brong Ahafo region has been able to provide a nurses training college, a modern community ICT library and a senior high school with scholarships to students at Aworowa, a small community which is no where near any of the first five strong communities in your constituency within 8 years.

Sir, if the job is bigger than you, please humbly hang your boots and support another son of the land to continue because after leading us for 12 years, I don't see any good thing the central government has brought and will bring to us through you. Don't we also deserve to drive on good roads, attend our own senior high school, enjoy a library, a modern hospital, and drink portable drinking water as some equal Ghanaian do?

Remember I support any candidate who has the constituency at heart and not a political party.

Thank you

Max Kwaku Well

(Concerned citizen)
20.03.2016 LISTEN

This week marks five years since the start of the war in Syria. More than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in a conflict which has created the largest humanitarian crisis of our time. We, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, take this opportunity to call on all parties to the conflict to do everything in their power to find a long term and sustainable political solution to the conflict.

We mark this commemoration with both deep sadness and great admiration for all those who have endured terrible hardships over the past five years. We reaffirm our commitment to the people of Syria, who have shown incredible fortitude and resilience in the face of adversity. We remain determined to support them as they keep striving for a better tomorrow, for a future for their children.

The recent cessation of hostilities has brought a period of long-sought calm for the Syrian people and we welcome all efforts to find a political solution to this crisis. The fact remains that over 13.5 million people in Syria are still in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, five million of them children, many of whom have only known war. Daily life is characterized by fear and uncertainty. Bombs and mortars strike indiscriminately. Homes, hospitals and schools have been damaged or destroyed completely.

Some 6.6 million people have been displaced internally, often many times over. Staff and volunteers of the Syrian Red Crescent (SARC), supported by Movement partners, work tirelessly to do what they can to help, frequently in difficult and dangerous circumstances. Each month, SARC distributes relief to 4.5 million people, and it is the primary local partner for the UN and all international NGOs registered and operating throughout Syria.

In the past five years, 53 SARC volunteers and staff have been killed in the course of their humanitarian work in the country, as well as eight volunteers and staff of the Palestine Red Crescent Society. We take this opportunity to pay tribute to the tremendous courage and dedication of the volunteers and staff of the Red Crescent. We urge all parties to this conflict to ensure aid workers are protected and allowed to do their jobs in safety.

We also mark this anniversary by reiterating our call for regular, unimpeded access to the besieged and hard-to-reach areas of Syria. Humanitarian aid should not be dependent on political negotiations and we remind all parties to this conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) to respect civilian life and human dignity.

As a Movement, we stand resolute in our determination to bring help to all those who need it. Beyond Syrias borders, many more tragedies are unfolding. Over 9 million people have now fled the fighting in Syria, the majority to the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. Millions more have risked their lives to cross into Europe.

Throughout their perilous journeys, National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies have been a constant presence and a constant support. United by the Fundamental Principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality, Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers and staff are working around the clock to provide people on the move with food, water, healthcare and reassurance. Our work in psychosocial support and restoring family links has meant that millions of families have been comforted and reunited, a glimmer of hope amongst terrible sadness. But there is much work to be done in the weeks and months to come. We stand united as a Movement to ensure the protection of migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum.

As the Syria conflict enters its sixth year and as another phase of critical peace talks get underway in Geneva, we urge all those with a role in the conflict to remember that they have the fate of millions in their hands.
20.03.2016 LISTEN

As part of efforts to unearth creativity in young children in Ghana, Toyota Ghana Company Limited has rewarded 9 kids who emerged winners in its 10th Dream Car Art Contest Awards Ceremony for presenting the best artwork intended to help solve problem in communities.

The 9 awardees represents the top 3 winners selected from three categories namely; children less than 8 years, children between 18-11years and the last category which is children between 12 and 15 years respectively.

They were rewarded with various fantastic prizes including bicycles with safety protective sets, Toyota branded bags and electronic tablets with already downloaded learning.

For the first category of winners, Yaw Obeng Omane Boamah, a student of the Merton Int. School emerged the overall winner followed by Aislyn Nyarko Owusu-Bempah(2nd position) and Berthleen Baaba Ntsefoa Fletcher( 3rd position).

The second category of winners saw Adrijaa Pal also a student of Merton Int. School in Accra was adjudged the overall winner whilst Henry Danso Yeboah of the Crown Prince Academy came second followed by Ama Obeng-Sakyi as winner for the 3rdplace.

Meanwhile, Caleb Enam Banini a student of Morning Star Int. Sch. tops the third category followed by Evelyn Akosua Bonsu of Crown Prince Academy School who emerged 2nd place winner whilst Emmanuel John Mahama was declared the 3rd place winner.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Managing Director of Toyota Ghana, Mr. Tetsuya Suematsu, said, the top 3 awardees will also stand the chance to represent Ghana at the world stage in an international event -the World Contest, Japan slated for August, 2016 for a grand prize should in case their artworks are selected. According to him, this years contest is the 10thin history since Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) of Japan has begun the Dream Car Art Contest awards.

He noted with about 674 entries of artwork received this year by TMC, Ghana has topped the list of other countries around the world with the highest figure which was grouped into the 3 categories and later reduced to 200 shortlisted entries before it was finally narrowed down to the first top 3 adjudged winners within the 3 categories.

For her part, Prof. Naana Opoku Agyemang, Minister for Education extoled the participants for the excellent creativity exuded during the contest, urging them not to relent in their efforts to be creative always in their academic works. She equally advised the kids to endeavor to read copiously and also research new ideas so as to contribute immensely to shaping the world.

The Minister in her speech read on behalf of her by the Director of Pre-Tertiary Education of the Ministry of Education, Mad. Rabiana Azara Amandi lauded Toyota Ghana for showing keen interest in not only the sale of cars, but also contributing to promotion of education in the country.

The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is an annual art competition for children up age of 15. The competition invites children from all over the world to express their creativity by drawing their dream cars that can solve a problem in their community.

The competition also witnessed the 200 shortlisted entries rewarded for the level of creativity displayed with Toyota branded books and school supplies.
JB Danquah (late)

20.03.2016 LISTEN

Parliament of the Republic of Ghana on Friday paid a tribute to the late Member of Parliament for Akim Abuakwa North Constituency, Hon. Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu who was murdered recently at his residence in Accra.

Members of Parliament (MPs) and by extension the nation Ghana woke up at dawn on Tuesday the 5th of February, 2016 to be greeted with the news of the gruesome murder of a dear colleague, Hon. J. B. Danquah Adu.

On Friday, 18th March, 2016, during the last sitting of the first meeting in the fourth session of the sixth Parliament of the fourth Republic of Ghana, Members of the House took a moment to pay tribute to the departed soul of the legislator.

Led by the Majority Leader and MP for Nadowli / Kaleo, Hon. Alban Bagbin, a tribute was read on the floor of Parliament in a very solemn atmosphere.

The late Hon. Member joined Parliament in 2005 as the member for Akim Abuakwa North Constituency. He however, missed out in the Fifth Parliament but returned in the Sixth Parliament as the sitting MP for the Akim Abuakwa North Constituency until his demise.

The tribute read that Hon. J. B. helped Parliament with his knowledge in all expects he found himself, as a Chartered Accountant, J. B. as he was affectionately called, availed Parliament of his knowledge, skills and expertise both in plenary and at committees in matters of finance, industry, trade and economic development.

In Parliament, J. B. served on a number of committees including, Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism, Public Accounts Committee, Business Committee and Special Budget Committee. He also served as a Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Presidential Initiative.

The tribute added that J. B. was distinguished statesman who was primarily concerned about nation building. He would forever be remembered by Parliament and indeed the good people of Ghana as, an agent of change and development, a purpose driven industrialist, a model legislator, an honest and friendly gentleman, a selfless politician who sought to demystify politics as a do-or-die affair, a consensus builder, a patriot and true a statesman.

J. B. believed that appropriate policy measures could create the necessary environment for finance and funding of economic and industrial development projects through private initiative and thus minimize over-dependence on the Ministry of Finance for funding of all development projects. He was of the view that such initiative would also facilitate employment generation and wealth creation, he tribute stated.

It furthered that J. B. as a legislator, exerted himself in law-making. His contribution during the passing of the Export Trade and Agriculture Development Fund Act cannot go unnoticed. As usual, he contended passionately for credit facilities to be extended to the export trade, agriculture and agro-processing and industry sectors, amongst others.

J. B. the legislator, paid attention to detail. During the Consideration Stage of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority Bill, 2015, J. B. drew attention to a key omission in the Bill. He contended: Mr. Speaker, there is no provision in the interpretation, defining regulatory directive. There is nothing in the Bill under the Interpretation column, which defines it.Mr. Speaker, if it is about giving the power to the Director-General to issue directives, I do not think the House has a problem, especially for the emergencies of their safety concerns. But the definition as contained in the interpretation clause cannot be acceptable under the circumstances.. he contributed.

The tribute continued that J. B. was an honest and a friendly gentleman who related so well with all colleagues from both sides of the divide and staff of the Parliamentary Service. His usual perpetual smile and conciliatory demeanour was enough to dispel traits of disaffection which may have been nurtured against him by persons he came into contact with, as it was almost impossible for him to react in an untoward manner even in the face of provocation. Even in sharp disagreement, he always carry his views across but in a very civil manner.

During moments of sharp disagreements on the floor, he always found it useful in crossing to thje opposing side to negotiate, trade-off, and where possible, galvanise support on any matter he found necessary in the national interest. This conduct, he exhibited consistently during debates to the admiration of all. J. B. would sometimes better walk away to avoid confrontation.

Needless to say, our sense of loss at his passing is poignant. We would have wished to have him for many more beautiful years to enable us work together. We however must be grateful to God at all to have him with us. Thoughts of him will forever linger in our hearts and minds long after we have wiped out tears and he will be dearly missed. We do know one thing  when God gives, he takes away at an appointed time. The late J. B. has performed his earthly assignment excellently. His duties are now in Heaven with the angels, the tribute noted.

MP of Parliament for Akim Abuakwa North Constituency, Hon. Atta Akyea, who shares border with the late J. B. Danquah Adu in his tribute, said death has robbed him of a friend, a brother and a political twin. He said the late time he meet J. B. was when J. B. joined Nana Akuffo Addo on Friday 5th February, 2016 to launch a book titled What every child should know about Dr. J. B. Danquah. He continued that this House has lost a gentleman with a pleasant disposition.

Minority Leader and MP for Suame could not say much because the tribute by the majority leader is touching that I would not attempt to say much, the minority leader said and added that the funeral is scheduled for April 15, 2016 on the forecourt of the State House
The flagbearer of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom wants the Attorney Generals department to probe Alfred Woyome over a 1.5m he purportedly took from foreigners to fund the NDC.

Ghanas Political Parties law abhors external funding for registered parties.

Former president JJ Rawlings in a recent interview alleged that the embattled businessman took the money from a foreign European group on behalf of the party and hes got to account for it.

Speaking to the issue, Dr Nduom said the case must not be allowed to peter out until it is investigated to its logical conclusion.

Below is a statement he released on his official Facebook page:

The Attorney General's Office Must Investigate This!

The Office of Attorney General must investigate this allegation that Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome received funds from a foreign, non-citizen source on behalf of the NDC. This investigation must be extended to other political parties. In particular, the Electoral Commission must require all political parties and candidates to file monthly returns to account for funds raised for the 2016 elections and their source.

Former President J. J. Rawlings, has said this about Mr. Woyome this past week. On this matter, I believe the former President:

"I am aware of the half-a-million euros he took from a foreign European group in my name; I never saw a penny of it. The one-and-a half million euros he took from that same group, supposedly on behalf of the party, hes got to account for it.

For the benefit of everyone, this is what THE POLITICAL PARTIES LAW ACT 574, (2000) says:

"PART III: FUNDING OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Contribution by citizens.

23. (1) Only a citizen may contribute in cash or in kind to the funds of a political party.

(2) A firm, partnership, or enterprise owned by a citizen or a company registered under the laws of the Republic at least seventy-five percent of whose capital is owned by a citizen is for the purposes of this Act a citizen.

No contribution by non-citizens.

24. A non-citizen shall not directly or indirectly make a contribution or donation or loan whether in cash or in kind to the funds held by or for the benefit of a political party and no political party or person acting for or on behalf of a political party shall demand or accept a contribution donation or loan from a non-citizen.

Contraventions of this Part.

25. (1) Where any person contravenes section 23 or 24, in addition to any penalty that may be imposed under this Act, any amount whether in cash or in kind paid in contravention of the section shall be forfeited to the State and the amount shall be recovered from the political party as debt owed to the State. The political party or person in whose custody the amount is for the time being held shall pay it to the State. "
A south London church has been fined several thousand pounds for annoying neighbours with noisey 3am services aimed at banishing 'demons'. Magistrates ordered the leaders of Camberwell's Kingdom Church, a branch of the Bishop Climate Ministries, to pay 7,740.50 after Southwark Council received a string of complaints about loud preaching and amplified music every Saturday morning. The council also said nearby residents were having to put up with persistent and excessive noise levels on an almost daily basis from the church's regular services, the Southwark News reported.

The church's 3am service claims to offer deliverance from sickness, financial hardship and demonic soul ties, according to its website, and takes place during the early hours as it is a well-known time that witchcraft and negative elements begin to work.

While the witches are busy working their witchcraft you are getting the wisdom of God concerning their demonic operations, the website reads.

According to the church's Facebook page the spiritual airways are busy, too busy between midnight and 4am, It's the time when the witches are meeting. It is time when strange altars are being built, and strange fires are being lit. The time when demonic caterers are busy feeding you in the dream.

The message to worshippers continues, saying that there is an enemy that comes when we are sleeping.

The enemy comes to pollute and contaminate the spirit of man; to cause confusion, to waste opportunities, to deposit strange object into people. This enemy has some evil powers, because Jesus Christ says that the enemy came and sowed wild weeds.

The Kingdom Church does not appear to be affiliated with any official branches of Christianity in the UK, but its website says God has confirmed Bishop Climate with a worldwide ministry through powerful signs and wonders.

The church was fined at the Camberwell Magistrates Court on February 22 after being found guilty of two charges under the Environmental Protection Act.

Bishop Climate Wiseman told the Southwark News that the Camberwell Station Road church is going to appeal the big fine as it had received no complaints since installing a new roof in an effort to reduce noise.

He said: I do not deny that we made some noise  we did. But we have spent nearly ten thousand pounds reducing the noise. And I was out of the country so could not go to court.

We are based is an industrial area. But there are new flats and they complain. The flats were meant to be offices but they became houses. People could hear it, especially in summer when they open their windows.

Southwark council cabinet member for communities and safety, councillor Michael Situ, said the council had hoped to settle the matter outside of court but its attempts to work with the church leaders were ignored.

Situ told the Evening Standard that the council hoped the penalty would help remind both the church and the wider community that anti-social behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated and wrongdoers will be made to pay one way or another.

 citifmonline
Dr Papa Kwesi has urged President John Dramani Mahama to own up and take full responsibilities for the 59TH Independent day brochure gaffe that has so far caused Ghana serious embarrassment within the international community. Dr. Nduom wants President Mahama to render an unqualified apology to the nation and pledge to ensure that such problems do not reoccur.

In an interview with TV3, President Mahama described the errors as contained in the Independence Day anniversary brochure as unfortunate, stressing that the errors were avoidable and should not have happened.

He told TV 3 that although the matter has become a major issue in Ghana, the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta didn't make a big deal of it, declaring 'we actually went through the brochure, he (Uhuru Kenyatta,) didn't show he had noticed those mistakes'.

The Independence Day brochure contained very serious diplomatic misrepresentation that Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, who was the Special Guest of Honour, was designated as the President of the Republic of Ghana. It also had some incomprehensible grammatical expressions and a host of others.

Reacting to the President's interview, Dr Nduom said, as the Head of State of Ghana, the President must be held responsible because on the day of the anniversary, he became the very embodiment of Ghana to the outside world.

Indeed he assumed full constitutional duty as the Commander-In-Chief of Ghana Armed Forces, inspecting the guard of honour mounted by the Security Agencies and others at the special anniversary parade.

'The responsibility goes with one person; the leader of the land. President John Dramani Mahama, he takes all credit, he takes all blame and this is one important huge error... he is the one we must hold accountable...he is the one who appointed all ministers who served or had anything to do with the Independence Day celebration...he is the one who appointed the staff at the Flagstaff House who supervised this work', Dr Nduom declared.

According to Dr Nduom the responsibility goes with one person, the leader of the land, President Mahama, stressing that he takes all the blame and this is one important huge error that he (President) should be held responsible for.

Dr Nduom said the dismissal of the acting Director of the Information Service Department, Francis Kwarteng Arthur has been used as a scapegoat from the main unit and that indicates incompetence on the part of the Ghanaian leadership.

'When an organization is not about leadership, when an organization is not about accountability and taking responsibility for leadership that is what happens. It sacrifices the little people and leaves those who really have power, who have authority to sit there and continue to do the things that take the organisation backwards' Dr Nduom said.

He added that it is this negative attitude that brings dumsor, unemployment, cholera, meningitis, illiteracy and poverty in the midst of plenty.
The Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel (FPSO Kwame Nkrumah) has been shut down for inspection and maintenance.

The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) in a statement said the shutdown will last for about two weeks.

Below is a copy of the full statement

SHUT DOWN OF FPSO KWAME NKRUMAH

The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) wishes to inform the General Public that, the Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel (FPSO Kwame Nkrumah) has been shut-down by the operators of the facility for Mandatory inspection and maintenance.

The shut-down is expected to last for about two weeks.

Consequently, Gas flow from the Atuabo Gas Processing plant to the Aboaze thermal enclave has been curtailed and expected to commence upon resumption of production from the FPSO.

In a related development, Gas flow from the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) pipeline has reduced to only 6mscf from the contracted volume of 120mscf resulting from vandalism on some pipelines in Nigeria.

As a result of this, engineers have commenced the process of converting all dual fuel thermal plants to run on Light Crude Oil to mitigate the challenge emanating from the setback.

The conversion process which involves cleaning of fuel Nozzles and other preparatory works could take a couple of days to complete.

During this period, the transmission system may experience some challenges thereby affecting power supply stability.

We wish to use this opportunity to assure the general public engineers are working around the clock to bring supply to normalcy as soon as possible.

Any inconvenience that may arise during the switch over process is deeply regretted.

Signed;

Mr. William Amuna

(GRIDCO CHIEF EXECUTIVE)
20.03.2016 LISTEN

"......When people in government reduce their faculties to mere balderdash, the nation can be assured of the worst form of suffering in an environment of 'Life for the want of Death'. There is a crisis looming in the air, very much like that of Greece and other turbulent economies worldwide, yet an unbudging bunch of 'I-know-it-all politicians' exhibit nonchalance towards the suffering of the masses.

Therefore, it is not suprising that Ghanaians are treated so insultingly by their own leaders as to make it seem like the nation is their property, appointing prodigal sons, heartless and unethical. The pertinent issues at stake are a constant dilemma. Infrastructure remains a nightmare resulting in deaths easily avoidable by the implementation of an honest and pragmatic sense of direction.

Roads have transformed into treacherous death traps. The bad maintenance culture that the nation has adopted is haunting road users. No one is innocent in this regard otherwise why would roads constructed barely a decade ago become deplorable? The inability of users and the general public to voice out their concerns have relegated our will to survive in dignity to unpleasant levels.

All those who do not speak out against injustice, corruption, bad maintenance culture, and countless social vices that have become our bane, are culpable. After all, is it not a fact that the people are the Boss, and the government the Employee? Why must it be allowed to be the vice versa?

Why should the punishment that the masses have to endure under cruel governments be accepted as the status quo when there is positive change around the corner that we can harness for our collective prosperity? And when change happens, it will be highly unethical, and a breach of collective justice not to prosecute our callous employees. They must be punished," these are excerpts from the Book Ghana: '59 Years To Nowhere....and Counting' by former Timber/Coffee Exporter, Fadi Dabbousi, who as a result of bad policies of government has seen his business folding up rendering scores of employees jobless again.

At the official launch of the Book on 8th March, 2016 at the plush African Regent Hotel in Accra, which had the MP for Tema East, Hon. Titus Glover, sitting as the Chairman and supported by other leading NPP Gurus, Fadi Dabbousi emphasised that Ghana would remain stuck without any progress if the current trend of governance under President John Dramani Mahama and his NDC are not rejected in the impending November 7th Elections, later this year.

"Ghanaians must be reminded of the overwhelming incompetence in our political history under the current Mahama NDC system and reject any attempt to re-elect Mahama and his NDC," he said.

He added that the recent Independence Day comedy of errors found in the Ghana @59 Independence Day brochure attest to the level of incompetence and error ridden system of governance by the NDC.

"Ghanaians must not shy away from embracing the change that is coming from a man of discipline and a great party committed to responsible governance, the NPP and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo," Fadi Dabbousi urged Ghanaians.

There were also added voices calling and demanding change from NPP's Stephen Ntim, Hon. Felix Owusu Agyepong, Lawyer Mike Oquaye Jnr., And Let My Vote Count Alliance.
The Kyebi youth for development (KYD) has descended heavily on the Okyeman youth for association ( OYA) for claiming that the five town water project in Kyebi commissioned by president Mahama was initiated during the reign of the NPP government.

The five town water project supplies portable water to Anyinam, Osenase, Apedwa, Anyinam and Kwabeng in the Eastern region

The Okyeman Youth Association in a statement lashed out at the president, accusing him of employing propaganda during the state of the nations ( SONA) address.

They argued the president cannot claime credit for providing the people of Kyebi with portable drinking water.

OYA claimed the NPP government sought funding from the Australian government for the project and was completed by John Evans Atta-Mills' led NDC government.

But a counter claim by the Kyebi youth for development, a rival group noted that OYA got its fact all wrong.

A statement jointly signed by Samuel Nana Asare, president and Naomi Appiah - Korang noted that Parliament December 21, 2011 approved three financial agreements for social interventions and infrastructural upgrade in the Eastern Region.

According to KYD on that same day, Parliament of Ghana approved a credit facility agreement between Government of Ghana and Unicredit Bank, Austria AG for an amount of 7.9 million Euros for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Kyebi water project.

The statement therefore finds it scandalous and inappropriate for OYA to attempt to score cheap political points.

Below is the full statement by the Kyebi Youth for Development (KYD).

Press Release

Kyebi Youth for Development (KYD) reacts to Okyeman Youth Associations reckless Public Release against the God sent President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama.

We, the executives and members of Kyebi Youth for Development (KYD) find it unfortunate for some Youth in Kyebi to be so blindfolded by petty politics and deliberately refusing to see the good work of President John Dramani Mahama to the people of Kyebi.

We, the Kyebi Youth for Development want to set the records straight on their reckless Public Release. They made mention of the Kyebi Water Project meant to serve Kyebi, Apedwa, Anyinam , Osenase and Kwabeng initiated by Kuffour -led NPP Government. This clearly shows how myopic minded they are. They just want to be hyped with this untoward statements against his Excellency in order to be seen because in Nana Personal Property (NPP), if you do this kind of thing, they see you as a hero, but to the discerning people of Kyebi and the entire country, you are seen as a wanker, so we feel sad for D.M Ofori -Atta. ATTENTION-SEEKING DESPERADO.

On 21st December 2011, Parliament of Ghana approved three financial agreements for social interventions and infrastructural upgrade in the Eastern Region. These included approval of supplementary mixed credit agreement between the Government of Ghana and the Bank of Hapoalim of Israel for an amount of 113.5 million dollars for the implementation of the rehabilitation and expansion of the Kumawu, konongo and the Kwahu Ridge water project. On that same day, Parliament of Ghana approved a credit facility agreement between Government of Ghana and Unicredit Bank, Austria AG for an amount of 7.9 million Euros for the rehabilitation and expansion of water project to supply water to Anyinam, Apedwa, Kwabeng, Osenase and Kibi as well as a loan agreement between Government of Ghana and Unicredit Bank, Austria AG for an amount of 12.9 million Euros to finance Adomi Bridge.

Under his leadership as a Vice President and President of Ghana, Kyebi has seen massive visible infrastructure projects that will propel the development of the people of Kyebi. We should put on record that the major visible infrastructure projects we have in Kyebi such as the Ultra-Modern Water Project, Ambulance Service Station, Fire Service Station, Ghana Education Service Office Complex to administer quality Education in the Municipality.

One can also see the developments in terms of Dormitory blocks, renovation of science laboratory and six unit classroom block in a way to increase access to quality education at Abuakwa State College, Kyebi.

Again, Construction of Dormitories, Dining Hall, classroom block and Assembly Hall at Akyem Asafo Senior High.

Also, construction of Dormitories and classroom block for Kibi Secondary and Technical Senior High (KISTS). Construction of Administration block, Science Laboratory, Tutors Flat and the construction of the Campus roads for Kibi Presbyterian College of Education, Kyebi.

Furthermore, construction of kyebi township roads, construction of four unit classroom block, Kyebi Zongo, construction of six unit classroom block for the school of the deaf, Kyebi , construction of two storey building, girls dormitory for the school of the deaf. Talking about developmental projects in Kyebi, no government can be compared to NDC government.

Again, they made another reckless statement that, the NDC government decided to the utter disbelief of the people of Akyem Abuakwa and the Eastern Region to divert funds and the entire project to another region. All this statements are falsehood, just to discredit His Excellencys achievement under his leadership as a Vice President and President of Ghana. Kyebi and the entire Eastern Region have seen massive developmental projects which are all evidence-based, so how can, these reckless statements by DM Ofori Atta be true. I urge D.M Ofori - Atta to come again in maturity than this, infantile reckless statements against the President.

We, the youth of kyebi are interested in the development projects such as this and call on the youth in Akyem Abuakwa and its environs to rally strongly behind President Mahama to propitiate more developments. With regards to all these developmental projects in Kyebi and its environs, Kyebi Youth for Development (KYD) holds the position that, the developmental condition of Okyeman and the Eastern Region portrayed in the SONA is a reality.

It is misnomer to placed partisan Political Value on the SONA made by his Excellency the President about the Kyebi Water Project.

We welcome his benevolent to the people of Kyebi and Akyem Abuakwa and see his gesture as a clarion call on the youth and people of Kyebi to wake up to reality and support initiatives that will develop our community.

Signed.

Nana Asare

President

Kyebi Youth for development

0242128922

Naomi Appiah-Korang

PRO

Kyebi Youth for Development

0207293706
Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on Christians to continue praying for the Electoral Commission to enable it organise a credible elections.

According to him, Gods intervention is needed to ensure that the results of the elections are acceptable by all.

Nana Akufo-Addo said this on Saturday when he joined Sunyani SDA church to worship.

Akufo Addo also called on the congregation to pray for continues peace in Ghana before, during and after the election.

He asked the congregation to have faith in him and give him the opportunity to govern because he would not disappoint them.

He accsued the Mahama-led administration of failing to bring prosperity to Ghanians.

Head pastor of Sunyani SDA, Edward Nyarko praised Nana Akufo-Addo for his patience as a leader. He said although people may take it for granted, he should not let go of the God-given attribute.

Pastor Edward Nyarko said patience is a gift from God and cited Job in the Bible who went through lots of trials and tribulations but was still patient. In the end, God was good to him, he added.

The church later gave Akufo-Addo a devotional book titled "Deciding for God" while his entourage had a book each titled "signs of hope"

The presidential candidate donated a1,000 in support of the churchs project.

Nana Akufo-Addo and his team later attended a funeral at Nsoatre in the Sunyani west constituency after a brief stopover at Fiapre market.

He together with former president John Agyekum Kuffour will attend the funeral of the late Nana Akua Konamah lll, paramount Queen mother of Awuah Domase traditional area in the Sunyani west district.

Akufo Addo was accompanied by some national and regional executives of the NPP including; Otiko Djaba, National Women Organiser, Nana Obiri Boahene, Deputy General Secretary of the party, Kwaku Asuma Cheremeh, Brong Ahafo regional chairman, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, MP Sunyani West and Ameyaw Cheremeh, MP Sunyani East.
Friends,

Hear me out now. Please dont undress a woman or man in public just because theyve stolen something from you or someone else (as Ive seen in some videos from Uganda). This could be someones mother, sister, daughter or wife, and that someone may be a good person who doesnt deserve to share the embarrassment.

Mob justice is a characteristic of a failed state but the people doing it just make things worse. A nation which prides itself on laws, rationale and evidence has no room for acts such as: undressing women in public, torching thieves on streets, killing protesters in broad day light,e.t.c, and, individually, we all have a responsibility of stopping all these things from happening. The sooner we realise the levels of evils within our own communities the better. Just because you might be young, cool and clever doesnt mean you dont have a huge responsibility to guide your family and local elders.

Undressing and killing of petty thieves is something that has been going for a while, and I think a lot of sensitization needs to be done, as I see a lot of people just cheering and looking on while such evilness is taking place.

I am not a thief, though I am guilty of a few peccadilloes when I was so young, but not enough to send me to the Islamic/Catholic version of hell, if we ignore a few philosophical differences, and especially if I repent for my sins before death. However, if you look real close you may find that defining ones self as a thief and defining others as a thief is merely a matter of degrees in interpretation. Almost everybody commits crimes to some degree, opportunistic or deliberate. Lets forget the election thieves for now, but how many people do you know that havent padded a tax return to their advantage? That is a crime.

How many people speed when they think that no one is looking? That is a crime. How many people commit adultery? How many people use facilities provided by their employer, phone, computer, stationery, etc. These are crimes. I see no difference in a woman stealing food and a businessman lying about a product and charging excess prices. The woman is undressed and possibly goes to jail but the businessman remains free. So basically, people are criminals, it is just a matter of risk and degree. Take away the risk and the degree will immediately increase.

What we must understand is that people do things during bad times that they would never do, or even consider, during good times. The bad guy will take at any and all times, and never feel a hint of remorse. I bet the majority of the people who steal petty things on streets and markets feel extremely guilty about it. And no, I am not saying they do the right thing. Too many are put in circumstances through no fault of their own, that cause them to do things they wouldnt normally do. I still condemn the thief, but I understand the why.

Personally, I believe most people are good at heart at the very least, and they should be given a chance to rehabilitate themselves. If you take away fear of lawful retribution, the fear of personal retribution, then what remains is just conscience.

I think that far more people would commit crimes if conscience was their only deterrent. Sometimes at our lowest moments when we feel most helpless, we need a hand to help in guiding us to the truth, and that hand could be you. Todays thief may turn out to be a respectable member of the society tomorrow by the grace of God. If you can treat wrong doers with dignity, please do; it doesnt matter if others approve it or not and it doesnt matter if you are praised or not.

Byebyo ebyange

ABBEY.K. SEMUWEMBA

UK
The Krobos of south eastern Ghana are among the oldest and most famous makers and users of beads in the world. Beads are small pieced or perforated objects that may be strung into necklaces and bracelets or attached to clothes. Just as gold is associated to the Ashanti, bead is to the Krobo. Across Krobo towns and villages such as Odumase Krobo, Agomanya, Somanya, Akuse, Kpong, Asesewa, Sekesua among others, the use of beads is rather a ubiquitous phenomenon than an occasional one. It is a way of life and its use is just like the palm oil with which yams are eaten.

In all aspects of the life of the Krobo, the bead is almost indispensable; it is seen in our social, economic, cultural, religious, as well as political life. In all our rites of passage, the bead is used; - in pregnancy, birth, puberty, marriage and death. Similarly, in many other rites including the installation of chiefs/kings, queens and priests the bead is used. In short, beads give meaning to the life of the Krobo and though its usage is now common among other tribes in Ghana and the world at large, the value and significance of Krobo beads is unquestionable and unmatched.

Oral traditions suggest that the use of beads among the Krobo dates back to the 9th Century AD. Throughout the days of the Krobo (Dangme) migration from North-East Africa, the region known today as Israel, through to Ile-Ife on Yuroba land in Nigeria to their arrival around the 14th Century in the then Gold Coast, now Ghana, the Krobo have used and attached much importance to beads. Just like the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the pre and post-modern Krobo society have manufactured, traded and used beads.

In the earlier days, it was mostly associated with money and magic. Today, the usage of beads varies from issues of love, charm, fertility, protection and also as fashion and a symbol of wealth. History has it that, the early beads were either unearthed from caves and or were made from grooved animal teeth and bones and were rather worn around the knees and the waist. With time, it was also worn around the neck, wrist or as bracelets and earring.

Today, the Krobo bead culture has become a national one. It is common to see people from all parts of the country producing and using beads (powdered-glass, bamboo, plastic) but when it comes to quality and value, they are unmatched to Krobo beads. The Krobo bead makers are best known for their wonderfully made colourfully powdered glass beads made from recycled glass and produced using traditional, labour-intensive methods.

So whether you are an international tourist visiting Ghana or a Ghanaian who love beads, just make a trip to Odumase Krobo or Somanya and get yourself some beads such as Kli, zagba, otaka, powa, L, Kp, kofoya, mt among others. Opportunities abound for the Krobo bead industry. It offers the Krobo area a unique opportunity for growth and development.

The first international bead festival was held in Odumase-Krobo but one cannot tell what has become of it. I therefore call on our traditional authorities, heritage groups such as Kloma Hengme, the municipal and district assemblies as well as the ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and the Dangme Newspaper to liaise and find ways of tapping from this huge potential beads offers Kroboland and Ghana. God bless Krobo-land and its people, God bless Ga-Dangme, God bless Ghana.
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Members, Supporters and sympathisers of the New Patriotic Party in Germany would gather in the central German city of Hanover for their Annual Mini-Congress on Saturday April 16 2016

The one-day congress is under the theme Working towards Change in Ghana

Mr Kwaku Anane-Gyinde, National Organiser of NPP-Germany who announced this in an interview with Ghana Waves Radio pointed out that this being an election year, it is important for the leadership to meet members and explain partys preparation and readiness for the November Polls.

Mr Anane-Gyinde disclosed that as part of its preparation towards the election, NPP Germany would hold a training programme for Polling Station Agents/Volunteers who will be travelling to Ghana assist in the elections.

According to him, the training programme which precedes the congress will start at 10 am and end at 12.30 pm to allow the Mini-Congress to begin at 13.00 pm.

The National Organiser disclosed that so far 43 Volunteers have submitted their names for the training and expressed the optimism that the number is likely to increase before the scheduled date. He therefore, urged all NPP members and supporters interested in being part of the training programme to submit their names through their local chapter chairpersons.

He explained that the enthusiasm and interest in the programme underscores the fact that Ghanaians in diaspora like their compatriots at home, are determined to effect a change in Ghana saying mismanagement, incompetence and poor leadership affect us all.

The out-spoken National Organiser noted that as a result of poor leadership and bad governance, Ghanaians in Germany and across Europe cannot travel to their country of birth because our missions (embassies) are not able to issue Ghanaian passports for reasons best known to them

He said the inability of the Mahama-led government to print enough passport booklets coupled with the high level of corruption, incompetence and ineptitude are emblematic of a failed government with failed policies. He declared no serious government will sit and look unconcerned while its citizens are denied the right to travel home simply because it cannot find the money to print passport booklets

Mr Anane-Gyinde stressed that the only way Ghanaians can avoid this national ridicule and embarrassment is to show President Mahama and the NDC the exit in November and replace them with a more competent team that can prudently manage the economy of Ghana.

For more information regarding the Mini-Congress, please contact the following number

0049 15210575223

004915783430663
20.03.2016 LISTEN

His stentorian and vindictive rhetoric and all, Mr. Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, the newly elected 2016 Presidential Candidate of the rump-Convention Peoples Party (r-CPP), is rapidly beginning to sound like the proverbial broken record. Actually, he is beginning to sound more like a political upstart desperate for power by hook or crook.

The problem that he has here is that Ghanaians are far more interested in a forward-looking leader with a demonstrable development agenda than one pathologically fixated on a pile-up of empty promises. And so far, the avowed dyed-in-the-wool Nkrumaist has been talking with a forked tongue. And it is predictably becoming clear that the 45-year-old lawyer-cum-entrepreneur might be primarily in for himself and his cronies. This is typical CPP leadership style.

He is either a bona fide Nkrumaist or a shameless opportunist pretending to be what he is not. For starters, Mr. Greenstreet claims that if given the mandate in November, he intends to look into the possibility of facilitating the development and commercial use of renewable energy resources. Now that is commonsensical and wisely modernistic. Our elders have a saying that when the time changes, one needs to logically change course with the times. But when he talks about encouraging the private sector to actively participate in the development of energy resources in the country, you know darn well that he must be jiving.

Those who have been sedulously following Mr. Greenstreet and Ms. Samia Yaba Nkrumah are fully aware of the fact that like the socialist patriarch of the proto-Convention Peoples Party, these politicians are dead-set against private-sector dabbling in the countrys energy sector. And so it is quite refreshing that Mr. Greenstreet has decided to borrow a page from the development playbook of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo Traditionalists.

He has been on the protest lines with those who have vehemently protested against the decision and/or call for the privatization of the nations main energy supplier, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). And so it would be quite interesting to hear Mr. Greenstreet venture beyond sheer rhetoric and elaborate on precisely how he intends to parcel out a share of energy-sector development to private entrepreneurs and the projected long-term impact of the same. Mr. Greenstreet, it must be laudably acknowledged, is no pansy or dupe.

He recognizes the need to forging a pragmatic policy agenda, if he is to make a remarkable difference on the national political front. Recently, for example, he soberly observed that while, indeed, many Ghanaians were fervidly looking towards the emergence of a viable third political party, nevertheless, under the present circumstances, it would not be totally out of kilter for the rump-CPP to look towards entering into a collaborative alliance with either of the two major parties, namely, the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, with the long-term view of prepping itself for the eventual assumption of the reins of national governance.

This progressive attitude, of course, virulently conflicts with the stance taken by rump-CPP National Chairman Prof. Edmund Delle. At the partys most recent delegates congress, Prof. Delle reportedly bucked protocol by flatly and adamantly rejecting a call by the Greater-Accra Chairman of the New Patriotic Party for the possibility of forging an alliance with the countrys largest political party in the lead-up to Election 2016.

In a quite significant sense, one cannot but resonantly agree with Prof. Delle, because ideologically speaking the rump-CPP has far more in common with the Nkrumaist-packed National Democratic Congress than it does with the neo-liberal democratic New Patriotic Party. Rather than unproductively flirting with the Nkrumaist camp, which only envisages an alliance with the NPP primarily in terms of how it can ride roughshod over the back of the latter on its Herculean journey into the Flagstaff House. The NPP leaders may hate the guts of their NDC counterparts, but the rump-CPP leaders are fundamentally the clones of the Mahama posse.

We have seen the rump-CPP, then headed by Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, royally betray the Akufo-Addo-led NPP in the heat of the 2008 presidential election runoff. Rather, what the Akufo-Addo Group needs to do now is to strengthen its communications and propaganda apparatuses and vigorously promote its policy agenda in to-to. Dont get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing remiss with political alliances. The problem with the political terrain of Ghanas Fourth Republic presently is that unlike the faux-socialist and revolutionary National Democratic Congress, the New Patriotic Party has no reliable ideological bedmates among the two dozen or so minor political parties.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Over the years, Russia and Zimbabwe have maintained strong cordial relations in all significant spheres and the prospects of broadening cooperation are very bright. Right now, Russia is stepping up economic investment in Zimbabwe. Russia-Zimbabwe economic partnership will blossom in coming years as the groundwork for this new chapter in their economic diplomacy was laid when Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in May 2015.

Quite recently, Brigadier General Mike Nicholas Sango, Zimbabwean Ambassador in the Russian Federation, spoke to Kester Kenn Klomegah, an independent research writer on Russia-African affairs, about some aspects of Russia-Zimbabwean relations, economic cooperation and future prospects.

Interview excerpts:

Current level of Russia's economic presence in Zimbabwe and that of Zimbabwe in the Russian Federation:

Zimbabwe is a developing country whose economic development progress has been set back as a result of illegal economic sanctions by the United States, the EU and white commonwealth who historically have been major beneficiaries of economic activity in pre and post independent Zimbabwe. The Russian Federation, although a historical ally had not been economically active in Zimbabwe until 2014 when she had a maiden entry into Zimbabwe in a joint venture project with the Zimbabwe government, started the platinum mining project estimated to inject three billion United States dollars. This will be one of the largest single investments in the country. From 2014 the two governments are engaged in negotiations for other Russian investments in Zimbabwe.

What are your Government's key priorities and expectations from Russia?

Zimbabwes key priorities can be summarized as follows (in order of priority):

 Energy: For industry and commerce to thrive there has to be sufficient power. Presently, Zimbabwe has a power deficit of 750 MW. The most reliable source is the 750 MW Hydro power plant which has been affected by low water levels due to two years of drought. The country is relying on power imports.

 Agriculture Support: Agriculture is the economic mainstay and provides 15% of GDP. Water harnessing through dam construction, irrigation mechanization, and agricultural machinery are key areas.

 Infrastructure Development: Although the country has a fairly well developed infrastructure, the road and rail infrastructure needs refurbishment and expansion to take trade volumes for the country as well as its neighbours to the north.

 Mining: Zimbabwe is endowed with abundant unexploited resources.

 Manufacturing: Zimbabwes manufacturing sector has been hit hard by illegal economic sanctions. Most industries have outdated and expensive to run machinery. They are in dire need of retooling, refurbishment and funding.

 Tourism: Zimbabwe hosts one of the wonders of the world, the Victoria Falls. Investment in infrastructure development in the hotels would complement the opening by larger airports to accommodate larger body aircrafts.

Which economic sectors are attractive for foreign investors (e.g. U.S., EU, China etc) generally and what investment incentives are currently available for investors or foreign players?

 To China  mining, agriculture and infrastructure development

 To USA  Mining especially in strategic minerals, (low due to illegal sanctions)

 EU  Mostly in manufacturing and agricultural and horticultural products

Incentives:

 Investment Options  limited liability Company, sole proprietorship, partnerships, joint ventures.

 Investment Funding Options  commercials banks, pension funds, micro-finance, own funds.

 Taxation  Government is moving towards harmonizing customs and taxation on a regional basis.

 Taxation:

Income tax rate 25%

Capital Gains tax 20%

Dividends 10  15% (Listed to on ZSE 10%)

VAT 15%

 Specific tax Incentives

 20% corporate income tax for manufacturing companies exporting at least 50% of output

 15% corporate tax applied for first 5 years of operation in road, bridge and sanitation or water facility construction

 15% corporate tax for special mining base operations, losses are carried forward indefinitely for mining operation

 Duty exemption on imported capital equipment

 Exemption from duties on the import of raw materials used in the manufacture of goods for export and also for a registered operator

 Five year tax holiday for designated Tourist Zones

 Exemption from VAT for a variety of goods and products that include agricultural produce, raw materials for further processing, goods used in the products that include agricultural, mining, industrial or manufactured products etc

 Build Operated Transfer (BOT), Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) projects are taxed at a variable rate depending on the years of operation (0% for first 5 years and increasing to 30% after 16 years.

To what extent Russian companies have shown interest in the mineral exploration sector in Zimbabwe? Has mineral exploration already started after Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov went there for the signing ceremony in 2014?

Discussions are in progress to get Russian companies into exploration and mining of various minerals. The Russia-Zimbabwe Joint Commission will be meeting in Zimbabwe in April this year to discuss further areas of cooperation. The Great Dyke Project Minister Lavrov signed in 2014 was not expected to be exploiting the mineral as of to date as there were processes that needed to be undertaken beforehand that include completing geological survey, construction of infrastructure etc.

Do you also consider promotion of small and medium scale businesses as part of strengthening economic cooperation between two countries?

In March 2016, a Zimbabwean private sector delegation will arrive in Moscow at the invitation of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce to discuss and explore areas of preferential cooperation that would benefit small scale and medium businesses in Zimbabwe.

How would you assess BRICS member countries' economic engagement in Zimbabwe? And finally what, in your view, will be the future of Zimbabwe Russian relations?

BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) encourage commercial, political and cultural cooperation among themselves. Although there is no formal relationship between this block and Zimbabwe, individual countries have a bilateral economic and political relationship with Zimbabwe. South Africa is Zimbabwe's largest trading partner. Her geophysical position goes beyond economic relations but political, social and cultural.

Brazil has very strong economic ties with Zimbabwe. Under the economic blueprint "Food for Africa" Brazil has already shipped $93 million worth of agricultural machinery under a $150m project to help Zimbabwe restore its yester year "breadbasket" status. China made the first entry after the West imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe and is the largest single investor in Zimbabwe today. India has also come on board with renewed interest in Zimbabwe. We foresee rising Indian investment in Zimbabwe.

Russia and Zimbabwe have put in place structures and mechanisms for sustainable economic cooperation. Although Russia's economy is under pressure from illegal sanctions and the depressed global economic environment, she is committed to assist Zimbabwe's economic recovery. The single giant investment in platinum mining in Zimbabwe worth three billion is a sure sign of long-term economic cooperation.

High level visits have taken place in 2015 and in April 2016 a high level meeting at Ministerial level will be hosted in Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe to explore further areas of cooperation. Meanwhile a private sector business delegation will be in Moscow in March at the invitation of a local chamber to explore opportunities for cooperation. Relations between Russia and Zimbabwe are based on a strong foundation founded on the support given to Zimbabweans during their struggle for independence.
20.03.2016 LISTEN

The last two weeks has been quite interesting on the news front with discussions on a serious matter, the so-called Spy Bill, dominating. As usual the opposition NPP and prominent lawyer Kojo Ace Ankomah and leading think tanks CDD and IMANI had declared a predictable stand---that they were opposed to the Bill, insisting that Ghana did not need to have a law that authorises lawful interception of postal packets and telecommunication messages to bust crime or prosecute those who engage in it and make our country safe.

In fact, NPPs Kojo Kwarteng had reiterated the opposition NPPs position in Parliament that they are opposed to the Bill and will not endorse its passage. This was also the position of the NPP, whose leader, Nana Akufo-Addo had also stated that he was opposed to the Spy Bill, adding that Ghana did not need the law.

Akufo-Addos mantra was also predictably repeated by IMANIs VP Kofi Bob Bentil, Data Protection Commission Executive Director, Teki Akuetteh-Falconer, CDD-Ghana Deputy Director of Programmes, Franklin Oduro, and JOYFMs own biased stand against the Bill. JOYFMs unprofessional methods were so pathetically obvious that they did not report views that were in favour of the draft Bill and in the very few instance that they did, they buried the well explained views of James Agalga, Deputy Minister of Interior 10 paragraphs down their reportage.

Such blatant slanting of the reportage on this important Bill made Ghana poorer because Ghanaians are entitled not only to both sides of an issue, especially on an important issue as the Spy Bill, but more important we are entitled to an unbiased analytical reasoning and discussion. I am not a lawyer, so I cant tell legalese from another, but I can distinguish unbiased reasoning from partisan reasoning and discussion.

I was therefore shocked beyond surprise when I heard on JOYFMs March 1st programme a gentleman whose voice I had never heard before, William Nyarko, Executive Director of the US-based Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) provide an unbiased analysis of the draft Bill, drawing on international human rights law, domestic law, and international best practice to conclude that Ghana needs to have the Spy Bill, but not in its current form. He then went on to provide concrete and alternative solutions to what needs to change in the draft Bill. I understand that he followed up with a memo to Parliament reiterating ACILAs position.

By the time the JOYFM programme ended, all the against people had shifted their position to reflect the submissions of Nyarko, saying that the Bill is needed but not in its current form.

Days later, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) also came out, saying that the Bill is needed, but certain provisions must change.

Now the discourse has shifted from no spy bill to we need the spy bill and that certain provisions must change, thanks to ACILA. Sometimes it takes an outsider to help us make unbiased and informed decisions on important issues.

I hope and pray that ACILA will not become partisan and biased like some of the people and partisan organizations styling themselves as non-partisan think tanks.

Based on Nyarkos input and my own follow up analysis of the draft Bill, I fully support a revamping of the draft Bill Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages Bill, 2015 before it is passed by Parliament.
The crocodile tears that some of the key operatives of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been pretending to be shedding for Mr. Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, 70, whose passing at a London hospital was announced early Sunday morning, is rather pathetic (See Jakes Death Left Us Heart Broken  NDC Modernghana.com 3/20/16).

Mr. Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, the General-Secretary of the NDC, released a predictably badly rehearsed and scandalously vacuous pro-forma statement to the media in which he disingenuously claimed that Mr. Obetsebi-Lampteys passing had left him and his colleagues heart-broken. Well, lets leave such cant for the evaluation and judgment of those who have been sedulously watching our national political scene since January 2009.

That Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey was exactly 19 years old on the very day that Dr. Joseph (Kwame Kyeretwie) Boakye-Danquah was unconscionably and summarily assassinated by paid surrogates working at the behest of President Kwame Nkrumah and his extortionate Convention Peoples Party (CPP) government, has quite a significant meaning for our country beyond mere calendrical abstractions. Jakes own father, Mr. Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, a member of the legendary Big Six, had himself been callously humiliated and prematurely dispatched to his grave by Mr. Kwame Nkrumah at the Condemned- Cell Block at the Nsawam Prison some two or three years earlier.

We may never know the deleterious, and devastating, impact that this egregious crime against humanity had on the fortunes and destiny of the younger Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey. Whatever posterity may have to say about this political giant and finest of gentlemen, one thing is certain  Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey served his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and country with remarkable distinction and as best as he could. It is also certain that wherever his ghost and/or spirit may be lingering presently, former President John Evans Atta-Mills could not be very pleased to be forced to welcome Jake among the teeming ranks of those who have gone ahead.

At 70 and a good Christian, Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey had enviably lived out, fully, the temporal span afforded him by Divine Providence. Messrs. Edward Omane-Boamah and Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa could not be very regretful about the passing of the man whose image and hard-won reputation they tried so passionately and viciously to permanently injure and destroy before the Wood-presided august Supreme Court of Ghana. Perhaps these two young cynical cabinet appointees are even popping champagne in hearty celebration of the passing of Jake, even as I write with a well of tears in my eyes. Of course, I have known Jake to have been indisposed for quite some time now.

And, of course, the current Communications Minister and Deputy Education Minister, respectively, could not have almost successfully embarked on this most unconscionable and delectably ill-fated politics of personal destruction without the bold, very public and shameless complicity of then-President John Evans Atta-Mills. In the end, these two wet-eared bootlicking reprobates and their dignity-bereft patron had to scurry shame-facedly, tail in-between legs, towards the very bottom of the porcine trough from which they had been voraciously feasting off the flesh and blood of their political opponents.

The preceding dastardly and passionately partisan shenanigans notwithstanding, Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey was properly speaking a fallible human who committed his fair share of blunders as a politician. But he was an astute, respectable and honorable politician and a decent human being, nevertheless.

I am a bona fide non-state-side member of the family at heart, which makes it extremely difficult for me to bear this huge, touching loss. That the current party-headquarters leadership crisis only became as apparently intractable and heart-wrenchingly traumatic as it has become, is largely because of dastardly factional attempts to undermine the credibility and integrity of Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey, cannot be gainsaid. That was how significant and indispensable Jake had become to the stature and fortunes of the New Patriotic Party.

Jakes passing offers a prime opportunity for the New Patriotic Partys headquarters stalwarts to their acts together and intently and poignantly spoil for victory come the November 2016 general election. Jake would have had it no other way, in spite of the nihilistically lurid intrigues and great anguish and disappointment that he was forced to endure.

Onukpa, Hedzolleh! Yaa Kashie Odwogbaan!!!

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Wa, Mar. 20, GNA - Ghana and Burkina Faso have vowed to fight cross border crimes, and may not depend on the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) protocols to help apprehend criminals.

In a communique after a joint Regional Security Council meeting between Ghana and Burkina Faso in Wa, it noted that the use of ECOWAS Protocols all the time often served as a hindrance to apprehending criminals.

The communique signed by Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister and Mr Ambroise S. Amadou Diarra, Governor of South West Region in Burkina Faso, urged security officers in the frontier regions to exchange contract numbers to enable them maintain surveillance on suspected criminals.

It urged traditional rulers in the communities to get actively involved in the fight against cross border crime.

The communique also asked the frontier regions to provide the names of notorious criminals on wanted lists and distribute them among security councils of the various regions for close surveillance and apprehension.

It urged governments of the Ghana and Burkina Faso to provide modern communication equipment to the security personnel at the borders.

The communique called for the reactivation of Ghana and Burkina Faso Joint Boundary Commission to help facilitate joint meetings on regular basis to discuss security issues.

It gave the assurance that the two countries would fight and bring down cross border crimes to the lowest minimum, and also, sustain the existing cordial relationship among the people in the three frontier regions and ultimately between Ghana and Burkina Faso.

GNA
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Bawku (U/E) Mar. 20, GNA - The students and staff of the Bawku Senior High Technical School are facing an acute water shortage which is affecting academic work.

Mrs Elizabeth Atinbil, the Headmistress of the school, in an interview with the GNA, described the situation as one that affects the academic performance of the students including their discipline.

She said most of the students report late to class after spending so much time to search for water while some of the girls use the search for water as an excuse to spend time with boyfriends in town.

'The school has only one borehole, supplying 1,800 students and 80 teaching and nonteaching staff of the school', Mrs Atinbil said.

She said the situation had become a worry to both students and staff, saying some of the students go to classes without bathing while others do not even go at all.

Mrs Atinbil said the lack of water in the school for some time had encouraged lateness, absenteeism, truancy, inattentiveness and sleeping in class as most of the students go to search for water late in the night.

She said the school lacked both staff and students' accommodation especially girls dormitory adding that 65 per cent of the teaching staff lived in town.

The Headmistress appealed to non- governmental organizations, philanthropists and corporate organizations to come to the aid of the school.

GNA
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Nkawkaw (E/R), Mar. 20, GNA - Dr Francis Baah, the Executive Director of Cocoa Health Extension Division of the Ghana COCOBOD, has called on farmers to plant new high yielding cocoa varieties than maintain aged trees with fertilizer.

He said this year, 60, 000 seedlings will be distributed free to cocoa farmers throughout the cocoa districts of the country.

Dr Baah was speaking at the inauguration of the ten-member Cocoa Task Force for the Nkawkaw Cocoa District.

In all, 60 of such task forces would be established throughout the country to supervise the distribution of logistics such as insecticides, fertilizers, spraying machines and cocoa seedlings to cocoa farmers to help increase cocoa production in the country.

Mr Kofi Kutsoti, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in charge of operations of the Ghana COCOBOD, urged the task force members to ensure fair distribution of insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers and cocoa seedlings to increase high quality cocoa in the country.

He urged them to draw up effective management plans for the farmers to avoid negative practices that will affect cocoa production in the country.

Mr Alex Somoah Obeng, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), appealed for more inputs and logistics for the farmers especially, spraying machines and also post more extension officers to educate the farmers on modern farming practices.

GNA
Tumu, Mar. 20, GNA - Kuoro Richard Babina Kanton Vl, the Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area, has said the sustainability of forest cover in the Sissala East District was under threat.

He said the environment in the District which was already depleted is now under serious threat from timber merchants and other individuals who are felling any tree on sight.

Kuoro Kanton, made this known at the annual 'Paari Gbielle' Festival celebrations of the chiefs and people of the Tumu Traditional Area.

He said traditional rulers and the people were questioning the motive behind the concession given to timber merchants to harvest trees in a region which was already a desert prone area.

The Tumu Kuoro issued a warning to the merchants, some of whom are of Chinese origin, to leave the trees alone, saying 'I am told they have made some payments to Forest Commission'.

'If that is true, then the Forestry Commission must also pay royalties to us, and also, introduce afforestation programmes in the area to make up for the destruction that have been visited on the forest cover', he said.

Since last year, some timber merchants have been operating in the Sissala East, Sissala West, Wa East, Wa West and Jirapa Districts harvesting roost trees with impunity.

GNA
(By Francis Ameyibor, GNA Special Correspondent, UN New York)

New York, March 20, GNA - Ghana has acknowledged the role UNFPA and UNICEF are playing to end child, early and forced marriage.

UNFPA and UNICEF have jointly launched a Global Joint Progamme to Accelerate Actions to End Child Marriage to reaffirm the United Nation's commitment to move towards collective action.

Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection stated at the launch of the programme in New York on the sidelines of the 60th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) from March 14 to 24.

The Gender Minister noted that the Global Joint Programme was a strong indication of UNFPA, UNICEF and its partners' commitment to safety, protection and full development of children across the world.

'It is therefore critical that we solidly sustain the voice that rejects the abuse, enslavement and gross violations of girls in our countries and on our continent, and indeed globally, through the practice of child, early and forced marriage.

'We have a crisis on our hands. The 15 million girls that are estimated by the UN to experience child, early and force marriage each year is more than half the population of my country. The statistic telling and the facts are glaringly painful,' Nana Oye Lithur noted.

She noted: 'there is no doubt that this initiative will yield great results towards the prevention and total elimination of child marriage in the world.

'Ghana looks forward to being an active part of the Global Joint Progamme as we accelerate actions to end child marriage'.

Nana Oye Lithur noted that while the world invest in prevention, it's crucial to provide a second chance and opportunities for married girls and teen moms - education, health and economic opportunities.

'The real solutions lie also with the young women and young people themselves. We must move from vulnerability to voice and leadership.

'Africa is young, innovating and this energy must be harnessed to ensure that we have lasting solutions. Indeed child marriage is a human rights, human security, governance and development agenda,' she noted.

Responding to issues raised on punishment of perpetrators, Nana Oye Lithur who is a human right lawyer by profession and a gender advocate, noted that the element of punishment of perpetrators as deterrence from continuing the practice was extremely important to the over-all and holistic strategy to fight and end child marriage.

'The act of child marriage, the process of child marriage and various activities associated with it, do constitute punishable and in many cases criminal acts.

'All countries must therefore match their commitments with aggressive enforcement of these provisions,' she said.

The Gender Minister explained that some countries have also provided specific punishment for perpetrators of child marriage.

Promising Practices: Norway's Penal Code (2003) punishes forced marriage as a felony against personal liberty. Scotland passed the Forced Marriage Act of 2011, which criminalizes forced marriage.

The Act empowers courts to issue protection orders tailored to victim's needs, and makes violation of those orders a criminal offense. December 2011, Pakistan passed the Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Bill and the Criminal Law Bill, which amended the Pakistan Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Bill Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Bill makes it unlawful to 'compel or arrange or facilitate' a women's marriage, punishing violations with imprisonment of three to seven years and a fine.

Nana Oye Lithur said in 2007, the Government of Sierra Leone, enacted the Child Rights Act, which establishes the age of 18 as a minimum for marriage, regardless of whether the marriage is carried out under formal, customary, or religious law.

'The law further specifies 18 as the minimum age to be betrothed (promised for marriage) or to be the subject of a dowry transaction indicating that any person found in violation of this provision has committed a criminal offense and may be subject to a fine of up to 30 million Leones or a prison term of no more than two years or both,' she said.

However, like many other countries in the sub-region, implementation of this aspect of the law has been challenging and that is where Ayisha's question comes in.

She said there exist conflict between the applications of formal law versus customary laws, where majority of the population view the traditional, customary system as the primary source of authority for their actions.

'As a people we need to remain resolute in our commitment to end this practice and other harmful traditional values. As we work tirelessly to engage with our traditional and cultural systems to ensure positive change in behaviour towards the girl-child and women in general, it is important that we set the right examples by applying the law where evidence is available.

'As we work at punishment as a deterring factor to child marriage, it is important that we continue to invest in our youth; to continue to pay attention to our young girls; ensure that they are educated, informed and empowered to make the right decisions,' she said.

GNA
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Wa, Mar. 20, GNA - The Upper West Regional Security Council has held a joint security meeting with Burkina Faso Security Council to discuss cross border security issues of common interest between the two countries.

The meeting was to enhance the existing collaboration at different levels to deal with potential security threats to the two countries to keep the people safe from all forms of insecurity.

Security chiefs of Goauo and Sissili Provinces of Burkina Faso, which shares borders with the Upper West Region attended the meeting.

Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, who initiated the meeting, said the region shared not only common boundaries but also common security concerns.

He said crimes such as armed robberies, cattle rustling and smuggling of goods were commonly committed along the border towns and villages.

He said aside criminal activities, the threats of terrorists' attacks had called for a more concerted action and collaboration between the security agencies of Ghana and Burkina Faso.

The Regional Minister said it was necessary for both Ghana and Burkina Faso to further strengthen the collaborative efforts between their security forces to share more intelligence for their mutual benefit.

Alhaji Sulemana said criminals were taking advantage of the close relationship between the people and the proximity of the communities to seek refuge with their relations when they commit crimes in either region.

The porous nature of the borders and the many unapproved entry routes also made it easier for smugglers and criminals to move in and out of the respective regions, he said.

Alhaji Sulemana condemned the terrorists' attacks in Burkina Faso and Cote D Ivoire which resulted in the loss of human lives and properties.

Mr Diarra Ambroise S. Amadou, Governor of South West Region of Burkina Faso, said between 2015 and 2016, nine people have been killed by criminals who either escaped to Ghana or La Cote d' Ivoire.

Security heads in the region, district chief executives of Sissala West, Wa West Districts and Wa Muncipal Chief Executive, also attended the meeting.

GNA
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Cape Coast, Mar. 20, GNA - Six persons died while several others were injured on Thursday night when a Sprinter Benz and a VVI Buses they were travelling on 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 three males included both drivers and the mate of the sprinter bus.

Six people who sustained minor degree of injuries were sent to the Winneba Government Hospital for treatment while ten people who were said to be in critical conditions were also rushed to Winneba Trauma Hospital.

Mr Stephen Anokye, the Central Regional Manager of National Road Safety Commission, told the Ghana News Agency that the accident occurred around 2300 hrs on Thursday night.

He said the Sprinter bus with registration number GE5526-15 was heading from Takoradi towards Kasoa while the VVIP Bus with registration number GT6454 was travelling from Accra towards Takoradi.

He said the driver of the Sprinter on reaching Buduatta Junction 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
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Kejebril (WR), Mar. 20, GNA - Mr Hassan Idris, the Chairman of the Supreme Consultative Council of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), has called for the disbanding of illegal small-scale mining activities in cocoa growing areas.

He appealed to the Minerals Commission to stop issuing licenses to mining companies to operate on mining concessions located within cocoa growing areas since the practice negatively affected their farms, surrounding water bodies and the environment.

He also appealed to the traditional authorities and land owners to refrain from selling or releasing lands to illegal miners for mining.

Mr Idris made the remarks at a stakeholders' meeting of cocoa farmers and staff of COCOBOD at the Kejebril Warehouse Complex of COCOBOD in the Western Region.

The Supreme Consultative Council of COCOBOD is the unionized body of cocoa farmers and the staff of COCOBOD that champion the welfare of its members.

The Chairman of the Council said the erratic rainfall pattern last year resulted in decline in cocoa production and asked Ghanaians and political party activists not to politicize the matter.

He urged cocoa farmers to desist from smuggling cocoa beans to neighbouring countries saying offenders would be arrested and prosecuted.

He said prices of the commodity had been increased to an appreciable level in recent years farmers must reciprocate the gesture by selling the commodity in the country.

He said COCOBOD contracted syndicated loan of $1.7 billion dollars in 2014/2015 cocoa season to purchase cocoa beans from farmers and other inputs such as fertilizers and chemicals for mass spraying exercise.

In addition, he said, COCOBOD contracted another syndicated loan facility amounting to $1.8 billion dollars in 2015/2016 cocoa season due to the good reputation of the country on the global market.

So far, he said, sixty million seedlings had been supplied to farmers for the cocoa planting season while conditions of service of COCOBOD workers had been enhanced with soft loans to purchase vehicles and motorbikes as well as those who want to own houses.

He commended Dr Stephen Kobina Opuni, the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOB, for introducing innovative programmes including Youth in Cocoa Production and assured the management of the support of the Council to ensure the implementation of sound programmes to enhance cocoa production.

Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, the National Chief Farmer for Ghana Cocoa Coffee Shea- nut Farmers Association, noted that cocoa was a vital commodity to the socio-economic development of the country therefore any mishap in the management of the cocoa industry would have dire consequences on the country's economy.

In this vein, he said, Government had increased the price of a bag of cocoa beans between GH 120.00 and GH 425.00 from 2009 to 2016 which had enhanced the financial status of cocoa farmers.

Nana Johnson Mensah, the Western Regional Chief Cocoa Farmer said, over the years, the government had supplied cocoa farmers with free cocoa seedlings, fertilizers and fungicides for mass spraying.

However, undue delays in releasing the inputs during cocoa planting season had negatively affected production levels and appealed for early supply of such inputs, he said.

Nana Mensah appealed to the government to increase supply of solar torch-lights and solar streetlights to cocoa farmers and communities to improve their standards of living.

GNA
Former president, John Agyekum Kufour, has urged politicians and their supporters to desist from politics of insults and lies.

He asked them to engage in issues that would help transform the lives of the majority of Ghanaians.

Mr Kufour made the call at a festival to celebrate the Suma Akwantukese festival at Suma at Jaman North in the Brong Ahafo region. Present was the paramount chief in the area Odeneho Dr. Affram Brempong III.

The ex-president urged party members and supporters of the various political parties to take the forthcoming elections more seriously, reminding them that is the only and surest way through which they could exercise their franchise legitimately as Ghanaians.

The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress Party (NDC), Johnson Aseidu Nketia who attended the programme on behalf of President John Mahama cautioned the chiefs to stay away from partisan politics.

He said the chiefs ruled over people who supported different political parties and their involvement in politics may cause some instability in their various communities.

He indicated that although the chiefs had the right to be part of any political party, they should not make their support for any party public.

Former President Kufuor



General Secretary of the NDC, Asiedu Nketia

Odeneho Dr. Affram Brempong III, awarded, the former president John Agyekum Kufour, President John Dramani Mahama, Chief Justice, Georgina Wood, Asiedu Nketia and others for their contributions to Ghanas development.
Niamey (AFP) - Voters in Niger cast ballots in the country's first-ever presidential run-off Sunday, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou on track for a second five-year term as the opposition observed a boycott.

Voter turnout in the capital Niamey, a stronghold of jailed opposition leader Hama Amadou, seemed lower than in the first round of the election, when queues formed outside polling stations, according to AFP reporters.

"I regret that the opposition is boycotting these elections, but we are a democracy and everyone is free to take whatever position they wish," Issoufou told AFP as he voted in Niamey.

Addressing reporters, he said: "We should avoid pointless quarrels. The winner, whoever he is, must think about bringing Nigeriens together beyond his own camp, because we face significant challenges."

"Challenges on which I have had to work. Five years is not enough to overcome these challenges, I am thinking in particular of security," he said, calling for a "holy union after two Islamist attacks on Thursday.

The election pits 64-year-old Issoufou, a former mining engineer nicknamed "the Lion", against 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.

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."

In Niamey Sunday some polling stations opened a little later than the 8 am (0700 GMT) official start time, AFP reporters said. They were to close at 7 pm (1800 GMT), with 7.5 million people eligible to vote.

The electoral commission has to declare the results within five days, but is expected to do so on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The impoverished west African state has only had a multi-party democracy since 1990 and three-quarters of the population live on less than $2 (1.80 euros) a day.

- 'Stay at home' -

Issoufou took a solid lead with 48.4 percent in the initial vote on February 21, way ahead of Amadou, who scored 17.7 percent.

The opposition coalition alleged fraud in the first round, claiming "unfair treatment between the two candidates" and has vowed not to recognise the results of Sunday's vote.

Religious groups, tribal leaders and trade unions have called for calm and dialogue.

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.

During the campaign, Issoufou, who took office in 2011, repeatedly pledged to bring prosperity to the desolate 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.

On Friday, Amadou's doctor in Paris said his condition was improving but he would have to remain under observation for "at least 10 days."
Johannesburg (AFP) - A senior official of South Africa's ruling party on Sunday urged its leadership to resign, including President Jacob Zuma, following divisions over charges faced by finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

Jackson Mthembu who is the African National Congress (ANC) chief whip in parliament said the party's poor performance in August local polls, factionalism and the recent fraud charges against Gordhan had motivated his decision.

"When I said the entire ANC leadership... I meant everybody, myself included, (and) President Zuma," Mthembu told eNCA television news channel.

Mthembu condemned Gordhan's prosecution, claiming the charges were politically motivated and raised questions about the direction in which the former liberation party was headed.

"In my view a minister is being pursued for political reasons and then charged with fraud," he said.

Gordhan will appear in court on November 2.

The charges against him date back to his time as head of the country's tax collection body.

He stands accused of acting corruptly in authorising the early retirement of one of his senior employees who was later reinstated in his job.

Gordhan has on several occasions spoken out against corruption in government, and also stood up to Zuma and alleged corrupt associates linked to the presidency.

Mthembu accused the ANC leadership of being "worse than the apartheid regime" saying "the apartheid regime never pursued its ministers the way we are pursuing Pravin Gordhan".

Gordhan's plight has sparked division among the ANC with top leaders such as deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa as well as several other ministers voicing support for him.

Mthembu's comments were rejected as populist by the youth wing of the ANC and Umkhonto Wesizwe, the association which brings together members of the now defunct armed wing of the ANC, both Zuma allies.
The Accidental Ecowas & AU Citizen:

Never a Dull Moment in West Africa...when there is a re-emergence of a new Axis of Evil? (6)

By E.K.Bensah Jr

Its been barely a fortnight, but three developments have conspired to remind me why the sub-region needs more of a concerted approach to help fight some of the multiple cankers dogging it. The first had to do with the arrest of an alleged drug baron  David MacDermott  who was arrested in Ghana in connection with a plot to import 71 million pounds worth of cocaine into the UK.

Second, as if it were not bad enough that Cote d'Ivoire has barely gotten over the terrorist attacks a few days ago in Grand-Bassam!

Reports indicate that speculation is rife on French intelligence warning authorities of imminent terrorist attacks on Senegal.

Although Al-Quaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for the attacks, some reports by experts indicate that the modus operandi bears the hallmarks of Boko Haram.

An expert at Radio France International disagrees, arguing that, Boko Haram is very busy now with their fight in Nigeria, in Southern Niger and North of Cameroon.

West Africa political risk analyst at Verisk Maplecroft told RFI that the next-obvious target would be Dakar, because of its link to France. Additionally, Senegal is a troop-contributor to MINUSMA  the AU/UN peacekeeping force in Mali, which might offer justification for an eventual attack.

Third, shortly after a baby in Cape Verde was born with a neurological defect microcephaly  that results in a small head due to an undeveloped brain  there are fears that, the birth defect may be caused by the dreaded Zika virus which is a pathogen carried by mosquitoes. That this disease has infected dozens of pregnant women in South America  mostly Brazil  has given vent to fears that it may cause same problems for women in West Africa  especially in countries that have been ravaged over the past two years by Ebola (specifically Guinea; Liberia and Sierra Leone). The global health expert, Daniel Lucey, is concerned that, the symptoms could be mistaken for the early signs of Ebola.

All these three points merit some scrutiny to get a sense of the imminent headache it presents for the sub-region.

Combating Drug Trafficking and Terrorism in the Sahel

Back in October 2011, I wrote a piece entitled Time for ECOWAS to Ratify the Criminal Investigative Intelligence Bureau. The idea behind the article was to argue that, free movement is important for the ECOWAS sub-region, but comes at a cost  cross-border crime. News of West African aliens having been caught entering Ghana to benefit from National Health Insurance is but one of many stories of how free movement for ECOWAS citizens, including the provision to stay ninety days in a country, can be abused. This provision is possible because of the Protocol on Free Movement, Right of Residence and Establishment which was adopted in 1979. In 1980, ECOWAS members would ratify the first phase of the Protocol guaranteeing free entry of citizens from member states without visa for ninety days.

In that article, too, I also touched on how West African leaders, working through ECOWAS, had made significant strides on combating drug trafficking, crime; and what I described as all the attendant vices associated with un-policed porous borders.

I still continue to argue that, with UEMOA (comprising eight francophone ECOWAS member states) using ID cards and all ECOWAS member states having adopted national ID systems, the window of opportunity must be capitalised upon by member states to get serious in securing a sub-region. My recent checks at the International Organisation for Migration reveal that the Biometric ID card that ECOWAS has been talking about was launched in Niger in January this year. Regrettably, my attempt to contact a representative from the Abuja Office of IOM for an interview has proved both frustrating and futile.

Equally important in my argument was how in almost five years since October 2008, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime launched a report[1] that castigated ECOWAS member states for their apparently-lackadaisical approach to fighting trans-border crime in the sub-region. Member states like Guinea-Bissau had become soft spots for drug traffickers who took advantage of often-corrupt systems of governance to use that country as a conduit for onward movement of their drugs.

In my 29 February, 2012 edition for this column, entitled West Africa Risingin Regional Instability?, I wrote while the [ECOWAS] Authority has strongly condemned the MNLA rebellion in Mali and expressed its full support for efforts being exerted by Mali to defend its territorial integrity, the sub-regional organisation has not only called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities by the rebels, but also approved the release of three million US dollars to assist Mali deal with the humanitarian consequences of the rebellion.

Even with the launch of the French-led Operation Serval, ECOWAS has done more than that. There are no less than thirteen ECOWAS member stateswith the exception of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verdethat had dispatched, or were dispatching troops as part of AFISMA in Mali.

In October 2012, I wrote a piece entitled Mission: ECOWAS has a responsibility to protect West Africa from Criminals. It summarized and reprised arguments from previous articles I had written about ECOWAS and its responsibility to secure the sub-region.

It would be in 2013 that I would write an article entitled Wanted: an ECOWAS Sahel Strategy to Secure & Protect West Africa from Criminals. In it, I sought to reprise issues that I had picked on since 2011 when I started writing about the region and its response to crime and terrorism. I wondered With ECOWAS celebrating 20 years of the revision of its treaty in July 2013 to reflect peace and security components, might it not be time for ECOWAS member states to consider bringing Chad on board the ECOWAS grouping so they can offer significant synergies for better-securing the sub-region. After all, the EU has a Sahel Strategy; and the AU is planning one. Now, where is the ECOWAS Sahel Strategy?

It would be only as recently as November 2015 that ECOWAS would meet in Abuja to consolidate regional responses to long-term development and stability challenges of Sahel-Saharan zone, while promoting strong political dialogue with both North and Central Africa.

While we can heave a sigh of relief that ECOWAS finally has a strategy, what is clear from the recent terrorist attacks is this: alongside non-member Cote dIvoire, members of the new institution of the G5 Sahel group, which was established in 2014, are reeling from the terrorist attacks as all  but Mauritania  have been attacked.

The group comprises Burkina Faso (attacked in January 2016); Chad (two attacks in June; and one in July 2015, with the latest in December 2015 when female suicide bombers blew themselves up near Lake Chad); Mali(November 2015); Niger (March 2016).

The exception to the rule has been Mauritania. Apart from the fact that it headquarters the G5 Sahel group, analysts believe the country may be playing a double game, where AQIM has made it a strange bedfellow, and offered it a truce by promising not to bomb its soil; while the country simultaneously enjoys Western support on counter-terrorism.

This speculation does not foreclose the fact that both ECOWAS and AU have possibly been found seriously wanting as far as engagement in the Sahel is concerned. Instead, it has been both the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the erstwhile UN Office for West Africa that have probably been most-engaging.

In January 2016, the UNODC published its Sahel Programme (2013-2017), which clearly indicates many of the deliverables the anti-crime agency has been able to produce. UNODC typically has unique expertise in helping Member States of the UN address organized crime and related illicit trafficking and terrorism through legislative, criminal justice and law enforcement advisory services, and technical assistance  as well as promoting regional and international cooperation.

In fact, UNODC was instrumental in the establishment of the G5 Sahel group, and increasingly, the G5 Sahel group has, since its birth, been recognised as a key partner in the fight against terrorism.

Combating Zika Virus in West Africa

The news that the Zika virus may be spreading to Cape Verde is as troubling as it is frustrating. Troubling, because one wonders whether West Africa does not have enough problems to contend with; and frustrating because the regional health agency  West Africa Health Organisation  that should be helping sensitize citizens about these threats is barely visible. Headquartered in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, it is unclear whether it is a language divide that is causing this terrible lack of visibility, or something a lot more structural.

At a time that all hands were on deck on Ebola at the national and regional levels, one wonders why WAHO has yet to start getting serious on health communication in the region. It is worrying especially at a time that Nigeria has been designated the continental Centre for Disease Control branch in West Africa.

Foreign Policy magazine reported in February that the East African country of Uganda possesses a Uganda Virus Research Institute. Populated by UVRI scientists who first discovered Zika in the blood of a rhesus monkey back in 1947, the scientists possess a long history of cutting-edge infectious disease research, dating back to the founding of the UVRI. Scientists at this Institute further pioneered a viral surveillance system that has played a critical role in curbing potential epidemics. The article concludes that the presence in the country of the worlds most virulent pathogens has compelled it to become a world leader in virus surveillance.

If there is any time than now for regional cooperation and collaboration on epidemiological surveillance, the time is now!

In 2009, in his capacity as a Do More Talk Less Ambassador of the 42nd Generationan NGO that promotes and discusses Pan-Africanism--Emmanuel gave a series of lectures on the role of ECOWAS and the AU in facilitating a Pan-African identity. Emmanuel owns "Critiquing Regionalism" (http://www.critiquing-regionalism.org). Established in 2004 as an initiative to respond to the dearth of knowledge on global regional integration initiatives worldwide, this non-profit blog features regional integration initiatives on MERCOSUR/EU/Africa/Asia and many others. You can reach him on [email protected] / Mobile: 0268.687.653.

[1] Online. Drug trafficking as a security threat in West Africa. http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/drug-trafficking-as-a-security-threat-in-west-africa.html
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Mar. 20, GNA - The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture have launched a technical cooperation project dubbed; 'Emergency assistance to control birdflu outbreaks and mitigate risks for virus spread' in Accra.

The project, which was signed by the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Hanna Bisiw in December 2015 with FAO providing an amount of USD 413,000.00, is expected to end in August 2016.

In a speech read for her, Dr Bisiw said the objectives of the project includes clarifying the project activities, responsibilities for project implementation, providing technical knowledge and guidance in the finalization of the project work plan.

Dr Abebe Haile Gabriel, Deputy Regional Representative for Africa and FAO Representative to Ghana, said the project is a rapid response from FAO to a sudden-onset of the disease crisis linked to the resurgence of the disease since May 2015.

He said the outbreak is threatening poultry farmers, jeopardizing commercial poultry production and seriously impeding regional and international trade.

He said the assistance will address the most urgent needs for scaling-up field and laboratory operations thereby increasing the efficiency of on-going interventions to halt the spread of the disease.

Dr Gabriel said the assistance is thus expected to contribute to safeguard livelihoods and the food and nutrition security of the population and public health.

He said the short-term emergency assistance will be complemented by technical support to improve laboratory diagnostic capacities, review contingency plans for improved preparedness and response capabilities and refine communication strategies for disease prevention and control.

Dr Gabriel said although there has not been any confirmed case of the disease since January 12, 2016, Ghana is still considered to be at risk.

Recent confirmed cases in Cote d'Ivoire and the continuous daily reported cases of in Nigeria are very alarming and there is the need to strengthen the country's capacity to control and prevent further spread of the disease.

This meeting brought together experts from the Veterinary Service and other stakeholders in the poultry value chain to help finalize the work plan and give inputs in the overall implementation of the project, he added.

Dr Eugene Yelfaanibe, Project Coordinator, said the project is three months behind time and the implementation plan must be reviewed by all stakeholders to enhance partnership and ownership of the project.

He said activities lined up for the project includes: Improvement of biosecurity at live bird markets, improvement of biosecurity among producers, improvement of outbreaks investigations and reporting, awareness raising, sub regional cross-border consultation, emergency preparedness plan refinement and validation and project closure, final workshop and report.

GNA
Sekondi, Mar. 20, GNA - Hajia Ramatu Rasheed, 38, has been apprehended by the Western Regional Police Command for fraud.

The suspect is alleged to have been going out to various towns and cities swindling companies and individuals, especially those who operate supermarkets or deal in assorted goods.

Hajia Rasheed had been carrying out her alleged nefarious operation since the year 2010 and had succeeded in swindling many people across the country.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Isaac Alex Quainoo (DCOP), the Western Regional Police Commander, said the suspect's modus operandi was to use different names and appearances in executing her alleged operation.

'The suspect sometimes dresses like a Muslim or a Christian and uses names like Ramatu and Elizabeth and then purchases the consumable goods in large quantity on credit from the unsuspecting victims with the promise to pay within a period and then goes into hiding without paying'

He said the suspect is said to have swindled many companies in Accra in 2014 to the tune of GHa 2,000,000.00 and was even published in the dailies.

DCOP Quainoo said Hajia Rasheed was said to have collected supplies of rice, sugar, milo, milk, tin tomatoes, cooking oil and other items worth GHa 386,900.00 from one Josephine Annan in Takoradi in 2010.

He said the suspect then issued a cheque to the supplier to be cashed on December 12, 2011, but the cheque did not go through and she went into hiding and managed to avoid arrest despite several publications in the dailies.

He said luck, however, eluded the suspect when she was brought before a court in Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region for allegedly swindling another person in Techiman.

According to the Regional Police Commander, the suspect was later brought to the region, put before the courts and was remanded in police custody to reappear on March 23, 2016.

'I am therefore urging the general public who might have fallen victim to the activities of Hajia Rasheed to contact the Regional Command', DCOP Quainoo said.

GNA
Accra, March 20, GNA - West African governments have been urged to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment for journalists and media professionals to perform their work professionally and without undue interference.

A communique issued by participants at the just ended West Africa Conference on Media and Participatory Governance urged governments who were still to adopt the Right to Information (RTI) Bill to ensure effective and timely access to information online and offline for all citizens and media personnel through the adoption of the Bill.

The two-day conference, on the theme: 'Promoting Professional Journalism for Good Governance in West Africa,' was organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), with funding from The Open Society Initiative for West Africa, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the United States Embassy, and the Global Partners Digital.

It brought together media development organisations and experts from all 16 countries in West Africa.

'We also urge the ECOWAS to adopt a regional framework on access to information in line with the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

'We commend the governments of Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire for passing the RTI Bills and encourage them to further ensure effective implementation of the Bills.

'We urgently call on all media owners, managers, editors and journalists in the region to pay strong attention to the issue and take steps to improve professional standards,' the communique said.

GNA
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Mar. 20, GNA - Government has awarded a contract to Zoomlion, a waste management company, to de-silt and dredge some of the major drains in Accra.

The move is to help limit the impact of the annual devastating floods which occur in the city.

Dr Kwaku Agyemang Mensah, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, said this after inspecting the ongoing works to de-silt the drains in areas including Odawna, Caprice and Alajo.

He said even though government is seeking funds to construct a massive drainage system in Accra, it is important to urgently engage a local company to de-silt some critical drains to avert any floods.

'Government has, therefore, engaged Zoomlion, to dredge and desilt the drains to help prevent the occurrence of flood in the capital city, especially the June 3 disaster which claimed many lives and destroyed properties,' he said.

Dr Mensah said members of the public could also play a part in preventing the annual floods in the country by desisting from polluting the environment, especially by placing plastic materials in the drains.

Mr Wise Ametekpe of the Engineering Council of Ghana said the ongoing works would help check the devastating floods of the capital city.

GNA
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Winneba (C/R) Mar. 20, GNA - The Winneba District Magistrate Court has sentenced a 19-old man to three month imprisonment with hard labour for stealing Itel Tablet Phone valued at GH 350.00 Ghana Cedis.

Philip Amusu, pleaded guilty and was sentenced according to his own plea by the Court.

Police Inspector Peter Agbelie told the Court presided over by Mr Alexander Oworae, that the complainant of the case is Mr Philip Kittoe, a receptionist at Manuel's Guest House in Winneba and the accused was also a guest of the said guest house.

He said on 12th March, complainant left his Itel Tablet Phone on charge in his room and went to the kitchen.

He said he returned a few minutes later and the phone was nowhere to be found.

Inspector Agbelie said the complainant quickly informed the manager of the guest house and a search was conducted in the place.

The accused who was about checking out of the guest house was confronted and when his bag was searched the said phone was found concealed in one of his clothes, he said.

He said the accused was handed over to the police and after some investigations he was arraigned before the court.

The phone has since been handed over to the complaint as per the orders of the court.

GNA
20.03.2016 LISTEN

Kamgbunli (W/R), Mar. 20, GNA - Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, has said government will assist the Uthman Bin Affan Islamic School (UBAISH) to become a leading Islamic school in the country.

He said the school which started as a private entity but became a public school through his efforts in 2012, is currently counted as one of the best in the District and the Western Region.

Mr Buah, who doubles as the Minister for Petroleum, said this during the Founder"s Day and fund raising ceremony of UBAISH at Kamgbunli in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.

He paid glowing tribute to the founding fathers of the school especially Sheik (Dr.) Mozu for mooting the idea to set up the school in 2008 and commended school authorities for having achieved a lot within a short time with more than 96 per cent of candidates passing the WASSCE yearly.

Mr Buah said this feat was due to the collaboration between the District Assembly, the District directorate of education and the office of the MP.

The MP said he was in constant touch with Tullow oil to initiate a water project for the Kamgbunli community as he continues to tar the principal streets in the town.

He advised them to avoid inflammatory speeches and guttural language which have the potential to fuel conflict especially as the nation goes to the polls in November 7.

Sheik Ismail Saeed, the Ashanti Regional Imam of Ahlusunn, said education is an essential component of Islam which God bequeathed to the prophet Mohammed and entreated Muslims to pursue higher education and use the knowledge acquired for the betterment of society.

The Headmaster of the school, Alhaji Zakaria Osman said the school started with 62 students in 2008 but now has a population of 375.

He lauded the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for incorporating the school as a public entity and also lauded the efforts of the Kamgbunli community for their spirit of communalism in establishing the school.

GNA
Accra, Mar 20, GNA - ABii National Savings and Loans has donated an amount of GHE 15,000.00 to Pentecost University College (PUC), as part of activities marking the University's decade anniversary celebrations.

The donation is in support of a bore-holes project, which the University is embarking on in a bid to improve on the availability and quality of water for students' use.

Mr Ashie Bennet, the Head of Corporate Affairs of ABii National Savings and Loans, in his remarks during the presentation of the cheque to PUC in Accra, said that the donation formed part of the company's Corporate Social Responsibility activities lined up for the year.

He said that upon hearing of the decade celebrations of the University, ABii National sought to identify some of the pressing needs of the institutions in order to assist in finding solutions, touching on the fact that the provision of quality education is vital to the development of any country and economy.

ABii National, he said, has always had a vision of supporting the educational sector in the country and hence they were glad to have found a partnership with the Pentecost University College.

Mr Ashie was also quick to mention that due to the popular saying that 'water is life', ABii National wants to make sure that all students within the campus of the PUC have access to good, safe and clean drinking water in order to guarantee the quality of life.

He called on all well-meaning Ghanaians and corporate bodies to come to the aid of the various educational institutions in the country in order to solve some of the many pressing challenges facing them.

Receiving the donation, Reverend Dr Peter Ohene Kyei, the Rector of PUC, expressed his profound gratitude to ABii National for their kind gesture.

He said the donation would go a long way to assist in the bore-holes projects that they were embarking upon; as well as a modern resourced library that would enhance academic performance.

The Rector was also full of praise to ABii National and the Tobinco Group for the manner in which they had positioned themselves as an attractive and caring brand in their rather short period of establishment.

He was hopeful that in the near future, PUC would have more vibrant partnerships with the two institutions and wished ABii National well in efforts to become a fully-fledged commercial bank soon.

Mr Michael Gyimah, the Acting Registrar of PUC, expressed his delight at the fact that ABii National had shown interests in the affairs of the institution.

Other staff members of PUC present at the donation were Mr Peter Oduro, the Finance Manager, Mr Charles Doku, the Internal Auditor, Mr Felix Atsrim, the Estates Development Manager and Akesse Brempong, the Public Relations Officer.

Staff of ABii National who also witnessed the donation were Mr Michael Botchwey and Mr Ben Adu; Darkuman-Kokompe and Kasoa Branch Managers respectively.

GNA
20.03.2016 LISTEN

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 bail with two sureties.

Police Chief Superintendent Emmanuel Akunnor told the court that the incident happened on March 9, at about 2330 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-Generals Department for advice.
Former President John Kufuor has expressed shock at the death of Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, describing the former NPP Chairman as a strong pillar in the opposition party.

He notes the deceased NPP bigshot conveyed serious matters with a relaxed mien and charm, was affable and had a great sense of humour; he was a good man.

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey was born into the Danquah-Busia tradition and stayed true to its tenets throughout his adult life. The party has lost a pillar and Ghana a true son. The party must be in mourning and his death must be a period of deep and sober reflection for all NPP members Kufuor said.

The former President urged the NPP to let the death of the former party chairman help "efforts at reconciliation and unity which are principles for which Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey stood for. May he rest in peace.

These sentiments by the former President were contained in a release from his office.

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey died in the early hours of Sunday in a London hospital where he had gone for treatment.

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey, played an integral part in former Presidents Kufuors victory in 2001, as his Election Campaign Manager.

He served as the first Chief of Staff in the Former Presidents administration and variously as Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, and Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City.
Nations and oil companies alike have struggled for more than a year with a blow to prices that saw triple-digit highs in mid-2014 fall and 12-year lows in 2016. While oil companies fight to ride out the downturn, the situation has become dire in nations that rely on oil exports to fuel their little-diversified economies.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers will meet in Doha, Qatar, on April 17 to discuss freezing production to January 2016 levels in order to curb the present worldwide oversupply and raise prices to more favorable levels.

Pioneer Natural Resources Chairman and CEO Scott Sheffield took time from his trip to Midland on Thursday to talk with the Reporter-Telegram about the Doha meeting and shared when he thinks rig activity will ramp up. He also shared what his first car he bought was  and it might surprise you.

Q: Have we seen the bottom for oil prices?

A: I think $26 is the bottom, but theres a chance that oil could dip back down. It depends on this recent freeze announcement by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Qatar. Theyre meeting in Doha in mid-April.

Q: Do you think freezing oil production to January 2016 levels will make a difference?

A. Its a start, and it looks like theyre going to give a waiver to Iran to allow them to increase their production to a certain point. Theres enough supply thats declining, especially in the U.S. By the end of 2016, well be down from 9.6 million barrels per day  so the U.S. is the biggest contributor to decline in supply so far.

Q: If you were invited to speak at the gathering in Qatar, what would you tell them?

A. I was on Brian Sullivan on CNBC, (and) I said the biggest risk they have is if they took (production) too low too fast. Dont expect the U.S., the swing producer of the shale producers, to all of a sudden pick up enough production and provide the world if they need it. Weve lost over 100,000 jobs in the U.S., maybe 300,000 jobs worldwide, and we just cant hire people overnight and start the rigs back up.

This is going to take a good couple of years to get things going again. So, if you dont watch it, youre going to have a shock to the system, youre going to have so much under-investment for the next two, three, four years that eventually there wont be any extra supply, demand will be picking up and, all of a sudden, theres not enough supply from OPEC countries to supply the needs, and you get a shock. The last thing we need is a shock to the system, like $100, $150 oil.

Q: Is there a price target where you think well see more rig activity?

A. I think as it moves up into the $40s toward $50, youll start to see people add back rigs.

Q: Why do investors still like Pioneer despite the downturn in the oil industry?

A. Its not just Pioneer; its all the Permian Basin players. Its Diamondback, Parsley Energy, RSP (Permian), Concho. One of the things about the Permian Basin companies, theyre all focused on the best assets, the tier-one assets, and they all went into this downturn with very little debt. So, thats unique, and thats why all these Permian Basin-based companies have the best assets, the best balance sheets, and thats why theyre all trading very good today, including Pioneer.

Q: Any thoughts on building a second building at Pioneers Permian Basin headquarters?

A. No, we still need to fill this one up first. First thing we need is to add back rigs, and then well start adding more employees to that building. And then, at some point in time, you start looking at a second building.

Q: What was the first car that you bought with your own money?

A. The first car that I bought was a Pinto, believe it or not. So, my parents, they contributed some of the money, but I used some of my own cash from working the summers, and I drove it out here during my summer jobs here in Midland, Texas. So, a Ford Pinto  of all things.
For 40 years, Texas oil producers were locked out of the global market, their West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) instead stockpiled awaiting refinement as prices were artificially controlled. At the same time, foreign producers flourished as American refineries were built or modified to refine the heavy Brent crude the U.S. was importing. As a point of clarification, WTI is essentially the benchmark for oil produced in the U.S. and Brent is the benchmark for foreign oil.

The answer to this unleveled playing field has in fact been the U.S. shale boom, led by Texas producers whose innovation and investment in revolutionary oil and gas production techniques made them cost competitive with producers around the world. But with Texas and U.S. producers barred from international markets, domestic stockpiles grew.

Foreign producers, led by OPEC, responded by turning their artificial price controls upside down, flooding the world with oil. As an expected result, prices were sent crashing in an effort to punish increasingly efficient U.S. producers who were prohibited from selling their crude anywhere but at home. The long-term solution: Congress acted to lift the U.S. crude oil export ban late last year.

It has been almost three months since the Theo T, the first oil tanker carrying U.S. freely traded crude oil, left the Texas port of Corpus Christi in the final days of 2015. The cargo, named liquid American freedom by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, arrived on the shores of Europe three weeks later much to the delight of our allies and the shipments have steadily continued.

While the overall decline in oil prices has led to falling revenues for the energy sector and job loss in the oil fields, it seems we are touching the bottom of this market cycle on our way to a bigger upside. Now that Texas producers can truly compete and sell their product worldwide, economic forces have helped WTI garner better prices that are almost level with the Brent price. Historic market principles tell us that a mounting resurgence in the Texas energy industry is sure to follow in time.

History has also shown, repeatedly, that competition unleashes the very best in the Texas oil patch. These new market dynamics are driving the Texas energy sector to develop even greater efficiencies, more advanced technologies and slimmer production costs. At the same time, port cities like Corpus Christi are expanding their harbor and channel facilities to accommodate increased export volumes and larger tankers. Pipeline companies have built up their networks to connect new shale fields to these trans-shipment points. Huge investments in Texas infrastructure continue to be made.

The ability to sell crude worldwide alleviates existing domestic production-distribution constraints and improves our overall energy economy. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that total U.S. crude oil exports could increase by 2-3 million barrels per day over the next 10 years. Companies are holding strong to their investments in Texas oilfields knowing they will stand to benefit greatly.

In the meantime, we are seeing early hints of the shift now. Last month, OPEC leaders visited Houston and remarked they were scratching their heads in their miscalculation of the strength and resilience of U.S. shale producers. They have lost control of the world oil market and now, the financial and political repercussions of U.S. exports for OPEC members are crippling as it was recently reported that Saudi Arabia is seeking a $6-8 billion loan to support its economy.

The U.S. has also begun its first shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) onto world markets. It has been estimated that the two LNG facilities under construction in Texas now will export enough natural gas to supply entire countries in Europe for a year at a time. U.S. LNG cargoes will add about 43 percent of daily supply to global markets in the next few years. Across the board, energy exports are a win-win for Texas, the U.S. and our allies.

It has been 40 years since Texas crude could be sold around the world. Texas is now poised to lead the U.S. back into the global marketplace where our producers can compete with anyone, anywhere. The groundwork has been laid and Texas producers are ready for the competition and unleashing of true U.S. shale potential. In 40 years, historians will look back upon the decision to lift the ban on U.S. crude oil exports as a victory for free markets and a long overdue economic shot in the arm for Texas and our nation.

Christi Craddick has been a member of the Texas Railroad Commission since 2012.
Home is quite often the best option for many introverts. The familiar, comforting confines are more than adequate for a good time with its cozy reading space, a well-stocked kitchen and  most importantly  few people and little noise.

With that being said, there also is the misconception that introverts are anti-social, shy or aloof, which isn't necessarily the case. It is perhaps written best on the website of Psychology Today: Many introverts socialize easily; they just strongly prefer not to.

That doesnt mean an introvert is opposed to getting out of the house at times beyond the necessary grocery run. Its just a matter of finding those places that can cater to someone who is somewhat reclusive while still having a sense of socializing  even if it is with their current book.

Some local self-identified introverts provided us with a starting point for finding such spots.

I like quiet places with booths, good light and a not-overly-communicative wait staff, Dr. Clay Collins of Discover Acupuncture of the Permian Basin said.

New establishments may be last on many introverts lists as it is for retired state employee Joann Fleming.

I dont like crowds or standing in line, so anyplace new or popular is out for me, the musician said. Once I am comfortable with someone or a group, I enjoy being out and doing things. Playing clarinet in the Midland Community Band is a good example.

And with that, weve come up with a guide to local spots just right for the Midland introvert.

Art fans

Galleries offer a quiet space without much distraction, unless its opening night for an exhibition. First Fridays are big parties for Kamiposi, but the gallery recently opened its doors every Friday for viewing the monthly rotating art shows.

Similarly, Midland Colleges McCormick Gallery offers a large space for their exhibitions. The gallery just opened FABRICation, featuring works of seven artists and their use of textiles. With a daily schedule, the space is relaxed with often visually impactful works.

 Kamiposi, 510 S. Big Spring St. Hours: 6-9 p.m. Fridays (for non-event dates). Facebook.com/kamiposi.

 McCormick Gallery, 3600 N. Garfield St. (in Allison Fine Arts Building). Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, summer hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday. midland.edu.

Lights out

Movies and plays can be a place of solace for some people because the rest of the audiences focus is directed toward the stage or screen.

Its dark, and nobody can really see you and usually dont bother you, said Midland Community Theatre costumer Micheal Willhelm-Waid.

The lobbies of both Cinergy and Regal Tall City Stadium are an onslaught on the senses with video games, concessions and crowds but once inside the theater, comfortable (and sometimes leather) seats await with a variety of formats like 3D or IMAX.

As an alternative, the Blakemore Planetarium recently upgraded its screening capabilities with a new Digistar 5 planetarium system that includes 3-D movies. A daily schedule of films (sorry, no Deadpool here) screens Tuesdays through Saturdays at noon, 2 and 4 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Crowds will hit up the monthly Sci-Fridays film series, but hopefully the complimentary snack bar and drinks can make up for that until show time.

Midland Community Theatre keeps its stages busy with a season of 14 shows, but introverts may want to consider balcony seating at MCTs Summer Mummers in the Yucca Theatre. With popcorn throwing, beer drinking and both off and onstage shenanigans, it can get quite rowdy.

 Blakemore Planetarium, 1705 W. Missouri Ave. at the Museum of the Southwest. Museumsw.org.

 Midland Community Theatre, 2000 W. Wadley Ave. mctmidland.org.

Eat and drink

Dinner can be tricky with restaurants that are often packed for lunch and dinner. That doesn't mean its impossible.

Murrays was a favorite choice for Collins. During non-peak hours, the place has a chill factor for anyone wanting a quiet meal. Sinking into a booth with a book only makes it better. The same can be said for Kuos. The staff is attentive but maintains their distance to leave diners in peace. A large menu and hasty service only makes for a complete experience.

If the penchant for imbibing occurs, bars can be nightmares with all that overstimulation of music and crowds. But a couple of local watering holes are just the ticket. Minus the live music (sorry, local bands), The Wine Rack boasts a relaxing smoke-free atmosphere coupled with a sophisticated selection of wine and beer. A similar vibe can be found at The Hemingway for those who might like a cigar with their drink.

 Murrays Restaurant and Deli, 3211 W. Wadley Ave. Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. murraysofmidland.com.

 Kuos, 3303 N. Midkiff Road. Hours: 11 a.m-9:45 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5-9:45 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-8:45 p.m. Sunday. 432-697-8888.

 The Wine Rack, 4610 N. Garfield St. Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. winerackmidland.com.

 The Hemingway, 2200 W. Wadley Ave. 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Saturday. thehemingwayofmidland.com.

Getting connected

If a Wi-Fi connection is needed, Starbucks or Chick-fil-A may not be high on the list with their perpetual crowds. With enough solitary space in its cafe or interior seating, Barnes and Noble is a prime spot to jump online while being in the midst of people and books. Bookstores are often a luxury for introverts with shoppers more focused on finding specific titles or researching their subject du jour.

If absolute silence is plus, Midland County Public Library's Quiet Reading Room at the Centennial branch is the Midland go-to. There are tables for those needing major computer time, and soft lounge chairs next to the fireplace and bookshelves offer a lush, book-nook experience away from home.

 Barnes and Noble, 2617 W. Loop 250 N. Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. bn.com.

 MCPL Centennial, 2503 W. Loop 250 N. Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. www.co.midland.tx.us.

Why not volunteer?

Volunteering doesnt automatically mean teaming up with groups of people or working with clients face-to-face. For the civic-minded introvert, there are options that can be fulfilling and comfortable.

Volunteering at Lone Star Sanctuary for Animals gets you interaction and affection without the draining effect of all those humans, said Eric Mann, co-owner of The Blue Door. I-20 Wildlife Preserve is a good place to recharge.

The Recording Library of West Texas provides audio recordings of print material for people with visual, physical or learning impairments. The agency often needs volunteers to read books, magazines, newspapers and textbooks for their library, which could be an ideal situation for any avid reader.

Visit those nonprofits websites for volunteer information or peruse through several opportunities at midlandvolunteerconnections.org.

 Lone Star Sanctuary for Animals, 4200 N. Fairgrounds Road. lonestarsanctuary.org.

 I-20 Wildlife Preserve and Jenna Welch Nature Study Center, 2201 S Midland Drive. i20wildlifepreserve.org.

 The Recording Library of West Texas, 3500 N. A Street, Ste. 2800 (inside Midland Shared Spaces). recordinglibrary.org.

Surprise spot

Nobody wants to willingly visit the hospital but the food court in the main campus can be an introverts dream. Save for lunch hour when tables are filled with both employees and visitors, the spacious area empties out in clear off-peak hours. Properly named The Market, food service  led by Executive Chef Shawn Cooley  remains open offering full meals to quick snacks so sustenance is never far away. The hospital also offers Wi-Fi for a fairly quiet workspace or to catch up on some Netflix episodes. The affordable menu is affordable, comfortable booths are comfortable and nearby restrooms make this a winning spot.

 Midland Memorial Hospital, 400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Parkway. Hours: 6: a.m.-midnight, 12:30-2 a.m. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and general holidays. midland-memorial.com.
Daniel Arciga, 33, of Midland was charged March 11 with possession of a controlled substance under 1 gram and possession of a controlled substance under 200 grams.

Keith N. Barrera, 34, of Midland was charged March 11 with possession of a controlled substance under 1 gram.

Drevon T. Hille, 19, of Midland was charged March 11 with unlicensed possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts of burglary of a vehicle.

Keon D. Jackson, 32, of Midland was charged March 11 with possession of a controlled substance under 4 grams, possession of a controlled substance under 28 grams and abandonment/endangerment of a child, placing the child in imminent danger of bodily injury.

Bradley W. Ridgeway, 28, of Midland was charged March 11 with possession of a controlled substance under 200 grams.

Jesus G. Cardoza Jr., 43, of Midland was charged March 11 with possession of a controlled substance under 4 grams.

Maria L. Jimenez, 25, was charged March 12 with hindering apprehension/prosecution of a known felon.

Sergio I. Rios, 26, of Midland was charged March 12 with evading arrest/detention with a vehicle.

Brandon S. Wolfe, 46, of Midland was charged March 12 with two counts of abandonment/endangering a child, placing the child in imminent danger of bodily injury.

Jesse R. Gonzalez, 33, of Midland was charged March 12 with driving while intoxicated.

Alexander F. Lozano, 24, of Midland was charged March 13 with possession of a controlled substance under 200 grams.

Christopher J. Martinez, 21, of Midland was charged March 13 with possession of a controlled substance under 200 grams.

Luis A. Morales, 34, of Hobbs, New Mexico, was charged March 13 with fraudulent use/possession of identification information.

Ronald M. Phillips, 29, was charged March 13 with assault of a family/house member impeding breath.

Christina S. Price, 45, of Midland was charged March 13 with injury to a child/elderly/disabled person.

Kiko F. Segura, 23, of Lubbock was charged March 13 with possession of a controlled substance under 1 gram.

Heath R. Acrey, 44, of Lubbock was charged March 14 with credit card or debit card abuse.

Yandy Corrales-Mota, 29, of Midland was charged March 14 with evading arrest/detention with a vehicle.

Kerry K. Kitto, 46, of Midland was charged March 14 with driving while intoxicated.

Heath L. Livingston, 32, of Midland was charged March 14 with possession of a controlled substance under 1 gram.

Brian Nelson, 31, of Odessa was charged March 14 with driving while intoxicated.

Lisa Valenzuela, 42, of Midland was charged March 14 with possession of a controlled substance under 1 gram.

Rebecca A. Covalt, 33, of Midland was charged March 15 with tampering with /fabricating physical evidence.

Rochelle N. Simon, 32, of Odessa was charged March 15 with prohibited substance/item in a correctional facility.

Sang Tin, 37, of Midland was charged March 15 with robbery.

Annarita Varela, 30, of Midland was charged March 15 with theft under $20,000.

Joaquin M. Alvarez, 24, was charged March 16 with bringing a prohibited substance or item into a correctional facility.

John D. Buttz Jr., 40, was charged March 16 with manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance under 1 gram.

Jason B. Heinemann, 37, was charged March 16 with evading arrest.

Steven Hernandez was charged March 16 with theft of less than $20,000.

Christopher B. Hopper, 21, was charged March 16 with evading arrest and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

William Kurtz, 26, was charged March 16 with assaulting a family or household member.

Tuccia Long, 38, was charged March 16 with injury to a child or an elderly or disabled person.

Alfred Perry, 35, was charged March 16 with two counts of assaulting a public servant.

Rafus E. Phillips, 30, was charged March 16 with injury to a child or an elderly or disabled person.

Michelle G. Pompa, 32, was charged March 16 for possession of a controlled substance under 1 gram.

Robert M. Lopez, 18, was charged March 17 with nine counts of engaging in organized criminal activity and two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Jason Martinez, 27, was charged March 17 with abandoning or endangering a child.

Ashley J. Molina, 21, was charged March 17 with theft of a firearm.

Hector Velez, 37, was charged March 17 with sexual assault.

Casey D. Yarbrough, 32, was charged March 17 with one count of possession of a controlled substance under 1 gram and one count of prohibited substance or item in a correctional facility.

Source: Midland County Sheriffs Office
Former Commerce Secretary Don Evans has taken his one-time boss George W. Bushs call for compassionate conservatism to a whole new level.

It was during a trade mission to in 2002 when Bush-era Commerce boss was told by Chinas leader, Jiang Zemin, if you want to come back as our friend, go west.

The meaning was clear: visit Chinas dirt poor region and the leadership will respect him.

Evans didnt hesitate.

He went immediately to a small village 40 minutes outside of Xian and while there he met two blind brothers, one 11, the other 9, who impressed Evans by showing how quickly they had learned to read and write in Braille under a program that was new at the time.

I was impressed with how much they had learned in just six months, said Evans. Just the warmth of them, the smile on their face, the passion to learn, all that kind of stuff certainly was moving to me.

He had the younger boy, Li Hao, write a note to Beijings leadership in Braille that he presented when he returned to the city at the end of the trip. Don Evans is my good friend, it said.

The gesture impressed the leadership which urged Evans to remember the boys. What the premiere said was, Dont forget those two boys.

Evans hasnt. In fact, hes become their mentor, even adopted dad.

Over the last 14 years, hes visited them five times, paid for their schooling and even helped the oldest start a business.

As they became more and more familiar with each other, Evans said that the oldest, Li Fan, raised the issue of religion and said his first words in English: God bless you.

And last month, he attended the wedding of Li Fan. It was phenomenal to think of the 14 years Ive been going back, said Evans, who described how the mud village has become a modern city. Its remarkable to see whats happening to the standard of living, he said.

He described an emotional meeting at the wedding with the parents of the boys thanking Evans for all of his help. I assured them that the two young boys have done a lot more for me than I did for them, said Evans, who called it a love story.

Evans said his is the model for governments, companies and people to follow when trying to do business in China.

The more you let them get to know you, the more they trust you. I always tell anybody, any business thats thinking about China and wanting to explore China, maybe invest in China, and maybe build a plant in China, I always tell them to go west before they go east. Go west, understand the challenges of the country, and thats the way to send a signal to them that youre interested in know them and their challenges, said Evans.

You can talk a lot, but its deeds that matter, he said.

Pictures dont hurt either. In the Commerce Department, there is a portrait of Evans, as there are other former secretaries. It shows him standing with his hand on two letters on a table, one representing the letter written in Braille by Li Hao, the other the Mandarin translation.

I dont think there was anything more impactful on me than that, he said of his relationship with the boys. Im just trying to send some kind of message of what were all about, why were here.

---

Online: Visit wasingtonexaminer.com and www.washingtonexaminer.com/don-evans-secret-to-u.s.-china-relations-go-west-and-a-touch-of-love/article/2585740 to see the online presentation.
ODESSA -- Regional dean Dr. Gary Ventolini counted down starting at 10:59 a.m. Friday as a room packed full of medical students held white envelopes in their hands, some shaking. At 11 a.m. sharp, the room was immediately filled with sounds of shredded paper, laughter and whooping.

Some students jumped with joy, while the parents of others did it for them. It was national Match Day, and graduating seniors at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Permian Basin Campus had found out where they would spend the next three years for their medical residency.

This is just surreal, said Marta Hoes after opening her letter. I almost cried. It was incredible. I was really nervous because the field Im going into. Each program only has two spots so its really hard to imagine that youll actually get what you want because its so competitive, so to see I got my No. 1 is amazing.

Hoes will be at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City for a combined pediatrics psychiatry and child psychiatry program. She will graduate this spring with medical and law degrees and wants to work with at-risk children who were abused.

I think its important to stand up and advocate for the people who cant do it for themselves, Hoes said. Ive been really fortunate. Ive had the support of my family and my friends. ... not everyone has those opportunities, and some people really need someone to advocate on their behalf. Those (at-risk) children are the people who need it to the most.

Match Day is when medical students -- who have applied for and been interviewed by hospitals -- open personalized letters that show where they matched, according to the National Resident Matching Programs website.

Theyre very excited, Ventolini said. And of course, we want to make sure they train very well because they are going to take care of me and you one day.

Some of Hoes peers will not travel quite as far: five were matched to TTU Health Science Center in Odessa. For Casey Mraz, the news brought relief and also gratitude.

The community is so supportive of the medical students and the medical school that it makes you want to be here, Mraz said. I want to take care of people who really need care and I think being out here, thats what Im going to be doing -- taking care of people who need it and really appreciate the care they are being given.

Mraz transferred to TTU after her second year of medical school at Texas A&M University because her husband works in the Permian Basin. They had their first child about a month ago.

I honestly didnt want to go anywhere else, Mraz said. It was relief and excitement and Im just ready to get things started and start seeing patients. ... Im still learning and under the faculty but its going to be awesome.

The Main Residency Match process begins in the fall. Students apply, program directors review applications and conduct candidate interviews, and from mid-January to late February, applicants submit to the NRMP their rank order lists of preferred programs. Program directors rank applicants in order of preference for training, according to the NRMP website.

Ventolini said that applicants and residency program directors rank each other in order of preference. NRMP uses an algorithm to determine if a match exists and what the match is.
SWEETWATER -- You headed to the rattlesnake roundup? asked the man serving breakfast tacos at a Stripes about 12 miles outside of Sweetwater. Yup, first time, I said in response. He nodded as he scooped up a glob of chorizo and eggs.

Thought so. Its an experience, he said, slapping the jiggling eggs onto a fresh tortilla with a flick of his wrist. Be sure to try some of that fried snake. Ive been going there since I was itty bitty and Ill go again this year, probably, walk around a bit. Ive seen about as much snake as I need, but theyve got a festival, carnival, all kinds of stuff.

Dont be afraid, he added with a wink, handing me my taco. Theyll keep anything from biting you.

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup is one of the largest roundups in the country, where tens of thousands of western diamondback rattlesnakes are caught in the nearby countryside, their heads are chopped off with a machete and the animals are skinned in front of a crowd that can swell to the tens of thousands, too. During the March weekend when the annual event occurs, there are as many as 30,000 people in Sweetwater -- which has a population of just under 11,000. Last year, the four-day event raised more than $8 million for the Sweetwater area, according to the Junior Chamber of Commerce, better known as the Sweetwater Jaycees, 2015 economic impact analysis.

This is still one of the few roundups in which the western diamondback rattlesnakes collected by hunters throughout the weekend are killed. This year, 25,000 pounds of snakes were harvested, breaking the previous record by 7,000 pounds.

Most states have banned such roundups, but Sweetwater holds tightly to its tradition. Texas and Oklahoma are the only states where snakes are killed at some roundups. At most other events, snakes are brought in, measured and weighed -- and perhaps milked for the venom -- and then released back to their dens.

Most of Sweetwaters snakes are caught by gassing: Hunters release gas into the dens, forcing the snakes to come out for fresh air.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began receiving complaints in 2009 about gassing and its impact on other wildlife and the environment. A petition calling for a ban on gassing led TPWD to investigate 21 still-active roundups across the nation. The final report was completed in December. The decision on the ban is still in the works, with the next discussion set for May.

Most events dont use gassing, said John Davis, TPWD Wildlife Diversity Program director, in a phone interview. So if you understand snake events in general, theres a very small section of them where the snakes are making a one-way trip. And if you consider only those events where snakes are making a one-way trip, an even smaller subset of those are being harvested by gassing, according to the people who organize these events.

Sweetwater is one of those few. Local leaders say any ban on gassing would hurt the event and thus the entire community. Most of the money made from the roundup goes back into the community. Proceeds are used to provide Thanksgiving dinner to those in need, help support the local Childrens Advocacy Center and fund events for veterans.

This event means so many things, said Leah Andrews, executive director of the Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce, sitting in the stands overlooking the skinning pit. If you think about 30,000 people coming from all over the world, staying in hotels, eating in our restaurants, buying little knick knacks in our shops. ... I mean, its a huge thing. Our hotels fill up long before the weekend actually arrives, so about a third of our visitors are staying in surrounding cities like Snyder, Colorado City or Abilene. So its not just for Sweetwater. Its for the whole area.

The snakes arent even the biggest part of the roundup. There are carnival activities outside the Nolan County Coliseum where the snake pits are housed, nightly barn dances and hundreds of carnival food vendors. As the TPWD study found, most of these events dont rely on revenue generated from the killing of snakes for their meat, skins and venom.

If thats the case, its possible the roundup would survive without gassing and killing the snakes.

Riley Sawyers has been hunting and milking rattlesnakes for 25 years and has never been bit. Here he holds a snake he just milked while spectators look on #SweetwaterRattlesnakeRoundup #texas #westerndiamondbackrattlesnake #rattlesnakeroundup #sweetwater2016 A photo posted by Midland Reporter-Telegram (@midlandreportertelegram) on Mar 11, 2016 at 11:11am PST

Impact of gassing

The use of gassing is controversial mainly because gassing can harm rare invertebrates and harmless snakes and animals that also reside in or near rattlesnake dens; gas can trickle down into the water supply and potentially contaminate it; mass killing of rattlesnakes may impact the snake population and thus the ecosystem as a whole; and gassing may contaminate the venom that is being sold to biomedical labs, antivenom companies and other buyers, according to the Jaycees.

The Jaycees refute these claims by saying that because they collect more rattlesnakes each year, the population is not endangered; that the economic impact on vendors who buy the rattlesnakes for their skins and meat is a vital part of the roundup; that there is no scientific evidence showing gassing contaminates the venom or negatively impacts other species; and the venom goes to important causes such as biomedical research and development of antivenin, used in the treatment of venomous bites or stings.

There are many studies showing that petrochemical exposure is highly toxic and is damaging to many animals as well as water and air quality. However, there are no studies that have been conducted specifically on western diamondback rattlesnakes in their natural habitats.

As far as the ecology of the situation is concerned, nobody in the world knows how many rattlesnakes are in Texas, said Clark Adams, professor of wildlife and fisheries sciences at Texas A&M University. We know where there arent any and where there are too many. As such, people who claim that rattlesnake roundups are decimating the rattlesnake population are guessing. The concept of rattlesnake roundups is as old as Texas.

Additionally, the impact of gassing on rattlesnake venom and the rattlesnake population is largely unknown.

As far as I know, there are no actual studies of gasoline in venom -- I mean, true scientific peer-reviewed studies, wrote Kristen Harrison -- who runs the Kentucky Reptile Zoo with her husband, Jim -- in an email. The KRZ is one of only five or six venom producers in the country.

However, studies have shown that venom varies considerably with the health and hydration of the snake, so it is reasonable to assume that snakes from roundups would provide a sub-par venom due to the way in which they are treated before and during a roundup i.e. (not) providing proper food and water, (not) avoiding overcrowding and unwarranted stress, etc.

The venom production industry in the U.S. is a small, specialized business with the majority of trade passing through a handful of producers, suppliers and dealers across the nation.

For most of the Sweetwater roundups 58 years, venom from the wrangled rattlesnakes has been sold to Ken Darnell of Bioactive Laboratories in Gordon, Alabama, according to Jaycee Dennis Cumbie. Darnell has retired from the rattlesnake business, but has an excess of western diamondback rattlesnake venom he still has to sell off, he said in a phone interview.

Cumbie is planning to market the venom from this years roundup as Darnell had.

Darnell, however, said he stopped working with the Sweetwater roundup even before he retired.

I stopped working with Sweetwater because they have an opportunity there to do some real education about the value of these animals in the wild, but theyre not interested in doing anything but the way theyve been doing it forever, Darnell said. I dont like (that they kill the snakes), but I dont have any control over that.

A piece of history

It was a dreary and rainy day in Sweetwater on March 11, the first day of the 2016 roundup. Minnie Cortez stood outside her home in a leopard-print sweatshirt, hugging herself in the chill.

Its not the roundup without rain, she said with a laugh and a shiver. Born and raised in Sweetwater, Cortez has fond memories of attending the roundup as a kid. To her, the event means family coming into town and activities such as the carnival and visiting the vendors outside the coliseum. She said she doesnt go to the snake pit anymore, but shes been there so many times that the roundup is simply part of the fabric of Sweetwater life.

I dont like them, but snakes are amazing creatures, Cortez said. They are one of Gods creatures.

Cortez lives just down the street from the coliseum and this year had a garage sale in anticipation of the thousands of tourists coming for the weekend.

Despite the fact that many conservationists and animal rights activists say the roundup is cruel and unnecessary, to Sweetwater residents snakes are a very real fear. The mass killing of western diamondbacks started in the earliest days of the town, when a group of farmers and ranchers tried to exterminate the snakes when the animals started coming into town for water on a particularly dry year, said Donnie Willmann, a Roscoe native who grew up in Sweetwater.

They first thought they were just gonna annihilate the rattlesnakes from this area, Willmann said. That hasnt happened. You can see from the number of snakes we have, were not in any danger of running out of rattlesnakes.

By 11:30 a.m. that first harvesting day, more than 9,500 pounds of snakes had already been collected.

Here, this is where people stumble upon (rattlesnakes) in their backyards, Andrews said.. So here, were passionate about the roundup. Everybody in this town comes together for this weekend. My husband and I have four children and weve been here most of their lives, so to them, you say spring break, they think roundup, snakes, carnival and carnival food. If you dont live here, you wouldnt realize that.
Our students and campus staff are all back to work after Spring Break. We are in the middle of a very busy spring semester, and it seems we have kids going every different direction almost every night of the week and on weekends.

I do want to brag on our exceptional kids and staff who are involved in so many different activities this spring -- as a school district and as a community, we are being represented with much excellence.

This weeks article is going to take the form of two invitations, and please know that these are two very important invitations that need to be taken seriously. As subscribers and/or readers of the Midland Reporter-Telegram, there is an upcoming article that is of the utmost importance to our community. Though not much has been reported yet, we have school board members, business leaders, community members and parents and caregivers who have come together over the last several months in order to create a support system for MISD that has not been seen in Midland for a very long time.

The purpose of these community leaders investing their time in this is to come together as a community and make a difference for our children. We are going to identify the issues weve had in the past, the challenges we face now and in the future, and we are going to come up with a plan that will create that support system for our children, for our schools and for the district at-large that will drive us toward in making the school district the very best we can.

First and foremost (in my opinion) is the focus on our classroom teachers. We must have a community and a district that has the ability to retain, for long periods of time, the very best teachers we now have in our classrooms. And when vacancies do occur, we must also be a community that can recruit the very best educators into Midland to gain their expertise for our children. These long-term investments in teachers wont come easily, but they will pay off huge dividends for our students and our community as a whole.

So, please keep an eye out in the next couple of weeks for the first round of articles the Reporter-Telegram (and hopefully other Midland media teams) will be publishing to make everyone aware of this initiative. In addition to the article, we are planning on community rollout meetings to dig deeper into the possibilities of this plan, so everyone can understand the challenges but also see the possible rewards of a commitment like this.

The second invitation I am offering in my article is for the March board meeting of the MISD board of trustees. Because we are doing the business of our communitys children every month, we place a lot of important on our monthly meetings; however, I feel this months meeting will be of significant interest to many of our stakeholders. Please remember that attendance at school board meetings is not only to listen to the discussions and subsequent decisions of our board of trustees -- parents, caregivers and community members can also participate in our meetings, either through our open forum agenda item or by speaking directly to the board regarding specific agenda items.

Please take note of some items that are of the utmost importance to our district, our schools and to our children:

- Elementary Attendance Boundaries: Last spring and summer, the school district went through the process that redrew all elementary school attendance zones, and this was the first time in 22 years this had been done. Because of the opening of our three new elementary schools and the growth patterns that have changed Midland over the last two decades, redrawing the lines was a necessity, and this affected thousands of Midland families. We will be giving a report to our school board members regarding the status of our campus enrollments and discussing possible adjustments that need to be made to a couple of our attendance zones. I would love to announce to everyone that we got all the zone 100 percent correct our first try in the 22 years, but we didnt. We still have some campuses that are too crowded, so our school board members will be deciding on how we will correct those issues, so we will have the most efficient elementary attendance boundaries we can.

- 2016-17 Budget Workshop: As every business in town will attest, creating yearly budgets right now is a formidable challenge. We are going to roll out the first look at MISDs 2016-17 budget to our board members on Monday night. As a district, we are going to face significant hurdles to attain a balanced budget next year. As of right now, our Robin Hood payment back to the state will be close to $50 million, and we are quite likely to see a significant decrease in taxable values, because of the economic downturn. We have already started identifying the next round of cuts to our current operating budget in order to deal with these challenges, and I will be presenting all of this information to our board members during the meeting to truly begin the budget process for the next school year.

- Elementary Magnet Schools: All of our current magnet school parents, or parents who are thinking of signing up for our magnet school lottery in the future, should attend our meeting to learn more about possible changes to our after-school programs at these campuses. To remind everyone, MISD supports three magnet schools - Bowie (fine arts), Pease (technology & communications) and Washington (math & science). For years weve had after-school programs associated with these campuses, and we are going to continue to do so, but we are contemplating changes to the after-school programs. This is a concerted effort to make the after-school experience better for those kids who are really immersed into the magnet concepts of these schools, so our building principals will be giving our board members presentations regarding the proposed changes. These presentations have already been made to parent groups, but if any parents missed those meetings or if parents would like to provide additional feedback to our board meetings, Monday night will be the best time to do so.

As you can see, we have much going on in the district and in our community. The blessing that we all have is that we live in a community of leaders and of doers, and the opportunities for us to truly make a difference for our children are absolutely endless. As the father of one MISD graduate, of an impending gradate and of a current student, I could not be more proud of the education my children attained in MISD, and I know many of our parents feel the same way. Our endeavor is to make sure that happens for all of our communities families, so that there are no holes or achievement gaps for any students or groups of students in our schools - that is our task.

Thank you for your support of our children, and if there are any questions I can answer regarding the issues in my article (or about anything else), please do not hesitate to contact me at ryder.warren@midlandisd.net.
Sanaa Lathan may be growing tired of setting the record straight on her and rapper French Montana's relationship, but she found herself doing it yet again -- this time addressing rumors that she is not pregnant with his baby.

Maybe Lathan and Montana would make the perfect couple in the hearts and minds of their fans, which is probably why the two are often in the media as either dating or expecting their first child together. Well, according to The Grio, Lathan decided to set the record straight on social media, not once but twice, that she and the "Pop That" rapper are not pregnant.

The Best Man actress took to Twitter on March 16 to post this message, letting her followers know that she's not expecting anything except donations for her foundation.

Let's nip this in the bud RIGHT NOW. Stop it. I'm not expecting ANYTHING except donations for the #SanaaLathanFoundation #FosterGirls #SLF  Sanaa Lathan (@justsanaa) March 16, 2016

Prior to that post, the actress addressed and retweeted a news story that claimed, "French Montana reportedly got Sanaa Lathan pregnant."

The 44-year-old responded by tweeting, "No I'm not pregnant my loves. I was just breathing. Slow news day?"

Reportedly, the rumors began to fly after Lathan appeared at a Los Angeles event for her Sanaa Lathan Foundation, wearing a black flowy dress that seemed to conceal her midsection, according to Centric.

Lathan and Montana have remained silent on whether or not they are actually dating, but according to Centric, it was a moment spent together in Diddy's car, where Lathan was spotted and photographed sitting on French's lap, that the speculations of a possible relationship began.

While on her promo tour for the film The Perfect Guy, Lathan interviewed with Big Boy for his "Big Boy's Neighborhood" radio show, and when asked about her "perfect guy" and whether or not she was dating anyone, she confirmed that she was but left plenty of speculation as to whether or not that perfect guy is French Montana. But one thing's for sure, she's not pregnant by him.

 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Several vigils were held Saturday to pray for unity in the wake of an apparent increase of violence  some of it possibly gang-related  on the East Side that has left at least 8 dead and many injured this year.

Youth pastor Marsayes McIntyre of New Method Hip Hop Church said the vigil was the first of many to come as they begin coordinating with other churches and organizations to see how they can stand against gun violence in the city.

Its time for everybody to get together and unite as one. The city has to be united. Thats the only way that things can change is if the city can unite as one, he said. Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do, and if we believe in him, we believe all things can change.

McIntyre and his brother Marcus locked hands with about 20 other people as they stood in the parking lot of a gas station in the 100 block of South W.W. White Road. Marcus McIntyre was inspired to begin the prayers after the discovery of a burning body on Thursday and two shootings Friday on the East Side.

One man was shot by his brother Friday in the 800 block of Nevada Street around 1 p.m. Later that evening, three men were shot in the 600 block of Morningview. One man was hit in the face, another in the abdomen and it was unclear where the third man had been shot.

All were taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center, but only the man shot in the abdomen was expected to undergo surgery. The other injured men had non-life threatening injuries.

On March 8, a shootout left two dead and three injured, including Ishmael Haywood, 20, and Demontray Keshawn Mackey, 17. The two were fatally shot multiple times while sitting inside a vehicle in the 2000 block of Lamar Street.

SAPD Chief William McManus said Friday that some of the recent violence may have been the result of gang activity and that theyre stepping up police presence in the area.

There have been six people killed in homicides since the beginning of the year on the East Side, according to SAPD through Feb. 13, three more at that time than last year.

Those at the Saturday vigil said they applauded McManus efforts to combat gun violence, but noted that community leaders and organizations need to step in and do more.

Kathy Robinson, among those praying in the circle organized by the McIntyres, said the church needs to take a more active role in reaching out to the families of youth on the East Side.

The community and some of the leaders like the pastors, they have a responsibility also, she said, noting that many parents and grandparents of todays youth still attend church.

Sheree Johnson, who was at a prayer circle on the North Side at Interstate 10 and Loop 1604, said they prayed for God to reclaim the city and bring prosperity, influence, and wellness.

Walter Perry, leader of a program called Suit Up, which offers free suits and mentoring to teens and young men at Sam Houston High School, said they cant continue to rely on political leaders to do something.

They are a resource, but God is the source, he said, noting there are several programs that are already active in the community and need support from people to keep them going including Suit Up, San Antonio Fighting Back, and 100 Black Women. If they werent there, that community would be out of shape.

He said several of the programs are active with the community of Sam Houston High School, and that the principal has been very supportive of the programs.

Those kids have really taken to what we have to offer, their attitudes have improved and their grades have improved, he said.

He called on organizations such as San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, San Antonio Housing Authority, and East Side Promise to be more involved in the communities they serve.

We are already at a point to where we've had 10 to 20 murders in the last six to seven months, Perry said, noting much of it is involving young men on the East Side. We want them to be alive, we don't want them killing each other.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA
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AUSTIN  Former Gov. Rick Perry has no interest in a third-party bid for president, his spokesman said Sunday in the wake of a New York Times story about conservatives floating the possibility.

The Times reported that Republican leaders who oppose brash businessman Donald Trump's candidacy are launching a campaign to block his nomination.
As an anesthesiologist, Dr. Casey Mitchell Drawert helped patients at hospitals around San Antonio. But one day four years ago, she was called on to help one of her neighbors.

Miluska Gonzalez, who lived next door to Drawert, said her then-2-year-old son fell into their swimming pool without her or any of her other children noticing. When she pulled him out, the boy was already blue. Drawert, who happened to be at home recovering from an elbow injury, heard Gonzalezs screams and came running.

Drawert, who later told Gonzalez that her son didnt have a pulse, performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. Now age 6, her son hasnt suffered any lingering effects, Gonzalez said.

What happened to him was a miracle. Thats what the doctor told us, she said. She was my sons angel. She was the one that saved him.

Drawert, 42, died March 11 after her husband David Ross shot her and then killed himself. Her two young children from a previous marriage were at school at the time.

Hundreds of people packed her visitation Monday night, said her mother, Donna Austin.

More Information Casey Mitchell Drawert Born: Dec. 17, 1973, Shreveport, Louisiana Died: March 11, 2016, San Antonio Preceded by: Brother Colby Mitchell; stepfather John Austin; grandparents Mandy and James Lowderback and Modene and Ralph Mitchell; and uncles Larry Weeks and Thomas Mitchell. Survived by: daughter Molly Drawert, son Hudson Drawert and their father, Steve Drawert; mother Donna Lowderback Austin; father and stepmother Gary and Val Mitchell; aunts Patsy Weeks and Francis Mitchell; and many cousins. Services: Held Tuesday See More Collapse

Drawert, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center in 2005. The challenge of anesthesiology drew her daughter to the field, Austin said.

She liked it because its hard, because not everybody wants to do it and its a competitive field, Austin said. Its hard to get chosen for anesthesia.

Even with her 24-hour shifts, Drawert was able to make time for her daughter, whos 10, and son, whos 7, going on school field trips with them and carefully planning birthday parties, Austin said. She called her daughter mother supreme.

She didnt want them to feel that their mom just worked all the time, Austin said.

Drawert was also known for her faith.

She truly understood the Bible, Old and New Testament, her cousin Dr. Brittni Miller wrote in a eulogy she read at Drawerts funeral. She prayed for everyone, one by one. She wrote down specifics, too. She prayed for unborn babies, and patients, and friends with cancer, and those in accidents. She prayed for her trainees and people she just wanted to get to know a little better. She asked for updates and then prayed even more. She was a prayer warrior.

Miller also wrote about how Drawert inspired her.

Like many of you here, had it not been for Caseys encouragement, I probably would not have gotten through medical school, she said. But she told me weekly that I could do it. She called me with Bible verses and, oftentimes, gave me a lot of tough love.

In recent years, Drawert would go on a service trip to Ecuador with her fathers church. She and three other doctors would provide medical attention in rural areas where it was sorely needed, Drawerts mother said.

They would see 1,200 patients in four and a half days. So it was like long hours, but she absolutely loved it, Austin said. Some of these people had never even seen a doctor in their lives. They would go up in these villages in the mountains, and they had never seen a doctor. And she was getting to share that with her dad.

It was through those service trips that she met missionaries from Mexico and became interested in helping them build a camp and seminary in the Yucatan Peninsula. Every month, Drawert sent money to the project, and instead of flowers, her family is asking for donations to the project at Global Outreach International.

She wanted to see that happen, Austin said. She wanted these kids to have a chance to go to school.

jbuch@express-news.net
The behavior of at least one of the candidates for the Republican Party presidential nomination has finally become a threat to the existence of the party.

Not only have these candidates become anti-establishment, anti-Washington and anti-labor, they are also anti- all Americans except the minority of right-wing extremists.

In debate after debate, Americans wait to hear ideas instead of insults. The level of debate has gone lower than low, and includes the incitement of hate and violence against law-abiding citizens exercising their First Amendment rights.

Donald Trump is taking the lead in supporting the ugly side of his supporters through glorification of political violence. At one Trump rally, an older man punched a peaceful African-American protester, and declared that the victim deserved it and that next time, he might have to kill him.

Because of his demagoguery, Trumps campaign has been dogged by violence at his rallies. Time and again, he openly encourages his followers to respond to peaceful protesters with brutal force.

Trump advocates banning all foreign Muslims from entering the country, giving false statistics about Muslims. He tweets racist remarks and lies. He encourages violence and promises to pay the legal fees of those who commit the violence on his behalf. He advocates the use of torture and the murder of terrorists families. He was lying about a story of Muslims executed with bullets dipped in pig blood. He compares refugees to snakes. On CNN, he falsely claimed, Islam hates us. The list of his lies goes on.

His dangerous rhetoric is impacting the safety and security of American Muslims.

Hate crimes targeting Muslims and their mosques and businesses have tripled this year, and the bulk of the attacks has occurred in recent weeks, according to a tally by California State University, San Bernardino college professor Brian Levin.

Trumps Islamophobic and unconstitutional remarks contribute to the rise in these hate attacks.

At a Trump rally in St. Louis, one of his supporters yelled, Allah is a pig.

A Muslim student at Wichita State University and a Hispanic friend were attacked by a man who shouted racial epithets: Brown trash, go home. Trump will win.

A mosque in Austin was smeared with feces, and ripped pages of the Quran were thrown all over the floor.

Some Muslim families in San Antonio have pulled their children out of school because of increased bullying. Muslim women have been attacked while shopping and in a parking lot. These are just a few of the hate crimes being committed against American Muslims.

America needs a president who is a unifier, not a divider. The reckless language, conflict, confrontations and politics of rage need to stop. All this is giving America a bad name on the world stage.

Our nation was built on diversity, religious tolerance and mutual respect. We can agree to disagree without resorting to crude insults and fear-mongering tactics targeting the minorities in our beloved nation.

All Americans, regardless of party affiliation, need to stand up against this reckless behavior to keep our country great.

Sarwat Husain is a national board member and president of the San Antonio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. shusain@cair.com.
Re: It's OK to discuss mental illness, Another View, March 12:

Dr. Andrew Keller, CEO of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, wrote this comment to introduce Okay to Say, an initiative from the institute designed to open the conversation about mental illness as a pathway to effective treatment. Dr. Keller pointed to this startling statistic: Two-thirds of people with a diagnosable mental illness do not seek treatment.

I applaud this initiative. When you look at the prevalence of mental illness, its a safe bet that every person is affected in some way, either by living with mental illness themselves, or being the friend, co-worker or family member of someone who does.

As executive director of the San Antonio Clubhouse, Ive come to know hundreds of people living with mental illness. Because of our unique recovery model that focuses on relationships, talents and meaningful work rather than on illness, Ive had the opportunity to know our members as friends and colleagues rather than as clients or patients. This gives me a somewhat unique perspective, and what Ive learned is this: If people with mental illness are treated with dignity and respect, as people of value who have something to contribute to their community, myths are dispelled, identities are reclaimed, and people get better. Like anyone else, people with mental illness can enjoy meaningful relationships, can live independently, and can go to school or to work  some for the first time.

Bringing mental illness out of the closet and into the light will help us to reduce societal stigma, which in turn will help people living with mental illness shed the damaging and unnecessary guilt and shame associated with it. And when that happens, people will be more likely to seek the treatment they need and deserve.

Mark Stoeltje is the executive director of the San Antonio Clubhouse, a nonprofit serving adults diagnosed with mental illness.
I would like to congratulate Colleen Dyck from Niverville as the recipient of the 2016 Mompreneur Award of Excellence! Colleen is the owner GORP Clean Energy Bars here in Southeastern Manitoba. The Mompreneur Awards recognizes the hard work and talent of women entrepreneurs.

Winners of the 2016 National Mompreneur Award were announced on March 4th and 5th at the Annual National Mompreneurs Conference. Nominations were opened three months ago, and there were 124 nominees. Voting began on November 9th and closed December 31st, 2015. With over 60,000 votes cast, the top 20 finalists in four categories were determined. These categories include:

Mompreneur Award of Excellence (exemplary product/service),

Mompreneur Startup Award (for a business under 3 years),

Mompreneur Award of Merit (consultant, broker or franchisee), and

Mompreneur Momentum Award.

Winners of the four categories were selected by an expert panel of judges based on criteria such as innovation, commitment to community, sales growth, leadership, and scalability.

I would also like to congratulate Cindy Grenier from Southeastern Manitoba who was one of the top 20 finalists. Cindy is a real estate agent from St-Pierre-Jolys who was nominated for the Mompreneur Award of Merit.

I am happy to see women from Southeastern Manitoba being recognized for their entrepreneurial drive. Our communities thrive on entrepreneurship and as a business owner myself, I appreciate the many business owners in Provencher. These are the hard working people who create jobs and give so much back to the community. As the Member of Parliament for Provencher, I thank all business owners for their dedication and hard work.

On behalf of the residents in Southeastern Manitoba, I congratulate Colleen Dyck and Cindy Grenier for their achievements.
Posted on 03/20/2016, 1:00 pm, by mySteinbach

Farm Credit Canada is now accepting applications from registered charities and non-profit organizations in rural Canada for the $1 million FCC AgriSpirit Fund. The application deadline is April 18 and FCC will announce the selected projects in August.

Rural community groups can view the eligibility requirements, past projects and apply online by visiting www.fccagrispiritfund.ca.

For the past 13 years, FCC has awarded rural community groups between $5,000 and $25,000 in FCC AgriSpirit funding for various community improvement initiatives. From purchasing equipment for emergency services and recreation centres to building care homes and playgrounds, FCC AgriSpirit funding supports key projects that enhance the community.

Since inception of the FCC AgriSpirit Fund in 2004, FCC has supported nearly 950 capital projects in rural Canada totaling $9.5 million in donations.
Lambert here: Id be interested to hear if readers have similar experiences with Electronic Health Records  especially readers from the New York area.

By InformaticsMD. Originally published at Health Care Renewal.

I believe the suffering and death of my mother in 2010-2011 due to EHR flaws  including but not limited to lack of essential confirmation dialogs on medication deletion at triage, lack of notification messages informing down-line staff of such action by unqualified personnel (inadequate support of teamwork), and other issues  lends me some moral standing to comment on the following as a horrifying and potentially criminal matter. (See http://khn.org/news/scot-silverstein-health-information-technology/).

Two back-to-back articles appeared in the New York Post:

NYCs $764M medical records system will lead to patient death: insiders

By Michael Gartland

March 15, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/03/15/nycs-764m-medical-records-system-will-lead-to-patient-death-insiders/

and

Hospital exec [CMIO] quits, compares $764M upgrade to Challenger disaster

By Michael Gartland

March 16, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/03/16/hospital-exec-quits-compares-764m-upgrade-to-challenger-disaster/

It is well-known and indisputable that this technology can and does injure and kill, especially when poorly designed, defective, poorly implemented, or all of the above. See for instance the ECRI EHR risk Deep Dive study results at http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/02/peering-underneath-icebergs-water-level.html.

Any official in leadership of health IT who denies this  or sidesteps it  or makes excuses for compromises on health IT safety, especially in view of dire warnings from clinician experts  in 2016 is guilty of conduct of the type below:

What is Criminal Negligence? Under some criminal law statutes, criminal negligence is defined as any type of conduct that grossly deviates from normal, reasonable standards of an ordinary person. It generally involves an indifference or disregard for human life or for the safety of people. Sometimes the definition for criminal negligence also requires a failure to recognize unjustifiable risks associated with the conduct. Examples of criminally negligent behavior may include knowingly allowing a child to be in very dangerous conditions, or driving in an extremely irresponsible way. Criminal negligence is less serious than intentional or reckless conduct. Generally, reckless conduct involves a knowing disregard of risks, while negligence involves an unawareness of the risks.

The two articles reflect a good possibility that the politics of what Id once termed cybernetics uber alles has trumped patient safety concerns in NYC.

Heres details from the first article:

A new $764 million medical records system is launching at the municipal hospital system on April 2  even though insiders warn it isnt ready and patients will suffer. The soft launch of the electronic system Epic is scheduled at Elmhurst and Queens hospitals. Sooner or later, it will crash, said one source involved in the project. There will be patient harm  patient harm and patient death.

That sounds like insiders warning of far more problems than mere crashes causing patient harm and death, a brave act considering possible retaliation.

I wonder if the users of this EPIC system are having imposed on them the speech and though controls imposed on users at University of Arizona (see my Oct. 3, 2013 post Words that Work: Singing Only Positive  And Often Unsubstantiated  EHR Praise As Advised At The University Of Arizona Health Network at http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/10/words-that-work-singing-only-positive.html).

Sources say Dr. Ramanathan Raju, who runs the municipal network, NYC Health + Hospitals, is under the gun from City Hall to meet the deadline and fears hell be fired if he doesnt. Raju has said too many times to count that the Mayors Office has told him if April 1st doesnt happen, then Ram will lose his job, one source said. The source added that Raju has threatened to fire top executives if the project doesnt launch on time.

If this is true, than the gun from City Hall is aimed straight at patients, and if patients indeed are mortally affected, the responsible officials might be deemed accessories to murder.

I add that this type of situation represents fundamental and severe mismanagement, as Id been writing about since the late 1990s at my academic site Contemporary Issues in Medical Informatics: Good Health IT, Bad Health IT, and Common Examples of Healthcare IT Difficulties at http://cci.drexel.edu/faculty/ssilverstein/cases/.

The hospital system is already on City Halls watch list, having required a $337 million bailout in January to stay afloat.

Money for EHRs grows on trees.

Note other hospitals where EHR implementations led to financial disaster (e.g., http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/06/in-fixing-those-9553-ehr-issues.html, http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/05/clouded-visionary-leadership-wake.html, http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/06/want-to-help-hospital-go-bankrupt-get.html, http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/06/100-million-epic-install-dampens.html as examples).

Insiders contend that the only safe way to roll out Epic is to take more time  about three months  to address several key issues. One is planning for a crash, which some consider almost inevitable because the new setup hasnt been configured to work with systems at other hospitals or with some of its own internal billing and tracking software. Existing patient data also has to be transferred from the old system  a process that would normally take six months, but which was shoehorned into less than one.

Going live with a half-baked EHR under such circumstances for political reasons, if these facts are true, would be, in my professional opinion, an act worthy of prison time if harm results.

There are supposed to be all these dry runs, a source said. They havent been done.

Again, if true, this reflects expediency at the expense of patient well-being, by rows of political hacks, fools and incompetents calling the shots in an area in which they have no business being involved.

City officials contend Epic remains on-time and within budget.

I have a feeling this will be revisited at some time in the future  in court.

A mayoral spokeswoman said there would be a round-the-clock effort to ensure there are no glitches.

No glitches?

That is a hollow promise that cannot be kept even under the best of circumstances. Under the hellish circumstances described, such a statement is outright frightening. The Mayor truly has no clue about EHR glitches, but I offer the many posts at query link http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/glitch for his education.

Mr. Mayor, heres an example of EPIC and other EHR implementations under the best of circumstances. These systems are so immensely complex, trying to be pressure-fit into a vastly complex, varying and changing environment, that to not heed CMIO and other expert warnings is the height of recklessness:

Nov. 2013: Weve resolved 6,036 issues and have 3,517 open issues: Extolling EPIC EHR Virtues at University of Arizona Health System, at http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2013/11/weve-resolved-6036-issues-and-have-3517.html

June 2014: In Fixing Those 9,553 EHR Issues, Southern Arizonas Largest Health Network is $28.5 Million In The Red, http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2014/06/in-fixing-those-9553-ehr-issues.html

Oct. 2010: Medical center has more than 6000 issues with Cerner CPOE system in four months  has patient harm resulted?, http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2010/10/medical-center-has-more-than-6000.html)

Of course, we are reassured that the crack team assigned the implementation duties will produce stellar results:

NYC Health + Hospitals and its Epic implementation experts are prepared to implement the new system in Queens facilities beginning April 2, and have assembled a team of about 900 technicians and Epic experts who will work around-the-clock that week both in Queens and at remote data centers to ensure the transition to the new system goes as smoothly as possible, said spokeswoman Ishanee Parikh.

EPIC experts like these? From this link at the Histalk site on staffing of health IT projects, Aug. 16, 2010. Emphases mine:

Epic Staffing Guide A reader sent over a copy of the staffing guide that Epic provides to its customers. I thought it was interesting, first and foremost in that Epic is so specific in its implementation plan that it sends customers an 18-page document on how staff their part of the project. Epic emphasizes that many hospitals can staff their projects internally, choosing people who know the organization. However, they emphasize choosing the best and brightest, not those with time to spare. Epic advocates the same approach it takes in its own hiring: dont worry about relevant experience, choose people with the right traits, qualities, and skills, they say. The guide suggests hiring recent college graduates for analyst roles. Ability is more important than experience, it says. That includes reviewing a candidates college GPA and standardized test scores. I bet many readers were taught by their HR departments to do behavioral interviewing, i.e. Tell me about a time when you  Epic says thats crap, suggesting instead that candidates be given scenarios and asked how they would respond. They also say that interviews are not predictive of work quality since some people just interview well. Dont just hire the agreeable candidate, the guide says, since it may take someone annoying to push a project along or to ask the hard but important questions that all the suck-ups will avoid. Epic likes giving candidates tests, particularly those of the logic variety.

The part about not worrying about relevant experience and about hiring recent college graduates as HIT project analysts is bizarre if true, and downright frightening.

Medical environments and clinical affairs are not playgrounds for novices, no matter how smart their grades and test scores show them to be. These practices as described, in my view, represent faulty and dangerous advice on first principles. The advice also is at odds with the taxonomy of skills published by the Office of the National Coordinator I outlined at the post ONC Defines a Taxonomy of Robust Healthcare IT Leadership.

The second NY Post article cited above is even more dire:

A senior official was so worried a new $764 million medical records system for the municipal hospital system was launching too early that he resigned, comparing it to the disastrous space shuttle Challenger launch in 1986. In a resignation and thank-you email last week, Dr. Charles Perry urged colleagues at NYC Health + Hospitals  formerly the Health and Hospitals Corp.  to sound the alarm and press for an external review to stop the system from going live next month. Perry was chief medical information officer of Queens and Elmhurst Hospital Centers, the first scheduled to get the new electronic medical data system.

When a CMIO  a role I held in the mid 1990s  resigns under such circumstances, a project should be halted in its tracks and external examination begun . Instead, it appears we have spin control.

In his email, Perry offered a comparison to the launch of the Challenger  aboard which seven crew members died when it exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986  and cited a presidential panels report examining how the disaster occurred.

That is as dire and direct a warning as they come. Unqualified individuals who second guess such a warning should be held legally accountable for adverse outcomes.

(Such a warning letter about EHRs now sits as Exhibit A in the lawsuit complaint regarding my dead mother. It had not been heeded.)

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled, Perry wrote in his email, quoting from the report.

But fools in leadership roles in health IT think they can fool Mother Nature.

Perry went on to urge a short delay despite vehement entreaties to make the April 1st date by officials and consultants with jobs and paydays on the line.

This is exactly how patients end up maimed and dead.

Agency president Dr. Ramanathan Raju has repeatedly told colleagues his job is on the line if the deadline isnt met, sources said. Perry, a medical doctor with an MBA, declined to comment.

Maybe Raju should quit, too. He should know that Discovery over such matters would not be very pleasant, especially if I am assisting attorneys in such matters  which could very well occur.

He [Perry] took a stand, said one insider. He wasnt going to take part in something that was going to compromise patient safety.

Its good to know someone in Medical Informatics still has balls.

The idea that wed jeopardize patients to meet a deadline is simply wrong, said Karen Hinton, Mayor Bill de Blasios spokeswoman. If a patient safety issue is identified, the project will stop until it is addressed. NYC Health + Hospitals and its Epic implementation experts have assembled a team of about 900 technicians and Epic experts who will work around the clock through the week surrounding the transition in both Queens and at remote data centers to ensure we shift to the new system as smoothly as possible.

Its been said that one expert who truly know what theyre doing will always outperform 1,000 (or 900) generalists following the finest of process who are in over their heads (to wit, 900 generic musicians could never exceed the work of Beethoven or Brahms).

In this matter, I take the CMIOs word over the 900 techies and experts, once having voiced such concerns myself.

 SS
Some Like It Hot  Really Hot WSJ

Beyond record hot, February was astronomical and strange' Phys.org (CL).

Did X Cause Y? A New Look at Attributing Weather Extremes to Climate Change Bob Henson, Weather Underground

Crunch Time for the Climate HuffPo (JB). The post, on returning dividends from carbon auctions directly to everyone with a Social Security number, is more interesting than the title.

HSBC: Zombie companies are killing the economy, so we should just let them collapse Business Insider

Every cycle is defined by a hubris trade FT

Helicopter Money Hurts Banks, ECBs Weidmann Tells Newspaper Bloomberg. You say that like its a bad thing!

Central banks are already doing the unthinkable  you just dont know it Daily Telegraph

Bangladesh heist exposes Philippine dirty money secrets Bangkok Post

How cyber criminals targeted almost $1bn in Bangladesh Bank heist FT. With flow chart.

LA Port Traffic Surges 46.6 Percent, Bloomberg Says This Means Economy is Healthy, Mish Says Nonsense MishTalk. An epiphenomen of last years port strike.

Gawker could still win Hulk Hogan case despite $115 million verdict: legal experts Reuters

China?

Syraqistan

The declining sensitivity of asset prices to events in Greece Bank Underground

Refugee Crisis

Cuba casts aside rancor to welcome Obama on historic visit Reuters. Hopefully the next time theres blowback from the overthrow of one of our pet dictators, well be able to settle the matter more rapidly.

Brazil Is Engulfed by Ruling Class Corruption  and a Dangerous Subversion of Democracy Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept

2016

How Chicago racked up a $662 million police misconduct bill (since 2004) AP. Thats a lot of money!

Will Anyone Accept Responsibility for Flint? The Atlantic (Re Silc). Betteridges Law applies. And the next link confirms.

Flint burglary where water files stored an inside job, police chief says MLive (MR).

How Locking Up Judges Could End Debtors Prisons HuffPo

Class Warfare

Yardfarmers follows 6 young Americans as they move back home to farm their parents yards Treehugger. Happening in my town.

Traditional Economics Failed. Heres a New Blueprint. Evonomics (readerOfTeaLeaves). Why true self-interest is mutual interest.

The Secrets of the Wave Pilots NYT (DL). Must read.

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
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Real estate show

Jim York, a local Realtor, hosts a real estate update show each week on current issues or trends. Join York every Thursday afternoon from 1:30 to 3 p.m. through the end of the year. There will be a different guest who specializes in a currently relevant topic each week. Any questions about upcoming topics or to be an audience guest, contact U.S.A. Marketing LLC by email: usamrktggroup@cs.com. All shows can also been seen at NaplesYorkRealEstate.com or their Real Estate News Blog: YorkRealEstateGroupSWFL.com.

Spring Fling model event

Ave Maria Development will host a Spring Fling Model Home Showcase event on Saturday, April 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All builders in the community will host special events at their sales centers including pet adoptions from local agencies such as Humane Society Naples, Collier County Domestic Animal Services, and Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida. Twenty decorated model homes will be open and available for touring. Ave Maria features three residential homebuilders: CC Homes in Maple Ridge, Coquina at Maple Ridge and Maple Ridge Reserve; Del Web Naples; and Pulte Homes in Hampton Village, Emerson Park, and Avalon Park. In addition to this event, the Ave Maria Town Center merchants will host a sidewalk sale with live music performed by Tropical Avenue. Ave Maria is at the intersection of Oil Well and Camp Keais roads in eastern Collier County. The main entrance, on Oil Well just west of Camp Keais, leads to the Town Center. Take I-75, Exit 111, east to Ave Maria. www.avemaria.com.

Transactions

Investment Properties Corp. (IPC) brokered these transactions:

High Tide Dermatology Center LLC leased 2,475 square feet of office space from OMP 301 LLC at 2350 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 301, Naples. Tara Stokes of IPC and Jay Crandall of Crandall Commercial Group negotiated this transaction.

Debanie Inc. purchased 12,000 square feet of commercial space from Danny R. Henthorne and Lorraine Henthorne at 5450 Taylor Road, Naples. The purchase price was $1.2 million. William V. Gonnering negotiated this transaction.

Transactions reported by CRE Consultants:

Piedmont Development of Florida LLC purchased 2.01 acres in Cameron Commons at the southeast corner of Bellaire Bay Drive and Goodland Bay Drive, Naples from Cameron Partners II LLC for $2,101,334. Bill Young, Biagio Bernardo and Larry Foster of CRE Consultants represented the seller and AJS Realty & Sun Realty USA Inc. represented the buyer.

South Pointe Shoppes LLC purchased a 31,000-square-foot specialty building at 6111 South Pointe Blvd., Fort Myers from Covenant Ministries International LLC for $1.75 million. Stan Stouder of CRE Consultants represented the seller and Coni Dean of Venture Realty & Investments represented the buyer.

J Lodge Eservices LLC leased 3,942 square feet in Renaissance Center, 9530 Marketplace Road, Suite 105, Fort Myers from The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Co. Randal Mercer and Brandon Stoneburner negotiated the transaction.

The United Group leased 2,170 square feet in Piazza Di Bonita at 27180 Bay Landing Drive, Suite 6, Bonita Springs from Thies Pickenpack. Bill Young and Biagio Bernardo negotiated the transaction.

First Love Family Ministries Inc. leased 1,750 square feet in Commerce Center at Naples, 207 & 221 Airport-Pulling Road S., Naples from Helios Naples LLC. Dave Wallace negotiated the transaction.

Donald Garrett leased 1,500 square feet in Collier Park of Commerce, 2960 Horseshoe Drive S., Naples from Helios Collier LLC. Dave Wallace of CRE Consultants represented the lessor and Tara Stokes of IPC represented the lessee.

JRE Virtual Architect LLC leased 1,362 square feet at 2075 W. First Street, Suite 203, Fort Myers from M.L.D. Investments LLC. Randal Mercer, Brandon Stoneburner and Nicole Gray negotiated the transaction.

Lewis Property Investors Inc. leased 800 square feet in Commerce Center at Naples, 247 Airport-Pulling Road S., Naples from Helios Naples, LLC. Dave Wallace negotiated the transaction.
June Fletcher Executive Suite June Fletcher is a business reporter and editor with a focus on the economy, finance, banking, wealth management and residential real estate. She produces the Minding Your Money web video series that appears in the Business section. Her Executive Suite column, which profiles business leaders in the community, appears Mondays. SHARE

Phil McCabe was walking through the lobby of The Inn On Fifth when a droopy flower stopped him in his tracks.

"Excuse me," McCabe said as he plucked the tiny offending blossom from the huge fresh bouquet on a side table, then bent down to pluck a wisp of paper off the shiny floor. "We can't have things looking like this."

It's such attention to detail that has brought the 67-year-old hotelier and developer from a blue-collar background in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to the height of society  not only in Naples, where he scoots around in his private jet, but in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he owns a home near his close friends George H. and Barbara Bush.

But then he's also friends with Bill Clinton and plans to hold a fundraiser for his wife, Hillary.

"Many people think I'm a Democrat, but I'm really an independent," McCabe said. "I'm a moderate in my views."

And so, too, are the former presidents, he says, who have remained on friendly terms despite the bitter political rivalries that currently roil Washington.

At one private gathering of the former leaders at Bush's home, McCabe said he told them, "I can honestly say I voted for both of you."

Yet years before he hobnobbed with world leaders, McCabe was struggling to outshine his four siblings in Dorchester, an ethnically diverse neighborhood in Boston.

It wasn't easy. McCabe's brothers were good students who all went off to Roman Catholic high schools and then to college. He didn't.

"I wasn't as good a student," he said candidly.

Yet McCabe always had an adventurous streak  when he was 8, he regularly snuck on to the subway near his home and traveled all over Boston  so at age 19, he decided to join the Air Force.

After he took a battery of tests, he was found to have an aptitude for space telemetry. Rather than learning to fly fighter jets, he was assigned to keep an eye on the Russians during the Cold War. He spent most of the next four years in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

After leaving the service, he joined the Central Intelligence Agency and spent four more years collecting intelligence on the Russians from a post right on the border in northern Iran.

"I even witnessed the death of a Russian astronaut in space," he said.

Although he could have had a comfortable career in the CIA, McCabe decided the work wasn't his true calling.

"I saved every penny I made in the CIA," he recalled. "I saved and saved and saved."

With his nest egg  all of $25,000  he bought a bankrupt lodging business consisting of a group of cottages and a main house on 5 acres in Maine.

For the next 15 years, he built the business, doing everything from renovations to guest services himself.

"I worked 12-hour days seven days a week," he said. "It was all me."

But the hands-on experience taught him about the importance of everything from the importance of cash flow to catering to the quirks that keep travelers happy.

Over time he was able to raise his rates and invest in other properties in New England. But the cold climate meant the summer season was limited, so McCabe started to look for other properties in a subtropical climate.

In the early '80s, he settled on Naples. By then he was a multimillionaire. Soon he married and became the father of two sons (he has since divorced).

"There wasn't much here then, but I could see there was a lot of opportunity," said McCabe, who has since opened several restaurants and invested in commercial and residential projects throughout Collier County and the city of Naples.

In 1986 he opened his first boutique hotel in the area, the Inn of Naples on U.S. 41; six years later he opened the Inn at Pelican Bay in North Naples.

Six years after that, he turned an old bank building in the heart of downtown Naples into the Inn on Fifth.

The Irish-themed restaurant and pub attached to that hotel, McCabe's, became a favorite neighborhood watering hole, especially around St. Patrick's Day.

In 2014 he replaced the wood-paneled and cozy McCabe's with a more upscale, open and contemporary restaurant, Avenue5.

"I get flak about that every day," McCabe said, adding that he plans to reopen the popular pub in a new location he owns nearby.

By then he had already spent $1.7 million to renovate the Inn on Fifth, as well as $18 million to expand it, adding 32 club-level suites across the street.

At the height of season, the two-bedroom, two-bath Presidential Suite rents for around $3,400 per night.

"It's completely booked," he said, adding that some of his customers come back for a month at a time, year after year. To keep them feeling pampered, he makes sure they have a glass of Champagne on arrival, a constant supply of fresh-baked cookies and snacks, and evening appetizers and cocktails.

Since the renovation, the Inn on Fifth has earned AAA Four Diamond, Conde Nast Johansens and Forbes Four Star travel ratings.

His latest project, approved by the City Council in November, will include a three-story building with condos, retail and 43 spaces of underground parking in the 400 block of Fifth Avenue.

Although construction is slated to begin in May, McCabe continues to hear criticism from some residents who are upset that popular restaurants like Cafe Luna are being displaced, and concerned that the pricey new condos will make the street too elitist.

But McCabe said change is needed not just to upgrade the look and character of the street but because the existing property has grown old, rat-infested and vulnerable to damage from hurricanes.

Just as residents of Old Naples regularly replace outdated homes with bigger and more strongly built mansions, developers of commercial properties are constantly thinking of ways to replace obsolete buildings with better ones, McCabe said.

"That is what we do," he said. "And that is what we will continue to do forever."
This undated publicity photo released by courtesy of Magnolia Pictures shows the whale Tilikum in a scene from "Blackfish," a Magnolia Pictures release. (AP Photo/Magnolia Pictures)

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By Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

It should have been fun  sitting in the Splash Zone at SeaWorld's Shamu stadium with her two sons, watching killer whales perform impressive tricks. Instead, Gabriela Cowperthwaite felt a pit in her stomach. Seeing whales up-close in captivity made her uneasy. So she began looking into the theme park, working on a documentary called "Blackfish"  a 2013 film that would ultimately shift the way the public viewed the multibillion-dollar corporation too.

Just three years after the release of "Blackfish," SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby announced Thursday in an op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times that the company would stop breeding orcas this year. That means that the 29 killer whales currently owned by the theme park will be the last to swim in SeaWorld tanks. The remaining orcas will live out the remainder of their lives at the company's three SeaWorld-branded parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego but will not perform in theatrical shows by 2019.

"We are proud of contributing to the evolving understanding of one of the world's largest marine mammals," Manby wrote. "Now we need to respond to the attitudinal change that we helped to create."

Though Manby made no reference to "Blackfish" in his op-ed, the film was largely responsible for that "attitudinal change." The documentary was released in theaters in July 2013 and went on to gross $2.1 million  a respectable sum for a documentary. But the film really began to make waves after it aired in October of that year on CNN, where the movie has since been broadcast more than 30 times and been seen by nearly 30 million viewers, according to the cable network.

"It's exceedingly rare to see this kind of result," said Amy Entelis, the co-founder of CNN Films, which acquired "Blackfish" at Sundance in January 2013. "There are a lot of good stories out there, but they don't always see the final chapter that Gabriela is seeing at this point. We've had other documentaries about Steve Jobs and Glen Campbell attract many viewers during their premieres, but 'Blackfish' endures even after multiple viewings. It's had a deeper impact and has been seen by far more people."

There have been just a handful of documentaries released over the last few decades that have led to tangible change, including 2004's "Super Size Me," in which filmmaker Morgan Spurlock suffered serious health complications after eating only McDonald's for 30 days. Six weeks after the film came out, the fast-food chain stopped offering super-size portions. There's also Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's "Paradise Lost" trilogy, which ultimately led to the release of three Texan men who had been wrongly imprisoned for murder for nearly two decades.

"It seems to make a difference when a film is very specifically calling out a company or government official by name," said Thom Powers, who serves as the documentary programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival. "But 'Blackfish' also has an enormous amount of filmmaking craft at stake. I watch 300 or 400 films a year on very worthy topics, but many of them don't rise to a level that makes them as compelling as that movie was."

Cowperthwaite, 45, began working on "Blackfish" in 2010 after the death of Dawn Brancheau, a SeaWorld trainer who was dragged underwater by an orca. Cowperthwaite was disturbed by the news and began exploring the idea of making a movie about what it was like to work as a killer-whale trainer.

"I didn't necessarily think there was anything wrong with what SeaWorld was doing with their whales," recalled Cowperthwaite, who lives in Culver City. "I had no agenda. And nobody sees documentaries, anyway. They don't garner huge audiences. I couldn't have imagined that the film would be like lighter fluid."

Immediately after "Blackfish" was released, backlash against the theme park began on social media. The public boycotted a number of musical acts set to perform at SeaWorld, and celebrities, including Cher, Ellen Page and Harry Styles, urged their fans to stop visiting the parks. In 2014, attendance at the company's 11 parks dropped 4.2 percent. In 2015, lawmakers in Sacramento and the U.S. House of Representatives proposed legislation that would keep whales out of captivity. The California Coastal Commission also proposed a ban on orca breeding at the park's San Diego location.

And just last week, SeaWorld announced that Tilikum  the killer whale responsible for Brancheau's death  was in declining health. Tilikum was largely the subject of "Blackfish," as the film explored how living in captivity may have driven the whale to erratic, dangerous behavior.

All the while, Cowperthwaite remained a spokesperson for the cause. This fall while making her debut feature, "Leavey"  about an Iraq war hero who is bonded to her bomb-sniffing dog  she answered interview requests about SeaWorld from the set in Spain.

"It was constant, the amount of information I had to learn every day to continue to speak on this issue and inspire people," Cowperthwaite said. "But it gets inside you. You can move on, but the idea becomes a part of your DNA.

"And still, I never imagined SeaWorld would stop breeding orcas. That is such a huge shift, them realizing that the grand experiment didn't work. It's a defining moment."
Eleven-year-old Ananya Gurajapu, of Naples, performs a Tollywood-style dance at the Naples India Fest at Fleischmann Park on Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Naples. The annual festival hosted by the Naples India Association celebrates India's heritage, culture and diversity. (David Albers/Staff)

SHARE Thirteen-year-old Erin Sweeney, of Evergreen, Colo., receives a tikka blessing as she arrives at the Naples India Fest at Fleischmann Park on Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Naples. The annual festival hosted by the Naples India Association celebrates India's heritage, culture and diversity. (David Albers/Staff) Naples resident Visala Varanasi, right, gives a tikka blessing to Anjali Goyal, of Naples, as she arrives at the Naples India Fest at Fleischmann Park on Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Naples. The annual festival hosted by the Naples India Association celebrates India's heritage, culture and diversity. (David Albers/Staff) Indian Palace Restaurant employees Vicky Saini, left, and Vijay Reddy dish out Indian fare to attendees of Naples India Fest at Fleischmann Park on Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Naples. The annual festival hosted by the Naples India Association celebrates India's heritage, culture and diversity. (David Albers/Staff) Ten-year-old Jayni Patel, of Lehigh Acres, center, performs a Bollywood-style dance at the Naples India Fest at Fleischmann Park on Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Naples. The annual festival hosted by the Naples India Association celebrates India's heritage, culture and diversity. (David Albers/Staff) Related Photos Naples India Fest 2016

By Ryan Mills of the Naples Daily News

Smita Sumant's 4-year-old twins are starting to notice the differences between themselves and other kids: They look a little different, they eat different foods and sometimes they wear different clothing.

In a community that is less than 2 percent Asian, it's important, she said, for her family to attend cultural events like Saturday's Naples India Fest 2016 so her son, Sohom, and daughter, Sai, can see they're not so different after all.

"They haven't seen a lot of Indian people," said Sumant, 33, a Mumbai native who worked for Hertz in New Jersey for more than 10 years before moving with her husband to Estero in September.

"I want them to see people who look like them, eat like them and dress like them."

About 2,000 people stopped by during the four-hour festival inside Fleischmann Park in Naples.

Vendors sold kurtas and sarees  Indian shirts and dresses  parasols, gold jewelry and bronze statues of Hindu gods. Restaurants like 21 Spices of East Naples and India Palace of Fort Myers offered traditional Indian fare, including chicken with curry leaves and peppers, chole (spicy chickpeas), sugar cane juice and kulfi (Indian ice cream).

On stage at the west end of the festival, locals performed traditional Indian dances and songs.

Amit Patel, 40, a volunteer with the Indian Association of Naples, which organizes the event, said the festival serves two purposes: It gives local Indian children, enmeshed in Americana, a connection to their traditional culture, and it helps educate non-Indians about that culture.

"If we know each other well, we integrate well," said Patel, who was born in western India, north of Mumbai, and moved to Naples in 2000 to work in the software industry.

The Indian Association of Naples started the festival small several years ago, inside high schools and community centers for the first few years. When they decided to bring it outside, they initially held it in Cambier Park before moving to Fleischmann last year, Patel said.

"It works out really great," Patel said. "Parking is no problem. We have space to spread out."

Matt Sweeney, 48, of Colorado, stopped by the festival with his family after reading about it in the Daily News.

His daughters, 11 and 12, were excited to get temporary henna tattoos on their arms. The intricately patterned tattoos are made from crushed leaves and twigs from the henna plant.

"It was a big deal," Sweeney said of the girls' interest in the traditional Indian tattoos. "They'd never had one, so they wanted to try it. And I won't let them get a real tattoo. Not at their age.

"Not at any age, actually."
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during a Republican primary night celebration rally at Florida International University in Miami, Fla., Tuesday, March 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

By Arek Sarkissian of the Naples Daily News

TALLAHASSEE  U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio was already struggling in popularity leading up to the March 15 primary in his home state, and the win would have sealed his relevance in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

But his campaign team in Naples was left without essential items like bumper stickers and yard signs leading up to Election Day, said Mike Lyster, chairman of the Collier County Republican Executive Committee.

"My read on the team was that there was some frustration during the campaign with getting information out," Lyster said. "We're talking signs, bumper stickers  it all was generally met with frustration."

Those vital supplies  and even Rubio himself  arrived just before Election Day.

"But by then it was too late," Lyster said.

Lyster and other GOP leaders said when it came to Rubio's campaign, he just was not there. Florida's junior senator did not spend enough time spreading his message in states where he received high-profile endorsements. And his Florida supporters believe he did not spend enough time traveling the state.

Efforts to reach officials from Rubio's campaign were unsuccessful.

Click here to see an interactive delegate tracker 

Rubio's campaign office in Lee County had the same problems as Collier. While Rubio visited for the occasional fundraiser, his campaign presence was minimal at best, said Lee County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Jonathan Martin.

"We tried to give them every opportunity to campaign here, put up signs," Martin said. "But they just weren't interested."

Lyster and Martin said that perhaps Rubio should have spent more time in Southwest Florida and along the Interstate 4 corridor across the center of the state to drum up votes rather than spend so much time at home in Miami-Dade County. As campaigns for fellow GOP candidates Donald Trump and former Gov. Jeb Bush marched through the region, Rubio's presence was less known, Lyster said.

"I remember them saying, he's an hour-and-a-half down the road, come down and talk to these people," Lyster said. "But he wouldn't come."

Rubio suspended his presidential campaign Tuesday night after he came in second  in his home state  to Trump. Despite the loss, one of his biggest supporters believes he will find success in politics. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder served in the Florida House of Representatives when Rubio was House Speaker, and he recalls his knack for inspiring others to embrace pressing issues.

"He was an inspirational leader. This nation needs forward thinking, inspirational leaders," Snyder said. "I think that Marco Rubio is not going to walk into the sunset."

GOP chairmen in two other states where Rubio lost in the primary election said his campaign offices were more organized. The candidate's hand-picked field staff in South Carolina included several well-known members of the state party, said Matt Moore, chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, and Rubio also secured key endorsements from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.

"It wasn't that he didn't have the right people on the ground  his field staff was recognizable," Moore said. "His staff also had some South Carolina natives on it."

Moore said Rubio, like other candidates, arrived in South Carolina the day before the Feb. 20 primary, campaigned and left. It was not enough time to pull voters away from establishment candidate Bush or from religious right-wing candidate Ted Cruz.

"There really wasn't much room in the road, and I think (Rubio) just straddled two lanes already taken up by Bush and Cruz," Moore said. "He didn't have the time to get around anyone."

Kansas GOP Chairman Kelly Arnold also said Rubio picked well-known local members for campaign offices there, but like South Carolina, he did not spend enough time there. With an endorsement from popular Gov. Brownback, Rubio's campaign bus rolled in the day before the March 5 caucus, but it was not enough time for him to meet with GOP voters. Most were committed to Cruz, as evidenced by his win.

"Rubio's campaign was one of the most organized if not the most organized campaign in Kansas," Arnold said. "But I do think maybe it would have been better if he came early and tried to meet with more people."

Arnold went on to say his state recently adopted the caucus system in 2008.

"A lot of people here still aren't used to it, the system is fairly new," he said. "They see the yard signs and TV commercials and they're not sure what to do with it.

"That's why maybe it would have helped to be here a few days ahead."

Rubio returned to Florida after losing the Kansas caucus to Cruz to prepare for the Tuesday primary. He faced a population of voters who barely knew him. Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, was among several state lawmakers who decided to support Rubio when Bush suspended his campaign after dismal results from the South Carolina primary.

"Marco would have been better off had he been able to get around Florida more often," Richter said.

Richter was not alone. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told MSNBC host Thomas Roberts during a March 7 interview that he had never met Rubio.

"One would think if you were the sitting U.S. senator of the state of Florida that you would have taken the time to meet the mayor of the third largest city in the state," Buckhorn told Roberts.

Now that he's dropped out of the race to become the GOP presidential nominee, Rubio's supporters believe he will regroup and reflect on his mistakes. The 44-year-old is young enough in his political career to learn and become stronger, Miami Rubio fundraiser Jorge Louis Lopez said.

"I think he's got to evaluate and connect with the voters who supported him," Lopez said. "He's clearly the face of and the voice of the children of the Reagan revolution, and the question becomes, what do you do with all of that?"

Rubio only won Miami-Dade during the Florida primary, which former congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart said was a political statement against the progression of diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba. It was a sign that Rubio could rally support on important issues anywhere in the nation if he or his campaign spent time there. Diaz-Balart supported Bush but switched to Rubio after the governor dropped out of the race.

"Marco has an eloquent, optimistic argument," Diaz-Balart said, "but the soil was very fertile for angst."

Contact Daily News reporter arek.sarkissian@naplesnews.com or 850-559-7620
NDN's 'Free to Flee' series:

The deaths of inmates in Florida prisons is a serious matter that received much statewide attention in recent months.

So, too, did a January report that about 13,000 untested rape kits were backlogged in evidence rooms across Florida awaiting processing, and it could take six to eight years to catch up.

Unacceptable situations, both.

While the state is beginning to address these issues, deaths and crimes on Florida's highways are spiraling as the economy improves, lower gas prices send more drivers to the road and about 1,000 people a day move to the Sunshine State.

Principal causes of the alarming rise in traffic deaths, a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) spokesman says, are speeding, distracted drivers  and alcohol impairment.

In 2012, the state set a goal of reducing Florida highway fatalities by 5 percent yearly through 2017. Each year since, the trend went in the opposite direction. In 2015, there were 2,939 Florida traffic deaths  40 percent above the goal of 2,084.

The trend is disturbing enough, but worse, a four-part investigative series by the Naples Daily News now shows justice is extensively delayed or outright denied to families whose loved ones are killed by drunken criminals using Florida's highways. These suspects in DUI manslaughter cases are "Free to Flee."

Findings

Here are some of the troubling findings in the Daily News investigation that should call agencies under Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature to action:

-- In more than 1,000 cases from 2005-14, law enforcement agencies allowed deadly drunken drivers to remain free after a fatal DUI crash rather than making a prompt arrest. Of those, dozens have escaped justice and are fugitives.

-- In that decade, 155 DUI manslaughter suspects went free for a year or more during investigations.

-- Among the 155, at least 50 suspects committed other crimes before their tardy arrest on DUI manslaughter. Some had prior DUI convictions; others while free were charged with another DUI.

-- From 2010-14, FHP troopers took a year or more to make an arrest in 48 DUI manslaughter cases. The agency's own policies call for completing investigations within three months.

-- Delays often occur because of a backlog in tests handled by underfunded Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) crime labs. The standard is to test blood-alcohol samples in 40 days, yet some are taking months. The rape kit backlog also occurs at FDLE labs; administrators say low pay creates high staff turnover and, in turn, delays in processing evidence.

In a Daily News forum following the series, panelists pointed to a need for more highway death investigators who are better trained and closely supervised, along with quicker turnaround on laboratory tests, as key solutions.

Session

So what did lawmakers accomplish in criminal justice matters in the 2016 session?

The Department of Corrections received about $50 million to address operational deficiencies after reports came to light of inmate deaths and abuse. FDLE received $2.3 million to reduce the rape kit backlog; it had estimated the job would take more than $9 million.

As for legislation, an approved bill requires agencies to submit rape kits to a statewide crime lab within 30 days of a reported sexual assault, and testing must be finished in four months.

Another adopted bill requires agencies using body cameras to have enforceable policies in place and provide proper training.

Those are important, but the Legislature didn't aggressively address distracted driving, soaring highway deaths or laws conveying to DUI manslaughter suspects that they won't be "Free to Flee."

What these legislative decisions do show is that state leadership is aware of the importance of expediting lab test results and the significance of appropriate training.

In Scott's remaining term and with new leadership in the House and Senate, we urge enhanced attention to carnage on Florida highways.

That includes a greater commitment to FDLE labs and both FHP staffing and training, assuring families of those killed by DUI drivers that Florida will do all it can to be sure suspects no longer are "Free to Flee."

Click here to read our "Free to Flee" series 
SHARE

Michael Adams, Bonita Springs

Trump rallies

What an amazing coincidence that the hordes of protesters outside and inside the Donald Trump rally have suddenly increased their numbers from a few hundred to thousands.

By the way, in my mind a rally is meant to be in favor of whatever a rally is for. I can see protesters allowed outside but inside is the rally for that person.

My concern is what factor was the main reason for more protesters and obviously it is big PAC money and the effort again to derail Trump. It won't end until Trump wins and even then there will be the great fight to keep him from being the candidate for president.

Negative campaigns, OK. Didn't work. Small hands, OK. Didn't work. Mitt Romney, OK. Didn't work. Hmm, let's try this...

It is a shame that the American people are voting for their Republican nominee and the possibility of having their man in the Oval Office and the ultra conservative, big money is doing everything it can to prevent it. Is that what anyone would want? Then why even vote?

Lastly, I saw the very first GOP debate and will never forget the very first question asked, "Will you support whoever the GOP candidate is who wins the primary?" I will also never forget the answers from the leaders at the pedestals.
November 1, 20101 - 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' That is the first sentence of Leo Tolstoy's famous novel, Anna Karenina.

As we enter this holiday season, we should applaud the many examples of happy families with productive parents and children.

What do effective and productive families have in common? Here are their seven core competencies, according to

Stephen Covey, a personal-development guru, best-selling author, and father of nine.

? Be Proactive: Set family standards together. Make choices based on agreed-upon family directions.

? Begin With the End in Mind: Establish a family mission statement. Identify family priorities.

? Put First Things First: Use an idea-filled 'family calendar' to plan and schedule fun, family-engaging activities. Think in terms of mutual benefit.

? Think Win-Win: Think interdependently and develop Win-Win agreements.

? Listen First, Talk Second: Seek first to listen with the intent to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. Then, seek to effectively communicate their thoughts and feelings.

? Synergize: Appreciate and celebrate the differences in family members. Creatively cooperate with each other.

? Sharpen the Saw: Build traditions that nurture the family physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually.

But there is another side to this story.

We also have one in two children living in a single parent family at some point in their childhood. One in three children are born to unmarried patients, and one in four lives with only one parent. Teenagers account for one of eight mothers, with seven out of ten American children currently living in 'non traditional' families, according to the Rainbow Foundation.

These are all sobering statistics with the potential to drain the creative energy of our next generation:

? Children of divorced parents are seven times more likely to suffer from depression.

? 75% of children/adolescents in chemical dependency hospitals are from single-parent families.

? 20% have learning, emotional, or behavioral problems.

? More than one half of all youths incarcerated for criminal acts lived in one-parent families when they were children.

Risk factors.

Nine million American children face risk factors that may hinder their ability to become healthy and productive adults. One in seven children has to deal with at least four of the risk factors. One of the risk factors includes growing up in a single-parent household. Surveys also indicate that children confronting several risk factors are more likely to experience problems with concentration, communication, and health.

Why have we had this change in America? In a long-ago agricultural economy, where survival depended on intact and functional families, there was much less dysfunction. Some observers suggest we are too affluent, too indulged, too spoiled, too densely populated, and too stimulated by an avalanche of information.

We have evolved first into the industrial age with the increased population density of more people living closer together, and now into the current information age, where we are bombarded with messages 24/7. In terms of our family life, it is worth asking whether this had a deleterious effect on our family life.

Selflessness, loss of self-esteem, lack of thankfulness, less spiritualism, and excess materialism all contribute, according to many experts. Those who allow their own personal wants and desires to supersede the basic needs of their spouse and their children are opening a floodgate of sadness for everyone.

Selfishness breaks a family apart. Living for the fulfillment and gratification of just one life can shatter other lives. What is the effect? Hurting children grow into hurting parents who have to learn to either adjust their own parenting or repeat the cycle for the next generation. Families learn from each other: Generational dysfunction can be handed down like rituals.

Thankfulness.

A lack of thankfulness is particularly appropriate to address for this Thankgiving season. When thankfulness dries up in the heart of a person, the individual becomes so totally wrapped up in him or herself that family no longer matters. This is where divorce enters, and teens become involved in drugs and other vices.

'A dysfunctional family is one whose interrelationships serve to detract from, rather than promote the physical and emotional well being of its members,' observes one New York writer.

In families, children learn from their parents. If their parents are giving people, their children will learn that there is more value in the giving than in the receiving. They will see and feel the generosity and the positive feelings this brings them. If their parents blame others for their positions in life, their children will not learn to accept responsibility for those things that are important in life.

Parenting is a 'team' sport. No one is as smart as all of us.

As a parent you need help from a spouse, extended family, religious organizations, schools, and neighbors. The proverb popularized many years ago?that it takes a village to raise a child?is even more germane today. A lot of parents think that they can go it alone. They think they don't need help, and don't want help which is wrong.

There are many competent resources available locally waiting to be asked to help including the Department of Children and Families, Collier County Health Department, Shelter for Abused Women and Children, Naples Alliance for Children, Catholic Charities of Collier County, Jewish Federation of Collier County, and Collier County Public School System to name a few.

As a parent it is important that you take advantage of the village that is available to you. This obviously works best if you are in a 'good' village. If you have negative influences from others in your village, it is better to exclude their influence. But of course, avoiding evil is sometimes easier said than done.

Cooperate for care.

Many young couples rely on two incomes to support their children. In these homes it is much more important that everyone cooperate to help care for our children. It is not enough to just send them to day care or school and allow them to grow up.

We must nurture, love and teach our children, for them to grow up to become responsible, respectable adults. We should openly solicit the involvement from those around us that share the same values and belief systems that we hold. It is smart to ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness to ask others to help.

The healthy family unit is able to recover from stresses quickly and without scars. A dysfunctional family aggravates its problems so they become chronic.

We have only one opportunity to raise children, to use every available tool, to be there to fill a role in their rapidly changing lives.

We want to get it right the first time. It is not an experiment that can be repeated if it doesn't turn out the way we wanted.

Allen S. Weiss, M.D., President and CEO, NCH Healthcare System

Please feel free to share this article or contact me here:

http://www.nchmd.org/default.aspx?id=882

To view past issues of Health Advice by Dr. Weiss click:

http://www.nchmd.org/default.aspx?id=857
(NaturalNews) When I read that the report on the downing of the Malaysian airliner over Ukraine was being put in the hands of the Dutch, I knew that there would be no investigation and no attention to the facts.(Story by Paul Craig Roberts, republished from PaulCraigRoberts.org .)And there wasn't.I did not intend to write about the report, because Washington's propaganda has already succeeded, at least in the Western world, in its purpose of laying the blame on Russia. However, the misrepresentation of the Dutch report by Western media, such as NPR, is so outrageous as to make the media the story and not the report.For example, I just heard NPR's Moscow correspondent, Corey Flintoff, say that the missile that hit the airliner was fired by Ukrainian separatists who lack the technical ability to operate the system. Therefore, the missile had to have been fired by a Russian.There is nothing in the Dutch report whatsoever that leads to this conclusion. Flintoff either isincompetent or lying or he is expressing his view and not the report's conclusion.The only conclusion that the report reaches is one that we already knew: if a Buk missile brought down the airliner, it was a Russian-made missile. The Dutch report does not say who fired it.Indeed, the report places no blame on Russia, but it does place blame on Ukraine for not closing the airspace over the war area. Attorneys have stated in response to the report that families of those killed and the Malaysian airline itself are likely to file lawsuits against Ukraine for negligence.Of course, there was nothing of this in Flintoff's report.As I wrote at the time of the airliner's destruction, the Western media already had "the-Russians-did-it" story ready the moment the airliner was reported to be shot down. This story was very useful to Washington in hardening its European vassal states into sanctions against Russia , as there was some dissent. What Washington has never explained and the Western media has never asked is: What motive did separatists and Russia have to shoot down a Malaysian airliner?None whatsoever. The Russian government would never allow such a thing. Putin would have immediately strung up those responsible.Washington's story makes no sense whatsoever. Only an idiot could believe it.What motive did Washington have? Many. The demonization of Russia made it impossible forEuropean governments to resist or abandon the economic sanctions that Washington is using tobreak economic and political relationships between Europe and Russia.The Russian manufacturer of the Buk missile has proven that if a Buk missile was used, it was an old version that exists only in the Ukraine military. For some years the Russian military has been equipped with a replacement version that has a different signature in its destructive impact. The damage to the Malaysian airliner is inconsistent with the destructive force of the Buk missile in Russian service. The reports were given to the Dutch, but no effort was made to replicate and verify the validity of the tests conducted by the manufacturer of the missile. Indeed, the Dutch report does not even consider whether the airliner was downed by Ukrainian fighter jets. The report is as useless as the 9/11 Commission's report.Don't expect any acknowledgement of this by the Western media, a collection of people who lie for a living.The reason that the West has no future is that the West has no media, only propagandists for government and corporate agendas and apologists for their crimes. Every day the bought-and-paid-for-media sustains The Matrix that makes Western peoples politically impotent.The Western media has no independence. An editor of a major German newspaper has written a book, a best-seller published in Germany, in which he states that not only he himself served the CIA as a reliable purveyor of Washington's lies, but that every significant journalist in Europe does so also.Obviously, his book has not been translated and published in America.NPR, like all of Western media, has lost its integrity. NPR claims to be reader-supported. In fact, it is supported by corporations. Pay attention to the ads: "NPR is supported by xyz corporation working to sell you this or that product or service."The George W. Bush regime destroyed NPR by appointing two Republican female ideologues to oversee NPR's public function. The two Republicans succeeded in making job security, not reporting integrity, the motive of NPR journalists.As a person who worked with President Reagan to end the Cold War and associated nuclear threat, I am dismayed that the Western media has failed life on earth by resurrecting the prospect of nuclear armageddon.Read more at PaulCraigRoberts.org
War on many fronts

Profits vs. Sustainability

(NaturalNews) Big Pharma has just scored a big victory with the appointment of Robert Califf as new head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . The fact that there were only four votes in the Senate opposing Califf's confirmation  in spite of his deep ties to the pharmaceutical industry  is a clear illustration of just how far the influence of big drug manufacturers reaches in Washington.As Mike Adams, the Health Ranger and founder ofwrote:"The FDA has now officially been completely captured by the pharmaceutical industry. With the confirmation of pharma insider Robert Califf as the new head of the FDA, America can look forward to many years of FDA malfeasance in conspiracy with pharmaceutical manufacturers to cover up the deadly side effects of drugs like Vioxx, all while using the full power of the federal government to intimidate, censor and criminalize natural product companies."Califf's ties to the pharmaceutical industry are indeed formidable; he has accepted money from no less than 23 different drug companies, and his stance is clear: "Many of us consult with the pharmaceutical industry, which I think is a very good thing."New evidence regarding the inappropriateness of Califf's appointment has just been made public. From"Several thousand injured plaintiffs have filed personal injury and product liability claims against Johnson & Johnson and Bayer over the safety of its anti-clotting drug Xarelto."Now plaintiffs claim that a letter published in The New England Journal of Medicine and written primarily by researchers at Duke University deliberately left out critical laboratory data. They claim the companies were complicit by staying silent, helping deceive the editors while the companies provided the very same data to regulators in the United States and Europe. ..."The clinical trials, led by Dr. Robert Califf , who is now the FDA commissioner, have come under intense criticism since Xarelto was approved, as the drug has been linked to a shocking number of adverse event reports involving severe and uncontrollable bleeding problems."And we're supposed to depend on this guy to run an agency created to prevent these kinds of abuses?The appointment marks an obvious victory for Big Pharma in the war against the American people, but it's just one of many battlefronts.As if gaining control over the FDA weren't enough, the drug industry continues to expand its influence at every level of government.In aarticle examining how Big Pharma's goals counter U.S. economic interests, Pharmaceutical Business Research Associates president Daniel R. Hoffman, Ph.D. wrote:"Some activists around the country understand that the gerrymandered Congress, together with a timid, ineffective president , make it necessary to pursue an alternative course for containing unaffordable drug prices. Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, for example, has written that state-by-state initiatives represent the most practical way around an intransigent Congress."When consumer groups launched legislative initiatives in nine states designed to bring "transparency to pharma's bogus claims about high R&D costs justifying exorbitant prices," the industry responded by pouring millions of dollars into campaigns aimed at defeating their efforts.Dr. Hoffman concludes:"So pharma's schemes to keep cost control measures off state ballots and its success in getting a known henchman appointed to head the FDA demonstrate its top priorities: avarice and short-term profit making."The nation's economic prosperity and physical health, on the other hand, require preventing pharma from achieving these goals."Hoffman's remarks are worth taking into account, especially considering the fact that he represents an organization whose stated goal is to "uncover actionable insights for sustainable market advantage."Even some industry insiders like Hoffman apparently recognize theof Big Pharma's aggressive "short-term profit making" approach.Too bad our elected leaders don't display the same level of awareness.
(NaturalNews) A rare species of dolphin faces a new threat. Packs of tourists are capturing the dolphins from the ocean so that they can take selfies with the beautiful sea creatures. Franciscana dolphins are listed as "vulnerable," and found only in the waters off southeastern South America.One of these small, magnificent creatures was taken from the ocean onto a beach in Argentina, and then passed around by tourists looking for a fun selfie. The dolphin was later found discarded on the beach, listless in the surf.The only thing left were Facebook photos of giddy tourists posing with the dolphin like it was some kind of toy. An environmentalist from the Vida Silvestre Foundation responded to the incident online. "[Dolphins] can not remain long above water. They have very thick and greasy skin that provides warmth, so the weather will quickly cause dehydration and death."This isn't the first time animals have been pulled from their natural habitat, used for virtual enjoyment, and then discarded, dead. In fact, in less than a month, there have been three infamous animal deaths all due to foolish consumers poaching for a selfie.On the same beaches in Argentina, just days after dolphins had been used for selfies and discarded in the surf, another tourist attempted to capture and pin down a shark. After struggling with the shark and pulling it to the beach by its tail, the tourist took pictures with the animal. He later offered several sightseers the opportunity to take their picture with the animal too.When they were finished exploiting the shark for social media notoriety, they left the animal right there on the beach. It is unknown whether the shark survived, as some tourists did attempt to return it back to its natural habitat.A couple of weeks later, pictures surfaced of a Bulgarian woman dragging a swan to shore so she could take selfies with the bird. In the picture, she can be seen grappling a swan by the wing, while yanking it onto the Lake Ohrid shoreline in Macedonia. After getting her fill of pictures with the distressed swan, she abandoned it there on the beach. The picture drew criticism on the internet after it went viral.In America, a veterinarian trying to pose as some badass posted a photo of herself with an arrow driven through the head of a feral cat. She posted the picture to her social media pages with the caption "The only good feral cat is one with an arrow through its head." It turned out that the cat's name was Tiger, and belonged to an elderly couple in the area. When word got out, the vet was fired from the Washington Animal Clinic.In lion country, cubs are sometimes separated from their mothers and put in walking tours so that tourists can take selfies with them. When the lions mature, they are sold off to hunting facilities.


Senate ignores push to ban GMO-labeling

Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

Michael Bennet (D-CO)

Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-PA)

Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Susan Collins (R-ME)

Tim Kaine (D-VA)

Trouble in paradise

(NaturalNews) Monsanto may hold a near-monopoly on the world's seed supply, but it cannot control the minds, hearts and voices of those who support and demand clean, healthy and non-toxic food . Advocates have increasingly consolidated to create a powerful health food movement that's gained so much momentum it is now deemed unstoppable.This doesn't bode well for seed companies dependent on crops laced with foreign DNA and coupled with noxious herbicides . Thanks to the tireless work of food and health activists, bloggers and the indie media, the public is no longer in the dark about the health and environmental dangers of GMOs  and there is no reversing that opinion.Americans have shown overwhelming support for GMO-labeling , a position reflected in the U.S. Senate yesterday after it blocked a controversial, anti-consumer bill that would have preempted states' rights to pass GMO-labeling laws, as well as reverse existing legislation, such as that in Vermont, which is set to go into effect July 1, 2016.In order to pass, the DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know) needed 60 votes in the Senate. But it fell short, receiving only 49 "yes" votes and 48 "no" votes. Food and Water Watch says that all of the senators they pressured to vote against the DARK Act came through on Wednesday, including the following:The legislation was essentially Monsanto's dream bill, as it would have put a permanent end to the expensive battles fought by them and other seed giants, as well as Big Food, in several U.S. states trying to pass labeling laws.More than 70 GMO-labeling bills have been proposed in 30 states thus far, with three states passing the legislation, including Maine, Connecticut and Vermont. New Hampshire is on the verge of passing similar legislation, and is set to vote on the measure before the month's end.The agrichemical industry is facing yet another blow to its empire, with the introduction of a national, uniform GMO-labeling law, that if passed, could lead to the creation of a national symbol that would clearly disclose the presence of genetically modified ingredients.Proposed by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the bill is called the Biotech Food Labeling Uniformity Act or S. 2621."This is what real disclosure looks like. This bill finds a way to set a national standard and avoid a patchwork of state labeling laws while still giving consumers the information they want and deserve about what's in their food," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumers Union.Monsanto is also facing trouble abroad. This week, India's prime minister showed Monsanto the door amid complaints over its inflated prices on GM cotton. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monsanto will lose its 90 percent dominance of the Indian market unless it agrees to reduce its seed prices."India cut the royalties paid by local firms for Monsanto's seeds by nearly 70 percent, also capping GM cotton seed prices at 800 rupees ($11.9) for a packet of 400 grams, starting in April 2017," according to the Russian Times . "Last year the seeds were sold at prices ranging from 830 rupees ($12.4) to 1,100 rupees ($16.4) in different parts of the country.""It's now upon Monsanto to decide whether they want to accept this rate or not," said Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, the junior agriculture minister. "If they don't find it feasible, then they are free to take a call. The greed (of charging) a premium has to end. ..."We're not scared if Monsanto leaves the country, because our team of scientists are working to develop (an) indigenous variety of (GM) seeds," he added.
An American Marine from Temecula in Southern California was killed in Iraq by indirect fire, defense officials announced Sunday.

Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin died Saturday in northern Iraq from wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with rocket fire, according to a news release by the Department of Defense. He was serving in Operation Inherent Resolve, which is the military's campaign against the Islamic State.

ISIS fired a rocket at a small outpost near Mahmour, south of Mosul, where U.S. military service members are advising Iraqi security forces, U.S. military officials told NBC News. Three others were also injured in the attack.

Cardin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Cardin enlisted in 2006, just two days after his high school graduation, his mother told NBC4. He comes from a military family; both of his grandfathers served and one of his brothers was in the Army.

He was awarded several medals and citations during his 10 years of service. This was his fourth deployment.

The last U.S. service member killed in Iraq was in October 2015.

The incident was under investigation.
Standing in front of the tall, steel fence that divides the United States and Mexico, presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on Saturday 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.

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.

Standing in front of the fence that divides the two countries, Sanders accused Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who was also campaigning in Arizona Saturday, of using harmful rhetoric.

"I would hope that all of us are rightly appalled by the divisive, bigoted and xenophobic comments of people like Donald Trump," Sanders said.

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. 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.

He has also sought the Latino vote, 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.

Sanders was also scheduled to hold another campaign rally late Saturday in Phoenix.
No Supreme Court hearings, no votes, not during regular business or a postelection lame-duck session, the Senate's majority leader made clear Sunday.

Sen. Mitch McConnell signaled no retreat or surrender from his firm stand to keep the court short-handed through at least January, scuttling the suggestion from at least one GOP colleague worried that a new Democrat in the White House  Hillary Clinton is the party's front-runner  might nominate someone more liberal than President Barack Obama's pick, federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland.

"It'd be hard to be more liberal than Merrick Garland, but it's my hope that she will not be making the appointment," McConnell told Chuck Todd on NBC's "Meet the Press," adding "We're not going to be confirming a judge to the Supreme Court under this president."

Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, won Republican votes for his current seat and is seen as a centrist whose nomination to the nine-member Supreme Court could box in Obama's opponents, shaken by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative bulwark.

McConnell, R-Ky., hasn't budged from his insistence, beginning just hours after Scalia's death last month, that the Senate would not confirm an Obama nominee in an election year, let alone hold hearings. He even ruled out meeting the president's pick, a standard courtesy.

Democrats are using the issue against vulnerable Republicans facing re-election, hoping for leverage to retake the Senate after the November vote.

So far, though, just one GOP senator, Mark Kirk of Illinois, has broken with his party leaders and called for a vote on Garland. A growing number of Republicans are willing to meet with Garland, including Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona. He floated the idea of considering the Garland's nomination in the postelection session because "between him and somebody that a President Clinton might nominate, I think the choice is clear."

But McConnell gave no ground to that argument, telling CNN's Dana Bash on "State of Union" Sunday that opposition to Garland's nomination from the National Rifle Association and the National Federation of Independent Businesses shows he's too liberal.

"I can't imagine that a Republican majority Congress, in a lame duck session after the American people have spoken, would want to confirm a nominee opposed by the NRA, the NFIB, and the New York Times says would move the court dramatically to the left," McConnell said. "This nomination ought to be made by the next president."

Minority Leader Harry Reid, meanwhile, expressed doubt that McConnell would not be able to keep Garland from getting considered, adding that "his Republican senators are not going to go over that cliff with him. "

"In addition to the people agreeing to meet, we have Republican senators and a veteran senator who said, 'Well maybe what we should do is do it in a lame duck.' Orrin Hatch, Lindsey Graham, others have said that. But if they're going to do it in lame duck, do it now," Reid proclaimed.
The National Park Service has opened up a new front in the fight over the names of historic hotels and other beloved landmarks at Yosemite National Park.

The agency has asked a federal trademark board to cancel trademarks obtained by the company that previously ran the park's hotels, restaurants and outdoor activities, the Sacramento Bee reported Friday. Those trademarks include the name, "The Ahwahnee," which was used on a luxurious stone and timber hotel with stunning views of the park's fabled granite peaks, and "Curry Village," a woodsy family-friendly lodging complex.

The park's previous concession company, Delaware North, is demanding the park service pay it $51 million for the names and other intellectual property and has filed a lawsuit in federal court. The park service, meanwhile, changed the names of The Ahwahnee, Curry Village and other sites while it fights for the rights to keep the original names.

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of the Interior told the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board that the trademark registrations were causing "damage and injury" to the National Park Service, according to the Bee.

Attorneys for Delaware North said in a March 14 reply that the effort to cancel its trademarks was "a tactic" in the ongoing litigation. They asked the trademark board not to take any action until the lawsuit was resolved.

Delaware North recently lost a $2 billion bid  the National Park Service's largest single contract  to run the park's hotels, restaurants and outdoor activities when Yosemite awarded a 15-year contract to Aramark.

Delaware North has said when it won the contract in 1993, the park service required it to buy the former concessionaire's assets.

The park service has valued the names and other intellectual property at about $3.5 million.
The daughter of Illinois state Rep. Cynthia Soto has been charged in connection with the brutal beating of her mother's former challenger.

The candidate, Bob Zwolinski, has said he was attacked by two of Soto's campaign volunteers at his campaign headquarters in Chicago earlier this month.

Jessica Soto and Bradley Fichter, both 26, each face three felony counts of aggravated battery after Zwolinski was attacked in Chicagos Ukrainian Village, police announced Friday. Fichter also faces a felony charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report. Both were ordered held on $25,000 bonds.

The charges come 11 days after a bruised and bloodied Zwolinski told NBC 5 he was kicked, choked, hit with a beer bottle and even stapled in the head by his then-opponents campaign volunteers.

Zwolinski sought to unseat Cynthia Soto in the race for the 4th District Illinois House seat and lost Tuesday's primary election to the 16-year incumbent.

Zwolinski said he was attacked after pulling up to his offices on the 800 block of North Ashland Avenue shortly before 9 p.m. March 7. He saw Jessica Soto and Fichter stapling posters to the building he had rented and asked the two to stop, which is when the conversation took a violent turn, according to Zwolinski.

I thought it may have been a relative of [Cynthia Soto's] just because of the passion, Zwolinksi said Friday of the woman later identified as Jessica Soto.

Attorney Frank Avila, who represents both Jessica Soto and Fitcher, told NBC 5 Friday he was "shocked" by the charges. He said Jessica Soto "was not involved in the altercation" and that Fitcher was there with another volunteer at the time of the fight.

"There are a lot of inconsistencies with Mr. Zwolinski's story," Avila said.

After the attack, Zwolinksi told police the woman involved had jumped on his back and a staple was planted in his head.

"How does he know it was her?" Avila asked. "He says she jumped on his back and then he fell to the ground."

Avila believes Zwolinksi wrongly identified Jessica Soto in a lineup.

Both sides filed police reports pointing fingers at the other. Chicago police investigated the incident before taking Soto and Fichter into custody Wednesday. Formal charges were filed Friday morning.

Both Jessica Soto and Fichter are scheduled to appear in bond court Friday.
Police in Dallas say three people were hurt in a wrong-way crash in Dallas early Sunday morning.

Officers were called at 3:17 a.m. to a crash on Dallas North Tollway, near Oak Lawn Avenue.

According to police, a white Volkswagen Jetta was heading north in the Southbound lanes of the tollway when it struck a Volvo sedan. The Volkswagen had traveled approximated six blocks before the crash happened, officers said.

The driver and passenger of the Volkswagen were taken to Parkland Hospital with non-serious injuries.

The driver of the Volvo was taken to Baylor Hospital with undisclosed injuries.

The driver of the Volkswagen will be charged with driving while intoxicated.

The southbound lanes of the Dallas North Tollway were closed for about an hour and a half.
Texas grocery chain H-E-B has voluntarily recalled thousands of cans of tuna that may have been undercooked.

The recall affects 224 cases, or 10,752 cans, of Hill County Fare brand five ounce Chunk Light Tuna in Oil.

The tuna "may have been undercooked due to an equipment malfunction, which was uncovered during a routine inspection," H-E-B said in a statement.

The undercooked tuna could result in contamination and spoilage, which may lead to life-threatening illness if consumed, the company said.

The canned tuna was sold at H-E-B stores across Texas in single cans between Feb. 24, 2016 and Mar. 16, 2016. The cans of tuna in oil have a UPC code of 0 4122065335 5.

Customers can return the tuna for a full refund.

There have been no reported illnesses to date, according to H-E-B.
Amarillo police have sent off more than 800 rape kits, some of which were collected in the 1990s, for testing but so far the effort has yielded few matches.

The kits were sent in January to comply with a law passed in 2011 that aimed to reduce the state's considerable backlog, the Amarillo Globe-News reported.

An audit in 2011 revealed about 18,000 untested kits in the state, and about 4,600 kits still await analysis, Department of Public Safety records show.

Amarillo police Chief Robert Taylor said he was concerned that compliance with the law had taken a toll on the department's resources.

Many of the kits at the Amarillo police department have sat untested for years because it was deemed unnecessary to test them, the newspaper reported. "If the detective is sure there is no evidentiary value to the kit, then no, it is not a good idea to send them in because that causes a delay in getting other kits tested," Taylor said.

Another reason for the backlog is the cost of testing, which can run around $800 to $1,000 each.

About half of Amarillo's rape kits have been analyzed and entered into the FBI's DNA database since January, with only 11 matches. None led to new charges or convictions, the newspaper reported.

Rape kits are a series of DNA samplings and other evidence secured via medical procedures conducted immediately after an attack. Experts say testing them promptly and comparing them to federal DNA databases for hits is crucial because as many as half of all sex offenders are serial rapists who sometimes travel.

"When you test a kit, you not only get information about the case that's being reported to you right now," said Chris Kaiser, director of public policy and general counsel at the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault. "You start getting DNA profiles that in fact match John Doe profiles that have been in the DNA databases from years back."

In Houston, authorities last year cleared a backlog of nearly 6,700 kits that included cases dating back to the 1980s. The project, which cost about $6 million, turned up 850 matches in a national DNA database.

Earlier this month, the White House announced it would contribute $45 million toward the effort in 2016, supporting not just testing efforts but also funding auditing and training for localities on police and forensic best practices. The White House doled out $41 million in grants last year.
Prosecutors say Ronell Wilson is a calculating murderer. Since his imprisonment for killing two New York City police detectives, he has been able to dash off emails, memorize passages from books and seduce a female guard.

But Wilson's lawyers were able to convince a judge that he is a person of such a low intelligence that he can't function in society, and therefore can't legally be put to death.

Wilson, 32, and others like him are at the center of a debate over how to enforce a nearly two-year-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling that adds more specificity to the concept that it is cruel and unusual punishment to execute killers who are intellectually disabled. It says courts should go beyond mere IQ scores to consider the person's mental or developmental disabilities.

A federal judge in New York who revisited Wilson's case based on the ruling tossed out his death sentence, just three years after finding that Wilson's IQ score was high enough to make him eligible to be executed.

A similar review led a judge in California last November to reduce a death sentence given three decades ago to Donald Griffin, a man who raped and murdered his 12-year-old stepdaughter.

A third appeal based on the ruling, that of a Virginia serial killer with a borderline IQ score, failed. Alfredo Prieto was executed in October.

Legal scholars say similar death row decisions are likely to follow, depending on how the high court's ruling is applied around the country.

"We should see courts more carefully considering whether defendants have an intellectual disability ... that doesn't mean we will," said Robert Dunham, the executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

Wilson is a case study in the difficulty of determining who fits the court's definition of someone too intellectually limited to qualify for capital punishment.

He was a 20-year-old drug dealer and member of the Bloods street gang in 2003 when he shot undercover police detectives James Nemorin and Rodney Andrew, who were gathering evidence against Wilson in a gun trafficking investigation.

While in prison, Wilson had a tryst with a female prison guard, fathering a child. When that relationship was discovered by jail officials, he interrogated and threatened fellow inmates he believed had ratted him out.

Judges and juries rely partly on a person's IQ score to determine whether he or she is intellectually disabled. Before 2014, some states had a hard rule that if a person's IQ score was above 70, he or she couldn't be deemed intellectually disabled. Over his lifetime, Wilson had been given IQ tests nine times. All but once, he scored over 70.

Yet, his full history, outlined in his court file, paints a more complex picture.

In elementary school, he was repeatedly hospitalized for emergency psychiatric treatment. One time he stood in the middle of a busy street and refused to move. He tried to jump out a window. He smashed furniture, bit and kicked teachers and banged his head against a wall. When a fire started at his school, he refused to leave his classroom, saying he wanted to die.

"When I speak to him or ask him a question, he becomes motionless and rigid and doesn't move," a first-grade teacher wrote.

School officials put him in a program for children with behavioral problems. He was prescribed psychiatric medications. By age 8 he was diagnosed as having "moderate mental retardation," though doctors later decided he had a possible mental disorder due to brain damage. In middle school, he was still sucking his thumb.

Wilson started getting arrested for a variety of criminal offenses at age 12.

U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis said in his ruling Tuesday that he had no sympathy for Wilson and also doubted most clinicians would consider him disabled. But he said he had "significant deficits in adaptive functioning"  enough to make him ineligible for the death penalty. Garaufis imposed a new punishment of life in prison.

Sheri Lynn Johnson, a death penalty expert at Cornell University's law school, said building a case for intellectual disability involves showing that the person has trouble performing simple life tasks.

"Can he use a telephone book? Can he count change? Does he have normal relationships or is he taken advantage of? This is what they're looking for," she said.

Currently, 31 U.S. states, the federal government and the U.S. military all have statutes permitting the death penalty. Nearly 3,000 people were on death row, as of January, according to a report compiled by the NAACP's Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Nine Cuban migrants died at sea and 18 others were rescued by a cruise ship after their 30-foot boat was found about 130 miles from the Florida coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The migrants were severely dehydrated when they were found Friday and said they had been at sea 22 days. The bodies of those who didn't make it were placed overboard, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney. The survivors were in bad condition.

"They could barely walk off the vessel itself," Barney said. "They were weak and they were shaking."

The rescue by the Royal Caribbean ship took place about 130 miles west of Marco Island in southwest Florida. The migrants were in a "rustic" boat that was about 30-feet long, Barney said.

They were found by the cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas at 7 a.m. Friday. The migrants boarded the ship and received food, water and medical treatment, Royal Caribbean said.

The company reported the event to the Coast Guard and made the decision to bring the migrants to its next port of call, Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise had departed Tampa on Thursday.

The rescue comes as President Barack Obama travels to Cuba to meet with President Raul Castro during a 2-day visit that begins Sunday. The visit is part of Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba. While the U.S. has eased travel restrictions to the island Cuba, many Cubans still risk their lives to reach the United States.

"The Coast Guard has observed a steady increase in illegal maritime migration attempts from Cuba to the southeastern U.S. since the U.S. announcement of normalized diplomatic relations with Cuba in December 2014," the Coast Guard said in a press release. Last month, 269 Cuban migrants attempted to reach U.S. shores and about 2,420 have tried to reach the United States by sea since last October.

On the same day Royal Caribbean rescued the group it found, the Coast Guard returned 42 other migrants to Cuba after they were picked up in the Florida Straits in two separate incidents earlier in the week.
The cherry blossoms might peak earlier than expected, but this year's National Cherry Blossom Festival is also on the horizon.

The fest will run for four weeks, from March 20 to April 17, and it's usually a big boost for city and regional tourism. It always includes dozens of events, including everything from high-end bashes to family-friendly arts and crafts projects, plus several festivals-within-the-festival.

PHOTOS: Looks Like Spring! Cherry Blossoms From DC to Japan

You can see a complete calendar of events here, and read on for a breakdown of some of the key events:

Saturday, March 18: The Pink Tie Party is held before the festival even officially begins. Held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW), the party is a chance to don your finest pink attire, chow down at food and beverage stations and bid in silent auctions. Tickets are $225 for regular admission and $300 for VIP admission. The bash is a fundraiser for the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The is held before the festival even officially begins. Held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW), the party is a chance to don your finest pink attire, chow down at food and beverage stations and bid in silent auctions. Tickets are $225 for regular admission and $300 for VIP admission. The bash is a fundraiser for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Saturday, March 26: The official opening ceremony features performances at the Warner Theatre (513 13th St. NW). Tickets are free but are required to attend; see the festival website.

The official features performances at the Warner Theatre (513 13th St. NW). Tickets are free but are required to attend; see the festival website. Saturday, March 26: A free family day at the National Building Museum (401 F St. NW) offers hands-on activities for kids including making origami, designing a memorial for the National Mall, building tatebanko dioramas and meeting DuAro the robot. Kids will also have the chance to try on traditional Japanese clothing. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A free at the National Building Museum (401 F St. NW) offers hands-on activities for kids including making origami, designing a memorial for the National Mall, building tatebanko dioramas and meeting DuAro the robot. Kids will also have the chance to try on traditional Japanese clothing. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 2: Oh, go fly a kite! The Blossom Kite Festival , a family-favorite tradition, has competitions and demonstrations. You can bring your own kite, or kids can make their own!

Oh, go fly a kite! The , a family-favorite tradition, has competitions and demonstrations. You can bring your own kite, or kids can make their own! Saturday, April 9: The Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival offers a full day of food vendors, live music, an artists' marketplace and more, ending with fireworks high above the water. Admission is free; the event runs from 1 to 9 p.m.

The offers a full day of food vendors, live music, an artists' marketplace and more, ending with fireworks high above the water. Admission is free; the event runs from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 16: The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade boasts a 10-block-long lineup of balloons, bands and all things pink. Cast members from "Jersey Boys," pop artist Tiffany, Miss America 2016, "The Voice" contest Sisaundra Lewis and many more will join in. Grandstand tickets cost $20, but standing room along the route is free. The parade runs from 10 a.m. to noon.

The boasts a 10-block-long lineup of balloons, bands and all things pink. Cast members from "Jersey Boys," pop artist Tiffany, Miss America 2016, "The Voice" contest Sisaundra Lewis and many more will join in. Grandstand tickets cost $20, but standing room along the route is free. The parade runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Saturday, April 16: After the parade, six blocks near Capitol Hill turn into a celebration of Japanese culture with food, performances and more during the Sakura Matsuri Festival from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 and free for children under 12.

After the parade, six blocks near Capitol Hill turn into a celebration of Japanese culture with food, performances and more during the from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 and free for children under 12. Saturday, April 16-Sunday April 17: The Cherry Blast at the Carnegie Library (801 K St. NW) is a celebration of Japanese pop culture, including anime, cosplay, fashion and gaming, plus a Japanese-inspired dance party. You can also indulge in Tokyo street food, sake tastings and sushi workshops. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

To celebrate the National Park Service's 100th birthday, festival officials say they'll also hide special cherry blossom-themed gnomes in parks this spring. Those who find "Petal the Gnome" will win a festival prize package. (See what Petal looks like here.)

This year marks the 104th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees from Japan as a symbol of friendship with the United States.

Peak bloom for D.C.'s famed cherry trees is expected to begin around March 23-24, the NPS said. Peak bloom is considered to occur when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees along the Tidal Basin are in bloom.


Norwich multi-faith march calls for refugee action Norwich multi-faith march calls for refugee action

A multi-faith Palm Sunday march across Norwich city centre this afternoon (March 20) has repeated calls on Norfolk County Council to fulfil its pledge to welcome 50 Syrian refugee families to the city as soon as possible. Keith Morris reports.

The 120-strong march, organised by Sanctuary Norfolk and the Mothers Union (Norwich Diocese), began at St John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral. Cathedral Dean, Fr David Paul, said: Today is Palm Sunday when we remember the Lords welcome into Jerusalem. For people of all faiths, we believe Gods welcomes us all into his life and we want to extend that to those who are in great need. For Syrian refugees that need is more desperate than ever.



We bear witness to the welcome God wants us to extend to those who have been made homeless, who have fled wars and persecutions. We will be joining together in prayer for the situation and also to ask those in authority to be open and generous and to welcome those who want to come to Norwich to be part of our family here."



Clergy and Christians from several Norwich churches joined others in the march to St Peter Mancroft church where various speakers addressed the crowd.



Marguerite Phillips, President of the Mothers Union, Norwich Diocese, said: We need a response from Norfolk County Council on when something might happen. We are praying constantly for refugees wherever they are and wherever they come from. There is a lot of willing support in Norfolk and our members are prepared to do whatever is necessary but a good deal of what is needed already seems to be in place.



We believe that this support for refugees is a basic humanitarian response and as Mothers Union members we see it as our obligation to help those in desperate need. Lets hope the County Council are moved by the response today.



Anas Injarie, a Syrian doctor, working as an eye specialist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital said that he was director of a prosthetic limbs project in a small part of Syria which, over the last three years, had helped produce prosthetic limbs for 3,000 people, most of them women and children.



What is happening in Syria is beyond imagination, he said. Right now we have people on our doorstep, calling on our humanity. What are we if we do not help them and open our doors to the women and children who are suffering. What are we in Norwich if we do not allow just 50  are we not ashamed to even say that number. This is the moment when our true humanity should prevail  all we need is love.



Marie-Lyse Numuhoza, a Rwandan genocide survivor and refugee from 22 years ago, and now a trustee of Diocese of Norwich Mothers Union, told her own personal story of escaping gunmen. Marie-Lyse, said: I heartily appreciate the welcome, the friendship and the love that I was given by the British people. Peace and human rights is what the people of the world need. We need to all live together in harmony and I am asking you all here today to call upon the local authority not to just take 50 refugees but to take as many as you can take, because as refugees, we come with love, we come with friendship and we come with knowledge. What we need from you is healing and safety.



Amanda Hopkinson of the Justice and Peace Group told the crowd that talks with Norfolk County Council had been going on for well over a year with little progress. "Council leader George Nobbs has badly misjudged the mood of the county while in Essex they have agreed to take in 500 refugees by Christmas and Suffolk they are taking in 200, she said



Great Yarmouth Muslim, Nasreen Ayub Khan, also spoke before the march continued to the nearby St Stephens Church, where all present joined together in praying for the situation.



Pictured above are marchers in front of Norwich Catholic Cathedal and the Forum and , below, a full picture gallery of the event.






Sunshine Week 2016 may be over, but the publics right to access public government information in order to make the government accountable never ends.

Before Barack Obama was president, he repeatedly promised many things that never came to fruition such as to provide the most transparent administration in history.

But the truth is that the Obama administration has set an all-time new record for failure to provide documents via FOIA requests. The Associated Press analyzed FOIA requests sent to 100 federal government agencies in 2015  the final figures to be released during Obamas administration.

The new record low for the supposed most transparent administration ever is actually for hitting the highest ever number of times the government has claimed it couldnt find even one page of information requested under the Freedom of Information Act. Additionally, it took half of the federal agencies longer to answer FOIA requests in 2015 than it did in 2014.

According to AP:

In more than one in six cases, or 129,825 times, government searchers said they came up empty-handed last year. Such cases contributed to an alarming measurement: People who asked for records under the law received censored files or nothing in 77 percent of requests, also a record. In the first full year after President Barack Obama's election, that figure was only 65 percent of cases.  The FBI couldn't find any records in 39 percent of cases, or 5,168 times. The Environmental Protection Agency regional office that oversees New York and New Jersey couldn't find anything 58 percent of the time. U.S. Customs and Border Protection couldn't find anything in 34 percent of cases.

Its unknown if files actually do not exist or if the government is doing really crappy searches, but in review, AP explained that in 2015:

The Obama administration censored materials it turned over or fully denied access to them in a record 596,095 cases, or 77 percent of all requests. That includes 250,024 times when the government said it couldn't find records, a person refused to pay for copies or the government determined the request to be unreasonable or improper. The White House routinely excludes those cases from its own assessment. Under that calculation, the administration said it released all or parts of records in 93 percent of requests.

AP wasnt the only one to point at the ridiculously sad state of failed FOIA requests to federal, state and local governments. While some places still try to slide by on silly rules such as a non-disclosure policy aimed at reporters but not the general public, when you drill down to FOIA requests on a local level, there seems to be a common theme which interferes with the publics right to know; we can thank third parties which operate databases for local and state governments for impeding transparency.

For example...the Richmond Times-Dispatch related the story of retired civil engineer J.J. Bahens struggle to get detailed violation information on a red light camera system which he calls right-turn traps. Although he has submitted FOIA requests to Richmond and Virginia Beach, Bahen has been told he must first pay hundreds of dollars to the third-party company Redflex Traffic Systems which runs the red light camera system.

Virginia, by the way, according to the Herald-Progress, ranks a D grade in terms of its FOIA accessibility with an overall ranking of 16th in the country.

Although Redflex estimated the cost at $560 as it will require programmer hours to provide the FOIA-requested data, Bahen said the police departments have the data at their fingertips. Anyone in that office with a working knowledge of Excel would have been able to honor those requests in 15 minutes. Thats how they do their special reports. They want us to go to Redflex and pay an exorbitant fee when the data is readily available to the staff at the police departments.

Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, told the Richmond Times, In general, this issue of databases is of increasing concern in that local and state governments are contracting with vendors without thinking of the open-records implications of their transactions. To me, you cant contract away the publics right to access or to access for a reasonable fee.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 79F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low around 60F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
The Virginia General Assembly passed a very brief and simply worded bill during this years session that would prevent localities in the state from regulating private drone use.

The bill, though, is still creating debate. Some drone supporters say preventing localities from regulating private use of the aircraft encourages growth of the industry and simplifies enforcement. But some elected officials in the Roanoke and New River valleys argue that such a law undermines the publics safety and privacy.

The bill, sponsored by Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, has wording that is similar to a 2015 opinion from Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring that the Federal Aviation Administration exclusively regulates and enforces all private aircraft activity in the country.

The bill  which awaits the signature of Gov. Terry McAuliffe  passed with little resistance from state lawmakers. However, several council members in Blacksburg and Roanoke believe that municipalities should be given the freedom to avert potential safety and privacy concerns raised by drones.

Roanoke Councilman Ray Ferris said common law states that property ownership is anything from the ground to the sky and directly underneath, as well.

What the General Assembly is saying is, We control the sky over your property,  he said. Its wrong on so many levels.

They can fly over your property and theres not a thing you can do about it. And you cant go crying to city council or the board of supervisors about that because they wont be able to help you.

Drone activity across the U.S. faces different regulations depending on the person or entity flying the aircraft.

For example, businesses are not allowed to fly a drone at all unless they obtain an FAA exemption. Hobbyists can fly drones but have been given general guidelines from the FAA that include not flying the aircraft higher than 400 feet, remaining at least five miles away from airports and steering clear of groups of people and stadiums.

Within the past few months, the FAA began requiring hobbyists to register their drones, a process that stamps each aircraft with a federally issued registration number. The move, which itself has drawn concerns over privacy, is intended to educate owners on airspace rules and make it easier for the FAA to track down negligent hobbyists.

Attempts to reach an FAA representative for comment for this story were unsuccessful last week.

Still, people in the unmanned aircraft industry say more or stronger regulations will be needed to better protect the public against negligent drone owners.

If I was the average person, I could go order the drone off the Internet, go fly it and nobody would ever know, said Jayson Firebaugh, a pilot and owner of a drone business in Blue Ridge called Star City SkyCams. Its the uneducated person thats going to get themselves or somebody else in trouble, or possibly hurt.

Firebaugh added: The general public has no idea if drones are even regulated.

Firebaugh said he sees the FAAs registration requirement as a positive step.

I dont think its a final step, but I think its a good step in the right direction, and would raise awareness, he said.

Firebaugh, however, said he doesnt think the recent drone bill would degrade safety and privacy. He said enforcement might, in fact, be easier because authorities and hobbyists wont have to worry about different laws at each level of government. He said he hasnt examined the bill closely.

But it seems to me that theyre leaving all drone regulation at the federal level, he said. The federal governments having a hard time regulating it as it is. Sending regulations down to the state level would make things much worse. The chance for conflicting information becomes a lot greater.

Michael Sievers, a lawyer with clients in the drone industry, said the bill does simplify regulations, and added that more uniform laws make it easier for localities to attract drone businesses.

I do think its good for the state of Virginia and localities as far as being conducive environments for businesses looking either to provide drone services or make use of those services, said Sievers, whos with Richmond-based legal firm Hunton & Williams LLP.

Sievers said the bill prevents problems such as the creation of separate permitting requirements for drones in different Virginia municipalities.

Thats how I view this, he said. Not as a casual intrusion upon the rights of localities, trying to cut them out of their role, but rather making sure we dont get too complex in the web of regulations around this emerging industry.

State Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County, who also represents Salem and parts of the New River Valley, echoed Sievers comments. Suetterlein voted in favor of the bill.

We benefit greatly from having Dillon Rule, especially in regards to business and commerce policies, Suetterlein said.

The Dillon Rule gives businesses greater predictability of policies theyre going to have if theyre going to expand to other parts of Virginia. So, the rules wont change on them drastically when they cross political subdivision lines, he said.

The Dillon Rules bottom line: State law on a disputed matter trumps that of the locality.

Roanoke Councilman Court Rosen, chairman of the councils legislative committee, said the bill really just re-enforces the Dillon Rule and the FAAs role as the sole authority on airspace.

This law really doesnt do anything new, Rosen said.

Whats on paper at the state and federal level, however, hasnt stopped attempts to regulate drones at the municipal level.

In 2013, Charlottesville considered declaring the city a no-drone zone in response to local fears of government surveillance and invasions of privacy from aircrafts equipped with cameras.

And even if drones arent necessarily breaking airspace rules, that doesnt mean residents wont be concerned about their safety or privacy, Ferris said. Municipalities, he said, should be able to proactively ensure no problems occur.

Lets say we get complaints that drones are flying in a park or are being flown over back yards adjacent to a park, where children are playing in the back yard. [Theres] a concern that drones could crash or get pictures of the kids, Ferris said.

They [the General Assembly] dont ... want us to put a stop to it. Thats really what the General Assembly is setting up.

Roanoke Councilman Bill Bestpitch, vice chairman of the councils legislative committee, said its the municipalitys job to respond to local concerns.

When theres a problem, those people are likely to come to us, the city council members, Bestpitch said. We sit there and have to look sort of foolish saying we cant do anything about it because the General Assembly says You need to go to Richmond and complain to them. 

Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam said he understands concerns from residents.

It gets really scary sometimes, he said.

Roanoke Vice Mayor David Trinkle said there may even be specific areas in cities and towns that the local government knows is not safe for drones, even if flying there is not necessarily illegal.

It seems to me that it would be reasonable to enact a general regulation for drone use thats consistent with the FAA, he said, but it also seems completely reasonable for a locality to designate certain areas that can be drone-free or require special permits.
Red Hulk, Ronin, and more: 10 Heroes and Villains whose secret identities were hidden from readers

There's a longstanding superhero tradition of hiding the identity of certain characters even from readers
Long Road To Liberation

Once subjected to a tortured past, the Spiritual Shouter Bap-tists quest for freedom culminat-ed in 1951 with the repeal of the Shouter Prohibition Ordinance, which had hitherto prevented its followers from practising the faiths rituals in the Caribbean.But, today, 65 years later, high-ranking members of the church remain somewhat divided on whether the unity which had, in no small measure, ensured the lifting of the controversial Ordi-nance, ever existed. The faith is not united. That is the reality, said Reverend Dr Hazel-Ann Gibbs-De Peza, an assistant professor at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.As worshippers prepare to cele-brate the 20th anniversary of Lib-eration Day being declared a public holiday in Trinidad and Tobago, on March 30, Gibbs-De Peza stated in an interview with Sunday News-day, divisions among Baptists have continued to undermine the move-ment towards unity within the faith. She observed the divisions were caused by varying interpreta-tions of the doctrine as well as self-ishness and egotism among some elders of the church.There are divisions that are caused by doctrine. Some carry out the doctrine of Christ and others do not believe in that doctrine, she explained. Some are based on practice and traditions which are not Bible-based. Regarding ego-tism, an outspoken Gibbs-De Peza observed that some Baptist leaders simply do not want their authori-ty challenged and, as a result, keep their respective groups separate from the others. For things to flow smoothly, it will mean that some of the heads will have to acknowledge other leaders as head and even though it will be better for the faith, it is all about them and the benefit they can get, she said.If there is to be unity within the faith, some will have to give up their power base and acknowledge one leader, and until some grow up enough to do that, we will not unite. For now unity remains a dream. Vice-principal of the Herman Parris Spiritual Baptist Southland School of Theology, Deaconess Ann-Marie Givarro-Perez offered another perspective, suggesting the issue of unity was a relative one open to interpretation.Of course there is unity in the Spiritual Baptist faith, but this has not stopped the numerous calls throughout the years for Spiritual Baptists to unite. Who has declared us disunited? Upon what grounds are we to unite? she asked.Givarro-Perez said as a Spiritual Baptist Christian it is incumbent on me to follow the doctrine of the God I serve.We believe that Jesus paid it all and all to Him we owe, she said.We believe that He is the only mediator between ourselves and God. We believe in Holy Spirit empowerment as opposed to spir-it possession. We believe that the worship of Jesus is an exclusive ac-tivity. Like Gibbs-De Peza, Givar-ro-Perez admitted the wholeheart-ed acceptance of Christ in the doc-trine has been a sore point for many Baptists. She told Sunday Newsday: Adherents of the faith who believe in Jesus Christ will always differ from groups that attempt to blend both traditional African religions with facets of Christianity. From where I stand, the two philosophies are in-congruent and any attempt at a merging is unlikely to be suc-cessful. Givarro-Perez believes the two major groups of Spiritual Baptists could coexist peacefully once we are not forced by persons external to the faith to accept each others doctrine.What is required is an acknowl-edgement of our differences, she said. The general public must not be deceived into believing that be-cause we look alike and sing simi-lar songs that we believe the same thing. We must be allowed to define ourselves and I stand on the side of the Christian descriptive. Yet I maintain and reserve the right to sing, dance and clap with all the ethnic rhythm with which I am endowed. Reverend Stephanie Washington-John, of the Isaiah Temple, Preysal, regarded the issue of unity within the faith as a slow, long, painful process which must take into account, its history.She explained that when the faith was banned, individual camps sprang up in forested areas where there was no communication and an absence of formal teachings and documentation. Washington-John said it was out of this situation that the faith emerged in 1951 with the repeal of the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance, which gave rise to individual churches and doctrines.

As systems and structures were intro-duced later on several dioceses serving um-brella churches were formed, each ruled by an Archbishop. this level of independence is difficult to navigate, she said.then there arises the question of prac-tices, as it is visible that not all the churches us-ing the name Spiritu-al/Shouter Baptist are following the Apostol-ic/Baptist tradition. Preaching the same doctrine is critical to unity. Can we walk together unless they agree?gibbs-De Peza: Faith is still relevant.As the debate about disunity continues, gibbs-De Peza insisted the faith was still rele-vant.Yes, most definite-ly because we are liv-ing in the end times according to Bible prophecy and the faith being a spiritually-cen-tred faith provides the only strength that peo-ple need in order to survive in these times, she argued.We have a lot of re-ligious movements but a lot of them are based on scientific and logi-cal explanation of doc-trines, but what people need in these times is a faith-based movement because it is your faith in god and spiritu-al connection to god that will provide you with the strength that is needed to survive in these times.gibbs-De Peza said the wars, murders, famines, floods cur-rently being expe-rienced all over the world, suggested that mans heart had be-come cold and bitter.All of this have been prophesied in the Bible and men are now lov-ers of themselves than lovers of god, she said.gibbs-De Peza said the baptist faith en-couraged its flock to develop a relationship with Christ.Perhaps, it is more relevant now than in the earlier years, she said of the faith. Wash-ington-John agreed, saying the Baptist faith was still meaningful and purposeful in our current society.She said it was a Christian faith which followed Apostolic tra-dition so our practic-es are Bible-based and have spiritual mean-ings.the erosion of good value systems in to-days society and the existing problems have turned the attention of many to the Spiritu-al Baptist as they seek answers and the true meaning and purpose of life, she said.Alluding to Earl lovelaces The Wine of Astonishment, in which the church was identified as be-ing independent, gi-varro-Perez said the Spiritual Baptist faith emerged out of the need for Christians to worship in a way that allowed them to be free.She said: Worship had to be personal and so emerging out of post-emancipation struggles, it was neces-sary for the African ex-slaves to fashion a wor-ship that was peculiar to him. this was the Spiritual Baptist brand of Christianity. Some of us feel most comfortable in a Spiri-tual Baptist setting. our swaying, tramp-ing, singing of trum-petsand bell ringing are happy expressions of our worship and we love it. the faith was relevant to the Colo-nial African trinida-dian then and still is today.givarro-Perez said the church had emerged from a vil-lage-type institution to an influence that has been spread far and wide.From hiding in the bushes near rivers to mask our jubilant songs as we praised our god, we now wor-ship in temperature controlled, well lit, technologically en-hanced, marble tiled magnificent edifices, that we can rival any other orthodox place of worship, yet we have not lost our common touch, she said.Saying the church also has been able to organise into dioces-es, givarro-Perez said Baptists have also de-veloped administrative and organisational di-rections for itself.
Labour Minister: TT in mass retrenchment

There are a number of different creative ways (to address economic difficulties). so our advice to businesses would be let re-trenchment be the last resort, she said.In the past few weeks steel compa-ny ArcelorMittal an-nounced that it was closing operations and sending home about 700 workers and Brazilian- based construction company, OAs Construtora, sent termination let-ters to 860 workers.Baptiste-Primus was asked what advice she would give to com-panies considering retrenchment during an impromptu media interview yesterday following the Public service Credit Union (PsCU) 50th Anni-versary ecumenical service held at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port-of-spain.she told the media that businesses cut-ting their profits in-stead of retrenchment is one option.The massive prof-its that were made in times of good, the employers themselves have to lessen their expectations in terms of a reduced prof-it margin... there are social implications to so many people be-ing unemployed and not having hope and faith, she said.we continue to urge employers not to use retrenchment as a first option. There are other options that can be considered. If there is no recognised majority union in the workforce they can sit and discuss with the workers ways and means, she added.she noted, for ex-ample, that if a business is in trouble and they have a five-day work week they can consider the op-tion of reducing the number of working days to keep people employed. The minister called on employers to con-tact the Labour Min-istry so they can assist employers in con-sidering alternative options to retrench-ment. she added trained staff at the ministry would be willing to sit and dialogue with them. she stressed Government has con-tinually requested the entrepreneurs and businessmen to look at other options be-fore looking at the op-tion of retrenchment. she noted that, for example, persons can be moved from one area of operations to another.Baptiste-Primus noted within that context the min-istry developed its 10-point plan to assist retrenched workers with one of the as-pects being the Re-trenchment Register where they are asking retrenched workers to register and we will match their skills against the vacant jobs coming from the vari-ous employers. she also said re-trenched workers have to adjust their expectations.workers will have to realign their think-ing and their expec-tations. In this global recession persons may be trained and skilled to perform a partic-ular type of job. But that job may no lon-ger be available to that person and it is in that context we are train-ing and retraining and re-skilling people to do alternative jobs.
Kamla seeks advice on 2 relatives

The employment of Persad-Bissessars two relatives came into question over the last few days, following the removal of PNM Port-of-Spain South MP Marlene McDonald as Housing Minister on a number of allegations, included hiring of her partner and his broth-er at her constituency office. Persad-Bissessar confirmed two female relatives were employed with no breach of the law or the parliamentary guidelines. She went on to say: There are two persons in that office one of whom was hired 20 years ago and contin-ue to work continuous-ly and the other hired about 14 years ago. The constituency operation manual clearly stated who were the persons restricted from being employed in constituen-cy offices. According to Per-sad-Bissessar, it was brought to her atten-tion that the guidelines were changed after the September 7 general elections and included in the new guidelines was a new category of restricted persons. She however assured them she would do the right thing once properly ad-vised. Persad-Bissessar added: I await respons-es from the Clerk of the House and I give the full commitment that I will take all steps necessary to rectify the situation and should the clerk so advise. I further state this matter is very dif-ferent from the matter related to Marlene Mc-Donald. She touched on the subject in a wide ranging address at yes-terdays UNC nation-al congress in Couva in which she called on supporters to put aside their differences as they gear up for battle in the upcoming local gov-ernment elections. She also announced the re-turn of the Monday Fo-rum starting in April, the establishment of an election committee and another a commit-tee which will discuss the the construction of the party headquarters.
Jennifer hits Opposition hypocrisy

This was Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus response to calls from the Opposition for axed Housing Minister Marlene McDonald to step down as Member of Parliament for Port-of-spain south. McDonald was dismissed from her Cabinet portfolio on Thurs-day night after the revelation that she had employed her com-mon-law-husband and brother-in-law at her constituency office. On Friday in Parliament Opposition MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh told re-porters she should do the right right thing and step down as MP and indicated that the Opposi-tion would be making this call. His fellow Opposition MP suruj Rambachan also told the media McDonald should perhaps resign as MP. Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, speaking to the media after de-livering the feature address at the PsCU 50th Anniversary ecumen-ical service at Holy Trinity Cathe-dral in Port-of-spain, was asked to respond to the Opposition calls.she said: The Member of Par-liament for Port-of-spain south has been an extremely efficient Member of Parliament and it is my view that is her call to make. And I would just say that those who live in glass houses ought to be careful about throwing stones.Baptiste-Primus confirmed she was referring to Opposition Lead-er Kamla Persad-Bissessar who has recently been accused of allegedly hiring two relatives in her constit-uency office.And I will say no more about that. I think the entire country know the level of hypocrisy that exists within the Opposition with regards to their demand that the Member of Parliament for Port-of-spain south to step down because she employed her relatives, she said.
Teacher shot dead in St Joseph

Police said sherwin wallace, 38, of Tunapuna, was driving his car along Maracas Royal Road, st Jo-seph, at about 2.35 am yesterday when another vehicle pulled up in front of him.Reports are that two masked men exited the vehicle and opened fire on wallace and another male occupant, only known as Qunicy, in the front passenger seat of the car. The men were shot several times but wallace died on the spot while Quincy was rushed to the eric williams Medical sciences Complex in Mount Hope. wallace was an Information Technology teacher at Belmont secondary school. His death brings to 105, the number of per-sons killed to date.Officers of the Northern Divi-sion, led by senior superinten-dent sacenarine Mahabir, Insp Vitas Hernandez, sgt Rennie Kat-waroo and others visited the scene and investigations are continuing.
Injured OAS workers wife appeals for help

Not only is Green, the sole breadwinner of the family, without a job, but he remains laid up at home following a back injury he sustained last June while working with the company. His future is now in limbo because he can no longer work and there is no income for the family or to take care of medical bills, laments his worried wife Liselle David, mother of four of his children. The family lives at John street, Marabella.It has been a long road, lots of run-around, cried David. The company is on their way out, they are leaving we dont know where to turn, no one is telling us anything. she said their young children are unable to attend school because of the financial situation. Last month, Green through his attorney issued a pre action pro-tocol letter to the com-pany telling them of the severe personal injuries he had suffered. He re-portedly hurt his low-er back when he and a co-worker were moving a steel beam from one location to the next. He has been undergoing medical treatment since then without very little improvement to the in-jury.He walks with a stick, he suffered damage to a right side nerve in his back and it is affecting his right leg. He was getting workmans com-pensation and it stopped four months ago, David told Sunday Newsday last Friday. she said he was also told OAs would no longer be footing his medical bills. How are we to live because I cannot go out and work because we have a one-year-old child. And I am speak-ing out for him today because people dont un-derstand what we espe-cially some of the fam-ilies of the retrenched workers are going through right now.David visited the of-fice of her san Fernando west Member of Parlia-ment Faris Al Rawi and got no assistance. somebody must help us, she said. He (Green) was injured on the job and they ought to properly compensate him.she said her husband is still to receive a lay-off notice or a retrench-ment letter from OAs.Last Friday, Oilfields workers Trade Union representative Mu-hammed Hosein said 860 of the 930 in-house workers had received re-trenchment letters and the union was working with the Brazilian con-tractor on severance packages. The company, which is bankrupt and faces corruption alle-gations in Brazil, is ex-pected to pull out of the country by May. several pieces of heavy machin-ery and equipment have been seized from the work site by sub-con-tractors who are owed monies.
Casinos: Taxes will lead to job loss

In a statement on Friday, association president sherry Per-sad alleged that Imbert was, making public statements which are not only inaccurate but also threatens the employment of over 7,000 workers directly as well as over 40,000 employees indirectly. she further claimed that Imbert, indicated several inaccuracies which included con-sultations with stake-holders, and increased taxation measures based on estimated revenues.Persad said the asso-ciation, wishes to state for the record that there has been no consulta-tions held with them, merely a meeting with technocrats in which the stakeholders were essentially ambushed with a predetermined position by the Minis-try. she added, This po-sition was not only un-realistic but also detri-mental to the gaming industry. Claiming the industry has been already heavily taxed over the years, Per-sad warned, should the Minister proceed with the proposed in-creased taxes it will re-sult in closure of clubs and mass unemploy-ment.At last Thursdays post-Cabinet news conference at the Of-fice of the Prime Min-ister in st Clair, Imbert said, The Ministry of Finance has been meeting with all the stakeholders in the gambling and gaming industry. I think they are al-most finished. They met with the workers, they met with the unions, the own-ers, they have met with the National Lotteries (Control Board), they have met with the reli-gious bodies. They have met with everybody and I am going to get a very comprehensive report from my staff, I would say in the next couple of weeks, so that I can then meet with the or-ganisations that have identified concerns, he added. Imbert said the gaming industry is estimated to attract $7 billion to $10 billion in revenue, but the qual-ity of information on this is circumscribed by a lack of legislative reporting mechanism
'He Had the Chance to Go in

and Save the Children'
(Newser)  Kevan Chandler's muscular dystrophy keeps him confined to a wheelchair, but he still plans to go backpacking in Europe with four friends this summer. The catch: Chandler himself will be a backpack. "These guys want to make this happen," says Chandler of his buddies, per CBS News. "They want to serve me in this way." They've even posted a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the trip and created a blog called We Carry Kevan where they plan to recount the three-week visit to Ireland, England, and France. The friendsApple employee Luke Thompson, teachers Tom Troyer and Philip Keller, and church leader Ben Duvall"backpacked" Chandler three years ago on a sewer-exploration trip, so they know it's challenging, the Greensboro News & Record reports.

"Kevan is 65 or 70 pounds," says Keller. "Carrying him didnt sound too bad to us until it was 10 to 15 minutes in." Now the friends are increasing their stamina with weightlifting and strength classes to prepare for the June-July getaway, where they plan to shoot a documentary about it. As for Kevanwho often writes tales of sacrifice and love at a coffee shop in Fort Wayne, Indianahe looks forward to seeing the lands that inspired two of his favorite writers, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. He also hopes to inspire others with disabilities and show the importance of self-sacrifice. "We are all broken in some way or another, and so we all need our burdens to be held up and carried by each other, and the only way that's going to happen is if we help each other out, and that requires sacrifice of self," he says. (Read more backpacking stories.)
(Newser)  " It was an absolutely cold track," a French intel veteran of the hunt for Salah Abdeslam as of Monday night. Four months into the hunt for the key terrorist in the Paris attacks, officials didn't know if he was still in Europe or if he'd slipped through to Syria. But, as Time reports, "on Tuesday, that changed entirely": A SWAT team investigating another matter caught gunfire from an apartment in a Brussels suburb; grainy cell phone video indicated Abdeslam might've been among those who escaped, and a fingerprint inside confirmed his presencehidden right in plain sight. Another coincidence: Abdeslam's slain brother, Ibrahim, a suicide bomber at the Paris cafe, was finally being buried Thursday. Cops tapped the phones of 20 of the brothers' friends who collected Ibrahim Abdeslam's body, which apparently gave them intel to set up Friday's successful raid in Mollenbeek.

" This is a really, really good thing, that he was captured alive," says Mollenbeek's deputy mayor. Meanwhile, Abdeslam is talking, reports the BBC. "Salah Abdeslam today during questioning by [Belgian] investigators affirmed that, and I quote, 'he wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France and that he had backed down,' " Paris' prosecutor said Saturday. Abdeslam's lawyer says he's planning to file a legal complaint against the prosecutor for that particular disclosure, reports Sky News. Abdeslam is also fighting extradition to France, adds the New York Times. But investigators believe he wasn't idle while on the run: Abdeslam said "he was ready to restart something from Brussels, and it's maybe the reality," says Belgium's foreign minister. "We found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons in the first investigations, and we have seen a new network of people around him in Brussels." (Read more Salah Abdeslam stories.)
Information over car racing legend Michael Schumacher remains in close wraps fueling wild speculations about his real health condition. Despite repeated attempts by the Schumacher family to downplay reports of his precarious state, rumors have become a media news staple.

However, Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda says that loyal Shumacher fans deserve to be informed of the actual condition surrounding the seven-time world racing champion rather than be fed with sensationalized reports from unscrupulous tabloids adding that a 'middle ground' can be reached regarding the self-imposed news blackout.

"The family protects him and I understand that completely. But it means that all those who would like to know something, do not. I often think of him, but unfortunately I have no contact. We all just hope, hope, hope," remarked Lauda as quoted by Sunday Express.

As reported by Ecumenical News, no new updates regarding his health are expected to surface until a miraculous recovery as the Schumacher family is extremely private. So far, fans could only find recourse in prayers hoping the racing icon's health normalizes as soon as possible.

Sabine Kehm, Schumacher's manager and spokesperson, recalled being told by the ace racing champion that he wanted to shy away from public spotlight just before the fateful ski accident in France.

"You don't need to call me for the next year, I'm disappearing. I think it was his secret dream to be able to do that someday. That's why now I still want to protect his wishes in that I don't let anything get out," said Kehm as quoted in a report by The Bit Bag.

Schumacher's words to Kehm seemed prophetic since the accident. News about his health condition and recovery status remain scarce while getting rehabilitated at his Lake Geneva home in Switzerland.

Michael Schumacher and his 14-year-old son met an accident while spending winter holidays in the French Alps. Recalling the media frenzy following initial reports of the accident, Kehm struggled to keep reporters at bay while ensuring security at the hospital.
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New Delhi:

After the facing a huge political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh, and currently in the state of Uttarakhand, the troubled Congress may be heading for infighting in Manipur.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has summoned Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh over the growing dissident in the state. The deputy cm of the state Gaikhangam has also been summoned.

Both the leaders have already eft Imphal for New Delhi where they will meet Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

"The government has set aside Rs.30 crore for it and cooperation of the CLP members to make it a success is a must," Ibobi said, adding, "The meeting with the Congress president and the vice president over the demands of CLP members was inconclusive. The deputy chief minister and I will be leaving for Delhi on Sunday morning."

Manipur is scheduled to go to elections in February next year. Though just a few months are left, most of them are aiming to book a minister seat with an eye to the forthcoming elections.

In the past, Ibobi and his close associates never capitulated to the dissidents.

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Cairo:

At least 15 security personnel were killed in Egypt after Islamic State militants fired a mortar shell on a security checkpoint in the countrys restive North Sinai.

The mortar attack on the checkpoint in Al-Arish city killed 15 policemen yesterday, the interior ministry said in a statement. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in months in the troubled region.

Updating the earlier toll of 13, the ministry said the deceased security personnel comprised 12 policemen and three officers. The security forces cordoned off the area and were investigating the incident.

The incident took place two days after five soldiers were killed and eight others injured when militants attacked an army checkpoint with mortar shell in Egypts Rafah city.

Egypts North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of ex-Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests against his rule. Over 700 security personnel have reportedly been killed since then.

The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

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New Delhi:

Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the House even as Arun Jaitley and Rahul Gandhi sparred over the political crisis in the hill state.



Main opposition BJP has, meanwhile, claimed that 35 MLAs including 26 from the party and nine from Congress had already given a notice for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker to the Vidhan Sabha Secretary for his alleged failure to conduct the House in an impartial manner even before he issued the notices to the rebel Congress MLAs.



Chief Minister Harish Rawat while training his guns on the BJP said they are killing democracy.



BJP party with the support of their party at Centre is trying to destabilise the state governments. They are killing democracy. They talk about cooperative federalism and they are targeting the opposition governments selectively, he said.



Notices have been issued to the nine rebel Congress MLAs following a request from party chief whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking action against them for violating the party whip in the state Assembly during voting on the Finance Bill.



The notices have been pasted on the walls of the houses of the MLAs concerned which asks them to submit their replies to the Speaker by March 26 evening.



However, Pradesh BJP president and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajay Bhatt said as a notice of no-confidence has already been moved against the Speaker he should quit his post.



Using the Uttarakhand crisis to escalate his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP, Rahul Gandhi said it has exposed the true face of Modijis BJP and that toppling governments by blatant use of money seems to be the ruling partys new model.



Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJPs new model, after failure in Bihar.



Congress Party will fight demagoguery with democracy. This attack on our democracy & Constitution, first in Arunachal & now Uttarakhand, is the true face of Modijis BJP, the Congress Vice President said in a series of tweets.



Senior BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley blamed the Congress for the crisis, claiming there is deep division and said it cannot be attributable to the BJP.



There is a deep division in the Congress in Uttarakhand... it cannot be attributable to the BJP, Jaitley told reporters in Delhi. The Congress had earlier accused the BJP of engineering split in the party.



Jaitley said that a majority of MLAs voted against the controversial Finance bill but the Speaker declared it passed. In Uttarakhand, Speaker considered a failed bill as passed. This is happening for the first time in the country, he said.



Chief Minister Rawat said the BJP strategy to topple his government is a type of an encounter and referred to how police horse Shaktiman was brutally attacked during a protest by BJP workers in Dehradun and had its hind leg amputated. First they broke the leg of the horse and now by doing horse trading, they want to break the leg of Uttarakhand.



Before the crisis unfolded, the Congress had 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of 6 members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while opposition BJP has 28 MLAs.

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Rostov-On-Don:

Investigators in southern Russia were today probing the causes of a flydubai passenger jet crash that killed all 62 people on board, including an Indian couple, as emergency workers at the site wrapped up the salvage operation.

The Boeing 737, which flew from Dubai to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, exploded into a fireball early yesterday after missing the runway in bad weather. It had reportedly been making its second attempt to land after circling for several hours.

Investigators said all 55 passengers and seven crew including nine different nationalities, with 45 from Russia had died instantly. They launched a criminal probe into whether pilot error, a technical fault or poor weather was to blame. The Indians killed were identified as Mohan Shyam and wife Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan.

But the planes two black boxes were badly damaged, Russias intergovernmental aviation committee said in a statement, warning that analysing them would take time.

Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said emergency service workers had completed their search and rescue operation at the site, where tangled debris was spread across a wide area.

Investigators were spending the day combing the scene for clues of what caused the crash, Sokolov said, with experts from state-owned budget airline flydubaia sister firm of Emirates Airlinesand the United Arab Emirates authorities aiding the probe.

Some 40 people, including air traffic controllers, officials from the regional meteorological centre, and flydubai representatives, had been questioned as part of the probe, investigators said.

Authorities also said they were starting the grisly task of identifying the collected human remains using DNA samples from relatives.

Residents in Rostov-on-Dona city of some 1 million around 1,000 kilometres south of Moscow -- laid flowers and cuddly toys at the airport entrance as they tried to digest the tragedy.

I am from Rostov myself and although I dont personally know those killed, a lot of names are well known, its a small city, local resident Boris told AFP.

The arrivals and departures boards in the terminal were red with cancelled flights as the airport remained closed, but deputy regional governor Alexander Grebenshchikov said it would open again at 0600 GMT (1130 IST) tomorrow.

The passengers on board flight FZ981 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.

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Business travelers who spend the majority of their time on the road have a catch-22 when it comes to lodging. While staying at an Airbnb listing would offer the comforts and ambiance of home instead of the loneliness of a generic hotel room, a hotel has a concierge to help find worthwhile things to do and places to go after the work day is finished.

But the accommodations startup may soon offer a way to have the benefits of both at once.

Airbnb plans to present add-on services later this year, Bloomberg reports. Brian Chesky, Airbnbs CEO, says the company has been testing a booking service for any add-on experiences -- what the company calls magical trips as a nod to Cheskys idol, Walt Disney -- for guest experiences outside of their temporary lodgings. Experiences including booking art gallery tours, bicycle rentals and restaurant reservations have been tested.

Related: 4 Tips to Increase Your Bookings on Airbnb

Customers will be able to book these experiences when they book a room on Airbnb. This feature is expected to be available later this year, anonymous sources told Bloomberg. A source also said that launching this program was a top priority for the company and that Chesky and VP of product Joe Zadeh are overseeing the project.

Last year, Airbnb raised an additional $1.5 billion, and the Wall Street Journal stated in November that the company raised another $100 million on top of that. Its valuation is a reported $25.5 billion. The company has an aggressive revenue goal of $10 billion annually by 2020 but with media outlets reporting that the San Francisco-based business likely took a $150 million loss in 2015, Airbnb has to think of additional ways to bring in revenue. It currently makes 3 percent per booking, plus 6 to 12 percent from guests.

The home-rental company will face competitors such as Vayable, TripAdvisors Tripbod and ToursByLocals in the experience space, which focus on giving travelers a locals insights to hotspots and attractions. Websites such as Expedia also offer customers the opportunity to sign up for various activities during their trips.

Related: Partiers Beware: Airbnb Will Let Neighbors Complain Online

This seems to be a natural next step for Airbnb. While competitors offer the ability to rent cars when booking a room, Chesky is after more than just convenience. When people go to a place, they want much more than just a home. They want to be part of a neighborhood, he told Bloomberg in a television interview. And what we are really focused on doing is, how can we immerse you into a neighborhood?"

Related:

Airbnb to Offer Add-On Travel Services Later This Year

Should Uber and Lyft Get in the Carpool Lane Together? -- Start Up Your Day Roundup

Partiers Beware: Airbnb Will Let Neighbors Complain Online



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
OTTAWA, March 20, 2016 /CNW/ - For 274 million Francophones across five continents, March 20 is a day to celebrate the French language and the diversity of their many cultures. This year's theme, "Le pouvoir des mots" [the power of words] is especially relevant at a time when, regrettably, constructive dialogue is still lacking in many parts of the world, even where populations are thriving.

Since my installation as governor general, I have been inviting Canadians to imagine ways to build a smarter, more caring society, one where everyone can succeed and contribute. In addition to enhancing the vitality of French, La Francophonie is dedicated to promoting peace, democracy and human rights. Such elements are key to achieving the vision of a better world so dear to our hearts.

On this, the Journee internationale de la Francophonie, let us proclaim to the world how proud we are to be a part of the great family of French-speaking nations.

David Johnston

Follow GGDavidJohnston and RideauHall on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Governor General of Canada

For further information: Media Information: Marie-Eve Letourneau, Rideau Hall Press Office, 613-998-0287, [email protected]
By GMM 19 March 2016 - 08:47





Leading figures in formula one are calling on the sport to scrap the new musical chairs qualifying format after the woeful spectacle of Melbourne.

The eleventh-hour format tweak was controversial from the start, but few experts or pundits imagined the calamity of late Saturday afternoon in Albert Park.

"The crescendo was the guy getting out of the car. He could have waved his own chequered flag," said 1996 world champion Damon Hill on Sky television, referring to pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton.

Even the pole sitter was not impressed with Saturdays spectacle.

"We said from the beginning that it wasnt the right thing to do," said Hamilton.

Ferraris Sebastian Vettel, third on the grid, agreed: "I dont see how anybody should be surprised. We told the FIA."

And it was Hamiltons boss, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, who was at the front of the queue among the team bosses who called for the format to be scrapped immediately.

"Im the first to say we shouldnt be speaking bad on the TV about these things," he said, "but I think the new qualifying format is pretty rubbish.

"We need to come back and look at it again."

Red Bulls Christian Horner agreed.

"We should apologise to the fans here," he said on BBC radio. And "We have to hold our hands up and admit we got it absolutely wrong," Horner added on Sky.

The format change was triggered by Bernie Ecclestone, who initially pushed to reverse the grids. F1 legend Niki Lauda further explained on Saturday that F1 race director Charlie Whiting devised the compromise solution.

"It was obvious that when we took that decision, nobody thought of all the details," said Lauda, also the Mercedes team chairman.

"We should change it quickly, have a quick discussion and change it for Bahrain."

An immediate change for Bahrain would require a rare unanimous vote by the team principals, but Horner thinks that should not be a problem.

"Im sure Bernie didnt like it either," he said. "Id be amazed if everybody didnt agree. Lets sort it out for Bahrain."
The Federal Government, has asked the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja to dismiss an appeal that was lodged by the detained leader of th...

The Federal Government, has asked the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja to dismiss an appeal that was lodged by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu, alongside two other pro-Biafra agitators, David Nwawusi and Benjamin Madubugwu, had gone before the appellate court to challenge what they termed strange procedure adopted in their trial Already, the trio who are answering to a six-count treason charge, has urged the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to stay further hearing on the case against them, pending the determination of their consolidated appeal.Specifically, they alleged bias against trial Justice John Tsoho who not only declined to quash the charge against them, but also permitted the prosecution to shield the identity of eight witnesses billed to testify in the matter.The Judge equally refused to discharge and acquit the three defendants as it was prayed to do under section 351(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.The defendants, through their lawyer Chief Chuks Muoma, SAN, contended before the appellate court that trial Justice Tsoho erred in law when having refused the application for the witnesses of the prosecution to testified behind screens, or masked on February 19, 2016, suddenly varied the said order in the ruling delivered on March 7, 2016, on a mere oral application by the respondent.They noted that the variation order was made on the basis of a mere oral application by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Mohammed Diri. The DPP had informed the court that witnesses scheduled to testify against Kanu and the others, said they would not appear unless they were allowed to wear masks or their identities shielded from both lawyers and people observing the proceeding. My lord this is because they are already receiving threats from associates of the defendants that they will be dealt with.The witnesses said they love their lives and requested that their identities be shielded from people who are coming to witness the proceeding, Diri added.He said DSS operatives also billed to testify in the matter, made similar request on the basis that they are investigating terrorism cases and would not want their identities exposed. Sequel to his application, Justice Tsoho gave an order permitting the witnesses to testify behind a screen. The judge insisted that the decision did not amount to a variation of a previous ruling that prohibited the witnesses from appearing in mask.The defendants had on February 9, opposed FGs application for secret trial, even as they queried the propriety of the court allowing masquerades to testify against them.Though Justice Tsoho maintained that the order he made on Monday was in tandem with the ruling of February 9, the defence lawyer, Muoma, SAN, went on appeal to challenge the revised order for the identities of the witnesses to be protected. Muoma, SAN, contended that the trial court had become functus-officio on the matter, having earlier ruled on the previous application by the prosecution.It was his argument that FG ought to have appealed against that the ruling instead of re-approaching the same court with a similar application. He is praying the appellate court to direct the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to transfer their case to another Judge for trial. Nevertheless, FG, in a counter-affidavit it filed before the appellate court, sought the dismissal of the appeal which it said lacked merit.The DPP who endorsed the appeal, argued that the March 7 order of the high court did not amount to a variation of the previous order of the court. FG insisted that Kanu and the others were never denied fair-hearing by Justice Tsoho to warrant re-assignment of the case-file to another Judge. Besides, it accused the defendants of attempting to use frivolous interlocutory appeals to delay their trial.Whereas Justice Tsoho has fixed April 5 to hear the motion seeking his disqualification from the matter, the appellate court on the other hand has slated April 25 to commence hearing on the appeal President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa earlier constituted a three-man panel of Justices to hear the appeal. The appellate court panel will be presided over by Justice Moore Adumein.The Department of State Service, DSS, previously alleged plot by some pro-Biafra agitators to invade the trial court and forcefully free the defendants. The DPP told the court that the DSS had commenced investigation on the planned invasion. Kanu who was hitherto the Director of Radio Biafra and Television, has been in detention since October 14, 2015, when he was arrested by security operatives upon his arrival to Nigeria from his base in the United Kingdom. The defendants were alleged to have committed treasonable felony, an offence punishable under Section 41(C) of the Criminal Code Act, CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. FG alleged that they were the ones managing the affairs of the IPOB which it described as an unlawful society. Specifically, Kanu was alleged to have illegally smuggled radio transmitters into Nigeria, which he used to disseminate hate broadcasts, encouraging the secession of the Republic ofBiafra, from Nigeria.The accused persons however pleaded not guilty to the charge on January 20, even as the court ordered their remand at Kuje prison in Abuja.
Cameroon has condemned 89 suspected Boko Haram operatives to death for terrorism since the start of 2015, a judicial source said Fr...

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) group.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.
The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has appealed to all Nigerians, irrespective of religious, ethnic and political differences to wor...

The monarch told newsmen in Sokoto on Saturday that Nigerians should set aside their diverse backgrounds to work in ensuring that the country remains indivisible.  It is one Nigeria and forever it will be one Nigeria, with all of us, the citizens as one.  I am an advocate of peace and we as traditional rulers from across the country would sustain the royal fraternities, he averred.According to the monarch, there was the need for all traditional rulers in the nation to sustain routine visits to their counterparts from other parts of the country. Doing so, the royal father said, would foster more harmonious relationship, peace, unity and socio-economic prosperity of Nigeria.Ooni, Ojaja II, further expressed confidence in the Nigerian project, saying that the nation would forever be on the march to everlasting greatness.He also stressed that the amalgamation of the country in 1914 was never a mistake. The Ooni further urged traditional rulers in the country as those closer to the people to always work together in the interest of their people and the nation.The monarch also underscored the importance of the youths across the country, saying that they formed the majority of the population.The Ooni stressed the need for the youths to be meaningfully employed to curb the menace of youth restiveness and insecurity.
The governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, has condemned report of violence and malpractices in the Rivers state re-run elections. F...

I have read reports of top officials of PDP and Rivers govt either abducted by unknown gunmen or arrested by security agents #RiversRerun March 19, 2016

Rivers State is under siege.I have seen pictures of pple killed & I have seen pictures of INEC Result Sheets with PDP omitted #RiversRerun March 19, 2016

Obviously, INEC under Buhari has destroyed that legacy of free, fair and transparent elections bequeathed on Nigeria by GEJ #RiversRerun March 19, 2016

It is strange that INEC produced Results Sheets with PDP omitted, and I wonder what is going to happen in 2019 #RiversRerun March 19, 2016

Obviously, INEC under Buhari has destroyed that legacy of free, fair and transparent elections bequeathed on Nigeria by GEJ  Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose) March 19, 2016

What all these portend for our democracy is danger! #RiversRerun March 19, 2016

Fayose blamed President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling, All Progressives Congress, APC, Fayose, via his Twitter handle, said that, the open display of contempt for free, fair and transparent election by APC in Rivers is capable of setting Nigeria on the path of anarchy, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC under Buhari has destroyed the legacy of free, fair and transparent elections bequeathed on Nigeria by former President Goodluck Jonathan.Tweets below
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) levelled allegations against each other in yesterdays Sta...

s.As early as 7:20am, PDP chairman in Rivers, Felix Obuah, alleged that agents of the federal government have bought in N5billion to Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi to rig the elections.In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, Obuah called on the international community and relevant security agencies to investigate the release and distribution of the alleged N5billion.By 8: 46 am, the PDP called on the Rivers people to resist any form of intimidation, shooting and arrests by fake SARS personnel.PDP leadership called on their supporters to resist any form of intimidation and arrest by fake SARS personnel deployed by the It accused the Rivers State SARS Commander, Akin Fakorede, of seeking to manipulate the exercise in favour of the APC.The APC leadership in Emohua led by Hon. Lucky Worluh also accused PDP of intimidating its supporters in the area.He also alleged that PDP in the state recruited jobless youths, giving them N50,000 each, AK47 and military camouflage to shoot during the re-run election.Worluh said: Wike is busy rising alarm and calling on his supporters to cause problem in the state.He wants to cause distraction but we are going to resist him. Those thugs he recruited cannot have their way in this area we are here to cast our votes.These allegations and counter allegations however did not go down well with some of the political supporters in various wards and units.By 10: 30 am, when electoral materials started moving to various units, a group of youths from Port Harcourt City Local government, Khana, Etche, Eleme and Ahoada took to the street to protest their against perceived manipulations in the exercise.Some of the protesters, who identified themselves as supporters of PDP, said they were kicking against distribution of fake elections materials to their wards and units.One of the protesters Emeka Onu, who spoke to newsmen said, We are supporters of PDP in the state we are here to protest against fake result sheets distributed to different Local government like Emohua, Ikwerre, Gokana, Tai, Khana, Ogba/Egbema /Ndoni Local Government Area, (ONELGA) Ogo/Bolo, Asari Toru and Ahoada-West Local Governments.We are going to resist any form of intimidation by the federal government who is using the Minister of Transport to rig the rerun election in the state. Our leaders gave us the assurance to protest and resist any things inimical to electoral law.Amaechi, the immediate governor of the state, voted in his home town ward 8, unit 14, Ubima community in Ikwerre Local government area of Rivers State at about 12: 15pm.He told reporters that some alleged PDP thugs in the area have intimidated voters and carted away electoral materials.There were cases of ballot box snatching in some of the units in Ikwerre local government area.In ward 8, unit 8 in Ubima community, gunmen believed to be working with PDP leaders in the areas snatched electoral materials.The Rivers State Public Relations Officer, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ahmad Mohammad yesterday confirmed some of the arrests.He however denied the alleged explosion in some part of the state.He said: We have arrested two suspects at Choba axis of the state with result sheets, we have handed them over to Special Crime Investigation Department (SCID) for more investigation.We have also arrested some suspects at Ogali Eleme in Eleme Local government area and other oart of the state.At Abual/Odual local government, there were reports of inducement of voters with money.A native of Abual, Mr. Ella Johnson, who spoke to newsmen said: My brother we are collecting N2000 each here. In fact, that was what made some of us to come out because as of 10 am when the money bag men have not come there was no body in the polling units.In Ogoni axis, there were pockets of violence and protests against fake electoral materials.In Etche and Umuma local government areas, there were reports that majority of the wards in the area did not receive electoral materials.But by 3pm, a report was received that a place in Etche like Okomoko, Umuhiagu, Okehi and others just got their election materials.One of the PDP party agents in the area, Mr. Chiwendu Nkwoala said: This is five minutes to 3pm. INEC has not brought any material to this ward 10, unit 1.We are not voting; we are not ready to vote again. Whoever that took the materials made for my ward should go home with it.
-- A man was

after he set himself on fire outside a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in the city Saturday, according to a published report.

The man was flown to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia after the incident outside the New Road clinic, police told The Press of Atlantic City.

Investigators do not suspect any foul play, the newspaper reported. It was not immediately clear if the man has any connection to the clinic.

A medical helicopter reportedly landed at the Northfield Community School around 2 p.m. to transport the injured man.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
GLOUCESTER TWP. -- Police have asked for the public's help in the 14-year-old investigation of a missing senior citizen.

Margarita Medina, missing since 2002 (Gloucester Twp. Police Department).

Margarita Medina was 90 years old when she disappeared in 2002. She was last seen on the afternoon of Feb. 9 that year, first walking in the Fox Chase Development along Erial Road at about 3 p.m., and then later near the Heritage's convenience store at the intersection of Jarvis and Williamstown roads.

Medina is described as Hispanic, standing approximately 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds, with brown eyes and white hair. She was last seen wearing a blue denim dress, a black hat, black shoes with black laces, a silver watch and a silver bracelet.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Joseph McGuire of the Gloucester Township Police Department's Juvenile and Family Services Unit at (856) 374-5702 or email jmcguire@gtpolice.com. Citizens may also send an anonymous tip via Text Message to Gloucester Township Police, text the keyword TIP GLOTWPPD and your tip message to 888777.

Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
NEWARK -- A city man was shot twice early Sunday, police said.

Medical staff at University Hospital told Newark Police at 3:30 a.m. they had treated a 21-year-old man for two non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

Police interviewed the man and set up a crime scene at Clinton and Jeliff avenues, Newark Police Capt. Derek Glenn said. The investigation suggests the man was targeted.

Detectives are attempting to identify a motive, Glenn said.

Anyone with information was asked to call (877) NWK-TIPS or (877) NWK-GUNS.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Once Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert finds a good road, he stays on it.

After using last year's Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park as a major rung in American Pharoah's climb to immortality in the horse racing world, he returned this year with Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith's Cupid to win the $900,000, Grade 2 Rebel and earn a start in the May 7 Kentucky Derby.

The grey son of the red-hot stallion Tapit beat 12 rivals and earned back $540,000 of his $900,000 Keeneland 2014 purchase price.

More importantly to the Tabor, Magnier and Smith triumverate (a.k.a. Coolmore), Cupid's second win from four lifetime starts earned him 50 qualifying points for the Derby and virtually assured him a start in the Derby field of 20.

Cupid and jockey Martin Garcia changed tactics to win the Rebel. He broke his maiden at Santa Anita by coming from fourth place in a field of seven to gain the win by 5-1/4 lengths.

In the Rebel, Garcia sent his colt from 10th coming out of the gate to first place within the first quarter mile in 22.96 seconds. From there on, he made every pole a winning one getting the mile and a sixteenth in 1 minute, 43.84 seconds over a fast track.

Those looking for insight into Cupid's chances in the Derby found a bright spot when he was challenged at the head of the stretch by Whitmore, the eventual place horse. He successfully repelled that challenge and went on to win by a length and a quarter.

Baffert, speaking by phone from Santa Anita, said, "I knew going in he was a nice horse. But, he had never been tested and that was a pretty strong bunch."

The silver-haired trainer did not comment on his future plans for Cupid. If he opts to stay at Oaklawn, the next step would be the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at a mile and furlong on April 16.

Derby Leader Board

Here are the top 20 (with ties) on the Derby list. (At the end of the qualifying season, ties for the 20th spot will be broken by Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings.)

70 Points.

51 Points.

50 Points.

44 Points.

30 Points.

26 Points.

23 Points.

22 Points.

20 Points.

15 Points.

14 Points.

12 Points.

11 Points.

10 Points.

For current equestrian news see Horse News or check out the online version of the print edition.

Horse News covers everything equestrian in the mid-Atlantic area and can be reached at horsenews@hcdemocrat.com

To subscribe to the print edition call 908-948-1309.

For advertising e-mail mchapman@njadvancemedia.com. Find Horse News on Facebook
Jersey City police car

A police officer was sent to the hospital last night after being dragged by a fleeing suspect's car while breaking up a large crowd on Martin Luther King Drive, a city spokeswoman said.

(Journal File Photo)

JERSEY CITY -- A police officer was sent to the hospital last night after being dragged by a fleeing suspect's car while breaking up a large crowd on Martin Luther King Drive, a city spokeswoman said.

At about 11:30 p.m., officers were called to disperse a disruptive crowd of 20 to 25 people near the Salem-Lafayette public housing complex, spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

Jeremy Rinnick, 25, of Salem Lafayette Court, began cursing and yelling at officers, she said.

A short time later, police noticed Rinnick get into his car to leave the area. Officers attempted to stop Rinnick and arrest him for inciting a riot, Morrill said.

Rinnick then punched one of the officers and "drove off violently dragging (the officer) with his vehicle," she said.

He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, eluding, resisting arrest, obstruction, and inciting a riot, Morrill said.

Police then arrested Jamachal Torrez 24, of Grant Avenue, after a second large crowd formed. Torrez also yelled and cursed at police, "took a fighting stance," refused to leave the area, and then fought with the arresting officer, Morrill said.

Police found Torrez had two open warrants for bail jumping. He was charged with obstruction, resisting arrest, and inciting a riot, Morrill said.

The injured police officer was treated at Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health for minor injuries to his left ankle and knees. He has since been released, Morrill said.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
"Jean Georges told me that the best presence at a table is a chef's presence,'' Ryan DePersio says inside Battello in Jersey City.

Which explains why DePersio, name-dropping legendary restaurateur Jean Georges Vongerichten with aplomb, is personally delivering dishes to our table at his casual-chic waterfront restaurant.

DePersio, who burst upon the scene at age 25 with the opening of Fascino in Montclair (The New York Times noted he was "born to run a restaurant''), was making sure every detail was perfect as my crew aboard the Munchmobile settled in for lunch as part of my search for N.J.'s best Italian restaurant.

DePersio, who has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris and Florence, divides his time between Battello; Kitchen Step, also in Jersey City; Fascino; and Nico at NJPAC in Newark, all restaurants where he is chef/partner.

But it is surely no coincidence he was at Battello the day the Munchmobile pulled into the Newport Yacht Club & Marina, where Battello commands a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline.

"There are a thousand chefs out there that are a hundred times better than me,'' he says at one point.

His sons' names are tattooed on each arm, and his impeccably coiffed hair is the object of amusement and awe even among staff.

"Is there a great hair competition?'' someone wondered on my Instagram account (themunchmobile), where you can find photos of every dish sampled in my two-month mission.

Our pasta-filled project culminates with the live reveal of the winner at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, when I will walk, unannounced, through the door of N.J.'s best Italian restaurant. You can watch the live stream at nj.com.

DePersio credits his Sicilian grandmother and his mother as influences; Battello, big and airy, focuses on Italian-accented seafood.

"This course keeps me from the svelte body I used to have,'' he says, laughing, bringing a plate of tagliatelle with red clam sauce to the table.

Our Munchers were delighted from start to finish. Dave Schwartz found the appetizers "downright phenomenal,'' with the Wagyu beef tartare and the salt baked chiogga beets the standouts. His favorite pasta dish was the short rib and Fontina francobilli (ravioli), and he named the sage and garlic roasted chicken the day's best entree.

Bob Dowd called the pancetta-wrapped scallops "succulent,'' and praised the "very healthy serving of lobster'' in the lobster risotto.

Karen Meldrum said she "adored'' both appetizers, and said there wasn't one main course she "wouldn't have gladly had seconds or thirds'' of.

"I would consider moving my wedding to Battello if I didn't already have a deposit down elsewhere,'' said the bride-to-be.

My favorite dishes: First visit, gnocchi. Second visit, tagliatelle and little neck clams.

Why this restaurant can win it all: Great dining environment, with its unparalleled views of New York City. Ambitious, talented chef who insists on high-end ingredients.

AUGUSTINO'S KITCHEN & BAR, HOBOKEN

Small, cozy, dimly-lit, no credit cards, with reservations dutifully recorded in a thick ledger.

That's Augustino's, which opened the day after Thanksgiving in 1997. "This used to be my friend's father's deli,'' says affable bartender Lenny D'Elia.

"If you have any problems,'' he says by way of introduction, "just throw something at me.''

"A momma-in-the-kitchen-type-of-place, totally different from Battello's,'' is how Dave Schwartz described Augustino's. Co-owner and hostess Sharon Yandoli addresses regulars with down-to-earth language, and the kitchen, manned by head chef Milen Ivanov and his crew, is more difficult to maneuver in and out of than a Hoboken parking space.

"Hello, my moist friend,'' D'Elia says to Muncher Dave Schwartz, whose shirt was drenched after a dash in a downpour up Washington Street.

Reservations are difficult to come by, but at 5:30 p.m., when the restaurant opens, or after 9:30, you should be able to nab a table.

The no-credit card rule is a long-standing tradition, but some customers apparently have thought it didn't apply to them.

"We had a guy in here who said, 'I have an American Express black card, which I can use to charge goods and services all over the world,' '' D'Elia recalled. "I said, but you can't use it to charge a plate of farfalle here.' ''

"Definitely a heavier, heartier selection of Italian dishes,'' Karen Meldrum said of the menu.

The pork chops with sauteed peppers are a monstrous, caveman-worthy dish, each chop seemingly big enough to feed a family of four, with room for leftovers.

"The pork chops (and) the hot peppers . . . were doing a tango on my taste buds,'' Dowd said. His two favorite desserts: the tartuffo and the cheesecake.

While he wasn't drying out, Schwartz happily chowed down. He called the artichoke heart Francaise "outstanding,'' and admired the "very tender'' pork chops And the homemade cannoli were his favorite dessert.

My favorite dishes: First visit, pork chops. Second visit, zuppa di pesce.

Why this restaurant can win it all: Winning combination of old-school atmosphere and good food. Friendly waitstaff and bartenders.

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram.
IMG_0269.JPG

Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson with Rev. Dr. John H. Harris of Gililee Baptist Church at the Trenton church's 100th anniversary.

(Lindsay Rittenhouse)

TRENTON - When the choir broke out in song on Sunday, no member of Galilee Baptist Church could refrain from standing up to sing clap and sway along to the music, not even Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson.

The church celebrated its 100th anniversary with prayers, songs, guest and church speakers and a reception.

A Galilee deacon leading the choir in song at the church's 100th anniversary service.

"In this country, 26 churches a year wind up closing their doors forever," Rev. Dr. John Harris, Galilee's seventh pastor, said. "So to make it to 100 years is something to shout about."

Harris said "I won't lie to you," keeping the church running was not always an easy task.

"We've had our ups and downs," Harris said. "We've had money problems. We've had some members walk away. But we're still here."

Harris then introduced Jackson - who sat in a middle pew, blending in with the other churchgoers.

Jackson said - addressing the church from behind the podium - that if the Galilee Baptist Church could last 100 years "there is no telling what God can do."

"Building community, that's what this church has done," Jackson said. "We congratulate Rev. (O.C.) Kelly who was the first pastor and we thank this pastor (Harris) for almost four decades of leadership."

Harris became the seventh pastor of the church on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the first Sunday in June 1987.

Harris helped bring hundreds of new members into the church as he set up different training and orientation classes. He also expanded on various Galilee groups and organizations such as the Missionary Society, Ushers Ministry and the Music Department, a church history says.

The Galilee Baptist Church was established in March of 1916 on Church Street in West Trenton. After a few months it expanded into East Trenton, setting up headquarters at the old Jefferson Public School building on Escher Street, the anniversary program said.

The Galilee Baptist Church moved to its current location T 440 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. in 1956 under Rev. Semuel M. Bagley - who had been appointed pastor in 1935.

A statement was read during the anniversary service from U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.

"Galilee Baptist Church has provided a place for members to gather with their neighbors to worship and preach," Booker's statement read. "Congratulations to this wonderful church."

A member from a Baptist church in Georgia also made an appearance at the March 20 service to congratulate Galilee.

The anniversary celebration will continue into April with various events such as a banquet on April 23 at Erini Restaurant on River Road.

Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PERTH AMBOY -- Perth Amboy police and firefighters immediately rescued a 25-year-old man who jumped into the Raritan River on Friday morning from the Victory Bridge, a location with a history of suicide attempts, city officials said.

The rescue effort occurred when several hours of negotiations with police officers on the bridge ended with the man leaping into the water below, according to a statement from Perth Amboy Deputy Chief Lawrence Cattano.

By that point, the city's marine units were already in place to rescue the man, Cattano said.

"Fortunately, the outstanding coordination between all Police and Fire Units involved allowed for the immediate rescue efforts and to bring it to its conclusion as safely as possible," Cattano said.

The city's police department initially received a call at about 8:45 a.m. Friday about a man on the southbound side of the bridge who was standing on the outside of the railing and looking to jump, Cattano said.

A police sergeant soon arrived at the scene and established a dialogue with the man, Cattano said. The sergeant was accompanied by other police officers from Perth Amboy and Sayreville, Cattano said. The man was upset and threatening to jump into the river, Cattano said.

Authorities closed the bridge to vehicular traffic and marine units from the Perth Amboy police and fire departments set up positions in the water, Cattano said.

But the negotiations ended about 11:15 a.m., Cattano said.

"The individual indicated that he wanted to come over the rail to safety, then abruptly fought and pushed the assisting officers away and jumped to the water below," Cattano said.

The police and fire marine units immediately pulled the man out of the water and placed him aboard a fire vessel, where they provided medical assistance to him before turning the man over to EMS units on the shore, Cattano said.

The state-owned bridge, which carries Route 35 over the river from Perth Amboy to Sayreville, has been a popular destination for people seeking to end their live, leading to its nickname, the "suicide bridge."

In 2014, state contractors installed a fence along the rails of the bridge, a measure that city officials hoped would make suicide attempts more difficult.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
HOLMDEL -- A Keansburg man was charged with DWI after he crashed into a pole Saturday morning, police said.

Police responded to the area of Palmer Avenue and Middle Road shortly after 8 a.m. after receiving a report of a possible motor-vehicle crash.

When police arrived, they found a blue Nissan Maxima with heavy front-end damage, Holmdel police Lt. Michael Pigott said in a statement sent to news outlets.

Police determined that the driver, 63-year-old Haji Hussein, crashed into a pole off the roadway, Pigott said.

Hussein was injured in the single-vehicle crash, and was taken to a local hospital, Pigott said. It was there that authorities determined Hussein was drunk and charged him with DWI, Pigott said. He was also charged with failure to maintain a traffic lane.

The westbound lanes of Middle Road were closed for approximately two hours Saturday morning for the cleanup.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
599037325_94d5e95011.jpg

Downtown in Basking Ridge

(Town website)

Basking Ridge, a section of Bernards Township, was originally settled in the 1720s by British and Scottish people escaping religious persecution.

And so, one would think, it's old enough to know, to appreciate, and to be mindful of its roots. But, judging by the news of late, that appreciation seems in doubt -- well, at least among some current residents.

An artist's rendering of the proposed mosque. (Courtesy of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP)

After four years and 39 public hearings, shifting requirements and requests for changes, a proposal to build a mosque in the downtown district -- which, by the way, is zoned for houses of worship -- has been rejected by the Bernards Township planning board amid barely veiled expressions of hostility to Islam and to its adherents who live in and near this community.

The news stories are ugly, painful to read, and, no doubt, embarrassing to many of the town's residents. And just this week, the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation in the denial of the application.

The bare facts are these: The Islamic Society of Basking Ridge, led by the former mayor of the town, Mohammed Ali Chaudry, purchased a four-acre plot of ground, on Church Street, with the intention of erecting a mosque, which architecturally would have played down some traditional features (such as, minarets) to try to minimize any resistance. Those plans, say the society's architects and engineers, complied with "every conceivable building requirement."

The building plans, however, generated opposition from the start. And so, after the long and costly process led to a rejection, with no other recourse, the Islamic Society filed a lawsuit asserting that the planning board's action violates the rights of its members to freely practice their faith and to enjoy the equal protection of the law.

Basking Ridge doesn't need to lose a lawsuit to make things right. How?

First, a look back at some early thinking might be of value to its current residents. Indeed, presidents Jefferson and Madison, and later Eisenhower took pains to underscore religious freedom and to be sure that Muslims were included in the list of the religious communities to protect.

The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, proposed by Jefferson in 1776, supported freedom of religion and opposed a state-established religion; it specifically included Muslims. The Virginia law became the foundation of the religious freedom protections later delineated in the U.S. Constitution.

While people may argue that "separation of church and state" and religious freedom that applies to everybody is a 20th-century invention, it's not so. Clearly, it was something that was being talked about and thought about during the founding of the United States.

In more recent U.S. history, while attending the inauguration of a mosque in Washington, D.C., Eisenhower assured his "Islamic friends, that under the American Constitution, under American tradition, and in American hearts, this center, this place of worship, is just as welcome as could be a similar edifice of any other religion.

"Indeed, America would fight with her whole strength for your right to have here your own church and worship according to your conscience."

This quote appears in the society's complaint.

Even more recently, President Obama, in his first visit to a mosque in America, framed Islam as "deeply American and its critics as violating the nation's cherished value of religious freedom. "

How far we -- still -- have to go to nourish that freedom!

Let's hope that the citizens of Basking Ridge can show the way. Let's hope that they broaden the discussion and reconsider the action of the planning board. And, perhaps, too, that citizens use this experience as a teachable moment in the schools, churches, and in the community at large, especially given the political turmoil, nationally, and the churning of hatreds and stoking of fears in the mix.

The nation's history and your history, Basking Ridge, suggests a better present than is being shown to the world. You must want to be a community that understands history, to understand that by popular will and law, this nation chose to resist any state sponsorship of religion or any preference for one faith over another, to keep state and church separate in order to provide freedom to all, not just to some.

Linda Stamato is the co-director of the Center for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and a faculty fellow at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
ras-baraka-newark-police.jpg

Mayor Ras Baraka, city council members and community activists discuss the civilian review board at a press conference at Newark City Hall (Vernal Coleman | NJ Advance Media)

People in Newark don't trust the cops. No need to wonder why: A recent Department of Justice investigation found all kinds of civil rights abuses, particularly against blacks. Too often, police officers aren't punished for excessive force, improper searches and wrongful arrests.



Taxpayers have forked out millions of dollars for police misconduct, everything from suspicious broken jaws to bogus home raids and planted evidence.



But the city is finally on the brink of reform. More than five years after the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey first petitioned the feds to investigate, the police department is about to get not only a federal monitor, but also an independent civilian review board to investigate allegations of officer misconduct.

RELATED: Newark council approves police oversight board, union vows to sue



Nearly every major U.S. city already has civilian oversight for police. It's high time Newark did, too. This board, approved by the council last week, will be the first of its kind in New Jersey, and one of the strongest in the nation.



Mayor Ras Baraka wisely stopped short of giving it direct disciplinary power over officers, which might create a kangaroo court. But it will have its own trained investigators working alongside -- but not replacing -- the internal affairs unit of the Newark police department.



This added oversight is sorely needed in Newark, thanks to the shameful failure of the department to police its own. Out of 261 internal affairs complaints over a two-year period, just one was substantiated -- a red flag for federal civil rights investigators.

People need to believe that they will get a fair hearing. The civilian review board acts like a jury, and if it decides that police behaved improperly, then Newark's public safety director must impose a penalty under set discipline guidelines -- much like a judge would. (The only exception is if the director decides the board made a clear error, a high standard to meet.)



The board will have the power to subpoena officers to testify or provide documents, and investigate not just civil rights issues, but response times and how police resources are spent.



Yes, it will face legal and logistical challenges. Police unions have universally opposed civilian oversight, and Newark's are vowing to take this to court, saying it's not part of a collective bargaining agreement.



We must also make sure that the board, which focuses on police department rules, doesn't interfere with criminal investigations. That's why the city's ordinance says the civilian oversight board will begin its investigations only after prosecutors have finished their work.



How the board coordinates with internal affairs is still an open question to determined by rule making. But Newark is off to a promising start. While its ability to take this effort seriously and fund it will also determine whether or not it's successful, on paper, this is exactly what the city should be doing based on best practices around the country.



Newark needs a long-term solution to make sure the reforms instituted by the feds don't disappear once they leave. It must build something permanent, to reassure a public that's been brutalized. The civilian review board helps accomplish just that.

MORE: Recent Star-Ledger editorials

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There are 362 more stun guns being used by police in New Jersey than there were a year ago.

That's mostly a positive development: Many times, a suspect must be stopped in his tracks, and Tasers can give officers a less-lethal option than his sidearm.

But changes in the "Conducted Energy Device" guidelines just three weeks ago will undoubtedly lead to escalating deployment, which underscores the need for further training. We had a vivid reminder of this Sunday night in Englewood, where the tasing of a man was caught on video and sparked a debate about how the police interpret resistance and danger itself.

It also provides the starting point to assess the conditions under which these weapons should be used.

The old stun gun directives were so restrictive that most departments had ceased using them. That's unfortunate: They are a life-saving alternative, as we surmised after the series of police shootings of mentally ill suspects in 2013, when stun guns were still rare and costly.

Former Attorney General John J. Hoffman relaxed the guidelines because of such cases. He added that officers used stun guns only 70 times in the last four years, and that there was no evidence of abuse or major injury in those cases.

Still, odds are that we'll have more events like the one in Englewood, which was disturbing, even if the video may not have captured the whole story. What we see is a man on all fours in the street, surrounded by three cops - still resistant but overmatched - and only then getting struck by the stun gun.

The sequence was a red flag for Ari Rosmarin of the ACLU: "Resisting arrest is a crime," he concedes, "but the idea that being on your knees is an appropriate time to be tased - when tasing can kill - raises serious questions as to whether it's necessary to use it."

(The ACLU has documented 547 taser deaths from 2001 to 2014.)

The Englewood police said the man had thrown a punch minutes earlier, which was not caught on camera. Either way, they can say this action was protected by the new regulations.

The new policy allows the CED to be used when someone actively resists arrest or poses substantial risk - fair clarifications, because the previous policy allowed use only if the officer believed he faced death or serious injury.

The officer can also fire if "the person resists a lawful arrest by using or threatening to use physical force." So that "threat" can actually be verbal, if the officer believes it to be a "substantial risk."

That leaves room for interpretation, perhaps the toughest part of his job.

But it also leaves room for overuse.

Cops need all the protection they can get, and relaxing the CED rules is one way to provide it. But this is a case of more power requiring more responsibility, and it's good that the new guidelines include a greater emphasis on training.

The state must assure that these weapons of self-protection - which we know can be used as weapons of abuse and torture - stay in the hands of well-trained cops.

More: Recent Star-Ledger editorials.

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BY GARY E. MEYER

On March 24, the Jersey City Employment and Training Program will host the 3rd annual prison reentry conference at St. Peter's University in Jersey City. The conference features a powerful line-up of featured speakers, such as the United States Attorney for New Jersey, a national voice on civil rights, the mayor of New Jersey's largest city and other esteemed thought leaders.

Each one will undoubtedly espouse the virtues of helping ex-offenders re-enter society as productive citizens. As an ex- non-violent offender myself - more than 24 years removed from a short prison term and still unable to mainstream myself into society - I have heard these speeches many times before. To the mildly informed, they sound great. However, to an entire class of non-violent offenders who, because of a loophole in New Jersey law, can never make the transition to society no matter how deserving, it's more of the same empty talk on non-solutions to a simple problem.

What is the simple problem? New Jersey is among the few states with a law that classifies second degree drug crimes by non-violent offenders as unexpungable. What that means is that once you are convicted of this crime, it stays on your public record in perpetuity precluding you from being productive ("Ban the box" does NOT preclude employers from banning qualified job candidates from employment consideration based on their conviction record).

That means that anytime you seek employment, no matter how ideally qualified you may be for a position, your record comes up on a background check. It means that anytime you seek a professional license, no matter how gifted you are in a trade or profession, you are ineligible. It means that if you ever want to run for elective office and serve the public with dedication and passion, you are barred from participating in the most demonstrative platform of Democracy.

I have fought to not allow these limitations to interfere with my own personal journey of reformation and reentry after my conviction and prison sentence of three years from a 1992 conviction. After my release from prison, I was determined to transform who I was and to contribute to the betterment of the people and the world around me.

I ended up graduating from the Wharton School at the top 5% of my class, volunteering as my city's animal coordinator, mentoring other felons, and freely giving resources too numerous to mention in this article but so much that a petition for pardon has been endorsed by the NJ NAACP, two former NJ prosecutors (including one sitting on NJ parole board) and Michael DeLeon from Steered Straight.

But for people like me - and there are thousands in New Jersey - there is no path back to true assimilation into society. The unexpungable offense cannot be erased by merit alone. It takes an act of the New Jersey Legislature to change the law.

I have met with several members of the Legislature, both Republican and Democrat, and presented the case for reform over the past year. I have reminded them that this is not only an issue of fairness, it's an issue of economics. On conservative calculations alone, one example is a single expungement can save NJ residents $758,710 in incarceration and social services verses getting viable taxable income from a productive assimilated felon.

In my case, much more taxable income would have been captured had I been allowed to have an expungment. Yet despite every assurance that the case for changing the law is without debate, no bill or amendment has been drafted to make a simple change. Why?

Prison reentry programs are well-intended and if they are implemented smartly, can yield bona fide benefits to the ex-offender and the employers and others that open doors of opportunity to those committed to turning their lives around. In my own business, I have actively recruited and employed ex-offenders so I state this from experience.

But, esoteric discussions on different types of reentry programs and conferences that speak to the challenges of reentry in the abstract miss one very key and simple point - New Jersey can accelerate the assimilation of thousands of non-violent ex-offenders with a simple change in the law. Since I do not fit the narrative of graduating from one of these programs and have accomplished so much on my own, my story will not be shared otherwise.

I am registered to attend the March 24th conference. Although I am not one of the speakers, I am determined to ensure that my voice of reason, fairness and common sense will be heard.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Gary E. Meyer is a U.S. Navy veteran, alumnus Magna Cum Laude of The Wharton School; University of Pennsylvania, president and owner of Gementerprises in Millville, and a resident of Merchantville.
In 1968, when I was still in elementary school, the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago during the last week of August.

Although I was young, I remember seeing the convention on my family's small black-and-white television. I will never forget the riots that weighed heavily on the entire nation. The murders of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy; a growing intolerance of the Vietnam War and the military draft; the civil rights movement and a political system determined to "take America back" all converged at the end of a long, hot, summer. The result was mayhem.

As I watched on TV, on the streets outside the convention, 10,000 young protesters fought with twice as many police officers and National Guardsmen. I didn't fully comprehend what was happening. Looking back, I see that a national movement was taking place, and all of America, as well as the international community, were witnesses.

This July, the Republican National Convention will be held in Cleveland, and the mood of the Donald Trump faction is seemingly more ugly and violence-prone than the "old guard" in 1968. Reportedly, the City of Cleveland is accepting bids for thousands of police riot suits, collapsible batons and steel barricades, and likely stocking up on tear gas. In other words, they are preparing for the worst, and rightfully so.

Over the last several weeks, Trump rallies have gotten progressively more brazen and violent. I would not be surprised if someone is seriously injured or killed.

You have seen black students at Valdosta State University forcibly removed from a Trump rally on their campus for no justifiable reason. You have seen black and Muslim protesters assaulted, pushed and kicked, with objects thrown at them as they are dragged away by Trump's staff.

On March 9 in North Carolina, 78-year-old Trump supporter John McGraw sucker-punched a protester who was already being escorted out of a Trump event. McGraw later stated he enjoyed "knocking the hell out of that big mouth". He continued, "We don't know who he is, but we know he's not acting like an American ... The next time we see him we might have to kill him."

A threat to kill a man because he has different political beliefs has mostly gone unchallenged. Meanwhile, free-speech advocates remain silent. A few days ago, Trump stated that his supporters may riot if he is denied the GOP presidential nomination.

What we are witnessing reflects the attitudes of many who are empowered by Trump's "tough guy" rhetoric and persona. That 78-year-old in North Carolina is basically repeating what he and other Trump backers have heard from the candidate. How long before they act upon it? The convention in Cleveland looks like a powder keg, and the fuse has been lit.

What is most unfortunate is that this situation, this "Trumpism," was both predictable and preventable.

Eight years ago a new faction reared its head within the Republican Party, angry that a black man, Democrat Barrack Obama, had been elected as president. They mobilized coast to coast to destroy and discredit his presidency. The president endured false personal attacks directed at him and his family. He was derisively labeled a Muslim, then a socialist, and even a terrorist.

Soon thereafter, Donald Trump became the face of the "birther movement," foolishly questioning his citizenship and hisState of Hawaii birth certificate. Some elected officials felt so empowered to be disrespectful that in 2009, as Obama gave a speech to Congress, a Republican South Carolina congressman interrupted him by yelling out, "You lie."

During all of this, most Republican leadership was silent. Many were happy to see a tide of anger and animosity rising against Obama, and plotting how to use it to their political advantage.

Other than John McCain -- Obama's 2008 GOP opponent who firmly but politely advised a supporter that Obama was not an "Arab" as she perceived -- Republican leaders failed to shut down the rhetoric. After Mitt Romney became the 2012 GOP nominee, he welcomed Trump's support, ignoring his incendiary statements.

Only now, when Trump is perceived as a threat to the GOP establishment, have leaders like Romney admitted publicly that things are out of control. But his press conference imploring Republican voters not to support Trump is akin to what happens when you bring home a lion cub as a pet. The little fella teething on your hand seemed to be so cute, when it really was instinctively practicing to eat you once it got big and strong enough to do so.

Now there is a full grown, hungry lion outside the door, and the GOP establishment is no longer in charge.

They are not seated at the table.

They are on the menu.

Milton W. Hinton Jr. is director of equal opportunity for the Gloucester County government. He is past president of the Gloucester County Branch NAACP. His column states his personal views, not those of any organization or agency. Email: mwhjr678@gmail.com.
As the old saying goes, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.



That describes perfectly the situation in which Donald Trump finds himself.

Last week both he and his No. 1 supporter, Gov. Chris Christie, made mutterings about various plots and conspiracies to deny the Donald the Republican presidential nomination even if he shows up in Cleveland with a "YUGE" lead in delegates.



Christie termed any such maneuvers "very dangerous." Trump warned "I think you'd have riots" if that occurred.



Trump is poised to pick up plenty of delegates in the winner-take-all primaries between now and June. (Check this page at RealClearPolitics and you'll see he has big leads in the polls in California and New York.)

So what's he got to be afraid of?



Plenty, says one Republican insider who's helped pull off some slick maneuvers of his own.



That's Doug Wead, a 69-year-old former official in the Bush 41 administration who backed Ron Paul's bid last time around.



The Ron Paul people had a great ground game in 2012 thanks to an ample supply of young volunteers. That permitted them to outsmart the party leaders when it came to delegate selection.







Perhaps the best example came in Iowa. The newspapers all reported that Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum finished in almost a dead heat for first in the caucuses. But their people didn't stick around long enough.



"After you vote, you stay to pick the actual delegates," Wead said.



That process can be controlled by the people with the most staying power and organizational skills.

Thanks to some nice infighting, the Paul campaign ended up with 22 delegates to Romney's six.

Santorum got zero -- despite finishing first on caucus night.



Those Paul votes never got counted, though. Romney pushed for a rule change that required a candidate to have majorities among the delegations from eight slates to have his name placed in nomination. The goal was to deprive Paul of a chance to address the convention.



That move was affirmed by a voice vote of the entire convention. The voices sounded equally loud, but the chairman announced "The ayes have it." He was reading from a TelePrompter that had been programmed before the vote.

That's politics, said Wead.



"This isn't constitutional law," he said. "This is the private country club called the Grand Old Party and it writes its own rules."







The question of the moment is how those rules could be bent to deny the Donald the nomination.

Wead listed 15 dirty tricks the party could try in a blog post headlined "How the Establishment Will Now Try to Steal the Nomination from Donald Trump."



Included is an effort to eliminate that eight-state threshold for getting nominated. That worked for the establishment last time, but at the moment only Trump has a majority of delegates in more than eight states.



But the most important item on Wead's list is "Make sure that you have your own people chosen as delegates to the convention."



We in the news racket report those delegate totals as mere numbers. But that's a mistake, said Wead.



"Whoever the delegates are as names - real people - they can rewrite the rules," he said. "They're like a condo homeowners association."



Those delegates may be pledged to Trump on the first ballot. But they're not pledged to him on rule changes.



"I've never seen a national convention where they didn't change the rules," he said.



If they wanted to be really outrageous, he said, the delegates could even vote to unbind themselves on the first ballot. But that would be "seismic," he said, and the party leaders probably wouldn't try it.



However there are all sorts of maneuvers going on in the states right now to fill those delegations with anti-Trumpers, he said. Normally a candidate has a political organization to fight this sort of thing. Not Trump, said Wead.



"He has been abysmal at the ground game," Wead said. "The result is the Republican establishment smells blood and feels like they can take this away from him."



That was the point of Romney's recent tirade against Trump, he said.



"I think Romney was making a serious effort to see if there was an opening for him to come in and save the party," he said. "But I think he had to backtrack because the backlash was so bad."



That's the party leaders' problem. If they put in a retread like Romney, no jury in the world would convict the rioters for burning down the hall.



But the only realistic challenger is Cruz, and "Some of them hate Cruz more than they hate Trump," said Wead.



Probably the best hope for the party is that Trump runs up such a large majority that he is able to make a deal, as he likes to say.



"I think we might underestimate Trump in that regard," said Wead. "He's going to find a way to settle this in advance."



Trump as the party pick?



That really is a riot.

PLUS: One reason the GOP might be embarrassed to try such stunts is that the media are already focusing on the party rules three months before the convention. The other day Bloomberg Politics had a piece making many of the same points Wead covered in his post.

Here's an example of how Trump could end up with unfaithful delegates in a state in which on paper it looks like he won:

"He won every one of South Carolina's 50 delegates, by finishing first statewide and in each congressional district, but Trump is powerless to fill that slate with his own people. To serve as a national delegate from South Carolina, one has to have been a delegate to the 2015 state convention--held more than a month before Trump announced his candidacy--and the approximately 1,000 eligible voters come from the same pool."

The problem the party leaders have is that this time around their machinations will be examined under a media microscope.

BELOW: Check the voice vote below. Also note the way in which the Paul people outsmarted the establishment in Iowa. That works both ways, and we may see the empire strike back this year.

By the way, John Sununu will be a key player in this convention and at the moment is expected to be among those fighting to stop Trump.

AND, over at the Neocon Review, they're openly calling for the party leaders to steal the nomination from Trump.
WASHINGTON -- When Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference Monday night, a New Jersey rabbi plans to walk out of the room.

Rabbi Jesse Olitzky of Congregation Beth El in South Orange is helping to lead a protest against what he called "the bigotry that Mr. Trump has spread during his campaign" under the banner of "Come Together Against Hate," a play on the AIPAC conference theme of "Come Together."

"As a rabbi, I feel like I have a responsibility to not stand idly by when I see hateful rhetoric," Olitzky said. "We need to consider what the ethical values are that we hold dear as Jews and what is our responsibility to stand up to the bigotry that Mr. Trump has spread during his campaign."

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not respond to a request for comment.

AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby, routinely invites all of the presidential candidate to address its annual conference in Washington.

Trump has been attacked by his Republican rivals for saying he would be neutral on Israel. He said was simply referring to the fact that he would treat both sides equally in negotiations to bring peace to the Middle East.

"If I go in, I'll say I'm pro-Israel," Trump said during the March 10 GOP debate in Miami. "But I would like to at least have the other side think I'm somewhat neutral as to them, so that we can maybe get a deal done."

At the Republican Jewish Coalition presidential forum in December, Trump was booed when he refused to declare Jerusalem the undivided capital of Israel, saying he would not prejudge negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, as their capital.

Besides Trump, who is leading in opinion polls and in the delegate count for the GOP presidential nomination, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, also are scheduled to speak.

Olitzky said Trump was a special case.

"I feel personally a responsibility to walk out during his speech," Olitzky said. "I hope those who will be present who are also feel alarmed by Mr. Trump's incitement of bigotry will walk out as a statement as well. Remaining in the room to hear him speak can be construed as condoning his views and his perspectives."

Olitzky said that those boycotting Trump's speech will gather elsewhere to discuss Jewish ethics and values.

Michael Cohen, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and special counsel to Trump, addressed the charges of racism on Twitter.

.@JTSantucci Anyone who believes that @realDonaldTrump is a racist doesn't know #Trump at all. Shame on the protesting rabbis with #AIPAC  Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) March 18, 2016

Trump kicked off his campaign by describing Mexicans as "bringing drugs," "bringing crime," and "rapists."

He later said he would deport all 11 million unauthorized immigrants, called for a ban on admitting Muslims to the U.S., and didn't initially renounce the support he received from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.

The Anti-Defamation League in February called on Trump to "unequivocably" put distance between him and white supremacists. "It is time for him to come out firmly against these bigoted views and the people that espouse them," said national chairman Marvin D. Nathan and chief executive officer Jonathan A. Greenblatt.

At the RJC forum, Trump told its members that they wouldn't support him because he didn't want their campaign contributions and therefore wouldn't be beholden to them.

"You're not going support me even though I'm the best thing that would happen to Israel," Trump said. "You're not going to support me because I don't want your money."

Following his statement, the ADL's Greenblatt said that Trump's comments were not intended to be anti-Semitic but "could be interpreted that way" and asked the billionaire businessman to "clarify that this was not his intention, and that he rejects the traditional stereotypes about Jews and money."

Democratic consultant Aaron Keyak, former aide to then-U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9th Dist.), said Trump's presence on the GOP ticket will make it easier for his party to attract more Jewish support. The share of the Jewish vote going to the Democratic presidential nominee dropped to 69 percent in 2012 from 80 percent in 1992, according to exit polls.

"Our best ally in increasing the Jewish vote is Donald Trump's words and actions himself," Keyak said.

New Jersey has the fourth largest Jewish population in the U.S., with an estimated 321,200 adults, according to Brandeis University's Steinhardt Social Research Institute 2012 population estimate.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook
Two New Jersey State Police troopers were hurt in a crash, March 20, 2016. (File photo)

BEDMINSTER TOWNSHIP -- Two New Jersey State Police troopers were hospitalized following a crash Sunday morning on I-287 northbound just south of I-78, police said.

Two State Police cars were involved, police at the Somerville Station said.

The troopers were taken to Morristown Medical Center. Police did not go into detail about their injuries.

Police said they were still investigating the crash.

The northbound express lanes are closed for the accident investigation, police said. The local lanes are open.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
4 things to know about Theo's, now open in Metairie
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 79F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 67F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. High 82F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.
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Superintendent compensation is slightly higher in southwest Iowa than across the state, on average, based on an analysis of area districts contracts with school chiefs.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette conducted an analysis of superintendent contracts from 314 school districts, the results of which were published last Sunday to mark Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information and the value public records have to communities across the United States.

The Gazette requested records from Iowas 336 school districts, with 93.5 percent responding. Griswold was the only district in The Nonpareils coverage area that did not respond to the initial request, but Superintendent Dana Kunze promptly provided a copy to The Nonpareil upon request.

Analysis by The Gazette showed a median salary of $135,000 with four weeks of vacation, on average, and a variety of benefits typical for public school districts de facto CEOs, who manage multimillion-dollar budgets and employ up to thousands of people.

The 271 superintendents whose compensation was reviewed are largely new to their districts, with nearly half on the job for fewer than five years and 12 percent finishing their first year at superintendent. Many superintendents are splitting their time between two districts or serve in additional roles, such as a building principal, trends that are mirrored in southwest Iowa as well.

The Nonpareil conducted an analysis, based on The Gazettes data plus additional reporting, of the 29 public school districts in its coverage area in southwest Iowa, showing superintendent compensation is slightly higher than the average for the rest of the state, although Council Bluffs may throw off the comparison.

Across southwest Iowa, the average superintendent salary was about $142,000, according to The Nonpareils analysis. Council Bluffs Superintendent Martha Bruckner has the largest paycheck, with an annual salary of $215,000, although her district is more than three times the next nearest in terms of student enrollment.

The second through fourth largest districts were also the second through fourth largest in terms of compensation, although Harlan pays about $12,300 more to Justin Wagner than Glenwood pays Devin Embray, even though Glenwood is considerably larger than Harlan. Fifth in terms of enrollment, Atlantic, pays Michael Amstein wages that are more middle-of-the-pack despite being one of the areas fifth largest school district.

All three superintendent  Wagner, Embray and Amstein  took over their school districts in 2010. Bruckner has been at the helm in Council Bluffs since 2007.

On the other end of the salary table is Tony Weers, the outgoing superintendent of Tri-Center, who is paid $122,000, the least in total of any of areas full-time superintendents. The Gazette analysis combined the incomes of superintendents whose pays are split between two districts, which also receive incentive dollars from the state.

Paul Honnold, the outgoing superintendent of Clarinda, is the second lowest paid area superintendent at $123,695. He has been the school districts leader since 1994, while Weers only took over in 2014 and immediately faced a round of budget-cutting that defined his time as superintendent in the Neola-based district.

Farraguts former superintendent, Tom Hinrichs, was the lowest paid overall at $62,500, but his contract was part time and he resigned following the State Board of Educations decision to dissolve the district this summer and place responsibility for its affairs with the Green Hills Area Education Agency instead of local officials.

In past years, Farragut had shared a superintendent with Hamburg, by the districts stopped that deal in 2014. Six of the areas 22 superintendents, or 27 percent, share a superintendent, which is nearly twice the state average of 15 percent, based on The Gazettes analysis. That rate may drop, however, after AHST and Walnut reorganize this summer and with the sharing agreement between Woodbine and Boyer Valley again uncertain following the announcement of shared superintendent Doug Gees upcoming departure.

Other area superintendents serve as principals (like Hamburgs Mike Wells, Sidneys Gregg Cruickshank and Logan-Magnolias Tom Ridder) or other roles (like Gees double duty as curriculum director or Wagners temporary duty as Woodbines interim superintendent last school year).

Southwest Iowa is typical for the state in terms of women serving as superintendents: Bruckner, Deidre Drees of Missouri Valley and Kerri Nelson of Shenandoah. The Gazette found statewide the rate was about 15 percent, and its about 14 percent in the area. National statistics are either dated or unclear, but the superintendency of public school districts remains a male-dominated field despite education generally being a female-dominated profession.

Find the original Gazette analysis, including a link to the data collected by the newspaper, by clicking here.
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Cozad, population 3,934, has earned its recertification in the Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community Program. The city was originally certified in September 2007 and recertified in December 2010 and February 2016. DED Director of Business Development Dan Curran attended a luncheon March 16 to recognize the Citys efforts.

The program is sponsored by the Nebraska Diplomats and administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Designation as a Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community indicates that Cozad is prepared for business growth and ready to meet the needs of companies seeking new business and industrial locations.

During the past five years, the city of Cozad, along with the Cozad Development Corporation and Dawson Area Development, attracted two new manufacturing businesses and five new service and retail businesses. These community additions brought in 26 new jobs and helped two existing businesses expand.

Other community development projects completed over the past five years include:

Creation of the Cozad Community Foundation in 2015

Cozad Telephones $10 million investment in new underground fiber leading to every home and business

Expanded facilities and services, including new equipment, at Cozad Community Hospital

A new $100,000 gallery showcasing featured artists at The Robert Henri Museum

A new $65,000 greenhouse for agriculture education and entrepreneurship training at Cozad Community Schools

A planning and implementation grant, the second of its kind, in the Downtown Revitalization category for facade renovations and alley improvements

Cozads recertification demonstrates our communitys commitment to the continued growth of our economy through the development of new industry, expansion of current businesses, the creation of jobs and support for our local ag producers, said CDC Executive Director, Robyn Geiser.
Longtime KRVN Radio broadcaster Dave Thorell will be inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame during their annual convention on Aug. 16 in Lincoln. Craig Larson serves as General Manager of the Nebraska Rural Radio Association which operates KRVN Radio. He says Thorell has been a cornerstone at KRVN for more than 40 years and describes him as one of the most recognizable voices on the radio throughout Nebraska and Kansas. Im so glad the Nebraska Broadcasters Hall of Fame election committee recognized his contribution to rural America and the broadcast industry. This is a tremendous honor for KRVN and the Nebraska Rural Radio Association.

Thorell injects humor on the air through stories of growing up on the farm and interactions with his father whom he affectionately called The Supreme Commander.

NBA Executive Director Jim Timm says the NBA Hall of Fame was established in 1972 to recognize those individuals who have made important contributions to Nebraska and the nation through their leadership in broadcasting.

Thorell is a native of Loomis and trained at Kearney State College on the campus station KOVF FM. He began his commercial radio career at KUVR AM in Holdrege on Jan. 26, 1969, where he was known as the Fat Man on air and host of the Weekly Swedish Hour. He then joined KRVN Radio in Lexington in September 1974 and has been a mainstay ever since.
More than 40 percent of infants and toddlers in Nebraska face risk factors that threaten their development and leave them at risk for starting kindergarten further behind than their peers. In an effort to help lower that number, North Platte will be one of seven Nebraska communities to receive funding from the Sixpence Early Learning Fund.

The funding is for school districts in partnerships with locally licensed early care and education providers for infants and toddlers at risk. Sixpence is a collaborative funding structure that involves the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Traditionally, Sixpence grants are awarded to school districts working with other local agencies that meet the statutory requirements governing the use of Sixpence funds, providing either center-based or home-based family engagement programs. The latest round of grants is the first that have been made available to partnerships that include licensed child care providers.

North Platte Public Schools, along with our community preschool partners Ladybug Crossing and North Platte Kids Academy, are very excited about receiving the Sixpence Grant, said Chris Vieyra, NPPSD director of special services. This grant will enable us to positively impact and support at-risk children [from ages] birth to 3 in our community.

At-risk children are more likely to struggle in the school system, attain a lower level of education, enter the criminal justice system, develop chronic health problems and earn less as working adults, Vieyra said.

Vieyra said that local educators feel there is a need for a program to support at-risk children in the North Platte area. There are currently no early child care and education programs designed for these children.

The success of Sixpence over the past decade shows Nebraskans understand the value of programs that help parents put kids on the path to success early in life, said Amy Bornemeier, Sixpence administrator and associate vice president of early childhood programs at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, which administers the grant program under the direction of the Sixpence Board of Trustees. Connecting licensed child care providers with school districts and other local partners allows communities to make better use of the existing resources, facilities and early childhood workers available to them.

This project will include a partnership between NPPSD, Ladybug Crossing and North Platte Kids Academy, who serve approximately 70 children from birth to age 3 in five classrooms. A program coordinator will provide coaching and support to improve the quality of care.

The Sixpence Child Care Partnership grants are also being used to address the need for more skilled early childhood professionals. Bornmeier said that the current early childhood workforce is only reaching 7 or 8 percent of infants and toddlers who are considered at risk.

If we are going to get ahead of that problem, we need to find new ways to attract, cultivate and retain more professionals in this field, Bornmeier said. The new grant awards move us in the right direction by using Sixpences blended public-private funds to deliver professional development, technical assistance and other resources to the child care providers that Nebraskas working parents rely upon.

The new Sixpence grants are also connected to Nebraskas Step Up to Quality child care rating and improvement system, a collaboration between the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the Nebraska Department of Education. Step Up to Quality provides training and professional development, formal education and coaching opportunities to participating child care providers and their staff and gives parents the information they need to identify and select quality care environments for their children.
Valparaiso University will host the 2016 Jazz Fest, March 28 through April 2. The festival will feature diverse workshops and performances, including the Benny Green Trio and the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Local middle school and high school bands will perform at 6 p.m. March 28 and 29, with the Valparaiso University Jazz Ensemble in the Harre Union Ballroom. Both performances are free. Local trumpet legend Art Hoyle will join the Valparaiso University Faculty Jazz Trio on March 30; modern guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque is featured on March 31; the Benny Green Trio performs April 1; and the legendary Count Basie Orchestra finishes off the week April 2. (219) 464-6010 or www.valpo.edu/union

'Leonardo Da Vinci: The Genius in Milan'

At the end of the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci spent 18 years in Milan, a period that would leave a lasting impression on the city. Last spring, Milan paid tribute to Leonardo by holding a large exhibition at the Palazzo Reale. Based on this stunning exhibition, Leonardo da Vinci  The Genius in Milan uses a combination of documentary interviews and mise-en-scenes to tell the story of the artists world and the treasures he created against the stunning backdrop of Milan. The film will be shown at Schererville 16 Theatres on March 31. (219) 322-9762 or www.fathomevents.com

Symphonic Voices: Puccini & Vivaldi

The Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus directed by Nancy Menk and South Shore Orchestra directed by Maestro Troy Webdell will perform Puccinis Requiem Aeternam and Antonio Vivaldis Gloria in the groups first joint concert at 7:30 p.m. April 1 at Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. Soloists will include soprano Maura Janton Cock and mezzo-soprano Jamie Caporizo. Marvin Rosen, an accomplished pianist, Hovhaness scholar, radio host and producer of Classical Discoveries in Princeton, New Jersey, will join the orchestra in Alan Hovhaness Janabar. (219) 548-9137 or www.southshoreorchestra.net

'The Sleeping Beauty'

Indiana Ballet Theatre will present The Sleeping Beauty in two performances, April 1 at the Munster High School auditorium and April 9 at Merrillville High Schools Reinhart Auditorium. The Merrillville performance will include a pre-performance high tea. The Sleeping Beauty is a Russian ballet first performed in 1890 with music composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The score was completed in 1889 and is the second of the composers three ballets. (219) 755-4444 or www.ibtnw.org

Visit the South Shore Arts Regional Arts Calendar for more information on current exhibits, concerts, plays and other arts events, SouthShoreArtsOnline.org. Tune in to Lakeshore Public Radio, 89.1 FM, for Eye on the Arts interviews with area artists and arts providers at 8:45 a.m. every Monday morning.
A caregiver for a family member can feel lonely, worn out, and worried. Those feelings and more can be expectedand need to be heard, says Jim Koeling, who co-facilitates a caregiver support group with his wife Pat.

Theyve been facilitating a group for 15 years, and while some participants have had loved ones with cancer or stroke, most are caring for someone with Alzheimers disease or other dementia. People in the group are always relieved theyre not the only ones (going through this experience). They can share with people who have the same things to deal with, says Koeling, whose group meets at Franciscan St. Margaret Health in Dyer.

The biggest concern people bring to our Munster caregivers support group is wondering if theyre doing the best they can for their loved one at home, says Susie Marcus, a licensed clinical social worker who facilitates the caregiver support group at the Cancer Resource Centre in Munster. Theyre concerned about what kind of bed the person is in, monitoring their medications, what kinds of foods they can get them to eat.

There are underlying issues as well. Everyone needs to have an opportunity to share if they want, to be able to finally get (worries) off their chest, Koeling says. Attendance at the Dyer group has ranged from 2 to 24.

Marcus, who has facilitated the cancer caregivers group since it began in July 2015, says caregivers express relief at being able to express their feelings and share their experiences. Its really important to them, because they may not have another place to do that, she says.

Marcus emphasizes that its not a therapy group. As the facilitator, my role is to make sure its a safe environment where participants can let feelings out and to make sure everyone has a chance to be heard if they want to be heard.

Jim and Pat Koelings group is affiliated with Alzheimers and Dementia Services of Northern Indiana/Real Services. We dont give advice, Koeling says. Its people who attend the group who will say, This is what worked for me. We do encourage people to read The 36-Hour DayA Guide for Families Caring for Someone with Alzheimers Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss.

I call anyone whos a caregiver a saint, Koeling says. "It can get tedious, yet most people will not have their loved ones in an institution unless it becomes overwhelmingly difficult. Not everyone answers that calland not everyone can, for any number of reasons, he adds.

Marcus says one of her biggest goals is to provide an experience where people in the group feel like they are receiving support, rather than (their constant role of) giving support. I want them to feel they can share their concerns and experiences, give and receive encouragement, and find helpful resources. Her group attendance ranges from 3 to 7 and more, depending on caregivers schedules and whether they can leave the person theyre caring for. But were always there, even if its one person attending.

Some groups are specific, some offer support for a wide variety of illnesses.

All meetings are free and confidentiality is emphasized.

Koeling says he and Pat tell caregivers, Its like what they tell you on the plane: Get your own oxygen mask on first so you can take care of others. Caregivers need to take care of themselves.
When you think about the state of Indiana, the first thing that comes to mind probably is not beaches. In fact, most non-Hoosiers are surprised to learn that Northwest Indiana is home to over 15,000 acres of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and 15 miles of beautiful beaches.

As we celebrate Indianas bicentennial this year, it is clear that Lake Michigan and its shoreline are and will continue to be an integral part of Indianas culture and economy. The shore along Lake Michigan is one of my favorite locations in our state. Just a few hours drive for most Hoosiers, the lakeshore is a great place to spend a day with family and friends.

Northwest Indiana is well aware of the important role Lake Michigan and its shoreline play in the history and economy of the Region. Today, the Indiana Dunes attract millions of visitors each year.

There was a time when such numbers seemed unimaginable. At the beginning of the 20th century, manufacturing and commercial interests began expanding along the shore, and portions of the dunes natural landscape began to change.

One example: A huge 200-foot-tall sand dune on the lakeshore known as Hoosier Slide was slowly mined away, shipped out and ultimately used to manufacture fruit jars and glass plates. By the 1920s, this famous dune had been leveled.

Citizens and community leaders in Northwest Indiana responded and called for serious conservation efforts. In 1925, the state of Indiana purchased 107 acres along the lakeshore, and Indianas fourth state park  the Indiana Dunes State Park  opened to the public the next year. Today, this state park includes 2,182 acres.

In 1966, Congress authorized the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and subsequent acts of Congress have increased parks size to more than 15,000 acres. Managed by the National Park Service, this national park is home to 1,100 native plants, which ranks fourth in plant diversity among all national park sites.

Since their creation, these protected park areas, which span from Gary to Michigan City, have been an economic boon for the Region. Visitors to the National Lakeshore contribute over $350 million to Porter Countys economy alone, every year.

Tourists can enjoy a variety of recreational activities including camping, fishing, hiking, bird watching and swimming. Scientists come from all over the world to observe the biodiversity of the parks. The National Lakeshore protects popular historic landmarks like the Bailly Homestead and five houses from the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair.

Tourism is one of the few industries in Northwest Indiana that continued to grow during the recent recession, providing vital economic security to the Region. The tourism industry also has given many Region businesses the ability to respond to problems in their own industries. When invasive species began to plague commercial fishing, the industry responded by promoting sport fishing to visitors. This gave commercial fishers an opportunity to control fishing populations and maintain the lakes ecological balance.

In a region of Indiana that most Hoosiers view as a concentrated number of cities and towns located among massive industrial facilities, the dunes and shoreline are Mother Natures unique imprint on the Regions landscape. All Hoosiers can take pride in having these geographic marvels in our states backyard.
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GARSEN, Kenya  Eritrea, a sliver of a nation in the Horn of Africa that is one of the most secretive and repressive countries in the world, was cast into confusion on Monday after mutinous soldiers stormed the Ministry of Information and took over the state-run television service, apparently in a coup attempt.

According to several people with close contacts inside Eritrea, the coup attempt failed, with government troops quelling the would-be rebellion and no one rising up in the streets. But many analysts said it was only a matter of time before President Isaias Afwerki, Eritreas brash and steely leader for the past 20 years, is confronted again  and most likely from within.

Theres a lot of dissatisfaction within the armed forces, said Dan Connell, a professor at Simmons College in Boston and the author of several books on Eritrea. If this is suppressed, it wont be the end.

Eritrea is often called the North Korea of Africa because it is so isolated and authoritarian, with few friends and thousands of defectors in recent years as Mr. Isaias tightens his grip and the economy teeters on the brink of ruin.
The French Revolution, the English Renaissance, the birth of the Soviet Union and the rise of Japan  each one began with a gem. At least thats the viewpoint of the jewelry designer Aja Raden in her book Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World (Ecco/Harper Collins, $27.99).

Theyre all the same story, the 35-year-old author said. Theyre all about something that someone wanted, which is the driving force behind complicated human behavior. The history of the world is the history of desire.

The book romps through the stories of eight jewels, including the authors strong opinions on many historic figures.

I collect facts the way people collect stamps, Ms. Raden said, which explains why the footnotes run longer than the text on several pages. But where else would you find Marie Antoinette and Kim Kardashian linked by a shared love of Versailles?
SIRACUSA, Italy  When the jeweler Massimo Izzo sat down to dinner with a visitor one day in January, the waiter suddenly appeared with an appetizer that hadnt been ordered: sea urchin linguine.

See! This is what inspires me, this is where I draw from, these people, these surprises! Mr. Izzo exclaimed.

And one of his most recent creations, part of the Jewels of the Sea collection, is a sand-treated 18-karat gold pendant in the shape of a sea urchin surrounded by coral branches and a diamond- encrusted grouper fish.

Mr. Izzos designs are an ode to his native Sicily, Hellenic beauty and a life spent along the Mediterranean. Underwater life enchants me, he said. That is why elements such as sea horses, octopuses, starfish, crabs and corals take center stage on my jewels.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian officials said on Sunday that two pieces of suspected debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have arrived in Australia for verification.

Both pieces of debris arrived in Australia Sunday morning and the verification process would commence in Canberra on Monday by an international investigation team, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement.

Assistance would be provided by experts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA), Malaysia Airlines and Boeing to verify the origins, he said.

Both pieces of debris were discovered in Mozambique. One of the pieces was found by South African holiday makers and was brought back to their home country.

A Malaysian team retrieved the debris from South African authorities, said Liow.

Another piece which was also discovered recently in the nearby French overseas Reunion Island was said to be unlikely from the missing flight.

A wing part called flaperon washed ashore to the Reunion Island last year remained the only confirmed debris from MH370 so far.

Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 enroute from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board, most of them being Chinese nationals.

A joint search in South Indian Ocean, where the flight presumably had ended its journey, has yet to found its wreckage.
In just 10 years, the Parisian jewelry house Messika has shaken up the industry, with its rebellious, rock n roll designs, earning A-list fans such as Cara Delevingne, Beyonce, Alicia Vikander, Kendall Jenner and Kate Winslet.

Now a book by the luxury publisher Assouline celebrates the first decade of the diamond company. Written by the jewelry historian Vivienne Becker, the 80-page Messika (assouline.com, $22), includes 45 illustrations and is peppered with quotes from the founder and creative director, Valerie Messika.

The daughter of a renowned diamond dealer, who still provides nearly all of her stones, Ms. Messika said the book was a chance to reflect. As a businesswoman, I make projections every day about the future. I dont get to look back so much, she said. The book helped me see why Messika has had this success  and see how we have, in our small way, changed the jewelry business.

The book opens with the houses history and what has made Ms. Messikas design-driven ideas so revolutionary: She lifted the heavy notions of heirloom, etiquette, and formality from the diamond, to set it free.
It took six to eight weeks to complete, and in the end, it was great fun, she said. I wear it all the time.

So, what do you do when you have a similar vintage piece that needs restyling? Finding a designer or goldsmith you can trust with your heirloom and who has a similar design aesthetic can prove to be really difficult.

There was a time when the very wealthy knew how to make and order things bespoke and they would go to an artisan and say, This is what I like, said Ms. Knapp, who works out of her home in the English countryside near London. Whereas someone like me from New Zealand, not knowing about gems growing up, it is quite a difficult thing to know, to visualize and imagine.

David Warren, Christies senior international jewelry director, said, Jewels come and go, are in and out of fashion and they get chopped and changed through the decades.

You even get families where collections are split so half a necklace goes off in one direction and the other half in another, he continued. And what do you do with half a necklace?
His mother, the Rev. Gail H. Kees and father live in Stroudsburg, Pa., where the grooms mother, now retired, was a pastor at St. Johns Lutheran Church. His father is the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Bowmanstown, Pa.

Ms. Carbone and Mr. Kees met in September 2014 outside their Philadelphia apartment building after a fire alarm went off in the early-morning hours. She had been living there for about a year (in apartment 606) and he for about six months (in 605).

Despite being neighbors, they had never spoken beyond a friendly hello.

I had seen him in the elevator and was intrigued by him, she said. He looked charming, handsome and dapper in his nice suits. There was just something about him.

She wanted to meet him. She got that chance the morning of the fire alarm, when she saw Mr. Kees, bedecked in pajamas, standing with a friend and playing with his dog, Lager.

They spoke for nearly two hours as the firefighters took care of what turned out to be a broken water pipe. Midway through their conversation, Mr. Kees said to Ms. Carbone, Hey neighbor, we should really go out sometime.
Asha Kiran Talwar and Matthew Congrove Coco were married March 19 by Lisa Traina, a Universal Life minister, at the St. Regis in New York in a ceremony that combined Christian and Hindu traditions.

The bride, 34, is taking her husbands name. She is a marketing director for fragrances in the New York office of Firmenich, a Geneva-based flavors and fragrance company. She graduated from N.Y.U. and received an M.B.A. from Fordham.

She is a daughter of Pavan K. Talwar of New York and the late Jodi E. Talwar, and a stepdaughter of Holly A. Doench. The brides father is a merchant of agricultural grains in Fair Lawn, N.J.

Until February, the groom, 31, developed marketing materials for insurance companies at Orexo, a pharmaceutical company in Morristown, N.J. This month, he is to become a management consultant at Cyan Health, a health care consulting and advertising agency in Montclair, N.J. He graduated cum laude from Marshall University and is working toward an M.B.A. from Duke.
Erin Katherine Monju, the daughter of Patricia M. Monju of New Orleans and John E. Monju of Lafayette, La., was married March 18 to Ryan Michael Whalen, the son of Linda E. McDonough of Boston, and Joseph M. Whalen of Quincy, Mass. Patrick J. Muncie, a friend of the couple who became a Universal Life minister for the occasion , officiated at Race and Religious, an event space in New Orleans.

The bride, 32, who is keeping her name, is an associate in the Manhattan office of the Washington law firm Covington & Burling. She graduated from N.Y.U. and received a law degree from Harvard.

The groom, 35, manages global programs and develops partnerships with corporations and government agencies at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. He graduated from Trinity College in Hartford and received a masters degree in urban planning from N.Y.U.

The couple met in 2007, on Ms. Monjus first day as a press aide to Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. She had been sent to a news conference on Staten Island to meet the senator and Mr. Whalen, the senators special assistant. A friendship between her and Mr. Whalen began to percolate after the senator dropped them off at a subway station in Brooklyn.
ABBEVILLE, La.  It was arraignment morning at the Vermilion Parish courthouse, the monthly catalog of bad decisions, hot tempers, hard hearts and hard luck. Natasha George, who until recently was one of 10 lawyers defending the poor of the parish, stood before the full gallery of defendants.

Im the public defender in Vermilion Parish, right now the only public defender, she said. Due to a lack of funding for our district and our office, today we will be taking applications for our service but you will be put on a wait list.

Over the next hour, a steady stream of people left the courthouse and headed out into the rain, nearly all holding a sheet of paper explaining that as the poor and accused of Vermilion Parish they were, for now, on their own.

This will just be hanging over my head for who knows how long, said Leroy Maturin, a 33-year-old drain installer who was facing a felony drug possession charge, and because he had no lawyer, had no court date scheduled for the foreseeable future.
The party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan, thrown into turmoil by childish insults and riotous campaign rallies. Whats happened? asks a voice with the gruffness of a man old enough to remember at least two of those lionized leaders.

Such is the scene set by a new ad from New Day for America, the super PAC supporting Gov. John Kasich, as it seeks to portray him as the only candidate who measures up as presidential.

Message

As the ad hopefully asserts, character still matters.

There was a time presidents were honorable  trustworthy, the voice-over recalls, as yellowed portraits of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Reagan flicker by. Donald J. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz are seen gesticulating at one another in a debate. A white Trump supporter is shown sucker-punching a black protester at a rally. The United States compound in Benghazi smolders in ruins.

Contrasted with the final image  of a pensive Mr. Kasich, peering out an office window  the point is clear: Mr. Kasich isnt just the only one who can stop Hillary Clinton, he is the only one fit to occupy the Oval Office.
MEXICO CITY  Starwood Hotels and Resorts is set become the first American hospitality chain to run hotels in Cuba in more than half a century, signaling the return of American companies to the Cuban travel market as the island gears up to receive a surge in visits from the United States.

Under two deals signed on the eve of a visit to Cuba by President Obama, Starwood will refurbish and manage the Hotel Inglaterra on the Parque Central near Old Havana and the Hotel Quinta Avenida, a 186-room business hotel in the upscale district of Miramar. The hotels should begin running under the Starwood brand this year, the company said.

Starwood, which has its corporate headquarters in Stamford, Conn., will be managing hotels owned by Cuban state enterprises  including a military conglomerate  creating the deepest ties so far between an American company and the Cuban government since President Obama announced a diplomatic thaw between the countries in December 2014.

Jorge Giannattasio, Starwoods senior vice-president and the head of its Latin America operations, said that Saturdays deals were a pivotal moment.
TEHRAN  The pastry shop, tucked away in an affluent west Tehran neighborhood and selling Disney-themed cakes and party hats, is not particularly notable except for one thing: It is owned and operated by Irans powerful Ministry of Petroleum.

The shop  along with luxury cars, an airline and dozens of other pricey assets  was seized by the government from Babak Zanjani, a 43-year-old billionaire businessman who for over a decade was a major figure in Irans sanctions-busting network and this month received a death sentence for his dealings.

Mr. Zanjanis arrest in 2013, after President Hassan Rouhani came to power, was portrayed as a symbolic break with the high levels of corruption that defined the years under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, from 2005 to 2013. His conviction, by a lower court, was an attempt to show the Iranian public that, with the lifting of sanctions in January, the days of the sanctions-skirting middlemen are over.

Reconnecting Iran to the world economy is a top priority for President Rouhani. But to fully reconnect, Iran needs to dismantle the network of thousands of intermediaries that was devised to get around the sanctions. The problem, economists and insiders say, is that enough sanctions remain in place that the Iranian economy still cannot function without the network.
MIAMI  As if to illustrate the effects of climate change, Miami City Ballet has set its new production of George Balanchines two-act A Midsummer Nights Dream underwater. Transposing the action to the waterways of South Florida, the production is a peak of this companys 30th-anniversary season. Although the staging does not makes much sense on its own terms and in no way improves the ballet, its daftness is agreeably harmless: You can vaguely enjoy some of its fantasies while seriously loving the choreography. And the Miamians dancing has all the wonderful immediacy that makes this company valuable.

When Balanchine choreographed Shakespeares play in 1962, he honored both the classical-mythological Greek era in which it was set (Theseus, Hippolyta) and the medieval-Renaissance framework of its telling (Chaucers Knights Tale as well as Shakespeare). The multilayered sense of history (the choreography is evidently of its own day) is part of the charm. Though the original sets, by David Hays, and costumes, by Karinska, are still honored by New York City Ballet and other companies, they arent sacrosanct, and theyve been successfully replaced, as in Pacific Northwest Ballets 1997 version, with its sets and costumes by Martin Pakledinaz.

For this Miami production, the dramaturgy is by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the scenery and costumes are by Michele Oka Doner, and the projections are by Wendall Harrington. When they sometimes refer to the classical/Renaissance time frame, the tone is pleasantly sardonic. Titania is first seen in a frothy farthingale. The one time we see architecture, at the start of Act II, its a dim view of submerged classical ruins.

Bottom is transformed (his head only) into a Thurber-like seal rather than an ass; Hippolytas hunt features not hounds but sea horses; the changing views in the background suggest bubbles and marine fauna rising to an unseen surface. The fairies, most in various shades of white, suggest the gleam of darting silver fish. (In general, the colors are too monochrome, and with too many distressed skirts.) Oberons outsize crown is foolish; the knee-length skirt Titania wears for her first important dance robs her choreography of some of the spectacular scale it has in the usual ankle-length frock. (Is that a sponge on which she takes her seat?)
To New Yorkers whose daily commute takes them along the West Side Highway, Jean Nouvels building at 100 West 11th Avenue, which its architect describes as a vision machine, is a familiar sight, a curved structure set with thousands of angled glass panes that make a kaleidoscope of the blues, grays and greens of the sky and river.

But what does it sound like? On Saturday at Carnegie Hall, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra gave the premiere of Harold Meltzers Vision Machine, a breezy and scintillating piece inspired by Mr. Nouvels tower. The music deftly captures the interaction of the architecture and its environment, with puffy woodwind chords evoking cloud-chased skies, and delicate arpeggios, traded back and forth between the violins and the harp, mimicking light bouncing off a faceted surface. It is a testament to the skill of the Orpheus players, who perform without a conductor, that the works swift changes in mood always felt organic and fluid.

Johann Christian Bachs Symphony in G minor (Op. 6), which opened the program, draws its infectious energy from more starkly delineated contrasts. The ensemble played it with a somber, coiled sound and magnificently detailed expression.

The violinist Pinchas Zukerman joined the orchestra for performances of Mozarts Violin Concerto No. 3 (K. 216) and Beethovens Romance for Violin and Orchestra (Op. 40), both in G, that showed off his voluptuous and sultry tone. Given how finely attuned the ensembles sound was to changes in repertory  as fizzy and bright in the opening movement of the Mozart as it had been dark in the Bach  Mr. Zukermans one-coat-of-high-gloss-fits-all approach could feel staid. And in the double-stopped opening of the Beethoven, his vibrato was so wide that it distorted the harmonies. But his playing is unfailingly charismatic, and the rustic exuberance of the final movement of the Mozart concerto sizzled.
AUSTIN, Tex.  I want everybody to download that song, and I want all of you singing that anthem. Sentiments like that were heard all over South by Southwest music festival, which brought more than 2,000 acts to perform here over five frenetic days and nights. But that request came from Michelle Obama as she promoted This Is for My Girls, a single that benefits Let Girls Learn, a project encouraging girls education worldwide that was written by Diane Warren and is performed by Missy Elliott, Janelle Monae, Kelly Rowland, Kelly Clarkson and others. The first lady shared a panel with Ms. Warren and Ms. Elliott along with Queen Latifah and Sophia Bush, extolling the cultural and economic benefits of girls education as well as diversity in every field. (Responding to an audience question, Ms. Obama also ruled out the possibility of her running for president.)

The appearance by the first lady  and, on March 11, by President Obama speaking about technology at the overlapping SXSW Interactive conference  was a sign of the prestige of the 30th annual South by Southwest. Yet it was also a matter of one more song seeking attention in one of the many ways music now receives that attention: concerts, downloads, video views, streams, singalongs or a shimmy on the dance floor. Technology has turned SXSW inside out, only to see it thrive.

East Sixth Street, with blocks of clubs at the center of downtown Austin, is a blare of music and an impassable throng of bodies through most of the festival. But SXSW, which books an ever-expanding number of spaces around Austin, also has some quiet sanctuaries. For me, two of the festivals most telling performances took place in churches. Julien Baker sang richly poetic songs of trauma and redemption, moving from almost unbearable fragility to confessional strength. Ry X, from Australia, infused folky, spooky meditations with flickering dance-music beats.

When South by Southwest started in 1987, a few years before the commercial Internet, it focused on live music as the measure of a bands quality. SXSW was a regional showcase, then a magnet for independent music, and soon a badge of credibility for major-label acts and international delegations. The initial lure was site-specific, exclusive and ephemeral: a performance at a particular Austin club that could only be seen by as many people as could squeeze in, later to be propagated by word of mouth.
There is little about the intersection of 78th Street and 37th Avenue to distinguish it from any other corner in Jackson Heights. Every day, dozens of parents  from dozens of countries  waiting for their children to be dismissed from school stand beneath a sign declaring the intersection Julio Rivera Corner. Many of them probably do not even notice it, yet with those three words, the sign acknowledges a tragic  and ultimately transforming  moment in Queens.

Julio Rivera, a 29-year-old gay man who worked as a bartender, was lured to the schoolyard, steps away from that corner, on July 2, 1990. Three white skinheads who wanted to reclaim their neighborhood from gays and homeless people set upon him, bashing his skull with a hammer and finishing him off with a knife. His death might have gone unnoticed if not for a few relatives and gay friends who began to mobilize New York Citys lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and put pressure on the Police Department, which had assigned the case to a detective who was on vacation.

Mr. Riveras killing, which the authorities deemed a hate crime, resulted in a manslaughter conviction against the groups ringleader, Daniel Doyle. He testified against his two accomplices, who were convicted of murder. The charges against them were overturned and one of the men pleaded guilty to manslaughter before a retrial; the other, who had jumped bail before the retrial, was killed in Mexico in 2002. Both surviving men have since served their sentences.

Councilman Daniel Dromm, who was a public-school teacher in the neighborhood at the time of the murder, said it spurred him to become more active in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues and take the fight for gay rights out of Manhattan and into immigrant and working-class communities. Two years after the attack, Mr. Dromm, a Democrat, came out publicly when he defended Children of the Rainbow, a citywide curriculum that had been introduced to teach tolerance to youngsters but met with great resistance from the local school district.
Apple is getting ready for a busy week.

On Monday, the company is holding an event at its Silicon Valley headquarters to unveil smaller versions of its iPhone and iPad Pro. Then on Tuesday, Apple will face off against the United States government at a hearing in federal court in Riverside, Calif., over whether it must help law enforcement break into an iPhone used by a gunman in last years San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attack.

The iPhone case has proved to be particularly divisive. According to a New York Times/CBS News poll, 50 percent of respondents said Apple should accede to the government and help unlock the iPhone, while 45 percent were opposed. Overall, peoples attitudes toward surveillance appear to have softened, with a quarter saying the federal government infringes too much on privacy, down from nearly half in a similar poll two years ago.

Katie Benner, who is covering Apples legal entanglements from San Francisco, and Matt Apuzzo, who covers national security from Washington, recently debated the iPhone case and what to expect from Tuesdays hearing:

Katie Benner Hi, Matt. What do you make of how dramatic this fight has gotten? Over the last month, each round of court filings has gotten a little testier.

Matt Apuzzo A lot of its been theater, but  and here I go getting all rah-rah  it isnt necessarily a bad thing that people are being asked to think in a really big way about law and policy. I cant think of a case in which a novel legal argument has captured the attention of so many people. Everyone has a phone. Everyone gets this debate.
As has often been the case with Mr. Trumps campaign, it is unclear how much the revulsion over his comments and behavior matters in the voting booth. Little data exist on Jewish attitudes toward Mr. Trump, and because most American Jews are Democrats, they will not have a chance to weigh in on him unless he becomes the Republican nominee.

Bruce Balsam, 59, who was walking into Sabbath services on Friday at Temple Emanu-El, the stately synagogue a few blocks north of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, said Mr. Trumps shifting position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict really disturbs me. But, he added, Id want to hear more about that.

He said he considered Mr. Trumps take on national security and Muslim immigration to be more anti-Islamic than presidential, but agreed that caution needed to be taken. People who are coming from certain parts of the world, where anti-American sentiments are high, we should be highly cautious of, Mr. Balsam said.

Mr. Balsam pointed to Temple Emanu-El, one of the largest Jewish institutions in the world, as an example. You have armed guards outside, he said, gesturing toward the New York Police Departments counterterrorism officers, who are frequently stationed at the synagogue. You have armed guards inside.

Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign, said Mr. Trump looks forward to speaking to a group whom he has tremendous respect for.

Mr. Trump has said, as president, there will be no one stronger on Israeli-American relations than him, and his consistent support and advocacy for Israel over many years is proof of this, she said. Additionally, Mr. Trump is the only candidate to speak with clarity about the deadly threat of radical Islam. ISIS and other Islamic terror groups cannot be defeated if we are politically correct.
Remember the first branch of American government? With all the attention to the presidential race and the partisan fight over President Obamas nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland to the Supreme Court, Congress seems an afterthought.

The legislative branch isnt a pretty picture. In the House, the right-wing caucus is stymieing Speaker Paul D. Ryans plan to pass a budget. In the Senate, where the Republicans seek to retain their imperiled majority, lawmakers are scrambling to come up with small measures to put on the April and May schedule.

Yet a few substantive items might be enacted, such as parts of a bipartisan push to overhaul criminal justice. And both sides of the aisle will try to posture for maximum political advantage in the November elections.

Moreover, Congress is teeing up big stuff for a certain postelection lame-duck session, possibly including the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and the Garland nomination.
WASHINGTON  The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, on Sunday dismissed the possibility of Republicans considering President Obamas Supreme Court nominee after the November election, even if a Democrat were elected president or Republicans lost their majority.

In doing so, Mr. McConnell tried to shut the door on a scenario that some Republicans in the Senate have said could allow them to prevent a more liberal jurist than Mr. Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick B. Garland, from reaching the court, should a Democrat win the White House.

Thats not going to happen, Mr. McConnell said of such an arrangement on Fox News Sunday. The principle is the same. Whether its before the election or after the election. The principle is the American people are choosing their next president, and their next president should pick this Supreme Court nominee.

But Mr. McConnell also offered a qualitative assessment of Judge Garland that, until now, he had said was unnecessary until a new president was sworn in. He suggested that Republicans had reason to oppose Judge Garland based on his judicial philosophy.
BERLIN  Chancellor Angela Merkel, alternately lauded for courage and reviled for recklessness in admitting more than one million migrants into Germany, finally has what she wanted: a European Union accord with Turkey to reduce and manage the influx.

But even before the ink had dried on the deal reached Friday, Ms. Merkel faced sharp criticism from human rights groups for compromising on European values that she herself had championed regarding the protection of refugees, as well as from others who questioned a partnership with Turkey.

The European Union has embraced a nation whose president, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has veered from democracy, muffling the news media and other freedoms. He has pursued his own agenda against opponents of the Assad government in Syrias civil war, reviving a military campaign against Kurd militants while facing terrorist bombings in Ankara and Istanbul.

Does anybody seriously think that a country which hunts down and mistreats its own citizens can offer security to people in flight? asked Cem Ozdemir, the leader of the opposition Greens and one of an estimated three million people of Turkish descent in Germany.
At least 13 students died on Sunday when a bus crashed on a highway in eastern Spain while on its way back to Barcelona from a day of festivities in Valencia, Spanish officials said.

The victims were all women, according to Spains interior minister. Most of them were believed to be foreigners studying at one of the main universities of Barcelona, as part of the European Unions Erasmus exchange program.

The bus apparently hit a railing before swerving across the highway and ending up in the opposite lane, where it hit an oncoming car with two passengers, who both survived, according to the local authorities. Jordi Jane, a regional Catalan minister, told reporters that the initial investigation suggested that the bus crash was the result of human error.

The students were traveling in a convoy of five buses that was returning early Sunday from Valencia, where they had attended the Saturday bonfire evening of the Fallas celebrations. The Fallas festival, held every March, is best known for its giant satirical puppets and firecrackers, and it is one of Spains biggest street parties.
LONDON  With a referendum on Britains membership in the European Union fewer than 100 days away, Prime Minister David Cameron faced deepening fissures within his government on Sunday, underscoring the risk that his Conservative Party could be torn apart over the countrys relationship with the Continent.

The heightened tensions were exposed late Friday by the resignation of a government minister, Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative Party leader who oversaw work and pensions policy in Mr. Camerons cabinet. Mr. Duncan Smith, who backs a British exit from the European Union, ostensibly resigned over proposed cuts to welfare payments for people with disabilities.

But the government had already signaled that it was reconsidering the cuts because of opposition to them, and Mr. Duncan Smiths decision to step down was widely seen as a more fundamental break with Mr. Cameron and his No. 2, George Osborne, the chancellor of the Exchequer, who are leading the campaign for Britain to stay in the European Union. Mr. Duncan Smith had been one of six senior cabinet ministers supporting a British exit from the bloc.

This really seems to be about the European referendum campaign, the pensions minister, Ros Altmann, said in a statement late Saturday. He seems to want to do maximum damage to the party leadership in order to further his campaign to try to get Britain to leave the E.U.
ISTANBUL  A Turkish member of the Islamic State was the perpetrator of a suicide bombing that killed four foreigners in Istanbul over the weekend, the Turkish interior minister said on Sunday.

The attacker, who struck in Istanbuls central Istiklal Avenue on Saturday morning, has been identified as Mehmet Ozturk, a Turkish citizen born in 1992 in the southern city of Gaziantep, Efkan Ala, the interior minister, said in a televised news conference.

Three Israeli citizens and an Iranian were killed in the attack. Dozens more were injured.

An Israeli military plane flew the bodies of the Israeli victims home on Sunday for burial. They were identified as Simha Damri, 60, a grandmother from the southern town of Dimona; Avraham Goldman, 69, a tour guide from Herzliya; and Yonathan Shor, 40, a Tel Aviv resident who worked in the technology industry. Mr. Goldman and Mr. Shor, who was also identified as Yonathan Suher by the State Department, held dual Israeli-American citizenship.

Israels deputy foreign minister, Tzipi Hotovely, told Army Radio on Sunday that there was no information to suggest the suicide bombing was specifically directed at Israelis.
BRUSSELS  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 be a stadium suicide bomber 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 others were also detained, but two were released on Saturday.

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 a 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.

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 at the last minute. Molins said the suspect abandoned his suicide vest that night after he drove other attackers to Paris  but he did not say why.

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.

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, she said. Today, their families have empty chairs next to them, they have a phone that doesnt ring any longer.
FORT WORTH, Texas  When Amy found out around Christmas that she was pregnant, she wasted no time seeking an abortion. Her husband had just lost his job and the couple had been kicked out of their house, forcing their family of five to move in with his parents.

It would have been the absolute wrong thing to do, to have another baby right now, said Amy, 32. So I started calling around pretty quickly.

But she found that getting an appointment for an abortion, even in one of the countrys largest metropolitan areas, proved almost as stressful as the unwanted pregnancy. The number of abortion clinics in Texas has shrunk by half since a 2013 state law imposed new regulations that many said they found impossible to meet. When Amy called the two clinics here just after New Years, and a third in Dallas, the earliest available appointment was Jan. 22.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in one of the most closely watched cases of the year, is considering the constitutionality of that law and whether it creates too much of a burden on women seeking an abortion.

With the judges apparently deeply splintered, the decision, expected in June, could affect millions of women, though the court might send the case back to lower courts to further study the impact of the clinics closings. Similar laws are being challenged in other states.

With no possibility that President Barack Obamas Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick B. Garland, will be confirmed anytime soon, the court might also split 4-4, which would let stand an appeals court ruling largely upholding the Texas law but would set no national precedent.

Here in Texas, women are experiencing what it means to navigate the landscape created when roughly half of the states 41 abortion clinics closed, with some facing an unnervingly long wait and others traveling hundreds of miles, sometimes leaving the state, for the procedure.

When Amy, who like several others interviewed asked that her last name not be used to protect her privacy, went to Whole Womans Health here for her sonogram and abortion over two days in January, she was shocked by how crowded the waiting room was and by how long she had to wait for the procedure: about five hours.

But mostly, she said, she was relieved to have gotten in at all. Her cellphone had broken a few days earlier, causing her to miss a few calls from a clinic employee trying to confirm her appointment. When Amy realized that she had missed the calls, she broke into sobs as she frantically called back.

I said, Im so sorry. Please dont give my appointment away, because I cant wait another month, she said. I was terrified.

Another patient at the clinic last week, Amber, 22, said she had initially been told she would have to wait 19 days for an abortion, and that she was relieved when the clinic was able to see her in 10 days, because of a cancellation.

I didnt want to be any further along, she said, adding that she had become pregnant during a brief relationship with a guy that treated me really awful.

Opponents of the law say the wait stems largely from the closing of the clinics, which they tie directly to its requirements that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at local hospitals and that all abortions take place in ambulatory surgical centers.

Texas lawmakers argue that the provisions were intended to improve the safety of the clinics and that despite the closings, as Texas solicitor general, Scott A. Keller, put it before the court, abortion is legal and accessible in Texas.

Abortion rights advocates say the logistical hurdles for women seeking to end pregnancies include separate Texas laws requiring most women to get a sonogram at least 24 hours before an abortion, from the same doctor, and requiring all abortions past 16 weeks to be done at surgical centers.

Adding the contested law, known as HB 2, on top of that, its the straw that broke the camels back, said Amy Hagstrom-Miller, president of Whole Womans Health, the lead plaintiff in the case before the Supreme Court. Just by design, these laws were written to break down access to abortion care.

Hagstrom-Miller said that particularly near the Mexican border, the clinic closings had prompted more women to try to induce abortions with herbs or the drug misoprostol, which they obtain at flea markets or across the border.

Women in the Fort Worth area have more options than many others. Smaller cities, including Beaumont, Lubbock, Waco and Killeen, have been left without a single abortion clinic. But even for women here, and in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, the law has left some waiting for weeks for abortions, clinic owners say, which can take an emotional toll and make the procedure more expensive and complicated.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that states cannot impose undue burdens on women seeking abortions, and during arguments in the Texas case, the courts four liberal members appeared certain that the 2013 restrictions violated that standard. But some of the more conservative justices questioned whether the law was really responsible for the wave of clinic closings, and whether those that remained open could not accommodate the demand for abortions.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who most likely holds the crucial vote, raised the possibility of returning the case to the lower courts to collect more evidence, delaying a resolution.

The plaintiffs say the timing of the closings  11 clinics, they point out, closed on the day the admitting-privileges provision took effect  is evidence enough.

Whole Womans Health has closed its abortion clinics in Austin and Beaumont, and Hagstrom-Miller said its clinics in Fort Worth and San Antonio would also immediately close if the law were upheld. A fifth clinic, in McAllen, on the border with Mexico, would either close or operate at extremely limited capacity, she said. Whole Womans Health has an ambulatory surgical center in San Antonio that will remain open.

The surgical center requirement has been temporarily stayed by the Supreme Court. But if the court lets the law stand, abortion providers say all but nine of the states remaining clinics will close because they cannot afford to meet the construction and equipment standards of surgical centers. No clinics would remain in the vast region west of San Antonio, Hagstrom-Miller said; two have stayed open there, in El Paso, for now.

Already, abortion providers say, long drives and packed waiting rooms have become the norm, and second-trimester abortions have become more common because of the wait for an appointment.

Tenesha Duncan, an administrator at Southwestern Womens Surgery Center in Dallas, said her clinics patient load had doubled since the new law took effect, with more patients coming from rural parts of the state and also from Houston and Austin. Demand is so high that the clinic has expanded its procedure hours to 60 from 40 a week, Duncan said, and has assigned seven employees to answer phones.

Candice Russell, a 32-year-old administrative assistant from Irving, was 12 weeks along when she learned she was pregnant in 2014, she said, and she faced a wait of 2 1/2 weeks for an abortion in Dallas or Fort Worth.

Instead, Russell took out a high-interest payday loan and flew to California, where her partner lived and where she was able to get an abortion in a matter of days.

Thats what floored me  they could see me on this day or this day or this day, she said. It put me into this downward financial spiral that lasted a couple of months, but compared to a lot of people, Im super privileged. I know there are tons of people that will be affected by these closures, and theyre never going to be able to fly to California.

Volunteers for the Texas Equal Access Fund, one of several groups in Texas that help women pay for abortions, said that because of the longer wait for appointments, the fund was fielding far more requests for assistance from women in their second trimester of pregnancy than it used to.

Ive been doing intake for over 10 years and its just changed radically, said Jo Wunderlich, a volunteer who talks to as many as 70 women a week who call seeking financial help. What were seeing is very often women are farther along in their pregnancy, it costs more money, we run out of money and fewer women can get funding. Its a crazy Catch-22.

Stephanie, a 20-year-old student, said she had recently driven through the night to Albuquerque for an abortion 16 weeks into her pregnancy after she could not come up with the money in time to have the procedure done at a clinic in El Paso, where she lives. Because of the earlier Texas law that requires all abortions after 16 weeks to be done in surgical centers, her options were limited to the closest such center, 550 miles away in San Antonio, or a regular abortion clinic in New Mexico.

After pawning her camera and receiving some money from groups that help women pay for abortions, she was able to arrange the appointment in Albuquerque. She sneaked out of her parents house at 3 a.m., met a friend with a car, and arrived at the clinic by 7.

I was really tired, she said, but I knew thats what I had to do. I had to be tough and try not to fall asleep. Dr. Linda Prine, who provides abortions at a Whole Womans Health clinic in Las Cruces, New Mexico, said more than half of her patients on any given day came from Texas. Sometimes she finds them sleeping in their cars in our parking lot before we open up in the morning.

At the Whole Womans Health clinic in Fort Worth, which looks like a small house, several women waiting for abortions said they did not like the idea of having to get the procedure at a hospital-like surgical center. Being that the situation is already overwhelming, I wouldnt want to go to a big place, said one woman, 19, who has a year-old daughter and asked to be identified only by her middle name, Renea. She said she had learned she was pregnant when she went to the emergency room after a fight with her boyfriend. The environment they set here, it gives you more of a welcoming, Its OK kind of feeling.

Other patients at the clinic that weekend had driven from Lubbock, about 300 miles away, and Odessa, 320 miles away.

Amy said her 13-year-old car was too shaky to travel long distances. Had she not lived in Arlington, about 20 minutes from the clinic, she might have been shut off from a choice she described as essential to her own and her familys well-being.

If it was far, she said, I dont think it could have happened.
The media glare on Orange County after Januarys jail break revived buzz over a separate, sensational crime: the brutal kidnapping and torture of a local pot shop owner.

One of the escaped inmates was accused of being part of a trio that drove the dispensary owner to the Mojave Desert, where they mistakenly believed he had stashed cash. When the man couldnt lead his kidnappers to buried treasure, authorities allege the escapee and his accomplices burned him with a blowtorch, severed part of his penis and left him for dead.

It appears to be the most salacious tale of violence linked to the large amounts of cash swirling around the countys pot dispensaries. But its not the only one. A marijuana delivery driver was beaten and robbed in Lake Forest in 2014, and a would-be thief was killed by a guard at an illegal Anaheim dispensary a year ago.

Critics of more liberal marijuana laws cite such incidents in calling for a ban on retail pot sales. But advocates for legalization of medical and recreational pot say such crimes are the product of backward and dangerous federal drug laws that force marijuana businesses to operate with cash.

A growing number of companies are developing technologies designed to pull the burgeoning U.S. marijuana industry from the financial dark ages to a digital future that doesnt use cash at all.

The risk of violent crimes is overwhelming when youve got people driving around with tens of thousands of dollars in their car, said Kenneth Berke, CEO of the online payment system PayQwick. We need to take cash out of the transaction.

While 23 states have legalized medical marijuana and four allow recreational use, major banks and credit card companies wont do business with growers, distributors and dispensaries because federal law still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I narcotic, the most dangerous category that includes heroin.

What that means for banks is that the revenue they receive from serving marijuana businesses  whether its legal or not under state law  is considered dirty money under federal law, said Tom Dresslar with the California Department of Business Oversight, which regulates the states financial industries. So as soon as they accept it, theyre laundering it.

Critics argue the federal governments stance, ironically, has created a cash industry  estimated at $5.4 billion last year  ripe for illegal activity.

Some local banks and credit unions are quietly taking on marijuana businesses, according to Tustin resident Jeff Goh, CEO of the cannabis firm Notis Global. A December report from American Banker showed 266 of the nations nearly 6,200 financial institutions had accounts with marijuana-related businesses.

But big banks arent budging, Goh said, which makes it tough for companies that work in multiple states to keep funds in the regulated financial system.

Its really mind-boggling that the business is as robust as it is operating on a cash-only basis, said Chris Francy, who relies on armored truck services for his OC3 dispensary in Santa Ana. Its very, very difficult to run a business where the only payments you have are cash.

Even with checks and balances, Francy said, operating in cash makes businesses vulnerable to internal theft. They struggle with simple transactions like paying workers and bills. The state Board of Equalization says some dispensaries have settled tax bills with duffel bags stuffed with up to $150,000. Plus, multiple studies show customers spend on average 20 percent less when they cant use credit or debit cards.

Some dispensaries have resorted to installing ATMs without telling banks that process those funds how theyll be used, which triggered hundreds of machines being shut down in 2014, according to media reports. Francy complains that other retailers misreport pot purchases paid with credit cards as something else. Doing so can result in Visa or MasterCard blacklisting them for life.

Industry members are calling for a federal solution, either through removing marijuana from the Schedule I drug list or approving legislation that opens traditional banking services to cannabis companies. A tipping point on such federal law changes could be near, Dresslar said, because a dozen more states are poised to vote on legalizing medical or recreational use in 2016.

In the meantime, potrepreneurs are ramping up alternative, noncash payment options. Here are a few of those approaches:

PAYPAL FOR POT

PayQwick has been dubbed the PayPal for pot.

Dispensary owners can use the online payment platform to pay vendors, landlords and workers. Customers can use a preloaded PayQwick card to make purchases and collect rewards, with an app version for smartphones expected soon. The Los Angeles-based company collects an average 2.75 percent transaction fee from vendors.

The system was designed with current federal banking regulations in mind, Berke said.

Were not trying to get around the law, he said. Weve figured out a way to comply with it.

PayQwick will operate only in states with thorough seed-to-sale enforcement programs, which track pot from cultivation to purchase, Berke said. The company also conducts its own compliance checks four times a year, he said. And clients who arent following the rules are dropped from the system.

Still, PayQwick has encountered banking challenges.

The platform was set to launch two years ago through a Washington regional bank, which pulled out of the arrangement at the last minute. So PayQwick turned to community banks, Berke said, and both sides breathed a sigh of relief when those banks passed Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. audits in December.

We like the fact that people are able to pay with something other than cash, said Pam Senstermacher, a manager at Seattles Cannabis City dispensary, which uses PayQwick.

So far, only a couple of Cannabis City customers are regularly using the PayQwick option, she said.

Its just something new, Senstermacher said. People are always a little wary of companies they havent heard of.

PayQwick hopes to soon expand its brand to Colorado. And once California begins enforcing a seed-to-sale program that was approved in October under the Medical Marijuana Regulatory and Safety Act, Berke said it plans to offer the system here.

CANNABIS COUPONS

If PayQwick is the PayPal of pot, Greenito is closer to the industrys Groupon.

The Denver-based company lets dispensaries and delivery services offer discounted packages, such as edible samplers. Shoppers pay for those packages plus a small access fee with a credit card online, then get a certificate to redeem through the retailer.

Since the companys May launch, businesses in Northern California, Colorado, Arizona, Michigan and Oregon have used Greenito, CEO Mary Smith said.

Deliveries like us because they dont have to send their drivers around with cash, Smith said. And storefront dispensaries are happy, she added, because the average sale on our site is higher than the average sale in a normal cash retail environment.

Greenito also offers an accounting and bill-paying system that helps pot retailers stuck in a cash-only system. Once a shopper has bought a coupon, the seller can have Greenito deposit funds into their bank account  if theyre lucky enough to have one at the few banks offering those services. But Greenito can also wire funds to a third party, such as the dispensarys utility company.

Because Greenito doesnt deal directly with marijuana, Smith said it has no trouble finding a bank. That frees employees to focus on marketing, like offering consumer data for retailers and creating content to help online cannabis shoppers feel less intimidated by the process.

The Holistic Center medical dispensary in Phoenix is offering specials like a $90 vape escape package through Greenito, manager Laura Potter said. In five months, just under 25 vouchers have been redeemed.

DIGITAL CURRENCIES

The pot vending machine ZaZZZ, made by American Green in Arizona to go inside dispensaries, accepts cash along with bitcoin  the most well-known digital currency.

Such encrypted, digital currencies can be converted into dollars, but are chiefly circulated outside traditional financial systems.

Trees, a high-end cannabis delivery service in the Bay Area, accepts bitcoin. And company CEO Marshall Hayner, who has a background at cryptocurrency startups, said the firm is getting ready to add a credit card payment option linked to ledger-keeping technology that manages and secures bitcoin transactions.

Such user-friendly interfaces should reduce consumer and retailer resistance to digital currency, which they generally doesnt understand, Hayner said.

Indeed, the OC3 dispensary in Santa Ana has never considered accepting bitcoin or other cryptocurrency, Francy said, because theyre still looking for real, bona fide solutions.

Goh believes digital currency and other technology solutions will pay a growing role in the marijuana industry  at least until the federal government opens up traditional merchant services.

Banking in the marijuana industry is when, not if, Francy said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7963 or bstaggs@ocregister.com
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. Its a national problem, wrote Johns Hopkins professor Benjamin Ginsberg in the Washington Monthly, that helps make the administration, in the language of political science, relatively autonomous, marginalizing the faculty.

A 2015 study by the CFA also listed the hefty salaries of top administrators, such as $324,500 for Cal State Fullerton President Mildred Garcia and $320,329 for Cal State Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley.

The study found, While the average full-time faculty salary increased by only 10 percent over the last decade, the average salary for managers and supervisors increased by 24 percent. And, 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, instead, urge sharp cuts in wasteful administration, with the savings going to the faculty and reduced tuition for the students. How about sponsoring a bill or initiative limiting administrative positions to half the faculty numbers, and top administrators salaries to that of the governor, currently $173,987?
Todd Palmaer recently left his job as Standard Pacific Homes regional president for Northern California, Texas and Colorado and took over the helm of RSI Communities, a small Newport Beach homebuilder that builds walls and other new home components in factories.

Standard Pacific recently merged with Ryland Homes to form CalAtlantic, the fourth biggest homebuilding firm in the nation.

We spoke with Palmaer recently about why he left StanPac and what he hopes to do at RSI. The following is an edited transcript.

Q: Why did you leave whats now called CalAtlantic?

A: Id been with Standard Pacific for 17 years. I really enjoyed working for it. The last five years there, as part of my role as regional president, I was traveling 75 percent to 80 percent of the time.

Ive known Ron (Simon, RSI Holding founder and chairman) and his executive team for seven years or so, both personally and professionally, and the opportunity to get back in and start up a homebuilding (operation) was intriguing on a number of fronts.

It gives me the opportunity to step back and start something fresh and get involved back in the fundamentals of homebuilding, where Im designing products, formulating certain strategies for growth, and focused on hiring a talented team. Those are things that are really exciting for me and makes it fun to come to work every day.

Q: What is Mr. Simons vision for the company?

A: Rons been, you probably know, a successful entrepreneur. Hes always been passionate about production and operational issues. Getting better, more efficient every day. Hes just driven with that passion. And his vision was, apply that  that legacy and experience and that passion  into homebuilding.

And as he ventured into the homebuilding space, his vision is to have an imprint on how the homebuilding process works.

Q: How many homes has RSI built over the years?

A: Probably 400 or 500 homes. So not very many, candidly.

Q: So whats RSIs plan going forward?

A: Our vision is to be the industry leader in providing single-family homes that are affordable for the first-time buyer.

Last year, a third of all homes sold were to millennials, and two-thirds of all homes sold to first-time buyers were to millennials. And we feel theres a great opportunity in that space.

Q: Where are you building?

A: We have eight properties in Texas right now, and one here in Southern California. The Southern California community is in Moreno Valley, called Savannah. We have three assets in San Antonio, one in San Marcos and three or four in Austin.

Q: How many homes are you building?

A: Were going to deliver 300 homes this year. Were going to deliver 1,000 next year. We own 1,600 lots in total right now and we have another 1,400 in escrow.

Were planning on spending $450 million in the next three years to grow our company. And were planning on self-funding that.

Q: How many people will you be hiring?

A: So once I started, we basically had 10 employees. Were up to 12 now. Well be 20 employees by the end of March. Not counting the employees in the factory. The panel team is treated as a subcontractor. We expect to be at 40 people at the end of 2016. And then as we grow, we should be at 80 people by the end of 2017.

Q: How much will you shave off the cost of a traditionally built home?

A: I cant tell you that. We expect to be able to reduce our cost significantly.

In Texas, we expect our homes to be in the $200,000 to $350,000 price range. In California, we expect to be in the $270,000 to $390,000 range.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7734 or jcollins@ocregister.com
COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Anker Joergensen, a former prime minister loved by many Danes for his down-to-earth character but criticized for his handling of economic problems in the 1970s and 80s, has died. He was 93.

Joergensens Social Democrats announced Joergensens death in a statement Sunday. It didnt give the date or cause of death.

Joergensen led Danish governments in 1972-1973 and 1975-1982, a time when Denmark was marred by political turmoil and economic problems.

He drew criticism from Washington for opposing the U.S. engagement in Vietnam and calling for diplomatic ties with communist East Germany. He also provoked Israels ire by supporting the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Joergensen lived in a small apartment in Copenhagen instead of the prime ministers official residence.

His wife, Ingrid, died in 1997.
NAIROBI, Kenya  The Kenyan military said Sunday its troops killed 34 fighters from the Islamic extremists of al-Shabab in clashes in Somalia.

The latest fighting raises the number of militants the Kenyan army says it has killed in the past week to 53.

Twenty one militants were killed in fighting in the southern city of Afmadow on Saturday, military spokesman Col David Obonyo said. He said two Kenyan soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the incident. Al-Shabab, according to SITE Intelligence Group which monitors Jihadi groups, says it killed a dozen Kenyan soldiers and captured two of them in the attack, but they have made exaggerated claims in the past.

Obonyo said the Kenyan soldiers killed another 13 militants Sunday near Ras Kamboni in southern Somalia.

Kenya is among five countries contributing troops to an African Union force that is bolstering Somalias government against al-Shababs insurgency and of the troop-contributing countries has borne the brunt of retaliatory attacks from al-Shabab.

Obonyo said on Wednesday Kenyan troops on patrol Tuesday night, in the southern city of Afmadow, killed 19 militants suspected to have been preparing to attack a Somali National Army camp.

Al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaida, is waging an insurgency against Somalias United Nations-backed government, carrying out deadly attacks on military and civilian targets in and out of Somalia.

Al-Shabab killed up to 200 Kenyan soldiers in a January attack, according to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
WILLIAMS  A new national monument made up of more than 330,000 acres of public lands has been dedicated in Northern California.

U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell joined federal and state officials near the town of Williams on Saturday to mark the creation of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Williams is about 50 miles north of Sacramento.

The monument extends from Berryessa Peak and other areas in Napa, Yolo, and Solano counties through Lake, Colusa, and Glenn counties to the eastern boundary of the Yuki Wilderness in Mendocino County.

It is home to threatened and endangered plant and wildlife species including northern spotted owls.

President Barack Obama designated the area a national monument in July.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska  The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has officially ended.

Mary Helwig, a 32-year-old rookie from Willow, Alaska, was the last musher to reach Nome.

She arrived in the Bering Sea coastal community at 11:51 p.m. Saturday with 11 dogs in harness and the red lantern, carried by the last place musher.

The mushers annual banquet will be held in Nome on Sunday afternoon.

Helwig finished the nearly 1,000 mile race across Alaska in 13 days, 8 hours, 51 minutes and 30 seconds.

Dallas Seavey won his fourth Iditarod on Tuesday in record time: 8 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes and16 seconds.

Eighty-five mushers began the race March 6 just north of Anchorage; 14 scratched from this years Iditarod.
UNITED NATIONS  The United States called for a meeting Friday of the U.N. Security Council on North Koreas latest ballistic missile test, carried out in defiance of U.N. resolutions banning such launches.

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said it asked for closed consultations on the ballistic missile launch after a council meeting Friday afternoon on Burundi.

The latest test follows a recent order by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for tests of a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads.

His order, carried Tuesday by the official Korean Central News Agency, came as North Korea said it had made a breakthrough in its pursuit of a long-range missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland. It also follows North Koreas condemnation of the ongoing annual South Korean-U.S. military drills, the largest ever, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric called the situation on the Korean peninsula, including the latest ballistic missile launches, deeply troubling.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon again urges North Korea to comply with its international obligations, including relevant Security Council resolutions, and halt these inflammatory and escalatory actions, Dujarric said.

Two weeks ago, the Security Council unanimously approved the toughest sanctions on North Korea in two decades, reflecting growing anger at Pyongyangs latest nuclear test in January and rocket launch in February in defiance of a ban on all nuclear-related activity.
HAVANA  President Barack Obama landed in Cuba Sunday afternoon, a trip that took more than half a century to arrive only 90 miles from U.S. shores.

Stepping off Air Force One under drizzling skies, the president held an umbrella over his wife Michelle and greeted several senior Cuban officials  but not its president, Ral Castro.

The Obamas, including the presidents two daughters and his mother-in-law, were greeted on the tarmac by Bruno Rodriguez, Cubas Foreign Minister and Josefina Vidal, the head of the U.S. section of Cubas Foreign Ministry, as well as Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the senior U.S. diplomat in Cuba. The official welcoming session will take place Monday morning when Obama meets with Castro at the presidential palace.

Obama arrived amid high anticipation and anxiety on the island within both the Communist government and its political opposition. The government hopes the two-day visit will reap benefits without ceding control, while dissidents on the island want it to speed the pace of change.

For Obama, the trip is affirmation of his foreign policy vision and could encourage a generational change within the walls of one of Americas longest and most bitter adversaries. Before his arrival, there were familiar signs it will not come easy.

As Sunday-morning Mass ended at Havanas Santa Rita church, several dozen women in white T-shirts filed out, assembled in rows and began walking silently down the street. A block away, hundreds of uniformed security personnel and plain-clothed men and women stood waiting.

They met at the corner in a melee of shouting and manhandling. The women in white went limp on the pavement, shouting Freedom, freedom, freedom! and throwing leaflets into the air. The security teams half-dragged, half-carried them to waiting buses.

A number of men marching with the women were chased, thrown to the curb and handcuffed. As the buses drove away, the protesters lifted defiant fists through the windows while the plain-clothed crowd chanted This is Fidels street!

The Sunday-morning demonstration of the Ladies in White dissident group is a regular occurrence in Havana. The size of the security force and the fact that the entire operation was conducted in front of international television cameras hours before the arrival here of Obama were not.

All the cross-currents and contradictions of Cuba and its changing relationship with the United States have been on display in the past two days. On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard fished out 18 Cubans trying to reach Florida on homemade rafts. They reported that nine others had drowned on the journey.

Late Saturday, the Starwood hotel chain signed a mega-deal with the Cuban government to manage three hotels on the island, the first U.S. entrance into the tourist business here in more than 60 years. On Sunday morning, Cubans crowded around their televisions to watch a hilarious phone conversation Obama taped Friday with the islands best-known comedian.

Im looking forward to it, a beaming Obama said of his upcoming visit here.

Hours later, the Ladies in White were attacked.

We want to see results from the U.S. opening, said Jos Daniel Ferrer, head of Cubas largest dissident organization, the Cuban Patriotic Union. But Obama himself has said not to expect spectacular results . . . and he has been exactly right.

Ferrer and several other dissident leaders who gathered Sunday morning  all of whom have been invited to a private meeting with Obama on Tuesday morning  argued among themselves about the pace of change and the intransigence of the government. They agreed they are not expecting short-term liberalization. But, they said, the combined weight of the U.S. opening and the generational change in Cubas aging leadership would inevitably bring down the system here.

Its already easier to criticize Ral than it was Fidel, Ferrer said of the current Castro president, and his brother and predecessor. The next will be easier still. Ral Castro has said he will step down in 2018.

In the long run, this could be like a poison steak for the regime, he said of normalization. It will taste good, but youll eventually get a stomach ache.

The Obama administration knows that Fidel Castro is about to turn 90, and that Ral is only a few years behind, said Guillermo Farias, head of the United Anti-Totalitarian Forum. A new generation is coming, with ever less moral authority to claim it is promoting a popular revolution, which took place long before most Cubans were born.

Nearly a dozen dissidents are expected at the meeting with Obama. They have been told they will be picked up by U.S. officials at their homes and taken to the U.S. Embassy here two hours before the meeting, presumably to avoid the past government practice of sequestering in their homes those it does not want meeting with prominent foreign visitors. At the embassy, they will watch and listen to Obamas broadcast speech to the nation.

Most said they were going to wait to hear what he has to tell them before deciding what they want to ask the U.S. president. Ten minutes will be enough for him to say a lot of things, Ferrer said of the speech, scheduled for 40 minutes. Its a unique opportunity, he said. Every Cuban is going to want to see if he projects an image of non-complicity with the government, if he will be transparent.

Far from Sundays protests, Obama and his family first traveled to the U.S. Embassy along the Malecon waterfront, which was officially reopened in August by Secretary of State John Kerry. After meeting with embassy staff, the Obamas are scheduled to take a brief walking tour Sunday of Old Havana, the capitals 500-year-old historic quarter, soon after they arrive. Scenes of their visit to its spiffed-up colonial plazas and colonnaded streetscapes are likely to stir up even more interest among would-be American travelers.

In a part of the Old Havana neighborhood that isnt on the presidents route, where families live in crowded, crumbling tenements and few tourists stray, several families spoke with measured excitement about his visit  especially the chance that it would bring more American visitors.

I hope it brings more investment, said Juan lvarez, whose bicycle rickshaw was adorned with a plastic American flag. We just want to live in peace.

Alberto Moreno, 35, a cook at a brewery, said he thought Obamas visit would show that Cuba is not the disaster that people in the United States think it is.

This will probably be the first country Obama visits where there is no one protesting his visit, said Moreno  and given that public demonstrations are banned, he is almost certainly right.

Obama seemed to have made a favorable impression ahead of his arrival by appearing in a skit with Cubas best-known comedian, Pnfilo. The two discuss his trip by phone and the dimwitted Pnfilo offers the U.S. president a ride from the airport and use of his double bed  warning Obama that Michelle will rest more comfortably on the side that doesnt have a spring sticking out.

Deroy Aponte, 28, who watched the video on Telesur, the Venezuelan network that is broadcast full time here, said hed never seen a powerful political figure do something like that. It made a big impression on me, he said.

The U.S. president seems to be open-minded, reasonable, and someone capable of putting himself in others shoes, said Aponte, who works as a repairman for cigar-making machinery.

For Americans wanting to travel to Cuba, the contradictions are stark. As the Ladies in White began their ill-fated march, several held a banner that read Obama: Traveling to Cuba Isnt Fun. No more human rights violations.
INDIANAPOLIS  A sheriffs deputy and a suspect have died following a gunfight early Sunday inside a mobile home that also left a second deputy injured, authorities said.

Howard County Deputy Carl Koontz died at an Indianapolis hospital after being shot about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at a mobile home in Russiaville, Sheriff Steven Rogers said during a news conference Sunday afternoon outside of an Indianapolis hospital.

A second deputy, Sgt. Jordan Buckley, also was shot and was in stable condition, alert and conscious, Indiana State Police said. Both officers had been wearing body armor, and fellow officers took them out of the mobile home to provide first aid.

SWAT officers found an unidentified suspect dead inside the mobile home about two hours after the gunfight, Rogers said.

Koontz and Buckley were serving arrest and search warrants at the home about 60 miles north of Indianapolis, Rogers said. No one answered officers knocks at the door.

They got inside the residence, and they were met with gunfire, Rogers said. As police officers we anticipate things like that, but it comes as a total surprise to us.

We plan for it, but youre never fully prepared, of course, for that situation, he said.

The sheriff said he could not recall another death in the line of duty during his 46 years with the Howard County department. Koontz had been a deputy for less than three years, and had a wife and a child about 8 months old.

He was an outstanding officer, he had great promise with our agency, and hes going to be greatly missed, Rogers said.

Rogers said that officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, but he didnt know which officers did so and it wasnt clear how many were inside the mobile home during the gunfight.

After removing neighboring residents from their homes and trying to contact the suspected shooter for two hours, SWAT officers found a person dead inside the mobile home, Rogers said. The name of the dead person and the cause of death have not been released.

Investigators had learned a suspect wanted for possession of a syringe in neighboring Clinton County was hiding at the mobile home and obtained the warrants, Rogers said.
The increased likelihood of Donald Trump as the GOP presidential nominee, as evidenced by his win in Florida and other states last week, spells the end of the Republican Party as we have known it. Successful political parties unite interests under a broadly shared policy agenda. The Clinton Democrats may seem ethically challenged, condescending and bordering on dictatorial, but they share basic positions on many core issues and a unifying belief in federal power as the favored instrument for change.

In contrast, the Republican Party consists of interest groups that so broadly dislike each other that they share little common ground.

GOP libertarians want more social freedoms; social conservatives want less. Neocons hunger for war, while most other Republicans, both libertarian and constitutionalist conservatives, reject Bushian interventionism. The rising populist wave now inundating the party and driving the Trump juggernaut both detests, and is detested by, the partys media, corporate and intellectual establishment.

Some movement conservatives are returning the favor, essentially blaming the white working class for their own failures. Among some on the right, it appears, capitalism and the law of the jungle are always noble, and those who fail to make the grade clearly are not. No surprise, then, that the new generation of voters seems more ready for socialism than for laissez faire.

Against weak and squabbling opposition, Trump has employed his crude persona, and equally crude politics, to dominate the primaries to date. But in the process he has broken not only the party structure, but also its spirit. Indeed, some of the partys most promising emerging leaders, such as Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, have made it clear they cannot support a candidate who seems to have little respect for the Constitution, or any other cherished principle.

In contrast, the Democrats, for all their manifest divisions, remain united by a desire to reward and parcel out goodies to their various constituencies. Hillary Clinton, as the troublesome Bernie Sanders fades, will gather a Mafia-like commission of Democratic families  feminists, greens, urban land speculators, public unions, gays, tech oligarchs and Wall Street moguls. Given the self-interest that binds them, few Democrats will reject her, despite her huge ethical lapses and appearance of congenital lying.

Finding fault

Whos to blame for the destruction of the GOP? Some may argue the Tea Party faction and evangelicals behind Ted Cruz siphoned off too many conservative voters, who might have backed a more acceptable candidate. But many social conservatives have flocked to Trump, blunting the Bible-thumping brand that drove the Texans strategy.

The other icon of the Right, the Tea Party, also appears increasingly in decline. One Gallup poll shows the Tea Party with less than 20 percent support among voters. Simply put, these forces are too weak, and disunited, to defeat Trump.

Those most responsible for the partys decline, however, are those with the most to lose: the Wall Street-corporate wing of the party. These affluent Republicans placed their bets initially on Jeb Bush, clear proof of their cluelessness about the grass roots  or much else about contemporary politics. They used to attract working- and middle-class voters by appealing somewhat cynically to patriotism and conservative social mores, which also did not threaten their property and place in the economic hierarchy. Now these voters no longer accept trickle down economics or the espousal of free trade and open borders widely embraced by the establishments of both parties.

The fecklessness of the party leadership has been evident in the positions taken by corporate Republicans. Reduce capital-gains taxes to zero? Are you kidding, Marco? New trade pacts may thrill those at the country club, but not in towns where industries have fled to Mexico or China.

And then theres immigration. Simply put, most Americans  upward of three-fifths, according to one recent poll  consider immigration a threat to the country. The idea of expanding H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, as suggested by mainstream GOP leaders, is a classic case of stupidity: supporting an electorally toxic position that really only benefits people  notably tech oligarchs  who also largely bankroll the other party.

Increasingly, the grandees are clueless how to appeal to a party rank-and-file that is no longer theirs. Far from being a country club party, roughly 53 percent of Republicans, according to Pew, come from households with incomes under $75,000. These are precisely the people who feel corporate America and the party economic gospel no longer work to their benefit.

These voters will be key to Trumps strategy in November. He hopes many middle- and working-class Democrats will defect to his cause. Upward of 20 percent of Democrats, according to some surveys, are ready to bolt to embrace The Donald.

This could prove critical in many states, particularly in the upper Midwest. A study just published by Working America, a political-action auxiliary of the AFL-CIO, interviewed some 1,600 white working-class voters in the suburbs of Cleveland and Pittsburgh during December and January. It found strong support for Trump, even among self-identified Democrats.

Although some respondents might be motivated by racial concerns, they were most impressed with Trumps attitude, the blunt and forthright way he talks. Among issues, immigration placed third, far behind the No. 1 concern: good jobs / the economy.

Rather than a Republican revival, Trumps candidacy represents an anti-party insurgency. Nate Silver suggests that Trumps candidacy has more in common with that of Ross Perot in 1992 than that of a typical mainstream Republican. Perot also ran a somewhat nationalistic campaign openly hostile to the parties dominant establishments.

In November, there may not be enough white middle- and working-class votes to put Trump over the top, but the GOP mercenaries dont appear capable of stopping his hostile takeover of their party. In fact, the attacks by Mitt Romney and others have handed Trump exactly what he thrives on  a photo op to stand up to powerful losers, idiots and morons.

After the disaster

The election of Trump would elevate an unscrupulous, amoral and patently ignorant bully to the White House. This result seems unlikely as the corporate GOP either opts out of the election, or even rallies to Hillary Clinton. Trumps campaign may bring some more independents and Democrats to the Republican cause, but he has alienated too many people  women, Hispanics, educated voters  to win a 50-state election.

Trumps defeat will leave the Republican Party in shambles. Even party Chairman Reince Priebus admits another presidential defeat could undermine the partys viability. We dont exist as a national party if we dont win in 2016, Priebus suggests. You cant compete 16 years out of the White House, its just not possible.

Of course, the GOP in 2017 still will control the House of Representatives and more statehouses than its rivals. But it may lose the Senate in November, leaving Clinton a clear path to dominate the Supreme Court. This will strip away the only barrier to ever more intrusive rule by decree. Clinton has already made it clear that, unlike her husband, she is ready to circumvent Congress if it dares decline her initiatives.

In this way, the rest of the country will increasingly resemble what we already have in California  a central governing bureaucracy that feels little constrained about expanding its power over every local planning and zoning decision. The federal republic will become increasingly nationalized, dispensing largely with the constitutional division of power.

Centralism, as known well in California, comes naturally to a one-party state. Businesses, particularly large ones, faced with uncontested political power, will fall in line. How many times have I heard California business people, even supposedly powerful ones, tell me they are frustrated with Gov. Jerry Browns increasingly draconian rule but sheepishly add that they are too afraid to say anything.

Looking ahead, the only hope lies in a mounting reaction, perhaps manifesting in a new party, to over-reach. As Clinton works to serve her families, like public employees, crony capitalists and the academia/media PC police, she could ignite a rebellion not only among the Trump constituency but also many more moderate, suburban voters who find Trump too crude, divisive and unpredictable.

This new movement should be built around the idea that, in the information age, power can, and should, devolve to localities as much as possible. Even Californians prefer local, as opposed to centralized, control. This could spark a widespread populist rebellion which, in 2020, could finally tame the federal Leviathan and allow American politics to return to something the founders may have envisioned.

Joel Kotkin is a R.C. Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and executive director of the Center for Opportunity Urbanism in Houston. His next book, The Human City: Urbanism for the Rest of Us, will be published in April by Agate.
As Ive asked in a couple recent columns: Where are people supposed to live? The Huntington Beach City Council this month gave its answer: Nowhere.

The Register reported on a March 7 council meeting at which more than 200 residents filled City Halls auditorium and an overflow room to once again voice their disapproval of a proposal to amend the housing plan to add state-required high-density and low-income housing.

The council then voted 7-0 to scrap the latest plan to meet the state requirements and lay the groundwork to fight the number of low-income housing units the city must have.

The crisis began last May when the City Council stopped plans to allow up to 4,500 housing units in the Beach Boulevard/Edinger Avenue area. Complaints led to a cap of 2,100 units.

My Editorial Board colleagues told me that, in meetings prior to the 2012 and 2014 elections, before I returned to the Register a year ago, candidates for all seven council seats pledged to respect property rights. Theyre not doing it.

I understand the importance of following the wishes of constituents. I think the citizens spoke, and the citizens were heard, said Councilman Billy OConnell. The Register reported he received raucous applause when [he] introduced the motion to reject the amendment to allow construction.

But America is not a democratic dictatorship. Its based on the rule of law, beginning with the U.S. Constitution. The 14th Amendment guarantees, [N]or shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

This was passed after the Civil War to guarantee the equal protection of the newly freed slaves. It applies to all Americans and their property.

The California Constitution reiterates, at the beginning of the Declaration of Rights, All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights. Among these are enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness and privacy.

So if I own a piece of property and my happiness includes developing it into homes or apartments, I have a right to do so. Certainly, it is reasonable to take account of externalities, as economists call them, such as abating noise, pollution and traffic. But that just means making accommodations for current property owners, not banning property development entirely.

Theres also an old saying in property economics that my late colleague Alan Bock used to cite: You have a right to property, but not to property values. A beach example is if your house has a great view of the sunset. You do not have a right to ban someone from building in front of your house and blocking your view, even if that reduces your propertys value.

Otherwise, where would the limitations end? Would Huntington Beach residents get to ban developments in Riverside because they dont want more 909ers driving nosily down Beach Boulevard and hogging the sands?

The council action against low-income housing is going to generate resistance because of state mandates. Ironically, its other state actions, such as the California Coastal Commissions Soviet-style restrictions on growth, which are an even bigger cause of scarcity than anything local governments have done.

And better than state low-cost-housing mandates, which also are a market manipulation, are free-market solutions to help the poor. But what do people expect when the violation of property rights raises rents prohibatively high, not just for the poor, but the middle class? According to Zillow.com, the current anti-property rights regimen by the city and the state aleady has helped jack up Huntington Beach median home prices to $730,000.

The way things are going, the only people who can afford to live in Surf City will be millionaires and the homeless.
LOS ANGELES  The presidential contest is dominating national headlines, but the toughest campaign in California might be two years away.

The race to replace Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018 is emerging as a potentially historic and crowded competition that could bring the state its first Asian governor, the first Hispanic in modern times or, maybe, the first woman to hold the job.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom started banking cash more than a year ago in advance of a run, and state Treasurer John Chiang sounds like hes getting in. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to become a candidate shortly, after flirting with a possible run for years.

I have a lot of service left in me, Villaraigosa told a group of Democrats at the partys state convention last month, in what appeared to be a slightly muffled reference to his intentions.

Theres been no announcement by Villaraigosa but I fully expect hes going to run for governor, said Democratic strategist Roger Salazar, who is close to the former mayor.

The list is likely to get longer. Former eBay executive and state controller Steve Westly is giving it a close look, and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer is considering a run. The incumbent mayor in Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, is gearing up for a re-election campaign next year but would also be on a list of possible contenders.

Democrats will be favored to hold the seat in a state where the party controls every statewide office, but some familiar Republican names have also circulated as potential candidates, including San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, who was a candidate for state controller in 2014.

The race is taking shape at a time when the state economy has gradually improved but millions of Californians are struggling in poverty or lower-wage jobs. Drivers contend with crumbling, congested roads and freeways. The states water supply remains shaky. Governments are saddled with soaring pension and employee health care costs.

The strong interest in the governors race is partly the result of Californias election rules, known to critics as the jungle primary, which sets the stage for unpredictable outcomes. Only two candidates advance to a November runoff, the top vote-getters, and voters can select any candidate, regardless of party.

The unusual, free-for-all rules put a lot of voters in play  Democrats can seek Republican votes, and vice versa, while a large group of independent voters is up for grabs. With a large field slicing up the vote, that opens up a lot of paths for candidates that wouldnt exist when primary elections were closed for either Democrats or Republicans.

There are so many different candidates who have different constituencies, noted Sam Rodriguez, a former state Democratic Party strategist, referring to the potential field and its geographic, demographic and political divisions.

For example, Newsom is rooted in the San Francisco area, where he was once mayor. Villaraigosa became the first Hispanic mayor in Los Angeles in over a century. Chiang, the son of immigrants from Taiwan, represents a point of pride in the Asian community.

When you dont have a closed, Democratic Party primary, you have to extend your constituency, Rodriguez said. The potential candidates must make decisions fairly early about running for governor, so that they have more time to meet with voters who may not have considered them before.

For the two former mayors, Villaraigosas expected entry into the race would set up a north-south rivalry with Newsom, with the states vast interior heartland a key battleground. Both have made trips to the area in recent months, highlighting its importance.

Villaraigosa left office in 2013 after two up-and-down terms. He can fairly claim successes, including bulking up the police department and seeding a transit-building boom, but was also faulted for sometimes promising more than he delivered, including a school takeover plan that flopped.

The son of a Mexican immigrant, the high-school dropout turned around his life and eventually became speaker of the California Assembly, city councilman and in 2005, mayor.

Now in private business and consulting, Villaraigosa has been helping Hillary Clinton raise money  he was a national co-chair for her 2008 presidential campaign. He considered running for U.S. Senate this year, but declined.

His varied business affairs are likely to become a point of scrutiny if he enters the race. Among them: he has been an adviser to Herbalife, the seller of supplements and weight-loss products currently under federal investigation as a potential pyramid scheme. Herbalife has defended its business practices.
SAN FRANCISCO  A transgender inmate, sentenced in 1987 in a Fullerton slaying and who was paroled after a judge ordered California to pay for her sex reassignment surgery, is making plans to have the surgery on her own this summer through coverage provided by the states low-income health insurance program, she told a newspaper.

A federal judge ordered the state to provide the surgery to Michelle Norsworthy in 2015, just the second time that any judge in the United States directed a state prison system to provide the operation. But Norsworthy was paroled before she received it.

Norsworthy, 52, told the San Francisco Chronicle she is proud of her fight with the state. State officials have announced new standards for treating transgender inmates undergoing hormone therapy and approved surgery for one prisoner, Shiloh Quine, the first time any U.S. prison system has authorized such an operation, the Chronicle reported.

Norsworthy said she is still adjusting to life outside prison, particularly being around other women. She lives at a halfway house in San Francisco and is looking for long-term housing and a job.

I had to adapt my personality in order to survive, she said about her time in prison. I had to be a man just to be a woman. Now Im in an all-female facility.  I go to sleep knowing nobodys going to hurt me or rape me. Thats a relief.

A judge sentenced Norsworthy in 1987 to 17 years to life in prison on a second-degree murder conviction in the slaying of Franklin Gordon Liefer Jr., 26, at a Fullerton bar.

Norsworthy shot Liefer three times. He died six weeks later.

Norsworthy said she was in denial at the time about who she was and acted overly male. She said her crime still haunts her.

She began openly identifying as a transgender woman in the 1990s. The state balked at doctors recommendation in 2012 that she receive sex-reassignment surgery. It later dropped its challenge to her case.
Miami Beach  The fruits of Donald Trumps rhetorical excess at the expense of Muslims and immigrants was brought home, literally, to Abdullah Antepli earlier this year. It left his teenage daughter in tears  and worried about her status in the only nation she has ever called home.

Abdullah Antepli is a college professor and imam-in-residence at Duke University. A naturalized American citizen who lives in Durham, N.C., with his wife and two children, Antepli emigrated from Turkey. Not his kids. They are natural-born citizens of the United States, to use the phrase Trump uses like a cudgel against Ted Cruz.

The oldest, 14-year-old Zainab, roots for the Duke Blue Devils and dreams of being on the U.S. Supreme Court. Her hometown is Cleveland, the American heartland city where Trump plans to be crowned the 2016 Republican presidential nominee in July.

It seems that Zainab Antepli was in a quarrel with a friend at school  typical teenage politics  when her friend upped the ante. I hope Trump wins and you disappear, she told Zainab.

Successful national political candidates in this country deliberately avoid stoking racial, ethnic or sectarian hatreds for just this reason. They know that their audience includes impressionable young Americans not yet of voting age. Trumps vocabulary illustrates the problem perfectly: His infelicitous descriptions of those he disfavors  Muslims, Mexican immigrants, journalists, Democrats, his fellow Republican candidates  is the language of the schoolyard bully.

Such talk causes real damage, and not only to the feelings of vulnerable first-generation American kids or the overall cause of civil discourse in this country. Trumps talk directly aids and abets terrorists. How do we know this? Because the terrorists say so themselves.

In Terror in the Name of God, a scholarly book Id recommend to Donald Trump  and our current commander in chief, for that matter  Boston University professor Jessica Stern documents why jihadists launch terrorist attacks against innocents in the U.S. and Europe. One reason is to make moderate Muslims living in the West  a vast swath of the world community that ISIS leaders term the gray zone  feel afraid. Another is to fuel the kind of backlash represented by Trump and his followers.

They want to make Muslims in the West feel unsafe, she said. They also want to increase prejudice against Muslims in the West.

Professor Stern made these remarks at the Faith Angle Forum, a seminar being held in Miami Beach on the day Trump was swamping Marco Rubios own presidential hopes in Florida while also winning three of the four other states on the primary calendar. The biannual conference on religions role in American public life, organized by the Washington-based Ethics and Public Policy Center, is also where Abdullah Antepli related his poignant story about his daughter.

Neither Stern nor Antepli are apologists for Muslim terrorists; far from it: Stern termed ISIS an apocalyptic cult. Antepli says it makes him uncomfortable when President Obama  and George W. Bush before him  robotically call Islam a religion of peace.

Its really silly, to say the least, he said, adding that when well-meaning liberals say that terrorist attacks, such as the mass murder in San Bernardino, have nothing to do with Islam, I want to pull my hair and scream.

Both academics also said that Obamas own rhetorical tic of absolving jihadists of any religious connection to Islam is silly and counterproductive. (The president is so stubborn he wont even say ISIS, let alone Islamic State.)

But the professors real opprobrium was reserved for the 2016 Republican Party front-runner. Trump is validating the narrative that the West is at war with Islam, Antepli told me over lunch after the conference ended. This is the central marketing tool for ISIS, al-Qaida, and all these terrorist organizations.

In so doing, added Stern, Trump is falling into a trap.

Its a trap of his own making. And it wasnt set accidentally. At the beginning of this decade, Donald Trump was known as a New York real estate tycoon famous for his personal vanity and celebration of material wealth, a habit of using bankruptcy laws to stiff his investors, and his success as a reality television star.

From this unlikely pedigree emerged an ascendant presidential candidate who capitalized better than any of his rivals on the current politics of anger. See if you can spot a theme in what made this possible.

 Trump entered the current political conversation by insisting that Barack Obama wasnt actually born in Hawaii, as his birth certificate shows. These records were faked, Trump suggested, to hide the fact that he was born in Kenya to a Muslim father. Trump often implied that Obama shares his fathers faith.

 Thousands and thousands of New Jersey Muslims cheered the 9/11 attacks, Trump proclaimed as his campaign began getting traction. Although the true number is probably a dozen, Trump, when confronted on this claim, doubled down by adding ethnicity into the mix. There were people over in New Jersey that were watching it, a heavy Arab population, that were cheering as the buildings came down, he said.

 At campaign rallies, Trump retold hoary stories he pulled from the Internet about Gen. John J. Pershing killing Muslim terrorists in the Philippines with bullets dipped in pigs blood. The claim is absurd, but it ginned up his crowds, who also roared approvingly when he vowed to prevent Syrian refugees from entering the country until we find out what the hell is going on.

 Trump also mused aloud about a national Muslim registry, suggesting that even American Muslims might not be allowed back in the United States. When a protester in Oklahoma City held up a sign reading, Islamophobia is not the answer, Trump embarked on a lengthy defense of waterboarding  leaving no doubt just whom he envisions being tortured by the U.S. government.

 Most recently, Trump claimed that a comprehensive Pew Research Center survey of the worlds Muslims showed that 27 percent, could be 35 percent, would go to war against the United States. Except that Pew never did any such poll.

Donald Trump is saying its OK to be anti-Muslim, Wajahat Ali, a California-born Muslim of Pakistani descent who was a participant in the Faith Angle Forum, told me after the seminar ended.

Hes deliberately playing on fear, ignorance and hate in return for a short-term political agenda, added Ali, a writer and creative director at Affinis Labs, a Virginia firm devoted to social-activism entrepreneurship. But the consequences of spreading these toxic narratives are devastating  and global. ISIS is saying to Trump, Thanks for doing our job for us.

Staff opinion columnist Carl M. Cannon also is Washington editor of RealClearPolitics.com.
Re: Trump lacks institutional support to win presidency [Opinion, March 15]: The hidden message in Eric Spitzs article was vote for Clinton. Clinton is the most institutionalized candidate that has ever run for president. Lets count the institutions that Clinton has under her skirt: The media, the banks, the unions, academia, the welfare recipients, the government employees, the Hollywood entertainers, the feminists and last but not least the Clinton Foundation. Those institutions can take some of the credit for the national debt of $19 trillion. Mr. Spitz, being one of the media elite, wants someone as president that has institutional backing to run the country. Clinton has to be his choice.

We Trump followers are so tired of the same old platitudes that elect the same old politicians who are against everything that is causing the countrys problems and after the election the problems that they are against just get worse. Trump may not win, but he was a breath of fresh air in the stagnant destructive institutionalized politics of today. I for one thank Trump for his courage, energy, money and time that he put into those outside of the institutions that hope for a change. The reactions of the established alone let a lot of us know who was afraid of losing something if Trump became president. Their reaction towards Trump changed my mind about some people that I admired. Clinton will be president and the institutions will rejoice and become all the more powerful, while what is left of the middle class will suffer more than ever.

John Seibert

Laguna Niguel

  

The reason voters are flocking to Trump is because he is not of the institutions. The institutions are what have repeatedly gotten us into the economic and social mess we are now in. Trump is as angry as the rest of us who are tired of the insiders making decisions that benefit themselves and not the country. This is not what our founding fathers wanted. Service to our country was meant to be by the people who would serve for a short time and then return to their homes and jobs. Now we have institutional candidates who never leave government.

Spitz implies that Trump does not have relevant experience or expertise. What do you call building a billion-dollar conglomerate? I would take Trumps experience over a Clinton, Bernie Sanders or Marco Rubio, who have never had to make a payroll or solve complicated business problems. Its about common sense. Trump has this in spades.

I want someone to take on the status quo. Trumps positions are extreme if you call having a country with borders extreme or if you call enforcing the Constitution extreme.

The extremists are on the side of the protesters who want to shut down Trumps speech. What happened to tolerance and free speech?

Your claim that churches, universities and industry associations have been ridiculed by Trump is simply not true. Trump ridicules the ridiculous, as well as incompetence and political correctness. George Orwell said, during times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

Brenda Swantko

Irvine

  

Eric Spitz writes a compelling piece on why Donald Trump cant win, but at the same time inadvertently explains why so many Americans will vote for Trump. He claims that Trump lacks institutional support, and a candidate must have strong institutional support to win the presidency of the United States. Perhaps true, but it is also why Americans are fed up with politicians jumping to the tune of powerful institutions, whether it be political parties, churches, universities, industry associations, and consumer brands. Id add unions. Its why Mr. Trump may indeed become the next president.

Peni Woehrman

San Clemente

  

Eric Spitz tells his children to ask their friends to consider voting for a president as they would hiring for a job. He suggests evaluating characteristics such as relevant experience, job expertise, integrity and fitness for office. Im wondering what other criteria he would suggest, since President Obama failed miserably in each of these four areas.

Obama has zero experience, hardly showed up to vote when in the Senate for a short period. Didnt author one piece of legislation. Job expertise? The shape of the country speaks for itself  unmitigated disaster. Integrity? This guy has none and has lied to the American people at every turn, starting with Obamacare. This current excuse for leadership had none of these. Certainly, there must be something else. As far as a job interview, I do like that aspect.

Trump, on the other hand, has done very well in the business community and is clearly more qualified than the current occupant of the White House.

Jack Dean

Santa Ana
Re: Trump calls off rally, citing security concerns [News, March 12]: While I am not a big Trump supporter, I do find it interesting that most of the reports about the violence at his rallies blame the man himself, and not the protesters. Its the same message, no matter the messenger, which is quite frightening. Why arent journalists asking, Who is funding the MoveOn.org group? Is it the DNC? Is it the RNC? Is it the groupies of Sea Island? Or, all of the above?

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Cheryl LaBarre

Laguna Niguel

  

Watching the local TV news covering the Chicago mob shut-down of Trumps speaking event was an eye opener. The national medias bias has never been in question, while the local affiliates, mostly, soft pedaled their lead stories as scripted.

That night, the local CBS news anchor and their political expert engaged in an unscripted exchange about the scene on screen. The anchor openly declared Trump should apologize, while the political guy totally blamed all the violence on Trump.

When The Donald first entered the race, I thought, like so many others, he was just a blowhard and paid little attention. Now, after watching the big media displaying a state of panic in their news coverage, Im going to pay closer attention to what he actually says, and how they are reporting it.

John Thrune

Fullerton

  

They preach tolerance, yet they are intolerant. We see this hypocrisy on parade repeatedly in the newspapers, universities and, now, political rallies.

The progressive answer to any subject is to shut off debate or dissension. The Los Angeles Times refuses to print letters to the editor that espouse a view of skepticism concerning anthropogenic (man-made) global warming. University and college students across the country shout down speakers or refuse to allow them on campus if they do not tout the socialist Democratic Party line or the leftist cause du jour. Now a presidential candidate is having to respond to mob rule by the intolerant. Donald Trump has as much right to his opinion and voice as Hillary Clinton. I have yet to see a mob of conservatives charge Clinton while she is on a podium, screeching her socialist diatribe.

All this unrest can be laid at the feet of Barack Obama. Obama has done more to divide this nation and cause uncivil discourse through his disrespect of the Constitution and the rule of law than any other person in America.

Intolerance is owned by the Democratic Party and its Left, liberal and socialist followers.

James H. McGee

Orange

  

Leave it to the Left to deny someone their First Amendment rights. As the Left sees this, you have the right to say what you want as long as your words fall in line with their beliefs. Otherwise, all other speech is labeled hate speech and is verboten. Typical Chicago politics. In canceling the event, Trump undoubtedly saved the situation from getting much worse.

Rodger Clarke

Santa Ana

  

Lets try to figure this out. Trump holds two peaceful rallies with a couple thousand supporters cheering him on when some anti-Trump folks carrying Bernie Sanders signs disrupt the rally, pushing Trump supporters around and yelling profanities about Trump and chanting for Bernie. Trump yells at security to throw them out, and a mild scuffle occurs.

Then Hillary Clinton and Sanders, two-faced Marco Rubio and runner-up Ted Cruz all say Trump has created an atmosphere of violence at his rallies. Then a proven Sanders supporter tries to get on the stage to take Trumps microphone away so he can stifle free speech. How dumb is that idea? The Secret Service stopped that fool in his tracks, and now he faces jail time.

All Trumps fault? No way is he at fault. Even the village idiot should be able to figure this one out. I think the incidents will create more Trump supporters.

Gil Luft

Costa Mesa
The sign atop the Santa Ana building reads: The Village at 17th Street.

Yet, at first glance, this squat stucco structure looks nothing like an actual village.

So you wonder.

But if an office building can be said to have a soul, this ones is surely village-like. Its 18 tenants have forged a community with one shared goal: helping people.

Its a nurturing environment, said Kathryn Seebold, CEO of Court Appointed Special Advocates, a Village occupant that serves foster children. Were all working for the common good.

Across from a church, down the street from a taco joint and a birth control clinic, the Village is Orange Countys first building that is dedicated to housing nonprofits.

It is one of about 400 so-called shared spaces across the United States and Canada, a number that has doubled in six years.

Real estate with a social purpose, is what the Nonprofit Centers Network, a Denver-based association, calls their mission.

Some buildings, like Orange Countys, house the administrative staffs of multiple organizations, offering them below-market rents, shared amenities and the chance to collaborate more easily.

Others are one-stop hubs where, for instance, low-income children can access various social services, whether dental care or after-school tutoring.

Still others offer co-working space for artists. And some are thematic, clustering environmental groups, social justice advocates or educational charities.

The two-story Village, wrapped around a grassy courtyard, hosts a kaleidoscope of philanthropies: Grandmas House of Hope abuts Pacific Islander Health Partnership. Science@OC is down the corridor from Mercy House and OC Food Access.

One tenant is a small government agency: the Children & Families Commission of Orange County with a staff of 12. The agency dispenses funds to various charities, including some in the building.

Along with sister agencies across the state, Orange Countys commission is funded by tobacco taxes, which have dwindled as fewer people smoke. But with the Villages below-market rent, the commission saved $68,550 over three years, money it put back into programs.

It was a huge financial win, Executive Director Christina Altmayer said.

She also appreciates the Villages serendipitous collaborations. I cant tell you how many conversations end up happening in the ladies room, she said with a chuckle.

In Orange County, the idea took root eight years ago. William Podlich, a retired co-founder of Pimco, the Newport Beach investment giant, was on vacation in Colorado when he saw a reference to a nearby nonprofit center in a local newspaper.

I thought, gosh, thats a good idea, he recalled.

Podlich visited the facility, did some research and discovered the nonprofit center network.

I had been on a lot of boards, he said. Id given away money scattershot. It occurred to me: Why not focus your philanthropy on things that strike a number of groups rather than one at a time.

Podlich contacted Shelley Hoss, president of the Orange County Community Foundation, who embraced the concept. She connected him with another philanthropically minded retiree  architect and developer Warren Lortie.

The two men found a building, and set up the Orange County Shared Spaces Foundation to buy it. Podlich oversaw much of the fundraising and Lortie, working pro bono, handled much of the renovation and leasing.

It was a sad, derelict building, Lortie recalled. The 33,800-square-foot structure needed earthquake retrofitting, new air conditioning and energy-efficient lighting.

The project cost nearly $4 million, including a $2.5million mortgage. About $1 million came from charitable donations. The community foundation offered a $500,000 loan, and when that was repaid, loaned another $100,000. Last year, it made a $50,000 grant for capital improvements.

Real estate is a roller coaster for nonprofits, Lortie said. Theyre allowed into office buildings when the market is down. When markets get better, greedy landlords raise the rent.

When the Village opened in 2010, leases were offered at $1.30 per square foot. Comparable office space with similar amenities could cost up to $2 per square foot today, Lortie said.

Besides stability and affordability, the Village offers an array of unusual free perks, including a 2,500-square-foot conference center with a boardroom, a training room and kitchen.

Another large room set up by CASA, the foster care agency, to train as many as 50 volunteers at a time, is open to the other groups too. Smaller meeting rooms and a lunch break room are available.

A full-time, on-site concierge coordinates use of the common space, helps with chores such as setting up projectors for meetings, and organizes events to bring tenants together.

For instance, a public relations expert gave a presentation on media strategy. A workshop provided information on data collection and program evaluation. Later this month, Mercy House will offer training on how to approach the homeless.

Tenants also participate in an annual book swap, and twice-monthly yoga classes, offered for free by one of the nonprofit employees.

The half-hour of yoga helps Dorit Harrell de-stress from emotionally draining work, the foster care case supervisor said. We work with a population that has lots of life struggles and sadness.

The Village, fully occupied and financially self-sufficient, has a half-dozen nonprofits on a waiting list to get in, but little turnover is expected.

There is plenty more demand than we can fulfill, Hoss said. Our hope was to create a model that others could be inspired by. It would be great if there were also one in North County and South County.

Podlich, 71, and Lortie, 72, hope others will pick up the baton, perhaps for a center that would offer services, not just administrative space.

We should do this in Fullerton and in San Juan Capistrano, Podlich said. Anaheim would be a very good place, where there are a lot of the same kinds of social service needs.

Lortie also is looking for someone to step forward and say, Lets do this in our neighborhood. Whether it is Stanton, Westminster, Anaheim or Lake Forest. We could use three or four of these in Orange County.

Contact the writer: mroosevelt@ocregister.com Twitter: @MargotRoosevelt
The Easter Jeep Safari is celebrating 50 years in 2016. This week-long event is held each year in Moab, Utah, hosted by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers in the beautiful scenery of Southeastern Utah most known for its beautiful red-rock arches in and around Arches National Park. The areas beauty is further accentuated when you get off the beaten path in a Jeep, 4x4, side by side or dirt bike. Moab truly is a mecca of amazing off-roading.

But this week isn't just about wheeling - it's all about Jeeps. Well be on hand checking out some of the dozens of trail rides and events during the 50th Easter Jeep Safari. Well even get a chance to take a closer look (heck, well get to drive them!) at the newest concept vehicle Jeep and Mopar built specifically for the event. Check back with Off-Road.com for coverage of the 50th Annual Easter Jeep Safari.

MORE 50th EJS

50th Easter Jeep Safari Photo Gallery
On March the 15 at noon, primary schools around the country marked a hundred years since the Proclamation was read by raising the national flag and reading again Padraig Pierses immortal words.

By Damian Moran

e-mail: damian@offalyexpress.ie

Twitter: @offaly_express

The students of Scoil Mhuire, Tullamore added to this wonderful occasion by reading their own proclamation  a vision for Ireland for the next hundred years.

In the glorious March sunshine the flag was raised high by Ava Browne of Junior Infants and 6th Class student Diana Cocis with the assistance of the chairperson of Scoil Mhuires Bord of Management Mary Theresa Lynch. The students sang a magical rendition of not only Amhrain na bhFiann, But Grace and of course the Offaly Rover.

Preparations for the day began on October16 last year when members of the Defence Forces, Sgt. Quinn and Gunner Scally presented Scoil Mhuire with the flag and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation.

Under the guidance of Ms. Bernie Fahy who co-ordinated the entire event the ceremony celebrated everything that makes us proud to be Irish.

It was a marvellous occasion for everyone involved and one that will live on in the memories of the children as they grow up. Even the builders downed tools to join in the celebrations.
Food Network chef Anne Burrell was the featured attraction at a March 3 dinner and auction that raised $285,000 for the Food Bank for the Heartland. Proceeds will provide 825,000 meals to area families via the Food Banks 530 network partners in Nebraska and western Iowa.

Burrell, host of Worst Cooks in America and Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, entertained more than 880 people at the Embassy Suites La Vista for the Celebrity Chef fundraiser. She demonstrated her culinary skills by preparing a dry-rubbed bone-in rib-eye, grilled broccoli rabe and cauliflower steaks with sauteed porcini mushrooms and poached egg.

During the cocktail hour, Omaha-area restaurants provided a variety of appetizers.

The meal began with an antipasto platter of marinated artichokes, mushrooms a la Grecque, olives, smoked mozzarella and salami, served with grilled flatbreads, crackers and focaccia with lemon basil aioli and tomato chutney.

The entree was a 4-ounce filet mignon with gorgonzola cream sauce, paired with Tuscan marinated chicken, garlic mashed baby red potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta and caramelized cipollini onions. Desserts were New York-style cheesecake topped with a hazelnut creme anglaise and garnished with a shortbread cookie or chocolate mousse cake garnished with whipped cream and a single raspberry.

Tables were decorated with centerpieces of fragrant herbs and spider mums in a silver mint julep cup.

A raffle and live auction capped the evening. Raffle prizes included a $500 grocery gift card and gift cards to area restaurants. A trip for two to California wine country was part of the auction.

A patron party at the nearby Courtyard by Marriott preceded the dinner. Patron party guests met with Burrell and received a copy of her book, Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower.

Aksarben Scholars

The Aksarben Foundation has awarded 50 Aksarben Horatio Alger State Scholarships to college-bound students in Nebraska and western Iowa. The foundation funds the scholarships, which are administered in partnership with the Horatio Alger Association.

Our 2016 Aksarben Horatio Alger State Scholarship recipients are a talented, dedicated and persevering group of young women and men, said Jon Burt, Aksarben Foundation president. They represent the leaders of tomorrow who will ensure heartland prosperity for generations to come. Were very proud to support their ongoing achievements.

Despite personal adversity, the scholarship recipients have maintained their commitment to educational achievement. This years scholars have maintained an average GPA of 3.7, scored an average of 23 on the ACT college entrance exam (of a possible 36) and are from households with an average annual income of $19,376. A list of the latest scholarship recipients can be found at scholars.horatioalger.org.

The scholarship, which totals $6,000 after a four-year payout, is applied to tuition at the students chosen college or university. Recipients also receive access to mentoring programs, guidance counselors and other resources designed to further their educational and personal achievement.

A portion of the scholarship funding comes from proceeds of the Aksarben Coronation & Scholarship Ball, which is planned by the Aksarben Womens Ball Committee.

The work we do all year to plan the Aksarben Coronation & Scholarship Ball is not only to honor families who help build the heartland but to raise critical scholarship dollars for students, said committee chairwoman Stephanie Murphy.

The 2016 coronation and ball has been rescheduled for Oct. 15 at Baxter Arena. A previously announced date conflicted with a sports-related activity at the venue.

ON THE CALENDAR

TUESDAY

Governors Arts Awards, Nebraska Arts Council, Embassy Suites La Vista, $55, 402-595-2122.

APRIL 1

Circle of Dreams, St. Augustine Indian Mission School, Hilton Omaha, $125, 402-878-2402.

Omaha Press Club Show, Omaha Press Club Foundation, Holland Performing Arts Center, $150 ($125 for ages 35 and younger), opcshow@gmail.com or 402-551-8526.

APRIL 2

artVenture, Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska, UNOs Mammel Hall, $50, girlscoutsnebraska.org.

vinNebraska, Partnership4Kids, Ramada Plaza Omaha, $120, vinnebraska.com.

APRIL 6

Table Art 2016, Omaha Symphony Guild, Baxter Arena, $75, crshusker@cox.net or 402-598-2742.

APRIL 7

Wings of Freedom Gala, Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, $125, http://sasmuseum.com/wings-of-freedom

APRIL 9

Festa del Leone, Roncalli High School, held at the school, $125, roncallicatholic.org/events/festa.

The Gathering, CUES, Embassy Suites La Vista, $125, 402-451-5755.

Night of Knights, Mount Michael Benedictine School, Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, $135, nightofknights.org.

Pink Ribbon Affair, Susan G. Komen Nebraska, Hilton Omaha, $125, komennebraska.org.

APRIL 15

Torchlight Ball, All About Omaha, Scoular Ballroom, $60, allaboutomaha.org.

APRIL 16

Cathedral Comedy and Cuisine, St. Cecilia Grade School, held at the school gym, $125, 402-551-2313.

APRIL 18

Tribute Spring Luncheon honoring Jim and Diny Landen, Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, Happy Hollow Club, $60, nebraskacures.com or 402-390-2461.

APRIL 22

Hope Brews, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-Nebraska Chapter, Omar Building, $150; Nicky McCarville, 402-330-6164.

APRIL 22-23

Kicks for a Cure soccer exhibition and dinner, Lizs Legacy Cancer Fund, dinner April 22 at Baxter Arena, soccer April 23 at Creightons Morrison Stadium and Caniglia Field at UNO; $125 dinner, free admission to soccer; kicksforacure.org.

APRIL 23

BASH 2016: Masters of Tradition, Creighton Prep, Heider Center at the school, $150, PrepBASH.com.

CeleBration 32: Our Grand Affair, Gross High School, Embassy Suites La Vista, $125, grosscatholic.org.

APRIL 29

Tastes & Treasures, Salvation Army Womens Auxiliary, Field Club of Omaha, $75; 402-898-7700, ext. 1188.

MAY 3

Lauritzen Gardens Guild Inspiring Luncheon, Lauritzen Gardens, held at the Gardens, $75; 402-346-4002, ext. 228.

MAY 5

Man and Woman of the Year Grand Finale Gala, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society-Nebraska Chapter, Hilton Omaha, $150, 402-344-2242 or www.mwoy.org/ne.

MAY 6

A Night in Rio, Brownell-Talbot School, held at the school, $100, 402-556-3772, ext. 1012.

MAY 7

For the Kids Benefit, Omaha Childrens Museum, held at the museum, $150, 402-930-2349.

MAY 23

Liberty Mutual Invitational, Nebraska Kidney Association, Oak Hills Country Club, $1,200/foursome, kidneyne.org.

JUNE 2

Pinot, Pigs & Poets, Completely Kids, Happy Hollow Club, $125, pinotandpigs.org.

JUNE 3

Lincolns Finest, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-Nebraska Chapter, Ridnour Room in Lincoln, $50; Carli Israelson, 308-325-0777.

JUNE 13

Lexus Champions for Marian Golf Tournament, Marian High School, Indian Creek Golf Course, $200, marianhighschool.net.

JULY 21

Links to a Cure Dinner, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-Nebraska Chapter, Hilton Omaha, $200; Rachel League, 402-330-6164.

SEPT. 15

Imagine Our Youth, Omaha Home for Boys, Embassy Suites La Vista, $125, 402-457-7165.

If you have news for Around and About, send it to Howard K. Marcus, aroundandabout@owh.com. Follow him on Twitter @OWHhoward.
The University of Nebraska Press celebrated its 75th anniversary by donating books to 27 Little Free Libraries in Lincoln and Omaha.

The Little Free Libraries, often run by individuals, are standalone structures that offer free books for the public in a take a book, leave a book trust system.

The University of Nebraska Press books are now available at various spots.

For participating Little Free Libraries locations, search for the Lincolns Little Free Libraries or Omaha Area Little Free Libraries public groups on Facebook.

The University of Nebraska Press is a nonprofit press that publishes 150 new and reprint titles annually under the Nebraska, Bison Books and Potomac Books imprints, and also in partnership with the Jewish Publication Society.

Books of local interest:

Musings of a Maverick Minister by Marge deGraw: Omaha resident and former minister deGraw offers a collection of essays about what she learned during her 20-plus years as a minister.

Boxes: The Secret Life of Howard Hughes  Second Edition by Douglas Wellman and Mark Musick: Musick, a Blair, Nebraska, native, co-wrote this book about Hughes secret marriage and other clandestine dealings.

On the calendar

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Book sale: Norfolk Public Library Foundation used book sale, 1 to 3 p.m. today, Sunset Plaza Mall, 1700 Market Lane, Norfolk, Nebraska.

Author appearance: Joy Johnson will sign The BOOB Girls VIII: The Burned Out Old Broads at Table 12  Learning to Love Willie, 1 p.m. today, The Bookworm, 90th Street and West Center Road.

Author appearance: Douglas V. Wesselmann, aka Otis Twelve, will sign Tales of the Master: The Book of Stone, 1 p.m. today, The Bookworm.

Writers group: Genealogy Writers Group, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. today, Meeting Room 1, W. Dale Clark Library, 215 S. 15th St. No registration required.

Book group: The Crime Through Time Book Group will discuss Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, The Bookworm.

Book signing: Marilyn Coffey and Erik Campbell, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Mr. Toad, 1002, Howard St.

Workshop: Legend Writers Group, 9 a.m. Wednesday, Legend Comics & Coffee, 5207 Leavenworth St.

Event: Book Marketing Summit, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Millard Library, 13214 Westwood Lane. The topic is Elevator speeches and selling yourself.

Book group: The Mysterious Book Group will meet, 6 p.m. Wednesday, The Bookworm.

Workshop: Nebraska Writers Workshop. Teen mentoring at 5:30 p.m., adults from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Baright Public Library, 5555 S. 77th St., Ralston.

Book sale: Friends of the Omaha Public Library, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Swanson Library, 90th Street and West Dodge Road.

Writers group: Wordsowers Christian Writers Group, 6 p.m. Thursday, Swanson Library.

Book group: The American History Book Club will discuss Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard, 10 a.m. Saturday, The Bookworm.

Event: Storytime with Mr. Scott, 11 a.m. Saturday, The Bookworm.

Closings: All Omaha Public Library locations will be closed for Easter, March 27.

Closing: The Bookworm will be closed for Easter, March 27.

Information for this column and other book page items should be sent to micah.mertes@owh.com.
Cases of white-collar financial fraud go way back in Nebraskas history.

But none of the olden-days cases appear to reach the level of TierOne Bank.

 According to the Nebraska State Historical Society, Joseph Bartley, who served as state treasurer from 1893 to 1897, embezzled more than $500,000 in public money. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He was pardoned by the governor  to the outrage of many  and died in Tacoma, Washington, in 1920.

 In 1893, Capital National Bank of Lincoln failed, according to the historical society. C.W. Mosher, president of the bank, was found to be involved in the fraudulent management of State Penitentiary labor and jailed.

The shenanigans created a profound sensation in banking circles and practically ruined many depositors, and landed President Mosher in the Sioux City federal prison for a term of five years, according to author Andrew Sawyer, writing in the 1916 book Lincoln: The Capital City and Lancaster County, Nebraska.

 A 1906 case involved Panhandle ranchers, said James Potter, senior research historian with the historical society. Convictions were eventually obtained for conspiracy and fraud related to federal land laws. Some ranchers had paid Civil War veterans and widows to come to Nebraska and file land claims with no intention of settling on the property. The ranchers then bought out the claimants and fenced the land or used it to control river frontage or other water sources.

 In the Roaring Twenties, there was more bank hanky-panky.

One case was in Beemer, about 75 miles northwest of Omaha, home to Beemer State Bank and its president, Paul Wupper  both banker and mayor. The bank failed in 1928 when, as Time magazine reported in 1931, Banker Wupper received unwelcome visitors.

They were state bank examiners.

Just before they found an embezzlement of $1 million and ordered the bank closed, Banker Wupper vanished, Time reported. Citizens and State offered $3,150 in rewards for his arrest.

Wupper was a fugitive for three years, finally arrested in Philadelphia in 1931, convicted and sentenced at age 54 to 110 years in prison.

He also was married to more than one woman at the same time.

Times have changed and with them attitudes toward treatment of white-collar criminals.

Take the 1894 case of Holt County Treasurer Barrett Scott: He got wrapped up in one of the largest white-collar cases in the young states history, making the mistake of using his elected office to embezzle $90,000 (about $3.1 million in todays money) from the good citizens of the ONeill-Atkinson area.

After absconding to Mexico, he was arrested and extradited, a step that required the intervention of U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

According to a 1978 book by Nebraska author Harold Hutton, Vigilante Days: Frontier Justice Along the Niobrara, Scott was convicted and appealed to the Nebraska Supreme Court.

But some Holt County folks had no time for such legal niceties, having taken great exception to the raiding of their public purse.

In December 1894, unknown people abducted Scott in open country as he traveled to ONeill. He was lynched that night from a bridge over the Niobrara River.

Contact the writer: 402-444-3197, russell.hubbard@owh.com
HINTON, Iowa (AP)  Central Valley Ag says two of its workers injured in a northwest Iowa grain elevator explosion last week are now in stable condition.

The explosion occurred just after 1 p.m. Thursday at Central Valley Ag in Hinton. The two injured workers were taken to a Sioux City hospital in serious condition, and then transferred to a hospital in Omaha, the Sioux City Journal reported.

The cause of the explosion hasn't been determined, but engineering and insurance experts, as well as the Iowa State Fire Marshall, were investigating.

Copyright 2016 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Pakistan Govt says report of Aasia Bibi leaving is 'fake news'

This song promoting Muslim-Christian harmony in Pakistan is breaking the Internet

Temple official objects to Christian, Hindu boys playing together; Video viral on social media

Bengaluru school Bible row: How many students have converted in the last hundred years, says Archbishop

Islamic States first suicide bomber was a Kerala Christian converted to Islam: The state needs to wake up

SC asks MHA to seek reports from states on plea alleging attacks on Christians

Christians observe 'Palm Sunday' in Kerala

India

oi-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 20: Marking the beginning of the Holy Week, Christians in Kerala today observed the 'Palm Sunday' with religious fervour, commemorating the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem ahead of his crucifixion.

Faithfuls thronged churches of major Christian denominations in large numbers and attended special masses and prayers across the state.

Holding blessed palm fronds in their hands, the devotees, irrespective of age barriers, also took out processions in villages and towns.

According to the Christian belief, 'Palm Sunday', known as 'oshana njayar' in local parlance, is observed to mark the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem where people, irrespective of rich and poor, greeted him by waving palm branches.

Churches distributed palm leaves among devotees as a remembrance of this Biblical episode. In the city, Archbishop M Soosa Pakiam led the Palm Sunday prayers at the St Joseph's Metropolitan Cathedral and Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis led the mass at St Mary's Cathedral.

Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamalay archdiocese, led the prayers at the St Mary's Basilica in Kochi.

The faithful will observe fast and hold special prayers in the next week till Easter Sunday on March 27, marking Christ's resurrection after crucifixion on Good Friday.

PTI
No surprises here: Mallikarjun Kharge is the new Cong chief

After the 'Jihad' comment, Patil now claims \"I never said it\"

Congress a 'tail-ender' to regional parties: BJP

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 20: The BJP on Sunday mocked the Congress, saying the party has reduced itself as "a tail-ender" to regional outfits in states like Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

"See what is Congress party's political position today. Look at Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. I think Congress has lowered its political ambitions.

It is quite content becoming the tail-ender of any alliance," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here on the sidelines of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive meeting.

"So from Tamil Nadu to Bihar to Bengal, that is the role they (Congress) have," he said.

Asked whether the political instability in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand figured in the day's deliberations in BJP meet, the senior party leader quipped that the "issue should rather figure in the Congress working committee meeting".

He said there was a "deep division" in the Congress in Uttarakhand and it should not be attributed to the BJP.

Jaitley criticised Uttarakhand Speaker G.S. Kunjwal for his decision to pass the budget by voice vote.

Noting that BJP has formed an alliance in Assam with regional parties but is the "leader" of the combine, he exuded confidence that his party will score a "decisive victory" in the coming elections in the northeastern state.

IANS
CPI(M)'s insurance union to bear education expense of Kausalya

India

oi-PTI

Coimbatore, March 20: All India Insurance Employees Union affiliated to CPI(M) on Sunday, March offered to bear the entire education expenses of Kausalya, widow of the Dalit youth Shankar, who was hacked to death in a suspected case of honour killing last week.

Talking to reporters after meeting Kausalya, undergoing treatment at the Government Hospital here for her injuries in the attack, CPI(M) MLA K Thangavel, along with office bearers of AIIEU, said the union has assured to meet her education expenses.

Kausalya is doing engineering course in a private college. Shankar (22) and Kausalya (19), whose inter-caste marriage was opposed by their families, were attacked by a gang, who came on a motorcycle, with sickles in full public view on March 13 in nearby Tirupur district, resulting in the death of the husband.

The couple, married eight months ago despite opposition from their families, were waiting at the Udumalpet bus stand when they were attacked.

Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident and they were charged under various sections of IPC including 302 (murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons) and also under the stringent provisions of SC/SC (Prevention of Atrocities Act).

PTI
India, Pakistan should fight terror together: Tahirul Qadri

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, March 20: It was time both India and Pakistan realised that they have a common enemy -- terrorism --and they need to fight it together, Pakistani-Canadian cleric Tahirul Qadri said here on Sunday at the World Sufi Forum.

"India and Pakistan have fought four wars and have achieved nothing out of them. Now it was time that both countries realised that they are not each others' enemies, but have a different common enemy, which is terrorism. Let's fight it together," Qadri said.

He said that the money both India and Pakistan are spending on fighting and containing each other should be spent on development and alleviating poverty.

"Poverty is pushing people into terrorism. Parents who have no food to feed their children are selling them to terrorists. Let's end this poverty and deprivation," he said while addressing a gathering of thousands at Ramlila ground here.

Qadri also blamed "international injustices" for the spread of terrorism and called for the end of such injustices.

"Establishment of everlasting peace and harmony should be a global goal and agenda," said the cleric, who spearheaded a revolt against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2014.

IANS
Of Dazzling Jewellery And Benefits, Kalyan Jewellers Is Here To Make Your Festive Season More Special

Jewellers end 18-day strike after assurance from Jaitley

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, March 20: Jewellers on Saturday, March 19 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. "After long deliberations, all associations agreed to call off the stir," GJF Chairman Sreedhar G V said here.

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.

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.

PTI
International news brief: UN ponders rapid armed force to help end Haiti's crisis and more

International news brief: Russia is tearing at the very foundations of international peace Biden after UN vote

International news brief: Suspect in US Sikh family murder pleads not guilty; N. Korea fires missile and more

International news brief: UK PM Liz Truss may be ousted by October 24

International news brief: Confident of Pak's commitment, ability to secure its nuclear assets, says US & more

News flash: MET Department issues avalanche warning for next 24 hour in J&K

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Bengaluru, Mar 19: Rainwater enters market area in J&K damaging goods on Sunday, March 20

Get all the latest news updates of the day:

6.20 pm: Fire breaks out at Gate no 8 of Delhi's South Block. 12 fire tenders at the spot.

6.06 pm: Custom officials seize 146 tortoise at Mumbai airport from baggage of a Nepal national.

5:57 pm: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu moves BJP Political Resolution at BJP's National Executive Meeting held in Delhi.

BJP National executive meet in Delhi, ends pic.twitter.com/05DXYO4XlR  ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016

5:37 pm: Pakistan releases 86 Indian fishermen who were arrested for allegedly trespassing into its territorial waters as goodwill gesture. They will cross Wagah Border (to India) tomorrow.

5:25 pm: Ujjain Police release ID of the suspect which was found with bag full of explosives in a hostel room yesterday.

5.04 pm: Files in Rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat's Vidhan Sabha office being checked and searched.

4.29 pm: CM Harish Rawat locks rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat's Vidhan Sabha office.

4.07 pm: India & Pak are not enemies, their real enemy is terrorism- Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Pak politician &Islamic scholar.

3.47 pm: Mortal remains of Sepoy Vijay Kumar K recovered from under 12 feet snow,he went went missing after avalanche hit Army post in Kargil sector.

3.41 pm: Police arrest five people while making crude bomb from Tiljale in Kolkata.

3.36 pm: Nine rebel Congress MLAs to go to Raj Bhavan (Uttarakhand) against speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's notice to them under anti-defection law.

3.18 pm: Medium danger avalanche warning exists for areas above 3,000 metres altitude of Kupwara, Baramula, Bandipur, Kargil & Gandarbal districts of J&K.

2:33 pm: Daughter of BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi (accused of attacking Police horse Shaktiman) protests against his arrest in Dehradun.

Dehradun: Daughter of BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi (accused of attacking Police horse Shaktiman) protests against his arrest pic.twitter.com/Zf6JuBeViJ  ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016

1:57 pm: If there is no drinking water for 40-45 days, it is natural that the situation will become explosive: Ashok Chavan, Congress leader, on Sec-144 in Latur (Maharashtra)

If govt had helped the people,such situation wouldn't have risen: Ashok Chavan on Sec-144 in Latur amid water crisis pic.twitter.com/FLfEWOkub3  ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016

1:20 pm: "I am openly saying that CM's(Uttarakhand) house turned into a hotbed of fixers, " said Harak Singh Rawat, rebel Congress MLA

1:02 pm: "We've followed constitutional process, have sent a petition to speaker under anti-defection law," said Indira Hridayesh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Uttarakhand.

If they want to come back, we'll welcome them: Indira Hridayesh,Parl Affairs Min,Uttarakhand on rebel Congress MLAs pic.twitter.com/0ppDY3bsu7  ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016

12:48 pm: People in India should have absolutely no difficulty as far as this slogan is concerned, best example you saw at Eden Gardens yesterday:FM Arun Jaitley

We believe this is one issue on which there should be no debate (on 'Bharat Mata ki Jai): FM Arun Jaitley pic.twitter.com/wIwqAr0Jmf  ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016

12:46 pm: Constitution of India allows complete freedom to dissent but does not permit destruction of the nation: Arun Jaitley

12:42 pm: "We will try and build consensus on bankrupcty bill. Most parties are in favour of the bill, " said FM Arun Jaitley.

12:35 pm: "There is a political crisis in Uttarakhand but a majority of MLAs say that they voted against finance bill and speaker says it is passed," said Arun Jaitley.

To consider a failed bill passed, it is happening first time in the country: FM Arun Jaitley on #Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/NLE4SKPiwM  ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016

12:32 pm: "We are still committed to agenda for governance that was formed with refernce to J&K," said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

12:27 pm: Section 144 imposed in 6 areas of Latur(Maharashtra) as a precautionary measure to maintain law & order amid water crisis.

Sec-144 imposed in 6 areas of Latur(Maharashtra) as a precautionary measure to maintain law &order amid water crisis pic.twitter.com/suE0jE1jgi  ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016

11:53 am: Notices under anti-defection law issued by Uttarakhand Minister Indira Hridayesh, put up at residences of rebel Congress MLAs.

11.30 am: World Sufi Forum being held in Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

Delhi: Visuals from World Sufi Forum being held in Ramlila Maidan pic.twitter.com/tujwwqrttB  ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016

11.05 am: I stand by what I said. I said Nusratji has done Bhagvakaran in MP Urdu Academy. Didn't take her name then, but now I'm saying this, says Urdu poet Manzar Bhopali.

11.03 am: Kargil Avalanche update: Status of rescued soldier stable. 1 soldier yet to be rescued, avalanche rescue teams working to trace the soldier.

11.00 am: Urdu poet Manzar Bhopali while addressing gathering at an event made objectionable statement against me, says Nusrat Mehdi, Secy MP Urdu Academy.

10.48 am: There was no need of SYL, there's no need now & we'll not let it be built, says Sukhbir Singh Badal, Dy CM Punjab on SYL

10.05 am: Exiled Tibetans cast their votes to elect Sikyong (their political head) and members of Parliament-in-exile.

10.03 am: BJP President Amit Shah arrives for 2nd day of party's national executive meeting at NDMC Convention Centre in Delhi.

9.27 am: Chief Election Commissioner and ECs to commence 2-day visit to Guwahati on Monday, March 21, to review poll preparation for upcoming Assembly election.

9.10 am: Belakoba (Jalpaiguri) Range forest officials seize 11 foot long skin & 88 pieces of bones of royal Bengal tiger from New Alipurduar,4 arrested.

9.00 am: A makeshift Christian prayer hall set on fire by unknown persons in Gopanpally, Nizamabad (Telangana).

8.44 am: At least seven people died and one injured after a small plane crashed in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, says report

8.30 am: Rainwater enters market area in Poonch (J&K) damaging goods.

8.10 am: Heavy rainfall and hailstorm in Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), on March 19.

8.00 am: Prince Harry met Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli in Kathmandu, on March 19.

OneIndia News
Parliamentary panel favours bringing tobacco production under regulatory regime

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Mar 20: A Parliamentary panel has recommended framing an "equitable and pragmatic" National Tobacco Control Policy so various organs of government can work in tandem and tobacco production can be brought under a regulatory regime.

"The committee feels that there is an urgent need for framing a 'National Tobacco Control Policy' with well defined objectives and goals so that all the organs of the government as well as other stakeholders function in tandem with each other in achieving the overall objectives under National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP)," the committee said.

It said there was a "need to bring the entire tobacco production in the country under some kind of regulatory regime so that the objectives under the NTCP can be achieved in a meaningful manner."

The Committee on Subordinate Legislation on Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (packaging and labelling) amendment (COTPA) rules 2014, chaired by Dilip Gandhi recently tabled its report in the Lok Sabha.

The committee strongly recommended that the National Tobacco Control Policy should be "equitable, pragmatic and implementable" and in line with the Indian scenario taking into account various factors like tobacco consumption pattern, agricultural employment, export potential and revenue generation.

The committee noted a lack of coordination among various government agencies in achieving the objectives of tobacco control.

"This is evident from the fact that whereas the Labour Ministry has viewed that the proposed amendments in the cigarettes and tobacco products packaging and labelling rules is likely to have an adverse impact on the livelihood of crores of people engaged in tobacco trade and the issue needs thorough examination, the Commerce Ministry has viewed that it may lead to increase in illicit trade of cigarettes besides adversely affecting local growers and manufacturers of tobacco products and loss to government revenues," it noted.

The committee said the Agriculture Ministry has pointed out that no single crop is as remunerative as tobacco and it is very difficult to persuade its growers to switch over to alternative crops.

In addition, the Committee noted that approximately 800 million kg of tobacco is annually produced in the country out of which only 300 million kg which is 37 per cent (cigarette tobacco) is regulated by way of control by the Commerce Ministry, while the rest of the produce is unregulated.

"It is intriguing as to how such huge production of unregulated tobacco can be regulated by way of rules and regulations framed under the COTPA 2003 when the compliance and enforcement is extremely difficult," the committee noted.

PTI
Bihar: Nitish Kumar swears in as CM for 8th time; Tejashwi Yadav to be Dy CM

Yet another setback for Nitish as 15 JDU Panchayat members join BJP in Daman & Diu

PM Narendra Modi is in crisis, says Shyam Rajak on Bihar gift row

India

oi-Shalini

Patna, March 20: Shyam Rajak, Bihar's Food Minister and JD(U) member on Sunday, March 20 took a jibe at BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi and others for returning the gift to the state that was earlier given to MLAs during the budget session.

The state giving the gifts to the MLAs had earlier snowballed into a major controversy, with the issue attracting media attention. The state government came under severe criticism from media and general public for misuse of public money earmarked for the development of the state.

This, however has now forced the MLAs to return the gift to the state. In a fresh development BJP MLA Sushil Kumar Modi and other MLAs were seen returning the gifts.

Amidst this development, Rajak told OneIndia that gifting during budget session is a popular culture in Bihar.

Taking a strong jibe at Sushil Modi, Rajak said that after BJP's debacle in Bihar, Sushil is feeling demoralised and now is trying to become 'Chapasi Baba' (person craving for publicity through media). Since he is not being recognised by his own party members, Sushil Modi is resorting to these tactics to grab attention of the media.[Gifts worth Rs 30 lakh for Lawmakers for attending Budget session in Bihar]

"During BJP-JD(U) regime Modi should not have accepted gifts himself. Gifts were given during that era also. So why did Modi collect the gifts then? Rajak asked. Now, they (BJP) have started behaving like activists to portray clean image in front of public thus, maligning the ruling government.

Rajak also said, "Sushil is jealous of our government JD(U) and this is just traditional precedence that we are following."

The money went into buying gifts was not from the public , Rajak said on being asked whether public money is involved in this.

Speaking on outlay for education in the budget, Rajak said, "25% of budget money are utilised for education and this itself is history."

Attacking the BJP, he said "I feel pity for BJP as Narendra Modi himself is in crisis. We can not term this tradition as wrong as this is a matter of few lakhs."

As long as this practice does not affect budget, there is nothing wrong in accepting the gifts, he concluded.

OneIndia News
Curtail use of fossil fuel to fight global warming: Dalai Lama

Will continue to serve humanity, says Dalai Lama

Dharamsala is second capital of Himachal Pradesh

Exiled Tibetans hope Donald Trump will help in resolving Tibet issue

Tibetan in exile will thank the world for support

Tibetan exiles vote to elect PM

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Dharamsala, March 20: Tibetan exiles across the world on Sunday,March 20 voted to elect their nominees for the post of 'Sikyong' or prime minister and the members of the parliament-in-exile based here.

Long queues of men and women flashing their green colour voter identity cards were witnessed in the morning at nine polling centres in this town to elect one of the two prime ministerial contenders: incumbent Lobsang Sangay and Penpa Tsering, the Tibetan parliament speaker.

A foreign delegation comprising members of the European Parliament is here as part of the Tibetan election observation mission, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) press officer Jamphel Shonu told IANS.

Voters will also elect 45 members of the parliament in exile. A total of 94 candidates are in the fray. The results will be declared on April 27.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is not a voter.

More than 90,000 Tibetans in exile across the world are to take part in the election. In the US and Europe, the electoral process is underway.

In India, voting is also taking place, among other places, at Darjeeling, Bylakuppe, Dehradun and Delhi. It will end in India at 5.00 p.m.

Some of the other countries where the elections are taking place included Japan, Russia and Australia.

A total of 47,105 Tibetans voted in the preliminary round in October last year.

The 2016 general elections are the second direct elections for electing the Tibetan leadership since complete devolution of political authority by the Dalai Lama in 2011.

The five-year term of incumbent Prime Minister Sangay will expire in August.

The 47-year-old Harvard educated Sangay is the first political successor to Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Sangay's chances to get re-elected are high as he secured 19,776 votes more against his close rival Tsering, who polled 10,732 votes.

Since assuming power in August 2011, grant of more autonomy in Tibet "within the Chinese constitution", creation of awareness on Tibet and education of the exiled youth are among crucial issues before Sangay.

He took over the reins of the government-in-exile from monk-scholar Samdhong Rinpoche, who held the post for 10 years.

IANS
Prince Harry lauds resilience of Nepalese people

International

oi-PTI

Kathmandu, Mar 20: Britain's Prince Harry on Sunday saluted the resilience of the people of Nepal recovering from the last year's devastating earthquakes as he called on President Bidya Devi Bhandari and discussed a host of bilateral issues during his maiden visit to the country.

Prince Harry, who arrived here yesterday on the five-day visit to mark the 200th anniversary of the Nepal-Britain ties, called on the President at her residence in Sheetal Niwas and said that he was delighted to be in the Himalayan country.

The 31-year-old said he hopes to "shine a spotlight" on resilience of Nepali people recovering from last April's devastating earthquakes which claimed nearly 9,000 lives. "I want to show all those people around the world who want to help that Nepal is a country open for business, so please come and visit again," he said.

Welcoming the Prince, President Bhandari highlighted on enhancing bilateral cooperation between Britain and Nepal. Harry also visited the earthquake-hit historical Patan Durbar Square to learn about the efforts being made to restore buildings of historic significance and to assist disaster preparedness, local media reported.

He also visited Taleju Mandir, Krishna Mandir, Char Narayan Mandir among other places. The Prince yesterday called on Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and discussed cooperation between the two nations.

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.

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.

Thanks to everyone for coming out to make Prince Harry feel so welcome in Kathmandu pic.twitter.com/PRm3y5Tdap  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 20, 2016

PTI
Greece delays sending refugees back to Turkey under EU deal

International

oi-PTI

Athens, Mar 20: Greece will not be able to start sending refugees back to Turkey from today, the government said, as the country struggles to implement a key deal aimed at easing Europe's migrant crisis.

Under the agreement clinched between Brussels and Anakara last week, migrants who reach the Greek islands will be deported back to Turkey.

For every Syrian returned, the EU will resettle one from a Turkish refugee camp. The deal aims to strangle the main route used by migrants travelling to the EU and discourage people smugglers, but it has faced criticism from rights groups and thousands took to the streets of Europe in protest.

Greek premier Alexis Tsipras told his ministers on Saturday afternoon to be ready to begin deporting people the following day, as agreed, but officials said afterwards they needed more time to prepare.

"The agreement to send back new arrivals on the islands should, according to the text, enter into force on March 20," the government coordinator for migration policy (migration coordination agency) spokesman Giorgos Kyritsis told AFP.

"But a plan like this cannot be put in place in only 24 hours." Around 1,500 people crossed the Aegean to Greece's islands Friday before the deal was brought in, officials said -- more than double the day before and compared with several hundred a day earlier this week.

A four-month-old baby drowned when a migrant boat sank off the Turkish coast Saturday hours before the deal came into force, Turkey's Anatolia agency reported.

Hundreds of security and legal experts -- 2,300 according to Tsipras -- are set to arrive in Greece to help enforce the deal, described as "Herculean" by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

Paris and Berlin have pledged to send 600 police and asylum experts to Greece, according to a joint letter seen by AFP.

But Greek officials said they were still waiting for the extra personnel, and without them they would struggle to enforce the new accord.

"We still don't know how the deal will be implemented in practice," a police source on the island of Lesbos told AFP.

"Above all, we are waiting for the staff Europe promised to be able to quickly process asylum applications -- translators, lawyers, police officers -- because we cannot do it alone."

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.

AFP

UZM
Indian-origin teenager stabbed to death in Israel after brawl at birthday party

Israel confirms 2nd national is among dead

International

oi-PTI

Ankara, Mar 19: An Israeli official has confirmed that a second Israeli citizen is among the victims of the suicide attack in Istanbul, which killed five people including the bomber.

Israeli Foreign ministry spokesman Alon Lavi said today: "Sadly, we can confirm two dead Israelis." Earlier, Iranian officials also said that an Iranian man was among the dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said officials were still trying to determine whether the attack targeted specifically targeted Israeli nationals.

"We are trying to clarify with intelligence, and we have no confirmation for this now, that this terror attack was directed against Israelis," Netanyahu said.

Turkish media reports say three Israelis and an Iranian national were killed in the suicide attack in Istanbul.

The private Dogan news agency today identified the victims as a woman and two men from Israel, and an Iranian aged 31. The agency did not cite a source for the report, which was also carried by other media organizations.

A Turkish official would not immediately confirm the report, saying authorities were still trying to confirm the victims' identities.

Earlier, an Israeli official confirmed that an Israeli was among the victims. The United States says it "stands in solidarity" with Turkey in combating "the common threat of terrorism."

US State Department spokesman John Kirby says the attack is the latest in a series of what he describes as "indefensible violence targeting innocent people" throughout Turkey.

Kirby says in a statement that "these acts of terrorism only reinforce our determination to support all those across the region working to promote peace and reconciliation."

An Israeli official says one of the victims who died in the suicide bombing attack in Istanbul was an Israeli citizen.

Eli Bin, the head of Israel's rescue service MDA, told Channel 2 TV today: "There is one Israeli killed whose family has been notified."

Turkey's private Dogan news agency said the Israeli citizen who died was a woman, but did not provide further details.

Bin also said 10 Israelis were wounded in the attack on Istanbul's busiest pedestrian street. An MDA ambulance plane would leave for Istanbul in next hour, he said.

NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has condemned the suicide bomb attack in Istanbul which killed at least four people.

AP
My party-BJP have different ideologies but common aim of uplifting poor: Nepal ex-PM Prachanda

Former Nepal PM says removed from office for including Kalapani

Nepal PM leaves for China, several accords on cards

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Kathmandu, March 20: Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Sunday started a week-long official visit to China.

This is Oli's maiden official visit to China since assuming the prime minister's office in October 2015, Xinhua news agency reported. He is accompanied on the visit by his wife Radhika Shakya.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Commerce Deepak Bohora and Chief Secretary Som Lal Subedi are among others in the prime minister's delegation.

Oli is undertaking the visit at the invitation of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang from March 20 to 27.

Accompanied by four ministers and senior government officials, Oli will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and other senior Chinese government officials, according to Nepal's ministry of foreign affairs.

Oli will attend on Monday the welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People and hold bilateral official talks with Premier Li and discuss matters of mutual interest and common concern.

After the official talks, the two leaders will witness the signing ceremony of bilateral agreements and Memorandum of Understandings to be concluded between Nepal and China.

The most important agenda of Oli's visit is to sign transit and transportation agreement with China. With the new agreement, Nepal, as a landlocked country, will have sea access to a Chinese port that will lessen its dependency on India for trade with a third country.

Nepal is heavily dependent with only one port -- Kolkata -- for its third-country trade and recently floated the idea of reaching to sea through China after Nepal suffered blockage on Nepal-India border by its Madhesi protestors over the country's new constitution.

With the new transit and transportation accord, India's monoply in providing sea port facilities to Nepal will end and the Himalayan republic can use sea route in China for third-country business.

Another agreement is about linking Chinese rail to Nepali border and later on to Kathmandu and probably extend it up to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.

China and Nepal will sign an agreement in this regard where the Chinese side will agree to prepare the detailed feasibility study of the rail project.

Agreements on $216 million for constructing regional airport in Pokhara, opening up more trade routes between Nepal and China, Free Trade Agreement, protection of patent rights, cross-border transmission line and on many other iksues will be signed, according to the ministry.

Oli is also scheduled to address the scholars, academics, business people and students at Renmin University on the Nepal-China relations in the context of 'Belt and Road Initiatives'.

He will also witness the signing of an MOU on granting Nepal the status of dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and address the Chinese and Nepalese business communities at the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

Oli is scheduled to address the Boao Forum for Asia on the theme "Asia's New Furure: New Dynamics, New Vision" at Boao, Hinnan province of China, on March 24.

IANS
Poland says Berlin and Paris running EU as an 'oligarchy'

Paris attacks key suspect charged with 'terrorist murder'

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Brussels, March 20: The key suspect of Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was charged on Saturday, March 19 with "terrorist murders and participation in the activities of a terrorist group", said the Belgian federal prosecutor's office in a statement.

His lawyer Sven Mary says Abdeslam is working with justice after being brought before the investigating judge on Saturday but he refuses against extradition, media reported.

An extradition request was made by the French judicial authorities. French President Francois Hollande said on Friday that he "had confidence in the successful completion of the extradition request".

Abdeslam will spend the next days in detention in Bruges, the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in Belgium.

According to Francois Molins, the Paris prosecutor, Abdeslam said during his hearings in Belgium on Saturday that "he wanted to blow himself up at Stade de France and he backtracked".

One of the most wanted men in Europe and November 13, 2015 Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam was shot and arrested in a police raid in the Molenbeek area of Brussels on Friday.

"We got him," the Belgian justice minister told reporters.

French president Francois Hollande had said an operation was under way in Brussels linked to the Paris attacks. Gunshots and explosions were heard in the Molenbeek area.

The police operation in Molenbeck was launched just as Belgian prosecutors confirmed that Abdeslam's fingerprints had been found at a flat that was raided in the Forest area of Brussels on Tuesday. Two suspects fled that raid.

Abdeslam, a 26-year-old French national who grew up in Brussels, fled Paris for Belgium by car hours after the November 13 attacks which killed 130 people. He is believed to have played a key role in organising the attacks.

Police believe he played a key role in the logistics of the Paris attacks and escorted the three suicide bombers who blew themselves up at the Stade de France as part of the coordinated attacks.

IANS
What does the US actually want in Syria?

US service member killed in Iraq: defence

International

oi-PTI

Baghdad, Mar 19: An American member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group was killed in northern Iraq today due to enemy action, the coalition and a Pentagon official said.

"The Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve can confirm the death of a coalition service member in northern Iraq today as a result of enemy action," it said in a statement.

The coalition statement did not specify the nationality of the killed service member, but a Pentagon official confirmed to AFP the casualty was an American citizen.

The global coalition against the jihadist group comprises more than 60 countries. The coalition said more information would be released as appropriate.

The CNN news channel reported that the death occurred as a result of a rocket attack on a base in Makhmur, an area around 70 kilometres southeast of the main IS hub of Mosul.

It also said that a "small number" of other American troops were wounded in the attack. Makhmur 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.

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 city of Hawijah.

A Canadian sergeant serving in the coalition in northern Iraq was accidentally shot dead by a Kurdish sniper who had mistaken him as an enemy target in March 2015.

AFP
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Akume: its chance for APC to show strength

PDP threatens boycott in Bauchi

Election shifted in Adamawa

Lalong, Useni trade words in Plateau

Were ready, says Kano REC

IG deploys 23 senior police officers

Legal battles raged yesterday over supplementary elections in Bauchi and Adamawa states.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the March 9 polls inconclusive in six states.

All three stakeholders in the elections  INEC, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  were trading arguments in court over Bauchi and Adamawa, two of the states expected to undergo tomorrows makeup polls.

In other states  Sokoto, Benue, Kano and Plateau  the APC and the PDP were flexing muscles as the electoral umpire said it was ready for the elections.

The Federal Government has ordered the closure of land borders around the affected states.

Interior Minister Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau directed land borders in Adamawa, Benue, Bauchi, Sokoto, Plateau and Kano states to be closed from noon today. The borders are to reopen by noon on Sunday.

Gen Dambazau, in a statement issued in Abuja by the Comptroller-General (CG), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, said the measure was taken to restrict movements across the states on Election Day.

But the extension of an order by the High Court in Yola, barring the INEC from conducting the makeup poll, yesterday ruled out the possibility of conducting the election in Adamawa State.

Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri fixed March 26 for ruling on a motion challenging the jurisdiction of his court to entertain the case restraining INEC from conducting tomorrows supplementary governorship poll in Adamawa.

Before the adjournment, the Judge had extended an interim injunction the court granted on March 14 restraining INEC from conducting the election pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice, which will also be ruled upon on March 26.

The Adamawa chapter of the Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD) and its governorship candidate, Rev. Eric Theman, had sued the electoral umpire over the absence of its logo on the ballot paper of the inconclusive election.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, INEC counsel Mr Tanimu Inuwa (SAN) challenged the courts jurisdiction, citing Section 285 (2) of the constitution and the electoral Act.

Inuwa also argued that MRDD did not have a governorship candidate as Rev. Eric Theman was not validly nominated, adding that Form CF002 was the prescribed form for nomination, which was not filled by MRDD.

Mere submission of a letter does not transform to nomination, Inuwa argued.

He, therefore, urged the court strike out the case as the plaintiffs have no locus standi to file it, adding that there was need to avoid a constitutional crisis as the governorship election must take place not later than 30 days to the expiration of the incumbent governors tenure.

Responding on point of law, counsel to the plaintiffs  MRDD and Theman, Mr. Yemi Pitan, argued that the court had jurisdiction on the matter, citing Section 251 of the constitution and Section 315 of the Electoral Act.

Pitan urged the court to grant his clients prayers and among others, suspend the inconclusive governorship election in Adamawa to enable INEC do the needful by including the MRDD logo on the ballot paper.

Adjourning the case for ruling on March 26, Justice Waziri assured all that it would be handled within the necessary period that would not give room for any constitutional problem.

In Bauchi State, the PDP threatened to boycott the election as INEC said it would comply with an ex parte order not to collate results in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, but conduct supplementary election in other areas not covered by the court order. The makeup poll will hold in 15 local government areas where 22,759 votes were cancelled, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ibrahim Abdullahi, confirmed yesterday at a news conference at the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu Conference Hall, INEC Headquarters in Bauchi.

The APC said its members are ready for the exercise.

According to the REC, the election will hold in 36 Polling Units (PUs) covering 29 Registration Areas (Wards) in the 15 affected local government areas.

He said the election will not hold in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area until after the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The REC appealed to members of the public, especially, the people of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, to be calm and wait for the outcome of the court ruling.

The Bauchi State chapter of the PDP, however, described the supplementary election as a sham, threatening not to participate in the exercise.

Its Chairman Hamza Koshe Akuyam told reporters after the INEC news conference: The supplementary election is a sham, INEC wants to conduct rerun because 22, 759 people were disenfranchised in 15 local government area, meanwhile 139, 240 were disenfranchised in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area.

I dont know what INEC is up to; maybe they are reading somebodys script. We are not going to participate in this election.

Our legal team will look at this matter. Though it is not just about going to court, but for INEC to do the right thing.

The PDP chair said that the party will go to court and seek a redress.

But the APC said its members were set for the supplementary election.

Chairman Ubah Nana, said the party is readily prepared for the rerun.

He went on: Fifteen will be having rerun this Saturday and we are participating. Though the proper thing to be done was for the rerun to be held in the 15 council areas and Tafawa Balewa, but, unfortunately, that is not the case.

All the same, we are fully prepared. I dont know why some people seem not to be fully prepared. I dont know why they are afraid. Let the game be played according to the rules.

The Tafawa Balewa Local Government is excluded from tomorrows rerun in INECs compliance with a court order restraining it from resuming the collation and announcement of results in the area.

SOKOTO

All was set yesterday for the supplementary election scheduled for 136 PUs across 22 local government areas.

Incumbent Governor and PDP candidate Aminu Tambuwal was at the Kebbe Local Government Area, believed to be a stronghold of the APC, with at least 35 PUs where the election will hold.

Tambuwals visit was preceded by a similar visit by Wamakko, the APC candidate, Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, his running mate, Faroyk Malami Yabo.

Though the trio attended a wedding (fatiha), they took advantage of the event to reaffirm their dominance and to solicit for support.

The INEC and and security agencies, particularly the police, promised a hitch-free exercise.

A stakeholders Town Hall meeting for the peaceful conduct of the election was also staged by the Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee (NPC).

Shortly after the traditional opening prayers, IRI State Coordinator, Hajiya Aisha, noted that the success of the 2015 Peace Accord led to the reactivation of the NPC ahead of this years general elections.

Its a wake-up call the affected states to reinforce the message of peace and to implore residents to participate in the re-run elections by exercising their rights to vote.

These events were organised in anticipation of the 2019. Although relatively peaceful, these elections exposed some fault lines in Nigerian states as there were numerous reports of voter disenfranchisement, voter inducement, electoral violence, over a militarisation of the elections, among others.

In recognition of these incidences, and in acknowledgement of the potential for the escalation of violence in state gubernatorial and state house of Assembly Elections, the NPC developed a regional peace initiative you deliver the message of peace to flashpoint states.

This initiative included a visit to five states (Anambra, Imo, Kano, Adamawa and Gombe) ahead of the state elections to organise a high-level dialogue on the need to uphold peace during and after the elections.

Key stakeholders, including INEC, security agencies, political parties, traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups, youth and womens groups, as well as the general public attended the peace parley.

Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah said there should be no basis for disruption as we are not having people from Niger, from Chad and from Cameroon or another country contesting elections.

The cleric said: We are indigenes of Sokoto, who are struggling to find somebody who is going to be the governor. It is not people from another country.

BENUE

Leader of the APC in Benue State Senator George Akume said the results of the previous elections did not reflect the strength of the party in the state, describing tomorrows supplementary poll as a great opportunity for the party to show its strength.

In a statement in Abuja, Akume, who was the first two-time governor of Benue, emphasized that his party was convinced that a rigorous scrutiny at the election tribunals would soon set aside some of the victories ascribed to other parties in the state.

The Benue North West senator appealed to APC supporters to come out en masse and vote for the party.

The statement reads: We remain the party to beat in Benue and the results as announced by INEC for the National/Presidential and Governor/ State Assembly elections do not reflect the reality on the ground in Benue State.

According to him, the judiciary, as the last hope of the common man, would address what he described as the glaring cases of injustices against the APC.

He said: President Buhari, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed , has assured all voters to come out freely and vote; our supporters should therefore take advantage of this assurance from our president and come out to exercise their civic responsibilities.

Governor Samuel Ortom, who is the PDP candidate, will be slugging it out with APC challenger Emmanuel JIme.

Ortom polled 410,576 votes to beat Jime to the second position with 329,022 votes on the first ballot on March 9.

The governors Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties, Kwaghngu Abraham, said the supplementary election would permanently put an end to distractions.

The APC deputy governorship candidate, Sam Ode, told The Nation, said tomorrow is a day of liberation for Benue people.

Lalong, Useni trade words

Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong yesterday said tomorrows governorship rerun election in the state would be a mere formality.

A statement by his Information Commissioner, Yakubu Dati, said the main election reflected the wishes of the electorate.

The APC incumbent led his closest opposition rival, Jeremiah Useni, of the PDP by over 40,000 votes, according to the results announced.

Useni told reporters that he was sure of victory in the rerun. His APC counterpart, Lalong, described the claim as self delusion.

Dati said: No doubt the PDP tried by scoring a handful of votes in the elections by a margin thought to be impossible considering the manner it mismanaged the state in the past years, but to claim that it can defeat and APC administration that has cleared the mess it visited on the people of Plateau State is the worst form of self delusion.

In Usenis words, The results released by INEC showed that PDP maintained very good scores across all the LGAs.

This is in spite of the widespread thumb-printing, vote-buying and outright intimidation by some Security men who had absolutely no business with the election.

In one instance, I personally went out to Tudun Wada Collation Centre and freed voters who were made to lie down on the ground by some security men.

Civil servants and our traditional rulers were threatened to either deliver to APC or lose their jobs or be dethroned.

INEC ready for Kano

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said it was set for the supplementary governorship election in Kano State.

Addressing reporters at the Kano INEC headquarters, the Resident Electrical Commissioner (REC) in charge of the state, Prof. Riskuwa Shehu Arabi, said the election would take place in 75 registration areas, involving 207 polling units and 279 voting points.

According to him, 128, 324 eligible voters would participate in the election. He added that INEC would deploy 207 card readers for the election, adding that enough man power have also been mobilised, with three RECs from Zamfara, Kebbi and Ogun states to assist so as to have a successful election.

PDP alleges plot by

military to hijack

supplementary polls

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday raised the alarm over an alleged clandestine plot by the military and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hijack the supplementary elections in six states.

At a news conference in Abuja yesterday, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the alleged plot was hatched at a meeting the Presidency held with security agencies and officials of INEC.

Describing the alleged plot as obnoxious, the PDP said its candidates were already leading and coasting to inevitable victory in all the states where the supplementary elections are billed to hold, vowing that nothing can alter this reality.

The PDP alleged that part of the plot was a directive by a top military chief to the INEC chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu not to declare the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike as winner of the March 9 election.

The PDP said: Our party is informed of how a top Army officer, at the meeting, directed the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, not to ever declare Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike as winner of the Rivers governorship election, even when it is clear to all that he won the election.

We also have details how a top military officer, who is from Bauchi state, at the meeting, directed INEC Chairman not to declare our victorious Bauchi state governorship candidate, Sen. Bala Mohammed, as the winner of the Bauchi state governorship election.

The PDP is also privy to how a Director of one of our security agencies, who was at the meeting, undertook to use his agency to deliver Kano state to the APC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed April 13 for supplementary election in Rivers State.

Besides, the commission is to resume collation of results of the last governorship and state Assembly elections from April 2 to 5.

INEC, however, noted that election had been concluded in 21 state constituencies.

The collation of the results for the election held on March 9 was suspended due to violence.

The Commission set up a Fact-Finding Committee that visited the state and submitted its report which revealed that while election could not hold in a few areas, they were successfully concluded in others with the declaration of winners in 21 state constituencies. Collation was ongoing at the time of the suspension of the process.

Announcing the outlined activities and timeline to resolve the electoral logjam in the state, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the commission will on March 30 meet with critical actors in the state after which the headquarters of the commission will release a guideline for the continuation of the process.

Okoye spoke at a press briefing at the commissions headquarters in Abuja. He noted that there will also be an inter-agency meeting between the commission and others a day before the stakeholders meeting in Rivers.

Revalidation of observers, the commission said, will be done simultaneously in Abuja and Rivers State between March 25 and March 31.

The state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disagreed over the new timeline given by INEC to conclude elections in the states.

The APC, through its Publicity Secretary Chris Finebone declared that INECs announcement was suspect and received with mixed feelings, since the electoral commission had not shown sufficient good faith.

PDP Chairman Felix Obuah , in a press statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam stated that members of the party received the INECs news with optimism.

Rivers APC said: As a major stakeholder in the Rivers State political space, APC received with mixed feelings, INECs timeline for concluding the governorship and House of Assembly elections that started on March 9. INEC has not shown sufficient good faith in the way it brought the collation to an abrupt stop (on March 10), without cogent, verifiable and convincing reasons.

The supposed umpire (INEC) went ahead to announce that collation for 17 local government areas (out of 23 LGAs in Rivers) had been concluded, as against the records provided by our situation room. And to make matters worse, INEC refused, failed or neglected to name the said 17 LGAs where it claimed collation had been concluded.

INEC curiously announced that it had dropped four LGAs collation officers confirmed to be PDP card-carrying members, without the umpire clearing the air about the status of the LGAs results the four ad hoc personnel supposedly collated.

The main opposition APC, which backed the African Action Congress (AAC), since court order did not allow it to present candidates for the elections, also wondered why the four indicted collation officers of INEC would be unfit for the job, while the collations they conducted were acceptable.

The party said: Why is INEC jittery to name the 17 local government areas, if not for the simple reason that some underhand dealings might have taken place, for which it is covering up? With the violation of the collation process by Governor Nyesom Wike when he stormed the Obio/Akpor LGA Collation Centre (at the councils secretariat in Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt in the night of March 9), where his Chief Security Officer (CSO) and security detail shot an army captain and other soldiers in the process, why does it seem that INECs body language is suggesting that Obio/Akpor LGAs collation has been completed?

To the APC, INEC is up to some mischief, clearly pointing to a clear determination to rig the overall results of the March 9 elections in favour of Wike and the PDP. The signs are visible enough to the blind and loud enough to the deaf. All the shenanigans so far exhibited by INEC only go to confirm that fear.

PDP chairman said: Even though we frown at the length of the timeline issued by INEC for the collation, declaration and conclusion of the election process in Rivers State, we received the news with optimism. Rivers State PDP is waiting patiently for the process to be concluded, because the people of Rivers State overwhelmingly voted for our party.

We urge Rivers people to remain calm, as the mandate they freely gave to Governor Wike and the PDP on March 9 will be affirmed at the end of the collation process. Victory for the PDP will come at the end of the exercise. Rivers State is PDP. The people massively voted for the PDP, as all the figures indicate.

On the letter by Rivers elders to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in Rivers political crisis, to prevent anarchy, Obuah berated the eminent personalities, including a former governor of the state, Chief Rufus Ada-George; and an ex- Culture Minister Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas.

He described Ada-George, Graham-Douglas and others as self-acclaimed elders and card-carrying members of the APC, who, according to him, were allegedly working for Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, a former Rivers governor.
The Imo state governor, Rochas Okorochas, before the Federal High Court in Abuja , has filed a suit against INEC, challenging the authority of the electoral body to withhold his Certificate of Return as the senator-elect for Imo West senatorial district, Igbere Tv reports.

Recall that the commission refused to issue him the certificate of return after Professor Francis Ibeawuchi, the Returning Officer for the February 23rd election, said he announced Okorocha as the winner of the senatorial election under duress.

The suit was filed by his counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), Okorocha made the plaintiff made INEC the sole defendant in the suit.

However, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, the presiding judge, by the agreement of the counsels involved in the case, made an order permitting Jones Onyeriri, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the election and Senator Osita Izunaso of the All Progressives Grand Alliance to be joined as the 2nd and 3rd defendants.

Both candidates of the other parties were represented by their lawyers: Nwafor Orizu for Izunaso, Emeka Etiaba (SAN) for Onyeriri. INEC was represented by Mrs. Wendy Kuku.

Justice Taiwo ordered the defendants to file and exchange their processes within 10 days, while the plaintiffs counsel was given three days to respond to them.

The case was adjourned till April 5.
Three Nollywood movies  Up North, Lionheart and King of Boys have been selected for screening at the second edition of the Nollywood In Hollywood on Friday and Saturday in the United States.

Organisers of the event said the screening begins on Friday evening with a red carpet and opening night screening of Up North at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Up North stars Banky W and is directed by Tope Oshin, both of whom are in Hollywood courtesy of Air France for the event.

On Saturday, Nollywood in Hollywood moves to the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre at the University of Southern California.

The day kicks off with a panel discussion about current trends in Nollywood, followed by a screening of LIONHEART, the directorial debut of Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji, who also co-wrote and stars in the film.

The showcase will close with a screening of KING OF BOYS, the sophomore feature by Kemi Adetiba, whose 2016 debut film, THE WEDDING PARTY, smashed box office records to become the highest grossing Nigerian film of all time.

The showcase features screenings, networking events and parties.

Nollywood In Hollywood is the brainchild of Nigerian-American filmmaker, Ose Oyamendan, which initiative is designed to expose Nollywood films to the capital of the worlds entertainment industry.

Oyamendan said:

I look at it as a way of giving back to my country and broadening opportunities for Nollywood filmmakers and actors.

Most people abroad know one side of Nigeria, the not-too-good side, now they get a chance to see another side and watch our stories.

Thanks to our partners, Nollywood has the biggest audience in the world over the next few days.

Gwen Deglise, the head of programming at the American Cinematheque said:

The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre is proud to partner with O2A Media and the USC School of Cinematic Arts for a second year to present Nollywood in Hollywood.

We are thrilled that this event offers both our members and the larger Los Angeles film audience we serve, a window into Nigerian culture and filmmaking.
Tiwa Savage Hangs Out With Her Mother, Cecilia Savage

Popular Nigerian singer, Tiwatope Savage-Balogun, better known by her stage name Tiwa Savage, was seen in a new video as she hangs out with her mother, Cecilia Savage. Gistvic Reports.





Well it seems Tiwa Savage has been off social media lately because she is really having a nice family time with her mother.





In the video she said:

My mum said you should always take your change back when you go to the shop because its start from a penny into millions





See more photos:

Watch Video Below:

A post shared by GoldMyneTV (@goldmynetv) on Mar 21, 2019 at 8:17am PDT





SOURCE: GISTVIC.COM

Share this:
A newborn baby girl has been found by residents after her mother abandoned her in Badarawa area in Kaduna State.

According to reports, the baby was dumped in the open this early morning with a note written in Hausa language. The child was rescued after sympathizers heard her cry and picked her up.

The baby has since been taken to a hospital to undergo a medical checkup and ascertain all is well with her.


Powerful community of women

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Thirteen years ago tonight (March 18, 2003), I was freezing in sub-zero degree weather in Mongolia trying to decide whether I should give up my life in the U.S. diplomatic corps and resign in opposition to President Bush's War on Iraq. The next day, March 19, 2003, at the U.S. Embassy in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia, I sent my cable/letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell.

In my letter of resignation I wrote of my concern that a war against the Saddam regime would destabilize the Middle East and would create outrage and anger in the youth of the region, anger that would come back onto the United States that we are now seeing played out in Iraq and Syria with international youth joining youth of the region.

"Much of the world considers our statements about Iraq as arrogant, untruthful and masking a hidden agenda. Leaders of moderate Moslem/Arab countries warn us about predictable outrage and anger of the youth of their countries if America enters an Arab country with the purpose of attacking Muslims/Arabs, not defending them."

In the letter, I also mentioned the lack of effort of the Bush administration in addressing the need for strong leadership from the United States to resolve two other dangerous flashpoints: Israel-Palestine and North Korea, two regions where the tensions remain extraordinarily high and the Obama administration also has not exerted its influence to resolve the issues.



'Likewise, I cannot support the lack of effort by the Administration to use its influence to resurrect the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. As Palestinian suicide bombers kill Israelis and Israeli military operations kill Palestinians and destroy Palestinian towns and cities, the Administration has done little to end the violence. We must exert our considerable financial influence on the Israelis to stop destroying cities and on the Palestinians to curb its youth suicide bombers. I hope the Administration's long-needed 'Roadmap for Peace' will have the human resources and political capital needed to finally make some progress toward peace."

Instead the United States fuels greater instability by funding Israel's test bed for the use military weapons on Gaza and of military-police surveillance, control and imprisonment of Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank, techniques that U.S. police are now adopting in dealing with dissent in the United States.



"Additionally, I cannot support the Administration's position on North Korea. With weapons, bombs and missiles, the risks that North Korea poses are too great to ignore. I strongly believe the Administration's lack of substantive discussion, dialogue and engagement over the last two years has jeopardized security on the peninsula and the region. The situation with North Korea is dangerous for us to continue to neglect."

The ever increasing size (over 300,000 U.S. and South Korean military) and scope (overthrow and "beheading") of the annual joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises with the purpose stated publicly of overthrowing the North Korean government and killing its leadership results in the North Korean government testing nuclear weapons and rockets to warn the international community that military action against it will come with a higher price than Iraq's response to Bush's coalition of the willing's war on Iraq.



I also mentioned in my three-page letter of resignation my deep concern about the curtailment of civil liberties under the Patriotic Act...

"Further, I cannot support the Administration's unnecessary curtailment of civil rights following September 11. The investigation of those suspected of ties with terrorist organizations is critical but the legal system of America for 200 years has been based on standards that provide protections for persons during the investigation period. Solitary confinement without access to legal counsel cuts the heart out of the legal foundation on which our country stands. Additionally, I believe the Administration's secrecy in the judicial process has created an atmosphere of fear to speak out against the gutting of the protections on which America was built and the protections we encourage other countries to provide to their citizens."

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Reprinted from WSWS

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 party's prospective nominee, assumed to be Clinton.

The Times headline went even further than the actual content of Obama's 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 remarks -- delivered before the March 15 Clinton primary sweep, but not made public until two days after the vote.

As Slate magazine commented: "Hillary Clinton's five-for-five sweep of this past Tuesday's Democratic primaries turned her into her party's 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 Clinton's own history: in her unsuccessful contest with Obama in 2008, she consistently rejected suggestions that she could not overtake Obama's 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 Clinton's lead was insurmountable, and that "a string of victories by Sen. Sanders over the next few weeks would have little impact on Sec. Clinton's position in the race."
Reprinted from To The Point Analyses

What is the difference between a textbook publisher giving in to pressure from Christian fundamentalists seeking to censor the teaching of evolution, and a publisher giving in to Zionists seeking to censor awareness of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine? Neither phenomenon is a matter of opinion or perspective. One act of censorship denies facts established by scientific research. The other denies the documented violation of international law (for instance, the Fourth Geneva Convention) and multiple UN resolutions. So the answer to the question just asked is -- there is no difference.

In early March 2016 executives at McGraw-Hill took the extreme step of withdrawing from the market a published text, Global Politics: Engaging a Complex World, and then proceeded to destroy all the remaining books held in inventory. (Did they burn them?) Global Politics, which had been on the market since 2012, was a text designed by its authors to "offer students a number of lenses through which to view the world around them." Why did McGraw-Hill do this?

Apparently the book was obliterated (this seems to be an accurate description of the publisher's actions) because, like a biology text that describes the established facts of evolution, Global Politics offered a "lens to view the world" that was judged blasphemous by a powerful, influential and ideologically driven element of the community. Of course, that is not how McGraw-Hill rationalized its action. Instead, the publisher claimed that a serious inaccuracy in the text was belatedly discovered. This took the form of a series of four maps that show "Palestinian loss of land from 1946 to 2000." The maps are the first set which can be seen here.

The maps in question are not new or novel. Nor are they historically inaccurate, despite Zionists' claims to the contrary. They can be seen individually and in different forms on websites of the BBC and Mondoweiss and are published in a number of history books, such as Mark Tessler's well-received A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Perhaps what the Zionists can't abide is lining up the maps together in chronological order.

In truth, the objections reported to have been used by those who pressured McGraw-Hill are historically perverse -- the sort of grasping at straws that reflects a biased and strained rewriting of history. For instance, an objection was made to the labeling of public land in pre-1948 Palestine as "Palestinian." Why? Because the Zionist claim is that Palestine before 1948 was a British mandate and so the land was British and not Palestinian. As their argument goes, "no one called the Arabs [of this area] Palestinians." Of course, prior to 1948, no one called the East European Jews pouring in at this time "Israelis."

Further, according to those taking these maps to task, the West Bank at this time was controlled by Jordan and so it too was not Palestinian. Obviously, no one brought up the fact that in September of 1922 the British had divided Palestine in two in order to artificially create what is now Jordan. The period after World War I was one of territorial transition; however, in Palestine, the one constant was the persistent presence of the Arab Palestinians.

The Zionists offered many other dubious objections to the maps, which seem to have sent the publisher into something of a panic. It would certainly appear that no one at McGraw-Hill knew enough relevant history to make an accurate judgment on the complaints.

Part II -- Running Scared

McGraw-Hill's response was to "immediately initiate an academic review," which "determined that the maps in question "did not meet our academic standards." Who carried out the review? Well, McGraw-Hill won't say, but insists those who did so were "independent academics." Just what are McGraw-Hill's "academic standards"? Well, those haven't been articulated either. The publisher's reluctance to elaborate its claims makes their actions suspicious at best.

As Rania Khalek noted in an 11 March 2016 article on the incident in Electronic Intifada, these particular maps, showing the loss of Palestinian land over decades of Israeli expansion, "have the ability to cut through Israeli propaganda that portrays Palestinian anger and violence as rooted in religious intolerance and irrational hatred rather than a natural reaction to Israel's colonial expansionism, land theft and ethnic cleansing, all of which continue today." This gives insight into the strenuous efforts made by Zionists to keep the sequenced maps away from any mass market distribution. As it is, they seem to have overlooked this textbook source for some four years. However, once they spotted it, and began "flooding" McGraw-Hill with complaints from "multiple sources," it took the publisher only about a week to suspend sales of the book.

The next obvious question is why didn't McGraw-Hill move to change the maps or just remove them? Why destroy the entire inventory? The extreme nature of the publisher's response remains unexplained but may stand as a testimony to the fact that the Zionist lobby has the same power within the corporate ranks of this textbook publisher as the anti-evolution fundamentalists have over most biology textbooks.

Part III -- The Zionists' Maps

The Zionists who made the claim that the Global Politics maps are "mendacious" do so from a starting assumption that all the land from the Suez Canal to Golan Heights and Jordan River has always been Hebrew-Israeli. On this basis they posit their own maps to make the claim that modern Israel, at least since 1967 and "in the pursuit of peace," has voluntarily relinquished land rather than illegally taken it. These maps are the second set seen here.

It is significant that the Zionist maps began in 1967, a year of major Israeli expansion through conquest. And, of course, the only land concession of any consequence since then is the Sinai Desert. The Zionist cartographical suggestion that Israel has given up Gaza and West Bank land is just a sleight of hand, given Israel's use of Gaza as a prison colony and continued military control of every inch of the West Bank.

Finally, it is important to note that Israeli school maps are often pure propaganda. For instance, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently carried a story about a map used to teach seventh graders about the country's geography. The map omits the "green line," which is recognized internationally as Israel's eastern border, as well as the majority of the nation's Arab-Israeli communities. Maybe the Israeli Ministry of Education used McGraw-Hill's "academic standards" to create this map.

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MALHEUR.JPG

This photo taken from an FBI video shows Robert "LaVoy" Finicum after he was fatally shot by police on Jan. 20 near Burns.

(FBI via AP)

It was not unreasonable to assume the end of an illegal occupation in Harney County meant the end of a public circus in which armed, self-described patriots threatened violence against authorities if challenged. But the circus continues, despite the evacuation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters and jailing of some of its ringleaders. It continues because of a trail of troublesome questions left by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, otherwise credited for bringing the standoff to an end after exercising weeks of restraint.

The circumstance plays into the hands of militants and others who argue the federal government runs a rigged game with citizens in deciding best uses of public lands. Oregon investigators, reviewing the roadside shooting of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, decided two unaccounted-for shots were likely fired by an FBI agent at the scene and that four FBI colleagues may have helped him to cover it up.

It's a concerning development. Neither of the bullets hit Finicum -- the three fatal strikes were defensibly fired by two Oregon State Police troopers, investigators say -- and yet empty bullet casings that could account for the two stray shots have not been found. In a source-attributed report last week, Les Zaitz of The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that FBI agents at the scene had, following Finicum's shooting, "searched the area with flashlights and then huddled ... and one agent appeared to bend over twice and pick up something near where the two shots likely were taken."

If unaccounted-for shots were fired by an agent, and agents are found to have acted collusively to cover it up, the agents should be canned: for altering evidence at the scene (forensics 101), for contravening the first best purpose of the profession (serve the public by seeking truth), for an ethical lapse so great as to be called connivance (read: corruption). Oregonians now await findings of a criminal investigation of the agents by the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general. It should be no surprise that anyone with a bone to pick with the feds now has a promising bone to pick with the feds -- fair enough. But conspiracy theorists, meanwhile, feed on the developments as a form of vindication, and any chance of useful discourse about public lands management is set back. May the probe be swift.

Oregonian editorials

reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom.

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Erik Lukens, Steve Moss

and Len Reed.

To respond to this editorial:

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Improbably, the circus expands, courtesy of Glenn Palmer. He's the Grant County sheriff who met with refuge occupiers and argued to authorities to meet some of their demands, notably the release from prison of two Harney County ranchers and the retreat of FBI agents tasked with bringing a peaceful end to the takeover. The Criminal Justice Division of Oregon's Justice Department, responding to complaints about Palmer, is investigating him. May this probe be swift, too. Valerie Luttrell, manager of the John Day dispatch center serving law enforcement agencies, said Palmer was judged to be a "security leak" by authorities and that Palmer promotes his personal agenda "over the welfare and safety of the general public he is sworn to protect," Zaitz reported.

And then there are untethered but elected leaders from elsewhere, mainly. Prominent among them is Nevada Republican Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, who flew to Portland to protest Ammon Bundy's detention and told the Las Vegas Sun that the Malheur occupation was justified. She previously had met up with peer lawmakers from Idaho and Washington in joining Oregon Rep. Dallas Heard, who led them on an ostentatious and risky "fact-finding mission" to the refuge, raising doubt about who in elected office can differentiate those in civil authority from those in positions of political leadership. These lawmakers, whose sympathies lie with lawbreakers, have managed not to advance public discourse about public lands management but instead deepen resentments.

No matter. Probes centering on the FBI and Sheriff Palmer ensure that the Malheur debacle is distraction enough to thwart a much-needed public discussion about federal lands -- precisely as Harney County residents seek healing following their hijacking. It may seem quaint to some, but folks in and around Burns would like to get on with life as it was before self-proclaimed but errant constitutional scholars showed up and threatened another Ruby Ridge-style bloodbath.

Oregonians deserve a full unpacking of the role and actions of federal agents in the final minutes of Finicum's life. The FBI's credibility is on the line. But so, too, is the delicate balance between law-abiding citizens who try to make things work and the few who obstruct because they act as if laws do not apply to them.
Trump and American culture: Thank you for publishing Richard Speer's wonderful piece on how we have gotten to the point that there may be a Donald Trump presidency.

My wife and I were both born at the end of World War II; we have seen many changes in the world. While we realize the world has gone "more casual," when we moved from southern Connecticut to Portland in 1989, we were amazed when we went to the Oregon Symphony that some of the audience dressed like Sherpas about to ascend Mount Everest. It was even worse when we went to the then-great restaurant at The Heathman or Atwaters in the "Big Pink." While most of the ladies were elegantly dressed, many of the men looked as though they had just come in from the beach.

We think social media and TV has done some good, but on the whole it has led to a lowering of standards. The one element that Speer failed to mention was the lowering of the dignity and respect of the office of the president by Bill Clinton appearing on late-night comedy programs and daytime talk shows. While all other presidents have done it, I'd prefer to go back to President Reagan's respect for the office.

Michael Beard

Northwest Portland

*

Trump and American culture: While I agree with many of Richard Speer's observations on the coarsening and dumbing-down of our society, I do not think that by itself can explain the rise of a demagogue like Donald Trump. After all, just look at the German people on the eve of the Third Reich. They were among the most literate and cultured people in the world. And how'd that turn out? Political analysts and historians now point to a wide range of national and international pathologies coalescing in the German society and economy at that time that led to Hitler and the Nazis. I'm sure the hindsight vision of future historians will provide a complicated and nuanced explanation of America's flirtation with "Trumpism" -- assuming of course that Trump doesn't prove to be just another flash in the pan that everyone has forgotten about by election day.

Jack Bookwalter

Northeast Portland

*

Trump and American culture: Richard Speer's op-ed took me back to my college days. Vivid memories of old "Western Civilization" lectures came to mind, refreshed by Wikipedia: General Julius Caesar tried "to amass power through populist tactics (which) were opposed by the conservative ruling class within the Roman Senate." His success in war lead to him being proclaimed "dictator in perpetuity." Then came the Ides of March and the fall of the Roman Republic. Could history ever repeat itself?

Enter Donald Trump, with one loyal aide always by his side. His speeches are filled with disrespect and coarse language. His rallies incite riots in the street, which he encourages. He relaxes at his Florida mansion, filled with gold statues, luxurious draperies and crystal chandeliers. Is he our Caesar, wanting ever more power and influence?

What would Trump do as president? Do we really want to risk a possible bad outcome? Or do we even care any more?

Marilyn Matteson

Beaverton
1trash.JPG

Trash is rounded up, including torn campaign signs for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, after a rally for Trump was canceled due to security concerns, on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago

(The Associated Press)

By Charles Krauthammer

WASHINGTON -- By international and historical standards, political violence is exceedingly rare in the United States. The last serious outburst was 1968 with its bloody Democratic-convention riots. By that standard, 2016 is, as yet, tame. It may not remain so.

The political thuggery that shut down a Donald Trump rally in Chicago last week may just be a harbinger. It would be nice, therefore, if we could think straight about cause and effect.

The immediate conventional wisdom was to blame the disturbance on the "toxic climate" created by Trump. Nonsense. This was an act of deliberate sabotage created by a totalitarian left that specializes in the intimidation and silencing of political opponents.

Its pedigree goes back to early 20th-century fascism and communism. Its more recent incarnation has been developed on college campuses, where for years leftists have been taunting, disrupting and ultimately shutting down and shutting out conservative speakers of every stripe -- long before Donald Trump.

The Chicago shutdown was a planned attack on free speech and free assembly. Hence the exultant chant of the protesters upon the announcement of the rally's cancellation: "We stopped Trump." It had all of the spontaneity of a beer-hall putsch.

Given the people, the money and the groups (including MoveOn.org) behind Chicago, it is likely to be replicated, constituting a serious threat to a civilized politics. But there's a second, quite separate form of thuggery threatening the 2016 campaign -- a leading candidate who, with a wink and a nod (and sometimes less subtlety), is stoking anger and encouraging violence.

This must be distinguished from what happened in Chicago, where Trump was the victim and for which he is not responsible. But he is responsible for saying of a protester at his rally in Las Vegas that "I love the old days. You know what they used to do to guys like that ... ? They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks."

He told another rally that if they see any protesters preparing to throw a tomato, to "knock the crap out of them ... I promise you I will pay for the legal fees." Referring in an interview to yet another protester, Trump said "maybe he should have been roughed up."

At the Vegas event, Trump had said, "I'd like to punch him in the face." Well, in Fayetteville, N.C., one of his supporters did exactly that for him -- sucker-punching in the face a protester being led away. The attacker is being charged with assault.

Trump is not responsible for the assault. But he is responsible for refusing to condemn it. Asked about it, he dodged and weaved, searching for extenuation. "The man got carried away." So what? If people who get carried away are allowed to sucker-punch others, we'd be living in a jungle.

Trump said that it was obvious that the cold-cocker "obviously loves his country." What is it about punching a demonstrator in the face that makes evident one's patriotism? Particularly when the attacker said on television, "Next time we see him, we might have to kill him."

Whoa! That's lynch talk. And rather than condemn that man, Trump said he would be instructing his people to look into paying his legal fees.

This from the leader of the now strongest faction in the Republican Party, the man most likely to be the GOP nominee for president. And who, when asked on Wednesday about the possibility of being denied the nomination at the convention if he's way ahead in delegates but just short of a majority, said: "I think you'd have riots," adding "I wouldn't lead it but I think bad things would happen."

Is that incitement to riot? Legally, no. But you'd have to be a fool to miss the underlying implication.

There's an air of division in the country. Fine. It's happened often in our history. Indeed, the whole point of politics is to identify, highlight, argue and ultimately adjudicate and accommodate such divisions. Politics is the civilized substitute for settling things the old-fashioned way -- laying your opponent out on a stretcher.

What is so disturbing today is that suffusing our politics is not just an air of division but an air of menace. It's being fueled on both sides: one side through organized anti-free-speech agitation using Bolshevik tactics; the other side by verbal encouragement and threats of varying degrees of subtlety.

They may feed off each other but they are of independent origin. And both are repugnant, both dangerous and both deserving of the most unreserved condemnation.

Charles Krauthammer's email address is letters@charleskrauthammer.com.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group
Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

Portland and Oregon need a tougher DEQ: Editorial

Fear over toxic emissions from two glass factories in Portland has prompted some local officials to wonder whether the city needs its own agency to protect public health, the editorial board writes. Portland does not, but the city and the state need the states environmental quality department to do its job competently.

'DEQ  limited in its regulatory reach and underfunded  was never up to the task of maintaining a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute inventory of point-source pollution levels for air toxics citywide, much less across all of Oregon,' the editorial states. 'In Oregon, a toothier DEQ  one with expanded regulatory reach, greater monitoring capacity and the funding for it, and a legislative mandate to make public its findings in real time  could get the job done.' Read the editorial here.

Don't Edit

Photo by Anna Reed/Statesman Journal via AP

Minimum wage bill's curious path dodging budget scrutiny: Editorial Agenda 2016

Democratic legislators routed a bill to increase the minimum wage away from a key budget committee in their rush to approve a higher wage, the editorial board writes. Unfortunately, Oregonians wont similarly be able to sidestep the financial impacts, which are already being shared by universities and other public entities.

'Legislators can try to parse the decision to skip Ways and Means review any way they like,' the editorial states. 'But their excuses don't obscure the inescapable truth that leaders sought to limit public discussion over the financial hit that this wage hike will have on the entities that the public funds.' Read the editorial here.

Don't Edit

Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

Hitting the reset button on achieving equity in minority contracting: Editorial Agenda 2016

The meltdown of the citys Commission on Equitable Contracting and Purchasing, which issued a no-confidence vote in the citys leadership, reflects in part the citys failure to provide a clear charge in the first place, the editorial board writes.

'The apparent assumption upon which the commission was founded  more minorities needed to achieve better balance  is a crowd-pleaser but fails to drive change, setting the stage for a cruel hoax,' the editorial states. 'Minimally, it reduces the commission, in the words of the commission's letter to Hales, to 'little more than window-dressing.'' Read the editorial here.

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Randy L. Rasmussen/Staff

With mayor's help, Eastmoreland fights 'Portland creep': Editorial Agenda 2016

The reality of land-use planning that emphasizes density is hitting home with Portlanders, and many are not liking the consequences, the editorial board writes. That includes the residents of Eastmoreland, who have found a champion for downzoning the tony neighborhood in a fellow resident, Mayor Charlie Hales.

'No one should blame Eastmoreland residents for seeking to further their own interests, but Portlanders in other neighborhoods should expect their elected officials  even those who live in Eastmoreland  to act responsibly, the editorial states. 'Hales, unfortunately, seems inclined to create a sort of land-use unicorn within the Portland land-use mecca: A neighborhood of large lots and single-family homes served by high-cost light rail built with density in mind.' Read the editorial here.

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Oregonian/OregonLive staff

An ugly process yields signs of hope for Portland Public Schools: Editorial Agenda 2016

The tortuous path taken by the Portland Public Schools district in coming up with proposals for redrawing school boundaries and remaking many K-8s has been hard on families. But Superintendent Carole Smith has laid out some ideas in her budget and school-change scenario that suggest the district may finally tackle some of the problems that have gone unaddressed for too long.

'Among the guiding principles of her $570 million general-fund spending plan: To ensure that students across schools and grades have access to the classes that comprise the core program  including compacted math or algebra,' the editorial states. 'While that concept should seem self-evident, it has not been the case for years at various schools, particularly those in low-income neighborhoods that failed to provide algebra for students to whom it should have been offered.' Read the editorial here.

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Photo by Kristyna Wentz-Graf/Staff

Abandoning vision for Oregon Zoo's elephant sanctuary a necessary move: Editorial

The announcement by Metro that it plans to drop efforts to establish an elephant sanctuary outside of the zoo is disappointing and surprising to some who believed they had voted for that with a 2008 bond measure, the editorial board writes. But while the episode is a reminder to take campaign rhetoric cautiously, it also ultimately stands as a smart decision for fiscal responsibility.

'Metro could reasonably face a challenge to its credibility over this,' the editorial states. 'But they can quickly overcome that by showing how they've managed the bond proceeds so far: With forethought and financial discipline.' Read the editorial here.

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Photo by The Associated Press

Le Pigeon's no-tipping policy; target on Caterpillar: Editorial peaks and valleys

The editorial peak of this weeks news is the announcement by award-winning restaurant Le Pigeon that it will increase its prices 20 percent and do away with tips, a model in which the restaurant rightly takes responsibility for the quality of service, the editorial board writes. The editorial valley of this weeks news is the citys Socially Responsible Investments Committee decision to recommend against investment in Caterpillar whose construction bulldozers have been overhauled and used by Israelis against Palestinian settlements.

'How is it the charge of the responsible investments committee to enter the geopolitical and cultural war between Palestine and Israel and decide a tool of destruction is, as the sum of its inert parts, reprehensible  as if the D9 knows something? It isn't.' Read the editorial here.
Heading into the home stretch of the 2016 presidential nominating contest, Bernie Sanders' campaign is painfully short of delegates. Among supporters, though, Sanders' campaign does not lack for passion.

"I feel like Bernie can actually make a change for this country," said James Oram, 19. He was among the first of several thousand who lined up Sunday to hear Sanders speak at a campaign rally in west Vancouver ahead of Saturday's Democratic Party caucuses.

"He understands the people and what we need and what we want. The people don't have the power anymore, and that's what he wants to bring back," said Oram, from east Vancouver. Oram arrived at 6:30 a.m., more than four hours before the doors opened to the rally, and stood steadfastly in the rain as his white, hand-decorated T-shirt soaked through.

Many others waited for hours to hear the Vermont senator speak at Hudson's Bay High School, packing 5,800 into the gym, Vancouver deputy fire marshal Chris Drone said late Sunday. The campaign said 2,500 more looked in remotely from an overflow room.

His talk was the first of three planned in Washington on Sunday - Sanders was scheduled to speak later in the afternoon in Seattle, followed by a 9 p.m. rally in Spokane.

When Sanders took the stage at 1:40 p.m., he spoke for 45 minutes on his themes - economic inequality, campaign finance reform and corporate greed, chief among them.

"The American people know that we have some very serious crises, and these crises are not going to be solved by establishment politics," Sanders declared. He describes himself as a democratic socialist and, like Donald Trump in the Republican campaign, has demonstrated that unconventional campaigns can thrive amid the current political upheaval.

Sunday's biggest applause line came in response to his call for free tuition at public colleges and universities, funded by a tax on Wall Street transactions. The Vancouver crowd skewed young, and Sanders remarked on his campaign's success with young voters - and lamented it hasn't gained more traction with older voters.

His talk focused on broad themes, taking little notice of the Republican race and making only a brief mention of primary opponent Hillary Clinton, whose support from Wall Street and political action committees he decried. Former President Bill Clinton will be in Vancouver on Monday to stump for his wife.

In many ways, Sanders finds himself where Hillary Clinton was eight years ago when she was facing Barack Obama. Sanders has dogged supporters and a demographic advantage in many of the states yet to vote in the Democrats' nominating contest, but having trailed in early voting he needs to win nearly 60 percent of the remaining votes to top her.

Supporters lined up Sunday acknowledged the difficult math working against their candidate but insisted they are undaunted.

"They want us to believe it's over so we're not out here doing what we're trying to do," said Amber Starnes, 31, a Eugene hairdresser who left home at 4:30 a.m. to grab an early place in line at the Vancouver rally. Oregon doesn't hold its primary until May 17, but Starnes said she has been working the phone banks to support Sanders ahead of Washington's caucuses.

Many of Sanders' supporters said his ideological consistency had won their backing, noted he made many of the same arguments in the 1990s he's making today.

"I feel like this is revolutionary," Starnes said. "Never in my lifetime has there been a candidate for president who is as true."

Update: This article has been updated with attendance figures from the fire marshal and the Sanders campaign.

-- Mike Rogoway

mrogoway@oregonian.com

503-294-7699

@rogoway
Bill Clinton

Former President Bill Clinton delivers remarks at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday, March 14, 2016.

(Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Correction appended.

As Bernie Sanders holds a rally in Vancouver, Hillary Clinton is sending former President Bill Clinton to stump for her in Washington state.

According to a statement from Clinton's campaign, Bill Clinton will appear at events in Vancouver and Spokane on Monday, just before the Washington Democratic caucus on Saturday, March 26.

The events are free and open to the public.

The Vancouver event will be held at 5 p.m. at Clark College Student Union. Doors open at about 4:15 p.m. Those interested can RSVP here.

The Spokane event will be held at 12:30 p.m. at the Spokane Falls Community College gym. RSVP here.

Sanders has about half as many delegates as Clinton, who has won 1,614 of the 2,383 delegates needed for the party nomination. In Washington, 118 total delegates are up for grabs, though some so-called superdelegates have already pledged support for Clinton.

-- Anna Marum

amarum@oregonian.com

503-294-5911

@annamarum

A previous version of this story listed the incorrect venue for the Vancouver event. The event is free and open to the public.
A Portland man pleaded guilty this week to skimming more than $3 million from thousands of health benefit accounts.

Darren Bottinelli entered his plea Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a news release. He faces as much as 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced Sept. 14.

Bottinelli, 45, ran Axis Health Partners for several years before abruptly closing it in March 2014. During that time, he pulled $3,054,032 out of accounts set up to cover clients' deductibles, co-payments and other medical expenses, court documents show.

The Southeast Portland company's collapse cost nearly 4,000 clients access to their accounts, court documents show, with losses ranging from $22,500 to less than $10.

The U.S. Department of Labor sued Bottinelli late last year, alleging that his oversight of client money violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. The agency accused him of commingling clients' funds and failing to ensure the money was used solely for their benefits.

The two sides later settled, with the agency banning Bottinelli and Axis from ever serving as fiduciaries or service providers on any retirement or benefit plan covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

-- Robbie Olivas DiMesio

503-294-4063
People traveling on Interstate 5 Sunday in and around Vancouver may "feel the Bern" and not even be supporters of the presidential hopeful from Vermont.

Sen. Bernie Sanders will be speaking at a rally at Hudson's Bay High School starting at 1 p.m. Doors open at 11 a.m.

Police say there could be traffic jams from the rally and a downtown Vancouver charity run, the Couve Clover Run, which takes off at 6 a.m. People are encouraged to avoid the areas, take the bus and plan for delays.

"If 500 people show up for the rally, there will be no impact," says Kim Kapp, public information coordinator for the Vancouver Police Department. "If 5,000 people show up, drivers can expect to be sitting at lights" within a three-block radius of the high school at 1601 E. McLoughlin Blvd.

Police do not plan to close street near Hudson's Bay, but traffic may slow down on East McLoughlin Boulevard, East Mill Plain Boulevard and Ft. Vancouver Way as people arrive late morning. Delays are expected again from 2 to 3 p.m., after the rally lets out.

Clark County's bus service C-TRAN recommends rally goers use routes 3, 25, 30 and 37.

Due to the charity run, bus routes 3, 4, 25, 30, 32, 37 and 71 will be detoured from about 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to C-TRAN. Detour maps and a full list of stop closures are posted on its website.

"This is an unusual circumstance, and we'll do our best to get you where you need to go," the agency said on its website.

People driving to the rally are advised to carpool and use parking lots and off-street parking outside of the neighborhoods. "Pay attention to the signage," Kapp says.

The rally is one of the Vermont senator's three scheduled appearances Sunday in Washington, according to his campaign website. He also is making stops in Seattle and Spokane. The events come before the Washington Democratic caucuses on March 26.

The event is free and people will be admitted on a first-come basis. Although tickets aren't required, the Sanders camp encourages attendees to

and to bring only small, personal items like keys and cell phones to get through security faster.

Weapons, sharp objects, chairs and signs or banners on sticks will not be allowed, organizers say.

Sanders trails Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in delegate support but is popular in Washington state. The former secretary of state and senator from New York has scheduled appearances in Seattle and Everett on Tuesday.

Sanders last spoke publicly in the Portland area in August, when he addressed a packed crowd at the Moda Center.

A Moda Center official estimated 28,000 people gathered inside and outside the arena. The Hudson's Bay High School gym seats about 4,400.

-- Janet Eastman
SUNDAY



"The Passion": TV's obsession with live (or live on the East Coast) events continues, this time with a Biblical tale. Tyler Perry produces and narrates this musical re-telling of the story of Jesus' last days on Earth. Inspired by a Dutch original, this sets the story in contemporary times, and adds popular hits sung by chart-topping stars. Jencarlos Canela ("Telenovela") plays Jesus, Chris Daughtry is Judas, Seal is Pontius Pilate and Trisha Yearwood is Mary. (8 p.m. Fox/12)



"Hollywood Game Night": One of my favorite servings of TV popcorn has moved to Sunday nights, at least for now. Tonight's guest players include Laverne Cox, Brandon Routh, Shemar Moore and Brooke Burke. (10 p.m. NBC/8)



MONDAY

"Dancing with the Stars": People say it every season, but this new crew is really a collection of who-are-they-again? low-grade "celebrities." When your best-known names include Jodie Sweetin ("Fuller House"), Geraldo Rivera, Marla "Former Mrs. Donald Trump" Maples and Kim Fields, it's a stretch to think of any of them as "stars." (8 p.m. ABC/2)



"Everything is Copy": The late writer Nora Ephron ("Sleepless in Seattle," "I Feel Bad About My Neck") is remembered in this documentary co-directed by Ephron's son, Jacob Bernstein (also a features writer with The New York Times), and featuring interviews with such notables as Meryl Streep, the late Mike Nichols, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. (9 p.m. HBO)



"Bates Motel": This season is barely started, and it's already moving Norman (Freddie Highmore) so far into crazy town that it's both horrible and fascinating. (9 p.m. A&E)



"Full Frontal with Samantha Bee": The "Daily Show" alum continues to deliver some of the week's funniest, smartest politically inspired humor. (10:30 p.m. TBS)



TUESDAY



"The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story": Ever wonder what it was like for the jurors to be part of this experience? This week's episode looks at the jury, and also revisits the then relatively new topic of DNA brought forward as evidence in a criminal trial. (10 p.m. FX)



WEDNESDAY



"Underground": If you haven't yet watched this excellent new drama about slaves on a Civil War-era plantation plotting an escape via the Underground Railroad, it's not too late to catch up. Vivid characterizations, strong performances, and characters dealing with unimaginably high stakes add up to one of the best shows on TV. ( 7 p.m., repeating at 9 p.m. WGN America)



"The Americans": Speaking of the best shows on TV, the new season of this superb series is better than ever, as '80s-era KGB spies Philip and Elizabeth deal with a mission that puts them in danger from a deadly bioweapon. But that may be child's play compared to the potentially explosive consequences of telling their teenage daughter their secret. (10 p.m. FX)



THURSDAY

"Portlandia": Season 6 ends with Portland reeling when a "Noodle Monster" threatens our fair city. Don't you hate it when that happens? (7 p.m., repeats at 10 p.m. IFC)

TGIT gets another series from executive producer Shonda Rhimes, this one starring Mireille Enos ("The Killing") as a private investigator on the trail of her ex (Peter Krause), who also happens to be a con man who stole her money. But he's so cute! (10 p.m. ABC/2)

FRIDAY

Nick and Hank work a case involving a Wesen disease that's making an unwelcome comeback. (8 p.m. NBC/8)

SATURDAY

Bless their corporate hearts, ABC is again airing a pre-Easter telecast of Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic about the story of Moses (Charlton Heston.) Settle in for a long sit (it's filling a 7-11:44 p.m. timeslot) and revel in '50s Biblical epic quotes. My favorite: Anne Baxter's, "Oh, Moses, Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!" They don't make 'em like this anymore. (7 p.m. ABC/2)

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com

503-221-8227

@Kristiturnquist
Washington County sheriff's deputies say Warren Fleming of Cornelius wasn't happy about the Toyota Tundra parked in front of his house, so he took matters into his hands. Temporarily.

Fleming, 51, chained the 2005 truck to his 2002 Dodge Dakota and towed it away Friday, March 18, the agency said. But the Toyota came loose, crashed into a neighbor's front lawn on South Palmetto Way until it finally was stopped by a palm tree.

There were no injuries, the sheriff's office said.

Witnesses told deputies that Fleming drove his Dodge back into his driveway and ran into his house.

When deputies spoke to Fleming, he fought with them and was taken into custody, the agency said in a news release.

Fleming was arrested on accusations of resisting arrest, criminal mischief and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was lodged at the Washington County Jail.

-- Janet Eastman



jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman




A lot of people walk through the doors of area volunteer fire departments, but statistically not many stay after seeing fires that claim lives, self-inflicted gunshot wounds or a family member annihilating their family. However, three of the five Gladwin County Lutheran pastors are among those who didnt turn away and serve as the clergy person for their local fire departments.

Once its in your blood, you have to do it for the rest of your life, said David Sprang, the former Christ the King Lutheran Church pastor and now assistant to the bishop of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Its a way of meeting and caring for people for the rest of your life.

Former Hope Lutheran Church Pastor Reed Shore said he got the bug to try it from Sprang. Then when Emily Olsen came to intern at Hope, Shore helped her involvement. She began with the Beaverton Area Fire Department in September 2015.

It was his idea, Olsen said, pointing to Shore.

Sprang has served as a volunteer firefighter during all of his five appointments between Michigan and Ohio. He said when he got involved 36 years ago, volunteer firefighting was the guys club in Trufant. When Sprang went on to other churches, he joined the departments in those cities, such as Millbury, Ohio, and Leetonia, Ohio, and back to Michigan. He currently serves on the Gladwin Rural Urban Fire Department.

Shore heard Sprangs stories and opted to join the Billings Fire Department 12 years ago.

If you can get past the first dead body, babies crying or forget which way is out in the thick smoke, you might want to consider staying, said Shore, who worked three structure fires his first week. Its a really great experience, you jump out of the truck before it stops.

Shore admits it isnt always the easiest group to break into, but once you do - you are family.

Shore, an avid dirt bike rider and thrill seeker, told himself, I can do this. He has been with the Billings Fire Department for 12 years, staying even after his retirement from Hope Lutheran Church.

Olsen is the current pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church replacing Sprang. It is common for her to be preaching on Sunday morning and hear the sirens go by. But, she cant leave the pulpit. So far she has handled lots of medical calls, but very few fires.

There are rules, said the three: Dont talk bad about your colleagues, understand we need Gods help and, according to Shore, Were just not jerks to each other.

Sprang said inside the department, the jokes may be brutal. It is their way to debrief.

Yet, those fade as you go through thick and thin with the crew, Sprang said.

Olsen said they train for many incidents.

Any incident we train for is messier and more complicated than what we practiced, Olsen said.

In all, the trio agrees they love what they do, they help people in dire moments and they get to express God along the way.
After careful review of the Trans-Pacific Partnership final text, The Dow Chemical Co. strongly supports the TPP agreement and is fully committed to advocating for its ratification.

TPP is critically important for Dow, our employees, and our customers, said Andrew N. Liveris, Dows chairman and chief executive officer. TPP represents nearly 40 percent of the worlds GDP. The expanded market access provided by the agreement will allow U.S. manufacturers and the chemical industry to compete in new key markets and increase exports that will promote American economic prosperity.
Brittney Lohmiller/Midland Daily News

Fourth-year Michigan State University College of Human Medicine student Seth Simpson, center, raises his hands in celebration as his daughter Ella Simpson, 10, both of Midland, announces that he matched into the triple board residency program at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center on Friday afternoon at the MidMichigan Medical Center Gerstacker Building. Simpson along with eight other Midland Regional Campus fourth-year medical students found out what residency programs they matched with. Cincinnati was Simpsons top choice where hell do a 5- year triple board pediatric, psychiatry and child psychiatry residency. Its awesome, Simpson said. But nerve-racking to know that Im starting my residency. On Friday medical students nationwide opened sealed letters informing them of which residency program they matched with.
DETROIT (AP)  A woman can collect a $120,000 insurance windfall after the death of her former husband, despite their divorce years ago, the Michigan appeals court says.

John Lett never removed Nancy Henson as the beneficiary before he died in 2014. The appeals court said he had plenty of time to erase her name if that's what he wanted.
In November 2015, Midlands Republican state Rep. Gary Glenn began holding town hall meetings on the first Monday of each month in the community room at the Grace A Dow Memorial Library in Midland. He plans to continue these up until the filing deadline for the 2016 election cycle in April.

Gary is the only state or national lawmaker in Midland who has faithfully delivered on his promise to meet with constituents on a regular monthly basis. Although our politics differ most of the time, I respect his personal commitment to what he believes.

As a former Mackinac Center analyst and proud free-market protege, Mr. Glenn is a well-trained self-promoter and master political manipulator. He and his supporters work very hard to get voters to believe their patriotic prevaricative nonsense.

The president of the American Family Association of Michigan is also an expert at preaching a convincing argument without using any specific details or impartially verified actual facts.

This is particularly true when it comes to important matters that require closer public scrutiny like energy policy, equal rights, quality education, senior services or end-of-life care in the comeback state.

Instead of discussing the legislative wants, needs and interests of constituents residing in the well-gerrymandered parts of Bay and Midland counties, the 98th House Districts Republican state representative spends most of his town hall time religiously regurgitating his own personal political agenda.

For instance, he spent the first 15 minutes of the 6-7:30 p.m. meeting on March 7 explaining his cancer diagnosis in January and miraculous recovery in February to the 20-plus mostly loyal supporters who took the time to attend.

As a cancer survivor, I both appreciate and understand Gary and his familys personal joy and physical (and psychological!) relief. As an actively involved yet under-represented constituent, however, I would preferred to have used the community face time for public policy Q & A.

Several attendees nodded, others cheered, for instance, after my state representative mentioned hes going to introduce bipartisan education legislation this month to repeal and replace the five-year-old Common Core state standards in all Michigan public schools.

When asked which superintendents, school boards, principals or parent teacher organizations in the 98th District requested he propose and advance this legislation, my Republican state representative quickly and unequivocally said none. Most of those who supported Rep Glenns personal education agenda came from west Michigan. Some, like conservative radio talk show host Glenn Beck, traveled from out of state.

The two Glenns share the same conservative evangelical political ideology as their preferred Republican presidential candidate, Ted Cruz. Despite the fact hes equally despised by both parties on Capitol Hill, the tea party senator from Texas received the majority of Republican Party vote in Midland County during the March 8 closed primary elections.

Rep. Glenn next touched on Republican Rep. Rob VerHeulens commitment as chair of the House Appropriations Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Subcommittee to remove the Section 298 boilerplate language from Gov. Snyders 2017 MDHHS budget on March 3.

As part of the GOPs conservative plan to run Michigan like a business, the FY 2017 executive budget proposed privatizing the mental health and behavioral care for 300,000 Medicaid recipients in Michigan to ensure continuity of care for the served populations.

Community Mental Health professionals and better informed lawmakers throughout the state strongly objected to the administrations plan to contract with an administrative service organization to provide oversight of the Medicaid health plans and the CMHSPs (Community Mental Health Services Programs) in Michigan. None of this important community health information was covered by the local press.

Which brings up the widespread abuse legislatively delivered to many elderly, disabled and terminally ill Michigan residents soon after the state privatized the services being provided at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.

Thats exactly what happened when Gov. Snyder issued layoff notices to more than 170 nurses aides in 2013. They were replaced with lower paid and poorly trained right-to-work-for-less employees hired by J2S Group, Inc. The move was designed to save the state $4 million annually because the non-union replacement workers werent given any employment benefits.

The taxpayer-operated home for veterans has served the states military heroes since the Civil War. In February, the Michigan Office of the Auditor General (OAG) issued a scathing audit that revealed both new and recurring problems related to the care of the veterans who live in the home. The 44-page report showed that on one day, the privately owned, for-profit J2S Group was 22 workers short of the number necessary to adequately staff the home. http://www.audgen.michigan.gov/finalpdfs/15_16/r511017015.pdf

Since 2013, the home has averaged 121 staffers per day when 126 were mandated. Just 47 percent of required room checks and 33 percent of the fall-alarm checks were performed as required.

The week after the OAG audit report was released by Gov. Snyders new Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, I wrote my elected state representative and state senator about their reaction to the disturbing findings.

Both Rep. Gary Glenn and Sen. Jim Stamas are former military service members. Glenn has a seat on the House Military and Veterans Affairs committee. Stamas is the Assistant Majority Floor Leader and chair of the Senate Appropriations General Government subcommittee.

I asked each how they will explain the cost savings to the loved ones of those loyal soldiers whom Michigans leaders allowed to be systematically abused. Ive yet to receive a response from either lawmaker.

Apparently no immediate consequences are planned by either the Republican-led Legislature or the Snyder administration since living at the Veterans Home is voluntary. Abused and mistreated residents are completely free to relocate if their care isnt up to state standards.

Does this remind you of what happened to the poor people living in Flint? Why isnt the local media covering this story?

I had prepared five questions to ask my state representative during his hour-and-a-half long town hall meeting in March. I didnt get to ask two of them.

Twenty minutes before the meeting was over, Rep. Glenn instructed his wife to call Midlands elected Republican peace officer, Sheriff Stephenson, to have me removed for being a public nuisance. Now I know how minorities feel at a Donald Trump town hall! Fortunately, Mrs. Glenns phone didnt work in the basement of Midlands Grace A. Dow community library.

I grew up in the nations capital, one of the most recognizable symbols of representative democracy in the world. I was taught to steadfastly refuse to accept being ignored by self-serving lawmakers on both sides of the aisle  especially when their personal agenda is driven by special interest groups, political manipulation and blind loyally funded by dark money and cemented with secret back-room promises.

So, in order to remain a well-educated voter, these are the two remaining questions I would like to have answered by Mr. Glenn before the elections in November.

During the next nine months, which is more important? Solving the poisoning problems in Flint, the quality service problems for veterans in Grand Rapids, the staffing problem in Michigans public schools, or advancing your personal legislation to allow anybody to carry a concealed gun anywhere they want?

Do you plan to inundate voters with robo calls like you did when pursuing your candidacy for the Senate and House and soliciting financial support for your American Family Associations bigoted homosexual agenda? Or, as the current state representative, will you propose legislation to put a stop to the pesky political practice?

You wont know if you dont ask. And you cant complain if you dont vote!

Eric Anders is a resident of Midland.
EDITORS NOTE  OWI means operating while intoxicated. DWLS means driving while license suspended. (MC) is for Judge Michael D. Carpenter. (L) is for Magistrate Gerald Ladwig. (SC) is for Circuit Judge Stephen P. Carras. Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentencings include other fees imposed by the state.

Bay City

William Murray Oliver-Lockwood, 25, OWI on Nov. 14, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $600 fines and costs, six months probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Bradfield William Sebald, 26, fail to report property damage accident on Oct. 4, 90 days in jail with all but 10 days held in abeyance and credit for one day, $200 fines and costs, one year probation, attend substance abuse program, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Midland

Arthur Jacob Campbell, 26, Universal Drive, DWLS on Dec. 31, four weekends in jail, $200 fines and costs (MC).

Martin Allan Douglass, 23, West Grove Street, DWLS on Feb. 11, $200 fines and costs (L).

Garrick Allan Hooper, 26, North Union Road, allowing DWLS on Jan. 17, $500 fines and costs (MC).

Aaron William Kipfmiller, 39, Lancaster Street, OWI on Nov. 15, 93 days in jail with all but seven days held in abeyance and credit for one day, $975 fines and costs, one year probation, vehicle immobilized for 90 days, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Devin Rae Letts, 27, North McCann Drive, third-degree retail fraud on Nov. 20, 93 days in jail with the first 30 days to be served monitored by a tether (MC).

Shannan Lynn McQuaid, 43, Pine River Road, dog at large on Jan. 23, $950 fines and costs (L).

Douglas Less Meade, 50, East Shearer Road, DWLS on Jan. 11, $225 fines and costs (MC).

Deborah Kay Merryman, 52, West Chippewa River Road, DWLS on Jan. 16, may complete 25 hours of community service in lieu of $250 fines and costs (MC).

Joaquin Jacquez-Moreno, 23, Colorado Street, impaired driving on Sept. 26, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $775 fines and costs, nine months probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Naomi Jade Morgan, 22, Isabella Road, no proof of insurance on Jan. 1, $210 fine (MC).

Nicholas Jerry Myers, 30, West Main Street, OWI on Oct. 10, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $975 fines and costs, nine months probation, attend substance abuse program and Impact Weekend, attend mental health counseling, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Amanda Lyn Rulapaugh, 27, third-degree retail fraud on Aug. 29, 45 days in jail with all but 14 days held in abeyance and credit for 12 days, $12.48 restitution (MC).

Matthew Scott Schossau, 34, Aster Court, domestic violence on Sept. 5, 93 days in jail with all but 10 days held in abeyance and credit for two days, $600 fines and costs, one year probation, attend mental health counseling, not to be involved in any assaultive, threatening, intimidating, violent, aggressive, disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, no contact with the victim, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, take medications as prescribed (MC).

Aron Joseph Strait, 22, Ashman Street, no proof of insurance on Jan. 22, $210 fine (MC).

Jennifer Rae Sterkowicz, 44, Mark Twain Drive, OWI on Nov. 24, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for two days, $975 fines and costs, one year probation, attend substance abuse program and mental health counseling, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, to be monitored by an alcohol tether for six months (MC).

Saginaw

Cedric James Addie, 20, impaired driving on Nov. 11, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $775 fines and costs, six months probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Theodore Joseph Murin, 64, allowing DWLS on Feb. 16, $350 fines and costs (L).

Jonathan Michael Zieroff, 21, fail to report traffic accident on Jan. 16, $200 fines and costs (MC).

Sanford

Jeffrey Donald Butkiewicz, 48, no proof of insurance on Jan. 30, $210 fine (L).

Devon James Lashauy, 25, OWI on Oct. 18, 93 days in jail with all but one weekend suspended and credit for one day, $975 fines and costs, 15 months probation, attend substance program and Impact Weekend, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, to be monitored by an alcohol tether for 90 days (MC).

Elsewhere

Kyle John Aikens, 22, Maine, impaired driving on April 12, 93 days in jail with all but 10 days suspended and credit for one day, $775 fines and costs, one year probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Derek Matthew May, 36, Whitmore Lake, DWLS on Jan. 18, four days in jail with credit for one day, $500 fines and costs (MC).

Duane Remont Thomas, 45, Flint, DWLS on July 28, 2010, $875 fines and costs (SC).
The Finger Lakes region is still relatively off the map for most. Those who have heard of it or driven through it on their way to Canada think its a land of wine, lakes and gorges. And theyre right. But New Yorks 9,000-square-mile region consisting of 11 lakes has more depth than their deepest lake, Seneca, which is 618 feet deep. Thats really deep.

1. Two Goats Brewing

The region isnt known for beer, but dont miss out on the quality Finger Lakes breweries. Inside a barn shed off a side street on Seneca Lake is the six-year-old Two Goats Brewing. The tiny renovated shed is more modern than it looks; completely solar-powered, the interior bar is packed on weekends, dollar bills coat the ceiling, and live bands play until 1 a.m. The young owners are almost always manning the bar (the staff is smaller than the space itself) and are happy to fill you in on their business over one (or more) of their highly popular Goat Gasmsa double IPA of a light color that perfectly matches the rustic bars wood interior and the Finger Lakes sunset.

2. Barnstormer Winery

Yes, wine is like water in the Finger Lakes, but it is possible to go off the beaten wine path. Barnstormer Winery opened in 2013 in a 170-year-old barn, blending new and old nearly as well as they blend their grapes. Unlike most tasting rooms in the area, Barnstormers is completely laid-back and even has seats. Park yourself at the bar and owner Scott Bronstein will pour you a glass of his silky vino. With live music on weekends, Barnstormers feels like a winery dressed up as a dive bar. If its cold, ask for the mulled wine which is more like a hot cider than the typical spiced cocktail. Otherwise, youre safe with one of their award-winning Reislings that have a slight refreshing tartness to them that most Reislings do not.

3. Farm Sanctuary

Cuddle up to rescued pigs and goats at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. The 175-acre New York shelter houses over 500 animals that have been rescued from the modern factory farming industry. Guided tours take you through the sanctuary to hear each animals touching tale of suffering and then saving. Youll be allowed to feed chickens, pet cows, and watch ridiculously adorable lambs run (or more like hop) after their mamas. If youre lucky, youll get a cow kiss, and if you want more, you can stay on-site in the Sanctuary accommodations.

4. The Rockwell Museum



Photo courtesy of Finger Lakes Wine Country

While most visitors flock to the Corning Museum of Glasswhich we cannot deny is pretty incrediblelocals sneak off too the untouched-by-tourists Rockwell Museum of Art. The Smithsonian affiliate features a heavy dose of local art submerged into a countrywide collection of rotating exhibits that portray the spirit, character and values of America through the eyes of American artists. Wandering around the amber building that once housed Cornings Old City Hall, youll stumble upon everything from a bronze horse sculpture made in 2000 to a gallery full of historic photographs of neighboring Watkins Glen State Park to mixed media pieces from a Native American artist. After your visit, wander around the Corning community and down some of the alleys to spot a Rockwell Museum-made mural, thanks to their Alley Art Project.

5. Old Tyme Woodshop

Forget glass, wood is where its at, and you can find hundreds of woodshops dotting the lakes of this region. For handmade masterpieces and a big personality, visit Old Tyme Woodshop (also known as Chickadee Cottage), which from the road looks like a furniture-hoarders front-yard. Owner and craftsman Gary Kerbein will welcome you and tell you the story behind each piece of wood in the shop, if you have that kind of time. Even post-purchase, Kerbein is totally attentive, dedicated to his customers, and happy to answers questions long after creations have left the building.

Maggie Parker is Paste Magazines assistant travel writer.
In the US, National Waffle Day is celebrated on August 24. In Sweden, its March 25. Which begs the question, Cant every day be Waffle Day?

The reason waffle day is celebrated on this day in Sweden is because it is the day of the Annunciation Varfrudagen which kind of sounds like Waffle Day. In a classic comedy of errors, the religious holiday also became a food holiday, where Swedes take a moment out of their day to partake in these griddle delights.

The waffle has origins dating back to pre-renaissance times, and a recipe for it can even be found in the Medieval French womans guidebook, Le Menagier de Paris (1393). Waffles have won the test of time, being equally popular centuries later, and coming in all sorts of variations. Some choose to make them savory with cheese or avocados, while others double up on the sweet, with Nutella and ice cream. But friends, please remember: no matter what day it is, make sure to have a Happy Waffle Day.

1. @sweetsandsunsets 2. @dustinco is truly perfection 3. @wsheng.han 4. @shiodoll

5.@mulberrymonkey 6. @mumbaifoodicious 7. @saudimasterchef 8. @hkfoodcapital 9.@tookanotherbite 10. @brunchboys 11. @cheatdayeats 12. @smallgirlspr

Madina Papadopoulos is a New York-based freelance writer, author and regular contributor to Paste. You can follow her food adventures on Instagram and Twitter.

1 of 12 All the colors of the rainbow in these waffles

2 of 12 Waffle parfait

3 of 12 Elegant display by Malaysian restaurant the Waffle Factory

4 of 12 Mickey Waffle at the Aulani Disney Resort

5 of 12 Keeping it savory

6 of 12 Covered in delicious nutella

7 of 12 Grilled cheese waffle

8 of 12 Matcha makes it healthy, right?

9 of 12 "We are just pancakes with abs," waffles claim, as they make our abs disappear.

10 of 12 At Chef Marcus Samuelsson's Streetbird, divine red velvet waffles, with bourbon maple syrup, and fried chicken.
Today was our first full day (of only two full days) at the Mindfulness, MOOCs, and Money conference held in Boulder, CO at Naropa University. And, as one should expect after 10 hours of workshops, conversations, and lectures, I am far from being done in terms of digesting the day. That said, some notes:

The day began with an Opening Gathering where we explored some of the backgrounds and identities that we are bringing to the conference. In general, we were white, cis, and middle-class. There was more diversity than Im used to in Montana (which doesnt say much) but, as Rhonda Magee noted, the diversity is in fact severely lacking and represents what she knows of academia in general. Thus, even at a conference at a progressive institution organized around progressive themes, the power structures of the prevalent society are what we see represented.

In the Opening Gathering we were asked what we see dying in Higher Education, and what we see being born. Under dying we heard a variety of responses:

Liberal arts, critical thinking

Tenure track jobs / full time faculty

Cultural identity

Walls/boxes (limitations)

Methodology

Traditional teaching environments limited by time and place

The Western canon (But not fast enough)

And  What is being born?

New knowledge

Transmission / relationship

Models of student engagement

Unknown career paths

Utilitarian education

This is from memory, and we didnt discuss what exactly was meant by each suggestion. But apparent to me at least was a mix of worries about what is being lost and joy for what might be born in its place.

After this, in the keynote presentation, John Pryor offered a lesson in why students go to college today: to get a better job. However, he says, a fair number of recent graduates today dont get that job. And he notes, that when he asked faculty about their priorities in teaching, preparing students for a job was only #7 on that list (teaching critical thinking skills was #1). As youll see in the talk, students want jobs, parents want jobs, society wants kids to get jobs, but those pesky faculty just want to teach critical thinking and tolerance and creativity.

As a personal aside, I came from what I take to have been a wonderful degree in philosophy and graduate studies in theology, religion, and history. While getting a job has come up at times, I dont think my education was ever particularly driven toward that goal, and Im deeply thankful for that. My teachers/mentors/supervisors have taught me to be a creative and critical thinker, something that has changed my life irrevocably for the better and hopefully made me a more engaged national and global citizen. But it is true that I dont have the engaging job at Bank of America that my parents and I and society really think I should have.

An aside from the aside: its also true that my academic disciplines have been terrible in terms of critical investigation of themselves and their Eurocentrism, sexism, racism, and so on.

In any case, I wasnt sure what more to get from that talk. There were a number of great statistical breakdowns showing just how and where students are miserable. Some of it was pretty depressing, such as 37% of students reporting that not a single professor in their entire undergraduate studies made them excited about learning. That simply astounded me. I cant count how many professors made me excited about learning in my undergraduate years at U-Montana. Notably, none of them were my Business School professors (I majored in Business for 2 years); though not all of them were in Philosophy (at least 3 were in philosophy, one was my Buddhist studies professor, one a meditation teacher adjunct/grad fellow, one was an Anthropology profess, one a Sociology professor, one an Astronomy professor). It was interesting to hear that Ivy League Schools didnt do any better in general than State Schools in ensuring student thriving after graduation.

Moving on, we had a number of wonderful-though-brief breakout sessions (see link/schedule above) and then a panel discussion (pictured above). There John Pryor reiterated much of what he mentioned in his keynote, stating that he doesnt like to think of this as a crisis but rather just a transition like so many others that we have been through. It just looks bad now because there is so much debt involved.

David Germano spoke next, insisting that there is a crisis in higher ed today, and that we must look at a number of the factors contributing to that:

The hidden suffering of our students

Our lack of concern about students whole lives/futures

The increasing fragmentation of knowledge  fields and disciplines are increasingly separated

The need for an ontology of care at the heart of our curricula

Hidden knowledge  so much is produced that nobody ever reads or cares about, and,

The need for deep contextual understanding of contemplative traditions

Lastly, Rhonda Magee spoke very personally and deeply about the reality of crisis in higher education today and, in fact, the reality of crisis for minorities in higher education historically. It was her talk that most moved me, and, I think, the entire audience, because it came from not only great intelligence but deep experiential wisdom and an urgency that we all recognize and confront crisis and oppression in our day to day lives. As she stated, people of color have historically been told to adapt, adjust, assimilate, and overcome the systems of oppression inherent in culturally white institutions such as Higher Ed. In the end she asked us if we could focus, at least in part, on this as an important aspect of higher ed in crisis and how could we show that this matters?

Im out of time for tonight unfortunately. Id love to say more about all of these and to address David Kortens Keynote on Higher Ed and the Human Future  but thatll have to come in a later post. In breif, he suggested an entire overhaul (if not overthrow) of the Higher Ed system along with our thought about economics and politics. As always, comments are welcome.


MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES

A Meditation on the Life and Legacy of Olympia Brown

James Ishmael Ford

20 March 2016

Pacific Unitarian Church

Rancho Palos Verdes, California

I come to you today with some bad news.

But, not to worry unduly. I also have good news to share.

Let me start with the bad.

Perhaps its not news. These are complex and troubled times. In fact a picture perfect example of that ancient Chinese curse, May you live in interesting times. Wars and rumors of wars abound across the globe. A very small number of people control more wealth than has been imagined in any empire of the past. A larger number of people are living astonishingly comfortable lives, but precariously, in danger at near any moment of tumbling into the ever-growing mass of people desperately seeking just to survive. While there are great advances in equality in some areas, fierce scapegoating of the powerless, the poor, immigrants, and minorities of various sorts for the ills overtaking us becomes one the most amazing acts of misdirection, largely and sadly willful, as we are every one of us complicit in this bit of kabuki. And our situation is actually even worse than that short litany suggests. The climate of our planet is shifting in ways we can only put educated guesses to, mostly as the result of short-sighted grasping after profit while we seem powerless to address it, addicted to the momentary pleasures of what have to be called ill-gotten gain.

Interesting times, indeed. As we have such an uneven track record as human beings, Im more than nervous on our behalf. No way this has to turn out well.

And that brings us here, to this place. And to this community. And to that good news.

We proclaim a message of hope, knowing intimately that our hearts without exception are joined, our lives without exception are intertwined, and what happens to one of us, happens to all. Without exception. This is a spiritual vision. We find it by stopping and noticing, against all the blandishments to distract us by opening our hearts and minds. Its amazing. It is a gate to perspective, and even to something that can be called a peace that passes all understanding. And, also, this vision of our radical interdependence has practical consequences.

Today I want to spend the balance of our time examining what those practical consequences are by telling a story. A real story. A true story. Today I want to share the life of one person who met the possibility of despair, and overcame it in ways that seemed impossible at the time she did it. And in describing her life, I suggest we might be hinting at ours, and because of her, recall what our lives might be.

Today I share here the life of our mother Olympia Brown. If we pay attention, she can show us the way.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century Lephia and Asa Brown were farmers living in Prairie Ronde, Michigan. They were both deeply religious and appeared to value education as dearly as their Universalist faith. Not, I suggest, unlike many of us here today. Olympia was born in 1835, the eldest of their four children. Seeing the need in that frontier town, her parents provided the land for a school, Asa then built the schoolhouse with his own hands, and after that went the rounds of his neighbors to solicit support for a teacher.

Young Olympia often rode with her father as he made these rounds. At home her mother gave the childrens education, for both the boys and girls, her highest priority. As a small aside for those with a genealogical interest, according to Laurie Carter Noble who provided much of the background material I use here, Lephia and Asa would in the fullness of time become Calvin Coolidges great great aunt & uncle. We really are all connected. Whether we like it or not.

When it came time to attend college Olympia was refused admission to the University of Michigan because of her gender. So she registered at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in Massachusetts. She was quickly dissatisfied with what proved to be a program more designed to produce a proper young lady than an educated person. After one year at Mount Holyoke Olympia transferred to Antioch College, where the radical Unitarian educator Horace Mann was the schools president. There were still gender inequities, but she was given access to a real education, at least so long as she was willing to push to the front. She was. And she was so successful her family ended up moving to Yellow Springs to support her siblings who all ended up attending Antioch.

Among young Olympias heroes was Antoinette Brown, later Blackwell. Shes so important for Olympias story, we need to make a small digression here. Antoinette was not a relative, you may not know this, but Brown is a fairly common name. Antoinette was a Congregationalist, who attended Oberlin and after completing her undergraduate degree continued on with theological studies, completing the coursework but being denied a degree because of her gender and despite her quickly emerging reputation as a theologian.

Leaving school Antoinette went to work for Frederick Douglas, writing for his paper, the North Star. She also was invited to speak at the first National Womens Rights Convention in 1850. Finally, she was ordained by her congregation, and served a couple of churches, although like with her being denied her theological degree, she was not recognized as a minister by the national denomination. Antoinette was one of the leading intellectual and spiritual figures in the years prior to the Civil War, speaking out on religion, abolition and womens rights. I want to add with a digression within this digression that in 1878 she crossed over to the Unitarians and her ministry was finally officially acknowledged by a denomination  ours. But, while I find it real real interesting, thats getting ahead of the story, which is Olympias story.

While an undergraduate at Antioch young Olympia managed to arrange for Antoinette to come and speak. As the chief organizer for the event Olympia got to spend some time with the formidable Antoinette. Formidable meeting formidable. They immediately bonded.

And inspired Olympia decided that ministry was also her calling, her destiny. As she came close to graduating from Antioch, Olympia began applying to theological schools. Oberlin offered the same arrangement they gave to Antoinette, she could attend school but would not be given a diploma. Our Unitarian seminary at Meadville responded that, the trustees thought it would be too great an experiment. And refused her admission.

But, the Universalist seminary at St Lawrence University accepted her, if reluctantly. Dr Ebenezer Fisher, the president wrote her saying It is perhaps proper that I should say, you may have some prejudices to encounter in the institution from students and also in the community here (However, t)he faculty will receive and treat you precisely as they would any other student. In this rather long letter he admitted he personally did not think women were called to the ministry. But then concluded, I leave that between you and (God). Olympia thought that was where the decision should be made, ignored the warnings, and in 1861, as the American Civil War was beginning, she entered divinity school. Three years later she graduated, awarded her degree, and, most importantly, was ordained to the Universalist ministry, becoming the first woman regularly ordained in a national denomination.

In 1864, as the Civil War was winding down, Olympia was called to her first parish in Weymouth Landing, Massachusetts. While serving there and once abolition had been won, she threw herself fully into the struggle for womens suffrage, working closely with Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone and others. She also began to speak around the country. In 1870 she accepted a call to the pulpit of the Universalist Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Three years later she married John Henry Willis, shocking the sensibilities of the day by retaining her family name. This appears to have been a perfect love match. John actively supported her dual callings as a parish minister and increasingly as a social justice activist. They had two children, Henry & Gwendolyn.

During her first pregnancy a faction in the Bridgeport church found the pregnancy unseemly and moved to have a vote of dismissal. While it failed, Olympia felt her ministry compromised and resigned after her sons birth. From there she entered into a conversation with the leadership of the Unitarian church in Racine, Wisconsin, where she was warned a series of pastors easy-going, unpractical and some even spiritually unworthy had left the church adrift, in debt, hopeless and doubtful whether any pastor could again rouse them.

Olympia would later write, Those who may read this will think it strange that I could only find a field in run-down or comatose churches, but they must remember that the pulpits of all the prosperous churches were already occupied by men, and were looked forward to as the goal of all the young men coming into the ministry with whom I, at first the only woman preacher in the denomination, had to compete. All I could do was to take some place that had been abandoned by others and make something of it, and this I was only too glad to do.

With her call, John closed his business, and traveled ahead to Racine, where he purchased a part ownership of the Racine Times Call. Olympia settled into her new ministry, bringing healing and competence to the work. She also began to make the Racine church a center for progressive social thought, bringing in as speakers her old friends and colleagues Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Julia Ward Howe. The church flourished.

After nine years serving the congregation, and not long after her fathers death, Olympia decided to leave the parish and full time ministry in order to devote all her energies to the suffrage movement. She was fifty-three. Olympia became the leader of the Wisconsin Suffrage Association and served as vice-president of the National Woman Suffrage Association.

John died, unexpectedly, in 1893. Olympia wrote of this, how Endless sorrow has fallen upon my heart. He was one of the truest and best men that ever lived, firm in his religious convictions, loyal to every right principle, strictly honest and upright in his life with an absolute sincerity of character such as I have never seen in any other person. Often, Ive found, those who succeed greatly, succeed in significant part because there is someone with them, giving them fierce support. For much of her life thanks to John, Olympia had that support.

She burned for the right to vote, and gradually moved toward more confrontational engagements. As such in 1913 she became a central leader of the Womans Party. When President Wilson failed in his promises to support suffrage, Olympia led a protest where she burned his speeches in front of the White House. I tried to find an archive photograph from that event. I couldnt, but I can imagine it. The time was right. The smell of justice was in the air, and it smelled much better than the damp ashes Olympia left in front of the White House.

Indeed, finally, finally the tide had turned. Women won the right to vote nationally in 1919. Olympia and her old mentor Antoinette were among the few original leaders of the movement who had lived long enough to cast their own votes. In 1920 at the age of 85, Olympia cast her first presidential vote. To my mind somewhat surprising, for Warren Harding. In 1924, her second and last vote for president she supported the radical Robert La Follette, who somehow seemed more appropriate for winning her vote to me, than Mr Harding. But, thats how it works with self-determination. We make our choices, and we live with the consequences.

In those years following winning universal suffrage at least on paper, people of color were still waiting for their full access to the ballot, and Olympia returned to that battle as she had when advocating abolition. Finally, as age overtook her, she retired, spending her summers in Racine and wintering with her daughter who taught Latin and Greek at Bryn Mawr Prep School in Baltimore. She died in Baltimore in 1926, at the age of ninety-one. According to the obituary in the Baltimore Sun, Perhaps no phase of her life better exemplified her vitality and intellectual independence than the mental discomfort she succeeded in arousing, between her eightieth and ninetieth birthdays, among conservatively minded Baltimorans.

She was buried in Racine next to her husband, John.

So, briefly, whats the take away? For us, here, today? Remembering the dangers we face. All of them. Well, its not that hard. We can following Olympias example. At the front, as a Universalist, she saw the connections, she knew the mysteries of universal love, of love beyond belief. Good news indeed. And then she did the next thing. She acted upon those principles with dignity and tenacity. Fierce tenacity.

Thats what Olympia did. Our mother has shown us the way.

And, thats what we are called to do. Today. See the connections. And act, as best we can.

Nothing more. And, nothing, nothing less.

So be it. Blessed be. And, amen.
If the FBI wins its court fight to force Apples help in unlocking an iPhone, the agency may run into yet another roadblock: Apples engineers.

Apple employees are discussing what they would do if ordered to help law enforcement authorities. Some say they may balk at the work, while others may even quit their high-paying jobs rather than undermine the security of the software they have created, according to more than a half-dozen current and former Apple employees.

Among those interviewed were Apple engineers who are involved in the development of mobile products and security, as well as former security engineers and executives.

As the high-tech world watches anxiously, the FBI and Apple are tangling in court over whether the company should help federal investigators discover any data that might be stored on an iPhone used by one of the terrorists in the San Bernardino massacre.

A hearing is set for Tuesday in Riverside on whether Apple can be ordered to build a software program to help the government hack the San Bernardino County-issued phone.

The potential for employee resistance also speaks directly to arguments Apple has made in legal documents that the governments demand curbs free speech by asking the company to order people to do things that they consider offensive.

Such conscription is fundamentally offensive to Apples core principles and would pose a severe threat to the autonomy of Apple and its engineers, Apples lawyers wrote in the companys final brief to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The employees concerns also provide insight into a company culture that despite the trappings of Silicon Valley wealth still views the world through the decades-old, anti-establishment prism of co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

Its an independent culture and a rebellious one, said Jean-Louis Gassee, a venture capitalist who was once an engineering manager at Apple. If the government tries to compel testimony or action from these engineers, good luck with that.

Tim Cook, Apples chief executive, last month telegraphed what his employees might do in an email to customers: The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe.

Apple declined to comment.

The fear of losing a paycheck might not have much of an impact on security engineers whose skills are in high demand. Indeed, hiring them could be a badge of honor among other tech companies that share Apples skepticism of the governments intentions.

If someone attempts to force them to work on something thats outside their personal values, they can expect to find a position thats a better fit somewhere else, said Window Snyder, chief security officer at the startup Fastly and a former senior product manager in Apples security and privacy division.

Apple said in court filings last month that it would take from six to 10 engineers up to a month to meet the governments demands. However, because Apple is so compartmentalized, the challenge of building what the company described as GovtOS would be substantially complicated if key employees refused to do the work.

Inside Apple, there is little collaboration among teams  for example, hardware engineers usually work in different offices from software engineers.

But when the company comes closer to releasing a product, key members from different teams come together to apply finishing touches like bug fixes, security audits and polishing the way the software looks and behaves.

A similar process would have to be created to produce the iPhone software for the FBI. A handful of software engineers with technical expertise in writing highly secure software  the same people who have designed Apples security system over the past decade  would need to be among the employees the company described in its filing.

That team does not exist, and Apple is unlikely to make any moves toward creating it until the company exhausts its legal options. But Apple employees say they have a good idea who those employees would be.

They include an engineer who developed software for the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. That engineer previously worked at an aerospace company. Another is a senior quality-assurance engineer who is described as an expert bug catcher with experience testing Apple products all the way back to the iPod. A third likely employee specializes in security architecture for the operating systems powering the iPhone, Mac and Apple TV.

In the hierarchy of civil disobedience, a computer scientist asked to place users at risk has the strongest claim that professional obligations prevent compliance, said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. This is like asking a doctor to administer a lethal drug.

The government has cracked down on tech companies in the past. A judge imposed a $10,000-a-day penalty on the email service Lavabit when it did not give its digital encryption keys to investigators pursuing information on Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who leaked documents about government surveillance.

When Lavabit was held in contempt, its owner shut down the company rather than comply.
The media glare after Januarys jailbreak revived buzz over a separate, sensational crime: the brutal kidnapping and torture of a local pot shop owner.

One of the escaped inmates was accused of being part of a trio that drove the dispensary owner to the Mojave Desert, where they mistakenly believed hed stashed cash. When the man couldnt lead his kidnappers to buried treasure, authorities allege the escapee and his accomplices burned him with a blowtorch, severed part of his penis and left him for dead.

It appears to be the most salacious tale of violence linked to the large amounts of cash swirling around the countys pot dispensaries. But its not the only one. A marijuana delivery driver was beaten and robbed in Lake Forest in 2014, and a would-be thief was killed by a guard at an illegal Anaheim dispensary a year ago.

Critics of more liberal marijuana laws cite such incidents in calling for a ban on retail pot sales. But advocates for legalization of medical and recreational pot say such crimes are the product of backward and dangerous federal drug laws that force marijuana businesses to operate with cash.

Now, a growing number of companies are developing technologies designed to pull the burgeoning U.S. marijuana industry from the financial dark ages into a digital future that doesnt use cash at all.

The risk of violent crimes is overwhelming when youve got people driving around with tens of thousands of dollars in their car, said Kenneth Berke, CEO of the online payment system PayQwick. We need to take cash out of the transaction.

While 23 states have legalized medical marijuana and four allow recreational use, major banks and credit card companies wont do business with growers, distributors and dispensaries because federal law still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I narcotic, the most dangerous category, which also includes heroin.

What that means for banks is that the revenue they receive from serving marijuana businesses  whether its legal or not under state law  is considered dirty money under federal law, said Tom Dresslar with the California Department of Business Oversight, which regulates the states financial industries. So as soon as they accept it, theyre laundering it.

Critics argue the federal governments stance, ironically, has created a cash industry  estimated at $5.4 billion last year  ripe for illegal activity.

Some local banks and credit unions are quietly taking on marijuana businesses, according to Jeff Goh, CEO of the cannabis firm Notis Global. A December report from American Banker showed 266 of the nations nearly 6,200 financial institutions had accounts with marijuana-related businesses.

But big banks arent budging, Goh said, which makes it tough for companies that work in multiple states to keep funds in the regulated financial system.

Its really mind boggling that the business is as robust as it is operating on a cash-only basis, said Chris Francy, who relies on armored truck services for his OC3 dispensary in Santa Ana. Its very, very difficult to run a business where the only payments you have are cash.

Even with checks and balances, Francy said, operating in cash makes businesses vulnerable to internal theft. They struggle with simple transactions like paying workers and bills. The state Board of Equalization says some dispensaries have settled tax bills with duffel bags stuffed with up to $150,000.

Industry members are calling for a federal solution, either through removing marijuana from the Schedule I drug list or approving legislation that opens traditional banking services to cannabis companies. A tipping point on such federal law changes could be near, Dresslar said, because a dozen more states are poised to vote on legalizing medical or recreational use in 2016.

In the meantime, potrepreneurs are ramping up alternative, non-cash payment options. Heres a look at a few of those approaches:

PAYPAL FOR POT

PayQwick has been dubbed the PayPal for pot.

Dispensary owners can use the online payment platform to pay vendors, landlords and workers. Customers can use a preloaded PayQwick card to make purchases and collect rewards, with an app version for smartphones expected soon. The Los Angeles-based company collects an average 2.75 percent transaction fee from vendors.

The system was designed with current federal banking regulations in mind, Berke said. Were not trying to get around the law, he said. Weve figured out a way to comply with it.

PayQwick will only operate in states with thorough seed-to-sale enforcement programs, which track pot from cultivation to purchase, Berke said. The company also conducts its own compliance checks four times a year, he said. And clients who arent following the rules are dropped from the system.

Still, PayQwick has encountered challenges.

The platform was set to launch two years ago through a Washington regional bank, which pulled out of the arrangement at the last minute. So PayQwick turned to community banks, Berke said, and both sides breathed a sigh of relief when those banks passed Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. audits in December.

We like the fact that people are able to pay with something other than cash, said Pam Senstermacher, a manager at Seattles Cannabis City dispensary, which uses PayQwick.

CANNABIS COUPONS

If PayQwick is the PayPal of pot, Greenito is closer to the industrys Groupon.

The Denver-based company lets dispensaries and delivery services offer discounted packages, such as edible samplers. Shoppers pay for those packages plus a small access fee with a credit card online, then get a certificate to redeem through the retailer.

Since the companys May launch, businesses in Northern California, Colorado, Arizona, Michigan and Oregon have used Greenito, CEO Mary Smith said.

Deliveries like us because they dont have to send their drivers around with cash, Smith said. And storefront dispensaries are happy, she added, because the average sale on our site is higher than the average sale in a normal cash retail environment.

Greenito also offers an accounting and bill-paying system that helps pot retailers stuck in a cash-only system. Once a shopper has bought a coupon, the seller can have Greenito deposit funds into their bank account  if theyre lucky enough to have one at the few banks offering those services. But Greenito can also wire funds to a third party, such as the dispensarys utility company.

DIGITAL CURRENCIES

The pot vending machine ZaZZZ, made by American Green in Arizona to go inside dispensaries, accepts cash along with bitcoin  the most well-known digital currency.

Such encrypted, digital currencies can be converted into dollars, but are chiefly circulated outside traditional financial systems.

Trees, a high-end cannabis delivery service in the Bay Area, accepts bitcoin. And company CEO Marshall Hayner, who has a background at cryptocurrency startups, said the firm is getting ready to add a credit card payment option linked to ledger-keeping technology that manages and secures bitcoin transactions.

Such user-friendly interfaces should help reduce consumer and retailer resistance to digital currency, which they generally dont understand, Hayner said.

Indeed, the OC3 dispensary in Santa Ana has never considered accepting bitcoin or other cryptocurrency, Francy said, because theyre still looking for real, bona fide solutions.

Banking in the marijuana industry is when, not if, he said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7963 or bstaggs@ocregister.com
FONTANA  Bringing veterans together for an adventure brought Temecula-based Wishes For Warriors to Auto Club Speedway on Saturday for the NASCAR Xfinity Series TreatMyClot.com 300.

The group, founded two years ago by former Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Bryan Marshall, is a nonprofit organization specializing in outdoor experiences for wounded veterans.

We get these men and women back out there, Marshall said. Ninety nine percent of what we do is outdoors, and theres no gimmicks.

Marshall, 32, was joined by nine veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Saturday for a meet-and-greet with several series drivers before escaping to an on-track suite to watch the race.

We try to do as many epic, awesome things for these guys as we can. To let them know that we care, and to re-fire that spark in them, said Marshall, a resident of Temecula.

It was the first NASCAR experience offered by Wishes For Warriors, which has previously provided hunting and fishing trips, white-water rafting and even skydiving excursions for veterans.

We deal mostly with amputees, guys with traumatic brain injuries, guys who are suffering really bad from post-traumatic stress, Marshall said. All of our guys have been in combat, been to hell and back.

Temecula native Wallace Fanene, an Army staff sergeant wounded in Iraq, was attending his first NASCAR event.

For me to see this first-hand has been absolutely amazing, said Fanene, who had previously been hunting with Wishes For Warriors in Maryland. For me, its been such a blessing.

Menifee resident Paul Kocina, a Marine Corps lance corporal wounded in a state-side motorcycle accident, also was seeing NASCAR live for the first time.

I think for all of us it ends up being something different, Kocina said. For me, I have a new outlook on a sport that Ive never paid attention to.

HAPPY HOUR CRASH

Moments after Kyle Larson brushed the wall during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour practice, Greg Biffle ruined the front end of his No. 16 EcoBoost Ford by running into the back of Larson.

Biffle damaged the nose of his car, forcing his team to remove the hood and work to make necessary repairs.

I was looking at my mark on the wall (and) he wrecked in front of me, and I just couldnt get it stopped, Biffle said. By the time I saw him sideways I was catching him so fast that I dont know what happened.

WISE OUT EARLY

Jurupa Valley native Josh Wise competed just 18 laps of the Xfinity Series TreatMyClot.com 300 before spending the remainder of the race behind the wall.

Wise, driving the No. 40 www.A1tickets.com Toyota, qualified 28th overall on Friday and even led one lap (Lap 12) on Saturday before exiting. Ineligible for driver points in the Xfinity Series, Wises No. 30 SBC Contractors Chevrolet will start on the last row for todays Sprint Cup Auto Club 400.

Staff writer David Zink contributed to this report.
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.

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.

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.

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.

  

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.

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, Virginia, 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.

  

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, Brian Coward, declined to comment.

  

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, Virginia.

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, Virginia, 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.
Attention to all the fine men and women in Canberras halls of power: the backlash against Australias continually piss-poor treatment of refugees isnt going away any time soon, as demonstrated by the thousands of fine men and women who took to Melbournes streets this afternoon.

The Walk for Justice for Refugees Victorian leg found scores of protesters, once again, railing against the Federal Governments crippling asylum seeker legislation. Gathering at the State Library, regular pissed-off citizens were joined by politicians, religious leaders, and musos.

All of them gathered to call for 267 asylum seekers, currently situated on Nauru and Manus Island, to be placed in Australia. Following that, they want a total closure of the centres, lest this shit happen again.

Thousands gathered in Melbourne to welcome refugees #Justice4Refugees pic.twitter.com/EPUmUoxVGd  Sarah Hanson-Young (@sarahinthesen8) March 20, 2016

1000s o committed Australians here at #Justice4Refugees rally in Melbourne. Well keep marching as long as needed. pic.twitter.com/pmH1Zc6Wgl  Jodi Magi (@Jodi_Magi) March 20, 2016

The fact so many disparate groups united to protest on Palm Sunday is poignant; according to the Christian theology, it commemorates a day where a lowly traveler, whose huge journey was undertaken on a donkey, was welcomed as a king into a centre of massive power.

It doesnt take a huge analogical leap to realise the protests timing ascribes the same endlessly-persecuted nature of Jesus himself on those locked up in off-shore detention.

While the Federal Government, from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull through to Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, have repeatedly reaffirmed their commitment to off-shore detention, both Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and the Human Rights Law Centres Daniel Webb spoke to the masses and damned the current system.

If todays protests are anything to go by, the sentiment against off-shore detention night not even stable. It looks like its intensifying.

We found ourselves marching through the streets of Melbourne today, showing support for the refugees who are being sent to offshore camps because they havent been invited. Incredible scenes. #justice4refugees #humanrights #letthemstay #melbourne #gopro A photo posted by Fergal McAleer (@fergalmcaleer) on Mar 20, 2016 at 12:00am PDT

awesome turnout! #freetherefugees #justice4refugees #letthemstay A photo posted by ross parker (@rossgoin_on) on Mar 19, 2016 at 11:57pm PDT

Today #letthemstay A photo posted by Danica Gilbert (@altruistic__) on Mar 19, 2016 at 11:19pm PDT



Source: Sky News.

Photo: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre / Facebook.
UPDATE:

A retired state trooper has been identified as the man who shot and killed two Pennsylvania Turnpike workers in a tollbooth robbery attempt on Sunday, before being shot and killed himself in an exchange of gunfire with police.

Authorities identified 54-year-old Clarence Briggs of Newville as the man who attempted the armed holdup at a tollbooth in Fort Littleton, off I-76 in Fulton County, at around 7 a.m.

Briggs is a former state trooper whose tenure included time spent with a division overseeing turnpike operations in the area and ended with him being honorably discharged in 2012. It was not immediately clear if Briggs was previously known to his victims.

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Chairman Sean Logan choked back tears as he identified the victims of Sunday's shootings as 55-year old Danny Crouse and 72-year-old Ronald Heist.

Logan said Crouse had only been on the job for three months, while Heist, a retired York City Police officer, had worked for the turnpike commission as a security contractor.

"Today we lost two members of the turnpike family and extended family in a holdup attempt," Logan explained in a press conference held Sunday afternoon, just miles down the road.

In a synopsis of the incident provided by state police captain Dave Cain, it was reported that Briggs arrived at the toll located at the Fort Littleton Interchange and presented a weapon.

Briggs reportedly forced two workers, one of them Crouse, into a nearby building where a struggle ensued and the two workers broke free as Briggs attempted to tie them up.
A funny thing has happened on the way to Pennsylvania's next budget veto.

Thirteen House Democrats cast their votes Wednesday with Republicans for a $30 billion spending plan designed to serve as a three-month truce in the state's unending budget wars.

With 200 members currently seated and, that's just three more Democratic votes away from a potential veto override in the House of Representatives, assuming the Republicans can bring all of their 118 votes to the table.

Wolf may still veto the plan, as he flatly declared he would before the House vote. But first, he will now meet Monday with Democratic legislative leaders in what a source familiar with the plan described as a political stress test.

Democrats at the Capitol, said the source, who is not being identified because he is not authorized to speak publicly, simply want to "make sure we're all on the same page."

Wolf has made clear the latest state budget package on his desk - really a closure bill designed to end nine months of gridlock over school funding levels and potential tax increases - is not the one that he wants.

As pressure mounts, though, Wolf's calls for honest budgeting are running headlong into growing worries about whether schools can keep their doors open to finish this year.

Here are the options he must pick from by the end of this week:

Sign the GOP-built supplemental appropriations bill that sets final state spending for the current budget year at slightly more than $30 billion with no tax increases and $200 million new dollars for public schools, or it let it take effect without his signature. This would effectively keep the trains running while pushing this year's major tax and spending discussions to the 2016-17 fiscal year, which starts July 1. Fiscal conservatives, however, could claim the de facto win of forestalling a major tax increase this year.

Use line-item veto powers to let some additional state money to flow - Wolf may want, for example, to allocate some additional funding to an already-expired Department of Corrections expenditure line. That, at the least, would relieve state Treasurer Timothy Reese from

Veto the entire budget, which would tighten the fiscal vise on poorer school districts that have so far received a half-year's funding; universities like Penn State, Pitt and Temple; and rural and inner-city hospitals that treat a disproportionate number of uninsured. And, Wolf hopes, legislative Republicans.

As of Friday, most of those closest to the governor insisted a full veto was still the leading option, if only because Wolf is firm in his belief that majority Republicans in the General Assembly need to do more to close a persistent deficit.

Wolf is trying to sell fixing the state's credit ratings and fixing structural deficits, and he has made clear that he is willing to take short-term pain to achieve his objectives.

As he put it Thursday in Pittsburgh: "Standing up for this, standing up for principle right now, is a really tough thing...

"The consequences of that fight are starting to appear on the horizon, and that is a short term shutdown [of schools or human service agencies]. But if that leads to a long-term solution to this problem, that's a good thing," Wolf said.

The question for the governor is, does he have enough troops charging up that hill with him when lawmakers' focus - in household terms - is simply paying last month's light bill and buying groceries for tonight?

There were signs of cracks in the Democratic caucus this week.

Rep. Gerald Mullery, a Democrat from Nanticoke, said after Wednesday's votes that he broke with his caucus to support the GOP budget plan - despite a face-to-face with administration officials - because local school officials in his district told him they both need the money it contains, and it will be enough for them to comfortably finish the current year.

Mullery, for one, said that has to be the top priority for him right now. "I am not willing to stand by and watch schools close."

So far, the governor's office has been trying to convince wavering lawmakers that the state can help stave off mid-year school closures while the budget struggle goes on.

Steelton-Highspire School District, for example, apparently saw a major debt service payment covered by the state through an "intercept" procedure this month that will now allow it to meet payroll for the foreseeable future.

Wolf has until March 27 to act one way or another on the spending bills.

If a veto is Wolf's final answer, and his office declined comment on the governor's deliberations as the weekend began, the ball is back in the Republicans' court.

A veto override that would give the budget package full effect requires two-thirds votes in the both the House and Senate. As of Wednesday, top GOP staffers in both chambers felt they were only a handful of votes away.

Top GOP staffers called the question premature Friday in advance of a Wolf decision.

But, if there is a full veto, "it [an overide attempt] would certainly be something that we're going to have to consider," said Todd Brysiak, chief of staff to House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana County.

House Speaker Mike Turzai, meanwhile, made one last public appeal to Wolf Friday to sign the $30 billion budget package, which the Allegheny County Republican said makes sense on a lot of levels.

It contains a significant increase in direct aid to schools, albeit $175 million less than Wolf had wanted; it holds taxes at current levels; and it increases state aid to Penn State, Pitt and Temple.

Wolf has been insisting on something closer to the $30.8 billion spending plan that he had agreed to with legislative leaders in December, before fiscal conservatives in the House effectively killed it.

Wolf has argued that's the honest number needed to fund a state government that's been running for too long on one-time transfers and other accounting maneuvers.

But Turzai said the closure package is as good as lawmakers and Wolf can get at this late point in the fiscal year, and it will help 2016-17 negotiations because all sides will start from a base spending number that's about $700 million lower.

"The key thing for 16-17," Turzai said, "is you shouldn't be adding or growing spending on top of whatever the (recurring) gap might be between expenditures and revenues."

This budget, he said, doesn't.

The House and Senate are in session next week, and then break until April 4. If Wolf waits until the recess to make his decision known, those April session weeks could loom very large in this process.
REDBLUE AMERICA GRAPHIC.jpg

By Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk

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, Mo., the following night.

Can American politics withstand the growing violence of this campaign? Is Trump solely responsible, or do others bear blame? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, consider the issue.

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.

The videos are ugly. At a Trump rally in Cleveland, a supporter is seen directing his ire at the media: "Go to Auschwitz!" the man bellows. "Go to f------ Auschwitz!"

Or 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 - either physically violent or morally repugnant - 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. His followers need to stop being so easily encouraged. And his opponents, the ones ready to go to battle, need to stop taking the bait and find a better way to counter his escalations. As my parents said: "I don't care who started it! Be the one to stop it!"

This is not politics as usual. This is what happens when a republic starts to fall apart. This is a dangerous moment. It's time to take a breath, and step back.

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 afterwards, 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 protestors 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 handwringing over Trump, there is comparatively little condemnation of the illiberal tactics employed by MoveOn.org, Black Lives Matter and their fellow travelers.

Given what we've seen lately, don't be surprised if there are riots in Cleveland this summer. But they won't be led by Trump.

Last summer, when Black Lives Matter activists were seizing microphones from Democratic presidential candidates, the group's co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, appeared on MSNBC to talk tactics.

"Many folks have asked why would you go after the Democratic Party? They're on our side. What about the Republican party? And trust and believe that any opportunity we have to shut down a Republican convention, we will," she said. "We will make sure that our voices are made loud and clear."

It's about time liberals spoke up and start policing their own - before things really get out of hand.

Ben Boychuk (bboychukcity-journal.org) is associate editor of the Manhattan Institute's City Journal. Joel Mathis (joelmmathisgmail.com) is associate editor for Philadelphia Magazine. Visit them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/benandjoel
Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Merrick Garland

President Barack Obama announced Merrick Garland as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.

(AP)

By Charlie Gerow

This week Super Tuesday II, or "Titanic Tuesday," failed to dramatically alter the course of the race for the Republican nomination for president.

Donald Trump picked up the most wins and delegate votes and, by trouncing Marco Rubio on his home turf, managed to drive the Florida senator from the race.

Republican strategist Charlie Gerow (PennLive file)

At the same time, John Kasich's big win in Ohio, exceeding expectations by a wide margin, guaranteed him longevity in what is now a three-man race.

The possibility of a contested convention looms bigger after Tuesday's balloting than it did before.

The dust had not even begun to settle from Tuesday night's vote counting when President Barack Obama nominated federal appellate Judge Merrick Garland to fill the late Antonin Scalia's seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The fact that a vacancy exists in the middle of a presidential campaign points up, in dramatic fashion, the incredible significance of the election on the future of the court. Not only may the seat of Justice Scalia be filled by the next president, there is likelihood that another seat or two or three may also be.

The balance of power on the Supreme Court of the United States is at stake in the 2016 election.

That balance of power extends into our daily lives in ways both highly visible and less well seen. From gun control to abortion, and from Obamacare to same sex marriage, the Court holds tremendous sway over the way we live.

As the high court has expanded its role and power, venturing into areas never contemplated by the founders, the judicial philosophies and decisions of the justices has taken an equally expansive significance.

Some strategists believe that Obama's selection of Judge Garland was designed to put Senate Republicans between the proverbial dog and tree. That theory is based on the idea that Garland is the most moderate jurist that a very liberal president would offer. Take him -- "the moderate" -- the theory goes, or risk the possibility of someone much further to the left.

We've heard that rhetoric before. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who, despite being Justice Scalia's close personal friend, is the court's most liberal member, was touted as a "moderate' when nominated and confirmed. Similarly Justice Stephen Breyer is often referred to as a "moderate-progressive," but he votes with the liberal bloc on virtually every major case.

That four-member liberal bloc has remained unified and solid on the left side of the fulcrum on the narrow teeter-totter of Supreme Court voting. We've come to expect 5-4 decisions on the most significant cases.

The definition of "moderate" is clearly within the mind of the speaker. After all the president, who nominated Judge Garland, adopted the "be reasonable and do it my way" mantra from the start.

His way and his choices are always "moderate" "sensible" and "enlightened." Thus he seeks to characterize any who disagree as the opposite.

We'll now hear increasingly shrill rhetoric about "stonewalling" such a moderate appointment, who sailed through his confirmation process for the lower court.

Robert Bork also sailed through the confirmation process when nominated to a lower court.

And the last time a Supreme Court nomination was filibustered, it was then-Sen. Barack Obama leading the way.

It was New York Sen. Chuck Schumer who told his Democratic colleagues they should reject, sight unseen, any of George Bush's nominees during the last 18 months of his presidency.

The Garland nomination is designed to portray Senate Republicans, especially those up for re-election this year, as inflexible and unreasonable. A quick check and expansion on the brief history outlined above dispels that myth.

The other political purpose of the nomination was to present the Republicans with a strategic conundrum -- a Hobson's choice between the devil you know (Garland) and the devil you don't know (a nominee potentially named by Hillary Clinton).

Republicans, who control the Senate, would do well to proceed cautiously. There's no requirement that their "advice and consent" be instantaneous.

It should be measured, maybe even waiting to see what happens in November before acting. That wouldn't significantly impact the court, whose term will end shortly and won't reconvene until October.

Elections have consequences. The consequences of the 2016 election are greater than at any point in our lifetimes.

One of the most important consequences is the impact on the Supreme Court.
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Mike Duffy is followed by his lawyer Donald Bayne (right) as he arrives at the courthouse in Ottawa for his first court appearance on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. Journalists-turned-politicians have earned a bad reputation in Ottawa in recent years thanks to the spending shenanigans of two in particular: Senators Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
A ferry carrying refugees and migrants from the island of Lesbos leaves from the port of Mytilene, Sunday, March 20, 2016. The final destination is one of the ports of Attica, Elefsina. Sunday was the day an agreement between the European Union and Turkey on ending illegal migration went into effect, but its implementation still remains uncertain. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)


Lagniappe Julian Lee: OPEC's futile freeze

All countries except Saudi Arabia have no plans to increase production

Next month's gathering of oil ministers from OPEC and non-member countries is fixating traders. But the real re-balancing in the market is already underway -- and much of it is taking the form of involuntary production cuts from OPEC members. Speculation that the meeting in Doha will lead to a production freeze has been a boon for oil, helping to drive a 40% rise in Brent since the idea was first mooted just over a month ago, to more than $42 a barrel. Freeze Talk Lifts Prices Brent has risen to more than $40 a barrel amid speculation about an output freeze Source: Bloomberg But a freeze would be empty gesture. None of the countries that intend to take part, with the possible exception of Saudi Arabia, was expected to raise production in any case. Most OPEC countries are already producing at capacity, while output in Russia, the biggest producer outside OPEC, is expected to fall over the course of 2016 as ageing West Siberian deposits aren't replaced. Iran, the only country expected to raise output significantly this year, has said it will only freeze output once it has reached 4 million barrels per day. It is currently producing about 3 million barrels after sanctions on its oil exports were eased in January. Saudi Arabia might be expected to raise production in the summer, when peak seasonal electricity demand will boost the amount of crude oil burned in power stations by as much as 600,000 barrels per day from the current level. However, the kingdom had 314 million barrels in storage at the end of January -- enough to maintain sales throughout the summer without boosting output. Crude Cushion Saudi stockpile is big enough to meet summer demand without raising production, or cutting exports Source: JODI Global oil production has fallen by 1.37 million barrels per day over the past six months, with OPEC production accounting for nearly half of that decline. Rebalancing Begins Change in production from August 2015 to February 2016 World oil supply has fallen by 1.37 million barrels per day in the past 6 months Source: DOE, Bloomberg Nigeria revised its official January production number downwards by 192,000 barrels a day in its latest submission to OPEC. It then lost another 300,000 barrels per day in mid-February, following the closure by Shell of the Forcados export system after damage to a pipeline. Meanwhile, the government is sending more troops to protect Niger Delta oil facilities in the face of rising discontent that could see more disruptions to come. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq was forced to halt exports for almost a month after its pipeline to the Mediterranean coast was shut for reasons that remain unclear. More importantly, no sooner was the flow restored than the Iraqi government in Baghdad suspended around 150,000 barrels per day of exports through the line from Kirkuk and other northern fields it still controls. Unless that decision is reversed -- which Baghdad says will require a new agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government -- Iraq's output will fall by a similar amount, as there is nowhere else for that oil to go. The Kurds are also suffering falling output from their own fields. Genel Energy downgraded the reserves at its Taq Taq field by nearly 50 percent and has seen production there fall from 135,000 barrels per day to 85,000 barrels a day over 2015, with further declines expected this year and next. OPEC founder-member Venezuela, a prime campaigner for the output freeze, has also been hit hard as falling prices forced state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela to cut capital spending. Official production data show output down 165,000 barrels per day, or 6 percent, since OPEC commenced its current war on high-cost oil in November 2014. Venezuela Woes Venezuela's oil output has fallen 6% since OPEC began its war on high-cost oil, according to official data Source: OPEC With new production from the deep waters off Angola and Nigeria delayed as a result of the fall in prices, the involuntary output declines from OPEC countries are likely to gather pace. That will make the planned output freeze redundant. Julian Lee is a Bloomberg First Word oil strategist. Former Senior energy analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies. His opinions are his own and aren't intended as investment advice. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Bloomberg, on March 20, 2016. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers. Editor's Note: All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. 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Nation's sun, sand make it ideal for renewables, minister says

LONDON/BERLIN

Petroleumworld.com 03 21 2016

Even as it pumps near-record quantities of oil, Saudi Arabia is getting ready for a time when the world will no longer need its biggest export.

The world's largest crude exporter is focusing on renewable-energy sources such as solar power in preparation for a post-oil global economy, Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said at a conference in Berlin on Thursday. Still, he doesn't expect that era to dawn any time soon, estimating that consumers will still be burning fossil fuels for at least another 50 years.

I don't think there is a more ideal country for renewables than Saudi Arabia, given its abundant sunshine, available land and plentiful sand, which is needed for making solar panels, al-Naimi said. Studies by the kingdom and other countries into alternative energy are looking at ways to shift from oil and gas to renewables, he said.

It's not the first time that OPEC's de facto leader has signaled that, with governments pledging to limit global temperature increases, it's taking steps to prepare for an age beyond oil. At a climate conference in Paris last May, al-Naimi said Saudi Arabia plans to be exporting gigawatts of electric power generated from solar panels in coming decades.

Diversify Revenues

Proposals to sell a stake in some assets of state oil titan Saudi Arabian Oil Co., announced by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in early January, fanned speculation that the slump in crude prices had intensified Saudi Arabia's plans to diversify its economy.

The country aims to install 54 gigawatts of clean energy capacity by 2040, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Renewable energy currently accounts for about 14 percent of global consumption and will increase to 19 percent by 2040, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia is focusing on ways to capture or process emissions of carbon dioxide, al-Naimi said, arguing that attempts to abandon hydrocarbon fuels now are impractical. The kingdom is collecting the waste gas and converting it into petrochemicals.

Environmental groups including Greenpeace have urged global investors to divest from oil and gas companies and called on governments to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

There is no way in the next 50 years that the world will be able to give up extracting the fuels, al-Naimi said, adding that by the way, they are not that bad.

Despite his undiminished enthusiasm for oil, the minister declined to answer any questions about global crude markets and refused to give details of a planned April meeting in Doha with Russia and other producers aimed at reaching an accord on freezing output levels, other than to confirm he would attend.






Man arrested in Phila. killing;

second male sought

Police have arrested one man and are searching for a second in connection with the Friday evening execution-style killing of a 22-year-old man near Somerset and A Streets in North Philadelphia.

Two men on an orange off-road motorcycle targeted the victim, who was standing on a sidewalk, police said. A gunman shot the victim and then stood over the fallen man and fired more shots, police said. The victim was pronounced dead at 5:44 p.m. at Temple University Hospital. Police have not released his name.

Highway Patrol officers observed the motorcycle, then occupied by only one male, fleeing the area and gave chase. The motorcycle collided with an SUV at Lawrence and Pike Streets, and police apprehended a 21-year-old man, who was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center for treatment.

Police said the investigation was continuing. - Andrew Maykuth

15 dogs, 2 cats taken from home

The Pennsylvania SPCA has opened an investigation after removing 15 small dogs and two cats Saturday from a residence on the 7900 block of Marsden Street in the city's Holmesburg section.

PSPCA humane-law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the property after receiving a tip from the Philadelphia Police Department about several animals allegedly living in unsanitary conditions. No arrests were made.

The rescued animals were taken to the SPCA's Erie Avenue headquarters, where they will be examined by the shelter's veterinary team. The animals will remain in the PSPCA's care until they are surrendered by the owner, or through the adjudication of the case. - Staff report

Onlookers pull man from burning car

A 20-year-old Camden County man remained in critical condition Saturday after crashing his car in Winslow Township and being saved by onlookers who pulled him out of his burning car, police said.

About 6:45 p.m. Friday, Tyrone Gollopp Jr., of Sicklerville, was driving on Erial Road approaching Eden Hollow Lane when he lost control of his car.

The car slammed into a large pine tree in the Camden County Park Recreational Area, the Winslow Township Police Department said.

The car caught on fire with the driver trapped inside. Onlookers rushed to Gollopp's aid and pulled him out, police said.

Gollopp, who was alone in the car, was taken by helicopter to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. - Julie Shaw
Onlookers pull Sicklerville man from burning car

A 20-year-old Camden County man remained in critical condition Saturday after crashing his car in Winslow Township and being saved by onlookers who pulled him out of his burning car, police said.

About 6:45 p.m. Friday, Tyrone Gollopp Jr., of Sicklerville, was driving on Erial Road approaching Eden Hollow Lane when he lost control of his car.

The car slammed into a large pine tree in the Camden County Park Recreational Area, the Winslow Township Police Department said.

The car caught on fire with the driver trapped inside. Onlookers rushed to Gollopp's aid and pulled him out, police said.

Gollopp, who was alone in the car, was taken by helicopter to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. - Julie Shaw

Prison terms for three

in luxury auto-theft ring

Three men have received prison terms for their roles in an international auto-theft and carjacking ring that targeted luxury vehicles from New Jersey and New York and shipped them to West Africa.

New Jersey authorities say Kurtis Bossie received an 18-year sentence, while Jim Bryant Jr. got a 10-year sentence. The two Newark men pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy and carjacking charges. Daniel Hunt, of East Orange, received a five-year sentence. He pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to commit fencing.

The charges stemmed from "Operation Jacked," a 10-month state investigation that recovered 160 stolen cars worth more than $8 million. The ring targeted high-end luxury vehicles including Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches, Jaguars, and Aston Martins.

- AP

Man arrested in Phila. killing;

second male sought

Police have arrested one man and are searching for a second in connection with the Friday evening execution-style killing of a 22-year-old man near Somerset and A Streets in North Philadelphia.

Two men on an orange off-road motorcycle targeted the victim, who was standing on a sidewalk, police said. A gunman shot the victim and then stood over the fallen man and fired more shots, police said. The victim was pronounced dead at 5:44 p.m. at Temple University Hospital. Police have not released his name.

Highway Patrol officers observed the motorcycle, then occupied by only one male, fleeing the area and gave chase. The motorcycle collided with an SUV at Lawrence and Pike Streets, and police apprehended a 21-year-old man, who was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center for treatment.

Police said the investigation was continuing. - Andrew Maykuth


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By Andy Sullivan and Alana Wise

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  Republican Mitt Romney said on Friday he would vote for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in Utahs presidential nominating contest, but the partys 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 Utahs 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 partys 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 favorite of the partys 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 doesnt have a clue. No wonder he lost! he wrote on Twitter.

Cruz, acknowledging the tepid nature of Romneys 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.

Romney has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of Trump, the billionaire businessman and reality-TV star who has become the 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.

Kasichs campaign called Romneys turn to Cruz the result of bad political advice. This is just the old establishment trying again to game the political system, but John Kasichs defeated the Republican establishment his entire career, the campaign said.

Romneys support for Cruz comes a day after U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham threw his support behind the Texas senator, saying in similar fashion that Cruz has the best chance of stopping Trump, even though he thinks Kasich would have a better chance of winning in Novembers general election.

Trump has continued to notch victories in the state-by-state nominating process as Republicans have failed to unite behind Cruz or Kasich. At this point, those who oppose Trump say their best bet is to prevent him from securing the 1,237 delegates he needs to lock up the nomination before the convention in Cleveland. So far, Trump has won 678 delegates.

Cruz 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.

(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Grant McCool and Leslie Adler)
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A Deseret News/KSL poll shows that if Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination, Democrats would be favored to win the deep red state of Utah in November.

The poll revealed that Utah voters would completely reject Trump. Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump 38%-36% while Bernie Sanders leads Trump 48%-37%. Both John Kasich and Ted Cruz would win Utah. Kasich would beat Clinton 59%-29%, and Sanders 54%-35%. Ted Cruz would beat Clinton 60%-32%, and Bernie Sanders 53%-39%. Sixteen percent of those polled said that they would not vote if the matchup is Trump vs. Clinton. If the matchup is Trump vs. Sanders, 9% of Utah voters would not vote.

As polls in Michigan and Ohio previously revealed, a potential Trump nomination would see Republican voters vote in droves for the Democratic nominee. The poll in Utah highlights the degree to which many Republicans wont vote at all if Trump is the nominee. Republicans arent going rally around Trump. Donald Trump also isnt bringing millions of new people into the Republican camp.

If Donald Trump is the Republican presidential nominee, the GOP could face a nationwide disaster of their own creation. Trump could turn dark red states like Utah blue. A Trump nomination could trigger a Democratic landslide. It doesnt matter who the Democratic nomination is, Donald Trump puts states that have been comfortably in the Republican column for decades in jeopardy.

Utah hasnt voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 50 years, but the Donald Trump will push towards supporting Clinton or Sanders in November. If Utah is willing to vote Democratic to stop Trump, the scope of the damage that Donald Trump will do to the Republican Party is unlimited.
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Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) deepened the fractures in the Republican Senate caucus by warning Republicans that Senate Majority Leader McConnells strategy of obstructing Obamas Supreme Court nominee was foolish and would lead them to defeat.

Video:

Transcript via Meet The Press:

SEN. HARRY REID: But thats the point. You can draw all these extracurricular activities that took place, but look at whats happened. For example, lets look at two very famous cases that came before the Senate. Bork. Bork didnt get enough votes in committee. Neither did Thomas. But we brought them to the floor anyway. We met with them. We had hearings, and even though they didnt get it, it could have been killed in the committee. We believed there should be a full vote. And thats what we should do now. I dont know why McConnell has done this to his senators. Hes marching these men, women over a cliff. I dont think theyre going to go. He said, Were not going to meet with them. Were not going to hold hearings, were not going to have a vote. But that facade is breaking as we speak. We now have about eight or nine senators who say, Oh, yeah, I guess we will meet with him. We had a senator the day before yesterday that said, Lets man up here. We are elected to take votes. We should be voting. And theres going to be a breakthrough here. I told Merrick Garland I want to meet with him . SEN. HARRY REID: No. Its not been done in the past. And their excuses are lame. Theyre going to wind up as a result of this foolishness losing Senate seats they shouldnt have lost. Im kind of glad theyre doing it, but its so foolish. He is McConnell is leading his senators over the cliff. And I am telling everybody thats watching this, the senators arent going to allow that.

Democratic Leader Reid can see that the Republican resistance to the nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court is cracking so he smartly moved to divide Republicans by saying what most of them are already thinking.

McConnells strategy is foolish. Is is also incredibly desperate. Sen. McConnell was trying to make the election less about Donald Trump and focus it on electing Republicans who will not allow the next president to nominate a liberal Supreme Court justice., but Majority Leader McConnells strategy has already backfired as President Obama nominated a candidate that would be acceptable to most Senate Republicans.

The Republican support for McConnells position is eroding by the day. Republicans are already volunteering to meet with the nominee and demanding to be allowed to vote. Sen. Reid was right. Mitch McConnell is a fool who is leading Republicans down the path to defeat in 2016. Reid is dumping gasoline on the Senate Republican rebellion. Democrats can sense that Republicans are close to cracking, as vulnerable Republican incumbents are facing a choice between supporting Obamas nominee, or standing with McConnell and losing their seats in November.
Yes, at the GEC voting center at the Westin.

Yes, at one of the satellite voting centers open on Saturdays.

No; I'm voting on Nov. 8.

No; I'm not voting in the general election.

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Justice Louis Brandeis wrote: Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman. Greens in Ostersund, Sweden acknowledged the truth of that adage when they canceled Earth Hour for the sake of crime prevention:

A Swedish town has refused to turn its street lights off for just an hour amid fears that women will fall victim to sex attacks. Police in Ostersund have taken the measure to ban Earth Hour, a festival organised to raise awareness on climate change, after 14 separate reports of sex attacks in the area. Victims have ranged from adult women to 10-year-old girls and perpetrators have managed to avoid capture.

I confess that, after ridiculing Earth Hour a few years ago, I had completely forgotten it. This year, once again, I didnt notice anyone turning his lights off for an hour to fight global warming.

You might wonder: have small cities in central Sweden traditionally been such hotbeds of sexual assault that townspeople didnt dare turn off their lights? Well, no:

Police have refused to give information on the appearance of the attackers but victims have reported characteristics to be of a foreign origin. The decision to cancel Earth Hour, which involves lights being turned off around the world at the same time, was made in partnership with the local council and comes just weeks after police warned women to stay indoors at night.

European countries have two options, apparently: they can regulate immigration to benefit their own citizens, or they can warn women to stay indoors at night. So far, they have mostly chosen the latter course, but it is hard to see how that policy preference can be sustained for long.
Lately Ive been arguing with lefty acquaintances of mine who say, Isnt it terrible for the Republicans to play tit-for-tat over Court nominations that surely they dont seriously expect Republicans never to reciprocate for the shameful treatment of Republican judicial nominees, starting with Bork. Over 50 Bush judicial nominees were never given a hearing, let alone a voteand not just in the final year in office. Democrats blocked a hearing for Miguel Estrada for several years (because a conservative Hispanic terrified Democratic Party racial uniformity enforcers). And lets not forget Obamas willingness to filibuster each of George W. Bushs two Supreme Court nominees. Obama has no standing to complain about the treatment of Judge Garland.

Moreover, if you consult the basic literature of game theory, youll see that tit-for-tat is exactly how you should respond to a second party who is trying to gain advantage over you: only through a taste of their own medicine will the first party moderate its behavior.

But lets not forget the original sin of this problem: the Democrats shameful behavior in the Bork nomination in 1987. No, Im not willing to let this go, because it represented a dramatic change in the rules of judicial politics. Pottery Barn rule time: Democrats broke itthey need to own it.

Forget Joe Biden and his rule from 1992. Heres Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in 1987:

Say the administration sends up Bork, and, after our investigation, he looks a lot like another Scalia. Id have to vote for him, and if the groups tear me apart, thats the medicine Ill have to take. Im not Ted Kennedy.

It didnt take long for the groups to get to Biden, however, so much so that the the Washington Post raised an editorial eyebrow at Bidens extraordinary stance, noting that it would be hard for Bork to get a fair hearing when the Judiciary Committee chairman has already cast himself in the role of a prosecutor instead of a juror.

Lets not forget that Bork had been approved unanimously by the Senate for the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. So much for that Garland talking point.

There is nothing in the Constitution that says the Supreme Court has to be nine members. (See: FDR, 1937. Heh.) If they want to, Republicans could insist on simply not filling vacancies and shrinking the Court through retirements or deaths. I suspect Democrats will come to this position next time a Republican president wants to replace a liberal justice with a conservative justice. Might as well just blow it up now.

While were at it, lets also recall the sheer anti-intellectualism and evasions of Democrats in the Bork fight. As Suzanne Garment commented at the time in the Wall Street Journal:
Earlier this month, reporter Michelle Fields accused Donald Trumps campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, of manhandling her at a campaign event. Lewandowski denied doing so, but the video evidence seems to support Fields.

Trump rewarded Lewandowski for his assault by giving him a place next to him during his victory speech last Tuesday, and by singling Lewandowski out for praise during his address. Corey, good job, the tycoon exclaimed. I dont recall this sort of shout out to Lewandowski in appearances prior to his grab of Fields.

Thus encouraged, Lewandowski apparently is in the roughing up business to stay. Yesterday, at a rally in Tucson, Arizona, the combative campaign manager waded into the crowd and grabbed a protester.

Since when is it a campaign managers job to police protesters at a campaign rally? The answer is, since Trump decided to build his campaign around the notion of taking our country back. He wants his supporters to understand that, if elected president, he will crack heads.

This, apparently, is part of what Trump means when he talks about America winning again. Indeed, it may be the most realistic part.

Its highly unlikely that Trump will get Mexico to pay for his wall or, more generally, force powerful foreign leaders to bend to his will. But its plausible to think that Trump will kick ass when dealing with less formidable individuals such as political protesters or journalists who criticize him.

How did Trump react this time to his campaign managers aggression? In typical Trump fashion. He denied that Lewandowski touched the protester, claiming, contrary to the video evidence, that it was somebody else.

However, there is no dispute that Lewandowski waded into the crowd; in fact, Trump gave him credit for having spirit in doing so. He also explained that Lewandowskis foray was necessary because the security at the arena, the police, were a little bit lax, and [the protesters] had signs up that were horrendous. (Emphasis added)

But according to John Fund, whose brother was on the Tuscon police force for thirty years, at a private arena such as the one Trump spoke at, the responsibility for security INSIDE the arena resides with the organizer, not the local police. Fund adds:

A currently serving police officer who attended the rally and is a Trump supporter told me that he viewed the private security Trump had there as the ones who were lax. He said that hiring off-duty cops is expensive at $30-plus an hour, and many private events dont hire any, or only a couple. The security I saw at the rally were unprofessional and looked like rent-a-cops, he told me. It is insulting of Donald Trump to blame the police for his rally problems and we clearly were not [responsible].

Is Trump too cheap or too incompetent to hire decent security at his events? Or does he want the kinds of scenes on display in Tucson, which enable him to dominate the news and reinforce his tough guy image?

I dont know. But his own statements suggest that he relishes the spectacle of protesters having the hell knocked out them, including by his campaign manager.

In this respect, as in so many others, Donald Trump degrades our already parlous civic life.
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.
The Chairman of the Joint Tax Board, JTB, Tunde Fowler, has frowned at what he called illegal fees and levies collected from motorists at road blocks mounted by members of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF nationwide.

Mr. Fowler, who is also the Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS therefore called for more collaboration between the Police and various tax authorities in the country to stop these illegal practices.

He was speaking when he led some members of the JTB on a visit to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase, in Abuja.

The Chairman noted the existing good working relationship between the JTB and the Police, saying this needed to be strengthened further given some challenges encountered in the countrys tax system, especially on illegal taxes and levies by some government agencies across the country.

Unauthorised persons mount road blocks for purposes of collecting illegal revenues by selling certain unauthorised emblems or stickers to motorists on the highways, Mr. Fowler said.

He pointed out that such illegal activities were not only counterproductive, but negatively affecting the development of the countrys tax system.

Urging the police chief to continue to support the FIRS and the State Boards of Internal Revenue Service in their operations, the JTB Chairman said this was the only way to help realize their mandate of increased revenue at this time of declining national income.

It is clear that what is needed now is effective collaboration and cooperation between the Nigeria Police Force and major stakeholders to stem the tide of multiple taxation, which impedes voluntary compliance among taxpayers, Mr. Fowler said.

In his response, IGP Arase thanked the delegation for the visit, assuring that the Police Force would continue to provide the needed security for revenue officers across the federation to enable them discharge their jobs.

The police chief informed the JTB members that he had already directed all Police Commands nationwide to apprehend and prosecute any person or group of persons involved in mounting illegal road blocks for purposes of unauthorized revenue collection.

I have already told my men that if a CP (Commissioner of Police) allows his jurisdiction to be used, I will hold the CP accountable. Be rest assured that I will do that.

He said he had given the general public the Police Compliant Response Unit Phone numbers, namely 0805700001 and 0805700002, for them to call and report wherever road blocks are found mounted by any group for illegal collection of taxes and levies.

Reiterating the police support for tax authorities to achieve optimum revenue collection, Mr. Arase identified other areas of collaboration among the JTB members and the police to include training and exchange of information.
President Barack Obama of the United States of America, alongside his wife, Michelle and her mother, as well as their two daughters, Malia and Shasa, has arrived Havana, the capital of Cuba on Sunday on a historic visit.

Mr. Obamas visit is the first by an American president since 1928 and his state visit heralds a new chapter in U.S./ Cuba relations which has remained frosty for a long while.

The Obamas landed at Havanas Jose Marti International Airport aboard the presidential aircraft, Air Force One.

The two-day state visit follows a series of a diplomatic openings announced by Mr. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014.

Mr. Obama, who is the first black president of the U.S. abandoned a longtime policy of isolating Cuba.

The US leader and his family are expected go round some tourist sites in Havana on the first day of their visit.

He is, however, expected to hold talks with President Raul Castro and speak to a group of businessmen on Monday.

He would also hold a private meeting with some dissidents, before he would also hold a live media engagement.
The immediate past chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, has stated that Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja knows the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, as a former classmate.

Mr. Metuh, who is facing trial over corruption charges in the court sitting under Mr. Abang, had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Ibrahim Auta, demanding that the case be withdrawn from Mr. Abang and assigned to another judge.

Mr. Metuhs grounds were that Mr. Abang and he were classmates at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. He also said he feared he might not get fair trial from Mr. Abang because of some views expressed by the Judge when they met at a function in Akwa Ibom State last year.

In reaction, Justice Abang, on Thursday, said he was not aware Mr. Metuh was his classmate.

I am not aware that the first defendant was my classmate, he said he is my classmate, the judge said.

However, checks by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that Messrs. Abang and Metuh graduated on the same day, November 3, 1988 from the law school.

In a short reaction to our story on Sunday, Mr. Odinkalu said Mr. Abang surely knows that he and Olisa went to school together.

The former human rights chief said he was also in the same class with Messrs. Metuh and Abang as well as some other prominent Nigerians.

We were all in the same law school set in 1988. We were all admitted to the Bar same day on 3 Nov 1988.

Fashola, Anyim, Godswill Akpabio, Liyel Imoke, Nnia Nwodo all were in that set.

I know Olisa and Abang have been together at more than two class reunions. In Lagos, Uyo. Someone isnt being totally candid, Mr. Odinkalu said.
Majority of Nigerians have kicked against the decision of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to drag the country into a Saudi Arabia-led coalition against terrorism.

The Nigerians expressed their views in a poll conducted by PREMIUM TIMES over two weeks.

More than half  55 per cent  of the respondents who participated in the poll said they were opposed to Nigeria joining the coalition.

Of the 55 per cent who were against joining the coalition, 48 per cent opposed it mainly on religious grounds.

They said Nigeria is not an Islamic country and thus should have no business being part of a coalition of mainly Islamic countries.

The remaining seven per cent said the country should not join the coalition at a time like this when it is faced with a myriad of security and economic problems.

The results of the poll, however, shows a large number of Nigerians also support the presidents action to join the coalition, with 40 per cent of respondents backing the move.

Fifteen of the 40 per cent of supporters appear to be staunch supporters of Mr Buhari. They said they support Nigerias membership of the coalition as long as the President thinks the coalition will benefit the country.

Only a quarter of the respondents, 25 per cent, said joining the coalition will help Nigeria defeat Boko Haram and help the global effort to defeat the Islamic State, ISIS.

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also known to his followers as Caliph Ibrahim, in 2015.

We announce our allegiance to the caliph and will hear and obey in times of difficulty and prosperity, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, said in an audio message at the time.

We call on Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the caliph.

Six per cent (120 people) of the those who partook in the poll were however indifferent to the countrys membership of the coalition.

They were of the opinion that nothing will change whether the country joins the coalition or not.

Last December, the government of Saudi Arabia announced the creation of the alliance of 34 mainly Muslim countries to coordinate the fight terrorist organisations.

According to Saudi defence minister, Mohammed bin Salman, the coalition, which is made of up countries in the Arabian Gulf peninsula such as Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan, also included African and Asian countries like Malaysia and Nigeria.

It is time that the Islamic world take a stand, and they have done that by creating a coalition to push back and confront the terrorists and those who promote their violent ideologies, Adel al-Jubeir, Saudis foreign minister, told journalists in Paris.

While welcoming the coalition as a means of tackling the threat posed by Boko Haram in North-Eastern Nigeria and other terrorist groups in the region, President Buhari, however, told King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia, during a meeting in February, that the country was not keen on being part of the coalition.

Even if we are not a part of it, we support you, he said.

But in an interview with Aljazeera Television earlier this month, Mr. Buhari recanted his original reluctance towards making the country part of the coalition declaring that the country was part of the alliance.

We are part of it because we have got terrorists in Nigeria that everybody knows which claims that they are Islamic, he said. If there is an Islamic coalition to fight terrorism, Nigeria will be part of it because we are casualties of Islamic terrorism.

He however refused to disclose how the coalition will benefit Nigeria.

When asked how Nigerian Christians will take the news of his joining the coalition, Mr Buhari said the countrys sole intent of joining the coalition was to fight terrorism adding that the opinions of those he referred to as religious bigot did not count.

I have just told you it is the Boko Haram itself that declared loyalty to ISIS. Now, ISIS is basically based in Islamic countries. If there is a coalition to fight terrorism, why cant Nigeria be part of it.

Why cant those Christians that complain go and fight terrorism in Nigeria or fight the militants in the South. It is Nigeria that matters, not the opinions of some religious bigots, he added.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in December had kicked against Nigerias membership of the alliance, saying it feared it was a ploy to Islamise the country.

This singular gesture of the Buhari government betrays so much, and tends to confirm our fears that underneath everything this government is doing, there is an agenda with strong Islamic undertones, aimed at undermining Nigerias pluralistic character and neutrality regarding governments affiliation to any one religion, General Secretary of the association, Musa Asake, said in a statement.

Similarly, Foreign relation analysts argued that by joining the coalition of mainly Sunni Muslims, the government is inadvertently dragging the country into the perennial Sunni-Shiite rivalry.

They argued that rather than fight terrorism, the coalition is a ploy by Saudi Arabia to challenge the influence of Iran, a Shiite nation, in global Islamic affairs.

We must not let Sunni and Shiite states furtively and covertly turn Nigeria into another Middle East battleground, Adeolu Ademoyo, a Nigerian lecturer at Cornell University said, in opposition to the coalition.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Saturday survived heavy gun attacks in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, a collation officer, Allwell Egeonu, has said.

The collation officer, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, said the attack started at about 7:30 P.M. when collation was about to start in Isiokpo, headquarters of Ikwerre LGA.

It took over 30 minutes shooting, he said in a video interview where he described the attack. We are lucky to have returned alive.

Ikwere is the home local government of former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Mr Amaechi is now Nigerias transport Minister and a leader of the All Progressives Congress, the local opposition party in Rivers State.

The narration by the collation officer buttresses the violence that characterized the Saturdays legislative elections in the state.

Watch the interview below.

Transcript

Im a lecturer at the university of Port Harcourt. My name was nominated for INEC election. I didnt know who actually sent my name. I am not a card carrier of any political party.

I just went there to do my job. But we had finished at Ikwerre local government only to find out that by Saturday, around 7:30 (P.M) we went for the collation at Isiokpo Local Government (headquarters).

Incidentally, we were lucky to have returned alive. The sporadic shooting that commenced it took over 30 minutes shooting and we were all led out. We managed to be rescued by the security agents.

In the process of running for dear life, we left all our materials. I am a collating officer. I had nothing. I collated nothing.

So, I felt and this morning I informed the EO (Electoral Officer) of Ikwere LGA of about our situation. Thats my observation.
The Nigeria Police have confirmed that four people were killed during the re-run elections in Rivers State on Saturday.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone Six, Calabar, Adisa Bolanta, said four deaths were recorded while 22 persons were arrested during the elections.

Mr. Bolanta disclosed this on Sunday at a joint security news conference in Port Harcourt.

He said the suspects were being interrogated on allegations of criminal or electoral offences.

He said deployments made by the police assisted in reducing election-related offences.

Also, the Commander of 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Stephenson Olabanji, confirmed the arrest of the Secretary to the Rivers State Government.

Also confirmed to have been arrested is a Special Assistant to the governor.

Mr. Olabanji, a Brigadier General, said both men were arrested in Gokana and Khana Local Government Area on Saturday for allegedly committing electoral offences.

Many people were arrested yesterday for disrupting the electoral process and the law is not meant for just the lower cadre alone.

No matter who you are, if you go against the law, you will definitely face the music.

So, there is nothing like being Secretary to the State Government; many people were arrested as you have been told; a lot of people were arrested, he said.

Mr. Olabanji denied claims by the state government that some commissioners and other top officials were manhandled by the Army during the re-run elections.

At a separate event, Governor Nyesom Wike said the Peoples Democratic Party, would win Saturdays re-run legislative elections in the state because it prepared for it.

Mr. Wike told journalists in Port Harcourt that when the elections of the legislators were annulled in December, the party commenced preparations for re-run.

He said that the party began campaigns and started working hard to win the elections because it was on ground.

The governor confirmed that the Secretary to the State Government, Kenneth Kobani, and a Special Assistant, Cyril Wite, were arrested by the Army.

Mr. Wike said the government officials wanted to ensure that election materials were moved to polling units when they were arrested. He said it would be difficult to rig elections in the state because the people would resist the attempt.

According to him, when somebody is not popular and attempts to rig the election, the people will say no to such move.

He alleged that some people were creating problems to make the Federal Government declare a state of emergency in the state.

Mr. Wike said that such ploy would not work, because the PDP was more popular in the state.

He urged the media not to be emotional or sentimental while reporting events in the state, because such stories create wrong impression.

(NAN)
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said President Muhammadu Buhari must be held accountable for the violence and loss of lives in Rivers State rerun elections, saying; Members of Buharis party, All Progressives Congress (APC) are emboldened to unleash violence on the people of Rivers State and other states in Nigeria because they know that the president wont lift a finger provided his party members are the ones perpetrating evil.

The governor said those who called the Ekiti State governorship election in which soldiers and other security agents made sure that that there was no violence, no live was lost during and after the election and no ballot was snatched EkitiGate should be asked what the Rivers election in which eight people were killed and several others injured will be called.

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said President Buharis way was to protect his party people, and his Hausa/Fulani tribe, hence their boldness to perpetrate evil.

The governor maintained that President Buharis culpability in the killings in Rivers State and the manner Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has destroyed the legacy of free, fair and transparent elections bequeathed on Nigeria by the PDP government former President Goodluck Jonathan was not in doubt.

He said; Can President Buhari fold his arms if the people being killed are from Daura in Katsina State? Is it that any soul that is not a Fulani is not important to the President?

The governor, who challenged the Military authority to probe the roles of soldiers in the Rivers State election, added that; If they could probe soldiers who participated in the Ekiti State governorship election despite their commendation by the international community for providing a safe environment free of major incidents, one wonders what they are going to do in the case of Rivers State in which peoples were allegedly killed by soldiers.

What are they going to call Rivers election since they called that of Ekiti State EkitiGate? Are they going to call Rivers election in which several people were shot dead allegedly by security agents, election inconclusive, fake Results Sheets produced by INEC RiversBuhariAmaechiGate?

While calling for the immediate sack of INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the governor said Nigerians must ask questions as to how INEC produced Results Sheets of over 230 polling units with PDP omitted.

He said if nothing was done to INEC as presently constituted, 2019 will spell doom for the countrys democracy, adding that If 2019 elections will not be messed up and be made inconclusive, lovers of democracy in the country must not keep silent on the mess our elections have become under Professor Yakubu.
The University of Ibadan now has an ultra-modern subsurface research centre that will boost the development of top rate manpower for the nations oil and gas industry, thanks to a donation by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, operated Joint Venture.

The centre has 15 fully-networked workstations, a high-end server complete with internet facilities and a standby 45-Kva generator among other facilities.

The SPDC JVs intervention to turn around the subsurface centre of the university is a careful choice to support the institution to deliver the next generation of technologies and skills that will help Nigeria to unlock more oil reserves. said Igo Weli, SPDCs General Manager, External Relations at the handover ceremony in Ibadan on March 14.

With all the modern facilities and promise of uninterrupted power supply, the centre has the capacity to showcase the potentials of oil and gas sector while attracting bright minds, and our hope is that students will make the best use of it.

The Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Olayinka said: We appreciate the contributions of the SPDC JV to education, to the geosciences and to University of Ibadan in particular. The facility will help the efforts of the university to recreate itself as a centre of excellence in geosciences training.

The subsurface centre is expected to usher in new levels of learning at the University of Ibadan and other institutions in southwestern Nigeria. Students and researchers can access real-time information and connect with other learning centres anywhere in the world from their keyboards.

A dearth of world class research institutions and limited access to technology is a key challenge in enabling Nigerians and Nigerian companies to play a greater role in the oil and gas value chain.

SPDC JV therefore focuses on building capacity in key technical skills, for example donating equipment to universities to develop capability in the production of drilling mud.

In 2012, SPDC established a Centre of Excellence in Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Benin, and is completing work on another centre on Marine Hydrodynamic at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu  Port Harcourt preparatory for commissioning later this year.
Troops of 25 Task Force Brigade ambushed and killed a Boko Haram terrorist suicide bomber at Kumala and Musafanari villages general area last night effectively saving lives and properties of innocent citizens.

The troops who on receipt of information, laid an ambush for the terrorist at suspected Boko Haram terrorists crossing point, engaged the terrorist who was obviously on suicide mission, from Sambisa general area.

The bomber paid the price of his wicked activities as he was dealt with decisively.

The troops recovered a motorcycle, 12 primed Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and a hand bag containing personal effects which included a hijab obviously meant for disguise and concealment of explosives for the intended nefarious act.

The morale of troops remains high as they continue to mop up all surviving terrorists.
Austin Okai is the national coordinator of the PDP youth frontier, a youth wing of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Mr. Okai visited PREMIUM TIMES recently and in a chat with Sani Tukur and Adebayo Hassan said the national chairman of the PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, was branded a Boko Haram sponsor by the media due to political motives.

He also spoke about the change of heart by President Muhammadu Buhari on the payment of N5000 monthly stipend to unemployed Nigerian graduates and other matters.

Read excerpts of the interview below:

PT: How did the youth wing of the PDP receive the appointment of Ali Modu Sheriff as the national chairman of the party?

Austin: As of now, we strongly believe that the party is struggling with the problem of its image and so whoever is responsible for steering the party forward at this critical moment should not have a questionable character, or one with any dirty image. Fortunately or unfortunately I dont know how the media came up with the idea that Sherriff is a Boko Haram sponsor.

We have heard from him and from his reactions; we discovered that it is all politics. Even when he was in the APC, allegations of his being a Boko Haram sponsor had been on. He told us that Boko Haram even killed his own younger brother. So, as a party, we have no option than to rally round him, though there was protest against him at the initial stage.

We have heard from him and we discovered that the man actually has no hand in Boko Haram. It was just politics.

PT: Do you think he can lead the party to victory come 2019. And do you think he can unite the party and save it from disintegration?

Austin: Most definitely, we are talking of Ali Modu sheriff, onetime B.O.T member, two time governor and senator. In fact, as I am talking to you now, he is bringing together other aggrieved members who left the party and I can assure you that he is making in-roads to that effect.

PT: what if he has other motives like running for presidency in 2019?

Austin: It is possible, he is eligible. Though to the best of my knowledge nothing like zoning has been discussed, but I can assure you that the PDP presidential candidate of 2019 will come from the North. However, whether Sheriff would emerge boils down to the partys decision.

PT: The PDP late last year organized a national conference and the resolution afterwards was that the youth would be encouraged to take over the party; is the party still on course to doing that in the light of recent happenings?

Austin: They must! We are tired of being used and dumped. That conference gave birth to constitutional amendments with many sections and sub-sections being reviewed. We are coming up with the youth wing. It will be a parallel organ just like they have it in the elders wing, it will be championed by the chairman of the youth league where youths will have a say. We are very much on ground, the youth must be given a chance.

PT: The president recently said instead of paying N5000 to vulnerable unemployed youth, he is thinking of using the money to provide infrastructure thereby creating employment. Many, especially in the opposition came down hard on the president. What is your take on the matter?

Austin: This matter is not just about the APC, it is about the president who apparently, distanced himself from his own party. We watched on NTA and everybody was surprised that a president elected under the platform of a party and its manifesto and agenda is now saying the promise was made by the APC therefore he cannot pay. It is a sign of complete disconnection between the party and the presidency. That goes a long way to show the rot in the APC.

The VP says they will pay, while the president says they will not pay. This shows lack of organization in the party and it is a huge disappointment on Nigerians, the entire masses and the youth that supported him based on social security which he promised.

PT: What is your view on the current war against corruption?

Austin: everybody believes in the war against corruption, the PDP started it. We have many corruption cases that were tackled by the previous PDP administrations. Take the case of Farouk Lawan, Bode George and many others. The war against corruption must be holistic, all-inclusive and according to the rule of law. It should not be a war built on pure vendetta like that of the APC. They say they are fighting corruption and we see the EFCC turning themselves into courts of law and they take laws into their own hands.

Breaking into peoples houses without court warrants is not rule of law, holding people in custody when they have fulfilled all bail requirements is not the rule of law. The judicial process and policy is in trouble. This is not about APC or PDP, it is about democracy. The international community should come to our aid because the way this war is going, there is nothing like democracy being practiced. So many laws are being broken. Court grants bail to Dasuki, but he was refused. Look at the recent sacking of DGs, VCs and others. It is only the National University Commission that has the power to recommend the removal of VCs and others but we are not having it being practiced. It is surely something else.

PT: But, the Minister of Information reportedly said most of those sacked were undermining the president?

Austin: What do you expect someone like Lai Mohammed to say? Is he not the same man who contradicted the president saying the budget was not padded even after the president said his budget was padded?

The fact is that our democracy is in jeopardy and it is left for the youth to ensure that the future of this country is guaranteed.
A leader of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, on Saturday assured Nigerians that the change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari is still on course.

According to Mr. Tinubu, the change process requires time especially coming after  the conscience of our nation has been under attack for many years.

We were handed a way of governance in which anything goes and too much went  as if gone with the wind. Our present was squandered and future mortgaged.

Mr. Tinubu while pleading for support and patience with the APC administration said Nigeria has the greatest opportunity to get it right with a leader like Mr. Muhammad Buhari.

There is much to fix. President Buhari is committed to fixing them. But he needs your support and patience. He cannot do it all alone. We must stand beside him or else we may be knocked down and not stand at all.

Thus, let us be resolved to see reform and change that will make Nigeria rise as the nation it should be, Mr. Tinubu said while speaking at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University convocation in Sokoto on Saturday.

The former Lagos State governor also took on the those he described as nay Sayers and negative spinners who argue that no change was taking place.

Its easy for those who are greedy to think that change is easy. Change is not about comfort of today, but the success of tomorrow. Nigeria was in the rollercoaster of losing hope. Then our party brought cure. Dont let anyone deceive you, the cure is here.

Mr. Tinubu spoke was honoured with the Honorary Doctor of Business Administration at the 40th Convocation ceremony of the Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University.

Mr. Tinubu soon after eulogizing the man after whom the institution was named and also recognizing the leadership of the Sultan and the Sokoto governor focused on the issues dominating the national discourse.

I am honoured to be at the historic seat of the Caliphate a place where history, culture, religion and tradition merge to form the architecture of one of the world s most impressive and venerable civilizations. The man after whom the institution is named was a foremost Islamic scholar. An extraordinary leader who understood the deep yearnings and needs of the people. He provided visionary yet practical leadership and taught us all that we must be ready to personally sacrifice to advance and secure those things in which we truly believe.

And as if comparing some of the principles Dan Fodiyo lived by with that of President Buhari, Mr. Tinubu said Nigeria has begun the process of turning to its better self. The government of President Buhari is cleaning out the rot of years of galloping corruption and avarice. This government is also moving to pursue policies that will spark development and bring prosperity to long oppressed Nigerians. Be reminded that this will be a battle. No battle is easy. We must be firm in our resolve to reform this nation. We must have the courage to stand fast in the times of difficulty, having faith that the rightfulness of our cause will see us through to the success of our collective efforts and yearnings.
Dakuku Peterside, the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) narrowly escaped death Saturday afternoon after his vehicle was attacked by gunmen in two utility vehicles on his way from the Port Harcourt International Airport, his spokesperson, Sylvester Asoya, has said.

Mr. Asoya said Mr. Peterside was in his car with Davies Ikanya, chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, and H.O. Asita, Deputy Governorship candidate of the APC in the April 2015 election when the incident occurred.

The officials said they escaped the assassins bullets by a stroke of luck.

Mr. Asoya said, Two Jeeps belonging to Emeka Woke, Nyesom Wikes Chief of Staff carrying two unknown gunmen trailed us to UTC Junction and opened fire on my car. Our car however did a detour to first Aba road then old GRA with the two jeeps still trailing us. We drove to the DSS office to seek refuge and on getting to the gate the unknown gunmen opened fire again at the SSS men on guard.

The exchange of fire between the DSS men and the assailants lasted for more than 30 minutes. In course of exchange of fire my Police detail Cpl Emma Esi was shot at and seriously injured . This is a very ugly experience but I thank God that my colleagues and I escaped unhurt.

When the DSS men demobilized the two jeeps we found out that the man at the back of the car who was identifying us to the assailants is Wikes Chief of staff , Emeka Woke . He has been arrested by the DSS .

Todays experience is not only terrifying but also shows the parlous state of security in Rivers State. If I can be engaged openly by gunmen for nearly an hour in the heart of Port Harcourt, only God knows the fate that will befall members of our party and those sympathetic to our predicament. What is happening today in our dear state is not only horrible but also constitutes serious national security risk.

Mr. Asoya quoted Mr. Peterside, who was Wikes opponent in last years governorship election in Rivers State, as saying it was now evident that the governor wanted to kill him and that he was prepared to do everything possible to eliminate him.
An Abuja-based businessman who hails from Adamawa State, Idris Tijjani, has accused Governor Mohammed Jibrilla of Adamawa State of constructing some of the most expensive roads in Nigeria.

The governor, popularly known as Bindow, has been receiving accolades for carrying out massive road construction seen by many as opening up the state. However, Mr. Tijjani alleged that the governor is simply hiding under the road construction to steal the states funds.

Read excerpts of the interview below:

PT: Please tell us your view of the administration of Governor Mohammed Jibrilla in Adamawa State.

Tijjani: Well the APC administration under Governor Bindow is currently constructing roads all over the state capital and some major towns. However, I feel, the governor is getting his priorities wrong by concentrating on just road construction and nothing more.

In the same vein, in as much as I agree Adamawa needs roads, the state deserves good quality roads that would stay the test of time. The roads being constructed by the Lebanese contractors that the governor brought to the state cannot last for more than two years.

The governor actually brought in these Lebanese as fronts for him because he is the one personally executing most of the contracts. He awards to himself using foreign fronts. If he truly wants to construct good quality roads, we have so many indigenous firms that can do that and the best way is for the government to have encouraged competitive bidding for all interested companies so that the best could be selected to do the jobs.

I candidly believe the Lebanese companies he brought cannot compete with most of the local companies we have in Yola.

PT: Are you saying the local companies were denied the chance to partake in the road construction, did they signify any interest at all?

Tijjani: Many did, but they were never given any chance. Companies such as Maiwada Wurohausa, IDT construction, Dada Construction, and Gongola construction all applied for the road contracts but were denied the opportunity.

PT: Dont you think road construction is what the state needs at this time, to open up and give people access to resources and the like?

Tijjani: My major concern is the kinds of roads being constructed. If you compare the kinds of roads being constructed in other states with those of Adamawa, you will pity our state. Take for instance the road he is constructing for Atiku along Faro road, the lorries expected to use that road will damage it in just three months.

PT: Perhaps those are the kinds of roads the state can afford; seeing that the state is not all that buoyant?

Tijjani: Everyone knows that Adamawa is not rich, but the governor has been collecting loans left, right and centre. In that case, he has no excuse. Let me also tell you something: the governor is constructing the most expensive roads in Nigeria today. What my state is paying per kilometre is much more than even the ones being paid for in the Niger Delta.

You know the Niger Delta terrain is a difficult one for road construction. Based on the template used by the Federal Ministry of Works, roads are constructed in the northern part of Nigeria at a little over N120 million per kilometre and most of the roads being constructed are far better than the ones in Adamawa State.

The Niger Delta rate is N170 million and above, per kilometre. However, in Adamawa State, based on the 2015 sectoral virement recently approved for the governor by the state House of Assembly, Governor Bindow is constructing a road of 1.125 kilometres at the cost of N1.3 billion. On average the Adamawa state governor is paying N260 million per kilometre, so the issue of not having money does not even arise at all.

PT: But have people like you reached out to the government since you have all this information?

Tijjani: I called him more than fifty times. Ask him when you get the chance and inquire how many times I have talked to him on this matter. I told him that he is on a wrong course, but of course, sycophants would always tell him that what he is doing is the best. I advised Bindow to personally keep records of all he is doing because I am sure he would be called to account when he leaves office.

The highest he can stay in office is eight years and he should learn from some of the past governors in Adamawa today, they are a thing of pity. Here we are even talking of governors who were never dubious like him.

PT: How do you mean?

Tijjani: Go to Adamawa today and ask the people who is Bindow and you would be told he is called digital because he lies to all and sundry irrespective of age. Any foundation built on falsehood will surely collapse one day.

Today Bindow is concentrating on roads alone 100 per cent in a state bedevilled by poverty, unemployment, lack of hospitals and potable water. Truth is Adamawa has entered one chance and it is only God that can come to our rescue. Adamawa State needs someone with the intellectual capacity to govern it.

Let me give you an example of some of the problems we are facing. Recently, during the administration of Umaru Fintiri, there was a vacancy at Adamawa University for the office of Vice Chancellor. Three persons who were all professors were shortlisted for the job. However, when governor Ngilari came into office, he decided to appoint the one who came third in the interview on the grounds that they were close or related. Unfortunately, the one appointed by Bala kept messing up, so when Bindow came and saw what was happening, he suspended him and promised to appoint the one who came first in the interview conducted earlier. However, he suddenly had a change of mind and appointed someone, who is not a Professor as acting VC.

Bindow told some people that he decided not to appoint the Professor who came first in the interview because he is too old. At the end of the day, they finally decided to confirm the Doctorate holder as the Vice Chancellor in a state with so many capable professors and intellectuals.

We understand that the VC paid his way into office and that is unfortunate. This action by the governor proves those saying the governor lacks the intellectual capacity to govern Adamawa State right.
A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been appointed to head an advisory committee to help revive the educational sector in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states of North-West Nigeria.

Mr. Jega, who heads from Kebbi State, will work with six other professors from the zone and will advise governors of the three states on how to fix the myriad of problems facing the sector, especially at the tertiary education level.

Presenting a report of the committee Saturday night in Sokoto to Governors Aminu Tambuwal, Abdulaziz Yari and Abubakar Bagudu of Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi respectively, Mr. Jega said time has come for all stakeholders in the three states to close rank and collectively face the challenges together.

He said that there was the need to reposition institutions of higher learning in the three states that made up the old Sokoto State to enable them operate according to their core mandates.

Mr. Jega among other recommendations stressed the need for improved funding of the institutions, reinvigorated training and promotion of exchange programmes among institutions in the three states.

The committee also advised the three states to establish a joint Education Tax Fund in the mould of the Federal Government-funded TETFUND and revive the former remedial school to be established in one of the states to prepare students for higher studies.

Receiving the report on behalf of his colleagues, Governor Yari said even though Sokoto had already declared a state of emergency in education, both Zamfara and Kebbi will follow suit.

He said that the three governors would liaise with their various state Houses of Assembly and Commissioners of Justice to review the laws that established the institutions.

We will pass the recommendations to the Attorney-Generals to look into them, with a view to review these laws. We will also strive to formulate all the requisite policies to make these higher educational institutions function effectively.

We will also allocate nothing less than 35 per cent of our annual budgets to the education sector, he added.

The five other members of the committee include former Vice Chancellors of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Riskuwa Shehu and Tijjani Bande. Others are Zayyanu Umar, Lawal Bilbis and Umar Chafe.
No fewer than 60, 000 rice farmers in Kano State will benefit from the Central Bank of Nigerias Anchor Borrowers Programme.

Isa Bawa, the Organising Secretary, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RIFAN, in Kano State, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday.

According to him, the programme will take off before the wet season farming to enable the associationraise the required number of farmers.

He said the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, required no fewer than 100,000 registered farmers before disbursing the fund.

He recalled that the Federal Government inaugurated the programme in November 2015 in Kebbi as part of effort to boost rice and wheat production in the country.

The CBN has set aside N40 billion for the implementation of the programme in the state. We are trying to register at least 60,000 rice farmers so that the programme can start before the wet season, Mr. Bawa said.

He said the association had also discussed with officials of the bank on the implementation of the programme which is expected to begin between now and May.

We are expected to have a minimum of 10 farmers and a maximum of 25 farmers in each cooperative.

According to him, each farmer cultivating one hectare of rice would collect fertiliser, herbicide, pesticide and equipment chemical worth N250,000.

(NAN)
The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that the one year long verification of civil servants will end in April.

The verification of the workers commenced in June 2015.

Some civil servants in the state have complained of the process used by the government.

Most hit are primary school teachers who stayed five months without salaries before they were paid in January because of the exercise.

By the time I got my salary I think I was almost dying, a primary school teacher who sought anonymity for fear of persecution told PREMIUM TIMES.

For me I stayed six month off salary because of that. We really suffered in Zaria Local Government, he said.

However, in a government statement on Sunday, Governor El-Rufai appealed to civil servants to be patient with the state government.

He also said the verification exercise saved the state N500 million monthly.

It is in the wider public interest to establish precisely who works for the government, to ensure that public funds are not being drained to pay ghost workers. It is also in the personal career interests of each worker that the payroll is not distorted or bloated by non-existent workers.

Steady progress has been made since the verification process for workers and pensioners commenced in June 2015. The results so far show that the payroll for wages and pensions has declined from the N2.7bn it cost to pay workers in May 2015. The government is pushing to make further savings by unmasking more ghosts. To build on this success and ensure the integrity of the payroll, the government is pressing ahead with the concluding phase of the verification exercise. This is expected to end in April 2016. Workers who have patiently partaken in the exercise since June 2015 should demonstrate the same spirit now that verification is close to the finishing line.

Anyone who has any doubts about the need to ensure that public funds are not frittered on ghosts should note that federal allocation to the state last month was N2.8bn. If the government had not taken steps to shrink the payroll and cut costs, what would be left for public services if the payroll remained at N2.7bn? The states IGR is not yet big enough to cover the gap.

As an employer, the government regrets that some workers have encountered hitches during the verification process, Mr. El-Rufai said.
The Rivers State Government has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the Secretary to the State Government, Keneth Kobani, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Projects, Cyril Wite.

Both men were reportedly arrested by the Nigerian military on Saturday during the re-run elections in the state.

The state government described the role of the military in the election as shameful, embarrassing, and a kick in the face of constitutional democracy.

Never in the history of Rivers State have we witnessed such a blatant deployment of maximum violence against unarmed voters, the government said on Sunday, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Austin Tam-George.

The government alleged that the SSG, Mr. Kobani, was chained to a chair overnight, and denied his medication, despite his failing health.

The reported cases of violence and ballot snatchings prompted the Independent National Electoral Commission to suspend the election initially in four local government areas of Bonny, Andoni, Khana, and Gokana.

The election was also suspended in two more local government areas  Eleme and Tai.

The general elections in Rivers State in 2015 were characterised by violence with several people killed. The elections were condemned by local and international observers. The re-run elections were held after the Court of Appeal annulled the victories of the PDP candidates who were initially declared winners.
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.




SHARJAH, UAE, March 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The critical role of government communication in various spheres, including in combatting extremism, in reaching out to a nation's younger generation and in the much talked-about arena of human rights was underscored by national and international experts on the first day of the fifth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2016) in Sharjah.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160320/346053 )



In a panel session titled 'Confronting Extremism: Government Communication and the Creation of a Humanist Culture', speakers stressed the need for government communication to promote tolerance and help end discrimination and sectarianism. The panelists called for government communications to promote the true image of Islam as a moderate religion that respects the rights and responsibilities of individuals, as opposed to one focused on extremism and hatred for others.

The session was attended by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who inaugurated the IGCF 2016.

Urging a united approach to combatting extremism, former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin said: "Communication should not be a one-way street from the government to the people. It has to go back from the people to the government. If it is not a two-way street, then it is propaganda, and propaganda creates more frustration and resentment because people want to be part of the solution."

Emphasising the role of government communication with the younger generation, H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, said: "The youth of the 21st century are vocal about expressing their opinions on any and every issue via social media. Governments now need to target generations that are able and willing to express themselves and are uniquely open to all cultures. We need to listen to them to utilise their innovative ideas and abilities to further develop our countries and societies."

Amal Alamuddin Clooney, said: "Human rights has become the language that states use to communicate with each other and the common yardstick by which all states are judgedGovernments must be vocal and engage in communication about human rights with the international community."

Themed 'Citizens for Prosperity', IGCF 2016 is designed to examine the symbiotic relationship between governments and people, and explore how government communication touches different aspects of people's everyday through its impact on vital socio-economic sectors.

SOURCE IGCF 2016 (International Government Communication Forum 2016)
CALGARY, March 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Bankers Petroleum Ltd. ("Bankers") (TSX: BNK, AIM: BNK) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with 1958082 Alberta Ltd. (the "Purchaser") and Charter Power Investment Limited ("Charter Power") for the purchase of all the issued and outstanding common shares of Bankers ("Bankers Shares") at a cash price of C$2.20 per Bankers Share. The Purchaser and Charter Power are affiliates of Geo-Jade Petroleum Corporation ("Geo-Jade"), one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in China. The transaction will be effected by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) (the "Arrangement"). The Arrangement values Bankers at approximately C$575 million before the assumption of the outstanding indebtedness of Bankers.

Highlights

Cash price of C$2.20 per Bankers Share

per Bankers Share The Arrangement has received the unanimous approval of the Board of Directors of Bankers (the "Bankers Board") and carries the full support of Bankers' management team

The Purchaser brings a considerable new investment focus to the Bankers portfolio of assets

Bankers' corporate and technical headquarters will remain based in Calgary, Canada , with operational offices in Albania , Hungary and Romania

The transaction price represents a premium of 98% over Bankers' closing share price on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") of C$1.11 on March 18, 2016, and 109% over the 30-trading day volume weighted average trading price of Bankers Shares of C$1.05 per share ending on March 18, 2016.

David French, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bankers commented: "The proposed transaction provides Bankers with the opportunity to return value to our shareholders at a significant premium to the current market valuation, while offering Bankers added financial resources to accelerate our activity in Albania and capitalize on the potential created by the current commodity price environment. This transaction will generate substantial economic benefit for Albania and the local communities in which Bankers operates. We look forward to working alongside our new investors to deliver the asset possibilities before us."

Following a successful transaction, the Purchaser will support the Bankers' leadership and employee base to capitalize on the experience and depth of the Bankers team. The Purchaser plans to realize the joint vision of both companies to grow the business with enhanced investment into its Albanian operations, while concurrently focusing on growth opportunities in the global marketplace.

Information on the Transaction

Following an extensive review and analysis of the proposed transaction and consideration of other available alternatives, the Bankers Board has unanimously determined that the Arrangement is in the best interests of Bankers and its shareholders. The Bankers Board has unanimously approved the Arrangement and determined to recommend that Bankers' shareholders vote in favour of the Arrangement. Each of the senior officers and directors of Bankers, representing in aggregate approximately six percent of the outstanding Bankers Shares (on a fully diluted basis), have entered into voting support agreements with the Purchaser in connection with the transaction, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote in favour of the approval of the Arrangement. The Bankers Board has received from its financial advisor, FirstEnergy Capital LLP, an opinion that, as of the date of the Arrangement Agreement, and subject to the assumptions and qualifications contained therein, the consideration proposed to be paid to Bankers' shareholders is fair from a financial point of view (the "Fairness Opinion").

The Arrangement Agreement provides for, among other things, a non-solicitation covenant on the part of Bankers, subject to "fiduciary out" provisions that entitle Bankers to consider and accept a superior proposal and a right in favour of the Purchaser to match any superior proposal. The Arrangement Agreement also provides for a mutual non-completion fee of US$20 million if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances. This includes payment in favour of the Purchaser if Bankers enters into an agreement with respect to a superior proposal, or if the Bankers Board withdraws or modifies its recommendation with respect to the Arrangement. Payment in favour of Bankers would occur if the Purchaser is unable to complete the funding of its obligation to acquire the Bankers Shares or in other circumstances.

Completion of the Arrangement is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of court, shareholder and regulatory approvals, such as those required under the Investment Canada Act and approvals required by the People's Republic of China. Bankers' shareholders will be asked to vote on the Arrangement at a special meeting of the shareholders of Bankers (the "Special Meeting") and the completion of the Arrangement will require the approval of two-thirds of the votes cast by shareholders in person or by proxy at the Special Meeting.

As a result of this Arrangement, the previously announced Annual General Meeting will be deferred. An information circular regarding the Arrangement is expected to be mailed to the shareholders of Bankers in April for a Special Meeting anticipated to be held before the end of May. Further details will be announced as they become available. Provided the Arrangement is approved at the Special Meeting and necessary regulatory approvals obtained, closing is expected to take place by the end of June. Following a successful transaction, the Purchaser intends to apply for the cancellation of Bankers' listing on both the TSX and AIM exchanges.

A copy of the Arrangement Agreement and the information circular and related documents will be filed with Canadian securities regulators and will be available at www.sedar.com.

Recommendation of the Bankers Board

Based on the Fairness Opinion and the recommendation of the Special Committee of the Bankers Board and after consulting with its financial and legal advisors, among other things, the Bankers Board has unanimously: (i) determined the Arrangement is in the best interests of Bankers and its shareholders; (ii) resolved to recommend that Bankers' shareholders vote in favour of the Arrangement; and (iii) determined that the consideration to be received by Bankers' shareholders pursuant to the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Bankers' shareholders.

Advisors

Dentons Canada LLP is acting as legal counsel to the Purchaser and Charter Power.

FirstEnergy Capital LLP is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Bankers and has provided the Bankers Board with a fairness opinion regarding the Arrangement for its shareholders. A copy of such opinions will be included in the information circular to be sent to Bankers shareholders in connection with the Special Meeting. McCarthy Tetrault LLP is acting as legal counsel to Bankers.

------------

About Geo-Jade

Geo-Jade is one of the largest independent exploration and production companies listed in Shanghai Stock Exchange (SH:600759) with a market capitalization larger than C$3.6 billion. Geo-Jade has made successful oil and gas investments worldwide with its main assets located in Central Asia, North America and China.

About Bankers Petroleum Ltd.

Bankers Petroleum Ltd. is a Canadian-based oil and gas exploration and production company focused on developing large oil and gas reserves in Albania and Eastern Europe. In Albania, Bankers operates and has the full rights to develop the Patos-Marinza heavy oilfield, has a 100% interest in the Kucova oilfield, and a 100% interest in Exploration Block "F". In 2015 Bankers acquired an 85% interest in the rights to explore the Puspokladany Block concession within the Pannonian Basin located in north eastern Hungary. Bankers' shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the AIM Market in London, England under the stock symbol BNK.

Caution Regarding Forward-looking Information

Certain information set forth in this press release, including information and statements which may contain words such as "could", "plans", "intends" "should", "anticipate", "expects", "will", "propose", "opportunity", "future", "continue", and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements regarding: the proposed Arrangement and the anticipated timing of closing; mailing of the information circular related to the Special Meeting and the timing thereof and timing of the Special Meeting; the benefits of the Arrangement for Bankers, its stakeholders, employees and the countries in which it operates; the delisting of the Bankers Shares following completion of the Arrangement and the Purchaser's plans for Bankers following the completion of the Arrangement. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Bankers' control. Completion of the Arrangement is subject to a number of conditions, including receipt of the approval's required by the Investment Canada Act (Canada) and approvals required by the People's Republic of China, and other conditions which are typical for transactions of this nature. Failure to satisfy any of these conditions, the emergence of a superior proposal or the failure to obtain approval of Bankers' shareholders may result in the termination of the Arrangement Agreement. The foregoing list is not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other risks that could affect completion of the Arrangement will be set forth in the information circular in respect of the Special Meeting, which will be available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The actual results, performance or achievement of Bankers could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that Bankers will derive therefrom. Bankers disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Bankers Petroleum Ltd.
Sherwin-Williams and Valspar have highly complementary paints and coatings offerings and this combination enhances Sherwin-Williams position as a premier global paints and coatings provider. The transaction results in an exceptional, diversified array of strong brands and technologies, accelerates Sherwin-Williams growth strategy by expanding its global platform in Asia-Pacific and EMEA, and also adds new capabilities in the packaging and coil segments. The combined company would have pro forma 2015 Revenues and Adjusted EBITDA (including estimated annual synergies) of approximately $15.6 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively, with approximately 58,000 employees.

John G. Morikis, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Sherwin-Williams Company, said, "Valspar is an excellent strategic fit with Sherwin-Williams. The combination expands our brand portfolio and customer relationships in North America, significantly strengthens our Global Finishes business, and extends our capabilities into new geographies and applications, including a scale platform to grow in Asia-Pacific and EMEA. Customers of both companies will benefit from our increased product range, enhanced technology and innovation capabilities, and the transaction's clearly defined cost synergies. We have tremendous respect for the expertise and dedication of the Valspar team and we are excited about the opportunities that this combination will provide to both companies' employees. Sherwin-Williams will continue to be headquartered in Cleveland and we intend to maintain a significant presence in Minneapolis."

Morikis added: "Sherwin-Williams has a long track record of successfully integrating acquisitions. We are highly confident in the industrial logic of the transaction and, once closed, our ability to achieve $280 million of estimated annual synergies in the areas of sourcing, SG&A and process and efficiency savings within two years and our long-term annual synergy target of $320 million. We expect this transaction to be immediately accretive excluding one-time costs and meaningfully enhance our cash flow generation profile."

Gary E. Hendrickson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Valspar, said, "We are pleased to announce this compelling transaction, which delivers immediate and certain cash value to our stockholders. We believe that Sherwin-Williams is the right partner to utilize our array of brands and create a premier global coatings company. The combination of Sherwin-Williams and Valspar will benefit our customers, employees and other stakeholders. We are confident this transaction will create opportunities to accelerate many of the operating initiatives already underway at Valspar. We look forward to positioning Valspar to enter its next phase of growth and success and to working closely with Sherwin-Williams to seamlessly close this transaction. Together we will continue to build on the solid momentum our team has worked so hard to create."

Transaction Details

The transaction is expected to close by the end of Q1 calendar year 2017, and is subject to the approval of Valspar shareholders and customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and regulatory approvals in various other jurisdictions. Both companies believe that the combination will benefit customers and that it will receive all necessary regulatory clearances.

Given the complementary nature of the businesses and the benefits this transaction will provide to customers, Sherwin-Williams and Valspar believe that no or minimal divestitures should be required to complete the transaction. Under the terms of the merger agreement, in what both companies believe to be the unlikely event that divestitures are required of businesses totaling more than $650 million of Valspar's 2015 revenues, the transaction price would be adjusted to $105 in cash per Valspar share. Sherwin-Williams would have the right to terminate the transaction in the event that required divestitures exceed $1.5 billion in 2015 revenues. These provisions provide Sherwin-Williams and Valspar with greater closing certainty.

Sherwin-Williams intends to finance the transaction through a combination of cash on hand, liquidity available under existing facilities and new debt. Sherwin-Williams has obtained committed bridge financing from Citigroup Global Markets Inc. in support of the transaction and is committed to maintaining its current dividend and rapid deleveraging using significant free cash flow.

Citi acted as the lead financial advisor to Sherwin-Williams and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC also acted as financial advisor. Jones Day and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP are acting as legal advisors to Sherwin-Williams. Goldman Sachs and BofA Merrill Lynch are acting as financial advisors to Valspar and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is acting as its legal advisor.

Conference Call and Webcast

Sherwin-Williams and Valspar will hold a conference call to discuss the transaction at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, March 21, 2016. The public may access the conference call through a live audio webcast available on Sherwin-Williams' Investor Relations link at http://investors.Sherwin-Williams.com/index.jsp and on Valspar's Investor Relations link which can be accessed via http://valspar.com. The conference call also can be accessed by dialing (877) 407-9205 or (201) 689-8054 for international callers. The access code is 13633399. Participants should dial in approximately 10 minutes before the call. Individuals who dial in will be asked to identify themselves and their affiliations. A replay of the call also may be accessed through Sherwin-Williams and Valspar's investor websites, or by dialing (877) 660-6853 or (201) 612-7415 for international callers. The access code is 13633399. Archived replays of the live webcast will be available on Sherwin-Williams and Valspar's Investor Relations pages beginning approximately two hours after the call ends and will be available until Friday, April 8, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

About The Sherwin-Williams Company

Founded in 1866, The Sherwin-Williams Company is a global leader in the manufacture, development, distribution, and sale of coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. The company manufactures products under well-known brands such as Sherwin-Williams, HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams, Dutch Boy, Krylon, Minwax, Thompson's Water Seal, and many more. With global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, Sherwin-Williams branded products are sold exclusively through a chain of more than 4,100 company-operated stores and facilities, while the company's other brands are sold through leading mass merchandisers, home centers, independent paint dealers, hardware stores, automotive retailers, and industrial distributors. The Sherwin-Williams Global Finishes Group distributes a wide range of products in more than 115 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.sherwin.com.

About Valspar

Valspar is a global leader in the coatings industry providing customers with innovative, high-quality products and value-added services. Our 11,000 employees worldwide deliver advanced coatings solutions with best-in-class appearance, performance, protection and sustainability to customers in more than 100 countries. Valspar offers a broad range of superior coatings products for the consumer market, and highly-engineered solutions for the construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets. Founded in 1806, Valspar is headquartered in Minneapolis. Valspar's reported net sales in fiscal 2015 were $4.4 billion and its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: VAL). For more information, visit www.valspar.com and follow @valspar on Twitter.

Additional Information and Where to Find it

Valspar intends to file with the SEC a proxy statement in connection with the contemplated transactions. The definitive proxy statement will be sent or given to Valspar stockholders and will contain important information about the contemplated transactions. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY THE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement (when it is available) and other documents filed with the SEC at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Certain Information Concerning Participants

Valspar and Sherwin-Williams and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Valspar investors and security holders in connection with the contemplated transactions. Information about Valspar's directors and executive officers is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and its most recent annual report on Form 10-K. Information about Sherwin-Williams' directors and executive officers is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and its most recent annual report on Form 10-K. These documents may be obtained for free at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the contemplated transactions will be included in the proxy statement that Valspar intends to file with the SEC.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This communication contains forward-looking information about Valspar, Sherwin-Williams and the proposed transaction. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "project," "could," "plan," "goal," "potential," "pro forma," "seek," "intend" or "anticipate" or the negative thereof or comparable terminology, and include discussions of strategy, financial projections, guidance and estimates (including their underlying assumptions), statements regarding plans, objectives, expectations or consequences of announced transactions, and statements about the future performance, operations, products and services of Valspar and its subsidiaries. Valspar and Sherwin-Williams caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, actual results and experience may materially differ from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the following: the failure to obtain Valspar stockholder approval of the proposed transaction; the possibility that the closing conditions to the contemplated transactions may not be satisfied or waived, including that a governmental entity may prohibit, delay or refuse to grant a necessary regulatory approval; delay in closing the transaction or the possibility of non-consummation of the transaction; the potential for regulatory authorities to require divestitures in connection with the proposed transaction and the possibility that Valspar stockholders consequently receive $105 per share instead of $113 per share; the occurrence of any event that could give rise to termination of the merger agreement; the risk that stockholder litigation in connection with the contemplated transactions may affect the timing or occurrence of the contemplated transactions or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; risks inherent in the achievement of cost synergies and the timing thereof; risks related to the disruption of the transaction to Valspar and its management; the effect of announcement of the transaction on Valspar's ability to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with customers, suppliers and other third parties; fluctuations in the availability and prices of raw materials; difficult global economic and capital markets conditions; risks associated with revenues from foreign markets; interruption, failure or compromise of Valspar's information systems; and changes in the legal and regulatory environment. These risks and others are described in greater detail in Valspar's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 30, 2015, as well as in Valspar's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed by Valspar with the SEC after the date thereof. Valspar and Sherwin-Williams make no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances occurring or existing after the date any forward-looking statement is made.

CONTACTS

For The Sherwin-Williams Company

Investor Relations Contact:

Bob Wells

Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs

Sherwin-Williams

(216) 566-2244

[email protected]

Media Contacts:

Mike Conway

Director, Corporate Communications

Sherwin-Williams

(216) 515-4393

[email protected]

Or

Sard Verbinnen & Co

Jim Barron / Jared Levy / Patrick Scanlan

(212) 687-8080

For Valspar

Investor Contact:

Bill Seymour

Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations

(612) 656-1328

[email protected]

Media Contacts:

Kimberly A. Welch

Vice President, Communications

(612) 656-1347

[email protected]

Or

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

Matthew Sherman / Tim Lynch / Joseph Sala

(212) 355-4449

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160320/346043LOGO

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160320/346042LOGO

SOURCE The Sherwin-Williams Company

Related Links

http://www.sherwin.com


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Tokyo, March 17 : Two people were killed and over 20 others injured in a pile-up involving more than 10 vehicles in a tunnel in Japan's Higashihiroshima city on Thursday.

The accident occurred at around 7.30 a.m. in the Hachihommatsu tunnel on the Sanyo Expressway when a rear-end collision between two vehicles occurred, local police said, adding that following vehicles collided one after another, Xinhua news agency reported.

Some 70 people were evacuated from the tunnel, among whom one was in a state of the cardiopulmonary and was later confirmed dead.

Police later found another person dead in a car.

Fires in the tunnel were put out, police added.
New York, March 18 : The space environment around Pluto and its moons appears to be clean as an instrument riding on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft found only a handful of dust grains, the building blocks of planets, when it whipped by Pluto at 31,000 miles per hour last July, a study says.

Data downloaded and analysed by the New Horizons team indicated the space environment around Pluto and its moons contained only about six dust particles per cubic mile, Fran Bagenal, who leads the New Horizons Particles and Plasma Team.

"The bottom line is that space is mostly empty," said Bagenal, professor at University of Colorado Boulder, said.

"Any debris created when Pluto's moons were captured or created during impacts has long since been removed by planetary processes," Bagenal explained.

Studying the microscopic dust grains can give researchers clues about how the solar system was formed billions of years ago and how it works today, providing information on planets, moons and comets, Bagenal noted.

The findings were published in the journal Science.

Launched in 2006, the New Horizons mission was designed to help planetary scientists better understand the icy world at the edge of our solar system, including Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.

A vast region thought to span more than a billion miles beyond Neptune's orbit, the Kuiper Belt is believed to harbour at least 70,000 objects more than 60 miles in diameter and contain samples of ancient material created during the solar system's violent formation some 4.5 billion years ago.

The dust counter riding on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft was designed by a group of 20 University of Colorado Boulder students.

It is a thin film resting on a honeycombed aluminium structure the size of a cake pan mounted on the spacecraft's exterior.

A small electronic box functions as the instrument's "brain" to assess each individual dust particle that strikes the detector, allowing the students to infer the mass of each particle.

New Horizons is travelling at a mind-blowing 750,000 miles a day. Images from closest approach were taken from roughly 7,700 miles above Pluto's surface. The spacecraft, about the size of a baby grand piano, carries six other instruments.

The next and final target of New Horizons is a 30-mile-in diameter Kuiper Belt object named 2014 MU69, which the spacecraft is expected to pass in January 2019.
Islamabad, March 18 : A Pakistani daily on Friday lauded the declaration of Diwali, Holi and Easter as holidays for Hindus and Christians, but stressed that what they really needed was "greater access to healthcare and education, more jobs and a more tolerant society".

An editorial "Standing by our minorities" in The Nation said the Christian and Hindu minorities in Pakistan should be congratulated for finally being handed closed holidays for Diwali, Holi and Easter.

They can now take leaves from their schools and offices on these days if they belong to the relevant belief system.

The daily said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has been making headlines lately "as everyone expresses their shock over what seems to be a conviction to steer the country towards a more moderate ideological direction".

"Whether this new-found inclination towards making moderate policies is a genuine attempt to counter extremism and enable the protection of minorities as a consequence or a means to satisfy western countries, remains to be seen," it added.

The editorial said the alienation felt as a result of the minorities having to work on their holidays is hard to imagine for all those that belong to the majority religion.

"The persecution of minorities begins when they are treated as second-class citizens and denied basic rights such as the freedom to practise their religion. Denying religious holidays to them only further affirms that the state of Pakistan is actively participating in their subjugation.

"While this measure is a very small one, it goes a long way in telling the minorities that the state will no longer exclude them as it once did."

The daily went on to say that "the government should also look to reverse the economic imbalance created as a result of the marginalisation faced ever since the partition".

"Apart from deserved holidays, greater access to healthcare and education, more jobs and a more tolerant society is what the minorities really need," it said, adding that the subcontinent was once the melting pot for all cultures and faiths, and it is time Pakistan starts to emulate that as well.
Chennai, March 18 : Director Vamshi P describes the experience of making forthcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual "Thozha", starring Akkineni Nagarjuna and Karthi in the lead, as a blessing for his career.

"The journey was memorable and the people I worked with, especially Karthi, Nagarjuna sir and Tamannaah made 'Thozha' truly a blessing for my career. The bonding we shared was very special and I will treasure it all my life," Vamshi told IANS.

"Thozha", which was simultaneously shot in Telugu as "Oopiri", is slated for theatrical release on March 25.

An adaptation of French drama "The Intouchables", the film has been made without tampering the soul.

"The original stayed with me for long. Although I wanted to adapt it into Telugu and Tamil, I never thought I'd make it after 'Yevadu', because I knew it was going to change the way I was making films," he said, adding that "The Intouchables" is among the top 50 films on IMDB and he was not sure if he could do justice.

The film is about the bonding between a physically challenged millionaire (played by Nagarjuna) and a social disabled slumdog (played by Karthi).

"This character needed someone with aura - the kind that will convince people even if he's bound to a wheelchair throughout the film. I knew Nagarjuna sir would be perfect, because in the back of audiences' minds he's a star and he will be accepted in such a role," he said, and added that Nagarjuna, who watched the original, had no qualms of playing a wheelchair-bound character.

"He jumped at the opportunity when it was offered to him, insisting that no changes were made just to please him or the audience. I was happy when I heard that because this is what most directors strive for when they work with stars," he added.

Popular Tamil star Karthi plays Nagarjuna's caretaker in the film, which was never planned to be made as a bilingual, but with the inclusion of Karthi, it just paved way and things fell in place.

"Karthi wasn't sure how we were going to adapt a French film. But when I narrated what I had in mind, and how we were going to make suitable changes, he was more than excited to be part of the project," said Vamshi, who didn't find working with two stars challenging.

"Both Nagarjuna and Karthi are very simple people. Their nature is such that they can easily bond with everybody. It absolutely didn't take time for us to bond and work, and the magic will reflect on screen. They bonded as two characters," he said.

Elaborating on their bond, Vamshi said, "They would cheer me up whenever I had issues with something on the sets. For the Tamil version, Karthi almost doubled up as an assistant director. They took bonding to a whole new level."

"Thozha" celebrates life and friendship, and Vamshi, on a concluding note, said, "I found friends for life in Karthi and Nagarjuna sir".
Astana, March 19 : 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.
Cairo, March 20 : A mortar attack on a security checkpoint in Egyptian restive North Sinai's El-Arish city killed 13 policemen on Saturday.

A police officer and seven conscripts were killed when a mortar shell hit the security checkpoint in al-Safa neighborhood south of the city, Xinhua cited state-run MENA news agency as saying.

Police cordoned the scene of the attack, while a search operation to track the attackers was launched, MENA added.

Egypt has been facing anti-government attacks, mostly in the Sinai Peninsula, which has killed hundreds of police and army personnel since 2013.

Most of the attacks have been claimed by Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis militant group, which has changed its name to "Sinai State" and declared loyalty to the Islamic State.
Imphal, March 20 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi has summoned the Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam in connection with the unflinching stand of the dissidents within the ruling Congress.

Both of them left Imphal for New Delhi on Sunday. They are slated to meet the Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party members was held late on Saturday. One dissident leader told IANS that they merely kept on listening and never asked the chief minister what had transpired in the meeting with Sonia Gandhi.

The dissident said that Ibobi kept on speaking on how the government plans to cover 87 percent of the people of the state by the National Food Security Act which will become effective from April 1.

"The government has set aside Rs.30 crore for it and cooperation of the CLP members to make it a success is a must," Ibobi said, adding, "The meeting with the Congress president and the vice president over the demands of CLP members was inconclusive. The deputy chief minister and I will be leaving for Delhi on Sunday morning."

The high command has not sent general secretary V. Narayanswamy as an observer as yet. The reported formula of the chief minister to drop two or three ministers and induct new ones was not acceptable to the dissidents whose strength is more than 25 in the CLP having 48 members.

As promised by Ibobi, they are demanding complete reshuffle of the ministry and enforcement of the one man one post policy so that Gaikhangam is either dropped from the ministry or relieved of the party presidentship, appointment of chairmen of various corporations and undertakings.

Manipur is scheduled to go to elections in February next year. Though just a few months are left, most of the dissidents would like to become ministers with an eye to the forthcoming elections.

In the past Ibobi and his close associates never capitulated to the dissidents. However, this time the dissidents have made it known that they may take some other steps since they cannot go empty handed to the voters.

The political change in Arunachal Pradesh is still fresh in the minds of the high command. Besides the Congress has been facing election defeats.

In the by-elections held late last year BJP won both the Assembly seats. Besides this party which has been without an MLA for the last 15 years could open accounts in the local body elections.

An upbeat Manipur BJP president Thounaojam Chaoba said, "In the 2017 Assembly elections the BJP shall wrest power from the Congress which has been in power for the last three terms."

A dissident leader told IANS that they are keeping their fingers crossed till Ibobi and Gaikhangam return from their mission in Delhi.
Rio De Janeiro, March 20 : All police investigators on the Petrobras corruption case would be replaced should more police leaks to the press be discovered, Brazilian new Justice Minister Eugenio Aragao warned on Saturday.

"If one of our agents leaks anything about the investigation, the entire team will be replaced. There is no need for evidence (for the leaks)," Xinhua cited the minister as saying to Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

Aragao, who became justice minister on Monday, denied that he wanted to hinder the investigations.

Brazilian federal police began investigating into Petrobras, Brazil's state oil company, two years ago and discovered an enormous corruption ring that may have embezzled billions of US dollars.
Brasilia, March 20 : Brazil has been approved to conduct drug testing of athletes during the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympic Games, the media reported on Sunday.

Brazil was one of five countries ordered by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to implement changes to meet its requirements by March 18, Xinhua news agency reported.

"(Brazil) has met the necessary requirements, which included the establishment of a unique Brazilian anti-doping tribunal and the implementation of the Code within the Brazilian legal system," WADA said in a statement on Saturday.

Belgium, France and Greece also received approval from the Montreal-based organisation while Spain and Mexico were declared non-compliant.

According to WADA rules, Spain and Mexico could be stripped of accreditation for their testing laboratories.

While Brazil was deemed to have complied with WADA regulations, its congress must pass legislation related to the new rules within three months.

The Rio Olympics will take place from August 5-21 and the Paralympics will be held from September 7-18.
Beijing, March 20 : The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning announced two more imported yellow fever cases, days after China's first imported case was confirmed in the capital, the media reported on Sunday.

In the new cases, one patient named Yang showed fever symptoms in Angola on March 9 and flew back to Beijing a week later. He was confirmed to have contracted the virus upon seeking medical advice, the commission said on Saturday.

The other patient named Chen developed symptoms on March 11 in Angola and arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Thursday. He was sent to hospital after quarantine officers found his fever symptoms, the Global Times reported.

The two, both aged 44, were vaccinated before they went to Angola. Yang hailed from Fujian province and Chen from Sichuan.

Yellow fever is an acute viral disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes and mostly found in tropical regions of Africa and Central and South America.
Beijing, March 20 : China's meteorological authority has issued a blue alert, the lowest level in a four-tier warning system, for rainstorms in southern parts of the country, the media reported on Sunday.

Until March 27, rainstorms from 180 to 250 mm will pelt parts of Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces, the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said in a statement.

Xinjiang and Qinghai will receive snow or sleet until Sunday, the NMC said.

China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The NMC also maintained yellow alert for smog on Saturday as the pollution, which has choked most regions in the north, showed little sign of abating.
Doha, March 20 : Scores of the Indian expatriate community members mourned the death of five-year-old Adien Mathew Shaji, who was killed in a bus accident, a media report said.

Adien's body was flown to India and laid to rest in Thiruvalla in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, the Gulf Times reported on Saturday.

A kindergarten student of Sarvodaya school, Adien died on Thursday when his school van overturned after crashing against the median of the road while passing through it. Four other children sustained injuries.

Kerala Minister for Social welfare M.K. Muneer, who was on a personal visit to Qatar, paid homage to Adien.
Washington, March 20 : Dozens of protestors blocked traffic near an event by US presidential hopeful Donald Trump in Arizona, while demonstrators marched in New York City to protest the front-runner, the media reported on Sunday.

The protestors in Arizona parked vehicles sideways on Shea Boulevard, blocking both lanes of traffic into Fountain Hills, where Trump held a rally Saturday afternoon, Maricopa county sheriff's office deputy Joaquin Enriquez told CNN.

Trump appeared with former Arizona governor Jan Brewer and Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who endorsed the front-runner in January. Arpaio rose to conservative fame with his aggressive roundups of undocumented immigrants and attention-grabbing tactics like clothing inmates in pink underwear.

Enriquez described Shea Boulevard as the main artery into the area and the protestors' actions were causing motorists to drive into oncoming traffic as they tried to get around them.

Enriquez said three protestors were arrested and two cars were towed from the boulevard.

Meanwhile, crowds of demonstrators gathered in Manhattan to march from Columbus Circle near Central Park to Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.

A small skirmish erupted when protestors started throwing water bottles at police, who were trying to keep them from impeding traffic. Three people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, a New York police spokesman said.

Protestors carried signs with messages such as "#CrushTrump" and shouted, "Hey, hey / ho, ho / Donald Trump has got to go".

Trump has been criticised throughout his campaign for comments he has made, including calling for a temporary ban on all foreign Muslims entering the US and blocking Syrian refugees.
Mumbai, March 20 : Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin, who will be seen in a grey character in "Force 2", says that he is excited to work with international artists for the film.

"I'm a big believer in fate and destiny. In Bombay, you don't always make your choices, your choices are made for you, so right now I'm very lucky as an actor to be getting great films," Tahir told IANS.

"I'm working with Abhinay Deo and John Abraham and these are big names. Abhinay Deo is directing it. He has done 'Delhi Belly' and '24' series, that is great," he said.

"One of the things that I'm very excited about is that there is a big international collaboration. The stunt team has done 'Mad Max', which was nominated in the Oscars, the DOP (Director of Photography) has worked for Bruce Willis's 'Die Hard"'. You feel proud that you go abroad and shoot an Indian film with an international crew. From the rushes I have seen, it looks outstanding and I really look forward to watching it on screen," he added.

The actor says that he will portray a grey character in the film.

"He's cool, crazy and very quirky. Whenever I read a character and the shooting goes on for six months, so in a way you live with the character, and that is your work. A relationship is created and it's fun. When you read the script, you feel that becoming this character would be enjoyable. So when you get that feeling, it's always fun to be a part," he said.

Tahir continues his streak of grey characters in "Force 2" after playing an antagonist in "Mardaani", the role that was appreciated by the critics and viewers, and even fetched him a best actor in a supporting role nomination at the Filmfare awards.

But he doesn't want to be typecast as a "baddie".

"I want to do all kinds of parts. I don't want to decide at the start that I'll do certain kind of films, because you start refusing films that way. You are being seen in a specific type, but I don't want to stick to any one type, whether it's a lover boy or it's a grey character, different stuff is what makes it interesting," he said.

"Force 2" also stars Sonakshi Sinha.
New Delhi, March 20 : The audit report of the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, or Vyapam as it is popularly known, for the year 2011-12, showed that there was a huge difference between its sanctioned income and expenditure and actuals, an RTI query has revealed.

The audit report states that in 2011-12, the sanctioned income of the board was Rs. 66.97 crore and the sanctioned expenditure Rs. 44.12 crore . However, the actual income was stated to be Rs. 98.30 crore and the actual expenditure Rs. 28.37 crore.

The difference between actual income and sanctioned income comes to Rs. 31.34 crore while the difference between sanctioned expenditure and actual expenditure was Rs. 15.74 crore. It was not clear how this major discrepancy came about.

"The huge difference between sanctioned income-expenditure and actual income-expenditure of the board indicates that while preparing the budget correct estimation with regard to the examinations conducted in the year of audit (2011-12) was not done keeping in mind the previous year's income and expenditure," the audit report said.

The report said correct estimations of the figures at the time of preparing the budget should be made.

The audit report was obtained by activist Ajay Dubey through an RTI application in January 2016 from the MP Professional Examination Board.

The RTI application also revealed that audit for the year 2012-13 was completed in September 2015. But audit report has still not been made available to the board.

Madhya Pradesh has been mired in the Vyapam scam for years, but the irregularities came to light when 20 people were arrested in 2013 for impersonating candidates appearing for the 2009 medical entrance examination.

More than 45 people associated with the Vyapam scam have died - mostly under mysterious circumstances. Following the chain of deaths, the Supreme Court last July directed the CBI to investigate not just the Vyapam scam but also the deaths related to it.

The most recent death was of retired Indian Forest Service officer Vijay Bahadur Singh, whose body was found close to a railway track near Odisha's Belpahad station on October 15, 2015. He was travelling by the Puri-Jodhpur Express. The CBI has started probing this death as well. Singh acted as an observer in two Vyapam recruitment tests.

Former Madhya Pradesh minister Lakshmikant Sharma, one of the main accused in the Vyapam scam, was released from jail on December 20, 2015, following bail granted by a court. Another Vyapam scam accused, former officer on special duty Dhanraj Yadav, was released from jail on December 19, 2015, after he too got bail from a court.

(Sidhartha Dutta can be contacted at sidhartha.d@ians.in)
Kathmandu, March 20 : Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Sunday started a week-long official visit to China.

This is Oli's maiden official visit to China since assuming the prime minister's office in October 2015, Xinhua news agency reported. He is accompanied on the visit by his wife Radhika Shakya.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Commerce Deepak Bohora and Chief Secretary Som Lal Subedi are among others in the prime minister's delegation.

Oli is undertaking the visit at the invitation of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang from March 20 to 27.

Accompanied by four ministers and senior government officials, Oli will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and other senior Chinese government officials, according to Nepal's ministry of foreign affairs.

Oli will attend on Monday the welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People and hold bilateral official talks with Premier Li and discuss matters of mutual interest and common concern.

After the official talks, the two leaders will witness the signing ceremony of bilateral agreements and Memorandum of Understandings to be concluded between Nepal and China.

The most important agenda of Oli's visit is to sign transit and transportation agreement with China. With the new agreement, Nepal, as a landlocked country, will have sea access to a Chinese port that will lessen its dependency on India for trade with a third country.

Nepal is heavily dependent with only one port -- Kolkata -- for its third-country trade and recently floated the idea of reaching to sea through China after Nepal suffered blockage on Nepal-India border by its Madhesi protestors over the country's new constitution.

With the new transit and transportation accord, India's monoply in providing sea port facilities to Nepal will end and the Himalayan republic can use sea route in China for third-country business.

Another agreement is about linking Chinese rail to Nepali border and later on to Kathmandu and probably extend it up to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.

China and Nepal will sign an agreement in this regard where the Chinese side will agree to prepare the detailed feasibility study of the rail project.

Agreements on $216 million for constructing regional airport in Pokhara, opening up more trade routes between Nepal and China, Free Trade Agreement, protection of patent rights, cross-border transmission line and on many other iksues will be signed, according to the ministry.

Oli is also scheduled to address the scholars, academics, business people and students at Renmin University on the Nepal-China relations in the context of 'Belt and Road Initiatives'.

He will also witness the signing of an MOU on granting Nepal the status of dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and address the Chinese and Nepalese business communities at the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

Oli is scheduled to address the Boao Forum for Asia on the theme "Asia's New Furure: New Dynamics, New Vision" at Boao, Hinnan province of China, on March 24.
London, March 20 : If an individual has the determination, nothing can stop her or him from achieving the goal, suggests a study.

The study, which showed that a sighted, adult brain is able to recruit when it is sufficiently challenged pointed out that learning a complex task over a long period can challenge the brain and break the barriers that were long thought to be fixed.

"We are all capable of re-tuning our brains if we're prepared to put the work in," said lead author Marcin Szwed from the Jagiellonian University in Poland.

The results revealed that we could supercharge the brain to be more flexible as the brain overcomes the normal division of labour and establishes new connections to boost its power.

"Our findings show that we can establish new connections if we undertake a complex enough task and are given long enough to learn it," Szwed maintained.

The findings, to be published in the journal eLife, could have implications for our power to bend different sections of the brain to our will by learning other demanding skills, such as playing a musical instrument or learning to drive.

Over a period of nine months, 29 volunteers were taught to read Braille while blindfolded.

They achieved reading speeds of up to 17 words per minute.

Before and after the course, they took part in a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) experiment to test the impact of their learning on regions of the brain.

The findings call for a reassessment of our view of the functional organisation of the human brain, which is more flexible than the brains of other primates, the researchers asserted.
Imphal, March 20 : An elderly teacher has been arrested on charges of molesting and attempting to rape a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Thoubal district of Manipur.

The incident happened on Friday night in the hostel of a government-aided school at Bishnu Naha in Thoubal district.

"On March 18 night, the accused barged into the room where some of us were preparing for the next day's examination. He told us to go to our rooms. When I was the last person to leave the room he molested me and tried to rape," said the victim in her complaint.

"Luckily for me, one student saw what was happening and alerted others," she said.

The accused, Keisham Ibohanbi, 61, also threatened to harm her if she informed anyone of the incident, the victim said.

On Saturday, a Thoubal district court remanded Ibohanbi in police custody till March 22.

He has been charged under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, police said.

The accused was not a recognised teacher and "surprisingly there is no female warden despite the fact that there are about 50 girls in the hostel," said police.

Students' organisations and women's vigilante groups have strongly condemned the "beastly act".

At least one students group declared that the accused would never be allowed to continue working as a teacher.
Vientiane, March 20 : Voters in Laos on Sunday cast their ballots in the National Assembly and Provincial People's Council elections.

President Choummaly Sayasone and Vice President and General Secretary of the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LRPR) Bounnhang Vorachith both voted at polling stations in the capital Vientiane, EFE news reported.

There are reportedly around 600 candidates vying for five-year terms in Sunday's vote.

All candidates are either members of or have been approved by the LPRP, which has ruled the country as a one-party state since 1975.

"I am very happy to have seen people enthusiastically exercising their rights casting their votes for people's representatives so that they can have seats at Assembly and councils. This election is very meaningful to our country," President Sayasone said.

A total of 3.74 million people were eligible to vote.

In the last National Assembly elections in 2011, the LPRP won 128 seats, alongside just four approved, non-partisan candidates.
Canberra, March 20 : Queensland's political system is set for its biggest shake-up in the decades as a referendum for fixed four-year parliamentary terms looks likely to succeed.

On Sunday, just under half of the three million votes had been counted, the 'yes' vote held a 53.16 percent margin to the 'no' vote's 46.84 percent, Australian ABC reported.

The Palaszczuk government remained cautiously optimistic after driving the 'yes' campaign with advertisements and a bipartisan promotional tour in the week leading into polling day.

Road Safety Minister Mark Bailey said that the Queenslanders had decided they wanted a stable government.

"I think Queenslanders are showing good sense in terms of having provisions that other states have had for a long time," he said.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland's Nick Behrens said that a 'yes' would give business the confidence to plan ahead.

"Two in three businesses record sales decreases during election periods, businesses delay investment decisions because of policy uncertainty, major projects get put on hold and accordingly the economic benefit that cascades across the economy also gets stalled," he said.

Federal government member of parliament Trent Zimmerman said that he wanted Queensland's debate over four-year parliamentary terms to happen at a national level.

He said that making the same move federally could improve planning and governance.

"One of the problems with three-year terms has occasionally led to short-term decision-making," he said.

"Four-year terms just give you that slightly greater opportunity to be thinking about the challenges of not just today, but what's coming in the decades ahead."
Kathmandu, March 20 : Nepal will not sign a petroleum agreement with China during the official visit of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to the northern neighbour, according to key ministers.

After a five-month unofficial blockage by Madhesi groups at key entry points on the Nepal-India border that hit petroleum supplies after promulgation of the new constitution last year, Nepal attempted to import petroleum products from China.

After ties were strained with India following Oli assuming the office, Nepal looked towards its northern neighbour, aiming to import at least one-third of the total petroleum needs of the Himalayan country from China.

China gave some 100,000 kilolitres of fuel as grant to Nepal but did not complete the negotiations to export fuel, citing several reasons like difficult geographical terrain, taxes, transportation and other issues.

Nepal had sent several teams for negotiations with China that included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Kamal Thapa.

Nepal and China agreed to sign an agreement during the visit of Prime Minister Oli.

However, officials have told IANS that the deal to import petroleum products from China was "unlikely this time".

"We have already agreed to import fuel from China," Thapa told IANS ahead of Oli's visit, adding: "We will follow the negotiations of price and other logistics gradually."

For a long time, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) has been the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal.

After IOCL said it was considering supplying 70 percent of the total fuel demand, Nepal decided to import the rest 30 percent from China and started negotiations with Petro China. Nepal and China signed a framework deal in November last year.

However, following Oli's visit to India in February, the fuel supply from the southern neighbour eased.

As Oli begins his visit to Beijing on Sunday, Nepal's Supplies Minister Ganesh Man Pun, who was initially scheduled to join the delegation, has not been included in the final list of delegates.

This, according to sources, was because the agenda of importing fuel from China has now been put on the back-burner.

"I cannot ask the prime minister why I have not been included in the delegation. After all it is his delegation," Pun said on Saturday, admitting that he was not travelling with Oli to China.

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)
Chalakkudy (Kerala), March 20 : The BJP's Kerala unit on Sunday sought a CBI probe into popular actor Kalabhavan Mani's death as his brother R.L.V. Ramakrishnan demanded a lie-detector test on Mani's associates often seen with him at his farmhouse.

"It's two weeks since he died on March 6 and the ongoing probe appears to have reached nowhere. We feel there is something wrong somewhere. We demand a CBI probe to crack the case," state Bharatiya Janata Party chief Kummanem Rajasekheran told reporters outside Mani's home here after meeting the bereaved family.

"We are looking into all aspects. It's too early to come to a conclusion on what caused Mani's death. Nothing has been confirmed," Superintendent of Police P.N. Unniraja, who heads the probe team, told reporters at Mani's farmhouse on Sunday.

On March 18, forensic experts said an insecticide was found in the actor's body. On Saturday, a search of his 30-acre farmhouse near here in Thrissur district led police to a few bottles - one of them suspected of containing Chlorpyrifos insecticide - that have since been send for forensic examination.

Mani, 45, who acted in 200 films in Malayalam and other languages, was admitted to a hospital in Kochi on March 4. Said to be suffering from a liver ailment, he died two days later.

After his death, hospital authorities reported the presence of a chemical in the body, leading to speculation that he may not have died a natural death.

Police have now asked the regional laboratory at Kochi to provide a detailed report on the quantity of insecticide and other details.

Likewise, a full autopsy report from the state-owned Thrissur Medical College and Hospital is also awaited.

Police have questioned more than 140 people. Three of Mani's close friends -- Arun, Vipin and Murugan who were often spotted at his outhouse -- have been called in for questioning by police a few times.

The probe team is now looking into the bank accounts of Mani as well as these three.
Mumbai, March 20 : The 18-day strike by jewellers that ended on Saturday night is estimated to have caused losses of Rs.60,000-70,000 crore, an industry organisation said.

The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said in a statement said here that the strike has caused "losses of Rs. 60,000-70,000 crore" to the industry.

The jewellers' strike ended on Saturday night following a meeting between the associations and union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi regarding the 1 percent excise duty proposed on jewellery in the Union Budget 2016-17.

A three-member committee, headed by former chief economic adviser to the finance ministry, Ashok Lahiri, has been constituted to look into issues related to excise duty on jewellery and find a solution.

It would submit its report to the government within 60 days, the GJEPC said in a release on Sunday.

At a meeting of various jewellers' associations with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, Power Minister Piyush Goyal and others in New Delhi, it was decided that the committee would hold discussions with the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) and other stake-holders to evolve an amicable solution to the issue of excise duty.

Over 300,000 jewellery shops owing allegiance to more than 300 associations across India went on strike since the excise duty announcement on February 29.

They have also been opposing the government rule making permanent account number (PAN) card as a mandatory proof on purchases of Rs.2 lakh and above.

The size of the gems and jewellery industry, that is still an unorganised sector, is estimated to be in the range of between Rs.2.5-3 lakh crore.

The government move was prompted by the aim to bring the growing sector into the mainstream of economic activity by levying a tax.
New Delhi, March 20 : The BJP on Sunday mocked the Congress, saying the party has reduced itself as "a tail-ender" to regional outfits in states like Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

"See what is Congress party's political position today. Look at Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. I think Congress has lowered its political ambitions. It is quite content becoming the tail-ender of any alliance," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here on the sidelines of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive meeting.

"So from Tamil Nadu to Bihar to Bengal, that is the role they (Congress) have," he said.

Asked whether the political instability in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand figured in the day's deliberations in BJP meet, the senior party leader quipped that the "issue should rather figure in the Congress working committee meeting".

He said there was a "deep division" in the Congress in Uttarakhand and it should not be attributed to the BJP.

Jaitley criticised Uttarakhand Speaker G.S. Kunjwal for his decision to pass the budget by voice vote.

Noting that BJP has formed an alliance in Assam with regional parties but is the "leader" of the combine, he exuded confidence that his party will score a "decisive victory" in the coming elections in the northeastern state.
Islamabad, March 20 : Pakistan on Sunday released 86 Indian fishermen detained for fishing in its waters, officials said.

Officials said that the fishermen were released from the Malir prison in the port city of Karachi, Xinhua reported.

They will be handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah border checkpost on Monday.

Pakistan and India routinely arrest fishermen who cross water boundaries for fishing.

Groups working for the welfare of such fishermen said they mistakenly enter each other's waters as the two countries have not yet reached an agreement on maritime boundaries.
New York, March 20 : Micro blogging website Twitter is set to mark its 10th anniversary on Monday. It's time to look back at important milestones achieved and what the future may look like for the platform, which has been documenting the world in 140 characters.

According to the micro blogging website, it now has more than 300 million active users -- far less when compared with Facebook's 1.5 billion users making it more popular, faster, and the choice of more marketers.

"But when you look at it, you never quite forget it's looking back, managing your feed, managing you, steering you to things and away from others," said Chicago Tribune in a recent article.

On the other hand, "Twitter, if you push the right buttons, gives you more of what you actually want, not what it and its business partners think it's best you see," it added.

No wonder then that Twitter attracts a significant number of politicians, scientists, journalists and celebrities, who use the platform to convey their thoughts in 140 characters with precision that "not everyone can achieve but everyone appreciates".

Recently, in an interview on NBC, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that while a number of changes are being planned for Twitter, its 140-character limit represents a beautiful constraint which helps deliver strong statements.

The short character limit for tweets is an element that gives Twitter a unique identity.

Dorsey also said the micro blogging platform will stay true to its original values - ""It's breaking news, but you can actually interact with the news makers," he said.

"We have so many creators and influencers on the platform and the cool thing is that they actually have conversations with people directly," he added.

Just three years after Twitter's launch, for many the platform became the primary source of the latest news. In 2009, flight number 1549 of the US Airways made an emergency landing in the Hudson river between New York City and Weehawken in New Jersey.

The first image of the rescue mission in which all the 155 passengers were evacuated to safety were taken by a Twitter user and it became viral within minutes of uploading it on the platform.

Twitter has also proved itself as an excellent platform to raise awareness about political topics, spread political messages and coordinate collective action. The use of Twitter by Republican candidate Donald Trump "as a microphone" is one of the several such cases to prove the point.

In India, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has been effectively using the platform to address issues raised by ordinary citizens using one of the world's largest railway networks.

Twitter has opened up a two-way communication between businesses and their customers.

"On the one hand this means it's easier for customers to complain to a company - and do so publicly. But it's also much quicker and easier for companies to reply and potentially resolve an issue, and can potentially even reduce customer support costs," said a report by theconversation.com.

But it is Twitter's efficiency as a platform for instant sharing of news, links and views that makes it indispensable. It has changed the way the information used to flow around the world.

With Dorsey promising a number of changes to product and organisational structure in order to appease sceptical investors, the company is all set for a turnaround to see its monthly average users go up.
Los Angeles, March 20 : Musician Prince is writing a memoir titled "The Beautiful Ones" which is set to release in 2017.

"The Beautiful Ones" will be published by Spiegel & Grau, which is an imprint of Random House.

Prince officially announced the book at an event, telling the audience he intends to start from his first memory and hopefully go all the way up to the Super Bowl, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

"This is my first book. My brother Dan is helping me with it. He's a good critic and that's what I need. He's not a 'yes' man at all and he's really helping me get through this," Prince said.

"We're starting from the beginning from my first memory and hopefully we can go all the way up to the Super Bowl," he added.

According to the official press release for the book, it promises to "take readers on an unconventional and poetic journey through his life and creative work".
New Delhi, March 20 : A minor fire broke out at South Block, which houses the ministries of defence and external affairs as well as the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), an official said.

"A minor fire broke out at 5.55 p.m. at South Block today. As soon as we received the call, we have sent 13 fire tenders to the spot," a fire department official told IANS.

He also said the damage, if any, wasn't immediately known.
Mumbai, March 20 : Actor Inaamulhaq says that he learnt a lot from his "Firaaq" co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui and also that he was flattered with praise from veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah for his performance in "Airlift".

Inaamulhaq's first big break came with Nandita Das' film, "Firaaq" where he shared screen space with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and the film also starred Naseeruddin Shah among others.

"It was a very good film and Nawaz-bhai was my co-actor and I got the chance to learn a lot from him."

"Naseer-bhai and other actors' tracks were different, so didn't get the opportunity to work with him, but he is my guru and he had come to NSD (National School Of Drama) for some time to teach. For 'Airlift' he praised me and told Raja Menon (director) to tell me that I had done a very good job. This was a big thing for me because he is in himself an acting institute," the actor told IANS.

Brought up in Saharanpur village, Inaamulhaq had interest in acting since a very young age and even started performing in plays despite his strict father's rules.

He graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD), and then continued theatre, but still couldn't manage the funds to come to Mumbai to become an actor. He sustained himself by writing for television shows like "Karamchand" and "Comedy Circus" among others, while keeping his passion for acting alive.

He will also be seen in the film "Chidiya", one of the 14 scripts that was offered to him.
Moscow, March 20 : Russian workers on Sunday completed search and rescue operations at the Dubai Aviation Corporation (FlyDubai) passenger plane crash site, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said.

"Russian Emergency Situations Ministry finished the search and rescue operation by 9.00 a.m. (Moscow time)," Tass news agency quoted Sokolov as saying on Sunday.

He said that a meeting of the governmental commission, consisting of federal and regional authorities, was held to discuss how to deal with the accident.

"Today (Sunday), during the daylight all necessary elements of the plane will be collected for a thorough analysis to make clear causes of the accident," he added.

"Around 6.00 p.m. (local time) works will begin on the runway to restore the equipment, so that the airport could begin working on Monday morning," Sokolov said..

Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Leonid Belyaev said the search area near the Rostov-on-Don airport, located in Russia, was extended to 15 hectares for recheck.

Belyaev noted that his ministry would continue identification of the bodies, collecting DNA samples and working with the families of the victims.

According to the ministry, medical experts have begun examining remains of the victims and identification work would take at least two weeks "if everything goes smoothly".

The ministry said that it had contacted 76 relatives of the victims as of Sunday morning, while experts were collecting DNA samples of the relatives who arrived in Rostov-on-Don.

Experts of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), a supervising body overseeing the management of civil aviation in the commonwealth of independent states, have also arrived in the city for further investigation.

Meanwhile, experts of the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety of France and the US National Transportation Safety Board are due to arrive for assistance of the crash investigation.

Early on Sunday, the two flight recorders of the crashed plane were sent to Moscow and taken to the IAC for decoding, with participation of officials from the Air Accident Investigation Department of the UAE.

Russian authorities said the aircraft was landing amid high winds and rain that reduced visibility, while the investigative committee was considering several versions of the crash, including a crew mistake, technical failure and difficult weather conditions.

A source with the Emergency Situations Ministry said the passenger jet came down nose-first practically vertically at an angle of 60 degrees, exploded when hitting the ground and caught fire. Bits of the plane and debris were strewn across the runway.

"Even the most durable parts of the plane, the gear trucks made from magnesium, were crashed into pieces," the source said.

The low-cost airline said in a statement that a payment of $20,000 per passenger would be made to the victims' families.

"At present, our priority is to identify and contact the families of those lost in Saturday's tragic accident and provide immediate support to those affected," said the statement.

The Boeing 737-800 passenger plane, en route from the UAE city of Dubai to Rostov-on-Don, crashed around 3.50 a.m. (Moscow time) on Saturday at the Russian city's airport, killing all 62 people aboard.

Ghaith Al-Ghaith, the chief executive of FlyDubai, said on Sunday that the investigations showed the pilot and co-pilot of the crashed plane in Russia decided to land on the best information they had and the airport authorities gave green light for landing.

Following media speculative reports on whether the weather conditions made the landing "risky" at Rostov-on-Don international airport, Al-Ghaith said: "It's not our call whether the airport should have been closed."

Al-Ghaith expressed his "high praise" for the Russian authorities as they were fully cooperative.

Also, the flight recorders of the passenger plane are badly damaged, authorities said on Sunday.
Dharamsala, March 20 : Tibetan exiles across the world on Sunday voted to elect their new 'Sikyong' or prime minister as well as members of the parliament-in-exile based here in this northern Indian hill town.

Long queues of men and women, flashing their green coloured voter identity cards, were seen in the morning at nine polling centres in this town to elect one of the two prime ministerial contenders -- incumbent Lobsang Sangay and Tibetan parliament speaker Penpa Tsering.

Polling took place in 85 places around the world.

The significance of the prime minister's post has gone up following Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's retirement from active politics in 2011. The Dalai Lama is, however, not a voter.

A foreign delegation comprising members of the European Parliament was here as part of the Tibetan election observation mission, the Central Tibetan Administration's (CTA) press officer Jamphel Shonu told IANS.

Voters will also elect 45 members of the parliament-in-exile. A total of 94 candidates are in the fray. The results will be declared on April 27.

More than 90,000 Tibetans in exile across the world were to take part in the election. In the US and Europe, the electoral process is underway.

In India, voting took place, among other places, in Darjeeling (West Bengal), Bylakuppe (Karnataka), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Dehradun (Uttarakhand) and Delhi. It ended in India at 5 p.m.

Some of the other countries where the elections are taking place include Japan, Russia and Australia.

The 2016 general elections are the second direct elections for electing the Tibetan leadership since complete devolution of political authority by the Dalai Lama.

The five-year term of Prime Minister Sangay will expire in August. The 47-year-old Harvard-educated Sangay was the first political successor to the Dalai Lama.

Sangay's chances to get re-elected are high as he secured 19,776 votes more against his close rival Tsering, who polled 10,732 votes in a first round of voting in October 2015. At that time, 47,105 Tibetans voted.

Both prime ministerial candidates -- Sangay and Tsering -- had campaigned aggressively across the Tibetan settlements. Even the social media among the Tibetan diaspora was aggressively followed to highlight their issues and agenda.

"Resuming talks with China was and will remain my top priority," Sangay told reporters after casting his vote here.

Since assuming power in August 2011, grant of more autonomy in Tibet "within the Chinese constitution", creation of awareness on Tibet and education of the exiled youth are among crucial issues before Sangay.

He took over the reins of the government-in-exile from monk-scholar Samdhong Rinpoche, who held the post for 10 years.

Lobsang Wangyal, director-producer of the Miss Tibet pageant and a journalist, told IANS here: "I feel that Sangay's big degree hype (Harvard doctorate) didn't translate into real results. The talks between the Dalai Lama's envoys and China has been stalled since 2010, which is crucial to resolve the Tibetan issue."

He said that because Tsering promised to put every effort to revive the dialogue with China and also to improve the situation of the settlements, so many young voters voted for him.

The 80-year-old Dalai Lama, the global face of the Tibetan exile movement, lives in exile in this northern Indian hill town along with some 140,000 Tibetans, over 100,000 of them in different parts of India. Over six million Tibetans live in Tibet.
New Delhi, March 20 : An Indian sailor who was kidnapped in Africa last month has been released and will reach India on Sunday night, the external affairs ministry said.

"Rohan Ruparelia, who was abducted during the hijacking of the ship Maximus, is flying back to India tonight," ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said on Sunday evening.

"He is safe and has spoken to his family members. With this, all the 11 Indian crew members are safe and secure and are returning home in batches," Swarup said.

Merchant vessel Maximus, owned by Dubai-based Warm Seas company, with a crew of 18 was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Abidjan in Ivory Coast on February 11.

The crew had 11 Indian seamen, including the ship's captain.

The vessel was under charter to a South Korean company and was in its bunkering position when the incident occurred.

The Indian mission in Ivory Coast alerted the country's authorities on February 12 besides alerting the Indian missions in Ghana and Nigeria as the vessel was suspected to be sailing in that direction.

On India's request, Ghana's naval ships operating in the region were tasked to track the ship.

The pirates changed the name of the vessel to MT Elwins and it was followed by the mother ship of the pirates.

The vessel, instead of entering the waters of Benin, steered southwards and entered international waters towards Nigeria on February 14.

India took up up the issue with the Nigerian authorities, after which the Nigerian navy immediately launched operations to locate the vessel.

Five Nigerian ships were deployed for the operation and the hijacked vessel was finally intercepted by the Nigerian navy on the evening of February 19.

During the operation, one pirate was killed and six were apprehended.

No crew member sustained injury during the operation. Sixteen crew members, including 10 Indians, were rescued by the Nigerian navy.

However, two crew members -- Ruparelia and a Pakistani -- were taken hostage by the pirates when they disengaged.

"Welcome home Rohan," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Sunday evening.

She was responding to a tweet by Ruparelia's sister Zankhana, who said: "Thank u for all the support Mam. My bro Rohan is finally rescued from the Pirates. Jai Hind."
New Delhi, March 20 : A minor fire broke out at South Block, which houses the ministries of defence and external affairs, on Sunday but was soon extinguished, an official said. No damage was caused either to the building or any property inside.

"It was a minor fire that occured around 5.55 p.m. at gate no 8 of the South Block. We had immediately sent 13 fire tenders to the spot due to which every thing was soon brought under control," said a senior official of the Delhi Fire Services.

Gate No 8 is near the external affairs ministry's wing.

Asked what was the cause of the fire, the official said that the reason was still being investigated but it seemed to be due to an electrical fault.
New Delhi, March 20 : In an attempt to woo Dalits, the BJP on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, the birthplace of the constitution's architect Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary.

The party has also chalked out a programme to woo Dalits by celebrating social harmony programmes at the panchayat level.

"The prime minister will visit Mhow on April 14, the birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar. A mega event will be held on the occasion," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said at a press conference after the two-day national executive meet of the BJP here.

He said the party has chalked out various future programmes and will reach out to every section of the marginalised society.

"From April 14 to 16, our leaders and party cadres will hold social harmony programmes at the panchayat level. During the period, they will convey the messages of Dr. Ambedkar to the people and will reward the talented students of that panchayat," he said.

"Other than this, we will also convey our thoughs about Dr. Ambedkar to the people," he added.

Rajnath Singh said Modi will also visit Jamshedpur in Jharkhand on April 24, where he will address a conference of representatives of panchayats.

"Live telecast of this conference would be broadcast so that people across all the panchayats could hear the prime minister," he said.

He also said the party would celebrate "Gramoday Se Bharat Uday" for 10 days between April 14 to 24.
Amritsar, March 20 : With Rahul Gandhi reiterating his concern for the growing drugs abuse menace in Punjab, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday asked the Congress vice president to get a dope test done on the state's Youth Congress leaders first.

"Rahul Gandhi, who is out to defame Punjab by branding its youth as drug addicts, is the biggest enemy of the state and he has given proof of his being anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh through such ideology," Badal told the media after offering prayers at the Golden Temple here.

"If the Congress scion really believes about the presence of drugs in Punjab, then he would do very well to conduct dope tests on Youth Congress leaders and if anybody among them tests positive, then it will be construed as the presence of drugs in Punjab," Badal said, mocking at the statements made by Gandhi here last week.

Badal claimed that Punjab was on the path to development and achieving milestones while the Congress leadership was out to brand the state as a drugs haven.

"How can a community like Punjabis, known for its bravery and feeding the whole nation, be branded as drug addict?" Badal asked.

Badal, who is the Shiromani Akali Dal president, said the summons issued by a Ludhiana court to Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh's son Raninder Singh, regarding foreign bank accounts, had exposed the Congress leaders.

The deputy chief minister said the controversy over the SYL canal was unnecessary.

"There never was a need for this canal nor would it be allowed to be constructed even if sacrifices had to be made," he said.
New Delhi, March 20 : Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi underwent a total knee transplant at the AIIMS here, a hospital statement on Sunday.

According to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), he was admitted to the hospital early this week and had undergone the transplant on Wednesday.

"The leader is recovering well and his vital parameters are normal," said the statement from the AIIMS orthopaedic department.
Dr. Atif Malik was invited and honored to be a guest speaker at the Pre-Medicon Conference at Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College in Sialkot, Pakistan on February 27, 2016.

Dr. Maliks presentation on Lumbar Endoscopic Discectomy was attended by neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, trainee surgeons, and medical students. Dr. Ahmad Tauqeer, organizer of the conference, was pleased to have had the opportunity to bring together international physicians, like Dr. Malik, to discuss state-of-the-art medical topics at this new medical school.

While in Pakistan, Dr. Malik also volunteered his time at several medical clinics in Lahore and Rawalpindi. I was able to treat several hundred patients here in Pakistan with various conditions ranging from disc herniations and spinal stenosis to many other musculoskeletal conditions which plague patients worldwide. The last time I came to Pakistan was with a team of American doctors that volunteered to assist after the 2005 Earthquake, which devastated several hundred thousand people here in Pakistan.

Im glad I got a chance to come here once again to lecture about endoscopic spine surgery, which I believe is the future of spinal surgery. Countries like Pakistan will truly benefit from endoscopic spine surgery, as patients heal more quickly without the aftereffect of traditional open spine surgery causing scar tissue and destabilization of the spine.

Dr. Malik has dedicated his practice to the advancement of minimally invasive spinal surgery and endoscopic spine surgery. He has trained surgeons internationally in endoscopic spine surgery and has been involved in the development of intradiscal transplantation of stem cells and platelet-rich plasma as well as laser surgery. He is an advocate of redefining the algorithm for the treatment of degenerative spinal disorders and the preservation of spinal segmental motion using minimally invasive techniques. Furthermore, he has authored peer-reviewed research journal articles, scientific abstracts, reviews, and book chapters in the fields of pain management and spine medicine.

Dr. Malik and American Spine are currently accepting referrals and new patients for both surgical and pain management appointments. To schedule an appointment at any of our offices, call 240-629-3939 or visit our website at http://www.americanspinemd.com for more information.
Marrington at Cobblestone opened the doors of its newest model home to celebrate the start of the neighborhoods final phase. Epcon Communities is offering the remaining 38 homesites for its maintenance-free, single-family, single-story homes.

Marrington at Cobblestone hosted a Grand Opening on Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13. Visitors toured the new, fully furnished model, and viewed the site plan of available properties. Several homes are now under construction in the final phase.

Like all Epcon Communities homes, the models Promenade design provides single-level living with an open floor plan that features a private courtyard and gourmet kitchen. Epcon includes all exterior maintenance in the homeowners association fee. Epcon was founded 30 years ago in Columbus, Ohio, by Ed Bacome and Phil Fankhauser, who still drive the companys mission to provide high quality and low maintenance living in friendly neighborhoods. Since 1986, Epcon has built more than 28,000 homes in 28 states.

Marrington at Cobblestone combines the convenience of maintenance-free living with a quality home in a neighborly community that has easy access to downtown Charleston, explains Nanette Overly, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Epcon Communities. Our focus is delivering what Epcon calls one remarkable experience to our residents, starting with the purchase and construction, and continuing to the enjoyment of living in a friendly, beautifully designed community.

The first phase of 60 homes was completed last year. While close to the beaches and historic Charleston, Marrington at Cobblestone is situated in a peaceful Carolina low country setting, chosen to create a retreat-like environment for residents. The palm trees, appealing weather, and rich heritage of the region provide the setting for a residence that feels like a daily vacation home. Marrington at Cobblestone homeowners will enjoy the existing amenities of this boutique-sized community, including a clubhouse, fitness facility, and pool.

Epcon Communities offers six different home designs for Marrington at Cobblestone, with prices starting in the low $200,000s.

The Grand Opening took place at the model home, located at 252 Village Stone Circle, in Summerville, and it is now open seven days a week. For more information about Marrington at Cobblestone and the upcoming Grand Opening, call (843) 821-4112 or visit http://www.epconcommunities.com.

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About Epcon Communities

Epcon Communities was founded in Dublin, OH, 1986, by Ed Bacome and Phil Fankhauser, to elevate the quality of home choices for people who were preparing to right-size their lives. Ten years later, they established a franchise network. Together, the Epcon Communities homebuilders have built more than 28,000 homes in 30 states. In 2006, Epcon Communities established Pathways of Hope, a charitable foundation that enables the company to give back to the people, groups, and communities who need help. For more information about Epcon Communities, visit http://www.epconcommunities.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Nanette Overly

Email: noverly(at)epconcommunities(dot)com

Phone: (614) 761-1010

Website: EpconCommunities.com
Signature Bank, Chicagos fastest growing independently owned business bank, kicked off the AM 560 Business Tour with a live broadcast on Primary Day in Illinois from their downtown branch in the 191 N. Wacker building. The building, known as the Wigwam and noted as the original site of the 1860 Republican Convention where Abraham Lincoln was nominated for President, served as the backdrop for Tuesdays live broadcast of AM 560s Chicagos Morning Answer with Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson.

The Signature Bank Business Tour turns the spotlight on businesses that are growing and thriving in Chicago and the surrounding area. AM 560 chose select businesses from a group of applicants to be part of the Business Tour. Each selected business has the opportunity to host a live broadcast of the AM 560 morning show from a location of their choice.

Signature Bank is proud to sponsor AM 560s Business Tour to show our commitment to the business community in Chicago and surrounding areas, said Mick ORourke, President and CEO of Signature Bank. Its just one way that we can publicly express our support for the growing entrepreneurial scene right here in the city.

Signature Bank has deep roots in Chicagos middle-market commercial banking arena. Its a fun market to be in, Kevin Bastuga, Co-founder and Executive Vice President of Signature Bank said during his interview with radio host, Dan Proft. There is a tremendous industrial base in Chicago along with hard-working people and thats who were here to support.

The Signature Bank Business Tour will continue through May with live broadcasts on AM 560 of Chicagos Morning Answer.

Signature Bank is headquartered at 9701 Higgins Road, Suite 500, Rosemont, IL 60018 and can be reached at 773-467-5600 or online at http://www.signature-bank.com.
BHC closed March 25, no classes March 26

All Black Hawk College facilities will be closed Friday, March 25. No classes Saturday, March 26.

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Knit, draw, learn new language with community ed classes

Community education classes at Black Hawk College cover a variety of topics.

Upcoming classes include:

 American Sign Language (ASL) - Intermediate  Tuesdays, March 29 to May 3, from 6-8 p.m. Cost is $110.

 French II Conversational (Part 2)  Mondays and Wednesdays, March 30 to April 18, from 6-8 p.m. Cost is $110.

 Watercolor Painting Reflections in Water  Mondays, April 4-25, from 9-11 a.m. Cost is $38.

 Beginning Knitting  Mondays, April 4-25 OR Wednesdays, April 6-27, both from 6-8 p.m. Cost is $48.

 Flower Drawing Using Color Pencils  Tuesdays, April 5-26, from 9-11 a.m. Cost is $38.

 Drawing Your Pet in Colored Pencil  Tuesdays, April 5-26, from noon to 2 p.m. Cost is $38.

Class locations vary. For class details, visit www.bhc.edu/pace. To register, call 309-796-8223.

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Discover new career as home health care provider

Want to help people and work in the medical field? Enroll in the new Family Home Health Care Provider program at Black Hawk College.

The program will cover the proper techniques for administering services commonly referred to as the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).

Choose from two sessions:

Fridays, April 1 to May 6, from 9:30-11 a.m. at the colleges Quad-Cities Campus in Moline.

Thursdays, April 7 to May 12, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the colleges Outreach Center in East Moline.

Cost is $130. To register, call 309-796-8223.

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Learn Windows 10, manage digital photos with BHC classes

Computer classes for all skill levels are available at Black Hawk College.

Coming up at the colleges Outreach Center in East Moline are:

Digital Photos Workshop  Monday, April 4 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Cost is $48.

Windows 10  Tuesday, April 5 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Cost is $52.

Lightroom for the Digital Photographer  Saturday, April 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $48.

For class details, visit www.bhc.edu/computers.

To register, call 309-796-8223.

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Foundations of management covered in BHC course

Black Hawk College offers the Foundations of Management Certificate Program for entry-level managers and supervisors. It provides the essential tools for supervising in todays workplace.

The course will be from 3-6 p.m. Thursdays, April 7 to May 26, at the colleges Outreach Center in East Moline.

Cost is $650. To register, call 309-796-8223.
MOLINE  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Starship Enterprise first boldly traveling "where no man has gone before," and the ensuing, unending "Star Trek" phenomenon will be celebrated in a show coming to the iWireless Center on Tuesday.

In "Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage," the most iconic film and TV footage from the franchise is beamed in high definition to a 40-foot-wide screen as the Czech National Symphony Orchestra performs some of the greatest music written for "Star Trek" in the past half-century.

"The 'Star Trek' franchise has, for many years, been an important and meaningful part of our culture in so many ways," said Justin Freer, a producer and conductor of the concert tour, in a recent press release. "This exciting concert experience, featuring the greatest music and visuals spanning five decades, will be an extraordinary and memorable event.

The first "Star Trek" TV series  starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy  blasted off Sept. 8, 1966. Only 79 episodes aired, and it ended June 3, 1969. But it has thrived in syndication, spawning five other TV series, 12 movies, 700-plus hours of content and more than 30 million YouTube views, according to the press release.

Some of the "Ultimate Voyage" concert music was created by composer Gerald Fried, who wrote for four episodes. He's best known for penning the fight music in "Amok Time." The "Star Trek" title theme was written by Alexander Courage.

"What was the magic that 'Star Trek' had? They told stories, not hokey stories of battles, but about people, the dynamics on the Enterprise," said Mr. Fried, an 88-year-old New York City native, in an interview last week. He thought the first series didn't last long because "it wasn't hip enough," he said.

A Juilliard-trained oboist, Mr. Fried was interested in jazz arranging, and he used to hang around Greenwich Village jazz clubs with people he called other "super nerds." One of those young men, with whom he'd gone to high school, saved his money and made a short film. The RKO studio bought it and needed to get it scored, Mr. Fried recalled.

"This nerd asked around; I was the only musician he knew. He asked me," he said. That nerd turned out to be Stanley Kubrick, who went on to direct "Dr. Strangelove," "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange." Mr. Fried provided the music for his first five films, including "Paths of Glory" (1957). "How were we supposed to know he was going to be famous?" he said, noting, back then, "he wasn't Stanley Kubrick."

As a composer, after moving to Los Angeles, Mr. Fried gained a reputation as "a guy with such confidence," he said. He went on to score more than 150 films and television shows, including "Gilligans Island," "Mission: Impossible" and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

"It's a lot of fun," the upbeat composer said in this week's interview, from his Santa Fe, N.M., home. He's earned an Emmy and one Oscar nomination, for Best Score for a 1974 documentary, "Birds Do It, Bees Do It." "That was from a generation when movies were magical," he said. "You see your name on the screen  I'm not a slob from the Bronx."

One of his career highlights was writing music for the 1977 miniseries "Roots" with Quincy Jones, for which they shared an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series.

Though he's 88 now, retirement isn't an option for Mr. Fried. "That's no fun," he said, adding that he's written stage musicals in recent years. "There's an excitement. I could never retire."

Tuesday night at the iWireless Center, "Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage" will be conducted by Justin Freer, who has a long list of full symphonic live-to-projection projects on his resume, ranging from "The Lord of the Rings" to "The Godfather" to "Gladiator."

He has led some of the worlds leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Sydney Symphony.

For more information about the show, visit startrekultimatevoyage.com.
SPRINGFIELD -- For decades, state governments have engaged in the unsavory practice of doling out subsidies to businesses that pit one state against another when deciding where to locate an enterprise.

Such practices are not only counterproductive but just plain wrong.

After all, the best way to help businesses is to improve the states overall business climate by reducing taxes and regulations and creating a level playing field where firms can compete.

But politicians like to cut ribbons and claim credit for the jobs they brought into the state.

Sadly, Illinois and Missouri politicians are no exception.

And the most recent competition between the Show Me State and the Land of Lincoln is even worse.

Illinois hopes to lure a federal facility to the Belleville area by providing as much as $115 million in infrastructure improvements to a site near Scott Air Force Base, Illinois News Network reported.

Taxpayers of St. Clair County also are offering 182 acres of land for the coveted $1.2 billion National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility. It would employ 3,100 people, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Missouri officials are countering with incentive packages that total $190 million, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.

The agency now is located in downtown St. Louis, but says it needs to move to a location where it can expand.

This is the ultimate race to the bottom, said Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union. One level of taxpayers is shelling out to keep another tax-funded entity happy. It is a competition that only taxpayers can ultimately lose.

I dont particularly like it when large corporations play one state against another to milk subsidies from taxpayers. Companies should pick the best location based on the states overall business climate and the needs of it customers.

But there is something especially unbecoming about the federal government pitting one state against another. Residents of Missouri and Illinois are federal taxpayers who already are helping fund this facility. Why should they chip in extra?

St. Louis and the Illinois metro-east area are essentially one economic area. No matter which state prevails, the agency will remain in the region.

From a strictly economic point of view, all that seems to be at stake is whether the 3,100 workers commute to a site in the metro-east or St. Louis.

The competition between the two states wont likely will not generate a single extra federal job for the area. But it will further deplete limited state resources.

Sepp said the upside for whichever state wins the competition is quite limited.

The very minor upside might be that a few businesses will be able to sell hamburgers and coffee to hungry employees on the other side of the river. But all of that is transitory. 

It is transitory, he said, because it simply moves economic activity around in the region. It doesnt generate new activity.

One would hope the federal government would pick the best site to serve its needs, regardless of what governments are offering.

Taxpayers deserve that much.
After more than 40 years Rod Tiley has called it a day, well fulltime at least. Im out of here.

Rod has been in the business since 1973 with his first gig at 4AM in Mareeba, North Queensland. Over the years Rod has worked as a Music Jock, Journalist, Sport Commentator, News Director and News Talk Presenter, with the Brisbane market being his home for many years including 4IP and fm104 in the day.

In 2000 he got the chance to try talkback with 4BC. He was sacked from 4BC, but then hired again not long after to join the newsroom. Since 2011 Rod has been the 6PR News Director in Perth.

"I'll still be around doing some fill-in stuff if they need me in news or programs and I'm happy to help out," he told WAToday.

WAToday has a great interview with Rod, you can view it here.
DISH Network has notified NBCUniversal and the US regulator the Federal Communications Commission of its intent to request arbitration to determine the terms and conditions of a renewed distribution agreement.

The move is the latest in a retrans row between the satellite operator and the content giant, which started when DISH filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against NBCUniversal in the US District Court in Illinois. Under the terms of the initial suit, if a deal had not been done by 20 March, Dish customers were at risk of losing access to NBCUniversal-owned cable networks such as USA, Bravo, Syfy, CNBC and MSNBC, as well as NBCUniversal-owned NBC and Telemundo stations in local markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Chicago and Miami.The arbitration notice triggers a mandatory 10-day cooling off period, during which DISH and NBCUniversal can continue negotiating and affected programming is required to remain available to DISH customers.DISH is committed to reaching a new distribution agreement with NBCUniversal and to not disrupt customers in the process, the company said in a statement. This 10-day cooling off period is an opportunity for continued negotiations while guaranteeing that NBCU cannot black out its networks to DISH customers. We remain hopeful that we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement that benefits all parties, including our viewers.DISH added that if at the end of the cooling off period it had not reached an agreement with NBCU, it would have up to five days to formally request arbitration. It assured that in the event of arbitration, affected programming would remain available during that process, and for the foreseeable future.
Property details:

A very nice piece of land is available right at Lake Manyara national park, in the heart of Tanzanias safari circuit, Africa. The land is on a prime location for the construction of a safari lodge or camp. The plot borders the open animal corridor, which allows wild animals to move freely between Lake Manyara and Tarangire national park. It is therefore easy to organize good bush walks right from the plot, a unique feature for a safari lodge/camp. Also Tarangire national park and the famous N...

Price: $ 61,000 Seller State of Residence: Tanzania (Africa) Property Address: Lake Manyara national park Zoning: Mixed Location: , Manyara

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Sometimes the college student struggle is too real. You want to do whats best for your skin and hair, but your finances just arent having it. With the money you already have to shell out for classes, clubs and simple necessities, theres just not a whole lot of money left over to dedicate to making sure you look your best. Here are five beauty hacks to help you get through those times when your dollar doesnt match up with your intentions.
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, file photo, a man views a fleet of Malaysia Airline planes on the tarmac of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, in Malaysia. The head of one of the worlds top air crash investigation agencies says not enough is being done to adopt already available technologies that can help prevent another plane with hundreds of passengers from simply disappearing like MH370. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul)

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By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  Airline-safety standards are changing in the wake of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 nearly two years ago, but the head of one of the world's top air crash investigation agencies says it's not happening fast enough.

On Wednesday, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the U.N. agency that sets global aviation standards, moved to address some of the more glaring safety gaps. Planes in "distress" will have to automatically report their position and other critical information at least every minute to help searchers find the wreckage. But the requirement will only apply to planes built six years from now or later.

It could take even longer to implement another ICAO change requiring new planes have a reliable means to recover information stored in "black box" data and cockpit voice recorders, rather than scouring the ocean floor for the boxes. Several existing technologies could do that, but ICAO's timeline means it could be a decade or more before planes equipped with those technologies begin entering service.

Chris Hart, chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, told The Associated Press that more should be done to put available technologies to use quickly.

"We are concerned about the slow pace of progress at both the national and international levels," Hart said. "We believe this is long overdue."

Here's a look at what has changed, what has not and what is in the works.

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FLIGHT TRACKING

As a result of MH370, ICAO has approved a requirement that all airliners report their position about every 15 minutes over open ocean by November 2018. Pilots of planes flying over open ocean have typically reported their position about every 30 minutes.

Inmarsat, a provider of satellite flight tracking services, has offered free tracking to all long-haul carriers. But there are gaps in Inmarsat's coverage of the globe.

Another aircraft-tracking provider, Aireon LLC, has partnered with Iridium Communications, which has a network of 66 low-orbit satellites, and says it plans to offer flight tracking of virtually all of the world's airspace beginning in 2018. In order to use the system, planes must be equipped with special satellite communications technology known as ADS-B.

Besides flight tracking, ADS-B can be used to prevent collisions and allow planes to fly closer together. Aircraft manufacturers are already including the technology in new planes, but airlines are still in the process of equipping older planes, which is expensive.

The United States has set a deadline of 2020 for airlines operating in its airspace to equip their planes. There is no international deadline.

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FINDING WRECKAGE

Flight tracking is helpful, but may not narrow a search area enough to reliably find a plane. Instead, aviation officials want planes to automatically send out position reports at least once per minute when they are trouble.

At normal flight speeds, minute-by-minute reports would provide authorities with a search area of a little over 100 square miles. If reports are less frequent, the search area grows much larger.

ICAO's newly adopted requirement for automatic, minute-by-minute reports by planes in distress applies only to planes made after Jan. 1, 2021.

Many planes are already equipped to send periodic short automatic messages to ground stations via VFR radio or satellite using a digital datalink system. In 2009, a burst of such brief messages from Air France flight 447 provided searchers enough information to find wreckage from the plane just days after it disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. However, it still took two years before the plane's black boxes were recovered.

In the case of MH370, the Boeing 777 was also equipped with the technology to send such messages, but the service wasn't in use. Airlines typically use the systems to relay information on how the plane and its engines are functioning so that maintenance personnel and equipment can be positioned at its next destination if needed.

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FLIGHT RECORDERS

MH370's flight data recorder was equipped with an underwater locator beacon designed to last 30 days. ICAO standards adopted before the plane's disappearance require the beacons to last 90 days beginning in 2018.

This week, ICAO approved a requirement that new aircraft designs approved after Jan. 1, 2021, have some means for retrieving a plane's recorders, or the information contained in them, before the recorder sinks to the ocean floor. One possibility is a deployable recorder that automatically ejects from a plane upon impact and floats to the ocean's surface. They're widely used in military aircraft, but Boeing says cases where they'll be needed are likely to be fewer than instances in which they accidently deploy, potentially causing injuries and property damage.

An alternative is to have planes in distress automatically relay the data via satellite to ground stations, eliminating the need to search for the box. But there are many unanswered questions about security and custody of the information.

Even then, it might be 2028 or later before planes with either deployable recorders or a means to transmit the recorder's data before a crash enter service because of the time lag between the approval of new plane designs and when they are ready to fly.

The new requirements don't include cockpit voice recordings. MH370 contained a two-hour voice recorder that recorded in a continuous loop. Even if the recorder is ever found, it is likely that critical information from early in the flight was erased.

ICAO also adopted a standard this week requiring planes manufactured after Jan. 1, 2021, to include 25-hour voice recorders to capture an entire flight, as well as crew preparations beforehand. The requirement doesn't apply to planes already in service, which can have lifespans of 20 years or more.

Crash investigations have shown that even when voice recorders cover the length of the flight, they don't always reveal the whole story of what happened in the cockpit. They've been pushing for image or video recordings as well, but pilot unions have resisted that as too intrusive.
In this photo taken on Thursday, March 3, 2016, Harper Ortlieb, from Mount Hood, Oregon, leaves a scene after performing at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia. Among the dozen 15-year-old girls in lavender leotards in Tatyana Galtsevas class at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, one is different. She is Harper Ortlieb, an American, who left her small town in Oregon to move to Moscow to follow her dream of becoming a prima ballerina. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

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By LYNN BERRY, Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP)  Among the dozen 15-year-old girls in lavender leotards in Tatyana Galtseva's class at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, one is different. And it's not just because of her long, swan-like neck.

She is Harper Ortlieb, an American, who left her small town in Oregon to move to Moscow to follow her dream of becoming a prima ballerina.

The prestigious academy has 84 foreigners among its 721 students, but few are accepted when they are as young as Harper and few are integrated into the regular Russian program.

"She is a very gifted girl. She is all ballet, all inspiration," Galtseva said. "When children are talented, regardless of their nationality, they are alike in some way in how they approach what they do."

The Bolshoi took notice of Harper during a summer program it held in Connecticut and offered her a place in the Moscow academy. She knew her teachers would be tough and that it would be a challenge to be so far away from home, but it has been even harder than she expected.

"It's been very difficult, but with that comes strength and with that I improve," Harper said. "I feel like I came here to get better, to improve, not only technically but emotionally so when I dance people see something."

One concern for her parents in the decision to send their daughter, then 14, to Moscow was the strain in U.S.-Russian relations and the strong anti-American sentiments in Russian society.

Harper, though, says she feels accepted by her classmates. Her teacher concurs, noting that just that morning some of the other girls had brought her a skirt to wear over her leotard because they were expecting a visit to the class by foreign journalists.

In her Moscow neighborhood, the women in her favorite grocery store have taken a shine to the delicate American teen, helping her pick out fresh fruit and keeping her favorite almond butter stocked. And in the local Starbucks they have learned to spell her unusual name on her cup.

A total of 17 Americans study at the Bolshoi academy, outnumbered among the foreign students only by the 28 from Japan, with the rest coming from 22 other countries. Some of the foreign students took part in the spring concert on Thursday evening, and Harper was among the few girls from her class chosen for two of the dances.

"Preparing for a performance, it's all you think about. It kind of overtakes your mind," she said. "Preparing for exams, I'm always very nervous. There's a lot of stress. But with that stress, you know, comes happiness and you feel overjoyed when you're dancing, you forget about everything, you forget about the sacrifices you make, you forget about the pain, or the tears. Dancing is what makes me happy, no matter how much you have to sacrifice."

Her teacher believes Harper has what it takes to be a classical ballerina, possessing not just the necessary physical and aesthetic qualities but the will to learn.

"She is extraordinarily attentive," Galtseva said. "She is always smiling. Such a sweet, wonderful girl."

If Harper wants to be one of those rare foreigners who receive a diploma from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, she has three more difficult years ahead. But now she has her mother back by her side.

Harper's mother, Layne Baumann, made two trips to Moscow after she and her husband, Tim Ortlieb, dropped off their only child in September. In February, Baumann decided to move to Moscow at least for the rest of the school year, and she now rents an apartment two blocks from the academy, which has allowed Harper to move out of the dormitory.

At the end of each day, Baumann talks to her daughter about what she learned in class and logs onto Skype so Harper's father can join the conversation from their home in Mount Hood, Oregon, 11 time zones away.

In addition to her dance classes, Harper has Russian language lessons every day at the academy. For her other subjects, she does online classes in the evenings and on weekends. On Sundays, her only day off, she and her mother often explore their new city. They also have already seen more performances at the Bolshoi Theater than most Russians see in a lifetime.

Harper started ballet at a local dance school when she was 3 years old. When she turned 11, she was accepted to the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland, a three-hour roundtrip journey that she and her mother made six days a week.

"Being 3 in ballet class, it's fun and games," Harper said, smiling at the recollection. "My teacher was wonderful, it was so much fun. And then once I got more professional I realized how much you have to sacrifice, and how difficult it is."

She talks about learning to deal with the pain of wearing pointe shoes and the constant feeling of doubt that she's not good enough.

"And I'm not good enough. I mean, I'm not," Harper said. "We have to wait. I have to work harder."


SHARE Patrick Francis Brooks Date of birth: Aug. 10, 1989 Vitals: 6 feet; 140 pounds; brown hair, hazel eyes Charge: Carrying concealed dirk or dagger Amber Kristine Evers Date of birth: July 9, 1983 Vitals: 5 feet, 8 inches; 225 pounds; brown hair, hazel eyes Charge: Fraud to obtain aid Kurt Richford Kuhn Date of birth: May 20, 1966 Vitals: 6 feet; 175 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Revocation of probation Michael Shane Martinez Date of birth: Aug. 7, 1977 Vitals: 5 feet, 11 inches; 175 pounds; brown hair, blue eyes Charge: Vehicle theft

By Staff Reports

Shasta's Most Wanted, featured in the Record Searchlight in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, targets people who have failed to show up in court for sentencing after being convicted.

As of Friday a total of 570 arrests have been made through the Most Wanted program since it began in September 2013. One of today's Most Wanted is Patrick Francis Brooks, whose booking photo, which shows an obscene forehead tattoo, made international news in 2011.

Authorities say they have seen an increase in criminals failing to appear in court since the onset of Assembly Bill 109. Also known as prison realignment, the state program shifted certain state prison inmates to county supervision.

Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti said court appearances have been going up since the rollout.

Five new people are added each week. Those caught will be held until at least their next court appearances. Shasta County Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $250 for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to call 245-6540 or 243-2319. The feature appears Sundays in the Record Searchlight's Northern California section and on Redding.com.
Remains of veterans are given their final resting place Saturday at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo. The remains of 21 veterans, some of whom served during the Vietnam War era, were honored with a full military ceremony during the seventh annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans event.

SHARE Robert Grandbois, president of the American Legion Riders, carries the remains of Richard Robert Kennedy at the beginning of the ceremony on Saturday morning at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo. Staff Sgt. Morgan Akin, with the Semper Fi 2 organization, places the remains of veterans on a table to get ready for Saturday's ceremony at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery. The remains of veterans are carried toward their resting place at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo on Saturday. The Kimmel family from Banks, Oregon, listen to the names of veterans during the ceremony Saturday at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo. Related Photos Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans 2016

By Staff Reports

A pair of events  one in Igo and the other in Redding  on Saturday honored Shasta County's Vietnam veterans, including the 46 who were killed in the war.

The day began at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery with a ceremony honoring those who died in Vietnam. Nearly two dozen other veterans  some of whom served in Vietnam  were also interred by the Redding-based Missing in America Project.

About 100 people, mostly veterans, gathered later in the day at the Redding Veterans Memorial Hall on Yuba Street in downtown Redding to share a meal provided by the Sons of Italy, cake and stories.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day is now in its seventh year of local observance. The event is sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 357. In addition to paying tribute to those who served in Vietnam, the event also aims at erasing the bitter memory of some Vietnam veterans who did not receive a warm welcome after their service.
In this March 17, 2016, photo, 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., on Capitol Hill in Washington. Garlands record as a judge over nearly two decades indicates he would side more often than not with the Supreme Courts liberal justices on a range of cases that split the court along ideological lines. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  Merrick Garland's judicial record over nearly two decades indicates he would side more often than not with the Supreme Court's liberal justices on a range of cases splitting the court along ideological lines.

The real question, to be answered definitively only if Garland wins Senate confirmation, is how far to the left would the court shift if a new liberal majority were in place.

Garland's ascension could well be a game-changing moment that would make the court significantly more liberal on social issues, government regulation and access to the courts. That's driving Republicans to demand that any choice to fill the seat held by Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last month, must wait until after the next president takes office in January 2017.

Yet liberals who wanted President Barack Obama to make a bold choice are voicing mostly tepid support for Garland, even as they called on Republicans to allow hearings and a vote on the nomination.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Thursday that should he win in November, he would want the White House to withdraw Garland's nomination if the Senate hadn't acted by then. "Between you and me, I think there are some more progressive judges out there," Sanders told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

Supporters of Garland's nomination say the left-right assessment misses the mark.

"Some justices want to move the law in a particular direction if the cases come along. I think Judge Garland is the opposite of that. I think he is a judge who believes that the appropriate role is to look at the case in front of him and decide it the best way he can and as narrowly as he can," said Andrew Pincus, a Washington lawyer who argues regularly at the Supreme Court.

In Garland's votes and opinions on the federal appeals court in Washington, he often deferred to the policy choices of lawmakers, to regulations developed by federal agencies and to the actions of police and prosecutors. Like all lower court judges, he also was constrained by Supreme Court decisions.

"The bottom line is there's little doubt that Merrick Garland will be with the new liberal majority in all the 5-4 cases that have gone the other way, ranging from campaign finance to voting rights and affirmative action," said Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the nonpartisan National Constitution Center.

That would put Garland somewhere to the left of Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote was decisive in so many controversial cases, and well to the left of Scalia in most areas. Garland might resemble Justice Stephen Breyer, another longtime appeals court judge who is a reliable liberal vote, though he and Scalia would sometimes effectively trade places in criminal cases.

Harder to predict, based on his record, is what Garland would do in cases that ask the high court to jettison one of its decisions.

As it happens, that's precisely what Sanders and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton want the court to do with the 2010 Citizens United ruling on campaign finance that's hated by their party. Citizens United was a 5-4 outcome with Scalia in the majority.

Garland's record in campaign finance cases in recent years is mixed.

He joined his colleagues in a unanimous vote to strike down limits on contributions to independent advocacy groups, a decision that led to the rise of super political action committees.

The court concluded that its ruling in March 2010 was compelled by the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case two months earlier that freed corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited sums of money in elections for Congress and president, though independent of any campaign for office.

In a second case, Garland wrote for a unanimous court last July to uphold a 70-year-old ban on campaign contributions from people who hold contracts with the federal government. Garland wrote that the ban was in line with the government's interest in preventing corruption.

Election law expert Richard Hasen of the University of California at Irvine law school wrote that he is persuaded that Garland would vote to uphold challenged campaign finance restrictions like the one he confronted last year.

And if he had been on the court when Citizens United was decided, he would have been with the dissenters, Hasen said. But the issue now is whether Garland would be willing to overturn the ruling.

"My guess is that this would be a struggle for him, less about the merits of the case and more about the proper role of the justice (particularly if he becomes the new swing justice) on a court that is ideologically and politically divided," Hasen said in an email.

Guns rights advocates point to two votes that they say make them worry that Garland also could vote to overturn the Supreme Court's 2008 ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller, written by Scalia, that proclaimed an individual's right to own a gun, at least for self-defense at home. That, too, was a 5-4 ruling.

In 2000, Garland was part of a 2-1 majority that said the FBI could retain gun purchase records for six months to make sure the computerized instant background check system was working. The FBI's position was challenged by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups.

Seven years later, Garland wanted the full court to reconsider a decision by a three-judge panel that struck down Washington's ban on handgun ownership. The appeals court voted 6-4 against a new hearing in the case, for which Scalia later wrote the majority opinion.

The court where he's served since 1997, and as chief judge since 2013, also handles the lion's share of challenges to federal regulations, including actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency. Scalia had been a leading critic on the court of EPA climate-change policy, and his death is a potentially devastating loss to opponents of efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Garland, on the other hand, has been friendlier to EPA action.

He drew the ire of industry groups in 2001 when he upheld use of the Endangered Species Act to protect the arroyo toad in California, rejecting arguments that federal officials lacked authority because the toad lived only in California. He also dissented in a case that overturned the EPA's anti-haze regulations, which business groups considered overly burdensome.

___

Associated Press writer Sam Hananel contributed to this report.
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By Tom Bestor

At this crucial time in the fight for equality, it is irresponsible of the Record Searchlight to allow such brazen poppycock as that written by Joseph Busey ("Speak Your Piece," June 8) to appear in the pages of the paper.

Busey's basic thesis is that sexuality is not an inborn trait, simply because the research he has seen offers no definitive proof. Remind Busey that science in general is very skeptical of the idea of "proof." Scientists are big on consensus, not so big on certainty. However, the current consensus is not what Busey presents it.

Busey references only one scientific study, that by Simon LeVay. LeVay's findings have been controversial, which may be why his study is the only one Busey mentions. Despite the fact that recent research done at Oregon State University lends weight to the conclusions reached by LeVay, there is much other research to be considered. (And not that done by the Family Research Institute and NARTH, both of which are tied to right-wing religious organizations. NARTH advocates conversion therapy, which has been discounted by both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association. The Family Research Institute's 2005 budget was less than $200,000, not enough to conduct any meaningful research. Its Web site lists only two scientists on staff, and the organization is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.)

So let's look at the state of true scientific inquiry into how homosexuality presents itself in human beings.

First, twin studies. Recent studies have found that when one identical twin is gay, there is a 52 percent chance the other is also gay; if one fraternal twin is gay, the probability the other twin is gay drops to 22 percent; and if one separate-birth sibling is gay, there is only a 6 percent to 10 percent chance another sibling will be gay. This indicates both heritability and that something environmental (probably hormone levels in utero) is at play. This is reinforced by the fact that more recent studies have indicated that when identical twins share an amniotic sack, they nearly always have the same orientation, gay or straight.

Look also at studies on fraternal birth order. Ray Blanchard and colleagues discovered accidentally that each time a woman gives birth to a son, the chance that the boy will be gay increases by about 30 percent. Older sisters do not affect the probability, only older brothers. Blanchard argues that this indicates an immunoresponse by the mother to the presence of a male child.

There are also studies that have shown differences in finger length between heterosexuals and homosexuals. The results of these studies have been verified and reproduced.

Sexuality is about as much a "choice" as handedness is.

As recently as the last century, teachers would tie a child's left hand in a vain attempt to make them right-handed. While a left-handed person can force himself to write right-handed, just as a gay person can force himself to live a heterosexual lifestyle, that doesn't make the leftie a rightie or the gay man straight. Some people (the ambidextrous or the bisexual) would find it relatively easy to move from one behavior to the other, but for most of us, changing our sexuality would be as impossible as learning to write as precisely or throw a ball as accurately with our non-dominant hand as with our dominant hand.

Science doesn't have "proof" as to what causes left-handedness, either. Like sexuality, it is probably a combination of genetics and in utero environmental factors, reinforced in early childhood by societal norms. But it's clear that both are most likely fixed at birth.

Busey has done the readers of the Redding Record Searchlight a great disservice by presenting his misguided opinions as being representative of the scientific community at large.

Sexuality is not strictly a genetic trait, like skin color or eye color, but it is certainly not a conscious choice people make. Even if it were, that's still no reason to deny marriage equality to the more than 1 million gay people living in California. Religion is a choice, and laws prevent discrimination on that basis.

I hope the readers of the Record Searchlight will look at these matters with an open mind, and remember that the equality being sought is civil equality, and every church will still retain the right to deny marriage to anyone they wish. Are Californians truly ready to write discrimination into our constitution so that a group of people who are different from birth will be treated unequally? I don't think so. I think we are better than that.

Tom Bestor is a writer in San Rafael.
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Those charged with building California's north-south bullet train system have been more or less making it up as they go along.

Preliminary construction is underway on a 118-mile stretch of track in the San Joaquin Valley, but what, if anything, happens after that section  from Madera to a field near Shafter  is finished has been, to put it charitably, uncertain.

For years, the California High-Speed Rail Authority has said it wouldn't immediately extend the San Joaquin Valley section, but rather skip to connecting Palmdale with Burbank in Southern California.

Why? Apparently, it believed that Palmdale-Burbank could attract enough commuters to actually generate income. However, it drew fire from poor communities along the route.

In February, as a legal challenge to the project's viability was pending before a Sacramento judge, project managers suddenly switched course. Citing the high costs of the Southern California segment, they issued a new "business plan" that proposed, instead, to next link Madera with San Francisco through San Jose.

A few days later, Judge Michael Kenny rejected the challenge, saying, in essence, that the project had not gotten to the point that its legality could be judged.

He referred to it as "an ongoing, dynamic, changing project," echoing an earlier appellate court declaration that "because there is no final funding plan and the design of the project remains in flux ... we simply cannot determine whether the project will comply with the specific requirements of the (2008) bond act."

The CHSRA's abrupt change in its business plan underscores the judges' characterization of the project as an ever-moving target, as does an even more recent change in the Southern California route.

The Legislative Analyst's Office makes similar conclusions in an analysis of the new business plan that was issued Thursday.

Due to its ever-evolving design and uncertainty over its financing, the LAO report says, it's impossible to say whether the project is proceeding well.

For instance, the latest business plan assumes that the project will receive a big hunk of the cap-and-trade fees that the Air Resources Board is collecting on carbon dioxide emissions for decades to come and can "securitize" the revenue, presumably either through bonds or a federal loan, to obtain enough money to build the Northern California segment.

But the authority to impose the fees runs out in four years, as the LAO notes, and would have to be more or less permanently renewed to become a reliable source of revenue to service the envisioned loan.

The LAO doesn't mention two other factors  a pending lawsuit filed by business groups contending that the fees are a tax that would have to be approved by the Legislature on a two-thirds vote and a pending ballot measure that would require revenue-based bonds to receive approval in a statewide election.

The future availability of cap-and-trade fees is just one of "several uncertainties." The biggest is that the CHSRA hasn't yet said how the entire system construction, now pegged at $64 billion, would be financed.

Email Dan Walters at dwalters@sacbee.com.
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The fight over the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas terminal and its pipeline may not be entirely over, but just about everyone involved  and especially the opposition  was shocked by the denial of the massive project just north of our region.

Perhaps the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's rejection of the LNG project offers some hope that people can indeed be heard through the marble that encases much of Washington, D.C.

FERC issued its denial Friday, saying the poorly defined benefits of the project were outweighed by the costs to private landowners, whose properties would carry more than two-thirds of the 230-mile pipeline. The pipeline would have extended across territory North State residents are familiar with  from Malin in Klamath County to Coos Bay on the Oregon coast, crossing rivers, streams and mountain ranges.

The combination of private property rights and environmental concerns produced a coalition that was loud and persistent in opposing the project. In the end, it seemed to be the intrusion on private property  along with economic questions  that carried the most weight in the denial.

While the economic issue helped kill the LNG project, it also leaves the door open a crack for Canadian-based energy company Veresen and pipeline company Williams Partners to bring it back from the dead. FERC notably said the companies could resubmit the proposal when and if they can demonstrate a "market need" for the project. That suggests that improved project economics could produce the necessary benefit to overcome the costs to property owners.

Of course, much of the debate has been whether it's even appropriate to consider the profits of private companies as a benefit. When the project switched from importing gas to exporting it, that became a much more dubious argument.

There are more losers in the FERC decision than the companies. Coos Bay had high hopes for the jobs the projects would create in construction and operation of the plant and pipeline. Lord knows the Southern Oregon coast needs jobs as its timber and fisheries economy is virtually dead. While not all residents there supported the project, it was clearly popular among the business and blue-collar segments of the community.

The company billed it as "the largest commercial venture in Oregon history."

Those supporters will now have to rest their hopes on an expected rehearing request from the two companies. They have 30 days to file what is in essence an appeal and say they intend to do that and intend to solidify their economic case. Should the rehearing produce the same denial, the companies would have the opportunity to refile when and if they are better able to establish the benefits of the project.

So opponents can breathe a sigh of relief. But the fight is not over yet.

This editorial originally appeared in The (Medford) Mail Tribune.
Lenders have lined up a number of home loan products that can fit every aspirants annual income.

Budget 2016-17 is just behind us and its nuances are still being figured out. While the common man is a tad disappointed because no increase in tax exemptions have been announced, it will be a gross understatement to say that the finance minister has not paid heed to the needs of the salaried taxpayer at all. In fact, many announcements were made specifically with regards to the dreams of a home owner, especially if s/he is seeking property in the affordable segment.

For instance, for a home buyer buying a property for the very first time, an additional deduction of Rs 50,000 is allowed if loan amount is less than Rs 35 lakh, is sanctioned in 2016-17 and cost of house is under Rs 50 lakh. With this in mind if you are looking at some home loan products, here is a kitty of interesting products that have been launched recently.

Wooing the young customer

State Bank of India (SBI), the largest commercial bank in the country launched a new home loan product targeted at young professionals that it christened FlexiPay Home Loan. This product proposes to take into consideration the net monthly income of the prospective borrower and disburses a higher amount as opposed to what s/he would have been eligible for under normal home loan schemes. It also offers them an interest moratorium of 3 to 5 years.

According to the bank, this is a product that is looking at the aspirational customer who can choose to pay only the interest component of the loan for the first three to five years after which s/he is in a position to pay a regular EMI, as s/he moves upwards in her/his career path. The bank envisages that a product like this provides the much needed bridge between the demand for quality residential spaces and the affordability of the customer when s/he is young, ambitious and aspiring.

For the middle aged aspirant

Some of you may have dared to dream of purchasing your own property a little late in life, but are skeptical of approaching a lender because you feel that your application may be rejected just because of the age factor. Sensing the need to cater to this large middle aged segment in particular, ICICI Bank in mid-2015 launched a product called ICICI Bank Extraa Home Loan suitable for salaried borrowers up to 48 years of age.

The essential difference between regular home loan products and this particular product is that it allows the borrower to enhance her/his home loan amount by 20 per cent and the option to extend her/his repayment period up to the age of 67 years, that is, after her/his retirement. This is the countrys first mortgage backed product and is suited for not just the salaried individual but the self-employed as well those who may have had the confidence to purchase a property a few years after they have invested in establishing themselves as a proprietor.

For the small borrowers

The thrust of the NDA government is on development and the finance minister in his budget speech too clearly indicated that his government stands by the weaker sections of the society. Lenders are thus busy designing products that cater to the lower middle class and the lower income group. Already some interesting products have made a foray into this space.

For instance, there is Fullerton India Housing Finance Company, a part of the TAMASEK Group of Singapore that is offering home loans specifically designed for agriculturists and allied groups under a brand of loans christened Grihashakti. The average size of the credit in the range of Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and the annual gross household income for eligibility is Rs 1.2 lakh.

These loans will be made available to the agricultural segment for both purchase as well as construction of property.

Doling out similar kind of loans in the lower income group and targeting the women borrowers in particular, Aspire Home Finance Corporation Limited (AHFCL), a subsidiary of Motilal Oswal Financial Services has launched Mahila Awas Loan from Aspire that is being popularised by its acronym MALA.

With a credit disbursal range kept in the range of Rs 2 lakh to 12 lakh this product is being sold to salaried working women in private companies, small scale industries, housekeeping staff, and other self-employed women running their own business.

In keeping with the government proposal of providing housing for all by 2022, the lenders are going all out to cater to untapped segments of the society that they realise have large aspirations. In the days to come, one can say with reasonable assurance that there will be many newer products that will be tailor-made to cater to affordability.

If you are a middle class salaried individual gearing up to buy your first property, this may be a right time to take a plunge. But before you do that, do bear in mind that your CIBIL score will have a key role to play in your credit assessment. Therefore, it is an imperative that your CIBIL score remains at the level of 750 and above (out of 900) and your CIBIL report is blemish free.

Photograph: Bastian Sander/Creative Commons

The author is a credit expert with 10 years of experience in personal finance and consumer banking industry and another 7 years in credit bureau sector. Rajiv was instrumental in setting up India's first credit bureau, Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited (CIBIL). He has also worked with Citibank, Canara Bank, HDFC Bank, IDBI Bank and Experian in various capacities.
Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti is likely to call a meeting of senior party leaders in the coming days to clear the "misgivings" about the deadlock over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"The PDP president is likely to hold a meeting with senior party leaders in the next few days to inform them about the last week's developments on government formation," sources in the PDP said.

The sources said the date of the meeting has not been finalised yet as several senior party leaders are stuck in Jammu "due to closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway".

The PDP and the BJP failed to end the deadlock on government formation as the meeting between their respective party presidents -- Mehbooba and Amit Shah on Thursday -- could not make any headway.

While the BJP said it could not form the government based on fresh conditions put forth by the PDP, the regional party maintained that there were no new demands made by it but it only wanted assurances on a timeframe for implementation of the "Agenda of Alliance" agreed between the two parties last year.

"The BJP is trying to give an impression that the PDP is making some new demands for the government formation which is not true.We only want implementation of the agenda of alliance.These misgvings have to be cleared," the PDP source said.

The sources said the issues flagged by the PDP president during her meeting with BJP top leaders are part of the agenda of alliance which was finalised by PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with the national party.

"The PDP president has made it clear time and again that she will stand by her father's decision of forming an alliance with the BJP as he was convinced that it is in the interests of the people of the state. All that Mehbooba wants to ensure is that the promises made to her father in terms of political initiatives and economic progress of the state see the light of the day," they said.

The sources said Mehbooba may also hold a press conference "in a day or two" to put forth her party's stand on the ongoing deadlock.

Jammu and Kashmir was put under Governor's Rule on January 8, a day after the death of incument Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

If the deadlock over government formation continues, Governor N N Vohra, who has been the helm of administrative affairs in the state for over two months now, will have not option but to dissolve and assembly and recommend holding of fresh assembly elections.

While the legal experts in Srinagar are divided on the section of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir to be applied for dissolution of the assembly, Vohra will have to do it between April 9 and July 8 this year.

According to Section 53 of the state constitution, the Governor is bound to dissolve the assembly if more than six months lapse between the last sitting and first sitting of two sessions of the legislature.

The sitting of the assembly was held on October 10 last year.

According to section 92, Governor's Rule will automatically come to an end after six months of its imposition.

"Any such Proclamation (Governor Rule) whether varied under subsection (2) or not, shall except where it is a Proclamation revoking a previous Proclamation, cease to operate on the expiration of six months from the date on which it was first issued," subsection 3 of Section 92 reads.

The PDP emerged as the single largest party in the 2014 assembly polls with 28 seats (now 27 only following Sayeed's death) in the 87-member house.

The BJP has 25 seats followed by National Conference (15) and Congress (12) and People's Conference (two).
What you need to know about Powerball and the $580 million jackpot
The Abilene Chamber of Commerce's popular Business Expo is stepping into the ring for another year with a professional wrestling theme and new elements to shake up the event's classic formula.

Featuring a 20-by-20 wresting ring in the middle of the exhibit hall and "celebrity wrestling" matches throughout the day, the goal is to keep the event's popular networking intact while providing something new, said Kim Bosher, the chamber's director of events.

"We're excited to see how (those changes are) going to be accepted," she said. "We're looking to appeal to some of our younger professionals and to keep it fresh and high energy."

The event is Wednesday at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 North 6th Street, starting with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. and running until 4:30 p.m.

All Chamber of Commerce members have tickets available, or free tickets can be picked up at the chamber office, 174 Cypress St., until the day of the event.

Tickets will be $5 at the door.

More than 200 exhibitors will participate, offering business-to-business networking opportunities and plenty of chances to snag some free corporate-branded goodies. (Pens. So many pens.)

"We're very excited this year that the show is completely sold out as far as booth space," she said. "Of course, we're hoping for record crowds."

The celebrity matches feature local television personalities, restaurateurs, fitness professionals and others battling it out in unique  and potentially humorous  ways.

From tongue-twisters to a chocolate pie-eating throwdown to a dance-off, the events hopefully capture some of the "hype and energy" of real wresting, Bosher said, providing a bit of fun and diversion throughout the day.

Also featured will be the "Action Zone Food Truck Court," sponsored by Taylor Electric Co. Featuring Vagabond Wood-Fired Pizza, Stillwater Barbecue and the Toasted Traveler at the south entrance of the Civic Center.

The trucks will be serving from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with some likely opening earlier and some likely staying later.

"Everyone can enjoy our food trucks this year, rather than bringing in boxed lunches for the exhibitors as we have in the past," she said. Tickets for meals will be available for exhibitors, but anyone can buy a lunch from the bounty on hand.

Once the Expo proper is tapped out, networking opportunities are far from over. The Business After Hours event begins shortly thereafter, running from 5-7 p.m., featuring the winners of the Small Business of the Year Award and the Corporate Star Award.
Incident reports released Saturday by the Abilene Police Department:

Assault, Fairway Oaks Boulevard, Friday

A 44-year-old man reported being assaulted by his girlfriend, causing minor injuries. The man will not press charges.

Theft, 1600 block of Butternut Street, Friday

The owner of a southside business reported an employee had several shortages when attempting to balance the register. The owner suspected the employee of stealing. The employee has been fired.

Criminal trespass, 400 block of Pine Street, Saturday

Criminal trespass was in progress when a security company caught multiple subjects on the property. The subjects were warned of criminal trespass.

Unlawful interception, 2300 block of South 41st Street, Friday

A 19-year-old woman reported that her ex-boyfriend sent nude photos of her to her family.

Burglary with intent to commit assault, 2800 block of South 41st Street, Friday

A man reportedly entered an apartment without permission and choked his daughter, a juvenile. The victim will press charges and wanted to be contacted by the NOAH Project.

Assault, 2700 block of Forrest Avenue, Saturday

A 47-year-old man reported being assaulted by known suspects.

Assault, 2100 block of Highway 351, Saturday

A 24-year-old woman reported being punched by her ex-boyfriend, causing visible injury.

Criminal mischief, 2700 block of North First Street, Saturday

A business reported that an unknown suspect busted out a front window, causing $1,200 worth of damage.

Theft, 900 block of North LaSalle Drive, Saturday

A 40-year-old woman reported a 35-year-old man stole her vehicle while she was asleep.
The Taylor County Republican Convention on Saturday at the Abilene Women's Club lasted longer than it normally does, but it wasn't because of disagreements between the delegates.

The reason for the more-than-three-hour duration of the meeting was because precinct meetings, normally held the night of the primary elections, were moved to Saturday morning prior to the county convention. This was because Taylor County residents no longer have to vote in their precincts and can instead choose any of the 20 voting centers located throughout the county.

The delegates also split into two groups because the county is represented by both Senate Districts 24 and 28.

"It was a question of logistics," said Clinton Nix, who was elected the permanent chairman of the District 24 convention by proclamation and who ran the District 24 convention. "There were people who didn't vote in their precinct and we would have had to come up with locations (for the precinct meetings) because the precinct may not have had a polling place."

Nix noted that resolutions used to be crafted at the precinct meetings held on primary night and were then gathered to be presented at the county convention. This year, the resolutions were made Saturday morning and then either adopted or not later in the convention.

The convention also selected delegates to the state Republican convention, which will be held in May in Dallas.

Eight resolutions were presented to the convention, six of which were adopted. Resolutions to remove state-designed end-of-course exams in favor of exams created by teachers and resolutions that restricted refugees into the state were passed without opposition. A resolution to repeal the state lottery was adopted, but not without drawing opposition.

However, resolutions that would increase state funding for mental health patients to $60-$80 per capita and give victims of terrorist attacks the ability to sue religions and other organizations that might have fomented the attacks were voted down.

Curtis Donaldson, a delegate from Precinct 305, was attending his first county convention, though he said he had been active in local politics for years.

"I've usually had to work when the county conventions were held," he said.

Donaldson said he was interested in stopping sanctuary cities in Texas ("Immigration is a big issue for me," he said), and was happy to see resolutions being presented that addressed that issue. He also said he had hoped to meet the chairman of Precinct 305, who did not attend on Saturday.

"I think I'll be running for precinct chair," he said.

Donaldson was one of the delegates selected to go to the state convention.

The attendees also heard from eight candidates, seven of whom are in run-off elections on May 24. Glen Robertson and Jodey Arrington, the first and second finishers in the race for the nomination for the District 19 congressional seat being vacated by Randy Neugebauer, made the trip from Lubbock and both made the same promise: People in Abilene will be seeing a lot of them in the next two months.

"You're going to get tired of seeing me," Arrington said.

Robertson wasn't to be outdone.

"I apologize, but you're going to be seeing a lot of me in the next two months," he said.

Robertson characterized the race as being between the "grassroots conservative movement and the establishment." Arrington spoke in more general terms of "turning the ship around that's headed toward being the European Union and docking it safely."

County Court of Law candidates Harriett Haag and Kevin Willhelm also spoke on behalf of their candidacies, as did Taylor County Commission Place 3 candidates Brad Birchum and Dale Morrison. Susan King, District 71 representative who is in a runoff with Dawn Buckingham in Senate District 24, also made her case at the convention.

"We must be a rural force," she said. "We can't let the cities eat away at our rights."

Stan Lambert, who won the nomination in the Republican primary to replace King against four other candidates, also spoke, mainly to thank the group for its support.

"But I only got 52 percent of the vote, so I have some work to do," said Lambert, who will face Democrat Pierce LoPachin in the general election.

Republican County Chairman Nick Coates praised Nix's work in running the convention, which was governed by rules from the state election commission.

"Clinton Nix did a colossal job," Coates said. "I was thrilled with the convention. It was a great day for the Republican Party in Taylor County."

Nix noted that there was almost no discussion about the presidential race, which he thought was surprising. He said Congressional District 19 will have three delegates to the National Convention, two of whom must support Ted Cruz and one Donald Trump on the first ballot. If there is a second ballot, the delegates are free to choose any candidate they want.

"If you're Donald Trump, you want that delegate to be a true supporter," Nix said. "The same for Ted Cruz."
The Taylor County Democratic convention drew 25 registered members to Craig Middle School on Saturday, a lower-than-normal turnout that officials attributed to spring break and the lack of contested races, particularly at the presidential level.

A normal turnout would be about 35 members, officials said, noting that at least five convention regulars had told the local party they would not be available due to out-of-town spring break plans.

By contrast, at the 2008 county convention, when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were vying for the presidential nomination, the turnout was more than 300 registered delegates.

Saturday's convention was concluded in slightly less than an hour. During that time, three Democratic candidates  Sammy Garcia, running for Abilene school board Place 3; Pierce LoPachin, candidate for state Senate District 71; and Dason Williams, running for Abilene City Council Place 6  outlined the platforms for their candidacies.

Twelve of the registered delegates indicated support for Hillary Clinton for president. Six declared for Bernie Sanders, and seven remained uncommitted.

State Senate districts 24 and 28 were represented, with 17 registered with District 24. It was decided by acclamation not to break into precinct or senate district conventions and to conduct all business as a combined entity.

One resolution was presented. The Resolutions Committee introduced a resolution recognizing John Pettit, Carroll Chapman and Dr. Bill Dulin for long-time contributions to the Democratic Party in Taylor County. The resolution passed without dissent.

Delegates to the state convention were chosen. District 24 was allotted 16 delegates. District 28, with a much smaller population within the county, was allowed six delegates.

A slate including 13 delegates from District 24 and five from District 28 was presented. Two convention delegates, one from each district, asked to attend the state convention as delegates and were added. The slate was then accepted unanimously.

Representing District 24 will be Williams, LoPachin, Linda Goolsbee, Martin Fergus, William Banks, Brett Banks, Kristina Davis, Tamra Hunter, Tom Watson, Amanda Watson, Larry Jones, Arleita Jones, Dianne Morphew and James Perkins (added to the slate Saturday).

District 28 will be represented by Garcia, Taylor Tomanka, Crystal Harris, Onashka Hernandez, Carol Woodfin and Leon Petty (added Saturday).

The state convention is scheduled for June 16-18 in San Antonio.
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If there's a theme that sets this political season apart, it's the voters' utter disdain for most of the people who practice politics. They're fed up with politicians, they've lost faith and confidence in the political elite, and they don't believe that the realm where politicians ply their craft  government  works.

The two presidential contenders who have most channeled this frustration, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, have electrified many voters who want to get this message across. They've mobilized new voters, people more mainstream politicians haven't reached. The involvement of more Americans in the political system, though it unsettles the old order, is bracing.

There are many legitimate reasons for these people to be turned off by the political system today. But I'd argue that if you're hellbent on shaking up the system, you also need to understand it  and understand that certain features are likely to persist no matter how hard you try to change them.

The first is that it is very hard to make our representative democracy work. We make progress incrementally, over years if not generations. The first president to press hard for affordable, accessible health care was Harry Truman. It's taken us that long even to get close  and no one would argue that the work is done.

So you have to approach politics with great patience. Our system discourages the rush to judgment  it puts a premium on including as many voices as possible, which takes time in a complicated country. The process is inevitably slow, noisy and messy, the results fully satisfy no one, and more often than not the best we can do is to muddle through.

Which is why in our system, there's rarely a sense of completion. The work  on health care, taxes, the environment, you name it  is never done. Nothing is ever finally settled. There is no ultimate solution.

Many people are also turned off by what lies at the center of our system: deal-making. This involves a clash of ideas in the public arena, compromise, and negotiation, which make a lot of Americans uneasy. Yet it's how we resolve our differences  and has been since the first day of the United States' existence.

So politicians who insist on purity impede solutions. There ought to be a healthy tension between idealism and realism, but we have to find a pragmatic way to combine them. We have to consider different points of view, the intense involvement of special interest groups, and in many cases the robust interest shown by ordinary citizens. This makes it challenging to come to an agreement on complicated issues, but it's necessary to keep the country from coming apart.

Congress in recent years has reached new levels of polarization and failure to address the major issues of the day. In public meetings, I often encounter a yearning for leadership to solve all our problems, usually along the lines of, "Where are the Abe Lincolns of our day?" Sadly, it's a false hope. Our problems are made by us and have to be resolved by us. Abraham Lincoln's not around any more.

We cannot look to government to solve all our problems. Indeed, we live in an era in which government faces more and more problems it cannot effectively deal with. Increasingly, citizens have to step forward and fill the void that government leaves. The relevance of the citizen increases every day as power is more diffuse, technology empowers individuals, and social media allows more citizens to express their views, vent their frustrations, and to mobilize organizations.

We may well be moving into the century of the citizen. I think of the woman who got rail-crossing signals fitted out at dangerous intersections in Indiana, after her daughter was killed at a rail crossing with no signals. Or of my neighbor, who helped build a movement to press for accurate labeling of food ingredients, because he was diabetic and had no way to know the sugar content of goods. Our communities and lives are better because of citizen action. Indeed, unless citizens boost their involvement and contributions, many of our problems will not be solved.

Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a Distinguished Scholar, IU School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice, IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.
As most of you know, I am a hard-core, full-blown atheist and anti-theist.

I believe religion is a dangerous force and that society would be better off if it moved away from religion and embraced total secularism. It should be plainly obvious to anyone who pays attention to what goes on in this world that religion is the root cause of the vast majority of wars and conflicts. Not only in the modern era but in the past.

I never was forced into any religion as a child. In my early childhood, I never so much as set foot in a church. My parents, although believers in God, were not highly religious nor was it a topic of discussion in our house. I was brought up with a strong sense of morality and justice even given the complete absence of religious education.

It was not until we moved to Eula when I was 12 years old that I really got exposed to religion. My extended family is almost all highly devout Baptist and after some pressuring from them, I began attending church with them. A few months later I made a profession of faith and was baptized.

Over the course of my early teenage years I was 'sold out' for Jesus. I lived and breathed my religion. I ate up the teachings of my pastor and Sunday school teacher, even the ones I found very troubling (most notably anti-abortion/homosexuality). Though troublesome, I thought of them as 'growing pains.'

After falling out with youth groups at two Baptist churches, I stopped attending church and my faith grew cold, though that state didn't last long. Once I was able to drive, I began attending Church of the Heavenly Rest. The more open and loving ideology taught by the Episcopal Church was appealing to me. I once again became an active churchgoer and was confirmed Episcopalian the following spring.

This state of affairs continued throughout my senior year. The summer after graduation, I stopped attending church due to financial and time constraints. Once again, my faith went cold, though I was sure it would be reignited in the fall when I took religion at McMurry University and resumed church attendance.

That was not to be. That summer, I befriended a devout Mormon girl. I looked at her wall and noticed her Scriptures. Not being familiar with them I asked her about them. She explained that they were from the Book of Mormon. As our friendship grew and that fall I wound up being baptized Latter-day Saints. Once I got really involved within the LDS community, my religious fervor returned as I found out how sold out and seemingly happy the Mormons tended to be.

However, while all that was going on, I was taking Intro to Christianity, a required class for all freshmen regardless of religious background. In the course of the class, I discovered some disturbing passages from the Bible. I also learned more deeply of Judeo-Christianity's violent past. In addition, I was bombarded with contradictions not only between my beloved LDS Church and mainstream Christianity, but obvious contradictions within the Bible itself and with the character of its God. I felt utterly confused.

Thus, I embarked upon a yearlong search for truth. I stopped attending church altogether and resigned my membership from the LDS Church. Neither did I return to Heavenly Rest as the tower ringing group at the time had disbanded. At the conclusion of a yearlong study in which I learned of evolutionary biology and further contradictions within the Bible, I accepted that God does not exist.

Though initially painful, I have to say the years since have been incredibly liberating. To live in truth and embrace science as the best explanation for the world around us has given me a much greater appreciation for nature than religion ever did. I have also learned that one does not need religion to be a moral, upstanding citizen. I discovered that those who my former religions teach are defective are normal, healthy individuals. Above all, I am a more caring, compassionate and understanding individual since my de-conversion.

Despite coming to reject the teachings of my youth, I have no regrets for the time I was a Christian. I would not have the longing for truth that I have now. I never would have sought the answers I have sought. I would not have the profound understanding of our world and how it works that I have now. Religion had its place, but its place is in the history books of my life story as I move forward with the real ways, truths and lights: atheism and the scientific method.

Lynn Blair lives in Eula.
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, Mo., the following night.

Can American politics withstand the growing violence of this campaign? Is Trump solely responsible, or do others bear blame?

nJOEL 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.

The videos are ugly. At a Trump rally in Cleveland, a supporter is seen directing his ire at the media: 'Go to Auschwitz!' the man bellows. 'Go to f------ Auschwitz!'

Or 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  either physically violent or morally repugnant  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. His followers need to stop being so easily encouraged. And his opponents, the ones ready to go to battle, need to stop taking the bait and find a better way to counter his escalations. As my parents said: 'I don't care who started it! Be the one to stop it!'

This is not politics as usual. This is what happens when a republic starts to fall apart. This is a dangerous moment. It's time to take a breath, and step back.

nBEN 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.

Given what we've seen lately, don't be surprised if there are riots in Cleveland this summer. But they won't be led by Trump.

Last summer, when Black Lives Matter activists were seizing microphones from Democratic presidential candidates, the group's co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, appeared on MSNBC to talk tactics.

'Many folks have asked why would you go after the Democratic Party? They're on our side. What about the Republican party? And trust and believe that any opportunity we have to shut down a Republican convention, we will,' she said. 'We will make sure that our voices are made loud and clear.'

It's about time liberals spoke up and start policing their own  before things really get out of hand.

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
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This just in...
U.S. President Barack Obama has said the benefits of the Iranian nuclear deal are "undeniable" although it may still take time for people to begin enjoying them.

Obama said the deal made it possible for Iran to rejoin the global economy through increased trade and investment, creating jobs and opportunities for Iranians to sell their goods around the world.

Obama said the United States still had "profound differences" with Iran, but he noted the fact that the countries are talking regularly for the first time in decades could help solve them.

Obama addressed the Iranian people in his annual video message marking Norouz, the Persian New Year.

Citing his trip on March 20 to Cuba, the U.S. leader said it's possible for old adversaries to start down a new path after decades of mistrust.

Based on reporting by AP
Kosovar Prime Minister Isa Mustafa has said that his brother sought asylum in Germany during the summer of 2015 amid a mass migrant influx into the European Union.

The confirmation came after investigative news website Insajderi.com reported on March 19 that Ragip Mustafa had requested asylum in Germany's southwestern Rheinland-Pfalz state.

The news portal published a document showing that Ragip Mustafa applied for asylum on June 24, only days before Kosovo's prime minister was received by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

The prime minister said on his Facebook page on March 20 that the report was "true."

He said he was informed about the development after it occurred, and that Ragip Mustafa "requested asylum outside the country in order to seek medical assistance for a difficult disease which could not be cured in Kosovo."

About 70,000 Kosovars have applied for asylum in the EU during the past two years, making it the fourth-largest asylum-seeking national after Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Based on reporting by AFP and Insajderi.com
The tales are appalling.

Surprise, unexplained vehicle checks by armed men. Masked men appearing at sunrise to take people away, not to be seen again until their corpses are delivered to relatives. A man slain and his body chopped up -- parts of it burned, others thrown into a river.

Terror thrives in Uzbekistan, and it is the representatives of state law enforcement agencies who are responsible.

Uzbekistan has long had a bad reputation owing to the ill-treatment of people taken into custody by law enforcement agencies. It reputedly is a place where prisoners can be boiled alive. (That's actually unfair. Only one has been allegedly boiled alive, although countless others who have died in Uzbek prisons are believed to have been subjected to physical and mental abuse lasting for weeks, months, or sometimes years before they succumbed to their injuries and despair.)

But lately the country's police, security forces, and prison guards seem to have become even more brutal than usual, for reasons that are not clear.

RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik, has been following the trail of apparently extrajudicial, and criminal, punishment meted out by representatives of law enforcement organizations.

Ozodlik reported on March 9 about a businessman in the Besharyk district of Uzbekistan's eastern Ferghana Province who was killed and his body taken to a field where the head was cut off, placed in plastic bag, and thrown into a nearby river. The rest of the body was burned and put in a shallow grave.

The alleged perpetrator was a senior police lieutenant who had detained the businessman, then for some reason shot the suspect dead in the police car and fled to the secluded field to dispose of the body.

A farmer spotted the policeman, who was wearing his uniform, as the lieutenant was leaving the scene. The lieutenant told the farmer he was burying a dead sheep in the field. The police officer then went to town, bought a sheep, came back to the field where he proceeded to kill the sheep, dig up the remains of the businessman and throw them into the river, and bury the dead sheep in the grave.

The police lieutenant was arrested and charged on March 6.

Beaten, Tortured To Death

Then there is 44-year-old Bukhara businessman Ilhom Ibodov and his 48-year-old brother Rahim. The two owned an automobile sales business. They were arrested by the National Security Service (SNB) in August 2015 on charges of illegal financial activities.

Their mother, Hursand Rajabova, told Ozodlik at the beginning of March that less than one month after their arrest, she was told Ilhom had died of a heart attack. Rajabova has photos that she says are pictures of her son's body and which indicate Ilhom was beaten before he died. Older brother Rahim was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Younger sister Dilfuza Ibodova told Ozodlik Rahim told her the jailors would bring them both to the same room and beat one while the other was forced to watch.

Qishloq Ovozi also recently reported that the body of 34-year-old Sharof Nasibov, who sold car parts in Bukhara, was delivered to his family in January. Nasibov and his brother had been detained in December 2015 for tax evasion, a charge the Nasibov brothers denied. Relatives said Sharof Nasibov's body showed signs of torture, including having had his fingernails torn out.

In February there were reports that the body of 42-year-old Mahmujon Hasanov was delivered to his relatives in Andijon Province. A hastily arranged funeral was held under the watchful eye of security agents. No cause of death was given. Hasanov was serving a nine-year term in the notorious Navoi prison for being a member of the banned group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Ozodlik learned at the start of March that armed men wearing black masks and clothing staged raids in the Altyaryq district of Ferghana Province on February 16. Starting at 6 a.m., as the faithful were heading to morning prayers, the masked men arrived and over the course of a few hours arrested 11 men, between the ages of 25 and 34, most in the village of Tynchlyk ("peaceful" in Uzbek].

The suspects were taken from their homes with hoods over their heads to waiting vehicles. It was unclear exactly who the masked men were -- police or SNB -- but Ozodlik learned from sources in the area that the 11 were charged with membership in the banned Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Rumors Are King

There have been lesser incidents, such as the sudden interest in "damas" vans in the southern city of Termez, on the Afghan border. These vans are used as minibuses in the city. Ozodlik reported on March 11 that people in Termez said damas vans were regularly being stopped at roadside checkpoints in and around Termez, the vehicles searched, and documents of passengers checked.

One person told Ozodlik that no explanation was being given to the public about why this is happening. The source said that, in the absence of information, rumors were circulating around Termez that it's part of a counterterrorist operation; that people have already been arrested; and that police are looking for explosives that might have been planted in the vans.

A source with local law enforcement told Ozodlik that none of this was true and police were searching for the driver of a damas van who hit a pedestrian and fled the scene.

Ozodlik received a video on March 2 that showed police in Samarkand trying to force a woman into the trunk of a police vehicle. The video clip lasts only 14 seconds -- the person recording the incident on their mobile phone was worried about being seen by the police. But the person said they later heard that the woman, carrying a child, was walking around begging for money and police had come and taken her child from her, which caused the woman to become agitated.

The Uzbek authorities have meted out some tough justice in the past. There are many, many allegations of abuse, failure to observe due process of law, convictions based on flimsy evidence, coerced confessions, false witnesses, false charges, and so forth. Some periods have been worse than others.

But this latest round of brutality comes after President Islam Karimov, in an address marking Constitution Day in early December, voiced rare criticism of the police.

"Our people can tolerate all kinds of difficulties, but they cannot tolerate injustice," Karimov said. "It is no secret that in our daily life...one can often notice such facts as nonobservance [of laws] and gross violation, in practice, of norms and provisions of the legislation and of the principle of justice, as well as callous attitude of law enforcement and supervising bodies to their duties, which leads to unlawful actions."

Based on material from Ozodlik
Investigators in southern Russia say a flight recorder recovered from the FlyDubai passenger jet that crashed in Russia's southern city of Rostov-on Don has been opened and the records found to be of good quality.



Sergei Zaiko, the chief of Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee, said on March 20 that the flight recorder was working until the plane hit the ground on March 19, killing all 62 people aboard.

Earlier, the Inter-State Aviation Committee said in a statement that the plane's data and voice recorders had been heavily damaged in the crash.



The crash came as the pilot was trying to land at the airport in Rostov-on-Don.



Investigators on March 20 confirmed that all 55 passengers and seven crew members died instantly.



They have launched a criminal probe into whether the cause of the crash was a technical error, poor weather, or pilot error.



Authorities have also begun the process of identifying the collected human remains using DNA samples from relatives.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people flocked to the airport on March 20, the region's largest, to lay flowers and leave candles and toys in memory of the dead.

The airport remained closed on March 20 as workers repaired the runway, which was left with a big crater as a result of the plane's impact. But officials say they expect to reopen on March 21.

FlyDubai's chief executive, Ghaith al-Ghaith said on March 20 that the airline would resume flights into the city once the airport opens.

He also said the downed plane had enough fuel, even though it had been circling for a prolonged period. He defended the decision to try to land, noting that the airport had remained open.

But according to the dpa news agency, while the FlyDubai fight circled over Rostov-on-Don two other planes - one belonging to Russia's Aeroflot and another to Czech Airlines - were diverted to the airport in Krasnodar some 250 kilometers away.

Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and dpa
Saudi Arabia made a splash when it announced the formation of a 34-country "Islamic" alliance against terrorism in December -- and followed it up with a massive military exercise that ended last week.

The mainly Sunni Muslim coalition -- which includes regional power and NATO-member Turkey, the region's most populous state in Egypt, and nuclear-armed Pakistan -- appears formidable.

But Riyadh's "Islamic Military Alliance" is missing Muslim powerhouses Indonesia and Iran, and questions remain about the makeup and motives of the coalition.

High-Profile Omissions

The exclusion of Shi'ite-dominated Iran and Iraq, and their ally Syria, has fueled suspicions that Riyadh is not motivated by the desire to combat terrorism.

"The Saudis are motivated by their internal security and grip on power as well as a sectarian and geopolitical rivalry with Iran," says Hayder al-Khoei, an associate fellow at Chatham House, London.

Tensions have escalated between Saudi Arabia and Iran in recent months  particularly in January, when Iranian protesters ransacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and set fires inside after Saudi authorities executed an outspoken Shi'ite cleric. Riyadh and Tehran also back opposite sides in ongoing wars in Syria and Yemen.

Khoei says it is unclear how the coalition would tackle Islamic State (IS) extremists in Iraq and Syria without the agreement of those governments.

Afghanistan and Indonesia have both been invited to join the alliance but have not yet accepted. Ten other countries have been invited to join the alliance but have been dragging their feet.

Unlikely Torch-Bearer?

The notion that Saudi Arabia -- a country that has been widely accused of exporting Islamic radicalism around the world -- could lead a fight against extremism strikes some analysts as deeply ironic.

"In order to really fight terrorism, the Saudis must declare war against themselves and end the support it has been giving to radical groups across the world," says Khoei of Chatham House.

Micah Zenko, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations, says that a Saudi-led coalition fighting terrorism is like a "[drug] cartel leading a counternarcotics campaign."

Riyadh has come under mounting international pressure over its air campaign against Iran-supported Huthi rebels in Yemen, which is widely seen as a sectarian-driven proxy war with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia has also been criticized for its failure to go after clerics in the kingdom that spread radical Wahhabism. On top of that, some critics allege that Riyadh supports the IS extremist group.

And while some of the biggest Muslim countries are outside the "Islamic" alliance, some of its members do not have Muslim majorities. For example, around 80 percent of the West African state of Gabon's population is Christian. In Benin, the biggest religion is Roman Catholicism, while the majority of people in Togo hold indigenous beliefs. All these countries, however, do have sizable Muslim minorities.

Caught Unawares

When Riyadh announced the military alliance on December 15, several of the countries listed as joining or invited seemed surprised.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said it had been invited to join a "center to coordinate against extremism and terrorism," not a military alliance.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry denied having knowledge of Saudi Arabia's creation of an Islamic antiterrorism coalition.

Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry was quoted in the daily newspaper Dawn as saying he had been surprised to read of Islamabad's inclusion.

Pakistan, which has strong historical ties with Riyadh, later expressed support -- if not much visible enthusiasm -- for the coalition.

Pakistan's role will be limited to providing training to troops from the participating countries, sharing intelligence on terrorist groups, and helping member states create counter-radicalization initiatives.
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
The White House announced Tuesday that it is reversing a prior decision to expand offshore energy exploration and development in the Atlantic, delivering a major blow to domestic energy production  and eliminating a much-needed opportunity to create thousands of good paying jobs in Virginia.

Despite strong bipartisan support for offshore energy development from elected officials in directly affected states, including Virginia, the Obama administration has once again flip-flopped on this issue, blocking much-needed economic growth in the commonwealth in the process. This decision is a bad one for Virginias economy and workers, and for our national security.

Its no secret our economy is struggling here in Virginia. In 2013, for the first time in decades, more people moved out of Virginia than into it. In 2014 we ranked 48th in the nation in economic growth, with a rate of zero. Last year for the first time, Virginia fell out of the Top 10 in CNBCs ranking of the Best States for Business.

But we dont need to read rankings and statistics to know our economy has slowed. We can see it in our neighborhoods and communities. With all of this in mind, it is clear our commonwealth needs policies that will bring economic growth back to Virginia, and leaders who will strive every day to bring jobs back to our cities and counties.

***

Allowing for the development of natural gas and oil deposits off of Virginias deep sea coast is precisely the kind of opportunity we need to help revive our economy and generate jobs for Virginians. Increasing domestic energy production in the commonwealth is a common sense solution by which we could diversify Virginias economy, create more jobs in the state, and help make our nation more energy secure.

Offshore energy production would have provided Virginia with the opportunity to serve as an industry pioneer and national leader. Those are roles we should be striving to assume.

On this issue, Virginians agree. A recent poll showed 65 percent of Virginia voters support offshore development of U.S. oil and natural gas resources. According to the poll, offshore development enjoys the support of 85 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of independents, and 56 percent of Democrats.

Additionally, 88 percent of Virginians agree that increased production of oil and natural gas could lead to more jobs in the U.S., and 83 percent agree producing more domestic oil and natural gas could help lower domestic energy costs for consumers.

Few issues generate such broad-based public support. Offshore development of energy resources that is conducted in an environmentally sensitive manner and does not disrupt military activities off Virginias coast could add thousands of jobs to the regions economy, both directly and indirectly.

According to one study, offshore exploration and development could create almost 25,000 jobs in the commonwealth and contribute nearly $2.2 billion to Virginias economy over the next 20 years.

This booming new industry would diversify our economy and would present additional opportunities for economic development along the entire energy supply chain.

***

The commonwealth would also have benefited from coastal state revenue-sharing agreements that could have contributed an additional $400 million per year to Virginias coffers by 2035, providing the state with the resources necessary to build new schools and roads  and to properly compensate and care for our public-safety providers.

With so many offshore industry suppliers already here, Virginia is poised to become the East Coast leader in Atlantic offshore energy development, if the White House will finally let this occur.

Existing suppliers like Oceaneering Marine Service Division in Chesapeake, Bauer Compressors and PaR Marine Services in Norfolk, Strongwell Corp. in Bristol, as well as one of the largest dry docks in the nation at Newport News Shipbuilding, position Virginia to serve as an industry hub, to the great benefit of Virginia workers.

Sadly, the White Houses decision blocked a golden opportunity to spur economic growth and job creation. At a time of so many challenges, we simply cannot afford to turn our backs on a job-creation opportunity of this magnitude. Unfortunately, the Obama administration has done just that. This should have been a moment to stand up for Virginia workers and bring good-paying jobs back to the commonwealth.

Offshore energy production can help create jobs, diversify our economy, move our nation closer to energy independence, and provide much needed revenue, without raising taxes. Leaders of both parties here in Virginia should lock arms to bring safe, environmentally responsible offshore energy production to Virginia by fighting to overturn this bad policy. We need the jobs, we need the economic growth, and our nation needs the energy security.
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Virginia Tech expects to move hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students to Roanoke as it creates a medical hub with Carilion Clinic that poises the partners to become powerhouses in understanding and treating specific diseases.

Leaders of the public university and the private health care system have announced ambitious plans to thrust their work onto the global stage by building on the success theyve found since jointly creating a research institute and medical school eight years ago.

The partnership could remake Tech. Health sciences is a small part of the university but one of its biggest strengths, said President Timothy Sands.

People think of us for engineering and architecture, and a generally outstanding program in agriculture, he said. Health science has just poked its head up. I think there is the potential for the health sciences and technology domain to be roughly a quarter or a third of what we do at Virginia Tech in the long run.

Techs board of visitors is expected Monday to promote the research institutes director to a position overseeing the expansion.

Sands said the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute already attracts talented scientists with national and international reputations. It is perfectly situated for growth. We want to take it much bigger, he said.

A new $67 million building that doubles the size of the research institute is just one component of the plan. Tech plans to invest $100 million in health sciences and technology in the next eight years.

Tech and Carilion leaders said the new collaboration will build their institutions national and international reputations, launch business endeavors, create high-paying jobs, attract top-notch clinicians and faculty and improve the health of people living in Southwest Virginia. It will lead to additional buildings in Roanoke and Blacksburg, require a strong presence by Tech in Roanoke and merge the two economies.

For starters, Tech will move components of its high-demand biomedical engineering program and its nascent neuroscience discipline to Roanoke. Within the next five years, 500 to 1,000 undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and scientists will be on the Riverside campus.

The plan calls for 25 new research teams  double the current census  to attract private investors, who, in turn, will spawn start-up companies and satellite offices of large firms.

If I look out five years, somewhere between here to downtown Roanoke, there will be an exciting hub, even more than it is now, said Carilion Clinic CEO Nancy Agee from her office at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. There will be a spin-off of growth and new businesses. I think its a real catalyst for change for the whole region.

A continuing collaboration

Tech and Carilion joined forces in 2008 to create the Virginia Tech School of Medicine and Research Institute. The project marked a shift away from earlier plans by the partners to create a biomedical park on land south of downtown Roanoke that the city had purchased, cleared of industrial buildings and sold to Carilion.

The first class of students arrived in 2010 prepared for a research-focused medical education. By then Michael Friedlander, the founding director of the research institute, had brought in several research teams with the goal of recruiting 30 teams within five to seven years.

We have grown at a rate faster than what people expected, Friedlander said of both the number of scientists working in Roanoke and the quality of their work that is chipping away at being right on the world stage. Brain research is at the forefront, and work on specific cancers and infections is making strides, he said.

But some programs are constrained because theyre a certain limit in size, and we are almost out of space, he said. You have a certain number of people, and you are either going to compete at the highest level and have the team that has outstanding people and the critical mass, or you are not.

The research institute is expected to top out at 30 teams by next year. The scientists have published nearly 400 papers in peer-reviewed journals, applied for 30 patents, spawned several companies and entered into collaborations with more than a dozen companies and 100 universities and medical centers from 27 countries.

While the research institute was taking off, Carilions own transformation was underway. The health system morphed from seven hospitals and a collection of primary care practices into an integrated health care provider.

Agee said Carilion more than doubled its physicians, now employing 1,000, which includes 280 residents and fellows, and has brought in more specialists and subspecialists. The research institute and med school are credited with attracting specialists.

Carilion recently opened the Institute for Orthopaedics and Neurosciences in the former Ukrops building on Franklin Road, purchased the Shenandoah Life building on Brambleton Avenue and plans to add another 15-story tower at Roanoke Memorial. Carilions Jefferson College of Health Sciences last year added two doctoral programs in nursing and public health.

Meanwhile, the School of Medicines research-intensive curriculum is attracting attention. This year, 4,610 students applied for the 42 openings. Officials have delayed expansion until research teams are added, since placing students with teams is vital to their mission, said the schools dean, Dr. Cynda Johnson.

Innovation districts

In 2014, as the research institute neared capacity, Sands was named Techs new president. Agee said she and Sands began talking about what to do next.

Im not sure our vision, at that point, was as big as it got to be. It was more incremental, she said. Then Tech hired Thanassis Rikakis as provost.

The new provost got very excited and said we could do a lot more than that, and we began to have some wonderful conversations, she said.

Rikakis came to Blacksburg from Carnegie Mellon University, which has an innovation center that facilitates bringing research into the global market.

Other universities and cities are developing so-called innovation districts to attract investors to research.

The Brookings Institution, which is studying the rise of these districts, defines them as geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators and accelerators. They are also physically compact, transit-accessible, and technically-wired and offer mixed-use housing, office, and retail.

Rikakis suggested creating a health sciences and technology innovation district that would pull in Techs expertise with technology across all its disciplines and unite it with Carilions strong clinical practices. This is the future of medicine, he said.

If you look at one of the major influences on health sciences, it will be technology, he said.

Rikakis envisions Tech and Carilion cornering the market on a big-data approach to personalized medicine in rural areas  something that could significantly change public health.

The extensive medical data Carilion has collected throughout Southwest Virginia will be coupled with Techs data on subjects like water quality, nutrition and agriculture and be used to find new ways to apply technology to improving health. Few universities have such extensive knowledge of rural areas, and the data will differentiate what they are doing from all others, he said.

You have the science student, the engineering faculty, the physician at Carilion and the public health specialists at Jefferson [College of Health Sciences], and they talk and they come up with this idea for personalized care, Rikakis said. So now you say, OK, I want to make this into a product that can end up on peoples phones so they can do better in the health services in rural areas.

You need the businesses and venture capitalists, but at the same time, you dont want those folks who came up with the idea to go to Boston to do that, he said.

The capital and product development will stay in Roanoke because the critical mass of talent and data will remain here, he explained.

The innovation district has a bricks-and-mortar component as well: the second research building for Roanoke; housing for students, visiting faculty and industry partners; and, eventually, a research institute in Blacksburg.

The idea behind an innovation district is to attract talent that can live, work and play in a region, without the need to commute, who can run into other people of talent just in the routine things you do in a day, Sands said. It is a physical concentration of talent in the same physical space.

Innovation districts stand in contrast to corporate research parks that were built in the middle of nowhere, with each entity having its own building and people rarely interacting.

Heres a model where everything is integrated, Sands said. When you talk to young people in their 20s and ask what kind of environment they want, this is what they say.

To thrive, innovation districts require a city. Rikakis said Roanoke  an urban center in a non-urban setting  offers the best of both worlds for gathering specialized data and for attracting people who find appeal in having the amenities of city life but seek to be near nature.

The strong public-private partnership between Tech and Carilion is also a draw, he said. Building a critical mass of talented people who are focused on a few areas will put Roanoke at the front of the pack in attracting investors, he said.

The ecosystem that grows in an innovation district says to outsiders, Were open to business. We want to share our ideas. We want to share our land,  he said.

Tech is working on a simplified blanket agreement for the sharing of intellectual property with businesses to make it easier to partner with the university, he said.

Rikakis said this will help draw investors money and flip the current practice of investors luring away researchers.

The bet is, once the idea happens here, the investor is going to say, I dont want to move you from here because you need all the connections you have to this unique setup,  he said.

Virginia Tech and Carilion are all in. Roanoke is, too, Sands said. The question is, will we be able to bring in other research universities and businesses and be successful in building out the innovation district? Im confident we can.

Much of that confidence relies on the partnerships initial success. Friedlander said the research institute has landed 25 of the 28 research teams it sought, and has lost just one that was lured away to Boston by a $40 million offer from an investor.

People around the country are just shocked at what we have, Friedlander said. Were on the map, and many people are surprised because just six years ago we didnt exist.

He said the new research teams will focus on four key areas: infectious diseases; regeneration of the cardiovascular system; a specific brain tumor occur ring in humans and dogs that scientists and Techs veterinary school are working to treat; and brain research already underway at the institute.

Identifying and excelling in very specific areas will differentiate this innovation district from others, Rikakis said.

If you can really advance, people will pay attention, he said. You need to be ambitious about this.

Scientists, Friedlander said, want to be part of building something and will find the innovation district attractive.

Theres a nonlinear energy, at a certain point, that is contagious and infects everyone from undergraduates to old-timey professors who have become a little bit jaded, Friedlander said. Thats what were hoping for, that this will be that kind of place and catch the attention of the whole country.

A unique partnership

Other cities and universities have created innovation districts or are looking to expand into technology-based health care. But Virginia Tech and Carilions partnership is unlike other teaching and research-based hospitals, in which the university owns the health system.

Leaders of both entities said they are not striving to be like the University of Virginia or Duke University. Instead, they are inventing a new approach by drawing on the strengths of each partner.

Duke and UVa are an example of where the clinical service and the research are under the same umbrella, Rikakis said. Virginia Tech is not set up to do this. Taking it on would destroy us. Instead of saying we have to take everything in house  that was the 20th-century model  were saying no, we dont have to. We dont have ownership of the clinics; we dont have ownership of the idea. We want the idea to get out there and create companies and a great city of Roanoke.

Growing the partnership is even more important for the regions economic growth than a singular jobs announcement, Agee said. Were continuing to build in the community. Sometimes you can take it [existing enterprises] for granted and say so what, but building for our region makes it stronger. So its not about the one big, splashy thing.

For Carilion, the partnership will allow the health system to extend its reach, improve patient care and become a destination for treating certain conditions.

Friedlander sees a complementary rise for the research institute.

So what is the payoff? To really elevate us to a very high level of national and international competitiveness of medical research, he said. That is the No. 1 priority. However, that has a number of indirect benefits, not the least of which is economic development.

For Tech, the innovation district fits with its vision. Sands said the universitys visioning process, Beyond Boundaries, will report soon on the thematic focuses that Tech will call destinations, one of which is the adaptive brain.

We are looking at what we can imagine Virginia Tech becoming internationally as a land grant university, Sands said.

The next steps

On Monday, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors is expected to confirm Friedlanders appointment to vice president of health sciences and technology. He will continue, for now, to run the institute as he oversees the development of the new building. He will also be charged with working across Techs other colleges, collaborating on projects, pulling in faculty and researchers and finding business partners.

Construction on the new building could get under way next year, if the states bond issue goes as planned. In its bill, the General Assembly tied $1.6 billion in spending on projects to the release of 2014 money for the renovations of Capitol Square in Richmond, including construction of a new General Assembly building. The governor has yet to act on the politically contentious condition.

The bond includes $46.7 million in state money to be matched by $21 million from Tech and Carilion, with $14 million from Tech, $5 million from Carilion and $2 million of in-kind land contribution.

Sands said he is not concerned about the funding.

A concept design of the building is in hand, but the actual site has yet to be identified. Carilion owns several vacant parcels at the Riverside site, but the building also might be set on the parking lot across from the research institute.

Agee said Carilion wants to work with Tech to figure out how to accommodate growth for the medical school, clinical services, education space and supporting services.

We are going to be very careful about how we are going to use that space, and plan well, she said. Is that enough land over time? I kind of hope not. I hope we are growing even more.
Despite stricter laws, distracted drivers are still right up there with speeders and drunken drivers as the leading causes of crashes, injuries and deaths on Virginia roads.

That leads some to say more laws and education are needed, along with a change in driver behavior.

We strongly believe that distracted driving is an epidemic, said Janet Brooking, a spokeswoman for Drive Smart Virginia, a nonprofit group focused on improving road safety.

While there is a state law forbidding drivers to send or read texts or other information on a handheld device, distracted driving involves other things that take the drivers attention away from the road, such as eating, adjusting the radio, programming a navigation system or talking with passengers. Those distractions are included as causes in distracted-driver crashes.

Police and safety advocates say that cellphones are at the top of the list of distractions and it is a problem that has increased along with the technological evolution of the phones.

While some incident numbers have improved since the state instituted the 2013 law banning texting while driving, others havent. And even the improved numbers show that distracted drivers are as dangerous, if not more so, than speeders and drunken drivers.

In 2015, distracted drivers accounted for more crashes and injuries than speeders and drunken drivers.

Of the 123,627 crashes statewide last year, distracted drivers were involved in 26,336 of them, which led to 14,868 injuries and 156 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles database.

Speed was the cause of 25,256 crashes, which led to 14,052 injuries and 323 deaths. There were 7,591 alcohol-related crashes, with 4,917 injuries and 241 deaths.

The number of crashes blamed on distracted driving have decreased in Virginia since the 2013 law went into effect.

In both 2011 and 2012, the number of such crashes statewide topped 28,000 statewide, according to DMV statistics. But the total fell to 27,147 in 2013 and to the 25,500 range by 2015.

Injuries decreased during that time, too, but deaths in distracted driving-related crashes increased, from 120 in 2010 to 165 in 2014 before dropping slightly last year.

Stafford Sheriffs Sgt. Chris Staples, a veteran officer in the patrol division, said cellphones are the top distraction for drivers.

I definitely see it as a growing problem, he said, pointing out that the more things smartphones can do, the more potential distractions there are for drivers who cant put down the phone while behind the wheel.

He also said the texting-while-driving law is difficult to enforce, mainly because its difficult to see drivers using their phones and very few admit to doing it.

But he added that a county ordinance dictating that drivers must pay attention at all times helps deputies deal with distracted drivers.

Since January, Stafford deputies have cited 14 drivers using the states no-texting law. During the same time, he said they also have issued 251 summonses using the county ordinance.

National safety officials believe distracted driving is likely a significant factor in a rise in fatal crashes in the first nine months of 2015. After declining continuously since 2006, highway deaths increased by 9.3 percent to 26,000 from the same nine-month period the previous year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

That prompted the NHTSA to hold a series of five summits in the past month where transportation experts looked at the unsafe behaviors of drivers that lead to crashes.

The administration says those actions  distracted driving and drunk, drugged or drowsy driving  cause about 94 percent of all crashes.

The most recent national data, from 2013, reported that 341,000 crashes were caused by drivers distracted by text messaging. The NHTSA also says that eight people die each day in crashes involving distracted drivers.

Brooking, with Drive Smart Virginia, said distracted driving carries not only a human cost with injuries and deaths, but that it has a large economic impact, too  accounting for $43 billion a year in property damage nationwide.

The group advocates for laws that would further restrict drivers use of cellphones, such as proposed bills this year the legislature considered that would have prohibited more actions on smartphones. The bills did not pass.

Even though Drive Smart Virginia has been sounding the alarm on distracted driving for a decade, Brooking said more needs to be done, especially a huge overall need to change behavior.
December 11, 1918 - March 16, 2016The family and friends of Mary Reed Rice mourn her unexpected passing this week on Wednesday, March 16, 2016.Mrs. Rice, a long-time Roanoke Valley resident, touched the lives of so many during her career with Roanoke City Schools. She taught at West End and Tinker Creek Elementary Schools before serving as principal of Tinker Creek, Westside and Round Hill Schools. Her schools were known for involving students in the natural sciences as she maintained mineral specimens throughout the buildings and practiced her special project - the care of school-wide shared animals like chinchillas that went home with children on weekends and holidays.She also was active in Delta Kappa Gamma, her professional association. Her curiosity and love of the natural world extended well beyond school as she spent days walking the hills on the Parkway, identifying wildflowers and adding species of birds to her mentally-maintained life list. With school system friends, she collected fossils that became school displays and mushrooms that became soup. Photographs from those excursions later became subjects of her paintings, a hobby that served as a joy and resulted in several gallery shows in the region.She also enjoyed traveling with her husband, Lawrence. They loved the British Isles and visited there many times. Those trips encouraged learning about the British Royal Family about whom she held a life-long fascination. Born and raised in the New River and Shenandoah Valleys, Lawrence and Mary moved permanently to the Roanoke Valley after earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from Bridgewater College and Bethany Theological Seminary.While at Bridgewater, she met and married classmate, H. Lawrence Rice, who preceded her in death earlier this month. Together for 75 years, they reared two sons, both of whom, with their respective families, survive her.Survivors and descendants include sons, Stephen and Eric; daughters-in-law, Cindy and Lori; grandchildren, Benjamin Rice, Brandon Rice, Peter Heald, and Alexandra Rice Martinez with their respective spouses/partners, Samara, Janis, Erin, and Ricardo; and great-grandson, Remington Lawrence. Also surviving her is extended family by marriage grandson, Dennis Lossman and spouse, Samantha, and their children, Lexi, Taylor and Colton.The Funeral and Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at the Central Church of the Brethren with visitation starting at 1 p.m. Thereafter, Mary and Lawrence will be reunited at Evergreen Park. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.oakeys.com.
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By SA Commercial Prop News

A unique private energy company, unveiled in Johannesburg on Wednesday night, is expected to produce a massive 16 GW of energy generation capacity projects in Southern Africa by 2025, its founders said.

Cennergi, a joint venture between South Africas mining group Exxaro and India's largest private power utility Tata Power, already runs five renewables projects situated in the Northern Cape, Limpopo and Eastern and Western Cape.

The new 50:50 partnership would particularly be targeting the expanding energy markets in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

Cennergi CEO Thomas Garner told guests who attended the launch on Wednesday that the company has already submitted solar and wind bids for the second bidding round under South Africa's renewable energy Independent Power Producer (IPP) procurement programme, which closed on 5 March.

Its focus would be on the investigation of feasibility, development, ownership, operation, maintenance, acquisition and management of power generation projects.

Exxaro head Sipho Nkosi was, however, quick to point out that Cennergi was in no way going to be Eskoms competition. In fact, the company will be looking at the possibility of partnering with Eskom.

Eskom provides base [power] for this country and for other countries as well. They have this incredible immense knowledge in so far as power is concerned and we would like to congratulate them, Nkosi said.

He said the idea by Exxaro, one of South Africas leading coal producers and Eskoms number one supplier, to venture into energy has been in the pipeline for the past two years.

We felt that as coal producers in South Africa, we start immersing ourselves in renewable energies because we need to continue to be responsible corporate citizens in South Africa. The whole continent of Africa is well endowed with renewable energy and  these are the organisations that can harness these opportunities.

Tata Power MD Anil Sardana said the demand for energy in Southern Africa necessitated that there should be more than one player in the sector. Given that, arduous challenges to meet all the energy needs remain.

Therefore, its important for people to bring all the inputs together, not just to contribute to the space but do it effectively, he said, adding that Tata Power currently serves more than 1.7 million customers in Delhi and Mumbai.

South Africas Integrated Resource Plan for the energy sector envisages 3 725 MW of renewables capacity to be introduced in the country over the coming few years.

Kevin Nassiep from the Department of Energy, who delivered a speech on behalf of Energy Minister Dipuo Peters, described the project as responsive to South Africas energy needs, particularly in the renewable sector.

Initiatives such as this one are therefore well poised to accelerate the development of our electricity sector and will propel our green energy revolution to a new level, Nassiep said.

He said it was not a coincidence that South Africa was moving with speed in greening its economy, considering that the country had just introduced the New Growth Path, which seeks to deliver five million new jobs by 2020.

The Industrial Policy Action Plan and the signing of the new local procurement accord last year were testimony to governments seriousness to boost industry investments in South Africa, he said.
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 ...
Building weather-resilient roads is a topic of increasing concern everywhere, most especially in places like the Pacific Islands, which are isolated, spread out, small in population and particularly threatened by climate change.

Many important roads lie next to the sea, barely above sea level, and are without drainage. Theyre often badly maintained and governments dont have the resources for repairs or rebuilding.

To best protect roads from the ravages of extreme weather, the World Bank supports adaptation and resilience, which is building a road, or bridge, to be somewhat resistant to climate change.

In Samoa, a World Bank project aims to build resilience into the restoration of vital roads and bridges damaged by extreme weather.

The project came in response to Tropical Cyclone Evan, which wreaked havoc on Samoa. The government estimated damages from the cyclone at about US $210 million, equivalent to about 30 percent of the total value of goods and services produced in the country in 2011.

As the task team saw with its own eyes, a severe rainstorm (not even a cyclone) can make roads or bridges impassable, says Sean Michaels, an infrastructure expert at the World Bank who is co-managing the resilience project.

On the island of Savaii a key bridge was impassable for eight hours, providing residents with limited connectivity to the nearby hospital and schools. That bridge is one of the funding targets under the project.

On Kiribati, engineers are incorporating climate resilience into rebuilding the countrys main South Tarawa road.

The 33 kilometre road stretches from the Betio business district in the west to the airport at Bonriki in the east, with eight kilometres of feeder roads, tidal barriers and speed humps thrown in to make the roads safer.

One of the first steps in rebuilding the South Tarawa network was to identify the beaches, near the road, that are most eroded. In some cases, the erosion is only a few meters from the road itself. Road designers are also planning for heavier rainfall and a rising sea level, and working on seawalls to protect the road from the sea.

Tarawa is one of the most densely populated spots on the map-- 58,000 people living on a very thin stretch of land, says Franz Dress-Gross, the World Banks country director for Kiribati. There were a lot of coastal defences that had to be strengthened to make sure that the road would be safe from erosion effects from the sea. The type of pavement that was used is particularly resilient to heavy rainfall and, as you know, with climate change we expect stronger peak rain events as well as prolonged drought.

Both the Kiribati and the Samoa projects are funded by IDA, an arm of the World Bank that works with the worlds poorest countries.

But all around the world, countries are making huge investments in transport infrastructurethose investments are estimated at $1.4 trillion to $2.1 trillion a year. And since bridges, roads, and rail lines can last for decades, the issue of building for climate change becomes imperative now.

Thats why over one-fourth of the Banks transport portfolio supports climate mitigation and adaptation.

 With support from the World Bank, engineers around the world are tracking, studying, and planning to build infrastructure that can withstand weather ranging from El Nino to raging sandstorms to massive high tides.

 To do that, engineers first assess the weaknesses in a few main road sections.

 They evaluate the risk posed by climate change and the economic consequences of damage to the road sections.

 Then they make recommendations as to how to improve the roads resilience. Suggestions range from using re-siting roads, using different building materials, raising road levels and planting vegetation in order to stabilize slopes.

In Samoa, the government is using outreach and meetings to get communities thinking about road resilience. Engineers are using high-resolution aerial photography to map the most vulnerable roads.

After Cyclone Ian hit Tonga hard, the country is working on analysis of storm tides, waves and sea level rise. In Kiribati, the push is to raise seaside roads to so-called no regret levels. In Samoa, the goal is no-regret level roads combined with a move to relocate roads and people away from the coast. In all three nations, experts acknowledge that good roads are vital for economic development, but they face a lack of resources.

The approach has to be multi-pronged, says Sean Michaels. Theres no silver bullet to enhancing road resilience, Michaels says. Governments need to use tools ranging from risk-based planning, to uniquely designed infrastructure, to making sure laws and regulations can support adaptation, to, ultimately, supporting post-disaster recovery.

And, Michaels says, it is important to make sure stakeholdersespecially ones with limited fundsstay committed. Financial incentives, like grants, can certainly help, but it is equally important that supervisors keep a close and careful eye on progress, to make sure workers stay on course to meet their resilience goals.
To mark the United Nations Development Programme 50th birthday, UNDP Samoa Multi-Country Office is organizing a parade. The event, that will take place tomorrow Tuesday, March 22nd, aims at celebrating UNDPs achievements over the last five decades but also raising awareness on the new Sustainable Development Goals.

The Honorable Prime Minister and the Cabinet Members, Government Ministries, Diplomatic Corps, NGOs, private sector, Head of UN Agencies, the media and representatives from seventeen schools throughout the country have been invited.

For the parade, all invitees will assemble at the Police Parking Lot (next to the Apia Fire Station) at 8:30am and then march, lead by the Police band, towards the Government Building. The official ceremony is expected to start at 9:30am and the Honorable Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi will be delivering the keynote speech.

More than 250 students, both from Upolu and Savaii, will be actively participating in the celebration. A few weeks ago, UNDP provided the selected schools with educational materials on the Sustainable Development Goals and invited them to work on a specific goal. The initiative aimed at helping the students learn and familiarize themselves with the Global Goals. Since then, pupils and teachers, have been debating on how we can translate the SDGs into action. During the ceremony, one representative from each school will be making a short presentation on how best Samoa can work through communities and Government to make the SDGs a reality.

UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Lizbeth Cullity, highlighted: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is broad and complex and now, more than ever, we need to foster participation and engage with all sectors of society.

The SDGs are our last chance to build a more prosperous and peaceful planet for all but if we fail, young children and youth will be the most affected. For that reason, they need to be informed, consulted and contribute to the implementation of the development goals over the next fifteen years. And then she added: Youth are full of energy, creativity and talent. I am looking forward to the event and am sure that the students will surprise us with forward-thinking solutions.

UNDP would like to ackowledge the kind contributions received by Digicel and SSAB as main sponsors of the event. The two businesses provided spot prizes for the young students. The ceremony is expected to end around 12noon and will be followed by a tree planting activity at 3pm at the Vaiala seawall.
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

These were some of the Biblical phrases that Christians around the world sang and heard yesterday during their services as they celebrated Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday represents the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week that focuses on Jesus last days before He was crucified.

At different denominations in Samoa yesterday many churches held their own processions during their services.

They also featured skits and special hymns and held the blessings of small palm crosses as part of the special day

For the Congregational Christian Church in Samoa, the Sunday School children were mainly involved in depicting the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem during their service.

Reverend Tupou Situfu of the Congregational Christian Church at Nofoalii said their Sunday School performances are based on what is told in the Bible. Well (Sunday School) present a number of skits and sing gospel songs in front of our church members this morning and this is a great reminder for everyone of how Jesus came on this earth, died and rose again so that we could have everlasting life.  he said.

Palm branches are a widely recognized symbol of peace and victory,

This is because the crowd that was waiting for Jesus welcomed Him by spreading palm branches in His path and greeting Him as the Messiah sent by God to establish His kingdom on earth.

I want to wish Samoa a very peaceful Palm Sunday as we head towards this Holy Week in commemorating how He went through so much for us to be saved.

Here are some of the photos from the Sunday Schools re-enactment at the C.C.C.S. Nofoalii yesterday as the children depicted the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem with the waving of palm branches and the singing of hymns.
A businessman from Vaimoso, Sio Silva has a solution to solve this problem of students fighting in public places.

Lashes are the only answer for these kids, said Mr. Silva.

When I was in Japan 30 years ago they just passed this law of lashes, because a lot of kids that were being bullied committed suicide, because they were afraid to go to school.

I believe if we too have a law like this Im telling you, we wouldnt have this problem because the kids will be so afraid to do anything like this in public.

Mr. Silva also said that the reason he has come up with this is because back in the days, this was the way they were disciplined by the police.

Back in our day we used to get lashes from the police, but none of us has died from it, she said.

As a matter of fact we are okay and because of that, we were able to learn from it and be scared to fight in public places because we knew what we would get from the police.

And as to why the frequency of students fighting has come about, Mr. Silva blamed the Childs Right Policy.

This Childs Right Policy, is the reason why all our these kids are like this, because they know no matter how much they cause problems they will never get a hiding from anyone including the police because they are protected by this Childs Right Policy, said the businessman.

[But] Im telling you this Aia Tatau B******* is the reason why our kids are acting wild like this. Is this the childs right to go and bully other kids and get into fights in public places?

No its not, this is why all of these problems are arising because of the ban of discipline in schools and home as well which is b******.

He said, its better to spank the children rather than taking them to jail where they will become worse.

Its just a waste of time to take these kids to jail, they will never learn but if we were to try this, Im sure all these kids will not fight anymore because they know that it will hurt them, he said.

So I urge the government to reconsider this Childs Right Policy because this is the starting point of all of these problems. Allow the police to discipline these kids when they are caught.

Its not like Im saying lash them until they die no, the police know when to stop but at least the kids will learn and know that they will never want to go through this because theyll know it hurts.
Four students are still in custody after they were arrested on Thursday evening due to a dispute between Avele College, Saint Josephs College and Don Bosco.

The four students are variously charged with assault, using insulting and obscene words, and causing grievous bodily harm.

According to the Media Officer of the Ministry of Police, Maotaoalii Kaioneta Kitiona, the ministry is still trying to come to terms with what happened at the flea market.

The students came prepared. They knew that we were busy with our preparations for the swearing in ceremony of new Members of Parliament, said Maotaoalii.

Maota said investigations continue and they are still bringing students in for questioning.

We have given them many chances, and it looks like they are also taking advantage of the police, he said.

He said they will not give any more chances to any students who disturb the peace in public.

Maota claimed there is somebody behind this; someone who is setting up these fights.

According to some of the police officers on duty yesterday, they said Saint Josephs came prepared.

Their school finishes at 1:30pm but they were seen at the bus terminal way past that time because the fight started around 3:30pm that evening.

Maota believed that it was the use of social media and advanced technology that could be the cause of the problem.

Other students who are not good in school are good at technology, said Maota.

He said a lot of disputes started from Facebook.

There is cyber bullying and police are doing the best they can to give that message out to the public to make everyone aware of cyber crimes and cyber bullying because this is the outcome of it.

Police were not able to confirm the number of those who were injured.
My dog Cocoa, besides my wife, my best friend on earth, has died. With this and all the rest of mess going on in the world, it has been one tough week, folks. I am glad it is Palm Sunday and Easter is next week because it gives me strength, hope, and assurance of a future.

So lets talk about palms on Palm Sunday, listing them from the most cold-hardy to the least. Personally, I love palms and since South Carolina is the Palmetto State, no matter where they are or where I see them, they remind me of home. Not only the Palmetto tree but many more types of palms can be successfully grown in the Pee Dee.

First of all, the lowly needle palm occurs naturally in river flood plains but makes an excellent addition to any landscape. They are a clumping understory palm with many palmate (hand-shaped), deep-green leaves that have a silvery undersides. Numerous very sharp needles protect the crown of the plant, hence its name, needle palm. It is considered the worlds hardiest palm and will live in all areas of South Carolina.

Next, the windmill palm, or what many folks call the hairy palm, is another cold-hardy palm that will grow in all areas of South Carolina except places that flood. Personally, I prefer the hair on the trunk but some folks have it removed for esthetics. To obtain optimum growth of up to two feet a year, a little light shade may be needed in the Pee Dee to quickly get to the mature height of 30 feet.

Next, the dwarf palmetto is hardy in all areas of South Carolina. It has a very short trunk with fan-shaped fronds where the leaflets are cut almost to the stem making a split V in the middle. There are usually no more than a half dozen leaves on plants that are 4 to 5 feet tall.

Next, the Palmetto, our state tree, is commonly grown all over the Pee Dee. Truly, it amazes me that such beautiful large specimens are available at reasonable prices locally. It would take many years to grow such large specimens in a South Carolina nursery but most of these trees are harvested from the wild in Florida. The major problem with these large specimens is transplant death. Usually if they are not properly managed during and after transplanting, many die. A few transplanting suggestions are transplant in summer, always remove all leaves, water deeply on the root ball, and if possible never get trees that were dug last year and saved over the winter.

Next, the Jelly Palm, or what I call the gas station palm," because it is found at many old gas stations is the most commonly grown exotic palm in South Carolina. It is a feather-leafed palm with gray-green to blue-green fronds 6 to 8 feet long, wonderful edible orange fruit, and a massive trunk up to a foot and a half across.

Next, the California and Mediterranean Fan Palms are a little more hardy than the Mexican Fan Palms, but all may have a little winter damage in the Pee Dee. The Mediterranean Fan Palm is a small, clumping fan palm but the California and Mexican fan palms can become large specimens.

Finally, because of its popularity in the Pee Dee, I must mention the Sago Palm even though it is not truly a Palm. It is a cycad. It has palm-like fronds that radiate outward from a slow-growing, usually non-branched trunk 3 to 5 feet tall. It makes an excellent accent plant in the sun or shade even though in severe winters the fronds may burn, but with a little pruning after the threat of frost has gone it lights up a landscape.

The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political belief, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. Email Melton at amelton@clemson.edu.
The first court in this area as development of the South Carolina colony spread inland from the coast was at what we now call Society Hill, which apparently was a busy place. Not only did the court try criminal and civil cases, it took advice from area citizens to pass on to the royal governor, who was based in Charleston. (Early, Society Hill went by different names, Long Bluff and Greeneville being among them.)

Long Bluff was picked as court site over Cheraw because it was closer to the center of the Cheraws District, which pretty much included todays Chesterfield, Marlboro and Darlington counties.

Besides trying criminal and civil cases, the court heard presentations on needs of the area. A frequent complaint that they heard was failure to cleanse the (Pee Dee) River of the great number of trees and logs which interrupt the navigation. That mattered because the river, a strong and wandering stream, was a shipping route between Georgetown and Cheraw that constantly uprooted plants along its banks.

In one meeting with the grand jury, the judge heard a plea for bridges, one over Thompson Creek near Cheraw, one over Black Creek close to Darlington. That the people were thinking of the future is indicated by pleas to the court for a free school in the district. A year after the plea for a free school, the grand jury presented as a matter of very great grievance the continued want of a free school.

They also heard complaints about taxes imposed by the British Parliament which they considered unfair since they had no direct representation in the Parliament. Many pledged to resist paying. This was shortly before the Revolution broke out, and their wording comes pretty close to demanding independence.

Judge William H. Drayton, reflecting unrest all along the East Coast, gave a charge to the Long Bluff grand jury on Nov. 15, 1774, speaking at length about unrest running through the colony, apparently reflecting the attitudes of some who were leaning toward revolution.

The jury on Nov. 19 presented as a grievance the British Parliaments decisions to tax the colonies and impose other laws. They wrote that if we may be taxed, imprisoned and deprived by force of edicts to which neither we nor our Constitutional Representatives have ever assented, no slavery could be more abject.

The right not to be under laws passed by those they had not elected was so great, the jury wrote, that we are determined to defend it at the hazard of our lives and fortune. Nearly two years later, the Declaration of Independence said pretty much the same thing.

At one session, a man was brought in as a vagrant and was described as being a common drunkard, profane swearer and disturber of the peace. I know no details about this case, but my guess is that his profane swearing was no more harsh than language that is heard in the movies and on cable television these days.

On the other hand, there was a day, according to Bishop Alexander Greggs History of the Old Cheraws that a Welsh Neck pastor presented a session sermon for the beginning of court.

It was a tough place for a common thief to answer for his misbehavior. For instance, a pretty simple punishment given for pretty simple theft was to be burnt on the hand. Besides being painful, this would give one a marking that would arouse suspicion just about anywhere he went.

More than a century before motor vehicles appeared in the area, a persons horses were very valuable assets, creatures that could quickly take a person and his goods for long distances. So you shouldnt mess with ones horse. A horse thief who appeared before the Long Bluff court learned that the hard way. Not only did he receive 39 lashes, which might have been enough to kill some people, but had his right ear cut off. Ouch!

A couple of others charged with larceny not involving horses got by just being whipt. A forgery case caused the forger to be taken to the pillory and be publickly whipt. Besides the physical pain, I guess that could have been pretty embarrassing.

If you were at this court, it was much better not to be a defendant.

Thom Anderson is a former editor of the Morning News. Email him at thidbit@aol.com.
Press Release

March 18, 2016 Legarda: Earth Hour Proves We Can All Protect Our Planet As Filipinos and other nations prepare to join the Earth Hour 2016 on March 19, 8:30 to 9:30 PM, Senator Loren Legarda today stressed on the importance of the campaign in the overall effort to address the climate crisis. Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience, said that by participating in the Earth Hour, we are showing our commitment to create more sustainable and resilient communities. "Saving on electricity, using low carbon technologies, conserving water, eating local food, planting more trees, among others, are just some of the simple ways by which we can significantly contribute to protecting our planet. Beyond that, we can take the lead in environmental protection and climate change adaptation programs," she said. The Senator encouraged everyone to go beyond the Earth Hour and join the rest of the world in efforts to save energy, reduce carbon emissions and raise awareness on sustainability and environmental challenges. "The Earth Hour proves that we are capable of doing something to protect our planet. It proves that small acts, when put together, create big change. I hope that what we can do for an hour, we can also do everyday until environment-friendly practices become part of our routine, until we adopt a low-carbon lifestyle," Legarda said. Earth Hour encourages people to turn off the non-essential lights for one hour. In previous years, the Philippines was regarded as an Earth Hour Hero Country for registering a high number of participating towns and cities and for its staunch support to the campaign.
Press Release

March 18, 2016 MIRIAM'S HEALTH SHOULD BE PRIORITY - BONGBONG Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. today expressed hope that Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago joins him in the campaign soon but maintained that her health should come first. "We had planned to be together during the campaign. That was always the original plan. But I suppose her health issues have overtaken her and she has just to attend to that. And I think that she would be able to overcome this new obstacle and she will be joining us in the campaign soon enough," Marcos said in an interview on the sidelines of his Unity Caravan in Cebu City. Santiago, in a statement, had announced that she will skip the scheduled second presidential debate tomorrow at the University of the Philippines Cebu because she "accepted as fit to undergo a clinical trial for a new, unnamed anti-cancer pill." "I am very sorry to miss out on the debates, but it would be a disservice to the country if I forego the opportunity to get rid of my cancer completely and strengthen myself further to serve the Filipino people," Santiago said. Marcos added that while he would prefer to campaign with Santiago, the trend of the current campaign seems to gear towards individual campaigning rather than as a party. "The ideal is for us to campaign together. But I think the other factor is that this election is different and that most of the candidates are campaigning individually be they presidential, vice presidential or even senatorial candidates---most if not all are campaigning individually. So that seems to be the trend for this campaign, for this election," he pointed out, Marcos also pointed out that being in a trend of individual-type of campaigning, the candidate's character, not so much on party affiliations, will play a big role. "I think because the dynamic here is that the voters are looking at individual candidates rather than party members and that the party machinery is no longer seen as a guide but merely as an over-arching organization for people to join in in the campaign pero ang pagtatanaw ng taong bayan ay bilang tao, so character is the issue here," he said. The senator said this is probably the reason his message for unity is being accepted by the Filipino people wherever he goes. "That is why I think so far the question of character being paramount, ay dyan siguro tayo nakakalamang," he said.
Press Release

March 18, 2016 Sen. Marcos tells Comelec to stop Po-El, Ma-El talks and comply with SC ruling on vote reciepts Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. today urged the Commission on Elections to dismiss all talks of postponement of the elections or return to manual voting and waste no time in complying with the Supreme Court decision requiring vote counting machines to issue receipts. Marcos made the call following the decision of the high court junking the motion for reconsideration of the Comelec and affirming its ruling that mandates the issuance of the receipts. "The Supreme Court's swift action on this crucial issue is laudable. Now that these issues have been settled the Comelec should stop floating scenarios that would cast doubt on the integrity and credibility of the coming elections," said Marcos. "All these talks about Po-El or postponement of elections and Ma-El or manual elections are just fueling speculations about possible plans to frustrate the will of the electorate," he added. Marcos earlier pointed out that the Comelec's suggestion to move the date of the elections is contrary to the constitutional provision that the elections should be held on the second Monday of May. He said that while Congress has the power to set another date of the polls, this is no longer possible for the coming May elections since the legislature is not in session to pass the appropriate law. Likewise, Marcos reiterated that the law calls for automated, not manual, elections. "The Comelec now has no choice. It has to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling and do everything possible to fulfill its mandate to conduct a clean, honest, and credible elections," said Marcos.
Press Release

March 19, 2016 "I WOULD NOT BE GOADED TO BE PART

OF MUDSLINGING" - BONGBONG MARCOS Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. today said he would not be provoked to engage in mudslinging just stay ahead in the vice presidential race saying it will not help solve the country's problems. In an interview over Cebu Catholic Television Network (CCTN) in Cebu City, Marcos said he will just continue to present his platform rather than destroy his political rivals. "Will mud-slinging create one more job? Will insulting somebody else, trying to put them down help feed a child? None of these things are useful, none of these things achieve anything except more disunity, more polarization," he said. He said he will not be provoked into engaging in the negative type of campaigning because it is not what the people needs. "I would not be goaded or somehow baited to be part of the mudslinging or part of the insults that are going back and forth. I just see that there is no place because when I talk to people, ordinary Filipino citizens, they don't ask me about what a bad person the other person is. What they ask me is what can you do to help me," he said. While it is understandable for candidates to engage in character assassination during the campaign season, Marcos said he is hopeful that all attacks would stop after the elections so the elected leaders could begin fulfilling their duties to serve the people. "Kasi naman pulitika ganyan talaga, merong mamimili so talagang nagpapa-pogi yung iba at sinisiraan naman yung iba. May element of that na hindi natin ma-avoid. Pero pagkatapos na ang halalan pagka-naproklama na yung mga winner e isantabi na muna natin 'yan," he said. Marcos has been campaigning on a message of unity saying it is the essential first step for the country to move forward. He said unity should start with the elected leaders by setting aside their own interests and putting the interest of the people in the forefront of all their actions. "Ipaalala natin sa ating mga leader that they must attend to the needs of the people who they have sworn to serve. Sumumpa kami to help people, to sacrifice our own personal interest for that of the country, for that of the citizenry. And we seem to have forgotten it. Puro pulitika na lang kayat puro away ng away kayat hiwa-hiwalay ngayon ang lipunan," he said.
Press Release

March 19, 2016 Recto: Poor man's ATM vulnerable to hacking, too Cyberthieves in the Philippines may not have the sophistication of their international counterparts to stage billion-peso heists, but they now have the capability to steal millions of pesos from automated teller machines (ATM) stationed all over the country. What is alarming, according to Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, is the fact that the Philippine National Police's Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) has only 110 officers who serve as special investigators for all internet-related crimes. The growing menace of cybercrime, Recto said, should move Malacanang to immediately sign into law the Congress-approved bill creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The DICT Bill, which Recto principally authored in the Senate, mandates the creation of a Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center. The DICT will also be tasked to formulate the National Cybersecurity Plan and form the National Computer Emergency Response Team, which, Recto said, will serve as "our IT Special Action Forces." Recto said a Cybercrime Report prepared by the Department of Justice for the years 2014-2015 showed that the Philippines ranks 39 among countries globally on internet threat activities. The top growing trends in the threat landscape, according to the report, include advanced targeted attacks, mobile threats, malware attacks and data breaches. The PNP-ACG, on the other hand, recorded an increase of 113% in cybercrime statistics from 288 incidents in 2013 to 614 incidents in 2014. Topping the cybercrime list is internet fraud with 137 incidents, followed by libel thru social media (104); voyeurism (68) harassment/threat (63); identity theft (53); Electronic Commerce Act (47); Access Device Regulation Act (23), ATM Fraud (8) and Credit Card Fraud (8). While the PNP data on ATM Fraud seems negligible, Recto said ATM hackers got away with almost P400 million from bank depositors in 2012 and 2013. According to the senator, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported 2,872 cases of ATM fraud during that period. The modus operandi in these cases involve the use of illegal PIN (personal identification number)-capturing devices on automated teller machines. "Big banks are not the only ones at risk. Every Juan de Cruz who has ATM account is a potential victim of these cybercriminals," Recto said. "If we cannot protect these poor ATM holders, who will?" Recto added. At present, the PNP-ACG has been tasked to investigate all cybercrimes and other crimes utilizing Information and Communications Technology (ICT). It also maintains Cyber-Patrollig and Terror Response Team for the monitoring of social media exploitation. But due to limited manpower, there are only 110 police officers who serve as special investigators in PNP-ACG. These officers are detailed in different units of PNP-ACG such as Child Protection, Economic Crimes, Financial Intelligence and Organized Crimes. "The internet telecommunications network is an information superhighway. How do we expect 110 police officers to ensure the security and safety of Filipinos using this superhighway?" Recto said.
MESA, Ariz.  Sonny Gray didnt have a terrific outing on Saturday, allowing eight hits and six runs, five earned, in the As 7-6 win over the Reds, but the damage was mostly groundball singles and one freakish double by Billy Hamilton, a chopper that took a high hop over Mark Canha at first.

No cause for alarm, and the As All-Star starter said via text that he was just a little tired.

Manager Bob Melvin said Gray was tired before he even got to the ballpark. His 1-year-old, Gunnar, had kept him up, and he also was the reason Gray took off before the media had a chance to speak to him. Gunnar was screaming in the car, Gray texted after the As told reporters he had declined to speak.

He had a long morning. He didnt have the same energy on the mound, but we were looking for six ups from him and 70 pitches and thats what we got, Melvin said. It was apparent to me that he didnt have the life he usually has, and about now is usually the dead arm stage.

Gray, a Gold Glove-caliber defensive player, also made an error. He got his one error every four years out of the way, catcher Stephen Vogt said.

He was just a little out of sorts today, Melvin said.

Danny Valencia also made an error that led to an unearned run, and Vogt blamed himself for a wild pitch that contributed to a two-run inning.

Thats my fault. Ive got to block that pitch, Vogt said. Im not thrilled with my performance, either, but the good news is, its early and we know what to continue to work on.

Vogt, Doolittle do it all: The As always value versatility, and now they have a catcher and a reliever who can double as ad copy writers. Vogt and Sean Doolittle suggested and helped script two of the As TV ads, Unflinching Trust and Meetings, Meetings, and Doolittles girlfriend, comedy writer Eireann Dolan, helped pen a third commercial, Social Media Graduation.

The highlight of this years ads is Fireworking, featuring Vogts interpretive dance routine for Fireworks Night.

One ad is for Sean Doolittle Metallica Gnome Night. As vice president of sales and marketing Jim Leahey said the team is trying to get Metallica to attend that April 30 game.

Short stop: Jed Lowrie always voices strongly how much hed prefer to stay at one position, but, Melvin said, Lowrie probably will play some shortstop this spring.

Just dont tell him that yet, Melvin said with a smile.

Lowrie is adjusting to second base, a position he hasnt played full time since college, but its more than likely he also will be the As backup shortstop. Projected utility player Chris Coghlan does not play shortstop.

Briefly: Henderson Alvarez (shoulder surgery) threw a bullpen session and added in his changeup with his fastball. Hell first face hitters when the As return to the Bay Area at the end of the month.  With Rich Hill starting a minor-league game Sunday to avoid the As season-opening opponents, top prospect Sean Manaea will start against the White Sox.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

As 7, Reds 6

Notable: Eric Sogard and Chris Coghlan turned a tremendous double play in the fourth, with Sogard diving up the middle for a rocket by Jake Cave and making a glove flip to Coghlan, who caught the ball barehanded and threw to first. Sogard is a magician, starter Sonny Gray said via text.  Sam Fuld, who is about to leave any day for the birth of his fourth child (who was due Saturday), was 2-for-2 and is batting .417.  New relievers John Axford and Ryan Madson each threw an inning and both remain unscored upon this spring.  The As scored twice in the ninth for a comeback win, with borrowed minor-leaguer J.P. Sportman, for the second year in a row, making a splash, this time with a game-tying double and then dashing home on a wild pitch for the victory.

Quotable: Terrible, that cant happen, bad, bad error. Even after the homer, I told Sonny, That error is going to haunt me.

 Danny Valencia, who hit a two-run homer in the third but whose second-inning error led to an unearned run.

Sundays game: White Sox vs. As at Mesa, 1:05 p.m. Radio: 95.7.

 Susan Slusser
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Commuters should expect no relief Monday from the delays, crowded trains and service disruptions that plagued BART much of last week, transit authorities said Sunday, even as crews continued to investigate the mysterious mechanical problems causing the chaos.

Power surges on a section of track north of the North Concord Station knocked out 50 BART cars last week  on top of 80 cars that were similarly disabled over a two-week period in February, according to BART officials. Though a few of those cars have been repaired, the system is still down dozens of cars from the 579 that typically are available.

In addition to taking cars out of commission, the power surges forced BART to stop service from North Concord to the busy Pittsburg-Bay Point Station, to avoid risking further train damage.

Rain may add to problems

On Sunday, BART continued testing the track where the power surges happened to try to determine the cause, said spokeswoman Alicia Trost. But there was no new information on what was causing the surges. She said she expected an update from crews Monday morning.

In the meantime, last weeks commute mess should continue into Monday, and may even be exacerbated by rain forecast for the morning. That means overcrowded trains from the East Bay to San Francisco, and bus service to connect passengers who need to get between the North Concord and Pittsburg-Bay Point stations.

If Im riding during rush hour, its not the most pleasant thing because of how crowded its been, said Lisa Morris, 23, who takes BART every weekday from Oakland to downtown San Francisco. She was in the city shopping on Sunday and not looking forward to facing another uncomfortable commute the next day.

Im grateful BART exists. But I feel like its very common for the trains to just stop working, Morris said. For the number of people who depend on it, it could probably use more funding. Im just a layperson, but thats what it seems like.

Its not just laypeople. Transit experts from around the country have weighed in on BARTs woes and similar transportation shortcomings in other U.S. cities. The problems largely revolve around basic maintenance and preventive care of the systems aging trains, tracks and stations, transit experts say.

Maintenance bond measure

BART leaders plan to put a $3.5 billion bond measure on the November ballot to help pay for that kind of maintenance. BARTs 10-year capital improvement program lays out $9.6 billion in needs, but only $4.8 billion in anticipated revenue.

It could take months for BART to recover fully from this latest mechanical setback. The transit system expects to resume service between the North Concord and Pittsburg-Bay Point stations this week, but repairing the dozens of cars that were disabled will require specialty parts that may not be available until the summer.

That means short, crowded trains may be the norm for many more months  further stretching riders already thin patience. Commuters, especially those venting on social media, were furious with the disruptions last week.

On Sunday, though, the leisurely weekend crowd of shoppers and tourists was more forgiving. Many people waiting on downtown platforms werent aware of any service disruptions on BART.

Its great to have this  at least we can get around without a car, said Elishanay Daniels, 17, who had come in to San Francisco from Richmond to shop for a prom dress with her aunt.

Waiting a bit further down the platform at the Embarcadero Station, Michelle Huang, 24, noted that BART seemed pretty dependable compared with the delays shes come to expect on Muni. It takes her at least an hour and a half to get from her Sunset District home to a volunteer job at the Berkeley YMCA every Sunday.

Im late today because of Muni, Huang said, glancing at the time on her phone. BART, she added, could be better.

But its not terrible, she said with a shrug.

It could be worse

Agata Malkowski, 30, said shes noticed more delays and tightly packed crowds on her regular visits from San Francisco to her boyfriends home in Pleasant Hill. But she refuses to complain too much. The train cars are clean, at least.

Ive lived in a lot of places, and these are some of the nicest trains Ive ever taken. I just wish I could get where I wanted to go faster, Malkowski said, and then grinned. Im a spoiled brat.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
This story originally appeared on KQED.org.

As part of our series Bay Curious, we are answering questions from KQED listeners and readers. This one comes from San Francisco resident Amy Kistler.

Amy Kistler has seen a man dancing on the 18th Street pedestrian overpass above Highway 101 in San Francisco for years. Her evening commutes from Emeryville back to the city are speckled with sightings of the dancing man, who always holds a large red heart in his hand.

"Is he going to be there, is he not going to be there?" Kistler regularly wonders as she crawls toward the overpass in rush-hour traffic.

Lucas Waldron/KQED

It became a kind of game in her office, Kistler said. Her co-workers would share when they saw the dancing man, and try to guess what brought him up to the bridge.

Finally stumped, Kistler asked Bay Curious, "What's the story with the dancer on the 18th Street overpass?"

The Man Behind The Dance Moves

San Francisco native Javonne Hatfield, 23, started dancing at his family's church when he was 8 years old.

"I was always dancing around and everyone was like, 'Why can't you stay still?' " he says.

From that early age, his mother encouraged him to practice in the arts, and had him take part in musicals and plays at the Cosmopolitan Baptist Church in Ingleside. One day, he tried praise dance, a spiritual performance art done as a form of worship.

"You paint your face white and you mime to inspirational music or gospel music," he explains.

It was an instant connection for Hatfield.

"I always felt that there was this was unspoken power that comes over me when I participate in any kind of dance," he says. "I would always get this very special feeling and think 'This is for me.'"

Dancing For Drivers

Three years ago, Hatfield was at a difficult point in life. His mother had died four years earlier and he was going through some big life changes.

"I was trying to figure out, 'What's my purpose? Why am I here? What can I do at this point in time to get the negative energy out?'" he says.

One evening, he walked out to a bridge over Highway 101 near his Portola district home and stared down at the cars crawling in traffic below him. He says he noticed how unhappy everybody looked  how they were all focused on getting to their destination and not happy to be there.

On a whim, he threw up a peace sign at the drivers.

And it felt good.

Quickly, an idea formed and before long Hatfield had returned to the bridge with a piece of cork board he'd cut into the shape of a heart and spray painted red.

Looking down at the cars, "I got chills throughout my body, and I started shaking a little bit. I told myself don't think about it," he says. "Once I started dancing I could hear the car honks over the music and see people waving at me. That's when it stuck  this is what I need to do."

After a few location changes, and an upgrade on his heart-shaped prop, Hatfield settled into his regular spot on the pedestrian bridge near the Vermont Street exit. In a way, the bridge  floating in front of an expansive view of San Francisco  has been his unofficial stage for the last two and a half years.

"This particular location is like a gateway in and out of San Francisco," Hatfield explains. Drivers going nearly anywhere in the city will pass under him on their way in or out of town.

"I believe what you put out is what you get back. So, I try to just give out good, give out good," he says. "It's all about the love, and that's what my message is."

Hatfield says the dancing also makes him feel connected to his mother and God. He says a prayer every time before he dances.

"My mom would give people chances if they messed up in life. She was always there for people and had a big heart to share with the community," he says. "With me dancing, that's my way to keep the love inside of me and share it with the world."

You can spot Hatfield on the 18th Street overpass during evening commute hours several days a week. If you do see him and wave, it's sure to bring a smile to his face.

Got a question you want KQED's Bay Curious team to investigate? Ask!

This story originally appeared on KQED.org.


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 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, said 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 said.

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, said John Dickson, principal at Denim Group, a San Antonio software security firm. But after that, the genie is out of the bottle, he said.

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.

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, according to 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, said 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 Virginia provider of secured Internet browsers, pointed to last years hacking of the Office of Personnel Management, which compromised the 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 said. If I was a hacker and I knew this software had been created, Id be trying really hard to get it.

Then theres court, where defense experts would want a close look at the tool to ensure that it wasnt tainting evidence, said Jeffrey Vagle, a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. It could get quite tangled from a technical standpoint, he said.

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 district attorneys 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, which all support the high level of encryption in question.

Elsewhere in the country, the Harris County district attorneys 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 district attorneys office.
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SAN JOSE  Stan Lee took the Silicon Valley Comic Con stage for the last day of the weekend-long event, and made a good case for more than his regular one-scene cameo in the next Marvel movie.

Robert Downey Jr., I call him Bob. You call him Robert, but were like this, Lee said of the Iron Man actor, sticking two fingers together. I give him what pointers I can, but he has to learn to (act) for himself. Its a tough world out there. Hey, if youre listening, just kidding  Bob.

Lee is 93 years old, and has never been in a Marvel movie for more than a minute. But the co-creator of Thor, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and the X-Men is still arguably the most entertaining draw at pop culture conventions. The San Jose Convention Center big room that seats 3,200  almost as much as the Fillmore Auditorium and Warfield put together  was packed for a simple Q&A on Sunday, March 20, featuring queries from one awestruck fan after the other.

One of the first in line, a fan in a Back to the Future T-shirt asked Lee what he would be doing if he didnt create comics.

I love doing these panels so much. Maybe I would have become a professional panel-doer, Lee deadpanned. If I hadnt gotten into comics I think I might have been some sort of writer. And I might have tried to be an actor, because my favorite person, besides myself, was Errol Flynn.

Stand-up comedy might have worked as well. Even in his 10th decade on this planet, Lee is as razor sharp as any Punch Line headliner. The questions were good, but Lees tangents and digressions were even better.

Heres Lee on why youve been saying the words comic book wrong all these years:

It should only be one word. A comicbook, Lee told the crowd, explaining that the two-word version implies just a book with comics, not a complex artistic experience. Its like nothing else in the whole world. Its a comicbook. Not a comic book. I hope all of you, when this panel is over, I hope you know the address of your congressman 

Lee keeps saying whatever convention hes currently doing will be the last. His assistant Max Anderson says every summer Lee tells him, Im done. No more. And every January, Lee asks, So what do we have lined up?

Asked by one fan why he keeps coming, Lee joked that his motivation was greed, before showing a little-seen serious side.

I love conventions because I love the fans. I love seeing your enthusiasm, Lee told the Silicon Valley Comic Con crowd. I love seeing that every year there are more and more. That you used to be young fans, and now youre older.  Once you become a fan youre in it forever. Its like youre trapped.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub

Silicon Valley Comic Con: 5-9 p.m. Friday, March 18; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, March 19; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, March 20. $10-$99. San Jose Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St., San Jose. http://svcomiccon.com

Keep up to date with the Chronicles live blog here.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  Madison Bumgarner called it a plus that his foot and rib cage felt better than he had predicted when he threw 60 pitches Saturday after missing a start.

The minus?

My delivery was terrible, he said after allowing five runs over 22/3 innings in Saturdays 9-1 loss to the As. Its not quite where I want it. Its not too far away either. My timing is off, and my rhythm.

Bumgarners spring ERA is 10.57. None of the five projected starters has one better than Jeff Samardzijas 8.31. That might be a red flag if the April 4 opener were closer.

The issue remains the readiness of Matt Cain and Johnny Cueto, who together have combined for seven Cactus League innings. Cueto will not add to his total Sunday. Instead of facing the Rockies, the Giants will have him throw in a minor-league game to control his innings and hide him from a division foe.

Manager Bruce Bochy remained adamant that Cain and Cueto are on target to take their first regular-season turns, but in the same breath said he loves the way potential replacements Chris Heston and Clayton Blackburn have thrown.

If we have to give these guys a break, Bochy said, referring to Cain and Cueto, we have depth this year.

Cain reported his arm felt fine after his debut Friday night. Bumgarners issue Saturday was not arm strength, but mechanics. He revealed he has been struggling there all spring and as far back as last season.

Its frustrating that it even happens, Bumgarner said. Thats just a fact of life. Its going to happen. I feel I can turn it around.

Bumgarner has not swung a bat since he pulled something in his rib cage last week but said he does not care if his next at-bat comes on Opening Day.

Blanco returns: Gregor Blanco, such an important bench player, revealed that the cause of his week off was a left oblique injury he suffered in a March 12 game against the Angels.

He returned as the designated hitter Saturday and singled in two at-bats. He has been throwing and will play again Sunday.

Briefly: Adalberto Mejia will start for the Giants against the Rockies at Salt River Field. Buster Posey will catch Mejia while Trevor Brown catches Cueto in the minor-league game. Bochy said catcher Andrew Susac was close to returning from wrist inflammation. ... The Giants scratched first baseman Brandon Belt, but he was not hurt. He played Friday night and they wanted him to face Colorado on Sunday.

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

As 9, Giants 1

Notable: As starter Felix Doubront completed four innings despite taking a Trevor Brown comebacker behind his right knee, fortunately hitting muscle, not bone. He allowed one run, on a Hunter Pence infield hit. ... Doubront and three As relievers held the Giants to six singles. Billy Butler homered off Madison Bumgarner among his two hits. ... Santiago Casilla hung a curveball to Tyler Marincov, who blasted it out to left.

Quotable: I didnt feel my leg all the way down to my foot. After those seconds, I knew it was going to burn. I went down and waited for the pain.

 Doubront on the comebacker that nailed him.

Sundays game: Giants vs. Rockies, at Scottsdale (Salt River), 1:10 p.m. Radio: 680.

 Henry Schulman
STAMFORD  On Sunday, Rita Derubeis, 65, stood outside Sacred Heart Church with her friend Anna Gentile, 63, recalling growing up on the citys West Side as children who had immigrated from Settefrate, Italy.

We went through a lot of stuff, said Derubeis, who immigrated to Stamford in 1958 when she was 7. We had to go to Naples for blood tests to make sure we werent sick. If you had an arrest record in Italy, you couldnt come.

Derubeis, like many Italian immigrants from Stamford and their descendants who have since moved to other parts of the city and beyond, came to Sacred Heart on Palm Sunday for the weekly 10 a.m. Italian Mass. Despite last living in the neighborhood decades ago, the rituals and character of the parish still feel like home to her, Derubeis said.

I tried going to St. Leos Parish, but all my connections are here, she said.

On Palm Sunday, the pews were packed with worshippers waving palms during a lengthy procession and ritual at the beginning of the Mass, which retold the story of Jesus Christs entry into Jerusalem a week before Easter. The lyrics to hymns were also sung in fluent Italian.

After the reading of the Passion, the parishs pastor, Father Alfonso Picone, a native of Sicily, alternated between Italian and English as he discussed the spiritual significance of Christs crucifixion for Catholics.

We are making clear by waving the palms that we are welcoming Jesus like they did 2,000 years ago, but at the same time, we remember we crucified Christ, Picone said. The one who was sent to us so we could experience forgiveness.

Picone said a large proportion of those who frequent the Mass are immigrants from the towns of Settefrate and Minturno, Italy, both of which are between Rome and Naples.

The parish retains the loyalty of not only a large group of first-generation immigrants, but also their children who want to retain many of the special traditions that originated in Italy. Today, the parish also offers a Sunday afternoon Spanish language Mass for the influx of Latino immigrants, which mirrors the arrival of Italians in the 1950s and 1960s, he said.

As it stands, the parish is open to various cultures and all are welcome, Picone said. The Italian Mass brings in Italian Americans from throughout the area, especially on special days like today, Easter, and Christmas.

Off to the side of the church entrance, Springdale resident Frances Bianco presided over another Palm Sunday tradition observed by Catholics of Italian and Latin descent by distributing decorative crosses woven out of the blessed palms and decorated with a lily and purple ribbon. The lily symbolizes the resurrection, and the purple ribbon represents the Christian season of Lent, Picone explained.

Bianco said her father, Domenico Campolunghi, who immigrated from Settefrate, was part of the group of Italian immigrants who first worshipped in a nearby church before becoming the core of Sacred Hearts parish.

My children were all baptized here and it is where I was married, Bianco said. It was always a close-knit family parish growing up and the traditions are still important to all of us.
SAN JOSE  Movie fans went back to the past with celebrities Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson on Saturday, March 19 at the Silicon Valley Comic Con.

It was an emotional reunion for the gang, who filmed the first movie about 30 years ago, a milestone that was celebrated with much fanfare last year (Oct. 21, 2015 was the date that Foxs character, Marty McFly, went to via a time-traveling DeLorean in 1989s Back to the Future Part II).

Fans grilled the actors on their favorite moments in the Back to the Future trilogy, whether they would switch roles and the best places to time travel to. Despite the films age, the movies continue to stoke the imaginations of young viewers. Thompson admitted that four generations of her family have watched the film together.

Back in 1985, kids saw the movie. Then they grew up and showed their kids the movie, Lloyd said. Its a cycle that went on and on.

It was an unintended hit, Fox revealed. None of the actors had been contracted for sequels, and they hadnt expected two more films to follow. The complexity in the script and the direction genius made it powerful, he said.

Imagining yourself in another time is a universal fantasy everyone has, Lloyd added. You wish you could be in the future or the past. It appeals to that very human wish.

Fox also fielded questions about Parkinsons Disease, which he was diagnosed with in 1991, while his hands shook as he gestured, and he tapped a foot incessantly. Optimism makes the difference, he said  though it doesnt help his smartphone photo-taking abilities.

Things become harder to do. It is a progressive disease, he said. I just take note of it and try to get around it. A thing I often say is, You imagine the worst case scenario and you obsess about it, you lose twice. You can get caught up in the difficulties of it, but I try not to dwell. I smile and try to get through my day.

The movie changed their lives for the better, each of the actors reiterated at different points. The sentiment was echoed by fans during an open question and answer session.

I love stories about scientists who are able to imagine in a realm we cant even begin to enter and come up with things like E=mc 2. Theres the excitement of discovery, Lloyd said. Doc tries things that dont work. He makes a gadget to automatically feed dogs. The mentality to come up with things that are unfathomable to most people is priceless. This film has changed peoples lives and influenced them to become physicists or scientists. I think thats one of the coolest things to be part of in a positive way.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email:ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn

Silicon Valley Comic Con: 5-9 p.m. Friday, March 18; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, March 19; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, March 20. $10-$99. San Jose Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St., San Jose. http://svcomiccon.com

Keep up to date with the Chronicles live blog here.
MIAMI  In the last comprehensive review of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. government decided almost 50 were too dangerous to transfer but not feasible for prosecution, leaving them in 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 Obamas push to shut down the detention center at the U.S. military base in Cuba.

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 others 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 shouldnt 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 Center for Constitutional Rights in New York 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.

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 Qaeda 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 Qaeda 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.

Ninety-one men are held at Guantanamo, down from almost 250 when Obama assumed the presidency.
INDIANAPOLIS  A sheriffs deputy and a suspect have died after a gunfight early Sunday inside a mobile home that also injured a second deputy, authorities said.

Howard County Deputy Carl Koontz died at an Indianapolis hospital after being shot about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at a mobile home in Russiaville, Sheriff Steven Rogers said during a news conference Sunday afternoon outside of the hospital.

A second deputy, Sgt. Jordan Buckley, also was shot and was in stable condition, alert and conscious, Indiana State Police said. Both officers had been wearing body armor, and fellow officers took them out of the mobile home to provide first aid.

SWAT officers found an unidentified suspect dead inside the mobile home about two hours after the gunfight, Rogers said.

Koontz and Buckley were serving arrest and search warrants at the home about 60 miles north of Indianapolis, Rogers said. No one answered officers knocks at the door.

They got inside the residence, and they were met with gunfire, Rogers said. As police officers we anticipate things like that, but it comes as a total surprise to us. ... We plan for it, but youre never fully prepared, of course, for that situation.

The sheriff said he could not recall another death in the line of duty during his 46 years with the Howard County department. Koontz had been a deputy for less than three years, and had a wife and a child about 8 months old.

He was an outstanding officer, he had great promise with our agency, and hes going to be greatly missed, Rogers said.

Rogers said officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, but he didnt know which officers did so and it wasnt clear how many were inside the mobile home during the gunfight.

After removing neighboring residents from their homes and trying to contact the suspected shooter for two hours, SWAT officers found a person dead inside the mobile home, Rogers said. The name of the dead person and the cause of death have not been released.

Investigators had learned a suspect wanted for possession of a syringe in neighboring Clinton County was hiding at the mobile home and obtained the warrants, Rogers said.

Gov. Mike Pence directed flags at state government facilities across Indiana be flown at half-staff to honor Koontz. Flags will remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Koontzs funeral.
What youll see: Ten inches of rain this month have turned the hike on the Coast Trail out of Palomarin into a series of revelations. Youll see three little freshwater lakes and, for the ambitious, Alamere Falls, all rejuvenated for spring. Pick a clear day and you also get spectacular coastal views.

Location: Palomarin is north of Bolinas, just past the Towers at the southern end of Point Reyes National Seashore in western Marin County.

Coast Trail to Bass Lake: The trailhead is perched near a cliff. Without taking a step you get pretty views of the Marin Coast. The trail ventures north for 2.2 miles, dropping down into and then climbing out of a series of short ravines, and then up to a junction at a sub ridge. Stay left (still Coast Trail) and you descend 0.6 miles along Bass Lake. For many, this is as far as they go. Its a 5.6-mile round trip.

For the ambitious few: From Bass Lake, the Coast Trail continues north, skirting past Crystal Lake on your right and larger Pelican Lake on your left (just above Double Point). You then drop down to a wide bluff-top terrace above the ocean, 2.7 miles. This is the site of Wildcat Camp, one of the Bay Areas most popular trail camps. In total, its an 11-mile round trip.

Alamere Falls: From Wildcat Camp, youll find a short route down to a wilderness beach. From there, pick a low tide and walk 1 mile south for a full frontal view of Alamere Falls. It flows over a cliff and to the beach below. The stream then cuts a mosaic through the sand a short distance into the ocean. Its a 13-mile round trip.

Wildcat Camp: Reservations required, weekday availability for summer dates. $20 per night. Reserve at www.recreation.gov.

Palomarin Beach: From the parking area, hike a few minutes north on the Coast Trail to a spur trail on the left. Turn left and descend 0.6 miles to the beach.

Cost: Parking, access, map/brochure, free.

Trail/park rules: No dogs or mountain bikes from Palomarin Trailhead. No fires on the beach.

Coastal route to get there: From San Francisco, take Highway 101 north over the Golden Gate Bridge and continue 4 miles to the exit for Highway 1/Stinson Beach. Take that exit and continue west for 1 mile to the stoplight at a T intersection for Shoreline Highway/Highway 1. Turn left on Shoreline Highway and drive 16 miles (just past Bolinas Lagoon) to Fairfax-Bolinas Road. Turn left and drive 1.8 miles to Mesa Road. Turn right and drive 4.6 miles to trailhead parking.

Inland route: From San Francisco, take Highway 101 over the Golden Gate Bridge and continue 9 miles to the exit for Sir Francis Drake Boulevard/San Anselmo. Take that exit, continue to Sir Francis Drake and drive 21 miles to Highway 1. Turn left and drive 9.1 miles to Olema-Bolinas Road. Turn right and drive 1.8 miles to Mesa Road. Turn right and drive 4.6 miles to trailhead parking.

Distances: 5 miles from Bolinas, 30 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, 30 miles from San Rafael, 43 miles from Pacifica, 44 miles from Berkeley, 56 miles from Benicia, 64 miles from Concord, 81 miles from San Jose, 111 miles from Sacramento.

Contacts: Point Reyes National Seashore, (415) 464-5100, www.nps.gov/pore; lodging: www.ptreyes.com.

 Tom Stienstra
Its still 40 minutes before showtime, and theres just an audience of two backstage at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley on Friday night, but Marty Allen is already in full performance mode.

Somebody asked me How many Ed Sullivan Shows have you been on? he deadpans to a reporter and photographer. I said, More than Ed Sullivan!

At 93 years old  94 on Wednesday, March 23  Allen was clearly born without an off switch. His comedy career, spanning 70 years, resembles a runaway freight train, careening from solo comedy (opening for Nat King Cole) to a long partnership with Steve Rossi, to decades as a game-show staple, and now performing musical comedy revue with wife Karon Kate Blackwell.

A decade or two ago, Allen might have seemed out of touch. But his brand of clean self-deprecating humor, combined with his wifes earnest give-it-all-you-got singing, seems downright innovative in this era of snark and negativity.

Ninety-four years old, and Ive still got it! Allen says, introducing himself to the audience. But nobody wants it.

Thats the great thing about outliving 97 percent of your contemporaries. The audience will cheer for you just for showing up, and, if youre still legitimately entertaining, a celebratory mood breaks out. A celebration of comedy, and a celebration of life.

That was the vibe at the Throckmorton, beginning when the younger Blackwell appeared solo, belting out standards and medleys as if she had a full band behind her, not a piped-in backing track. After she showed some skill on the grand piano on the stage, Allen walked out with his trademark greeting, Hello dere.

The Pittsburgh-born Allen wanted to be a journalist (because I look great in a trench coat), but he got a couple of early breaks, opening for Sarah Vaughan and Cole in the 1950s. The latter star was like a brother, Allen says, and was influential in teaming the more clownish comic with straight-man Rossi. Allen & Rossi appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show more than 40 times; Sullivan liked their reliability and their wholesome humor.

Allen & Rossi broke up amicably in the 1960s after 15 years together, Allen says, and they remained close friends until Rossis death in 2014. Allen was a regular on Hollywood Squares and other game shows in the 1970s and 1980s, one of a stable of comics with a fast quip, including Rose Marie and Paul Lynde. The past few decades for Allen have consisted of performing  mostly near his Las Vegas home  as a team with Blackwell.

After about 10 minutes of Catskills-esque stand-up for the Throckmorton crowd, the second half of the show was a career retrospective, with video clips, photos and stories from Allens life, in which he has met everyone from Elvis Presley to Joan Crawford to President Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty. (Dancing with the first lady at a White House dinner to the song I Feel the Earth Move was a highlight during this story hour.)

Allen appeared on the same episode of The Ed Sullivan Show as the Beatles in the early 1960s  he says the lovestruck girls in the crowd were so loud, it was hard to hear.

There was only one way I could get to them, Allen recalls. I said Hello dere, Im Ringos mother.

There were more Beatles stories, another medley by Blackwell and a fond memory of a previous Mill Valley birthday shared with San Francisco comics Robin Williams and Mort Sahl. After several standing ovations and a ventriloquist dummy bit, the comedian ended the night with an extended dance number, his wife playing Boogie and Beethoven on the piano while Allen scooted back and forth across the floor  never mind that the cane he walked in with was 15 feet away.

The performance was supposed to end after that, but Bay Area comedian Johnny Steele, who had introduced Allen and Blackwell, surprised the comedian with a birthday cake. By that time the crowd was getting out of their seats and singing Happy Birthday closer to the stage, the performance long since having become something more intimate. Ill stay all night, Allen says, promising to sign his recent memoir, Hello Dere, or just take a photo with anyone who wanted one.

Ill never forget my 94th here in Mill Valley, Allen says, like a man who plans to stick around a while longer. You made it a marvelous day.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub
It was a pretty good offer. I would remain sober enough to drive my friend Rose around a chunk of Yolo County, while she was allowed to drink as much wine as she wanted (provided she could still operate the iPhone map). She said yes. Then, she had an afterthought.

Yolo County? Is that a real place?

Yolo County is not only real, it is surprisingly attractive (once you get off Interstate 80), and most of its best features are within a two-hour drive of much of the Bay Area. It turns out the Capay Valley/Dunnigan Hills and Winters areas offer wine drinkers a quality, but very un-Napa like, experience.

Its a little more mom and pop up here, said Tom Frederick of Capay Valley Vineyards in Brooks. But were just the next valley over from Napa, and weve had good success with a number of varietals  Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier. People get their moneys worth here.

We started in Sacramento and headed up to Matchbook Wine Co. in Zamora. After 25 minutes on charmless Interstate 5, we made a left onto County Road 92B and into Eden. Fat, fluffy sheep and tiny lambs frolicked in grass that looked like it had been drawn with a crayon. A giant hawk sailed past the windshield, alighted on a fence, and stared at us.

If that hawk starts talking, well know weve stumbled into a childrens book, Rose said.

Matchbook Wine Co. opened in 2005, but its owners, John and Lane Giguiere and Johns brother Karl, have been making wine in the Dunnigan Hills for over 30 years. Matchbooks sunlight-saturated industrial-chic tasting room opened in 2014.

We wanted to build something that matched the farm buildings but had an urban feeling, Lane said. Also, we wanted a place to showcase the area, where people could drink wine right in the middle of the vineyard.

You can taste wine from several brands here  Mossback, Chasing Venus, Sawbuck  but since this was a Yolo County trip, Rose and I stuck with Matchbook, grown in the Dunnigan Hills. We began with a glass of the 2015 Rose of Tempranillo, which smelled like strawberries to me and peaches to Rose.

Despite the mild, lighter-wine-friendly weather that day, it was the 2012 Syrah that Rose and I took to the back patio. It was earthy and had deep, dark fruit, with delicate violet in the finish  its an affordable, big, juicy crowd-pleaser. We sat in wicker chairs and looked west over the Chardonnay vines to watch spring come to the hills beyond. On weekends there are food trucks and bigger crowds, and while that sounds fun, Rose and I agreed this midweek experience was more us.

We headed east on Route 16 to the Seka Hills tasting room in Brooks. The green hills seemed to grow shades brighter as the day progressed, and they were decorated with swaths of cheerful yellow flowers.

Seka Hills features the products made of the 16 crops grown on the adjoining 1,400-acre ranch owned by the Yocha Dehe Indian tribe, which also owns Cache Creek Casino across the street. But theres no gambling in the tasting room. Just delicious olive oil, honey and beef sold by the tribe, as well as local and regionally sourced gifts. There is a great fire pit, surrounded by olive groves stirred by mountain breezes.

There is also wine, from grapes grown on the ranch and made down in Clarksburg. We had the 2012 Rose of Syrah, dry, crisp, refreshing, and the 2011 Viognier, fruity but admirably restrained  at $16, both are a good value. Seka Hills olive oil is amazing. We tried all four varieties of olive oil; the Frantoio and Taggiasca were lighter and more elegant, the Picual and Arbequina stronger and more peppery.

We both coughed after trying them, and Jim Etters, head of olive oil operations here, said, A good olive oil is supposed to make you cough. Good to know. You can get the oil on Seka Hills website, so consider your lifelong search for an affordable, California-themed, sustainable, always-welcome gift over.

It was late afternoon and we headed down Route 16 to Winters. This drive is less green than the drive to between Matchbook and Seka, all flatness and farmhouses. Explosions of purple flowers and palm trees were exotic reminders we were in California, not Kansas.

Winters is a farming town  walnuts, peaches, apricots. Grapes are a growing crop here and wine a growing industry, and the towns largest wineries, Turkovich and Berryessa Gap Vineyards, both have large and lively tasting rooms in the walkable, pleasantly-frozen-in-1958 downtown.

Turkovich feels, not unpleasantly, like Central Perk in Friends, with comfy chairs and gleaming floors. Sensing our mid-afternoon blood sugar dip, an angel from heaven who said her name was Tracy Rios brought us a plate of Turkovich cheese. I dont love red wine with cheese, so I stuck to white and was pleased, because Turkovichs 2014 whites are great. The Albarino had a pure, grapefruity essence and was clean, fresh and just a tiny bit sweet  very good with the Monterey Jack.

The Viognier had lovely floral aromas, particularly honeysuckle, and a little vanilla, but it had enough zing at the end to keep the sweetness in check and was a nice contrast with the sharp Cheddar. Finally, the Roussanne was creamy and fragrant with apricot and citrus.

I wanted to curl up on one of the couches and take a nap, but we had one more stop, the winery tasting room at Berryessa Gap Vineyards (which also has another tasting room in town). I love this place  its cave-like, with a plain bar and one long table with high-backed chairs  Pablo Escobar could totally hide out here.

Winemaker Nicole Salengo took a break from bottling the 2014 Tempranillo to open some recently bottled whites. The 2015 Verdejo had a heady smell of cantaloupe, peaches and honeydew and a citrusy, crisp spine. The 2015 Albarino  which Id like to taste alongside Turkovichs  well, when Albarinos good, its hard not to just praise the wines cleanness and simplicity. It was like drinking white cotton sheets hung out in breeze.

The 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, a varietal that Salengo specializes in, had last years perfect balancing acid but was more aromatic. Salengo mumbled something about cold fermentation (which is slower than warm, and produces more subtle flavors) and then said, Plus, I guess I just tried harder.

Whatever it was, she produced something real  one of many that make this place, well, perfectly real.

Sarah Miller is a freelance writer. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com

If you go

Matchbook Wine Co.: 12300 County Road 92B, Zamora, (530) 662-1032. Hours: 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily (closed Easter).

Seka Hills Tasting Room: 19326 County Road 78, Brooks, (530) 796-2810. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday.

Turkovich Tasting Room: 304 Railroad Ave., Winters. Tasting: Daily, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., as well as 5-9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Purchase food and wine by the glass or bottle or wine flight.

Berryessa Gap Winery Tasting Room: 15 Main St., Winters. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

Berryessa Gap Winery: 27260 Highway 128, Winters. Hours: noon-6 p.m. Thursday to Sunday.
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia  Aviation experts began examining the black boxes Sunday from the FlyDubai flight that crashed amid high winds at an airport in southern Russia, killing all 62 aboard.

FlyDubais Boeing 737-800 from Dubai nose-dived and exploded in a giant fireball before dawn Saturday after trying to land for a second time in strong winds in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. FlyDubai confirmed that all on board the plane were killed. Most of the passengers were Russian.

Several planes had trouble landing at the airport at the time of the crash.

Sergei Zaiko, deputy chairman of the Inter-State Aviation Committee, told Russias Channel One that experts were looking Sunday at the data recorders, which were delivered to Moscow earlier in the day.

The committee that investigates plane crashes in much of the former Soviet Union said in a statement that the devices had been severely damaged. But Sergei Zaiko, deputy chairman of the committee, was quoted by Russian news agencies late Sunday as saying that the quality of material on the data recorder was nonetheless high.

The black boxes were being viewed by experts from Russia, the United Arab Emirates and France, the aviation commission said. The American-made Boeing plane had French-made engines.

At Rostov-on-Don, hundreds of people flocked Sunday to the airport, the regions largest, to lay flowers and leave candles and toys in memory of the dead. The city is 600 miles south of Moscow near the Ukrainian border.

Closed-circuit TV footage showed the plane going down at a steep angle and exploding. The powerful explosion left a large crater in the runway.

The airport remained closed, but workers were repairing the damage to the runway Sunday afternoon and planned to reopen it Monday morning, the airport said in a statement.

FlyDubais chief executive, Ghaith al-Ghaith, said Sunday that the plane had enough fuel to maintain its holding pattern, which reportedly went on for two hours before pilots attempted to land the aircraft. He expressed confidence in Russian authorities and said the carrier intends to resume flights to the airport once it reopens.

He reiterated that the Rostov-on-Don airport was open Saturday despite the high winds and was good enough to operate at the time of the crash and that it was up to Russian authorities to make that determination.

Some of the crash victims were from rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine where fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,100 people in nearly two years. The war has turned the regions main airport of Donetsk into a wasteland, and many locals have been using the airport in Rostov-on-Don.

Self-proclaimed rebel authorities in Donetsk said Sunday that two residents had been killed in the crash, while the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reported that a family of three from the rebel-controlled town of Sverdlovsk in Ukraine was among the victims.
DHARMSALA, India  The prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile called Sunday for China to engage in dialogue on autonomy for his peoples homeland, as tens of thousands of Tibetans around the world voted for new leaders of a government that Beijing does not recognize.

Buddhist monks in crimson robes lined up along with hundreds of Tibetan men and women in schools, government buildings and the courtyard of the Tsuglakhang Temple in Indias northern city of Dharmsala, where the exiled government is based, to cast their votes for prime minister and parliament.
ATHENS  Hundreds of mostly Syrian asylum-seekers continued to arrive in Greece by sea Sunday despite the start of an international agreement to send migrants back to Turkey.

While the deal between the European Union and Turkey is officially in effect, the process for deporting migrants has yet to be worked out. Greek and Turkish officials are set to hold discussions Monday. And Greece is still awaiting the arrival of 2,300 European experts, including translators, to help carry out the agreement.

In the meantime, the EU said any new arrivals in Greece from now on will be subject to possible deportation.

At least 875 new refugees  mostly Syrians, along with Iraqis and Afghans  landed on four of Greeces Aegean islands close to the Turkish coast between Saturday evening and daybreak Sunday. Two Syrian men were found dead of undetermined causes aboard a boat arriving on the island of Lesbos, and two girls were found drowned east of Rhodes, officials said.

The EU-Turkey plan, agreed to on Friday, aims to halt smuggling by sending migrants who do not qualify for asylum back to Turkey. As part of the deal, European nations will then accept refugees directly from Turkey, starting April 4. The hope is to discourage asylum-seekers from trying to make the dangerous trip across the Aegean Sea on their own in flimsy boats.

Turkey is also required to step up efforts to crack down on illegal migration. The deal puts Ankara on the fast track to get $6.6 billion in aid to deal with refugees on its territory. It could also lead to unprecedented visa concessions for Turks to visit Europe and a re-energizing of the countrys EU membership bid.

Turkey, which is already hosting 2.7 million refugees from war-torn Syria, has been a primary departure point for Europe, while Greece has borne the brunt of arrivals. More than 1 million migrants have arrived in Europe over the past year.

On the Greek border town of Idomeni, where about 10,000 migrants who were refused entry into Macedonia are stranded, the mayor criticized what he said are plans to make the sprawling, muddy, makeshift encampment permanent.

The government asked us to bring sleeping cars through Hellenic Railways, approximately seven or eight cars to accommodate refugees. Thats not the solution. I think the (camp) should be evacuated, said Christos Goudenoudis, mayor of Peonia.
JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/Getty Images

JERUSALEM  Israeli police said they do not believe an arson attack on a Palestinian home Sunday was carried out by Jewish attackers. The house that was set ablaze belonged to a key witness to an arson attack by Jewish perpetrators that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents last year.

Palestinian officials say attackers broke the bedroom window of Ibrahim Dawabshehs home and set the house on fire. Dawabsheh and his wife escaped. He was unharmed but his wife suffered from light smoke inhalation.
BRUSSELS  The top suspect in last years Paris attacks told investigators after he was captured that he was planning new operations from Brussels and possibly had access to several weapons, Belgiums foreign minister said Sunday.

Salah Abdeslam had said that he was ready to restart something from Brussels, and its maybe the reality, Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said.

Reynders gave credence to the suspects claim because we found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons in the first investigations, and we have seen a new network of people around him in Brussels.

Abdeslam, captured Friday in a police raid in Brussels, was charged Saturday with terrorist murder by Belgian authorities. He is a top suspect in the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.

Abdeslam was wounded during the raid, and a senior Belgian police official said he was shot in the leg as he ran toward officers outside an apartment in the Molenbeek neighborhood.

Speaking to security experts at a German Marshall Fund conference in Brussels, the foreign minister said we have found more than 30 people involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris, but we are sure that there are others.

Reynders urged European intelligence, law enforcement, and border authorities to exchange more information to help track the suspects down.

Interpol also has called on European countries to be vigilant at their borders, saying Abdeslams accomplices may try to flee after his capture. The international police agency recommended closer checks at borders, especially for stolen passports. Many of the Nov. 13 attackers and accomplices traveled on falsified or stolen documents

Abdeslams Belgian lawyer, meanwhile, threatened to launch legal action Monday against a French prosecutor, accusing him of breaching the confidentiality of the investigation into the Paris rampage.

Sven Mary told Belgian public broadcaster RTBF that part of the news conference given Saturday by Paris prosecutor Francois Molins is a violation. Its a fault, and I cannot let it go unchallenged.

Molins said Abdeslam, 26, told Belgian officials he had wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France as a suicide bomber but that he backed out at the last minute.

France is seeking Abdeslams extradition for trial there, but Mary said he would fight any attempt to hand over his client and that investigators have much to learn from the suspect, who was born in Belgium but has French and Moroccan nationality.

He is cooperating, he is communicating, he is not insisting on his right to silence. I think it would be worthwhile now to give things a bit of time ... for investigators to be able to talk to him, Mary said.
2016 SkS Weekly Digest #12

Posted on 20 March 2016 by John Hartz

SkS Highlights... El Nino Impacts... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... He Said What?... SkS in the News... SkS Spotlights: MCC... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...

SkS Highlights

Lots of global warming since 1998 by Dana Nuccitelli drew the highest number of comments of the articles posted on SkS during the past week. The article is an update to the rebuttal to the myth 'it hasn't warmed since 1998'.

Tracking the 2C Limit - February 2016 by Rob Honeycutt garnered the second highest number of comments of the articles posted.

El Nino Impacts

In rural villages in Africa and Asia, and in urban neighborhoods in South America, millions of lives have been disrupted by weather linked to the strongest El Nino in a generation.

El Nino Upsets Seasons and Upends Lives Worldwide by Henry Fountain, New York Times, Mar 19, 2016

Toon of the Week

Quote of the Week

"We are in a kind of climate emergency now," Professor (Stefan) Rahmstorf said, noting that global carbon dioxide levels last year rose by a record rate of more than 3 parts per million.

"Governments have promised to act [to curb greenhouse gas emissions] and they need to do better than what they promised in Paris" at the global climate summit last December, he said.

'True shocker': February spike in global temperatures stuns scientists by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning herald, Mar 14, 2016

He Said What?

Yet the governor* is no climate ally; hes just a bit better than Trump at hiding his brand of denialism. He falls under the do-nothing category of politicians who will accept at least some of the science but want to, well, do nothing about it.

Take what Kasich said in the last debate as an example: After Marco Rubio fumbled through an answer on sea-level rise, Kasichs speech was almost a relief. I do believe we contribute to climate change, he began. I say almost a relief, because Kasich in the same answer also spoke in the familiar climate-denier code: Now, it doesnt mean because you pursue a policy of being sensitive to the environment, because we dont know how much humans actually contribute.

*John Kasich, Gov of Ohio and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

John Kasich is no better than Donald Trump on climate change by Rebecca Leber, Grist, Mar 15, 2016

SkS in the News

In The Next Great Global Warming 'Hiatus' Is Coming!, posted on Forbes, Ethan Siegel introduces the SkS Escalator graphic with:

But theres an insidious argument thats going to come up over the coming years (and possibly the next decade or two), once the current spike in temperature subsides: the idea that global warming will have stopped. Global warming doesnt just stop. It wont stop unless theres a causative reason for it to stop, and  at present  there isnt one. But because the long-term rise (i.e., the global warming component) is gradual, and the short-term variations (i.e., the fluctuations above an below the trend-line) are large, its going to appear, over 13-to-17 year timescales, that global warming has ceased.

SkS Spotlights: MCC

Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC)

About MCC

Global economic growth has led to the overuse of natural resources like the atmosphere, land and forests. These special assets are called global commons, because they need worldwide cooperation for their sustainable use. To achieve that, a farsighted and international view is needed, which governments and other stakeholders often lack. MCC aims to fill this gap and provides policy advice as well as research on long-term, global issues such as climate change: In this area we explore solutions, foster public debates, and support a broad societal exploration of development alternatives.

MCC was founded in 2012 by Stiftung Mercator and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). At the end of its inception phase, which ran from 2012 to 2015, MCC supported 28 full-time-equivalent positions, distributed across 47 total staff members. Our research is carried out in seven working groups and one special task force.

Our Vision

We envision a world of deliberative democracies that discuss openly and take well-informed decisions for the sustainable management of global commons. This ensures that current and future generations are provided with equitable access to the global commons.

Our Mission

MCCs mission is to provide solution-oriented policy pathways for governing the global commons to enhance sustainable development and human well-being. Our approach is based on high-quality research to inform policy making in an iterative societal learning process. We call this assessment-making.

Coming Soon on SkS

Current record-shattering temperatures are shocking to even climate scientists (Dana)

(Dana) In-depth: the scientific challenge of extreme weather attribution (Roz Pidcock)

(Roz Pidcock) Dangerous global warming will happen sooner than thought  study (Joshua Robertson)

(Joshua Robertson) Why is 2016 smashing heat records? (Karl Mathiesen)

(Karl Mathiesen) Guest Post (John Abraham)

(John Abraham) 2016 SkS Weekly News Roundup #13 (John Hartz)

(John Hartz) 2016 SkS Weekly Digest #13 (John Hartz)

Poster of the Week

SkS Week in Review

97 Hours of Consensus: Peter Hildebrand

Peter Hildebrand's bio page

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Virgin Australia has bought itself more time to fix its ailing balance sheet after obtaining a 12-month, $425 million unsecured loan from its four major shareholders, Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Group.

The move, foreshadowed by The Australian Financial Review's Due Diligence column on Monday, comes as part of a broader review of Virgin's capital structure.

The airline took out a $US125 million ($164 million) loan in the first half of the financial year amid a decline in its unrestricted cash balance to $544 million, from $839 million a year earlier.

Analysts said the carrier had been hampered by its inability to receive the full benefits of the fall in the oil price due to its hedging strategy, as well as its high US-dollar debt load at a time when the Australian dollar has weakened. In addition, while domestic market conditions have improved, the airline's international business has been losing money.
The Productivity Commission will examine whether big banks should be forced to share more data on customer transactions with fintech start-ups and other potential competitors as part of a comprehensive investigation into the availability and use of big data throughout the economy.

Treasurer Scott Morrison will announce policy changes to encourage more fintech entrepreneurs to compete against the big banks at fintech hub Stone & Chalk on Monday morning.

Scott Morrison at The Australian Financial Review Business Summit, where he flagged the "regulatory sandbox" to boost innovation. Credit:Josh Robenstone

The moves will include a request for the Productivity Commission to report to the government within a year on the costs and benefits of boosting the availability of data held by the private and public sectors, and how rules can be established for the way data is used to establish trust that data can be shared safely.

The government will also confirm it will create a "regulatory sandbox" scheme to make it easier for fintechs to test products before having to invest in financial services licensing, as flagged by Mr Morrison at The Australian Financial Review Business Summit last week.
Last April, after a parliamentary review into the results of the 2013 federal election, far-reaching reforms to the electoral voting system were recommended. The review had been sparked by concern over the election of a cohort of so-called micro-party members to the Senate, the most notable being Ricky Muir from the Motoring Enthusiasts Party.

He had secured his position with less than 0.5 per cent of the primary vote, a perverse result orchestrated by groups manipulating voter ignorance about the true nature of the ballot paper.

Tarantino's Hateful Eight revisited. Credit:Michael Mucci

In a report backed by Labor, the Coalition, the Greens, independent Senator Nick Xenophon and the Democratic Labor Party's John Madigan, the electoral matters committee proposed a raft of changes to restore faith in the integrity of the voting system. It was a rare display of unanimous, cross-party support. The recommendations also sought to address the view that some parties had been formed for the sole purpose of swapping preferences among themselves in elaborate deals to garner parliamentary representation.

Despite the committee's chairman, Liberal Tony Smith  now the Speaker of the House of Representatives  urging immediate action, the report was not acted on by the-then Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. His government lacked the required zeal to pursue the restoration of what the report described as fundamental democratic principles. It was only after Malcolm Turnbull's elevation to the top job last September that Senate voting reform got fresh life. After a 40-hour debate that concluded on Friday, many of the proposals highlighted in the 2015 report passed into law.
Rosehill winner puts Coalition in running?

With Capitalist a big winner at Rosehill, is this an omen for the Coalition to win the forthcoming election?

Robert Pallister, Punchbowl

The 'r' in Grrrrrr!

Is there any difference between an outage and an outrage where Telstra is concerned?
I was told by the office manager this would not be possible and she had made arrangements for me to have the catheter taken out in Sydney at 9am on a particular Thursday. (I did not want to pay for a night's accommodation in Sydney. I had already had the unnecessary expense of a weekend in Sydney when she booked me in for my pre-op on a Friday for an operation on a Monday.)

When I asked why it had not been possible to get the catheter removed in Orange she said she had "spent hours trying". I said it would not be possible to get from Orange to Sydney by 9am. She said I had to because that is what the doctor had instructed. I said wait a minute I am the patient and she hung up on me. That was one day after a six-hour operation.

Clearly she didn't care or know about the logistical problems confronting country patients. In the event I was able to secure transport to and from Sydney. I changed the appointment from 9 to 11.30am. I expected my doctor to be present but he was not. The doctor who took the catheter out walked into the room without acknowledging me or introducing himself. I had to ask him to do so. I am not a piece of meat, although by that time I felt like I was. The procedure over I knew I had to urinate before I left the hospital, but I had no instructions and no one to report to. The nurse present when the catheter was taken out got me to drink water and eventually I urinated, but to whom should I report? I decided to go to the ward where I had recovered. The competent ward manager took me in hand, dressed my incisions, declared that she was satisfied I had urinated and that I could go, which I did.

I needed physio treatment, but I have had to arrange that myself. Both my interstate friends received assistance from the practice for physio and follow-up calls from their doctors as to how they were travelling. I had blood taken when the stents were removed, but I had to chase the practice for the results.

I paid a lot of money for the procedure, only to end up in the hands of a dysfunctional money-making machine. I believe the doctor to have been competent but his practice was not. I will not return and I will not recommend his practice to anyone. One day out from an operation I do not like having the phone hung up on me by an office manager.
Australian actor/director Matthew Newton has taken a step back into the media spotlight after winning an award at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

Newton's film From Nowhere was honoured with an audience award alongside Jean-Marc Vallee's Demolition, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts, and another film generating buzz at the festival, Greg Kwedar's Transpecos, a drama set on the US/Mexico border.

Matthew Newton with actors Julianne Nicholson and J. Mallory McCree at SXSW. Credit:Jonathan Leibson

From Nowhere is based on a play by the same name by Newton's collaborator on the film, scripwriter Kate Ballen, who wrote about her experience as a teacher in the Bronx. The play told the story of a teacher who tries to help three exceptional students in her school who are illegally residing in the United States.

The US entertainment industry publication Variety noted in a review of the film that it was particularly relevant as "debates over US immigration policy have devolved into sloganeering and shouting matches".
However, it's a mistake to think that classically trained musicians, these days, are necessarily snobby elitists about pop. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra recently performed with Eurovision winner Conchita and comedian Tim Minchin, and is working on a David Bowie tribute. Messenger got his big break precisely because of his ability to move between the classical and pop worlds. At a show where he was playing Beatles covers in a pop band backed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, "there were some problems with the scores, and nobody else in the band or in the orchestra seemed to know what was going on. So I ended up trying to fix the parts, and that's how I got noticed by the ASO." Similarly, McKeich has experience working as a conductor with pop acts from the Pointer Sisters to Missy Higgins to Kiwi band Salmonella Dub.

In the end, the common ground between the rap crew and the symphony orchestra was film music. "In today's modern society, the most common place people hear an orchestra is in films," says Messenger. "So much of film music is based on orchestra  you can't imagine Star Wars without the great big orchestra track, you know?" says McKeich.

"When we were going back and forth in the arrangements, we were referencing movies," says Suffa. "Like, Dan said to Jamie the composer that he wanted Rattling the Keys to sound like a horror film." Jamie Messenger clearly relished the assignment: "I went really operatic [on Rattling the Keys], had fast moving strings, operatic choral parts, and loud brass parts that were really low and beefy. We ended it off with all these apocalyptic glisses in the choir and strings, and a big discordant end."

McKeich, too, is a scholar of film music. "When all the Jewish and German composers went to America [because of the rise of Nazism in Germany]  people like Bernard Herrmann, Miklos Rozsa and Erich Korngold brought an amazing knowledge of Mahler, Bruckner, Wagner, and Beethoven. And they brought all that symphonic tradition into American movies."

While the Hilltop Hoods are clearly happy to work with the orchestra, they're also still very much engaged in the world of Aussie hip-hop. For example, Suffa funded the first EP of Aboriginal hip-hop artist and Black Comedy cast member Briggs. "I would have still given Briggs money to put out his EP if it was rubbish," says Suffa, "because I've always loved the guy." They also featured him in the video for their recent top 10 single 1955, a fond paean to Adelaide's small town feel. Suffa, who wrote the song, says that he didn't cotton on to some of the more negative aspects of the 1950s until Briggs told them during filming that "you know, that wouldn't have been a great time for me, man!"
The Turnbull government has linked looming corporate tax cuts to higher wages  while intensifying its threats to call an early election to senators blocking key legislation.

Cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos said studies suggested at least half of the benefit of a cut to the 30 per cent corporate tax rate ultimately flowed to workers through higher wages.

Senator Arthur Sinodinos says cutting company taxes could have its advantages. Credit:Andrew Meares

While voters look to have missed out on receiving personal income tax cuts in the May 10 budget  long championed by the Treasurer Scott Morrison  he said growth could be stimulated by reducing business tax rates.

Big business wants the rate paid by larger corporations cut to 28.5 per cent to match the rate paid by small companies, and phased down to 25 per cent by 2020 and 22 per cent by 2025. It says the reduction would boost the economy by at least 0.5 per cent or $9 billion in today's dollars.
Record-breaking autumn heat is just a warning of what's to come if Australia doesn't act immediately to combat climate change.

That's the message from environmental experts armed with a report that reveals a notable climb in average temperatures across the country at the start of March.

Figures reveal the overall average maximum temperature for the first four days of March was four degrees higher than average, with some places up to 12C hotter.

This summer has also witnessed a record 39 straight days above 26C in Sydney and the hottest ever March Melbourne night of 27.7C.
Gold Coast City Council will have six new faces when it returns to work after counting in Saturday's Gold Coast City Council elections finishes.

On Sunday morning the Gold Coast's long-serving Burleigh councillor and surfer Greg Betts gracefully conceded defeat on his Facebook page to businesswoman Pauline Young.

"Congratulations to Pauline Young, the new Councillor for Division 12, and well done also to John Campbell who ran a strong grassroots campaign in yesterday's election," Cr Betts wrote.

"I know that all three of us and our supporters have worked long and hard and everyone should now be enjoying a well-deserved break."
Some streets within HFC-enabled suburbs will end up on fibre-to-the-node, says NBN chief executive Bill Morrow, despite initial intentions to connect every home in the HFC footprint to the high-speed cable networks.

The NBN will launch its first HFC cable broadband service in June, with 219 regions across the country earmarked for NBN access via HFC under the next phase of the rollout. While HFC cable runs through parts of these suburbs, overlooked homes will not necessarily be connected to the cable network.

NBN chief executive Bill Morrow.

Rolled out in the 1990s, Optus and Telstra's HFC pay TV and broadband cables weave their way through many metropolitan suburbs. Some streets have one provider's cable, some have both and some have neither  creating a digital divide within suburbs. Even within individual streets the cable network skips some homes.

These HFC cable networks are an integral part of the new-look multi-technology-mix NBN, with the 2013 Strategic Review proposing that all 3.4 million premises within the HFC footprint be connected to the cable network  with the NBN rollout going back to "infill" the gaps and connect overlooked homes and streets.
Have smartphones become too big?

At a press event on Monday, Apple is expected to introduce a new iPhone model, the SE, which will have most of the features of the newer 4.7-inch iPhone 6S and even bigger 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus, such as an enhanced camera, faster processor and Apple Pay feature.

Could this really be the iPhone SE? Credit:YouTube: Nick Beeep

But it will sport the smaller, 4-inch body of earlier phones such as the 5S or 5C, according to analysts including Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster. He sees the new SE appealing to about 20 per cent of Apple's customer base: those who haven't bothered to upgrade to the bigger phones.

Apple declined to comment. Its invitation for the event Monday only promises attendees to "loop you in". It's also expected to unveil new Apple Watch bands and a smaller iPad Pro.
Europe's refugee resettlement program with Turkey appeared to be descending into farce last night (Saturday) as officials on Lesbos claimed to have received no instructions from the EU authorities on how to proceed.

As the midnight deadline approached for the EU's new deportation regime, organisations and local authorities on the Greek island, where the majority of boats arrive, said not a single new staff member had arrived and no information had been received.

Migrants stand around a fire at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging migrants in the squalid tent city at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border, to trust Greek authorities and leave for better accommodation. Credit:AP

"We don't know anything," said Marios Andriotis, adviser to the mayor of Lesbos. "We have received many officers from [the EU border agency] Frontex, etc, over the past year but no one new since Friday. And nobody told us to prepare anything or do anything differently." While Boris Cheshirkov, a spokesman for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said: "We have taken note of the deal but we are not privy to details of the implementation."

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, described the controversial plan last week as a "Herculean task" that would present "the biggest challenge the EU has ever faced".
Istanbul: A Turkish member of the Islamic State militant group was responsible for Saturday's suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed four people and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's interior minister said.

Efkan Ala identified the bomber as a man born in the southern province of Gaziantep, adding that five people had been detained so far in connection with the bombing.

"We have determined that Mehmet Ozturk, born in 1992 in Gaziantep, has carried out the heinous attack on Saturday in Istanbul. It has been established that he is a member of Daesh (Islamic State)," Mr Ala told a news conference broadcast live on television.
The British government was battling to avert a full-blown leadership crisis at the weekend as Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne suffered an unprecedented backlash from Conservative MPs.

Mr Osborne's colleagues inside government were calling for his demotion after his botched handling of the row over cuts to benefits for the disabled.

A backlash against British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has rattled Conservative party leadership. Credit:Getty

Senior MPs warned that Mr Osborne's hopes of succeeding David Cameron as prime minister had been fatally undermined by the furore, which led Iain Duncan Smith to quit the Cabinet on Friday night.

But two leading Eurosceptics rallied to Mr Osborne's defence. Justice secretary Michael Gove has put aside his differences with Mr Osborne over Europe to express his heartfelt support for his "friend", the Chancellor, and his Budget.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On March 29, Judge Mauritsz de Kort will give a lecture: Joint Court of Justice & the Legal System on Sint Maarten as part of a joint project, entitled, The Law Matters to You at the University of St. Martin. The event is scheduled for 7pm in room 202.

The Law Matters to You is a joint law lecture series that the Department of Communication and the University of St. Martin has organized; its aims are to provide law information to the public via a lecture presentation between 15 - 20 minutes and aimed towards a diverse demographic audience.

This joint venture, Head of DCOMM Rodney Richardson said, will be very informative for the public. The speakers will provide information on a specific topic, and the audience will have an opportunity to be interactive and discuss the topic with the speakers and other audience members. So the public will get to learn more about the law than a superficial glance.

President of USM Dr. Francio Guadeloupe said that the lectures will be like a mini law lecture, aimed at bringing the subject of law closer to the people. For the people to get acquainted with the law intricate details, it is important to provide the information to the public. With these lectures and communication activities, the topic of law should become more common place to the different segments of the population.

The Keynote Speaker for this first lecture will be Judge Mauritsz de Kort, who will speak on the Joint Court of Justice & the Legal System on Sint Maarten, including its structure and functioning.

In his post since 2011, Judge de Kort, who is on the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten and of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, was born in Oranjestad, Aruba. He is domiciled in Sint Maarten as of 2015 where he currently hears civil and (of recent) bankruptcy cases.

De Kort was admitted to the Bar of the Joint Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in 2000. He worked as a lawyer for six years with firms on Curacao, Aruba and Sint Maarten before undertaking the four-year judge training program.

De Kort attended Business School in Arnhem and Law School at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He read for his Intercollegiate Masters of Law at University of London (LSE, UCL, Kings College).

Off the bench, the Judge has an interest in art and heritage. He served as a board member of the Curacao Museum until 2014. He is also a founding member of the Bishop Ellis Foundation for the Poor and Needy on Sint Maarten during his time as a lawyer.

As for the lecture series, it is aimed at informing and educating the general public of Sint Maarten in different areas of the law, namely, court system, criminal, international, tax, fiscal, real estate, civil code and others. There are four lectures scheduled for this year.

There will be a question and answer session. There are three other lectures on different areas of the law scheduled for the rest of the year.
PHILIPSBURG:---- The House of Parliament will sit in a plenary public session on March 22. The Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Telecommunication and Transport will be present for the session.

The plenary public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is incoming documents. The second agenda is a discussion with the Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs regarding the issue of consumer protection for residents and visitors.

This plenary session of the House was requested by Members of Parliament (MPs) Leona Marlin-Romeo, MP Franklin Meyers, and MP Theo Heyliger.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org.
PHILIPSBURG:--- University of St. Martin's student, Ralph Cantave went to Georgia Atlanta to represent his island at the 13th annual Walter Rodney Symposium which took place on March 18th and 19th at the Atlantic University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, under the theme "Youth Matters: Global Groundings". The symposium is hosted annually by the Walter Rodney foundation in memory of Dr. Rodney who was a prolific Caribbean scholar, political activist, historian and Pan- Africanist. He is widely known for his book: "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" and his assassination in Guyana in 1980. The addressed matters of significance to youth and included sessions on movements and activism, intergenerational dialogue, international voices, education and juvenile justice. In addition to the Atlanta symposium, there were simultaneous meetings of local youth in other states and in countries across the world, including Canada, the United Kingdom and within the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa.

Ralph, who is a radio personality, UNESCO youth representative and Independence for St. Martin youth member, presented on two panels. He was also invited to speak to Clarke Atlanta University, International Relations students and spoke about politics and culture of St. Maarten, the Haitian Revolution and racism.

The first panel he presented on intergenerational dialogue, Ralph spoke about his experience conducting interviews with elders on St. Maarten for research on the island's history and proposed solutions to bridging the gap between elders and youth. On the second panel of movements and activism, he presented a paper on political independence, the challenges and progress of the movement, and his work in the local community . In 2015 Ralph won the President of Parliament award for his contribution to the islaand and this has been his third time representing St. Maarten abroad.
Find Dentists in BC is for People looking for a Dental Clinic in their city.

Customers looking for the latest Dental Clinics in BC will soon be able to get involved with Find Dentists in BC. Today Catreena Wood, Owner at Find Dentists in BC releases details of the new Dental Clinics in BC Services development.

The Dental Clinics in BC Service is designed to appeal specifically to People looking for a dentist in British Columbia and includes:

Find a local dentist  This feature was included because it is an easy one stop website to find a dental clinic in any City in British Columbia, Canada. This is great news for the consumer as it gives the customer one location to find a dentist no matter where they live in BC..

City page for a local dentist.  This was made part of the service, since it allows a dentist to have their website on the city page to attract new patients. Dentists who invest in the service should enjoy this feature because it gives them more exposure to the local market for attracting new clients..

Contact page for new City requests.  Find Dentists in BC made sure to make this part of the Dental Clinics in BC Services development so that Dentists located in Cities that do not have a City Page on the website can request to have a new page added. Clients of the Dental Clinics in BC Service will likely appreciate this because this allows them to request that their city gets added to the website.

Catreena Wood, when asked about the Dental Clinics in BC Service said:

This website provides listings for local dentists across the province of BC. It is great for people looking for an new dentist and it gives the dentists a place to list their business.

This is the latest offering from Find Dentists in BC and Catreena Wood is particularly excited about this launch because it is a game-changer for local business marketing.

Those interested in learning more about Find Dentists in BC and their Dental Clinics in BC service can do so on the website at [find-dentists-bc.ca](http://find-dentists-bc.ca/)
Movement Intersections Across Palestinian, Indigenous, and Black Struggles Toronto  8 March 2016. First launched in Toronto in 2005, IAW has grown to become one of the most important global events  Watch video 

Movement Intersections Across Palestinian, Indigenous, and Black Struggles

Toronto  8 March 2016.

First launched in Toronto in 2005, IAW has grown to become one of the most important global events in the Palestine solidarity calendar. This year, IAW took place in more than 150 cities across the globe. The week aims to raise awareness about Israels ongoing practices of apartheid, occupation and dispossession against the Palestinian people. Lectures, films, and creative actions will build support for the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.

Inspired by the ongoing popular resistance across historic Palestine and the intersections being made globally between various struggles with Palestine, we hope to make Israeli Apartheid Week 2016 a powerful contribution to the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice.

Moderated by University of Toronto Divest Campaign. Presentations by:

Kwara Kekana is the national spokesperson for the BDS-South Africa.

is the national spokesperson for the BDS-South Africa. Remi Kanazi is a poet, writer and organizer based in New York City. His latest collection of poetry was published by Haymarket Books: Before the Next Bomb Drops .

Organized by: UTGSU BDS Committee, CUPE 3902 BDS Committee.
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.
From Synapse and Priceline in the 1990s right through Walker Innovation and Foodtweeks today, Jay Walker has built a career as perhaps the most celebrated serial entrepreneur in Connecticut by building companies in Fairfield County.

As for Walkers next big thing? It will be built in the Beltway.

With the startup Upside Travel, Priceline founders Walker and Scott Case say they are onto the next big thing, in their words, in the travel industry  how to incentivize road warriors to seek savings when planning trips on the company dime. This week, Walker told investment analysts it is a problem he has long seen as vexing businesses, but one that he had yet to address until now.

The bad news for Connecticut is that the upside of Walkers new venture will take place at an address in Washington, D.C., rather than in Stamford. Thats where Walker has developed myriad ideas for new companies in his post-Priceline career, including Walker Innovations, which sought to create a clearinghouse of sorts for businesses to hook up with patent holders to push technical advances into the marketplace.

Efforts to reach Walker last week were not successful; on Wednesday, he discussed his new venture with Case during a Walker Innovation conference call with investment analysts. While our work at Priceline focused on leisure travel, we always view the problems with business travel as unfinished business, Walker said during the call with analysts. We are convinced that the high cost and mediocre rewards of the current system make the time ripe for a brand-new approach to buying business travel.

Upside Travel hits the road even as the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office reported record patent awards for Connecticut in 2014, with the state cracking the 2,500-patent mark for a gain of about 125, or about 5 percent. And growth was even more impressive if limiting patent awards to those in which both the patent assignee and at least one listed inventor are both in Connecticut, with a 13 percent growth rate by that measure to about 1,340 in all.

More Information Connecticut patent awards 2004-2014 Patents Change 2014 2502 5.3% 2013 2375 3.4% 2012 2297 8.3% 2011 2121 0.5% 2010 2111 27.1% 2009 1661 4.1% 2008 1595 -1.0% 2007 1611 -13.2% 2006 1857 -5.8% 2005 1972 14.5% 2004 1722 -6.6% See More Collapse

Patents and other intellectual property are an imperfect measure of a regions economic vitality, with large employers tending to dominate the numbers in seeking protection for small design elements that update existing products, or in walling off ideas that end up languishing on the shelf. But those filings can help a company sustain some staying power as an employer, with the occasional startup cropping up to provide exponential growth in the way Priceline achieved.

Walker and Case have been among the foremost proponents of leveraging innovation  the former through his Walker Innovations in Stamford that attempted to build a database to match corporations seeking new endeavors with patent holders, and Case through his Startup America effort that has supported local efforts like Stamford Startup Weekend at the Stamford Innovation Center. That event kicked off Friday and runs through Sunday, challenging would-be entrepreneurs to develop a viable business plan from scratch.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last fall intensified its efforts to help startups better leverage and protect the innovations they develop, said USPTO Director Michelle Lee, while speaking last week at the South by Southwest technology conference in Austin, Texas.

At times it is easy to forget how important intellectual property is to business, whether you are a two-person startup or a Fortune 500, Lee said. A newly published study by the Harvard Business School and New York University found  the approval of a startups first patent application increases its employment growth over the next five years by an average of 36 percent (and) boosts it sales growth by 51 percent.

Even as grassroots efforts like the Stamford Innovation Center have taken root in Fairfield County, Gov. Dannel P. Malloys administration has attempted to seed the growth of a startup culture by freeing up funding to support such incubators, while making a major bet in luring Jackson Labs to build a major genomics center in Farmington.

If the state support is welcome, bootstrapped efforts like Priceline still boast the best returns in terms of growth, with the new poster child being Datto, the data backup and security company in Norwalk started by CEO Austin McChord shortly after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

In CB Insights annual assessment of technology companies valued at $1 billion or more thought to be readying for an initial public offering of stock, Datto was the lone Connecticut company to hit the list of 40 nationally. In a January interview with Hearst, McChord said Datto can chart its own destiny on that front and that it is in no hurry with a major new round of funding, while emphasizing anew the reasons why he chose to build the company in Fairfield County, where he grew up.

Im very happy with the team right now, McChord said. Well be completely full up by early 2017  there will be no more space for us (here). Well need to expand again, which is crazy. ... We dont want to move.

Since stepping back from his role at Priceline, Walker has appended his name to a trio of firms run out of a small office in North Stamford, with Walker Gaming Technologies focused on casino technology; Walker Labs seeking moonshot ideas in the health sector; and Walker Innovations, which last year attempted to create a middleman platform to help companies find patents to leverage.

A Walker Labs startup in Stamford called Foodtweeks attempted an app to help people control their weight by winnowing out extra calories  think hold the mayo  but the company yanked its app in December while promising a reboot later this year.

And while Walker Innovations enrolled more than 20 companies last year in its patent middleman service, in mid-March Walker indicated he was shifting his attention to reuniting with Case at Upside Travel.

As a lifelong inventor and entrepreneur, I know full well that when the field conditions change it is time to change the play and find new ways to win, Walker said Wednesday. Walker Innovation is in the process of doing just that.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-964-2236; www.twitter.com/casoulman
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was in Massachusetts a few weeks ago to stump for Hillary Clinton when he remarked on an issue that is brewing into a border war.

I grew up in an America where there was only one place where you could go to place a bet and that was Nevada and I think we were better off in those days, Malloy said in comments to the media. And Ill say to Massachusetts: Be careful what you wish for because theres problems that come with casinos, as well as some profit.

The comments were made as Connecticut is exploring the joint construction of a third state casino by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Indian tribes that would be off of their federally recognized reservations. In response, Schaghticoke Chief Richard Velky  with financial backing from mega-casino MGM  is suing to overturn the law permitting the project as unconstitutional. Connecticut is eyeballing Hartford, East Hartford and Windsor Locks as potential sites just as MGM is constructing a casino in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts.

So it almost sounds as though Malloy is taking a leadership position on casinos, doesnt it?

Not quite. He did amplify his comments by pointing out that the latest proposal did not come from his office, but from the legislature. But Malloy has not guided public rhetoric on casinos as he seeks to put his stamp on the states character for decades to come.

Heres a simple way to do that. Make it clear to lawmakers and constituents that Connecticut should not compromise its character even in the face of massive challenges to dig out of whopping debt. Its not easy to do that when a $900-million deficit is projected in the state budget by July 1. But if the genie is let out of the bottle to allow a third casino, whats stopping them from popping out all over the state? At what point do we acquiesce that our sole fiscal solution is to become the East Coast Las Vegas?

In a Quinnipiac Poll last year, 75 percent of voters opposed casino expansion (though they did support the existing Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods operations by a 2-1 margin).

Residents may be indifferent to a third casino, but someone in Hartford has the gambling bug. Revenues from slot machines have been in steady decline, suggesting it might be wise to learn more about the state of the industry in 2016. Yet a proposed bill to study the effects of gambling was nixed in the commerce committee last week.

A new casino would bring new construction jobs to Connecticut, but it is not a long-term solution to job growth. Connecticut needs to work harder to mine innovative solutions to its economic woes, not nurture businesses that exploit vices.

Casinos are not a smart way to find easy money. Malloy should make that clear not just to his peers across the border, but to the citizens of Connecticut. We encourage him to speak up, but we wont bet on it.
In this episode of On the Go Show, Dr. Dragos says that if you go in the pursuit of dreams, you will be called to stand up against resistance.

Why?

"Because just as a kite flies only against the wind, you too can reach your greatest dreams only if you defeat your own resistance," he says.

You will always have thoughts in the back of your mind that will try to repress you back to your old life, to the safe life -- and this is the cause of depression, drinking, abuse, violence or addictions. When we deny our creativity -- our truth -- reject it or ignore it, this inner power holds the potential to destroy us. We simply cannot block truth and expect to find meaning.

Related: Want to Be More Creative? Think Inside the Box.

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Buried in Email? Use These 5 Tips To Dig Out of the Inbox.

How Do You Bring Investors Into Your Business? Very Carefully.



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
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.

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L ondoner and Star Wars actor John Boyega has apologised after he appeared to criticise people who simply complain about the film industrys lack of diversity.

The rising star made the comments on Saturday as he accepted the gong for male performance in film at the Screen Nation Awards.

He said: "To complain about what is going on is not going to benefit us. It is not."

The 24-year-old then added: "Be the change you want to be.

But in a series of tweets on Sunday morning, Peckham-born Boyega clarified his position claiming he was full of emotion at the time.

"Regarding my comments at the Screen Nation Awards (just to clarify) I am not saying that complaints are invalid or should not be heard," he tweeted.

"I am saying that words without action can't help right now. I agree that we need to be heard, but some do the talking and no work."

He added: "I was full of emotion receiving the award and just wanted to say that there was work to be done.

"I'm not in this position without the people that champion me. I was in Peckham struggling not too long ago. I'm not above anyone," he said.

Boyega, who won a Bafta for his The Force Awakens role as Finn, continued: "Really feel bad for not clarifying and quite fearful that I've (sic) mislead many. Not about respectability tactics. I'm really sorry X".

Most of the followers on his official Twitter account tweeted their support.

"I personally thought it was a great speech, and a good message for anyone. Class act," one person posted.

But another disagreed: "There are great black actors that have 'worked hard' that spoke up about this. He needs to choose his words more carefully."

The Screen Nation Awards, which took place in London on Saturday night, recognises emerging and established black and ethnic minority talent.
G one With The Wind star Vivien Leigh's personal belongings, including diaries and love letters to husband Laurence Olivier, will go on display for the first time after they were bought by the Victoria and Albert museum.

The collection, which has not been publicly exhibited before, contains more than 100 pieces from Leigh's archive, including costumes, sketches, photographs and scripts.

It was purchased by London's Victoria and Albert museum from the double Oscar-winning star's grandchildren last year on the centenary year of her birth.

Keith Lodwick, V&A exhibition curator, said: "Vivien and Olivier were great friends and their creative work resulted in two of Leigh's most celebrated roles - Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream and in Shaw's Caesar And Cleopatra.

"Vivien Leigh remains an enduring icon of stage and screen and the objects on display provide a fascinating insight into her personal life and career."

The exhibition will be held in the National Trust property Nymans in West Sussex, the former family home of Leigh's favourite set and costume designer, Oliver Messel.

Nikki Caxton, exhibition and programme officer, said: "We're really excited to be hosting the V&A's exhibition at Nymans where we have the wonderful connection between Vivien Leigh and Oliver Messel."

Many of Leigh's costumes will be on display, including a Christian Dior gown from Duel Of Angels and the headdress Messel made for her performance as Cleopatra.

It will also feature letters from Judi Dench, Bette Davis, Tennessee Williams, Sir Winston Churchill and The Queen Mother.

Leigh gained international fame with her role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind, for which she was the first British actress to win an Academy Award.

She was married to Olivier from 1940 to 1960, the couple co-starred in numerous plays and films.

Vivien Leigh: Public Faces, Private Lives will take place from June 1 to September 4.
P olice and special forces have been ordered to prepare for as many as 10 simultaneous terror strikes on London, it has been reported.

Soldiers based outside the capital, as well as the SAS and the Metropolitan Police, are said to be on standby in case terrorists target multiple locations in co-ordinated attacks.

A minister described as familiar with the proposals told the Sunday Times: We used to plan for three simultaneous attacks but Paris has shown that you need to be ready for more than that. We are ready if someone tries with seven, eight, nine, ten.

As part of the plans, the National Crime Agency has been told to prioritise cracking down on firearms amid fears of a such an attack on British soil.

Met police terror exercise

A spokeswoman said the NCA was working with its partners including the Met to tackle the threat posed by the criminal use of firearms.

A Home Office spokesman said they did not comment on operational matters and matters of national security.

Mock terror attack exercise - London Live

It comes after a prime suspect in the deadly Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was charged following his arrest.

French prosecutors, who are requesting his extradition from Belgium, said he had allegedly planned to be a suicide bomber but backed out at the last minute then went on the run.
B oris Johnson has attempted to resurrect the possibility of a new airport in the Thames Estuary 18 months after the idea was officially rejected by the Airports Commission.

The so-called Boris Island scheme was ruled out as one of the shortlisted options for airport expansion in September 2014.

But the Mayor of London's office has published a report which claims a four-runway hub either in the Thames Estuary or at an expanded Stansted Airport is the only way to secure the number of new routes required to boost the UK economy.

Mr Johnson believes a hub in the east of the capital would offer around double the number of long haul and domestic routes served by Heathrow while exposing 95 per cent fewer people to significant aircraft noise.

He said: "If we are to secure the connectivity we need to support our future growth and prosperity - and do so without dire impacts on public health - then we must do better than Heathrow."

Bold plan: An artists impression of Boris Johnsons idea for a four-runway estuary airport / Foster + Partners/PA

The Government is yet to decide whether to back expansion at Heather, which is the Airports Commissions recommendation, or at Gatwick.

The 78-page document produced by the mayor's office, titled Landing The Right Airport, says a four-runway hub would serve 114 daily long haul routes in 2050, compared with 75 at a three-runway Heathrow.

A report prepared for the commission warned that the estuary plan posed a "significant cost and risk to the taxpayer".

But the mayor's chief adviser on aviation, Daniel Moylan, told the Press Association the burden on taxpayers of a third runway at Heathrow would not be "very much lower" than the cost of a new airport.

He said an estuary airport would cost around 20 billion to 25 billion - with an additional 25 billion required for road and rail connections - while a third runway at Heathrow is estimated to cost 18.6 billion.

The mayor's report calculated that the surface access improvements required to enable Heathrow to expand without "significant consequences" for congestion and crowding would be more than four times the figure estimated by the Airports Commission, at up to 20 billion.

The commission did not take into account necessary schemes such as a direct rail link between the west London airport and Waterloo station or the cost of maintaining new roads and tunnels up to 2050, according to the mayor's office.

Mr Johnson said: "We need a long-term vision for the right airport that sustains our economy and safeguards our public health. I would urge Government not to turn its back on our future."

Asked about the probability of the estuary airport going ahead, Mr Moylan said: "The likelihood of closing down Heathrow - and these arguments will help in doing that - is quite high.

"After that, everything is up for grabs."

Mr Johnson, who is also Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, is stepping down as mayor in May.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
F ascinating photographs have offered a unique perspective on ever-changing Piccadilly Circus.

Images, some dating as far back as the turn of the last century, show a very different London.

The oldest photos show horses and carts lining the streets as smartly-dressed Londoners clad in dark coats go about their business.

Meanwhile, more recent images, from the 1950s onwards, show the iconic junction lit up in its familiar bright colours.

The area is now world-famous for its neon signs. The first of many illuminated adverts, for Perrier sparkling water, was erected in 1908.

The site is famous for its neon billboards, emerging here in 1940 Getty / Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images

Coca-Cola has had a sign at Piccadilly Circus since 1954, and many other big name brands advertise their products there.

As well as being known for its video displays and neon signs, Piccadilly Circus is famous for the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of Eros.

The junction was designed by John Nash as a way of linking Piccadilly with Regent Street, and opened in 1819.

Piccadilly Circus by night in 1935 / Rex

Around 1858 the area, which was originally circular, was briefly known as Regent's Circus, and although it lost its circular form in 1886 with the construction of Shaftesbury Avenue, the name "Circus" stuck.

Piccadilly Circus Tube station opened many years later in 1906, on the Bakerloo line, and later that year, the Piccadilly Line.

The area is now one of the capital's most famous landmarks, attracting almost 72 million visitors each year, many of whom also visit other attractions nearby including the Ritz Hotel, the London Pavilion, the Criterion Theatre, and Fortnum & Mason luxury department store.
A park in west London was closed by police after a mystery white substance caused three dogs to become unwell.

Hounslow borough officers were called to Bedfont Lakes Country Park, off Challenge Lane in Feltham, at 11.43am on Sunday following reports of the unusual discovery.

A Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said the substance, which has not yet been identified, caused three dogs to become unwell.

Police closed the park as a precaution while specialist officers assessed the area.

In a post on Twitter, MPS Hounslow urged people to avoid the area while officers remained at the scene.
T his was the moment more violence erupted at a Donald Trump rally as one of the Republican candidates supporters threw punches at a protester.

The fracas was allegedly sparked after the billionaire businessman spotted a woman in the crowd wearing what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan headgear.

She and another protester had apparently sought to disrupt the campaign rally, the latest of several to be marred by violence, and were targeted as they were led away from the event in Tuscon,, Arizona.

Footage of the incident shows the man being punched and kicked by an angry Trump supporter as they are escorted by security up the stairs.

The woman in the hood removes it from her head as the attacker mounts his onslaught.

Controversy: Donald Trump addresses fans at the Arizona rally / Reuters

Moments before Mr Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, had said: "Get him out of here, get him out here, get him out here. There's a disgusting guy, puts a Ku Klux Klan hat on, he thinks he's cute, he's a disgusting guy.

Later in the video, Mr Trump is heard reiterating his criticism, saying: If they had a match they would burn the American flag. They dont care about us, they dont care about this country.

These are not good people folks.

Donald Trump's most controversial comments

Mr Trump has been forced to distance himself from the KKK in recent weeks after its former head David Duke endorsed the candidate on his radio show.

Previous rallies have also been marred by violence. An event in Chicago had to be cancelled after clashes between protesters and Trump supporters.
F ive people, including a number of children, have died after a vehicle plunged off a pier in Ireland, according to local news reports.

It is understood six people were in the vehicle when it went into the water at Buncrana, in Co Donegal, shortly after 7pm.

A major air and sea rescue mission was mounted, with two lifeboats, a helicopter and local fishing boats all involved in the efforts to save those trapped inside the car.

Malin Head Coast Guard confirmed that an infant had been recovered alive and has been taken to the nearby Letterkenny hospital.

The exact circumstances of how the car, believed to have a Northern Ireland registration plate, ended up in the water have not yet been determined.

There are unconfirmed reports that the young child was handed out a window to rescuers while the other children are thought to be of primary school age.

Witnesses have described the scene as chaotic.

A Garda spokesman said emergency crews were still at the scene late on Sunday evening.

He said: "Gardai and emergency services are at the scene of an incident that occurred at Buncrana Pier this evening.

"A car entered the water and a search of the area is currently ongoing.

"No further information at present."

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said he was saddened by the news.

He said on Twitter: "Very sad news of fatalities in an incident at Buncrana Pier tonight. Thoughts are with relatives of those involved and rescue services."
F our British plane spotters arrested in Kenya on terror offences are hoping to escape with a fine when they appear in court on Monday after confessing to trespassing, a relative has said.

The four have been held since March 12 when they were arrested and questioned after allegedly being caught taking pictures in an airport.

The group were apparently threatened with jail unless they admitted the charges.

The men, all from Greater Manchester and 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 they were arrested by police.

Mr Swift's brother Peter, from Stockport, said they were due to appear in court on Monday and were hoping to be let off with a fine after admitting trespassing.

But he said their confession was forced out of them, telling The Mail On Sunday: "I can tell you they pleaded guilty under duress and without any legal representation.

"They were threatened with prison if they didn't plead guilty."

The four appeared in court last Monday and were remanded in custody charged with using a mobile phone app to monitor flights and trespassing.

On Wednesday they were charged with taking photos at an airport without authority, Kenyan newspaper The Star said.

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, and 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 while on a previous plane-spotting holiday.
D aisy Ridley and John Boyega triumphed at the star-studded Jameson Empire Film Awards, with the film that shot them to fame  Star Wars: The Force Awakens  taking home five awards.

Ridley and Boyega were awarded the Best Female and Male Newcomer gongs for their roles as Rey and Finn in the eighth film in the sci-fi franchise.

Director J.J. Abrams fought off competition to win Best Director for the film which also took home Best Sci-Fi Fantasy and Best Visual Effects, which was picked up by C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels.

The coveted Best Actor and Actress gongs were awarded to Matt Damon for his role in The Martian, and Alicia Vikander for her portrayal of Gerda Wegener in The Danish Girl.

On collecting his award from director Paul Greengrass, Damon joked: Literally we just worked a seven day week on the new Jason Bourne movie, hopefully we didnt f*** it up. Thank you for coming here Paul.

Sam Mendes Spectre won Best British Film while Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritus The Revenant was crowned Best Film.

The award for Best TV Series went to This Is England 90. Series director and co-writer Shane Meadows collected the award alongside cast members Thomas Turgoose, Jo Hartley and Chanel Cresswell.

Alan Rickman  who died in January following a battle with cancer  was posthumously honoured with the Empire Legend award.

Speaking about the tribute, Chris Hewitt, Empires news Editor, told the audience: "This is a heartfelt tribute from the Empire staff to an actor who touched us all with his extraordinary career.

Honorary awards were also bestowed to Paddy Considine and Stanley Tucci.

Shane Meadows presented Considine with the Empire Inspiration award while Tucci was named Empire Hero for his performances in the Hunger Games series and Spotlight.

The event, hosted by David Walliams at London's Grosvenor House, also saw awards presented to AMY, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Big Short.

Award winner: Matt Damon with the Jameson Best Actor award for The Martian Getty / Gareth Cattermole/Getty

Full list of winners:

Best British Film

Best Film

Best Comedy

Spy

Best Sci-fi/Fantasy

Best Horror

The Hallow

Best Thriller

Spectre

Best Male Newcomer

John Boyega - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Female Newcomer

Daisy Ridley - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best TV Series

This Is England 90

Best Director

J. J. Abrams - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Actress

Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

Jameson Best Actor

Matt Damon - The Martian

Best Screenplay

Best Animated Film

Best Documentary

Best Soundtrack

Best Costume Design

Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Make-up and Hairstyling

Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Visual Effects

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Short Film

World Of Tomorrow

Best Production Design

Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Game

Batman: Arkham Knight

Empire Legend

Alan Rickman

Empire Hero

Stanley Tucci

Empire Inspiration
The Western Nebraska AgriWomen group and Runza partnered up Tuesday to promote agriculture. Runza in Scottsbluff and Gering participated in the Ag Day event designed to educate consumers about where their food comes from.

We decided to hold it at Runza because everybody eats, and a lot of them come to fast food places, said Becca Tompkins, treasurer of the local chapter of Nebraska Agri-Women.

Tompkins, WNAW President Janeene Brown, and member Elaine Pile, along with Tompkins two daughters, visited with customers at the Scottsbluff store, and handed out brochures, Nebraska Agriculture Fact cards, and story books for children. They also provided childrens quiz tray covers, and napkins that read Happy Ag Day. The fact cards were placed in each drive-through window order, as well.

Ag Day is a little-known holiday, but its important to recognize that we all eat three meals a day, and if not for the farmers and ranchers, that wouldnt be possible.

People need to recognize that without the 2 percent of the population, the farmers and ranchers, they wouldnt eat. It affects absolutely everybody, whether they think about it or not, Tompkins said.

According to Tompkins, the Western Nebraska Agri-Women are a part of the Nebraska Agri-Women organization, which is in the eastern part of the state. The eastern group focuses more on legislation, while the Panhandle group focuses on education.

Tompkins said Force for Truth is the slogan for the overall organization that began as a lobbying group.

We arent big enough out here to do that kind of promotion, but we can help our kids understand that food comes from a farm or ranch, and not from a store. I think so many kids now are detached from their food source and dont understand that milk comes from a cow, not the dairy case. They need to know more than just the hype that is out there on TV and radio.

Our mission is education, we want to have those conversations about agriculture.

Among the groups education efforts was their booth at the KNEB Ag Expo where they provided breakfast burritos for 25 cents each as a way to demonstrate the fact that the farmers share of the price of the burrito was only 25 cents.

We like to take those opportunities to promote agriculture, Tompkins said. There are only about 12 of us out here, so were limited on what we can do. Were looking for more members, so if anyone is interested they can call me. The local group meets at Runza the first Thursday of each month.

A Runza representative said the project was a great opportunity to educate people about the importance of agriculture in food production, and the company was glad to help out.

The project was planned to coincide with National Ag Day, March 15, and National Ag Week, March 13-19.
First year nursing students from Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) will host a diabetes mini health fair for the public in their first excursion into educating the public about how diabetes can affect your life.

Regional West Physicians Clinic-Diabetes Care Center and the WNCC nursing students, will play host to the event, which will educate persons with diabetes and pre-diabetes through interactive booths focusing on the parts of the body affected most by diabetes, including the eyes, feet, nerves, heart and kidneys.

The students will present their demonstrations to each other in class on Thursday so final tweaks can be made before presenting to the public. When they were first given the assignment they were nervous.

It was a bit overwhelming," said Melissa Urbanely.

Cassandra Lucia was worried she and her classmates wouldnt know enough about the body to inform the public.

Were learning about it too, but we have to learn about it first, said Sierra Frickey. Its a big responsibility to educate people.

Though she is still a bit nervous, Frickey is looking forward to being able to teach people about the effects diabetes can have to different parts of the body.

I got the liver, Frickey said. We are familiar with the feet and the kidney and what happens, but many people dont think about how diabetes affects the liver.

According to the Mayo Clinic, diabetes raises your risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition in which excess fat builds up in your liver even if you drink little or no alcohol.

Although some students are nervous and arent fond of speaking in front of others, they are also confident they will be able to successfully relay the information they learned to visitors.

I want to make sure they get the right information and are not just Googling it, said Jennifer Moreno. I dont want them to get the wrong information.

Moreno was assigned the brain, which was a tougher assignment than she thought.

I thought the brain was easy, but its kind of complex, Moreno said.

The students have had about three weeks to prepare. They hope attendees will learn more about diabetes and understand all the hard work it takes to become a registered nurse.

The mini health fair will be Tuesday, March 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the RWMC Sorensen Education Center. Regional West Laboratory Services will be offering non-fasting A1C draws for $11 each. To get to the education center, enter the hospital through the main entrance next to the emergency entrance. Take the elevator to the second floor and turn right.

The Diabetes Support Group is the last Tuesday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m., at the Regional West Medical Plaza, 3911 Ave. B, Suite 102 in Scottsbluff. For more information, contact Marcia Bauer, Certified Diabetes Educator, at 308-630-2101.
Today, March 20, is the first day of spring. It marks the beginning of a new season in the heartlands. The browns of winter will quickly turn green and the bright flowers will be splashed with sunshine. But tomorrow is an even more special day. For the last five years, March 21 has had a much deeper meaning for wife Josie and me. It is World Down Syndrome Day.

On a cold and gray Michigan day in January 2010, our lives changed forever when Maddox McClintic joined the human race. Little Maddie, as she is now and always will be called by me, is our granddaughter, born with Down Syndrome and two tiny holes in her heart. As she struggled through her first few days, and while we questioned our very faith in God for lack of meaning in all this, I can now look back and see this was not only a new beginning for Little Maddie but for us as well.

We look at the world differently now. We see the goodness in people easier now. When fundraisers are held for those who need our help, we dig a little deeper now. Our faith fully restored, we pray for others more. Little Maddie was and continues to be a life-changing blessing for us and practically everyone who meets her.

I often think after just six short years, she has the world figured out better than I ever will. She wakes everyday glad to be alive. She smiles at things I never see. She can read and write, laugh and cry, sing and dance and is unhindered by the things we think are important, but really arent. She lives a thousand miles away from us, but as close as a phone call to her.

Some see Little Maddie as a person with a disability. I see her as a person with ability, and because things may be more difficult for her, she is more determined than most.

Others see that as well. Why else would Star-Herald employees Duncan Baker and Casey Closson jump into a frozen Platte River, along with a couple hundred others with equally giving hearts, just to raise a few dollars for Special Olympics?

Why would an angel from Pennsylvania named Jessica Rockey run race after race with jerseys that say I run for Maddox. Maybe for the same reason she hangs her medals on a sign that says Never Limit Your Challenges, CHALLENGE YOUR LIMITS. We have never met Jessica Rockey, but we love Jessica Rockey.

Why would a pipeline fighter from Bradshaw named Shannon Graves wear funny socks on March 21st and tell the world she is a friend of Maddie? Because these remarkable people, along with thousands of others, do remarkable things for people they dont even know.

Little Maddox opened my eyes to a world I didnt see.

So, on Monday, March 21 I will be wearing what I have been for the past several years. Different colored and crazy socks! Why? Because when people ask me that, I can tell them its March 21st, World Down Syndrome Day and I want to recognize these special people and those who give so freely of themselves to help bring about awareness and assistance to those who need us most.

And I invite you to do the same. Why not!

On Monday, wake up glad, smile at the simple things you see, laugh, dance and think about the really important things in life, our family, friends and our faith. And wear socks that dont match! Send me your sock photos!

You can visit Little Maddie at https://www.facebook.com/maddoxsmiracles/
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Business / Companies

by Staff reporter

THE charm of air travel, which has largely been spurred by Government's willingness to issue licences to prospective airlines in line with the open skies policy, has been a major motivation to many investors in the aviation sector, especially those who believe that the country and Sub-Saharan Africa are the next economic growth frontiers.There has, noticeably, been an increase in investors - mainly local investors - eager to try their hand on low-cost airlines that are believed to be particularly primed for the local market, where limited disposable incomes demand specialised and affordable packages.To date, the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe has licensed three low-cost airlines: Fly Africa, Fastjet and Rainbow Airlines.Of the three, only Fastjet Zimbabwe is predominantly foreign-owned, while the other two are owned by local businesspeople.However, events in the last 12 months have heightened skepticism about on the ability of low-cost airlines to operate profitably on the local market.US$6 million injectionTrailblazer, Fly Africa Zimbabwe, which became the first airline to challenge Air Zimbabwe's monopoly when it launched in 2014, is preparing for a second chance to make an impression on the local market.It is understood that the airline, whose Air Operating Certificate is owned by Nu-Aero Private Limited that is linked to the Karase family, has secured US$6 million to launch its renewed bid.Recently, South African publication Travel News Weekly indicated that the Zimbabwean company will continue to pay three percent for the Fly Africa franchise to the Mauritian-based company.It will also maintain its relationship with Hahn Air, a Germany-based ticketing platform, and outsource ticketing in the South African market to Holiday Aviation.But the company is prepared to sever ties with Fly Africa if it does not fulfil its end of the bargain as spelt out in the franchising agreement.The company's launch is understood to be imminent.Attempts to get a comment from Fly Africa Zimbabwe chairman Mr Cassidy Mugwagwa were fruitless last week as he was said to be out of the country.Low-cost airlines usually have a six-month window to launch their flights from the time CAAZ gives them a licence.Fly Africa's re-launch happens at a time another low-cost airline, Fastjet Zimbabwe, is strengthening both its foothold and stranglehold on the local market after its launch in October 2015 - coincidentally the same month that Fly Africa was suspended from operating after a damaging shareholder dispute.Fastjet announced on January 18, 2016 that it now operates daily flights between Harare and Johannesburg, while flights between Victoria Falls and Johannesburg are operated three times per week.Its prices are pegged at US$80, excluding taxes.Another local airline, Rainbow Airlines is similarly making a bid for the same market niche, but it is finding it increasingly difficult to take to the skies.The business got its Air Service Permit from the Transport Ministry in June 2013 and had its demonstration flight from Harare and Kariba on July 21, 2015.Since then, it has been finding the going tough and it has emerged that it has to renew its licence as the six-month window has lapsed.Legacy baggageDespite the sheer willpower of investors and Government goodwill, the low-cost airlines operating in Zimbabwe market carry "legacy baggage" related to shareholder disputes and cash challenges that pose a huge obstacle going forward.Fastjet Zimbabwe has a genealogy traceable to Lornho  now Cambria Africa  a Zimbabwe-focused investment vehicle.Ironically, through its aviation business Fly540, Lornho tried and failed to launch its low-cost airline in Zimbabwe though it had hubs in Kenya, Ghana and Angola.Fly540 was subsequently sold to Rubicon Diversified Investments on June 13, 2012 in a deal worth US$85,7 million through which Lornho secured a controlling 73,7 percent shareholding in Rubicon.The business was rebranded to fastjet under a brand licensing agreement with Sir Stelious Haji-Loannou, the founder of EasyJet.The Africa unit is now named fastjet, and the local unit, whose parent is headquartered in Tanzania, launched its maiden flight on October 28, 2015.But it hasn't been easy.On March 7, 2016 the company issued its second profit warning in less than three months.In the first profit warning, the business largely blamed the expected weak financials on soft demand in the African markets.The turmoil has since claimed the scalp of the company's chief executive officer, Mr Ed Winter, who left the company last week.Of late, there had been an uneasy relationship between Mr Winter and Sir Haji-Loannou, who controls 12 percent of the business.Sir Ioannou, who is thought to be the second-richest person in Cyprus with an estimated fortune worth US$1,44 billion.There are indications that Fastjet might be forced to raise additional funds in order to sustain its business."Based on current management forecasts, the boards expects results for 2016 to be materially below market expectations and the group no longer expects to be cashflow positive for the year."The board may consider raising further funds during the year to provide additional headroom and ensure that the company has the necessary resources to fund future growth as market conditions improve," Fastjet said in the recent profit warning.There is however optimism that the business might regain its footing.On the other hand, Fly Africa seemingly doesn't have such challenges, especially after reportedly securing a $6 million investment into the business.But as it re-launches, it will he haunting by the previous episode where its licence suspended in October last year after a shareholder dispute between the Karase family that owns Nu-Aero and its South African partners who were led by Mr Mike Bond, a former director in collapsed airline, One Time of South Africa.The dispute culminated in Professor Chakanyuka Karase, who was then CEO of Fly Africa Zimbabwe, surrendering the licence to CAAZ. Coincidentally, the licence was suspended the same week that its rival Fastjet launched its local operations.The dispute has since been resolved and the licence re-issued.There are customers who are bitter about the "stop-go" mode in which the business was conducted and Fly Africa has pledged to repay money owed to those affected.Equally worrying is the fact that some of the Fly Africa franchises, particularly units in South Africa and Namibia, have been seriously struggling, casting doubt of the viability of the business.This month, the associate director in the corporate finance department at South Africa's Deloitte & Touche, Mr Daniel Ternblanche, who was also appointed as the rescue practitioner of the SA businesses, indicated that Fly Africa SA will be liquidated as they were beyond salvation. The affected staff hasn't been paid for the past three months. There are also indications that the Namibia unit, which was a partnership with Namibian firm Nomad Aviation or Bay Air and Fly Africa, might not take off.Nomad Aviation had a franchise agreement with Flyafrica Ltd through which the Mauritius-based company provided the Flyafrica brand name and expertise.It, however, allegedly never honoured its side of the agreement.Besides, the turmoil in the South African and Namibian market, Fly Africa Zimbabwe has more problems to worry about.Although it is understood that the new venture in Fly Africa Zimbabwe doesn't have the Karase family, the airline will struggle to de-link themselves from the association between Nu-Aero and the Karase family as the former was the known investment vehicle of the latter.For long, Nu-Aero, and by extension the Karase family, had been previously involved in aborted and sometimes botched projects.At one time, Mr Matipedza Karashe, son of Chakanyuka Karase and fronted Nu-Aero then, had a run- in with Big Brother winner Mr Wendall Parson after their AvTour project  ostensibly tailored to provide air trips to local school children  failed to take off in 2012.Again, in May 2010, the younger Mr Karase was arrested for allegedly swindling Mr Karikoga Kaseke of more than US$17 000 on the pretext that he was going to facilitate the registration of Mr Kaseke's planned airline, Royal Airline, with IATA.As, for Rainbow Airlines, which is linked to Mr Frank Humbe, a former director Trust Multi-Tech, a local technology firm, the airline is finding it difficult to take-off.It has since been discovered that it might need to relicence its operations after its July 2015 demo flight.CAAZ public relations manager Ms Annajulia Hungwe re-emphasised last week that the regulations state that airlines have to operate within six-months after being licenced.Rainbow Airlines told The Sunday Mail Business in January that its flights  initially scheduled for August last year  had been delayed as the business waited for the issuance of the foreign operator permit from the SA authorities."The reason why the launch was postponed in August lies primarily to the issuance of the Foreign Operator Permit by the South African Authorities. Issues concerning the issuance of that FOP have since been resolved."When the shareholders went into this business they were fully cognisant of the short shelf-life of many start-up airlines that had come and gone and therefore made a thorough study of the reasons for these failures."These are the very same issues that the business has been working on, plugging the holes, so that when we are in the air we will not be grounded," said the company then.Packed marketSome experts claim some of the routes that the low-cost airlines are scrambling for are relatively small to sustain all of them profitably at the same.It is believed that up to nine flights each way a day offering 1 000 seats in each direction are already available between Harare and Johannesburg.National airline Air Zimbabwe, which used to guard the route jealously before the new dispensation, also services the same route together with other airlines.There are however expectations that the Yamoussoukro Declaration of 1988, which advocated for the liberalisation of African air services and for open skies in Africa, will help to promote inter-linkages and intra-African trade, including promoting air travel in Africa.
David Nicklaus David Nicklaus is a business columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow David Nicklaus 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

On the outside, the low-rise brick building in Swansea looks like its suburban neighbors that house banks, lawyers and accountants.

Step inside, though, and youre clearly in startup land. Life-size Simpsons characters decorate one corridor. Beer taps and a massage room might be common in Silicon Valley, but not in a Metro East office park.

OneSpace, the occupant, clearly wants to keep its 63 employees happy and productive. The software theyve created, meanwhile, is helping to change the nature of work itself.

OneSpace is positioning itself to be a central player in whats known as the gig economy, where workers piece together an income based on a series of freelance assignments rather than a steady paycheck. The 3-year-old firm maintains a database of 500,000 freelancers, all screened for skills that clients need.

The gigs include monitoring social media content and writing product descriptions for retail websites. The work isnt glamorous, but it can be mission-critical for OneSpace clients such as eBay, Facebook and Sears.

OneSpaces founders, Stephanie Leffler and Ryan Noble, are serial entrepreneurs. Their first venture, an online store selling sun-protective clothing, didnt last long but did make them see a need for better e-commerce software.

That led to MonsterCommerce, which Leffler and Noble sold to Network Solutions in 2005. A couple of years later, they formed Juggle.com, an online publishing company built on crowdsourced content.

Just as the e-store needed a better selling platform, Juggle needed a way to manage its contributors. Other gig-economy marketplaces, such as Amazons Mechanical Turk, were anonymous and offered no way to screen freelancers qualifications.

So OneSpace, originally known as CrowdSource, was born. Highland Capital, a venture capital firm with offices in Boston and Palo Alto, Calif., led a $12.5 million investment in CrowdSource in October 2012.

This month, OneSpace raised $9 million more with the help of Clayton-based Lewis & Clark Ventures. The new money will bankroll new software that enables companies to manage their own flexible workforces.

That will give clients a choice: Hire OneSpace to manage your freelancers, or buy a software subscription and manage them yourself. Leffler, OneSpaces chief executive, says the latter option can provide a bridge between a conventional staff and the gig economy.

A lot of companies are starting to post work internally, with the thought that if somebody can do it within 12 hours thats the first choice, Leffler explained. If not, they go to a trusted group of freelancers.

The gig economy has become controversial as companies such as Uber and Airbnb have disrupted the traditional taxi and hotel industries. California officials, for example, are trying to make Uber treat its drivers as employees instead of contractors.

Leffler says her firms clients usually arent trying to replace their full-timers with contract workers.

In my eyes, the two are complementary, she says. The gig economy is here to stay for work that is variable and has big peaks and valleys, but there are many other jobs where that is not the case and having internal experts makes sense.

Besides, the freelance option appeals to many workers. Half the people in OneSpaces database have full-time jobs and are looking to supplement their incomes. Many others are students or retirees.

Brian Hopcraft, managing director of Lewis & Clark Ventures, said his firm considered regulatory risks before it invested in OneSpace, but decided a backlash against the gig economy wasnt a major worry.

The freelance economy is in its infancy, and OneSpace is uniquely positioned with software to help companies leverage it, Hopcraft said. We think this is an exciting inflection point.

If hes right, well be hearing a lot more from what Leffler jokingly calls the Swansea-con Valley.
Barbara Geller of Creve Coeur recently got what she called the surprise of my geezer  gasp  years.

Her doctor gave her a prescription for a drug called Myrbetriq. I went to the pharmacy and, lo and behold, said drug was almost $300 per month.

Her reaction: I think it stinks. Were being soaked by the pharmaceutical industry.

Geller, 76 and a widow, wasnt going to pay it.

A friend gave her the name of an online drug seller, Global Pharmacy Plus, with an address in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadian company offered it for one-third the price.

Geller signed up. The pills arrived in the mail, and now she says shes doing fine.

There is reason to be wary in buying drugs from other countries. Drug counterfeiting is a major problem in drugs sold over the Internet in America and abroad. Its hard to tell the crooks from the honest players, especially when dealing across the border.

But its easy to see why Americans take that chance.

Drug prices in America are among the highest in the world. For instance, the antidepressant Cymbalta cost an average of $110 in Canada and $194 in the United States, according to 2013 prices reported by the International Federation of Health Plans. The pain drug Celebrex costs $52 in Canada and $225 in the U.S. Gilenya, for multiple sclerosis, costs $2,541 in Canada and $5,473 here.

Those American quotes are the prices paid by American health insurers and their customers. Health insurers negotiate discounts. People without coverage often pay more.

The federations report shows Americans paying much more than people in Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.

The reason is that foreign governments control drug prices, and the American government doesnt.

The contrast with Canada is well-known, and thats created an entire industry of mail-order drug sellers using Canadian addresses. Some are licensed Canadian pharmacies. Others are mere go-betweens that arrange sales with drug suppliers around the globe. Some are crooks.

Shoppers had best be careful.

The U.S. has a strict system regulating drugs, requiring a good manufacturer, which may be foreign, and a safe route from that manufacturer to the pharmacy.

Canada has a similar system. If you walk into a Canadian drug store, youre in that system. The problem lies in telling whether the Canadian online drug company is in that system, too.

Global Pharmacy Plus says it is, in effect, a middleman. We act as your agent to deal with pharmacies located around the world, the company says on its website. The pharmacies we deal with source most of their generic medications from India, the worlds largest manufacturer of generic medications.

So, American purchasers rely on India for quality control.

A Canadian pharmacy with a similar name has claimed, legally speaking, not to be a Canadian pharmacy at all.

Global Pharmacy Canada, of suburban Toronto, was sued by Ontario province pharmacy authorities in 2013 for operating a pharmacy without accreditation, the equivalent of a license. It responded that it was only arranging the shipment of drugs from India to Americans, so it didnt need a license.

Global Pharmacy Canada said it was actually a company in Belize, in Central America, with only contract order-takers in Canada, according to court records.

The Ontario court didnt buy that argument, and ordered it shut down.

Its unclear if Global Pharmacy Canada is associated with the Vancouver firm. A company representative in Vancouver said a spokesman was unavailable, and an email wasnt answered. The Better Business Bureau cites the Ontario case in an alert about the Vancouver firm.

Going outside the American system does present some risks, says Terry Seaton, professor of pharmacy practice at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Even if the Canadian go-between is honest, and the foreign manufacturer is competent, crooks can grab the legitimate shipment and substitute fakes. Refrigeration may be faulty. Its what we call the chain of custody of medicine, he says. Thats the most risky part.

Completely fake medicine is indeed a problem, Seaton says. But more common are pills that contain not enough of the active ingredient  or too much  a function of poor quality control.

Its a bit of a crapshoot, Seaton says.

Seaton suggests that one option is to look to the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. CIPA says it lists only legitimate online pharmacies licensed by the Canadian provinces. It has a list at www.cipa.com. A spokesman for the Canadian Pharmacists Association also referred a reporter to CIPA.

Customers calling a CIPA-approved pharmacy have two choices, CIPA general manager Tim Smith said. They can get a drug approved by the Canadian government at the same price theyd pay in a Canadian drug store. Or they can opt for a drug from a pharmacy elsewhere, anywhere from Australia to Turkey.

Thats not good enough, says Libby Baney, executive director of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies. She notes that CIPA had approved CanadaDrugs.com.

In an indictment filed last year, U.S. federal prosecutors accused the Canadian company of selling phony Avastin, a cancer drug, to U.S. doctors. CanadaDrugs shipping partners sometimes failed to refrigerate the drugs properly. When doctors returned the warm drugs, CanadaDrugs cooled them and sold them to other doctors, according to the indictment.

CIPAs Smith said that the CanadaDrugs operation that supplied doctors was separate from CanadaDrugs retail pharmacy.

A customer ordering from Canada might get something legitimate. The problem is she wont be able to tell, says Baney, whose organization includes drugmakers and U.S. pharmacy groups.

Then again, there have been crooks in American pharmacies, too. Kansas City pharmacist Robert R. Courtney was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2001 after admitting to diluting cancer drugs for years.

The price difference for Myrbetriq, a bladder medication, is just as Geller stated. A comparison supplied by Wal-Mart of prices at 11 drug chains found Myrbetriq selling for $303 to $335 for a 30-day supply. CanadaDrug Pharmacy lists it for $106.

Its illegal to import foreign drugs not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That said, Uncle Sam is not about to drop the hammer on an elderly widow in Creve Coeur.

Gellers fix points up another problem. She has drug coverage under Medicare Part D, provided through Humana, the health insurer. But Humana doesnt cover Myrbetriq under its basic and Wal-Mart plans. It does cover four other drugs for the same bladder condition, a Humana spokesman wrote, and there is an appeal process for people who need noncovered drugs.

When old people pick Medicare drug plans, they check the costs for the drugs theyre now taking. But they cant know what theyll need next.

So they can end up on the phone to Canada.

To find a legitimate online pharmacy, Libby recommends www.safe.pharmacy. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy also has a list. Go to www.nabp.net, click on consumers, then VIPPS.
As one of the most antagonistic lobbying battles in Washington escalates  in which financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and Visa are sparring with companies such as Wal-Mart Stores over credit card swipe fees  a powerful ally is again sticking up for the retailers.

Sen. Dick Durbin wants to know whether a group owned by the worlds biggest payment networks is using credit card technology and security standards to hinder competition.

The questioning rekindles scrutiny of Visa, American Express Co. and MasterCard Inc. by the Illinois Democrat, who inserted a controversial amendment in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act that significantly cut the fees the companies charge on debit card purchases.

I write to seek information about EMVCo, its governance, its operations, and the impact its specifications may have on competition and choice between electronic payment networks, Durbin wrote in the letter dated March 17, referring to the group owned by credit card networks that sets standards for the industry globally. It is important for lawmakers to have a clear picture of how EMVCo operates and how its work affects American businesses and consumers.

Retailers have long fumed about the cost of accepting credit cards  about 2 percent of each transaction. Those swipe fees, also known as interchange, are set by Visa and MasterCard, and most of the money ultimately goes to banks, which say they use it to fund security and technology upgrades and cardholders beloved rewards programs.

Ever since Congress passed Durbins amendment, retailers have been lobbying lawmakers to also cut fees for credit cards. Thats left some of the worlds biggest banks scrambling to stay ahead in a fight in which about $50 billion of fees generated each year are at stake.

The latest front in the battle over swipe fees is masked in a debate over security and whether consumers should sign their names or enter a PIN when they use new credit cards with chips designed to thwart fraud. Retailers say PINs are safer because they add an extra layer of security if a card is lost or stolen.

But banks say signatures are sufficient in reducing theft and are concerned that retailers really want to use the extra security feature to argue that credit cards are essentially like debit cards, which use PINs and carry a much lower swipe fee.

As the fight heats up, both sides are mobilizing their armies of lobbyists, trade associations and public relations specialists. Retail groups began urging members of Congress last week to sign a letter asking the Federal Trade Commission whether it has examined the issue of chip cards.

Should Congress consider requiring enhancements to chip technology, such as PINs or some equivalent measure? Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said in the letter dated March 14. Where do you see chip and PIN fitting in to the larger question of consumer protection in financial transactions?

The fight over swipe fees isnt limited to Washington. Banks and retailers are also battling at the state level and in the courts. In November, nine attorneys general wrote to the chief executive officers of the biggest U.S. banks asking for them to consider distributing chip cards that included PINs.
Theres a real possibility that every publicly traded coal company in the St. Louis region could wind up in bankruptcy court this year.

Just last week, Peabody Energy and Foresight Energy both disclosed they may have to file for Chapter 11 protection as heavy debt loads weigh them down amid a long industry slump.

They would join Creve Coeur-based Arch Coal, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January. And Patriot Coal Corp., formerly based in Creve Coeur, sold itself off in pieces after filing for bankruptcy a second time in 2015.

For an industry that has long made St. Louis its corporate home, things arent looking good.

But St. Louis surely wont feel as much pain as the mining communities themselves. Its far from most of the labor-intensive mines that have been shedding thousands of workers as demand for coal wanes.

Bankruptcies dont mean the companies will close the doors for good, and even if they did, several hundred corporate jobs arent nearly as important to a diversified urban economy as the coal mining jobs in a smallish town are.

St. Louis over the last couple of decades has become very diversified in terms of its corporate community and its entrepreneurial community, said Denny Coleman, the former CEO of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. So I dont think any one industry defines us anymore.

Near barge operators and railroad connections essential to transport vast quantities of the black rock, St. Louis long housed the offices of coal companies that operated the nearby mines of Southern Illinois. As coal production shifted west in the 1980s to the giant surface mines of Wyoming and Montana, St. Louis made sense for companies that operated mines both east and west of the Mississippi River.

When Chuck Welsh, a partner in coal dealer Castle Rock Carbon & Coal, first lived here in the 1960s, there must have been, oh, maybe 15 offices that coal companies in Illinois and over in the Virginias had in St. Louis, he said.

But Peabody Energy, which has been the largest private sector coal company in the world since the 1970s, was arguably the biggest factor in St. Louis becoming a major corporate hub for coal. After it merged with Sinclair Coal of Kansas City, Peabody announced in 1957 it would move its corporate offices to St. Louis from Chicago, where it was founded in 1883.

It really wasnt until Peabody started to build their staff in St. Louis that other companies imitated what they did and started putting more staff in St. Louis as well, Welsh said.

Welsh himself used to work at Peabody before founding his own trading firm here (although he recently moved to Denver). Arch Mineral Corp., which became Arch Coal, was co-founded by a former Peabody executive in 1969. And Patriot, which was mostly made up of Peabodys Appalachian mines, stayed here after it was spun off from the larger company in 2007.

Today, with natural gas ascendant, renewable energy continuing to grow, and environmental regulations threatening to shutter more coal power plants, the sectors prospects look dimmer than ever.

But even if Peabody files for bankruptcy, that doesnt mean it would go away. A court restructuring might make it further reduce employees at its Market Street headquarters, or it could decide that the 375 or so workers now at its headquarters are still necessary to run what continues to be a huge company. Even during one of the industrys worst years, Peabody generated $5.6 billion in revenue in 2015.

When it filed for bankruptcy, Arch estimated layoffs had reduced the headcount at its Creve Coeur offices to about 175 people, down 20 percent from the prior year. But it still needs the staff to run a $2.6 billion company.

Foresight has a relatively small presence here. It only employs about 65 people directly; the rest work as contractors at its Illinois mines.

Coleman said it was hard to know how many legal, accounting and other ancillary jobs big headquarters support, but it has to be factored in.

Peabody is one of three Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the city of St. Louis. Ameren and Stifel Financial are the two others.

A Peabody bankruptcy would be unfortunate, Dick Fleming, the former president and CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association, said in an email. But for anyone fretting about the local economy, a far bigger worry is whether the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency remains in St. Louis or moves to land near Scott Air Force Base. A decision is expected April 1.

This announcement will likely have far greater near term and future impacts on the City of St. Louis than the present challenges in the coal industry, Fleming wrote.

Fleming pointed to the regions planning effort in the late 1990s to develop and encourage industry clusters where St. Louis had an advantage. Financial and information services, plant and life sciences, transportation and logistics and advanced manufacturing were all identified. Mining and natural resources werent.

I would note that, while the natural resources sector (especially the coal industry) continues to face the challenges of downturns in global markets and the clear trend toward cleaner fuel sources  the St. Louis regional economy has continued to diversify, he wrote.

Small communities that depend on coal mines face a much bigger challenge.

How do you replace $60,000 a year jobs in rural Southern Illinois? said Dale Fowler, the mayor of Harrisburg, Ill., which sits near several mines that have announced layoffs this year, including Peabodys Cottage Grove mine.

Harrisburg has seen coal jobs leave before. Population went with them. Fowler worries its more than a cyclical downturn this time.

Thats kind of always been the mentality: Well, its going to come back around, he said. I think the way things are lining up now, will it come back around again? Hopefully it will, but we also have to be prepared to do something different and create other opportunities.
Updated at 5:50 p.m. Saturday

SANTA ANA, Calif.  The bankrupt owner of the Orange County Register has 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 Freedom Communications says Saturday that the company will 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 Co. offered $56 million but on Friday a judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking its purchase. The U.S. Department of Justice requested the order in an antitrust lawsuit.

Tribune had argued the restraining order might doom the deal, which would have given it control of Southern California's four largest daily newspapers.

_________

Our earlier story, posted at 2:01 a.m. Saturday

SANTA ANA, Calif.  A federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order blocking Tribune Publishing Co.'s purchase of Southern California newspapers the Orange County Register and the Press-Enterprise of Riverside.

The move late Friday from U.S. District Judge Andre Birotte Jr. comes a day after the U.S. Department of Justice requested the restraining order in its antitrust lawsuit against the purchase by the owner of the Los Angeles Times, the dominant newspaper in the region.

In his ruling, Birotte said the government has shown "a likelihood of success on the merits of its claim," the Los Angeles Times reported. He wrote that many online websites don't produce original content, but "primarily post links to stories on the websites of other content generators  including local newspapers like the Register or the Press-Enterprise."

Tribune said in court filings opposing the order earlier Friday that the temporary restraining order may well kill the $56 million deal entirely. That would make second bidder Digital First Media the likely new owner.

"The government's request, if granted by this court, effectively removes Tribune altogether from the proceedings in the Bankruptcy Court," Tribune said according to the papers filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. "A temporary restraint on Tribune will ensure that it will not acquire the properties."

A hearing in bankruptcy court is scheduled for Monday, and the longer-term implications of the restraining order were not immediately clear.

Tribune announced Thursday it had prevailed in the bankruptcy auction, but the Justice Department the same day moved to prevent the sale, saying it would give Tribune a monopoly over newspaper sales in the region.

Tribune already operates the Times and San Diego Union-Tribune, which it purchased last year.

If the sale to Tribune goes forward, it would give the company control of the four largest daily newspapers in Southern California, with as many as 1,000 journalists covering an area that stretches from Los Angeles to the Mexican border. It's a region of 18 million people.

In its Friday objections, Tribune criticized the Justice Department's "eleventh hour" interest in the deal, given that the media conglomerate was open about its interest as bankruptcy proceedings unfolded.

The company also complained that the government was relying on "severely outdated" notions of the media market and had cited 50- and 60-year-old legal cases from an era before digital publication in its bid to block the sale.

The Justice Department fired back in court papers late Friday, saying that 200,000 residents of Orange and Riverside counties buy daily newspapers despite the advent of digital publications and the additional cash the higher bid would provide for creditors does not justify the loss of media competition.

The bankruptcy must close by March 31, when temporary private financing keeping the two newspapers afloat will dry up.

Freedom Communications now operates both publications.

The judge operates independently but has the discretion to consider the Justice Department's concerns, said Tom Campbell, a Chapman University law professor and former director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition.

That could make the runner-up bidder, Digital First Media, the winner, Campbell said.

The judge "could say, 'I don't know if it's a big antitrust problem or not, but I have two bidders who don't have an antitrust problem and one who does,'" Campbell said. "The likeliest outcome is he would award it to the second bidder. That's what I would predict."

That would end regulators' concerns, but the Tribune surely would appeal, as would creditors, who would get less money from the deal, he said.

Digital First, which owns nine Southern California papers and websites, including the Los Angeles Daily News, made a $45.5 million "stalking horse bid" for the newspapers.

An investor group led by Freedom Communications' managers pulled out of bidding.

If the deal were approved, Tribune would control 98 percent of daily English-language newspaper sales in Orange County and 81 percent in Riverside County, the Justice Department estimated.

Freedom Communications filed for bankruptcy protection in November. It followed a series of layoffs and buyouts after an aggressive expansion of print journalism that included starting daily papers in Los Angeles and Long Beach and buying the Press-Enterprise for $27 million.

The Associated Press is among the creditors in Freedom's bankruptcy proceedings.
After four years, Medium is giving up on Holacracy, the avant-garde management system it used as an alternative to the traditional office hierarchy.

Just a year ago, the blogging platform was all in on Holacracy. The company invested thousands of dollars in consultants and HolacracyOne's proprietary software, Glass Frog. The employees spoke the language of a post-hierarchy organization. There were no managers or bosses or job titles; people "energized" roles within "circles." Teams held regimented "tactical" and "governance" meetings run by anointed facilitators.

So what happened? "For us, Holacracy was getting in the way of the work," wrote Andy Doyle, who works in operations at Medium, in a recent blog post. Forgoing hierarchy is supposed to set companies free from the tyranny of bureaucracy. Holacracy just created a new kind of organizational red tape.

For decades, companies have craved an alternative to top-down management. Traditional hierarchy is increasingly seen as an outdated vestige from the industrial revolution and a recipe for failure at organizations that operate within its framework. Yet moving beyond the corporate ladder has proved challenging. Most businesses don't operate as pure hierarchies. Only 38 percent of more than 7,000 companies recently surveyed by Deloitte said they were "functionally organized." Yet, many offices are stuck in an awkward in-between phase.

Holacracy isn't the first attempt to redraw the org chart, and it won't be the last. Researchers have argued for alternative organizational structures going back to the 1960s. The contingency theory of leadership from the late '60s, for example, said that there was no single way to structure all companies; form should follow function. Since then, various management fads have gone in and out of style. In the '70s and early '80s, the matrix promised to cater to the new, more complex organization with "parallel" reporting structures. But in practice, the system "proved all but unmanageable," according to a 1990 article in the Harvard Business Review. By the early '90s "self-management," which gives autonomy to employees, became the organizational system du jour.

While there are some success stories  notably, at video game maker Valve and the tomato processing plant Morning Star  the flat, nonmanagement approach has failed to go mainstream for the same reason the matrix didn't work: It's hard to implement. Valve and Morning Star spent years creating bespoke systems that don't necessarily translate to other organizations.

The chatter about Holocracy's potential failures is familiar, said Ethan Bernstein, who studies organizational behavior at Harvard Business School. "It seems like every 10 to 15 years, or so, we come up with a new word for it. There's this cyclical aspect."

Holacracy appeals because it offers an off-the-shelf solution for any company looking to evolve its org chart. Brian Robertson, creator of the Holacracy program, spent years developing his unfortunately named system by experimenting on his own company, which made software. Medium Chief Executive Officer Ev Williams, a startup veteran, was drawn to Holacracy because of its promise to help him run his latest company better.

Medium lists a series of "challenges" it faced while using Holacracy, all of which boil down to a familiar problem: It was too complicated. While operating as a holacracy, Medium found it "difficult to coordinate efforts at scale," got bogged down in the record-keeping, and had challenges overcoming the public perception of holacracy as cultish and weird.

"The biggest pain point was, with a growing company, investment and teaching new people when they show up how to use Holacracy," said Jason Stirman, who was Medium's enthusiastic Holacracy Officer-in addition to his estimated 40 other roles-until he left to start his own app six months ago.

Shoe retailer Zappos, the biggest company to use holacracy, has reportedly had similar struggles. About 18 percent of the workforce has taken buyouts offered by CEO Tony Hsieh to anyone who doesn't want to work within the management structure.

Medium failed because it didn't fully commit to holacracy, said Robertson. "I'm not surprised it was getting in the way for them." The company wasn't doing it right, he said. "If I have a screwdriver and I keep smashing nails with it, I'm going to think it's a pretty shitty tool. On the other hand, if you use it for what it's designed for, you might end up with different results."

Committing to alt-management is expensive. HolacracyOne, the company that sells the branded system, charges $50,000 to $500,000 for its consulting services, another $4,000 a seat for seminars, and $500 a month for its GlassFrog software, although there is also a free version. That doesn't include the cost of spending time on something other than running a business.

"Teaching a mindset was a big investment," said Stirman. Hiring and orienting new employees, an already expensive process, was made even more difficult because of Holacracy. "You could essentially take a week off [from] work to get everyone trained professionally, which would be incredibly expensive." And he's not even sure that would get everyone up to speed on the intricacies of Holacracy.

Robertson has said that Holacracy is a five-year journey and admits that it involves some pain. "It is an investment, and there is a productivity hit in the beginning," he said in an interview. "This is something that takes years and years of experimentation and learning." Despite reports of confusion among some employees, Robertson doesn't think Zappos's holacracy experiment is failing. Plus not all employees are unhappy.

Many companies can't afford to spend the time and money working on the way they work, rather than on the work itself. Stirman, for example, doesn't plan on running his new venture as a holacracy. "With my new company, nothing is more important than getting this app in the app store," he said. "I'm not employing any system that involves any kind of learning." He sees the value in holacracy but isn't sure it's worth the investment.

By many accounts, the office hierarchy is dying. It's just not exactly clear what, if anything, will replace it.

"The wholesale movement to a purely self-managed approach is probably not going to be attractive or right for most organizations," said Bernstein.

Holacracy offers companies like Medium a starting point for thinking about how to run a company in a different way. "The promise is always bigger than the reality," said Bernstein. "But the reality of these implementations is usually better than the reality was before."
ST. LOUIS  A man whose release prompted an investigation into whether a police captain improperly ordered officers to free him was the victim of a shooting last week, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

The man, 42, told police that shortly after he got out of his car in the 5500 block of Emerson on Wednesday, a light gray two-door Chevy Cavalier traveling south approached him, according to records obtained by the newspaper.

The front-seat passenger pointed a silver or chrome handgun out the window and said, Give me everything you got, the records show. The passenger then fired several shots, striking the man once in the upper right thigh and the hood of his vehicle before fleeing, according to the records.

On Jan. 29, police say, the victim was the same man who fired several shots at two burglary suspects trying to break into his home in the 8800 block of Lowell Street. Police put the man in handcuffs after discovering he was a felon, making possession of a firearm illegal.

But Capt. Ryan Cousins arrived and ordered officers to take the handcuffs off the man, according to sources. Cousins allegedly had them return the gun to the mans wife and ordered them to omit from reports any mention of shots being fired, and not to process the shell casings as evidence.

The officers wrote a report detailing the attempted arrest and his instructions at the scene, sources said.

Sources said that several times the suspect changed the total number of shots he said he fired, and told police the gun belonged to his wife.

The Post-Dispatch is not naming the man because he has not been charged with a crime, but federal authorities are reviewing his case as well as Cousins role, a source said.

Being a felon in possession of a firearm violates both Missouri and federal laws.

Cousins, a 20-year veteran of the department, had been commander of the Sixth District  the citys highest crime area  since Oct. 1. He was shifted in early February to an administrative job involving department accreditation after officers took concerns to the Internal Affairs Division about the incident Jan. 29.

He was put on forced administrative leave Feb. 12, but the police department has refused to confirm his employment status, saying its a personnel matter.

Police also are investigating why Cousins ordered officers to free a suspected armed robber in November before he was to appear in a rap performance at a club in Midtown.

Residents and politicians have voiced support of Cousins.

At a recent public safety hearing, about a dozen residents from the Sixth District held posters in support of Cousins while Chief Sam Dotson addressed the committee on other matters.
Entertainment / Music

by Prince Mushawevato

IT is finally here! Sungura king Alick Macheso's long-awaited 10th studio album hits the streets tomorrow.No album of his has been anticipated or even desperately needed by his legion of fans like the forthcoming "Tsoka DzeRwendo".The sungura virtuoso stands on a precipice where he must jump trusting that his musical parachute will work and see him land safely.His last offering "Kwatakabva Mitunhu", received a lukewarm response compared to his six previous releases: "Simbaradzo", "Zvakanaka Zvakadaro", "Zvido Zvenyu Kunyanya", "Vapupuri Pupurai", "Ndezvashe-h" and "Zvinoda Kutendwa".His first two, "Magariro" and "Vakiridzo", were mere launch pads.For the first time in a career spanning more than 15 years and nine albums, Macheso is about to unleash a product that has captured the interest of not just his fans, but of almost every music fan in the country.And the artiste, also known as Baba Sharo, is not leaving anything to chance.He desperately needs the album to breathe new life into his career, lest this becomes a case of him singing his own musical obituary.Thus, for the first time in his career, Macheso has had to personally go to almost every radio station in the country boosting the hype around "Tsoka DzeRwendo". Also, the musician has enlisted the services of a reputable music promotion company, Jive Zimbabwe, for marketing and launching.Jive Zimbabwe is the muscle behind the historic and highly successful launch of Jah Prayzah's albums "Kumbumura Mhute" (2014) and "Jerusarema" (2015) at Harare International Conference Centre.Through Jive Zimbabwe, Macheso recently held his first ever Press conference to announce the release date for an album.He will hold his debut album launch on Thursday, March 24 at HICC.The Easter Eve gig will be Macheso's last gig in the capital before he embarks on an extensive country-wide promotional tour. After that, the sungura maestro will take the new project to the diaspora.Encouraging for Macheso's camp is that excitement has indeed been created and is growing.The market is increasingly eager to hear what Macheso has brewed for what could be a make-or-break project for the veteran.A confident Baba Sharo believes that "Tsoka DzeRwendo" will indeed be a massive success."I have taken time to study the market before and during the time I was preparing the album. The tracks I included on the project are results of my findings and I'm certain their spark will get the engine running. Tiri kuti bhodho riya ratanga tiri kukanga raibva, huyai museve (we are saying what we have been cooking is ready, come eat)," said an enthusiastic Baba Sharo."Since we took time in coming up with this album, the various people working with us thought it wise that we come up with a different approach hence the first ever Press conference and album launch. The standards are now high and it's game on."Tsoka DzeRwendo" has six tracks; namely "Wandirangaridza", "Baba", "Kurarama Inyasha", "Munyaradzi", "Mude Mude" and "Gungwa".Basing on various interviews, the talented vocalist and bass guitarist is pinning his hopes mainly on "Wandirangaridza", "Gungwa" and "Munyaradzi".Just like in his last release "Kwatakabva Mitunhu", Macheso produced his own music on the forthcoming project. Baba Sharo also cleared the air on former band members that are reported to have featured on the project."It is only Obert (Gomba) who asked to play on some of the tracks and I let him do so. But the likes of Jonas Kasamba and Noel Nyazanda that I have been spending a lot of time with these days did not participate on this project - they will do so in the future," said Macheso.Jive Zimbabwe said all was set for the official unveiling of "Tsoka DzeRwendo"."This is the first time that the Sungura King is officially launching his album. We want his fans and all music lovers to come and be part of the day. We have a lot of surprises in store for the day. The must attend launch is going to be historic in every sense," said Jive Zimbabwe director Benjamin Nyandoro."After the launch Macheso will embark on a country-wide tour that will see him perform in different provinces around the country. After that, he will go on an international tour as a response to calls from those in the diaspora."At least 40 000 Zimbabwe Red Cross volunteers and Nash Paints outlets are set to take part in the vending of Macheso's album. Jive Zimbabwe will sell the music online.Macheso's team is targeting to sell not less than 500 000 CDs in one week. A percentage of the proceeds will go towards Red Cross humanitarian projects.The Zimbabwe Red Cross Ambassador burst onto the musical fray as a solo artiste in 1998, and he also promotes Nash Paints' products.. . . with hit or miss albumGarikai MazaraIT is not often, in fact, it is unheard of, that an obituary can be penned for a living soul. A living musician.But all that is likely to change this week with the release of Alick Macheso's hugely anticipated tenth album, "Tsoka DzeRwendo".There is a general feeling that if Macheso got his recipe wrong in the upcoming album, then it is time to write him off our music scene.His last release before this was a lukewarm effort, which failed to convince even his die-hard fans, an effort that many might have blamed on the upheavals going on in his life that time.It should not be lost on readers that Macheso's last album coincided with the departure of the core of his backing musicians, ostensibly for greener pastures, though it was a public secret that their departure was more to do with the over-bearing character of one Tafadzwa Mapako, the now estranged Macheso second wife, who "ran things" both home and away.Now with Tafadzwa out of the picture, Orchestra Mberikwazvo re-grouped and re-energised. There is little or no room for any excuses but to please sungura fans who have waited close to half-a-decade for a delivery from someone they believe is the messiah of the genre.The expectation upon Macheso becomes even more compounded given the theory by some, especially those who loyally followed the late Tongai Moyo, that the death of the Kwekwe-based musician was, in a way, the death of sungura. Since Dhewa passed away, the sungura scene has been quieter, hence Macheso's last lukewarm offering, this school of thought argues.The death of Tongai Moyo has seen Macheso being reduced to battling with Johnnies-come-late like Jah Prayzah and Suluman Chimbetu, both just old enough to be his sons. And that the two young musicians have not only gone to eclipse Macheso in every manner possible  from the awards podium to the live shows  has not escaped the attention of Macheso's die-hard fans, who still believe that the self-proclaimed king of sungura still has something to offer.Which makes tomorrow HUGELY (caps is for emphasis) anticipated album all the more defining for Macheso's career. If he gets the notes right, then he should move up the pecking order and compete rightly with Oliver Mtukudzi, the grand-dad of local music.On the other hand, which is not to be anticipated, if Macheso took his fans for a ride, on the assumption that he made his name decades ago, and whatever offering he delivers, however baked, his fans will take in  then he should be in for some rude awakening.With dancehall musicians releasing songs almost every minute, the sungura genre has, for the greater part of the past decade, been hard-pressed for something fresh, something tantalizing to the taste buds.And that opportunity is tomorrow, the defining moment for Alick Macheso, his backing Orchestra Mberikwazvo and his legion of fans.Early birds will have an opportunity to listen to the album on Star FM at 5am tomorrow morning, with the artiste available to receive any praises or criticisms.But by end of week - and if we want to be generous - by end of day, Alick Macheso is what we should be hearing in all the kombis around town. And in the shops. And at the bottle stores. In fact, anywhere and everywhere.Short of that, this time next week, we will be writing the epitaphs to Macheso's music career. The fans have waited long enough - and they deserve better.
WASHINGTON  When is a gaffe not a gaffe? When Donald Trump says it.

Over a period of 72 hours this month, the Republican front-runner faced a campaign crisis after unrest at his events forced him to cancel a rally in Chicago. He responded, not by apologizing but by justifying his supporters violent reactions to protesters at his events and offering to pay legal fees.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton spent much of the same period cleaning up misstatements about former first lady Nancy Reagans role in addressing the AIDS epidemic, whether her policies would kill coal-mining jobs and her husbands 1993 health care plan.

The three-day window offered a glimpse into an extraordinary campaign cycle, in which strategists on both sides are wondering whether Trumps penchant for provocation has shifted the gaffe gauge in American politics.

His bombast already has shaken up the Republican primary season. Now, as the race moves toward the general election, new questions have arisen about a double standard in political rhetoric  one for Trump and another for everyone else.

Trumps gaffes havent hurt him because a certain segment of GOP primary voters actually support the things he is saying and the way he is saying them, said Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to President Barack Obama.

Mike DuHaime, a Republican strategist and former adviser to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christies presidential campaign, says that the image Trump projects as a political outsider has superseded the controversy that surrounds him. Christie has endorsed Trump.

Whether by mistake or intention, theres little question that Trumps eruptions are key to his strategy.

Trump canceled a scheduled event on March 11 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, one of the countrys most diverse campuses, despite a flood of incensed responses.

The result was a chaotic and violent scene after which Trump dominated the airwaves, starving his rivals for coverage in the run-up to the critical March 15 primaries.

The only time Clinton broke through the clutter was when she talked about Trump, a situation that wasnt lost on Democrats who noted his ability to stay on the offensive throughout the GOP primaries. But party strategists and Clinton aides believe that calculus will change in the general election, pointing to Trumps high negative ratings.

Trumps statements, while they play very well with Republican primary voters, theyve turned off the vast majority of Americans, said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, who is not advising Clintons campaign.

Democrats have already begun stockpiling potential ammunition about the billionaire and are planning a coordinated effort to undercut his appeal.

Republicans have utterly failed to police their own ranks, said David Brock, a Clinton ally who oversees multiple Democratic super PACs. Should he get the nomination, I think progressives will be able to hold his feet to the fire in a way that Republicans never would.

Early efforts spilled out into the public this week when a Democratic group backing Clinton blasted out footage of Trump refusing to name his foreign policy advisers and instead cited his own very good brain.

Is this who we want, asked Priorities USA, a super PAC backing Clintons bid, and quickly spliced the interview into an online video.

Thats a strategy they used in 2012, when Democrats seized on a leaked video showing Republican nominee Mitt Romney at a private fundraiser in Florida dismissing 47 percent of voters as backing President Barack Obama because they are dependent on government. That comment helped Democrats paint Romney as a heartless plutocrat only concerned about protecting the wealthy.

It fit perfectly with the narrative our campaign was telling about him, and it was one that voters found very believable about him, said Pfeiffer.

Other candidates havent been nearly as immune.

Arizona Sen. John McCain was trailed by a comment he made in September 2008, hours before investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, when he said: The fundamentals of the economy are strong. In that same election, Clinton seized on comments then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama made in a San Francisco fundraiser describing some small-town Pennsylvania voters as bitter, saying they cling to guns or religion.

In those cases, the screw-ups trailed them for days  if not years. But rather than try and clean up his commentary, Trump typically stands by his words and has yet to suffer any consequences in the primaries.

A new Trump campaign ad introducing the candidate to Arizona voters leaves little doubt that hes embraced many of his most provocative statements as he turns toward the general election. The commercial rattles off Trumps promises to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., build a wall on the Mexican border and take oil from the Islamic State group.

Republican strategist Danny Diaz, Jeb Bushs former campaign manager, believes Trump will be subject to more scrutiny in the general election. But he isnt sure how much it will matter. If I were the Democrats, yeah, Id be worried, he said. He doesnt feel constrained by the regular rules of the road. From a cultural perspective, hes something that we havent seen before.
William E. Winter, a former chief executive and chairman of the 7-Up Co., died Wednesday (March 16, 2016) after a long illness. He was 95.

Mr. Winter had a 59-year career at 7-Up and led development of the Uncola advertising campaign that began in 1967. He worked with the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency to bond the company with the Beatles and artist Peter Max. The campaign included television ads that featured Trinidadian-American actor Geoffrey Holder.

A Granite City native born Sept. 21, 1920, Mr. Winter began work at 7-Up at age 15, when he had a summer job for his father, a 7-Up Bottling Co. sales manager in Madison.

Mr. Winter earned an economics degree from the University of Illinois in 1942, then joined the Army Air Corps to serve in World War II, rising to the rank of captain.

In 1946, he returned to work at 7-Ups St. Louis headquarters, where he became vice president of marketing.

Under Mr. Winters guidance, 7-Up became a pioneer in cause-related marketing as the first corporate sponsor of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Mr. Winter became 7-Ups president and chief executive in 1974, then chairman in 1979. Upon retirement in 1982, he served as a board member and consultant to 7-Up and, later, Dr Pepper/7-Up Cos. Inc. He was named chairman emeritus in 1996.

7-Up Co. moved in 1964 from downtown St. Louis to Clayton. 7-Up is now part of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, based in Plano, Texas.

Mr. Winter served as a member of the Creve Coeur City Council for eight years and was mayor from 1994 to 1997.

He is survived by his wife, Mildred Stiebel Winter; two sons, William C. Winter, of Wildwood, and Douglas Winter, of Oakton, Va., with his first wife, Dorothy Schuster Winter, who died in 1976; five grandsons and 10 great-grandchildren.

Burial was private at Sunset Hills Cemetery, in Edwardsville. A memorial service will be held later at Second Baptist Church, in Richmond Heights. Memorial gifts may be sent to the University of Illinois Foundation, Urbana-Champaign, or to the Harold R. Hoffman Benevolent Fund at the Second Baptist Church.
LOS ANGELES  Armed with cans of spray paint, Afghan graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani ventures into the streets of Afghanistans capital, Kabul, to create feminist murals on the walls of abandoned, bombed-out buildings.

She has to work fast  only 15 to 20 minutes before she flees. Some works are left incomplete.

But for a woman such as Hassani, thats what it takes when art is a weapon of mass expression.

Hassanis art shows women in traditional clothing with musical instruments. In subtle ways, they defy gender roles: These women are not playing the instruments to entertain someone else but, rather, wielding them on their own terms.

Its to show they have a voice, says Hassani, 28.

Hassani, who teaches art at Kabul University, is nearing the end of a two-month residency at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. She was invited by curator Ali Subotnick, who traveled to Afghanistan in 2014 for a carpet weaving project and was impressed by Hassanis work.

The fact that shes a woman going into the streets to paint, where its dangerous just to walk alone outdoors in Kabul  shes so fierce and independent and strong, Subotnick says.

Hassani says the residency has been a welcome break from the streets of Kabul, where suicide bombings seem routine, like traffic jams in L.A., and every mural mission brings palpable dangers from closed-minded people who dont like art.

Because Im a girl, even if I dont do art, if I just walk in the street, I will hear a lot of words, Hassani says from the Westwood apartment that the Hammer has provided.

And if I do art, then they will come to harass me.

Despite the dangers, Hassani says her mission is to beautify the city with color amid the darkness of war and to expose people in Kabul to contemporary art, specifically graffiti as a form of social and political expression.

In a place where art galleries are scarce, she does what she can to bring the gallery to the streets.

Hassanis Instagram and Facebook accounts feature pictures of her Kabul murals, including one of a determined young woman swinging a red electric guitar. In the photo, men passing by stare at the art.

Image-based graffiti is not unheard of in Kabul, but much of it is created by Afghan and U.S. soldiers, says street art historian G. James Daichendt, author of Stay Up! Los Angeles Street Art. Its extremely rare to find a woman involved, he says.

Its already a male-dominated art form in the Western sphere, Daichendt says. So in that culture, where its a much more dangerous culture for a woman to participate, youd have to be that much more convicted and brave.

carried a sketchbook

Hassani was born into an Afghan family living at the time in Tehran, Iran. As long as she can remember, she carried a sketchbook.

Her father, a carpenter and engineer, and her mother were supportive of her creativity. But society was not.

She wanted to study art in Iran, but she wasnt allowed because she was Afghan, she says.

When she was 16, Hassanis family returned to Afghanistan, where she studied painting at Kabul University, earned her masters and started teaching.

Trained as a classical painter, Hassani eventually segued to contemporary mural art.

Hassani knew nothing about graffiti art, though, until she took a workshop in 2010 in Kabul organized by the arts advocacy group Combat Communications, an anonymous group of international artists based in Afghanistan.

In a poor country fraught by war, Combats intention was to empower young Afghans by teaching them street art as a tool for social expression. The group no longer exists, but it set Hassani on her path.

She risks being physically attacked on her graffiti runs, like having stones thrown at her or worse, says Shannon Galpin, a womens rights activist and co-organizer of the Combat Workshop.

Given those dangers, Hassani mostly paints canvases in a small balcony-turned-studio off her Kabul living room. She incorporates traditional graffiti elements such as stenciled text in her Dari language and spray can designs. She executes more detailed line work with an acrylic brush.

Only rarely does she venture outside to paint.

Mostly not very public spaces, like small roads or the roads of the university  some place I feel is more safe, Hassani says. The university will sometimes give me permission and support me.

Once every six months or so, Hassani will paint in a more public place. She makes those works smaller because she has to work so quickly.

Then usually people take it off the walls or paint over it, she says.

That process has affected how she paints her studio works.

I make my paintings very, very fast because thats what Im used to in the street, she says.

The young generation

Despite the dangers, Hassani remains passionate about graffiti art and teaching it to others.

In 2013, Hassani co-organized, with funding from the Netherlands-based Prince Claus Fund, Afghanistans first national graffiti art festival in Kabul. Over 10 days, artists from three provinces attended workshops that culminated in an exhibition.

Mostly, the young generation came, she says. We did some (murals) outdoors as well, but not a lot because the situation was not very good and I was scared something would happen to the artists.

During her Hammer residency, Hassani finished a mural  a young woman dancing with an electric keyboard  on the side of 4900 Gallery at 4900 West Adams Boulevard. The Hammer introduced Hassani to the artist Kenny Scharf, who helped her to secure permission to paint the wall. His characteristically cartoon-like mural, painted in 2014, appears beside hers.

Hassani also had some paintings on canvases exhibited at Seyhoun Gallery. She sold a few of them for upward of $3,000 apiece.

These new gallery paintings, like the murals, are depictions of women in Afghan clothing, with a guitar or keyboard, surrounded by Dari text.

They share a sense of childlike optimism but also a melancholic edge.

I call my latest body of work Birds of No Nation, Hassani says. People in my country are all the time traveling somewhere to stay safe and find a peaceful life. And we are missing a lot of our friends and family who have left the country.

Usually birds are traveling all the time; they have no nation.
News / Education

by Staff reporter

More than 10 000 school development association employees, among them teachers, might soon be jobless as their salaries are not guaranteed by the recently-introduced Social Services Fund.Boarding masters/matrons, clerks, cooks, guards and groundsmen are on the list of potential casualties.SDAs have over the years sustained development at Government and mission schools via levies charged separately from tuition fees. Their work includes staff recruitment following massive teacher migration in 2007/8 and a civil service recruitment freeze.However, a new system introduced by the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry in February 2016 transferred control of development levies from SDAs to Government.The ministry has dispatched circulars directing all schools to deposit levies in the SSF.SDA proponents argue that this arrangement takes away parents' involvement and does not cater for school employees outside the civil service.There are fears chaos could visit learning institutions if the 10 000 leave their posts with no one to replace them.Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Professor Paul Mavhima said to this publication: "Who is, for instance, running Zimpapers (The Sunday Mail's holding company)? Is it the board or management? In this case, we are saying let management, which is led by the headmaster, run the schools."Parents, as the board, will then supervise and not participate in the day-to-day activities of the school. Like I said, does the Zimpapers board come to Herald House daily?"Regarding the employees' fate, Prof Mavhima said: "We are dealing with policy issues at ministerial level. What you are asking is administrative. You need to talk to the Permanent Secretary (Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango)."Dr Utete-Masango could not be reached for comment.Zimbabwe School Development Associations and Committees president Mr Claudio Mutasa said the new dispensation was unclear."School development associations are a creature of a Statutory Instrument. The minister was supposed to have issued another SI to reverse the preceding one, not to wake up one morning and start issuing directives."From our computations, at least five people are employed by each SDA, and some big boarding schools employ as many as 30. So, do your mathematics. Remember, these people were employed by parents as a result of Government's recruitment freeze that was occasioned by financial constraints."Mr Mutasa continued: "Government has not been recruiting - be it teachers or support staff . It is public knowledge that some pupils go for months without teachers as a result of the staff recruitment freeze and this has forced parents, via SDAs, to employ teachers."Most of those people who are losing their jobs will not sue the ministry, but parents. They were not employed by the ministry but by parents through SDAs. And so, who is going to pay their packages let alone outstanding salaries?"Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe president Mr Manuel Nyawo weighed in, "Considering the fact that Government is not recruiting, there should be an effort to keep people in employment. Over the years, parents, through SDAs, have assisted Government by employing thousands."As far as we are concerned, there is no system in place for Government to absorb those employees, which makes them jobless in the end."SDAs were established at the recommendation of the 1998/9 Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training chaired by academic Dr Caiphas Nziramasanga.The commission reasoned that involving parents in school affairs would improve learning standards and spur development via resource mobilisation.It underscored how grassroots participation could cultivate ownership and commitment among parents.Part of Statutory Instrument 379 of 1998 (Education, School Development Associations, Regulations) reads, "In the exercise of its functions, an association shall: engage or hire, in consultation with the headmaster and with the approval of the secretary, such additional suitably qualified teachers who have not attained the age of seventy years, whether part-time or full-time as may be considered necessary by the association to serve the needs of the school." Engage or hire, in consultation with the headmaster and with approval of the secretary, an agreed number of non-academic staff  The levies shall augment monies allocated to the school by the State and shall be applied to meet the anticipated commitments of the association arising out of expenses, costs and charges incurred in promoting the objectives of the association."
This CEO should have known better.

The U.S. Senate made history last week when, with a unanimous vote, it approved my bipartisan proposal to launch civil contempt proceedings against the notorious website Backpage.com, as part of an investigation into online sex trafficking.

This isnt historic only because Republicans and Democrats were in agreement (though thats pretty rare these days). This also marks the first time in more than 20 years that the Senate has held anyone in contempt of Congress.

I didnt think it would come to this. When I launched this investigation with my colleague, Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, our aim was straightforward: to target and combat sex trafficking, particularly of children, on websites like Backpage  an online marketplace thats the leader in online sex advertising.

As a former prosecutor of sex crimes, it broke my heart to hear the story of a 15-year-old girl who was rescued from sex traffickers in St. Louis after walking into a childrens hospital to ask for help. She had been sold for sex for months, at truck stops across the country, along with four other girls between the ages of 12 and 18. Like the majority of children who are trafficked for sex in this country, she had been trafficked on Backpage.

But Sen. Portman and I, horrified at this and so many other cases, are in a position to do something about it, because were the top-ranking members of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations  the former Truman Committee once led by the famous Missourian. It is the Senates most powerful body for investigations and oversight with broad subpoena power.

Using the full power of the subcommittee, we demanded answers from Backpage and its chief executive, Carl Ferrer. But flouting the law, the company has failed to provide a meaningful response to my straightforward requests for information. In a dramatic and arrogant move, Ferrer also failed to obey the subpoena compelling his attendance at our Senate hearing on the subject.

Ferrer should have known I dont let up without a fight when Im fighting for Missouri. Last month, the full Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 15-0 to approve my request to hold his company in contempt for failing to answer my questions. Last week, the full Senate followed suit. The last time the Senate approved civil contempt proceedings was in 1995.

Thanks to this action, in the coming days, the Senate will file a lawsuit in U.S. District court in Washington, D.C., against Backpage, and force it to comply with our subpoena.

Relying on my experience as a courtroom prosecutor, Ive spent my career helping lead efforts to achieve justice for victims of sexual violence  from reforming the military justice system to curb sexual assaults in the military, to helping lead a bipartisan effort to curb sexual violence on our college and university campuses.

Backpages victims of sex trafficking deserve justice too  from the website, and from the people behind it. Even if we have to take historic steps to achieve it.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, is a former prosecutor of sex crimes.
News / International

by Staff Reporter

Bulawayo Zanu PF senator and former Matabeleland South Governor Senator Angeline Masuku has been suspended from the party for attending a war veterans meeting addressed Christopher Mutsvangwa and Jabulani Sibanda.Masuku was sounded with 18 other party members on Saturday.Provincial chairperson, Dennis Ndlovu said the suspension were not a war or a move to target certain individuals within the party.He said they are cleaning the party from within and defending it from anything that could threaten its unity."As a province we are not targeting anybody but people are targeting themselves."As party members we should be in a position to defend the party, therefore as a provincial chairperson I can't just sit back while my own members attend an illegal meeting addressed by someone who was expelled by the party. We are not blaming them for attending but we are saying that if they were sincere they should have defended the party at that said meeting," said Cde Ndlovu."No one is bigger than the party, if you do something that we feel is against the principles then you are subject to appear before a disciplinary committee, a crime is a crime hence Cde Masuku cannot be exempted"Ndlovu said the disciplinary hearings will start on Monday.
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.
In February 2016 Poland signed off on a $144 million deal to obtain technology and support for the construction of a new Leopard tank maintenance and upgrade facility in Poland. This is part of a larger ($500 million) effort to upgrade the 128 Polish Army Leopard 2A4s to the new Leopard 2PL standard. Half the new components will come from German suppliers and the other half from Polish firms.

The 2PL will contain numerous upgrades to mechanical and electronic components as well increase protection and improved weapons performance. The first Leopard 2PL prototype is being built in Germany and will be delivered in 2018 for evaluation. That will be followed by eleven more prototypes from Germany. After that all the adjustments to the 2PL resulting from the tests will lead to the remaining Polish Leopards being upgraded in the new Polish facility. Poland also plans to expand its Leopard force to at least 144 tanks.

All this actually began in late 2013 when Poland bought 119 more German Leopard 2 tanks for about $2 million each and the deal includes lots of spare parts and support equipment. Most of these are 2A5s although 14 are older 2A4s. Back in 2003 Poland obtained 128 of these tanks from Germany for the bargain basement price of $21.6 million along with 23 MiG-29 fighters for only $30 million. The tanks were selected by Polish tank experts from among the three hundred Leopard 2s recently placed in storage after being taken out of service by the downsized German Army. The original 128 Leopards still had at least 75 percent of their operational life remaining. That deal includes 8 Buffel armored recovery vehicles, four Biber bridgelayers, four Keiler mine-clearing tanks, and ten M577 command post vehicles.

Most 2A models have a stabilizer (for firing on the move) and a thermal imager (for seeing through night, mist and sand storms.) Germany has been selling refurbed 2A4s since the 1990s because after the Cold War ended in 1991 the German army was much reduced in size. This enabled many nations to inexpensively upgrade their aging armored forces.

The German Leopard 2 tank continues to be a hot item in the second hand market, often to replace U.S. M-60 tanks (a 1960s design.) Already nearly 2,000 have been sold to Austria, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Chile, Turkey and Spain. Originally, West Germany bought 2,125 new Leopard 2 tanks, the Netherlands 445, Switzerland 370, Sweden 120, Spain 219 and Greece 170.

Until the 1980s, the Leopard I was considered one of the best tanks available. Entering service in the late 1960s, it was the first post-World War II German tank design. Although a contemporary of the American M-60A3, the German tank was considered superior. For this reason, Germany was able to export Leopards to many nations. Most of the 4,744 produced (plus 1,741 Leopard chassis adapted to other uses, like recovery and anti-aircraft) have since been retired (in storage) or scrapped. Many owners may have to melt down theirs Leopard Is, for there's not much of a market left for 44 ton tanks, even those equipped with a lot of nifty upgrades. The original buyers of Leopard I have already flooded the market but now only Leopard 2s are wanted.

Poland obtained the Leopards as part of its ongoing post-Cold War military reforms. In 2000 the Polish military had 185,000 troops and depended a lot on conscripts who were in for only a year. By 2010 troop strength was down to 100,000 and, as of 2009, conscription was gone. Civilian defense employees were also cut. The personnel cuts, and over 70 base closings, saved over a billion dollars a year. Also valuable was the retirement of old Soviet era equipment, which was expensive to maintain and not as effective as Western stuff. This was especially the case with Russian warplanes, like the MiG-29. Now Poland is replacing them with F-16s. Second hand Leopard 2A4 tanks provide Poland with a more powerful tank than anything the Russians have. Most current Polish tanks are PT-91s, a Polish made upgrade of the T-72. Most Polish forces are up to NATO standards, and all will be by the end of the decade. This is immensely reassuring to Poles, who have been threatened by their Russian neighbor for centuries.
The economy remains a major problem. The government predicts GDP growth for 2016 to be 6.5 percent which, while down from the 6.9 percent in 2015 is considered progress considering all the past problems (pollution, corruption, and unprofitable state owned industries) that are now crippling economic growth. These problems are also interfering with the military buildup but the troops also have serious problems with corruption and there is a major effort underway to find and punish the many corrupt officers who have appeared as the economy boomed, the military budget grew and there was more to steal. That sort of thing is an ancient Chinese tradition (or curse if you are a victim of it) and eliminating corruption is not.

While corruption investigations were way up in 2015 (54,000, 37 percent more than 2014), the number actually punished was far less than for those accused of endangering state security. While 54,000 people were investigated for corruption only 90 percent made it court and only about five percent were punished. Worse, only about 12 percent of those punished were tigers (senior officials) while the rest were flies (those with no power or clout to avoid prosecution). The government says (quietly, to foreign observers who know what is really going on) that it is really trying to discourage corruption, not create a lot of enemies in its own senior bureaucracy. Some tigers accused of corruption use bribes and intimidation to avoid punishment, although few are able to keep their jobs. The government prefers to make deals that avoid a trial or prison if the accused can provide evidence of other senior people who are guilty and not known to prosecutors. Those punished most severely are the ones responsible for something that got a lot of people killed. This often results in execution, especially if the offender is a civilian (usually a senior business executive).

Despite the internal problems China continues with the foreign adventures that are supposed to make the government look good. The biggest of these efforts is off the southeast coast where China appears to be making preparations to build an artificial island at Jackson Atoll, install a small military garrison and declare the area part of China. Nearby Pagasa is the second-largest (37.2 hectares/93 acres) of the Spratly Islands and is inhabited by 200 Filipinos civilians and a few military personnel. China has been increasingly belligerent in its claims to Pagasa and threatens to take it back by force. Chinese military and civilian ships are showing up near Pagasa with increasing frequency and sometimes the Chinese vessels try (by getting in the way) to prevent non-Chinese vessels from getting too close to the island. The Philippines often has a coast guard patrol boat off the island (which is 480 kilometers from the nearest Filipino territory China does not claim) and that provides the possibility of a violent military encounter. China is also concerned with the increasingly frequent visits of American warships to the Philippines (for leave and maintenance) and the South China Seas (to challenge Chinese claims.) So far China has not been violent but with more and more Chinese warships, warplanes and troops showing up in the South China Sea there appears to be increased risk of someone opening fire. There are a growing number of offenders for the Chinese to shoot at. In addition to ships from the nearest countries (mainly Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan) there are the more powerful allies of these countries (mainly Japan and the United States).

Japan has revealed that, for the first time in 15 years it is sending its submarines through the South China Sea on their way to visit the Philippines and Vietnam. The U.S. has sent a carrier task force to ignore Chinese claims and move right past (or through) and obstacles China might try to place in the way. At the same time China is trying to repair damage done to their relations with Japan by years of government encouraged popular hostility towards Japan. This was part of a policy to use nationalism to distract Chinese from local problems (mainly corruption and pollution). That did not work out so well and now China wants to make nice before a fearful Japan expands its military and becomes a real, rather than imaginary, military threat. Already opinion polls in Japan show most (over 80 percent) of the population is hostile to China while about the same number look favorably on the United States. Fear of China has even caused Japan and South Korea to become close allies for the first time in forever.

Japan is also waiting to see what happens if a Japanese firm wins a $43 contract to build twelve large submarines for Australia. German and French firms are also putting in bids but Japan is a new entrant into the international submarine market because Japan recently changed its laws that long prohibited Japanese firms from exporting weapons. Put in place after World War II these laws have become unpopular because of the growing military and economic threat from China. Exporting weapons addresses both of these problems. But in a revealing move the German manufacturer publicly warned Australia that buying Japanese could trigger economic retaliation from China. Most Western nations just ignore these Chinese threats and China has learned to not try and follow through against major economic powers like Germany or the United States. Japan might be treated differently. Then again, maybe not.

Amidst all this senior American defense officials are pointing out that China is becoming so powerful that current U.S. forces might not be able a Chinese military move if it happened at the same time U.S. forces were tied down in the Middle East and Russia.

China has some military victories to brag about. Thus senior officials are talking about how ethnic violence is way down in Xinjiang over the last year. The government has always described the Xinjiang problems as due to Islamic terrorism but in fact it is all about the native ethnic Turk population resisting being overwhelmed by Han Chinese migration to the areas. China accuses Islamic terror groups among the ethnic Turks (Uighurs) of Xinjiang for all these problems. Unhappy Uighurs are increasingly aggressive in protesting, if not attacking, the growing Chinese presence among them. In Xinjiang province the local Uighurs are not responding well to growing pressure from Han Chinese soldiers and intrusive Han government officials. Because of that many Uighurs continue to support anti-Han activity and this made it possible for some Islamic terrorists to survive and operate there for a while. Most Uighurs are found in Xinjiang province. There the nine million Uighurs are now less than half the population and most of the rest are Han Chinese. The government has been publicly urging soldiers and police to be more aggressive against uncooperative Uighurs and in 2015 the security forces were told to do whatever they thought necessary to keep the peace. The government accuses Uighur activists of endangering state security and tries to keep the unrest out of the news. The same thing is happening in Tibet, where the government is using the same tools to keep everyone under control. Since 2011 several hundred have died in Xinjiang because of Uighur violence against Han rule. Thousands of Uighurs have been arrested and hundreds sentenced to prison, or death. While Islamic terrorism is seen as a major threat in the West the Chinese regard that threat in China as largely confined to Xinjiang. Despite the occasional attack, the Chinese now believe they have it under control.

Any government efforts against Islamic terrorism in China is part of a larger program to shut down anyone criticizing the government. Thus in 2015 the number of people convicted of harming state security (1,419) was double what it had been in 2014. All this is being publicized because China is a communist police state (and has a long pre-communist history of government intolerance to criticism) and these prosecutions (which almost always end in a conviction) are widely publicized to terrorize potential critics into silence.

March 17, 2016: North Korea launched a ballistic missile that landed 600 kilometers off its east coast. The next day China warned that such violations of UN prohibitions could have serious consequences. This is how China announces to the world, and North Korea, that some serious punishment is about to be delivered. In this case it is usually a crackdown on something that is not officially condoned, like quietly allowing North Korea to move illegal exports via China or for North Korean secret police to quietly (and in civilian clothes) pursue North Koreans in China who are not supposed to be there. This sort of retaliation is a real threat to North Korea. For example in January 2016 rumors began to surface in northeast China of a small team (it turned out to be three people) of North Korean secret police trying to discreetly find and bring back three senior North Korean officials who had fled to China. Actually, one of the three was working in China when he disappeared. Apparently the North Korean government wanted to keep this incident quiet but the three men the agents sought were known to some of the Koreans and Chinese questioned and that was what eventually made the investigation too interesting to keep quiet about. It was also noticed that the three agents seemed increasingly desperate as time went by with no results. That was probably because North Korea, in fear of secret policemen defecting to China, only sends those who have something to lose (like wife, parents, children) back in North Korea. Moreover these agents are often told that failure is not an option. This has led to some agents fabricating evidence to satisfy their bosses back home. If that led to innocents being punished, so what. Getting away with that sort of things is what secret police do. China cooperates with all this as it has done for decades. But that appears to be changing.

March 15, 2016: Indonesian police tried to arrest two Chinese citizens suspected of Islamic terrorist activity but the men refused and were killed in a shootout. The two turned out to be Chinese Uighurs from northwest China. It is believed that most Uighur Islamic terrorists have fled China because of the increasingly harsh campaign against Islamic terrorists in China. These two wanted to go to Syria and join ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) but were lured to Indonesia because it was easier and cheaper to reach and they were told they could gain experience and make some money before moving on to Syria.

March 13, 2016: India reports that its border forces have spotted Chinese troops on the Pakistani side of the LOC (Line of Control) in Kashmir. Chinese troops often cross the border in the nearby Indian state of Ladakh (northwest India). The Chinese are apparently in Pakistani Kashmir to work on the Karakoram Highway which connects Pakistan and China via Pakistani Kashmir and some of the roughest terrain in the world. Trade between Pakistan and China is increasing and the 1,800 kilometer long Karakoram Highway has been undergoing upgrades since 2010 to increase capacity. These improvements also make it possible for China to move military forces into northern Pakistan more quickly, something the Pakistanis like because it scares India. The highway was built largely by China and opened in 1979 after over a decade of effort. Meanwhile in Ladakh Chinese threats have halted construction of a new road on the Indian side of the border in territory claimed by China. In the last few years China has sent in troops and civilians to protest Indian activities on the Indian side of the border when anything happens on terrain China claims. The diplomats are trying to sort this out while the troops glare at each other.

March 7, 2016: State controlled media made much of the fact that the navy received three new amphibious ships today. These were 7,000 ton LSTs and it was the first time the navy had received three new major ships in one day. The government also pointed out that Chinese shipyards had delivered over 100 new warships since 2012. All this was meant to make the Chinese feel good and for the neighbors feel scared.

March 2, 2016: The UN approved a number of new sanctions on North Korea. What makes these sanctions different is that China and the United States agreed on them and they include some very harsh new measures. This agreement was the result of meetings and negotiations that began shortly after the January 6th North Korean nuclear test. In the past China has made a show of reluctantly going along with more sanctions on North Korea but this time China made it clear that it is behind the latest round of sanctions and responsible for suggesting some of them. The message to North Korea is that China will not look the other way on any of these new sanctions, or most of the existing ones either.

February 29, 2016: The government announced China will provide Afghanistan with $70 million in military aid. This is a continuation of increasingly close relations with China. For example in early 2015 Afghanistan admitted that it had an arrangement with China whereby Afghanistan would seize and turn over to China any Chinese Moslems (especially Turkic Uighurs) found in Afghanistan. In return China increased the diplomatic and economic pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting Islamic terrorists attacking Afghanistan. China is the largest foreign investor in Pakistan as well as the main source of modern weapons, so when China talks Pakistan must listen and at least pretend to act. China is also becoming a major source of foreign aid and military assistance for Afghanistan.
Insert Coin to Play: OTT Is Booming, But It's a Seller's Market

Ever feel like youre being chased through a maze, looking for that one game-changing event that suddenly gives you the advantage ... at least for the moment? Welcome to Online Video Industry 2016OTT Time.

Our industrys ebbs and flows are so cyclical I can pretty much set my watch by them. This time, its a sellers market. Netflix has created tremendous pressure for just about every company with premium content to get its act together online. The reality has set in and this pressure is not going away. But you shouldnt panic. Take a deep breath and realize we have a long way to go, and the business case isnt as simple as just starting a channel on Roku or Apple TV. And for what its worth, Im very happy that companies will be spending on our industry like they never have before. In fact, subscribers to this magazine alone have earmarked a budget in excess of $5.7 billion for 2016. Thats an incredible 60 percent jump from 2015its real money.

The problem is how to make good choices with that money, and there will be a lot of impulse buying and then the inevitable do-overs, which is a worry whenever we see this kind of buying cycle. Whenever theres money to be spent, companies come out of the woodworkbig ones, small ones, spin-offs from existing companies, some without a product to sellall looking for a piece of the pie.

And then theres all this noise about creating original content. Dont get me wrong, I think its a great play. Loyalty is a big deal, especially since pricing models are coming apart so you can buy a single episode on Apple TV, rather than a series, much less a subscription to a network (here I include Amazon, Hulu, HBO, ABC, and others that charge a subscription fee for access) that might only have one golden goose. Publishers are spending more on technology and content than ever before, but they charge less per subscriber. Somethings got to give.

Netflix has pretty much reached capacity for subscriptions in the U.S., so its turned its attention worldwide. In doing so, Reed Hastings indicated 2016 is going to be a break-even year for Netflix while the company bears the rising cost of content and international expansion.

The folly that many content companies must try to avoid is trying to emulate Netflixs business model and joining the race to the bottom (getting more content for less). Experimenting with second-screen and full-season releases, as well as other new delivery strategies, can contribute to subscriber loyalty. But waitseason two of Better Call Saul is now on Amazon in the U.S. and Netflix in other countries, but its only delivering one episode a week! So much for binge-watching that one.

Surely the age-old business model of paying the most for the best content and then monetizing that opportunity still applies here. When push comes to shove, and shareholders put pressure on Netflix for profits, dont be surprised if ads start showing up, unless you want to pay for a new premium account level. Now, those ads could be something actually worth watching. Wouldnt it be cool if Netflix struck an exclusive deal with Marvel to create a 25-minute Deadpool trailer? Id open up my wallet for that. Yeah, an advertorial. A commercial youd pay good money to watch. You read it here first.

For those of you looking to invest in the online video industry and choose a vendor this year, there are really good companies to look at in this Sourcebook. If you want to win big at this game, read it cover to cover; well help you get a high score. We love to see innovation, so with the help of this Sourcebook, go make some news!

This article appears in the 2016 Streaming Media Industry Sourcebook.

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Refugees and migrants wave as they approach the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos on a dinghy during sunrise, March 20, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

By Karolina Tagaris

LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) - They waved, cheered and smiled, elated to have made it to Europe at dawn on Sunday in a packed blue rubber motor boat.

The 50 or so refugees and migrants were among the first to arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos on day one of an EU deal with Turkey designed to close the route by which a million people crossed the Aegean Sea to Greece in 2015.

Exhausted but relieved, the new arrivals wrapped their wet feet in thermal blankets as volunteers handed out dry clothes and supplies.

Reuters witnesses saw three boats arrive within an hour in darkness in the early hours of Sunday. Two men were pulled out unconscious from one of the boats amid the screams of fellow passengers and were later pronounced dead.

Twelve boats had arrived on the shoreline near the airport by 6 a.m. (0400 GMT), a police official said. A government account put the number of arrivals across Greece in the past 24 hours at 875 people.

Under the European Union deal with Turkey, all migrants and refugees, including Syrians, who cross to Greece illegally by sea from March 20 will be sent back to Turkey once they are registered and their asylum claims have been processed.

That is expected to take effect from April 4, by which time Greece must have in place a fast-track process for assessing asylum claims. The EU has pledged to help Greece set up a task force of some 4,000 staff, including judges, interpreters, border guards and others to manage each case individually.

"The agreement comes into effect from today. Greek authorities have done whatever is necessary and will continue to do what it promised," George Kyritsis, a government spokesman for the refugee crisis, told Reuters.

"Other parties (to the agreement) should also do their part," he said, referring to Greece's EU partners and Turkey.

In return, the EU will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Among the early morning arrivals on the seaweed strewn beach on the south of Lesbos was Syrian Hussein Ali Muhammad, whose studies were interrupted after the war began. He said he wanted to go to Denmark to continue university. Asked if he was aware of the European decision, he said:

"I know that. I hope to cross these borders. I hope I complete my studies here (in Europe), just this. I don't want money, I just want to complete my studies. This is my message."

Muhammed, who worked odd jobs in Turkey to pay a smuggler to bring him across, said he did not want to go back.

"I worked very, very hard in Turkey, I collected the money to come here ... It's very dangerous and not good."

Another arrival, 30-year-old computer engineer Mohammed from Daraa in Syria, said he hoped to stay in Greece until he found a way to be reunited with his wife and son in Germany.

"I know the decision. I hope to (meet with) my wife and children," he said.

DOUBTS

Doubts remain about whether the deal is legal or workable. It was not clear what would happen to the tens of thousands of migrants and refugees already in Greece.

It was too early to say if the deal would be effective, a senior coastguard official said. "We haven't yet seen the terms of the deal properly," said Antonis Sofiadelis, head of the coastguard operations on Lesbos.

"But if returns begin I believe it will act as a deterrent. They (migrants) won't want to pay $1,000-2,000 to a smuggler. Everything depends on whether Turkey implements its part of the deal.

"What we're doing on our part is boosting the asylum process."

Authorities in Lesbos began removing refugees and migrants from the island on Saturday to make space for new arrivals. The island has a capacity to host 3,500 people at a place set up to register arrivals.

At least 144,000 people, mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, have arrived in Greece so far in 2016 according to U.N. refugee agency data. About 60 percent were women and children.

Of those people, more than half landed on Lesbos, the island on the frontline of Europe's biggest migration crisis since World War Two.

Few, if any, had planned to stay in the country, seeking instead a route to northern Europe where more support and jobs are available than in Greece, which is in the grip of an economic crisis.

But border closures along the main route north through the Balkans have meant at least 48,000 people are stranded in Greece, in camps and ports across the country. About 12,000 people remain at a squalid tent camp near the Macedonian border hoping to cross.

(Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Raissa Kasolowsky)
By Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Ben Blanchard

JAKARTA/BEIJING (Reuters) - Indonesia will summon China's ambassador over an incident involving a Chinese fishing vessel in the Natuna Sea, a minister said on Sunday, as Beijing accused it of attacking the ship in traditional Chinese fishing grounds.

The move comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea over China's land reclamation there and over its claims on vast swathes of an important shipping corridor. Several Southeast Asian countries have overlapping claims in the area.

Indonesia was attempting to detain the Chinese vessel for fishing illegally in waters near the contested South China Sea when a Chinese coast guard vessel intervened, fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti told reporters in Jakarta.

"What we will ask the ambassador is that if they say their nine-dash line does not claim Natuna then why is there still illegal fishing happening there," Pudjiastuti said, adding the ambassador will be summoned by the foreign ministry on Monday.

"Their government should not stand behind illegal and unregulated fishing," she said.

China's foreign ministry, in a statement sent to Reuters, said the trawler was carrying out "normal activities" in "traditional Chinese fishing grounds".

"On March 19, after the relevant trawler was attacked and harassed by an armed Indonesian ship, a Chinese Coast Guard ship went to assist," it said.

"The Chinese side immediately demanded the Indonesian side at once release the detained Chinese fishermen and ensure their personal safety," the ministry added.

China hopes Indonesia can "appropriately handle" the issue, it said. Indonesian foreign ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea that are also claimed by several Southeast Asian countries.

Indonesia is not a claimant in the disputed South China Sea, but has raised concerns over China's inclusion of the resource-rich Natuna Islands in its so-called "nine-dash line".

China says that it does not dispute Indonesia's sovereignty over the Natuna Islands.

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Kenyan troops killed 34 al Shabaab militants in two separate incidents on Saturday and Sunday in Somalia and two of its own soldiers were killed in an ambush, a military spokesman said.

On Saturday, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) killed 21 of the insurgents in the southern town of Afmadow in the ambush in which the two soldiers died.

David Obonyo, spokesman for KDF, said in a statement that on Sunday, Kenyan troops killed a further 13 fighters just north of Ras Kamboni, also in southern Somalia.

"The KDF soldiers pursued them following information of an intended probe attack. Following the incident, a middle level al Shabaab commander has been detained, 13 militants were killed," Obonyo said, referring to a reconnoitre attack by al Shabaab.

"Regrettably, KDF suffered two fatalities and five injuries. The injured were evacuated and are receiving medical attention," he said of the incident on Saturday. An improvised explosive device also damaged one of the Kenyan army's vehicles, he said.

He said from the two incidents, KDF troops had recovered 27 AK 47 rifles, five rocket propelled grenades, a pistol, two PKM machine guns and ammunition.

Somalia's government is battling to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation after more than two decades of conflict. Al Shabaab ruled large parts of Somalia until 2011, when it was driven out of Mogadishu by African Union (AU) and Somali troops.

The militants, who aim to topple the Western-backed government, often inflate casualty numbers and downplay the number of their own fighters killed.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesman, told Reuters on Saturday their fighters had killed 12 soldiers in the Afmadow attack.

In January, Kenyan troops as part of the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM) took heavy losses when al Shabaab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border. No exact casualty figure has been given.

Al Shabaab said more than 100 soldiers were killed.

(Reporting by Feisal Omar in MOGADISHU and Humphrey Malalo in NAIROBI; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Louise Ireland)
News / Local

by Staff Reporter

A 70-YEAR-OLD widower from Pumula Old in Bulawayo has claimed that his daughter was allegedly disturbing his sexual life by chasing away his girlfriend every time she visits to comfort him.Michael Khumalo said he was also having sleepless nights because of his daughter Ntombiyosizi Khumalo (38) who was constantly bashing him and refusing to cook for him as punishment for dating another woman following the death of her mother.Khumalo narrated his ordeal at the Bulawayo Civil Court where he was seeking a protection order against his daughter.Khumalo said his daughter was against his idea of him marrying another woman."This child ridicules me and disturbs my relationship with my girlfriend. At times I spend the whole day without eating as she would have refused to cook for me."On many occasions, she doesn't sleep home and sometimes comes home late at around 12 midnight and orders me to open the door for her. She is disturbing my peace," said Khumalo.In response Ntombiyosizi refuted the allegations adding that her father was lying as a way of courting the magistrate's mercy so that he grants the protection order in his favour."I am not aware of what he is talking about. However, I am not opposed to the protection order, just grant whatever he is asking for," she said.magistrate Tawanda Muchemwa granted the protection order where Ntombiyosizi was ordered not to physically and emotionally abuse her father.
Mar 13, 2016; Palm Harbor, FL, USA; A Valspar paint can acts as the tee marker on the 1st hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort - Copperhead Course. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

(Reuters) - The Sherwin-Williams Co (NYSE: SHW) has agreed to acquire rival U.S. paint company Valspar Corp (NYSE: VAL), the companies said on Sunday, in an all-cash deal valued at about $9.3 billion.

Sherwin-Williams will pay $113 a share, or a premium of about 41 percent to Valspar's volume weighted average price for the 30 days through March 18, they said in a statement.

Valspar shares closed at $83.83 on Friday on the New York Stock Exchange, and Sherwin-Williams ended at $288.69.

Sherwin-Williams said the deal had "an enterprise value of about $11.3 billion." The value includes debt and equity.

"The combination expands our brand portfolio and customer relationships in North America, significantly strengthens our Global Finishes business, and extends our capabilities into new geographies and applications, including a scale platform to grow in the Asia-Pacific and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa)," Sherwin-Williams Chief Executive John Morikis said in the release.

The combined company would have pro forma 2015 revenues of $15.6 billion, adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $2.8 billion, and about 58,000 employees, they said.

The transaction is worth about $8.9 billion, based on the 79.09 million Valspar shares outstanding according to Reuters data.

Sherwin-Williams will remain headquartered in Cleveland. Valspar is based in Minneapolis.

Sherwin-Williams manufactures products under the Sherwin-Williams, Dutch Boy, Krylon, Minwax, Thompson's Water Seal and other brands. In addition, to making coatings for the construction, industrial and transportation markets, Valspar sells consumer paints under the Valspar, Cabot Stain, Devine Color and other brands.

The companies estimated annual savings of $280 million of within two years.

Sherwin-Williams and Valspar said they expect the deal to immediately increase earnings, excluding onetime costs.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2017, subject to approval by Valspar shareholders, they added. The boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the deal.

Sherwin-Williams and Valspar said they expect antitrust regulators to approve the merger without requiring the sale of any businesses, or require "minimal divestitures" at most.)

In the unlikely event that the companies are required to sell businesses with total revenues of more than $650 million, the transaction price would be adjusted to $105 in cash per Valspar share, the companies said.

Sherwin-Williams has the right to call off the deal if required divestitures exceed $1.5 billion in 2015 revenues.

Sherwin-Williams said it intends to finance the transaction with cash on hand, existing credit facilities and new debt.

Sherwin-Williams said it would maintain its current dividend and rapidly reduce debt using its free cash flow.

Citibank was the lead financial adviser to Sherwin-Williams, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC also acted as financial advisor. Citigroup Global Markets Inc will provide bridge financing.

Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch are acting as financial advisers to Valspar.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Richard Chang and Alan Crosby)
Police are investigating a horrific brawl in Auckland's CBD on Sunday morning, captured on camera by a passer-by.

The footage shows a violent brawl involving several people on Fort Street.

Several males appear to the be primary participants, and at one point a female appears to be thrown to the ground.

The fight was one of several in Auckland city overnight.

READ MORE: Three injured in CBD brawl

Police were called to incidents outside the Ferry terminal in Quay Street, the McDonalds Britomart in Queen Street and the intersection of Quay and Queen Streets, in addition to the large brawl captured on camera in Fort St.

Two men aged 18 and 24 remained in hospital on Sunday evening as a result of the fight outside the McDonalds Britomart.

Inspector Ross Barnaby of the Auckland City Police said the footage captured of the Fort St incident painted a "poor" picture of what took place.

"Yet again, alcohol is right in the middle of this," he said.

"The alcohol-fuelled bravado depicted in the footage we have seen is utterly appalling.

"We have two men in hospital and anyone who sees that video will probably agree that we are lucky there are not more people seriously injured".

Police detectives were working with CCTV footage as well as mobile phone footage to build a picture of those involved.

Barnaby said the number of fights police were called out to was "very unusual".

"We don't know if it's two factions fighting and moving through the streets, or if they were actually isolated incidents."

Barnaby could not say whether the brawlers had attended the Auckland City Limits concert on Saturday night in Western Springs.

"What I can say from my experience is if we have an event in one part of town, a per cent of those individuals that go to those events do come into town."

A witness to the Fort St incident, who wished to remain anonymous, had finished work around 4am and was walking to his car when he saw some men "letting the liquor get the better of them".

He had noticed two of the men having an argument before another man came along and "started throwing punches".

"It escalated from there," he said.

"The trouble maker really had no business getting involved with the original argument."

The spectator said he was "rather disgusted" by what he had witnessed.

"It's generally a well-kept area... it's been quite good lately just this circus this morning was too good not to film."

Barnaby said police would be looking to identify where and when people had been drinking - including licensed premises.

"Any licensed premises who have been serving intoxicated patrons could be prosecuted," he said.

Police were appealing to anyone who may have filmed the brawls to contact the enquiry team on 09 302 6557, or private message the videos to the Auckland Police Facebook page.
Adrian Coysh wants to inspire disabled people to seek a meaningful career and businesses to see the potential of hiring people with disabilities by understanding their capabilities. Adrian began his venture when learning his three children had Retinitis Pigmentosa and were slowly going blind.

A new recruitment firm inspires firms to see wide-ranging abilities.

Adrian Coysh's life was plunged into darkness when he discovered three of his children were slowly going blind.

Now he's on a mission to make their world a better place, so the 16,17 and 22-year-olds can lead fulfilling lives.

Adrian Coysh with his two of daughters on graduation day. He is proud of his visually impaired daughter that was once told she had no future in science, and is now undertaking Leukaemia research for her Master's degree and aims to complete a PhD on Stem Cell research to find a cure for her condition.

The former recruitment agent for accountants, is using his personal and business experience to influence organisations to rethink their recruitment objectives and help people with disabilities find employment.

Apart from some Ministry of Social Development funding, Coysh has financed the disability enterprise himself, sacrificing potential income as a recruitment consultant.

He was spurred to take action after three of his four children were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a condition for which there is no cure and leads to blindness.

Adrian Coysh with his family shortly before the first diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa, which plunged them into darkness.

One of his daughters has not let her disability get in the way of life.

She almost missed out on university after she was told there would be no future for her.

Coysh soon discovered this was untrue and set up a meeting with a visually impaired science graduate.

CHRIS SKELTON/FAIRFAX NZ Adrian Coysh, who has three children going blind, wants businesses to see the capabilities of people with disabilities.

His daughter is now undertaking Leukaemia research for her Master's degree and wants complete a PhD on Stem Cell research to find a cure for her condition.

Coysh hopes this will inspire others with disabilities to seek a meaningful career.

He is also asking businesses to see the potential of hiring people with disabilities - by understanding their capabilities instead of seeing just a disability.

Supplied Aleesha Kostyrko-Jones, 20, works as a full-time dessert chef in Whangarei and enjoys her job

He introduces people with skills for a role to businesses through his website, Possibility, which is linked to JobCafe - a central portal for businesses to advertise their jobs.

"We want to encouraging businesses who are committed to diversity and inclusion to start advertising their roles with JobCafe, and we will work with them in return to build their capability to welcome people on board, in co-operation with the appropriate support agencies who may be working on their behalf."

Coysh believed New Zealand can lead the way with the initiative and has written about it for the Huffington Post.

"We just need businesses to invest into our dream."

CCS Disability Action chief executive David Matthews said the popularity of a workshop run by Coysh at the recent forum for young people with disabilities, showed finding paid work was a hot topic.

"The popularity of this workshop [ Let's Get Employed] clearly tells us, and hopefully employers and communities, just how important work is for young people today."

A Deloitte report, The economic benefits of increasing employment for people with disability, commissioned by the Australian Network on Disability, in 2011 and 2102, found Australia's GDP could be increased by $43 billion in ten years if more people with disabilities were employed.

CQ Hotels Wellington general manager Olivier Lacoua is passionate about employing people with disabilities and says it has increased the bottom line for the business.

The hotel is now regarded as one of the most accessible in New Zealand.

He employs six people with disabilities and all staff are trained in sign language, which assists their deaf colleagues.

It was the first hotel to offer a sign language menu, which has doubled the number of diners.

He said there was no additional cost to employing people with disabilities, which was a fear for a lot of employers.

"It's time to get real. There's a huge market of fantastic people out there if you're looking to improve your bottom line. A lot of perfectly able-bodied people sit on the couch and do nothing. People with disabilities are inspired and motivated  they pass that on to other staff. It's great for culture. It's good corporate responsibility."

There has been huge staff engagement and during the past three years, the hotel turnover has increased by 20 per cent - far more than any other local hotel, he said.

He is also working on an initiative with Wellington City Council that he believes could be a world first.

He wants to install a GPS, talking guidance system in the central city, to help blind guests get from the hotel around the city.

Aleesha Kostyrko-Jones, 20, works as a full-time dessert chef in Whangarei and enjoys her job in the large hotel kitchen that accommodates her wheelchair.

After school she decided to pursue cooking as a career and started asking friends, family, and wider networks, if they knew of any jobs.

An opportunity came about when she discovered her physio had a partner who was head chef at the Kingsgate Hotel. After a job interview, she started work in November 2014.

She had a great group of work colleagues, who were understanding, she said.

"It's my first job and so far it's been a great experience."

It was often hard for people with a disability to prove they could do a job.

"Sometimes we just do it differently," she said.
Fire fighters do a demonstration on cutting a car to get somebody out.

There was plenty of mud from the rain on the previous days.

Crowds check out the Central District Field Days at Manfield Park on Saturday.

A rainy start couldn't dampen a successful Central Districts Field Days, which recorded a 20 per cent boost in numbers over its three days.

Fairfax national events manager Brett McMeekin said it was the first time they had used a ticketing system and had close to exact numbers.

"We had 29,500 over the three days, which we're pretty happy about."

That was 20 per cent up on last year.

Despite the "horizontal rain" on Thursday they still got 7900 through the gate. The following two days each got more than 10,000 attendances.

Meanwhile the New Zealand Agri Investment Week, which lead into the Field Days, was also a success.

Event director Lance Bickford said everything went as planned.

"The conference numbers were well up on any projections we'd done. Basically every night of the week was full in terms of accommodation.

"I think we put on a great show for them, I think we really showed Palmerston North in a great light."

McMeekin said they were glad to not have the rain carry through.

"If it rains on one of the big public days then it really hurts you."

He did not have figures of sales from stallholders but said they had not received any negative feedback.

Among the popular attractions were the tractor pull, Chelsea Marriner's dog show and the hearty venison burgers.

"There were queues for the venison burgers, and the tractor pull always gets a big crowd."

Looking ahead to next year, McMeekin said there were things to work on.

"I think the key thing is fine weather.

"But we're always looking to improve, especially making it easier for the exhibitors."

This year there were 586 exhibitors, up from 570 last year.

McMeekin said they wanted Central Districts Field Days to have a consistency with national Field Days.

"Most of these guys exhibit there as well, we want to align with that. We're not competitors because we're at opposite ends of the year."

Bickford said the Plate of Origin was a popular event and restaurants were kept busy as a result.

The Agri week had two conferences and 300 people expected across both, but they ended up with more than 450. The expected turnout for their forums was 40 to 50 per event and those had all been 60 plus.

Bickford said it had become a landmark event.

"It has delivered some huge economic value for the region, there's no question about it. The more important fact is that it has really started some high level conversation about the future of agri for New Zealand.

"Our whole ambition was to make this the place where that conversation got held every year."

Federated Farmers Manawatu-Rangitikei provincial president James Stewart said it was a positive week and there was an upside to the early rain.

"It was good to see rain on the first day. It might have dampened the Field Days a bit, but it was a morale booster for farmers in the region."

He said the Agri Investment Week forums were a positive too.

"It's more than just a Field Days, the forums brought people in. For farmers it was a good day off the farm and a chance to socialise."

Though farmers might not be in a position to be spending, Stewart said the event was a chance to catch up with the latest goods and services on offer "for when good times do come".
A NZ soldier who died in Jordan last week was 30-year-old Aucklander Paul Andrew Hartley (stock picture),

The New Zealand Defence Force have named a Kiwi soldier who died in Jordan as Sergeant Paul Andrew Hartley.

The 30-year-old national liaison officer who died last Thursday in a non-combat incident at a Coalition headquarters in Jordan was from Auckland.

Plans were under way to repatriate Hartley's body so he could be reunited with his family and friends in a private ceremony.

There were no suspicious circumstances related to the death, which occurred on Thursday (NZ time), NZDF said. Stuff understood it to be a suspected suicide.

The NZDF has a number of liaison officers at headquarters throughout the Middle East and around the world.

The man's family was being supported by the NZDF.

Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said he was aware of the soldier's death.

He said it was always a tragedy when any soldier serving overseas lost their life, particularly for their families.

He explained the coalition headquarters in Jordan helps with logistics and analysis of the situation to help troops in Iraq.

"We've got a lot of guys up there who are largely in support of our unit in Taji...we want to know what the risks are."

"I would just express deep sympathies to the family and at the same time gratitude for the service that their loved one has given to the people of New Zealand."

Labour's defence spokesperson Phil Goff wanted to recognise the soldiers that work in "sometimes lonely and difficult situations".



He said they would be under pressures that others wouldn't be aware of given the nature of their jobs.



"A person's death at any time is a tragedy, and when that person is a serving soldier in another part of the world, that makes the sense of loss even greater.

"A special acknowledgement to the soldiers who serve as this soldier did. Our hearts go out to the soldier's family."

An NZDF spokeswoman would not confirm or deny whether the coalition headquarters referred to the same base in Jordan. The "coalition" likely refers to Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led effort against Islamic State.

"Each of the [UNTSO] groups has a slightly different mission statement but essentially they are there to ensure that peace agreements or cease fires are observed and to report any activities which violate these agreements or could threaten international peace and security in the region," the NZDF website says.

UNTSO was the first peacekeeping operation established by the United Nations, with the first military observers arriving in the Middle East in June 1948. UNTSO's activities are spread over five host countries  Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, and Syrian Arab Republic.

New Zealand is one of 26 countries which contribute military personnel to the mission, also including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United States.

Chief of Army, Major General Dave Gawn was appointed UNTSO chief of staff last year.

Where to get help:

Lifeline - 0800 543 354

Depression Helpline (8 am to 12 midnight) - 0800 111 757

Healthline - 0800 611 116

Samaritans - 0800 726 666

Suicide Crisis Helpline (aimed at those in distress, or those who are concerned about the wellbeing of someone else) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

Youthline - 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
Cat burglar Brigit proudly sits among some of the booty she's claimed.

Every night for the past two months, a burglar has been lurking the streets of Claudelands stealing mens' underwear and socks.

Brigit, a six-year-old Tonkinese cat, has an oddball obsession with underwear, hauling a dozen boxer briefs and around 60 single socks.

The obsession was largely unnoticed until her owner, Sarah Nathan, started packing her house to move.

SUPPLIED. Brigit, a six-year-old Tonkinese cat who lives in Hamilton, has hauled an impressive amount of men's underwear and socks over the last two months.

"I pulled out the bag of stuff [that Brigit] had collected and thought, oh God, I wonder who these belong to?" Nathan said.

READ MORE:

* Cat's tricky hauls stump his owners

* Cat burglar steals all sorts

* Cat's theft choices suggest sixth sense

"We noticed Brigit would come home in the mornings and we'd snap her with a sock in her mouth. Or if it was too big to fit in the cat flap, we'd find a pile of undies outside.

"She would even bring them to bed, or put them in a pile next to the bed."

But the obsession with undergarments is not a new thing.

"She did this when we lived in Beerescourt and our neighbours hated us for it," Nathan said.

"I would find the odd sock or pair of undies and would say to the kids, 'well who do these belong to?'.

"She would bring home kids things, like togs and kids underwear and stuff so I didn't keep those.

"And one time she brought home a shin pad that was bigger than her."

Nathan said she thought most of the items belonged to one person. She said she had put notes in letterboxes in her suburb but so far, no-one had come forward.

The advertisement was posted online along with a photo of the cat burglar in question and her ill-gotten gains.

But there was a post on social media on Sunday morning, after Nathan has posted about the incidents, from a man who said the underwear looked familiar.

"The underwear that Brigit's brought home lately have been a little worse for wear so she's probably taken all the good stuff," Nathan said.

"These breeds of cat, she's crossed with a Siamese cat and a Burmese cat, are quite obsessive.

"It's just the fact that she's decided her obsession will be men's underwear."

The Nathan family are moving to the country soon and her owner hopes Brigit will find another hobby.

"Hopefully there's something there she can find to catch but if not we may have to stash some undies around the farm to keep her stimulated."

INTERNET DELIGHTS IN CAT'S ANTICS

Brigit's antics delighted internet users across the globe after the images were posted to Reddit.

Users were quick to turn the image into a meme based on the Khajiit cat-like character from the video game series, The Elder Scrolls whose tagline is: "Khajiit has wares, if you have coin."

Other users compared the cat shaming photo to those taken when police make "a huge weapons bust".
Tepi Amohia spoke about his desire for a "clean" and happy house when he moved into the HNZ unit in March.

For the first time in more than 30 years, Tepi Amohia has a roof over his head.

Amohia struggled to swap the "freedom of the streets" for four walls, so he slept in the park outside his house on his first night at home.

"I'm happy though, to be in a house, because of my boy, and the dog, and my health."

DEAN KOZANIC Tepi Amohia, after living on the streets for 31 years, has a place to call home with his dog, Sasha, and son, Nathan Eves.

Amohia could often be found sitting near South City Mall on Colombo or outside Burger King on Moorhouse Ave, with his muzzled dog Sasha.

He spent the last year on the streets with his 21-year-old son Nathan Eves.

"My parents didn't want to know me when I was young, so I got shipped out to my step-parents, but my step-mother kept beating me up.

DAVID WALKER Amohia spent his days begging on Colombo St, outside South City mall.

"I had enough of it, so I went out onto the streets when I was about 19."

Now 50, Amohia said he suffered from bronchitis and needed chemotherapy for cancer in his left eye.

"I don't want to do chemo, because I'd lose all my hair, but one doctor said I should get it right away."

DEAN KOZANIC So accustomed to living on the streets, he spent his first night sleeping in a nearby park under the stars.

He got his home, in central Christchurch, through Collective for the Homeless.

The initiative helps homeless people into homes and employment and links them up with relevant agencies including Work and Income New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development.

The New Zealand Red Cross funds the initiative. It had put about $50,000 towards the programme. Collective for the Homeless meetings have been held since October 2015.

Amohia wanted to focus on keeping his home clean and tidy, regaining his health and instilling values in his son.

"My grandparents always taught me, help those who help you, so that's what I've been doing, trying to help my son and the rest of those fellas out there."

Programme organiser Brenda Lowe-Johnson said Amohia was "tough to crack".

"They'll engage with you if you treat them properly  you just have to remind them there are people out there that care."

In the last eight months, she said Collective for the Homeless had rehoused 31 people and secured jobs for 12.

"We've run four meetings so far, with attendance numbers always increasing.

"I am thankful to the supporting agencies  it wouldn't work without them."

New Zealand Red Cross recovery manager Michael Donoghue said the programme addressed homelessness "from a grass roots level".

"With high rent and a shortage of houses, there are multiple barriers stopping people from getting into homes, so we are just trying to help remove some of those barriers."

Alongside housing assistance, Donoghue said the meetings provided services to "make you feel human again", including health packages, blankets and even a hairdresser.

"It's giving people some respect, giving them their dignity back, and linking them in with organisations that can actually get them jobs and further assistance."
The Golden Princess at port in Auckland in early March.

A second bout of gastroenteritis has broken out on a cruise line bound for New Zealand.

Passengers aboard the Princess Cruises vessel Golden Princess are battling the contagious virus, as well as a flu outbreak, The Herald Sun reports.

"Most people on board have copped the lot," said one passenger.

An elderly passenger has as also died of natural causes.

The liner departed from Port Melbourne 12 days ago, and is scheduled to dock in Auckland on March 26, before sailing to Tauranga, Gisborne, Wellington, and Akaroa.

Do you know more, email newstips@stuff.co.nz

READ MORE: Gastro strands 158 passengers on cruise from NZ

According to Cruise New Zealand's website, the Golden Princess carries 2624 passengers and more than more than 1100 crew members.

It is not known yet how many passengers have come down with gastro or flu, or both.

The latest gastro outbreak comes a month after 158 passengers on its sister ship, Diamond Princess, came down with gastro.

At the time, passenger Stephen Dinale, from Sydney, said he felt as if he had been on board the "voyage of the damned", with people vomiting in pools and running down corridors covering their mouths.

Dinale was one of about 4000 people on board the ship, which to New Zealand in February.
News / Local

by Staff reporter

INFORMATION, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Christopher Mushohwe has commended the progress of refurbishment work being done by local contractors at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) Montrose Studios in Bulawayo as part of preparations for the digitalisation switch over.Speaking during a tour of the studios yesterday, Minister Mushohwe said he was pleased that contractors took three weeks to complete the job when it was supposed to be done in six weeks. He was accompanied by his deputy Thokozile Mathuthu, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, George Charamba and senior officials from Broadcasting Association of Zimbabwe and ZBC."When I toured the studios in February there was nothing, no renovations had taken place. The contractors were given six weeks to get the job done but they have done it in three weeks. This shows that locals are dedicated and time conscious," said Mushohwe.He said the digitalisation programme has led to the creation of employment and was an opportunity for local businesspeople to demonstrate their skills."The remarkable improvement at Montrose and all other construction works in every region that the Ministry is undertaking must be done by people from those areas," he said.The $300 000 construction project, which is expected to be completed this month, is being funded and managed by BAZ and the purpose of the project is to modernise the studios, in line with the digitalisation programme.ZBC acting chief executive officer Mr Patrick Mavhura said the visit by the Minister was to review progress in preparation for installation of digital equipment. Mr Mavhura said they were happy with the progress with the television studio nearing completion and the radio studio now complete."Completion of the television studio will be in mid-April. Radio transmission will remain on analogue although there will be new equipment while plans are underway to broadcast Indaba (news in IsiNdebele) from Montrose and the weekend bulletins. This is to recognise what the region can do for the nation," said Mr Mavhura.He said the changes at the national broadcaster were a recapitalisation drive which have also seen the national broadcaster acquiring new cameras that enable stories to be sent real time as well as new vehicles.Later on during the day, Minister Mushohwe and his delegation toured the National Arts Gallery in Bulawayo and held a meeting with film producers. The tour was meant to appreciate the facilities in Bulawayo where BAZ is intending to fund equipment for film producers. Mathuthu said the meeting with film producers was an interface between policymakers and owners of the content."The producers are the owners of the content and policymakers facilitate that their work is respected. The only way the digitalisation programme can be successful is by bringing everyone on board including the producers of the content and to understand their desires and problems," she said.Mathuthu said it was important for film producers to give ideas to Government so as to come with a working document that will be tabled before an artistes indaba.Mrs Priscilla Sithole-Ncube, speaking on behalf of the film producers, said the meeting was an eye opener to them as they felt it was high time that local content be given first priority on television."The challenge we have been facing is that of resources and equipment. We want it to be clear on the issues of rights, contracts and royalties. The policies should be clearly stated because we face a situation where our products are filmed twice or repeated without any agreement," she said.
News / Local

by Vusumuzi Dube

A TAXI war is looming in Bulawayo after commuter omnibuses that are not registered under the two companies recognised under the city's public transport policy have been banned from using various ranks within the city.This comes amid reports that some operators are refusing to join the two companies recognised by the Bulawayo City Council  Bulawayo Public Transport Association (Bupta) and Tshova-Mubaiwa.The council is further refusing to renew registration of commuter omnibuses which do not fall under these two companies, thereby rendering them illegal.In the latest developments rank marshals and touts employed by Bupta have reportedly been barring operators not registered with the company to load passengers from Egodini bus terminus. The unregistered operators have gone on to defy the move by loading at undesignated areas leading to running battles with municipal police and further clashes with registered operators.It is further alleged that these companies have employed bouncers to man various routes, especially in the western areas, who bar the unregistered kombis from picking up passengers, even going to the extent of forcing passengers to disembark.BCC senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu confirmed that the local authority was no longer recognising any commuter operator not registered with the two companies. She said the implementation of the policy was now in full swing and they were just addressing a few snags within the system."The policy is being implemented and we are attending to some of the implementation snags and the signing of the service level agreements. There is a council resolution which guides and informs the implementation of the public transport policy. Council resolved that the Public Transport Policy be implemented and council resolved to sign with two companies with a possibility of a third company."As part of the implementation strategy all operators have been asked to belong to the two companies and at the moment we do not issue renewal to any operator who is not from the mentioned companies. All operators wishing to operate in Bulawayo must comply with the public transport policy," said Mrs Mpofu.When a Sunday News crew visited Egodini bus terminus last Friday, rank marshals and touts employed by Bupta were barring commuter omnibuses without the company's logos from loading, alleging that they were not allowed to operate because of the public transport policy.Bupta association secretary Mr Costan Sayi said what was happening was illegal hence as an association they would fight it until normalcy returns."Maybe to clarify first, I must state from the onset that there is a difference between Bupta the company and Bupta the association. The company is actually trying to arm-twist kombi operators into joining them by using such uncouth methods."I personally laid a complaint with BCC and they said what is happening is illegal. We are also in the process of engaging our lawyers to see how we can fight this, we would have understood if it was council barring operators but it's an individual," said Mr Sayi.
A new strain of virus could help New Zealand farmers slash rabbit numbers by up to 30 per cent.

The virus, called RHDV1-K5, is a Korean strain of the lethal calicivirus already present in New Zealand that causes rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD).
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A political commentator Dominic Muntanga has said the factions in Zanu PF have such a tremendous negative economic impact that stems from Ministers not collaborating to achieve shared goals."Instead of partnering, there is unnecessary and wasteful competition, which is leading us to waste so much time and resources. It is said there is over $500-million now available through the National Financial Inclusion Strategy launch by the RBZ," he said. "Why are the responsible ministers not seating down together to figure out how they can leverage those resources to advance the development agenda in an effective, efficient and profitable manner. I mean, agricultural colleges have churned out thousands of serious and very qualified young farmers, who have no capital to start up."Muntanga said the Zimbabwe Farmers Union Young Farmers Clubs has thousands of young people who need financing and yet you hear someone announcing funds."Ministry of SME has thousands of young people who are actually producing a lot of products that could be export quality if someone bothered to provide capital and just a bit of money and support to get them to reach the tipping point. It is so sad to see the disconnect between our Ministries," he said.
Carl Heastie, Andrew Cuomo, John Flanagan

The three men and a budget: Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx (left); Gov. Andrew Cuomo (center); and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, R-Smithtown (right), are negotiating the 2016-17 state budget. The leaders are pictured June 23, 2015, at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y.

(Tim Roske / AP)

Your tax bill and school budget depend on the outcome of negotiations happening now behind closed doors in Albany, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the leaders of the Assembly and the Senate hammer out the 2016-17 budget. Their decisions will affect every child and every taxpayer in the state.

New York's largest expenditure is school aid, devoting 25 percent of its operating budget, more than $23 billion, to it. Its per-pupil spending is the highest of all 50 states.

For all the billions the state pours into its 679 public school districts, localities are pouring in even more. According to Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, nearly 60 percent of school funding now comes from local revenues. Other data compiled by school finance officials show the local proportion rising over time.

Cuomo and both houses of the Legislature already agree the state can do more for education. All three are proposing big increases in school aid, from Cuomo's $961 million to the Assembly's $2.3 billion. The Senate is in the middle at $1.65 billion. The final number largely depends on how they come down on three policy questions:

Foundation Aid

Foundation Aid is the formula that targets aid to school districts based on need and taxpayers' ability to pay. Other school aid formulas tend to favor wealthy districts because, in the interest of parity, they get a portion of state aid whether they need it or not.

Foundation Aid was enacted after the state Court of Appeals ruled in 2006 that New York City high school students were being denied a sound, basic education. The Legislature implemented a statewide remedy in 2007, pumping billions into high-need districts, including Syracuse. Foundation Aid was frozen from 2010 to 2012, due to the recession. Public school advocates argue that they are "owed'' $4.4 billion in promised aid - an interpretation Cuomo now disputes. DiNapoli says current funding lags the original projection by $2.2 billion.

While the numbers seem squishy, it's clear to us the state is not abiding by spirit of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity decision. It should direct more school aid through the Foundation Aid formula that benefits high-need, low-wealth districts, in spite of the political difficulties in doing so.

Gap Elimination Adjustment

The GEA is the money the state took back from school districts when it faced a post-recession budget deficit. It has been partially restored in the past four five budgets through yet another formula. With the budget gap eliminated, the GEA is unnecessary. Cuomo proposes eliminating it over two years, to take care of high-need districts first. We agree with the Legislature that the GEA should go away for all school districts in the state, in tandem with increased Foundation Aid for high-need schools.

"Parental Choice in Education Act"

The governor and the Senate both propose $150 million in tax credits for donations to private, parochial or public schools. The credit would reduce a contributor's tax liability by 75 percent, up to $1 million. That's a credit, not a deduction, which reduces a person's tax liability dollar for dollar. As we said last year, this program amounts to a giveaway to the wealthy few. It would create a hole in state revenues that would have to be made up by budget cuts or higher taxes for everyone else - to say nothing of blurring the line between church and state.

Underlying every school aid discussion is the maddeningly complicated way New York distributes it. The formulas perpetuate inequities and make it hard for the public to see how money is being spent. Leaders should make it simpler, fairer and more transparent.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Last fall, we posed a question to some of the best meteorological minds in Central New York: What will winter be like?

Five local forecasters stuck their necks out and made their best guesses. On the first day of spring, we decided to see whose prediction aligned most with what actually happened.

We all know the winter turned out to be exceptionally warm, with not much snow. The three-month period of December, January and February, known as meteorological winter, was the seventh-warmest and eighth-wettest in Syracuse on record. Only 72.2 inches of snow has fallen in Syracuse, which would make 2015-2016 the fifth-least snowiest winter since 1950 if no more snow falls.

Here's what the meteorologists predicted, and what they're saying now about those predictions. Art Degaetano could not be reached.

 Graphic: How cold and snowy will this winter be?

Dave Eichorn, NewsChannel 9

Prediction: Warmer; less snow, maybe more sleet.

Eichorn, who is leaving broadcasting to finish his Ph.D., was right on the money. He owes it all to El Nino.

"You just kind of look at the odds and statistical averages," he said. "This winter behaved very typically like an El Nino. It has been wet in the south, and across the northern latitudes we've had above average temperatures."



Wayne Mahar, CNY Central

Prediction: Data doesn't tell us one way or the other

El Nino years aren't monolithic, Mahar said. Syracuse snowfall amounts in previous El Nino years ranged from 66 to 193 inches.

"How can anybody feel comfortable (making long-range predictions) knowing that records show it's been all over the place?" he said this week. "Anything can happen."

Drew Montreuil, Syracuse.com.

Prediction: Colder; more snow

Like Mahar, Montreuil took into account that temperature and precipitation in El Nino years can vary widely. This winter was particularly wet, but warmer than Montreuil had predicted.

"We got missed by an awful lot of weather that went to our west, missed us or turned to rain," he said. "If that had fallen as snow, my forecast would have looked good."

Vanessa Richards, Time Warner Cable News.

Prediction: Warmer; average snow that's wet and heavy.

Richards said the winter went pretty much as she had expected. She had predicted an average snow year, she said, because the warmer weather would keep the Great Lakes open, leading to more lake effect snow.

"The lakes were warm and most of the snow we did get were from those lake effect events," Richards said. "We knew we would still get those cold blasts, but we didn't get enough to get the average (snowfall) up."

 Graphic: Syracuse cumulative snowfall

Contact Glenn Coin: Email | Twitter | Google + | (315) 470-3251
Once thought safe, DDR4 memory shown to be vulnerable to "Rowhammer" Physical weaknesses in memory chips that make computers and servers susceptible to hack attacks dubbed "Rowhammer" are more exploitable than previously thought and extend to DDR4 modules, not just DDR3, according to a recently published research paper. The paper, titled How Rowhammer Could Be Used to Exploit Weaknesses in Computer Hardware... Ars Technica

How HTC and Valve built the Vive Long before the Vive was born, both software developer Valve and phone manufacturer HTC were separately looking into virtual reality. In 2012, VR was beginning to creep back into the public imagination. It started in May of that year, when id Software's John Carmack demoed a modified Oculus Rift running Doom 3. The following month, he took the Rift to a wider audience at the E3 games convention. By August, Palmer Luckey launched the Oculus Kickstarter campaign, and it broke records. Engadget

Wider use of HTTPS could have protected GitHub The unique attack method used to disrupt the code-sharing site GitHub over the last week could have been prevented if more websites enabled encryption, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said Wednesday. The attack against GitHub was enabled by someone tampering with regular website traffic to unrelated Chinese websites, all of which used a JavaScript analytics and advertising related tool from Baidu. Computerworld (also Securing the web, together)

USB flash drives -- power consumption measurement using Plugable's USBC-TKEY The power consumed by USB peripherals such as flash drives has typically not been much of a concern. However, with OTG support on the rise, mounting external storage via USB on mobile devices has become a common use-case. The power consumed by bus-powered devices is arguably more important compared to the performance numbers in such cases. AnandTech

So, you're scared of surface mount By the late 1970s and early 1980s you would find a more familiar sight. Dual-in-line ICs through-hole on 0.1 spaced stripboard, and home-made PCBs starting to appear on fibreglass board. Easy to use, easy to solder. Familiar. Safe. Exactly what you'll see on your breadboard nearly forty years later, and still what you'll see from a lot of kit manufacturers. But we all know that progress in the world of electronic components has not stood still. Hackaday

Malvertising campaign hits MSN.com, NY Times, BBC, AOL In the last couple of days, visitors of a number of highly popular websites have been targeted with malicious adverts that attempted to install malware (mostly ransomware, but also various Trojans) on their systems. The websites in question were those of the NY Times, the BBC, Newsweek, and The Hill, as well as Microsoft's MSN website, Aol.com, the Weather Network, the HNL, and Realtor.com. Help Net Security

When slower is faster Imagine a scenario where sensor-laden vehicles pass through intersections by communicating with each other, rather than grinding to a halt at traffic lights. A newly published study co-authored by MIT researchers claims this kind of traffic-light-free transportation design, if it ever arrives, could allow twice as much traffic to use the roads. The study is based on mathematical modeling. The researchers examined a scenario in which high-tech vehicles use sensors to remain at a safe distance from each other as they move through a four-way intersection. MIT

South Korea trumpets $860-million AI fund after AlphaGo 'shock' Scrambling to respond to the success of Google DeepMind's world-beating Go program AlphaGo, South Korea announced on 17 March that it would invest $863 million (1 trillion won) in artificial-intelligence (AI) research over the next five years. It is not immediately clear whether the cash represents new funding, or had been previously allocated to AI efforts. Nature (also, In two moves, AlphaGo and Lee Sedol redefined the future)

Hitman creative director weighs risk, reward of going episodic The traditional rhythm of video game development has shifted. Where once, a team would weary themselves in so-called 'crunch' during the run-up to their game's launch, squishing bugs and issuing fixes before a pristine gold disc was sent to the manufacturing plant, today the launch of a game is just the beginning of its story. Gamasutra

Rumor: Nvidia working on their own distribution for Linux gamers Making the rounds on the Internet today is a rumor that NVIDIA Corp is allegedly working on their own Linux distribution. Generating interest on Reddit and elsewhere is that NVIDIA is supposedly developing their own Linux distribution / operating system. This Linux OS would supposedly be suited for gamers. Phoronix

What to expect at Apple's 'Let Us Loop You In' media event Apple will hold its first event of 2016 next Monday, and while it won't be as exciting as last year's event that saw the launch of the Apple Watch, Apple is planning to introduce several new products. Headlining the event will be the 4-inch iPhone SE, Apple's first 4-inch iPhone since 2013. Mac Rumors

A government error just revealed Snowden was the target in the Lavabit case It's been one of the worst-kept secrets for years: the identity of the person the government was investigating in 2013 when it served the secure email firm Lavabit with a court order demanding help spying on a particular customer. Wired
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Mthwakazi Republic Party has indicated that it strongly support the brave position undertaken by parents to demand the ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to remove the non Ndebele head mistress who was implementing the 1979 grand plan at school.Party's secretary general Hloniphani Ncube said the delegation that attended this meeting included him, the youth Secretary General, the Bulawayo provincial spoke person and the Pumula ward structure."This development comes after the Secretary General of Mthwakazi Republic Party strongly questioned the minister about deploying non Ndebele speaking teachers citing Mpumelelo as a very disturbing example whereby out of 36 teachers 34 are of Shona origin, who does not understand local languages. The Secretary General advised the minister to consult the local people about critical decisions that he intends to implement to prevent a serious civil war," he said."The parents at Pumula in Amaswazi Primary School where called to select a new committee after the previous members of the community including Simangaliphi Khumalo, Tawanda Nkomo and Oni Matamba failed to work with the corrupt and manipulative headmistress who was introduced to our teams as Mutongi."He said Mutongi was said to have pressured the previous executive to resign and she immediately appointed the people whom she could manipulate to dance according to her tunes."The parents also questioned the way they handle finances, it was established that finances were handled by Shona people in a school where children are to be taught Ndebele and the parents who pay fees are the Ndebeles. Apart from that, the committee appointed by the headmistress was said to be reporting stolen property yet the school had three paid security guards. Another issue the school was said to be run by three committee members," he said. "The financial report presented to parents was written by Peter Mafuka and presented by a fellow introduced as Mazviba which is highly controversial. The petty cash spent by the school was over 900 US dollars which is questionable, and it was not clear how the amount was spent. The committee was technically run by Shonas only at a school of Ndebele people."Ncube said this meeting came after the parents have previously petitioned the controversial minister of Primary and Secondary Education Dokora, whom we believe he is not sensitive to community needs."The parents previously convened a meeting at Pumula Community Hall whereby they called the officials of the Khami district administering education in the area and also invited the head mistress to settle her inhuman conducts, but she did not come, only the ministry officials surfaced. After the head showed arrogance just like her minister whom they are pursuing the similar cause, the parents resolved to petition the Ministry of Education that they do not want a school head who disrespect the community," he said."In the meeting the Ministry of Education officials tried to enforce the election of a new committee and the members of the community were united to block the elections until the headmistress issue was addressed according to their demands. The parents instructed the head to leave their community in peace. Shona teachers have a history of squandering school funds at this school and go away with it because the sector is run by their fellow Shona principals which minister Dokora was questioned about by the Secretary General."He said it is said that Mrs. Nyathi a Shona wife to the historian Phathisa Nyathi got away with a scandal of more than 50 000 US dollars and the Ministry elevated her to work at Mhlanhlandlela offices of the Ministry in Bulawayo City Centre, as a cover up."We further advise the Ministry decisions not to escalate the tension between the community and the government. The Ministry must have learnt from the incidents at Makuzeze, Mlamuli and the latest Amaswazi Primary School located at Pumula," Ncube said."We further warn Dokora not to victimise the SDC committees which listens to the concerns of parents who are keeping the broke ministry functioning even though the government have deepened the levels of unemployment which stands at more than 95% at the moment particularly in Mthwakazi which is done on purpose."Ncube said this warning comes after Dokora with the unwanted headmistress at Mlamuli blamed the SDC chairman Peter Ndlovu in a meeting which was attended by the District Education officers, the deputy Minister of primary and Secondary Education and the Provincial Education officer soon after the secretary general had warned Dokora."He prefers not to take warnings and opt for victimization which is the prime policy of the Mugabe led government. This is seen as a mischief especially from a minister handling the Education sector to handle issues of primary importance that way," Ncube said."As we have earlier noted on party publications we are a political party which is determined to free our people from all forms of human abuse perpetrated by the Zimbabwe government day and night, and we advise them to take us seriously because we mean business."He said as a party we do not accept policies in the Education sector that promotes tribalism, implementation of the 1979 grand plan, against religious freedom like the national pledge."If he is a good listener and a peace loving minister he must do the right thing before its late. This should also send a strong warning to all the Zimbabwe ministries which are misbehaving in our land. Its either they shape in or shape out, we can survive without them. after all we are a nation which was illegally incorporated to be ruled by Zimbabweans. The party also sends a strong message to those of our people who are sell outs. The time to show your position is now, we are aware of some of those especially at Lupane. Do it knowingly," he said."Mahlabezulu kasisebenzeni ngokuzimisela ngoba akekho ozasikhulula. sokuyisikhathi eside uhulumende weZimbabwe esihlukuluza. Babulele izihlobo zethu njalo kabatshengisi kubuyela emuva. Kasikhangelelanga ukuvinjelwa ngabantu bakithi kumzabalazo wokuzikhulula. Siyakholwa njalo siyazi ngokusebenza kwethu langenhlelo zethu ukuthi ilizwe lizokhululeka masinyane. Sibonga abaxhasa inhlelo zethu ngenhliziyo zabo zonke, sisithi siyabonga balandeli beMthwakazi Republic Party."
I've long had a fascination with Rube Goldberg machines for which I blame The Incredible Machine. The formula for a great Rube Goldberg machine - at least, in my opinion - is simple: the bigger, the better. As this video from Seiko demonstrates, however, complexity often trumps size.

An advertisement for the Japanese watch company, this miniature Rube Goldberg machine was crafted using 1,200 individual mechanical watch components with some as small as 0.7mm across. Sure, it's a bit disappointing that human intervention is required at times, especially when it seems a mechanical workaround could have been used, but it's neat nevertheless.

Found is a TechSpot feature where we share clever, funny or otherwise interesting stuff from around the web.
After recalling products that were linked to allergen and bacteria risk, Starbucks is again facing controversy. The renowned coffee shop faces lawsuit over underfilled Latte drinks.

On Wednesday, two customers filed a class-action lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of Northern California against Starbucks, claiming that the company routinely underfills its lattes in order to save money on milk. The lawsuit involved two California residents, one from San Francisco and the other from San Diego.

A latte is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. It is topped with a layer of milk foam. According to the lawsuit (PDF), the company cheats purchasers by providing less fluid in their lattes and underfills them by about 25 percent.

Starbucks lattes are made from a standardized recipe that was implemented in 2009 to save cost of milk, which is one of the most expensive ingredients. The company, however, underfills the cup by several ounces. The serving cups where lattes are placed are too small to accommodate the fluid ounces listed on the coffee shop's menu.

For instance, a Grande latte should have 16 ounces of fluid as stated in the menu if the cup is full, but the company just fills the container up to about  inch below the cup rim.

Underfilling servings helped the company save millions of dollars in the cost of goods and receiving more payments for the product it served. The plaintiffs, Siera Strumlauf and Benjamin Robles, said that this is a violation of California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act, California's False Advertising Law, California's Unfair Competition Law, negligent misrepresentation and fraud.

The company, however, said that it believes the claims are without merit.

"We are proud to serve our customers high-quality, handcrafter and customized beverages, and we inform customers of the likelihood of variations," said a Starbucks spokesperson.

Starbucks is the leading American coffee company and coffeehouse chain. Founded in 1971, Starbucks grew to more than 23,000 retail locations worldwide with more than nearly 13,000 locations in the United States alone.

In 2015, the company realized an approximately $19.2 billion in revenue and currently has more than 190,000 employees.

Photo: Noel Reinhold | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
When it comes to the motion of sperm, it is not absolutely man for himself. Instead, sperm form groups or clusters that swim together through gloopy fluids, researchers observed.

After studying the motion of sperm, a team of researchers from the North Carolina AT&T State University found evidence that sperm cells tend to move closer together when swimming in viscoelastic fluids.

In order for sperm to make it to the egg cell, they must swim inside the vagina and pass through the cervix and uterus until they reach the fallopian tubes, where a sperm will fertilize a waiting egg. This is the case for humans and other mammals.

The fluid inside the reproductive tract is not thin or diluted like water but it has certain levels of viscosity. Some parts of the fluid is viscoelastic, which means it is elastic.

To observe the movement of sperm in fluids, the researchers obtained bull sperm samples and placed them in various fluids in the laboratory.

They found that the sperm swam independently in all of the fluids except for those that are viscoelastic. The team noted that there are similarities when it comes to sperm grouping and the way molecules behaved.

"If you look carefully, you can see that it's a very dynamic process," Chih-kuan Tung, an assistant professor from North Carolina A&T State University explained.

"There will be new cells joining in to the group, and there will be cells leaving the group at the same time," he added.

The team is yet to uncover the reason why viscoelasticity is important for the sperm.

"Right now ... they just mix sperm and egg in a tube and hope they meet each other," Tung said. He proposed that one way to improve the likelihood of in vitro fertilization (IVF) success is to give the sperm the same obstacle course they encounter naturally.

The researchers believe they found an important tool for studying collective behavior.

"Collective dynamics in biology is an interesting subject for physicists, in part because of its close relations to emergent behaviors in condensed matter, such as phase separation and criticality," the researchers wrote.

The team presented their findings on March 17 at the March Meeting of the Americans Physical Society in Baltimore.

Photo: Andrea Laurel | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Soyuz space capsule headed for the International Space Station, carrying two Russian and one American astronauts, Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Soyuz TMA-20M rocket launched at around 5:26 p.m. EST and barged into orbit about 10 minutes after the liftoff; thanks to the seemingly perfect launch. The spacecraft has already docked at the ISS

"The crew is now firmly affixed to the space station," reports NASA mission control.

The Crew

The space crew that went aboard the spacecraft was composed of flight engineer Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos, flight engineer Jeff Williams of NASA and Soyuz commander for Expedition 47, Alexey Ovchinin, also from Roscosmos.

They will be at the ISS for a five and a half month mission.

The crew joins current ISS residents British astronaut Tim Peake from the European Space Agency and Tim Kopra from NASA and Yuri Malenchenko from Roscosmos. Williams will take over the place of Kopra in June.

The astronauts will be studying possible fire events in space, observe how meteors enter the Earth and soil behavior in space, among others. They will also test an adhesive device inspired by geckos and an advanced 3D printer in microgravity.

Setting A New Record

Williams is set to make a new record as he tries to beat Scott Kelly's stay in the ISS. If and when Williams complete this new mission, he will hold the record of being the American with the longest stay in space.

Aside from his upcoming stay, Williams has already been on three earlier Soyuz trips and one Space Shuttle journey to space. He will try to set the record of the longest cumulative stay of an American in space during his Expedition 47 mission with 534 days. So far, Williams had already spent 362 days in space.

The world's longest space stay record belongs to Russian Gennady Padalka, who stayed in space for a total of 879 days.

Before the launch, Williams tweeted about the launch, giving attention to the slight snowing and huge excitement he has. He says all he plans to pack was a nice suit.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has the best smartphone camera, according to DxOMark.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge at the 2016 Mobile World Congress. Both handsets have top-notch specs, which have been applauded by mobile phone enthusiasts as well as tech gurus.

The Galaxy S7 edge has 12-megapixel rear-facing and 5-megapixel front-facing cameras with f/1.7 lenses on the front and rear. Samsung claims that the cameras are capable of shooting high-quality images even in low-light conditions.

"Many of the most photographable moments of our lives happen when there's not enough light. We're either indoors or the sun has set. With the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge that won't be a problem. The brighter F1.7 lens and larger 1.4m pixels on the image sensor capture so much more light that your photos come out sharp and detailed," says Samsung.

DxOMark is well-known for rigorous and in-depth photography and videography testing of smartphone cameras. Latest details from the company suggest that the Galaxy S7 edge has received a DxOMark Mobile Score of 88 points. DxOMark measures image quality without considering lens sharpness, speed or resolution.

"Achieving a DxOMark Mobile Score of 88 points the new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge ranks in [first] place on the current DxOMark Mobile database. Featuring a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2,160p [at] 30 fps video module, Samsung's latest flagship smartphone is a great proposition for mobile photography enthusiasts," says DxOMark.

The final score of 88 out of 100 is a combination of separate scores given to the photos and videos.

In the Autofocus sub-category, the Galaxy S7 edge scored 98 in bright light and 90 in low light. DxOMark found the smartphone's camera to be accurate and fast in both conditions, which makes the latest Samsung offering an ideal phone for people who want to shoot restless subjects like animals or children.

DxOMark also suggests that the Galaxy S7 edge has low levels of noise for both indoor and outdoor photography. The handset can capture rich and textured images in all conditions. The phone received a score of 96 when snapping photos in good light.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge plus and the Sony Xperia Z5 were at the second position with a DxOMark Mobile Score of 87. The Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy Note 5 scored 86. The latest iPhone 6s Plus, Nexus 6P and Motorola Droid Turbo 2 received a score of 84, while the LG G4, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Moto X Style got 83 points.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Barely a few hours after its "women in gaming" luncheon at the Xbox Game Developers Conference, Microsoft made a big blunder and undid its work by hosting a party that had skimpily clad dancers.

The Redmond-based company was quick to come under fire on social media once images of dancers in school girl uniforms emerged online.

The incident came to light after Kamina Vincent, the editor of Tin Man Games, tweeted her displeasure.

I like dancing, I like talking to devs. But not at this #GDC16 party. Thanks for pushing me out of this party, Microsoft.  Kamina Vincent (@spamoir) March 18, 2016

Making a formal complaint tomorrow. I will not stand for this. I'm trying to encourage women into the industry then this happens.  Kamina Vincent (@spamoir) March 18, 2016

The photos of the party surfaced soon after all over the Internet wherein people expressed their anger. Twitter users were quick to express their displeasure.

Extremely disappointed @Microsoft and @Xbox hired women wearing these outfits to perform at @gdc. PLEASE RT.  Brianna Wu, Yeah! (@Spacekatgal) March 18, 2016

Vincent also shared some more images of the dancers.

Someone sent me photos and and an OH: "We've got the best spot in the house, don't we?" (Deleted originals to blur) pic.twitter.com/WWiLo0wwOB  Kamina Vincent (@spamoir) March 18, 2016

This prompted an apology from Microsoft for hiring dancers who were dressed as skimpily clad schoolgirls for its GDC after-party on Thursday in San Francisco.

"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," noted Phil Spencer, Microsoft's head of Xbox. "That was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated."

Spencer also noted that the company would be dealing with the issue on an internal level.

Xbox Head of Marketing Aaron Greenberg also expressed his disappointment.

Tech companies have been under a lot of scrutiny over diversity and equality issues at the workplace and the current fiasco is representative of the sexist undercurrents that plague the Silicon Valley.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
While the public has been slowly warming to the idea of self-driving cars and many people estimate that it will arrive in a decade more or less, Google is indicating that it will be ready a much sooner.

The company is calling on Congress to adopt new rules that would fast track the variety of self-driving cars that have no steering wheels or pedals, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Chris Urmson, head of Google's autonomous vehicle unit, sent a letter on Friday to U.S. Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx, offering the outline of a plan that would allow auto manufacturers to prove that its fully autonomous vehicles are ready for sale to the public.

The framework Google suggests would allow any automaker to follow the same path, pushing its product into commercial production and public use as long as the vehicles could pass the muster of the new legislation, according to the AP report.

Adopting the proposed framework would bring "enormous potential safety benefits ... quite promptly with appropriate safety conditions and full public input," according to a summary of the report, which was obtained by the AP.

Google's proposal was a response to a call from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which invited industry input on ways to quicken the pace at which autonomous vehicles are adopted whenever they're truly ready for the open road.

Current legislation doesn't allow for the sale or use of automobiles in which drivers are unable to take control over the vehicles' steering wheels or pedals. And changes to the current rules could take years, unless revisions are prioritized.

The company's proposal is the start of a process to build "the right framework that will allow deployment in a safe and timely manner," stated Google Spokesperson Johnny Luu.

Google isn't the only company that has been working aggressively to clear the path for road-ready autonomous vehicles. Earlier this year, the Obama administration proposed $4 billion in spending on research and infrastructure improvement for self-driving cars.

Google representatives were among those present at the North American International Auto Show last January when Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx announced that the U.S. government would help clear the way for driverless cars and the Obama administration would push for the $4 billion in investments to support the technology.

"We are bullish on autonomous vehicles," said Foxx. "The actions we are taking today bring us up to speed."

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
After the high bid was blocked by a buzzer-beating antitrust court order, second-place bidder Digital First Media will acquire a news outlet that went bankrupt because, ironically, it didn't put digital media first.

Freedom Communications, parent company of bankrupted The Orange County Register, will call on a federal judge to approve the sale of the newspaper and with sister publication, The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, California.

The company, which hopes to close the sale by the March 31 deadline, will file a motion Monday, at a 9:00 a.m. hearing before federal bankruptcy judge Mark Wallace.

"We're going to go in and ask the judge on Monday to approve (Digital First Media) as the successful bidder," said Freedom Communications attorney William Lobel.

Tribune Publishing, parent of the Los Angeles Times, may not have time to fight the antitrust court order and acquire The Orange County Register before the March 31 deadline. But the court order, blocking Tribune Publishing from owning four of the largest newspapers in the region, is in the best interest of the public, reasoned U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. in his decision.

"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 government's likelihood of success on the merits."

Tribune Publishing would hold an estimated 98 percent of the sale of English-language daily newspapers in Orange County and about 81 percent in Riverside County, according to the Department of Justice.

With its $56 million bid, Tribune Publishing won the auction for the troubled pair of newspapers and Digital First Media came in second place with a bid of $45.5 million.

Before the Justice Department successfully blocked the sale to Tribune Publishing, a spokesperson for the media company reasoned that it wasn't competition that nearly killed The Orange County Register and Riverside Press-Enterprise.

"The Division is living in a time capsule, with a framework that predates the arrival of iPhones, Google, Facebook and modern media outlets that are killing the traditional newspaper industry," read a statement from Tribune Publishing spokeswoman Dana Meyer. "It wasn't competition from the L.A. Times that forced the Register into bankruptcy. It was the Internet and related technology."

Photo: Beth Cortez-Neavel | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Dylan O'Brien is "one tough cookie," said Maze Runner director Wes Ball in a handwritten note posted to Twitter after the Teen Wolf star was hurt on the set of the upcoming film, The Maze Runner: The Death Cure, last Thursday.

The last few days were "a whirlwind of emotions," Ball wrote in a letter to O'Brien, the actor who plays Thomas in The Maze Runner films. That whirlwind of emotion included feeling of sadness, anger and guilt, he said.

"But, ultimately I find myself left with a deep love and respect for Dylan," the director said. "He is one tough cookie."

Ball went on to apologize for the grief that the accident caused O'Brien and his loved ones, along with the anguish it inflicted on the cast and crew of the film.

"It's scary seeing your friend get hurt, but fortunately, Dylan is going to be just fine," Ball wrote "After a few weeks of rest and recovery he'll be back up and running to finish our adventure together. All the best."

Twentieth Century Fox issued its own statement on the incident, acknowledging the accident and reporting a temporary halt on production.

"Dylan O'Brien was injured yesterday while filming 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' in Vancouver, Canada," the company writes. "He was immediately transferred to a local hospital for observation and treatment. Production on the film will be shut down while he recovers. Our thoughts go out to Dylan for a full and speedy recovery."

Injury

O'Brien was involved in an accident on the set of the film on March 18, allegedly suffering several broken bones, according to TMZ. Something went wrong during the scene and the actor was said to have been struck by a car.

The 24-year-old actor was rushed to a hospital in British Columbia for treatment and observation, since his injuries were listed as "severe" at the time. Later that day, James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner series, took to Twitter to shed a little light on the incident.

Production is postponed but certainly not cancelled. All that matters now is that Dylan recovers. We love you, Dylan!!!  James Dashner (@jamesdashner) March 18, 2016

I just want to let everyone know that yes, Dylan was hurt, but that hes going to be okay. Not life threatening in any way.  James Dashner (@jamesdashner) March 18, 2016

Death Cure

The Death Cure is the third film in The Maze Runner series, which is based on a collection of books by the same name.

In The Maze Runner series, youths are dropped into a mysterious labyrinth and band together to seek ways to escape the ever-changing maze.

Thomas, played by O'Brien, has no memory of his past. But he's skilled enough that he joins the ranks of the "Runners," a special group tasked with scouting out new ways to escape the labyrinth.

In the third installment of the film series, the lead character is in search of a cure for the deadly disease called "Flare."

Apparently, the movie is still on track for its Feb. 17, 2017 release date.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Patrick Zhuwao has vowed to shut down all foreign companies resisting Zimbabwe's indigenisation programme on April 1.Only 50 established firms have submitted their indigenisation plans to the Zimbabwe Investment Authority, with the remainder maintaining indifference.Zhuwao said many companies had demonstrated "total disregard for the law" by failing to submit indigenisation plans."We will now, instead, put in place appropriate measures to invoke Section 5 of the Act which calls for cancellation of licences of non-compliant companies. In attempting to make the companies comply, we had initially come up with the idea of a levy that could be moderated by the extent of compliance."However, on further reflection and consultation, we realised that such a levy would be payment for companies to continue disregarding the law. I, as minister, would have been complicit in committing an illegal act, and enabling companies to break the law is contrary to the spirit and intent of a constitutional democracy like Zimbabwe.""The message we should send investors is that Zimbabwe believes in the rule of law. Companies that operate illegally must stop operating. This is not policy inconsistency; I have always said that I am proposing the levy to ensure compliance. The levy was never imposed. It was a proposal, and a proposal - by its very nature - is open to discussion".
After Brexit there is nobody Britain can blame for this mess but itself
Shooting of the next film in the Star Wars saga is to move far, far away to rural Ireland, it has been confirmed.

Lucasfilm has been granted permission for 12 weeks of set-building and filming in County Cork, prompting hopes of a further tourism boom in the area after a remote Irish island, Skellig Michael, appeared in December's Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

The locations for Episode VIII, directed by Rian Johnson, will include private land on Brow Head, the most southerly point on the Irish mainland.
Chris Martin, the Coldplay frontman, has spoken frankly about his break-up from Gwyneth Paltrow, describing it as a wonderful separation-divorce.

The musician, whose band is one of the worlds best-selling artists, described how he relied on two works of literature to reassemble himself after the 2014 split with the actress.

Its always out there in the media, but I have a very wonderful separation-divorce, he told The Sunday Times Magazine.

Its a divorce, but its a weird one.

Devon-born Martin, who now lives in Malibu, California, said there are two approaches at the end of a marriage.

You can come at it very aggressively and blame and blame, said the 39-year-old.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has suggested that Zimbabweans are cowards but vowed to end President Robert Mugabe's ambitions of a life presidency.He said Zimbabweans are too scared and even flee neighbourhood police officer.He was addressing a rally in Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera on Saturday."The world is asking, are there people in Zimbabwe?"Are we cowards? When people run away from a neighbourhood police officer, what is that? The message remains the same, Mugabe must go."He said Mugabe should stop dreaming of dying in power as the 92-year-old leader would lose the 2018 elections."Mugabe has since acknowledged that I defeated him in 2008 but the question remains, why is he still in power?"Give power to the mandated person, the person who was elected by the people. The whole world knows of a mandated leader," he said."But the problem is that Mugabe wants to die in power."At 94, Mugabe wants to contest? This other day I was with Mugabe at Sheraton [Rainbow Towers Hotel], and he said to me, Tsvangirai will you please watch out this step."You will fall down if you are not careful; imagine him saying that to me?"
On 26th January, the body found on Saddleworth Moor in 2015 was named as that of David Lytton. Here is our piece following his disappearance, published last year

Since December 12 there has been a body lying on a slab in Royal Oldham Hospital morgue. It is that of a man close to 6ft, aged somewhere between 65 and 75, fair-skinned with blue eyes and receding grey hair. Aside from these particulars he currently has no name, no family, and no home.

The technicians have taken to calling him Neil Dovestone after the name of the reservoir on Saddleworth Moor near to where he was found. Even those used to bringing out the dead feel uneasy spending so long with an untitled corpse.

What began, police presumed, with a simple missing person case on a foul Saturday morning three months ago has since turned into one of the great riddles this desolate landscape has ever witnessed. Detectives have trawled through historical records dating back to 1949 and made inquiries stretching as far as Pakistan, but still they are none the wiser as to who this mystery man was and why his life came to an end on the moors. Even a major breakthrough in the investigation this week has raised more questions than answers.
British troops have tested a Harry Potter-style "invisibility cloak" that allows them to hide from the enemy, it has emerged.

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles (3 Rifles) took part in US field trials of a high-tech camouflage material called Vatec, which makes them disappear from view. The covering even hid them from infra-red and heat-seeking equipment.

British snipers were able to use the sheeting  which is now ready for use in military operations  to build hideaways on a mock battlefield.

The lads are desperate for the Army to buy it. Instead of carrying chicken wire, spray paint and thermal sheets we can use this one item, which is really light" Corporal Tyrone Hoole

Vatec can be moulded into shapes to match mountainous terrain and British troops are now calling for the UK government to invest in the state-of-the-art camouflage.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Corporal Tyrone Hoole, a sharpshooter from 3 Rifles, said: This is an absolutely brilliant piece of kit.

The lads are desperate for the Army to buy it. Instead of carrying chicken wire, spray paint and thermal sheets we can use this one item, which is really light.

The newspaper reported that the testing, by members of 3 Rifles and American troops, took place earlier this year at the US Army's centre for experimental warfare techniques at Fort Benning, Georgia.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Suspended Zanu PF Senator Angeline Masuku has said she has no hard feelings on First Lady Grace Mugabe's deputy in the Zanu PF women's league Eunice Sandi Moyo.Sandi Moyo accused Masuku of harbouring ambitions to be one of Zimbabwe's vice-presidents.According to the Standard, Masuku suggested that those who were attacking her, including Sand-Moyo were novices in politics.Masuku - a war veteran - was attacked by members of the G40 faction, including First Lady Grace Mugabe's deputy in the Zanu PF women's league Eunice Sandi Moyo after she attended a war veterans meeting.She said she was the second most senior female politician in the country after Jane Ngwenya, a former deputy minister."I just saw what is alleged to have been said by Sandi Moyo. I usually don't comment on such issues because that is not my character," she said."But let me tell you this, not in Zapu or Zanu, but the entire country, I am an old person both in age and political experience so I can't be seen subjecting myself to talk about issues meant for children."If you look in the country, the only person who is older than me politically is Jane Ngwenya."She is the only source of wisdom and to whom I subject myself for counsel and not these other young children. I just look at them and hold no grudge."Masuku said she viewed Moyo as a sister and had no personal grudge against her."I treat her like my sister so I am surprised of what is being written about her on me. Whenever I see her; I greet her with joy because from my upbringing and religious beliefs, I should not hate anyone," she said."I have no war with anyone. I treat her just the way I treat people like Mutsvangwa or Sibanda. Nothing personal and I hope she does the same.""Even this afternoon, [Thursday] as I was entering the Senate chambers, I saw her and passed my greetings to her, so I don't hold any grudge against her."I went to that meeting fully aware of what I was doing and believed in its purpose."
Migrants continued to arrive on the Greek islands at dawn today, defying an EU plan to dictates all those who landed after midnight would be sent back to Turkey.

But the Greek authorities admitted they had no idea how the system, which will see an army of 4,000 officials and soldiers deployed, will be put into action.

Under an agreement that came into force this morning, all migrants who land on the holiday islands of Lesbos, Samos, Chios and Kos will be banned from travelling on to Athens, but rather interviewed, have their asylum claims heard by officials or judges, and returned to Turkey within days. On Saturday, thousands of migrants on the islands who arrived under the old system were evacuated by ferry Kavala on the mainland.
A Brazilian senator facing charges in an explosive corruption scandal said Saturday that President Dilma Rousseff "knew everything" about the scheme, deepening the political crisis dividing the Latin American giant.

Senator Delcidio do Amaral, a former Senate leader for the ruling Workers' Party, said in an interview that embattled ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva masterminded the graft scheme at state oil company Petrobras and that Rousseff used some of the proceeds to fund her presidential campaigns.

"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," Amaral told weekly magazine Veja.

"Dilma inherited and benefitted directly from this system."
The Conagua indicated that the atmospheric phenomenon registered maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 165 kilometers per hour. | Read More
News / National

by Staff reporter

The 10 000-plus employees dismissed on notice in 2015 will soon get business start-up loans from the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation.The loans, The Sunday Mail has established, were facilitated by the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Ministry and will be underwritten by the National Social Security Authority.Though the figures could not be determined by yesterday, authorities are compiling retrenchees' data and will invite loan beneficiaries in coming weeks.The eligibility criteria will also be outlined shortly in an initiative similar to one introduced in 2011 when loans of between US$500 and US$5 000 were disbursed over a year at 10 percent interest.Smedco is a Government-owned finance institution that promotes development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and co-operatives.Responding to our inquiries, Labour Minister Prisca Mupfumira said: "Pursuant to the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Zuva Petroleum versus Nyamande and another, the ministry carried out a snap survey of contracts of employment that were terminated on notice and the figure is about 10 000. Initiatives are underway for some retrenchees to access a loan facilitated by Nssa through Sedco."Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions secretary-general Mr Japhet Moyo said Government's loan facility was commendable and should be protected from corporate abuse. "Our fear is that the people who will benefit from the facility are the chief executives who have collateral and not the ordinary worker. Many workers may not benefit as well because he/she might not have warranties for this service by the Government like houses or assets."Certainly, we dispute that provision seeing that not many ordinary workers will get loans given the stringent conditions associated with most of our banks." On July 17, 2015, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku and four Supreme Court justices - in a case in which two former Zuva Petroleum managers were challenging termination of their contracts by notice - ruled that the common law position placing employees and employers at par was operational.This meant inasmuch as workers could opt out of their contracts by giving a three-month notice period, comapnies too could terminate contracts by that same route.This saw more than 10 000 people - according to the Labour Ministry - losing their jobs in a matter of months, prompting Government to urgently sponsor legislation to balance the interests of employers and employees, and providing for at least two-weeks' salary to be paid out for every year of service.Minister Mupfumira also told The Sunday Mail that the Tripartite Negotiating Forum - which brings together Government, labour and employers - was hammering out further Labour Act amendments to clarify termination of contracts on notice.An advisory committee will table its findings on key refinement areas before March 31.The minister said TNF principals held their first meeting in January 2016 to renew commitment to the forum's founding principles under the Kadoma Declaration, which established a social contract between the parties.The parties, she said, agreed on a roadmap towards refining the Labour Act as guided by Government's 10-Point Plan, the Kadoma Declaration, the Constitution and International Labour Organisation conventions."At that meeting, TNF leaders - comprising Government, Business and Labour - mandated a Tripartite Advisory Committee to identify areas for inclusion in the Labour Amendment Bill."The team was given a deadline of 31 March to look at the minor challenges emanating from Labour Amendment Act No 5 of 2015 and up to 29 April 2016 to finalise substantive amendments. The team has made tremendous progress to this end, and looks forward to presenting the comprehensive principles to the TNF principals in the first week of May 2016."Already, the technical team has held five meetings and work is going on behind the scenes. What is important to note is the commonly agreed need to modernise our labour laws to suit the prevailing economic state of affairs."The following amendments are under consideration: (a) Clearly distinguishing termination of contracts on notice, retrenchments and disciplinary procedures. It was also proposed to separate procedures concerning termination of contracts due to death, incapacitation and retirement;"(b) To enhance dispute settlement mechanisms, proposals have been put forward to repeal Section 93 (5) of the Principal Act and maintain Section 93(5) as in the Labour Amendment Act to remove the ambiguity. It is also being proposed that labour officers make rulings that are not subject to confirmation by the Labour Court;"(c) To further refine retrenchment procedures, it is proposed that a timeframe be introduced to negotiations after the employer has given notice of intention to retrench. It is also proposed that the timeframe for the Retrenchment Board to consider applications for exemptions be extended; and(d) The proposed amendments require that the Registrar be given a timeframe to consider applications for registration of employment councils, trade unions, etc."
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zanu-PF's Mashonaland West provincial co-ordinating committee has recommended the immediate expulsion from the party and recall from the House of Assembly of Norton legislator Christopher Mutsvangwa, the war veterans association chairman, for allegedly consorting with Zimbabwe People First.Mustvangwa is also accused of denigrating the First Family and showing no remorse for the behaviour that saw him recently suspended from Zanu-PF for three years.As the PCC was recommending his expulsion, war veterans also met in Chinhoyi and passed no confidence vote against Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko and a host of other officials, including Cdes Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere, Sandi Moyo, Kudzayi Chipanga, Sarah Mahoka and Patrick Zhuwao. And in Bulawayo, Zanu-PF's provincial executive was suspending 19 officials, including Senator Angeline Masuku, for attending a meeting addressed by Mutsvangwa and the expelled Mr Jabulani Sibanda.Mashonaland West's provincial leadership, through secretary for administration Simbarashe Ziyambi, said: "We have resolved that Mutsvangwa should be immediately expelled from the party and be recalled from Parliament. This is because Mutsvangwa has shown that he is averse to following the dictates of the party as he has continued denigrating the President."The Politburo suspended Mutsvangwa from holding any position in the party for three years. He subsequently lost his post as War Vets Minister but remains Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans chair.Mutsvangwa yesterday dismissed the PCC resolution. "The Mashonaland West PCC is free to mislead itself but if they had any political sense, the patron (President Mugabe) addressed this issue yesterday (Friday). He is going to meet the originals of Zanu-PF who are the war veterans," said Mustvangwa."He is going to meet war veterans in the first week of April and that is where the fate of the party is going to be decided including those who are sitting in counsel on these wayward decisions about votes of no confidence." War veterans meeting at Cooksey Hall in Chinhoyi passed a vote of no confidence against VP Mphoko and other officials."These are people who are fronting the G40 agenda and trying to subvert the revolution and hijack the State machinery to try and reverse the gains of the revolution. We as the angels of this revolution we have decided that enough of them," Mutsvangwa said.Mutsvangwa distanced war veterans from Dr Mujuru's party and urged his colleagues to steer clear of Zimbabwe People First.Meanwhile, Zanu-PF Bulawayo province suspended 19 members  including Senator Masuku  for attending the war veterans meeting addressed by Mutsvangwa and Mr Sibanda.The 19 were informed of their fate at a PCC meeting which ended with skirmishes as party youths sought to man-handle the suspended lot, accusing them of selling out to Zimbabwe People First party.Those suspended include Senator Masuku, and Consultative Assembly members Cdes Mpofu, Fidelia Maphosa, Oppah Ncube and Eliphas Tshuma.Others are Cdes Christopher Sibanda, (provincial secretary for information), Charles Ndlovu (environment and tourism), Mlungisi Moyo (indigenisation) and Rejoice Sibanda (deputy provincial chair of Women's League). The rest are Cdes Rose Kandiero (gender), Kevin Mudzidziwa (economic affairs), Miriam Moyo (legal affairs), Siwinile Ncube (education), Garikai Zonde (deputy secretary for economic affairs in Youth League), Victor Mpofu (Transport) Caleb Sengu (deputy - education), Douglas Gangaidze, Shorai Sende and Blackwell Bulukutu.Provincial chairperson Dennis Ndlovu said this would bring order in the party, also indicating the possibility of the number of members suspended could increase or decrease as they were still trying to establish the people who attended the war veterans meeting. "As party members we should be in a position to defend the party, therefore as a provincial chairperson I cannot just sit back while my members attend an illegal meeting addressed by someone who was expelled by the party," he said."We are not blaming them for attending but we are saying that if they were sincere they should have defended the party at that said meeting."On Senator Masuku, Ndlovu said while she was a National Consultative Assembly member, she still belonged to the province hence they could suspend her. He said the only difference between her case and that of others was that the final verdict would come from the National Disciplinary Committee."No one is bigger than the party. If you do something that we feel is against the principles then you are subject to appear before a disciplinary committee, a crime is a crime hence Masuku cannot be exempted. What will happen now is that starting Monday (tomorrow) we will start the disciplinary proceedings because we do not want to drag this issue for a long period. Those on the list can then have a chance to defend themselves and it is now up to them to prove whether or not they were part of the meeting. If they were, then I am sorry  we cannot allow ourselves to associate with such people." In the Bulawayo meeting a fortnight ago, Mutsvangwa invited former war veterans' leader Mr Sibanda who used the event to urge war veterans to abandon Zanu-PF.
Essel Group keen to invest in AP's tourism

Hyderabad, March 19 (INN): A team led by Ashok Goel, VC & MD, Essel World met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu here in Secretariat. During the meeting, the Chief Minister explained to Essel executives about the potential for tourism in the state.



Essel has evinced interest in the development of islands for tourism. Responding positively, the Chief Minister said, the government is keen to create better tourism opportunities.



The delegates informed the Chief Minister that they will prepare environment-friendly proposals with mechanical and natural filtration methods. They have further shown interest in constructing a multi-storied centre for fun and recreational purposes.



'Given that AP holds the potential to become world's best tourist destination, we are planning to develop a string of tourism circuits and develop it as an economy generator,' the Chief Minister said.



The Chief Minister asked them to come up with a proposal on identifying areas of investments.



Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Sujana Chowdary, Principal Secretary (Tourism) Neerabh Kumar Prasad, Secretary to CM Sai Prasad and others were present.









News Posted: 19 March, 2016








Budget spending is better than previous regimes: Eatala

Hyderabad, March 19 (INN): Finance Minister Eatala Rajender said that the Telangana Government has so far spent 86.5% of budget for 2015-16 and said the percentage could increase further.



Replying to the debate on State's budget for 2016-17 in Legislative Assembly on Saturday, Eatala said that no State in the country spends 100% of budget allocations. He said even in erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh the average spending during the last 10 years was between 67-88 per cent. He said that the TRS Government would silence the entire opposition by spending entire budget of Rs. 1.30 lakh during 2016-17.



Etala said as per the report of Auditor General, by December 2015, an amount of Rs. 66,465 crore was spent. He said since the report on last quarters is usually delayed and State Government spend about 30-42% funds during this quarter, he said the overall spending percentage for 2015-16 would be much higher. He said based on the experience of previous two years, realistic budget was allocated for each department.



The Finance Minister also claimed that there has been a significant increase in State's revenue by nearly 20% this year. During October to December, the Excise Tax collection was Rs. 1129 crore, Transport Tax was Rs. 614 Cr and Stamps & Registration generated about Rs. 759 crore. He said similar revenues were expected during the financial year 2016-17. He said that the State has witnessed a good growth rate despite drought and adverse seasonal conditions during the last two years.



Eatala said that Telangana ranks top in welfare sector. He said that the previous regimes have spent very meager amounts for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, Minorities and Women & Child Welfare programmes. Furnishing the figures, he said that the previous Congress Government had spent only Rs. 2500 Crore on these sectors during 2010-11. In the last year of its governance in 2013-14, the Congress Govt had spent only Rs. 4091 crore on welfare sector, he said adding that the budget on welfare has been increased to Rs. 16,169 Cr in the financial year 2016-17.



The Finance Minister said immediately after formation of Telangana State, the TRS Government had spent Rs. 4035 Cr on these sectors during 2014-15. The amount was raised to Rs. 11,392 Cr in 2015-16. While the previous Congress Govt constructed about 2,000 KM roads in 10 years, TRS Govt constructed 8,000 KM roads in just 20 months. As against the spending of Rs. 7,000 Cr in 10 years on Road & Buildings Dept, the TRS Govt had so far spent about Rs. 6,000 Cr.



Eatala said that the TRS Government has resolved the financial crisis and put an end to the era of power cuts. He said 24,000 MW energy would be generated by 2019. He said Rs. 5,000 Cr subsidy was being provided to the agriculture sector. He said nearly Rs. 40,000 crore have been allocated for agriculture sector, which includes Rs. 25,000 crore for irrigation.



The Finance Minister also listed out other schemes being implemented by the State Government and claimed that the growth and development of Telangana would be ensured with full utilisation of budget.









News Posted: 19 March, 2016








Telangana Govt to establish Aviation Academy

Hyderabad, March 19 (INN): The Government of Telangana has enterered into a MoU with Aero Campus Aquitaine of Bordeaux Metropole of France. In association with this French company it plans to set up an academy to train people in MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) and develop local aviation and aerospace talent.



The Mou was signed on Saturday at the India Aviation Show 2016 in the presence of Industries Minister Jupally Krishna Rao between Industries Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar and Jerome Verschave of Aero Campus Aquitaine and Anna Raimat of Bordequx Metropole.



"Our aim is to train at least 1000 students per annum in Aerospace and related areas. We want this Aero Campus to give maximum preference to Telangana students. These courses will be of various durations from few weeks to one year. We will take 300 students in the first batch to begin with. And subsequently this number will go up to 1500 to 2000," informed Jupally Krishna Rao.



The academy will come up at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad. "We got location commitment from authorities. Now we will initiate and work to get necessary DGCA and government clearances. It will be India's first such training academy in aerospace industry. We would like to focus on MRO Technology Training," informed Arvind Kumar. "We will also provide accommodation to rural students. These courses will have residential facilities. All these are paid courses. The lower courses will be subsided by the government," he added.



This academy is coming up according to the needs of the Aviation industry, Arvind Kumar said. Speaking further he added that startups in this sector will also be encouraged. He also informed that the Aerospace Draft Policy is ready.



Aero Campus Aquitaine has presence in Turkey, Malaysia and many other countries and they are world leaders in their area.



The Aerocampus Aquitaine aims to offer comprehensive training for professional skills in defence and aerospace industry with EASA certification. Established with an investment of outlay of 26 million Euros, the centre in France is catering to the professional skill training for the pilots and technicians.



Aerocampus Aquitaine director Jerome Verschave said the aerospace industry will see a huge spurt in business over the next decade with creation of one million pilots and technicians.









News Posted: 19 March, 2016








All set for SSC exams from Monday

Hyderabad, March 19 (INN): The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations will be held across Telangana State from March 19 (Monday).



Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Director Examinations R. Surender Reddy informed that a total of 556,757 students, including 35,711 private candidates, would appear for the examinations. Elaborate arrangements have been made at 2,615 centres where exams will be held from 9.30 AM to 12.15 PM. He said candidates would be allowed to enter the examination hall one hour before the examination while no one would be permitted after 9.35 AM.



A total of four Special Squads and different teams comprising of 144 officials have been constituted to prevent malpractices like copying. He said CCTV cameras would be installed at all examination centres.



The examinations will conclude on April 9 and the results would be declared within seven weeks.









News Posted: 19 March, 2016








Hospitals to come under ESIC: Dattatraya

Hyderabad, March 19 (INN): Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatraya stated that the Ministry of Labour & Employment has recently approved a proposal for transfer of hospitals and dispensaries functioning under Labour Welfare Organisation to Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).



This decision will come into effect from 1st April, 2016. As result of this decision, 12 Hospitals and 292 Dispensaries of Labour Welfare Organisation will be transferred to ESIC on 'as is where is' basis. The ESIC will extend all medical facilities including primary secondary and tertiary care to the 50 lakh workers covered under five cess Fund Acts to the same extent as are available to 2 crore IPs and 8 crore beneficiaries in ESIC Hospitals.



Dattatraya said that the Ministry would provide the entire budget fund of Rs.100 crores under Health Scheme that is available to workers under Cess Fund Acts to ESIC to meet the Health Care needs of workers and salaries of the staff.



The ESIC will also issue its own Identity Cards to the beneficiaries who are registered with Labour Welfare Organisation. As a result of this historic decision every worker under the five cess Fund Act will get exemplary medical care. They will be given equal medical care like Insured Persons of ESIC. ESIC spends up to Rs.2500 per person per year as medical care whereas the worker under cess fund was getting only around Rs.500 per annum.



Now as a result of this transfer all the workers of Labour Welfare Organisation will also get a benefit of Rs. 2500 per year medical care. Apart from basic medical care the beedi cine and mine workers will get super specialty care and will avail better health infrastructure facilities.









News Posted: 19 March, 2016








News / National

by Staff reporter

Harare City Council has begun demolishing all church structures erected on undesignated sites as authorities battle to end a host of illegalities that have become common in the capital, thereby turning the city into an eyesore.Of late, the Harare City Council has been encouraging worshippers to adher to the city's by-laws that prohibits illegal structures.Acting Harare corporate communications manager, Mr Michael Chideme confirmed that council has started demolishing illegal church structures in Harare.He also urged churches to apply for church stands."While council has embarked on that (demolitions), churches should apply for stands and stop occupying council land illegally. Even open air worshipers should also apply for land," Mr Chideme said.He added that council has vast land in residential areas and church organizations that will apply for it will benefit while those who continue to defy council by-laws will face the full wrath of the law.Last week, earth moving machines descended in Budiriro, Kuwadzana and Dzvivarasekwa and razed some structures that were being used as areas of worship to the ground.The Sunday Mail Religion witnessed the cith fathers' bulldozers destroying some of the structures in Dzivarasekwa and Kuwadzana, with believers watching helplessly.A fortnight ago, Harare City director of works, Engineer Philip Pfukwa said the operation was meant to rid the city of illegal activities and structures that had robbed the capital of its 'Sunshine City' status.The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), Seventh Day Adventist church and ZIOGA are some of the churches affected.Some members of the affected churches have since appealed for leniency from Government and council.They are also seeking land to erect their churches in line with the council's call for legal structures. The Harare Residents Trust has indicated that about 100 structures in Budiriro alone face demolition."There are about 100 churches facing demolitions in Budiriro. Residents informed the HRT that Harare City Council had given them two weeks' notice to evacuate," said the Trust.The Trust claimed that the churches have been paying monthly rates to council.When contacted for comment over this, Mr Chideme simply advised affected churches to approach council for legal land.HRT also accused the council of being insensitive."After destroying houses, they (council) have now turned to churches. The question is, do they not fear God?" said the Trust.Meanwhile, Harare Indigenous Churches also issued a press statement on the demolitions.Apostle Patson Machengete, the Harare Indigenous Churches spokesperson said indigenous churches are law abiding and will not defy the governing authorities according to Romans 13 verses 1-2.He however said that some churches had occupied the open spaces not as a way of protesting but as an appeal to the local authorities and the Government to consider the constituency of the indigenous churches.
Two Vietnamese sailors on a Taiwanese fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates off the Indian Ocean two years ago have called home saying the pirates had chopped off an arm of the captain.

The pirates are demanding a US$2.8-million ransom.

On January 20, Tran Van Hung, one of the 26 crew members of the FV Shiuh Fu No. 1, called his family for help, his father Tran Van Vinh told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Hung told Vinh Somali pirates have allowed the sailors to call home in five minutes each. The sailors were told it would be the last time they could telephone home.

The fishing boat has been badly damaged, Hung said, adding the pirates had brought the crew members ashore and detained them in demand for the ransom from the boat owner.

As the boat owner did not pay the ransom, the pirates chopped off an arm of the captain and frequently beat him and his deputy, Hung said.

As the ship is in a bad state, Hung said, it is likely that the Taiwanese company, which owns it, will not pay the ransom.

On January 20, Luu Dinh Hung, another Vietnamese sailor on the boat, called home, asking his family to call for help from Vietnamese authorities and three Vietnamese labor companies that sent them to work on the boat.

Hung said the crew members are in life-threatening condition.

On December 25, 2010, the FV Shiuh Fu No. 1 was captured by Somali pirates some 120 nautical miles off the northeast tip of Madagascar.

The boat's crew comprises 12 Vietnamese, 13 Chinese and a Taiwanese.
Somali pirates released Tuesday a Taiwanese fishing boat with 26 crew members, 12 of them Vietnamese, after nearly 19 months in captivity though it is not known if a ransom was paid.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday on its website that the crew of FV Shiuh Fu No. 1 was freed by Chinese Navy ships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters.

They will be taken to Tanzania before returning home.

It gave no further details about the rescue.

The boat was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia in December 2010. Thirteen Chinese and a Taiwanese make up the rest of the crew.

The 12 Vietnamese hail from the central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh.

The Chinese ministry has asked the country's embassy in Tanzania to provide accommodation and medical care to the released men.

China also notified Vietnam of the rescue.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said it had assisted in ransom talks between the boat's owner and the pirates, though it too did not say whether a ransom was paid. It also thanked China for its assistance.

Chinese ships have undertaken anti-piracy operations off Somalia since late 2008. In early 2010 Beijing agreed to join a multinational effort to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden and nearby stretches of the Indian Ocean.
Indonesia has stressed Australia is not a threat and it is grateful for Australia's communication over its massive military modernisation program over the next 20 years.

In an interview ahead of a visit by Defence Minister Marise Payne to Jakarta on Sunday, Indonesia's Director General for Strategic Defence thanked Australia for sharing the contents of its Defence white paper.

Defence Minister Marise Payne says Australia's relationship with Indonesia is vital and a strong and productive bilateral relationship is critical to Australia's national security. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"We are not only a neighbour country but we should be brothers," Major-General Yoedhi Swastanto said.

"So for us Australia is not a threat. We don't have big issues. There are some small ones [which] is pretty normal to happen between two neighbour countries."
An early election on July 2, as flagged by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, is likely to have only minimal impact on the economy and sharemarket, according to economists - unless opinion polls change to reflect a surprise ALP victory.

Companies associated with construction and real estate - Boral, Monadelphous and Mirvac - could be buffeted the most, with the Australian Building and Construction Commission, housing affordability and negative gearing expected to be key election issues.

"To the extent that the government get through their bills, it's positive for the construction industry if it's going to lead to a better business environment for the construction sector. That's an obvious one," said Betashares economist David Bassanese.

"The government is also going to be competing against the ALP's negative gearing policy."

Bassanese said a coalition victory would give the housing industry "positive relief" that a tough clampdown on negative gearing would be unlikely.

"Maybe the government still has some (negative gearing) measures of its own but it won't be as intense for the sector as what the Labor party wants."

Overall, the election run-up would add to the nervousness on the market, said Bassanese. "Elections are usually not great for investor and consumer confidence."

A coalition victory would provide "more scope to get some sort of reform through the Senate. That would be viewed positively, I think."

Head of investment market research at Perpetual Matt Sherwood, said the impact of the election on the sharemarket would be minimal.

"Even though it is going to be probably the longest campaign in history, in Australia, elections don't have much of a market impact and haven't for many decades," he said.

"Australians are generally conservative and don't turf out governments very often and when we do it is well and truly factored into market prices before the event."

Policies that would be be unfavourably received by the market would primarily include high-taxing, high-spending policies, he said.

Independent economist Saul Eslake also said the impact of elections on the economy was limited.

"Most people appear to think that elections are negative for retail sales and business investment," he said. "But I've never been able to pick up any hard evidence of that. Nor can you find any in motor vehicle sales, nor can you find any in consumer confidence."

The one exception to this statistical indifference, he said, was business and consumer confidence.

"When there's a change of government, consumer confidence falls among supporters of the government that's lost and rises among supporters of the government that's just been elected," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

On 28 January, 21-year-old Ruramai Muropa (not her real name) together with a dozen other young ladies queued at Harare International Airport's departures desk waiting for their turn to have their travelling documents checked before boarding a plane to Kuwait.Whilst there, a lady, in a subtle voice, kept reciting the instructions she had been lecturing to the young ladies the whole day about the procedure they were supposed to follow upon arrival in the oil-rich country.Due to excitement Ruramai, just like the other girls, wasn't paying much attention, it was the happiest moment of her life as her dream of living and working in a foreign country was finally coming true.After all the paper work was finalised, Ruramai boarded the plane with pride, recalling the time when she had visited almost every building on the streets of Harare looking for a job without success.A sense of accomplishment and relief must have manifested with a smile as she took her seat on the plane.A new start had dawned, it was a greener field and at that moment it seemed so real.Sadly, Ruramai did not know that the worst nightmare of her life was to unfold upon setting her feet in the "promised land".On arrival, her belongings and particulars where confiscated.At that point, she realised that if she had paid attention to the strict instructions earlier on, she would have picked the cracks.She and 10 other girls were being sold into servitude.After being forced to work as a labourer at a number of houses and resisting, Ruramai is now being held hostage in Kuwait.The Sunday Mail Extra caught up with the girl's mother and eventually got into contact with Ruramai via WhatsApp.She has been allowed access to her phone so that she can get her family to raise $3 000 for her release.Speaking from a place called Hawali, where she is being held at a unidentified location, she - through telephone interviews and the WhatsApp messages - gave a narrative of what she is going through."I came here through Josephine Gondwa and her son Tonderai Gondwa and was led by a lady called Tinashe Nyahondo. She is the one who recruited me and she promised me that I will be working as a waitress," she said."However, when I got here I was a housemaid and my job was to look after a 79-year-old woman who suffered a stroke on her left side. She was difficult to handle as she together with her children always shouted at me, would beat me and threw objects at me. I never had time to eat or sleep."I then used a phone belonging to a certain Cameroon maid who lived in the same area to contact Nyahondo but she gave me a cold shoulder. The woman continued to abuse me and one day she pushed me, I fell and broke my right knee."I called Nyahondo again and complained but there was no action and I decided to run away with my broken knee to reach to the police with the help of a certain Arabic lady.""I explained to the police how I came here and they took me to the agent whom they say is the one who brought me here."Ruramai said she had never heard of the agent.She fears that she may be sold if her family fails to raise the money that is being demanding."At the moment, I am with the agent and he is claiming that he is the one who paid for my trip so he will not let me go until the money ($3 000) is paid."I don't have the money and my family doesn't have that kind of money," she said."We are not being given enough food here and we are harassed and beaten all the time. As we speak, my leg is broken but I'm not receiving any medical attention because we are always locked up."The man gave my family three days to pay the money or he will sell me or do worse," said Ruramai on Thursday afternoon.She said she is lucky not to have been sexually abused. She, however, said she has had to endure harsh conditions."There is a room . . . we all sleep there . . . and the room is infested with bedbugs and sometimes we eat but if there is nothing, we just sit and we look at each other until they want to give us food."Fortunately, Ruramai said she has managed to get in touch with the Zimbabwean Embassy in Kuwait and they are now communicating with the agent to organise her release."I am so scared, I want to come back home, please help me I am suffering," she said.However, a man called Andre Baba, through an audio he sent to Ruramai's family, vowed that the only way she will be released is through paying the required money."Your sister cannot come home, no one can help her, and (the) Zimbabwean Embassy cannot help because the law here says she has to go to jail so you have to pay. It's either you pay the money or she goes back to work or to jail."Ruramai's mother in Chitungwiza Unit N, said she is emotionally and physically distraught.She declined having her name or pictures published for fear of victimisation."Mai Gondwa came here and asked if my daughter would be interested in going to Dubai. She (Ruramai) was interested to go and work since she was failing to get employment here."She once worked as a waitress at a local restaurant so Mai Gondwa said that would be her job in Dubai. After that, she gave her a number of a lady called Tinashe."Following her communication with Tinashe, the Ruramai's paper work was processed quickly with police clearance, a medical report and a visa being arranged in a matter of days.Ruramai's mother said she got suspicious when her daughter got a Kuwait visa, instead of Dubai. The speed in which the visa was processed also worried her. However, she let it pass since she wanted the best for her daughter."After everything was finalised, they told us that she was going to leave on January 28. On the day, we accompanied her to the airport and that was the last time we saw her. Days later, she called me and told me that everything that she had been promised were all lies. She told me that she was looking after some disabled old woman."She said the woman was difficult to handle and that she was being abused. I then called Tinashe, telling her about my daughter's situation but she became confrontational, saying that by running away from that job, my daughter had committed a crime."She said all sorts of bad stuff and told me that 'your daughter has bad fortune'. I went to Mai Gondwa and told her that my child was suffering but both Mai Gondwa and her son did not give me convincing answers."The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Joey Bimha, said the Zimbabwean Embassy is doing everything it can to assist Ruramai and the other girls."At the moment, the embassy is preparing a report on the number of people affected and how they can be helped. With our guidance, they are doing their best to resolve the matter immediately," he said.Seven people believed to be behind the human trafficking syndicate appeared in court last week. They are currently out on bail.
That's not just a remote possibility. Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in LA was hacked in February, and forced to pay a $US17,000 ($22,000) ransom. Hospital staff had to write up patients' documentation by hand, and they sent 911 patients they couldn't treat to nearby hospitals. The computers were down for a week  plenty of time for patients to die or be harmed by the absence of diagnostic tests and clinical information, although the hospital reported no deaths as a result.

The month before, a computer virus caused chaos at Royal Melbourne Hospital. Pathology tests and patients' meals had to be sorted out manually, with staff doing workarounds to get the right meals and results to the right patients.

All the same, try to stop the march of progress or the ubiquity of IT. As the focus of treatment moves out from hospitals more into the community, telehealth will contribute to improving access and better outcomes. Many tests or services which are now performed in hospitals will be carried out in people's homes or lower-cost locations. But which ones? And will patients be at more risk of things going wrong, with no back-up at home? Or will people still prefer the time-honoured psychological comfort of going into hospital, even when it's not entirely necessary?

This is where patients' preferences come in. Those rich, educated, IT-savvy Baby Boomers will demand the care they want, in the setting they want, when they judge they need it, on their terms. And it'll have to be IT-enabled and free from hacking or viruses.

At present we don't know how we'll create this responsiveness  or pay for it. But we do know the forces which are driving change  new technology, new drugs, new methods plus the demands of an ageing, better educated, more confident population. These, along with the system we already have, are the knowns from which our unknown future healthcare will be created.
Female chocolate cravings are a classic learned behaviour according to author Bee Wilson, a British food writer and historian who says that while genes can influence food tastes to some extent, our food preferences are largely shaped by our environment.

It's one of the questions asked in First Bite: How we learn to eat, a page turner of a book looking at the influences shaping our eating and how we can unlearn the food habits that undermine our health.

There's a mystique around chocolate and women that says we're powerless to resist it, but is this to do with biology - or marketing?

With a big weekend for chocolate ahead, now's a good time to ask if women really do have a special relationship with chocolate - or have they just been told they do?

"From our earliest years girls pick up on the fact that chocolate is special and for us," she says."We absorb the message that chocolate will soothe us when we are down and that when we are happy it will make us happier still."

Yet there's no biological reason why women should be driven to seek out chocolate more than men, argues Wilson. She quotes a 2006 study on gender and chocolate cravings that compared students in the US and in Spain in which 59 per cent of American males and 91 per cent of females admitted to chocolate cravings. Yet in Spain the gender gap was narrow - almost 80 per cent of Spanish men and 90 per cent of women said they craved chocolate, a clue that female chocolate cravings could have more to do with culture than biology.

Even the idea that hormonal changes around menstruation trigger chocolate cravings has taken a hit by research that found that even after menopause women experience only a very slight drop in these cravings, says Wilson. The researchers concluded that the cravings were driven more by stress than hormones.

Another tricky relationship is with vegetables. We're told endlessly that we should eat more of them but many of us don't because we've absorbed a message that vegetables are to be endured rather than enjoyed.

Then there's the idea that we're hardwired by evolution to eat sweet foods because sweetness helped our Paleolithic ancestors distinguish between plants that were safe to eat and those with bitter toxins - a survival advantage that's now a handicap in a modern food supply overloaded with sugar. The hole in this argument, says Wilson, is that sweetness comes in many different forms - including slow-cooked fennel or a cob of fresh corn.
"We're looking at a swing of upwards of 15 per cent after a campaign that had no budget  I think the contribution from the Queensland Greens was about 2 thousand dollars all up. "We did this all on the back of small-scale donations and volunteer labour and it broadens our sense of what's possible in terms of other campaigns as well." Greens campaign secretary Andrew Bartlett said while things were looking good for his party, he did not want to get ahead of himself. "Both on practical and superstitious grounds I don't like claiming things before the last vote's counted, but clearly we're in a good position," he said. ... it broadens our sense of what's possible in terms of other campaigns as well.

"We're really happy across the board about how our vote's gone across the wards. "We have a crucial federal election coming up, so we barely spent a cent (on the council campaign) and it was really just people on the ground." Mr Bartlett, the former Democrats senator who was the Greens' lord mayoral candidate in 2012, said the election showed there was a new power in Brisbane local government. Ward results backed that up, with Greens voters shutting out several Labor candidates across the city. "We can put stuff on our how-to-votes as much as we like, but it's still the voter that decides and if a voter comes into a booth voting Green at the end of a fortnight of (federal) Labor slagging off the Greens pretty ferociously, of course they're going to be thinking 'why should we give these folks a hand?'," Mr Bartlett said.

"On the progressive side of things, it doesn't really help anyone when we have this kind of open warfare." Labor campaign director Jon Persley said he thought The Gabba was "still too close to call". The decision by the Greens not to preference Labor cost the ALP dearly in Coorparoo and Enoggera, where thousands of preferences were exhausted. Retiring Northgate councillor Kim Flesser said the lack of Greens preferences prevented his Labor successor, Reg Neill, from replacing him in the council chamber. "Running a zero Greens campaign with an absent candidate and no 'how to vote cards' ensured a LNP victory in Northgate ward," he said.

But his successor, the LNP's Adam Allan, said things had changed in Northgate. "The demographics there have certainly changed over the past four or five years and I'm looking forward to the challenge," he said. If Mr Sri did manage to pull it off, he would become the first Greens candidate elected to a Queensland government. Ronan Lee sat in the Queensland Parliament as a Green for a short time following his mid-term defection from the Labor Party, but he was never voted in under that ticket. If the count did go his way, Mr Sri, who has railed against politicians for years, would himself become a politician.

While that irony was not lost on him, Mr Sri said he was hopeful he could affect some change in the political culture. "I'm excited, because I think there's a lot of potential to steer politics in a more positive direction and I think our current political system is deeply flawed and tends to be unduly and excessively influenced by big business and large corporations," he said. "I think people are right to be cynical of mainstream party politics. "So, for me, getting involved in electoral politics is about finding weak points in the system where we can direct it to more positive outcomes and ultimately help build a bottom-up social movement."
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.

BHP Billiton plans to continue mining in the Pilbara for the next century. Credit:Quentin Jones

"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."
Christian Clemenson is one of Hollywood's most recognizable character actors. He counts films like Hannah and Her Sisters, The Fisher King, and Apollo 13 among his screen credits. His extended television resume includes a 50-episode run as the brilliant but socially awkward attorney Jerry Espenson on Boston Legal, for which he received a 2006 Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He's been most recently seen on-screen playing attorney Bill Hodgman on American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.

It's been three decades since Clemenson has stepped onstage (he made his Broadway debut as a replacement in the original production of Noises Off). Now, he's back on the boards, starring as the steely and venomous Charlotte in the West Coast premiere of Harvey Fierstein's acclaimed drama Casa Valentina at the Pasadena Playhouse.

For Clemenson, the play  about a 1960s resort in the Catskills that exclusively caters to heterosexual transvestites  was as unfamiliar to him as walking around in high heels. And it intimidated him.

Emmy winner Christian Clemenson is returning to his stage roots in the Pasadena Playhouse production of Harvey Fierstein's Casa Valentina.

( Phil Amato)

This is your first time doing theater in three decades. Why was now the right time for you to come back to this particular medium?

I had been working on a project, and there were parts of it that were not artistically satisfying. In haste, I sent an email off to my agent saying I need to do something I've not done in thirty years. I think I need to do a play again. To my agent's credit, they were like "Great, we're happy to hear this." Within a week, they had an offer to do [Casa Valentina]. I had heard of the play, not seen it. I, of course, read it immediately, and met with the director, David Lee. He's so charming and smart that I just leapt in.

What was it about the role of Charlotte that interested you?

I was intimated by the role, and that was an interesting feeling for me. I thought, "Wow, how long has it been since you've done something that really scared you?" It's a very challenging play. It's not just the high heels and the undergarments and the wigs. I'm exhausted. I'm not used to doing plays and working six days a week. I'm so tired I can barely stand up. But it's all going well, and the play raises such interesting issues that every rehearsal is full of such animated discussion. It really does prompt deep, passionate feelings.

Christian Clemenson (center) as Charlotte in the Pasadena Playhouse production of Casa Valentina by Harvey Fierstein.

( Jim Cox Photography)

How familiar were you with the subject matter that Harvey Fierstein is writing about?

What's so amazing is that I knew none of this. I pride myself on being fairly well informed. I didn't even really understand that there was a community of transvestite heterosexuals. And when you know their history was almost completely lost [until] a photo album was found, it's quite amazing. I'm very interested in it all.

Have your theater muscles come back after so many years of working on-screen?

It's a bit like getting back on a bicycle. It's a little wobbly at first, but the muscles kick in and remind you what it's like. What I love is that there's this sense of complete ownership in your creation that you don't have in movies and television. When I go to rehearsal, there is no Charlotte until I create her. With movies and television, yes, there's your creation, but then it's edited, and the director will do what he does. What you finally see is several steps removed from what you created. Here, every night, it will be my creation. I will be guided, obviously, by the script, the designers, and the other actors, but at the heart of it, I have to create it. As an artist, that is a very satisfying and powerful feeling.

Christian Clemenson and John Vickery in Casa Valentina at the Pasadena Playhouse.

( Jim Cox Photography)

When I interviewed Reed Birney, the role's originator, he said that when he got in costume, he wanted to look like Grace Kelly in Rear Window but ended up as Tippi Hedren in The Birds. Who do you think you look like?

When I first started, I thought I wanted to be like Nancy Reagan, but I'm turning out more like Barbara Bush, I'm afraid. The shoes were immediate for me. I had to get the high heels on as fast as I could. The wig was next, and then the makeup. Adding the undergarments, I am not looking forward to at all. [laughs] The item of clothing that I'm wearing is called an all-in-one. It's a girdle, a brassiere, all in one piece. Getting into that is a monumental effort, and once you're in it, that's it. So going to the bathroom, I don't know how that happens. I think I literally have to remove all of my clothes. I continue to be amazed about how women deal with these things and why they've dealt with these things for as long as they [have]. It's brutal.

What's coming up for you once the run of Casa Valentina ends?

There's another season of a show called Turn that I recur on. Although it's already wrapped, it hasn't aired yet. [But] I've made a commitment to this theater, to this director, to this company, and I'm going to be here for the duration of this run. I've purposefully turned down work to make sure that this is not disturbed. It's a hard thing to do when you consider how little you get paid doing theater, but ultimately, I really felt a personal responsibility to see it through, and that is what I'm doing.
News / National

by Staff reporter

VICE-PRESIDENT Phelekezela Mphoko was consistent throughout the armed struggle and those questioning his credentials were too junior to understand the deployment of people of his rank, a former member of the Zipra High Command, Retired Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane said yesterday.In an interview, Rtd Brig-Gen Mazinyane, the last Zipra chief of military intelligence whose other duties were to track and apprehend deserters said he does not recall VP Mphoko being listed as a deserter.On Friday last week, war veterans chairman Christopher Mutsvangwa told the private media that VP Mphoko allegedly ditched his regiment in Mozambique to enjoy life with his then wife-to-be, Laurinda, who later became his wife in 1977. Mutsvangwa said Mphoko "went AWOL" from Zapu's military wing, Zipra, after he fell in love with Laurinda.Without mentioning names, Rtd Brig-Gen Mazinyane said for the good of the country's armed struggle it would be good for people to confine themselves to what they know well."There is no harm for those who were junior during the war but senior today to consult those who are junior today but were senior during the war. Speculation should be avoided, said Rtd Brig-Gen Mazinyane.He said if VP Mphoko had abandoned the armed struggle in 1976 as suggested by some quarters there was no way he was going to display a Rhodesian helicopter which was shot down by Zipra forces in Zambia and shown to the United Nations delegates at a conference in Mozambique in 1978, attend the burial of Zipra commander Alfred Nikita Rogers Mangena in Lusaka also in 1978.Rtd Brig-Gen Mazinyane said VP Mphoko had also attended the funeral of Zapu Vice-President Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo in January 1977 when he was killed by a parcel bomb."VP Mphoko was also always a delegate of Patriotic Front meetings. From 1976 to 1979 Mphoko was a Zapu delegate at several international conferences including the Lancaster House Conference. Mphoko was at one point even short-listed to take over the command of Zipra following the death of our commander Mangena in 1978," he said."I was the last Zipra chief of military intelligence and like any other military establishment Zipra had deserters and those who want to know them should ask people who are an authority on Zipra. On top of the list of authorities are Comrades Mphoko and Ambrose Mutinhiri. I know there are others who wish were knowledgeable on Zipra issues, unfortunately they are not. Maybe they were talking about another Mphoko."
Ethanol Does NOT Suck Water Out Of The Air +VIDEO







 UPDATED January 24, 2020 with a new bombshell hygroscopic video test that destroys anti-ethanol myths

By Marc J. Rauch

Exec. Vice President/Co-Publisher

THE AUTO CHANNEL







Among the many ignorant and insidious claims spread by the oil industry to denigrate ethanol is that ethanol sucks water right out of the air. Sometimes it's phrased as "it absorbs water right out of the atmosphere." You see this claim on lots of websites (often on the websites that are trying to sell some kind of whizzbang engine treatment product); you hear it on radio and TV; and you see it all over the place in the comment sections of anti-ethanol news stories and blogs. Even comedian-auto enthusiast Jay Leno made this claim last year (2015) in a story he wrote for AutoWeek magazine.

Well, it's a lie: ethanol does not suck or absorb water right out of the air. The only thing that sucks is that the oil industry has been allowed to propagate lies like this for so long.

The origin of the claim is that ethanol is classified as a "hygroscopic" substance. Please note the spelling: hygroscopic (we've had people send us emails that say "ethanol is hydroscopic..."). It is HYGRO, with the letter "G." It seems that many years ago some clever oil industry person must have learned that ethanol (alcohol) is a hygroscopic substance, and that the general dictionary definition for a hygroscopic substance is that it can attract moisture from its environment.

What the oil industry wag then did was to play a semantic word game by substituting the word "attract" with "absorb," and "air" for "environment." The words attract and absorb are two different things, with two different meanings:



Attract - to pull to or draw toward oneself or itself (as a magnet attracts iron).

Absorb - to take in and make part of an existent whole (as a sponge absorbs water).

And the words environment and air have different contexts:



Environment - the immediate adjacent surroundings (as in the type of environment in which you live).

Air - the mixture of invisible odorless tasteless gases that surrounds the Earth.

How do we know that a semantic word game was played and that alcohol will not absorb water right out of the thin or ambient air, simple: fill any open container halfway with alcohol and place it on your kitchen counter. Allow it to sit for one or more days. If alcohol absorbs water right out of the air, then when you check the level of liquid in the ensuing days you would find that the volume of liquid has increased. Try it and see what happens. You can watch my demonstration of this experiment in the video window below.

Incidentally, cotton is also a hygroscopic substance. So just as additional proof that being a hygroscopic substance doesn't mean that it absorbs water right out of the air, place a ball of cotton on the other side of your kitchen counter and see if it gets saturated with water from just sitting out in the open. SPOILER ALERT, the cotton ball will not get saturated with moisture. However, if you want to see a hygroscopic substance in action, then place the cotton ball immediately adjacent to some water, so that the cotton ball is in an environment that includes liquid water. The cotton ball "wicks" up the water. If you place a piece of glass next to the water, instead of the cotton ball, the glass does not wick up the water because glass is not a hygroscopic substance.

Other than by a dumb accident, water will form in your fuel system because of condensation, but condensation has nothing to do with hygroscopic action. For example, if you have a glass-top outdoor table you have probably noticed that moisture formed on the glass after a cool night. This happens to your car windows. Since glass is not a hygroscopic substance, how does this occur? The moisture forms because of condensation.

So what do you do if you have some water in your fuel system? Do you stick a straw in and suck it out? No, you add a product like Dry Gas. Dry Gas is one or more type of alcohol, and ethanol is alcohol, meaning that you use ethanol to solve the problem of water in your gasoline tank. That's right, to solve the problem! In the years since E10 has been in regular use the overall incidence of car owners needing to use Dry Gas has declined dramatically. In April 2003, NPR Radio's Tom and Ray Magliozzi (CAR TALK Click & Clack) responded to a question on this issue:

"Dear Tom and Ray: Every time I fill my gas tank, I buy half a quart of dry gas. My father says it really helps with the fuel line and keeps things clean. Is this stuff legit, or am I wasting my cash? -- Chris



RAY: Well, we think you're wasting your cash, Chris. This stuff is mostly alcohol, which absorbs any moisture that is in your gas tank.



TOM: The idea is that by getting rid of any water in the tank, you eliminate the chance of the water freezing in the fuel line and preventing the car from running.



RAY: But to be honest, we haven't seen a frozen fuel line in our garage in a decade or more. Why? It could be because gasolines are better-formulated now. All gasolines have alcohol already mixed into them."

Water is absorbed into ethanol because water molecules are small enough to fit between the larger ethanol molecules. The water molecules are then vaporized in the combustion process. Gasoline molecules, on the other hand, doesn't have the ability to pack as many water molecules around them, so the water separates from the gasoline and freezes, if it's cold enough, or gets sucked into the piston chambers where it cannot easily combust. In other words, ethanol aids combustion, not inhibits combustion.

Does this mean that you could pour five gallons of water into your gasoline tank and the available ethanol will break down all this water? No, don't be silly; too much of anything can be bad...even ice cream.

Want to know what one of America's leading auto mechanics says about ethanol? Read this article from Bobby Likis: Cant We Just Get Rid of Ethanol Ignorance?

And for those among you who are boat owners and have been swayed by the ethanol-hygroscopic lies related to boats, you should be aware of the Mercury Marine Ethanol Webinar conducted in August 2011 - you will be shocked at their study findings, a position they've continued to support through two subsequent updated Power Point presentations (one in 2016 and another in 2018). The 2016 presentation can be found by CLICKING HERE. And you can watch the 2011 webinar in the video below.

For those of you who are too impatient to see the entire presentations, this is Mercury Marine's finding:

"There is no active transfer mechanism for ethanol molecules to reach out and grab water molecules out of the air. Under normal storage conditions, even in a vented fuel tank it just does not happen...The primary cause of water collecting in fuel tanks is condensation from humid air..."

From this point forward, let there be no more discussion about ethanol sucking the water right out of the air. Those who do, suck.

What About Dessicants?

Almost everyone is familiar with the little silica packettes that are placed in packages to keep the items in the package dry from condensation. These silica packettes are "dessicants." The process by which dessicants work is called "deliquescence." Dessicants do absorb moisture (water vapor) out of the air. This process has undoubtedly helped to contribute to the misunderstanding of hygroscopy because dessicants are hygroscopic. However, while all dessicants are hygroscopic, not all hygroscopic substances are dessicants. To understand this better, consider mandarins and tangerines. Mandarins are a type of orange citrus fruit. Tangerines are also a type of orange citrus fruit, however, they are not the same. All tangerines are mandarins, but not all mandarins are tangerines. Tangerines fall within the overall category of mandarins. Ethanol and other alcohols are not dessicants, they do not absorb water vapor from the air, they will absorb small amounts of water that they come in direct contact with (per the molecule comparison diagram shown above).

SEE ALSO:







For a lot more information about ethanol fuel you can read my 641-page book, THE ETHANOL PAPERS. It's available to read online for free by CLICKING HERE.
The global economic environment has generated a number of significant challenges for the Australian mining industry. Slowing economic growth particularly in China has softened demand; while the oil price war involving Opec nations have resulted in lower prices than projected.

The mining industrys contribution to the Australian economy is more than $121 billion a year. In terms of export income, it generates $138 billion per annum, which represents over half (54%) of total goods and services.

Australias two largest mining companies (and second and third largest in the world), BHP Billiton (BHP) and Rio Tinto, contribute a combined 79.4% of the Australian mining sector total revenue base (BHP at 44.6% and Rio Tinto at 34.8%).

But both Rio Tinto and BHP face a number of financial and operational challenges.

#FOTO:306864656:300#

BHP extract and process minerals, oil and gas from their production operations located primarily in Australia and the Americas. The company sells their products globally with sales and marketing activities channelled principally through Singapore and Houston, United States. In 2015, the company demerged a number of BHPs alumina, aluminum, coal, manganese, nickel, silver, lead and zinc assets into a new company, South32.

Rio Tinto is one of the largest diversified resource firms in the world; the company locates, mines and processes various types of mineral resources across several continents.

Issues affecting the sector

The sector is facing one of the toughest periods in history, with 2016 being defined by weak domestic opportunities and falling commodities prices forcing companies to reexamine the costs structures of operations.

The Australian mining sector is under structural pressure largely due to its inability or unwillingness to adjust quickly enough to the changing market demand and circumstance. Its failure to change its operational and businesses practices developed during the mining boom has translated in 2015 in significant losses across the sector.

Typically in this stage of the industry cycle it would be expected that there would be significant industry consolidation either through strategic alliances or mergers and acquisitions. Risk adverse investors in global financial markets however are looking to avoid under performing commodities such as iron ore and coal, as well as some base metals like nickel.

The likelihood of raising equity or debt capital via bank loans to finance the merger and acquisition process is difficult. Given the volatility in the energy markets further reduce the strategic options available to mining companies. Industry experts project that a number of mining companies will go out of business and a huge number of assets will be put up for sale at bargain prices.

The recent strategic focus of management has been adopting a quick fix strategy, that is getting cheaper by cutting costs of their operations by reducing the head count of their workforce, rather than focusing on being more productive. Employment in the Australian mining industry decreased by 2.2% (4,170 people) between 2013 and 2014, so far in 2016 over 2000 mining jobs have been cut and many more are forecast to go in the sector.

Anglo American recently announced their intention to reduce their workforce by two thirds and Glencore has announced its closure of its zinc mines and implemented production and workforce reductions at its coal operations. Cost of labour however is only one aspect of the challenge when competing in a global market. The need for management to focus on the pursuit of operational excellence, via benchmarking and learning across industry boundaries processes remain imperative.

The key message for BHP and Rio is that the mining industry is at a tipping point and their focus must be to identify strategies to make innovation deliver bottom line value.

BHP and Rio Tinto results

In 2014 BHP made a profit of US $4.26 billion however in 2015, following the collapse of commodities prices and BHPs failed investment in the US shale industry, half year results showed its depressed financial performance of a net loss of US $5.67 billion.

Overall revenue fell to US $44.6 billion down from US $56.7 billion in 2014. Profit also decreased by 21% to US $8.6 billion and capital expenditure was reduced by US $4 billion to US $11.5 billion in 2015.

The company expects to incur significant costs from a dam disaster in Brazil at its Samarco joint venture with Vale, which killed 17 people. It made an after-tax charge of $858m relating to the accident. The adverse impact on BHP reputation and the direct cost of rebuilding a safe and sustainable operations are potentially significant.

While BHP has allocated A$363 million for the rebuilding project, had the appropriate preventative costs been incurred in advance, thereby ensuring safe and sustainably engineered dam sites the tangible (materials and labour) and intangible (reputational) costs would have been significantly lower.

Rio Tintos full year results showed revenue was down by 27% in 2015 to US $34.8 billion resulting in a reduced bottom line of US $4.5 billion down some 51% compared to 2014. Capital expenditure was US $5 billion.

Competitive threats from the companies rivals have exposed both Rio Tinto and BHP to the risks of market share loss and the management have chosen to respond to their competitors threats by adopting price-cutting strategies. However as they increased production they contributed to an already oversupplied market and led to increased industry rivalry.

These strategic choices have further impacted Rio Tinto and BHP bottom line performance, cash flows, and dividend policy and subsequently their share prices. Given the volatility in their financial performances both companies have had to adopt a new dividend policy and capital allocation framework.

These companies are also spending less on maintenance and investing in less capital expenditure rather than investing resources in being more productive. BHP for example reduced their capital expenditure by US $4 billion between 2014 and 2015. RIO Tinto has also announced further cuts to its capital expenditure budget by US $1.5 billion over the next two years.

Whats in store for the sector

Continued development of emerging economies particularly, Chile and Peru, and the emerging markets in Central Asia and Russia are likely to provide a platform for long-term demand growth for commodities.

Industry insiders suggest that the commodities most likely to provide opportunities are nickel and copper because they have good medium term (5  10 years) prospects. Nevertheless weaker commodity prices and higher volatility will be the norm for the near future.

This observation seems to align with most commodities forecast reports, reflecting the current and immediate future state of the mining sector. The forecast of a weakening Australian dollar and late 2016 recover of the oil price provides some reasons to be slightly optimistic, however subdued investment throughout the industry will continue, as will financial pressures on many mining organisations.

Industry experts project that a number of mining companies will go out of business and a large number of assets will be put up for sale at bargain basement prices.

The Australian mining industry will continue to face many more economic and competitive challenges in the future. Mining companies need to find new and innovative ways to add value, whether through technology, innovation, or design thinking problem-solving approaches.

The Australian mining sector needs to recognise for it to achieve global competitiveness it is critical that they reinvest once more on making their assets more productive. In the intervening period retaining existing clients and broadening customer base; as opposed to even further, unsustainable cost cutting and market shrinkage; is critical for mining companies sustainability.

>> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter

Originally published on The Conversation
Witness the real Cuba here!

Writer Pedro Juan Gutierrez is exclaiming on his eighth-floor rooftop terrace, while pointing at the surrounding ruins of Central Havanamansions that once exuded luxury and that now offer a full view of the heavens from their stripped frames. From this same terrace in the 90s, Gutierrez saw people push small boats into the Caribbean in the hopes of crossing over to Miami, only 370 kilometers away. Desperate, often drunk, people stumbled into an ocean full of sharks to meet their death, he says.

There is no such thing as el periodo especial in the Cuban press, that time when the Soviet-Union fell apart and Cuba lost its Communist Sugar Daddy. While novelists painted island idylls in baroque words and journalists acted as propaganda machinery of the Castros, Gutierrez spat the despair and the struggle for survival of the pitch-black 90s onto paper. There was no drinking water, no food, no gas for cooking. The garbage was not picked up because there was no petrol. My apartment began to collapse like so many of the houses here.

In his novels, Gutierrezs semi-autobiographical character, Pedro Juan, hustles through his daysalways looking for some pesos in legally dubious ways, and greedily relishing sex, rum, cigars and marijuana. Pedro Juan reflects the townspeople he sees every day. Material poverty generates moral poverty. Survival requires creativity.

His Trilogia Sucia de la Habana (1998) about the special period was published in 23 countries, yet even today, it remains forbidden in Cuba. The newspaper for which Gutierrez worked promptly threw him out after he published his work.

Gutierrez, now 66, was 9 when Fidel and Raul Castro ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista from the presidential palace in 1959. In the 60s and 70s he saw the revolution become part of the Cuban identity. My generation fought for a political project that we found important, for cultural and human goals rather than material gain. Everyone enjoyed education. There was censorship, but music, literature, film and visual arts were being brought to the people.

Then disillusionment followed. The young generation that was told in the 90s that everything would soon get better is now nearing 50 and still survives on an average of 20 dollars per month. Their children can no longer be convinced.

The revolution has disappeared from the minds, says Gutierrez. Young people are apolitical. They focus on their own problems and projects rather than collectively mobilizing for a greater responsibility. Their goals are materialistic in nature.

Cubas Double Brain-Drain

According to journalist Carlos Manuel Alvarez Rodriguez, his generationborn around 1990is completely disconnected from the people in power. Every day the government doctrine continues to disintegrate. We talk to foreign tourists, we view illegal television channels, we get information via the paquete [hard drives with foreign films, series, music and web pages that are spread over the island weekly]. We now know through a thousand channels that the Cuban press sells us lies. Young Cubans are tired of the talk that is talked, with no walk being walked. They take their lives into their own hands.

Hundreds of Cubans crowd the Embassy of Panama these days. Hastily they copy the recently relaxed visa rules that hang on signs outside of the closed iron gate. Through Panama they hope to reach the U.S. Annually, some 30,000 Cubans receive residence visas, without the hurdles that other migrants have to pursue. In addition, in 2014 an estimated 20,000 Cubans illegally made their way over to the archenemy.

In 2015 this number increased by 77 percent. It shows the skepticism with which the Cubans have welcomed the diplomatic thaw announced by Obama and Raul Castro at the end of 2014. Despite trade restrictions easing, these people are trying to reach the U.S. before the Cuban privilege would die on a green card. Since December, Cuban doctors are required to ask governmental permission for a trip abroad again, a measure that had been abolished in 2013. Where most of the immigrants were once family members of Cubans in Miami, now mainly they are young professionals try to reach the U.S. At a pace of 50,000 immigrants, Cuba loses 1 percent of its active population every yearnot a gift for the already ailing economy.

Teens and tweens who remain in the country no longer opt for a university education. Why would they? An engineer, architect, or surgeon earns 20 to 60 euros per month. So they go work in a tourist resort or as a taxi driver, jobs that earn you more money as a cuentapropista or an independent worker. The double brain drain is one of the biggest threats to the growth that Castro envisions with his timid reforms.

Alvarez knows that Cubans gradually gain more freedoms, but its all too slow. The government will continue to take arbitrary decisions and believe that those decisions are in the interest of the people. The ball of reforms does not start rolling by government initiative, but by Cubans trying to make something of their lives in creative ways. The rulers simply legalize what the people have been doing for years.

Similarly, Alvarez tries to push against the acceptable limits. One of the platforms he writes for is the online magazine OnCuba. He writes about things for which Gutierrez lost his job in 1997. Ten years ago this was impossible, but I dare not say that I am completely free of self-censorship. You can fight your built-in censor, but it does not turn off. In a Cuban publication, I cannot frontally attack Fidel Castro. But I do that in foreign media to clear my conscience.

Alvarez is aware that very few people in Cuba are reading articles online. Homes rarely have Internet access. Only since last year, there have been Wi-Fi hotspots in Havana and few other cities. An hour of surfing costs two dollars, one-tenth of the average monthly wage. Whoever can afford surfing goes online to talk with relatives abroad, not to sit and read an online newspaper, Alvarez acknowledges. Critical political awareness is barely there after decades of dictatorship. Do not believe that the Cubans are waiting on democracy. Above all, they want to lead a better material life.

Still, Alvarez also has much to say regarding sacred cows such as education and health. The quality of the achievements of the revolution has been deteriorating for decades and the government does nothing to stem the tide. We are told that our health is much better than those in other developing countries. Thats right, the infant mortality rate is even lower than in the U.S. But we do not compete with Haiti. Only with the health and education we had 10 years ago. Our economy is a disaster and we have no liberties. On the countryside, all you see is poverty. If, additionally, the only achievements we have made start to worsen, what is left for the Cubans?

A Long Journey

In the rural Pinar del Rio, in the far west of Cuba, Nirma Carrasco and her 10-year-old son, Cristian, are gearing up for the long trip to Havana. Cristian has a heart condition and will undergo an operation in a metropolitan hospital. It is the fifth time they will travel there in a truck with people packed inside like cattle, because the bus is too expensive.

Carrasco's husband, 36-year-old Noidan Alonzo, has never been to the capital. Once again, he has to watch his wife and child travel alone. Behind the house, a mountain of smoke escapes from the burning charcoal. It keeps smoldering for four days. All this time, I cannot sleep because I need to tend to it every half-hour. This morning, before sunrise, suddenly the flame flew inside of it, said Alonzo, while he sharply shovels the earth onto the mountain of smoke.

He is obligated to sell the charcoal to the government for 5 Cuban pesos (18 U.S. cents) per bag. Consider it his contribution to the revolution, despite politics being the last thing to keep Alonzo awake at night. Havana reigns far from his bed. Obama? Never heard of him. He does know all about avocados, beans, and manioc.

Nonetheless, he has reason to worry. For 80 percent of Cuba lives off of imported food, accounting for $2 billion per year. Much of it now comes from the southern United States. If American farms and food companies would be given a free hand to sell in Cuba, the unproductive local agriculture would be pushed out before re-sowing time.

The periodo especial forced the Cuban farmers to return to the most traditional form of organic farming. We had no pesticides. The Russian agricultural machinery no longer worked because there were no spare parts or fuel. We did not even have any working animals. From sowing to harvesting, everything was done by hand, Alonzo says.

Raul Castro, more pragmatic than his brother Fidel, knew he had to reform the highly inefficient agricultural sector. He invested in organic and urban agriculture, giving farmers the right to cultivate more than 1 million hectares of unused farmland and more freedom to choose what they grew on it. In addition to his duties as a charcoal supplier, Alonzo has beans, rice, fruits, coffee, cows, and some sheep to meet the basic needs of his family. It has to do. Alonzo estimated his family income to be roughly 1,000 Cuban pesos ($37 U.S. dollars) per year. And the book of food stamps is getting thinner. In addition, the yogurt we buy with the stamps is repulsive.

The countryside guajiros survive primarily through solidarity. The bull and the goat of the neighbor come fertilize my beasts for free. I lend my horse out, another lends out his car. And at night we patrol together to protect our livestock from thieves.

Several months ago Alonzo joined forces with 20 other farmers in a cooperative to which he is able to sell agricultural products for his own account. That is an improvement. It provides extra pesos.

Poor Europe

In Minas de Matahambre, another 15 kilometers on, Luis Hernandez has joined the cooperative that buys Alonzos harvest. He opened a fruit and vegetable stall on the languid main street of the village. If we get new opportunities, I am always the first to jump on the bandwagon, Hernandez says, laughing with infectious entrepreneurial enthusiasm. To him, its his way to be a leader of the revolution. I want to set up projects. If I could, I would feed the whole village.

Hernandez worked in the copper mine after which the village takes its name, until it closed its doors in 1997. Many of his fellow villagers went on their way. He then tried to be independent, but the many government restrictions played tricks on him. The restrictions have been largely eliminated. I now earn much more than before. I am glad that the new president dares to bring about change. Revolution means progress, not a standstill.

Next, the U.S. trade embargo has to be lifted, Hernandez notes. It hurt Cuba. A lot. In rural areas of Pinar del Rio, the public discourse sounds much stronger than it does in the capital. There is no Internet, no sign of foreigners. Hernandez feels sorry for the Europeans. Daily, he sees on state television how mercilessly the refugee crisis hits Europe. He believes they are better off here.

On the countryside, the CDRs (local Committees for the Defense of the Revolution), still dominate. With the notorious actos the repudio, presumed opponents of the revolution, such as human-rights defenders, are assaulted with intimidation and violence.

According to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) in January no less than 1,414 political arrests were made. Remarkable, given that President Obama had set more respect for human rights as a condition for visiting the country. Cuban state media are already seeing the presidents visit as an American acknowledgment that the country indeed respects human rights.

Hernandez may admire the CDR as much as he likesNothing happens without them knowing it. Therefore, there is no crime herebut he, too, lowers his voice consistently and glances around when he announces anything sensitive. But is this not the way it has always been?

Hernandez and his wife, Miriam Leon, see golden times ahead. Only recently they have been able to take out a loan at the bank and sell their home on the private market. They are happy and wish to stay in Minas. But they realize that their children see it differently.

The 23-year-old Luis Isaac is an independent hairdresser, who surpasses the local standards of an average wage. Ten pesos (37 U.S. cents) per haircut is more than many workers here earn in a day, said Leon. In addition, I also give him the income of a room we rent out. If we help him build a good life here, hopefully he will not leave.

The 16-year-old Larissaall bony cheekbones, dark eyes, bleached tresseshopes to follow her brothers footsteps. In Minas my peers all aim to become a doctor, but I see that a barber earns much more. For her 16th birthday, the whole family traveled to the Varadero tourist resort. Never before had they seen consumer products such as sunscreen. It tasted like more, she smiles. I cant say I dont long for other places.

The Serial Mistress

For 27-year-old Mireille, it was clear as day on her 18th birthday that she would not stay in Cuba. Everyone wants to get away from this rotten island. Like her sister, Mireille married a rich, older Italian.

And so it goesmore girls seek the arms of fortunate foreigners to provide them with a future. The revolution had banned prostitution, but in the 90s they began to inch back due to a lack of alternatives. Even the whores have a university degree in Cuba, Fidel Castro once said. Where there are large groups of tourists, the jiniteras today inevitably swarm around them. Depending on their goals, they are either looking for a few drinks, money for sexual services, or a one-way ticket abroad.

Mireille went straight for the main prize. She moved to Italy, served her marital duties for several years, and divorced again. With an Italian passport to fall back on, she began working in an elite nightclub in Milan as a companion girl, earning at least 5,000 euros per month. When a drug addict scion from a wealthy family gave her three blank checks last year, she cashed 300,000 and bought a mansion in Vedado, Havanas old residential area.

Its an investment. Im not returning to Cuba. I am only here to witness the renovation, Mireille says. Downstairs, her impressive new home is still a construction site, but her room already has an oversized Jacuzzi. On the roof she shows where the pool and bar will be placed.

The Cuban government does not tolerate any great earners, and jiniteras even less. Without pressing benevolent tips into the hands of the appropriate police, the girls risk many years in prison. But are they not only doing what father Cuba has always taught them? Cuba has always been a jinitera, to the U.S. the Soviet Union, Hugo Chavezs Venezuela; in exchange for living and spending money, the successive sugar uncles received an attractive conquest to flaunt to their rivals.

I know Ill be written off in a few years, Mireille admits. I am preparing for that moment, by investing in real estate, among other things. Cuba, by contrast, has never prospected such a way up. Cuba never held the idea of standing on its own feet. When Hugo Chavez showered his petrodollars onto his ideological ally, any and all necessary reforms immediately fell quiet again. That is how Cuba fell into heavy times again following his death.

After 50 years, the political parties are starting to realize what Mireille already knew at age 20: You better not place your future in the hands of one Sugar Daddy. And so Cuba talks to Europe, Brazil, Mexico, and the IMF while openly flirting with China and Vietnam. The rapprochement between Cuba the U.S. should be seen in that context. The year 2016 is not the year of Obama in Cuba, but the year in which a suffocating serial monogamy paves the way for functional polygamy. Cubas prostitutes learned from the master, and lately the elderly revolutionaries are starting to follow their way.

Obama In Cuba

The visit from Barack Obama is not a radical change, but the next step in the normalization of Cuban-American relationsa process that has been going on for several years behind the scenes.

The Republican majority in Congress still refuses to lift the ban, but Obama has put considerable strain on trade restrictions within his presidential powers. American tourists in Cuba dont fear persecution, even though traveling to Cuba, with some exceptions, remains illegal. Both countries are working on a ferry, float air and direct mail delivery. U.S. telecom companies sucked in contracts to get one of the least of connected countries in the world online and out from its isolation.

The radical Cuban anti-Castrists are slowly dying out and are becoming less and less of a political factor. Presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruzboth with Cuban roots criticize Obamas visit, but the odds are small that they would tighten the embargo in their presidency. The American business world is too keen on trading opportunities in the backyard for that to ever happen again.

On March 21, Obama and Castro will likely announce new business deals, but floating on the surface remains the rhetoric of human rights. Obama calls for more freedom for ordinary citizens. Leading up to the historic visit, Cuba has freed dozens of political prisoners.

Obama must and will speak with dissidents, but Cuba will identify which dissidents those will be. Both presidents will be dancing on a tightrope, as the Cubans have been for decades.

Jan De Deken is a foreign correspondent whose work has taken him to the Earth's four corners. In between tracking down in depth stories on international events he's writing a book on the world's happiest and unhappiest places, which comes out fall 2016. You can follow him on Twitter @JanDeDeken.
The photographer Russell Frederick began documenting life in Brooklyns Bedford-Stuyvesant 17 years ago.

His beautiful, sometimes moving, sometimes funny, sometimes meditative, always striking shots of the neighborhood's African-American and other ethnic minority residents are black-and-white.

Here are people waiting for trains, and hugging their children. A group of girls look wide-eyed at the camera.

Couples hold one another, and stand outside their homes. Possibly the coolest young boy I have ever seen is dressed in a fur-looking coat and Kangol.

A body lays at rest, a woman stands in front of spray-painted Black Panther graffiti on a storefront. A young man in military uniform gives a salute. Frederick has an especially brilliant eye for the handsome, pretty, and strikingly dressed, as youll see when you visit his website.

On a recent afternoon, we looked at a panoply of the images (which he hopes one day will become a book), and talked about the Bed-Stuy history he had seen.

Frederick had become aware of subtle changes in his neighborhood in the late 1990s, which gave me the indication that there might be a bigger plan coming down the road.

Starting in 1999, Frederick walked the streets of Bed-Stuy, camera in hand, and asked individuals if he had their blessing to take their picture. It was, he said, intended as a visual narrative and celebration of an imperiled community. He estimated he had taken around 8,000 photographs to date.

What once had been a historically rooted black neighborhood had become dramatically less so, the 45-year-old Frederick said, and he wanted to celebrate the residents who had so long made it home, and made a community there, before theyas he himself had beenwere pushed out by dramatically rising property costs.

The changes were cosmetic at first, Frederick said. Streetlights changed from aluminum to cast iron. The street vendors selling hats, gloves, perfumes, oils, and incense, slowly disappeared.

Fredericks parents came from Panama in 1965 and settled in Bushwick. He moved to Bed-Stuy at 18, and stayed there till he was 37. He now lives in Bushwick. (When Frederick first moved in Bed-Stuy, his studio cost $425 a month. In 2000, a community board meeting estimated that in ten years time an average Bed-Stuy studio rent would be $1000 a month; Frederick said he knew such price inflation would change the community completely.)

For many years, Bed-Stuy was, after Harlem, New Yorks second-largest African-American neighborhood, Frederick said, although in the 70s and 80s its reputation of a violent place stuck, and the good people who live there were never acknowledged or honored. We never heard abut the virtues, or love within, the community.

Frederick lived there, and never had a bad experience. I never got robbed, nothing ever happened to me. I just saw working-class people trying to make a living. The reality was different to the reporting of what happened there. Bed-Stuy had a remarkable diversity of people living thereMuslims, West Africans, Caribbean people, Southerners, New Yorkers. We were all living together. We ate together, went to work on the same trains. We co-existed. This is a New York experience.

As well as highlighting the strength of community, and its human pillars, Frederick said, The world also needs to see a different side of Black America. When people see a black community it's always a ghetto, a slum place with issues, but despite the challenges present you have good peoplepeople who are trendsetters, entrepreneurs, people trying to make it. I just want to tell that story to the world, so we can change this monolithic image about Black America and the inner city.

Frederick particularly emphasized how many families he has photographed: These young black men may not be straitlaced or conservative, but they are responsible, they work.

We surveyed some of his pictureslike of carpenter and actor Cleveland Sampson; three generations of women from one family all going to church; two other ladies coming from church on Easter Sunday; and fashion designer Don Balladin.

From being 90 percent black, Bed-Stuy nowFrederick estimated as we looked at his wonderful shotsis about 50 percent black, and condominiums have popped up all over the place.

According to 2010 statistics, reported in The New York Times in 2014, the area had shrunk from 75 percent black to 60 percent black in 2010, while the white population had grown from 2.4 percent in 2000 to 15 percent in the same time span.

Frederick said since 2010 this statistical shift has speeded up even more.

A few black people are moving in to the areanotably black professionalsbut they are not the majority, Frederick said.

Those who have lived in the area for many years and who own homes are being offered buyouts and being harassed, he said, while those in rent-stabilized buildings are receiving pressure to move out. Musicians on the street are receiving warnings about noise pollution. There are more and more complaints about street preachers.

This lack of respect for differences and culture is a big problem, Frederick said. When you move into any new community its about being a good neighbor, blending in, and learning about the communitynot forcing your will, or manipulating people, because you have access to resources and they dont, or making them conform to something that is comfortable for you.

While Frederick welcomes elements of changethe hip new coffee shops and storeshe wonders why the area couldnt have had so much care and money lavished on it when it needed it years ago.

Some of the change has been positive, but at what cost? Frederick asked. Music, artists, immigrantsthis is the one big gumbo that makes New York what it is. What about the people who have lived here two or three generationsbus drivers, nursing assistants, carpenters, taxi drivers? They dont make a lot of money, but they too are part of New York.

What Frederick is noting is the hyper-gentrification now spreading from Manhattan outwards. It is captured on blogs like Jeremiahs Vanishing New York and, in Chelsea particularly in Kenneth in the 212.

In five years time, Frederick thinks the pace of change will mean Bed-Stuy is predominantly white; studio apartments are around the $2,000-a-month mark; and homes are being sold for $900,000. In the culture clash that is ongoing, he wonders how tense it will become, where can we meet in the middle, how can we live with each other?

I have no problem with the community expanding, but we should also have respect for one another. Losing the bodega or the guy running his fruit stand whos had it for 10, 20 yearsit hurts.

Frederick himself was originally interested in architecture as a profession, but the studying was tedious and for his mom the arts represented a hobby, not a job, he said, smiling.

He studied to be a nurse, then joined a friends fashion magazine.

Frederick became a clerk in a hospital AIDS and cardiac unit prior and during his introductory years to photography, which included a course at the International Center of Photography. Unable to afford the tuition, he "started shooting voraciously and going to bookstores to study photography."

For Frederick, among the most compelling pictures we look at is the one of Supreme, a stepfather to a young boy, Tyshawn, teaching him to tie his tie. Hes a stepdad, and hes stepping up to being a dad, said Frederick. This picture is an embodiment of family, of a community of love and tradition, a community showing black men loving which breaks the whole myth of absent father.

Frederick also indicated the picture of emergency physician Dr. Robert Gore, who started the Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI).

The organization, of which Frederick is mens program director, mentors young men and women at risk of violence and dropping out of school.

In Fredericks picture, Dr. Gore, who lives in Bed-Stuy, is wearing a hoodie, and Frederick likes it because he does not have the image of what a doctor is supposed to look like. Its what society has come to think a criminal looks like, but Dr. Gore is like, Im black, I wear a hoodie and I save lives.

In the picture, Dr. Gore is standing in front of a mural in memory of Yusef Hawkins, a 16-year-old African-American killed in a racist attack by a white gang in 1989.

I hope the picture challenges stereotypes, stigmas, and challenges people to think differently, and disarm us from fear, Frederick said. Fear is false evidence appearing real.

Frederick finds his work with KAVI incredibly fulfilling, giving back and building up, as he put it. Its about how to help young people who don't know how to navigate life, and find out who they are, or navigating the paths of the streets, where--depending on where they live and which school they go to--there may be influence of gangs.

KAVI teaches the children about conflict resolution, self control, entrepreneurship, what manhood means, family, and community.

Frederick definitely wants to have children himself, but laughed that he needed to find a wife first.

He added that he wanted to leave a legacy with a family of his own. Im realizing we all have a purpose, and we all have to find our purpose. As a black man or black woman in America we also have a responsibility to make our community and people better. Any success or access we gain, its important to share, develop, and nurture.

Fredericks most significant photographic influence, the Kamoinge black photography collective, embodies precisely that aspiration. Photographers inside the collective (like Eli Reed, Anthony Barboza, and Roy DeCarava) and outside it (like Joseph Rodriguez, Clarence Williams, and James Van Der Zee) showed Frederick how photography could have a storytelling element, as well as changing how black and brown America was represented. All of them have shown how social justice can be done with their cameras. Thats what I love about them.

In Ethiopia recently, Kamoinge taught 70 photography students how to tell stories from within their communities using their cameras and cell phones.

Fredericks next personal project will ask what does it mean to be a young black man in America today, focusing, as he said, on the disproportionate number of young African-American men in the legal system, the lack of opportunities open to them, the violence sometimes around them, and how to help them succeed and flourish as he does with his work with KAVI.

I asked Frederick what picture he had taken in Bed-Stuy in the last 17 years had moved him most.

He recalled an elderly couple called Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, who he photographed in 2003. In the moment, Mrs. Brooks was resistant to having her picture taken. Her husband gently convinced her, saying, Straighten up, and smile for the man.

Three years later, Frederick received a call from the couples daughter. Mr. Brooks had died. Her parents had been married 52 years, the daughter said, and Fredericks picture was the last one they had had taken of themselves together.

Mrs. Brookss voice suddenly came on the line, Frederick recalled.

Young man, Ive got to tell you that Im glad you persisted that day, Mrs. Brooks said. I just didnt want my picture taken because I didnt feel I looked presentable. You reminded me of what marriage is all about. Marriage is about trusting your partner even when you may not want to.

Fredericks voice cracked. She also said to me, I wish you the best with the book, good luck, and she sent me five dollars Frederick paused, suddenly overcome with emotion. ...To buy some film.

We looked at the wonderful pictures of so many faces and so many lives in front of us.

Frederick said, very softly, And for people to think that this community is violent and that nothing but lowlifes live there No, we are bigger than that.
Donald Trump does not like Hillary Clinton  and the pastor whom Trump brings along with him on the campaign trail believes that she harbors a desire to mass-murder black Americans.

Late last year, Pastor Mark Burns, co-founder of the South Carolina-based Christian TV network NOW, became a Trump surrogate after talking to the 2016 Republican presidential frontrunner at a closed-door meeting in New York City with various black pastors. Since then, Burns (or Pastor Mark) has introduced Trump at campaign events, prayed for him, sang his praises on social media, and gone on TV to talk about how wonderful a Trump presidency would be for the country, God, and black America.

I'm not an Uncle Tom, no coon, Burns said on MSNBC in November. This is me looking at the politics, and looking at an individual, a strong leader that I believe that's going to bridge and bring a strength back to America.

"Bernie Sandersdoesn't believe in God, the pastor told a crowd of Trump fans last week. Listen, Bernie gotta get saved. He gotta meet Jesus. He gotta have a come-to-Jesus meeting." (Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate and self-described democratic socialist, is Jewish .)

Just a day after calling out Sen. Sanders for lacking Christ in his life, Burns was introducing Trump at the real-estate moguls victory speech last Tuesday evening:

And earlier this month, Burns appeared on The Alex Jones Show (a hotbed of conspiracy-theory-mongering that is led by Trump ally Alex Jones ) to discuss, among other topics, the GOP frontrunner, the black vote, and abortion in America.

[The right to choose] is the extermination ofor genocide ofmany in the African American community, the pastor said during the interview.

It vexes me greatly how [African Americans] will stand behind [Hillary Clinton who] is okay with the murders of babies, he continued. Thats really one of my major platforms behind Donald Trump. He loves babies. Donald Trump is a pro-baby candidate, and it saddens me how we as African Americans are rallying behinda party that is okay with the genocide of black people through abortion.

He certainly isnt the first politically-minded person to make this kind of argument. In fact, the idea was also floated in the early 1970s by certain members of the radical leftist group the Black Panthers, who claimed abortion would " destroy our people ." And before Rev. Jesse Jackson became pro-choice, he had told Jet magazine that "abortion is genocide."
President Obama

Perhaps the biggest coup in SXSW historysince Bridesmaids premiered therewas landing President Barack Obama for a keynote conversation kicking off the Interactive portion of the fest. It was a curious time to have the first sitting president at SXSW, to be sure, since last year Edward Snowden held a secret meeting with tech bigwigs there, and the FBI is involved in an imbroglio with Apple over providing a backdoor to unlock one of the San Bernardino shooters iPhones. In a conversation with Texas Tribune editor-in-chief Evan Smith, President Obama warned against adopting an absolutist view on the iPhone unlocking issue and fetishizing our privacy over every other value.

But the real Obama fireworks occurred that evening, after, perhaps, a few Shiners allowed the POTUS to loosen up a bit. At a pricey DNC fundraiser in SXSW, featuring music by the rapper J. Cole, Obama finally went H.A.M. on Donald Trump. He railed against the Republican establishment for feigning shock at Trumps rise, imitating them by saying, Were shocked someone is fanning anti-immigrant or anti-Muslim sentiment! How could you be shocked, Obama added. This was the guy who was sure I was born in Kenya. And wasnt letting goAs long as it was being directed at me, [the Republican establishment] were fine with it! It was a hoot! He then called Trump a distillation of what has been going on in their party for more than a decade, where the other side is not only wrong, theyre treasonous and destroying the country. In true Obama fashion, he also included a dig at Trumps business record, first rattling off a list of his own accomplishments while occupying the highest office in the land, before announcing, Imagine what Trump would say if he had this record? Instead of selling steaks! He laughed, adding, Has anybody tried that wine? Marlow Stern

TOWER

The resilience and humanity of the victims caught in the crossfire of one of Americas first campus shootings is highlighted to powerful effect in TOWER, director-producer Keith Maitlands gripping chronicle of the 1966 University of Texas tower massacre. I served on the jury that awarded this timely doc-animation hybrid the Grand Jury prize this year at SXSW, where it also won the Louis Black Lone Star Award for best Texas film, as well as the festivals Audience Award. Fifty years after the deadly tragedy in Austin, TOWER feels as urgent as ever in an era marked by far too many mass shootingsparticularly since, five months from now, new state laws will go into effect allowing the concealed carry of licensed handguns on college campuses in Texas. Jen Yamato

Atlanta Hip-Hop

Whether its up-and-coming acts like J.I.D. and Rome Fortune, or more established ones, a coterie of Southern rappers transformed Austin, Texas, into Atlanta, Georgia, at this years SXSW. There was College Parks 2 Chainz performing a raucous Samsung-sponsored gig alongside his ColleGrove collaborator Lil Wayne; the always rowdy and raucous Rae Sremmurd spraying Bud Light into the crowd while getting em jumping with hits Throw Sum Mo and No Type during a late-night showcase courtesy of the beer; Young Thug, who held a mock jazz funeral down 6th Street in Austin to promote his upcoming mixtape Slime Season 3, while also performing a few tracks at an intimidate Urban Outfitters/Calvin Klein gig; Atlanta-based DJ/producer/Future collaborator Metro Boomin, the man who produced the whole of What a Time to Be Alive, thrilling with several DJ sets; and Future himself, who turned in the festivals most hotly anticipated show at the YouTube House, laying into hits Jumpman, Bugatti, and Fuck Up Some Commas. As much as it pains me to say this as a New Yorker, Atlanta is hip-hops new capital, and has been for quite some time. Marlow Stern

Dont Breathe

Fede Alvarezs home invasion pic with a twist remained enigmatically untitled until its SXSW premiere, but Dont Breathe is an apt moniker for the most inventively suspenseful thriller of the festival. In socioeconomically blighted Detroit, three young burglars get more than they bargained for when they break into the home of a blind veteran in search of a stash of cash. Nasty surprises await, delivered in pulse-pounding style. By the time Dont Breathe hits theaters, maybe Alvarez and Co. will have more thoughtful musings to share than the reductive jokes they made at SXSW about a skin-crawling scene of sexual violence that will have audiences talking after the credits roll. Jen Yamato

Next Big Things

Historically, SXSW has served as a great springboard for musical artists, with acts performing up to a dozen shows over the course of a week to industry tastemakers and fans. Acts like The Strokes, Sia, Alabama Shakes, Haim, and J. Cole have been discovered at the fest, and while the discoveries have been in short supply in recent years, several new names stood out in the 2016 edition. Seattle natives La Luz, who enlisted Ty Segall to produce last years LP Weirdo Shrine, combine lush surf pop with an energetic live show; White Lung, hailing from Vancouver, produce raw and visceral pop tunes dressed up in punk clothing; and Lapsley, with her powerful, resonant voicea bit Lorde, a bit Hannah Reidis poised to be the next big British import. As far as rappers go, after a dazzling cameo on Kanye Wests The Life of Pablo, New York native Desiigner proved hes much more than a Future knockoff. Marlow Stern

The Space In Between: Marina Abramovic and Brazil

The art world darling who has influenced pop celebrities from Lady Gaga to Jay Z to Shia LaBeouf takes a road trip through Brazil in The Space In Between. Director Marco del Fiol creates a mesmeric profile of the performance artists deeply introspective wanderings from one native spiritual ritual to the next as she lays herself bare to the camera, both physically and emotionally. In moments of humor and pathos, Abramovic allows herself to be seen not only as an artist in search of deep human truths, but as a woman nursing a broken heart. It is, essentially, Abramovics Eat Pray Love, and significantly marks a major period of change as she announces her intention to withdraw from the public eye to begin the next chapter of her life and art. Jen Yamato

Midnight Special

The talented Jeff Nichols, the filmmaker behind Take Shelter and Mud, decided to expand his horizonsliterally and figurativelywith his latest, a sci-fi chase film involving a villainous doomsday cult, extrajudicial government forces (including Adam Driver as a goofy-great NSA agent), and Michael Shannon as a devoted father protecting his otherworldly son (newcomer Jaeden Lieberher) from these nefarious parties. The acting, including by supporting cast members Kirsten Dunst and Joel Edgerton, is first-rate, as is the suspense and intrigue in a film that feels like a hybrid of Starman, E.T., and a Bruckheimer action flick. Marlow Stern

Karaoke!

In the annals of karaoke at SXSW there have been thin years, and there have been bountiful years. In 2016, the karaoke gods shone down on Austin. The karaoke flowed like Lone Star throughout the festival. There were after parties, like that for documentary Presenting Princess Shaw, where star and viral singing sensation Samantha Montgomery held court with a mic in her hand. There was the RVIP Lounge, a karaoke bar on wheels sent from heaven to roam the streets of Austin, welcoming its karaoke crazies aboard to sing until dawn every night. And there were, as always, the private rooms of the Highball, where indie film maniacs gathered to worship in a satanic church-themed karaoke den. But on the most SXSW karaoke of SXSW karaoke nights, foodie god Anthony Bourdain presided over a live band punk rock karaoke competition with a lineup of judges including Jose Andres, Ludo Lefebvre, and Queens of the Stone Ages Josh Homme. Their winner was Austin writer, mom, musician, and minister Erin J. Walter, who earned that crown with her rendition of the Misfits Where Eagles Dare. Jen Yamato
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

ZimFirst leader Maxwell Shumba said despite his party making significant progress surpassing their expectations in Zimbabwe thereby proving some prophets of doom wrong, there are some evil forces which are trying to infiltrate the party but they have remained strong and united.Shumba said sections of the society have been asking such questions as to what progress his party has made since its formation."We have made good progress, in fact we have surpassed our own expectations and in the process we have managed to prove wrong some prophets of doom who never gave us a chance in the first place," he said."First and foremost people have responded well to our manifesto. Our name which is well reflected in our manifesto resonates with the people. Zimfirst wants to give back power to the people. The leadership is there to facilitate and endorse decisions made by the people for the people. We are revolutionary in that we have come up with an ideology everyone agree with/ Country First, People First, Zimbabwe First. Even Joice Mujuru agrees with our ideology hence her picking our name to launch her political outfit."He said their brick by brick recruiting strategy has ensured they have an intact and impenetrable foundation."Forces of evil have tried to infiltrate and divide us but we have remained resolute and united to keep the foundation of our party intact. Opportunists have fallen by the wayside allowing us the ability to plan without any distractions. The results of such resilience are there for everyone to see .Our brand continues to grow as people begin to understand our methodology towards 2018," he said."Our silent revolution is spreading steadily to all corners of Zimbabwe. We have a national presence behind the scenes. 2018 will be won on the back of proper planning and this is what we are good at. Our strategies are being adjusted to the realities of the political environment but largely we are on track on our goal to be the next government in 2018."Shumba said they were people first party meaning they believe in investing in their people first."To demonstrate our commitment to what we believe in we launched our party I the neglected dusty fields of rural Murewa. Our launch on 26 September 2015, which was attended by nearly thousand people could easily have been held at Gwanzura stadium but was strategically held in the heart of rural Murehwa as an indication of the importance the party's ties to the voters in rural areas. The launch itself showcased not only the arrival of Zimfirst but the potential the party has to form the next government," he said."The attention we are currently experiencing from security agents and assigned infiltrators from fellow opposition parties is testimony that we have suddenly become a threat. Our members have been questioned and some harassed. In some places our party members have been denied permission to hold meetings."He said as a party using social media and person to person interaction, we continue to educate each other on party history, party philosophy and party policies. He said armed with a good understanding of the party, everyone in Zimfirst has become a disciple and the word continues to spread to guarantee sustainable, slow but sure organic growth."Students from High Schools several Colleges and Universities have begun to take a lead role in mobilizing the youth on their campuses and it's a very welcome development at a critical time when many opposition political party are struggling to build or are in disintegration mode," Shumba said."Outside Zimbabwe, Zimfirst has managed to attract some of Zimbabwe's best brains. Our policy development activities are led by technocrats who care less about politics but have a sole desire to see Zimbabwe again. The result has been a steady but critical following in the UK, USA Namibia, SA and Botswana."Shumba said they were very much taking advantage of the bad policies of Zanu PF that have seen professionals and a good number of technocrats leave Zimbabwe."They make the pool of experts who are now in the process of building the ZimFirst shadow government and are actively preaching and spreading Zimfirst ideas in the diaspora. Think Tanks which reflect our small government philosophy are fully constituted and have been responsible for developing our policies for a ZimFirst government. Each Think Tank has proven technocrats," he said."We have managed to garner explicit support from various civil society stakeholders and as part of our sworn oath to a silent revolution these Friends of ZimFirst will remain behind the scenes until the time we are ready for a public event when they will come in the open. For example we have a Pastors Forum which lead prayers for ZimFirst and Zimbabwe and we boast the explicit support of traditional leaders whose wisdom continue to guide us thus adding a lot of value to the growth and stability of our party."Shumba said when the time comes ZimFirst will hold its first rally whose timing will be announced to the public at an opportune time."The Rally whose theme is 'Together The Future is Bright Rally" will be aimed at serving notice to Zanu PF that the people of Zimbabwe cannot be defeated when they are united. ZimFirst was formed as a national convergence concept therefore, the Together The Future is Bright Rally is expected to put credence to that," he said.Shumba said for now the organic growth of the Silent Revolution has proven that it is very possible to lead a party from the Diaspora, if the message is right, planning is methodical, meticulous, thorough and expectations are properly communicated."Even ZAPU and Zanu successfully executed the Chimurenga revolution from the Diaspora. Our Silent Revolution to bring back Zimbabwe will not be any different. It is strategically important that at this point in time I be here where I am, once I complete the tasks I am working on right now on behalf of the party I will head home to lead from the front," he said. "Elections are not today and 2016 is our year to plan and to plan carefully for 2018. Zimbabweans need to know that is important work for the party I have to do between now and the day I return home. Most important, all Zimbabweans should know that I said 'Yes' to the calling from the elders in our society that I should come back home and lead the masses from the yoke of poverty."He said the elders who made the call emphasized that the children of Zimbabwe have cried enough and that their loud cries of distress have been heard and I have to come back home."I am not turning back in that commitment. I am coming home and Zimbabwe should be prepared for that day. ZimFirst is not a fly by night political party. It is an ordained mission to bring Zimbabwe back to working again and as such so many people will be involved in carrying the burden," he said. "After 36 years of Mugabe misrule, the burden to dislodge Zanu PF will be heavy but not insurmountable. I am heartened though by the promise I got from the elders that I will not shoulder the burden alone."Shumba said as a fresh voice and breath of fresh air, ZimFirsters in Zimbabwe and across the globe have put themselves up for the mission.He said to illustrate their utmost commitment to this cause of a peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe, the people who are with him in the Diaspora are coming home to join those already on the frontline of the Silent Revolution to provide solid leadership."That time will come and it will be soon and Zimbabwe needs to brace for our 'future is bright' campaign which we call The Final Voice 2018. Let me reiterate this important point, as a Party we plan methodically, meticulously and thoroughly. Those who are eager to be part of a platform of fresh ideas and fresh legs should know that I will be home and that the future is bright. In fact I am coming home to unite our people and lead them to victory of good over bad governance."He said through their 'Together the Future is Bright' rallies, our Brick by Brick engagements, and other unity building activities will build a coalition to win the elections whenever they will be held.When asked that former MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai loyalists who formed their own parties came and never made on impact, or Welshman Ncube, now they have Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma all struggling to attract more people, how do he distinguish himself and will he make it?, he said "I am a Fresh Voice who did not voluntarily put himself forward. Rather, respected Traditional and Church leaders separately carried the message that I had to come home, that time was nigh and I was being called to come and help lead to emancipation of our people."Shumba said they clearly stated that he will not be alone on this mission."They went on to say that they too will be involved in the background during the entire process until Zimbabweans achieve peace and justice for all and prosperity. Indeed, today, little more than ten months after they made the initial call the respected elders have been true to their words," he said. "Their support on the background has been unequivocal and through their support the response to ZimFirst's message of Country and People First from Zimbabweans from all walks of life is overwhelming. The Silent Revolution under ZimFirst is a unique wave underpinning the good will of the Elders and ZimFirst foot soldiers who are part of this mission."Shumba said the ZimFirst mission, its message, and the strategy to carve a 2018 win is very different from those whose names you mentioned."Ours is an ordained mission through which all forces of good are converging and I am proud of being part of it and so are all other ZimFirsters who are the bricks in our solid foundation. As a matter of fact our behind the scenes growth is phenomenal. We are a party where many Zimbabwean citizens are coming forward to share the little they have to help meet the needs of our Silent Revolution," he said."Our fundraising under the noble theme of 'Drop of Sweat to Wet our Flag of our revolution' initiative is testimony to what Zimbabweans can do together for a good cause they believe in. One thing to note is that I moved out of my former party as an individual and provided a new vision on a new platform without dragging my former party into my activities and this is a fact that separates me from those individuals you mentioned. I have gained a lot of respect from many quarters for going on this route. So as a party we are very confident of our ability to prosecute this mission together with the Zimbabwean people""I have not given up on national convergence but the strategy is different this time around. To clarify a bit here I was the brains behind The Zimbabwe First National Convergence Platform but not the one fronted by Bakare. We made unsuccessful attempts to merge though. The ZimFirst National Convergence is the platform that gave birth to the concept of People First and Zimbabwe People First, now stolen and used to launch Joice Mujuru's party," he added.Shumba said on unity, he was very confident that Zimbabweans are capable of forging meaningful unity beyond sharing political posts. He said Zimbabweans do not want simply a regime change but want a promise of a better future and a guarantee that they will never again return to the abuses of Zanu PF."ZimFirst is a unifying concept which calls all Zimbabweans to love their country first before their political entities. Zimfirst has worked diligently to put in place the necessary systems to guarantee a better future. The country comes first concept is unifying and I am sure every Zimbabwean agrees with me on that one. Our Together The Future is Bright Rallies which are in the pipeline will provide the real platform for national convergence," he said. "All Zimbabweans will be invited to these rallies to hear or speak about what we can do together. It's all about together as we come to these unifying rallies . We will be victors together and we will prosper together in peace and harmony. We will preach to all Zimbabweans and many stakeholders are already part of this initiative of fresh ideas and fresh legs."Shumba said he encourages Zimbabweans from all walks of life to keep their ears on the ground for the announcement and brace for these unique together the future is bright rallies."I know there are people out there whose sole existence in politics is for political power and I hope they will not be disappointed by our approach because our focus is to build a future together and in doing so we say everyone matters. But first things first, through our brick by brick method we will build a formidable body mass to overcome the dictatorship that has made the Zimbabwe into a basket case," he said."Our launch in a rural set up had no financial considerations at all. We actually spent twice as we would have if we had launched at a more central place like Harare. We also wanted to tell the world that a unique party has arrived which respects the areas where the majority of the citizens live. We are a down to earth party which is not moved by glamour or material things . In similar ways as in the Chimurenga war, the people in the rural areas will play a significant role on this mission."Shumba said the bigger population of Zimbabwe lives in rural area and they have been largely neglected, bludgeoned into submitting themselves to forced Zanu PF rule and abused by Zanu PF politicians whenever they need their votes."We converged in rural Murewa to send a message that we are Together with the majority of the suffering masses on this mission. A clear message that we will not only come when it's election time. We are the Final Voice to end their misery and so in Murehwa we took the first step together. For starters, behind the launch gathering, lie graves of 29 villagers who were massacred in 1979 at the height of the Chimurenga war," he said. "Nine of the victims where Freedom Fighters who lie in graves of unknown soldiers and kay largely neglected until recently when tombs were erected from the philanthropic efforts of one if the village's sons. My own sister Ketai perished on that sad day but until now we have."He said despite the traumatic tragic loss and sacrifice, the village has been neglected by the Zanu PF Government."To put salt into the villagers wounds, in each election cycle the villagers have been terrorized to stop them from supporting the opposition . In fact in 2008 a torture base was set up at the local township where villagers perceived to be opposition activists were tortured. The story of this village is not unique. Every village in Zimbabwe has its own similar story of abuse at the hands of the Zanu PF government and party. We converged in that rural set up to say that we will walk together on this journey and that when we become the government we will not neglect them," he said. "Those who came from across the nation took the message of hope back home. Encouraged by the fact that finally the party of the people has arrived."Shumba said his relationship with Tsvangirai was very good and respectful and there were structural differences on strategy to move forward."I made a decision to leave. My primary focus was to create a platform to bring in fresh ideas and fresh legs and in particular to bring in technocrats and to rejuvenate the party after the disappointment of 2013," he said."A coalition should not solely be focused on removing Zanu PF from Power but it should have the entire set of principles which should be the mission after Mugabe regime is gone. We will not be interested in joining big tents to partition political positions but genuine need to guarantee a prosperous Zimbabwe after Mugabe is gone."Shumba said personally he will not join any coalition which excludes the majority of Zimbabweans simply because they are deemed political noneties."I will join a platform which puts aside focus on political brand names but that which puts the best team forward regardless of name recognition. The existence of ZimFirst has been well received by some of the best brains that have been sitting outside politics but are eager to participate given the right platform. We will not join a platform that seeks to advance the wishes of political brand names at the expense of Zimbabweans who have the expertise to provide a lasting solution to problems bedeviling our country at the moment. I personally will only join a platform which puts country and people first and a not Self- First platform," he said.
An old jokethat in heaven, the Italians do the cooking; in hell, they run the governmentfeels a lot darker now that American politics are taking an Italian turn.

Since the fall of Il Duce, Italy has had a staggering 62 governments, and while American doesnt have that problem yet, our political system is showing all the signs of declinean inability to come to any consensus, the increased vulgarity of discourse, the utter incompetence of an impenetrable bureaucracy and the growth of extra-constitutional fascist and Mob-like familial run modes of governancewith which Italians have long and unhappy familiarity.

American Fascist

Lets start with Donald Trump, who the American left now routinely deems an American fascist in the mold of Benito Mussolini. Like Trump, Mussolini (a former journalist) rose rapidly to power as his country was disintegrating from within. Then, too, nationalist resentments were reaching a fever pitch as a large part of the populaceand especially the middle and working classeslost its remaining faith in the system as economic conditions decayed.

In 1919, for example, there were cost of living riots throughout the peninsula as the old governing class lost its grip on the state. Fascism, as Mussolini himself suggested, was predicated on strengthon the use and threat of violence. The disruptive hooliganism of Trump supporters at his rallies evokes the frenzied, violent environment in which Il Duce claimed power in the 1922 March on Rome, and held it he was finally ousted and arrested in 1943.

As the Financial Times Martin Wolff wrote, Trump follows a pattern that embodies how great republics meet their end.

But past results, as the fine print says, are no indicator of future ones and the comparisons between Trump and Mussolini seem overdrawn. Take a breath and recall that Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, too, were widely dismissed as fascists or even Nazis in their time.

Trump clearly has an authoritarian personality , and he appeals to those with that bent, but hes hardly a true heir to Mussolini. For one thing, Mussolini, like Hitler, was not born into money; they emerged from the life-or-death struggles of the Great War. Unlike those two, Trump does not boast an organized paramilitary black or brown shirt movement.

It is in the nature of his appeal where Trump does resemble the fascist leaders. His followers, like theirs, are people who feel left out of the calculations of the political class in both parties.

In this sense, he shares much with the nationalist parties on the rise across Europe, drawing support from the middle class disgusted by politicians kowtowing to identity and radical green politics, from voters who feel the ruling parties serve not their interests but their donors and well-heeled interests, and who, despite their protestations of comity with their concerns, actually hold their electorate in various shades of contempt.tired of being told that changes they can feel hurting them, are actually helping them, tired of electing politicians who then ask them: Who are you going to be believe: Me or your lying eyes?

Members of Americas white working and middle classes, argues Michael Lind, have become an outsiders, even pariahs in their own county: Lacking any establishment advocates and sympathetic intellectuals, on left, right or center, many white working class Americans have therefore turned to demagogic outsiders like Trump. Where else are they to go?

The Donald speaks not only to the their fears haunting the middle class, but also their pride: he wants them to be proud of the countrys past. Some insist the real Italian model may not Mussolini but a more contemporary figure, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Like Trump Berlusconi was a successful entrepreneur and also a loudmouth. who appealed to Italians by denouncing political correctness as well as the weakness and corruption endemic to the Italian state.

If so, theres some room for hope. Unlike Mussolini, Berlusconi never succeeded in overturning the constitutional order.

Whichever comparison is more apt, theres little doubt that iIn the run-up to the seemingly inevitable, horribly depressing face-off with Trump, we can count on Hillary Clinton and her reliable press minions to keep raising these Italianesque models. Trump will be dressed as a fascist, or even a Nazi, for breaking with the politically correct consensus. Like Berlusconi, he will be investigated for his numerous moral lapsesboth personal and businessand, by November, will be about as attractive to much of the electorate as Mitt Romney without his noblesse oblige or respectability.

American Donna

If Trump is tarnished, thats a good thing. But ihis political demise would sadly ts one that opens the door to another ugly Italian model, the less public but arguably more effective one followed by Hillary Clinton and much of the Democratic Party.

Clinton, notes journalist Jamelle Bouie reflects a machine model, with control of the party itself as a goal. Rather than an ideological figure, she appeals to stalwarts and interest groups (like banks and industry) far more than voters who choose on ideology and belief.

This approach approximates, more than anything, the structurethough not the actual violenceof the Mafia, with families. .These groups that represent distinct, sometimes interlocking, interests, each functioning with almost total dominion over its respective turf but able to process competing demands through a central commission like the New York based one founded in 1931when organized crime, incidentally, was under assault by fascist Italy.

Under a second President Clinton, the Democrats will operate under a similar system, with Wall Street, tech oligarchs, greens, feminists, gays, African-Americans, public sector unions, universities, Latinos, urban land speculators sitting around the table and her as il capo di tutti capi .

She wont have much patience for legal niceties, having already pledged to circumvent Congress if they wont do her bidding. What drives progressives crazy. about the former Secretary of State is not centralism  they generally supported Barack Obamas rule by decree  but the very pragmatism that grows naturally out of this kind of familial structure.

These families have already played a critical role in helping bankroll the Clinton machine, both in the form of the family Foundation, whose donations have reached close to $3 billion, and her campaign. Raising money from the oligarchy, as Bernie Sanders has noted, makes it much less likely she will challenge their vital interests in a concerted fashion.go after their influence.

Under a Hillary Clinton Administration, the Commission will be far more important than either under her husband or Barack Obama. Unlike these two articulate and charismatic leaders, Clinton inspires little loyalty outside of the families. She will not, for example, tackle entrenched interests like the teachers unions, which, to his credit, President Obama has been willing to do.

To be sure, a Commission-style government may not seem as scary as one run by an unpredictable and vulgar billionaire. Yet it could prove, in its own way, even more effectively authoritarian. Already critical Democratic families such as the universities, the tech world and even the media have become centers of censorship and ideological conformity. Their cultural influence, already pervasive, is likely to become even greater.

And in choosing a Mafia model, Clinton is adopting a system that lasted longer than the fascisti and thrived through systematic intimidation of its rivals. A Clinton Commission may not cause sleepless nights, as a prospective Trump Administration might , but it hardly represents an edifying future for this most, at least to date, successful of republics.
News / National

by Patrick Chitumba

OWNING a house especially if you are a lowly paid worker in Zimbabwe is a nightmare. But a Gweru-based property company, Zimbuild Property Investments, has come up with a zero deposit housing scheme to cater for low income workers especially civil servants.Zimbuild Property Investment is a subsidiary of Tinshel Properties which has invested $500 00 for a 50-acre portion in Gweru where it expects to establish more than 2 000 residential stands at zero percent deposit to customers. The company has been running similar schemes in Shurugwi, Kadoma and Norton.The company's chief executive, Mr Tinashe Manzungu, said in an interview that it was not feasible to ask customers to raise half or more of the cost of the stands at a time when most of them were paid low salaries."Zimbuild is an arm that seeks to afford all formally employed people a chance to own a home without having to struggle to raise the lump sum deposit for the stand. There is no membership or joining fees to be paid. No extra charges for the stand. Instead of getting a stand after an initial deposit which is pegged by other land developers at about $1 500, we give you your stand at zero deposit," he said.Although it has remained one of the lucrative markets, the property sector has been running at below expectations due to liquidity constraints. Mr Manzungu said under the scheme, people who are employed only need to provide proof of employment to qualify. He said the premiums were pegged at $100 a month for a 200-square metre stand payable in five years."Construction of a house starts immediately as soon as the member pays 25 percent of the stand cost since the areas like Montrose in Gweru are already surveyed."He said his company has also insured the stands to cover the premiums in case the beneficiary dies."If you die the dependent will get the stand because it is insured."Mr Manzungu said efforts by his company were to complement Government's push to build 125 000 houses, the target set in the economic blueprint Zim Asset."By 2018 we want to have provided stands and houses to more than 50 000 in Bulawayo, Gweru, Shurugwi, Kwekwe, Kadoma and other towns."
Thousands of children in Brazos County took part in massive Easter egg hunts in Bryan and College Station on Saturday, joyously stampeding through fields coated in rainbow-colored eggs filled with candy.

As per tradition, both Bryan and College Station Police Departments, in conjunction with various city and nonprofit organizations, hosted their respective Easter egg hunts Saturday morning. The College Station hunt took place at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum and was modeled after a similar event that takes place at the White House. Children partook in games, relay races, face painting, and received candy and prizes, as well as a visit from the Easter Bunny.

The Easter Bunny also visited Sue Haswell Park in Bryan on Saturday, greeting kids with a little help from his police officer friends.

"We escorted the Easter Bunny in at about 9 a.m.," said Bryan PD spokeswoman Officer Kelley McKethan.

More than 400 children and their parents were served a breakfast of donuts and juice, courtesy of Wal-Mart on Briarcrest Drive. Other organizations provided volunteer assistance, such as the department's Chaplain Corps, local church and social club groups and the parks and recreation department. Police officers showed off patrol vehicles and motorcycles to the children, and 15,000 plastic, candy-filled eggs were blanketed across the park's fields. At 10:30 a.m., a siren blared and hundreds of children stormed the grassy area like an advancing army, scooping up treasures as quickly as their hands could go.

Simone and Ella Burger, elementary school-aged sisters from Bryan, each gathered a haul of more than 30 eggs during the spree.

"I kept on looking for eggs, and I found some," Simone said. "And when someone else dropped one of their eggs, I ran and picked it up."

Ella said she had a different approach than her sister.

"If somebody dropped their egg, instead of picking them up for me, I helped clean the eggs up," she said.

The Burger sisters have come to the egg hunt and visited the Easter Bunny each year with their mother, Giovanna Del Negro.

"It was fun," Simone said. "The Easter Bunny was warm and nice and kind."

Bailey and Chris Cole of Bryan brought their 2-year-old son Oaken to the hunt for his first Easter egg experience. Oaken collected seven eggs and his parents said he seemed to really enjoy the experience.

Overall, McKethan said the egg hunts are a fun way for police and other socially active groups to serve citizens and give local kids a reason to smile.

"We have a lot of interaction with the kids," she said. "We talk with them, give them stickers and just try and get involved with the community."
July 31, 1920 - February 21, 2016

Billie S. Hollingsworth, 95, of Bryan, Texas, formerly of Shreveport, Louisiana, peacefully entered the loving arms of her heavenly Father on Sunday, February 21, 2016. A celebration of her life will take place at noon, Saturday, March 26, at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, College Station, Texas, with Bruce Wood and Robert Johnson officiating.

Billie was born July 31, 1920, in Mineral Wells, Texas, to Clarence and Mary Lou Hampton Snodgrass, and was the eldest of four children. She spent her early years in Houston, attending a prestigious school of dance. Dancing was her life! When she was 15, her family moved to Shreveport. She thought her life was over, until she met the love of her life, Wise Hollingsworth. He saw her dancing on stage, and the rest is history! They were married on February 17, 1939, and enjoyed dancing the rest of their lives. They cherished and adored their only child, Barbara Ann, born in 1941.

Wise's job took them many places, primarily Fort Worth, Texas; Big Spring, Texas; and Grand Junction, Colorado. They finally settled in Shreveport, Louisiana, where they made their home for over 50 years. All along the way, they treasured the many close, life-long friendships they made.

Billie was energetic, enthusiastic, and engaging. She loved to get groups of people together for dinner and conversation. She was a great cook and the life of the party. She was artistic  her home was beautifully decorated, her yard was a work of art, and she produced many oil paintings that grace the homes of her family and friends.

Billie always reached out to people in need, generous with her time and possessions. She faithfully visited the sick and elderly. For years Billie taught a young women's Sunday School class at the First Methodist Church in Shreveport. Her relationship with God was the strength of her life. For many years, everywhere she went, she told people she would pray the prayer that God had given her: "that they would have the desire and the ability to do those things that are pleasing to God." Every morning she faithfully prayed for her list of people.

She and Wise enjoyed 63 wonderful years together, until his passing on July 4, 2002. She continued to live in their home in Shreveport until 2012, when she moved to Bryan to live with her daughter Barbara. A year and a half later, Billie moved in with her granddaughter Kimberly, who lovingly and faithfully took care of her for the last two and a half years of her life.

In addition to her parents, Billie was predeceased by her beloved husband, Wise; her brothers, Clarence Snodgrass, Jr. and Donn Snodgrass; and niece, Zada Jean Snodgrass. She is survived by her daughter, Barbara Knowles (husband Tom); granddaughters, Kelly Ross (husband Alan) and Kimberly Downey (husband Mike); great-grandchildren, Ryan Green and Summer Wood; sister, Dell Toal; sister-in-law, Zada Snodgrass; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
October 25, 1952 - March 6, 2016

English philosopher Francis Bacon declared, "Wise men make more opportunities than they find." Raymond Messer was one such man until his death on Sunday, March 6, 2016. He was 86 years old.

He met Sarah Lois Messer at a Bell County country church, and they married on October 25, 1952, in Temple; their union lasted 63 years until Sarah's death on October 29, 2015.

Born in Temple, TX (to William Raymond Messer and Leona Sissom Messer) on January 25, 1930, Raymond grew up in the Temple/Belton area. His love of the outdoors kept him hunting and fishing in his spare time, but he also learned to work hard at an early age, helping out at a local grocery store.

Raymond graduated from Temple High School and in time joined the Texas National Guard, achieving the rank of sergeant. Raymond worked for the Lone Star Gas Company in Killeen and later accepted a transfer to Bryan. After leaving Lone Star Gas, he took an opportunity to open a popular Monterey House restaurant. Raymond later accepted a position at Texas A&M University, where he retired as a Surplus Officer in 1995. After retiring, he and Sarah enjoyed traveling to see sites around the country.

Raymond loved interacting with other people, especially when he was able to be of assistance to them. He always had a joke and was a storytelleroften spinning a tale beginning with the words, "I will never forget" He served as a deacon for First United Methodist Church in Bryan, as a member of the Kiwanis Club and the TAMU Faculty Club. Throughout his life, he loved to fish during the spring and summer then hunt dove and quail in the fall. He also "picked" for castoff treasures in places passed over by others, a trait that also helped him in his professional life. Some of Raymond's most treasured days were that of their son Ivan's graduation from Texas A&M and his wedding day celebration.

Raymond Messer is survived by his son, Ivan, and daughter-in-law, Angela King. His Life Celebration will be held at 11:30 AM on Monday, March 21st at Hillier Funeral Home, 2301 E. 29th Street, Bryan, Texas. The celebration will be officiated by Pastor Mark Julian.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made either to the Quail Coalition or the Coastal Conservation Association of Texas.

Please visit www.hillierfuneralhome.com to celebrate Raymond's life and add to his legacy.
It's no wonder senators won't consider the nomination of Merrick B. Garland to the Supreme Court. They must be exhausted from shirking their duties.

It takes a lot of effort to look like you are accomplishing something when, in fact, you aren't.

That said, the Senate's deliberate inaction is disgraceful. Every presidential nominee to any position deserves at the least a hearing in a timely manner on his or her merits to hold that position. From all accounts, Judge Garland is well-qualified to serve on the nation's highest court. So qualified that when he was appointed to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1997, many Republicans voted to confirm him.

In 2010, when Judge Garland was a top consideration for the Supreme Court seat that went to Elena Kagan, the well-regarded Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said Garland would be a "consensus nominee."

But now, Sen. Hatch and most other Republicans in the Senate are saying Judge Garland's nomination shouldn't even be considered during this presidential election year -- although Hatch said he is willing to consider holding confirmation hearings after the November elections. Especially if Hillary Clinton wins and could name a far more liberal person.

"It's the toxicity of this environment. I'm tired of the Supreme Court being politicized. I think we've diminished the court over the years. The only way to get out of that is to get out of this toxic environment and have the matter decided then," Hatch -- who contributed to this politicization -- said.

Americans are tired of the Supreme Court being politicized, and the Senate is to blame. The refusal of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans in Congress even to consider Judge Garland simply adds to that dissatisfaction.

Donald Trump is having the success he is in large part because many Americans are fed up with politics as usual in Washington.

We don't excuse the actions of Democrats in blocking or attempting to block Republican presidential nominees, either. The video of then-Sen. Joe Biden saying in 1992 that President George H.W. Bush shouldn't nominate anyone to the court if there were to be a vacancy during an election year is proof that neither party is blameless in politicizing presidential nominations, especially Supreme Court nominations. In this time of social media, such statements do come back to haunt the speaker, whoever it is.

Highly respected Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. said, "A lifetime appointment that could dramatically impact individual freedoms and change the direction of the court for at least a generation is too important to get bogged down in politics."

Excuse us, Sen. Grassley, this Supreme Court nomination -- indeed every Supreme Court nomination since at least the days of Richard Nixon -- is bogged down in politics. Democrats routinely oppose nominations by Republican presidents, as they did in 2005 when President George W. Bush nominated Harriet Miers to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and, in 1987, stopping President Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork to the high court. Anymore, Republicans routinely oppose nominations by Democratic presidents, as they did in 2009 when Obama named Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and again a year later when he nominated Elena Kagan to the court.

In some cases, of course, opposition to a nominee is based on qualifications, but most often it simply is a matter of politics and fear that a nominee would side with one faction of the court of the other. The problem is that the politicization escalates. Republicans try to thwart the Democrats and, when they are in power, the Democrats try to thwart the Republicans.

And it is the American people who lose. At some point, we have to say enough. These nominations are too important for Democrats and Republicans to play games. If you buy into the argument to delay consideration of the nomination until next year, how will you feel when a late-term Republican president makes a similar nomination, as very well could happen.

We don't understand how Sen. McConnell can keep a straight face when he says the Senate should wait to hold hearings on Judge Garland's nomination until a new president is sworn in (after which, of course, the nomination no longer exists) to give the American people a say in who the new justice will be.

The American people did have a say. On Nov. 6, 2012, they re-elected President Barack Obama to a second term with 51 percent of the vote to 47 percent for Republican Mitt Romney. They didn't re-elect Obama for three more years. We re-elected him for four more years, to run through Jan. 20, 2017. His term didn't end because we are in the midst of a contentious and ugly presidential nomination process.

Despite what politicians say, it is likely that Supreme Court nominations are not the most important issues voters consider when electing a president. But we think Americans understand that a Democratic president will name more liberal candidates, while a Republican will choose more conservative nominees. That's the way the system works.

President Obama upheld his constitutional duty in naming a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia. It appears he chose well, selecting a moderate judge who has earned the respect of both Republicans and Democrats.

Now, we urge -- no, we insist -- that the Senate do its duty. While the Constitution doesn't establish a timeline, it does say the Senate shall consider that nomination and either confirm or reject Judge Garland. Nothing says the Senate has to confirm his nomination, but he is a good, decent American who has given a lifetime of service to this nation and deserves to be considered in a timely fashion.

Failure of senators to do so betrays the trust Americans put in those we have elected to the Senate.

And it's not like they are busy doing anything else.
News / National

by Munyaradzi Musiiwa

THE ruling Zanu-PF Midlands Province will no longer be able to hold its Provincial Executive Committee meetings at the Zanu-PF Convention Centre after the Midlands Development Association headed by Larry Mavima claimed that the venue has been fully booked for the next three months and was also undergoing renovations.In a statement, acting chairman Tapiwanashe Matangaidze warned the party will be forced to react if the development was a reactionary move, spurred by some baseless frustrations."Yes, we have received a note about the closure of the facility. I don't think it's worthwhile to debate the timing of the supposed closure of the centre, let alone the justification preferred."We sincerely hope it's not a reactionary move, spurred by some baseless frustration. We have in the past held meetings at Senga Training Centre, so we will naturally revert there in the interim."Party programmes will continue and with vigour, for that."We hope all this hasn't been motivated by negative emotions, if so, we look forward to reason prevailing soon."Mavima has since written to Matangaidze informing him of the position regarding the centre."Moyondizvo please be advised that the Conference Centre is fully booked for the month of February, March and April and is also undergoing repairs to the ablution facilities as there is no water going through the toilets. Please find an alternative place for party meetings," reads a note written by Mavima.Mavima confirmed the closure of the centre."The conference centre is under renovations. There is no water and we had not completed the construction. As for the Zanu-PF meetings, Midlands Development Association has absolutely nothing to do with that," he said.Mavima is a former legislator for Zvishavane-Runde and was this month appointed board chairman of the National Railways of Zimbabwe.
SHARE Rand Paul

By Beth Smith of The Gleaner

When former presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) comes to Henderson this week he hopes the visit will result in an information exchange with residents.

"We will be in Henderson next week having a town hall meeting, and anyone will be invited," Paul told The Gleaner in a telephone interview. "I'll give an update on what's going on in Washington," he said, adding that he wants to hear what people have to say.

"We will be there on Wednesday to listen. We want to hear from people. The job of government is to try to get out of the way and allow businesses to thrive. My question is how can government get out of your way to create more jobs in your community?"

Paul will be speaking during a Kyndle breakfast forum Wednesday at the Henderson Fine Arts Center. The breakfast, sponsored by Alliance Coal, will run from 8 to 9 a.m.

Paul, elected to the Senate in 2010, is Kentucky's junior senator. His committee assignments include Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Foreign Relations; Energy and Natural Resources; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Health,

Education, Labor and Pensions.

For his part of the forum, Paul said, "I have a report talking about the different areas of spending. We've gotten crazy and out of control. For example, we've spent over $2 million to study online dating. We have also (spent) money to study Japanese quail to see if they are more sexually promiscuous on cocaine."

The problem, he said, is "we have poor oversight in Congress. So this stuff builds year after year."

"Most of us feel overwhelmed, but don't know how to fix it. They put all the spending money in one bill. It was 2,242 pages long and it has all the (federal government's) spending. Because it was so large, nobody had time to look through it with a fine tooth comb. That's why I didn't vote for it."

"Frankly, both parties aren't doing a good enough job in controlling spending," Paul said. "We now have a government who spends a $1 million a minute."

"The overall solution," he said, "is to make a constitutional amendment that you can't spend what doesn't come in. That would force people to work within parameters. There seems to be a lack of concern in Washington to all of this, and I think mine is a lonely voice."

On budget matters in Kentucky, Paul said, "I don't get to see the nitty-gritty of the state's budget, but I think it's important to have the budget balanced, and I think Gov. Bevin is trying to do that."

"The big problem is the pension, and apparently, it's gone by the way side for years. I think Gov. Bevin is trying to do something that's difficult and that's pay for government. People will want to criticize him, but I say if they don't like it, then they need to pose an alternative."

Paul declined to speak in-depth about the presidential campaign.

"I'm going to stay out of presidential endorsements," he said, "but advocate the best way that I think the country should move forward, and that's going to keep me pretty busy."

As for President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nomination, Paul said, "The problem we have right now is the president has crippled the coal industry in Kentucky. And we think he's acting unconstitutionally. The only way that it can be determined that it's constitutional or unconstitutional is through the Supreme Court. So I don't think we can give him a deciding vote in the Supreme Court."

"He's poisoned the well," Paul said. "He said he has a pen and a phone, and he will do what he wants, but our founding fathers intended that there would be checks and balances. I think it's best if we wait until we have a new president."
West Burlington pool shooting suspect found not guilty

After two days of testimony, the suspect in the shooting at the West Burlington Swimming Pool was found not guilty of all charges.
'How Hoax mom' Bonnie Sweeten violated probation before new charges

Court records associated with Bucks County 'Hoax mom' Bonnie Sweeten Rakoczy say she continued stealing money after her release from prison.
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Poso, Central Sulawesi  Sun, March 20, 2016

An Indonesian Army helicopter crashed in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, at 6:20 p.m. local time on Sunday. Thirteen passengers and crew members reportedly lost their lives in the incident, which occurred in the village of Pattiro Bajo, Poso Pesisir Selatan district.

Military personnel killed in the incident include Central Sulawesi Tadulako 132 Military Resort Command (Korem) chief Col. Saiful Anwar, Palu Military Police Command (POM) commander Lt. Col. Teddy S. Prapat, National Intelligence Agency (BIN) officer Col. Ontang, Military Intelligence Division (BAIS) officer Col. Heri Setiaji, Korem 132 information chief Maj. Faqih Rasyid and Capt. Yanto, chief of the health division at the 1307 Poso Military District Command (Kodim).

Other victims are Second Pvt. Kiki, the assistant of the Korem 132 commander, and six Army aviators, namely Capt. Agung, First Lieut. Wirahadi, Second Lieut. Tito, First Sgt. Bagus, Second Sgt. Karmin and First Pvt. Bangkit.

Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ronny Suseno confirmed the incident. Speaking to thejakartapost.com, Ronny said the Bell 412 EP helicopter had flown from Watutau village in Lore Piore district, Poso regency, to Kasiguncu Airport in Poso, where a joint police-military team was pursuing members of the East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT) terrorist group led by Indonesia's most wanted fugitive Santoso aka Abu Wardah.

'The location of the helicopter crash is only around 1 to 1.5 kilometers from Kasiguncu Airport, Poso,' said Ronny.

He added that weather conditions in Poso had been bad and suspected the helicopter had been struck by lightning.

Indonesian Military and National Police personnel were deployed to the crash site and 13 ambulances readied to bring the bodies of the victims to the Bhayangkara Police hospital in Palu, Central Sulawesi. (ebf)
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Linkedin Words Prasiddha Gustanto Photos Christina Phan (The Jakarta Post)  Sun, March 20, 2016

RAHUNG NASUTION TELLS THE UNTOLD STORIES OF INDONESIA'INCLUDING THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Rahung Nasution was slated on March 16 to present his latest documentary, Pulau Buru Tanah Air Beta.



The film explores the infamous prison on Buru Island where the great author Pramoedya Ananta Toer and many other political prisoners were incarcerated during the New Order.



Just hours before show time, however, the screening, at the Goethe Institute in Central Jakarta, was unexpectedly cancelled by the venue, following threats of a demonstration from the Islamic Defender's Front.



The screening, which would have touched in part on the bloody destruction of the Indonesian Communist Party during the ascension of the New Order dictatorship, is the latest of several events that have been cancelled after police declined to challenge hard-line protesters.



In Jakarta, Rahung hustled to move the event to the cramped headquarters of the National Commission on Human Rights.



Speaking to the crowds that assembled in the ad-hoc theater, Rahung was unbowed.



'We have to reflect on history and be at peace with our past by giving room to this community of survivors to express themselves,' he said. 'It is our collective responsibility to voice that suffering.'



The crackdown on March 16 was nothing new for Rahung, who is no stranger to the challenges of activism.



He has spent over a decade making videos and documentaries, writing essays and hosting events to teach people about the ugliness of contemporary Indonesian history'as well as the richness of the nation's traditions.



POINTS OF ORIGIN



Born on December 3, 1974, to rice and rubber plantation farmers in Batang Angkola in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra; Rahung, an eldest son, spent his childhood cooking and caring for four younger siblings as his parents worked in the fields.



Reluctant to be a farmer'and inspired by the images he saw on television'Rahung ran away from home.



'We Batak have a tradition of merantau,' he says, referring to wanderlust or moving to follow opportunity. 'This tradition is so strong that I wanted to wander.'



He spent about two years living on the streets of Jakarta, eventually returning home, where his parents arranged for him to study in the regency capital and eventually to go to high school in Yogyakarta.

______________________________________



Unlike as in Europe, food isn't considered an important part of 'civilization' [in Indonesia]. It's considered the business of mothers in the kitchen,' Rahung says. 'For me, cooking is a means to tell a story'to tell of rituals and of my Batak heritage."



After graduation, a lack of funds meant Rahung couldn't pay the fees for the entrance exams for state universities.



Following opportunity again, he met students from Gadjah Mada University and the Indonesia Arts Institute in Yogyakarta, learned from activists and continued his education on his own.



TRIBUTE IN INK



Look at Rahung and you'll note his tattoos. He has seven, none of which are for show, he says. His facial tattoo, for example, comes from the Koita people in Papua.



'The Papuans are different from us'they're of a different race with a different language. At the same time, we force them to [assimilate into] Indonesia and yet we marginalize them. This tattoo is my way of sympathizing and showing solidarity,' Rahung said.



Tattoos are another story of suppression: The New Order effectively banned the practice when cracking down on the preman (thugs) it used to do its dirty work'and local communities practicing ceremonial tattooing were also affected, Rahung says. 'Even my uncle, who wasn't a preman, ironed out his tattoo because he was scared.'



While the New Order bias remains in the Reform era, people are slowly becoming more accepting of tattoos, he says.



'Maybe I can't be like the Dayak or Mentawai peoples because I don't follow their religion, but I can immortalize them on my body with a different meaning,'' he adds. 'Why Batak? Because it's my roots. Why Dayak? Because I've once felt close to them. Why Papua? Because I felt close to them too.'



Rahung's first tattoo, however, was a piranha, which he got when living in Australia for several months.



He chose it thinking that it was cool'and later covered it up with an amoeba tattoo after he realized the fish was the mascot of the Hot Tuna surfer brand.





REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST



Similar to the purpose of Rahung's tattoos, his documentaries'he's made about a half-dozen'help preserve local voices while confronting political issues.



One example is his Mentawai Tattoo Revival, available on YouTube. The 30-minute work-in-progress explores his collaboration with the famed Jakarta-based tattoo artist Aman Durga Sipatiti as the pair worked to save the long-stymied indigenous tattooing tradition of the people of Mentawai Island, West Sumatra.



'I realized that their traditions and beliefs would eventually disappear. There was no one to preserve them,' Rahung says. 'There were elders in their 70s and 80s in these places who still practiced tattooing. I wanted to document them and understand what tattoos meant to them so that people in the future could still study them.'



While he'd like the final version to be 90 minutes, Rahung notes that making the current version has almost bankrupted him.



Among his other projects are Ukun Rasik An, based the six years he spent in Timor Leste after the nation's referendum on independence in 2000, and Tribal, which explores the ritual life of the Dayak Iban in Kalimantan.



'I don't have too many expectations. I want to use these documentaries to heal people's problems,' Rahung says. 'In Timor Leste, the violence has been extraordinary. We give a voice to things that people can't speak. I don't speak.'



He continues. 'They tell me their problems, such as the political violence during the New Order or in Timor Leste. By talking about their problems they experience; hopefully, they can heal their wounds.'



Rahung, who freelances as a content creator for websites, among other gigs, says that he's been busy with a new documentary-this time about food.

__________________________________________



'For me, what's important about food is not just enjoying it on a fancy plate and the flavors,' Rahung says. 'There is a story in a dish.'



Titled Di Ufuk Timur, it shows Rahung visiting remote locations in Indonesia to capture how people are making food in the kampung.



The topic only seems like a departure.



In Pulau Buru Tanah Air Beta, for example, Rahung describes a sort of prison-industrial complex: Political prisoners on Buru were made to farm during their incarceration. Their labor turned the island into an important center for rice production in the 1970s.



For Rahung, food is never far from politics.



IN THE KITCHEN



Rahung reinvented himself as what he calls a culinary activist in 2010, realizing that he could put to use the skills he developed when cooking for his siblings in Sumatra.



Joining a group called Aku Cinta Makanan Indonesia (I Love Indonesian Food), he began traveling the archipelago, investigating local culinary traditions that he would introduce to local youths and the world.



'Unlike as in Europe, food isn't considered an important part of 'civilization' [in Indonesia]. It's considered the business of mothers in the kitchen,' Rahung says. 'For me, cooking is a means to tell a story'to tell of rituals and of my Batak heritage.'



Critical of the nation's lack of culinary schools, Rahung has joined programs to teach people how to be creators and chefs, such the Ubud Food Festival in Bali or the SpiceLab in Bandung, West Java, where he promoted local cuisine using historical narratives'or 'recipes with stories,' as he puts it.



Rahung's culinary travels have given him a unique appreciation of the aroma, flavors, history and spices underscoring Indonesian cuisine.



'There's a story'a long journey'on how the people of India came here, how the Arabs influenced Indonesians and how they brought their flavors, kitchens and dishes,' he says. 'Like when we make nasi kuning [yellow rice]. When the Arabs and Persians were here, they couldn't find saffron or other spices from their native countries. They used kunyit [local turmeric] and now nasi kuning has become a ritual food for Indonesians.'



While his food activism, blogging and cooking have made him a local culinary celebrity, Rahung says that he's no chef. 'People here? They graduate from a tourism school, learn the template for making Western food and call themselves chefs. Then what do they cook? What do they create or innovate? What is their signature dish? They make pizza or spaghetti. Well, grandmas in Italy can do that! I can do that! That's why I'm always careful to say I'm not a chef.'



Rahung is passionate when he talks about local food as a reflection of national pride. 'People are more familiar with sushi and sashimi, even though Maluku has gohu, which uses raw fish, and the Batak have nanihura,' he says, referring to a sashimi-like dish made without heat or fire.



'For me, what's important about food is not just enjoying it on a fancy plate and the flavors,' Rahung says. 'There is a story in a dish.'
News / National

by Robin Muchetu

PEOPLE die in various circumstances, some fall ill and are just skin on bones when they die, some are crushed in horrific accidents that leave them disfigured, some are found decomposing being devoured by maggots before they are even buried, others are those that just die but maintain their natural look.All these people have to be prepared well before they are buried and someone has to do the job as per relatives' specifications. Undertakers are the people who deal with such situations on a daily basis in a bid to make a living and nothing beats such a lifestyle where you have to be in the silent presence of dead people that have no relation whatsoever to you and having to go home and eat or cook for your family.It seems traumatic to say the least and that explains why the job was traditionally and deservedly so reserved for men. Tales have also been told of how scary it is to spend most of the time dealing with dead strangers and how at the end of time most people in this career path end up with psychological problems but this is not backed by evidence.These and other tales however, make the profession not suitable for the faint-hearted and therefore a men only career. But last week this reporter had a chance to talk to a female undertaker at a relative's funeral in Nerutanga village in Buhera, Manicaland Province.Arriving in Buhera at night we all gathered at the homestead singing and dancing  as we gave our relative a befitting send-off while waiting for the hearse to arrive from Harare. At about 9 pm my brother Devout got a call to say he must wait by the muzhanje/umhobohobo tree along the Mutare highway to direct the driver of the hearse. The hearse arrived, a silver grey Toyota pick-up truck.From where I was standing I could see the driver skillfully manoeuvre through the small gate with pin-point accuracy, parking the vehicle safely, while avoiding a tree stump and several rocks in the yard. Then to everyone's amazement when the driver stepped out to open the hearse, it was a woman. For a moment some people actually stopped crying as they were struck with awe, while posing in bewilderment. Standing quite tall for a woman, she stepped out, dressed in a black suit, black tie and white shirt.A brown skinned woman, in high heels and a contagious smile, carefully pushed a trolley into the round hut and asked relatives to carry the coffin and set it up for the night. Sunday News later found out that the woman who was behind the wheels was Ms Margret Nyakudya (45), a mother of two girls from Harare and a funeral assistant at Doves Funeral Services.Nyakudya is one of the few female undertakers in the country and she has transcended the boundaries of gender to take up a job mainly associated with men. Asked on why she shied away from the "conventional" forms of employment associated with women, her response was that she was born to be an undertaker and has always admired men in this line of work."I started working for Moonlight funeral services and I was a driver cum undertaker until I moved to Doves last year in August," she said. She said her job as a funeral assistant is to carry out tasks that bereaved people cannot do for themselves."I assist bereaved people by doing things that they cannot do. Like in this instance I went to Parirenyatwa Hospital where I picked up the body of the deceased and took it to our palour. I prepared him for burial and even shaved the man's beard as the family had requested before I drove here (Buhera) with the body for burial," said Nyakudya.She said she is responsible for addressing the relatives of the deceased with their concerns prior to burial and helps them when they have problems. Some families, she said, come and request their dead relatives to have make-up on and certain hair styles and she is the woman for the job. Her inspiration to become a funeral assistant began as early as her school days."There is a man called Micheal Galiao (now late) who worked for Mashfords Funeral Services before moving to Moonlight who I admired a lot when I was still a school girl. I would see him burying Government officials and other prominent people and I just told myself I wanted to be like him when I grow up."One day my sister in-law passed on and we went to the rural areas where I asked the funeral service provider who had come with the body how I could enter this field and I was told. The person even cleared some misconceptions that I had about this job and eventually I applied," she said.She initially applied for a job at Nyaradzo funeral services and they needed a person with a defensive driving licence which she did not have and she went on to get tested.Unfortunately after acquiring the defensive driver's licence the company had already hired and she sent an application to Moonlight where she was eventually hired. She worked at Moonlight until she moved to Doves."I love my job so much. When I left Moonlight I tried to find another job but I just couldn't and I went back into the same industry. I am happy assisting bereaved people," she said.She said her family, especially her two daughters were supportive when she told them she wanted to be a funeral assistant. She said they were only worried if she was going to be able to manage and she told them that passion enables one to do any job. Nyakudya is comfortable with her job. She said she can drive from Victoria Falls to Harare alone with a body and not have any fears. Even if she has a breakdown in the middle of nowhere at night she waits until she gets assistance and fears nothing at all."I have come to realise that when a person dies they know nothing, they are at peace and they do what I want not the other way round. It's unlike a living person who will complain even when it is not necessary. I communicate with my clients for the day and tell them where we are going even as I dress them up I make sure they look as natural and as good as possible before we leave for burial," she said.She dispelled myths that the public have over people who work for funeral parlors."It is a lie that we are always under the influence of hard drugs and alcohol for us to do our job. We are always sober. This is just a job like any other. You just have to be strong and passionate about what you do. I started work with four other people but some could not handle being in a morgue as they would vomit and do all sorts of things and they quit but I soldiered on because I was passionate about my job," said Nyakudya.On the issue of nightmares and horror stories that the public speculates about, Nyakudya said, "there is nothing of that sort; the job is just ordinary and not for the faint-hearted generally.""I go to the mortuary even late at night alone. I have never come across horrific scenes that people talk about, when a person has died they are at peace they will not wake up at all or talk as some people say. It is a peaceful place as people there will be resting," she added.In her line of work she said she comes across difficult clients who have unrealistic demands but she has overcome this by being patient. She said she can allow people to vent their anger at her until they calm down. She said if she also raises her voice with people who are too demanding there will not be progress.Nyakudya said she encourages other women to take up such jobs so as to demystify society's notions on gender. She argues that because women perform the difficult task of giving birth, which requires enormous strength, there is nothing that should stop them from doing jobs normally associated with males. "I would one day want to see funeral parlors that are dominated by women instead of men. Rather try and it fails than to fear from the sidelines," she added.Nyakudya says her youngest daughter is interested in being a funeral assistant and she is teaching her how to drive so that when she is old enough she will get a driver's licence in partial fulfillment of her passion to become a funeral assistant. In Harare Nyakudya said she is the only female funeral assistant at Doves and the second female is a bus driver.Their Kwekwe and Bindura branches have three women drivers making it five throughout the country. Nyakudya who travels alone with no aid, sets up the place of burial and skillfully lowers the coffin alone and removes all the equipment used for the funeral and sets of back to her base where she awaits the next adventure in her line of work. No job is too much for a dedicated woman.
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Linkedin Beth Harris (The Jakarta Post) Indian Wells, Calif.  Sun, March 20, 2016

Novak Djokovic continued his recent mastery of Rafael Nadal on hard courts, winning 7-6 (5), 6-3 on his sixth match point Saturday to reach the BNP Paribas Open final for the third straight year.

The world's top-ranked player will meet Milos Raonic in Sunday's final, with Djokovic trying to win a record fifth title in the California desert. He has won the last two years in a row.

Djokovic extended his advantage over Nadal on hard courts to 18-7, winning the last seven times since the Spaniard beat him in the 2013 U.S. Open final. The Serb also owns a 25-23 edge in the longest running rivalry in the Open era, having won six straight meetings and 10 of the last 11.

Nadal, a three-time winner here, came up short in making his 100th career singles final with his second loss to Djokovic this year. The Serb won in the final at Doha in January. Nadal hasn't won a title on hard courts since 2014 in Doha.

"Today was closer than the last couple of times against the best player of world, so was a very positive week for me," Nadal said. "If I am able to play weeks in a row at this level, then you start to think about the chances to compete for everything."

Djokovic and Nadal traded service breaks in the first before Djokovic held to force the tiebreaker.

Helped by three straight errors from Nadal, Djokovic built a 5-2 lead. Nadal recovered to win three straight points, two on errors by Djokovic. But the momentum quickly swung back to Djokovic, who closed out the set on Nadal's service return error and his netted backhand.

"I felt for a moment that I was competing at the highest level possible," said Nadal, clearly the crowd favorite in the packed stadium. "At the beginning of the tiebreak and at the end of the first set, I made a few mistakes with my forehand. That's the only thing."

Nadal survived a four-deuce game to tie the second set 1-all and faced three deuces on his serve to hold at 2-all. Djokovic earned the only break in the sixth game to go up 4-2 and then served a love game for a 5-2 lead.

Nadal made one last stand on his serve, fighting back from a triple match point with a big forehand in the corner to get to deuce. But his forehand let him down on two subsequent deuce points and Djokovic closed it out on his sixth match point.

Raonic fired 10 aces while overpowering David Goffin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the other semifinal, improving to a career-best 14-1 this year.

Last year, Raonic saved three match points to beat Nadal in the semis before losing to Roger Federer in the final.

"If Milos serve well, he can win against everybody," Nadal said.

Raonic simply overwhelmed his smaller opponent, connecting on 63 percent of his first serves in the two-hour match. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Canadian averaged 131 mph on his first serve and even his second serve was 2 mph faster than Goffin's first serve of 110. Raonic has yet to drop a set in four matches.

"Definitely have been playing higher level this year, but I think also when I have had those difficult moments or let's say some kind of crisis throughout matches, I have found solutions better," Raonic said. "Maturity is a big part of it."

Raonic is 8-8 heading into his 17th career ATP Tour final. In his only other Masters 1000 finals, he lost to Nadal in 2013 and to Djokovic in 2014.

"I have obviously a big challenge ahead of me, but I have been pretty good this year at finding solutions," he said.

Goffin, who gave up 6 inches and 66 pounds to Raonic, needed three sets to win his first three matches, including a third-set tiebreaker in his opener when he saved two match points against young American Frances Tiafoe. The 25-year-old Belgian upset No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round to end a 14-match skid against top-10 players and beat Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals.

"It was a tough match against Wawrinka and tough one against Cilic, but against Milos I had also many opportunities," he said. "Maybe I just lost my concentration during three or four points and then that's why I lost the match." (**)
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sun, March 20, 2016

Earth Hour this year received more or less the same level of participation that it did last year, while some residents say the program is not effective.



Businesses and homes in Jakarta and other cities that participated in the campaign were urged to voluntarily keep their lights off between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Environmental activists believe that the campaign is an effective strategy to save energy and the environment.



Director of Advocacy and Communication of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia, Nyoman Iswarayoga, said the organization had asked the Jakarta administration to turn off lights in certain locations. 'Through the campaign, we want to see how much citizens care about climate change issues. The campaign aims to urge citizens to pay attention to the impacts of climate change,' he told The Jakarta Post over the phone.



He said that besides Jakarta, another 47 cities in Indonesia were involved in the Earth Hour campaign last year. Nyoman added that although the WWF was not directly involved, volunteers outside of Jakarta had collaborated with WWF to organize Earth Hour campaigns. Provincial and municipal administrations collaborated with local companies to support the campaign.



Among the cities are Pontianak in West Kalimantan, and Bandung and Depok in West Java.



Nyoman said that as of 5:42 p.m. on Saturday, 32 cities throughout Indonesia had agreed to participate.



Dimas Caraka Ramadhan, a public affairs consultant in Jakarta said the campaign was not effective. He criticized the campaign as being unable to resolve interests between the environment and industry; namely that although industry creates a lot of jobs, it also is the source of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the main driver of climate change. 'The campaign is not important. It only occurs for an hour,' Dimas said.



Sekar Laras Kinanti, a civil servant who lives in Cikini, Central Jakarta, said she would not participate in Earth Hour, but added that she ensured energy usage at her home was as efficient as possible.



Meanwhile, Ibrahim Siregar a lawyer who lives in Tebet, South Jakarta said that Earth Hour was a good campaign that led people to understand the significance of each individual action for the well-being of the planet. 'However, we have to remind ourselves that we don't do it just for the hype. It will be our loss if we only think about protecting our planet for one day, but forget about it the remaining 364 days,' he said on Saturday.



'Saving the environment needs more effort and willingness than just turning lights off for an hour. It needs the government to take action and stop issuing licenses for businesses that harm the environment,' Ibrahim added.



Separately, the Jakarta administration through the energy and industry agency turned off lights at six locations. 'We ordered light operators at City Hall, the National Monument (Monas), the Arjuna Wijaya Statue, Youth Statue, Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle and offices on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, as well as Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. HR Rasuna Said in South Jakarta to turn the lights off,' agency head Yuli Hartono said.



The agency is supporting the campaign to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in Jakarta through more efficient use of energy, since Jakarta's power plants depend on fossil fuels.



Despite criticism from some residents, Muhammad Rizki Imansyah a businessman who lives in Meruya, West Jakarta, said that he supported the campaign. He even said that the event should be held more regularly. 'The campaign would be better if it was held monthly rather than annually,' Rizki said. (rez)

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 20, 2016

An analyst has said Indonesia should give more attention to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a US-led free trade agreement between 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region that was signed last October and has entered the ratification process in legislative bodies of its member countries.

'TPP has been agreed and is being ratified by its member countries,' HSBC senior trade economist Douglas Lippoldt told thejakartapost.com in Jakarta on Friday.

He pointed to ongoing negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Touted as the largest free-trade area in the world, RCEP, which comprises the 10 ASEAN member countries as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, would integrate all of ASEAN's existing free-trade agreements into one scheme.

In the RCEP, Lippoldt said, Indonesia might have a stronger bargaining position; however, the partnership had not yet been finalized. Discussed since 2011, RCEP talks would enter their 12th round, scheduled to be held in Perth, Australia, in April.

"We know the RCEP aims to remove tariffs and integrate service sectors, but we don't know exactly where all of this will head. We can see that in the TPP, 80 percent of subjects of duty will be liberalized,' Lippoldt said.

Both RCEP and TPP have member countries that together represent more than 25 percent of global trade. In terms of gross domestic product (GDP), the TPP's 12 member countries generate US$27 trillion, while the 16 members of RCEP have a combined GDP of $22 trillion.

"RCEP is important in globalization. Indonesia wants to improve trade access to countries across Asia. Indonesian producers want to find input from areas across Asia. However, they may not be able to go further than what TPP can [provide]," Lippoldt said.

There has been growing concern of tighter trade competition between Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries, especially Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, since economic conditions and the export structure of those three countries are quite similar to Indonesia's.

"If, once TPP takes effect, Indonesian exports will face competition from TPP member countries [...], the economic benefits expected to come will be substantially larger," Lippoldt said.

As it did not include China, he said, the TPP trading scheme would not be focused on commodities. Thus, Indonesia would get the chance to develop more value-added non-oil and gas exports in TPP.

"TPP is more ambitious and will help Indonesia to liberalize further and to diversify its natural resources," Lippoldt said. (ebf)
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Linkedin Dominique Soguel and Suzan Fraser (The Jakarta Post) Istanbul  Sun, March 20, 2016

Turkey's interior minister on Sunday identified the suicide bomber who killed himself and four foreign tourists in Istanbul as a militant with links to the Islamic State group.

Minister Efkan Ala said the bomber was Turkish citizen Mehmet Ozturk, who was born in 1992 in Gaziantep province, which borders Syria. He said Ozturk had no previous criminal record and five other people were detained as part of the investigation.

Saturday's explosion killed five people, including Ozturk, and wounded dozens of others. Among the fatalities were two American-Israelis, another Israeli and an Iranian. The attack targeted Istanbul's pedestrian Istiklal Street, which is linked with shops and cafes in an area that also has government offices and foreign missions.

"The identity of the terrorist who carried out this reprehensible attack has been determined...The findings obtained show that the terrorist is linked to the Daesh terror organization," the minister said, using an alternative acronym for IS.

Turkey has endured six suicide bombing attacks in less than a year. The country faces a wide array of security threats including from ultra-left radicals, Kurdish rebels demanding greater autonomy who currently are locked in battle with security forces in the southeast, as well as the Islamic State group.

Turkey is also a partner in the US led coalition against IS and its air bases are being used to launch bombing runs against the group in neighboring Syria.

Two of the attacks this year hit the Turkish capital, Ankara. An off-shoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Union claimed the Feb. 17 car bombing that killed 29 people and the March 13 suicide bombing that killed 37 people. On Jan. 12, an attack that Turkish authorities blamed on IS claimed the lives of a dozen German tourists visiting Istanbul's historic sites. That attack delivered a bitter blow to the country's vital tourism sector.

Ala said Turkey was determined to press ahead with its fight against terror groups but admitted it was difficult to prevent suicide attacks.

"We are working so that they do not happen," the minister said.

On Sunday, well-wishers placed carnations and candles at the scene of the attack, with one placard reading "We are on the streets, we are not afraid of you."

Earlier, Israeli authorities raised the number of Israelis killed in the bombing to three, among them two who also hold American citizenship.

The third victim was identified Sunday as Avraham Goldman, 69, from Herzliya. The two others are Simha Damari, 60, from Dimona and Yonata Shor, 40, from Tel Aviv.

It was not immediately clear if the Israelis were specifically targeted. The Israelis' bodies and other Israelis wounded in the blast were being evacuated while a senior Israeli foreign ministry official to arrive in Istanbul for meetings with Turkish officials.

The attack came has Turkey had heightened security across the country in the run-up to the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz on March 21, which Kurds in Turkey traditionally use to assert their ethnic identity and demand greater rights.

Ala said 120,000 police and 80,000 military police were on duty during the Newroz period and more than 1,000 police checkpoints had been set up.

__

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. (**)
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu, Central Sulawesi  Sun, March 20, 2016

Forces taking part in Operation Tinombala, which aims to hunt members of the East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT) led by Indonesia's most-wanted man Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, have beefed up security in anticipation of the terrorist group gaining new recruits.

The joint team comprising Indonesian Military and National Police continued on Sunday to heighten security measures on the border zones of Poso and Lembah Napu areas, which comprise North Lore, Central Lore, East Lore and Lore Piore. Personnel checked all vehicles coming into the areas without a valid reason, hoping to prevent new people from joining with the terrorist group, which is now hiding in Central Sulawesi's Poso forests.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Rudy Sufahriadi said tighter security precautions imposed in Poso were based on the existing evidence. A resident of Medan, North Sumatra, was arrested in Poso Pesisir Utara on Thursday.

From an identity card confiscated during the operation, Rudy said, the Medan resident's name was Joanda Pratama, 28, and he lived on Jl.Garu II A No.57, Harjosari I sub-district, Medan Amplas, North Sumatra. During his interrogation, he admitted that he had been lured to Poso by Santoso's calls for jihad which have gone viral on YouTube recently.

'He was motivated by the calls to jihad and he decided to come to Poso to join Santoso, but we managed to arrest him [before he joined the terrorist group],' said the police chief.

Central Sulawesi Tadulako 132 military command post chief Col.Syaiful Anwar said that every day his forces were closing in on Santoso's group, adding that it could no longer move freely and it was now only a matter of time before the group was neutralized.

'We will direct them to a certain point and paralyze them. We hope they will not fight us again and there will be no more victims,' said Syaiful, who is also the Operation Tinombala deputy commander.

It was reported that the Santoso group had executed one of the group members for attempting to flee and surrender to security officers.

On Tuesday, a decayed body was found on brink of the Lariang River in Lelo village, West Lore district, Poso.

'From the results of preliminary investigation, it was the body of a member of Santoso's MIT group,' said Rudy.

He further explained the man was around 180 centimeters tall and wore a Casio watch. There was a hole in his head and a bullet wound on his waist. His leg was also injured.

Rudy said that in his testimony, Zaelani Effendi, a Santoso terrorist group member who was arrested in February, claimed that the features of the victim were similar to those of a group member. However, he said that what he could not confidently identify the person in the picture provided by the joint security team, as the victims face was severely wounded.

'There are two of Santoso's men with characteristics similar to those of the corpse,' said Rudy, repeating Zaelani's report. Although he could not confirm the victim's identity, Zaelani suspected that he was Sobron, aka Son Haji or Abu Sulaeman, the police chief further added.

Rudy said that it was very unlikely the dead body was a victim of a shootout between MIT terrorists and security officers and that there were strong suspicions that Sobron was executed by his own colleagues when he attempted to surrender to security authorities.

'It was reported that the Santoso group considered him a thogut [infidel]. He was also considered to have slowed down the group's movements, so it was probable that he was executed by the group's other members,' said Rudy.

He further said it was well known that any MIT member indicated to have lost faith in the group or anyone trying to surrender to security authorities would be shot or killed. His or her face would be damaged so he or she could not be recognized.

This was because of their principle that it was better to die as a syuhada (a person who dies for Islam) than die as an infidel after surrendering to their enemies, said Rudy.

During Operation Tinombala, security authorities have killed at least five MIT terrorists, namely Fahruddin, aka Udin; Agus Surianto, aka Farhan; Dodo, aka Ponda or Fonda Amar Soalihin; Magalasi Bahtusan, aka Farok; and Nuretin, aka Abdul. Zaelani is the only MIT member who has been captured alive. (ebf)
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Linkedin Hans David Tampubolon (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 20, 2016

With a distinctive style of comedy that has entertained cult followers for more than 20 years, Stephen Chow takes a jab at greedy companies that have ruined the environment in his latest sci-fi comedy flick The Mermaid.



In The Mermaid, Chow is fully behind the camera both as co-producer and a director. Nevertheless, old school fans of Chow's classic films, such as The Flirting Scholar (1993), From Beijing With Love (1994) and A Chinese Odyssey (1995), can clearly sense the presence of Chow's comedic touch and soul in almost every scene.



Chow's comedic style and narration are unique and can be so disturbingly twisted that they can make people laugh while at the same feel bad at what they are watching.



To cross beyond the borders of misogyny and political correctness are not taboo for Chow in delivering his narrative, yet he always manage to stretch this kind of style to its maximum limit and make his jokes and punch lines hit all the right spots.



Chow loves to torture his main characters, especially women, in his comedies. From his early days producing comedies for the Hong Kong market to his international rise to stardom with Kung Fu Hustle (2004), fans and audience have seen how female characters in his films have suffered immense physical and mental abuse yet, in his own unique way of storytelling, he always manages to trigger laughter from these endless presentations of misogynistic narratives.



It should be noted, however, Chow's comedy is never about the glorification of misogynistic behavior. He subtly conveys condemnation toward patriarchy and the shallowness of the 'macho' way of thinking embedded in the minds of narrow-minded men.



While Chow likes to showcase outrageous comedic abusive narratives toward women, he also constantly displays male characters that usually carry a hidden tragic burden behind a comical persona.



In The Mermaid, Chow introduces the story of a self-made tycoon, Liu Xuan (Deng Chao).



Xuan used to be so poor that even when his father brought him one-third of a chicken leg, he thought it was the most delicious and most divine delicacy in the whole world. Being poor, young Xuan promised he would work so hard to reach the top and become a very rich man.



Xuan eventually makes it to the top and becomed one of the richest capital venture barons in China. In his latest venture, he spends tens of billions to purchase a large chunk of land on a bay and plans to reclaim the surrounding sea to develop a wide variety of properties, including houses, apartments and amusement parks.



Partnering with the evil property baroness Ruolan (Yuqi Zhang, who is excellent as a seductive egocentric femme fatale), Xuan hires scientists to develop a sonar technology that disturbs the protected animal species living in the sea so that the government can grant them permission to reclaim the area.



What Xuan does not realize is that the seawaters also host the mysterious mermaid race. Enraged by Xuan's plan to reclaim the area and disrupt the surrounding environment, the mermaids send Shan (Yun Lin) to go undercover as a land female, seduce Xuan, and then assassinate him.





What should have been a simple mission becomes complicated when Shan falls in love with Xuan. Despite an awkward first meeting, Shan manages to make Xuan go on a first date with her and here, she learns about the other side of a man that she and her fellow mermaid kin despise.



While Xuan has grown to become a man who is morally incapable of looking beyond money, Shan sees in him a man who is actually lonely at the top. On the other hand, Xuan also learns from Shan about the beauty of the simple life and other kinds of happiness that cannot be bought by money.



Chow presents most of his comedic spark through the interactions between Xuan and Shan. As usual, of course, the Shan character suffers the most abuse, delivered in an exaggerated comical style that only Chow can successfully deliver.



In other parts of Chow's comedic narrative, he utilizes eclectic dialogue, twisted and witty comedic scenes and outrageously exaggerated parodies of classic Chinese opera. These enrich the film to become something more than a shallow slapstick comedy. There is a strong moral undercurrent on greed and the environment and Chow delivers it marvelously.



Like in Chow's previous films, he also does not forget to add in a little bit of drama and tragedy. In The Mermaid, Chow does not hesitate to present a very brutal scene of the purge of the mermaids by Ruolan's goons. The dramatization also helps Chow to add more layers to each main character, making the movie more enjoyable to watch.



It is a pity, however, that after a great build-up toward the tragic love story between a human and a mermaid, Chow chooses to play it safe toward the end, making The Mermaid another fine yet less gutsy work from Chow.



' Photos Courtesy of Sony Pictures

__________________________________

The Mermaid

(Sony Pictures, 94 minutes)



Directed : Stephen Chow

Produced Stephen Chow

Cast: Deng Chao, Yuqi Zhang, Yun Lin, Kris, Tsui Hark
News / National

by Staff reporter

RETIRED Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane was the last Zipra Chief of Intelligence whose other duties were to track and apprehend deserters. He does not recall Mphoko being listed as a deserter. He recalls VP Mphoko being appointed as Zapu representative in Maputo, Mozambique when Zipra forces withdrew from Mozambique to operate from Zambia. Below is his opinion piece.When Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu) took a decision to wage an armed resistance against the Rhodesian settler regime it started by sending volunteers for military training and Comrade Mphoko was one of them. After some sporadic sabotage incursions into Rhodesia, Zapu decided to formalise the command structure under the Department of Special Affairs, Comrade Mphoko was part of the command. In this command Mphoko's superiors were Cdes Ackim Ndlovu and Robson Manyika.After James Chikerema left Zapu to form Frolizi those who remained in Zapu as part of rejuvenating the armed struggle restructured the High Command and founded Zipra. When the Zipra High Command was appointed, Mphoko was the only surviving member of the old High Command and chief of logistics. His seniors in the command were Lookout Masuku and Alfred Nikita (Mangena), Mphoko never had a deputy when he was Zipra Chief of Logistics, never.Mphoko was part of the Zimbabwe People's Army (Zipa) High Command in 1976 as Chief of Logistics deputised by a Zanla comrade as was the procedure in Zipa.When Zipa developed problems and difficulties, a commission was set up late in 1976 to try and save it. The members of the commission were Simon Muzenda, Dzingai Mutumbuka, General Mujuru (Zanu), TG Silundika, Mphoko, Tapson Sibanda (Gordon Munyanyi ) (Zapu). The commission visited all Zipra and Zanla camps in Tanzania and Zambia. All those who were already cadres of the above former two armies must be aware of the commission. During his involvement with the commission Mphoko was based in Maputo as a Zapu representative in Mozambique. After the findings of the commission it was clear that the revival of Zipa would be difficult. Mphoko arranged a meeting between the Zipra High Command and the Mozambican government. This was end of 1976. I was part of the Zipra delegation to Maputo. I had been appointed to the High Command as Deputy Chief of the Military Intelligence, deputising Tapson Sibanda (Gordon Munyanyi).Later on, Mphoko was responsible for repatriating some Zipra forces back to Zambia. I and Matswaha (Normal) were tasked at different times to meet them at Chadiza Border Post in Katete, Zambia. Katete borders with Tete Province in MozambiqueMid 1979, I was attending a course at a military academy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. A group of Zipra and Zanla comrades had completed their training and were flying back to Africa. This group had been training near the border with Italy. The group was to be transported in a chartered plane. The flight route was originally to be Belgrade-Lusaka-Maputo. This has had been announced to all. The Zanla comrades somehow convinced the Yugoslav authorities that it was not safe for them to fly the suggested route. The authorities changed it to Belgrade- Maputo-Lusaka. The Zipra comrades objected to the change of the flight route. The disagreements of the two groups threatened to deteriorate to something nasty as the two groups travelled by bus to Belgrade for the flight. The authorities at the academy where I was (with AVM Abu Basutu, Charles Ndlovu and other Zipras) woke me up at midnight to go to the airport. I was not comfortable to go alone so I woke up my colleagues to go with me. I was the senior member of Zipra in that country. On arrival at the airport I found the two groups assembled separately.The atmosphere was tense. Some of the Zipras that were in the group were Matoyoyo now  Ndlovu, Major and others.The authorities asked me to persuade the Zipras to board the plane. It was when I was told what had transpired. After my assessment of the situation I took a painful decision. I ordered the Zipra comrades to board the plane and fly to Lusaka via Maputo. The only consolation I gave was that I was going to ask the Yugoslav authorities to contact the Zapu representatives in Maputo to meet them at the airport in Maputo. That representative was Mphoko.The authorities could not facilitate that I speak with Mphoko because they said, they could only do it through their Minister of Foreign Affairs. I was putting my head on the block and the clock was ticking. Thank God Mphoko met the comrades at Maputo Airport and even accommodated some of them at his residence before they continued their flight to Lusaka, Zambia.From 1976 to 1979 Mphoko was a Zapu delegate in several international conferences including Lancaster. Mphoko was even shortlisted for taking over the Zipra command after the death of Mangena.I was the last Zipra Chief of Intelligence and one of my duties was to track Zipra deserters. Like any other military establishment Zipra had deserters and those who want to know them should ask people who are an authority on Zipra. On top of the list of authorities is Mphoko and Ambrose Mutinhiri. I know there are others who wish were knowledgeable on Zipra issues, unfortunately they are not. Maybe they are talking about another Mphoko. Those who decide to say something about Zipra should not talk or ask those who were in it.Command of the Queen's language alone does not make one an authority on issues of the armed struggle. Towards the end of the liberation war, Mphoko's position made it difficult for him to interact with an individual soldier. It's not surprising that some former Zipra soldiers do not know him. The assessment of the liberation struggle by a comrade who was in a section differs from that of a member of the High Command. A soldier fought to win a fire fight, a commander planned to win a battle and a member of the High Command strategised to win a war.Some people were too junior to comprehend the deployment of comrades of Mphoko's rank. It will be good for people to confine themselves to what they know well, as the armed struggle, especially the military was restricted a need to know only. There is no harm for those who were juniors during the war but senior today to consult those who are junior today but were senior during the war on issues that are related to war of liberation. Speculation should be avoided.
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News / National

by Staff reporter

Three Mazowe Nyau cult members forced four teenagers to have unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman during their initiation process.The incident that has exposed the dangers of the Nyau dancing initiation process occurred sometime in July last year at Southern Section, Mazowe Citrus Estate in Mashonaland Central Province.The trio of Nyarai Tambatiya (30), Bishop Chinanga (39) and Thompson Lawrence Chiwara (26) appeared before Bindura regional magistrate, William Bhila last September, charged with deliberate transmission of HIV and were all convicted of the offence.Chiwara has since approached the High Court for bail pending appeal against his conviction and a 10-year effective jail term while his co-accused are doing time behind bars.The court heard on July 14 last year that the four teenagers, aged between 16 and 18 years old, went to Chinanga's place of residence for the initiation into the Nyau cult and were forced to stay at this house until the completion of the process.On July 19 the court heard, Tambatiya, Chinanga and Chiwara connived to coerce the teenagers into having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive Tambatiya, as part of their routine initiation procedure for the new members of the cult.Later that day, the court heard, Tambatiya came into the room in which the teenagers were, undressed and started teaching the teenagers the vernacular names of parts of her g.enitalia.After the theory lesson, Chinanga took the teenagers to Mazowe River for a bath after which they were later taken to a shrine where upon arrival Tambatiya again undressed, lay on her back exposing her private parts and ordered the teenagers to carress her genitalia while shouting out vernacular names of the parts of her womanhood.The court heard at some point the teenagers were thoroughly beaten for failing to remember the specific names and later were each forced to have unprotected sex with Tambatiya.As the sexual act was being conducted publicly, two of the teenagers failed to sustain an erection and were battered severely for their failures, while being forced to copulate 100 to 200 times per individual.In his evidence in court, one of the teenagers said he was thoroughly spanked after refusing to participate in the sexual act and upon being asked why he said: "Because I regarded the 1st accused [Tambatiya] to be elderly. Secondly she had a disgusting 'womanhood' almost rotten. Her private part was dirty."At that juncture, the court heard, Chiwara arrived at the shrine and also assaulted the teenagers with sticks and again forced them to have unprotected sex with Tambatiya, which they did.Days later and after the ceremony, the teenagers were released and one of them immediately reported the matter to his parents, leading to the trio's arrest."Police investigated the matter and it was established that accused 1 [Tambatiya] was HIV-positive and was diagnosed as such on March 19 2013 at Henderson Research Clinic, Mazowe and has been on Antiretroviral treatment from the day she was diagnosed," read part of the State outline."Accused 1 who is a long-time member of the Nyau cult at Mazowe Citrus Estate, allowed the complainants to have unprotected sex with her well knowing she is a long-time HIV patient. She neither used condoms to protect the complainants from being subjected to HIV, neither did she inform accused 2 and 3 [Chinanga and Chiwara] about her HIV status."As the matter was being heard, the teenagers were sent for an HIV-testing and they came out negative.
Back-road border-crossing tour itineraries into the heart of Laos, northern Vietnam

PHUKET: Khiri Travel has launched some exciting new tours ideal for adventurers wanting to get an authentic introduction of Thailands northeastern neighbours.

Sunday 20 March 2016, 07:05AM

The two new tours being offered by Khiri Travel provide a perfect opportunity to explore Laos with Vietnam. One of them features an eight-day, seven-night trip that takes in the rural charms of Laos, crossing into Vietnam at Nam Can border crossing, connecting to Ninh Binh and onwards to Hanoi.

The second tour option is a highly evocative 11-day, 10-night trip following a similar route but including visits to Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area, and Xam Neua, home to Laos revolution-era caves. The trip connects with Mai Chau and later Hanoi via the Na Meo border crossing.

Both journeys traverse iconic Indochinese mountain landscapes that played an important role in the Indochinese wars between the 1950s and 1975. Organized tour groups do not often visit the area.

Traveling the back roads through the mountains is the best way to admire the beauty and the breathtaking landscapes, remarks Jack Bartholomew, Regional Director Indochina, Khiri Travel.

Bartholomew adds the trips are balanced so that travelers still get to experience major highlights such as Luang Prabang and Phonsavans Plain of Jars. They can also participate in rare experiences such as the Nam Nern night safari by boat.

Another highlight is the visit to the hidden cave city of Laos. This was where the Pathet Lao built hospitals, schools, shops and theatres in mountain caves to avoid relentless American aerial bombing during the conflicts secret war.

The trip includes visits to the mysterious Plain of Jars and the Lone Buffalo community foundation in Phonsavan.

The Nam Nern night safari along the river is an incredible experience, says Bartholomew. It brings travelers right up close with nature. The trip is designed to support local communities as well as protecting endangered wildlife.

At Mai Chau in Vietnam, travelers then explore the Pu Luong Nature Reserve, taking paths through various landscapes including mountains, jungles and valleys. The hidden local villages in the mountains belong to Tai and Hmong ethnic groups.

Khiri Travel says both trips are suitable for couples, groups and families. As with any frontier trip in the mountains, there is a limited choice of accommodation. The company says it has taken extra care to select eco-lodges and good quality accommodation where possible.

While many of the roads have recently been improved, the area is defined by what Bartholomew calls, slow travel.

Joseph Conrad called it a journey into the heart of darkness. I see it more as a heritage trip through Indochinas mountains of light and hope, he says.

For more information about the tours, visit Khiri.com
Fight between Myanmar crewmen aboard Thai fishing boat ends fatally at sea off Phuket

PHUKET: One Myanmar fishing boat crewman is dead and his friend being treated for a stab wound at hospital and facing a murder charge after the two got into a fight out at sea this morning off Phuket.

violenceMyanmarmarine

By Darawan Naknakhon

Sunday 20 March 2016, 03:36PM

At 1pm today (March 20) Police Sub Lieutenant Saman Phromhom of Phuket City Police was alerted by Mr Ekachai Bunmai, 55, the captain of Thai fishing vessel Diengchai 11, about a fight that broke out at in the Andaman sea between two of his Myanmar crewmen, which resulted in one death and another critical injury.

Mr Ekaachai reported that he was en route to shore and would bring the dead injured to Por Pichai fishing pier in Rassada.

Shortly thereafter, police and rescue workers reported to the pier, where there was a large crowd of migrant workers gathered around the boat.

At the rear of the boat, authorities found the lifeless body of a man lying down and who was named as 19-year-old Yae-tui [transliterated].

Rescue workers noted a large gash near his right breast, as well as multiple wounds elsewhere on his torso. The body was removed from the boat and transported to Vachira Hospital Phuket for further inspection.

At the scene, rescue workers also tended to an injured 34-year-old Myanmar national named as Wun Chana  who was said to be the friend and killer of the deceased man  before rushing him to Vachira Phuket Hospital for further treatment.

The police investigation unveiled that at 9am today, while the boat was on its way to shore, the two friends got into a fight, which escalated to the point that Wun Chana stabbed Yae-tui, who managed to stab Wun Chana back before collapsing to his death.

Police have yet to comment on the cause of the fight, and have already charged Wun Chana with murder with intent.

In related news, a Myanmar rubber worker was found dead in a Mai Khao rubber plantation this morning, while police have arrested his "friend" as the key suspect.
Myanmar rubber worker found dead in Phuket plantation, police detain friend suspect

PHUKET: Police have detained a Myanmar national suspected of murdering his compatriot and 'friend' this morning on a rubber plantation in Mai Khao on the north of the island.

Sunday 20 March 2016, 04:23PM

At 10.50am Police Sub Lieutenant Thanom Thongpaen of Tha Chadchai Police was alerted of a dead body at a shack in the middle of a rubber plantation in Mai Khao sub districts Moo 1 locale.

Police and rescue workers reported to the scene, located behind a Tim Sum restaurant, near the turn-off for the airport, where they found the body of a man lying on his back side in front of the shack and wearing only black shorts.

An initial inspection of the body unveiled a slash wound near the man's left ear, and stab wounds on his back and right arm. Police estimated that the man had been dead for no less than six hours.

The man was identified as 25-year-old Mr Sor of Myanmar, a labourer who extracted rubber from the trees in the plantation.

Police questioned other Myanmar nationals in the area, who speculated that Mr Sor had most likely been attacked by his friend, another Myanmar national.

After searching the premices, police discovered another shack in the rubber plantation, where they confronted a Myanmar national, named as Mr Yao, who was identified as the friend of the deceased.

Police detained Mr Yao, who was said to be "acting suspiciously", and brought him back to Tha Chadchai Police Station for further questioning.

Mr Sors body was transported to Thalang Hospital for further inspection.

The incident is the second suspected murder involving Myanmar friends today. The other incident occurred on a boat at sea off Phuket this morning.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Harare's Central Business District is too noisy a development that might derail the city's ambitious world-class city dream by 2025.According to Sunday Mail, almost every other shop in town has taken to playing music to an unwilling audience through loud speakers, all in the name of wooing shoppers.Street vendors, among them memory card, sim card, earphones, rat and insect killer sellers  probably sensing a defeat by the loudspeakers from the shops have resorted to wailing their wares off megaphones.The chief culprit in breaking the noise by-laws has to be the supermarket opposite the former Ximex Mall, along Jason Moyo Avenue.Shops have resorted to blaring music from their shop fronts to attract customers, in violation of city by-lawsThe noise nuisance around that area, then perhaps, becomes an acquired syndrome.Walking down Robert Mugabe Road, towards the western direction, one gets deeper into the madness that is now Harare City.But if you haven't had enough of the nuisance and noise, a few steps down Robert Mugabe will take you to the corner with Mbuya Nehanda Street, where Budiriro and Glen View kombis have it as their own haven.Harare City Council's spokesperson, Michael Chideme said it is illegal for anyone to be seen flouting any city by-laws, the noise one included."Anyone caught on the wrong side of the law," he added, rather tongue-in-cheek, "will be prosecuted."
How to watch and what to know about South Dakota State at North Dakota
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabweans in South Africa are set to get a lifeline to continue working, studying or running their businesses in that country following negotiations between Harare and Tshwane that will see an indefinite extension of the expiry of permits legalising their stay south of the Limpopo River.South African authorities have been seeking to regularise the stay of qualifying Zimbabwean migrants through special dispensation permits.The permits, issued in 2013, became operational in 2014 and were to last through to 2017 but these required Zimbabweans to first return home so that they apply for an extension from here. But The Sunday Mail says that Zimbabweans in South Africa will no longer need to return to Zimbabwe to process their permits as the two governments are finalising modalities to extend the permit renewal deadline.Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo last week met his South African counterpart, Mr Malusi Gigaba, in Tshwane to discuss several issues pertaining to the documentation of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
Premier Kathleen Wynnes tweet last week re: the Frenchs ketchup brouhaha may have been meant as the last word on the subject. But really, its just the beginning of a conversation.

Its time for Ms. Wynne to start thinking about pickles.

But well get to that.

Wynne was photographed at the checkout counter of a supermarket, bagging her bottles of Frenchs, with the accompanying tweet: Proud to buy Ontario-grown. Weve invested in Leamingtons Highbury Canco plant where Frenchs ketchup is made!

A stickler for accuracy will point out those bottles of Frenchs actually rolled off a processing line in Ohio. But the tomato innards are straight out of Leamington and therefore this is seen as a win for Canadian tomato farmers, if not for home-grown processing.

Heinz, you may recall, started making ketchup in Leamington (long growing season; lots of sunshine) in 1910, a year after the Leamington factory opened. Home of Canadas Finest Ketchup was the towns proud claim for more than a century until Warren (he seems like such a nice man) Buffett partnered with Jorge Paulo Lemanns 3G Capital in a takeover of H. J. Heinz Co. BusinessWeek proclaimed that Lemann was shorthand for pitiless efficiencies. Bloomberg cheekily declared him the worlds most interesting billionaire. The locals in Leamington decried the ruthlessness of the new owners decision to shutter the plant.

Theyre looking at the bottom line all the time, one resident told me for an ebook (really) that I was writing on ketchup. They dont look at the impact on people. These equity firms look at it in a very isolated environment of just numbers. But numbers have faces, and they have families, and they have schools to go to.

Youre not going to control the Buffetts and the 3Gs of the world, one tomato farmer told me. I hope it bites them in the ass. I really do.

We had a great many conversations discussing whether Canadian Heinz ketchup was less sweet than its U.S. counterpart. There is much to be discussed on the taste, and health, differentials between sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

The good news was that a group of private investors, including plant manager Sam Diab, bought the plant, saving, initially, a third of the work force, with the contractual understanding that ketchup would not be included in the product lines. That doesnt prevent Highbury Canco from selling paste to Frenchs  ergo the curious state of affairs where the paste gets shipped to the U.S. in bulk and shipped back, with some spice and sugar added in, in bottles.

It was Canadian Press that broke the news of an internal Loblaws memo detailing the grocery giants decision to cease selling the upstart Frenchs ketchup because it is cannibalizing the sales of PC ketchup. Loblaws says the memo was misinformed. After a predictable social media storm  Facebook, viral videos, a politician here and there  Frenchs is now back in the mix among the chains narrow ketchup offerings.

(In extremely unscientific taste tests, Frenchs can be described as less sweet, and more tomatoey, than Heinz.)

Its cheering to see Ontario consumers supporting Ontario-grown. And it was an obvious photo op for the premier.

But its important that the discussion not end there.

Across the aisle from the ketchups and mustards, the premier might be interested in checking out a jar of Loblaws no name sweet green relish. Or dill chips. Or baby dills. Or the inimitable polskie ogorki.

On the back of each yellow label on all of those products the words Product of India are clearly stamped.

Now, Ontario is just as adept at growing cucumbers as it is at growing tomatoes. And the pickle business took a woeful hit after J. M. Smucker, another American outfit, closed the plant in Dunnville late in 2011.

Once again, Canadian production lost to the America-first focus. Its enough to make one think that the next time Wynne checks out of the grocery line she might ask the question that most of us do: now, what is it that Ive forgotten? Its the whole local food movement that should be grabbing her attention. Perhaps a personal letter to Galen Weston Jr. is on order.

Jennifer Wells columns appear Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. She can be reached at jenwells@thestar.ca

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Grace Stephens gingerly steps into a room fit for royalty. The 79-year-old grandmother is clad in a handmade golden buttoned frock and glimmering gold jewelry  delicate earrings and a necklace  with her nails painted to match. She surveys the scene: Damask walls, elegant wall sconces, and a long dining table featuring more than a dozen teas, mint and cucumber sandwiches, and a rainbow of macarons.

Oh my goodness, Stephens says softly. Now this  this is what you call a tea. A moment later, with a smile, she adds: Im a queen for the night.

To her family and friends, gathered here on a December afternoon at Torontos Fairmont Royal York hotel, she truly is.

Around a dozen guests attended afternoon tea at Stephens suite  a spot usually reserved for the likes of Queen Elizabeth II, Richard Gere, Justin Bieber and members of the Rolling Stones  to pay tribute to their beloved relative and friend.

While Stephens may be getting older, and currently coping with cancer, shes still full of life. With that in mind, her son Dean Roberts, the second-oldest of four boys, decided to memorialize his mom, giving her a chance to live out her long-held dream of staying at the Royal York.

Experts in the funeral and officiant fields say having a celebration of life while the guest of honour is still there to witness it is growing more common, with the concept of a memorial before death  sometimes called a living funeral  gaining steam in Canada and beyond.

Its something that I think is going to be emerging, especially with our euthanasia laws. Its bringing death into general conversation, says Cyndy Neilly-Spence, a Toronto-based ceremony officiant. The Supreme Court struck Canadas ban on euthanasia last year and gave the government until June to draft new legislation. She says these before-death events create a real opportunity to bring loved ones together to say thank-you and share how someone influenced their lives.

Nashville-based author and speaker Alicia King, who focuses on grief support, says the concept is growing in popularity  not because its a trend, but rather a shift in how people view the funeral experience.

According to new survey results from Canadian-owned funeral company Arbor Memorial, more than half of Canadians between the ages of 55 and 64 want their funeral to be a celebration of life, the survey found, while 45 per cent think its important to have the ability to customize their own funeral.

Baby boomers kind of flipped the script on funerals, and theyve certainly grown to a new level the practice of pre-planning their funerals, King notes, adding its not a huge leap from planning your own funeral to actually attending it.

Outside North America, funerals before death have been popular in Japan  a country with one of the longest life expectancies in the world  for several decades. Emphasizing the prefunerals practical value, its supporters say they reduce stress on families, writes the University of Notre Dames Satsuki Kawano. A full-fledged funeral strains survivors emotionally and financially.

The atmosphere and cost for a living funeral can be completely different from a traditional, sombre funeral ceremony, King says. Maybe everyone wears black or no one wears black; maybe its casual or an extravagant party. I think a lot of what appeals people to this idea is throwing out the rule book.

King has heard of a living funeral where a fellow who rode crew in college wanted to have the event in a boathouse by the river. Another woman was a hair stylist, so the celebration was held at a spa to have a day of beauty.

For Roberts, the day was about making his mothers Royal York wish come true and bringing together her loved ones in the process. One of his friends, a senior executive in the Canadian hospitality industry, helped make Stephens stay at the iconic suite a reality. My mother is always someone to put the needs of someone else ahead of her own, Roberts says. She would do anything for her kids.

Stephens moved to Canada from Guyana in 1959 at 23  out of curiosity, she says with a mischievous grin  and many attendees have known her for decades, dating back to her days growing up in the coastal South American country.

We never lost touch because shes such a special person, says Patricia Archer, a family friend who has known Stephens all her life.

Starting the day in the suites living room, an elegant space lined with cream-coloured wainscoting, the group shared laughs, swapping stories about cooking their favourite Guyanese dishes and how to use every last bit of a coconut.

Before tea, Stephens opened the meal with a prayer. Then, her guests chimed in by giving thanks.

Thank you for being my friend all these years.

Thank you for being the best mother-in-law ever.

Stephens, standing at the head of the table, beamed.

When asked if others should consider similar living memorials for their loved ones, Stephens didnt hesitate.

In life, when somebody passes, you say how wonderful they are, Stephens says. Try to tell them when theyre here and they can hear it  and they can thank you.

More than a funeral

If youre considering a living funeral for yourself or a family member, there are a few things to keep in mind. Industry experts Alicia King, Cyndy Neilly-Spence and Donna Belk offered their advice.

Default to the guest of honour

Planning a living funeral should involve the person at the heart of the celebration and truly be something they want to do  and definitely not a surprise. It shouldnt be something where a daughter wants to do it for her dad, and he comes kicking and screaming into the room, says Belk. If the guest of honour prefers a casual family room gathering, but other family members want a church ceremony, King says loved ones should default to the guest of honours wishes. When planning, stay focused on them.

Keep it classy

This is not the time to settle scores, confess, plead your case, or otherwise tell the guest of honour anything an attendee might wish to get off their chest, says King. Also, dont assume the person dying wants to take a selfie with you. Many, if not most living celebrations include taking pictures, but again, default to their wishes, she says. Dying is as individual as living, and should be respected as such.

Consider comfort levels

Living funerals and other before-death celebrations may be gaining steam, but theyre far from ubiquitous. Keeping attendees comfort levels in mind for these non-traditional ceremonies is key, says King. Not everyone is familiar (or) comfortable with the living funeral, so some relatives may not participate, then be upset by others absence at a traditional funeral. Some attendees may also get emotional  which could be upsetting for other guests, including the guest of honour. Its important to have a plan in advance so the attendee can be gently calmed and re-enter the party (or) ceremony, King says.

Think outside the box

If the guest of honour wants a non-traditional living funeral, its a good opportunity to go beyond the black outfits and candles. A few ideas:

Hold a celebration circle. Theres a Native American ceremony where they pass around a talking stick  its a community ceremony, explains Belk. At this type of celebration, its a good opportunity to share thanks and appreciation for a loved one.

Use stones to share words of love. Neilly-Spence suggests having a bowl of stones at the door when you come in, and provide markers so guests can write a few words on each stone about the guest of honours role in their life. All those stories could be buried with them, she explains.

Create a word mosaic. Available at Life.scapes.com, the service allows guests to input words and phrases about their loved one on an iPad kiosk  and watch the word mosaic grow in real-time on a screen.

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FOUNTAIN HILLS, ARIZ.Protesters on Saturday blocked an Arizona highway that served as a route into this Phoenix suburb where Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump had a campaign rally scheduled for 2 p.m. eastern time.

The protesters first blocked traffic with a pair of pickup trucks, with banners reading Comb Over Racism: Dump Trump and Shut down Trump, as seen from aerial footage aired by Fox 10 Phoenix, a local TV affiliate. As the trucks were later towed away to clear a path for traffic, protesters formed a human wall. Traffic along the highway, a main route into the suburb hosting the rally, began flowing after 2 p.m. as officers began arresting protesters, according to The Associated Press. Protesters also gathered in New York City on Saturday.

Meanwhile, several thousand people gathered at Fountain Park in Fountain Hills for the Trumps rally. About 1,500 people waited inside the secure rally area with several thousand watching from nearby. Unlike most of Trumps rallies, reporters were forbidden from mingling with the crowd, even hours before the rally started.

About three miles away from the park, a few dozen protesters gathered near the towns welcome sign with anti-Trump signs reading Stop racism and Deport racism.

Only a dozen or so protesters stood at the entrance to Trumps rally. One young woman held a sign reading Love Trumps hate. A 47-year-old father of five had a sign of an orange pig and Trump that said: Cute orange pig, Pompous orange pig. A small group of high school students also stood watch with signs, although they said most of their friends had instead infiltrated the rally.

By the time that the road had been blocked, Trumps rally was already packed and a long line of people waited to get in  so while the protesters made a point by fouling up traffic, they did little to prevent Trump from getting a full audience.

For months, Trumps rallies have attracted protesters, but in the past month, the number and intensity of protests has dramatically increased. Earlier this month, Trump cancelled a rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago for security reasons because thousands of protesters had gathered inside and outside the rally, often violently clashing with Trump supporters.

Arizonas Republican and Democratic primaries are on Tuesday, and immigration is a dominate topic of the 2016 presidential race. Last summer Trump laid out a series of controversial immigration reforms, including building a massive wall along the border with Mexico, deporting the millions of immigrants illegally in the country and ending birthright citizenship.

Trump is expected to be joined onstage by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose long tenure has been marked with one controversy after another, including his treatment of prisoners and using his authority to target illegal immigrants.

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News / National

by Staff reporter

Underground tunnels and bunkers believed to have been built during the Second World War have been discovered in Mbare at a place known as Beatrice cottages.Beatrice cottages were resident to a group of Italian prisoners of war who had been captured by the allied troops during World War 2.During the second world war 1939 to 1945, Rhodesia was host to more than 12 000 prisoners of war captured by the allied troops.The whole exercise was shrouded in secrecy but Rhodesia kept German, Austrian, Polish, Italian and Iraqi prisoners of war on behalf of the British empire.Now more than 70 years later, the tunnels are still there and reportedly stretch up to Houghton Park.Geroge Karemba, Tobias Musemburi and Dorothy Musemburi and Raymond Mazoredze all concurred that the discovery of the tunnels and bunkers should be taken seriously as they could become a tourist sites.A voluntary researcher, Mazorodze challenged historians to search more on the subject as not much has been revealed.According to the Mbare elders, the Beatrice Cottages were a no go area where Italian prisoners of war were kept while the bunkers were the safe place where they would hide in anticipation of any attack.What is now known as the Blue Bar was an Italian prisoners of war restaurant while the art culture centre used to be their clinic.
News / Regional

by Staff reporter

A GWANDA magistrate has issued a warrant of arrest for a student nurse who disappeared into thin air while on bail.He is facing a charge of raping a prostitute. The trial of Tariro Takavarasha (24) who was training as a nurse at Gwanda Provincial Hospital was supposed to start before Gwanda regional magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza on 11 March but he did not turn up leading to prosecutor Mr Johannes Tlou applying for his warrant of arrest.Mr Mabeza granted his application. Charges against him are that on 23 February, he met the prostitute at a night spot in the gold mining town and invited her to his place of residence.It is alleged that when they were about to engage in a sexual intercourse, the woman advised Takavarasha to use a condom but he refused. The two got into a misunderstanding leading to Takavarasha turning violent.He allegedly threatened to kill her before he raped her once. Takavarasha then allegedly assaulted the woman with an unknown object leading to her sustaining a deep cut on the forehead.However, she managed to sneak out of the house after Takavarasha had gone out to fetch a bucket for her to relieve herself in. She left her undergarments and shoes in the room. She reported the matter to the police, leading to Takavarasha's arrest. She was referred to Gwanda Provincial Hospital for medical examination.
News / Regional

by Lungile Tshuma

VICE-President Phelekezela Mphoko is expected to launch the country's first National Culture Day to be held in Insiza District, Matabeleland South Province on 21 May.The National Culture Day is meant to foster unity through celebrating cultural diversity. Chief Vezi Maduna, who will host the event, told Sunday News that preparations were under way and several meetings with local businesspeople in the district have been held so that they can also support the event.He challenged people from the district to support the event and applauded President Mugabe's move of setting up the Ministry of Rural Development, Preservation and Promotion of Culture and Heritage which is headed by Abednico Ncube."I want to first thank the Government for setting up this very important separate Ministry of Culture. It is important for our children to know their identity, roots and understand what society expects from them," said Chief Maduna."We are expecting our Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko to be the guest of honour. The day will be characterised by music and dance of different cultures as it is crucial for people to celebrate their cultural diversity."Chief Maduna who is also a former senator warned against cultural decay before urging elders to help youths to be proud of their culture.Said Chief Maduna: "There is no culture which is more important than the other. All cultures are equal and should be celebrated equally. Societies should be aware and take measures in promoting their cultures. I am happy that the Government has decided to set up a ministry to deal with culture."Insiza South legislator Malaki Nkomo said the district was ready to host such a prestigious national event."The district once held its own culture day and it was very successful. It is that event which led to us being given the mandate of hosting the first National Culture Day. The Government is working with us in preparing the event but as the host we have to take a leading role and I do trust the community because it has been very supportive," said Nkomo.
Governor John Kasich (R.-Ohio), in an interview aired Sunday morning on NBC's Meet the Press, stood his ground on remaining in the presidential race despite a chance it could strengthen Republican rival Donald Trump's position.

Kasich also said "under no circumstances," will he be real estate magnate Trump's or Sen. (R.-Tx.) Cruz's running mate.

The interviewer challenged Kasich on whether he should refrain from campaigning in Utah, since, if Ted Cruz wins half the vote there, he'll deny Trump any delegates and improve Kasich's chance of getting to Cleveland in a contested convention.

"I'm in Utah, you know why? Because I'm running for president. Because I want people to understand what is a good positive message with a record of accomplishment," Kasich said.

Kasich's Ohio win on Tuesday kept his run for presidency alive. He has 143 delegates, compared with Trump's 673 and Cruz's 410 delegates. In recent days, former 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said a vote for Kasich helps "Trumpism."

"Well maybe Ted ought to get out because he can't win in the fall," Kasich said. "They try to tell me to get out of the race, how many times? And if Trump had won Ohio it would be over."

Kasich blamed the media for Trump's rise, saying the networks gave $1.8 billion-worth of free air time, while "I got like none."

Now, he said, "People are starting to hear me, and we're starting to rise."

"I'm going to compete across the country and tell people who I am and let the chips fall where they may, and let me also tell you: no one, no one is going to that convention with enough delegates. I will have more delegates moving in there that will give me momentum and then the delegates are going to decide who can win in the fall -- 'cause the other guys can't win in the fall -- Hillary will be president. And secondly, I've got the record, the experience and the vision and the ability to bring people together to be a good president. That's why I'm doing this."

Asked whether he would drop out of the race if Kasich thought he was inadvertently helping Trump gain the nomination, he responded, "I'm running for president. This isn't a parlor game of who gets this or who gets that... I was there in '76 when Reagan challenged the sitting president. They didn't like him doing it either, but you know what? His vision, his message mattered."
Opinion / Columnist

 Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist and commentator, writer, and journalist. He writes in his own personal capacity, and welcomes any feedback. Please call/WhatsApp: +263782283975, or email: tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.com

One of the Democratic Party hopefuls for the 2016 United States (US) Presidential elections, Bernie Sanders, said something profound in his speech soon after the 'Super Tuesday III' primaries last week - something that made me think of Zimbabwe's own politics.He said that, although he was trailing his fellow Democratic Party rival, Hillary Clinton, in the primaries, the main reason that he had performed better than originally expected was because he had done something radical in US politics - and that was to tell the truth.His statement implied that US politics has all along been characterised by lies and lies and more lies, especially during election campaigns, and he had decided to radically change that by telling the truth.It made me think of my own country, Zimbabwe, and how it was time for the same radical change in our politics - whereby, politicians needed to start telling the truth - especially during election campaigning - as people were now sick and tired of being lied to - time and time again.Is Zimbabwe ever going to have a radical politician who will step up and tell the truth, without fear of losing voters?Is anyone out there brave enough to say exactly what they believe without first considering whether that will win or lose them votes?Similarly, are we, as Zimbabweans, finally going to demand the truth from our politicians, and hold them accountable if they fail to deliver on those promises?Going back to the US Presidential election, I believe that the main reason a person like Donald Trump is getting so much support is because Americans view his brutal honesty as refreshing.I do not believe all those people voting for him in the Republican Party primaries are racist bigots, but a significant number of them just got attracted to his honesty.Additionally, I do not believe that when Trump initially said all those bigoted statements at the start of his campaign, he was being populist and seriously thought that would attract voters.He was just being Donald Trump - opinionated, attention-seeking, and just wanted to create controversies so as to make the news headlines.He honest didn't care what people would think of what he said - he was not out to get votes.I believe that he was shocked, more than the rest of us, by the resultant 'popularity' and winning streak.That should also be lesson to Zimbabwean politicians.I am not advocating for a bigoted politician like Donald Trump in Zimbabwean politics, but we need someone who can say what they truly believe they can deliver to the people once voted into office, and be honest on what they will not be able to deliver.Politicians who try that approach may actually be shocked that, instead of losing votes, they might actually win - as Zimbabweans are yearning for someone they can finally trust, someone who tells the truth.The people's trust in politicians has all but died, as they (politicians) are always viewed as liars and deceivers.All the politician jokes out there centre around how they are liars.That is definitely not a good thing - in fact, it is downright dangerous, as politicians and politics deal with people's lives on a day to day basis.It is very serious business, and it is certainly not a game - as some people are fond of calling it.It is not a game - and certainly not a place for liars - when politics affects the very livelihood of a nation.Today in Zimbabwe, 4 million people are on the brink of starvation, millions are out of works, millions more have fled to the diaspora, thousands of companies are closing down - all because of politicians.What is needed now is for people's trust in politicians to be restored.This is not being idealistic, it can be done.It is a matter of will - both on the part of the politicians to tell the truth, and on the part of the electorate to demand that truth, and hold the politicians accountable.The time has come for a politician who would be bold enough to step up and honestly say what he/she can do and can not do.Even if the politician was to come up and promise to deliver only one thing, and honestly tell the people that he/she can not deliver on anything else - that refreshing honesty will win the hearts of the people.The days of promising people to build them 10,000 houses, but then fail to build even a single one - except his/her own - are over.As much as we are suffering in Zimbabwe, I would rather trust a politician who comes to me and tells me honestly that if I voted for him/her, there is not much he/she can promise me in terms of creating jobs because of this and that - than someone who comes to me and says that if I voted for him/her, 100,000 jobs will be created within the first 90 days of his/her Presidency.We have heard such promises before, and as much as the people are suffering - and understandably need relief - but desperation is what has led us to being so easily hoodwinked by these wily politicians.Let us, as Zimbabweans, not let our pain, poverty, and suffering cloud our judgement in the forthcoming 2018 elections.As much as we want to immediately get out of this living nightmare that the ZANU PF government has subjected us to for far too long, let discernment be the operative word.Additionally, there has to be put in place some sort of legally-binding contract (I hope the legal minds out there can help us here), that will ensure that whatever a politician would have promised to deliver during electioneering would be legally binding, and failure to deliver should result in that politician being forced to step down.That contract should clearly define the terms and time-frames in which these promises are to be fulfilled.The 2018 elections should be radical and a turning point in Zimbabwe politics, where Zimbabweans themselves finally take charge of the political landscape, and hold politicians accountable in everything - never again shall politicians consider themselves the bosses, but the people will be.
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 in Washington, Thursday, March 17, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Protesters against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump show up at a rally for Trump in Fountain Hills, Ariz,, Saturday. , March 19, 2016. (David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Opinion / Columnist

THE Easter holiday is a major highlight on every year's calendar, with millions of Christians all over the world observing it.Over the years many churches have been seen to plan their major conferences and special services round about this time.It is a time when church activity is at its hyper; baptisms, confirmations, soul winning crusades, all night prayers, the Cross/Jesus plays and musical concerts.In essence, is this Christian holiday a Biblical phenomena or it rather bears its origins in paganism? Is it true that contrary to popular belief, Easter does not represent the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ?What is Easter?According to Christian tradition, it is a four-day holiday to remember and celebrate Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.Perhaps if this was all there was to this Christian holiday, it would be an unquestionable noble holiday indeed. There would be nothing questionable about Christians celebrating the finished work at Calvary; the Bible encourages believers to do just that!However, the story does not quite end there. Let's take a close look at why there is the on -going controversy about the holiday being of pagan origin. According to the Venerable Bede (673-735), an English monk who wrote the first "History of Christianity in England", the term "Easter" was derived from the name of an Ancient Germanic Pagan Goddess "Eostre".The month of April was known as "Eosturmonath", a name which is now translated "Paschal month". It was called after the goddess Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Eostre was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similar goddesses in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean included; Ashtoreth from Ancient Israel, Astarte from Ancient Greece and Ishtar from Assyria. Now if Easter was named after a pagan goddess, does the name make the entire celebration pagan?It appears there is more to the paganism associated with Easter than just its name. The date of Easter is not fixed, but instead governed by the phases of the moon - how pagan is that?Further assertions seem to point to the fact that all the fun things about Easter are pagan.The bunnies are a leftover from the pagan Festival of Eostre, whose symbol was a rabbit/hare. The exchange of eggs is an ancient custom, celebrated by many cultures. Hot cross buns are very ancient too. In the Old Testament we see the Israelites baking sweet buns for an idol, and religious leaders trying to put a stop to it.The early church also tried to put a stop to sacred cakes baked on Easter. One might perhaps wonder if the Easter bunnies, eggs, fluffy chicks and simnel cakes are of any meaningful benefit to the Christian faith.In essence the bulk of Easter products bear their origins in pagan feasts; Easter cards and gifts have no Christian consecration.We definitely do not see any celebrations of Easter in the New Testament; but many churches today offer what they call "sunrise services" which are equivalent to a pagan solar celebration.Most of the practices done at Easter by some churches are more a result of liturgical creativity than a Biblical instruction. One may therefore ask; if there are no scriptures pointing Christians to designing a holiday called Easter, how did Christians decide to coin this holiday?Jesus Christ's death and resurrection are of central significance to the Christian faith, thus with the inclusion of these major elements in this originally pagan holiday the entire festival became of critical significance to millions of Christians around the world.Should Christians celebrate Easter?This is perhaps one question that the church may not immediately answer with one voice. Already some churches neither acknowledge nor observe the Easter holiday. They rather celebrate the Passover, which they have substantial Biblical references to support.The Passover ("Pascha" in Greek and "Pesach" in Hebrew) is the name of the yearly feast of Israel to commemorate their deliverance from the Angel of Death in Egypt (Exodus 12:11-14).These churches openly frown at Easter.Moreover most historians, including Biblical scholars, agree that although Easter is honoured by many contemporary Christians, it was originally a pagan festival.Meanwhile, millions of Christians all over the world celebrate the Easter holiday. Some people have introduced their own themes for the holiday, with many families doing their traditional rituals at this time.These include kurova makuva, memorial services, unveiling of tombstones, lobola payment and weddings.There is also the domineering spirit of over-indulgence as experienced at Christmas, with people drinking their lives away and giving themselves to all forms of lustful desires!Thus despite the assumed Christianisation of the Christmas and Easter holidays, the spirit of over indulgencies and drunkenness which was the norm with the pagan rituals seem to have lingered on. Sadly, the world realises major bloodshed with the rise in road carnage, as many people die in road accidents travelling during this holiday.Some Christians ignore all pagan connotations about Easter and continue to bite the head off the bunny goddess, the pagan simnel cake, go for the sunrise service, get fluffy legged chicks and all the other pagan novelty Easter products.It has also become a common sight to see some Church leaders cleansing and anointing these products for their members. The Bible gives enough encouragement for believers to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and with the consciousness induced by Easter holiday; many continue to see a grand opportunity to celebrate Christ at Easter.As Easter approaches, perhaps it's time to take a walk back into our Christian Faith, and revisit our presuppositions and beliefs about the entire Easter celebrations!Pr Nyarambi is the founder of Faith Christian Media Centre
[By Avrumi Weinberger]

With Marco Rubios exit from the race, it has become increasingly obvious that the choice for the Republican nomination for President of the United States has come down to a choice between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Like the rest of the country, the Jewish community is faced with a choice. Which candidate most reflects our values? Which candidate best serves our interests? Both candidates enjoy considerable support in our community, but we must critically assess the record, character, and temperament of each candidate in order to arrive at an informed conclusion.

Religious Liberty  Over the course of human history, the Jewish People have never enjoyed more freedom and liberty than they do today in the United States. But as Ronald Reagan so rightly observed, Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didnt pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our childrens children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. We stand at just such a crossroads.

Even in America, bad choices can lead to tyrannical consequences. There is a significant minority in America today, which thirsts for authoritarian protectionism. When constitutional Republicanism is replaced by brute authoritarianism, there can be no hope fo proper liberty of any kind, including that of religious liberty. Donald Trump has shown a callous disregard for the First Amendment to the Constitution which protects religious liberty. He has suggested that he would open the libel laws which would allow him to intimidate members of the press into writing only favorable material. This dangerous precedent would pose a serious threat to religious liberty and freedom of expression.

Senator Cruz, on the other hand, has successfully defended religious liberty when he represented the state of Texas in front of the Supreme Court to argue for the constitutionality of the Texas Ten Commandments monument in front of the state capitol. Ted Cruz can be counted on to protect religious liberty under his administration. With Donald Trump, its anyones guess. We are not Iran or North Korea. We cherish our right to religious expression and we must do everything within our power to preserve it.

Economy  One of the more potent arguments you will hear from supporters of Donald Trump is that hes a businessman and that hell revive the economy. But as the primary season has progressed, his policy proposals have been scarce and impossibly vague. The little he has said though, is equally disturbing. He has proposed imposing up to a 45% tariff on goods coming from China. Such a proposal would dramatically increase prices for consumers and force companies to lay off thousands of jobs.

Senator Cruz has proposed a flat tax which would not tax the first $36,000 earned and tax 10% of everything above that for every income bracket, a proposal that the non-partisan Tax Foundation estimates will increase wages by more than 12%. These are just samples of the fundamental differences that separate the candidates on matters of the economy and jobs. One believes in the free market, the other is a protectionist.

Israel  Senator Cruz has pledged to suspend tax-payer funding for the Palestinian Authority. Trump has made no such pledge. On the contrary, he said he would be neutral with regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a position that has been adopted by Obama and the far left. Cruz has left no doubts about his staunch commitment to Israel, while Trump has been frighteningly ambiguous. Ted Cruz would put an end to the abhorrent moral equivalency we see coming from the current administration while Trump would just be a continuation.

Temperament  The presidency is the most powerful and prestigious office in the world. It requires a character and integrity that is worthy of a job of such magnitude. During the course of this campaign, weve seen a disturbing pattern of behavior coming from Mr. Trump. The examples are endless and well known and do not need to be recounted. A man of such character would be an embarrassment to the Oval Office and an embarrassment to our children. We need to support a candidate who will be a pride to the nation, not a shame. Ted Cruz has shown exemplary conduct throughout this campaign and we will know what to expect from his administration.

In sum, on issue after issue, Ted Cruz supports our interests and reflects our values while Trump does not. I urge my brethren to join me in supporting Ted Cruz for President of the United States of America.
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

There is a famous Yalkut Shimoni (#944) referring to the time of Moshiach that states, All the holidays are destined to be negated but the days of Purim will never be negated forever. Rav Elazar says that Yom Kippur will also not be negated. The idea is also found in Midrash Mishlei.

Regarding this Midrash, a newly revealed thought from Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal is cited (page 160) in the new second volume of Mesoras Moshe (printed Taives 5776).

At about the time of his grandsons wedding, Rav Moshe Zatzals grandson, ylct Reb Mordechai Tendler explained to Rav Moshe that his wifes shul had purchased a silver Chanukah menorah as a wedding gift, but he hoped never to use it.

Rav Moshe zatzal expressed confusion.

His grandson explained that he hopes that Moshiach will come beforehand and the above Midrash will apply.

Rav Moshe explained that when the Midrash refers to Purim, it also includes Chanukah  because they are both of the same type of Yom Tov. In other words, Chanukah will always be around as well  just like Purim.

I wanted to add two thoughts to this idea:

The first is that there is another source to this idea. Rav Yoseph Karo, author of the Shulchan Aruch had kept a diary in which he included the learning sessions he had had with a Malach. The Sefer is called Maggid Mesharim. Rav Karo also mentions the idea that both Purim and Chanukah will not be abolished (See Maggid Mesharim Parshas Vayakhel). So we see that Rav Moshe was mechaven to what the Bais Yoseph wrote in his diary.

The second thought is that the Bnei Yissaschar writes (Maamar Chodesh Adar 4:8) that this Midrash does not actually mean that the other holidays will be abolished  because nothing of the Torah will be erased. Rather, the intent is that the new Geulah will be so remarkable that it will cause all of the other Moadim to pale in comparison. Nonetheless, we will still be observing them. The Satmar Rebbe ztl in Divrei Yoel Motzei Yom Kippur (page 418) writes the same thing.

Please be aware that the author will be delivering a live teleconferencing shiur on the subject of Matanos LEvyonim. The shiur marei mekomos have been prepared by Lakewood Beis Midrash Govohos Shivti program. One can register for the shiur at justorah.com and can download the Marei Mekomos there as well.

The BMG Lakewood Shivti learning program now has over 30 chaburos in ten different cities: Toronto, Dallas, Far Rockaway, Detroit, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Miami Beach and more.

It is coordinated by Rav Avrohom Yishayah Frand, a chassidisha yungerman from England. He is an extremely talented Talmid Chochom who heads the whole team.

Rabbi Avrohom Colman, one of the coordinators, says, The goal of the program, to quote Rav Aharon Kotler ztl, part of the mission of BMG is to provide opportunities for serious Torah learning. That is what this program does.

And now for the first time, the shiur will be available to everyone in the world regardless of their location.

The shiur will be at 9:45 PM Sunday night and upon registering at justorah.com, you will receive a computer generated phone call.

The author can be reached at [email protected]
A 17-year-old terrorist approached a border police position near the Machpelah in Hebron on Shabbos. He was asked to identify himself and he pulled out an ID card. As the policeman looked at it, the terrorist pulled a knife and wounded the policeman lightly.

Bchasdei Hashem the policeman managed to push the terrorist away as he tried to stab him again. The policeman fired at the terrorist, killing him. The wounded officer was transported to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem with light injuries.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)


After a long night, the five-member team from Zaka International Rescue Unit completed their mission of identifying the three Israeli victims of the Istanbul terror attack and the bodies are on their way back to Israel for burial.

The Zaka International Rescue Unit delegation, headed by Commander Mati Goldstein, left for Turkey immediately after Shabbos. On arrival, the team connected with Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, the rabbi of the local Ashkenazi community and the President of the local Jewish community Rabbi Yitzhak Ibrahim Zada.

After clearing the scene of the terror site of human remains, the Zaka volunteers were taken to complete the long and difficult task of identifying the three Israeli victims  Yonatan Suher, Simcha Dimri and Avraham Goldman. The remains were wrapped in Zaka body bags, placed in coffins and are now enroute back to Israel in an IAF plane.

Zaka International Rescue Unit Commander Mati Goldstein: After Shabbos we began organizing a team to head out to Turkey, our delegation consists of five volunteers. We took all the necessary equipment with us for the mission of collecting and identifying the bodies. On arrival, we went immediately to the site of the terror attack, where we cleared the scene of human remains.

Goldstein continued: From there, we went to the place where the bodies had been taken. There, we worked all night on the painstaking task of identifying the remains. On completion of the mission, we accompanied the bodies to the airport where a ceremony took place in honor of the murdered victims. We are returning to Israel with the bodies.

Zaka Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav praised the work of the team: Zakas bitter experience of dealing with the tragic aftermath of major international disasters has once again been tested, and has once again proved successful. Within less than 24 hours, the Zaka volunteers managed to identify the bodies and prepare them for return to Israel and a full Jewish burial.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo: Zaka spokesmans office)
[By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times]

THE MITZVAH

Mordechai and his Beis Din enacted that on the day of Purim each person must send a gift of at least two portions of food to a friend. This is seen from the verse in Megilas Esther, Umishloach manos ish lreyehu.

INTERESTING FACT

Although we do not rule like this view, the Ran is of the opinion that Mishloach Manos and Matanos LEvyonim are both two sides of the same Mitzvah  to wealthy people it is fulfilled with Mishloach Manos and to the poor it is fulfilled with Matanos LEvyonim. We rule, however, that these are two separate Mitzvos of the day.

THE REASONS

What is the reason behind the mitzvah of shalach manos? Two reasons are brought down. The Terumas HaDeshen (Siman 111) writes that it is to ensure that the recipients not run out of food items to serve for their meals.

The Manos HaLevi on Megillas Esther (9:19), written by Rav Shlomo Alkabetz and cited by the Chasam Sofer, writes an altogether different reason: to increase peace and brotherly love. This is the opposite of the characterization of the Jewish people by Haman as a nation Mefuzar umefurad spread and standing apart on account of internal arguments.



PREAMBLE AND INTENTIONS

The Yesod vShoresh HaAvodah writes that one should recite the following preamble before fulfilling the Mitzvah:

                 .

When performing the Mitzvah one should not just perform it perfunctorily, but should focus on the qualities of the recipient and place within his heart a strong love for his fellow man. He should intend to honor him and to strengthen his inner joy with this package of Shalach Manos.

WHO IS OBLIGATED

Men and women are both included in this mitzvah. The halachah is that men send to men, and women send to women. Women are obligated in the mitzvah because, according to the Mishnah Berurah, they too were involved in the miracle. A child should be instructed to fulfill the Mitzvah just as one instructs a child to fulfill all the other Mitzvos. The child may send to another child, as the other child is considered his or her peer.

Even a poor person is required to fulfill the mitzvah of mishloach manos. The mitzvah of mishloach manos may not be fulfilled with money, clothing, or other non-food or non-drink items. The mitzvah may only be fulfilled with kosher items.

HOW FANCY



Another little-known halachah about shalach manos is found in an esoteric Biur Halachah (written by the Chofetz Chaim) in Orach Chaim 695. He writes that the Chayei Adam has proved from a passage in the Talmud Yerushalmi that if one sends a Purim package to a wealthy individual, the package must be a respectable one.

Thus, one should not send something below the kavod of the recipient. The poskim have ruled that a lollipop is not considered chashuv for an adult, nor is a bottle of Poland Spring water or seltzer. To fulfill the Mitzvah, the portions must convey sufficient regard for the recipient.

The Biur Halachah writes that the Ritvas comment on his version of the Talmud Bavli agrees with the Chayei Adam. A careful reading of the Ritva, however, reveals that the Ritva and Chayei Adam are not exactly the same. Both of them require an upgraded Purim package on account of wealth; of that there is no question. However, the Ritvas requirement is of the wealth of the givernot the recipient. In other words, according to the Ritva, if the giver is very wealthy, his package must reflect that as well and he cannot fulfill the mitzvah with a meager package. Since the Biur Halachah does quote both the Chayei Adam and the Ritva, both would seem to be authoritative.

Therefore, one should not send something below the kavod of the giver or the recipient.

NATURE OF THE PACKAGE



The mitzvah must be fulfilled only with foods that are immediately edible or drinkable. The Magen Avraham, Vilna Gaon, and Chayei Adam hold this way. The Pri Chadash is lenient. We rule in accordance with the former view.

An item that requires further cooking or preparation may be added, but two immediately usable foods must be included, too. It is praiseworthy to send portions to as many friends as possible. It is better, however, to give more matanos laevyonim than to give more mishloach manos to friends.

THE TWO BLESSINGS MYTH



There is no need for the two different food items to have two separate berachos. This is one of the biggest misconceptions in Hilchos Purim. There is an issue, however, of taking one food item and cutting it in half into two slices. The Aruch haShulchan (OC 695:14) writes that just because one cut it in half it should be considered two foods? Perhaps it is this statement of the Aruch HaShulchan that has caused the two blessing myth to exist. If someone sends another two pieces of meat from two different limbs that tastes slightly different this is considered two foods (Mikraie Kodesh SIman 38).

THROUGH A MESSENGER



Ideally, mishloach manos should be sent through a messenger, rather than be delivered personally. Generally speaking, we say, Mitzvah bo yoser mibshlucho  it is a bigger mitzvah to do it oneself rather than through a messenger. Regarding the search for chametz before Pesach, it is better to do it oneself. Here, though, it is different. The Chsam Sopher writes in his commentary to the Talmud (Gittin 22b), that the pasuk says, and the sending of gifts  mishloach manos which indicates that it should be done through a messenger. A gift sent through a messenger is fancier and nicer. If one did deliver the mishloach manos oneself, the obligation is still fulfilled.

Virtually all the poskim rule that a goy or a child may be a shaliach for mishloach manos. Rabbi Akiva Eiger, ztl, was unsure of this, however.

SENT TOGETHER



Must the two foods be sent together? Rav Elyashiv ztl is of the position that they must. May one of the foods be a liquid? Most authorities hold that one of the foods may certainly be a liquid (except for water), and this is the authoritative view. There is a reading of Rabbeinu Chananel that holds a liquid may not be one of the two food items. This view is apparently not lhalachah.

GIFT CERTIFICATES



Does sending money to buy food or sending a gift certificate at a restaurant work? Some Acharonim hold that it does, but many hold not. The language of the Rambam (Hilchos Megillah, Chapter 2) seems to indicate that it must be real food and not a gift certificate or money.

REFUSAL OF GIFT



What if a package is prepared and the recipient responds with a No, thank you? Has the sender fulfilled the mitzvah in such a case? According to the Terumas HaDeshen it would seem not; according to the second opinion he very well might. It is interesting to note that the Rema in O.C. 695 writes that one has fulfilled the mitzvah. The Pri Chadash questions this position and does not understand it. Our aforementioned Chasam Sofer answers the dilemma by suggesting that the Rema holds like the Manos HaLevi. Perhaps one can point out, however, that even according to the Manos HaLevi, the full effect of the shalach manos has not been achieved. Peace and brotherly love is a two-way street, and the giver doesnt necessarily feel so good if his gift is refused. So how can the Rema be understood? It is only if the recipient responds gently, Dont worry about it; you dont need to actually give it to me. Rav Ovadiah Yoseph, however, holds that Sephardim should not rely on this Rema and send the shalach manos to someone else.

ANONYMITY



Does the recipient have to know who sent it, or does anonymity work? The Ksav Sofer (responsa O.C. #141) relates the issue to the two reasons mentioned above. He recommends that one be stringent and avoid anonymity. Rav Elyashiv ztl ruled that one does not fulfill the Mitzvah with anonymity.

LOST OR STOLEN



What happens if the shalach manos that you had sent got lost or stolen? The Birchei Yoseph writes that one must send it again.

THROUGH A CHILD



May one fulfill the mitzvah by sending to a child? The verse in the Megillah uses the term Umishloach manos ish lreieihuand the sending of portions each man to his peer. The Aruch HaShulchan permits it and considers a child a peer. Other poskim disagree with the Aruch HaShulchan. It is, therefore, better to send it to an adult.

TO A MOURNER



What about sending shalach manos to a mourner? The Rema states that one should not send during the entire twelve months of mourning. This halachah is true for Ashkenazim. Sephardim, however, can receive shalach manos during mourning. The mourner, however, should send to one person, but should avoid sending items that arouse great joy. One may send to the spouse of a mourner. The Divrei Malkiel (Vol. V) writes that one may send to ones teacher even if he is a mourner because this is considered similar to a payment of an obligation.

THE PACKAGING



Should at least two of the food items be wrapped separately or in two different containers? Some authorities (the Ben Ish Chai) hold that if they are sent together then the container itself may make it as if it is one food. Thus, Raisin Bran would only be considered one food item unless one separated the raisins from the cereal into two plastic baggies. Others (Sheim MShimshon, O.C. #31) write that the container does not make it into one food.

TIMING



When should the shalach manos package be given? It must be given in the daytime and not at night. The mitzvah should also be fulfilled, ideally, before one begins the Purim seudah.

SCHOOL AND SHUL PROGRAMS



What about the school and shul? Schools and shuls often send out a flyer and request you to participate in their shalach manos program when they send out a list of who sent to you. While this idea is fantastic in terms of reducing the waste and excess in shalach manos giving, the givers should be aware that one cannot and does not fulfill the actual mitzvah with this form of giving. Many people are unaware of this fact.

Please be aware that the author will be delivering a live teleconferencing shiur on the subject of Matanos LEvyonim. The shiur marei mekomos have been prepared by Lakewood Beis Midrash Govohos Shivti program. One can register for the shiur at justorah.com and can download the Marei Mekomos there as well.

The BMG Lakewood Shivti learning program now has over 30 chaburos in ten different cities: Toronto, Dallas, Far Rockaway, Detroit, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Miami Beach and more.

It is coordinated by Rav Avrohom Yishayah Frand, a chassidisha yungerman from England. He is an extremely talented Talmid Chochom who heads the whole team.

Rabbi Avrohom Colman, one of the coordinators, says, The goal of the program, to quote Rav Aharon Kotler ztl, part of the mission of BMG is to provide opportunities for serious Torah learning. That is what this program does.

And now for the first time, the shiur will be available to everyone in the world regardless of their location.

The shiur will be at 9:45 PM Sunday night and upon registering at justorah.com, you will receive a computer generated phone call.

The author can be reached at [email protected]
[Written By Rabbi Moishe D. Lebovits]

Halachically Speaking  Volume 5 in Stores this week iyh

For some reason, people think that drinking is acceptable at certain times,[1] such as on Simchas Torah, at a Shalom Zochor, at a wedding, and on Purim.

Many people become intoxicated by drinking wine or whiskey on Purim. Is there a mitzvah to get drunk? What are the reasons for drinking on Purim? What are the parameters? Is wine preferred to whiskey? Does it apply to women? Can one fulfill the mitzvah while asleep? When should one drink? These and other issues will be addressed in this issue. We will also discuss the halachic sources for drinking too much wine on Purim and throughout the year.[2]

Introduction  Wine

Wine is associated with many aspects of Jewish life. Shabbos[3] and all the major Yom Tovim, including Rosh Hashanah, requires kiddush with wine. Wine is a drink that gladdens the heart.[4] Wine has medicinal properties as well.[5]

Wine in the Torah and Chazal

The posuk[6] tells us that Noach planted a vineyardand he drank wine, got drunk and uncovered himself.[7] Lots daughters gave their father wine to drink so that he would get drunk.[8] Nadav and Avihu are said to have drunk wine when they offered their strange fire in the Mishkan.[9] The Medrash[10] says when a person starts drinking wine he feels innocent as a lamb and as complacent as a sheep. After he has a few drinks, he feels as if he is strong like a lion. When he has gone too far he becomes like a pig, wallowing in his own filth. When he becomes drunk he is like a monkey. He thinks he is smart, witty and clever, when in reality he is being laughed at by others. The Gemorah[11] says the tree Adom ate from was a grapevine, because nothing brings grief to this world like wine. The Rambam[12] says it is impossible to serve Hashem with silliness, lightheadedness, and while being drunk. One who is drunk is like he is worshipping avodah zarah.[13] In addition, the Rambam[14] says that one who gets drunk is a sinner, ugly, and loses his wisdom. One is not allowed to enter the Ohel Moed in a drunken state.[15] The Gemorah[16] says that wine was created for two purposes, to comfort mourners and to give the wicked their reward in this world so that they may get their full punishment in the World to Come.

On the other hand, the Gemorah[17] says happiness comes from consuming wine and meat. The Tana Dbei Eliyahu (Zuta)[18] says that, Wine gives pleasure to old people, makes their hearts happy, refreshes their souls, and illuminates their eyes. Wine also has a positive effect on the brain and the thinking process.[19] The Gemorah[20] says that old wine is beneficial for the intestines.

Drinking on Purim

The Gemorah[21] says that one is obligated to get drunk[22] on Purim until the point that he does not know the difference between cursed Haman and bless Mordechai. The Gemorah also relates the following story: Rabbah and Rav Zeirah had their Purim seuda together. Rabbah got drunk and killed Rav Zeirah. They prayed for Rav Zeirah and he lived. The next year, when asked to come over for the seuda, Rav Zeirah did not go because one cannot rely on a miracle every time.

This seems to be an odd story; should it be taken literally?[23]

The Maharsha[24] explains that Rabbah did not literally slit Rav Zeirahs throat. Rather, he kept giving Rav Zeirah drinks until he became sick. Rav Zeirahs refusal the next year was to avoid a situation of over-indulgence which can be fatal. Obviously, drinking wine is very dangerous if done without a cheshbon.[25]

Harav Shlomo Zalman ztl[26] suggests that Rabbah embarrassed Rav Zeirah, which is akin to murder.

Halachic Opinions

There are some poskim who maintain that we do not follow the apparent ruling of this incident, and one should not get drunk on Purim.[27] The Meiri[28] says that there is no mitzvah to get drunk and act in a frivolous manner on Purim. However, the majority of poskim do in fact concur with the incident and maintain that one should drink enough wine on Purim to cause drunkenness.[29] The Pri Chadash[30] says that Rav Zeirah should have replied that he will drink a little without actually getting drunk. From the fact that he did not say this we can deduce the halacha that one should get drunk on Purim and the story is valid. The Bach[31] says that even the lenient opinion agrees that one should drink more than usual on Purim.

Drinking More Than Usual

The Pri Chadash[32] says that in our weak generation one should follow the lenient approach and only drink a little more than usual. This opinion is the opinion of other poskim as well.[33]

Not Knowing the Difference Between Cursed Haman and Bless Mordechai

As mentioned above, one should drink until he cannot tell the difference between cursed Haman and bless Mordechai.[34] There are many explanations as to what this means.[35] The Bach[36] understands this as a literal statement, and other poskim agree.[37]

Others say that this comment in the Gemorah should not be taken literally.[38] One opinion says that one should drink to the point that he cannot calculate that the gematria of cursed is Haman (in Hebrew) is equivalent to bless Mordechai(in Hebrew).[39]

The Taz[40] explains that we have to give thanks to Hashem for saving us from Hamans evil plot. We must also thank Him for the additional kindness of elevating Mordechai. We should drink until the point that we cannot discern between these two acts of kindness.

The Sefas Emes[41] says one does not have an obligation to be drunk to the point of not knowing. However, one is supposed to busy himself with party on Purim and as long as he knows the difference between he has to party and after that point he does not. However, one has fulfilled his drinking even before he reaches the point where he does not know.

Harav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach ztl says people think that the miracle of saving the Jews was great and the fall of Haman was not a big miracle. Therefore, we drink until we do not know the difference between the two and they are both the same great miracle.[42]

Harav Moshe Shternbuch Shlita[43] says the following: there are different time periods in life. Sometimes Haman is on top and sometimes Haman is on the bottom. Sometimes our enemies beat us and the hand of Hahsem is hidden. Sometimes it is bless Mordechai and Hashems hand is visible, so to speak. On Purim we have a mitzvah to drink to the point that we do not know the difference between the two stages. We have to drink to know that all is from Hashem. This is the point of Purim. Even if Hashems name is not mentioned in the Megillah, everything is from Hashem.

Drinking More Than Usual  Falling Asleep

The Rama[44] says one should drink more than usual and thus fall asleep. This is the opinion of other poskim as well.[45] However, sleeping without drinking at all does not accomplish anything.[46]

Getting Drunk is Not Allowed

The Orchos Chaim[47] (and others)[48] says drinking to the point of getting drunk is the greatest aveirah one can do since it causes giluy arayos, murder, etc. One should only drink more than he usually does.

Obligation or Mitzvah

Many maintain that there is no obligation to drink, but if one does so he has fulfilled a mitzvah.[49] However, some argue that the term chayiv in the Gemorah and Shulchan Aruch clearly indicate that it is in fact an obligation. Therefore, the Aruch Hashulchan[50] says there is an obligation is to drink, but every person has the leeway to choose how much he wishes to drink.[51]

Avoid Drinking

When one drinks to excess, he cannot perform mitzvos properly. Therefore, one who knows that by drinking he will not properly perform the mitzvos of netilas yadayim, bentching,[52] and mincha or maariv,[53] it is better than he should not get drunk.[54] One who wishes to drink should make sure the mitzvos are accomplished first and then he can drink.[55]

Reasons to Drink

Why do we drink on Purim? One reason is offered by the Avudraham[56] (quoted by others as well).[57] The story of the megillah was influenced by wine. Vashti was removed from her role as queen through drinking of wine.[58] Esther took her place through a party.[59] So too the fall of Haman was through wine. Therefore, we drink on Purim to remember that the miracles happened to the Jews through wine. [60]

The Chasam Sofer[61] explains that the Jews in the time of Achashveirosh attended his seuda and got drunk. Therefore, we have a mitzvah to drink to rectify the aveirah which was committed at that time,

Harav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach ztl[62] says that Purim was established during the time of golus and it is not possible to be joyous while we are in golus. Therefore, we drink to forget about the fact that we are in golus and then we can be joyous properly.

Harav Moshe Shternbuch Shlita[63] explains that a sober person is aware of his true feelings and his surroundings, and uses his intellect to hide his feelings. When he is drunk and has no control over his intellect, he cannot hide his feeling, and his true essence emerges. Even without our intellect, we should be close to the Torah and choose the good.

Wine or Other Drinks

Most poskim say that one should drink wine on Purim as opposed to other intoxicating drinks.[64] This fits with the above opinions that maintain that we drink wine because the miracle happened with wine. A minority opinion says that the Gemorah does not designate wine, so one can drink any chamar medina (commonly consumed drink, such as beer and whiskey).[65] In addition, it is possible that the Gemorah only mentioned wine, because that was the primary source of alcohol at the time. This does not mean to exclude other intoxicating beverages.[66] The use of wine is not the overwhelming custom,[67] especially since one would need an excessive amount of wine in order to become intoxicated.[68]

The Aruch Hashulchan[69] says that one should stay away from whiskey since it causes one to vomit.

One does not fulfill the mitzvah of drinking with grape juice.[70]

One Who Does Not Drink Wine All Year

One who does not drink wine all year because of health reasons does not have to strain himself to drink wine on Purim.[71] Included in this is also someone who suffers from headaches. Since drinking does not bring him to joy he does not have to drink.[72] In addition, it brings him to pain.[73] If even a little wine causes him pain he does not have to do this either.[74] However, if one refrains from wine because of non-health reasons all year, then he should drink wine on Purim.[75]

Women

Although women are included in the mitzvos of the day of Purim,[76] this does not apply to drinking.[77] Women who wish to drink should only drink a minute amount.[78]

Children

The mitzvah of drinking on Purim does not apply to a child and one does not have to be mechanech a child to drink on Purim.[79]

When

The Rambam[80] seems to imply that alcohol should be consumed during the Purim seuda.[81] However, the Gemorah which mentions the obligation to drink does not make any connection to the Purim seuda, nor does the Shulchan Aruch. Some argue that the fact that the Megillah describes Purim as a day of party and joy[82] shows that drinking can be done all day.[83] The overwhelming custom is to drink throughout the day of Purim.[84]

One wonders why people drink at night as well, since this mitzvah is included in the other mitzvos of Purim which apply during the day.[85]

Even Those Who Drink- With a Cheshbon

Even those who drink should not drink on Purim just for the fun of drinking. This brings to lightheadedness, and one neglects the other mitzvos of the day.[86] The Rishonim who drank of Purim did not do so with lightheadedness.[87] Drinking on Purim is not a heter to drink without a cheshbon. It brings about chillul Hashem if one does not act properly, especially in public.[88]

Father Does Not Want Child To Drink

If a father demands that his son not drink on Purim, it is questionable whether the son is obligated to obey. Generally, if a father tells his son not to do a mitzvah the son does not have to listen, because both are commanded in mitzvos.[89] However, this rule does not apply to drinking on Purim, and the son has to obey his father.[90] The reason is that one can fulfill the mitzvah by drinking more than he usually does.[91] If the father does not want his son to drink at all the halacha may be different.

Drinking and Performing Mitzvos

A person who is totally inebriated cannot pasken,[92] daven,[93] be a shatz,[94] carry a sefer Torah,[95] and be a judge.[96] One who drinks more than a reviis and is a bit woozy cannot daven until the wine is out of his system, but if he did daven his tefillah is valid, as long as he can speak before a king.[97] If he cannot talk properly before a king, he is considered drunk and may not daven[98] or say krias shema.[99] He is allowed to bentch;[100] nevertheless, it is proper to wait until the wine leaves his system if he drank a lot.[101] He does not count toward a minyan to bentch, but does count for a zimun of three.[102]

Obviously, getting drunk does not excuse anyone from any mitzvah. Therefore, saying loshon hara is forbidden on Purim.[103]

Vomited

One who vomited before he made a beracha achrona does not make a beracha achrona since it is unclear how much he threw up and how much he has left in his stomach.[104]

Drinking By Gedolim

Many gedolim had the custom to get drunk on Purim.[105] However, they drank with a cheshbon and never succumbed to kalus rosh. The Chofetz Chaim ztl did not get drunk. He used to pour some wine to all the guests and said this is for Shabbos, and he would then fill another glass and say this is for Purim in order to drink more than usual, and then he went to sleep.[106]

Making a Beracha at Each Home

An interesting question arises with regard to groups who collect money on Purim and drink in each house (one should not offer them drinks-see below). Is a beracha required in each home? Should he recite a beracha achrona at the last house? This question involves many variables and this is not the place to discuss it. One possible solution is to have in mind that he wants to drink in every home, and he should drink less than 3.3 ounces in each home. This way, no beracha achrona would be required.[107]

Get Involved

The Torah says, You must not stand idly by your friends blood.[108] If another person is in danger you have to help him out. Do not allow a drunken person to drive. In addition, one should not offer alcoholic beverages to groups who collect on Purim.[109]

Lying About Knowing Between Cursed Haman and Blessed Mordechai

If one asks you on Purim if you know the difference between cursed Haman and boruch Mordechai you can say no.[110]

Doing Damage When Drinking

Many drunken people get out of control, and even damage another persons property. The question arises whether he is responsible to pay for the damage, or since he was drunk due to the simcha of Purim he is not responsible.

If the damage was unintentional,[111] then he is exempt from payment,[112] if he caused minor damage.[113] There is an opinion in the poskim that exempts him even for physical damage,[114] while others are stringent.[115]

This only applies if one drinks at least more than usual, not if he drinks a little.[116]

The definition of damaging due to joy is unclear.[117] In any case, the Aruch Hashulchan[118] says that in his days the joy we have for Purim is not the type of joy which would exempt one from paying for damage.

In addition, one who grabs food or drink from his friend on Purim[119] is not considered stealing.[120] One can make a beracha on it as well. However, the poskim say that a person who is careful should refrain from such activity on Purim.[121] Here too, the Aruch Hashulchan[122] says that this leniency is not applicable today.

Drunk and Gave Out A lot of Money

It can happen that one gets drunk to the point that he does not know what he is doing and he may have given out a lot of money on Purim. He may in fact have a right to reclaim the money. When this situation arises one should discuss it with his Rav. [123]

Driving Groups Around and Not Drinking

Hundreds of groups collect money on Purim. The Jewish driver will not be drinking,[124] and will not be able to fulfill the mitzvah of drinking on Purim, especially if the group collects during the seuda. Is this permitted? There is no mitzvah to collect money on Purim but there is a mitzvah to drink. One option is to finish collecting early so one can drink, or drink later that night even though it may not be part of any seuda and just a Purim chagigah.[125]

Torah Reasons Not to Drink

We are required to protect our health, and therefore one should refrain from drinking too much alcohol. In addition, according to the law of the land one is not allowed to give alcohol to minors. This is enforced by the halacha of dina dmalchusa dina. These and other obvious reasons demanding that we limit our alcohol intake, or fulfill the mitzvah in any of the ways detailed above.

Conclusion

It is impossible to say that chazal would demand of us to drink to the point of losing all feeling for what we are doing, which brings one to lightheadedness and other averios.[126] If one can drink and maintain control, then it may be permitted. After all is said and done, one should drink either to the point of getting drunk and then stopping, or drink a little more than usual. One who only wishes to drink a little has also fulfilled his obligation, especially according to those poskim who maintain that the incident in the Gemorah is not halachic.

Every year, hatzalah responds to calls for people who drank so much alcohol that they were in critical medical condition. Is it worth it? NO.

What Drinking Too Much Alcohol Does To Your Health[127]

Alcohol, or ethyl alcohol (ethanol), refers to the intoxicating ingredient found in wine, beer and hard liquor. Alcohol arises naturally from carbohydrates when certain micro-organisms metabolize them in the absence of oxygen, called fermentation.

Alcohol is metabolized extremely quickly by the body. Unlike foods, which require time for digestion, alcohol needs no digestion and is quickly absorbed. About 20 percent is absorbed directly across the walls of an empty stomach and can reach the brain within one minute.

Once alcohol reaches the stomach, it begins to break down the alcohol. This process reduces the amount of alcohol entering the blood by approximately 20%. (In addition, about 10% of the alcohol is expelled in the breath and urine.

Alcohol is rapidly absorbed in the upper portion of the small intestine. The alcohol-laden blood then travels to the liver via the veins and capillaries of the digestive tract, which affects nearly every liver cell. The liver cells are the only cells in our body that can produce enough of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase to oxidize alcohol at an appreciable rate.

Though alcohol affects every organ of the body, its most dramatic impact is upon the liver. The liver cells normally prefer fatty acids as fuel, and package excess fatty acids as triglycerides, which they then route to other tissues of the body. However, when alcohol is present, the liver cells are forced to first metabolize the alcohol, letting the fatty acids accumulate, sometimes in huge amounts. Alcohol metabolism permanently changes liver cell structure, which impairs the livers ability to metabolize fats.

The liver is able to metabolize about  ounce of ethanol per hour (approximately one drink, depending on a persons body size, food intake, etc.). If more alcohol arrives in the liver than the enzymes can handle, the excess alcohol travels to all parts of the body, circulating until the liver enzymes are finally able to process it.

Some Health Effects of Alcohol Consumption

Cancer Increases the risk of cancer in the liver, pancreas, mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Causes physical and behavioral abnormalities in the fetus. Heart Disease Raises blood pressure, blood lipids and the risk of stroke and heart disease in heavy drinkers. Heart disease is generally lower in light to moderate drinkers. Kidney Disease Enlarges the kidneys, alters hormone functions, and increases the risk of kidney failure. Liver Disease Causes fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Malnutrition Increases the risk of protein-energy malnutrition; low intakes of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6 and riboflavin, and impaired absorption of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and zinc. Nervous Disorders Causes neuropathy and dementia; impairs balance and memory. Psychological Disturbances Causes depression, anxiety and insomnia.

Kashrus Concerns

Up until recently, there were few kashrus concerns regarding whiskey. However, non-kosher enzymes can be added to aid in the fermentation process. In addition, some wine can be added to the liquor in order to classify it as a wine product with a lower tax. Furthermore, whiskey is sometimes aged in wine casks.[128]

The following liquors are accepted without kosher certification:

All varieties of domestic whiskeys are acceptable. All silver tequila is acceptable. Domestic vodka produced from grain spirits is acceptable.

The following liquors require kosher certification:

Imported vodkas require certification. Wines, liqueurs, flavored spirits and brandies require kosher certification.
Opinion / Columnist

In our Lest We Forget column this week we continue with former Zipra deputy chief of operations Stanley Nleya whose pseudo name was Elish Gagisa. Nleya who before his elevation to deputy chief of operations had been chief of staff at training camps talks about how Zipra was reconstituted, the training manual, camps and his combat battles in the PLO. Below are excerpts of his interview with Mkhululi Sibanda (MS).Read On . . .MS: Last week Nleya I remember you were still talking about the group of 10 cadres who were part of the resumption of the Zipra training exercise as part of efforts to put back the wheels of the revolution on track. So take us through that process.Nleya: After the resumption of the training exercise after that crisis in leadership, there was an extra-ordinary meeting that was called for by those who remained behind and if I remember well that was in 1971. From the political leadership there were people like Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo, TG Silundika, Jane Ngwenya and Edward Ndlovu. Out of this meeting the Special Affairs Department was transformed to Zipra. Also constituted was the Revolutionary Council chaired by JZ Moyo as the senior member of the national executive in exile.MS: What about the military side of things?Nleya: I was about to talk about that. On the military side Rogers Alfred Nikita Mangena was made chief of staff as the rank of commander was reserved for the party leader Dr Joshua Nkomo who was in prison at that time. Mangena only became commander when Dr Nkomo got the title of supreme commander. Then below Mangena as chief of staff was Lookout Masuku who was political commissar, Cephas Cele came in as chief of training, the current Vice-President of the country Report Mphoko (Phelekezela) became chief of logistics. The chief of intelligence was Gordon Munyanyi (Tapson Sibanda), who was also responsible for communications and recoinnasance. The chief of operations was John Dube (JD) whose real name was Charles Ngwenya while Dumiso Dabengwa was the secretary of the Revolutionary Council. From that meeting there was also the drafting of the Proxy Document, which for the sake of this interview I will mention that it established the department of training and personnel, which I was under. The department of training was given the following tasks; maintenance of personnel records and general administration of the Zipra HQ, maintenance of discipline in the force using the Disciplinary Code, drawing a training programme for Zipra according to the strategic plan and coordinate the recruitment of personnel. It also spelt out the maintenance of personnel records of our cadres and captured enemies, co-ordinate promotions, transfers , decorations, burials etc.MS: So Nleya you were one of the comrades who initially were in charge of training. Can you please reveal to us how was your training, starting from the day a recruit was initiated into the force.Nleya: The scope of our training was to prepare the recruits to achieve maximum ability within the shortest period and with very limited resources to score successes than defeats against a well organised and resourced Rhodesian army. The second thing was to enable the recruits to mobilise the masses to support the struggle so as to assist in accomplishing the objectives of our struggle. We also worked on making the forces to improve and manage without basic requirements because we were a guerilla army while the fourth was to develop in the recruits military and political skills and the right attitude to face up with determination the enemy and challenges that might be encountered. The motto was "a guerilla without support of the masses is like a fish out of water."MS: How were the recruits introduced to military life? Take us through the process.Nleya: The first stage of the training programme was general soldier behaviour, military gear and inspection. After going through that they embarked on stage two which was introduction to individual combat tactics and that covered things like ground and terrain usage, individual camouflage, target identification, distance estimation and individual stalking. Such an exercise was done during the day and night to give an appreciation of both situations. Stage three was introduction to teamwork and we started at section level. In that stage the soldiers were taught combat orders and models, stalking, reconnaissance, section battle drills, raids and withdrawal as well as ambushes and withdrawal. Stage three was introduction to team work at platoon level where they were drilled in combat march, reconnaissance, combat orders, raids and withdrawals, ambushes and withdrawals as well as attacks and withdrawals. As for the regular tactics-company to brigade level they went through combat orders and map reading, attack, advance, defence and withdrawal drills.MS: How was the physical training?Nleya: It was not child's play. We took them through judo for self-defence and under that we emphasised on falls or landing, blockings, throws and kicks which we wanted to be vicious. There were also drills on close combat such as the bayonet charge, blockings, butting and use of jungle knives. As for obstacle crossing they were taken through jumping, crawling, negotiating, avoiding through obstacles , jungle lane and as for endurance they were to run with a 20kg kit on their backs. We also took them on topography where they had to master map reading, inland navigation (day and night), use of compass and sketching.MS: That was the physical side of training which sounds very gruelling. What about the aspect of engineering?Nleya: We dealt with the use of explosives, charges and accessories, demolition of buildings and infrastructure such as buildings and bridges, booby traps and bombs which included parcel and letter bombs. The engineers were also taught how to defuse bombs, how to make home explosives, mine warfare. We dealt as well with anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. The recruits were also drilled on river crossing, construction of obstacles and mine fields, sabotage techniques and construction of canoes. Our training took more than six months.MS: That was part of training. What about training camps or centre, how many did you have?Nleya: We have quite many and some of the training camps were opened even before some of us joined the armed struggle.MS: Can you tell us some of the camps and their dates of opening if you still remember?Nleya: The first cadres to be trained under Zapu received military training in Ghana in 1959 and they included people like the late National Hero, Sikhwili Khohli Moyo, then there was the Algeria group of 1964, the Egyptian group of 1964 and as for our training relations with Cuba and the Soviet Union they started in 1964 and that went on until 1979. Zapu also sent cadres to North Korea in 1965, Tanzania we started in 1967, Bulgaria 1970. In Zambia we had a number of training centres and camps but the first training centre that became a conveyor belt for our troops most of whom were quickly deployed to the front was Mwembeshi where I later became chief of staff. Mwembeshi was opened in 1976. We also sent some of the cadres for attachment with PLO in Lebanon and I led that group. However, 1977 saw us sending recruits besides to the traditional allies such as Cuba and the Soviet Union to Angola where we had a permanent facility, Boma, Libya, Ethiopia and Romania. In 1978 we also started sending our troops to Yugolsvaia and I was about to forget Somalia as we had a group that trained there in 1974.MS: After completing training what was the message to the recruits?Nleya: There was a pass-out parade and then the taking of the oath of loyalty which at first was taken before the chairman of the Zimbabwe Revolutionary Council, JZ Moyo or his representative when the supreme commander Dr Joshua Nkomo was still in jail in the then Rhodesia. The newly qualified soldiers were also made to recite something which read like this: " It was Zipra that forced the Rhodesians to desperately form several so-called anti-terrorist units, such as Selous Scouts, Police Anti-Terrorist Unit (PATU), Grey Scouts and others. Zipra forced the Rhodesians to fight at night something they were not comfortable with. They were used to fighting with air support." All this was meant to give confidence to our troops and inculcate in their minds that the war was winnable.MS: You alluded to the fact that you were once deployed to Lebanon in 1974. What was the rationale of going to fight against the Israel army when we had our own war to contend with.Nleya: Yes, I went to Lebanon in the company of four others. I was the commander of that group and our mission was to get first hand experience on how PLO was contending against Israel forces because we believed that the Rhodesians tactics were sort of similar to that of the Israel army and so we went for attachment and what an attachment it was. We also wanted to learn how PLO was going about its armed struggle.MS: You said you were the leader of that group, who were the other four comrades?Nleya: I took along the current commander of the army, Ananias Gwenzi (Lt-Gen Philip Valerio Sibanda), Assaf, what a brave soldier, he died in combat in 1978 a few days just before the death of Nikita Mangena, Elias Ndou and Joel Dambudzo (laughs). However, Dambudzo was disqualified by the PLO because of his heavy body as they felt he could not go through the commando training course which we had to take first before being deployed along our PLO comrades in the battle field. Joel had to do other tasks. We went through that training and after that we were thrown into the fray to face the Israel army and our first day was a baptism of fire as we were bombarded with mortar bombs. We fought fierce battles there and fortunately enough we all returned to Zambia unscathed. I resumed my duties at Mwembeshi where I was chief of staff.n Next week we conclude our interview with Nleya where he will talk about his promotion to deputy chief of operations, the deployment of troops, explain why Zipra had a large concentration of troops in Mashonaland West compared to other parts of the country, his field operations and the Turning Point Strategy.
In the Tuesday, 5 Adar-II 3:00 AM raid on Yitzhar in the Shomron a minor was detained at his home while large numbers of ISA, Yassam Police, and the Central Unit of Yehuda and Shomron Police forces simultaneously raided the dormitories of Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai and detained five students. The yeshiva staff and students describe severe brutality by the policemen with no apparent reason: It seems as if the goal of the raid was to harass us.

According to eye-witnesses, the policemen entered the rooms without presenting warrants, woke up the students, and confiscated all of their cell phones and cameras in order to prevent any documentation of the raid.

Yassam policemen ordered two students who left their room to go back in and despite the fact that they did, beat them and knocked them onto the floor. A student who was detained when he left his room despite the demands of Yassam policemen, was brutally beaten, detained, and interrogated on suspicion of assaulting the policemen. He was released in the afternoon at the courthouse by agreement with the police on condition of being banned for three days from entering the Shomron.

Another student was detained on suspicion of not obeying orders to stay in his room during the raid and was punched by several policemen.

Two students, who denied all charges, were detained on suspicion of involvement with two recent clashes between Arabs and Jews in the area of Yitzhar. They were unconditionally released later in the morning after being interrogated by the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron Police.

Policemen demanded that a 14-year-old student take a key to a room in the yeshiva from another student. When he refused, a police detective punched him in the stomach, decided that a few small firecrackers in the room were his, and served him with a summons to an interrogation. Prior to Purim, it is a common practice for Jewish youths throughout Israel, from all backgrounds, to purchase firecrackers. Despite the fact that they are prohibited by law, possessing them rarely leads to either detention or interrogation.

The policemen confiscated approximately 10 Purim firecrackers and a Lederman pocket knife. Honenus legal staff asserts that keeping a Lederman pocketknife in a residence does not constitute a violation of any sort and that its confiscation was illegal. During the search the policemen also indiscriminately spilled out the contents of closets and threw the students bedding onto the floor.

Two students were summoned to interrogations on suspicion of possessing Purim firecrackers. Two 14-year-old students were giving a warning talk by Avichai, a coordinator in the Jewish Department of the ISA, who demanded that they not befriend a youth residing in Yitzhar whom the ISA claims is dangerous.

The staff of Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai regards the conduct of the ISA and the police as a hate crime against the yeshiva. The injured students intend to file a complaint with the Police Investigation Unit and are considering filing a civil suit against the policemen for brutality.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Sen. Bernie Sanders argued Sunday that it would make common sense for Democratic superdelegates to back him if he was the overwhelming favorite among voters in their states.

The vast majority of superdelegates, consisting of elected officials and party leaders who can vote any way they choose at the Democratic National Convention, has promised to support Clinton. Out of 712 superdelegates, Clinton reportedly leads Sanders 467-26. But Sanders argued on CBSs Face the Nation that those officials should follow the lead of the voters.

Well, to say to a superdelegate, Bernie Sanders won your state by 20 or 30 points. You know, you might want to listen to your state. You know, I think that is common sense and I think superdelegates should do that, Sanders said.

Sanders has beaten Clinton by wide margins in five states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota and Kansas. A candidate needs 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination. Clinton has 1,614 pledged delegates and superdelegates to Sanderss 856.

Although Clinton swept the five states that held primaries last week, Sanders reiterated his belief that he will do better in upcoming states in the west. On Tuesday, Democratic contests will be held in Arizona, Idaho and Utah.

He said, I think as we head to the West Coast, which is probably the most progressive part of America, the ideas that were fighting for  dealing with the grotesque level of income inequality, a national health-care system through Medicare for all, raising the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour  I think the people in those states really are not going to be voting for establishment politics and establishment economics. They want real change.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, in a pre-recorded interview that was broadcast Sunday, also dismissed suggestions that he had no path to winning the Republican nomination. The Republican contender needs 1,237 delegates to win the nomination. Businessman Donald Trump leads with 678 delegates, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz with 423. Kasich has 143 delegates, including the 66 he won last week in his home state. On Tuesday, Republican contests will be held in Arizona and Utah.

Despite Trumps lead, he is not expected to have enough delegates to clinch the nomination before Republicans hold their national convention in Cleveland in July. John Dickerson, host of Face the Nation, asked Kasich how he could possibly make up his delegate deficit.

Well, first of all, nobodys going to have the delegates they need going to the convention. Everyone will fall short, Kasich said. We will go into Cleveland with momentum and then the delegates are going to consider two things: number one, who can win in the fall, and Im the only one that can. And number two, a really crazy consideration, like who could actually be president of the United States.

Kasich dismissed pressure to drop out of the race to help Cruz, who has more delegates.

He needs 80 percent of the votes to get it. Thats not going to happen, Kasich said. He snapped at Dickerson when he asked Kasich whether anyone has urged him to drop out.

Nobody is calling me directly and asking me to drop out, Kasich said.

Have they called your campaign? Dickerson asked.

Wait a minute, John, why dont they drop out? Im the one that can win in the fall, Kasich said.

In an interview on NBCs Meet the Press, Kasich seemed annoyed when host Chuck Todd asked him whether he would consider being the eventual Republican nominees running mate.

Under no circumstances. Are you kidding me? the governor said. Im running for president.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post  Vanessa Williams
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.
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.
Opinion / Columnist

How the creams and pills work

Health

Pharmaceutical industry benefits

Social aspect

Conclusion

The article written by Mrs. Tsvangirai commemorating the International Women's Day was really a masterpiece. I enjoyed reading the article and the content accorded the great Day for all global women and indeed she addressed the women of Zimbabwe equally, highlighting our unending problems regarding poverty, eminent famine because of the effects of El Nino, abuse of power resulting in scarce delivery of services in all social sectors, be it education or health. The gender based violence is the order of the day. Rural women are not in the national budget in most cases. She also set the theme for the 2016 International Women's Day as "Planet 50  50 by 2030: step up for Gender Equality.These are very powerful words coming from a spouse of a President- in-Waiting, it is not a wonder that her article was well received in the social media; "a mother indeed, she is beautiful, very beautiful, "Save" (his totem) really made a good choice in his marriage." are some of the comments. More significant is one youthful comment coming from, I am sure, some young girl, she found Mrs. Tsvangirai so beautiful; she was going to emulate her when she grows up!In a nutshell I doubt if I could have said it better than that article Mrs. Elizabeth Tsvangirai wrote addressing the nation in her capacity as "may be" future First Lady of this great nation, Zimbabwe. I needed writing this article wait for a while to have her article get digested by the Zimbabwe political landscape, it was rich and very enlightening, and her article was an embodiment of what we women yearn for, to eliminate poverty and the need to empower our young women and girls.From her photograph in Nehanda Radio, on the 8th of March, her beauty was obvious as she had this European wig on, her face-skin is obviously those that are enlightened by those very creams that are hazardous to health. I am really not sure in that very photo if her dress code was an "Indian Sari." I am saying this because she has come to political rallies with her hubby wearing "Indian Saris" not once but several times. Those apparent finger nails with exotic red cutex, one could tell she does not touch any washing pots at home, but she is some idol to admire, her beauty, by her hubby!Now please, Nomazulu Thata, are you envious about the comments Mrs. Tsvangirai well received in her article? What's so wrong in bleaching your face, what's wrong in wearing a sari from India? What's wrong in wearing a European wig, an India Sari? While Nomazulu could wear it, but certainly not the spouse of a potential country's leader, Mrs. Tsvangirai. While Nomazulu could lead a private life and wear a sari, Mrs. Elizabeth Tsvangirai does not have entirely a private life. Her image as a spouse to Richard Tsvangirai makes her different from many Zimbabwean women.One would have thought that this old fashioned use of bleaching creams was done by our mothers in the 1960s to enlighten their faces so that they are as nearer to white people as was possible, it was accepted as positive, progressive and civilized, a definition of good. Women who used those creams were seen as prosperous and a well-to-do class of its own in the society. Our mothers, sister, aunties, friends relatives alike used "Ambi special" green one for women and red ones for men the red one being stronger than the green one, to remove the black pigment that was inferior back then and really look like white people, white ladies. To have white skins back then, were cultural beauty standards in our society. The was some societal pressure put on women to whiten their skins just for acceptance sake.While wearing a wig is not harmful to health, bleaching has well-researched evidence about its severity and harsh in human health. There are some articles that highlighted the presence levels of mercury, steroids and parabens in almost all bleaching and whitening creams. Today these bleaching components are not only used in the face but taken orally as pills. The users of these bleaching capsules are to remove the whole pigmentation in the body and not the face alone and turn into a nearer white person. It is this refusing to be black and to think if ever I want to be seen as beautiful I must be white and not black.The question is; is "Black" not beautiful? Did the Black Americans not tell us to say it loud "we are black and proud?" What is wrong in the minds or women who were once colonised and fought for their independence and won it. Why are we going back to some old notion of "white skin is a definition of good? White-skin colouring long passed it sale by date. It's no longer seen as "cultural beauty standard" anymore. Mrs. Elizabeth Tsvangirai should know this and the implications it has on health, and the example she potrays as wife and mother on the psyche of the growing young girls who want to emulate her beauty as they now see it as "standard cultural beauty."Another quick question is; is Mrs. Elizabeth Tsvangirai different from the trigger pay girls or young women who posed for a photo with her husband that caused a loud cry in the social media a month ago? Yes, Mrs Elizabeth Tsvangirai is different from those young women because she is the wife a whole politician, a leader of a party, her hubby was once a Prime Minister for 5 full years and commands a formidable opposition that has shifted the matrix of the political landscape since the Millennium, and can still effect some change in coming elections. We are therefore genuinely worried about the image his wife is portraying to the nation, and to our younger, still growing girls.These lightning creams reduce and mostly eradicate the pigment called melanin that provides human skin colour and this process is called de-pigmentation.Bleaching creams are a health hazard to women of all ages. The effective ingredients in these creams and pills are carcinogenic, cause skin, liver cancers. The users of these creams usually suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes later in their lives and kidney failures are also common illnesses related to them. The creams dry the skin resulting in pre-mature ageing of the skin. Severe skin infections do not heal quickly enough because the skin will have thinned. The ingredient called hydroquinone may cause untreatable discoloration. (Could have been the problem with Michael Jackson) An illegal ingredient in the skin-lightening creams and pills also contain traces of mercury, a metal that blocks pigment production, mercury is highly toxic as it accumulates in the body and can cause kidney failure.Other severe effects of skin-lightning creams and pills are the swelling of the skin, increase in appetite causing obesity, severe birth effects on still to be born children, liver damage.The pharmaceutical industry knows very well their products are severe and harsh to the users, but they produce them still and send them to developing countries because in Europe or America where they are produced are banned and many other western countries. America still sells the multi-billion products illegal as they will always find buyers, users are always available even in developed countries. Skin lighting industry is a very big multi-million dollar industry.It is mostly the social pressures that make women fall into the skin-whitening cream use. Roots are found in Colonialization, in America, slavery may be the other component. The white skin is superior and the black skin is demonised as inferior all over the world even in Africa itself. Women are obsessed with beauty as we are systematically groomed to please men and make ourselves appealing to them when we are nearer to lighter skin, white.(He muhle! umhlophe nke, litshebetshebe) (Akanaka kunge mwedzi wechirimo, mwanasikana chichekerwa seshereni, moyo wake unenge gumbeze rechando) All those are accolades that uphold and cherish whiteness in our own cultural languages. If you page down the article Mrs. Tsvangirai wrote the comments border on her beauty, this whiteness of her that is not very African but artificial in a way, coupled by the wig too that is very European. But the comments are full of beauty-praise mostly by men. Black men prefer light-skinned women; this puts pressure on women to bleach for acceptance. Could it be that the President of the Party of MDC-T, who is not so light skinned but black to very black put some pressure on her dear wife, Riza, to bleach?It is very true, there an't many skin-lightning creams in the markets in Zimbabwe but it did not mean that Zimbabwean women do not use them anymore. Its either they are sold illegally or bought elsewhere. In all political parties in Zimbabwe there are these women with lights skins telling that there is some substance-abuse down the line, it is no longer the beauty they are born with. It's is very easy and obvious to know that a woman is bleaching her face. Riza (candidly called) is not alone in this dilemma at all. I have seen the Vice President, Thokozani Khuphe wearing a "Diana Spencer hat" right in the bushes of Nkai, at a funeral, surrounded by naturally dark, very humble women in the village.The women's manifesto should dwell on the loss of identify in our societies. If a spouse of political leader wears a sari in a national event like a political rally, what does that tell us about loss of identity? Don't we have our rapers, vitenge-material maZambia, that have been accepted to symbolise an African dress code especially in political rallies. Are the rapers, vitenge inferior again just like our black skins?Identity is that collection of attributes that define how we see ourselves. When attributes of our identity are externalised, we get controlled and feel that sense of worthlessness because we have become dependent on that external consideration, or external recognition. (She has to be nearer to a white woman ever because we are so groomed to think white is superior)True freedom arises when we are not dependent on something outside ourselves. When we buy stuff we use or what we wear, be it sari from India or whatever, the source of that choice where these are produced, (an Indian sari or a European wig, skin-lightning creams) becomes your identity more than the product itself. This had led to complete loss of African identity: lo BUNTU bethu. Do we wonder when they say Africans are stupid? We do not have elaborate identity to be proud of.Our girl-children deserve better, we are the role models of our young generation. When we talk about girl empowerment, we should mean what we say. If a girl is going to envy and hope to emulate Mrs. Tsvangirai, her beauty, those figure nails full of red cutex, always photographed sitting near her hubby who obviously, is admiring her beauty. Then we are not serious about girl-empowerment. We must mean working hard in the fields, in hospitals, in industries and elsewhere; not "top modelling" body appearances.There should be some national appeal to remove skin lightning creams and pills from the markets. Girls and young women should be educated over the risks of skin-lightning creams and pills. The society as a whole should get enlightenment too never to put pressure on their women and daughters and mistresses to look lighter than their own black natural skins. Black is beautiful and will always be. We sincerely ask Mrs. Elizabeth Tsvangirai to be political correct because young girls are watching her and emulating everything she does. It would be a shame if they emulated negative things about her. As a nation we need that evaluation in terms of identity crisis.
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By Patrick Donachie

A Long Island hospital has opened a clinic for anxious parents-to-be who are concerned that they may have been infected with the Zika virus.

The North Shore University Hospital Center for Maternal Fetal Health in Manhasset will screen for the Zika virus and offer consultations every Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The clinic and consultations will focus on pregnant women who have recently traveled to regions where the Zika virus is prevalent, including South America and Latin America.

In a release announcing the new clinical weekly hours, hospital officials noted that the Center for Maternal Fetal Health had been receiving about 10 calls a day from worried patients since the emergence of the Zika virus as a possible health threat in New York City. The first consultations were conducted March 9, and the medical center hopes to offer its patients a degree of clarity and calm.

When you have something like Zika that comes out of nowhere and theres so much fear and demand for answers in the community, its better to concentrate the efforts in a coherent program, Dr. Burton Rochelson, the chief of maternal fetal medicine at North Shore, said in the announcement about the new clinic. Its a needed service for both pregnant moms, who are understandably anxious, and for their physicians.

The majority of those who are infected with the Zika virus will not show symptoms, but for some it appears with symptoms that make it seem similar to a mild form of the flu, including fever and body aches. It has been shown, however, to cause birth defects in the children of expectant mothers, including incidences of microcephaly, which causes a baby to be born with a smaller head.

The virus is spread via mosquitoes, and reported incidents of the virus in the United States have been sparse but are increasing. As of March 9, there were 193 cases of travel-associated Zika virus cases reported in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control.

Of those cases, 25 emanated from New York state, and the city Department of Health reported there have been 15 cases in the five boroughs. Two of these cases affected pregnant woman, and the city reported that all patients recovered fully.
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.
Captain Frazier leads Hirschi to 56-14 win against Snyder

Javian Frazier bore the captain's "C" on his shoulder proudly Friday, plugging a hold in the Hirschi backfield and leading the Huskies to victory.
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By Sarah Johnson

Janie Gee awoke at 5 a.m. one fall day last year with a heaviness on her chest. It wasn't the weight of worry as she would find out later in the day. She had 90 percent blockage in the right artery of her heart.

"I am grateful to Dr. Ved Ganeshram for his compassion for his patients and his knowledge as a cardiologist," Gee said. "He quickly took the necessary steps to find out what was going on with my body and to get two stents in place, allowing me to feel 25 again at the age of 54."

If there's a local doctor who has made a difference in your life, here's your opportunity to officially say "thank you." The Doctor's Day donation program at United Regional was organized by the United Regional Foundation in conjunction with National Doctor's Day, which is March 30.

Your Doctor's Day gift will honor a physician who has touched your life in a meaningful way. At the same time, the donation will support the efforts of United Regional by assuring all patients have access to comprehensive, leading-edge health care and doctors have the best facilities and technologies with which to work.

If you respond by March 25, your physician will receive a note by Doctor's Day, acknowledging your contribution. For more information, call 764-8205.

Go Greek

Sink your teeth into some Greek delicacies at the annual Greek Bake Sale on March 26 at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, 3804 Seymour Road. The lunch from Gyro's will be served at 11 a.m.

Guest artist

The Kemp at the Forum is putting out the welcome mat for Donna Howell-Sickles, the 2016 Cowboy True guest artist. Howell-Sickles will give a gallery talk at 5:30 p.m. March 24 in the Galleria at the Forum, 2120 Speedway.

An exhibit of her work will be displayed through May 7. For information, call the Forum at 766-3347.

Forum flick

Join your fellow theater buffs at the showing of "Red," at 6 p.m. March 28 at the Kemp at the Forum, 2120 Speedway. The event is part of the Flix at the Forum series. Midwestern State University professor and film scholar Dr. Tench Coxe will lead discussion on this movie. Free admission.

For more information, call the Forum at 766-3347.

Spring into nature

Don't miss all the exciting kids' programs at River Bend Nature Center this spring. The next Nature Tots Story Time is March 26, featuring the theme "Celebrate the Spring." The program, from 11 a.m. to noon, is for ages 2 to 6. The next Science Saturday is also March 26 for kindergartners up to eighth graders. It will be from 1- 2:30 p.m.

Both programs are included with the price of general admission to the nature center, 2200 Third St. For information, call 767-0843.
Photos by Patrick Johnston/Times Record News A group of dancers surround the drum circle while participating in a gourd dance during the Red River Intertribal Club's eighth annual powwow Saturday evening at the Texas National Guard Armory.

SHARE Dancers participate in the Grand Entry of the Red River Intertribal Club's powwow. This year's event benefits Patsy's House, a child advocacy center in Wichita Falls. Patrick Johnston/Times Record News A group of dancers participate in a gourd dance during the Red River Intertribal Club's eighth annual powwow Saturday evening at the Texas National Guard Armory. Patrick Johnston/Times Record News A dancer participates in the Grand Entry of the Red River Intertribal Club's eighth annual powwow Saturday evening at the Texas National Guard Armory. Patrick Johnston/Times Record News A group of dancers participate in a gourd dance during the Red River Intertribal Club's eighth annual powwow Saturday evening at the Texas National Guard Armory.

By Patrick Johnston, patrick.johnston@timesrecordnews.com

Great spirit and celebration filled the Texas National Guard building in Wichita Falls with the traditional sounds of Native American drum circles and songs.

A line of men surrounded the outside of the drum circle with a line of women dancing and singing behind the men in the traditional style of the gourd dance, which was first created when the Native Americans were put on the reservations.

"The white man told them they couldn't do their religious dances," said Judy Jensen, secretary/treasurer of the Red River Intertribal Club. "They were afraid they'd get their blood up and get all excited. They dress in white man's clothes and white man's shoes, and they dance. If you're a Native American and you're involved with this, you can still get your blood up."

While the clothing might have changed to abide by the rules imposed upon the tribes, the spirit of the dances largely remained the same.

"It was a way for them to continue having their religious dance but still be OK with the white man," Jensen said.

That tradition still continues today, as various Native American organizations host powwows, including the Red River Intertribal Club. The local group held its eighth annual powwow, this year with co-host Comanche Little Ponies.

"We have an unusual powwow here in Wichita Falls," Jensen said. "Most of the time when a Native American group does this, they raise money for themselves."

Instead of using the money earned at the powwow to pay for it and other expenses the organization has throughout the year, the RRIC works throughout the year at gun shows, the Texas-Oklahoma Fair and garage sales to raise money for the powwow.

"It cost about $2,500 to put this powwow on," Jensen said. We work all year long to raise money to be able to do it, so what we make at the powwow we can donate to a local charity."

In 2015, the group donated $1,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters, thanks to the powwow.

"We've given almost $12,000 to the community over the years  and there is only about eight to 10 of us in the club. We're a very small group, so we're pretty proud of what we've been able to accomplish."

This year, the event benefits Patsy's House, a child advocacy center in Wichita Falls. The nonprofit group helps abused children tell their stories and begin the healing process.

The RRIC also seeks to pass its culture on to future generations, including by passing on traditions such as the gourd dance.

"Children are a very, very important part of the Native American society," Jensen said. "We try to do something that involves them."

Jensen said her great-grandson, 2, was able to participate in the dance for the first time this year.

"We paid his way into the circle," she said. "He now has the privilege of going and dancing any time he wants to. You do that by doing a gourd dance, and then a gift giveaway."

Both of her grandsons started dancing when they were 2 years old, and her granddaughter started dancing when she was 5.

"We try to pass it on," Jensen said. "My granddaughter said, 'I want my son to be raised in the circle like I was.' So, that's what we're doing."
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Diana Lochridge, Burkburnett

I heard on the NBC news station on March 9 that Sen. John Cornyn warned any person being considered by the president as a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court to decline the invitation because he and the Republican senators will "bash" and "ruin" their reputations if their names are submitted to the Senate. Such a Mafioso-style threat is absolutely conduct unbecoming a U.S. senator and he should be ashamed of himself.

Furthermore, when the senators took office, they swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the president the right to nominate judges to the Supreme Court with the advice and consent of the Senate. They are not honoring their oath to uphold the Constitution.

It appears that the current Republican Party has lost its way and is turning into a bastion of bullying, mean-spirited, obstructionists who care little for the U.S. Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers, whom they so often say they respect. I pray that the Mafioso-style threats of senators such as Cornyn will hasten that party's demise and a new Republican Party will emerge with new senators closer to the mold of those previous Republican greats: Everett Dirkson, Bob Dole and Nelson Rockefeller.
Indiananpolis

The fuzzy video, shot by a worker on the floor of a Carrier factory here in the American heartland last month, captured the raging national debate over trade and the future of the working class in 3 minutes 32 seconds.

"This is strictly a business decision," a Carrier executive tells employees, describing how their 1,400 jobs making furnaces and heating equipment will be sent to Mexico. Workers there typically earn about $19 a day  less than what many on the assembly line here make in an hour. As boos erupt from the crowd, the executive says, "Please quiet down."

What came next was nothing of the kind.

Within hours of being posted on Facebook, the video went viral. Three days after Carrier's Feb. 10 announcement, Donald Trump seized on the video in a Republican presidential debate and made Carrier's move to Mexico a centerpiece of his stump speeches attacking free trade.

Jennifer Shanklin-Hawkins is one of those Carrier workers who listened to the announcement on the factory floor. After 14 years on the assembly line, she earns $21.22 an hour, enough to put her oldest son through college while raising two other children with her husband, a truck driver.

And when she saw Trump talking about Carrier on the news, all she could do was shout "Yessss!" at the TV. "I loved it," she said. "I was so happy Trump noticed us."

In living rooms and barrooms across Indianapolis, conversations with Carrier workers like Shanklin-Hawkins crystallize what has become an extraordinary moment in the American political and economic debate. As both political parties belatedly recognize the anxiety and deep-seated anger of blue-collar workers nationwide, the more-trade-is-good bipartisan consensus that has long held sway in Washington is being sundered.

What isn't evident in the video  or in the furious debate it has spawned  is that both the company and its soon-to-be former employees are reacting to the same transformative 25 years of American economic policy aimed at lowering trade barriers and staying globally competitive.

"We have to look around the corner and see how this market will change in order to invest and stay in business for another 100 years," said Robert McDonough, a senior executive at Carrier's parent company, United Technologies. "You can blink and see your market position erode."

The rub is that the costs and benefits aren't distributed equally. Global trade has produced big gains for Americans, like more affordable goods once made in the U.S.  clothes, computers, even air-conditioners  and led to a more advanced economy.

At the same time, a chronic trade deficit and an overvalued dollar have caused U.S. factory jobs to dry up, contributing to a deep divide between the political and economic elite and the rest of the nation. Perhaps a clash was inevitable.

Consider the case of Shanklin-Hawkins. While she says she won't be voting for Trump and considers him a racist, she applauds his message on trade. She says she plans to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who similarly blasts free trade, but from the left. The two populist candidates may be political opposites, but when it comes to the downside of globalization, Sanders and Trump are speaking to her with one voice.

In fact, many Carrier workers here say that it was not so much Trump's nativist talk on illegal immigrants or his anti-Muslim statements that has fired them up. Instead, it was hearing a leading presidential candidate acknowledging just how much economic ground they've lost  and promising to do something about it.

Trump has repudiated decades of GOP support for free trade, calling for heavy tariffs on Mexican-made goods from the likes of Carrier. This has helped put him within arm's reach of the Republican nomination.

Opposition to trade deals has also galvanized supporters of Sanders, helping him unexpectedly win the Michigan Democratic primary this month. At the same time, it has forced his rival Hillary Clinton to distance herself from trade agreements she once supported, like the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership and the North American Free Trade Agreement  the 1994 deal that is an important part of President Bill Clinton's political legacy.

Exit polls after the Michigan primary showed that a clear majority of both Republican and Democratic voters believe international trade costs the American economy more jobs than it creates.

Nicole Hargrove, a 14-year Carrier worker, said she was an undecided voter and was uncomfortable with Trump's attacks on immigrants, particularly Mexicans. "But I'd like to turn him loose on the financial world," she said. "Maybe if Carrier had to pay more to bring stuff in, they'd think twice about moving jobs out."

Mark Weddle, 55, started work at Carrier 24 years ago and earns $21 an hour running a machine that makes heat exchangers. "I have two brothers-in-law from Mexico," he said, explaining why he disagrees with Trump's anti-immigrant stance.

But when it comes to Carrier, "we've all worked our butts off," he said. "And now they're going to throw us under the bus? If Trump will kick Carrier's ass, then I'll vote for him."

That's pretty much what Trump has threatened to do. At rally after rally, to rapturous crowds, he vows to impose a 35 percent tax on Carrier products from Mexico. Then, the laugh line: "I want to do this myself, but it is so unpresidential to call up Carrier."

And Trump vows not to take Carrier's calls until it agrees to change course. "As sure as you're here, they will call me up within 24 hours," he promises, and say to him, "'Sir, we've decided to stay in the United States.'"
Montpelier, Vt.

General Mills' announcement on Friday that it will start labeling products that contain genetically modified ingredients to comply with a Vermont law shows food companies might be throwing in the towel, even as they hold out hope Congress will find a national solution.

Tiny Vermont is the first state to require such labeling, effective July 1. Its fellow New England states of Maine and Connecticut have passed laws that require such labeling if other nearby states put one into effect.

The U.S. Senate voted 48-49 Wednesday against a bill that would have blocked such state laws.

The food industry is holding out hope that Congress will prevent states from requiring such labeling.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association has called for a national solution instead of what it says is a patchwork of confusing and costly state labeling laws. It has also challenged Vermont's law in federal court, asking that the law be blocked until the case is resolved. That request was denied and is on appeal.

General Mills' "announcement is the latest example of how Vermont's looming labeling mandate is a serious problem for businesses," the association said in a statement. "Food companies are being forced to make decisions on how to comply and having to spend millions of dollars. One small state's law is setting labeling standards for consumers across the country."

Nestle supports the mandatory informed disclosure of the presence of GMO ingredients in food and beverages and believes it's best done by a uniform national approach, but will abide by state laws if they come into effect, according to spokeswoman Edie Burge.

Food giant General Mills Inc. said Friday it will start nationwide labeling on products that contain genetically modified ingredients, saying it's not practical to do so for just one state. Campbell Soup Co. is also printing new national labels in preparation for Vermont's law, although it opposes state-by-state labeling requirements.

"This shows that the United States has the capacity to join the 64 other countries that already require GMO labeling," Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said Friday. "I urge other companies to follow the lead of General Mills and extend this right to their customers nationwide as well."

Other companies are weighing their options.

Herr Foods Inc., a midsize snack food company based in Philadelphia, is considering pulling its products from Vermont if the law takes effect, said Daryl Thomas, senior vice president for sales and marketing.

"Just the logistics, the expense are horrendous," he said.

"You'd have to duplicate that if any state went along with its own regulations and then multiple it again, again, and again times however many other states chose to have their own requirements," he said.

In addition, he said, ensuring the differently labeled products are sorted and distributed correctly would be difficult and costly, he said.

The food industry argues those costs will be passed to the consumer, and some independent Vermont retailers are worried how it could affect their bottom line.

"As a retailer, there's all sorts of ways that this could backfire on us as a state, and a small independent guy like myself if I've got nothing on my shelves or I've got limited (supply) and my competitors have no problem with the staying power, we're done," said Ray Bouffard, owner of Georgia Market in Georgia, Vt.

The Food and Drug Administration says GMOs, which can include food made from seeds that were engineered in laboratories to have certain traits, are safe, but labeling advocates say not enough research has been done and they have a right to know what's in their food. They also say the use of GMOs has led to big increases in herbicide use.

A 2014 Associated Press-GfK poll found that 66 percent of Americans supported labeling of genetically modified food.
BRUNSWICK  New York state Police said they found a woman asleep behind the wheel of a running car on Thursday who was more than three times over the legal limit for alcohol.

Police said they found a car parked in a roadway with the engine running, with a 64-year-old woman asleep behind the wheel. Police said Connell G. Frazer of Brunswick had her foot on the brake, with the transmission in gear. After police woke her, she failed sobriety tests and had her blood alcohol level tested, which was .27 percent, State Police said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Barack Obama will open a new era in the United States' thorny relationship with Cuba during a history-making trip with two seemingly dissonant goals: locking in his softer approach while also pushing the island's communist leaders to change their ways.

It will be the first visit to Cuba by a sitting president in 90 years.
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[March 20, 2016] IGCF 2016: Experts Highlight Role of Government Communication in Tackling Extremism, Influencing Opinion of Youth and Shaping Human Rights Discourse

SHARJAH, UAE, March 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The critical role of government communication in various spheres, including in combatting extremism, in reaching out to a nation's younger generation and in the much talked-about arena of human rights was underscored by national and international experts on the first day of the fifth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2016) in Sharjah.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160320/346053 )

In a panel session titled 'Confronting Extremism: Government Communication and the Creation of a Humanist Culture', speakers stressed the need for government communication to promote tolerance and help end discrimination and sectarianism. The panelists called for government communications to promote the true image of Islam as a moderate religion that respects the rights and responsibilities ofindividuals, as opposed to one focused on extremism and hatred for others.



The session was attended by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who inaugurated the IGCF 2016. Urging a united approach to combatting extremism, former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin said: "Communication should not be a one-way street from the government to the people. It has to go back from the people to the government. If it is not a two-way street, then it is propaganda, and propaganda creates more frustration and resentment because people want to be part of the solution."

Emphasising the role of government communication with the younger generation, H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, said: "The youth of the 21st century are vocal about expressing their opinions on any and every issue via social media. Governments now need to target generations that are able and willing to express themselves and are uniquely open to all cultures. We need to listen to them to utilise their innovative ideas and abilities to further develop our countries and societies." Amal Alamuddin Clooney, said: "Human rights has become the language that states use to communicate with each other and the common yardstick by which all states are judgedGovernments must be vocal and engage in communication about human rights with the international community." Themed 'Citizens for Prosperity', IGCF 2016 is designed to examine the symbiotic relationship between governments and people, and explore how government communication touches different aspects of people's everyday through its impact on vital socio-economic sectors. SOURCE IGCF 2016 (International Government Communication Forum 2016)

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The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is now producing an Internet-based audio and video program named Tennessee WildCast where the agencys field and office staff are the featured guests.

A weekly program, WildCast is available at several different internet sites depending on whether someone wants to watch it, or just listen. The best way to make that choice is by visiting www.tnwildcast.com.

Hosted by TWRAs Doug Markham and produced by Jason Harmon, WildCast is updated weekly, but the shows are archived and available anytime night or day.

Our guest for the first two shows was our Executive Director Ed Carter and it was enjoyable talking to him about his long career and the many changes he has seen take place, said Mr. Markham, the agencys communications manager.

Future shows will include big game, small game, and non-game management interviews, along with many discussions about fish, law enforcement, and boating. Guests will include agency employees assigned to TWRAs Nashville headquarters, but also from its four regional offices spanning the state.

We will also talk hunting and fishing techniques at times, said Mr. Markham. We have some very skilled sportsmen who love the outdoors and the opportunity to talk about it.

The show was originally 20 minutes in length, but recently WildCast increased to 30 minutes.

While the show is setup with a radio-style format, a television monitor is a part of the studio and often includes photographs and video to illustrate information being discussed.

This program is free and we hope sportsmen will tune in to learn more about how the states fish and wildlife are managed, said Mr. Markham.

Video of WildCast and other TWRA programs is available at www.twra.tv

The TWRA.TV link is one of the sites included on the www.tnwildcast.com website.
The finale of the annual "Chinese Bridge" - Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Students (Belgium Division) was held here Saturday at the Chinese Center in Brussels.

Eleven high school and college students studying Chinese in Belgium participated in the event jointly organized by the Confucius Institute in Brussels and the Chinese embassy, conveying their passion and knowledge of the Chinese language and culture.

Zhang Sirui, Chinese Director of Confucius Institute in Brussels told the audience and the contestants that the competition is a special opportunity for students to demonstrate their master of Chinese language and culture.

The competition was divided into two parts - finale for high school students and finale for university students, each part included a speech on the theme "Dream Lights Future" and a talent show on Chinese culture.

Jacqueline Rossi, 14, from Brussels, won the competition for high school students, while Nicolas Pau, 23, from the University of Leuven, will represent Belgium at the finals in China.

"Even when I am back Belgium, I still feel my heart remains in China. Learning Chinese is part of my life now," Rossi said. She told the audience in her speech that she spent most of her childhood in Shanghai, which gave her the perfect opportunity to study multi culture.

"I feel proud to know both Chinese and Belgian culture, though the two countries differ from language and culture, they bring out the best in each other and each has its own merits," she said.

As a former Martial Champion of Belgium, Pau said that he started to learn martial arts at the age of 14 and since then he had dedicated himself to study Chinese. "I just feel grateful to find the best of my life in China."

While addressing the event, Tao Hongjian, head of the education section at the Chinese embassy to Belgium, said the promotion of Chinese culture in Belgium developed rapidly in recent years, and this provides a firm support to Sino-Belgian economic and cultural exchanges.

The Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students is an international contest organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban). Since its launch in 2002, this annual event has attracted more than 300,000 college students from over 80 countries. The "Chinese Bridge" has become an important platform for international college students to learn more about the Chinese language and culture. It is a bridge of understanding that links China to young people worldwide.

During the past decade or so, 14 Selection Contests have been held in Belgium. The winners of each year have been invited to the semi-finals and finals in China, with the chances of winning scholarships to further their studies of Chinese in China. In 2009, Belgian Contestant Hao Fei (Chinese name) won the worldwide Top Prize - Outstanding Award at the 8th "Chinese Bridge" Competition Final held in Changsha, China.
Local Attorney/Prosecutor Releases True Kansas City Crime Stories Book

Denizens of Kansas City's political scene know thatis an influential power broker who has worked to help a great many candidates and insiders. TV watchers remember that he's a winner of a local Emmy for his talk show work that was a lot more captivating that most of what's on the tube today . . . Now, he turns his attention toward the written word.Check the latestthat offers an up close and personal glimpse of behind the scenes of some of this town's toughest cases.Here's a preview of the book and we plan to review the work later this Spring. Checkit:This book tells the story of five different homicide cases from Kansas City, Missouri as told by the prosecutor who handled the cases himself, Phil LeVota. Five different stories are the five chapters that tell the different tale of true crime from the criminal's perspective, the police perspective, and the prosecution perspective. The Jackson County Prosecutor's office and the Kansas City Police department were involved in obtaining justice for the victims. From the horrific crime where the murderer made his son help him cut off the victim's head & hands to the robbery/assault of the sweet neighborhood grandmother, this is a "hard to put down" book that keeps you wanting more.The book is now available online on Amazon and Kindle and at local bookstores at Prosperos 1800 West 39th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111 and Readers World, 983 NE Rice Rd., Lees Summit, Missouri and soon at UMKC and Barnes & Noble.The author will have a presentation at the Westport Branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library on Saturday, April 24, 2016 at 10:00 am. Author book signing at Reader's World Bookstore in Lee's Summit on Saturday, April 24 from 1-2.###########Developing . . .
The EU will provide Greece at short notice with the necessary means, including border guards, asylum experts and interpreters, to tackle the refugee crisis

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.

Hand in hand with the Greek authorities

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 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.

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
Former city commissioner Chris Alahouzos beat out his challenger Frank DiDonato and became the First Greek-Born Tarpon Springs Mayor, according to usa.greekreporter.com.

Alahouzos will replace Mayor David Archie, who could not run because of term limits.

Alahouzos returns to the city board after three years away from service as a two-term commissioner. He will officially take office on April 5.

Alahouzos and his family emigrated to the United States from the Greek island of Kalymnos when he was 14. His father was a sponge diver.

The new Tarpon Springs mayor was a technology expert for Verizon and spent decades in public service, including years of cultural volunteer work connecting Tarpon Springs with Kalymnos, and other Greek islands through a sister-city program.

Alahouzos established the Plato Academy, a highly regarded charter school in Pinellas County, Florida, with campuses in Tarpon Springs as well as Clearwater, Largo, Palm Harbor, Seminole, and St. Petersburg.

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
In the same spirit as last year, Greek travelers' preferences seem to be scattered throughout the entire country with only a small percentage travelling abroad

Thessaloniki, Nafplio and Athens are the three top choices of Greeks for the long weekend of Greek Independence Day on March 25, according to trivago hotel price search engine data.

In the same spirit as last year, Greek travelers' preferences seem to be scattered throughout the entire country with only a small percentage travelling abroad.

The three top cities are the same as last year, only trading places with each other.

Thessaloniki came first this year, while last year ranked a place lower. Nafplion occupies the second spot, losing last year's top place. The remaining top five spots are filled by Athens, Ioannina and Kastoria with Pelion ranking sixth followed by Volos, Hydra, Rome and Patras, according to the following charts:





2015









2016





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
In order to boost tourism numbers, Greece has been working on diversifying its touristic portfolio, developing new destinations and introducing new high-end accommodation and services

Secretary-General, UNWTO, Taleb Rifai expressed confidence in Greeces tourism sector, forecasting its continued growth.

Throughout 2015, international tourist arrivals to Greece increased by seven per cent, reaching a total of 23.6 million. Exports generation by the tourism sector rose by six per cent to $15.9 billion.

On the side-lines of the recently concluded ITB Berlin, Rifai met with Greeces Minister of Tourism, Elena Kountoura to focus on tourism in Europe and Greece.

Rifai commented: We have no doubt that Greece will maintain a powerful image worldwide as a major tourism destination and that the country will consolidate its growth in 2016, as shown by booking trends.

Positive trend in bookings

On her part, Kountoura stressed : The Aegean islands are already showing a positive trend in bookings and are ready to welcome an increased number of tourists for the current season.

In order to boost tourism numbers, Greece has been working on diversifying its touristic portfolio, developing new destinations and introducing new high-end accommodation and services.

The Greek Minister concluded: Meeting with leading tour operators at ITB, we have received very positive feedback from the German travel market, which has confirmed the increased demand in bookings for Greece.

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
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Today, six Chinese companies possess the rights to fly to France, including four for passenger traffic (Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and HNA).



They can land in three Parisian airports as well as in six cities of the province. In exchange, three French companies have rights toward China: Air France, Air Austral and Aigle Azur. The latter does not use these rights, due to a lack of agreements for flying over Siberia.



Thus, there is no legal prohibition to the opening of direct flights toward the province. But to convince Chinese professionals, French cities need to become popular abroad.



This is far from being the case, according to Catherine Oden, Director of the Atout France office in China.



Due to the lack of popularity of the French province in China, the number of potential clients is insufficient to justify the opening of direct flights.



Michel Madi, CEO of Frenchy Travel, agrees with this observation.



Other than Nice, French cities have no image on the Chinese market, contrarily to others like Milan that is connected to fashion, Barcelona for partying, or Geneva for luxury. These cities have invested large marketing efforts and very often attend major trade-fairs in Asia.



If flights between the province and China remain rare, it may simply be due to a lack of potential, according to Jean-Louis Baroux, former President of APG and air transportation expert.



If there was a market, it would be known, and Air France would have already developed direct flights. Why take a financial risk with a charter contract when there are many lines via the Gulf countries and other European hubs?
Iran's two most powerful figures offered contrasting visions for the economy in speeches marking Iranian new year on Sunday, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for self-reliance and President Hassan Rouhani urging cooperation with the world.



In Nowruz speeches, Khamenei and Rouhani looked back on the past year, which saw sanctions on Iran lifted under a nuclear deal with world powers, and agreed the economy should be a top priority in the new Iranian year.



But while Rouhani said further engagement with other countries was the key to economic growth, Khamenei reaffirmed his commitment to the concept of a "resistance economy" centred on self-sufficiency.



The competing messages underscore differences between the two leaders, who both subscribe to the principles of the Islamic Republic but have divergent ideas about how it should engage with the global economy and in particular Western powers.



"I am sure that with cooperation and effort inside the country, and constructive engagement with the world, our economy can bloom and develop," Rouhani said on the first day of the Iranian year 1395.



Khamenei declared 1395 the year of "the Resistance Economy: Action and Implementation", and said the Islamic Republic should take steps to reduce its vulnerability to the designs of its "enemies", meaning the US and its allies.



The 76-year-old cleric, Iran's highest authority, has consistently warned against allowing any form of Western influence to enter the Islamic Republic, and recently said the economy had not benefited from an influx of Western business delegations to Tehran.



Rouhani, who championed the nuclear deal that saw sanctions lifted in January, has said businesses from all countries are welcome to enter the market so long as they hire Iranian workers and bring economic development into the country.



The president's allies made significant gains in parliamentary elections last month, which could help him push through economic reforms designed to welcome foreign investors. But Khamenei and the Guardian Council, a conservative clerical body, have veto power over all legislation. - Reuters
A large delegation of Kuwaiti traders are expected to participate at the 119th Canton Fair, in China, next month.



The China Foreign Trade Centre, organisers of the China Import and Export Fair, announced that its 119th Canton Fair will be held in Guangzhou, China, from April 15 to May 5, said a statement.



The announcement was made at a video conference in Kuwait attended by journalists aimed at presenting the huge opportunities for further bilateral trade with the Gulf state, it added.



Co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of the Peoples Republic of China and the Peoples Government of Guangdong Province, the Canton Fair is regarded as one of the largest comprehensive trade fairs in the world, it said.



Hakel Wen, international VIP service executive, International Communication Department of the China Foreign Trade Centre, said: Out of the total 177,544 professional buyers from 213 countries and regions who visited the 118th Canton Fair last autumn, 507 of them came from Kuwait.



These professional buyers from Kuwait mainly sourced their requirement for electronics and household electrical appliances, home decorations and consumer goods, he said.



Considering the population of Kuwait, this group represented a huge group of businessmen. This is reflective of the strong commercial ties between Kuwait and China. I am therefore confident that, with China and Kuwaits firm commitment at maintaining such healthy trade relations, we will see an even bigger contingent from Kuwait. Rest assured, we are ready and prepared to welcome more Kuwaiti traders to the fair, he added.



Among the main exports from China to Kuwait are electrical products, clothes and textiles, while Kuwaits exports to China include petrol and plastic, further added the statement.



In playing a key role in the advancement of Chinese foreign trade and trade exchanges between China and the world, this year event will have 60,000 exhibition stands over a vast area of 1.18 million sq m. It will also feature 150,000 categories of high quality products divided into 16 exhibit sections, it added.



The fair will have an International Pavilion covering 20,000 sq m with 1,000 stands. Over 24,000 outstanding enterprises from all over the world have showcased their key products at every session of the Canton Fair, it said.



To further reach out to a wider audience, the Canton Fair has launched a Facebook page in six languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, said the statement.



As part of its online presence, the Canton Fair home website has also launched a Highlight Products section that displays the highest quality products online prior to the actual staging of the Canton Fair, it stated.



Over 1,800 well-known enterprises have already participated and displayed over 20,000 products. The aim of the online section is to allow buyers to get a preview of the fair, collect interesting exhibits and enjoy the Made-in-China style through this platform, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
At least 13 people were killed when a bus carrying a large group of foreign university students crashed early on Sunday midway between the Spanish cities of Valencia and Barcelona, authorities in the northeastern region of Catalonia said.



Eight of the 43 passengers had also been seriously injured.



The students were from at least 19 countries and many were part of the Erasmus exchange programme between European universities, emergency services in Catalonia said.



Regional leader, Carles Puigdemont, told a local radio station that all the victims were women.



The bus crashed and overturned at about 0600 CET (0500 GMT) on a road that runs along Spain's eastern coast. After swerving onto the other side of the road, it had hit an oncoming car, injuring the two passengers.



The bus, which was carrying 61 passengers, according to estimates from the authorities, was driving away from Valencia on the last weekend of the Fallas festival, known for its big firework displays.



"There were students on board, many of them foreign students studying in Catalonia and in Barcelona who had travelled to Valencia for the Fallas and were returning," Jordi Jane, Catalonia's regional interior minister said at a televised news conference. He said the victims were all aged between 22 and 29.



The driver had been taken to a local police station, Jane said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear but was most likely due to "human error", he said.



The driver had tested negative for alcohol and drug, a Catalan court said in a statement.



Catalonia's emergency services said in a statement that passengers on board included students from Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Great Britain, Italy, Peru, Bulgaria, Poland, Ireland, the Palestinian Territories, Japan, Ukraine, Holland, France and Finland.



Authorities had not yet given the nationalities of the dead. - Reuters
UAE-based telecom provider Du and UAE-born brand Zero1 recently demonstrated the capability of Light Fidelity (LiFi), the latest technology in data communication, in Dubai, UAE.



LiFi is a wireless optical networking technology that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for data transmission instead of radio waves, reportedly giving it the data transmitting potential of up to 224GB per second.



According to research from Mordor Intelligence LiFi is 100 times faster than Wi-Fi technology as well as being significantly cheaper. In addition, LiFi complements Wi-Fi technology, by minimizing the risk of loss of data in a high density area in a confined region.



In doing so, it will be adding significant value to Dus wireless broadband portfolio capabilities in both indoor and outdoor data transmissions. The integration of LiFi enables Du to provide solutions for its business customer across municipal, commercial and industrial environments. Du has demonstrated three use cases over LiFi technology including internet over LiFi, video and audio streaming over LiFi.



Saleem AlBalooshi, executive vice president of Network Development and Operations at Du, said: With the Global LiFi market expected to reach $80 billion by 2021, we expect to see demand for this technology increasing exponentially over the coming years.



We wanted to ensure our customers were aware of this technology and the demonstration of LiFi technology complements our broadband portfolio for the business segment. We are currently working with major businesses to create tailor-made LiFi solutions and to test and validate the applications so that we can ensure we offer the latest in innovation to our valued customers.



The new innovative LiFi technology is particularly suitable for environments where safety and data security are paramount such as hospitals, company headquarters, transport, and security agencies. LiFi uses Visible Light Spectrum (VLS) which has a huge data capacity (about 390 Tera Hertz (THz) of bandwidth available), and is unimpeded by radio interference and generates no electromagnetic smog. This makes it a superior option for intrinsically hazardous environments such as refineries, oil platforms or petrol stations.



AlBalooshi added: The recent demonstration of LiFi adds further impetus to the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in establishing the UAE as a global leader in all aspects and as an innovator in technology in the Middle East region.



Du and Zero1 are developing a number of LiFi-enabled solutions which provide a variety of analytics, communication and management systems, and customer engagement solutions. The outdoor deployment of LiFi enables motion detection, geo-localization and camera networks through street lights while the indoor deployment supports retail, healthcare, education, and cultural centres.



Discussing the demonstration, Marc Fleschen, CEO, Zero1, said: We are thrilled to work with Du on LiFi technology to create a powerful platform which will provide tangible and long-lasting solutions for Dus business partners. We are honoured to be part of the LiFi integration for different applications, which will place the UAE at the forefront of LiFi enabled environments.  TradeArabia News Service
State carrier Oman Air's losses narrowed last year and it required less financial support from the government as the airline boosted its capacity, chairman Darwish Al Balushi said on Sunday.



The fate of the carrier, which has been loss-making for years, is important to Oman's economy as the government tries to repair state finances damaged by low oil prices while diversifying the economy into non-oil sectors such as tourism.



Oman Air's losses narrowed 21 per cent in 2015 to RO86 million ($233 million), while its revenues expanded 14 per cent to RO466 million ($1.2 billion) as it took delivery of nine new aircraft and increased its flight schedule.



This allowed the airline to reduce the support it received from the government to RO54 million ($140 million) last year, Al Balushi said without giving a figure for support in 2014.



He said the airline would request a further reduction in support this year, and was on track to break even on an operating basis by the end of 2017.



Oman Air has a fleet of 41 planes and plans to expand this to 70 by 2020, according to its website. Last October, the government approved a restructuring of the airline that created subsidiaries and ventures to handle some businesses.-Reuters
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Northwest Region will hold a public involvement meeting to discuss plans for upcoming construction projects on I-94 between Highway 128 and the Wilson Creek Bridges in St. Croix and Dunn Counties.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 29 from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Knapp Community Hall (111 Oak Street, Knapp). The objective of this meeting is to familiarize people with the project and to obtain input on the proposed improvements.

The project will involve replacing 12.5 miles of roadway with new concrete pavement as well as replacing 14 mainline bridges carrying I-94 traffic over local roads. The pavement on the ramps at the County Q interchange will also be removed and replaced. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2018 and be completed in 2020.

The public is encouraged to attend the meeting, provide input and ask questions concerning this project. Exhibits showing the plan concepts will be on display. Project representatives from WisDOT will be available to discuss and answer questions about the project.

Those unable to attend the meeting or who would like more information can contact Tom Anderson, WisDOT Project Leader, at (715) 836-7275 or email to thomas.anderson@dot.wi.gov.

Written comments regarding the project can be mailed to Tom Anderson, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 718 W Clairemont Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

A public hearing may be requested by individuals to whom the proposed project is of significant concern by submitting a written request to the address listed above on or before April 15. The hearing request should indicate the concerns and reasons why a hearing is requested. Before making a request for a public hearing, persons are encouraged to contact the WisDOT project leader to express their views and discuss those aspects of the project that are of concern.
When it comes to veterans health care, the gap between Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Russ Feingold goes deeper than a political blame game.

Shane Sanderson is a U.S. Army veteran from Sheldon who fought in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a recent interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, Sanderson credited the mental health care for post-traumatic stress disorder he got from a VA clinic in Rice Lake.

It probably saved my life, Sanderson said.

Sanderson, a farmer and middle school teacher, waded into the U.S. Senate race last month by voicing an ad for the progressive group VoteVets.org that criticized Johnson for his response to reports that veterans at the Tomah VA Medical Center were being over-prescribed opiate drugs.

Before that, a conservative group, Wisconsin Alliance for Reform, ran ads accusing Feingold of failing to properly respond to similar reports when he was in the Senate.

The finger-pointing over Tomah overlies a fundamental divide between the candidates on health care for veterans.

Johnson, the first-term senator from Oshkosh, favors partially privatizing veterans health care. Feingold, the former three-term senator from Middleton, maintains the VA system should remain public but be better-funded.

Veterans health care has been under national scrutiny recently, following revelations that veterans across the country were waiting too long to get VA treatment  in some cases, dying while waiting for care.

Demand for veterans health care has soared in recent years as soldiers returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan, and as many Vietnam-era veterans reached an age where they need more care.

Johnson envisions a lesser role for VA staff and facilities to meet the growing challenge. In an interview, Johnson said he supports a system in which veterans would have more opportunities to choose between getting care from the VA or from private providers.

The long-term solution would be to give vets more choice to access private health care, Johnson said.

Sanderson fears that could dent the quality of care he and other veterans receive.

I would hate to see that mitigated by the lowest bidder, and thats what I fear, Sanderson said.

Privatization at issue

Feingold told the State Journal that lawmakers need to provide the VA with adequate funding, particularly to improve mental health and womens health services.

Feingold said Wisconsin veterans regularly tell him they dont want their health care left in private hands.

(Johnson) essentially says that he doesnt think a public VA is ultimately the way to go, that its destined not to work because the government is involved, Feingold said. Well, thats not what veterans tell me.

They want it improved, but they would prefer the VA not be privatized  and I agree with them.

Johnson said he does not support total privatization of veterans health care. VA facilities should retain key roles in caring for veterans, he said, by becoming hubs of treatment for ailments common to veterans such as amputations or post-traumatic stress disorder.

But Johnsons office said wasteful spending within the VA has been a problem. His office cited cost overruns on VA construction projects, including a Colorado VA facility that cost about $1.7 billion, almost triple the cost of an earlier estimate.

The federal government budgeted $163 billion for VA programs in fiscal year 2016. Its not clear what additional costs might come from giving private health care options to all veterans.

A law passed by Congress in 2014, which gave greater access to private care for certain veterans, suggests expanding those choices to all veterans might not come cheap.

That same law produced one of the most controversial votes cast by Johnson since he took office.

Federal lawmakers were scrambling in 2014 to respond to revelations that veterans died waiting for care at VA facilities.

Congress and President Barack Obama quickly passed what became known as the Veterans Choice Act. It allows veterans facing long wait times for treatment  or those who live long distances from VA medical facilities  to use their veterans benefits to contract with private health care providers. The act also boosted funding for existing VA facilities and staff.

Citing concerns with its cost, Johnson was one of three senators to initially vote against the bill. Johnson later voted in favor of a House-Senate compromise version of the bill, which Obama signed into law.

Veterans Choice Act

Feingold saves some of his sharpest criticisms of Johnson for his initial vote against the act.

When it was time to actually provide the resources, what (Johnson) said was, We cant afford it. Well bankrupt our country, Feingold said. Well, he voted for lots of things that could bankrupt our country, like supporting military budgets and others that are very expensive and arent necessarily paid for.

But when it came to this issue  the issue of resources to make sure we dont have the waiting lists  he wasnt there. He was one of a very few who said No.

Johnson said that account is misleading, not least because he ultimately supported the act.

Johnson said the congressional debate over the Veterans Choice Act was dysfunctional  what he describes as a rushed, knee-jerk response to scandal. Johnson said his initial no vote was him seeking a time-out on the bill after receiving an estimate that it could cost more than $400 billion over a decade.

By the time of the vote on the final version of the bill, Johnson said many of his questions had been answered and its estimated cost was far less.

Only three people had the courage to not mortgage our childrens future, Johnson said. Ive been accused of voting against vets. No, I voted for our children.

Meanwhile, problems at Tomah have been in the headlines since reports surfaced of over-prescription of opiate painkiller drugs there  and of the death of a U.S. Marine from Stevens Point, Jason Simcakoski, in the centers care. An investigation by the VAs Inspector General found deficiencies in care at Tomah contributed to Simcakoskis death.

Johnson said his office initially could have done more to respond to complaints of wrongdoing at Tomah. But Johnson maintains that after he understood the scope of problems at Tomah, he has done more than any other elected official to address them.

VA whistleblower backs Johnson

The whistleblower at the center of the scandal, Gulf War veteran and former Tomah VA employee Ryan Honl, agrees with Johnson. In fact, Honl  who describes himself as a former Democrat  said hes actively supporting Johnson in the Senate race.

Feingold, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Ron Kind also have faced criticism about their handling of complaints of wrongdoing at Tomah.

(Johnson) is the least culpable of any elected official in this whole mess, Honl said. His office has been open and willing and talking to whistleblowers.

Starting last year, Johnson conducted an investigation of Tomah through his congressional office and the Senate Homeland Security committee of which he is chairman. The investigation included a field hearing in Tomah in March 2015 that included testimony from Simcakoskis family members. Johnson said he believes the work done by his committee helped lead to top Tomah officials leaving the facility, including former center director Mario DeSanctis and former chief of staff David Houlihan.

Johnson also has introduced Senate bills he said will increase transparency in the VA system and protect whistleblowers who speak out about problems.

Feingold said his 18 years in the Senate produced other advances in veterans care. He supported efforts to better track veterans suicides, pushed to expand outreach to make veterans aware of their benefits and advocated for construction of new VA facilities in northern and western Wisconsin.

Pressed on what he thinks should be done to address problems at Tomah, Feingold told the State Journal he does not think that micromanaging Tomah is the answer.

This isnt just about Tomah. This is about a national system, Feingold said. There was this problem (that) needs to be addressed, but that doesnt mean you sort of say that these VA facilities arent worthy. They are worthy, and theyre in need of improvement.

To Honl, improvement means more health care choices in addition to the VA. He said its time for elected officials to stop politicizing the issue and consider whats best for veterans.

Honl favors a system similar to what Johnson describes, in which the VA would still be an option for health care alongside private providers.

If that happened, Honl said, it would force the VA to start caring about the customer.
Whatever you think of Donald Trump, his political achievement is enormous, and he deserves the credit.

With no background in elected office, Trump has led the Republican presidential field for eight months. His strong plurality has proven to be demographically and geographically diverse. He has soundly beaten a series of talented, well-funded opponents. He has effectively tapped into deep-seated anger and resentment, promising the recovery of a nation that his followers regard as weak, lost and unrecognizable.

And Trump is not just winning; he is redefining how politics is done. Out: policy speeches, white papers, paid media, the ground game. In: monologues, social media, free media, advance work on big rallies.

Few politicians in history  Franklin Roosevelts mastery of radio and Ronald Reagans use of television come to mind  have more instinctually and effectively adapted to new communication methods.

Many Republicans now look at these undeniable successes and ask: How far should we go for unitys sake? Some are beginning to make their inner peace with Trump. He will, after all, eventually need experts to advise and guide him. His Supreme Court picks are bound to be better than Hillary Clintons. Maybe we just need to respect the democratic will.

These justifications are not insane, but they are ultimately not persuasive. Trump has little history of changing or refining his views through study and policy advice. Many of his goals, while too foolish to implement, are too vivid to revise. Try to imagine President Trump backing down on building the great wall or halting Muslim migration.

On the Supreme Court, even well-intentioned Republican presidents have made choices that didnt work out quite as planned. How would Trump, lacking a serious judicial philosophy, and perhaps facing a Democratic Senate, make his decision? Consult his radically pro-choice sister, an appeals court judge? Let his prospects battle it out on a season of Survivor?

On these matters, Trump is entirely unmoored and unpredictable. It is hard to justify a presidency, which would be dangerous and destabilizing in other ways, on odds this long.

What the argument for accommodation is missing is the core reality about Trump. His answer to nearly every problem is himself  his negotiating skill, his strength of purpose, his unique grasp of the national will.

But this is more will to power than separation of powers; more Nietzsche than Madison. Trump is not proposing a policy debate that can be adjudicated in the normal processes of our government. He is offering himself as master of every situation.

We are supposed to turn in desperation to the talent and will of one man, who happens to be bristling with prejudice and blazing with ignorance. We are seeing the offer of personal rule by someone with no discernible public or personal virtues.

Americans are discontented with the governing class, with good reason in many cases. But Trump would be the oddest answer in our history to a leadership void. He has offered disaffected people an invitation to political violence. Knock the crap out of them, would you? he said at one rally. Seriously. OK? Just knock the hell  I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise.

And this permission for violence is paired with an embrace of ethnic and religious bigotry, casting blame and suspicion on Muslims and undocumented immigrants. It would be difficult  or should be difficult  for any Republican to endorse a presidential candidate whose election would cause many of our neighbors to fear for their safety. Or to embrace a candidate who promised to purposely target children in the conduct of the war on terrorism. Or a candidate who has praised the passion and patriotism of followers and predicted riots if he doesnt get his way at the GOP convention.

For Republicans, accommodation with Trump is not just a choice; it is a verdict. None will come away unstained. For evangelicals, it is the stain of hypocrisy  making their movement synonymous with exclusion and gullibility. For GOP job seekers, it is the stain of opportunism (consider the sad decline into sycophancy of Chris Christie). For conservatives, it is the stain of betrayal  the equivalent of supporting George Wallace in 1968 as an authentic populist voice.

All this leaves completely horrible options: sitting the election out, supporting a third-party candidate, contemplating a difficult vote for Hillary Clinton. But these are the only honorable options. As one Republican friend wrote me of Trump: He would destroy everything Hillary Clinton would destroy, plus one more thing: the Republican Party.
Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

With the Punjab Government not relenting on the SYL canal in spite of the Supreme Court (SC) ordering status quo on the matter, Haryana khaps have threatened to block Punjabs access to New Delhi.

Khaps do not want to take any illegal action, but the Punjab Government continues to defy law, said Tek Ram Kandela, Haryana convener of the Sarv Khap Panchayat (SKP).

The decision was taken at a meeting of khap leaders at Kandela village in Jind district today.

Khaps, he said, would block roads indefinitely, cutting off Punjabs access to the national capital to teach the state a lesson for its anti-Haryana decision. We will wait for some more days before blocking roads.

Khaps have influence in Bhiwani, Jind, Sonepat, Rohtak, Panipat, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon, Jhajjar, Karnal, Kaithal, Faridabad and Palwal districts.

Nafe Singh Nain, SKP president, said: Punjab is cheating Haryana. All Haryana has been demanding is its legitimate share of water for years. How can Punjab refuse it? If Punjab residents face any problem in the coming some days, their government will be responsible for that.

Some other khap leaders confirmed they had been planning a retaliatory move in view of Punjabs decision to denotify SYL land. One of them said leaders mulled several options and blocking Punjabs access to Delhi topped their list.

Some youths tried to block water supply to Delhi from Munak canal near Sonepat and the Haryana Government asked the Army to take action. Now, the Centre must send the Army to Punjab to take action against their residents for levelling SYL canal, said Sube Singh Sumain, spokesperson for the Sarv Jat Khap Panchayat.
Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, March 20

Voting for the final phase for the post of Sikyong, leader of Tibetan people in exile or the Prime Minister of Tibetan government in exile and the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, concluded today. Two candidates were in fray for the post of Sikyong. They are the sitting Sikyong, Lobsang Sangay and Speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile Penpa Tsering. Both exercised their right to vote in McLeodganj.

As many as 95 candidates are contesting for the 45 seats of MPs in Tibetan Parliament-in-exile.

An eight-member delegation of Parliamentarians from Europe Australia, America and Canada had come to Dharamsala to observe the election process. Thomas Mann, member of European Parliament, said they came to observe the elections to the new government and parliament in exile. He said the Tibetans had adopted an ideal form to elect their leader democratically.

The results of the election that was held in different parts of the world wherever the Tibetan exiles have settled would be declared in the next few days by the Tibetan election commission.

This is the second direct election for the post of Sikyong after the Dalai Lama devolved his political power to the elected leader in the year 2011. In the last election, Lobsang Sangay had won 55 per cent of the votes. While it is second election for the post of Sikyong, it was the 16th election for the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile since the Dalai Lama took exile from China.

Dharamsala, the abode of the Dalai Lama and headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile, was abuzz with activity today as Tibetans made beeline at the polling stations set up by the Election Commission of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). More than 87,000 of the 1.5 lakh Tibetans living in exile have registered to vote. Out of these, 45,000 are from U-Tsang province of Tibet and the rest from Kham and Amdo region.

Most of the voters are Tibetan exiles living in India, Nepal and Bhutan, while North America has 9,800 registered voters. Europe has 5600 voters and 950 voters are in Australia and the rest of Asia. Exercising their democratic rights, Tibetans in exile today came out in strong numbers to vote, said a statement on the CTAs official website.

The voter turnout, however, would be ascertained after polling is over at all the 60 polling stations set in different countries where Tibetans are settled.

In the voting, the Tibetan voters have to list the candidates on the paper provided to them at the polling booth.

As per the rules, a voter can name for one candidate for the post Sikyong in his vote, while for the MP in Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, he can list up to 10 candidates (including two women) in preference, from their constituency.

For a member of the clergy, who would be elected to the Tibetan parliament in exile, a voter can select two candidates representing their religious tradition.

For a member of the clergy (four sects of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon Religion), a voter can select two candidates representing their religious tradition in addition to the 10 candidates named in preference.

Tibetans residing in North America and Europe can vote for two candidates each to represent their constituency. Tibetans residing in Australia, New Zealand and Asia (excluding India, Nepal and Bhutan) can vote for one candidate to represent the Australasia constituency. The results of the elections will be declared at respective polling stations within 24 hours, determining the winning candidates, the sources here said.
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 20

Pakistan and China have been working expeditiously to complete the $ 46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but at least 70 border roads in Jammu and Kashmir remain incomplete. A majority of these roads are in the strategic Ladakh region.

In April 2015, China and Pakistan signed an agreement to build the CPEC through Gilgit-Baltistan. It will extend to Gwadar Port in Pakistan and give China access to the Indian Ocean and beyond.

An official document on the incomplete Border Roads Organisation (BRO) projects says that 198 roads, which were sanctioned in the last five years, are yet to be completed. Of them, 70 roads await completion in Jammu and Kashmir.

There are certain delays in the execution of road projects mainly due to problems over forest and wildlife clearance, limited working season, difficulties in the availability of construction material and delay in land acquisition, said the document.

However, the Centre in a bid to expedite the pace of road projects had taken up the issue with Chief Secretary BR Sharma requesting him to constitute an empowered panel. Consequently, J&K constituted the panel to resolve the issue.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has given an approval under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, for diversion of forest land required for the construction of roads entrusted with the BRO in area falling within the 100-km aerial distance from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and for link roads between border roads in the area within the 100-km aerial distance from the LAC, national highways, state highways and other roads.

The 3,488-km-long LAC between India and China runs through the Himalayan states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Ladakh shares with China 955-km-long LAC that includes some portion of the international border and 122-km-long AGPL (Actual Ground Position Line).

In the strategically significant Ladakh where Chinese incursions and India-China stand-offs frequently take place, impediments being faced by the BRO could affect the operational preparedness of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Army, said an Army source.

The Army headquarters in New Delhi have been voicing concern over the matter and the Centre has been urged to remove bottlenecks to pave the way for the BRO to speed up its work and complete some important road projects, Army sources said.

While 12 Indo-China Border Roads (ICBRs) in Ladakh need immediate completion, at least 10 of the ITBP posts get cut off every winter for over six months for lack of road connectivity.
Suresh Dharur

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, March 20

The Telangana Government has signed an agreement with French institute Aerocampus Aquitaine for establishing an Aeronautics Training Centre at Begumpet Airport here.

The agreement was signed by Telangana Industries Secretary Arvind Kumar and Aerocampus Aquitaine General Manager Jerome Verschave in the presence of Telangana Industries Minister J Krishna Rao on the sidelines of the ongoing India Aviation 2016.

The proposed institute will offer training for technicians required in the aerospace industry. The institute, which is likely to become operational in the next six months, will start with a batch of 300 students and later scale up to 1,500 to 2,000 students per year, Kumar said.

The agreement supports the creation and development of a training centre based on Aerocampus Aquitaines model. The academy will train technicians and trainers according to the aviation industrys needs so as to ensure employability. There is a requirement at various levels, especially in MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) area. Preference will be given to eligible candidates from Telangana, the official said.

To start with, the state government will seek requisite approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to set up this institute.

It will be Indias first such training academy in aerospace industry. We would like to focus on MRO Technology Training. We will also provide accommodation to rural students. These courses will have residential facilities. All these are paid courses. The lower courses will be subsided by the government, the secretary said.
Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 20

Chandigarh-based police inspector Ram Dyal  along with his brother Mohan Lal, DIG, BSF Operation, posted at BSF Headquarters, Jalandhar  is on a mission to instil nationalism in government schoolchildren by arranging free patriotic tours for them.

Continuing with that, Ram Dyal, who is currently posted as SHO in Chandigarh, brought 548 students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Mohali, and Government High School, Sector 48, Chandigarh, to Khatkar Kalan in Nawanshahr, the ancestral place of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, on Sunday.

The mission has given new purpose to the inspectors life who had once contemplated suicide after having lost his legs in a train accident in Germany during a UN Peacekeeping Mission.

Ram Dyal said that todays trip was their ninth tour to Khatkar Kalan in the past 15 years. Before coming to the ancestral place of Bhagat Singh, I distributed 700 books titled Shaheed Sukhdev Jeevani to government schoolchildren so that they could read it and win awards during the tour.

He said they organised a quiz and declamation competition in Khatkar Kalan. The winners were given books and notebooks as prizes.

The inspector said the purpose of bringing children to this place was to make them aware of the life of martyrs.

On why he has been choosing schools from Punjab every year for the patriotic tour, he said, As I also studied in a government school, I want to see these students achieving success like me and my brother,

Ram Dyal said his idea of making girls and boys don a turban like Bhagat Singh was that the attire would make them feel like him and even think like him.
AT, the Imperial Legislative Council on Monday Pundit Madan Mohan Malaviya, moved a resolution urging the abolition of the system of Indian Indentured Labour. His Excellency the Viceroy said that Government accepted this resolution, and he announced that the Secretary of State was prepared to accept the policy of eventual abolition, in Jamaica, Trinidad, British, Guinea, Fiji and Dutch Surinam, but the existing system of recruiting must be maintained until the new conditions have been out in conjunction with the Colonial Office, the Crown colonies concerned and a reosonable time given to adjust.
SMA Kazmi

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 20

Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal here today issued show-cause notices to nine rebel Congress legislators, asking them why they should not be disqualified from the membership of the House for violating the party whip and aligning with the Opposition BJP during the passage of the Budget on March 18.

The notices were pasted outside the apartments allotted to the rebel legislators at the MLAs' hostel here. The notice seeks a point-wise clarification from the MLAs on the reason behind their joining BJP members in raising slogans in the House against the party leadership, besides a detailed explanation for their meeting with the Governor to lodge a complaint against the government.

The rebel legislators have been asked to reply to the notices by 5 pm on March 26.

The notices were served in the wake of the rebellion by nine Congress legislators who objected to the passage of the Budget in the state Assembly on March 18.

They along with BJP legislators had met Governor Dr KK Paul to demand the ouster of the Harish Rawat-led state government for losing the majority in the House. The Governor had asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the House by March 28.

Indira Hriydesh, Uttarakhand Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said today that being the chief whip of the party in the Assembly, she had complained to the Speaker about the conduct of these legislators. The notices were issued on her complaint.

Kunjwal said he would wait for the reply of these notices and take a decision on March 26. It was believed that Speaker planned to disqualify the membership of these legislators from the membership of the House before the House was convened on March 28 for a majority test for the Rawat government.

However, Subodh Uniyal, a rebel legislator, in a statement, questioned the show-cause notices to them by the Speaker. He said since the Speaker claimed that the Budget had been passed, then how they could be served notices for their conduct.

The rebels, along with BJP legislators, had given a notice of no-confidence motion against the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker on March 18. But the Speaker had denied receiving any such notice.

Harish Rawat and rebels have claimed that their numbers would increase in the coming days. The state Congress chief Kishore Upadhaya, a close confidant of the Chief Minister, claimed that at least five rebel legislators were in touch with him. Senior party leader from Uttar Pradesh and sister of former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna also met her brother in New Delhi in a bid to persuade him to return to the Congress fold.

The Chief Minister has claimed that he would prove his majority in the on March 28.

CM gets the office of Harak Singh Rawat locked

Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Sunday went to the state Assembly and got the office room of rebel leader and former Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat locked and took away the keys. The state Assembly was sealed when the Chief Minister visited the place and no one was allowed into the building. It was believed that the Chief Minister was interested in taking control of some of the important files in possession of the office of Harak Singh Rawat. Interestingly, the Chief Minister had sacked Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat and UK Uniyal, advocate general of the state who is elder brother of rebel Congress legislator Subodh Uniyal, on Saturday. Meanwhile, Harak Singh Rawat said the locking of his office room was an act of desperation on the part of the Chief Minister.

Satpal Maharaj seeks govts majority test immediate

BJPs National Working Committee member Satpal Maharaj sought immediate majority test of the Congress government in the state. Maharaj, a former Union minister, issued a statement that asking the state government to prove its majority by March 28 was a long period. Governor KK Paul must immediately exercise his constitutional power and direct for vote of confidence in the state Assembly, he said. Seeking removal of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Maharaj said a pro tem Speaker be appointed, followed by vote of confidence in the House. He accused Chief Minister Harish Rawat of being in cahoots with mafia. Mafia involved in quarrying, land grabbing and liquor trade are ruling Uttarakhand, Maharaj said. The BJP leader said, Harish Rawat is now putting a question mark on Vijay Bahugunas loyalty. But he has forgotten that he had left no stone unturned to create trouble for the ND Tiwari-led Congress government. Restraining BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi from attending the House is in no way a democratic act.
Dehradun, March 20

Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the membership of the House for violating the party whip and aligning with the opposition BJP.

Meanwhile, the Vidhan Sabha office of rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat was locked. Files in Rawats office were also checked and searched.

Read: Cong, PDF MLAs flown to undisclosed location in hills

The main opposition BJP has claimed that 35 MLAs, including 26 from the BJP and nine from the Congress, had already given a notice for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker to the Vidhan Sabha Secretary for his alleged failure to conduct the House in an impartial manner even before he issued the notices to the rebel Congress MLAs.

Notices have been issued to the nine rebel Congress MLAs following a request from party Chief Whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking action against them for violating the party whip in the state Assembly.

The notices have been pasted on the walls of the houses of the MLAs concerned, which asks them to submit their replies to the Speaker by March 26 evening.

However, state BJP president and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajay Bhatt said as a notice of no-confidence has already been moved against the Speaker, he should quit his post.

Rebel Congress MLA from Narendra Nagar and staunch Bahuguna loyalist Subodh Uniyal questioned the justification of the notices by a Speaker who had lost the confidence of the majority of MLAs for his failure to act impartially by not allowing a division of votes on the Budget in the House.

Facing a political crisis, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat yesterday got a breather with Governor Krishna Kant Paul asking him to prove his majority on the floor of the state Assembly by March 28.  Agencies
WASHINGTON  Maybe sometimes, even in this crazy town and in this crazy season, the best policy turns out to be the best politics. In the context of the Supreme Court vacancy, President Obamas choice of Merrick Garland may be the hardest for Republicans to reject  or, as they would prefer to have it, ignore.

Not that Garlands confirmation is by any means likely; Id rate his chances for the high court higher than John Kasichs for the GOP nomination, though thats not saying much. Still, I think Garlands nomination comes the closest to making Senate Republicans an offer they cant afford to refuse.

On the merits  and this is no slight to the other finalists; Garland simply has the longevity  he is the best qualified. He is the most moderate nominee Republicans could reasonably expect. His downside, in the view of Democrats, his age, should be a confirmation plus in the eyes of Republicans.

There was a lot of insider talk, before Obama chose Garland, about clever nomination strategies based on energizing demographic groups, deploying compelling narratives and putting certain senators in the uncomfortable position of opposing nominees they once endorsed.

Yes, Supreme Court nominations have increasingly taken on the aspect of political campaigns, but this was all a tad silly. And yes, the key to getting Garland confirmed, at least before the election, will be putting pressure on Republican senators up for re-election.

But perhaps the best way to put pressure on those senators is to pick a nominee they cant fault  except for the fact that he was nominated by this president. The more reasonable, the more qualified, the more judicious the nominee appears, the harder it will be for voters to stomach the notion, and for senators to stick to the position that he doesnt even deserve a meeting, much less a hearing.

Obama could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who not only voted to confirm Garland to the appeals court but spoke at his investiture, told the conservative website Newsmax last week. He probably wont do that because this appointment is about the election. So Im pretty sure hell name someone the [liberal Democratic base] wants.

Sen. Hatch, bluff called.

Note to Republican senators: Have you guys read the polls? Do you really think that if Donald Trump is your nominee, as is looking increasingly likely, he will beat Hillary Clinton? Do you think youre going to like President Clintons Supreme Court pick any better?

And having staked your anti-confirmation case on the argument that the voters should have their say on replacing Justice Antonin Scalia, havent you backed yourself into a difficult corner if and when it comes to weighing that Clinton nominee?

Speaking of backing into corners, in an odd way the choice of Garland underscores that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell knew what he was doing when he announced, immediately after the news of Scalias death, that the Senate would not take up any nominee.

This is an outrageous position, but McConnell rarely blunders on a tactical level, as some believed he did with the Scalia announcement. It would have been much harder for McConnell to keep his troops in line if he had waited to make that case until a nominee was named. And given the choice of Garland, the argument for inaction would look like a last-ditch effort  in the absence of any substantive count against him  rather than a purported stand on principle.

It was telling that Republican senators responses to the Garland nomination focused on criticism of the nomination, not the nominee. It was left to the Republican National Committee to issue a meet Merrick Garland press release depicting him as an anti-gun, pro-big government liberal.

Speaking of meeting Merrick Garland, I should probably disclose that he and I first met 30-plus years ago, when I was a law student interviewing with his firm for a summer job. Not only didnt I get the job, I didnt even get an invitation to come to Washington for a second-round interview.

So when I ran into Garland a few years later and jokingly chided him, he did something classically Garland: Meticulous as always, he checked the records, and reported back that the firm didnt think I was serious about practicing law. Which proves that Garland has good judgment (I wasnt) or good people skills (what a nice brush-off) or both.

Either way, another argument for the confirmation he so resoundingly deserves.
Astana, March 20

Kazakhstan's ruling party is almost certain to retain control over the lower house of parliament in a snap election on Sunday, but the vote may still play a part in deciding who will succeed President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Nazarbayev's Nur Otan party faces no real competition, and it should benefit from a rebound in oil prices and the local currency, the tenge. Harder to predict is the makeup of Nur Otan's faction, as it has 127 candidates vying for places in the 107-seat Mazhilis, the lower house.

All eyes will be on the president's daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva, who is deputy prime minister and also on the party list as a candidate. If she leaves the government, she could become the speaker of the lower house, which would solidify her position as a potential successor to her 75-year-old father.

Nazarbayeva did not speak to reporters as she cast her ballot at a polling station in the capital, Astana. But her father said his government was considering giving the parliament more powers in a constitutional reform.

He also indicated that a major government reshuffle was unlikely after the vote because we should let them complete the tasks they have undertaken.

Nazarbayev, who has led the former Soviet republic since 1989 and brooks little dissent, called the vote in January, apparently favouring an early election in case the economy were to worsen in the course of the year.  Reuters
Just days before they could clear their final hurdle, proposed new academic standards for Oklahoma public schools are facing threats from inside the state and out.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said the last-minute input and criticisms are political ploys.

As I have said in recent days, people from outside our state are swooping in at the eleventh hour to try politicizing Oklahomas standards. This report is evidence of that. We cannot let them, she told the Tulsa World in a written statement.

It has been seven weeks since Hofmeister delivered the proposed standards at a joint session of both houses of the Legislature.

The development of new academic standards in reading and math is easily Hofmeisters biggest policy issue lingering from her to-do list for her first year in office.

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, which both call for disapproval of the standards with instructions for revisions, and House Joint Resolution 1070, which calls for approval of the proposed standards with instructions.

Achieve, one of the nations pre-eminent authorities on education standards, issued a report late Friday criticizing the proposed new Oklahoma Academic Standards as lacking depth and quality.

And earlier in the week, two of the state standards experts invited to speak to the Oklahoma Standards Setting Steering Committee in early 2015 as the writing process was being launched returned and spoke critically of the outcome.

As reported by eCapitol news service, Larry Gray, mathematics professor at the University of Minnesota, and Sandra Stotsky, research professor emerita of education reform at the University of Arkansas, told Oklahoma legislators the proposed standards suffer from a lack of specificity, lack of examples in both math and reading materials and vague language.

Gray was a member of the writing team that developed new math standards for Minnesota in 2003 and then revised them in 2007, and the standards have resulted in marked improvements in student achievement.

Stotsky is credited with developing one of the countrys strongest sets of academic standards for K-12 education during her tenure as senior associate commissioner in the Massachusetts Department of Education from 1999-2003.

They appeared at a Tuesday legislative forum hosted by the Heartland Institute, a Chicago think tank with a focus on state policy.

Oklahoma lawmakers initially signed on with more than 40 other states for the Common Core, 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 the Common Core and mandated that Oklahoma go it alone and develop its own unique new standards.

That yearlong process was concluded in December. 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.

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 its new report, Achieve compared the final version of Oklahomas proposed new academic standards to the Common Core standards.

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.

The organizations analysis found that Oklahomas proposed English and language arts will likely cause confusion for Oklahomas teachers because they arent sufficiently clear, specific, and/or consistent enough to guide their teaching. As for math, Achieve declared key concepts are missing across grades and the standards do not provide an adequate foundation in early grades to ensure students are prepared to study advanced math in high school.

Asked if someone in state government or a third party requested the Achieve analysis, Boyd, the organizations chief operating officer, said no.

Sometimes we have a specific request from a state like when Gov. (Mike) Pence asked us to review the Indiana standards, and sometimes a third party will ask, but sometimes we decide to do it without a request, which was the case most recently with the South Carolina and the Oklahoma standards. We try to stay on top of what all states are doing, Boyd said.

Phyllis Hudecki, Gov. Mary Fallins former secretary of education, was a career educator who went on to hold positions with state departments of education in Iowa, Missouri and Massachusetts and then the U.S. Department of Education before returning to her home state of Oklahoma.

She is currently executive director of the Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition, an organization supported by CEOs from dozens of corporations across Oklahoma interested in education policy related to state standards, tests and school accountability.

OBEC did not join the dozens of organizations that endorsed the proposed standards when they were completed in December, instead choosing to remain silent.

Asked to comment on the significance of Achieves new report, Hudecki responded that when it comes to the analysis of academic standards, They are widely viewed as setting the gold standard. 

She added, Achieve was created over 20 years ago to be a resource to assist states in the early stages of developing their standards and has since worked extensively with all aspects of state standards development and analysis. They have been used extensively by states, including Oklahoma, to benchmark, analyze or compare standards, to the best among states or nations, providing constructive feedback, and consultation.

Asked why OBEC had chosen not to endorse the proposed new standards, Hudecki said her group was most concerned with how they would stack up against other states and nations.

We know and appreciate the state put tremendous effort into the work, but from the beginning of the process they were working with few resources and a compressed timeline, she said. Make no mistake about it, our state education professionals can create excellent standards. Our students can achieve at high levels and compete with anybody anywhere if they are given the opportunity and resources.

Our focus and concern about the new standards was the education of our students and if the new standards would enable them to be competitive with students from other states and nations.

Hofmeister said its worth noting that the proposed standards have been reviewed and endorsed by Frank Wang, president at Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics; Oklahoma State University; Oklahoma Writing Project at the University of Oklahoma; Oklahoma Council of Teachers of Math; Oklahoma Department of Commerce, and the Southern Regional Education Board.

I am proud of the new standards we have developed as a state, she said. These are Oklahoma standards, written by scores of Oklahoma educators and subject content experts, and endorsed by our local school districts and our states institutions of higher education.

At their meeting in January, state board members noted all of the official endorsements that had poured in from a broad spectrum of educators and advocacy groups.

Hofmeister seemed to allude to OBECs concerns at the conclusion of that meeting, when asked if any groups had held off on endorsing the proposals.

She said then that while some representatives of the business community have officially supported the standards, others had expressed concern that the new math standards dont go any further than the states minimum requirement of Algebra II, into advanced courses such as trigonometry and calculus.

One individual with a closeup view of the two-year-long shakeup in the states academic standards said he is incredulous and suspicious about the latest developments.

In repealing Common Core, we said we dont want California standards, we dont want Massachusetts standards, we dont want Minnesota standards. We want Oklahoma standards with Oklahoma expertise, fifth-year state Board of Education member Lee Baxter said, referring to the Legislature. Weve had a year to participate and give input and now at the 23rd hour, all of a sudden weve got legislators who are not teachers saying they need to be advised by someone outside the state. It is counterintuitive, disingenuous.

And two days before, we get this report from a very suspect organization  the architect of Common Core, and we rejected Common Core.

The Legislature needs to approve the standards. Sometimes perfect can be the complete enemy of good enough or good enough for right now.
Week ahead: The Senate is off until April 2, while the House meets onlyMonday through Wednesday. Legislation limiting the Federal Trade Commissions authority over mergers is the biggest item on the agenda.

Regulatory rewind: U.S. Sen. James Lankford joined 10 colleagues in attacking a 30-year-old Supreme Court ruling they say gives regulators too much authority.

The case, Chevron v. National Resource Defense Council, established a precedent allowing government agencies to reasonably resolve ambiguities arising from the application of existing laws new and unforeseen circumstances.

Lankford and other conservatives complain the Obama administration has used the Chevron decision to extend regulatory control far beyond original intent.

On Thursday, Lankford chaired a subcommittee hearing on the matter and co-sponsored legislation to effectively eliminate the latitude granted by the Chevron case.

In orbit: First District Rep. Jim Bridenstine told the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to move faster toward integrating private satellites in NOAAs weather-forecasting system, Space News reported.

There is a burgeoning weather satellite industry sitting on the sidelines, Bridenstine told NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan during a meeting of the House of Representatives subcommittee overseeing the agency.

Bridenstine, who is chairman of the committee, tried to dissuade Sullivan of her position that international agreements require NOAA to share weather data. Thats a deal-breaker for private providers, he said.

They are concerned if they sell data to NOAA, you will turn it around and give it away for free, which completely destroys the marketplace before it begins, Bridenstine said.

Indian affairs: Cherokee Chief Bill John Baker testified before a House subcommittee chaired by 4th District Congressman Tom Cole about joint construction projects involving tribes and the federal government.

Baker outlined the Cherokee Nations $150 million hospital project with the Indian Health Service, and recommended similar partnerships with the Bureau of Indian Education be considered.

Religious persecution: Lankford acknowledged Secretary of State John Kerrys official finding that the Islamic State is killing people based on religion, and suggested Kerrys statement has been too long coming.

While the recognition of these horrific crimes is important, we must not lose focus of the need to protect the fundamental right to religious freedom as a source of stability for all people around the world, Lankford said. America must lead the world in calling out human rights abuses wherever they exist. Much more needs to be done, but calling genocide genocide is a step in the right direction.

Dots and Dashes: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe asked the Environmental Protection Agency to make manufacture of natural gas vehicles an element of the EPAs negotiations with Volkswagen over the German automakers alleged circumvention of federal fuel efficiency standards. ... Inhofe praised the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for taking preliminary steps toward removing the American burying beetle from the endangered species list.
OKLAHOMA CITY  A state representatives tirade almost a year ago on the House floor is serving as fodder for some who oppose changing the way state Supreme Court justices are selected.

Rep. Kevin Calvey, R-Oklahoma City, has expressed anger and concern over recent state Supreme Court rulings against abortion legislation and a Ten Commandments monument on the state Capitol grounds.

Taking the House floor last April to denounce an adverse abortion ruling, Calvey shouted: If I were not a Christian and didnt have a prohibition against suicide, Id walk across the street, douse myself in gasoline and set myself on fire to protest the evil that is going on over there (at the state Supreme Court).

Recalling Calveys declaration on the House floor, Oklahoma City attorney Cathy Christensen handed out small boxes of matches at an Oklahoma Bar Association meeting earlier this month and urged other lawyers to go to the state Capitol and give the matches to Calvey.

We all got a chuckle out of the recent legislator (Rep. Calvey), who vowed to set himself on fire in our newly remodeled Supreme Court building, Christensen said at the meeting.

Christensen, a past president of the Bar Association, said she used the matches to draw the attention to Republican criticism of the way Supreme Court justices are appointed. She said those who oppose changing that process want to protect the integrity of the Supreme Court, which as the third branch of state government must act independently of the legislative and executive branches.

OBA President John Williams said he wanted to make it clear that Christensens decision to distribute the matches was not sanctioned by the bar association.

Calvey said later that he had not been approached by anyone about the matches and called Christensens actions kind of silly. He has filed a bill to make the justices and appellate judges elected rather than appointed by the governor.

At least for now, House Speaker Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, has set aside Calveys bill while getting his own bill about the matter approved by the House.

The speakers bill would diminish the powers of the Judicial Nominating Commission. Currently, the 15-member commission selects three candidates for Supreme Court and appellate court positions and forwards the names to the governor for a final selection. Hickmans bill would require the commission to submit the names of all qualifying candidates to the governor, rather than just the top three choices.

The speakers bill also would set up a special committee comprising Senate and House members who would review the governors choice and approve or deny the selection.

Although Hickmans bill passed the House, it appears the Senate may not support it in its present form.

Historically, it has been the Senate that would approve selections made by the governor.

Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa, said he and several of his fellow senators do not think the House should get into the selection process traditionally reserved for the Senate.

Williams, the Bar Association president, said he fears Hickmans bill would turn the Judicial Nominating Commission into simply a board of clerks, essentially taking away all of its power that was established in the 1960s after sitting Supreme Court justices were convicted of taking bribes used as campaign contributions.

It is important that Oklahomans know about what happened in the 1960s with the Supreme Court, Christensen said.

One thing I love about Oklahomans, they will do research and discern what you are telling them, what is the truth, Christensen said.
Associate Editor Mike Jones wrote an interesting column on contested conventions ("The delegate dance," March 13). Coincidentally, there was a similar piece in the online version of March issue of New Yorker magazine, newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/21/donald-trump-and-contested-conventions.

Both Jones and the New Yorker wrote that the last contested convention was the Democratic convention in 1952. I found it surprising that neither mentioned the 1968 Democratic convention, at which then-President Lyndon Johnson and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley pulled strings behind the scenes to allow Hubert Humphrey to win the nomination even though he had not entered even a single primary.

Evidently, Jones and the New Yorker were operating under a different, narrower definition of contested conventions, those in which multiple ballots were required before a candidate was chosen.

The New Yorker does acknowledge, however, that although the Republican National Committee doesnt have absolute discretion, it might try to make it harder for Trump to win by putting key rule changes up for a vote. The New Yorker also says the maneuver is risky, given that Trump supporters already think the system is rigged against him.

Although it seems that this election season is like none before, that could also have been said just as easily in the past.

Letters to the editor are encouraged. Send letters to letters@tulsaworld.com.
It's Divali time so at TV6 over the next few days, we bring you some of the interesting aspe
Under a long-established process, the Legislature adopted and Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation last month that makes changes to Wisconsins workers compensation program that had been negotiated by labor and management.

But some say a lawmakers attempt to sidestep the process and changes in other states, such as reducing benefits for injured workers and letting companies opt out of state programs, could signal disruption to come.

Were very concerned, said Stephanie Bloomingdale, secretary-treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. The trend across the nation is clearly bad for workers.

At issue is a decades-old process in which the Workers Compensation Advisory Council, which has five members from labor and five members from management, hash out proposed changes to the program in a bill each two-year legislative session. The Legislature typically approves the bills.

In the session that ended this month, Rep. John Spiros, R-Marshfield, a trucking company executive who is president of the Trucking Industry Defense Association, introduced his own bill, in addition to the advisory council bill. The Spiros bill contained more measures supported by business.

The bill didnt get a hearing, largely because it would have let an employers determination of employee negligence reduce benefits, doing away with a no-fault system that has kept workers comp stable, said Chris Reader, director of health and human resources policy for Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

Spiros removed the provision, but by then the bill was poisoned, Reader said. If the provision hadnt been included initially, Reader said his powerful business group would have supported key parts of the bill: letting employers choose which health care providers injured workers can go to and dramatically reducing the time period in which workers can file claims.

The Legislature unanimously passed, and Walker signed, the advisory council bill, supported by labor and management. It increased payments for disabled workers, added a fraud investigator, said employers arent responsible for underlying disabilities and reduced the statute of limitations for filing claims from 12 years to six years, among other things.

The Spiros bill put the statute of limitations at two years, a year shorter than what Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has sought. Labor groups oppose limits that short.

Next session, Spiros said, Im definitely not ruling out putting forth another bill.

Whether lawmakers will continue to defer to bills agreed upon by the advisory council, or take up other bills, isnt clear, said David Weir, a workers comp attorney in Fitchburg.

Support for the agreed bill process is not as strong as it used to be, Weir said. We fear what will happen with the next session.

Medical costs an issue

Wisconsin was the first state to pass an approved workers comp program, in 1911. Companies agree to pay for the economic cost of work-related injuries, and workers give up the right to sue for negligence.

Wisconsin had about 99,000 workers comp claims in 2013, for which about $917 million in benefits has been paid so far, according to the Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau.

The state has stable premiums, low litigation rates and high worker satisfaction, according to the state Department of Workforce Development, which administers it.

But workers comp medical costs in 2013 were highest among 31 states that account for 85 percent of benefits nationally, and surgery and clinic visit costs in Wisconsin were higher for workers comp patients than for other types of patients, according to the Workers Compensation Research Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The advisory council bill in 2014, during the previous legislative session, included a fee schedule to put caps on payments to providers. The Wisconsin Medical Society, the Wisconsin Hospital Association and other provider groups successfully fought the bill, and no workers comp changes passed that session.

This session, management members of the advisory council proposed a different way to control medical costs: letting employers direct employees to certain providers, the provision included in the Spiros bill. Labor members didnt support the idea, and it wasnt in the advisory council bill.

Mark Grapentine, lobbyist for the medical society, said that while costs for some medical procedures are high, workers comp claims in Wisconsin are among the least costly in the country because workers use fewer medical services and return to work sooner than in most states.

Youre actually getting value for the spend, Grapentine said.

The average return to work in Wisconsin was two months, three weeks shorter than the national average, in 2009, the most recent year for which data are available, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance in Boca Raton, Florida.

Reader and others, including Jeffrey Beiriger, president of Association Management Services in Menasha and head of the advisory councils management caucus, say premiums will go up if medical costs arent controlled.

We need some sort of medical cost containment, Beiriger said.

Next session, that will be our No. 1 issue, Reader said.

Is opt-out next?

Spiros said an opt-out law, such as those in Oklahoma and Texas letting employers set up their own worker injury plans, should be considered in Wisconsin. I have heard that it helps and its a good program, he said.

He noted, however, that Oklahoma regulators last month declared that states opt-out law unconstitutional. Before we would adopt anything, we need to make sure its constitutional, Spiros said.

Bloomingdale, the AFL-CIO representative who is head of the advisory councils labor caucus, said she opposes an opt-out bill.

Kerri Hanson, who litigated a workers comp claim through Madison attorney William Parsons, said the states workers comp system should be more worker-friendly.

While working as a certified nursing assistant at a Green Bay nursing home in 2013, Hanson injured her back and shoulder transferring a patient to a shower chair.

She received workers comp benefits until a doctor selected by the nursing home said the benefits should stop. Other doctors said she had some permanent disability, leading an administrative law judge to rule in favor of Hanson last month.

Pending a possible appeal, she will get $29,154, plus $1,365 a month for 21 months. Her providers will get $53,808 for care she has received.

Hanson, 35, of Madison, said she has found only lower-paying, part-time jobs since her injury. Workers comp is vital to people like her, she said.

You need to get to a better place so you can adapt, she said.
TEN series The Bolt Report will return on SKY News at 7pm weeknights from May.

It ends speculation as to whether the show would return to TEN this year, but airing on the joint News Corp / Telstra-owned broadcaster may be a cheaper option than producing the show for TEN.

Bolt will also continue his nightly appearances on Steve Prices radio show and writing for the Herald Sun. He was recently a correspondent from Rome during George Pells video appearances into the child abuse inquiry.

Its a bit scary, Bolt told News Corp. SKY has been brilliant at news. Now its beefing up the views. Five nights with the radio show as well, so it will be full on  but its an election year, so why not?

The Bolt Report will be first nightly production from SKYs Melbourne studio.

Former prime ministerial chief of staff Peta Credlin is also believed to be considering an offer to join SKYs federal election coverage.
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).
home Tech iOS 9.2 jailbreak release date 2016 news: Download in the works; jailbreaker suggests 9.2.1 coming

Many are waiting for an iOS 9.2 jailbreak to allow them to customize their devices and ignore software restrictions imposed by Apple on their gadgets. As of now, the latest Apple operating system that can be bypassed is iOS 9.1 through a jailbreak developed by a team of Chinese programmers called PanGu. However, as the recent iOS 9.2 updates happened and the new iOS 9.3 looks to be on its way, Apple users are wondering if the iOS 9.2 will ever come into fruition.

Apple's iOS 9.2 was released in December last year that features major bug fixes, operating system improvements, and support for AT&T's NumberSync, USB Camera Adapter, Mail Drop, and Safari View Controller improvements, to name a few. However, upgrading the operating system from iOS 9.1 is not a guarantee to avoid system bugs and breach of security for iPhone and iPad users. With this, the iOS 9.2.1 was released earlier this year to answer these concerns, however according to GottabeMobile, the iOS 9.2.1 is not very different from 9.2 and is rather a small update that offers bug fixes, performance improvements, and security fixes that enable iOS 9 to run more effectively on iPhone and iPad.

Still, the updates made between 9.2 and 9.2.1 do not allow users to jailbreak the system using the latest jailbreaking software released by PanGu. Adding more complication is that iOS 9.2.1 is in no way possible to be downgraded to 9.1, rendering it also impossible to jailbreak.

It is interesting to note, however, that a PanGu jailbreak team member suggested that users must upgrade their systems to iOS 9.2.1 despite its tight digital lock security fix, which may suggest that their team has the solution to successfully jailbreak the OS.

While iOS jailbreaking sounds illegal and it violates the right of software developers to their work, it is somehow considered an acceptable act, that is if the user only wants to personalize the device setup to his or her own satisfaction. If turns into an unlawful offense if jailbreaking intends copyright infringement. On October 2012, the US Copyright Office released an exemption for iOS jailbreaking, stating that this act of changing the limitations set by the manufacturer on its telephone handsets is not illegal, although this does not apply to tablets as the term "tablet" is vague and may result into a loophole in the rules.
home Tech Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date news 2016: Gear VR headset integration to be featured?

Samsung has not yet officially announced the arrival of Samsung Galaxy Note 6, but rumor has it that the smartphone boasts some impressive features tech savvy fans need to know about.

In terms of its camera, the Galaxy Note 6 might be following the steps of the Galaxy S7 smartphone. The S7 is known for its camera tricks catering to low-light photography, hence that can be expected from the upcoming device. A 12MP camera can be probable if it follows suit with the S7 devices.

If Samsung wants to step up their game and level with competitors, reports suggest that the Galaxy Note 6 has "laser autofocus, as well as greater improvements to optical image stabilization (OIS) and lenses." On the contrary, a single camera sensor might probably be the best option unlike the Galaxy S7 line's Sony and ISOCELL sensors.

Reports claim the Galaxy note 6's similarities with the S7 lineup also include a support for microSD card, wireless charging technology, as well as a water-resistant body. A battery with 3600 mAh to 4000 mAh can also be anticipated. With Samsung yet to introduce a Type-C USB port on its smartphones, speculation says that the Galaxy Note 6 will have one.

Furthermore, two chipset variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is expected to be released: one with Snapdragon 820 and another one powered by Exynos 8890 (or its upgraded edition).

As reported by Fudzilla, a new 256 GB Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 is also considered to be a feature of the Galaxy Note 6. Its technology enables respective reading and sequential writing speeds of 850 MB/s and 260 Mb/s.

Adding to the speculated features of the Galaxy Note 6 is a5.8-inch Quad HD display, with a possibility of integrating it with a Samsung Gear VR headset. As of the moment, Samsung is showing aggressiveness in promoting the Gear VR headset as it comes free for Galaxy S7 preorder customers. With the Galaxy Note's expected 4K resolution, it is highly probable that it can deliver crisp and high-quality gameplay which makes it possible to use a Gear VR headset as well.
Spotify streaming service has reached an agreement to pay royalties to music publishers and songwriters. The company has settled an agreement with National Music Publisher's Association (NMPA) on Wednesday.

In its official press release, NMPA announced that both parties have achieved a landmark agreement. In the agreement, independent and major publishers are allowed to claim and receive royalties for certain compositions used on Spotify in the U.S., where ownership information was previously unknown.

With regards to the agreement, NMPA President and CEO David Israelite said, "NMPA's goal has always been to ensure publishers and songwriters receive the money they deserve. I am thrilled that through this agreement both independent and major publishers and songwriters will be able to get what is owed to them." The former chairman of the Department's Task Force on Intellectual Property at the Department of Justice has been pushing the deal with many digital media publishers to respect the rights holders.

"We must continue to push digital services to properly pay for the musical works that fuel their businesses and after much work together, we have found a way for Spotify to quickly get royalties to the right people. I look forward to all NMPA members being paid what they are owed, and I am excited about the creation of a better process moving forward," Israelite continued.

Spotify also expressed its commitment to pay out what the company owes to its rights holders. The Sweden-based company has also been working the NMPA to publish administration system to prevent the issues arise in the future.

"As we have said many times, we have always been committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny," Jonathan Prince, head of communications at Spotify told The Verge. "We appreciate the hard work of everyone at the NMPA to secure this agreement and we look forward to further collaboration with them as we build a comprehensive publishing administration system."

The agreement gives benefit to both music publishers as well as Spotify. Song writers and publishers represented by NMPA can enjoy royalty as their sole rights, while Spotify can pay the music royalty properly.

Prior to the agreement, New York Times reported that over the last year, it emerged that Spotify had failed to properly obtain the mechanical licenses for large numbers of songs. Therefore the deal is a great help for the music streaming company that claimed itself to the music industry as law-abiding partner.

In an agreement, Spotify will pay out $21 million to publishers and songwriters. That include a $16 million for royalty payments and a $5 million bonus fund for publishers and songwriters. The deal covers all content between Spotify's inception and June 30, 2017

With the deal, Spotify has established itself to respect the right holders. Spotify has agreed with NMPA as the representative of music publishers and song writers to pay $21 million of unpaid royalties.
Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled 1-billion rescue package for trouble-hit North Sea oil industry. As part of this, Britain is to cut taxes for North Sea oil producers by 1billion for the next five years. Osborne said supplementary tax charge will be halved, while petroleum revenue tax will be waived for oil companies in North Sea basin. The government will also provide 730 million support for renewable electricity.

Oil prices fell 70 percent since mid-2014. This has led oil producers to cut jobs in Scotland's oil rich north east region. The oil price drop is impacting revenues for Scotland and Britain. Oil producers in North Sea are also suffering from lower prices. Oil companies in North Sea will also get 730 million support for renewable electricity.

Reuters reports that supplementary tax charge on oil companies will be reduced from 20 percent to 10 percent. The government will scrap 35 percent petroleum revenue tax as well. Osborne's statement has propelled shares of energy companies. Shares of BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Cairn Energy moved up in the range of two percent and three percent.



The North Sea is located in Northern Europe and part of Atlantic Ocean. It has England and Scotland in the west, Norway and Denmark in east, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France in south. UK and Norway own majority of oil fields in North Sea.

Osborne said "We need to act now for the long term, backing this key Scottish industry and supporting jobs." Tax cuts are the latest supporting measures by the government. North Sea oil industry is one of the most mature oil basins in the world, having recorded its peak production in 1999.

Chancellor Osborne has presented his eight budget and spearheaded overhaul of tax regime in the wake of adverse conditions in the oil industry. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) reveals drop in tax receipts to the tune of 10 million this year. Official data further stated that Scotland is 15 billion in red with the deficit twice as equal as UK's, as reported by Express.



Global oil majors operating in North Sea include BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Cairn Energy. The annual budget statement further reveals that oil industry needs government support for reviving their operations. There's been petroleum revenue tax on companies' profits.

While welcoming tax cuts, Mark Thomas, regional president for BP North Sea, said in a statement "It is important that the tax regime reflects the maturity of the basin as well as the challenging commercial environment." But, David Blumenthal, senior tax associate at Clyde & Co, said "It may be a case of too little too late. Given the stagnating oil price and fears that we yet to see it fall further before any recovery."



Herald Scotland further adds that the value of Scottish oil and gas firms on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) fell 30 percent in 2015. The treasury hopes the cuts would help support the industry to sail through the turbulent conditions. Ministers forecast about 21 billion barrels of oil equivalent left to recover in North Sea region.

According to North Sea industry group Oil and Gas UK, the continuous drop in oil price is forcing oil companies to shut operations. In fact. 21 companies has already closed their oil fields in 2015 and about 80 more will follow the suit by 2020.
Peabody Energy, world's largest private mining coal is facing difficulties due to energy prices that globally declined, competitors such as inexpensive and less-polluting natural gas and the widespread economic instability. The US mining behemoth revealed on Wednesday that it is considering filing for bankruptcy protection in New York. This is a legal way of protecting it from creditors while it reorganizes after a non-consistent routine interest payment on its debt.

The coal mining company which is based in St. Louis, Missouri is a big appearance in Australian and American mining in which during the 1990's was owned by Britain's Hanson plc industrial conglomerate. The company was not able to pay the interest of $71 million that was due on Tuesday and was provided with a month deadline to settle the said amount.

Selling coal to electricity companies is the core business of Peabody aside from obtaining mining operations and having business around the world as well as providing to steelmakers. But because of the cheaper natural gas and strict environmental rules, many utilities are moving their raw materials, according to The Guardian report.

"We may not have sufficient liquidity to sustain operations," the world's largest private-sector coal company, Peabody Energy, wrote in filings this week.

That evokes Peabody could be the next large coal company to go bankrupt and file Chapter 11. Many analysts think that the companies in bankruptcy will decrease but will not disappear but some of their financial obligation may, says the MarketPlace.

Coal has significantly been beaten by the crash in commodity as governments around the world had begun to turn to more renewable energy sources and lessening carbon emissions. That was raised in late 2015 when the Paris COP21 conference ended with an international deal on cutting carbon emissions that requires less usage of coal that once became the major means of producing power around the world, MSN reports.

Peabody is not the only company that is suffering from the same situation. Rivals Arch Coal and Alpha Natural Resources filed bankruptcy within the last year including Walter Energy and Patriot coal. The company's shares declined by more than 95% last year.
SHARE photos by Juan Carlo/ THE STAR Frank Raya, of Brawley, buys a box of honey from Susie Lamey, co-owner of Heritage Honey in Ventura. The little shop, which opened in late October, offers a variety of honeys and honey products and also has a bottling room. Martin Vasquez, an employee of Heritage Honey in Ventura, bottles some avocado honey. The company sells sage honey from the Los Padres coastal mountains, orange honey from Ojai, avocado honey from Fillmore and Santa Paula, wildflower honey from the county foothills and raspberry honey from the Oxnard Plain. Dave Mitchell, co-owner of Heritage Honey in Ventura, checks on his bees in a field of raspberries in Oxnard. Juan Carlo/ THE STAR Dave Mitchell, co-owner of Heritage Honey in Ventura, checks on his queen bee (middle of the hive) in a field of raspberries in Oxnard. The little shop, which opened in late October, also has a bottling room, where small beekeepers can package their own honey to sell or give as gifts.

By Hannah Guzik

David Mitchell was 9 years old when he handled his first hive.

He had helped his mother load the back of their station wagon with bees, and as she drove back to the familys avocado and citrus ranch in Santa Paula, he could hear them buzzing.

He grew used to that sound, and its followed him for nearly all of the four decades since. Mitchell, 50, who now has 1,500 of his own hives that rotate through Ventura County fields, opened his own local honey shop in midtown Ventura last fall.

If you are having difficulty, view the Honey Heritage video here.

I tell myself its about time I finally jumped out of the truck and tried to do something different for once in the my life, he said. It feels good.

Heritage Honey, at 2031 E. Thompson Blvd., is a place to taste the nectar of the county. Theres sage honey from the Los Padres coastal mountains, orange honey from Ojai, avocado honey from Fillmore and Santa Paula, wildflower honey from the county foothills and raspberry honey from the Oxnard Plain.

The little shop, which opened in late October, also has a bottling room, where small beekeepers can package their own honey to sell or give as gifts.

Mitchell and his wife Wendi Mitchell partnered with Susie Lamey, an experienced honey packer, to open the business.

Wed been talking about this for years and years, and then finally we just said, Lets do it, Lamey said, standing inside the yellow and black store, where the shelves are lined with nearly every conceivable honey or bee-related product. There are beekeeping suits, books on setting up a hive, honey lip balms, beeswax candles, honey barbecue sauce, childrens books on bees, and, of course, shelves of honey.

The store also plans to offer classes on beekeeping and the medicinal properties of honey. It has a honey-tasting bar and visitors can sometimes watch the bottling process.

Although things are going well now, the road to the honey shop has been sticky at times, Mitchell said.

Just about a week after opening, the shop flooded following a rainstorm.

A poorly designed parking lot remodel had caused about a half-inch of water to seep in through the back door.

But the neighborhood, as well as the property owners and the shops insurance company, came to the owners aide.

Soon, the shop had sandbags at the back door and a dry floor again. It was still open for business.

It was a way for us to be initiated into the community, really, Lamey said. With everything that happens, it gives you momentum to keep going.

For Mitchell, the shop has been decades in the making. In the 70s, his mother took a beekeeping class at Ventura College. For extra credit, students could set up their own backyard hives, and thats when Mitchell found himself helping his mother load the bees into the family station wagon. From there, the family hobby grew.

Next thing you know we got 10 hives, Mitchell recalled.

The winter of 1978 brought El Nino rains, and the following spring and summer the hills were blanketed in blossoms, resulting in a copious honey harvest.

That July or August, we had a hand spinner and we spun out a bunch of honey in the living room, Mitchell said. We brought in the picnic table from outside and got a tarp and five-gallon bucket jars.

Mitchell, who started working for a beekeeper at age 15 before building his own hives, still remembers this family scene when hes handling his own honey. But, far from being a homespun operation, Mitchells now a professional bee business, with 1,500 hives and contracts with farmers across California.

After working as a house painter and cabinetmaker, for a few years in his 20s, Mitchell realized his heart was in beekeeping.

He started with 12 hives in the late 80s and slowly grew his business, Mitchell Bee Products. Over the years hes sold his honey wholesale to big companies, such as SueBee Honey, and to the local honey retailer Bennetts Honey Farm.

In addition to making honey, Mitchell takes his bees to pollinate crops: almonds in the Central Valley and orange trees, avocado trees and raspberry bushes in Ventura County.

Its hard work  hes often checking on hives seven days a week  but its been an adventure, Mitchell said.

I grew up on a ranch so I enjoy the outdoors, he said. My office is at the end of every dirt road, if you know what I mean.
JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Children run to collect eggs Saturday during the Conejo Spring Festival at Conejo Creek South Playfields in Thousand Oaks. The family event was put on by the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

SHARE JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Vera Lin (left) and her twin Shellie, of Thousand Oaks, play with their collected eggs during the Conejo Spring Festival on Saturday at Conejo Creek South Playfields in Thousand Oaks. The family event was put on by the Conejo Recreation and Park District. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Uma Pandy helps his daughter Aanya, of Thousand Oaks, collect eggs during the Conejo Spring Festival on Saturday at Conejo Creek South Playfields in Thousand Oaks. The family event was put on by the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

By Anne Kallas, Special to The Star

Next Sunday is Easter, which translates into springtime family fun across Ventura County. Here's a look at upcoming events, all framed by lush green hills and grasslands, thanks to recent rainfall.

CALABASAS

Calabasas Spring EGGstreme at Grape Arbor Park on Saturday. Easter egg hunts will begin at 10:15 a.m. for ages 2 and younger, 10:45 a.m. for ages 3 to 5, 11:15 a.m. for ages 6-8, and 11:45 a.m. for ages 9 and older. Free admission. Pictures with the Easter Bunny cost $5. Grape Arbor Park is at Canwood Street and Parkville Road. Visit http://www.cityofcalabasas.com/eggstreme.html or call 818-224-1600.

CAMARILLO

Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District Easter Eggstravaganza and Crafts Fair. Egg hunts, the Easter Bunny, crafts, food vendors, carnival games and petting zoo will be included from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Camarillo Community Center Park, 1605 E. Burnley St. Free. Visit http://www.pvrpd.org/recreation/community/calendar/easter.asp or call 482-1996.

Ventura County Animal Services Easter Eggstravaganza. The event will highlight animal adoption and remind people not to give animals, especially bunnies and chicks, as Easter presents. Egg hunts, photo booth pictures, crafts, music, prizes, a bounce house, a visit from the Easter Bunny, face painting, animal demonstrations and food trucks will be included from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the animal adoption center, 600 Aviation Drive, Camarillo. Free. Visit http://www.vcas.us or call 388-4341.

FILLMORE

The Fillmore & Western Railway's Easter Lunch Train will feature a ride through the Heritage Valley along with a lunch of ham for adults and mini hamburgers and mac-and-cheese for kids. The Easter Bunny will be there. Reservations are required for the event from noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, starting at 351 Santa Clara Ave. $25 children 2-3; $28 children 4-12; $50 teens and adults. Visit http://www.fwry-blog.com/easter-2016.html or call 524-2546.

MOORPARK

Springtime Easter Festival at Underwood Family Farms. The animal show and tractor-drawn wagon ride will be included with admission. Admission will include Easter Bunny and Easter house, Easter story labyrinth and more. Activities requiring extra tickets will include egg hunts, basket making, tattoos, egg dying, chick racing and more at the event from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through April 6 at Underwood Family Farms, 3370 Sunset Valley Road. $6 weekdays and $10 weekends. Visit http://www.underwoodfamilyfarms.com or call 529-3690.

City of Moorpark Easter Egg Hunt, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Arroyo Vista Community Park, 4550 Tierra Rejada Road, Moorpark. The event will include Easter egg hunts, pony rides, a petting farm, carnival games. Egg hunts 10:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. ages 5 and under; 11:30 a.m. and noon for ages 6 and older; 1 p.m. family hunt for all ages. Bring your own basket. General admission, $5. All-access wristband is $10. Visit http://www.moorparkca.gov or call 517-6300.

OAK PARK

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District's annual Spring Egg Hunt Arts and Crafts Show at Mae Boyar Park will offer egg hunts for different age groups (9:30 a.m. for kids 3 and younger, 10:45 a.m. ages 4-5, 11 a.m. ages 6-7, and 11:15 a.m. for ages 8-10), vendor booths, inflatables, slides and a hamster ball. Bring a basket for the egg hunts. Children must be accompanied by adults at the event from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 130 N. Kanan Road. Free admission; fee for some activities. Visit http://www.rsrpd.org/rec/events/op2016springfair.pdf or call 818-865-9304.

OXNARD

The Collection at RiverPark will offer a Bunny Hop event presented by Tempo Apartment Homes from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Park View Court in the shopping center. Face painting, balloon twisting and pictures with the Easter Bunny will be included. Children can gather surprise-filled eggs from participating stores at The Collection listed on the Bunny Hop Passport. Bring your own basket. Reservations required at http://www.thecollectionrp.com. Call 654-1564.

Camarillo Premium Outlets will host a Strolling Bunny Experience from noon until 4 p.m. March 27. Children can enjoy sweet treats and take photos with the Easter Bunny. Call 445-8520.

SANTA PAULA

Easter and Earth Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Glen City School, 141 Steckel Drive, sponsored by Recology waste services. An egg hunt will be for children 1-6. Bring your own basket. Call 933-0100.

SIMI VALLEY

Egg hunt and Salute to Spring for ages 1-10, 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Rancho Santa Susana Community Park, 5005 E. Los Angeles Ave. Bring your own basket. Egg hunters will be divided into age groups. In the event of rain, the event will be canceled. Visit http://www.rsrpd.org/rec/events/eggsv2016.pdf or call 584-4456.

Kiwanis Club of Simi Valley 39th Easter breakfast for seniors. Breakfast will include pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, juice and a hot beverage served at the tables by Kiwanis members, which include youth program members from middle school Builders Clubs and high school Key Clubs. The event will be from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 27 at the Simi Valley Senior Center, 3900 Avenida Simi. Free for seniors. Call 583-6363.

Egg Hunt and Salute to Spring at Rancho Santa Susana Community Park for kids 1-10 will include an egg dash at 9 a.m. for candy-filled plastic eggs. Bring a basket. 9 a.m. Saturday, 5005 Los Angeles Ave. Free. Visit http://www.rsrpd.org or call 584-4456.

THOUSAND OAKS

Flashlight egg hunt. 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Thousand Oaks Community Park, 2525 N. Moorpark Road. Pre-registration is required. Bring flashlight, running shoes and a basket to hunt for eggs filled with candy and prizes. $10 per family. Check in at the Thousand Oaks Community Center gym no later than 7:30 p.m. Visit http://www.crpd.org or call the Thousand Oaks Community Center at 381-2793.

VENTURA

Spring Carnival at the Ventura County Fairgrounds from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. March 27. Admission is free, parking is $5. An Easter egg hunt, a petting zoo, food and a carnival will be included. Carnival ride tickets will cost more. Visit http://www.venturacountyfair.org or call 648-3376.

Egg hunt at Juanamaria Park, North Kimball and Loma Vista roads, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. An egg hunt with more than 6,000 Easter eggs, free face-painting, free bounce houses, free bicycle raffle, and free crafts courtesy of Lakeshore Learning will be included at the free event. Visit http://www.venturafirst.com or call 647-2004.

Harbor Is Hopping with Easter brunches, the Cottontail Bunny, free kids' crafts, village arcade and carousel, face-painting and boutique shops. Noon to 3 p.m. March 27 at Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Drive. Free. Visit http://www.venturaharborvillage.com or call 477-0470.
photos by JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Anette Power paints inside her studio in Newbury Park. She recently went on a painting trip with a group of artists to Cuba. The aim of the trip was to record what Cuba looks like now, before it is filled with franchise food outlets.

SHARE Anette Power recently went on a painting trip with a group of artists to Cuba. "It is a paradise for painters because of all the colors," she said. Anette Power's paintings of a recent visit to Cuba are shown inside her studio in Newbury Park. She fell in love with the colors, textures and the old vintage cars (1957 Chevrolet, upper left; 1956 Buick, upper right; 1957 Chrysler, lower right). JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Anette Power, who went on a group painting trip to Cuba, said, "the old classic cars speak of history and I feel as an artist I want to document their time here." JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Anette Power's paintings of a recent visit to Cuba are shown inside her studio in Newbury Park. Although the architecture and cars were the initial draw for her, the gracious people she met left a lasting impression.

By Nicole DAmore, Special to The Star

Oil painter Anette Power loves color and painting classic automobiles, so she jumped at an opportunity to paint in Cuba for a week.

"I think it's just in the last year or so I became aware of Cuba as a dream destination for me as a painter," Power said, relaxing in her Newbury Park studio. "I love classical cars and I'm drawn to architecture."

But she knew it wouldn't be as simple as booking a flight since the travel restrictions have eased some but not completely.

According to Reuters, American visits to Cuba increased 77 percent in 2015, after the U.S.-Cuban agreement announced by President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014. Obama has loosened travel restrictions and some trade barriers, but only Congress can lift the U.S. embargo and its ban on tourism, which has been in place since the early 1960s.

In November Power heard about a painting trip to Cuba planned by Eric Rhoads, publisher of PleinAir magazine.

"I thought OMG, this is a dream come true," Power said. "He was taking 100 painters to Cuba. We were actually going to paint on location."

Rhoads organizes events called "Publisher's Invitational," for artists to join him on painting trips.

In an email interview, Rhoads said this was the largest group of painters to ever visit Cuba.

"When Cuba opens to American tourists it will change significantly and I wanted to take top artists to see it and preserve it in paint for historical purposes," Rhoads said. "It will end up with a Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner and right now it's very simple, very naive, very much in disrepair."

Power booked the trip, right after she got back from visiting her family in Sweden.

"I'm so grateful to my husband Jon (a marriage and family therapist) for manning the house and kids," Power said. They have two sons, ages 10 and 6.

Logistics for the trip were handled by Philip Levine, president of 1WorldArtTravel in New York City.

The artists stayed at Hotel Palco, outside Havana. There were three buses with guides that took them to different painting sites.

"We all had the same itinerary, just did it on different days," Power said.

They spent several days in Havana, saw a sugar plantation one day and the fishing village of Cojimar, the inspiration for Ernest Hemingway's novel, "The Old Man and the Sea." They also visited Jaimanitas where artist Jose Rodriguez Fuster covered a whole neighborhood with mosaic, using earnings from selling his art.

Most exciting was being able to paint on location, Power said.

"I was drawn to the architecture, a fascinating mishmash of different international styles: art deco, art nouveau, influences of Spain, Italy, Roman, Greek, colonial times," she said. "It's all covered with years of soot.  As artists we are always looking for kind of the grit because it shows the hand of time, and there was plenty of that." Some parts of Havana almost looked like Roman ruins, she added.

"It is a paradise for painters because of all the colors," she said. "It's a place of contradictions because there is beauty but you are also aware of the struggle. I could sense the isolation of people living there  time has stood still."

The trip made her feel a connection to her grandparents, although they grew up in Finland.

"It was as if I was visiting the world as it might have seemed when they were young in the '50s," she said.

Although her father-in-law is founder of the marketing firm, J.D. Power and Associates, which is known for its car ratings, it was her own father who inspired her love of old cars. He restored them and often took her to car shows.

"We always paint what's close to us," she said. "The old classic cars speak of history and I feel as an artist I want to document their time here."

Most of the old cars in Cuba were taxicabs, she said.

"Some are spotless and shiny and others lovingly held together with spit and screws," she said, adding it was quite an experience to travel in them.

"You have to hold on for dear life. There are no seat belts, a door could easily open (as we experienced) and honking the horn at an intersection to get through or speeding up at the sight of a pedestrian is just par for the course. Every now and then we'd get a whiff of fresh air in between exhaust."

One day she paid a taxicab driver to keep his taxi where she could paint it.

"He and his fellow cabdrivers made sure I had an unobstructed view," she said.

The people were very friendly, she said. "They would come up and be very curious about what we were doing."

People didn't talk about Fidel and Raul Castro by name, but referred to them as "the brothers," she said. But images of Che Guevara were everywhere.

There were no fast food restaurants or familiar stores, she said. "People wait in line for food that might be there one day and not the next." Art supplies were very difficult to find and most of the artists brought some to give away.

Two artists, representatives from Rosemary and Company Artist Brushes in England, donated $5,000 worth of brushes.

An avid blogger and Instagram user, Power had planned to post everything, but found Internet access difficult at best.

"I gave in to the idea I was going to disconnect," she said. "It was eye opening and refreshing to be away from it all and get a little insight into the experiences of people who have been living very secluded."

"Even though I went there for the architecture and the cars and sights," she said, "it was really the people that have stayed with me, just for their grit, determination and friendliness despite difficult circumstances."

Exhibits of the participating artists' paintings are planned in Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland. Power hopes to find a local venue as well.

She will give a painting demonstration at the Westlake Village Art Guild meeting April 5. For information go to her website: http://anettepower.com
SHARE Bill Nash

I've heard about people dying for their art, but I've always assumed the phrase referred to a higher purpose, something noble.

For instance, World War II columnist Ernie Pyle dying on the front lines as he gathered information, side by side with the soldiers whose stories he was telling. I never thought it would apply to someone seeking notoriety on Facebook.

Unfortunately, that's what's happening. It's death by selfie, and it's a worldwide phenomenon that is showing no signs of letting up.

Just in case you're not familiar with the term, a selfie is a photographic self-portrait, usually taken with a cellphone and then posted to a social media site. And, I confess, I've taken my fair share of them. But I'm not willing to die for one.

Others are. Or, at the very least, they're willing to place themselves in extremely dangerous settings in an effort to take a dramatic selfie. Some are more successful than others.

The data-gathering website Priceonomics has issued a report titled "The Tragic Data Behind Selfie Fatalities." It begins with some of the extreme activities of selfie-takers: "They perch themselves on cliffs. They pose beside wild animals. They play chicken with oncoming trains. And sometimes, they don't make it out alive."

They note parenthetically that more people worldwide die from selfies than shark attacks, but when it comes to selfies, the leading cause of death, about one-third of them, resulted from a "fall from heights." Most often, this was a fall from a cliff or building.

The numbers aren't huge, but they are increasing. In three years of data, Priceonomics documented 49 deaths. According to the site, "The average age of the victims is 21 years old, and 75 percent of them are male." The majority of the deaths  19  occurred in India. The United States placed third with five.

To put things in perspective, the deaths represent an almost microscopic percentage in relation to the total number of selfies taken. Although the actual number of selfies taken is difficult to determine, the word selfie is mentioned in about 365,000 Facebook posts and 150,000 tweets on Twitter every week. The Kardashians probably account for about half of these mentions, but clearly the selfie is here to stay.

And, as I said earlier, my photos are also part of that number, and I don't intend to stop. I love picking up my grandchildren and taking selfies of us together. If my picture is going to show up on the Internet, I'd just as soon it showed a grandkid hanging off my neck rather than me hanging off a building.

One of the developments that has led to the proliferation of selfies was the invention of the selfie stick. This is a telescoping stick that allows you to extend your reach by attaching your phone on one end and triggering the camera remotely from the other.

The extended reach creates new opportunities for backgrounds and for including more people in the shot. It also creates new opportunities to smash your phone against something that would otherwise be out of reach.

I haven't quite gotten the hang of using a selfie stick. My wife and I have tried, but it usually results in a photo of me swearing at the stick. It's easier to just hand my phone to someone and ask them to take our photo. So far, everyone I've asked has agreed to do this. Then again, I've never asked and then tried to play chicken with a train.

Bill Nash is a Star columnist. Contact him at bnash805@aol.com. His new novel, "Stolen Dream," is available at www.billnashonline.com, on Amazon.com or as an e-book.
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Elaine Crandall, director of the Ventura County Behavioral Health Department CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Steve Elson, CEO of the Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families

By Kathleen Wilson of the Ventura County Star

The Casa Pacifica agency called for an end to spotty services for suicidal children almost two years ago, advocated for state legislation and urged a state commission to focus on the issue.

But the Camarillo-based nonprofit won't play any part in delivering the new continuum of services that could make Ventura County a leader in crisis care.

The agency lost one contract for its mobile crisis team and was deemed out of the running for another to operate a crisis stabilization unit providing intensive therapy and short-term residential care.

"It is ironic," said Steve Elson, CEO of Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families, which operates residential and community-based programs serving troubled children and their families.

If successful, the programs that Casa Pacifica promoted will allow many kids to receive therapy at home or in an outpatient center instead of psychiatric hospitals.

Dr. Roz Warner, president of Casa Pacifica's board of trustees, described the board as concerned.

"We're really disappointed that we had no opportunity to participate in this whole turnover and found it to be a confusing process," she said. "All the decisions were made without our input."

Elaine Crandall, director of the county Behavioral Health Department, says she did speak with Elson even if the results weren't what he wanted. She did what she thought was best for children, Crandall said.

The rate at which children are detained involuntarily for psychiatric evaluations in the county is double the state average, but the reasons are unknown. The number has doubled in recent years and about a third of Behavioral Health patients insured by the state Medi-Cal program are rehospitalized within the same year.

"When you know something is not working, you have to try something else," Crandall said.

The stakes

At issue are two decisions: ending a contract with Casa Pacifica's mobile crisis team and ruling the agency out as the operator of the crisis stabilization center. The six-bed center is due to open in the fall in Oxnard.

The county has for nine years contracted with Casa Pacifica to operate a 24-7 mobile crisis team that takes calls and goes to the scene when needed. But county mental health officials decided that their employees could do that job just as effectively and more cheaply, plus provide in-home care and do follow-up visits. Although those employees are focused on serving adults, the agency plans to provide training and hire children's specialists to bolster their ranks.

Casa Pacifica's mobile crisis team contract for the current fiscal year totals $1.36 million. Elson submitted a $2.13 million proposal for an enriched program in light of the county's decision to remodel their services in the next fiscal year.

The heart of it was a program to assess and stabilize children in the home. The team would also respond to the most serious calls for help through a hotline, a deviation from Crandall's plan to turn all calls over to the county team.

Crandall concluded that the department could provide the service for about $1 million less plus offer more coordinated services with county employees answering the calls, going to the scene and working in the home. It was an internal decision based on discussions with other managers and a children's psychiatrist, she said.

Elson said he would have liked to negotiate. "We made the proposal and did not have the opportunity to modify or discuss it," he said. "That would be something I wish had happened."

Casa Pacifica was not in the running to operate the crisis center because the agency had never managed one.

That was one of Crandall's requirements. She found only three in the state. One was uninterested in coming to Southern California and the other did not offer a full continuum of services. That left the Seneca Family of Agencies, which is based in Oakland.

Next Steps

On Tuesday Crandall is asking the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to approve a pair of 15-month contracts with Seneca totaling $6 million.

Elson said Seneca is well regarded but that Casa Pacifica, which has provided residential treatment for troubled children for decades, could have gotten up to speed with the help of a consultant.

"We were 80 percent there," he said.

Crandall has said there were no concerns over the quality of the mobile crisis team. Complaints have surfaced over slow response times, but an official at the Behavioral Health Department said the complaints turned out to be unfounded or could be explained. The county did not provide enough funding to shorten response times, Elson said.

Ventura County government and Casa Pacifica have a long history, starting with its opening in 1994 to provide treatment and care for foster children. At least half of Casa Pacifica's total annual budget comes from county and public school funding, Elson said.

He expects other opportunities in the future.

"This is not a relationship-ending decision by any means," he said.
STAR FILE PHOTO Ventura County officials announced Friday that they have reached agreements with nurses over wages.

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By Tom Kisken of the Ventura County Star

Ventura County officials said late Friday they've reached agreements with county nurses over wages.

The agreements, ratified by the nurses, still need to be approved by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and will be considered Tuesday.

The pacts affect about 600 regularly contracted nurses and about 100 per diem nurses, said Shawn Atin, assistant county executive officer for human relations.

The negotiations with nurses represented by the California Nurses Association were aimed at amending an existing contract and raising pay to levels more competitive with other employers.

The pact runs to 2017 for regular nurses and calls for average salary and benefit increases of about 8 percent a year, according to county officials. They said the numbers rise when temporary raises and increases built into the existing contract are considered.
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Cynthia Azari

By Cindy Von Quednow of the Ventura County Star

Dr. Cynthia Azari, who previously served as the president of several colleges in California and elsewhere, was selected as the new president of Oxnard College, Ventura County Community College District officials said Sunday.

The college district was looking for a new leader after president, Richard Duran, announced he would be retiring June 2015.

Azari was up against two other candidates, Jim Limbaugh, the current Oxnard College interim president and Jerry L. Buckley, assistant superintendent/vice president of academic affairs at College of the Canyons.

Azari is currently the interim president of Fresno City College and has also been the president of Riverside City College and Butler County Community College in Pennsylvania. Azari has also served as vice chancellor of workforce development and educational services at State Center Community College District as well as vice president, dean, director and coordinator of multiple community colleges. Officials said Azari has served on accreditation teams for community colleges in California, Nevada, and Montana.

She earned a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from Seattle University and a master's degree in industrial relations and education administration from West Virginia University.

Azari has previously served on the Pennsylvania Governor's Commission on Training America's Teachers, boards for United Way and Girl Scouts of America, and numerous committees in the communities where she has resided.

She received the National TRIO Achievers Award in 2009, the Central California TRIO Award in 2007, the 2000-01 "Distinguished Service Award" from the Association of Washington's Community and Technical College, and the "Woman of Achievement" award from the YMCA in 1996.

In a news release, Chancellor Bernard Luskin said Azari is a "knowledgeable, experienced, and accomplished CEO," who will "hit the ground running."

"Already a well-known and respected California community college doctoral level female Hispanic CEO, she is active in community college and Hispanic organizations."

Larry Kennedy, board chair, said Azari is a "welcome addition to the college, district and community."

Azari has been married to Bijan for 41 years. They have two daughters, Bani, a cardiologist in Connecticut, and Mitra, an attorney in Los Angeles.
JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR A pond of ducks catches the attention of one of the dogs participating in the annual American Cancer Society Bark for Life at Rancho Tapo/Lemon Park in Simi Valley on Saturday.

SHARE JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Simi Valley Mayor Bob Huber (left) and Grand Marshal Olivia Craig take participants around Rancho Tapo/Lemon Park during the annual American Cancer Society Bark for Life in Simi Valley on Saturday. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Regina Skwaruzynska looks for dog sweaters before participating in the Bark for Life at Rancho Tapo/Lemon Park in Simi Valley on Saturday. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Ricky, a Pekingese and Tibetan spaniel mix owned by Simi Valley mayor Bob Huber, waits to participate in the annual American Cancer Society Bark for Life. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Eva Solis, of Granada Hills, carries Delilah during the Bark for Life on Saturday.

By Robyn Flans, Special to The Star

Barking back at cancer is how event chair Laura Leonard described the purpose of Bark for Life, an activity Saturday at Rancho Tapo/Lemon Park in Simi Valley that raised money for the American Cancer Society.

Leonard, who has organized the event for the past six years, said our canine companions are therapeutic.

"We're here to celebrate them and the caregiving qualities they give us every day," Leonard said. "They love us unconditionally. They are our best therapists and our best friends. They are there waiting for us at home when we come home from work."

She said the event remembers those who have lost their battles with cancer and helps raise money for free American Cancer Society programs that include the 24/7 help line and online services, among others.

Leonard said while the event doesn't specifically raise money to fight canine cancer, it has a trickle-down effect.

The event raised $12,000 last year. She said she hoped it would hit $15,000 this year.

"Canines are receiving the same treatment humans are getting," Leonard said. "So they are benefiting from it. But today is more about celebrating our dogs, because they are the best medicine."

Angie Solis, of Granada Hills, has volunteered at Bark for Life for five years. She has a personal connection.

"I had cancer and we had dogs that had cancer," said Solis, who was there with her 9-month-old English bulldog, Bishop. "We are here in memory of our bulldog Melody, who we lost to skin cancer."

There were canines of all breeds, ages and sizes, including Mr. Barkley, a 2-year-old blue Dane who is more than 7 feet when he stands on his hind legs, according to his Simi Valley owner, Dave Johnson. On the small end was Sydney, a 10-year-old chiweenie.

Johnson said he was there to support the cause and socialize Mr. Barkley.

"It's good to socialize them," Johnson said. "Especially big dogs. You could see where he might be a problem if he were out of control."

Ann-Marie McCarthy, of Simi Valley, said she brought Sydney because she enjoys bringing her dog to events, especially those with a meaningful cause.

"It's social and we raise money," McCarthy said. "She sees other dogs. I see other dogs. I'm a big dog lover, so I probably love it more than she does."

Also there were Chris Vela's two pit bull terriers, Koda and Chi Chu. The Sylmar resident said the breed gets a bad rap all the time.

"They just want to play with the dogs," Vela said.

Simi Valley Mayor Bob Huber brought his rescued Pekingese/Tibetan spaniel Ricky to the event.

Huber has attended the event for the past six years, although he's only had Ricky for two years.

"This is a great event because you can come out and have a lot of fun and do something with your dog," Huber said. "Your dog can greet other dogs like Ricky is doing right now, and you can help a very important cause."
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The Republican Party's 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 Garland radiates insincerity.

Republicans instantly responded to Antonin Scalia's 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 Obama's demonstrated contempt for the Constitution's 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 suggested a president's right to nominate judges somehow expires, or becomes attenuated, in a "political season," sometime after the midterm elections during a second presidential term.

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 court's 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 nation's second-most important court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, 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 Roberts and, even more, Scalia, who seems to be more revered than read by many conservatives. Garland's reluctance to restrict the administrative state's discretion would represent continuity in the chair he would fill.

Garland's deference is also expressed in respect for precedents, which include the 2008 Heller decision. In it, the court affirmed the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to bear arms.

Of the last 25 justices confirmed, beginning with Dwight Eisenhower's 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 Obama's reach into the future through Garland is apt to be more limited than it would be with a younger nominee.

Republicans who deny Garland a hearing and pledge to support Donald Trump if he is their party's nominee are saying: Democracy somehow requires that this vacancy 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 Trump understands none of the issues pertinent to the Supreme Court's role, and there is no reason to doubt he would bring to the selection what he brings to all matters  arrogance leavened by frivolousness.

Trump's 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 "No. 1" 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 either their front-runner or the Democrats' would nominate someone superior to Garland, it would be amusing to hear them explain why.

George Will's email address is georgewill@washpost.com. He writes for The Washington Post Writers Group.
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Gov. Jerry Brown has tried for many months to ignore the growing scent of corruption now afflicting his administration, instead pushing the worldwide battle against climate change even as he virtually ignored the world's largest methane leak while it spewed greenhouse gases for months in his backyard.

But serious conflict-of-interest allegations now reach directly into his office, targeting his chief of staff, Nancy McFadden. She was the top Sacramento official for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for many years before she took a $1 million golden handshake in 2011 and rejoined Brown, for whom she worked in the 1970s.

Not only did McFadden take PG&E's money, but disclosure forms show she owned about $100,000 worth of PG&E stock and many potentially lucrative stock options through her early months back with Brown. During this time, she was allegedly a key part of the appointment process for new members of the state Public Utilities Commission, which regulates PG&E and other California utilities.

There is no evidence McFadden recused herself from utility matters. This raises the question of whether her golden handshake was really a prepayment for future services.

McFadden is now the subject of a formal complaint just filed by the Consumer Watchdog advocacy group with the state Fair Political Practices Commission, a panel unlikely to act against the top aide to the man who appointed two of its members.

Charges in the Consumer Watchdog complaint, filed under the Political Reform Act ironically sponsored by Brown during his first stint as governor in the 1970s, are sweeping and specific.

McFadden, the group said, used "her official position to influence governmental decisions in which she knew she had a financial interest. Her actions impacted the value of the PG&E stock options she held." The filing goes on to say McFadden "was Gov. Brown's point person on utility policy, utility legislation and political appointments to the PUC."

Brown press secretary Evan Westrup denied all this, calling the filing against McFadden "riddled with inaccuracies." He added, "She was not vetting candidates for the PUC and did not play a role in the other decisions noted while she had the holdings referenced."

Brown did not speak about McFadden, just as he's refused to talk about corruption allegations at the state Energy Commission and documented corruption at the PUC. But emails among the 70,000 obtained by San Bruno city officials after the 2010 PG&E gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people there indicate her old friends at PG&E believed she was involved.

In early 2011, PG&E executive Brian Cherry  now under criminal investigation along with former PUC President Michael Peevey  advised someone seeking a high PUC post via email to get help from McFadden, whom he called "the backdoor route" to getting appointed.

The pileup of ethical problems in Brown's administration seems to grow every few weeks, with the McFadden charges merely the newest. They join obvious conflicts of interest and examples of cronyism exercised by the Energy Commission, exposed in this column in 2014. Add the proven collusion between Peevey and executives of Southern California Edison Co. in assessing consumers more than 70 percent of the cost of the 2012 failure of the San Onofre Nuclear Power Station, caused by an Edison blunder.

Then see Brown's almost total indifference to the massive methane leak at a Southern California Gas Co. storage facility near Porter Ranch in Los Angeles, when Brown's sister, Kathleen, draws six figures yearly as a director of Southern California Gas's parent company. The Porter Ranch leak spewed more greenhouse gases than many months of driving by all the cars in the Los Angeles basin, but Brown said little about it.

It appears there could be a pattern of corruption at high levels of state government, and a Brown practice of ignoring or condoning both corruption and safety lapses. But other episodes don't reach as close to him as the charges against McFadden, his close aide and adviser.

The bottom line is Brown wants to be remembered for solving California's budget mess and aggressively fighting climate change. Right now he risks being remembered much more negatively.

Tom Elias can be reached at tdelias@aol.com.
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.'"


On Friday, March 18, GRAMMY-Award winner Taylor Swift and supermodel Karlie Kloss were spotted at OMNIA Nightclub inside Caesars Palace.

In town for the 21st birthdays of Kloss beautiful twin sisters Kimberly and Kariann Kloss, Swift looked stunning as usual dressed in a charcoal sequined long-sleeve dress, while Kloss rocked a high-neck black top and a red lip. The two were joined by members of the band Haim as well as Swifts brother Austin Swift as they celebrated in the DJ Booth where Swifts longtime boyfriend and OMNIA resident Calvin Harris played his chart-topping hits for a packed crowd.

The group was seen in high spirits as they danced, sang and took photos with one another all night. Coming off a romantic tropical getaway, Swift enjoyed a night out with her girlfriends while supporting Harris as he performed at the premier nightspot.


Celebrate New Years Eve at Eva Longorias Beso steakhouse in Crystals at CityCenter with a lavish holiday menu crafted by Executive Chef Matt Piekarski (Pictured above: New Years Eve entree at Beso  Photo credit: Scott Minervini/FOOD! Photography Etc.).

The elegant menu will include two seating options on Friday, December 31, followed by the ultimate New Years Eve countdown at Eve nightclub.

Photo credit: Scott Minervini/FOOD! Photography Etc.

The New Years Eve menu includes Chef Piekarskis selection of amuse bouche followed by Endive and Frisee topped with marcona almond, cambazola crouton and pickled shallot. The main course will reveal two favorites, Steak and Lobster, featuring aged ribeye and stuffed lobster accompanied by potato gratin, carrot and hericot vert. A Banana Chocolate Torte will please palates with a delightful medley of pistachio tuile and kraken white chocolate sauce.

The first seating will begin at 6 p.m. and is available for $79 per person. The late seating will begin at 9 p.m. and includes the above menu in addition to a decadent Foie Gras Smore, featuring foie mousse and pom-blueberry marshmallow atop pumpernickel spice bread, available for $149 per person. For reservations, call 702.254.BESO (2376).

For the ultimate A-list experience, guests can countdown to midnight in-style at Longorias opulent Eve nightclub, located directly above her signature steakhouse. All-inclusive bar packages start at $150 per person, available from 9 p.m. to midnight. For VIP bottle service and table reservations, call 702.227.3838 or email reservations@evethenightclub.com.

Longorias celebrated steakhouse, Beso, is located at 3720 Las Vegas Boulevard, South in Crystals at CityCenter. Recently named Best New Restaurant by the 2010 Las Vegas Review-Journal annual readers poll, Beso features a flavorful menu with Latin influences. The dining room and patio are open Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. until 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. until midnight. The lounge is open Sunday through Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. from until 11 p.m., and Wednesday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. For more information about Beso, please visit the website at www.besolasvegas.com or call 702.254.BESO (2376).
Cameroon's military has freed 12 people held hostage by 30 suspected rebels on its border with the troubled Central African Republic. Cameroon's military says that two of the suspected rebels were killed and several its soldiers were wounded in a 48 hour operation.

The governor of the Adamawa region of Cameroon says the 12 people, including children, were freed from captivity after Cameroon military launched an operation on its border with the Central African Republic.

Kildadis Taguieke Boucar says, unfortunately, some of the hostage takers escaped to the neighboring country.

He says the assailants were quickly detected by the population and Cameroon military because they were dressed in foreign military uniforms, an indication many rebels and evildoers from foreign countries were still operating on Cameroonian territory.

Among the freed hostages flown by Cameroon's military from the border zone to the Ngaoundere airport in Adamawa region is 47-year old cattle rancher Mohamadou Njobdji, who says he spent two weeks in captivity after he was seized with his two children from his home at Ngaoui.

He says the day he was kidnapped there was a loud knock on his door about 11:00 PM with voices threatening that if he refused to let them in, he and his family would be killed. He says when he opened the door some masked people, dressed in black and armed with guns ordered his household to follow them.

Njobdji says while in captivity on the mountainous border zone, they were asked to pay ransoms of up to $10,000 each for their release. He says they were beaten each morning and fed with meat from stolen cattle.

Colonel Asoualai Blama, who led the operation to free the hostages, has called for civilians to report suspects and strange people in their localities. He says Cameroon's military is determined to fight the attackers, but the battle can not be won without the participation of the general population.

He says he is very thankful to the population, especially farmers and cattle ranchers who collaborated by giving useful information to the military. He says without such collaboration the armed men who operate on border localities should have retreated to the Central African Republic.

Before 2014, CAR rebels were attacking Cameroon frequently to press for the release of Abdoulaye Meskine and 10 anti-Balaka soldiers who were arrested in Cameroon in 2013.

Cameroon and CAR negotiated the repatriation of Meskine to an undisclosed location and the attacks reduced. But since May 2015, Cameroon has been complaining that suspected CAR rebels were attacking its territory, kidnapping cattle ranchers and rich business persons and asking for ransoms.

Cameroon shares a 900-kilometer long boundary with the landlocked Central Afrtican Republic and there are 300,000 CAR refugees in Cameroon.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is extraditing one of the most wanted suspects in the Rwandan genocide to face charges for his crimes.

Ladislas Ntaganzwa was arrested in eastern Congo last year and was transferred into U.N. custody early Sunday before being sent to the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

Ntaganzwa is expected to be tried on nine counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations the Geneva conventions.

He served as mayor of the Nyakizu commune in Butare prefecture where he helped establish paramilitary forces bent on committing genocide. He and his forces are accused of organizing the massacre of some 20,000 ethnic Tutsis over a four-day period.

Captured in December

Congolese authorities said Ntaganzwa was arrested in Rushihe in December after a military operation dismantled the local headquarters of his rebel group, known by its French acronym, the FDLR.

He was initially wanted for trial by the Tanzania-based U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, but the case was transferred to Rwanda.

Other top fugitives at large include Felicien Kabuga, the alleged chief financier of the genocide; Protais Mpiranya, the former commandant of the notorious Presidential Guards; and former Defense Minister Augustin Bizimana.

An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus were killed in the 1994 genocide.
Riot police in the Republic of Congo fired tear gas at opposition supporters after polls for the country's presidential election closed Sunday.

Dozens of heavily armed police chased away people gathered outside polling stations in the capital, Brazzaville, as the vote count began in elections expected to see longtime leader Denis Sassou Nguesso extend his three-decade rule.

On the eve of the vote, the government ordered telecom providers to block all service during the vote.

Congo's 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 both Sunday and Monday.

The letter, copies of which have appeared online, also refers to a list of numbers that will continue to receive communication during the vote.

The order could raise tensions in the country where Sassou Nguesso ran 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 police headquarters in Brazzaville Saturday for unspecified reasons.

The 71-year-old Sassou Nguesso 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 for that vote was in the single digits.
Supporters and critics of U.S. President Barack Obamas history-making trip to Cuba later this month agree on one thing: there has been little, if any, progress on basic liberties and human rights on the island since Washington and Havana restored full diplomatic ties.

While tourists flock to Cuba as never before, Cubans continue to flee the island to reach the United States, often taking a circuitous route from western Cuba to Central America and traveling north through Mexico to reach the U.S. border.

The American dream  its the best, the best in the world, said a Cuban who only identified himself as Luan while waiting at the border checkpoint at Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. Weve escaped the Castros.

Engagement

Im going to Cuba, Obama announced last month. I believe that the best way to advance American interests and values, and the best way to help the Cuban people improve their lives, is through engagement.

International human rights organizations have yet to release annual reports covering the months since August, when the United States opened an embassy in Havana and Cuba opened one in Washington.

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation reported more than 1,400 political arrests on the island this past January, continuing a surge of such detentions over the last year.

U.S. lawmakers have taken note.

Last year there were documented 8,616 political arrests in Cuba, a huge increase, said Republican Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, a Cuban-American. By any objective measure, the Castro regime has not improved its human rights record. If anything, it has gotten worse.

Slow progress

Even those who support the rapprochement between Washington and Havana concede that Cubas progress on human rights has been slow.

I think its very hard to point to real change, said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue. This is going to take a long time.

"This is a government and a system that has been entrenched since 1959. There is a lot of resistance to change, and I think its too early to tell which direction Cuba will go in," Shifter said.

Top administration officials have said they never expected a swift transformation in Cuba, but hope to advance change on the island. For his part, Obama promised to be vocal.

Ill speak candidly about our serious differences with the Cuban government, including on democracy and human rights. Ill reaffirm that the United States will continue to stand up for universal values like freedom of speech and assembly and religion, he said.

Discussion points

Cuban officials say no topic is off the table.

Cuba is open to discuss any issue with the U.S. government, including human rights, said Cuban Foreign Ministry official Josefina Vidal.

Such assertions do not satisfy Obamas critics.

There are no elections in Cuba, said Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American and former Republican presidential candidate. There are no choices in Cuba, and so my whole problem is I want the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba to change, but it has to be reciprocal."

Others are more hopeful about the trip.

It represents a way of trying to get the Castro government perhaps to open up a little bit more  a different approach than the one that was tried for over half a century that failed, said Shifter.

As far as impact and historical importance, Shifter compares Obamas trip to Cuba with the 1977 Panama Canal Treaty.

He said Obama will be closely watched and applauded far beyond Cuba.
Like many young Cuban-Americans in Miami, 18-year-old Stephanie Chaviano grew up speaking two languages: Spanish, at home, and English, in school.

Chaviano has spent her entire life in the United States, but presents a slight accent when she speaks English  at least thats how it appears, she says, to anyone from out of town. Her identity, meanwhile, depends on who is asking.

Outside Florida, Chaviano might give the whole spiel: Well, I'm Cuban, but I was born here in America.

But in Miami, shes more Cuban.

Chaviano represents the new face of Cuban-Americans in the United States. In 2013, 43 percent of the Cuban population was born in the United States, compared with only 32 percent in 2000, according to the Pew Research Center.

The average age for Cuban-Americans born in the U.S. is 22, the prime voting age.

As the Cuban-American demographics change, so do views of Cuba.

In fact, President Barack Obama's change in policy toward Cuba comes as the Cuban-American population itself is changing  in its demographics, views of U.S.-Cuba policy and its politics.

Leaning Democratic

As a first-generation American, Chaviano is politically less conservative than her parents, but still moderate.

"I see and understand other sides to the arguments, she said. My moms like, 'no, no,' and I say, 'Mom, this isnt Cuba. You have to understand things are different here. Different possibilities, different situations.' "

Along with the change in demographics, Cuban-Americans in the United States are shifting in favor of Democratic causes on a number of issues. They narrowly supported Obama by a 2 percent margin in 2012  a move to the left from decades past.

Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University (FIU), said young Cubans in particular tend to register as Democrats or Independents, sharing similar positions with the overall Latino electorate on issues such as gay marriage, social security, medicare and bilingual education.

However, Duany said Cuban-American youth are the exception on foreign policy.

They still in many ways follow their parents' and grandparents' preferences regarding U.S. policy toward Cuba, he said, so they are more conservative in general than other Latinos in the U.S.

'Difference in passion'

Jose Azel, senior researcher at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, said the issue of a generational shift in politics is often misconstrued in the media.

There is a difference in passion, but not necessarily in opinion, said Azel, referring to young Cuban-Americans.

He argued that the shift in political correlation is greater with regard to time of departure from Cuba, rather than age.

Recently arrived Cuban-American immigrants -- from 1990 to the present -- tend to favor engagement with the communist island and are more likely to send remittances to family and friends, compared with the immigration wave of the 1960s, that often views such acts as supportive of the Castro regime, Duany said.

Overall, a 2014 poll conducted by FIU found that 52 percent of Cuban-American adults in Miami-Dade County, Florida -- home to the largest Cuban community in the U.S. -- support lifting the U.S. embargo, compared with just 13 percent in 1991. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, support rises to 62 percent.

Diverse community, opinions

There is great variation within each wave of immigrants, Duany points out. Generation, age, social class and geography are all important factors, he said.

Ana Maria Socarras, who arrived in Miami just two months ago, is one such exception.

Born and raised in Havana, Socarras is a lover of art history and a self-identified conservative.

In Cuba, she said she was unable to fulfill her dream of creating an art gallery of her own. Freedom of speech and opportunities do not exist, she said.

Socarras acknowledged that she strays politically from other recently arrived immigrants, in part because she does not plan on returning to Cuba.

Anytime you go to Cuba, they give money to the government, she said. And in a way, that validates the government, and I dont want to help anymore.

Others, such as 27-year-old Cuban-American Anisbel Lopez, who is from Camaguey, Cuba, argued that its time to try a new approach.

I just feel like nothing has changed with the ways things have been for 50 years, so why not open them up? Lopez said.

We talk so much about world peace and bringing everybody together. Then why have this battle with a country that's so close to us, with so many Cubans living in Miami? she asked.
While Cuban officials have released the majority of some 50 Ladies in White dissidents arrested at their weekly demonstration here Sunday afternoon, 10 remain unaccounted for, the opposition groups leader told VOA Monday.

Berta Soler said most of the dissidents  taken into custody just hours before U.S. President Barack Obamas entourage landed in Havana  were released after several hours of detention. Those released Sunday evening included Solers husband, Angel Moya, a former political prisoner.

Ladies in White members, subjected to frequent arrests, are among dissidents expected to meet with U.S. officials during Obama's three-day visit.

Uniformed and plain-clothes police patrolled the area around Gandhi Park from early Sunday morning, as the women arrived en masse.

For more than a decade, the group, known as Damas de Blanco in Spanish, has advocated for an end to arbitrary detentions.

In recent years, the group  comprised of nearly 200 women across Cuba  has broadened to support human rights. They are outspoken opponents of the Castro government.

'Understand the obstacles'

The Damas report that detentions and police violence happen frequently, at the Sunday protest and near their homes, and can last from hours to days.

"We're not masochists. No one likes to be hit," Soler told VOA the night before her most recent detention. "But when we see that they hit us unjustly, that they arrest us arbitrarily, it makes us stronger."

Soler is scheduled to meet with a "high-level" U.S. official Tuesday morning.

Obama, in a letter to the Damas ahead of his arrival in Havana Sunday afternoon, wrote "no one in Cuba or anywhere else should face harassment, arrest, or physical assault just because they are exercising a universal right to have their voices heard."
After nearly eight years in prison, four Djiboutian prisoners-of-war have been released by Eritrea.

A total of 19 POWs were captured by Eritrea in June 2008 during a border skirmish, but some of them escaped prison in September 2011, said Djibouti's Ambassador to the U.S. and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mohamed Siad Doualeh. The others remain in detention.

The release was negotiated by Qatar and the freed soldiers were flown back to their home country on March 18 on a Qatar Airways plane accompanied by Qatars foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani. Upon landing they knelt down to kiss the ground and were met by dignitaries as a military band played. Later they met with Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh.

Ambassador Doualeh told VOA that the prisoners had been held incommunicado over the years without the ability to communicate with their government or families.

Four Djiboutian families are today rejoicing, he said. They have not had any information about their whereabouts, the conditions or the health of their loved ones and today I think its a moment of deep relief for them, for all Djiboutians in fact.

Eritrea lauded the Qatari effort. Eritrea has been saying from day one that it is committed to the Qatari mediation and the Qatari mediation has seven articles in it and one of them was Article 3 concerning missing persons and POWs, Ambassador Girma Asmerom, Eritreas Permanent Representative to the U.N. told VOA. So we have been consistent in this issue that the only process is through the Qatari mediation.

Doualeh said Djibouti holds 19 Eritrean POWs and 267 Eritrean military deserters who were handed over to the UNHCR in 2014. He stressed that the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international organizations have regular access to the POWs.

They are there, they are safe and they are treated as humanely as you can imagine, he said.

The U.N. Secretary General and U.S. State Department have applauded the release. The U.S. expressed concern for the welfare of the remaining POWs.

The dispute between the two Horn of Africa countries relates to the shared land border, rights to the Doumeira Islands in the Red Sea and the delineation of the maritime boundary. Doualeh said he believes the boundaries should be based on 1900 and 1901 treaties between then colonial powers Italy and France. Those treaties, he said, would give the contested islands to Djibouti.

Fighting erupted in 2008 between armies from the two countries in a sandy outcropping known as Ras Doumeira.

Doualeh said he is cautiously optimistic that the prisoner release signals a step forward in relations between the two neighboring countries.

We are hoping and praying. We dont want to prejudge what the future has, but I think this signals a change, he said. What do you say in English Once bitten [twice shy]? In French we say, chat echaude craint leau froide. We dont want to doom the peace process. We want a final and lasting solution.

Similarly, Asmerom said a cooperative relationship between the two nations is the only viable option.

There is no option B, he said. There will be peace and stability in the whole region and Eritreas vision is there should be regional integration, there should be free movement of people, there should be free movement of goods, so Eritrea from day one has been committed to regional peace and stability.
Hundreds of mostly Syrian migrants fleeing five years of war continued to make land in Greece on Sunday, arriving on Greek islands in flimsy boats despite an international deal to send migrants back to Turkey.

Witnesses say nearly 900 refugees, including Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, arrived on four Aegean islands overnight into Sunday. Authorities say two Syrian men were found dead in one craft, and two girls drowned near the Turkish mainland off Greek-controlled Rhodes island. The Red Crescent reported nine more migrant deaths off the Libyan coast.

Under the European Union deal reached Friday with the Ankara government, all migrants, including Syrians, arriving in Greece by sea from Turkey after March 20 will be returned once they are registered and their asylum claims have been processed.

But officials continue to warn that return procedures will not be in place before April 4, and are contingent upon EU countries supplying nearly 4,000 staff -- including judges, interpreters and guards -- to manage individual migrant claims.

The deal also requires the Ankara government -- which already hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees -- to step up domestic efforts to crack down on illegal migration. Additionally, it promises $6.6 billion in EU aid to deal with the existing crisis inside Turkey.

Those migrants who arrived in Greek territory before Sunday morning will be processed under old rules that say one Syrian will be settled in a European country for each migrant returned to Turkey.
Kenyan's military said it has killed 34 al-Shabab militants in two separate clashes in southern Somalia.

Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) spokesman, David Obonyo said in a statement on Sunday that KDF killed 13 militants and captured a middle-level al-Shabab commander after the forces engaged militants plotting an attack on Kenyan forces in Sarira, north of Ras Kamboni in Lower Jubba region.

In a separate incident, Kenyan military said it killed 21 al-Shabab militants on Saturday after the militants ambushed a KDF convoy traveling near Afmadow town in Lower Jubba region.

Kenyan military spokesman Obonyo said an improvised explosive device hit a Kenyan armored vehicle. The spokesman said two Kenyan soldiers were killed and five others were injured during a fierce battle.

Al-Shabab often launches raids on African Union force (AMISOM) bases in southern Somalia. In January, the militants overran a Kenyan military base in El-Adde in Gedo region, killing a large number of Kenyan troops, although Kenya has yet to release a final death toll.

Kenya is among five African countries with troops in Somalia to fight al-Shabab militants.
Voters in Niger are choosing a president Sunday, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou in line to easily win the runoff after his jailed opponent was flown out of the country for medical reasons, and the opposition called for a boycott of the election.

A VOA reporter in Niger said voting began very quietly, with low turnout across the country in the early voting hours.

Opposition candidate Hama Amadou was taken from his Niamey jail cell and flown to a Paris hospital Wednesday.

Amadou has been in jail since November on baby trafficking charges  allegations he and his supporters say are politically motivated.

Illness allegation

Opposition officials said Amadou has been sick since he was jailed, but his illness is unclear.

Amadou is a former speaker of Niger's parliament. His name is on the ballot even though his opposition coalition said last week it is boycotting the runoff.

The opposition said results of the first round, won by incumbent President Issoufou, were "grotesque and cooked up."

The coalition also accused Niger's top court of conspiring with the government to ensure Issoufou's reelection. The opposition alleges he is becoming increasingly authoritarian.

Despite a wealth of energy resources, Niger is one of the world's poorest countries.
Nigeria plans a massive cleanup in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, where some residents complain that years of poorly regulated petroleum production have taken a toll on vegetation, water quality, farmland and fishing communities.

Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jibril, minister of state for environment, said President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to resolving the countrys environmental challenges while creating jobs and ensuring sustainable development.

As evidence of that commitment, Jibril noted Buhari created two cabinet positions for the sector. Amina Mohammed is the minister for the environment.

The environment ministry has started a sensitization program in Rivers and Bayelsa states, after meeting with governors and community members. Residents said oil spills have devastated vegetation, polluted water and destroyed their livelihoods.

This pollution has been going for more than 40 years, Jibril said, predicting the new program will go on probably for the next 20 years. He said the government would strengthen the regulatory agency charged with controlling oil spills.

Communities in the southern part of Nigeria face environmental challenges including coastal degradation; climate change, which has led to a sea-level rise; and the destruction of mangroves through coastal erosion.

Cleanup and penalties

A 2007 U.N. environment report strongly recommended cleaning up the entire Niger Delta region and its oil-polluted Ogoniland. The report also urged that polluters pay for damages.

Shell Oil Co., a division of Royal Dutch Shell, admitted blame for oil spills in Ogoniland. But it vowed to withhold money from a restoration fund set up last year by Buhari until the Nigerian government put in place structures that are robust and will be overseen correctly, a Shell spokesman last year told The Guardian news organization.

Jibril said the government encouraged the community to back efforts to clean up the polluted areas.

This is a multibillion-dollar project. The damage done to the environment is enormous. Livelihoods are lost, farmlands are lost, the fishing communities have lost the means of their livelihoods, the creeks are contaminated, and there [is] no good drinking water, Jibril said. These are challenges that the ministry of environment has to face in one part of the country.

What we are concerned about now is that the companies will have to pay, and there is money kept aside for that as recommended by the U.N. report, Jibril said, noting the report is seen as gospel in the Niger Delta.

He said cleanup efforts would begin in Ogoniland and then move to other parts of the Niger Delta that are equally or more seriously polluted.

Jibril said regulatory enforcement is at least as important as the cleanup. Once the cleaning is started, it has to stay clean, he said, noting the government would hold companies responsible and ensure that they pay for the cleaning.

Environmental activists have criticized successive Nigerian governments for consorting with oil companies, which they accuse of polluting water and farmland as well as devastating communities in areas of heavy oil production.

Oil companies have not been held accountable, activists say, with government officials failing to impose fines for environmental damage.
Rising hopes that the half-century U.S. trade embargo on Cuba might be coming to an end are raising concerns for U.S. cigar makers who may face stiffer competition from Cuban cigar imports.

But the people who run the last major cigar factory in Tampa, Florida, say they have been making fine cigars for a very long time and expect to keep working far into the future.

The J.C. Newman cigar factory in the historic Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa is a ballet of complex old machines and deft hands, as 130 people make 60,000 cigars a day.

Some workers strip the stems out of tobacco leaves, while others trim a tobacco leaf with care to create the cigars skin. Meantime, noisy machines, some of them decades old, measure just the right amount of tobacco and roll the material into cigars.

US market

If the economic embargo ends, some Cuban cigar makers say they expect to take a quarter of the U.S. premium cigar market soon, and most of it in a period of years.

If that prediction comes true, it might be a problem for the J.C. Newman factory.

However, company Vice President Shanda Lee said the company will continue to be successful, with a blend of old technology and innovations in farming and manufacturing.

J.C. Newman Cigar company already sells in 83 countries, so weve been competing against Cuban cigars outside of North America for quite some time now," Lee said.

She said advances in manufacturing, agriculture and tobacco aging mean Newman cigars are as good as many of the cigars being exported from Cuba now.

Small-scale producer

While Newman is the last major factory, Ybor City also is home to small-scale producer Tabanero, where skilled workers hand roll 500 cigars a day. It has some customers from outside the United States who are not hampered by the embargo, and know Cuban cigars very well.

According to Tabanero's Jim Collins, his foreign buyers like Tabaneros price and flavor.

Wow, $25 for a cigar, a Cuban cigar? Or I can be here at Tabanero and spend $8 to $10 on a great tasting cigar also," Collins said.

David Savona, executive editor of Cigar Aficionado magazine, said the Cuban products are very good, but that blind taste tests show some cigars from other nations can be as good as the highly regarded Cubans.

Savona called forecasts that they will soon capture most of the U.S. market "unrealistic."

"The Cuban cigar industry would certainly like to take a piece of the U.S. market. Theyre eager, and the U.S. market is the world's largest cigar market, and they've been denied that market for more than 50 years," he added.

But "ramping up production in cigars is difficult. It's hard to do it quickly," Savona said.

Learning to roll cigars takes time and training, and Cuba's tobacco crop has been hurt by some recent foul weather. Rushing the process could hurt the product and its reputation.

Tampa's historic Ybor City once was the cigar capital of the world.

Savona said in 1929 the neighborhood's factories turned out an astounding 500 million cigars.

History of area

Historian and blogger Tom Ufer said it started in the late 1800s when industrialist Vicente Martinez-Ybor moved his operation here from Key West, Florida, in search of land and labor.

Previously, the Spanish-born entrepreneur operated in Cuba.

Eventually, many other cigar makers built factories here. Most are gone, though Ybor's building survives.

Ufer writes for Cheaphumidors.com, and says economic problems, including overseas low wage competition, pushed business out of Ybor City.

It was cheaper to move to the Dominican Republic or Honduras or Nicaragua and make cigars there with local labor," he said.

Foreign competition may be one issue here again, but J.C. Newman's Lee said U.S. taxes and regulations are a bigger threat to her firm than Cuban exports are likely to be.
Tens of thousands of Tibetans living in exile in India and other countries voted Sunday to elect a new political leader to spearhead the struggle for autonomy for Chinese-ruled Tibet.

The second election since the spiritual head of Tibetans, the Dalai Lama, handed over political authority in 2011 of the government Beijing does not recognize was held amid concerns about the health of the charismatic leader.



While about 90,000 Tibetans across the world are eligible to vote, the main spotlight is on Dharamsala in northern India, where the Tibet government in exile has its headquarters. In a festive atmosphere, Buddhist monks and nuns clad in maroon robes, and other Tibetans lined up outside polling booths in the picturesque Himalayan town to choose between two main contenders for the prime ministers job, the incumbent, Lobsang Sangay, and Penpa Tsering.

'Middle way'



Both candidates have said they will continue to support the Middle Way approach advocated by the Dalai Lama that involves dialogue with Beijing to achieve autonomy for Tibet.

Soon after casting his vote, Sangay said the exiled Tibetan leaders are ready for talks with China, and will take it further as soon as Beijing gives a positive sign. Talks between the Dalai Lamas envoys and the Chinese government have been stalled since 2010, but Sangays efforts to pursue a dialogue with Beijing during his term have borne no fruit.



Beijing does not recognize the Tibetan government in exile. At a regular news briefing Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, "We hope that all countries in this world, especially those that want to maintain friendly relations with China, will not provide facilities or venues for any anti-China, separatist activities by the so-called Tibet independence forces."

Sonam Dagpo, Secretary at the exiled government's Department of International Relations in Dharamsala says the Chinese government is trying to misinterpret the "Middle Way" approach when it says that Tibetans in exile are seeking separation from China.

In reality, since 1979, we have been pursuing a non-violent and Middle Way approach, not seeking independence. And that has been continued till today and that will continue in future by whoever wins, he says.



Although the Dalai Lama has relinquished political authority, he remains the most powerful rallying point for Tibetans and the best-known face of its struggle worldwide. But there have been concerns over the health of the 80-year-old leader, who cancelled a trip to the United States last year and was also treated at a U.S. hospital earlier this year.

Increased interest



A foreign policy professor at New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University, Chintamani Mahapatra, says there is steppedup interest in the election. The Dalai Lama is getting older and everybody is preparing for a transition. And so the next elected candidate would have to probably see the transition happening, he says.



The voters include thousands of young Tibetans who have never been inside their homeland. Youth activist, Lobsang Tseten is excited about the election, especially because he sees that many younger people have entered the fray for the 45 seats of parliament also being contested.

Our goal is through this election, is asserting ourselves that we belong to this Tibetan community, we are a whole different community from the Chinese government and I think the goal is to show the world that ours is a democratic state and we give a platform to people to make their voice heard, says Tseten. He is confident the participation of the youth will give fresh energy and momentum to the Tibetan struggle.



The Dalai Lama and his followers have been living in exile in Dharmsala since they fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.
U.S. Republican presidential candidates are headed to two more contentious state nominating contests on Tuesday, with the front-runner, billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump, and his nearest challenger, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, likely to split the contests.

A massive number of votes have already been cast in early voting in the western state of Arizona, likely giving Trump an edge, since the Republican ballots were printed awhile ago and also list the names of candidates who have since dropped out of the party's presidential campaign.

Cruz is claiming that he is the only candidate who has a chance to overtake Trump, but with other names on the party primary election ballot, Trump could only win a plurality and still collect all 58 delegates to the Republican national convention, where the party will formally select its 2016 nominee.

Meanwhile, political surveys show Cruz, a conservative firebrand in the halls of Congress, likely to win party caucuses in Utah, another Western state. But if he does, his margin over Trump will prove crucial, with all 40 convention delegates going to the winner, if he gets more than 50 percent of the vote, while the convention delegates would be apportioned according to the vote count if no candidate gets a majority.

The third candidate remaining in the Republican race, Ohio Governor John Kasich, is not expected to factor in the outcome in either state.

Both Trump and Cruz appealed to voters Saturday with tough promises to deal with illegal immigration into the United States.

Trump appeared at rallies in Arizona, one the of the focal points of the contentious U.S. debate over illegal immigration from across the border with Mexico. Trump, who has vowed to build an impenetrable wall along the border, declared, "Illegal immigration is gonna stop. It's dangerous. Terrible."

Cruz, in Utah, pledged to block a number of U.S. cities from declaring themselves as "sanctuary cities," where officials try to protect illegal migrants from being arrested and deported.

Kasich, running a distant third in the race for the Republican presidential contest, told one interviewer Sunday that Trump's call to deport 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. is impractical and "a promise that will never happen."

The two Democratic presidential candidates, the leader, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her sole challenger, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, also are squaring off in Arizona and Utah on Tuesday, as well as in caucuses in a third western state, Idaho.

Sanders visited a U.S.-Mexican border outpost on Saturday, promising to take more steps to keep immigrants from being deported. He denounced the "divisive, bigoted and xenophobic comments of people like Donald Trump."

Clinton, with a substantial lead over Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination, is planning Arizona rallies for Monday. She also has attacked Trump for his immigration views.
Turkey blamed an Islamic State militant Sunday for the suicide bombing in Istanbul the day before that killed four people and wounded dozens more.

Interior Minister Efkan Ala said the attack was carried out by a Turkish citizen, Mehmet Ozturk, who was born in 1992 in Gaziantep province, which borders Syria.

Ala said the suspected bomber, who also was killed in the attack, was not on Turkey's terrorist watch list.

The Turkish official said five people allegedly linked to the attack have been detained.

Those killed

Three Israelis, two of them with dual U.S. citizenship, and an Iranian were killed in the blast on Istiklal Street, lined with shops and cafes in an area that also houses government offices and foreign consulates.

Saturday's explosion was the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey since July, blasts that now have killed more than 200 people, with some of the attacks blamed on Islamic State jihadists and others on Kurdish militants engaged in a three-decade fight for more autonomy in southeastern Turkey.

Ala said Turkey is determined to pursue its fight against Islamic State jihadists, but admitted it was difficult to prevent suicide bombings.

Flowers, candles

On Sunday, people commemorated those killed in the Istanbul attack, placing carnations and candles at the site of the blast, with one sign that said, "We are on the streets, we are not afraid of you."

It was not immediately clear whether the Israelis were targeted in the attack, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its intelligence officials were looking into the possibility.

White House spokesman Ned Price said the United States condemns the attack in the strongest possible terms and affirmed U.S. commitment to work with Turkey to "confront the evil of terrorism."
Two small U.S. companies are working to set up businesses in Cuba, as relations between Washington and Havana thaw. But after months of effort, the firms that want to build tractors and distribute food must still jump bureaucratic hurdles to set up the first new U.S. business operations Cuba in decades.

Horace Clemmons and Saul Berenthal hope to assemble a small, inexpensive tractor in a factory in Cuba.

The veteran U.S. software engineers designed the vehicle to be cheap, simple, and just right for 40-hectare farms in Cuba.

They hope to have their Cleber Tractor plant running early next year, turning out 1,000 tractors annually.

Cuban-born Berenthal traveled with a group of business owners to Havana to take part in an entrepreneurship event with U.S. President Barack Obama. Before leaving, he told VOA commerce that benefits people in both nations will be a "healing mechanism" that improves relations.

Have 'the green light'

We are ready to go, and we have gotten the green light, but the devil is in the details. We still have to go through a lot of paperwork and a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of agreement from multiple sources as to the details," he said.

While the partners have approval from Washington and Havana to proceed, they still have to cope with sometimes frustrating bureaucracies in both nations.

Clemmons, who grew up around farming and loves machines, said the tractor they've developed can get spare parts from many sources.

He also said the arrangement keeps costs down for farmers, boosting the chance the company will succeed and eventually export tractors from Cuba.

Its inevitable well make a profit, and I believe its inevitable that well be mass producing tractors in Cuba in the near future," Clemmons said.

He said the plan is for the factory to assemble kits that are made in the United States, along with some "off the shelf" parts from various sources.

Not yet conducive to business

Two other U.S. entrepreneurs are headed for Cuba seeking permission to set up a wholesale distribution market similar to a wholesale produce distribution market they ran, and then sold, in Tampa, Florida.

Manuel Fernandez and Michael Mauricio already have Washingtons permission to open a business in Cuba and are seeking approval from Havana. They hope to eventually expand their Cuban operation to include other products besides food.

Many U.S. companies are considering investing, as some restrictions of the decades-long U.S. economic embargo against the communist nation are eased, professor Jose Azel said.

Lacking infrastructure

Azel, a University of Miami researcher, said many become discouraged when they learn that electricity, roads and other infrastructure can be unreliable in Cuba, and low salaries mean consumers cant buy much.

In a Skype interview, Azel said Cuban law does not allow foreigners to own a majority of a business, and it can be hard to enforce contracts.

"You are looking to invest in a country where the government can act capriciously and arbitrarily at any time it wishes, so it is not conductive to foreign direct investment, to putting money on the ground," he said.

Azel said Cuba needs nearly everything, but beyond tourism, cigars and rum, the island nation has little to sell to raise money for development.

In an effort to boost growth and trade, Cuba has started a Special Economic Development Zone in Mariel, a port city on the Island's northern coast, about 50 kilometers from Havana.

An official website shows pictures of a modern container terminal, wide roads, and construction projects for warehouses and other facilities.
Starwood Hotels and Resorts has reached a deal with Cuba to renovate three of its deteriorating state-owned hotels, becoming the first U.S. hotel company to operate in the communist country since Fidel Castro seized the properties in his 1959 revolution.

Starwood's deal with Havana, reached the day before U.S. President Barack Obama arrives Sunday in Havana for a three-day visit, calls for the company to spend millions of dollars to bring the hotels up to its normal tourist-ready quality.

Meanwhile, Airbnb, the online U.S. lodging company, announced Sunday it will soon begin accepting reservations from around the world for visitors who want to stay in private Cuban homes linked to its network of rental properties.

As Castro assumed power in 1959, he seized the tourist industry, even for months making the Habana Hilton (in Havana) the new government headquarters.

Now, U.S. tourist traffic is increasing to Cuba. Even though U.S. tourist travel to the island nation, 145 kilometers off its southeastern shoreline is, officially still banned, Washington announced days ago that it will allow "people to people" educational trips, effectively an honor system that is unenforceable. Up to 110 daily U.S.-to-Cuba flights could start by the end of the year.

"The amount of travelers will skyrocket with direct flights," said Jorge Giannattasio, Starwood's chief of Latin America operations.

He said the three Cuban hotels - the Quinta Avenida, Santa Isabel and Inglaterra - will be opened by the end of 2016.

It is not clear, however, whether Starwood will remain an American company. It was on the verge of a $12.2 billion buyout deal with Marriott International, the U.S. hotel giant, but China's Anbang Insurance Group offered $13 billion on Friday. Marriott has until March 28 to make a counteroffer.
Zimbabwe's war veterans, including commanders of the armed forces, are set to hold a no-holds barred meeting with President Robert Mugabe amid calls for him to step down.

Mr. Mugabe told his supporters Friday that some of the war veterans want him to step down despite winning the last presidential election in which he beat his bitter rival, former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangiriai.

Tsvangiriai still claims that the election was allegedly rigged by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, in favour of Mr. Mugabe, who has been in power for more than 35 years.

The ruling party maintains that the elections were free and fair.

Despite his controversial win, Mr. Mugabe today finds himself fighting to quell internal squabbles in Zanu PF pitting two factions - one said to be led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa being backed by war veterans of the liberation struggle of the 1970s, and another by his wife, Grace.

Mnangagwa's so-called Team Lacoste and Mrs. Mugabe's group comprising Young Turks calling themselves Generation 40, appear to be realizing that the 92 year old president's rule may be almost coming to an end.

Indications are that President Mugabe's meeting with war veterans, scheduled for early next month, is expected to bring out the political bitterness among war veterans. Some want him to step down saying he is no longer following the principles of the party, which brought independence to the southern African nation.

Zanu PF pledged at independence to promote freedom and democracy based on one person, one vote, but some disgruntled war veterans believe that this has been seriously compromised by members of the Generation 40, which is allegedly seeking to entrench a Mugabe political dynasty as it allegedly wants his wife to succeed him.

Mrs. Mugabe has repeatedly said she is not interested in the presidential post. Critics say her political life will end as soon as Mr. Mugabe is out of power as she allegedly lacks the political stamina to led Zimbabwe.

The recent firing of War Veterans Minister Chris Mutsvangwa has unsettled war veterans, who were on the receiving end recently when police with baton sticks and water cannons descended on them when they wanted to hold an indaba in Harare to discuss, among other issues, President Mugabe's succession.

While they are still dusting themselves from that violent encounter, President Mugabe on Friday said he does not understand why some of the war veterans want him to step down as he was democratically elected in 2013.

As a result, according to the state controlled Herald newspaper, they have to express these feeling at the proposed meeting, which will be attended by Defence Forces chief Constantine Chiwenga, former Five Brigade Commander and Airforce Commander Vice Marshall Perence Shiri, army commander General Phillip Valerie Sibanda, Prisons chief General Paradzai Zimondi, Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and several others.

Some of the army chiefs allegedly want Mnangagwa, who has been Mr. Mugabe's right hand man for many years, to succeed the president. Several junior officers are believed to be supporting Generation 40's presidential choice, Grace Mugabe.

Mrs. Mugabe leads the powerful Women's League. Her recent attacks on Mnangagwa and war veterans are said to have angered some securocrats. Unconfirmed reports say the president met with the army commanders following public claims by his wife that Mnangagwa was hatching a plan being backed by war veterans to unseat the president.
United Nations agencies and African governments are meeting to develop strategies to reduce food losses among smallholder farmers.

Africa is grappling with higher than normal rates of food insecurity due to drought and flooding caused by El Nino.

The United Nations is helping governments from across Africa to find ways to reduce food losses on the continent. A weeklong meeting in Harare is being attended by U.N. agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The FAOs Stephanie Gallatova says a third of the food produced on the continent is lost before it is consumed due to poor storage facilities, resulting in it rotting or pests feeding on it. She says meeting participants are prioritizing steps to reduce the waste.

"We are not targeting all commodities. We are targeting those which have been prioritized by the governments," Gallatova said.

'Priority is maize'

"In many southern African countries, the priority is maize. We are also conducting studies on horticultural products, both fruits and vegetables, a few studies on milk. In West Africa, there is particular interest in reducing fish losses," she said. "The El Nino is more about affecting food production and productivity; but, of course, El Nino plays a big role in this. If you do not produce food in the first place, there is nothing to protect."

El Nino-induced drought has hit most parts of the Horn of Africa and southern Africa. This week, Zimbabwe announced that about 4 million people need food handouts because of drought, while UNICEF said it was looking for at least $21 million to avert malnutrition in the southern African nation.



At Mbare Musika market in Harare, almost all agricultural commodities, such as maize, bananas, tomatoes and nuts, are found; but, farmers say they lose most of their produce before they get buyers. Tomato farmer Grace Chikwanha says besides pests, her crop perishes because she fails to secure timely transport.

"When I come here and the tomatoes have high [good] price], for sure I make money; but, the market has no fixed price with tomatoes," said Chikwanha.

Adding value

Robert Delve is a technical adviser with the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

He said rural farmers in Africa should be taught about adding value to their produce by processing or by learning methods to reduce loss; but, he says IFAD funding for low-interest loans and direct assistance has fallen.

"Unfortunately, if you look at who funds IFAD, it is donor countries, member countries of IFAD of the United Nations. They are faced with many challenges - either in the governments perceptions to offer overseas development or as you have been seeing the in press, the requirement to fund the migration challenge in Europe," said Delve.

That means other programs must increase their assistance in rural agriculture in Africa or food losses will continue.
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL

1. INTRODUCTION

On 7 March 2016, the Heads of State or Government of the European Union and the Prime Minister of Turkey discussed EU-Turkey relations and the progress made in the implementation of the Joint Action Plan. [1]

It was agreed that bold moves were needed to close down people smuggling routes, to break the business model of the smugglers, to protect our external borders and to end the migration crisis in Europe. The need to break the link between getting in a boat and staying in Europe was emphasised.

The NATO operation in the Aegean Sea, one of the tasks of which will be to identify potential smuggling activity and notify the Turkish authorities in real time, is an important element in these efforts. Cooperation between the NATO operation and Frontex will be crucial in stemming the flow of irregular migrants.

To decrease the irregular flow of migrants from Turkey to the EU, the leaders warmly welcomed the additional proposals made by Turkey and agreed to work with Turkey on the basis of a set of six principles. The President of the European Council was requested to take forward these proposals and work out the details with Turkey before the March European Council. This Communication sets out how the six principles should be taken forward, delivering on the full potential for EU-Turkey cooperation while respecting European and international law.

Together with joint European solutions and the comprehensive implementation of the European Migration Agenda, cooperation between EU and Turkey is key for an effective response to the refugee and migrant challenge.

These joint efforts to deal with refugees are part of our global engagement with Turkey as candidate country and as strategic partner.

2. SIX PRINCIPLES FOR FURTHER DEVELOPING EU-TURKEY COOPERATION IN TACKLING THE MIGRATION CRISIS

2.1 Returning all new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into the Greek islands

The return of all new irregular migrants and asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey is an essential component in breaking the pattern of refugees and migrants paying smugglers and risking their lives. It is self-evident that the arrangements for such returns, both of those in need of international protection, and those who are not, can only be carried out in line with the refugee protection safeguards that have been put in place in international and EU law. Moreover, given the extent of flows currently between Turkey and Greece, such arrangements should be considered as a temporary and extraordinary measure which is necessary to end the human suffering and restore public order and which needs to be supported with the relevant operational framework.

Recently progress has been made in the readmission of irregular migrants and asylum seekers not in need of international protection to Turkey under the bilateral Readmission Agreement between Greece and Turkey [2]. New arrangements on returns should build on this progress, with all parties working together to facilitate swift and effective returns.

Legal safeguards for returning persons in need of international protection to Turkey

The return to Turkey of all irregular migrants and asylum seekers newly arriving in Greece must be carried out in respect of European and international law. It is a fundamental requirement flowing from the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights that every case needs to be treated individually. In that regard, the Asylum Procedures Directive lays down the particular legal and procedural parameters to be respected. There is therefore no question of applying a "blanket" return policy, as this would run contrary to these legal requirements.

The Directive recognises that in certain circumstances an expedited procedure can apply whereby there is no need to examine the substance of an application. Instead, in these cases asylum applications can be considered inadmissible, in particular where it can be expected that another country would carry out the examination or provide sufficient protection. This would arise, for example, if a person has been already recognised as a refugee or would otherwise enjoy sufficient protection in a "first country of asylum", or if a person has come to the EU from a "safe third country", where  even though the person has not received protection  the third country can nevertheless guarantee effective access to protection [3].

In accordance with the provisions of the Asylum Procedures Directive, a number of safeguards need to be respected. Having first been duly registered and identified in line with EU rules, a person that has lodged an asylum claim in Greece should be given a personal interview when the responsible authority considers that the individual falls into one of these categories of inadmissibility. This allows a screening to occur to identify whether there are particular circumstances that arise. There is also a right of appeal against the inadmissibility decision [4]. In the case of the "first country of asylum", in addition to having been recognised as a refugee, this can also apply when the person enjoys "sufficient protection". In the case of the "safe third country", the Directive defines conditions both in terms of the conditions in the third country concerned, and in respect of the person concerned. Before returning a person in need of international protection Member States need to be satisfied that the third country will respect a set of standards concerning fundamental rights, non-discrimination, and respect for international law.

It appears that to apply these provisions changes would be required to both Greek and Turkish domestic legislation. In the case of Greece, this applies to the status of Turkey as a "safe third country" and will entail a number of detailed procedural rules in areas like appeal procedures. In the case of Turkey, this applies in areas like the renewal of temporary protection status for Syrians who had left Turkey, access to effective asylum procedures for all persons in need of international protection, as committed to by Turkey in the Joint EU-Turkey Action Plan, and ensuring that protection equivalent to the Geneva Convention is afforded to non-Syrians, notably those returned.

Once the inadmissibility of an asylum claim has been established, or the claim is determined to be unfounded, a person can be returned under the applicable readmission agreement. The principle of non-refoulement should be respected by Turkey in all cases, in line with its existing international obligations.

Provided these safeguards are respected by Greece and Turkey, this scheme will be in accordance with European and international law.

Practical aspects

In line with international and European law requirements (in particular as regards the individual assessment of applications for international protection), fast-track operational arrangements between Greece and Turkey can be put in place, more suited to the large scale return of migrants. Steps have been taken to achieve this goal, with a joint Greek-Turkish declaration on readmission issued on 8 March. For example, the principle of using a delegated readmission officer with a view to accelerating readmission procedures of irregular migrants was agreed. The number of such liaison officers will need to be increased; Greece and Turkey have not yet reached an agreement on this increased number.

To implement such returns, the EU will support Greece to put in place the necessary infrastructure. In particular, the hotspots in the islands in Greece will need to be adapted  with the current focus on registration and screening before swift transfer to the mainland replaced by the objective of implementing returns to Turkey. For instance, the infrastructure in the hotspots would need to be reconfigured to accommodate the readmission and asylum offices and to deal adequately with vulnerable groups.

Another important element would be a substantial increase in reception capacity in the islands. This could include separate facilities for irregular migrants and those undergoing the longer procedure of an asylum request, and would require sufficient detention capacity to be put in place for individuals who present a risk of absconding.

Until now, relatively few of those arriving in Greece have applied for asylum. Faced with the prospect of a rapid return as a person not in need for international protection, the number of asylum claims is likely to rise. The first requirement would therefore be to put in place accelerated asylum procedures for all stages of the procedure, from the initial interview to a possible appeal. The capacity of the Greek Asylum Service should be increased to enable expedited readmission to Turkey as well as rapid acceptance of asylum applications. Appeal Committees should also be able to rule on a high number of appeals within a short period of time. In this regard, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) should also be called upon to support the Greek authorities in quickly and effectively processing applications and returns, if necessary through an additional and targeted call for assistance from the Member States.

Finally, arrangements would need to be made for large-scale transport from the islands to Turkey.

All these steps imply costs and a first estimate calculated on the basis of 2,000 irregular arrivals per day, support from the EU budget would be needed at the level of around 20 million a month.

2.2 To resettle, for every Syrian readmitted by Turkey from the Greek islands, another Syrian from Turkey to the EU, within the framework of the existing commitments

The scheme linking the numbers of Syrians readmitted to Turkey from the Greek islands and the number of Syrians resettled from Turkey to the Member States aims to replace, quickly, irregular flows of migrants travelling in dangerous conditions across the Aegean by an orderly and legal resettlement process.

The 1:1 resettlement scheme that aims to deliver this change will require a sound logistical framework and sufficient resettlement pledges in order to function.

The 1:1 scheme will function if Member States make a sufficient number of resettlement pledges. In this connection, the Statement of the Heads of State or Government of 7 March 2016 specifies that the 1:1 scheme should function "within the framework of the existing commitments".

A European Resettlement Scheme is already in place, which is the natural first source of existing resettlements commitments to be linked to the returns of all new irregular migrants and asylum seekers from Greek islands to Turkey. There are some 18,000 [5] places left available, though part will be taken up by resettlements from Jordan and Lebanon.

Were a further need for resettlement to arise under the 1:1 scheme, the necessary steps could be taken to transfer some of the commitments under the existing relocation decisions, notably all or part of the currently unallocated 54,000 places, to the 1:1 scheme [6]. This would be in line with the Commissions existing policy of considering that resettlement and humanitarian admission are equivalent to relocation, as all are concrete expressions of solidarity with other Member States or third countries experiencing a mass influx of migrants. [7]

The 1:1 scheme is expected to reduce quickly the number of irregular crossings in the Aegean Sea. Its effectiveness will depend upon the full implementation of the steps set out in the Communication. The EU and Turkey should agree on a weekly joint monitoring mechanism to review the progress made under the scheme. Any necessary adjustments to the scheme should be identified in this process.

Admissions under the Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme [8] with Turkey will be activated once the irregular crossings between Turkey and the EU have come to end, or at least have been very substantially reduced. It will allow for rapid and efficient admission from Turkey of persons in need of protection displaced by the conflict in Syria. The Commission expects that once irregular flows from Turkey to the EU have come to end, the number of Member States willing to participate in the scheme will increase.

If these efforts would succeed, the Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme could be enlarged also to Jordan and Lebanon.

The logistical framework that underpins the Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme with Turkey proposed by the Commission in December 2015 could be used more generally for the purposes of the 1:1 resettlement scheme. The Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme relies on the globally acknowledged expertise of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in facilitating different forms of admission of persons in need of international protection from third countries to which they have been displaced, to States willing to admit them. The experience and expertise of EASO and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) should also be called upon. For the same reasons as in the case of the Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme, the 1:1 scheme should apply to Syrians registered by the Turkish authorities prior to 29 November 2015.

The standardised operating procedures agreed in the framework of the Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme can be used for the more general purposes of the 1:1 scheme. They deal in particular with the selection of candidates and respect all applicable international humanitarian law rules. For the purposes of the 1:1 scheme, these procedures should be complemented by a mechanism that creates a disincentive for persons to cross the Aegean Sea. Priority for resettlement should be given to those Syrians who remained in Turkey since they are eligible for temporary protection.

A process to link the numbers readmitted from the Greek islands to Turkey and those leaving Turkey to be resettled in the EU is required. A week-by-week approach, in which the EU looks back at the total number of Syrians effectively readmitted by Turkey over the past 7 days and immediately launches the procedure for the same number to be resettled to the EU, could be envisaged.

New routes to the EU may develop if the 1:1 scheme is successful. Turkey should commit to taking any necessary measures to prevent new sea or land routes for irregular migration opening up from Turkey towards the EU. If such a new route nevertheless emerges, commitments and principles on returns and on resettlements should apply between the relevant Member State and Turkey.

2.3 To accelerate the implementation of the visa liberalisation roadmap with a view to lifting the visa requires for Turkish citizens by the end of June 2016

The conditions to lift visa requirements are set out in a 2013 roadmap, detailing 72 requirements to be met by Turkey in the areas of document security, migration management, public order and security, fundamental rights, and the readmission of irregular migrants. The Commission has been charting Turkeys progress on these points and the most recent report was able to mark intensified efforts and a new level of commitment and engagement [9]. 35 of the 72 requirements have now been fulfilled.

To accelerate implementation of the roadmap with a target of lifting the visa requirements by the end of June will require even further efforts from Turkish authorities in adoption and implementation of the legal and administrative measures needed to fulfil all the requirements of the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap. The package of 9 legislative proposals under discussion will have to be adopted by Turkey in good time on the basis of an understanding reached with the EU. The applicable benchmarks will not be amended.

On the understanding that Turkey takes the necessary measures to fulfil the remaining requirements, the Commission will make a legislative proposal to lift the visa requirements for Turkish citizens at the end of April 2016.

2.4 To speed up the disbursement of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey

The Facility for Refugees in Turkey covers both immediate humanitarian needs, and more ongoing development needs. On the humanitarian side, a 40 million contract was signed with the World Food Programme on 4 March, to cover food assistance via an e-card scheme which will help to reach 735,000 Syrian refugees. Fifteen other projects are being negotiated with partners, for a total of 50 million. With these projects, a total of 90 million will be contracted by mid-April 2016. This allocation will quickly expand the provision of humanitarian assistance in Turkey, including food, non-food items, health, water and sanitation and protection.

A decision was also taken to allocate 55 million from the Facility to the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syria crisis to urgently support development-orientated project in particular in the field of education, in line with the conclusions of the first Facility Steering Committee of 17 February. This translated into signature on 4 March of a regional contract with UNICEF, of which 38 million will allow an additional 110,000 Syrian children in Turkey to go to school during the current academic year.

At the same time, projects are now under way through the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syria crisis totalling almost 140 million. Relevant actions worth  76 million have already been selected and identified, and could be signed by the end of April 2016, following endorsement by the next board meeting of the Trust Fund of 22 March. Further actions worth 64 million are currently being elaborating for possible contracting by July 2016. Further transfers from the Facility to the Trust Fund will be made in light of needs to cover the project pipeline. In addition, projects for refugees in areas including education, human resources and environmental infrastructure are also being developed by the Commission under the Trust Fund, using the 164.5 million transferred from the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) programme at the end of 2015.

The next step towards bringing further projects on stream will build on the finalisation of the comprehensive needs analysis, currently conducted by the Commission in close cooperation with Turkey. The Turkish government finally submitted its contribution on 4 March. On this basis, the needs assessment should be finalised by mid-April. In parallel, technical consultations with the Turkish authorities are currently taking place in Ankara to allow for the early identification and programming, by the Commission, of urgent and mature projects in all fields covered by the Facility. Without the pro-active engagement of the Turkish authorities, no progress will be possible. Contacts are also on-going with International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and other agencies as potential implementing partners. The Commission will draw on the expertise of its established partners from the UN, IFIs, International Organisations, Member States and NGO community for actions relating to their specific expertise. This should allow for the holding of the second Steering Committee of the Facility in April.

On the resource side, the Commission received the respective contribution certificates from Germany and Finland. All Member States are encouraged to swiftly make available their national contributions so as to allow for a swift, stepwise roll-out of the Facility to address the needs of the refugee population in Turkey, in support of Turkeys own efforts.

2.5 To prepare for the decisions on the opening of the new chapters in the accession negotiations as soon as possible, building on the October 2015 European Council conclusions

The state of play in the European Unions accession negotiations was set out in the enlargement package of November 2015.

Since then, Chapter 17 (Economic and Monetary Union) was opened at an Inter-Governmental conference on 14 December 2015. In this context, important reforms will be discussed. The chapter covers, for instance, rules requiring the independence of central banks, prohibits the direct financing of the public sector by central banks and prohibits privileged access of the public sector to financial institutions.

In addition, preparations are now under way to progress towards the opening of five chapters: Chapter 15 (energy), Chapter 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights), Chapter 24 (justice, freedom and security), Chapter 26 (education and culture) and Chapter 31 (foreign, security and defence policy).

This is in line with the European Council conclusions of October 2015, which called for negotiations "to be re-energized with a view to achieving progress in the negotiations in accordance with the negotiating framework and the relevant Council conclusions".

The Commission aims to finalise all related preparatory documents in the spring with a view to submitting them to Council, without prejudice to Member States positions and the negotiating framework.

Work is well advanced in the area of energy (Chapter 15) and fruitful technical consultations were held in Ankara on 1-3 March. An updated screening report will be delivered by the Commission in April. In coherence with the approach for other candidate countries, it is anticipated that this will recommend setting opening benchmark(s).

In the key areas of the judiciary and fundamental rights, and justice, freedom and security (Chapters 23 and 24), technical consultations are now being organised following the receipt of written submissions from Turkey. These chapters cover a range of critical issues including fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, judiciary, anti-corruption policy, migration and asylum, visa rules, border management, police cooperation, and the fight against organised crime and against terrorism. The EU expects Turkey to respect the highest standards when it comes to democracy, rule of law, respect of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression. In terms of opening benchmarks in these essential areas, candidate countries are generally asked to prepare comprehensive Action Plans with precise timelines for alignment of laws and for providing the necessary budget. The updated screening reports for these chapters could be issued by the Commission in May.

On education and culture (Chapter 26), Turkey is finalising its updated negotiating position. The Commission will be able to update the Draft Common Position and table it to the Council in April.

The chapter on foreign, security and defence policy (Chapter 31) has already been examined in detail and the European External Action Service is finalising an update screening report which will be ready in April.

2.6 Cooperation to improve humanitarian conditions inside Syria

Turkey is part of the International Coalition against Daesh and a member of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG). In this capacity, it plays a key role in the joint efforts to solve the Syrian crisis. In this context, the EU and Turkey should also enhance their cooperation for delivering humanitarian aid to Syrian population. The situation of the refugees stranded at the Turkish border, notably in the corridor between Aleppo and the Turkey-Syria border deserves special attention.

As already stated by the European Council, the EU is ready to work with Turkey to improve humanitarian conditions inside Syria which would allow refugees to live in areas which will be more safe. To be successful, it is fundamental that the commitments made by the ISSG in Munich on 11-12 February are swiftly implemented in full by all parties.

The Commission is already providing and will continue to provide, substantial aid inside Syria. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Commissions humanitarian aid for Syria amounts to 468 million. For 2015, this figure stands at 160 million.

Today, 50 projects are currently in place, totalling over 200 million. This includes humanitarian, development and stabilisation assistance. A substantial share of humanitarian assistance projects operate cross-border from Turkey - for 2015, this amounted to 43.2 million, 27% of the total budget devoted to of Syria. These projects rely heavily on local cooperation with the Turkish authorities.

Cross-border actions from Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq will continue to be a major part of actions of humanitarian assistance in 2016. 15 million will be contracted in March 2016, with some 70 million further funding planned to be contracted by early May, following a recent call to humanitarian partners.

3. Conclusion

The arrangements for the return of all new irregular migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece operating together with the 1:1 resettlement scheme will be a temporary and extraordinary measure, and should begin as soon as possible. The aim is to replace the current mass irregular flows of migrants by a controlled and legal process. The objective is also to break the pattern of refugees and migrants paying smugglers and risking their lives.

This Communication sets out a framework that will ensure that the process is carried out in accordance with international and European law, which excludes the application of a "blanket" return policy. It also indicates the steps, legislative and logistical, that need to be taken as a matter of urgency for the process to be launched.

This new phase in EU-Turkey cooperation to tackle the migration crisis will require concerted efforts from Greece and Turkey, supported by the Commission, EU agencies and partner organisations. It will also require the support of Member States, both in terms of the provision of personnel and the willingness to make pledges for resettlement.

Accordingly, whilst some important steps are still needed, the means both legal and practical exist to initiate the new arrangements as a matter of urgency.
A. The Dialogue

Within the broader dialogue and cooperation framework between the EU and its Member States and Turkey in Justice and Home Affairs matters, the dialogue between the European Commission and Turkish authorities in view of preparing, fostering and monitoring the visa liberalisation process will be initiated in parallel with the signature of the readmission agreement, and will be based on the present Roadmap.

The Roadmap identifies the areas where Turkey will have to undertake legislative and administrative reforms with a view to establishing a secure environment for visa-free travel. Bearing in mind such objective, this Roadmap seeks to identify the legislation and all other measures that Turkey needs to adopt and implement and the requirements it needs to fulfill to achieve visa liberalisation.

The Roadmap addresses the following four blocks:

 Documents security;

 Migration and border management

 Public order and security;

 Fundamental rights.

In addition, the Roadmap includes a specific set of requirements in the area of readmission of illegal migrants, which Turkey is expected to fulfil and which will be specifically monitored by the Commission.

This dialogue is tailor-made to allow Turkey to focus its reform efforts and fulfil the EUs requirements. The pace of movement towards visa liberalisation will depend on Turkeys progress in adopting and implementing the measures and fulfilling the requirements set out in this Roadmap, including full and effective implementation of the readmission agreement and effective cooperation vis-a-vis all EU Member States on JHA issues as these issues are outlined in the present roadmap.

The dialogue will be conducted by Senior Officials from the European Commission and Turkey, who may decide to organise technical meetings at expert level for specific items. Progress on the issues covered by the visa liberalisation dialogue will be reported to the Council and the European Parliament.

B. Methodology

Reinforced consultation

The Commission will fully associate the Council to each step of the dialogue through reinforced consultation. This will include the following:

1. The full involvement of the Council in following the implementation of this Roadmap;

2. The full participation of Member States experts in assessing Turkeys progress in fulfilling the requirements set out in this Roadmap;

3. Utilising the expertise of EUROPOL, EUROJUST, FRONTEX, EASO, and EMCDDA in assessing Turkeys progress in meeting these requirements.

Monitoring and reporting

The Commission will present to the Council, as well as the European Parliament, regular reports detailing its assessment of Turkeys fulfilment of the requirements set out in this Roadmap. These reports will address requirements related to the different blocks of the dialogue, as well as the specific set of requirements in the area of readmission of illegal migrants.

These reports will draw upon the following sources: information provided by Turkey; assessment missions undertaken by the Commission services, EEAS and EU Member States experts to assess Turkeys progress in the different blocks of the visa dialogue as well as the specific set of requirements in the area of readmission of illegal migrants; and data provided by EUROPOL, EUROJUST, FRONTEX, EASO, EMCDDA, and other EU agencies and bodies.

The Commissions bi-annual reports will evaluate the following:

1. Turkeys record in adopting or amending in line with the EU acquis the legislation set out in this Roadmap;

2. Turkeys record in implementing the legislation and all other measures set out in this Roadmap;

3. Turkeys record regarding the implementation of the readmission agreement and the impact of its visa policy on illegal immigration within the EU Member States, and

4. The expected migratory and security impacts of the liberalisation of the visa regime with Turkey [1]

On the basis of these reports, the Justice and Home Affairs Council every six months will assess, and may express its opinion on the progress made by Turkey in fulfilling the requirements as set out in this roadmap, including on the implementation of the readmission agreement. The Commission will take into utmost consideration the political discussions in the Council. The Commission will also inform the European Parliament once a year of the progress of the visa dialogue.

Outcome of the dialogue

Progress will be founded on a performance based approach and conditioned on an effective and consistent implementation by Turkey of the requirements set by this Roadmap vis-a-vis the EU and its Member States.

Once all the requirements set out in this Roadmap have fully been met, the Commission will present a proposal to the European Parliament and the Council to lift the visa obligation for Turkish citizens via an amendment of Council Regulation (EC) 539/2001.

This proposal will cover only the holders of biometric travel documents. Pursuant to Article 77(2)(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Council shall decide in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure.

I. Requirements related to the Readmission of illegal migrants

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements :

 Fully and effectively implement the readmission obligations existing with the Member States.

 Ratify the EU-Turkey readmission agreement initialed on 21 June 2012

 Fully and effectively implement the EU-Turkey readmission agreement in all its provisions, in such a manner as to provide a solid track record of the fact that readmission procedures function properly in relation to all Member States;

 Establish and implement internal procedures allowing for the rapid and effective identification and return of Turkish citizens, third-country nationals and stateless persons who do not, or no longer, fulfill the conditions for entry to, presence in, or residence on the territories of one of the Member States and for the facilitated transit of persons to be returned to their country of destination, in a spirit of co-operation;

 Strengthen the capacity of the competent authority to process readmission applications within the timeframe given in the readmission agreement and reduce the number of pending readmission requests, including with reference to those related to third country nationals;

 Ensure that applications for readmission are processed in compliance with the domestic and the EU data protection requirements;

 Compile and share in a timely manner with the competent authorities of Member States and the European Commission detailed statistics on readmission;

 Effectively seek to conclude and implement readmission agreements with the countries that represent sources of important illegal migration flows directed towards Turkey or the EU Member States.

II. Requirements related to Document Security; Migration management; Public Order and Security; Fundamental Rights

BLOCK 1: Document Security

Passports/travel documents, ID cards and breeder documents:

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Continue issuing machine readable biometric travel documents in compliance with ICAO standards and follow ICAO recommended practice, phasing out of any non-ICAO compliant passport, and gradually introducing international passports with biometric data, including photo and fingerprints, in line with the EU standards, especially Council Regulation 2252/2004;

 Implement appropriate administrative measures ensuring the integrity and security of the personalisation and distribution and validation process, for international passports and other breeder documents;

 Establish training programmes and adopt ethical codes on anti-corruption targeting the officials of any public authority that deals with visas, breeder documents or passports;

 Promptly and systematically report to Interpol/LASP data base on lost and stolen passports;

 Ensure a high level of security of breeder documents and ID cards and define strict procedures surrounding their application and issuance;

 Regularly exchange passport specimens, visa forms and information on false documents, and cooperate on document security with the EU,

 Adopt and implement measures ensuring the integrity and security of the civil status and civil registration process, including the integration and linking of the relevant databases and the verification of scanned data against the civil status database, paying particular attention to the amendment of individuals basic personal data.

BLOCK 2: Migration management

Border management

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Carry out adequate border checks and border surveillance along all the borders of the country, especially along the borders with EU member states, in such a manner that it will cause a significant and sustained reduction of the number of persons managing to illegally cross the Turkish borders either for entering or for exiting Turkey;

 Adopt and effectively implement legislation governing the movement of persons at the external borders, as well as legislation on the organisation of the border authorities and their functions, in accordance with the "National Action Plan for the Implementation of Turkeys Integrated Border Management strategy", approved on by Turkish authorities on 27th March 2006, and in line with the principles and best practices enshrined in the EU Schengen Border Code and the EU Schengen Catalogue ;

 Take the necessary budgetary and other administrative measures ensuring the deployment at the border crossing posts and along all the borders of the country, especially on the borders with the EU member states, of well-trained and qualified border guards (in sufficient number), as well as the availability of efficient infrastructure, equipment and IT technology, including through a more extensive use of surveillance equipment, in particular electronic means, mobile and fixed, video surveillance, infrared cameras and other sensor systems;

 Enhance cooperation and information exchange between the staff and bodies in charge of border management, the custom service and the other law enforcement agencies, in view of enhancing the capacity to collect intelligence, to use human and technical resources efficiently, and to act in a coordinated manner;

 Establish training programmes and adopt ethical codes on anti-corruption targeting the border guards, customs and other officials involved in the border management;

 Implement in an effective manner the Memorandum of Understanding signed with FRONTEX, including by developing joint cooperation initiatives and exchanging data and risks analysis;

 Ensure that border management is carried out in accordance with the international refugee law, in full respect of the principle of non-refoulement and effectively allowing the persons in need of international protection to have access to asylum procedures.

 Ensure adequate cooperation with the neighbouring EU Member States, aiming in particular at reinforcing the management of the borders with EU Member States.

Visa policy

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Enhance training on document security at the consular and border staff of Turkey, and develop and use the Turkish Visa Information System;

 Abolish issuance of visas at the borders as an ordinary procedure for the national of certain non-EU countries, and especially for countries representing a high migratory and security risk to the EU;

 Put in use the new Turkish visa stickers with higher security features, and stop using the stamp visas;

 Introduce airport transit visas;

 Amend the rules on the basis of which Turkey allows the entry into its territory to the nationals of the main countries representing important sources of illegal migration for the EU, in the aim of making the access more difficult for those willing to enter the Turkish territory with the purpose to subsequently attempt to illegally cross the external borders of the EU;

 Pursue the alignment Turkish visa policy, legislation and administrative capacities towards the EU acquis, notably vis-a-vis the main countries representing important sources of illegal migration for the EU;

 Allow non discriminatory visa-free access to the Turkish territory for the citizens of all the EU Member States.

Carriers responsibility

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Adopt and effectively implement the legislation on carriers responsibility defining sanctions.

International Protection

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Adopt and effectively implement legislation and implementing provisions, in compliance with the EU acquis and with the standards set by the Geneva Convention of 1951 on refugees and its 1967 Protocol, thus excluding any geographical limitation, so as to ensuring the respect of the principle of non-refoulement, taking into account also the European Convention on Human Rights, the possibility to lodge an asylum request and to obtain the refugee status protection or a subsidiary form of protection for any person in need of international protection, and allowing the UNHCR to effectively fulfil its mandate on the Turkish territory without restrictions;

 Establish a specialised body responsible for the refugee status determination procedures with the possibility for an effective remedy in fact and law before a court or tribunal as well as for ensuring the protection and assistance of asylum seekers and refugees, and provide that body and its staff with adequate working capacity and training;

 Provide adequate infrastructures and sufficient human resources and funds ensuring a decent reception and protection of the rights and dignity of asylum seekers and refugees;

 Persons who are granted a refugee status should be given the possibility to self-sustain, to access to public services, enjoy social rights and be put in the condition to integrate in Turkey.

Illegal Migration

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Adopt and implement legislation providing for an effective migration management and including rules aligned with the EU and the Council of Europe standards, on the entry, exit, short and long-term stay of foreigners and the members of their family, as well as on the reception, return and rights of the foreigners having been found entering or residing in Turkey illegally;

 Set up and start to apply a mechanism for the monitoring of migration flows, with data both on regular and illegal migration; establish bodies responsible for collection and analysis of data on migration stocks and flows; and develop situational picture on illegal migration flows at national, regional and local level, as well as on the different countries of origin of the illegal migration, including implementation of risk analysis and intelligence;

 Address the pull factors facilitating illegal migration flows into the country, and take measures improving the capacity to investigate cases of organised or facilitated illegal migration;

 Effectively seek to conclude and implement readmission agreements with the countries that represent sources of important illegal migration flows directed towards Turkey or the EU Member States;

 Ensure sufficient financial and human resources for effective migration management, including also adequate training programs;

 Ensure effective expulsion of illegally residing third country nationals from its territory;

 Establish the conditions allowing a voluntary return to the third country nationals expelled from its country and willing to use this modality;

 Provide adequate infrastructure (including detention centres) and strengthen responsible bodies to ensure effective expulsion of illegally residing and/or transiting third country nationals from the Turkish territory, while offering all the needed legal aid, as well as social and psychological assistance, and decent and fair detention conditions and removal procedures, to the returnees.

BLOCK 3 :Public order and security

Preventing and fighting organised crime, terrorism and corruption

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Continue and complete the implementation of its National Strategy and Action Plan for the fight against organised crime (in particular cross-border aspects) and ensure adequate human and financial resources for its implementation;

 Sign and ratify the Council of Europes Convention on Action against Human Trafficking as well as adopt and effectively implement legislation including provisions aligned on the standards set by this Convention as well as by the EU acquis related to the prevention of the trafficking in human beings, the prosecution of traffickers, and the protection and assistance of their victims;

 Provide adequate infrastructures and sufficient human resources and funds ensuring a decent reception and protection of the rights and dignity of victims of trafficking, and supporting their social and professional reintegration;

 Ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism (CETS 198) and transpose its provisions into the internal legislation and adopt and effectively enact legislation allowing to meet the requirements of this Convention as well as the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on establishing a system on the freezing of assets and a definition of the financing of terrorism;

 Ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime and adopt legislations and implement measures allowing to enact this Convention;

 Continue implementing the National Strategy and the Action Plans against Drugs and Drug Addiction and develop cooperation with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA);

 Continue implementing the National Strategy and the Action Plan on Fight against Corruption and the recommendations of GRECO (I, II and III. Evaluation Round).

Judicial co-operation

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Implement and comply with international conventions concerning judicial cooperation in criminal matters (in particular the Council of Europe Convention on extradition (n.24 of 1957, including the not yet implemented additional protocols of 1975, 2010 and 2012), on mutual assistance on criminal matters (n.30 of 1959, including the not yet implemented additional protocol of 2001), and on the transfer of sentenced persons ( n.112 of 1983, including the not yet implemented additional protocol of 1997);

 Take measures aimed at improving the efficiency of judicial co-operation in criminal matters of judges and prosecutors with the EU Member States and with countries in the region;

 Develop working relations with EUROJUST;

 Continue implementing the 1980 Hague Convention on civil aspects of the international child abduction, and accede to the 1996 Hague Convention on Jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition, enforcement and co-operation in respect of parental responsibility and measures for the protection of children, as well as to the 2007 Hague Convention on the international recovery of child support and others form of maintenance;

 Provide effective judicial cooperation in criminal matters to all the EU Member States, including in extradition matters inter alia by promoting direct contacts between central authorities.

Law enforcement co-operation

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Take necessary steps to ensure effective and efficient law enforcement co-operation among relevant national agencies - especially border guards, police, customs officers through full interagency collaboration in the field of intelligence and information exchange - as well as cooperation with the judicial authorities;

 Reinforce regional law enforcement services co-operation and implement bilateral and multilateral operational cooperation agreements, including by on time sharing of relevant information with competent law enforcement authorities of EU Member States;

 Improve the operational and special investigative quality and capacity of law enforcement services to tackle more efficiently serious, as well as cross-border crime including identity and travel document fraud;

 Effectively cooperate with OLAF and EUROPOL in protecting the Euro against counterfeiting;

 Strengthen the capacities of the Turkish Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and develop its cooperation with other Financial Intelligence Units within the EU Member States;

 Continue implementing the Strategic Agreement with EUROPOL;

 Conclude with EUROPOL and fully and effectively implement an Operational Cooperation Agreement.

Data protection

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Sign, ratify and implement relevant international conventions, in particular the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data of 1981 and its additional Protocol n.181;

 Adopt and implement legislation on the protection of personal data in line with the EU standards, in particular as regards the independence of the authority in charge of ensuring the protection of personal data.

BLOCK 4 Fundamental Rights

Freedom of movement of the citizens of Turkey:

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Ensure that freedom of movement of citizens of Turkey is not subject to unjustified restrictions, including measures of a discriminatory nature, based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation. Carry out related full investigations when needed.

Conditions and procedures for the issue of identity documents

Turkey should fulfill the following requirements:

 Provide information about the conditions and circumstances for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship

 Provide information about the conditions for changing personal data;

 Ensure full and effective access to travel and identity documents for all citizens including women, children, people with disabilities, persons belonging to minorities, internally displaced people, and other vulnerable groups;

 Ensure full and effective access to identity documents for the refugees and stateless persons residing in Turkey.

 Provide accessible information on registration requirements to foreigners wishing to reside in Turkey, and ensure equal and transparent implementation of respective legislation.

Citizens rights and respect for and protection of minorities

Turkey should fulfil the following requirements:

 Develop and implement policies addressing effectively the condition of the Roma social exclusion, marginalisation and discrimination in access to education and health services, as well as its difficulty to access to identity cards, housing, employment and participation in public life;

 Ratify the additional Protocols n.4 and 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR);

 Revise - in line with the ECHR and with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case law, the EU acquis and EU Member States practices - the legal framework as regards organised crime and terrorism, as well as its interpretation by the courts and by the security forces and the law enforcement agencies, so as to ensure the right to liberty and security, the right to a fair trial and freedom of expression, of assembly and association in practice.

Final remarks

The present Roadmap includes a list of reforms to be adopted and effectively implemented by Turkey so that the visa obligation may be lifted. These reforms are necessary to ensure the freedom of movement in a secure and predictable manner and were developed on the basis of information available at the time of drafting.

Turkey will be required to undertake continuous, targeted information campaigns aiming to clarify the rights and obligations of visa-free travel, including information on rules regulating access to the EU labour market and liability for any abuse of rights under the visa-free regime.

The Commission will continue to monitor and report to the Council and Member States, as well as the European Parliament, on Turkeys progress in adopting and implementing the measures and fulfilling the requirements set out in this Roadmap, taking into account, inter alia, the following performance indicators:

 The visa refusal rate for applicants from Turkey

 The rate of refused entry into the common Schengen area for Turkish citizens;

 The number of Turkish citizens found to be illegally entering into or staying in the territory of the Member States;

 The total number of asylum applications from Turkish citizens in the EU Member States;

 The number of readmission applications, including applications of third country nationals, submitted by the Member States to Turkey and which were rejected by the latter.

 The number of third-country nationals, arrived directly from the territory of Turkey, found trying to illegally cross the EU external borders or illegally staying within the EU territory.

 The number of third-country nationals, arrived to the EU or trying to cross the external borders of the EU, coming directly from the territory of Turkey, that were found with illegal travel documents.

 The number of operations carried out by Turkish law enforcement agencies against criminal organisations dealing with trafficking of human beings and smuggling of migrants, as well as the number of apprehended traffickers and smugglers.

A substantial improvement in these performance indicators, over the course of the visa dialogue, will be used as an indicative reference in the Commissions assessments of the expected migratory and security impacts of the liberalisation of the visa regime with Turkey, including at the time when the Commission will present its legislative proposal to lift the visa obligation for Turkish citizens.

The Commission will present a proposal to the European Parliament and the Council for the lifting of the visa obligation, by amending Council Regulation (EC) 539/2001 upon fulfilment of all the requirements of the Roadmap. Following the relevant procedure laid down in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Council will take the decision in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure. Such an amendment would cover only the holders of biometric travel documents issued in accordance with ICAO and EU standards.
Three Midway ISD principals were among the nine Texas National Distinguished Principal finalists chosen by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association.

Aaron Pena of Woodway Elementary, Nickolas Smith of Woodgate Intermediate and Jay Fischer of Spring Valley Elementary were named as finalists.

TEPSA received 97 nominations for the 2016 NDP award. A peer review committee selected the nine finalists who then showcased their achievements during a school visit by a team of educators.

The finalists will be recognized at the TEPSA awards reception June 15 in Austin.

In 2015, Hewitt Elementary School Principal Diane Gough won the $10,000 Texas National Distinguished Principal award and was honored at a banquet in Washington, D.C., with other state winners.

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Midway ISD photo

Midway ISD Principals (from left) Aaron Pena of Woodway Elementary, Jay Fischer of Spring Valley Elementary and Nickolas Smith of Woodgate Intermediate were named as state finalists.
A Baylor University two-day symposium featuring notable Irish historian Roy Foster and acclaimed novelist Sebastian Barry will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, a failed 1916 armed revolt that nonetheless proved a pivotal moment in Irish independence.

Foster, the official biographer of famed Irish poet W.B. Yeats, will speak from Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, his 2014 history tracing the roots of the uprising and its aftermath, at 7 p.m. Monday.

Barry, an Irish novelist, poet and playwright, will read from his works at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and both men will engage in a public conversation on the subject at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

All symposium events will take place in Bennett Auditorium and are free and open to the public.

Baylor English professor and Beall Poetry Festival director Richard Russell, who led the event organizing, said he got the idea last spring while participating in a Baylor symposium on another centenary, one remembering the Armenian genocide by Turkey that started in 1915. Russell realized 2016 would be the centennial of the Easter Rising in Ireland and decided to see if he could pull something together.

I thought if I could get one major historian and one major writer, Id be thrilled, Russell said.

He ended up thrilled. He landed Foster, a professor of Irish history at Hertford College, Oxford University, whom he had met at a Yeats celebration at the University of Texas at Austin. He secured Barry, whose 2005 novel, A Long Long Way, concerned a conflicted Irish soldier fighting in the British Army in the opening years of World War I, while independence was swirling at home in Dublin.

The Baylor professor, who brought famed Irish poet Seamus Heaney to Baylor in 2013, also got the new Consul General of Ireland in Austin to sign on.

Consul General Adrian Farrell plans on attending part of the symposium, in the part of his schedule sandwiched between St. Patricks Day parades in Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Farrell, a fan of Barry, was impressed not only that the Baylor symposium had landed participants of the stature of Barry and Foster but that it did so in the Risings centennial year.

This commemoration is an amazing event, he said Friday from Austin. Its a major coup.

The Easter Rising began in Dublin, Ireland, on April 24, the Monday of Easter Week, 1916, when about 2,000 independence activists, hoping to take advantage of Englands military preoccupation with the war in Europe, seized government posts and declared an Irish Republic. But the uprising petered out in days, foiled by poor planning, Englands military force and an Irish public divided on the subject. Even Yeats, the great Irish poet, seemed ambivalent on the matter in his famous poem Easter, 1916.

Seed of rebellion

The rebellion, though, had planted seeds that would bear fruit in the future. Englands execution of the Easter Rising leaders galvanized popular opinion, and three years later another Irish Republic was proclaimed. This one succeeded, after two years of fighting.

What a huge impact (the Rising) had on Irish history, Farrell said. It led fundamentally to independence a few years later.

Interestingly, theres a Baylor connection with Yeats, Russell said. English professor A.J. Armstrong invited him to campus to speak in 1920, one of many literary luminaries brought to Baylor during a four-decade-long career.
When Waco resident Jerry Guinn enlisted in the military, he served with a different sort of soldier  the four-legged kind. It wasnt planned. The Cammack, Indiana, native, now 65, chose the U.S. Air Force because he knew it would only be a matter of time before he was drafted.

Guinn joined in April 1970 and was trained to be a security police officer. After a friend talked him into it, Guinn volunteered for K-9 training, even though it meant a quick trip to Vietnam. He went through basic training, security police school, patrol dog training and combat training before heading for Vietnam in January 1971.

Originally stationed in Phu Cat Air Base in South Vietnam, Guinn spent six weeks there pulling guard duty. Because they had too many dog handlers on-base, he and a few other men were transferred to Cam Ranh Bay, joining the 483rd Security Police Squadron, K-9.

Guinns partner there, a German shepherd named Shane, was a sentry dog, as opposed to a patrol dog. Sentry dogs are more aggressive than patrol, or police dogs; patrol dogs can be called off by command, a key reason theyre used by law enforcement. A sentry dog, once released, is conditioned to attack. As a result, when on duty with Shane, no one could get close to Guinn.

We always worked by ourselves, Guinn said. We (man and dog) worked from dusk to dawn. I always knew he could see better than me, hear better than me. He was a really good dog. I felt very safe.

Guarding against surprise attacks

Their job was to detect Viet Cong field sappers, specialized forces that carried out unique missions, such as blowing up ammunition dumps or attacking command posts and airfields. There were also water sappers and group/urban sappers, a lethal way for (usually) a lone individual to inflict as much damage as possible.

Guinn would patrol the perimeter of the base with his AR-15 rifle, Shane by his side, keeping an eye out for trouble. Guinn relied on his canine companion to alert him to any nearby presence. If the dog started to pull in a straight line and was quiet, it meant a human was nearby; if the dog barked, it was usually an animal.

When a sapper was detected, Guinn would send an alert, drawing security teams out from the base. He said once the sapper realized he was detected, he would often retreat into the jungle. Only once did sappers manage to infiltrate the air base during Guinns tour, blowing up an ammunition dump.

One of the more serious moments came when Viet Cong soldiers tried to attack a petroleum storage tank. Guinn, stationed away from the tank with Shane, could only watch. He heard what he thought was a satchel bomb explosion, along with gunfire. An enemy soldier emptied his pistol  and missed every shot. A newly arrived U.S. soldier returned fire, emptying his weapon  and missed every shot. Then the place was overrun, and there was nothing I could do, he said.

His buddy, Steve Janke, shot one enemy combatant, and eventually the team was able to chase away the rest. (Janke chronicles the experience in his book, Poems from a Soldier: Vietnam 1970-71.) Guinn was approximately 50 feet from a gasoline tank. If it had been blown up, I wouldnt be around anymore, he said.

An unbreakable bond

Before he left Vietnam, Guinn worked with a patrol dog named Bingo. He took over for a friend who didnt want to entrust the dog to a newcomer. Guinn always considered Shane his dog. The dogs didnt know fear, he said. They would die for you  just like that.

Guinn left Vietnam  and Shane  in January 1972. Later that year, he married Jo Korndorffer.

All told, he served almost four years in the Air Force. He put the entire Vietnam experience behind him until 2012, when he was contacted by a fellow 483rd veteran and attended a reunion in Boston.

According to military dog historian Michael Lemish, of the roughly 4,000 dogs that served in Vietnam, only about 200 came home. The rest were either euthanized or turned over to the South Vietnamese  left behind as a surplus of war. Its estimated that K-9 teams averted more than 10,000 human casualties. Handlers and their four-legged counterparts were so important, Guinn said, the enemy put a price on their heads.

Today, when he thinks about his time spent with the 483rd, hes glad to have served. I couldnt have picked a better bunch of guys to serve with than the 483rd K-9 team, he said.

And that includes his faithful partner, Shane.

Voices of Valor, which features stories about Central Texas veterans, runs on Sundays. To suggest a story about a Central Texas veteran, please email voicesofvalor@wacotrib.com.
In a fiercely divisive, anger-filled age when Democrats and Republicans regularly engage in constitutional revisionism whenever its politically convenient, its useful to go back to the Founding Fathers when it comes to the controversy of lame-duck presidents exercising their constitutional duties and picking U.S. Supreme Court nominees. After all, wouldnt you expect the Framers to set a proper example?

After President John Adams was vanquished in the pivotal (and ugly) election of 1800, he tapped his secretary of state to fill the chief justice vacancy on the high court, even though Thomas Jefferson was to replace Adams in less than two months. The nomination of John Marshall  arguably the greatest chief justice of all  was speedily confirmed. Yes, Jefferson and Marshall got along like oil and water, despite their being kin. But a constitutional precedent was etched in American stone. Or so one might have thought.

So are there lessons for Americans quick to ignore the Constitution in the wake of conservative Justice Antonin Scalias death in West Texas? Sure. First, lets look at Republicans who believe theyre justified blocking any court nominee put forward by lame-duck President Obama because some Democrats previously invoked the same nonsense on how presidents shouldnt pick such nominees in their last year in office.

By reviving the Democrats idiotic rationale from the past, Republicans even more shamelessly forsake the Constitution they supposedly cherish. They prove theyre no better than the Democrats they detest, citing the same flawed principles they themselves correctly condemned in prouder, saner times. Does this now mean Democrats were right all along  and that Republicans back then were wrong? Or are Republicans just willing to throw the Constitution under the bus as well because its convenient?

And if Republicans today believe the opposite of what they believed back then, why dont they put it in the form of a constitutional amendment and send it along to the states, sealing this as constitutional policy for all time? U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, a former district and state supreme court judge and long the voice of reason in the Senate, now suggests tradition has long precluded appointment of Supreme Court justices during a presidents final year in office. Besides, Democrats said as much in earlier times, he stresses.

Here in the Senate, tradition and precedent are not quite as good but almost as good as a constitutional amendment, he said when I asked about codifying all this if he and other Republicans truly believe in this policy. And I think wed have to acknowledge that, if this is something that would apply during the last year of President Obamas term, it would likely have to apply to the last year of a Republican presidents term of office.

Maybe. But U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham  one of the smartest members of that once-august body  has signaled that fellow Republicans, by pressing this fight to the point of obstruction, risk setting a terrible precedent that, beforehand, was the stuff of mere words, not actual practice: We are setting a precedent here today, Republicans are, that in the last year at least of a lame-duck eight-year term  I would say its going to be a four-year term  that youre not going to fill a vacancy of the Supreme Court based on what were doing here today.

His immediate concern: By refusing to even conduct hearings on Obamas nominee, Senate Republicans risk a liberal nominee if and when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton wins the general election come November.

More? Legal scholars dismiss the idea of Supreme Court nominees ever being deemed invalid in the final year of a presidents term. One has even examined the matter statistically.

Over the entire course of American history, 24 times presidents nominated individuals during an election year  sometimes when presidents were seeking re-election, sometimes not, University of California-Irvine Law School dean Erwin Chemerinsky said in a spirited phone press conference on the issue. And in 21 of 24 instances, the nominee was confirmed by the Senate. Thats 87.5 percent of the time.

And if you look at the appointment of all justices, 86.9 percent have been confirmed, Chemerinsky added, so theres no statistical difference between nominations in the last year of a presidency and nominations that come in any other time.

He also said the Supreme Court is not going to be able to do its constitutional duty if it goes for very long with just eight justices. And Obama has 10 months left in office.

Baylor University President Ken Starr, a former U.S. Circuit judge for the District of Columbia who argued before the Supreme Court as solicitor general from 1989-93, might be expected to know a little something about all this. Within hours of his nomination by President Obama on Wednesday, federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland  a favorite of President Bill Clinton  had won unstinting praise from Starr, who presumably is not in the Clinton circle given his leading the Whitewater investigations. Starr pronounced Garland a brilliant jurist who believes in and upholds the rule of law undergirding our constitutional republic.

Anyone who knows Starr also knows this: his almost sacred regard for judicial integrity and the U.S. Constitution. (Incidentally, Baylor Law School teaches students to embrace Justice Scalias style of legal writing for its clarity, brevity and invention.)

And in describing the Republican stance as partisan reflex in search of a justifying principle, longtime commentator George Will  the very intellectual muscle of the conservative movement  noted that, with his remarkable record of judicial restraint, Judge Garland resembles two justices nominated by Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, respectively  Chief Justice John Roberts and, even more, Scalia, who seems to be more revered than read by many conservatives.

Wills condemnation of Republicans in this instance is blistering  all the more so given Wills disdain for Obama.

All this leaves Senate Republicans and others who place their political party above country in an awkward place. By blocking Obama on clearly unconstitutional grounds, they unwittingly confirm the legitimacy of a real-estate magnate and reality TV star who threatens to tear apart the Republican Party by vowing to overcome such congressional gridlock, making government work again and cutting deals. If thats not damning enough for Republican leadership, they must accept the fact they have fallen into the obstructionist mode they once condemned in Senate colleague Ted Cruz, who employed government shutdowns and filibusters to inconsequential if not destructive ends.

In remarks about the Senate blockade last week, Cornyn indicated he was dutifully working with the White House to confirm other federal judges but that the U.S. Supreme Court was simply too politicized to allow Obama his pick in the final year of his tenure, especially when a confirmed Obama nominee might serve on the court for a generation. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans have only increased the political stakes by risking a Supreme Court nomination by President Donald Trump or President Hillary Clinton  a crazy prospect when an utterly acceptable choice for conservative Republicans now stares them in the face.
Oscar winning Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon will visit Australia and New Zealand in July as part of a speaking tour.

The Legally Blonde star will be the headline speaker for The Simpatico Conference which aims to inspire women "to be more ambitious, self-aware, and confident".

Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed in Wild.

The US actress and film producer will visit Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland on July 12, 14, 16 and 18 respectively.

Tickets are not cheap - the two-day Australian program costs from $1997 for "The Delegate" package including meals and drinks, or for an additional $500 you can also get preferred seating and a VIP reception and photo with Witherspoon.
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.
Brazil's government will appeal the decision by a Supreme Court justice late on Friday that prevents former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from assuming the ministerial chief of staff position.

The Attorney-General's office is defining the best strategy to proceed with its appeal at Brazil's highest court, according to its press office. Meanwhile, the government will also announce a stimulus package on Monday that aims to inject 15 billion reais ($4 billion) into the economy in the second half of 2016, newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reported, without saying how it got the information.

Pressure is mounting for the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, seen here with former president Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva. Credit:Andre Penner

Pressure is mounting for President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment, with millions turning out nationwide in the past week to call for her removal as the lower house formed a committee to hear the case on whether to oust her. The Brazilian bar association also voted to back the move and popular support for impeachment, as measured by polling company Datafolha rose to 68 per cent, up from 60 per cent in February.

Among those surveyed by the Datafolha poll, 69 per cent rated the government bad or terrible. The poll of 2794 people was conducted on March 17-18, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Beijing: A morning run can be the perfect way to overcome jet lag, but usually not when it's through the choking haze of auto exhaust and industrial discharge.

In a Friday morning post, Facebook's co-founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, announced his arrival in Beijing with a blithe message about what must have been a dizzying jog through the center centre of China's capital, which has been suffering from a weeklong bout of hazardous air pollution.

Mark Zuckerberg jogging in Beijing, China.

"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," Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook, most likely using a virtual private network to get around the Chinese government Internet filters, which block his site.

In a photo accompanying the post, made about 10:30am, Zuckerberg smiles alongside several running companions in front of the famous portrait of Mao Zedong that overlooks Tiananmen Square. At 9am an air-quality monitor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing calculated the level of PM2.5, ultrafine particles that damage respiration, at 305 micrograms per cubic meter. That level is deemed "hazardous" under US air-quality standards.
Freginals, Spain: At least 13 people were killed when a bus carrying foreign university students crashed on Sunday between the Spanish cities of Valencia and Barcelona.

Authorities in the north-eastern region of Catalonia said eight of the 43 passengers had also been seriously injured.

The students were from at least 19 countries and many were part of the Erasmus exchange programme between European universities, emergency services said.

Regional leader, Carles Puigdemont, told a local radio station that all the victims were women.
Andrew Taylor, a detective writer, provides an interesting insight into the decline of murder and robbery worldwide for The Spectator.

Here's a quote:

"Prosperity is often fingered as the prime suspect, the idea being that the economic boom of the 1990s suppressed many of the conditions in which crime flourishes. Its a nice theory, but unfortunately it doesnt hold up to scrutiny. You can search in vain for any correlation between national wealth and crime figures. During the Great Depression, when unemployment rose to 25 per cent, the crime rate in many cities went down. When Britain became far richer in the 1960s, crime started to spike. But since the beginning of the economic crash, in 2008, murder rates have continued their downward trend.

"Evidence from the rest of the world further undermines the idea that wealth is killing homicide. In its 2011 Global Study on Homicide, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime confirmed that the murder rate had fallen worldwide during the recession..."

Read the entire article here... it will leave you wondering why we're different here in The Bahamas.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 17, 2016 | 09:41 PM | LaCENTER, KY

Fourteen Ballard Memorial High School students in the Future Business Leaders of America program qualified for state competition at the regional meeting held at Murray State University on March 7.

Some students presented products or performed, while others took assessments.

The digital video design team of Johnathan Thompson, Staci Henderson and Brandt Marinelli took first place. The group created a music parody of Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics, titled Big Dreams. They had to rewrite the song, perform it, and make a music video.

The emerging business issues team of Hannah Morrow, Olivia Robison and Alexandra Roberts took second place. They had to explain the procedure of jail breaking phones, along with its pros and cons.

Cutler Phillippe took second place in graphic design, by presenting his concept for a new event center with blueprints, a menu, and brochure.

Emily Morehead took first place as Most Talented, when she sang Cara Mio Bien.

Danielle Seabolt took third place in local chapter scrapbook for creating the record of this year in FBLA.

Sam Sloboda, Chance Shely and Jacob Sullivan took first place in the banking and finance assessment.

Matthew Gilbert took second place in accounting I and Holly Doom took third place in accounting II.

The state conference will be held April 18-20 in Louisville.

Ballard's FBLA students are advised by Korrie Purcell and Marla Cooper.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 19, 2016 | 06:23 PM | HOPKINS COUNTY, KY

The Kentucky State Police are currently investigating a trooper-involved shooting.

On Saturday at approximately 2:50 pm, a trooper from Kentucky State Police Post 2 was involved in a vehicle pursuit with an ATV that ended on Dragline Road in Hopkins County. The operator, 23-year-old Dylan Whitaker of White Plains, lost control of his ATV, causing it to overturn.

Police said Whitaker brandished a handgun and reportedly fired shots at the trooper. The trooper returned fire, striking Whitaker. Whitaker was pronounced dead at the scene by Hopkins County Coroner Dennis Mayfield.

The trooper was not injured during the altercation.
Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
NEW VOTER PHOTO ID LAW WORKED WELL IN RECENT PRIMARY ELECTION

FROM THE CAROLINA JOURNAL

The law, requiring voters to present a state-authorized photo identification document at the polls, went into effect for the first time in Tuesdays primary elections. Critics have condemned the requirement as a misguided policy that would lead to voter suppression, and railed against changes in early voting times as designs to diminish minority and Democratic votes.

State officials rebut those contentions with Tuesdays turnout results and early voting numbers.

More voters participated in Tuesdays election than in any prior primary. Early voting was also a huge success, surpassing 2008 and 2012, said Josh Lawson, the elections boards general counsel. A total of 2.3 million voters cast primary ballots, which was 35.3 percent of registered voters.

With more than 2,700 precincts across the state, data we have so far indicates our efforts surrounding voter ID were successful, Lawson said, while acknowledging that there were some issues requiring issuance of provisional ballots.

Current data also indicates that two-thirds of those who voted provisional ballots did so for reasons unrelated to photo ID, Lawson said. That included a number of voters attempting to vote for candidates in several parties, and casting ballots in a party primary for which they were not registered, he said.

While some voters did have to wait longer than usual at some sites, Lawson said he could not determine whether that was caused by many people flooding the polls at specific times or shortly before the voting places closed.

Complete data, including how many provisional ballots were issued and for what reasons, should be available by Tuesday after precincts complete their tabulation, Lawson said. The process takes longer in some areas because information is recorded on paper and still is being documented.

Lawson said there is no objective way to compare North Carolinas new voter ID requirement to the behavior in other states that have made a similar change. State requirements differ, so it would be difficult to establish a uniform measurement, he said.

The Advancement Project, a civil rights organization, issued a news release Wednesday acknowledging that early turnout surpassed recent records, but saying voters had fewer days to cast a ballot because a 2013 election reform law reduced the early voting period from 17 days to 10.

A March 2 press release from the elections board stated that a record number of early voting sites would be available, and the election law encouraged local election boards to have those sites open longer hours.

The organization blamed congested polling sites that caused some voters in Wake County, Durham, and Winston-Salem to wait hours in line Tuesday on the shortened voting period.

We are seeing in North Carolina the exact type of electoral chaos that happens when politicians manipulate the voting system for their own gain, said the Rev. William Barber II, president of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP. The right to vote should be constitutional, not confusing.

The Advancement Project represents the NC NAACP and individual plaintiffs in a lawsuit to overturn the election reforms. That lawsuit, pending in federal court, challenges other elements of the law in addition to the voter ID provision.

Those include eliminating same-day registration, banning the counting of ballots cast out of precinct, and cutting a program allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to register before they are eligible to vote.

The confusion faced by voters attempting to cast a ballot  in large part due to misinformation from poll workers  is exactly why we call this a monster voter suppression law: It affects each step of the voting process, making it harder and more confusing along the way, said Penda Hair of the Advancement Project.

Bob Hall, executive director of the progressive organization Democracy NC, also criticized the new law, citing information collected by 700 volunteers in key precincts in 40 counties.

He issued a news release claiming that poll workers at sites across the state seemed to lack training, were overworked, and enforced the voter ID law in a disparate manner. Some voters were refused a provisional ballot when problems surfaced, he said, predicting worse issues in the general election.

The complaints documented during the primary show the senseless bureaucratic burden of the new ID requirement, as well as the urgent need for greater investment in poll-worker training, equipment and a modernized election system, Hall said.

Lawson pushed back against those claims.

For three years, the State Board has educated and assisted voters to prepare the state for voter ID. That effort was funded at about $1 million a year, and included mailings to every household, poll worker training, television ads, and targeted assistance to voters, Lawson said.

While we are carefully reviewing ways to shorten wait times, we are proud of the work counties did to ensure voters voices were heard at the polls, and will continue seeking ways to improve the process during the June 7 congressional primary election and the Nov. 8 general election, Lawson said.
With over 100 types of sleep disorders to contend with, and around 40-50% of us experiencing insomnia at some point in our lives, it's vital to keep an eye on your sleep habits and seek help if you need it, according to Antonio Culebras, organizer of World Sleep Day 2016, a global initiative educating the public about sleep.

Many of us don't even know the basic facts about sleep. For instance, it should take you 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep, with seven to nine hours being optimal for most of us, ideally at a temperature of around 60-67F (16-19C).

To celebrate World Sleep Day we asked you to share your top tips for a good night's sleep on Twitter. You replied with loads of ideas, from drinking a soothing cup of camomile tea, to going to the gym, or having sex. Here are our favorite ones and what the experts have to say about them ...

1. Turn off your gadgets

This is a good strategy according to Russell Foster, director of Oxford University's SCNi (Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute), as blue light emitted from smartphone, TV and computer screens can suppress melatonin (a hormone helping you sleep) and increase your alertness.

"What it probably will do is increase levels of alertness and therefore delay sleep onset ... it's a good rule of thumb to reduce light exposure," says Foster, advising to switch off your screens half an hour before bed and relax in a softly lit room.

You can even buy special light bulbs mimicking sunlight -- "white and color ambience" bulbs can gradually wake you up and send you to sleep by slowly brightening, dimming and alternating the light's frequency.

2. Avoid a bedtime tipple

However enjoyable nightcaps may be, unfortunately they could lead to more shallow sleep.

"Alcohol will actually disrupt some of the important things going on in the brain such as memory consolidation," says Foster.

A shallower sleep could lead to a negative cycle where you're dependent on sedatives to sleep, and stimulants such as caffeine or sugary food to stay awake during the day.

3. Get up early

If you're having trouble sleeping, getting up earlier could be the solution for you. It may seem brutal, but it can get results.

"Expose yourself to morning light as much as you can. That has been shown to stabilize the sleep/wake timing of the human body clock," says Foster.

You should also avoid napping, especially if it's for over 20 minutes, as waking up from deep sleep can make you feel even more groggy. By getting into a routine of getting up early and experiencing daylight your body clock adjusts to sleep earlier in the evenings, ridding you of those restless nights.

4. Forget your worries

Setting aside a quiet time in the evening to meditate, relax or pray was a popular response on Twitter.

It's important to let go of the worries that build up during the day as they can effect both the initiation and maintenance of sleep.

"The worries of the day should not be brought to bed," says Culebras, "A typical example here in the United States are people who work on their personal income tax and returns in bed ... of course they never match, so that's a typical thing that leads to insomnia."

5. Work out

Whether you're swimming, running, or practicing yoga, regular exercise can make for a great night's sleep.

It's best to work out around six hours before you go to bed as your body stays overheated for several hours after vigorous exercise, causing wakefulness.

"Exercise stimulates the nervous system, and it can cause insomnia if you exercise too late in the day," advises Culebras.

6. Work out a little more ...

For those of you with something a little spicier on your minds, sex was suggested as a good way to get a good night's sleep -- although bear in mind this could also be considered a form of exercise.

It's also included in World Sleep Day's Ten Commandments of Sleep, which are guidelines for attaining the best sleep possible. As Culebras explained, "Bed is good for two things: number one, sleep; and number two, sex with your bed partner. It is a type of activity that is helpful and accepted."

7. Have a hot drink

A hot (non alcoholic) beverage before bed is a great way to relax and prepare for sleep says Foster, as long as it doesn't contain caffeine.

"Try and wind down at least 30 minutes before you desired bedtime ... and go into a relaxed state, whatever that is for you -- it may be a hot milky drink, it may be reading a few pages of a novel."

Avoid coffee, chocolate and fizzy drinks at least six hours before you go to bed. Non caffeinated herbal teas are fine -- but don't drink too much or you may be making a midnight trip to the bathroom.

Read more: Sleeping late? Napping all the time? What your sleep says about your health

8. Listen to music

From soft new age sounds to gospel rhythms and sleep related podcasts, many of you drift off listening to music.

Soothing sounds can be a good way to doze off, but anything louder might have the opposite effect says Culebras.

"What is not as acceptable is loud rock and roll type music because that leads to excitation."

9. Only use medication as a last resort

While you may get results in the short term, it's important to be aware of unwanted effects and see your doctor if you're having trouble sleeping.

"Do not abuse medications to sleep ... if you need them for a short period always do it under the supervision of your physician, do not auto medicate yourself," advises Culebras.

"Eventually all of them have what we call rebound insomnia, which means once you stop them you are going to have two or three days with very little sleep at night."

Most of the time insomnia is triggered by psychological problems such as stress, anxiety or depression. It's important to see your physician and treat the underlying issues rather than use pills or supplements for immediate respite.

"We don't have this knee jerk reaction of giving a sleeping pill to everyone who suffers from insomnia," says Culebras. "We try to determine why, and then we try to remove what's causing or perpetuating insomnia."

10. Keep it simple

For some of you, it's that easy.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anyone seeking to understand the great and growing divide between livestock farmers and the non-farming public over animal-welfare issues should watch this video posted on the website of Canadas largest national daily newspaper  http://wfp.to/eggfarmer.

Many farmers watching this would be nodding their heads in agreement. This producer, quite sincerely, reflects commonly held views within agriculture. However, those who are more distanced from the farm would be shaking theirs, finding little in what he had to say that resolves their growing unease with how agriculture treats animals that produce the food many of us eat.

Those of us in the middle would be putting their face into their hands and saying something akin to oh dear.

Charlie Neibergall / The Associated Press FILES Cage-free systems let birds have free movement within a barn.

The video, shot inside an egg-layer barn, features an Ontario egg producer explaining his view of the different housing systems for the hens and the growing pressure from the food-service business on farmers to go cage-free.

Cage-free systems allow birds free movement within a barn, as opposed to free-run, which also provides the birds with outdoor access.

The farmer explains he has chosen to adopt an enriched-housing system, which still confines hens, but in a cage that is larger than a traditional battery cage. The system also allows hens to exhibit so-called natural behaviours, such as perching, scratching and having a secluded place to nest.

Our conventional system met all the concerns regarding animal welfare, but it didnt give the ability to the hen to exhibit some of its natural behaviours, he said. He likened it to the difference between economy and first class when riding in an airplane. In first class you have a little bit more space, and you are catered to a little bit more, he said, against a backdrop of hens, some of them practically featherless, in cages that in no way suggest first-class accommodation.

He said people have to realize cage-free systems have their downsides.

In some of those (non-cage) systems you have to recognize that those hens are more likely to be injured because they have the ability to move around more, he said.

He goes on to say he worries about these companies that are making decisions who dont understand how we produce eggs in Canada. He argues they should be talking to farmers instead of listening to those animal rights groups.

The sad reality of this video is this farmer is not guilty of the heinous animal abuses videotaped by animal rights activists in undercover sting operations. He reflects practices and viewpoints on animal welfare that would be considered normal by industry standards. However, the more the public learns about normal, the greater the pressure for change.

The headlines of the past six months have reflected a wholesale shift in how the food-processing and food-service sector plans to source eggs. A number of very big producers have announced a move to cage-free.

This province put a moratorium on new battery cages as of 2015.

Some farmers complain giving hens more freedom will increase their costs of operation, and that could put some out of business. Losing ones market is hard on a business, too.

Egg producers have said all along its important consumers have a choice, implying only the wealthy can afford to have eggs produced under welfare-friendly conditions.

How palatable is it to continue to offer a choice of eggs produced under poor animal-welfare conditions? Using that logic  that the lowest price per dozen is the goal  Canadians should be allowed to buy their eggs from the south, where standards for both the producers and the layers are abysmal.

If it is to survive the growing pressure from outside, the value proposition in Canadas supply-management system must include a higher standard of care.

Laura Rance is editor of the Manitoba Co-operator and editorial director for Farm Business Communications. She can be reached at laura@fbcpublishing.com or 204-792-4382.
Good old Bernie. Hes had his fun. Hes made his point. He surprised all of us, and probably even surprised himself, by how well hes done. But now its time to face reality.

After all, the math is the math. By sweeping five states on March 15, Hillary Clinton now has nearly an insurmountable lead in pledged delegates and superdelegates. Its time for Bernie to do the right thing, fold his tent, endorse Hillary Clinton, urge his followers to support her, and go back to his day job.

Thats the drum beat we hear from many in the Clinton camp and in the media today. They are insistent, persistent  and flat-out wrong. For Sen. Sanders to drop out of the 2016 primary now would be a big mistake for him and for the Democratic Party.

No one denies that Hillary Clinton has a formidable advantage in the delegate count. Securing the Democratic nomination requires winning support of 2,383 out of a total 4,765 convention delegates. As tracked by both The New York Times and Associated Press, after contests in 27 states and territories, Clinton has won 1,139 delegates. She also has the support of 467 superdelegates, for a total of 1,606. Sanders lags behind with 825 captured delegates, plus 26 superdelegates, for a total of 851.

Is that math lopsided enough to scare Sanders off? Just the opposite. In a March 16 conference call with reporters, Jeff Weaver and Tad Devine, campaign manager and chief strategist of the Sanders campaign, insisted they were not intimated by the numbers. They have unprecedented financial support to carry on. But thats not all. In their calculation, while acknowledging their campaigns still an uphill fight, they see ample room and opportunity in the weeks ahead, not only to close the gap with Hillary Clinton, but to actually best her in pledged delegates  which, in turn, could persuade superdelegates to switch from Sanders to Clinton.

True, political miracles have happened before, but it would be hard to find many campaign strategists who share their optimism. However, there are even stronger arguments for not aborting the Democratic primary process. For one thing, its healthy for the Democratic Party. No doubt, this debate has made both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders better candidates. Its also allowed Democrats to get their message out: an upbeat call for jobs, economic justice, tuition-free community college, criminal justice reform and leadership on climate change, among other issues: a stark contrast to the ugly, puerile contest among Republicans.

Imagine if there were only one Democratic candidate in the race. Thered be nothing but radio silence: no debates, no town halls, no Democratic message, no registration drives, no get-out-the-vote operations, no opportunity for Democrats to show voters what they stand for. Reporters wont cover a horse race when only one horse shows up.

But theres a more fundamental reason for Bernies not pulling the plug. Note: As impressive as Hillary Clintons lead is, only 1,964 of 4,765 potential delegates have been decided so far. In other words, were only halfway through the primary process. Twenty-eight states and territories, including some of the biggest delegate prizes  Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Wisconsin, Washington State  have yet to vote. The schedule actually builds to June 7, when 806 delegates, including Californias 546 delegates will be awarded.

It would be highly undemocratic to disenfranchise citizens of those 28 states by denying them the opportunity to express their preference between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. They, too, deserve a right to vote. And nobody understands that better than Hillary Clinton herself. In 2008, I went all the way to the end against Barack Obama, she told reporters this week. And, she acknowledged, I dont think I hurt Barack Obama staying in. Neither will Bernie Sanders hurt Hillary Clinton by staying in, as long as he does what she did in 2008 and rallies his supporters behind the eventual nominee, which he will.

Remember, it wasnt that long ago when things werent decided before the convention. In 1976, Jerry Brown didnt drop out until his speech at the convention. Neither did Teddy Kennedy in 1980. I was there for both. And I want to be there in Philadelphia this year for that electrifying moment when Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton appear on stage together to unite behind the Democratic Party nominee.

Meanwhile, let the process continue. Let everybody vote. Well all come together in Philadelphia. Thats soon enough. It doesnt have to happen any earlier.




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Odds are higher you'd get sick from processed milk than raw.

Deadly listeria outbreak claims CBS News yesterday.

According to the CDC announcement:

In November 2015, samples of raw chocolate milk were collected from a raw milk conference held in Anaheim, California. The raw chocolate milk was produced by Millers Organic Farm. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) isolated Listeria from the raw chocolate milk and conducted WGS testing on the isolate to get more genetic information about the bacteria. On January 29, 2016, FDA informed CDC that WGS determined that the Listeria bacteria from the raw chocolate milk was closely related genetically to Listeria bacteria from two people in two states who got sick in 2014, one from California and one from Florida.

Samples were tested in 2015, and tied to illnesses in 2014? Doesnt this strike anyone as an odd way to connect dots?

Millers Organic Farm owner Amos Miller told CBS news: I dont know that it was proved its on the farm here, he said. We hope and pray for the best.

According to this story, no cases of raw milk listeria have happened, at least until this latest news, in the last decade. Millers farm sells only directly as a membership club and had not heard from any of its members about any health concerns. Miller is still proceeding with its operations.

In the list of listeria outbreaks, which now includes the latest multi-state outbreak with two patients, processed, pasteurized dairy is listed 5 times. No other case of raw dairy is listed. A 2009 study indicated the most common foods implicated in listeriosis were deli meats, pasteurized soft cheese, and seafood. And yet the CDC has a whole section on its website devoted to raw milk.

Several pro-raw milk organizations believe there is an anti-raw milk bias. that is unfounded. The Weston A. Price foundation has a website dedicated to the topic, including a study from 2013 which claims the forty-year worldwide absence of listeriosis cases from raw milk presented in a 2013 scholarly review, and affirmed in the QMRA results published in 2011, is attributed by European reviewers to the protective action of non-harmful bacteria found in raw milk.

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal defense fund tracks raw milk laws as a counter measure to large dairies lobbying for friendly regulations. Raw Milk advocate John Schwenkler puts it this way: Pasteurization is not a cheap process, and therefore the legal demand for pasteurization favors large producers. A small, independent dairy farm may very well not be able to afford pasteurization equipment (not at government standards, at least), and thus micro-dairies can rarely operate legally on their own. With the dairy industry more centralized, it becomes easier to track and regulateand control.

Stories such as these should raise awareness of overall risk awareness, but instead seem to serve to match our existing biases. The odds are higher of illness through pasteurized milk than raw, but either way, your odds are much higher in dying in a car wreck on the way to the store.
Andrea Dusha and Michael Wright Jr.

By: Tanya Malhotra

(Scroll down for video) A couple was arrested on a charge of homicide after allegedly killing their daughter by denying her water, police in Pennsylvania said.

Uniontown police said that they have arrested 26-year-old Andrea Dusha and 32-year-old Michael Wright Jr., after their daughter, 1-year-old Lydia Wright, died at a hospital of dehydration.

They were both charged with criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of a child.

According to the police, officers were called to the Uniontown Hospital, after the childs death was considered a case of child abuse.

The child weighed only 10 pounds, less than half the recommended for a child of her age.

The mother of the girl told investigators that after her daughter was in a car seat overnight, she gave her a mixture of water, Pedialyte and Gatorade.

Suddenly, her eyes rolled back. The girl was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Doctors determined that the girl died of dehydration and malnutrition.

The girlas two siblings were handed over to the custody of the state. The couples house was found to be in a deplorable condition with feces and urine-filled bottles everywhere.

There was also a hypodermic needle at home. The home had no running water or sewer.
Police officer (illustration)

By: Feng Qian

A detective working with the child sex crimes unit, was arrested on a charge of sexual abuse after allegedly sexually assaulting a young girl and taking nude photos of her, police in the United Kingdom said.

London police said that they have arrested Detective Constable Chris Maitland, 40, after being accused of forcibly touching a girl under the age of 13.

Maitland was charged with 2 counts of sexual touching of a girl under 13 years old, 5 counts of taking an indecent image of a child and 7 counts of making an indecent image of a child.

Maitland was suspended from the police department, pending the outcome of the investigation.

He was arrested last year, after being accused of distributing child pornography. After being released on bail, he was arrested again after being accused of forcible touching of a child.
Timothy Allen and Samantha Ho

By: Chan Yuan

A man was arrested on a charge of murder after cutting off the head of his wife because X Factor dancers tried to come out of the television screen and take her away, police in the United Kingdom said.

Now, 40-year-old Timothy Allen of Cambridgeshire, has been remanded into a mental health facility after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.

According to the police investigation, Allen and his wife, 39-year-old Samantha Ho, were in a very loving relationship, but a serious motorcycle accident left him suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, delusions and depression.

On the day of the murder, the couple was at home watching an episode of the X Factor on television. Around 11:00 p.m., Ho called the police to report that her husband cut his neck in an attempt to commit suicide.

Allen then approached his wife and stabbed her numerous times before cutting off her head. When police arrived, Allen was in the process after killing his dog.

When asked why he killed his wife, he explained that he had been watching people dancing in the X Factor, and they were being controlled by puppets.

He felt very scared, and they were talking to him through the television screen, saying that they were coming to take Ho away from him.

Allen then decided that the only way to save his wife from the dancers is by killing Ho and himself.
Sheila Thompson

By: Wayne Morin

A man of the United Kingdom, was left humiliated after his former girlfriend shared intimate photos of him with his friend.

The 51-year-old woman allegedly went on a three month acampaign of spiteful behaviora towards her former partner after he broke up with her, according to court documents.

Sheila Thompson sent three explicit images of 40-year-old Andy Chapman, dressed as a woman to one of his friends. She also posted nasty comments about him on his business Facebook page.

Thompson called her former partner a atranny c***a on the Facebook page of his car wash business. The messages were visible to all his customers.

Chapman finally had enough and called police. Thompson was arrested and she pleaded guilty to disclosing private sexual photographs with intent to cause distress at the Bournemouth Magistrates Court.

Chapman hoped that she would go to jail, but the judge sentenced Thompson to a 12-month conditional discharge.

Chapman is angry that he had been denied justice over the distress that the photos have caused him.
Takeaway Leaflets to Display Food Hygiene Ratings

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Mar 20th, 2016

Takeaways across Wales will be required to promote their food hygiene ratings on leaflets when new rules come into force at the end of 2016.

From 28 November 2016  the third anniversary of the statutory Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in Wales coming into force  all takeaway food businesses will be required to publish a bilingual statement on certain hardcopy publicity materials directing customers to the food hygiene ratings website.

If a takeaway leaflet or menu shows food for sale, the price and a way of ordering the food without visiting the premises, it will also have to show a statement which will remind customers they can check the food hygiene rating of the food business on the food hygiene ratings website.

The statement will also remind consumers they have a legal right to ask the food business for their food hygiene rating when they order.

Regulations which were passed by the National Assembly for Wales this week encourage the voluntary display of valid food hygiene ratings on this type of publicity material but they specify that, if displayed, a rating must be valid and in the specified format so it can be clearly seen.

The latest statistics show more than 60% of food businesses in Wales have been awarded the highest (very good) rating  a five. This is up from 33.2% in March 2012.

Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: The introduction of a statutory food hygiene rating scheme has been a big success story for Wales, helping to drive up food hygiene standards in restaurants, pubs, cafes and other food business right across the country.

The scheme has provided important information for consumers when deciding where to eat out or buy food. This has, in turn, played a significant role in encouraging businesses to improve their food hygiene standards.

These new measures will enhance the statutory Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in Wales by filling a gap  people ordering food by phone do not have the opportunity to see the food hygiene rating of the takeaway business before placing their order. The display of the statement on leaflets will encourage consumers to view the rating online and to ask the takeaway food business for their food hygiene rating over the phone before ordering.

I would like to thank local authorities in Wales for all their hard work in making this scheme a success.
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Ariel Sharon was revolted by the quiet, diplomatic manner of the Mossad as led by Efraim Halevy. He asked to appoint a new director "with a dagger between his teeth", as he explained to one of his associates. Meir Dagan was exactly what Sharon was looking for.

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The Prime Minister apparently saw himself in Dagan, who was younger by a generation, when he met him at the end of the 1960s in Sinai. At that time, he appointed Dagan to head the secret assassination unit, Zikit (Hebrew for chameleon the code name for the commando unit Rimon - ed.), which operated with great success against the PLO in the Gaza Strip.

At the time of Dagan's appointment to head the Mossad in 2002, I met Sharon and asked him if he really believed that Daganwho had a reputation for being a daring fighter but also a wild card with a trigger fingerwould bring the Mossad back to its glory days. Sharon replied that he had no doubt about Sharon was well aware of Dagan's character and abilities, and he considered that he would provide the Mossad with the daring, professionalism and aggressiveness that it was lacking. In that respect, he was right.





Meir Dagan (Photo: Shaul Golan)

Dagan entered his office in the Mossad's "Lobby" building and immediately got to work, but not with a fervor to engage in a wide-scale confrontation with the enemy. Quite the contrary, Dagan espoused his belief that Israel must do everything it can to avoid an all-out military confrontation with its neighbors, a confrontation which it would not be able to decisively win. "The task of Israel's security establishment", he lectured his new subordinates in the Mossad, "is to do its utmost to push the next war as far off as possible, all the while using secret methods in order to hit the enemy in a targeted manner."

Quarrel at the top

Dagan completely changed the Mossad, and in a short period of time he instilled a new spirit of initiative and achievement into the organization. In a series of conversations that have yet to be published held in 2013, he spoke respectfully of the Mossad heads who preceded him: "They each did the best they could." Somehow, coming from him, it didn't sound like a compliment.

Dagan decided to take the Mossad apart and to put it back together according to his own design. In his estimation, he had "the highest legal responsibility" to protect Israeli citizens from a series of dangers and threats. To avoid those dangers, Dagan turned the Mossad into an organization which primarily gathered information. These operations entailed sabotage and the physical elimination of the enemy.

Dagan recounted his first few days as the Mossad's director: "I told Arik (Sharon) that in my opinion a deep change had to be made to the organization. 'But you have to decide,' I warned him, 'if you're willing to pay the price, since journalists and other such types will jump on me, on you, and on the Mossad. It will not be easy. Are you willing to pay the price?' He told me that he was. Arik knew how to back someone up."

Dagan began to frequently visit the Prime Minister's office to obtain authorizations, and he doubled the amount of operations undertaken compared to his predecessor. A senior official in the Mossad at that time said, "Those were days of hysteria. Dagan would get to work early in the morning, and he wouldn't stop screaming at everyone that they are not producing the goods and that they are worthless until the evening." Mossad agents throughout the world, who were used to seeing the director once every few yearsif at allsuddenly saw Dagan appear at their doorstep three or four times a year.

Dagan and Sharon (Photo: Yaakov Sa'ar, GPO)

Dagan used to come to the Mossad branch that handles foreign agents, sit with the agents' operational dossiers , and demand explanations as to why everything was taking so much time. His management style was brief, aggressive, and accompanied by much fist-banging on the table. "Suddenly the agent handler realized that the Mossad director cared about his operations, would question him and check on him, knowing that he would have to report back and that it would not be possible to talk nonsense."

Dagan understood the organizational disorder that ensued when department heads considered the director's orders as mere recommendations that one could evade, so he changed the inner hierarchy of the Mossad, making the operational departments answerable to one deputy and all the other departments to a second deputy. Theyand only theyhad to report to Dagan, and he didn't back down on this.

Another change was reducing the list of goals. According to the Israeli intelligence community's internal procedure, at the end of each year, he Directorate of Military Intelligence's (AMAN) Research and Analysis branch gives grades to the various intelligence-gathering bodies based on whether or not they achieved their goals.

Dagan at that time said to one his close associates, "This is what destroyed the Mossad. Efraim (Halevy, the Mossad chief before Dagan) related to Aman's grades as a student does at the end of the school year. The Mossad can't do everything, and I don't care to please AMAN."

Meir Dagan in 2006 (Photo: Reuters)

Dagan announced that from now on the Mossad would deal with only two issues: the Iranian nuclear program and the terrorism that occurs outside the boundaries of the State of Israel, namely Iran's and Syria's support of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic jihad. Resources are limited, said Dagan, we are not the United States, and if we continue to suppose that we can do everything, in the end, we won't be able to do anything."

Almost anything that wasn't connected to these subjects - even if it was a potentially significant intelligence achievement - "imposed upon Dagan extreme fatigue," in the words of someone who was present at the command meetings. "You could bring him a senior Arab official, and he would rap the table and say 'not interesting.'"

At the same time, Dagan set up a new unit, "Tovna" (Insight), designed to "streamline inter-organizational cooperation." In reality, it was designed to provide strict oversight for all requests by the various intelligence agencies for Mossad assistance, especially from AMAN.

Dagan's Legacy A fighter to the end: Meir Dagan's daring life Itamar Eichner Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan died on Thursday morning at 71; his extraordinary life put him right in the center of Israeli history. A fighter to the end: Meir Dagan's daring life

Dagan placed a trusted ally at its head, requiring everyone to refer to him by the code name "Mr. K," including during closed meetings. Mr. K., who was considered a particularly difficult person, started a figurative war between the Mossad and AMAN SIGINT unit 8200.

Mr. K. approved almost exclusively operations that touched on subjects that Dagan had defined. Mr. K almost exclusively approved the operations which met Dagan's criteria of importance. In other words, if 8200 requested Mossad assistance regarding a subject which Dagan did not view as important for Mossad operations, the request wouldn't be approved.

It got to the point that officers from other organizations in the intelligence community were ordered not to go to Mossad headquarters to attend Tovna meetings, and to address Mr. K. by his first name in order to annoy him.

Dagan's changes to the Mossad were far reaching, and within a year and a half, the entire organization was restructured to his liking, despite his bellicose style.

As a tank occupies a hill

But the real revolution in the Mossad deals with another aspect entirely, and will be felt for many years to come (positive or negative, depending on whom you ask). Dagan acted contrarily to most of the heads of the Mossad when he decided to change dramatically how the organization cooperated with foreign intelligence services.

For years, the Mossad avoided intimate contact with most foreign services in most operations. While there have always been close relations with some foreign agencies, such as with the US and Germany, the UK, France, and other Western European nations, theMossad gave out very little information from its end.

Then Dagan came along. "He 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 some of our soldiers will be hit from friendly fire, but for him, as long as the tanks thundered onward and attained the target at the end, it didn't matter. Therefore, every time people came to Dagan and spoke with him about the dangers of cooperation with foreign agencies, such as information leakage, exposing secrets and things like that, he would say, 'I don't want to hear your nonsense; go work with them."

Meir Dagan (Photo: Dana Kopel)

In Dagans perception, the Mossad must cooperate with governmental agencies in foreign countries, because only with cooperation can the Mossad obtain the information required. Dagan also recognized that times had changed, and he had an historic opportunity in front of him: in the past, Israels enemies weren't necessarily Europes enemies, and certainly not the enemies of Israel's neighbors (as in the case of the PLO), but, in Dagan's era, the interests were sometimes identicaleverybody hated Bin Laden and his ilk, the whole world loathed Irans support of Hezbollah, and nobody wanted the Ayatollahs regime to have a nuclear bomb.

Dagans determinedly imposed his will on the rest of the Mossad and proved within a short time that he was correct. Cooperation with intelligence agencies all over the world, including other Middle Eastern intelligence agencies, became one of the Mossad's fundamental achievements under Dagan. On the other hand, some claim that a demand for payment will come one day, and that the Mossad will be publically exposed.

We will fail to maintain the secrets we have managed to keep under the auspices of Israeli solidarity over time, and the long-term damage will be enormous," one of Dagans opponents told me in 2009, prior to the failed assassination of a Hamas operative in Dubai, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a failure attributed to Dagan.

But these concerns were of no interest to Dagan. The Iranian issue was at the forefront of his priorities. He saw this matter as a threat to the State of Israels existence and ordered every resource to be focused on obtaining information about the goings-on there.

It didn't take long to see the results, with a series of operational successes in delaying Iran's nuclear project and thwarting a series of weapons transfers to Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. According to non Israeli reports, these delays include sabotaging arms shipments to Iran, as well as explosions at nuclear plants, the creation and implantation of sophisticated malware in Iranian computer systems, and the assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientists.

Above all these successes stood a single operation: the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh that was attributed to the Mossad, a blow that Hezbollah hasn't recovered from.

This intrepid operation integrated Dagans operational capability, inventiveness, uncompromising push to the top of the hill, and a deep understanding that victory is also symbolic. There is no doubt that in the Israeli and international intelligence community, already filled with legendary personalities, Meir Dagan was extraordinary in his audacity and his irreconcilable quest to achieve the objectives he set for himself. Due to his ability to think outside the box, he reshaped the Mossad's perception of special operations and became one of the most influential people in its history
Osher Ad will be the first Israeli supermarket chain to break into the US market, opening a number of branches in New York and New Jersey areas.

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A Brooklyn branch is set to be located on a 5,700 square meter plot with 300 parking spots. "We have been surveying the area for a number of years in expectation of this opportunity," said Aryeh Baum, one of the owners of Osher Ad. "Commercial properties that suit our concept in terms of size are very rare in this area, where one of the largest ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in the world resides."

Osher Ad supermarket Photo: Rien

A branch will also open in Lakewood, New Jersey, the city with the highest growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish population in the US, which currently stands at 60,000 or approximately half of the city. Moreover, a third branch will be opened in Munsie, a city in upstate New York, in which a large ultra-Orthodox Jewish community lives as well.

"The common denominator between Israeli and American Jewish communities is the need for kosher products and low prices," noted Baum.

The American network of "Osher Ad" supermarkets will be managed by a local and an Israeli manager who will relocate to the US. It will operate according to the successful model in Israel, which sells kosher products at low prices. However, the American branches will cater to the needs of the American Jewish market, providing a large takeaway section. "At the moment, we are focusing on New York and after we are established there, we will (explore opportunities) in other regions," Baum added.

Rahem Moshe Margalit, Aryeh Baum, and Yehuda Lanaido, the co-owners of Osher Ad, have worked in retail supermarkets for many years. They first established Zol Poh with Co-op North and Club Market approximately 20 years ago. Zol Poh targeted the ultra-Orthodox, but also reached a large segment of the general populace when it opened a huge branch in Be'erot Yitzhak. Zol Poh has served as a model that the three owners have employed throughout their careers: big stores, a relatively small selection, large individual items, and limited service. There are no bakeries, take away stations, delis, or delivery service.

After Club Market collapsed, Margalit, Baum, and Lanaido opened Alef with Supersal. However, Supersal purchased their one-third stake for NIS 100 million. The trio then took their experience and new capital to open Osher Ad.
El- Arish - Militants killed 13 Egyptian policemen in an attack Saturday on a checkpoint south of northern Sinai's provincial capital of el-Arish, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said.

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 claim.

Egypt has been hit with a wave of suicide bombings and militant attacks that intensified after the military's ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. The local Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
Two planes of the Magen David Adom and PassportCard delegation to Turkey landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport early on Sunday carrying five Israelis wounded in an ISIS terror bombing in Istanbul the previous day, in which three Israelis were murdered. The bodies of the slain Israelis and five wounded Israelis still in Istanbul are now making their way back home.

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At least four people were murdered - three Israelis and one Iranian national - and 36 wounded in the suicide bombing on Saturday morning 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.

The three Israelis murdered in the attack were named as Avraham Goldman, 69, from Herzliya; Yonatan Suher, 40, from Tel Aviv; and Simcha Damri, 60, from Dimona. Damri's husband, Avi, was moderately wounded in the attack. The two were on a culinary tour. Suher was on vacation with his partner, Inbal Marom-Suher, to celebrate his 40th birthday.

Bodies of the slain Israelis heading back home.

An IDF plane arrived in Istanbul with forces from the Home Front Command and the Air Force, as well as a mobile operations room and intensive care unit, to return the bodies of the killed Israelis and five wounded Israelis - four in serious condition and one in moderate condition - who were still in Istanbul. The wounded were transferred to the airport in Turkish Red Crescent ambulances, accompanied by doctors and paramedics from MDA.

Three Israelis are still missing following the attack, and Israel's Foreign Ministry is working to make contact with them.

The first MDA plane landed at 1:30am carrying three of the wounded, while a second plane landed shortly after 6am with two additional wounded whose condition was light-to-moderate. They were taken to the Ichilov Hospital at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv and the Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer. Two of the returned wounded are guides from the Israeli tour groups that were hit in the attack.

Wounded Israelis being flown back home (Photo: MDA)

Wounded arrive back in Israel (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Shai Cohen, Israel's Consul General in Turkey, said the country was "on high alert. We don't know of any concrete alerts, and I'm unable to go into detail on what information we have, but the country's level of alert increases every day with each terror attack."

So far, no terror organization has claimed responsibility for the attack but reports in Turkey point to Savas Yildiz as the alleged bomber, who is reportedly linked to the Islamic State. Yildiz's father was arrested by Turkish authorities on Saturday evening and a blood sample had reportedly been taken for the father in order to compare his DNA to a body found at the scene of the bombing.

Turkish officials said the suicide bomber planned to detonate in another crowded spot, but became anxious upon seeing police and triggered the bomb.

The scene of the attack (Photo: Ran Boker)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday there was no confirmation that the attack had targeted Israelis.

This is the fourth suicide bombing in Turkey since the beginning of 2016. The country 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 house belonging to relatives of the Dawabsheh family in Duma, who were murdered in an arson attack in July 2015, was set on fire in the early hours of Sunday night, Palestinian sources told Ynet.

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Police said they do not believe the fire was started out by Jewish attackers. A joint Shin Bet and police statement said: "Regarding the investigation of the fire in Duma that occurred on Saturday night, it was cleared for publication that the assessment that the act was not racially motivated has been strengthened. The findings at the scene are so far not compatible with characteristics that point to arson committed by Jews."

Ibrahim Dawabsheh, the owner of the house, said he and his wife woke up to the sounds of breaking glass, saw that their house was on fire, and ran outside. They were evacuated to Rafidia Surgery Hospital in Nablus due to smoke inhalation, and are in light condition.

Dawabsheh, a relative of last year's victims, is a key witness to the attack that killed them and is currently testifying in the trial of two Jewish extremists - 21-year-old Amiram Ben-Uliel and a 17-year-old minor - accused of the murder of Saad and Reham Dawabsheh and their baby Ali. Duma residents claimed that the attack was "done by settlers" in order to get at Ibrahim as well.

New Duma house fire

Investigators found a brick and the remains of two glass bottles, which most likely were filled with flammable liquid, inside the room that was set on fire. Additionally, a pair of headphones was found at the scene, but it is still unclear whether or not it has any connection to the attack.

The IDF and Israel Police were at the scene assisting with the investigation. The immediate cause of the fire is not yet known.

New Duma house fire

The head of the Duma council said that the fire burnt the top floor the house while Ibrahim and his wife were inside.

Some villagers claimed that they saw "settlers" in the area, and a white Hyundai with Israeli license plates was reportedly seen in the village that night. Other residents claim that no one from outside the village was there. Youth from the village started a manhunt in the orchards close to the house.
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama said Saturday that the benefits of the Iranian nuclear deal are "undeniable" although it may still take time for people to begin enjoying them.

Addressing the Iranian people in his annual video message marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Obama said the deal makes it possible for Iran to rejoin the global economy through increased trade and investment, creating jobs and opportunities for Iranians to sell their goods around the world.

And while the US still has "profound differences" with Iran, Obama said the fact that the countries are talking regularly for the first time in decades could help solve them.
Three Israelis were murdered and 11 others wounded in the Istanbul suicide bombing on Saturday morning - Avraham Goldman, 69, from Herzliya; Yonatan Suher, 40, from Tel Aviv; and Simcha Damri, 60, from Dimona.

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Photo: Charlie Bokovza

Simcha Damri and her husband Avi, who was moderately wounded in the attack, were on a culinary tour to experience the tastes of Turkey when ISIS terrorist Mehmet Ozturk blew up himself near their tour group.

The group had breakfast on Saturday morning and began to walk down the popular pedestrian boulevard of Istiklal Street. "I saw a store that had 'XOXO' written on it; I wanted to take a picture of it to send to my daughter in Israel," Avi recounted. He hung back from the group, intending to message 24-year-old Adi a message of kisses and hugs.

"Suddenly, I heard a terrible explosion, and everything was flying. I couldn't see my wife," he said.

Simcha Damri with her daughter, Adi

All 14 members of the tour group were caught in the suicide bomber's blast. Avi suffered two broken legs and a punctured lung. "I can barely speak," he told Ynet, "and I don't know where my wife is."

Hours passed. Forty people were caught in the explosion, most of them tourists. Avi's wife could not be found.

Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Meir Cohen, a former mayor of Dimona, is a close friend of the Damris. "I hoped all day that the fact that (Simcha) had not been located would end well. To my great sorrow, this didn't happen."

Avi and Simcha Damri (Photo: Charlie Bokovza)

Late Saturday night, Simcha Damri was identified as one of those murdered in the explosion.

Avi and Simcha are known throughout their hometown of Dimona, where the couple runs several businesses, including a catering company and a bakery, and they have four grown children.

Yonatan Suher also went on a culinary tour of Turkey with his wife, to celebrate his 40th birthday.

The couple, who had two children, lived in Tel Aviv, but Yoni is originally from the Kvutzat Shiller kibbutz in central Israel; in fact, he was dubbed "the kibbutz's first great grandchild." He grew up there, went to school there and married his wife, Inbal Marom, there.

Yoni and Inbal Suher

Yoni did his military service with the military police. He later received his bachelor's degree in law, and he worked in the hi-tech industry.

Inbal is in serious but stable condition. A friend of hers reported that she is conscious. Her parents flew to Istanbul following the attack to be by her side.

Yoni Suher

Yoni's side of the family is back in Israel, gathered together at their home in the kibbutz and accompanied by representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. It was there that they received the news that Yoni had been killed in the blast.

Avraham Goldman (commonly known as Avi) and his wife Nitza loved to travel. They particularly enjoyed shorter trips in which they could immerse themselves in cultures and food, exploring restaurants and wineries abroad. When they took longer vacations, they would travel to Florida to spend time with their daughter, who lives there with their five grandchildren. They have a further two children and three grandchildren.

Avi and Nitza Goldman's daughter in Istanbul at ceremony returning Avi's body to Israel

Avi's love of travel led him to take up work in recent years as a tour guide for visitors to Israel. He spoke English fluently, and his clients were largely foreign VIPs and businessmen, such as former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who even wrote Avi a thank-you letter following his trip.

The Goldmans lived in Herzliya, but Avi would of course take visitors to see Jerusalem, to the dismay of his friends, who were worried for his safety in light of the frequent terror attacks in the capital. "(Avi) would explain that he kept a kitchen cutting board in his backpack," said one of his friends, Amit, "so if he was stabbed, the cutting board would stop (the knife)."

Tour group guide Dudu Califa posts photos of breakfast on day of the attack.

Nitza and Avi were with their group at the time of the attack. She was lightly wounded, underwent surgery on Saturday in Turkey, and will likely need further operations. Avi did not survive.

"We're all completely shattered," said Amit. "We sat all night and wept." He added that the Goldmans' daughter from Florida is on her way to Israel.

Members of the tour group who were wounded in the attack (left to right): Ran Greenfield, lightly wounded; Yehudit Sharig, seriously wounded; Na'ama Peled, lightly wounded; Dudi Califa, lightly wounded; Anat Kama, lightly wounded; Inbal Marom, seriously wounded; Irena Sapir, lightly wounded.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has been coordinating with Turkish officials, the IDF and Magen David Adom to return the wounded and the remains of the murdered to Israel.

Coffins of the three murdered Israelis on the plane before returning to Israel

Inbal Marom being transported to a flight to Israel

Avi Damri being placed on plane in Istanbul (Photo: Ran Boker)

President Reuven Rivlin released a statement on Saturday night: "The heart aches for the victims who lost their lives in the horrific terrorist bombing in the heart of Istanbul. We send our condolences to the families in mourning, pray for the well-being of the injured and hope for their swift return to Israel."

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addressed Israelis: "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."

The culinary tour group's guide, Dudi Califa, who was also wounded in the attack, urged others in a Facebook post from his hospital bed in Turkey to "Please pray for them with us."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated his condemnation of the terror bombing in Istanbul the previous day, which claimed the lives of three Israelis and left 11 wounded.

"Terrorism sows death around the world. Israel is at the forefront of the fight against global terrorism," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.

"This struggle is first of all military, but no less is it a moral struggle. The key to the moral fight against terrorism is to make it clear that terrorism, the murder of innocents, has no justification anywhere  not in Istanbul or the Ivory Coast or Jerusalem," he added.

The prime minister sent his condolences to the families of the victims, and wished for recovery to the wounded. He also praised the Foreign Ministry personnel who have been leading the operation to return the wounded and victims to Israel. "The Foreign Ministry personnel for their dedicated and professional work in both Istanbul and Jerusalem," he said.
DNA testing done in Turkey confirmed that the terrorist who committed the deadly suicide bombing in Istanbul the previous day was Mehmet Ozturk, who reportedly had ties to the Islamic State, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said on Sunday.

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Police were questioning the father and brother of the alleged bomber Ozturk and had determined his identity by checking a DNA sample from the blast scene against one taken from his father, security sources said.

Ozturk's family reported him missing after he went to Istanbul in 2013, the security sources said.

"The identity of the terrorist who carried out this reprehensible attack has been determined...The findings obtained show that the terrorist is linked to the Daesh terror organization," the minister said, using an alternative acronym for ISIS.

Mehmet Ozturk.

At least four people were murdered - three Israelis and one Iranian national - and 36 wounded in the suicide bombing on Saturday morning on the city's famous Istiklal Street, a popular tourist destination visited by many people on weekends. Among the Israeli wounded and dead were members of two different tour groups, which apparently met on Istiklal Street just before the attack.

Ozturk, a Turkish national, was born in 1992 in the city of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey, a province which borders Syria.

Ala said Ozturk had no previous criminal record and five other people were detained as part of the investigation.

Earlier, Turkish media reported that Ozturk, who was known to Turkish security forces as a member of ISIS, was among the main suspects in the attack.

Turkey has endured six suicide bombing attacks in less than a year. The country faces a wide array of security threats including from ultra-left radicals, Kurdish rebels demanding greater autonomy who currently are locked in battle with security forces in the southeast, as well as the Islamic State group.

The Israeli victims

Turkey is also a partner in the US led coalition against ISIS and its air bases are being used to launch bombing runs against the group in neighboring Syria.

Two of the attacks this year hit the Turkish capital, Ankara. An off-shoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Union claimed the Feb. 17 car bombing that killed 29 people and the March 13 suicide bombing that killed 37 people. On Jan. 12, an attack that Turkish authorities blamed on IS claimed the lives of a dozen German tourists visiting Istanbul's historic sites. That attack delivered a bitter blow to the country's vital tourism sector.

Ala said Turkey was determined to press ahead with its fight against terror groups but admitted it was difficult to prevent suicide attacks.

"We are working so that they do not happen," the minister said.

On Sunday, well-wishers placed carnations and candles at the scene of the attack, with one placard reading "We are on the streets, we are not afraid of you."

The attack came has Turkey had heightened security across the country in the run-up to the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz on March 21, which Kurds in Turkey traditionally use to assert their ethnic identity and demand greater rights.

Ala said 120,000 police and 80,000 military police were on duty during the Newroz period and more than 1,000 police checkpoints had been set up.
"Shlissel ran quietly among the parade participants, worked quietly - not as you would imagine," a witness told the prosecution in the trial of Yishai Shlissel, accused of murdering Shira Banki at the Jerusalem Pride Parade . The capitals District Court opened on Sunday morning with the presentation of evidence against him.

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Shlissel refused legal representation, since he does not recognize the state and its institutions, but the court ordered his public defender to continue representing him.

At the beginning of the hearing the attorney, Zechariah Shenkolevsky of the public defender's office said in Shlissels name that "regardless of whether the defendant did or did not commit the murder, he had no desire the death. He did not strive for the deceased to die before the event and this was not his intention, not before and not after the event."

Shenkolevsky attended the hearing but did not reply to the indictment on Shlissel's bealf and did not conduct cross-examination.

Shlissel escorted to court (Photo: Ehad Zwingerberg)

Prosecution witness Eran Tzedkiyahu, who walked in the parade, described the moments of murder: "He worked quietly, not as you would imagine, with yells and shouts. He ran quietly between participants and stabbed Shira.

"After he stabbed her, he passed us, then we saw an ultra-Orthodox man with a knife," he added. "He kept running and stabbed two others. We screamed, and the policeman took out a weapon but hesitated to shoot him. It's unfortunate that a month and a half later, it is clear that they would have shot him. After all, they shoot people who do not pose a danger."

The late Shira Banki, who was murdered at the pride parade

Yarden Noy, who was stabbed by Shlissel, stated: "We went to the parade, we were happy, we drank beer. On Keren Hayesod Street, I briefly heard commotion behind me, but I did not manage to turn around and I felt a blow, like a punch. Then I saw a figure dressed in black running forward and saw someone falling in front of me . I felt a blow in the left upper back. Everything happened in short bursts and chaos erupted. The seconds after are a blur. I have pictures in my head of someone falling . I did not realize I had been stabbed, I only understood that something big was going on."

Shlissel during his stabbing spree (Photo: AP)

Another witness, whose name is not allowed for publication due to his age, said that when he was marching with Banki along Keren Hayesod Street, "Shira was in mid-sentence, and suddenly stopped. When I turned around I saw that she stumbled, I saw blood on her back. I shouted for help, and the first thing I did was to reach for the phone, I called 100. At this point, Shira was on the floor, she was very frightened and screamed a little. She squirmed and tried to fight, but lost consciousness. "

Two months before the parade, Shlissel finished serving a ten-year sentence for stabbing during the gay pride parade in 2005. According to the indictment, after his release from prison and ahead of the Pride Parade on July 30, Schlissel expressed on several occasions, both in the media and in ads published in synagogues in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem, statements against the

parade's existence.

In the afternoon on the day of the parade, he left his parents home in Yad Binyamin and traveled to Jerusalem. When he arrived, he tried to enter the marchers compound on Lincoln Street, but police officers stationed there asked him to stay away. He turned back and went to nearby Washington Street. He hid the knife in his clothes and went to the marchers compound near a grocery store, bypassing police officers. He held the knife up and plunged it with force into the upper torsos of the marchers he encountered.

Shira Banki was the third of his victims. After attacking her, stabbed two other marchers, until he was arrested by a police officer who knocked him to the ground.
Up until the last decade, Turkey was the very model of a secular country, despite its absolute majority of Muslim citizens.

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Since the revolution of Mustafa Ataturk, the father of Turkish secularism, it has been forbidden for women to wear headscarves, at least in the civil service. In 1997, that law was actually expanded, and a provision was added forbidding wearing a veil at universities. The High Court approved an administrative decision to prevent the promotion of an educator because she insisted on wearing a veil.

Before the 2007 elections, Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to revoke the law forbidding headscarves. Human rights organizations the world over had been pushing for this amendment for years. Secular Turks responded with a massive demonstration opposing the change.

In 2008, the parliament approved the amendment by a large majority, arguing that every woman had the fundamental right to decide on her manner of dress. The Constitutional Court struck down the decisionarguing that it was in opposition to the constitutional principles on which modern Turkey was established.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AP)

Striking down the law did not change the trend. Turkey, with the encouragement of Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party which he heads, has become more and more Muslim.

There is a rise in support for the implementation of sharia law, more men are bearded, many more women are wearing headscarves, and there is no enforcement of the law, which ostensibly remains in effect.

What is interesting is that not only did this radicalization not prevent terror, but to the contrary: the radicalization increased support of terrorism. In a poll published this year, 21 percent supported the claim that ISIS is the true representative of Islam. Twenty percent supported the attack against the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

The Islamist trend led by President Erdogan has succeeded above and beyond. Maybe even a bit more than it appeared. The Turkish regime tried to claim that the Kurdish resistance (the PKK) was behind the terrorist attacks. The truth has been revealed. It was jihad. In fact, this isn't surprising.

Because the states that tolerate terrorism the most are the states with the highest concentration of supporters of radical Islam, Wahhabism and Salafism. It's happening in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, in Somalia, in Nigeria and in Libya. The fact that Muslim states and Muslims are the principle victims doesn't deter terrorism's supporters. They commit suicide inside of mosques in Nigeria just like in Pakistan. They're not Sunnis against Shiites. They're Sunnis against Sunnis.

One could argue that terrorism is a result of changes in alliances, and maybe even the cessation of Turkish support for ISIS. This is not exactly correct. Because terrorism flourishes wherever radicalization grows.

On Saturday, terrorism tried to wound Turkey and Turks. Israelis apparently were injured unintentionally. Erdogan is leading Turkey to Islamization. Turkey is paying the price. There's no paradox here. To the contrary: this is the obvious result. Almost predictable. So Erdogan has only himself to blame.
As America's leading pro-Israel group prepares to hear from nearly all the presidential candidates, most eyes in the crowd of thousands of participants will be on GOP front-runner Donald Trump.

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He's the wild card whose previous comments about Israel have created some anxiety among many who will attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference this week in Washington.

Donald Trump speaks at a rally (Photo: Reuters)

Expect Republicans Ted Cruz and John Kasich to espouse standard conservative fare. Democrat Hillary Clinton probably will stick to well-known positions. Rival Bernie Sanders  trying to become first Jewish candidate to win a major party's presidential nomination  is skipping the event.

Much like the American electorate at large, the pro-Israel community in the United States is anything but monolithic, and this year's conference appears set to highlight those different constituencies, including socially liberal Democratic Jews, establishment Republican Jews, and conservative evangelical Christians.

In a broad sense, all the candidates confirmed to speak on Monday fall into one of those categories. Except Trump  and therein lies the angst. "Trump has said a lot of things about Israel over the years, most of it favorable but some of it more ambiguous," said Josh Block, a former AIPAC official who now heads The Israel Project. "This will be an opportunity to address the ambiguity before a serious foreign policy audience."

AIPAC bills itself as nonpartisan and has never endorsed a candidate. Yet the organization has delved into highly partisan political debates over issues of interest to Israel, most recently and notably the Iran nuclear deal, which it vehemently opposed. In that, it is at odds with ardent deal supporters Clinton and Democrat Bernie Sanders, and to a certain degree, with Kasich, the lone Republican who has not said he would automatically rescind the pact.

Trump and Cruz have promised, if elected, to rip up the agreement. Beyond that, Cruz has pledged absolute support for Israel, but Trump has been far from clear on how he would approach matters of deep concern to pro-Israel voters.

Unlike Cruz, Trump has not said he would move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a perennial Republican campaign promise, and, unlike Cruz, he has said he will be neutral as a negotiator in trying to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Cruz's campaign website features an entire section on Israel; Trump's does not address it all.

On Mideast peace talks, Trump says: "You understand a lot of people have gone down in flames trying to make that deal. So I don't want to say whose fault it is  I don't think that helps." He also put off calls to clarify his position on the status of Jerusalem.

By contrast, Cruz is unabashedly pro-Israel and he called for Secretary of State John Kerry's resignation over what he considered anti-Israel bias. "A Cruz administration will on day one recognize Jerusalem as the eternal, undivided capital of Israel and the US Embassy will be moved to Israel's capital city," Cruz says on his website.

Clinton, meanwhile, has a long history in the Middle East, including overseeing as secretary of state the Obama administration's first attempt to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace with former Sen. George Mitchell as envoy. Her stance against Jewish settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians has been criticized by some in the pro-Israel community, but she has been received warmly by pro-Israel groups in the past, not least because she has a track record.

Trump, on the other hand, has something of a checkered record with pro-Israel Republicans. He drew boos last year from the Republican Jewish Coalition when he refused to take a stance on the embassy location and further raised eyebrows by using what many consider to be offensive stereotypes in moments of attempted levity. Similar remarks will not be welcomed at the AIPAC conference.

In addition, as they have done nationally, Trump's positions on immigration and Muslims and his apparent vacillation on support he is getting from figures known for anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric have caused concern among AIPAC members. And, as with other communities, comparisons of Trump to Hitler and Mussolini have clouded their impressions.

Some have announced they will protest Trump, if not by disrupting his speech by walking out. Others have said the speech will be an important opportunity to hear Trump explain his views. The debate has played out in dramatic fashion since AIPAC issued its invitations and candidates began responding to them.

South Florida Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin is among a group of about 40 rabbis that plans to boycott Trump's address Monday evening, saying his appearance "poses political, moral, and even spiritual quandaries."

"We have been urging rabbis to simply not attend the Trump speech  to let our absence be felt and noted," Salkin wrote in a column for the Religious News Service last week. "Sometimes, you just have to scream  even silently."

Then there are those who believe the speech will be an important opportunity to hear Trump explain his views, no matter how much they may disagree, and stay on good terms with a viable candidate for the highest office in the land.

"It's important that the lobby keep itself on decent terms with whatever powers govern in Washington," commentator J.J. Goldberg wrote in the Jewish newspaper The Forward.

"Who holds those powers is an important question, never more so than this year, but it's not a question AIPAC exists to answer."

That may be true and the campaign battles will certainly continue no matter what the

candidates say at the conference. But Trump's speech, in particular, will be dissected for months to come for clues on his views.
After the Paris attacks, security forces searched far and wide for prime suspect Salah Abdeslam, who vanished after returning to Brussels, believing Islamic State could have spirited him away to Turkey, Syria or Morocco.

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It appears Europe's most wanted man never left the Belgian capital. And it was family, friends and petty criminals who helped him evade a manhunt for four months before he was arrested on Friday in the neighborhood he grew up in, not far from his parents' home.

As security services seek to understand how Islamic State operates in Europe to prevent more attacks, Abdeslam's case highlights the difficulty of tracking suspects who can rely on the protection of community networks, many of which do not involve religious radicals and are not on the police radar.

Belgium police arrest suspect in Paris attacks (Photo: Reuters)

"Abdeslam relied on a large network of friends and relatives that already existed for drug dealing and petty crime to keep him in hiding," Belgium's federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said of the only surviving suspect of the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris.

"This was about the solidarity of neighbours, families," Van Leeuw told public broadcaster RTBF, speaking about Abdeslam's ability to hide for so long despite 24,000 calls from the public to a Belgian police hotline seeking information about the suspected attackers.

Abdeslam may have been hidden in the basement of an apartment of the mother of a friend with no links to militants, Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique reported on Sunday.

Such friendships, not Islamic State operatives, proved crucial from the start for Abdeslam, who ran a bar in Molenbeek with his brother, which was a nexus of social life for young Arab men with little interest in the mosque but was shut down shortly before the attacks for being a hub for drug dealing.

Abdeslam relied on two friends to drive him back to Brussels after his brother Brahim blew himself up at a Paris cafe. Others drove him around Molenbeek and its environs between safe houses.

Police, who were eventually able to move in to seize him at a house in the rundown North African neighbourhood of Molenbeek, have charged a man and a women whom they suspect of being part of a family who harboured the fugitive.

While Abdeslam's networks were not infallible - his call to an acquaintance for help looking for a new hiding place let police finally locate him - they were formidable.

'It's not over'

Few residents would talk to Reuters about Abdeslam, a 26-year-old French citizen raised by Moroccan-born parents in Molenbeek, on the poorer side of the city's industrial-era canal.

Most of those that did said he was a likeable guy who was known in the area.

Dominique, who ran a newsagents close to where Abdeslam was arrested, described him as "a very nice boy" who showed no signs of becoming a radical. Abdeslam did not fight in Syria.

"I won't say he was normal because everyone always say that, but he had a nice manner, he wasn't aggressive," said Molenbeek resident Pierre, in his 50s.

But another Molenbeek resident, Henri, meanwhile warned that Abdeslam was not the only one attracted by radicalism in the area. "It's not over," he said. "There are a lot of them."

Western fighters in Syria and Iraq have found some of their most willing recruits in Belgium, partly because of the frustration many jobless young men feel in the marginalised quarters of Brussels - just a few kilometres from the wealth and power of the headquarters of NATO and the European Union, but effectively a world away.

Belgium has supplied the highest per capita number of fighters to Syria of any European nation. More than 300 Belgians have gone to take up arms in Syria and Iraq, according to an estimate from the Brussels-based Egmont think-tank.

Radicals such as another Molenbeek man Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected planner of the Paris attacks who was killed by French police late last year, posted internet videos of his exploits as a foreign fighter in Syria.

'People work freelance'

But while three of the Paris attacks suspects grew up in Brussels, not all radicalised Belgian militants head for Syria.

They are part of "networks and accomplices" who have not attracted police attention, according to Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and who vowed to extend surveillance.

Some sell drugs and weapons in an area where locals have a reputation for not cooperating with police, doing only part-time work for Islamic State such as recruiting fighters to go to Syria and helping to plan attacks, Belgian prosecutors said.

That would suggest police work cannot be focused simply on city mosques or monitoring social media and intercepting intelligence from militants in Syria and Iraq.

"I don't think Daesh is giving orders 24 hours a day. That would make it too easy for us," said prosecutor Van Leeuw, referring to the militant group by its Arabic acronym. "People work freelance."

Such complexity has prompted European police chiefs to urge governments to focus on the links between political militants and organised crime - noting, for example, that financing for militant groups has often come from drug dealing and racketeering while established crime gangs probably supplied the Kalashnikovs favoured in recent IS attacks.

Counter-terrorism expert Rik Coolsaet said that spotting Islamic State recruits in Europe was also becoming more difficult because, unlike in the past, youngsters were less likely to be pious conservatives but rather secular rebels who feel they have no part in society and are disillusioned by a perceived lack of opportunity.

Following the worst financial crisis in a generation and with few of the lower-skilled jobs their parents' generation enjoyed in Belgian car factories and coal mines remaining, there is a "no-future atmosphere" said Coolsaet, from the Egmont think-tank.

"Joining Islamic State opens a thrilling, bigger-than-life dimension to their way of life. For most of them it is akin to street gangs, drug trafficking, juvenile delinquency," he said.

"A journey to Utopia."
Security camera footage from an Istanbul restaurant shows the Israeli participants of a culinary trip dining together on Saturday just before they left to sightsee.

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As the group strolled down the pedestrian boulevard, an ISIS-linked terrorist detonated a bomb, wounding 11 Israelis and killing three: Avraham Goldman, 69, from Herzliya; Yonatan Suher, 40, from Tel Aviv; and Simcha Damri, 60, from Dimona.

X

An image of the group having breakfast shows eight Israelis. Ezer, the manager of the restaurant, tld Ynet: They sat here and were happy. They laughed and had fun. They left and ten minutes later we heard there had been an explosion. Its sad. He said that the tour guide, Dudi Califa, who was lightly wounded, was a friend and that he hoped the wounded would recover quickly.

Remembrance

On Sunday morning, hundreds of people began arriving at the spot where the terrorist blew himself up. They held signs expressing solidarity with the victims, scattered flowers, and prayed. At the exact spot of the bombing, a sign saying Am Yisrael Chai was hung, below the flags of Iran and Turkey (both of which had citizens killed or wounded in the bombing.

Photo: Reuters

I very much like the Israelis and have no problem with them, said the owner of shawarma stand adjacent to the location of the bombing. Fortunately, yesterday at 11 AM it was closed. (What happened to) the Israelis pains me, he said, pointing at a picture of the three murdered Israelis.

The attack was the first suicide bombing Turkey since the beginning of 2016.

Early Sunday, an IDF plane arrived in Istanbul with forces from the Home Front Command and the Air Force, as well as a mobile operations room and intensive care unit, to return the bodies of the killed Israelis and five wounded Israelis - four in serious condition and one in moderate condition - who were still in Istanbul.

Letter of condolence

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday sent a condolence letter to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

"I was greatly saddened to learn that unfortunately, 3 Israeli citizens also lost their lives and 10 Israeli citizens were wounded at the ignoble terror attack which happened yesterday in Istanbul," read the letter.

"With yesterday's heinous attack, it has again been seen most clearly that it is an absolute necessity for the international community to conduct a joint, united and determined fight against terrorism, which targets the whole of humanity and fundamental human values and constitutes a crime against humanity.

The courage and will displayed by our people against the actions of terrorist organisations which aim to instil fear, give us strength in this struggle.

I would like to convey my deepest condolences to the people of Israel and to the families of Israeli citizens who lost their lives in this treacherous attack which happened in Istanbul, where they were visiting our country to get better acquainted with our culture, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured."
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Imagine everyone calling you big ears. <br><br>Not that big ears are bad things to have; think of all the extra earrings you could wear (for girls) and all the extra earrings you could wear (for boys)! But for a minimalist like me who cant really stand jewellery, having big ears becomes a bitermheavy on the head. <br><br>So, before all those who rejoice in reminding me of my twin assets (OFCOURSE, ears I mean), I drop names of some personalities with similar anatomy- Gandhi, Buddha, Ganesh.the last name warms ones heart, no? But as far as Ganesh goes, I am happy that the similarities end at ears.<br><br>For, imagine everyone calling you big nose, big paunch, elephantine and toothy, apart from big ears. Of course, only the ignorant can call Ganesh such names intending literal meanings. There, I wish, were more similarities between Him and me. <br><br>Ganesh doesnt have a pan-India approach for nothing. With Mallus cladding Him in mundu, Gujaratis depicting Him as the ideal dandiya boy, the northerners happy to see Him perched on a rat and the ancient Afghans sculpting Him in their traditional turban et al, I dare say Ganesh one of most popular Gods of the Indian pantheon and with the unique position of being prayed to first. <br><br>And, as I said, its not for nothing.<br><br>Such is the appeal that from the millennia old Rig Veda to the Shahrukh Khan starrer Don, no one can do without a swish of His ears and the aroma of His modak. Though the Rig Veda, contend a few, may not be referring to the Ganesh that we welcome to our homes every year with a lot of pomp and show.<br><br>May we worship Ganapati,<br>The Protector of Noble People,<br>The Best Poet,<br>The Most Honourable,<br>The Greatest Ruler and<br>The Treasure of all Knowledge<br><br>(Rig Veda 2.23.1)<br><br>goes an invocation to Lord Ganapati in the oldest Veda. This probably is the only reference to Ganapati- another name of Ganesh. But is that the same elephant headed God who is being sung about in the Veda? Cant say, for the imagery that we associate with Ganesh appeared only in the Gupta period. <br><br>But, better late than never!<br><br>We should thank Ganesh for appearing and Adi Shankaracharya for categorizing Him as one of the 5 eternal deities of Hindu religion (the other 4 being: Sun, Vishnu, Shiva, Durga) <br><br>Just imagine (again) whom would we call upon to clear our path of obstacles had it not been for Ganesh; the Karmayogi Krishna (would probably say: You will reap as you sow) or the Mahayogi Shiva (would just mutter Ommm)? <br><br>But why is Ganesh called Vighneshwara, the Lord of Obstacles, if he is supposed to destroy the obstacles? In Hinduism and Buddhist tantra, Vinayakas were four mischief-making entities. If they were propitiated, they obliged one by not causing any trouble. Some just point out that it is Ganeshs job to give trouble to those who are up to no good, thats why the name. <br><br>Whatever the history/hearsay, the reason that Ganesh endures as the God of small and big things even today is that He is so real and ideal at the same time. <br><br>He is the child in all of us. He wants to be loved by His parents- even more than His sibling. Even if He has to forsake his desires (symbolized by flashy mounts viz lion, bull, peacock etc.) and choose the humble mouse, he will happily do so just so His parents favour Him. <br><br>Like a good, obedient lad He will follow instructions of the mother even if He has to risk His ego (symbolized by the human head that Shiva axed). In return, He got the dignity, respect and wisdom that are captured only in the head of an elephant. That wisdom made him circumambulate his parents when he was asked to take the round of the Earth- Shiv Parvati are His world. <br><br>With that one sacrifice, Ganesh the boy became Ganesh the God. <br><br>And he is loved by millions because He is always ready to listen. His big ears are a solace to those who have been wronged and need to empty their troubled souls. His trunk helps Him discriminate between right and wrong- as also indicating His great reach. His beady eyes enable Him to see only the good in people. His single tooth signifies that there is only One God, that He is all wisdom (elephant head) & love (the modak). <br><br>Bowing to Ganesh means understanding and appreciating all of the above, hence attaining the Truth. The 10-day Ganesh festival also has a deep meaning to it. Though an ancient tradition, it was turned into the grand affair that it is today by Lokmanya Tilak to drum up nationalistic pride and unity among people. <br><br>But Ganesh is beyond any country. He has got nothing to do with national pride (though, internationally, He is an India icon) but everything to do with existential essence. <br><br>For Ganesha is called Pranavakaar- in the shape of OM. <br><br>To You whom the wise exclaim<br>As the single-syllabled Supreme sound,<br>Stainless & peerless<br>Primeval One, I bow in adoration<br><br>(Adi Shankaracharya in Ganesh Bhujangam) <br><br>Ganeshs form resembles OM and in that He is a universal entity, present at the very core of Being. <br><br>Welcoming of Ganesh means bringing out the Lord that resides within us, in order to thank Him and serve Him. For 10 days, everything & everywhere becomes Ganesh i.e one sees the good aspect within all. At the end of the festival, we ask Ganesh to not just remain outside but enter our stream of consciousness- that is Visarjan. And all of it is done with joy and playfulness- as Ganesh likes it. <br><br>For thats what being Ganesh is: giving up the ego, remaining above materialism (symbolized in His one feet always being above the ground and one on the seat), yet using materials when needed, being an exceptional leader (Gana-pati) and yet keeping humble (He travels on a mouse). In short, living it and loving it too. <br><br>So this time, when you are grabbing a modak after prayer and somebody calls you Big Paunch, just know that there is someone else who is a big paunch and its doing a lot of good!
Guwahati: With the Assam assembly polls round the corner, the Election Commission has so far seized nearly Rs.3 crore in unaccounted money and over four lakh litres of illicit liquor from across the state, officials said on Sunday.

Monitoring teams of the poll panel recovered Rs.2,95,47,834 in cash from different parts of Assam till Saturday evening, and 4,33,417.76 litres of liquor -- both of which were allegedly meant to be distributed among voters.

Around 5.5 kg of drugs have also been seized.

Polling for the 126-seat assembly will be held in two phases on April 4 and 11.

According to the EC officials, there are 34 expenditure-sensitive constituencies and 401 expenditure sensitive pockets in Assam.

The excise department has already installed cameras in distilleries and breweries in Assam for monitoring the movement of liquor, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Siddharth Singh said on Sunday.

A total of 1,185 cases have already been registered over the seizure of the illegal liquor.

Siddharth Singh said the poll panel has asked the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to intensify operations against illegal arms.

So far, 86 illegal arms and 333 rounds of illegal ammunition have been seized.

Additional CEO Gaurav Bothra said 599 candidates filed their nominations for 65 constituencies, which are going to the polls in the first phase on April 4.

"However, 13 nominations were rejected due to technical problems. There are now 586 valid nominations for the 65 constituencies," Bothra said.

Monday is the last date for withdrawal of nominations.

The EC has appointed 47 expenditure observers, 396 flying squads, 378 static surveillance teams, and 126 video surveillance teams for conduction of free and fair polls.

Besides, six air intelligence units have been set up in airports to monitor all developments.
New Delhi: Amid raging row over nationalism, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday launched an all out attack on Rahul Gandhi, Congress, and others over 'anti-national' activities saying that BJP will not tolerate criticism against the country. Here are top 10 quotes from Amit Shah's speech at BJP's National Executive meeting:-

On JNU, Rahul Gandhi

1)- "In JNU, slogans were raised to destroy India. Rahul Gandhi went there and said nothing about these slogans but instead tried to justify them on the ground of freedom of expression."

On anti-national slogans

2)- "BJP welcomes any criticism of the party, person or government, but it will not tolerate criticism of the country."

3)- "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."

On the row over 'Bharat mata ki jai'

4)- "Bharat Mata ki Jai has been our inspiration for years."

5)- "A large number of people sacrificed their lives shouting 'Bharat mata ki jai', which is older than BJP and RSS. It was unfortunate that a controversy over it had occured so many years after independence."

6)- "99 per cent of people are in support of raising the slogan - 'Bharat mata ki jai' - and BJP will convince the remaining ones."

7)- On the recent controversy of chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" after MIM leader Asadudduin Owaisi refused to say it, Amit Shah 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?"

Attack on Congress, Left parties

8)- Amit Shah strongly attacked Congress, saying its main focus was to ensure that the Modi dispensation does not perform, as he hailed the Modi government for providing "corruption-free governance" and "dynasty-free leadership and giving stability and hope to people".

9)- Hitting out at the Left and Congress for their criticism of the government over freedom of expression, he said wryly that "supporters" of Maoism and Stalin were talking about it and recalled the Emergency execesses to target the main opposition party.

On Sedition, Freedom of Expression

10)- "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," Amit Shah said. Citing the Emergency, when the Congress "crushed the voices of the common people during the period", Amit Shah said that it had no right to lecture others.
Imphal: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has summoned the Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam in connection with the unflinching stand of the dissidents within the ruling Congress.

Both of them left Imphal for New Delhi on Sunday. They are slated to meet the Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party members was held late on Saturday. One dissident leader told IANS that they merely kept on listening and never asked the chief minister what had transpired in the meeting with Sonia Gandhi.

The dissident said that Ibobi kept on speaking on how the government plans to cover 87 percent of the people of the state by the National Food Security Act which will become effective from April 1.

"The government has set aside Rs.30 crore for it and cooperation of the CLP members to make it a success is a must," Ibobi said, adding, "The meeting with the Congress president and the vice president over the demands of CLP members was inconclusive. The deputy chief minister and I will be leaving for Delhi on Sunday morning."

The high command has not sent general secretary V. Narayanswamy as an observer as yet. The reported formula of the chief minister to drop two or three ministers and induct new ones was not acceptable to the dissidents whose strength is more than 25 in the CLP having 48 members.

As promised by Ibobi, they are demanding complete reshuffle of the ministry and enforcement of the one man one post policy so that Gaikhangam is either dropped from the ministry or relieved of the party presidentship, appointment of chairmen of various corporations and undertakings.

Manipur is scheduled to go to elections in February next year. Though just a few months are left, most of the dissidents would like to become ministers with an eye to the forthcoming elections.

In the past Ibobi and his close associates never capitulated to the dissidents. However, this time the dissidents have made it known that they may take some other steps since they cannot go empty handed to the voters.

The political change in Arunachal Pradesh is still fresh in the minds of the high command. Besides the Congress has been facing election defeats.

In the by-elections held late last year BJP won both the Assembly seats. Besides this party which has been without an MLA for the last 15 years could open accounts in the local body elections.

An upbeat Manipur BJP president Thounaojam Chaoba said, "In the 2017 Assembly elections the BJP shall wrest power from the Congress which has been in power for the last three terms."

A dissident leader told IANS that they are keeping their fingers crossed till Ibobi and Gaikhangam return from their mission in Delhi.
Jammu: BJP on Saturday said it was in touch with several PDP legislators who were in favour of government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, but added it will "never" accept new conditions for alliance put forth by Mehbooba Mufti.

"Several PDP legislators who are in favor of the formation of the government in the state and who also don't want midterm polls in the state are in touch with the BJP leadership for the formation of the government," BJP legislator Ravinder Raina said.

The Nowshera MLA said the party would stick to the Agenda of Alliance that had been agreed upon with PDP a year ago, adding that any deviation would amount to disrespecting former late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

"There is no question of accepting the new conditions laid down by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the BJP for the formation of?government?in Jammu and Kashmir. I have come to know that she (Mehbooba) has put forth new conditions, but BJP will never accept them. We will strictly follow the Agenda of Alliance that was agreed upon between the two parties a year ago," he said.

He said BJP has "several options" to form government in the state, if the alliance with PDP breaks down, but would disclose them "when the time comes".

The need of the hour for both the alliance partners (PDP and BJP) was to form government based on mutual trust and respect the aspirations of the people of Jammu and the people of Kashmir regions, he said.

"People of Jammu gave a thumping majority to BJP while people of Kashmir voted for PDP, hence it is time for both the parties to provide a democratically elected government to the people, as Governor's rule is no substitute to it," Raina said.

Asked whether the BJP would encourage defection within PDP, he said that his party would do no such thing.

"More than half of the legislators who were elected to the assembly are first timers and none of them want midterm polls. If the PDP does not come ahead to form the government we will explore other options," he said.

Raina said BJP will not "surrender" its ideology and would follow its "nationalistic policies", including in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Area wise and population wise Jammu is far bigger than Kashmir valley, but we have less number of assembly seats, we will continue to fight for the delimitation of the assembly seats, we will continue to fight for the refugees from west Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK)," he said.
New Delhi: Intelligence agencies have issued an alert on possible terror attacks, planned by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, on Indian Army and Paramilitary forces, as per media reports on Sunday.

Security agencies further revealed that LeT's Kashmir chief Abu Dujana along with 10 other terrorists are planning to launch the attack, allegedly backed by terror organisations based in Pakistan.

As per an intercepted telephonic conversation between Dujana and some top officials of LeT, instructions regarding the attack on Indian Forces were given from Pakistan.

At the same time, the terror organistaion has announced a reward of Rs one lakh for providing information about those militants who loot weapons from the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) or Army convoys while they move from one place to another.

Notably, out of 10 terrorists, who are planning to launch an attack on Indian Forces, only four of them posses weapons.

Recently, Abu Dujana and four other ultras managed to escape from an encounter, between the security officials and the militants, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. They managed to escape the security ring as local residents allegedly diverted the attention of security forces by pelting stones at them.
Ujjain: Electric wires and a sealed packet, suspected to be carrying some explosive, were found in a bag at a private hostel in Ujjain, where the Simhastha-Kumbh mela is scheduled next month, police said today.

The packet has been sent to a chemical testing laboratory and the cyber crime branch has been roped in to investigate the matter, Inspector General of Police, Ujjain Range, B Madhukumar told PTI here.

Besides the bag, a mobile handset and some identity cards were also found in the room of Atishay Hostel situated near bus stand under Nankheda police station area here yesterday, he said.

The hostel owner got suspicious and informed police when the occupant of the room did not return after being out for hours.

Subsequently, the police swung into action last evening and found the bag, mobile phone handset and identity cards from the room during search, the IG said.

Madhukumar said that the room, according to the hostel records, was booked in the name of one Sazid, son of Wahid Khan, a resident of Agar-Malwa district.

The ID based on which the room was booked might be fake, he said.

The room was booked and occupied on March 18. The occupant left it after a while saying that he will return by around 10 PM. When he did not return till yesterday, the hostel owner got worried and informed the police.

Police suspect that someone might have played a mischief by intentionally leaving ID cards, wires, mobile phone handset and other things to create panic in Ujjain, ahead of the month-long Simhastha Kumbh beginning on April 22.

However, police are not taking any chances and are investigating the matter.

"We are analysing the recovery of stuff from all angles," the IG said.
New Delhi: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajtantrik), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP) may merge soon.

"Talks are at the final stage. We held a crucial round of meeting on March 15. Things have progressed well and we are hopeful of a merger," JD-U leader K. C. Tyagi told IANS here.

"Our intent is to reunite the legacy of Ram Manohor Lohia and Chaudhary Charan Singh," he said, adding stalwarts like Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav of his party and Ajit Singh of RLD have given a go ahead for the move.

"Merger will be formally announced in New Delhi soon," Tyagi said.

Notably, the initiative comes after unification moves of the larger Janata Parivar, including Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party, have failed more than once.

"This time the Samajwadi Party has been kept out of the unification move," an informed source said.

Informed sources said Nitish Kumar and K.C. Tyagi were in touch with a former BJP leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi, who heads the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajtantrik).

The Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya), floated by former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, is now headed by Kamal Morarka.

The unification move could have an impact in Uttar Pradesh where assembly polls are due by March 2017.

The RLD of Ajit Singh has been an important player in western Uttar Pradesh but suffered defeat in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014.

While Ajit Singh lost his bastion Baghpat to BJP's Satya Pal Singh, Ajit Singh's son Jayant Chaudhary was humbled by cine star and BJP's Hema Malini in Mathura -- both in Uttar Pradesh.
New Delhi: Although Narendra Modi  led government at the Centre has often been accused of being anti-Muslim, a 'World Sufi Program' concluded here in the national capital peacefully on Sunday. The forum where Muslim scholars from more that 20 countries participated gave a message that the community is against terrorism.

Prominent Muslim leaders from around the globe condemned violence in the name of Islam at the International Sufi Conference and said that it is sin to misuse the name of Islam in order to spread terror.

Speaking at the Ramlila Ground here on the final day of a four-day event, Pakistani politician and Islamic scholar Tahir-ul-Qadri said, "The only aim of ISIS, al Qaeda, Taliban is to kill people, nothing to do with Islam."

He further said, "India & Pakistan are not enemies, their real enemy is terrorism," ANI reported.

"If one studies Sufism properly, they will understand that what ISIS is doing is not 'Jihad' but 'Fasaad'. Sufism should be a taught in India and Pakistan as it can help reduce terrorism," Qadri added.

The organisers of the first World Sufi Forum also released a manifesto today.

The Muslim leaders, however, also urged the government to rectify the "historical blunders" against Muslims and to introduce Sufism at all levels of education.

Renowned Sufi leader Hazrat Syed Muhammad Ashraf said: "Over the last few decades, there have been concerted efforts to weaken Sufism in India and replace it with an extremist and radical ideology."

"This recent phenomenon is dangerous not just for the Muslim community, but also for the country itself," added the founder president of All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), the organisers of the event.

"We request our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) to rectify these historical blunders and meet the demands of millions of Sufi followers in India."

He also demanded that the home ministry to spell out what steps had been taken with regard to the small and big communal incidents that have taken place in different parts of the country.

Ashraf also raised concerns over low Muslim representation in various minority institutions.

"Indian Muslims having faith in Sufi traditions should be given representation according to their share in population" in various bodies such as Central Waqf Council, State Waqf Boards, Central and State Hajj Committees and National Minority Finance Development Corp.

AIUMB, the apex body representing Sufis in India, unveiled its 25-point charter on the occasion.

AIUMB appealed to the government to establish a Sufi university in the name of revered Sufi saint Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz.

It said a central Sufi centre should be established in New Delhi and in all capital cities to promote Sufi literature, Sufi culture and music.

In order to promote Sufi tourism, it suggested that a 'Sufi corridor' be created to connect all the shrines in the country.

Over 8000 Muslim clerics and Sufi leaders came together in a large congregation to attend the conference.

(With Agency inputs)
Bhopal: Nusrat Mehdi, the secretary of Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy, on Sunday said that she would file a defamation case against noted poet Manzar Bhopali for making objectionable comments against her if the latter doesn`t issue an apology.

"Urdu poet Manzar Bhopali while addressing a gathering at an event made objectionable statement against me. I am fighting against it. I have filed a complaint with the Women`s Commission and the Mahila Thana," Mehdi told ANI.

"I think it was very insensitive on his part to make such objectionable statements. He writes shayaris on daughters and if he makes such statements then it only shows there is a huge difference between his words and his actions," she added.

She also said that she would file a defamation case if he doesn`t issue an apology."Like other government officers and employees, she, too, has started wearing saffron undergarments," Bhopali had allegedly said at a function.

Meanwhile, Bhopali rubbished the allegations levelled against him, saying Mehdi was making baseless allegations and should come up with proofs.

"I stand by what I said. I said Nusrat ji has done Bhahvakaran in MP Urdu Academy. I didn`t take her name then but now I am saying this. I never said what she is claiming," Bhopali told ANI."The government can examine my statement. If she gives proof, I`ll apologize," he added.

The comments were made at a public programme `Kehkanshan` organised last Sunday.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday sent a legal notice to Digvijay Singh seeking his apology for levelling baseless allegations, a day after Congress leader accused him of "nepotism" over a state agency's order asking developers to open accounts in a private bank where his wife works.

Fadnavis' lawyer Ganesh Sovani has asked Singh to tender an unconditional apology to Fadnavis within two weeks on his twitter handle after the receipt of the notice.

"I am instructed to call upon you to make amends and to retract the allegations made by you against my client while simultaneously tendering an unconditional apology to him (CM) within two weeks on your same Tweeter handle @digvijaya_28 after the receipt of this notice first at any of the three addresses mentioned above, failing which my client Devendra Fadnavis shall have no option but to initiate appropriate civil and/or criminal proceedings against you at your own risk as to the costs and consequences thereof of which please take a serious note. May wisdom prevail!" said the notice.

In his tweets yesterday, Singh said, "SRA in Mumbai headed by CM of Maharashtra has officially asked all SRA developers to open accounts only in Worli branch of Axis Bank".

"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 had said.

Fadnavis has threatened to file defamation case among other proceedings if Singh fails to comply and retract the allegations.

"I hereby give you notice that if you fail to comply with the aforesaid requisitions within the stipulated period of one week, then I will be initiating legal proceedings either to prosecute you in a criminal court for defamation and/ or to sue you in civil court for the damages apart from seeking some incidental relief," the notice stated.

The order issued on February 10 by Fadnavis-headed Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) directed 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.

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.
Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: One of the most powerful communication tool Twitter has completed its 10 successful years today. Fighting all odds, the famous microblogging site has achieved some important milestones over the years documenting the world in just 140 characters.

According to Twitter, it documents more than 300 million active users across the globe till now. It has managed to attract a significant number of scientists, politicians, journalists and celebrities from all over the world who use the platform to convey their thoughts in 140 characters. Twitter has managed to push the right buttons giving us more of what we actually want.

Recently, in an interview on NBC,

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that while a number of changes are being planned for Twitter, its 140-character limit represents a beautiful constraint which helps deliver strong statements.

The short character limit for tweets is an element that gives Twitter a unique identity.

Dorsey also said the micro blogging platform will stay true to its original values - ""It's breaking news, but you can actually interact with the news makers," he said.

"We have so many creators and influencers on the platform and the cool thing is that they actually have conversations with people directly," he added.

Just three years after Twitter's launch, for many the platform became the primary source of the latest news. In 2009, flight number 1549 of the US Airways made an emergency landing in the Hudson river between New York City and Weehawken in New Jersey.

The first image of the rescue mission in which all the 155 passengers were evacuated to safety were taken by a Twitter user and it became viral within minutes of uploading it on the platform.

Twitter has also proved itself as an excellent platform to raise awareness about political topics, spread political messages and coordinate collective action. The use of Twitter by Republican candidate Donald Trump "as a microphone" is one of the several such cases to prove the point.

In India, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has been effectively using the platform to address issues raised by ordinary citizens using one of the world's largest railway networks.

Twitter has opened up a two-way communication between businesses and their customers.

"On the one hand this means its easier for customers to complain to a company - and do so publicly. But its also much quicker and easier for companies to reply and potentially resolve an issue, and can potentially even reduce customer support costs," said a report by theconversation.com.

But it is Twitter's efficiency as a platform for instant sharing of news, links and views that makes it indispensable. It has changed the way the information used to flow around the world.

With Dorsey promising a number of changes to product and organisational structure in order to appease sceptical investors, the company is all set for a turnaround to see its monthly average users go up.

(With IANS inputs)
Istanbul: A Turkish member of the Islamic State militant group was responsible for the suicide bombing in Istanbul on Saturday that killed three Israelis and an Iranian and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's interior minister said on Sunday.

Efkan Ala identified the bomber as a man born in the southern province of Gaziantep, adding that five people have been detained so far in relation to the bombing.

"We have determined that Mehmet Ozturk, born in 1992 in Gaziantep, has carried out the heinous attack on Saturday in Istanbul. It has been established that he is a member of Daesh," Ala told a news conference broadcast live on television, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Israel has confirmed that three of its citizens died in the blast. Two of them held dual citizenship with the United States. An Iranian was also killed, Turkish officials have said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel was trying to determine whether the attack had been aimed at Israelis.

The bombing was the fourth such attack in Turkey this year, bringing the death toll to more than 80. Saturday`s attack on Istiklal Street, Istanbul`s most popular shopping district, appeared similar to a January suicide bombing blamed on Islamic State that killed at least 12 German tourists.

In that attack, the suicide bomber blew himself up among tourists near the city`s historic centre.

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 Kurdish militants in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s.

Police were on high alert across Turkey on Sunday after the previous day`s attack and due to concerns about potential clashes between security forces and Kurdish militants during a spring festival this weekend that is widely celebrated by Kurds.
Lesbos: 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 on the perilous crossing.

The Greek coastguard said the bodies of the girls, aged around one and two, were recovered off the tiny island of Ro.

The Syrians suffered heart attacks on arrival at the island of Lesbos, Boris Cheshirkov, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency, told AFP.

Greek authorities said 875 migrants landed on the islands overnight, with some 15 boats, each carrying dozens of migrants, arriving on Lesbos alone on Sunday.

While officials said it would take time to start sending people back, the SOMP agency coordinating Athens` response to the crisis said the hundreds who landed on Sunday faced certain deportation.

"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 SOMP agency said.

SOMP spokesman Giorgos Kyritsis had said late Saturday it would take time to implement the agreement as debt-crippled Greece struggles to cope with some 47,500 migrants currently stuck on its territory.

"In practical terms, we will need the structures and personnel to be ready and this will take a little more than 24 hours," Kyritsis told AFP.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.

The EU will also speed up long-stalled talks on Turkey`s bid to join the 28-nation bloc, double refugee aid for Turkey 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 of the deal, which has triggered international criticism, is to cut off the route that enabled 850,000 people to pour into Europe last year as they fled conflict and misery in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Amnesty International called the deal a "historic blow to human rights," and on Saturday thousands of people marched in London, Athens, Barcelona, Vienna, Amsterdam and several Swiss cities in opposition.

On Lesbos, Gatan, a Syrian who had just arrived with his wife and two children, said he had chosen to ignore warnings about the deal.

"In Turkey they told us not to go to Greece, that we risk arrest by the police," he told AFP.

But he added: "We could not stay in Turkey. We want to go to Germany or France."

A French member of EU border agency Frontex told AFP that officials expected the arrivals to drop off as word spreads about the EU-Turkey agreement.

"Information will quickly circulate that the journey has become difficult because of the deal," he said.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, where some 12,000 people are massed on the Macedonian border alone, in dire conditions.

After a string of border closures on the Balkan migrant route that has left Athens dealing with a huge bottleneck, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has demanded reinforcements of 2,300 agents from EU border agency Frontex.

The European Commission has said the implementation of the deal will in total require the mobilisation of some 4,000 personnel, including a thousand security staff and military officers, and some 1,500 Greek and European police.

France and Germany have offered to send up to 600 police and asylum experts to help Greece implement a deal that Europe hopes will ease its worst migration crisis since World War II.
Rabat: More than 80 civilian members of a UN mission have left Western Sahara under a Moroccan expulsion order, airport sources and an AFP correspondent in the disputed territory said today.

It was the latest chapter in a row between Morocco and the world body since UN chief Ban Ki-moon angered Rabat by using the term "occupation" to refer to the status of Western Sahara.

"The last civilian members of the UN mission... took off on Sunday at 6 pm on a flight to Casablanca," said an airport source in the territory's main city of Laayoune.

The departures raised to 83 the number of staffers of the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara who have left since Saturday, leaving behind a pregnant member who was unable to travel.

The United Nations has said the removal of the civilian staff from the 500-strong MINURSO would deal a crippling blow to the mission, affecting drivers, technicians and communications experts.

The military force would not be able to operate without the civilian component, the UN's top political affairs official, Jeffrey Feltman, warned last week.

The United Nations has been trying to broker a Western Sahara settlement since a 1991 ceasefire ending a war that broke out when Morocco deployed its military in the former Spanish territory in 1975.

Rabat demanded a scaling back of the UN mission in retaliation for Ban's remarks during a visit to a Sahrawi refugee camp in early March in Algeria, which supports the territory's pro-independence Polisario Front.

Morocco, which considers the territory to be part of the kingdom and insists that its sovereignty cannot be challenged, has also decided to cut USD 3 million in funding for the UN mission.

Ban is to raise the MINURSO issue with UN Security Council ambassadors in New York on Monday, after the Council met last week but failed to urge Morocco to reverse the drastic cuts.
Lahore: The prosecution in the Mumbai attacks case today filed a fresh petition in a Pakistani anti- terrorism court to amend charges against the seven accused of banned LeT by including the postmortem reports of the 166 victims of the 2008 terror attack.

"The prosecution has filed an application in the Anti- Terrorism Court Islamabad with regard to amendment in the charges against the seven accused of banned LeT. Since the (seven) suspects are already facing abetment to murder, the inclusion of postmortem reports of 166 victims of the Mumbai attacks is necessary in the charges," a court official told PTI.

The official said Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are accused of abetment to murder, attempted murder, and planning and executing the terror attacks on India's financial capital on November 26, 2008.

The official said the court has issued a notice to the defence lawyers for arguments in the next hearing.

The court office will fix the next date of hearing as coming Wednesday (March 23) is a public holiday in connection with Pakistan Day.

The Mumbai case hearing is usually held every Wednesday.

In the last hearing on March 16, the prosecution told the trial court that Pakistan was waiting for a reply from the Indian government about sending (Indian) witnesses to Pakistan for recording of their statements.

The foreign ministry of Pakistan has written to the Indian government asking it to send all 24 Indian witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the trial court.

Earlier, Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar said that the trial court had already completed recording the statements of all (Pakistani) witnesses in the case which has been underway in the country for more than six years.

"Now the ball is in India's court. The Indian government should send all Indian witnesses of the Mumbai case to Pakistan to record their statements so that the trial could further move ahead," he had said.

Last month, the trial court had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to present all 24 Indian witnesses (in the court) to record their statements.

It had also ordered to bring the boat(s) used by Ajmal Kasab as it is a case property and should be duly examined.

Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, is living at a undisclosed location after getting released from jail on bail in April last year.

The other six suspects are in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.
Niamey: Niger holds its first-ever presidential run-off on Sunday, with incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou on track for a second term after his main challenger was flown from jail to a Paris hospital and with the opposition boycotting the vote.

The election pits 64-year-old Issoufou, a former mining engineer nicknamed "the Lion", against jailed opposition leader 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.

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 situation has created a tense atmosphere in the country where three-quarters of the population live on less than USD 2 a day.

Niger's history is peppered with military coups and it 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.

Issoufou, who is seeking a second term in office, took a solid lead with 48.4 per cent 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 desolate 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.


Lagos: The Nigerian Army will adjust deployment of troops as part of measures to end the killings in Agatu communities in central north Benue State, a top military officer said on Saturday.

Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the West African country`s chief of army staff disclosed this during his visit to a military tactical operational base, near Otukpo area of the state, Xinhua reported.

The military chief expressed confidence that the mayhem would be contained, noting that all logistics and other requirements have been provided for the operation.

Clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Agatu and environs had claimed many lives and displaced many families.

"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," he said.

"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 added.

Buratai said measures had been adopted to ensure that the clashes did not repeat and the people return to their settlements.
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian officials said on Sunday that two pieces of suspected debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 have arrived in Australia for verification.

Both pieces of debris arrived in Australia on Sunday and the verification process would commence in Canberra on Monday by an international investigation team, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement.

Assistance would be provided by experts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA), Malaysia Airlines and Boeing to verify the origins, he said.

Both pieces of debris were discovered in Mozambique. One of the pieces was found by South African holiday makers and was brought back to their home country.

A Malaysian team retrieved the debris from South African authorities, said Liow.

The other piece which was also discovered recently in the nearby French overseas Reunion Island was said to be unlikely from the missing flight.

A wing part called flaperon washed ashore to the Reunion Island last year remained the only confirmed debris from MH370 so far.

Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 enroute from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board.

A joint search in South Indian Ocean, where the flight presumably had ended its journey, has yet to found its wreckage.
Dharamsala: Tibetan exiles across the world on Sunday voted to elect their nominees for the post of `Sikyong` or prime minister and the members of the parliament-in-exile based here.

Long queues of men and women flashing their green colour voter identity cards were witnessed in the morning at nine polling centres in this town to elect one of the two prime ministerial contenders: incumbent Lobsang Sangay and Penpa Tsering, the Tibetan parliament speaker.

A foreign delegation comprising members of the European Parliament is here as part of the Tibetan election observation mission, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) press officer Jamphel Shonu told IANS.

Voters will also elect 45 members of the parliament in exile. A total of 94 candidates are in the fray. The results will be declared on April 27.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is not a voter.

More than 90,000 Tibetans in exile across the world are to take part in the election. In the US and Europe, the electoral process is underway.

In India, voting is also taking place, among other places, at Darjeeling, Bylakuppe, Dehradun and Delhi. It will end in India at 5.00 p.m.

Some of the other countries where the elections are taking place included Japan, Russia and Australia.

A total of 47,105 Tibetans voted in the preliminary round in October last year.

The 2016 general elections are the second direct elections for electing the Tibetan leadership since complete devolution of political authority by the Dalai Lama in 2011.

The five-year term of incumbent Prime Minister Sangay will expire in August.

The 47-year-old Harvard educated Sangay is the first political successor to Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Sangay`s chances to get re-elected are high as he secured 19,776 votes more against his close rival Tsering, who polled 10,732 votes.

Since assuming power in August 2011, grant of more autonomy in Tibet "within the Chinese constitution", creation of awareness on Tibet and education of the exiled youth are among crucial issues before Sangay.

He took over the reins of the government-in-exile from monk-scholar Samdhong Rinpoche, who held the post for 10 years.


By Daniel Flynn and Anthony Boadle SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Supporters of Brazil's ruling Workers' Party joined street rallies on Friday to back the beleaguered government of President Dilma Rousseff, while her opponents in Congress started the clock on impeachment proceedings. Brazil's political crisis also reached the Supreme Court, which has received a dozen motions to suspend this week's appointment of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as Rousseff's chief of staff. The post, which has inflamed government opponents, gives a boost to Lula's political heir and also provides him with legal shield from graft investigators, as only the Supreme Court has jurisdiction over cases involving sitting cabinet ministers. Before Friday's pro-government protests, thousands of supporters gathered on Sao Paulo's Paulista Avenue, clad in the bright red Workers' Party shirts and surrounded by a heavy police presence. "We are all Dilma," read a sign carried by several women. Hours earlier, riot police fired water cannon and tear gas disperse anti-government protesters who had blocked the same central Sao Paulo thoroughfare since Wednesday evening, when demonstrations erupted against Lula's appointment as minister. Opponents say his nomination is designed to help Lula evade prosecutors who charged him with money laundering and fraud linked to the biggest corruption probe in Brazil's history, centered on state oil firm Petrobras. Lula's legal situation as minister was uncertain after Rousseff's opponents filed a flurry of requests for court injunctions to suspend his appointment on the grounds that it was unconstitutional and obstructed justice. Two injunctions were issued but overruled after the attorney general appealed, asking the Supreme Court to rule on the motions. In Brasilia, where thousands of demonstrators have demanded Rousseff's ouster over the last two days, police told protesters to stay away from the Congress building, where a pro-government demonstration was planned for 5 p.m (2000 GMT). 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 Brasilia. The president has 10 sessions in the lower house to present her defense and the clock started on those 10 sessions on Friday, even though the special impeachment committee did not meet. The impeachment case is centered 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 is part of Rousseff's governing coalition, said the committee was balanced between lawmakers for and against unseating Rousseff, but recent political events would influence their decisions. "The large street demonstrations are echoing here. Political instability is growing," Rosso said on local television. Rousseff's main coalition party, the fractious Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), has scheduled a March 29 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. "The PMDB's hurry is based on the will of the people. On Tuesday the 29th, the party will decide to break away," a party leader, Wellington Moreira Franco, said on Twitter. 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. PHONE CONVERSATIONS 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." In another recorded conversation made public on Friday, the president of the Workers' Party asked Rousseff's then-chief of staff Jaques Wagner to intervene after Sao Paulo prosecutors requested Lula's arrest. "Alert the president. There needs to be a State decision", said Rui Falcao. "You have to do something, because the state judge may decide today." Wagner answered: "Ok, let me do something here." (Additional reporting by 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)
BRAZZAVILLE (Reuters) - Congo Republic's government has ordered the country's two largest telecommunications providers to block all communications during a presidential election on Sunday and again on Monday, a government source said on Saturday. The decision, which the source said was taken for reasons of security, will cause inconvenience and possible alarm in a country where there are few landlines and many rely on cell phone communication. It is also highly unusual in the context of an election in Africa. "The Minister of the Interior indeed signed and sent a letter to ... MTN Congo and Airtel Congo to tell them that the state wants them to cut off communication on March 20 and 21 for reasons of security and public tranquillity," the source told Reuters. President Denis Sassou Nguesso is expected to win the election and extend his long rule and on Friday he urged voters to give him a first round victory. Sassou Nguesso, who has led Congo for 32 of the last 37 years, pushed through constitutional changes last October to remove term and age limits that would have prevented him from seeking re-election. Eight opponents are running against Sassou Nguesso, including retired General Jean-Marie Mokoko, who once served as the president's security adviser. (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Toby Chopra)
By Humeyra Pamuk and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will try to convince Turkey's prime minister to help end Europe's migration crisis in return for financial and political concessions but they remain unsure if Friday's Brussels summit can clinch a deal. "Tomorrow's negotiations with Turkey won't be very easy," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who devised the outlines of the plan with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, after EU leaders agreed a common stance on Thursday. A senior Turkish official told Reuters that Davutoglu would press the EU to open up new areas of negotiation on its long-stalled bid to join the bloc, despite a veto threat by Cyprus. "We're on the right track but we're not there yet," French President Francois Hollande told reporters after the first day of talks in Brussels. "I can't guarantee you a happy ending." Even if they can overcome possible Turkish objections, Thursday's EU discussions revealed considerable doubts among the Europeans themselves over whether a deal could be made either legal in international law, or workable. Over dinner, leaders gave EU negotiators a mandate to conclude an accord with Turkey by which it would take back all migrants who reach Greek islands off its coast. In return the EU would take in Syrian refugees direct from Turkey, increase aid for Syrians there, speed Ankara's EU membership process and a scheme to let Turks visit Europe without visas. Much of the debate, Merkel said, focused on ensuring that a plan that has outraged human rights agencies could ensure that those returned to Turkey, a country with a patchy and worsening record on the matter, would have rights to asylum protected. "An agreement with Turkey cannot be a blank check," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel warned, echoing many colleagues who face complaints that Europe is selling out to anti-immigrant nationalists at home by outsourcing its problems to the Turks. Outside the summit, rights group Amnesty International had planted a large screen in the middle of Brussels' European quarter proclaiming "Don't trade refugees. Stop the deal." Summit chairman Donald Tusk will open negotiations with Davutoglu at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) to prepare for a lunch meeting at which all 28 EU national leaders aim to wrap up a deal with the Turkish premier. A major problem is Turkey's four-decade-old dispute with EU member Cyprus, whose President Nicos Anastasiades insisted there could be no opening of new "chapters" in Turkey's EU membership talks until Ankara allows Cypriot traffic to its sea and airports - a result of a refusal to recognize the Cypriot state. After EU leaders told Tusk where they could give ground and where they had "red lines", Anastasiades he was ready to veto a deal if necessary. There is anger in Nicosia at Merkel for appearing to make Davutoglu an offer last week without having consulted Cyprus at a time when talks on reunification with the Turkish-backed north of the island are at a delicately hopeful stage. Tusk, a former Polish premier, made clear Cypriot interests must be respected. But Turkey is impatient with what it has called Cypriot "caprice" and a Turkish official in Brussels with Davutoglu said: "The EU has to see the big picture ... We think there are many steps to be taken for the opening of those (accession) chapters. And that is still our expectation." DESPERATION After a year in which more than a million people have arrived in Europe fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond, EU countries are looking desperately to Turkey to seal its coastline and stem the flow. One senior EU official said that a lack of legal clarity in Turkey on the status of refugees from countries other than Syria - notably large numbers of Iraqis and Afghans - was a serious sticking point to Greece sending such people back. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, facing a build-up of more than 40,000 refugees stranded in Greece by recent border closures in the Balkans, said his economically struggling country needed more help to care for migrants. EU officials said Greece also needed time to set up legal and administrative structures to carry out the deportations and grant migrants individual asylum and appeal hearings. Diplomats said talks among the EU states had watered down inducements to Turkey and included new safeguards intended to overcome legal objections to sending back migrants. Ankara's central objective - visa-free travel for Turks to Europe by June - will depend on Turkey meeting a raft of long-standing EU criteria. With French voters alarmed at the idea of 75 million Muslim Turks free to travel, Hollande stressed the need to fulfil all 72 prior conditions. The draft, seen by Reuters, says the aim is "to break the business model of the (people) smugglers" and to offer migrants an alternative to putting their lives at risk. It stresses the return is "a temporary and extraordinary measure which is necessary to end the human suffering and restore public order". Leaders set no date to start the scheme. Some want all those arriving on Greek beaches from next Monday to be held for deportation, but Athens says it needs weeks to prepare. Yet such delay may trigger a rush to cross before Europe shuts down. Merkel said any hold-up would create a "pull factor". She also said Europe must be ready to start resettling legal Syrian refugees directly from Turkey days after migrant returns starting from Greece. (Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou, Robin Emmott, Paul Taylor, Gabriela Baczynska, Julia Fioretti, Jan Strupczewski and Elizabeth Pineau in Brussels; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Paul Taylor and Mark Bendeich)
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)
Authorities in Greece are struggling to put in place infrastructure to implement the deal signed by EU leaders and Turkey in Brussels to stem the flow of migrants.

From today, all "irregular migrants" who arrive in Greece will be sent back to Turkey.

However the process of the 'turn-backs', as they are known, will not actually begin for several weeks at least.

Speaking to Sky News, an official from the Greek government's crisis management office said the challenges were huge.

"If we had to do it today, we wouldn't be able to do it. There are things that have to be done before we are ready to implement a deal like this," Giorgos Kyritsis said.

"We are talking days in terms of the legal procedures. We have to make many legislation arrangements and then we have to make the infrastructure and that is a matter of weeks, not months."

Under the turn-back deal signed in Brussels on Friday, Turkey agreed to take back all irregular migrants who make the sea crossing to Greece. That includes refugees fleeing war.

To comply with international and EU law, the deal stipulates that each person to arrive in Greece will be given an interview.

If an individual chooses to claim asylum in Greece, and that claim is successful, they can stay in Greece.

But if they wanted to travel further to another EU country they would be refused and turned back to Turkey.

In Turkey they join the back of the queue of refugees eligible for resettlement in Europe.

Each person will be given the right to appeal the decision.

The European Commission has announced that implementing the scheme would involve the use of 4,000 personnel.

"The implementation of the agreement will require huge operational efforts from all involved, and most of all from Greece," an EU commission statement said.

"EU Member States agreed to provide Greece at short notice with the necessary means, including border guards, asylum experts and interpreters."

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To implement the asylum process, 250 Greek asylum case workers and a further 400 asylum experts from the EU would be needed along with 400 interpreters.

The appeals process would involve 10 appeals committees, each with 30 members and headed by a judge with expertise in asylum law.

The turn-back process itself would involve the use of 1,500 police officers from around the EU as well as a further 1,000 other security staff or military personnel.

Greece is expected to provide the bulk of the personnel but other EU member countries are being asked to provide the rest.

"We are doing our best but after six years of severe austerity, the public sector here is understaffed, under-financed, has a lot of problems but we are doing our best," Giorgos Kyritsis from the Greek government said.

"We need to build more facilities to house these people, we have to feed them, we have to provide medical assistance. All this costs money. The Greek budget is very tight. We take money from the Greek budget because as for now, we didn't have any substantial aid from the EU," Mr Kyritsis added.

Sky News understands that the specifics of how people will actually be turned back have yet to be determined.

One option is to send all those who arrive on the Greek islands by ferry to the port of Kavala on the northern Greek mainland.

From there they can be taken by bus across the fortified land crossing between Greece and Turkey.

Another option is to take them back across the Aegean Sea in vessels provided by EU member states.

A source close to the process told Sky News the success of the whole scheme rests on whether EU countries deliver what they pledge both in terms of personnel and in accepting large numbers of refugees in the resettlement scheme from Turkey.

To date the EU has had a terrible track record in meeting pledges to ease the crisis.

Meanwhile, a number of legal experts and humanitarian organisations have said the deal breaks international law and is morally wrong.

Medecins Sans Frontieres said the deal was "ugly and illegal", while Amnesty International accused the EU of "turning its back on the refugee crisis".

Steve Peers, professor of EU and Human Rights law at the University of Essex, concluded: "Anyone with a legal qualification who signed off on this first sentence [of the deal document] should hang their head in shame.

"The... first sentence is a flagrant breach of EU and international law - but the rest of the paragraph then completely contradicts it."
By Sam Wilkin DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States is still fundamentally hostile to Iran and its policies have undermined the benefits of sanctions relief, the Islamic Republic's hardline leader said on Sunday, warning Iranians not to trust their old enemy. Ringing in a new Iranian year at a televised rally in the Shi'ite holy city of Mashhad, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said fear of U.S. regulations was keeping big foreign companies, particularly in the financial sector, away from Iran. The uncompromising stance of Iran's most senior figure poses a challenge to President Hassan Rouhani, the architect of last year's nuclear deal who hopes to open Iran's economy to the world. In keeping with the deal, many international sanctions on Iran were lifted in January. Since then foreign business delegations have flocked to Tehran and billions of dollars of deals have been signed. But European banks and other companies have stayed away, largely due to remaining U.S. sanctions. That, Khamenei said, was a sign that Iran should be economically self-reliant because the U.S. and its allies were not reliable partners. "In Western countries and places which are under U.S. influence, our banking transactions and the repatriation of our funds from their banks face problems ... because (banks) fear the Americans," he said. "The U.S. Treasury ... acts in such a way that big corporations, big institutions and big banks do not dare to come and deal with Iran," Khamenei said. The Central Bank of Iran has also said remaining U.S. sanctions have scared off European firms. [nL8N16D0AK] To drive the point home, the stage on which Khamenei sat carried a giant banner reading "the year of the Resistance Economy: Action and Implementation", his chosen slogan for the Iranian year 1395 that began on Sunday. DIFFERENT VIEWS In a video message earlier, Rouhani said further engagement with other countries was the key to economic growth, a view that has put him increasingly at odds with Khamenei, who outranks him. "I am sure that with cooperation and effort inside the country, and constructive engagement with the world, our economy can bloom and develop," Rouhani said. The president's allies made gains in parliamentary elections last month that could help him push through reforms in support of a more open economy. But Khamenei and his conservative allies have the power to block new legislation. [nL8N1670FR] Khamenei, a 76-year-old cleric, also urged the young men in the crowd not to forget Iran's revolutionary history, which he said was proof that the Islamic Republic could stand on its own and that foreign powers were not to be trusted. He saw evidence of institutional hostility towards Iran in the U.S. presidential election, saying the candidates had "competed to vilify Iran in their speeches". He also said the United States had no business trying to stop Iran developing its defensive capabilities, including missiles, or carrying out military drills. "America is thousands of kilometres away from the Persian Gulf and conducts exercises there with regional countries ... but if we have exercises in our own security realm they protest loudly," he said. (Reporting by Sam Wilkin; Editing by William Maclean, Michael Perry and Raissa Kasolowsky)
By Megan Cassella and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican senators on Thursday raised the possibility they would confirm Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland before the U.S. president leaves office in January if Democrats retain the White House in the Nov. 8 election. Garland began the customary meetings with senators that kick off the confirmation process. He visited the offices of Democrats Harry Reid and Patrick Leahy a day after Obama nominated the appeals court judge and former prosecutor to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13. Republicans are concerned that if Hillary Clinton, Obama's former secretary of state and the Democratic front-runner, wins the presidential election, she could send the Senate a far more liberal nominee after taking office. Garland, 63, is widely viewed as a moderate acceptable to many Republicans, who also worry they could lose control of the Senate to the Democrats in the November vote. Nominations to the lifetime Supreme Court post require Senate confirmation. Republicans have said they want the next president to make the selection, hoping their party wins November's election. Billionaire businessman Donald Trump is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Utah's Orrin Hatch and Arizona's Jeff Flake, Republican members of the Judiciary Committee that would hold any confirmation hearings, said it was possible the Senate could act on Garland's nomination in a "lame-duck" session after the election and before a new president and Congress take office in January. "I would choose a less liberal nominee. And this nominee is a less liberal nominee than we would get, I'm quite certain, with Hillary Clinton," Flake told reporters. Senate Republican leaders have vowed not to hold confirmation hearings or an up-or-down vote on any Supreme Court nominee put forward by Obama. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky reiterated that stance on Thursday. Denis McDonough, Obama's chief of staff, said the White House will watch developments over the next several weeks and months but expected Republicans eventually would hold a vote on Garland's nomination. Any Democratic appointee to the high court, now with four liberals and four conservatives following Scalia's death, could tip it to the left for the first time in decades. That could shape rulings on such issues as abortion, gun rights, religious rights, affirmative action, union powers and political spending. Flake said while Republican leaders were "fully justified" in delaying action on confirmation, if the Republicans lose the White House race the Senate "ought to look at this nomination in a lame-duck session in November." Hatch in 1997 backed Garland's nomination to his current judgeship. "To this day, I think well of Merrick Garland, and I think he's a fine person," Hatch told National Public Radio. "I remain convinced that the best way for the Senate to do its job is to conduct the confirmation process after this toxic presidential election season is over." While McConnell is refusing even to meet with Garland, Republican Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa indicated he was willing. "If I can meet with a dictator in Uganda, I can surely meet with a decent person in America," Grassley said, according to CNN. Garland met with Nevada's Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, and Vermont's Leahy, top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. Garland did not address reporters, but Leahy expressed hope that Republican leaders would change course. If they followed a normal routine, senators could hold confirmation hearings and a vote by the Memorial Day holiday in late May, Leahy said. Reid pledged to keep up the pressure on Republicans to confirm Garland. "Do it now. Why wait?" Reid said when asked about a lame-duck confirmation scenario. "To hold up a nomination so that Donald Trump can give a nomination? That should scare everybody." (Reporting by Megan Cassella and David Morgan; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Susan Cornwell; Editing by Will Dunham and Howard Goller)
North Korea's state media has released new photos of leader Kim Jong-Un watching over military drills.

They were broadcast on the North's state-run television KRT and showed Kim observing the Korean People's Army (KPA) conducting landing and anti-landing exercises.

In the footage, Kim is also seen watching landing crafts approach the shore, as well as rockets being fired and their targets exploding.

The drills reportedly involved surface ships and sharpshooters, pursuit planes and artillery sub-units.

KRT did not specify the dates or the locations of the drills.

On Friday, North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile which flew about 500 miles before hitting the sea, South Korea's military said, as the isolated state stepped up its defiance of tough new UN and US sanctions.

The North also said that the state would soon conduct a nuclear warhead test and a test launch of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on 6 January and launched a long-range rocket on 7 February in defiance of existing UN Security Council resolutions.
While Quebec's political leaders have shunned Marine Le Pen since she arrived in the province, the leader of France's far-right party says members of the Parti Quebecois have reached out to her.

Parti Quebecois leader Pierre Karl Peladeau was quick to denounce reports that Le Pen had met with young Quebecers who associate with the PQ during her six-day trip to the province.

"I was shocked when I was informed that some people, who calls themselves 'youth of the Parti Quebecois,' but only represent themselves and do not hold any position in the party, met with the president of a French political party visiting Quebec," wrote Peladeau on his Facebook page.

'The PQ is diverse'

Peladeau also wrote that the PQ dissociates itself from the Front National entirely, saying the French party's beliefs are contrary to the PQ's values.

Le Pen has been criticized by many in France for what are seen as thinly veiled racist positions.

In an interview with Radio-Canada, Le Pen said her party has supporters among the PQ.

"The PQ is diverse and vast," Le Pen said. "It's not monolithic."

She says some of the members of the PQ have reached out during her trip to Quebec.

"There are some that have contact with us. There are some who look at what we do, who listen to our discourse and read us."

Premier Philippe Couillard, Parti Quebecois Leader Pierre Karl Peladeau and Coalition Avenir Quebec leader Francois Legault have all declined to meet her.

Quebec Solidaire open to meeting

Most Quebec politicians have declined to meet Marine Le Pen, but Quebec Solidaire MNA Amir Khadir said he was open to meeting her  if only to prove that Quebec is a welcoming society.

"We're not there to push her out," Khadir said. "That would be serving her the same medicine she serves to immigrants like me."
Investigators have found the black box from a passenger plane that nose-dived and exploded into a fireball in southern Russia, killing all 62 people on board.

The Boeing 737-800, operated by budget airline flydubai, crashed while trying to land at Rostov-on-Don airport early on Saturday.

The plane was pulverised into tiny fragments, but experts managed to find both of the flight recorders undamaged.

The Investigative Committee of Russia said it was probing three possible causes of the crash: pilot error, technical failure or bad weather conditions.

Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith warned it was "too early" to determine why flight FZ981 crashed.

"An investigation is being conducted in cooperation with the Russian authorities and we are waiting to see the results," he told a news conference.

A strong wind warning was in place and it was reportedly raining hard at the time of the crash.

Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, said: "By all appearances the cause of the air crash was strongly gusting winds approaching hurricane weather."

He said the plane crashed about 250 metres (800 feet) short of the runway.

The aircraft had been forced to abandon an initial attempt to land, Russia's emergency ministry said.

Other flights had been diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300km (186 miles) south of Rostov-on-Don, due to the poor weather.

The aircraft was in a mid-air holding pattern and had been circling around the area for about two hours before making another attempt to land.

Its wing hit the ground on its second landing attempt and burst into flames, the Rostov region's emergency ministry said.

Grainy CCTV footage showed the aircraft going down at a steep angle and exploding in a huge fireball.

Some Russian aviation experts said the steep descent seemed to indicate that the crash was not caused by the strong wind.

"It was an uncontrollable fall," Sergei Kruglikov, a veteran Russian pilot, told Russian state television.

Story continues

Most of the 55 passengers on board the airliner, which was flying from Dubai, were Russian, most likely returning from holidays.

Eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek were also on the flight, the airline confirmed. Four children were among the dead.

Flydubai said the crew was made up of 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.

Flydubai has a good safety record. This crash is its first since it began operating in 2009.
CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 13 Egyptian policemen were killed in the Sinai Peninsula when Islamist militants fired a mortar round at a security checkpoint in the city of Arish, security and medical sources said on Saturday. Islamic State claimed responsibility on several websites for the attack, and Egyptian state media later confirmed it. Ambulances were subjected to heavy gunfire as they attempted to reach the wounded, the sources said. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a massive explosion and said the city's entrances and exits had been closed off by security forces. Security sources said government forces were later able to kill five of the militants who carried out the attack. Egypt is battling an insurgency that gained pace after its military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist movement, in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule. The insurgency, mounted by Islamic State's Egyptian branch Sinai Province, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and started to attack Western targets within the country. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former military chief who led Mursi's ouster, describes Islamist militancy as an existential threat to Egypt, an ally of the United States. Islamic State controls large parts of Iraq and Syria and has a presence in Libya, which borders Egypt. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
More US Marines Sent To Iraq To Deal With IS

A detachment of US marines has been deployed on the ground in Iraq to support operations against Islamic State, the American military has said.

The troops from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, will add to the American forces already in the country battling the jihadist terror group.

The 26th MEU is currently deployed in the US 5th Fleet area of operations, which covers the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

On Saturday, a US marine was killed and several others were wounded at a northern Iraqi base after it was targeted in a rocket attack by IS militants near Makhmur.

It is a district around 45 miles southeast of the main IS stronghold of Mosul and 170 miles north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

And it lies within territory controlled by the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan.

But the Iraqi government has recently been deploying federal forces there to prepare for an offensive against Mosul.

It was the second combat death of an American service member in Iraq since the US military campaign against IS started in summer 2014.

The US and its coalition's main role has been to provide air support, with close to 10,000 strikes destroying or damaging more than 16,000 targets.

The last American soldier to be killed in combat in the country was Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler, 39, who died in October.

Master Sergeant Wheeler, a Special Forces member from Roland, Oklahoma, was killed in a raid that freed 70 IS hostages from a makeshift prison in northern Iraq.

He was the first soldier to die in combat in Iraq since 2011 when US forces withdrew after more than eight years of operations in the country.

Around 3,700 US troops are now on the ground in Iraq advising the country's army.
A US service member has been killed in northern Iraq, with US media reporting the death came after a rocket attack on a base.

The service member was killed at a base in Makhmur, according to CNN, with a US official quoted as saying that a "small number" of other American troops were injured.

The base is located where the US conducts advise-and-assist activities, and it is understood that the service member was on security duty there.

Makhmur is a town about 65 miles southeast of Mosul, a city that has been held by the Islamic State since June 2014.

The service member has not yet been publicly identified, as their family is yet to be informed.

The last US service member to be killed in Iraq as a result of enemy action was Army soldier Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler, who died in October during a rescue mission, also in northern Iraq.
Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu is pictured in this undated booking photo provided by the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office. Gonzales-Mugaburu, a New York foster parent, has been indicted on numerous charges of sexually abusing seven boys in his care as well as a dog, prosecutors said on March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Suffolk County District Attorneys Office/Handout via Reuters (Reuters)

By Curtis Skinner

(Reuters) - A New York foster parent of 140 children over two decades has been indicted for alleged sexual abuse of seven boys, endangering the welfare of children who were reported to have rummaged through garbage for food and bestiality, prosecutors said on Friday.

Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu was indicted on 16 charges of sexual misconduct and endangering the welfare of the boys and one charge for sexual conduct with a dog, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Officials said Gonzales-Mugaburu took in 140 children, all of whom were boys, during this period. Spota said he knew of the victimization of other children during this period, but the statute of limitations prevented prosecutions of those alleged crimes.

Authorities said they had investigated complaints in the past against Gonzales-Mugaburu but were never able to substantiate them. Spota said he would also investigate why children were being placed with Gonzales-Mugaburu and how the abuse occurred for so long.

"To have these type of acts committed upon them, it's disturbing, that it was allowed to go on for so long," Suffolk County Police Chief of Detectives Gerard Gigante told reporters at a news conference, adding some of the children had emotional problems beforehand.

Gonzales-Mugaburu's attorney, Dan Driscoll, could not be immediately reached for comment.

The abuse began in 1996 at Gonzales-Mugaburu's home in the hamlet of Ridge, some 65 miles (105 km) northeast of downtown New York City, and continued through 2015, Spota said.

Spota said victims told investigators they were physically abused, denied meals and forced to stand outside in the cold as punishment. Spota added that neighbors told detectives they saw children rummaging through garbage cans for food multiple times.

Spota said Gonzales-Mugaburu was paid as much as $2,400 per child under his care and may have had as many as eight children at his home at a time. He also adopted five of the seven children he allegedly abused, officials said.

Story continues

St. ChristopherOttilie Child and Family Services of New York placed children in Gonzales-Mugaburu's care. It said in a statement they were cooperating with authorities.

"SCO considers the safety and well-being of children in our programs to be our absolute highest priority," the statement said.

Spota said the New York City Administration of Children's Services contracted with St. ChristopherOttilie to place children with Gonzales-Mugaburu. The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Gonzales-Mugaburu is due to be in court on Tuesday, the prosecutor's office said. If convicted, he could face 50 years in prison, Spota said.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - A Brazilian senator facing charges in an explosive corruption scandal said that President Dilma Rousseff "knew everything" about the scheme, deepening the political crisis dividing the Latin American giant.

Senator Delcidio do Amaral, a former Senate leader for the ruling Workers' Party, said in an interview that embattled ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva masterminded the graft scheme at state oil company Petrobras and that Rousseff used some of the proceeds to fund her presidential campaigns.

"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," Amaral told weekly magazine Veja.

"Dilma inherited and benefitted directly from this system."

An irate Rousseff ordered her government to press criminal charges against Amaral for his "defamatory statements," which she categorically denied.

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 that accusation as part of a plea bargain in return for a lighter sentence -- the kind of deal investigators have used repeatedly to implicate a steadily growing list of rich and powerful figures.

Brazilian politics has been upended by the scandal, after 13 years of dominance by Lula and Rousseff's leftist party.

Investigators accuse Petrobras executives of colluding with contractors to overbill the company by billions of dollars, bribing politicians and parties to keep the system going.

The crisis has triggered angry protests laying bare sharp divisions in Brazil.

Mass rallies for and against the leftist president have rocked the country in recent days, just months before it hosts the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.

Rousseff's enemies are demanding her departure, while her supporters accuse them of attempting a "coup."

Story continues

Some 270,000 government supporters took to the streets in more than 50 cities Friday, according to police. Organizers put the turnout at 1.2 million.

That was far fewer than the three million that police estimated were at anti-government rallies last Sunday.

In Sao Paulo, about 100 people protesting against the government were gathered Saturday on the major Paulista avenue, brandishing signs reading "Lula the thief" and "Get out Dilma."

"We're going to stay here until she leaves," said one protester, Bruno Balestrero, a 27-year-old actor.

More anti-government protests were expected Sunday.

- Rousseff fighting the odds -

The latest twist in the Petrobras saga closes out a rough week for Rousseff.

The president is fighting impeachment proceedings, a painful recession and a firestorm over her decision to name Lula as her chief of staff.

A Supreme Court judge blocked the appointment Friday over allegations the president is trying to shield her mentor from arrest in the Petrobras case.

The injunction bars Lula from joining the government until the full Supreme Court rules on the matter.

The court will not convene again until March 30, according to legal news site Jota.

In the interim, the crusading anti-corruption judge heading the Petrobras probe, Sergio Moro, can order Lula's detention -- but only if he can show "evidence to justify it," such as indications that the ex-president would interfere in the investigation, said legal scholar Carlos Goncalves.

Friday also saw the first session of a new congressional committee charged with recommending whether to impeach Rousseff over allegations of manipulating the government's accounts.

The recommendation will go to the full lower house of Congress, where a vote by two-thirds of the 513 lawmakers would trigger an impeachment trial in the Senate.

In that event, Rousseff would be suspended from her duties for up to 180 days. A two-thirds vote in the 81-member chamber would remove her from office.

Rousseff's approval rating is hovering around 10 percent.

A new poll Saturday found that 68 percent of Brazilians would support impeachment, up eight percentage points from a month ago.

"The odds of a government change are definitely increasing," said Joao Augusto de Castro Neves, a senior Latin America analyst at the consultancy Eurasia Group.

Political scientist Wladimir Gramacho said he gave the government a five- to 10-percent chance of escaping the crisis.

"The most likely exit from the crisis is either for the president to resign or for Congress to impeach her," he said.
Brussels (AFP) - The lawyer for Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam launched a furious legal fight Sunday to avoid his extradition to France, after Europe's most wanted fugitive spent his first night in a Belgian jail.

At the same time Belgium's foreign minister suggested that Abdeslam was also plotting "something" in Brussels, where he was caught Friday after four months on the run.

Abdeslam is behind bars in a high security jail on charges of "terrorist murder" for his role in the November 13 gun and suicide attacks on the French capital, which killed 130 people.

The Belgian-born French citizen, who was caught unarmed after being shot in the leg during a police raid in Brussels, told interrogators he had planned to blow himself up at the Stade de France stadium in Paris but had backed out at the last minute.

A day after his capture, the 26-year-old was taken to a maximum security prison in the northwestern city of Bruges.

Abdeslam's lawyer Sven Mary said his client would fight his extradition to Paris beginning with a legal complaint against a French prosecutor who divulged the details of the first interrogation with the suspect to journalists on Saturday.

"I don't understand why a prosecutor in Paris has to communicate at this stage on an investigation in Belgium," Mary told Le Soir newspaper on Sunday.

Abdeslam "is worth gold. He is collaborating, he's communicating, he is not using his right to remain silent," Mary said, urging patience.

- Abdeslam 'ready' with Brussels plot -

Meanwhile Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders suggested that Abdeslam was also plotting to do something in the Belgian capital.

"He was ready to restart something in Brussels," Reynders was quoted in a statement as saying at a panel discussion.

"And it may be the reality because we have found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons, in the first investigations and we have found a new network around him in Brussels," he added.

Story continues

Reynders, speaking in English at the Brussels Forum, an annual US-organised transatlantic conference, said police were still working to track down suspects involved in the attacks in which 130 people died.

"We are sure that for the moment we have found more than 30 people involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris, but we are sure there are others," he said.

Paris prosector Francois Molins on Saturday told reporters Abdeslam had played a "central role" in planning the November attacks, which targeted bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall and were claimed by the Islamic State group (IS).

His brother Brahim blew himself up in a restaurant in the east of the French capital, and Molins said Abdeslam had planned to do the same at the Stade de France.

But he changed his mind at the last minute, he said.

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, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when the raid took place Friday, said shortly afterwards that he wanted to see Abdeslam transferred to France as quickly as possible to face prosecution.

- Threat level remains high -

Abdeslam's arrest in the gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels 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.

But the minister warned Saturday that the threat level remained "extremely high" and said France was deploying extra police officers to its borders to step up controls following discussions with Interpol.

At the Neuville-en-Ferrain border post in northern France Sunday, vehicles heading into Belgium were being checked, although customs officials told AFP it was part of routine controls in place since November.

Abdeslam is meanwhile behind bars in solitary confinement at the Bruges high-security prison alongside Mehdi Nemmouche, who carried out a fatal attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014.

Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out the Paris attacks.

Two more suspects are wanted in connection with the killings -- Mohamed Abrini, who became friends with Abdeslam when they were teenagers, and another fugitive known only by a name used on false papers, Soufiane Kayal.
By Marcus E. Howard

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A gunman fatally shot two workers at a Pennsylvania Turnpike toll plaza during an attempted armed robbery on Sunday morning before state police killed the suspect in an exchange of gunfire, authorities said.

A turnpike employee and another worker employed as a contractor were killed in the incident at the Fort Littleton toll booth, about 65 miles (105 km) west of the state capital of Harrisburg.

State troopers arrived minutes after the attempted robbery began to unfold shortly before 7 a.m. ET (1100 GMT), confronted the suspect and fatally shot him, authorities said in a statement.

Fulton County Coroner Berley Souders confirmed that all three individuals were male.

Neither the names of those involved nor any further details were provided. A news conference is scheduled at 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) on Sunday.

"On behalf of my fellow Turnpike commissioners and everybody in the PA Turnpike family, we are all deeply saddened by this horrific tragedy, Turnpike Commission Chairman Sean Logan said in a statement.

Cash is accepted at most Pennsylvania toll booths, but a growing number are being converted to accept only payment through electronic E-Z Pass system, according to the Turnpike Commission.

State police and other security personnel are charged with patrolling the turnpike system, which runs across the southern part of the state and north from the Philadelphia area to Scranton, according to the commission's website.

(Reporting by Marcus E. Howard; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Alan Crosby)
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.
A Brazilian senator facing charges in an explosive corruption scandal said that President Dilma Rousseff "knew everything" about the scheme, deepening the political crisis dividing the Latin American giant. Senator Delcidio do Amaral, a former Senate leader for the ruling Workers' Party, said in an interview that embattled ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva masterminded the graft scheme at state oil company Petrobras and that Rousseff used some of the proceeds to fund her presidential campaigns. "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," Amaral told weekly magazine Veja. "Dilma inherited and benefitted directly from this system." An irate Rousseff ordered her government to press criminal charges against Amaral for his "defamatory statements," which she categorically denied. 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 that accusation as part of a plea bargain in return for a lighter sentence -- the kind of deal investigators have used repeatedly to implicate a steadily growing list of rich and powerful figures. Brazilian politics has been upended by the scandal, after 13 years of dominance by Lula and Rousseff's leftist party. Investigators accuse Petrobras executives of colluding with contractors to overbill the company by billions of dollars, bribing politicians and parties to keep the system going. The crisis has triggered angry protests laying bare sharp divisions in Brazil. Mass rallies for and against the leftist president have rocked the country in recent days, just months before it hosts the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. Rousseff's enemies are demanding her departure, while her supporters accuse them of attempting a "coup." Some 270,000 government supporters took to the streets in more than 50 cities Friday, according to police. Organizers put the turnout at 1.2 million. That was far fewer than the three million that police estimated were at anti-government rallies last Sunday. In Sao Paulo, about 100 people protesting against the government were gathered Saturday on the major Paulista avenue, brandishing signs reading "Lula the thief" and "Get out Dilma." "We're going to stay here until she leaves," said one protester, Bruno Balestrero, a 27-year-old actor. More anti-government protests were expected Sunday. - Rousseff fighting the odds - The latest twist in the Petrobras saga closes out a rough week for Rousseff. The president is fighting impeachment proceedings, a painful recession and a firestorm over her decision to name Lula as her chief of staff. A Supreme Court judge blocked the appointment Friday over allegations the president is trying to shield her mentor from arrest in the Petrobras case. The injunction bars Lula from joining the government until the full Supreme Court rules on the matter. The court will not convene again until March 30, according to legal news site Jota. In the interim, the crusading anti-corruption judge heading the Petrobras probe, Sergio Moro, can order Lula's detention -- but only if he can show "evidence to justify it," such as indications that the ex-president would interfere in the investigation, said legal scholar Carlos Goncalves. Friday also saw the first session of a new congressional committee charged with recommending whether to impeach Rousseff over allegations of manipulating the government's accounts. The recommendation will go to the full lower house of Congress, where a vote by two-thirds of the 513 lawmakers would trigger an impeachment trial in the Senate. In that event, Rousseff would be suspended from her duties for up to 180 days. A two-thirds vote in the 81-member chamber would remove her from office. Rousseff's approval rating is hovering around 10 percent. A new poll Saturday found that 68 percent of Brazilians would support impeachment, up eight percentage points from a month ago. "The odds of a government change are definitely increasing," said Joao Augusto de Castro Neves, a senior Latin America analyst at the consultancy Eurasia Group. Political scientist Wladimir Gramacho said he gave the government a five- to 10-percent chance of escaping the crisis. "The most likely exit from the crisis is either for the president to resign or for Congress to impeach her," he said.
From ready-to-wear knits manufactured instantly to customised dresses produced on inkjet printers, Japan's apparel industry is turning to state-of-the-art technology in a bold bid to cut labour costs and secure its future.

At manufacturing giant Shima Seiki's factory in western Japan, garments materialise in minutes, thanks to digitally-programmed automated machines that can turn out a sample seam-free pullover in half an hour with a push of a button.

The WholeGarment system patented by the Japanese manufacturer and sold to knitwear companies like Italian luxury brand Max Mara includes a digital design system that allows users to choose patterns, colours and cuts.

Originally known for glove-making machinery, Shima Seiki took a technological leap in the 1990s in an effort to revive the flagging fortunes of Japanese apparel manufacturers.

"Everyone was going overseas to cheaper destinations for manufacturing and we wanted to stop that from happening," said Kenji Iwamoto of Shima Seiki.

The WholeGarment system allows one worker to operate 10 machines -- thereby lowering labour costs -- and uses limited raw material to create seam-free garments that generate no waste, since they require no cutting or sewing.

After a slow start that saw around a dozen brands from Japan and Italy sign up the first year, today some 800 companies -- nearly half of them Japanese -- have jumped on board, contributing to Shima Seiki's 60 percent share of the global market for knitting machines.

The initiative is part of a push by Japan's knitwear industry to capitalise on its technical know-how to create garments that cannot be replicated elsewhere at a lower cost.

For young knitwear designers like Motohiro Tanji and Ken Oe, manufacturing outside of Japan isn't an option.

"It's easier for me to work with Japanese manufacturers," Tanji told AFP after his show at Tokyo Fashion Week.

"My designs are complicated and demand a high level of technical skill which I can find here," said Tanji, who relies on Japanese factories to produce his sculptural, sophisticated knits.

Story continues

Designer Oe's label Coohem emerged out of a push to save his grandfather's textile company, Yonetomi, which had been in the throes of a decline since the 1990s recession.

Oe joined the company six years ago and introduced an emphasis on using digital tools to create intricate high-fashion tweed suits that are now stocked at leading stores, including New York-based Jeffrey and Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong.

"We use about five yarns at a time to design original textiles... (which) other brands cannot copy," Oe told AFP.

- One of a kind -

The focus on technique and technology has already paid off, with Japan's knitwear sector registering a 40 percent increase in exports over a 10-year period beginning in 2006, a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal picture for textile and apparel exports from the country.

Recognising the need for reinvention in the apparel sector, Japanese textile company Seiren, known more for manufacturing curtains and car interiors, is now fusing fashion and digital know-how to launch a customised clothing line for the masses.

The Viscotecs brand, available to customers at Tokyo's Takashimaya department stores since September, invites customers to try on a sample outfit in a dressing room specially fitted with a camera that downloads their image onto a hand-held device.

They can then choose from a dizzying array of options -- including patterns, fabrics, colours and lengths -- displayed on the tablet to create a one-of-a-kind dress.

The design data is digitally transmitted to Seiren's factory in central Japan where the garment is brought to life via pattern-cutting machines and inkjet printers before being delivered to the store in three weeks.

The process has the potential to transform the fashion industry by cutting down on unsold inventory, which either ends up in the bargain bin or as landfill.

In addition, the use of inkjet printers slashes the amount of water and energy utilised in conventional dyeing methods by at least 80 percent, Nami Yoshida, a spokeswoman for Seiren, told AFP.

However, buying into the brand comes at a cost, with dresses priced between 65,000 to 80,000 yen ($600 to $700).

"It may take time but we are confident that once customers know the brand, sales will follow," said Mayumi Yamakawa, a spokeswoman for Takashimaya.

For Oe, whose label derives its name from a Japanese word, "kouhen", a reference to knitting specialists, the revival of his industry is inseparable from an investment in technique and technology alike.

"It's difficult to explain in words what makes our products special... our products explain it better," he said.

"My grandfather's company was established 64 years ago... and all their technique and our technology is reflected in the items we make."

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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 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 defence 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 centres 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)
- The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have claimed that they killed 21 members of the radical militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia on Saturday, March 19

- The KDF further stated that during a shootout between members of the al-Shabaab and Kenyan troops, two soldiers from the KDF died and at least five were wounded

A firefight between members of the al-Shabaab militant group and KDF forces has led to the deaths of at least two Kenyan soldiers. Five more Kenyan soldiers were injured during the incident.

Kenyan forces killed at least 21 members of the militant group during the firefight that took place in the Lower Juba region of Somalia on Saturday, March 19.

READ ALSO: Man behind Bella Vista club grenade attack to be hanged

The fire fight took place when KDF soldiers under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) were traveling to Afmadow when the militant group attempted to spring an ambush. A firefight followed.

One KDF vehicle was damaged by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the shootout, reports the Daily Nation.

Colonel David Obonyo said of the gun battle in Somalia: Regrettably, KDF suffered two fatalities and five injuries. The injured were evacuated and are receiving medical attention,

READ ALSO: Al- Shabaab attack Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia

Colonel Obonyo further stated that KDF forces had recovered 19 AK-47 rifles, three rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and one pistol after the shootout ended.

The shootout hasn't been the first incident between the KDF and the al-Shabaab within recent days.

KDF claimed to have killed 19 al-Shabaab militants who attempted to attack an army base in Afmadow in the morning hours of Wednesday, March 16. According to KDF spokesperson, several rifles and grenades were recovered from the militia's failed mission.

The militant group has been active within Somalia in recent weeks.

The group claimed responsibility for a car bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia on Wednesday, March 9. The bombing took place at a police station and left at least three officers dead and at least two others wounded.

A US military drone strike against the group on Monday, March 7 allegedly killed over 150 members of the group, although the al-Shabaab disputes the number.

Members of the al-Shabaab were behind a roadside bomb that went off on Tuesday, March 1, near the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The bombing killed at least five Somali soldiers and injured another eight. The incident took place in the village of Almada, about 20 kilometers Northwest of Mogadishu.

Kenya has recently proposed to increase funding to fight the al-Shabaab within Somali territory. A US military official last week indicated that the militant group is still a serious regional threat despite heavy losses.

READ ALSO: 150 Al-Shabaab militants killed in Somalia just before launching a large-scale attack

Image: Aradanet

Source: TUKO.co.ke
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 focussed 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. (Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Pravin Char)
By Jim Finkle and Serajul Quadir (Reuters) - The SWIFT messaging system plans to ask banks to make sure they are following recommended security practices following an unprecedented cyber attack on Bangladesh's central bank that yielded $81 million, a spokeswoman for the group told Reuters on Sunday. Brussels-based SWIFT, a cooperative owned by some 3,000 global financial institutions, will issue a written advisory on Monday asking banks to review internal security, the spokeswoman said. SWIFT staff will also begin calling banks to highlight the importance of reviewing security measures after the attack in Bangladesh, she added. "Our priority at this time is to encourage customers to review and, where necessary, to reinforce their local operating environments," the spokeswoman added. Unknown hackers breached the computer systems of Bangladesh Bank and in early February 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. SWIFT has so far said little about the attack, except that it was related to "an internal operational issue" at Bangladesh Bank and that there was no compromise in its core messaging system. SWIFT prepared a summary of previously issued recommendations for implementing security measures to thwart hackers, which advises members to pay close attention to best practices, the spokeswoman added. While SWIFT can advise members to follow certain minimum security standards, there is no organization with regulatory oversight of how central banks and other financial institutions secure their networks, said independent security consultant Shane Shook. That means that security is not uniform among central banks, making some more vulnerable to cyber attacks, said Shook, who has helped investigate some of the biggest financial breaches. A confidential interim report on the investigation, which forensics experts submitted to the bank on Wednesday, said that attackers took control of the bank's network, stole credentials for sending SWIFT messages and used "sophisticated" malicious software to attack the computers it uses to process and authorize transactions. Investigators said in the report, which was reviewed by Reuters, that they expect to continue their investigation for another two weeks and believe the attackers have targeted other financial institutions. The report was prepared by FireEye Inc and World Informatix, which were hired by Bangladesh's central bank to investigate the massive theft. The investigators did not identify other victims or name the hackers, but said that forensic evidence suggests they were also behind other recent cyber attacks on financial institutions. "FireEye has observed these same suspected FIN threat actors within other customer networks in the financial industry, where these threat actors appear to be financially motivated, and well organised," said an interim report sent to the bank last week. Representatives of Bangladesh Bank and FireEye declined to comment on the confidential report and their probe into the Feb. 4 heist. World Informatix Chief Executive Rakesh Asthana told Reuters via email that he could not discuss the investigation, but that he expected Bangladesh Bank to issue a news release on Monday. Details from the interim report were previously reported by Bloomberg News and Bangladesh's The Daily Star. The Daily Star also reported on Saturday that Bangladesh Bank linked its SWIFT operation with other technology operations belonging to the central bank in Dhaka and other cities in October 2015, citing an unnamed bank official. Prior to that, they were separate systems, the report said. Connecting those systems may have given the hackers a path to break into the bank's SWIFT platform, the article cited the official as saying. (bit.ly/21ClRuq) (Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston and Serajul Quadir in Dhaka; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By David Brunnstrom and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has seen Chinese activity around a reef China seized from the Philippines nearly four years ago that could be a precursor to more land reclamation in the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Navy chief said on Thursday. The head of U.S. naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, expressed concern that an international court ruling expected in coming weeks on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could be a trigger for Beijing to declare an exclusion zone in the busy trade route. Richardson told Reuters the United States was weighing responses to such a move. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion (3.5 trillion pounds) in global trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Richardson said the U.S. military had seen Chinese activity around Scarborough Shoal in the northern part of the Spratly archipelago, about 125 miles (200 km) west of the Philippine base of Subic Bay. "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," he said. Richardson said it was unclear if the activity near the reef, which China seized in 2012, was related to the pending arbitration decision. Asked about Richardson's statement, 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. A Philippine military official who declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media said he was unaware of a Chinese survey ship in the area. "China already has de facto control over the shoal since 2012 and they always have two to three coastguard ships there. We are also monitoring their activities and movements," the official told reporters. Richardson said China's pursuit of South China Sea territory, which has included massive land reclamation to create artificial islands elsewhere in the Spratlys, threatened to reverse decades of open access and introduce new "rules" that required countries to obtain permission before transiting those waters. He said that was a worry given that 30 percent of the world's trade passes through the region. Asked whether China could respond to the ruling by the court of arbitration in The Hague by declaring an air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, as it did to the north, in the East China Sea, in 2013, Richardson said: "It's definitely a concern. "We will just have to see what happens," he said. "We think about contingencies and ... responses." Richardson said the United States planned to continue carrying out freedom-of-navigation exercises within 12 nautical miles of disputed South China Sea geographical features to underscore its concerns about keeping sea lanes open. JOINT PATROLS? The United States responded to the East China Sea ADIZ by flying B-52 bombers through the zone in a show of force in November 2013. Richardson said he was struck by how China's increasing militarization of the South China Sea had increased the willingness of other countries in the region to work together. India and Japan have joined the U.S. Navy in the Malabar naval exercise since 2014, and were due to take part again this year in an even more complex exercise that will take place in an area close to the East and South China Seas. South Korea, Japan and the United States were also working together more closely than ever before, he said. 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. He said the U.S. military saw good opportunities to build and rebuild relationships with countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines and India, which have all realized the importance of safeguarding the freedom of the seas. He cited India's recent hosting of an international fleet review that included 75 ships from 50 navies, and said the United States was exploring opportunities to increase its use of ports in the Philippines and Vietnam, among others - including the former U.S. naval base at Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay. But he said Washington needed to proceed judiciously rather than charging in "very fast and very heavy," given the enormous influence and importance of the Chinese economy in the region. "We have to be sophisticated in how we approach this so that we don't force any of our partners into an uncomfortable position where they have to make tradeoffs that are not in their best interest," he said. "We would hope to have an approach that would ... include us a primary partner but not necessarily to the exclusion of other partners in the region." (Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila and Megha Rajagopalan in Beijing; Editing by Peter Cooney and Nick Macfie)
(Reuters) - A U.S. student has been sentenced in North Korea to 15 years' hard labour after he was convicted of trying to steal a banner bearing a political slogan. Otto Warmbier of Wyoming, Ohio, committed "crimes against the state," North Korean media said. Here is a look at some of 13 Americans held by North Korea since 1996. Most of them were sentenced to years of hard labour but held for less than a year. - Evan Hunziker, then 26, was held for three months in North Korea on spying charges in 1996. After he was apprehended by North Korean farmers, Hunziker spent a month in a detention centre near the border before being moved to a Pyongyang hotel. U.S. government officials suggested Pyongyang was using the young drifter as a pawn in a game of international diplomacy. Then-U.S. Representative Bill Richardson secured his release in November 1996. Hunziker committed suicide about a month later. - Euna Lee and Laura Ling of U.S. media outlet Current TV were arrested in March 2009 along the North Korea-China border while reporting on human trafficking. They were accused by Pyongyang of illegally entering North Korea with "hostile" intent and sentenced to 12 years of hard labour. They were released in August 2009 after former U.S. President Bill Clinton went to Pyongyang to secure their return. - Robert Park, a Christian human rights activist trying to raise global attention to the suffering of the North Korean people, crossed into the reclusive state in December 2009. Park told Reuters just before entering the North that he saw it as his duty as a Christian to make the journey and did not want the U.S. government to try to free him. He was arrested shortly after entering. In February 2010, he was released. The North's official KCNA news agency said Park confessed to entering the state illegally and had changed his mind about North Korea after being treated kindly there. - Aijalon Mahli Gomes, then 30, of Boston had been working as an English teacher in South Korea and was arrested in January 2010 for illegally entering North Korea from China. He was sentenced to eight years of hard labour and freed after eight months when former U.S. President Jimmy Carter went to North Korea to retrieve him. Gomes' family described his captivity as "a long, dark and difficult period," and thanked Carter for his trip. - Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary, returned to the United States in November 2014 after being imprisoned in North Korea for two years. The North convicted him of trying to overthrow the state and sentenced him to 15 years' hard labour. - Matthew Todd Miller was freed at the same time as Bae. Miller, who was reportedly tried on an espionage charge, had been in custody since April 2014 and was serving a six-year hard labour sentence. They were accompanied home by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Miller, of Bakersfield, California had gone to North Korea on a tourist visa, which state media said he tore up while demanding Pyongyang grant him asylum. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Cynthia Osterman)
By Tina Bellon BERLIN (Reuters) - Popular support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's policy on migrants rose to a slim majority this month, a poll showed on Friday, as a huge influx of asylum-seekers seen in 2015 has slowed to a trickle. The survey for public broadcaster ZDF suggested that for the first time since December, the majority of Germans - 55 percent - think their country can handle the number of migrants arriving, indicating that a public backlash which had appeared to threaten Merkel's re-election chances next year was easing. But the great majority of those polled doubted that a nascent European Union deal with Turkey under which it would take back migrants who have poured into the EU from its territory would do much to alleviate the migrant crisis. About 80 percent did not regard Turkey as a reliable partner on refugee issues and said EU leaders should not hold back criticism of alleged human rights abuses by Ankara for the sake of help with migrants. The Politbarometer poll found approval for Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy, which saw more than 1 million people stream into Germany last year, rose by six percentage points to 53 percent in March. In three German state elections on Sunday, the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party significantly increased its share of the vote due to public upset over migrants, while Merkel's mainstream conservatives slumped. However, the Politbarometer poll - conducted this week, after the elections - found national support for the conservatives down just one percent to 35 percent. On a scale of -5 to +5, Merkel's personal popularity rose to 1.8 from 1.1 in February, according to the representative poll of 1,205 people. The pollsters did not offer possible reasons for Merkel's apparent rebound in voters' eyes. However, the immediate sense of crisis has eased somewhat as migrant arrivals have slowed markedly due to unilateral border closures by countries along the main migration corridor northwards through the Balkans from Greece into western Europe. Merkel was also spearheading EU efforts to strike an accord with Turkey at a summit in Brussels on Friday that would allow for a return of migrants from Greece to Turkey in exchange for financial and political concessions to Ankara. German commentators also said the state election results could not be seen as an unequivocal bashing of Merkel, noting her conservatives held onto power in one state, Saxony Anhalt, while Social Democrats and Greens who back her migrant policy won in two others, Rhineland Palatinate and Baden Wuerttemberg. However, many Germans do want the migrant issue fixed quickly and public concerns that the country could not absorb another human tide like last year's - prompted when Merkel said Germany's doors were open to all those fleeing Syria's war - sent voters in droves to the AfD in Sunday's elections. When Politbarometer asked people which party they would vote for in the 2017 federal election, 12 percent chose the AfD, giving the party its highest ever national poll rating. (Reporting by Tina Bellon)
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 Nonproliferation, 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)
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.
NEW DELHI (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. The champions meet former winners West Indies in their next Super 10 Group One match in Bangalore on Sunday. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Nick Mulvenney)
Modified On Apr 02, 2016 12:47 PM By Nabeel

Volkswagen has successfully completed five years of exporting from India to international markets. This is good news for the German carmaker since it has lately been busy battling controversies. Volkswagen has been trying hard to revamp its image and this news will certainly add to those efforts.

The company exports left-handdrive as well as right-hand-drive Vento and Polo cars from India. As of now, Mexico has proven to be its biggest customer, with more than eighty per cent of its exports in 2015 being shipped to the country.

Two years after setting up its first Indian production unit in Pune (2009), Volkswagen began exporting its products to South Africa. By 2015, it was exporting more than fifty five per cent of the Pune facility's total production. These were marked for more than thirty-five countries in Asia, Africa, and North and South America.

Commenting on the export drive, Dr Andreas Lauermann, president and MD, Volkswagen India, said, Volkswagen set up its Indian operations especially for the domestic Indian market and we still continue to focus primarily on our local customers and their demands. However, with fluctuations in the domestic demand and the currency exchange, it became necessary for us to establish a second strong leg of our operations here in India."

He added "Since a Volkswagen made anywhere in the world follows the same quality and engineering standards, we were able to impress several export markets and create a demand there with our cars built in India. The acceptance and rising demand from a variety of markets and consumers from Asia to America stands a testimony to the global standards and state-of-the-art manufacturing that we undertake here at the Pune Plant.

Also Read: Volkswagen Aims to Go More Digital
Author and journalist Alison Weir will discuss her book on the history of the U.S.-Israel "special relationship," analyze media coverage of the issue, and report on why the U.S. gives Israelis 7,000 times more than to others around the world. Learn about the real roots of the violence in Israel-Palestine as Weir covers the history and context ignored by mainstream media. A Q&A session will follow the presentation, and copies of "Against Our Better Judgment" will be available for purchase. Sponsored by Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center and Rossmoor Voices for Justice in Palestine

Walnut Creek Library, Oak View Room

1644 North Broadway

Walnut Creek, CA 94596



In her book, Against Our Better Judgment, The hidden history of how the U.S. was used to create Israel, Weir brings together meticulously sourced evidence to outline the largely unknown history of U.S.-Israel relations. She is also the founder of IF AMERICANS KNEW.



Weir will discuss the history of the U.S. -Israel "special relationship," analyze media coverage of the issue, and report on why the U.S. gives Israelis 7,000 times more than to other countries around the world.



This is a FREE event, donations will be accepted to defray costs. Co-sponsored by Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center, Rossmoor Voices for Justice in Palestine, If Americans Knew and Friendly Favors.



No Charge, donations accepted to defray costs.
Trumps presidential campaign hate speech has stirred up a hornets nest of protesters, and thousands of them targeted one of his buildings in Manhattan today. Additionally, protesters shut down a road to a Trump rally in Phoenix today, and protesters also targeted a Trump rally in Tucson earlier today!

Trump building in San Francisco is a legitimate target for protestersBy Lynda Carson - March 19, 2016San Francisco - Fascist presidential candidate Donald Trump owns the former Bank of America building in San Francisco at 555 California Street http://tinyurl.com/z3ftthu , which has become a legitimate target for protesters who want to stop his hateful presidential bid for the White House. In addition to Trumps hateful words of contempt for women, people of color, Asians, Mexicans, and the disabled, records show that Trumps father was arrested at a KKK brawl http://tinyurl.com/npcnha3 . Trump appears to be a chip off of the old block, when it comes to following in his fathers footsteps.Trumps presidential campaign hate speech has stirred up a hornets nest of protesters, and thousands of them targeted one of his buildings in Manhattan today http://tinyurl.com/hxky8zd . Additionally, protesters shut down a road to a Trump rally in Phoenix today http://tinyurl.com/jbfhztw , and protesters also targeted a Trump rally in Tucson earlier today.Yesterday, protesters targeted a Trump rally in Utah http://tinyurl.com/zftzyn5 , and on March 11 protesters forced Trump to cancel a rally in Chicago http://tinyurl.com/hpd3q6j . Trump has also been confronted by protesters in Dayton, Ohio, Kansas City, and St. Louis http://tinyurl.com/heqopbo , and other locations. Trumps political campaign hate speech has turned him into the most despised man in America, and people compare him with Hitler because of his support for waterboarding, torture, executions of family members of so-called terrorists, and plans to round up millions of undocumented people in our country.Anonymous has targeted Trump for his hateful political campaign speech http://tinyurl.com/hqmlwpu , and Anonymous recently got Trumps attention when they posted Trumps social security number and other information that was already posted on different public records websites http://tinyurl.com/jzqkudf . Anonymous has also gotten the attention of millions with its Operation White Rose campaign against Trump http://tinyurl.com/z5zvwfm , and protesters nationwide have come to believe that Trumps real estate portfolio http://tinyurl.com/juffnqd has become a legitimate target for their protests against Trumps bid to become the next president of the United States.Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com >>>>>>>
We can march together around the world with the hundreds of people in 40 degree weather in Washington DC online protesting AIPAC's Democrat-Republican Pro Nazi Israel rally at: https://www.facebook.com/AnswerCoalition/ and https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal . Also see https://twitter.com/@ANSWERCoalition AIPAC stands for American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, better known as a terrorist, fascist, racist, anti-Communist, warmongering gang proudly supported 100% by Democrats and Republicans at every level of office, including Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Sanders ALWAYS votes for Israel, including during the July 2014 Gaza Massacre by Israel.The March has started. We are together marching into history with this milestone. The kids, of course, are leading. For us oldsters, we lived to see this day and we are with you every step of the way. For support of the Palestine liberation struggle, to abolish the horror of Nazi Israel, Nazi Ukraine and Nazi USA, register Peace & Freedom or Green to finally put an end to the twin parties of war and fascism, the Democrat-Republicans that are destroying humanity and the earth. 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)
[Photo: destruction in the city of Cizre in Kurdish Turkey caused by the Turkish government's shelling.]

Against Deporting Refugees To Genocidal Turkeyby Steven ArgueUnder a new plan, the anti-democratic, genocidal, and anti-Kurdish capitalist state of Turkey will now be the gatekeeper for refugees to Europe. Under an agreement that comes into effect Sunday, March 20th, 2016, refugees arriving in Greece will be sent back to Turkey. Turkey has agreed to accept them on condition of payment of 3 billion ($3.39 billion) for hosting the refugees and EU payment of an additional 3 billion that the EU promised last year, but still has not delivered.Not that refugees are children, well, actually many are, but this agreement is akin to paying known child abusers to take children in for foster care. Turkey, long known for the genocide it has carried out against Kurds in previous decades murdering tens of thousands of people has now once again unleashed its military against its Kurdish population. In recent weeks and months, Kurdish areas of Turkey have now again suffered massacres of hundreds of civilians at a time at the hands of Turkish security forces. Some Kurdish areas are now bombed out and look like Syria.Likewise, in Iraq and Syria, the Turkish government is bombing fighters of the Kurdish YPG and PKK, some of the best fighters against the genocidal Islamist forces of ISIS. Turkish journalists who write of things like how the Turkish government is supporting ISIS by allowing oil looted by ISIS to be imported into Turkey and supplying arms to ISIS and allied groups are sentenced to life in prison for telling the truth. Yet, the Turkish state, which destroyed Syria through its support to the genocidal Muslim Brotherhood led Free Syrian Army as well as more radical Islamists like ISIS, continues to enjoy U.S. military aid while Europe has decided to let this terrorist and genocidal nation host and decide who is and who is not a legitimate refugee.Meanwhile, the western imperialists have also agreed to Turkish demands of excluding Kurds from Syrian peace talks. And Hillary Clinton's emails reveal that as early as 2012 Israel was supporting the Sunni Free Syrian Army uprising because they thought it would lead to a sectarian war between Shi'ites and Sunnis, and they saw that as a good thing for both Israel and the west.The western imperialist and Zionist dream of a sectarian war failed to pan out, however, despite the attempts of western imperialist propaganda to paint this as the situation in Syria today. While the west pretends Bashar al-Assad's army represents the Alawite religion against the Sunni majority that the west backs, in reality, the majority of that army are actually Sunnis fighting for the secular state of Bashar al-Assad while the western backed "moderate opposition" and their al-Qaeda and Islamic Front allies are Sunni religious fanatics fighting for a religious state.While the west excludes Kurds from negotiations and murders Kurds through providing U.S. weapons to Turkey and Sunni rebels, the Kurdish YPG are one of the most important fighting armies against ISIS. Despite western lies, in reality, the sectarian and genocidal warfare has only come from the Sunni Islamists that the west, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have supported. The forces that the west and Turkey opposes, the Kurdish PYD-YPG government of Rojava and the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad, both are secular, support religious pluralism, are pro-woman, and are semi-socialist in their economies and outlooks. While far from perfect, both are far better than the western backed Sunni Wahhabist forces that have destroyed Syria and committed genocide against Christians, Shi'ites, Alawites, Kurds, and Yazidis.Likewise, the U.S. invasion of Iraq has destroyed much of that country and left well over a million people dead while putting a brutal sectarian Shi'ite government in power whose brutal and corrupt nature has helped spawn ISIS and the refugee crisis. ISIS, which was at one time allied with the so-called Free Syrian Army and to whom CIA, Turkish, Saudi Arabian, and Qatari weapons flowed freely, only became exposed for their crimes in the western corporate media when their forces spilled over into Iraq and became a threat to the corrupt and murderous Shi'ite and Kurdish puppet governments that the U.S. set-up with the invasion of Iraq.The U.S. invasion of Iraq was largely to end Saddam Hussein's semi-socialist programs that nationalized Iraqi oil in the 1970's and spent some of the oil money on human needs like health care and education. Yet, due to the resistance of the Iraqi working class, western goals of privatizing Iraqi oil failed. So instead the puppet regimes that the west set-up in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan have circumvented the laws regarding public ownership of oil and instead export massive amounts of oil illegally channeling it through Turkey. With the cooperation of the corrupt Muslim Brotherhood Turkish government Recep Erdogan, ISIS has been able to take advantage of this ready made black market channel in oil to sell the oil they have looted from Syria, Iraq, and Rojava as well. This Turkish corruption has helped fund ISIS genocide and their brutal enslavement of women and children as sex-slaves as well as other ISIS crimes against humanity.It was in August 2013 that the United States nearly took its support for the Islamic counterrevolution one step further in Syria. At that time, ISIS carried out a nerve gas attack on the civilian population. This was done to blame the Assad government and bring the U.S. and Britain into the war. Turkish journalists who exposed this operation and Turkish involvement have also been jailed. Had this planned imperialist bombing campaign taken place, the western imperialists would have likely helped al-Qaeda, who were at that time the vast majority of the so-called "democratic opposition", seize power. Instead, British resistance led to the UK parliament voting down the prime minister's requested action of war. Meanwhile, Barack Obama, who was not going to consult congress, decided to back down as Russia pledged weapons to Syria capable of sinking U.S. aircraft carriers anchored as far away as Cyprus. Syria was well armed and U.S. war operations would not be the same comparative cake walk they carried out against Libya. Despite this victory by Syria and Russia against U.S. intervention, the U.S. covert war and ISIS forces it spawned, combined with the U.S. economic blockade of Syria, have destroyed much of Syria killing hundreds of thousands of people and creating a massive refugee crisis.In 2015, the majority of refugees to Europe were coming from war torn Syria (49%), Afghanistan (21%), and Iraq (8%). Like Syria and Iraq, the west destroyed Afghanistan as well. Much of the worst of this was done in the 1970's and 1980's under the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. At that time, the U.S. spent 8 billion dollars in military aid to overthrow the pro-woman, secular, and left nationalist PDPA government of Afghanistan. Backed by the United States were the religious fanatics of the mujahideen (literally translated "holy warriors"). With U.S. backing, these holy warriors against literacy and women's rights murdered teachers for teaching little girls how to read and write, skinned Soviet soldiers alive, and threw acid into the faces of women liberated from the veil. U.S. support went even as far as supplying these criminal terrorists with stinger anti-aircraft missiles, providing $8 billion dollars in covert aid (the biggest covert U.S. war in history), and Reagan inviting the leaders of the mujahideen to the White House where he called them the "moral equivalents of the founding fathers". It was from this U.S. and Saudi Arabian war against the women of Afghanistan that the various corrupt and warring factions of the mujahideen came to power, and from them, with the help of the U.S. backed dictatorship in Pakistan, the Taliban became the leading warlords seizing most of the country prior to al-Qaeda's 9/11 attacks .Strangely, western propagandists claim that all of these U.S., Saudi Arabian, and Pakistani crimes against the Afghani people were justified in the context of the so-called "Cold War". In this narrative, supposedly the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the U.S. supported the resistance to that invasion. In reality, as has been bragged by top advisor to Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, the CIA was on the ground aiding the mujahideen before Soviet troops were sent into Afghanistan. And far from being an invasion, Soviet troops were requested by the government of Afghanistan to aid them in fighting the CIA's holy warriors against the PDPA government's programs for literacy, women's rights, and land reform.While far from perfect, the PDPA government allied with the Soviet Union, had significant possibilities for replicating some of the advances made by women in Soviet Central Asia as a result of the Russian Revolution. The October 1917 Russian Revolution, under the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky, legalized the languages of traditionally oppressed nationalities under the tsarist empire, education was established in those languages, and republics of national ethnic minorities were established as part of the USSR's union of soviet republics. For women, forced marriage and bride price was outlawed, abortion and the vote legalized, and education propelled women to equality in professions like doctors and government administration. Fact is, in the traditionally Muslim republics of the USSR, women's rights and literacy far exceeded those of Europe's traditionally Muslim colonies and this remained true after those countries gained formal independence under neo-colonial governments.Yet, instead of the promise held by the PDPA government for the women and oppressed nationalities of Afghanistan, the U.S. imposed the living hell of Taliban rule. This brought with it the slaughter of PDPA socialists, genocide against religious and national minorities, the enslavement of women, the outlawing of dance, the destruction of irreplaceable ancient art, and many other crimes. It also led to Osama bin Laden, the blue-eyed boy of the CIA's mujahideen operations in Afghanistan, establishing al-Qaeda. Early on, al-Qaeda's operations continued with CIA support. These included murderous operations of anti-Serb and anti-Croat ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, Macedonia, and Kosovo as part of Bill Clinton's operations to break-up Yugoslavia and eliminate its socialist economy. Likewise, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and North Yemen armed and used al-Qaeda forces returning from Afghanistan in South Yemen as a shock force to help destroy the remaining gains of South Yemen's communist revolution after South Yemen's leadership foolishly agreed to unify with capitalist North Yemen. Today, U.S. and British arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which is carrying out a massive bombing campaign against Yemen, combined with the U.S. economic blockade of Yemen, are creating a massive humanitarian crisis in Yemen.Politically, no government in the world more closely resembles the program of ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic Front, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda than that of Saudi Arabia. It is beyond question that they are the most repressive government in the world. Saudi Arabia is a country that executes people for crimes like "wondering from the faith", homosexuality, advocating democracy, adultery, and advocating rights for Saudi Arabia's oppressed Shi'ite minority. Women are denied basic rights like the right to walk in public without a male escort, the right to drive, and the right to own property. Slavery is an established fact in Saudi Arabia as desperate workers come from elsewhere in the world and often have their passports confiscated and are forced to work for free. Yet, the U.S. and Britain sell Saudi Arabia billions of dollars in weapons that Saudi Arabia uses to suppress pro-democracy movements within their own borders as well as in Bahrain, uses to bomb the civilian population of Yemen back into the stone age for overthrowing a U.S. backed dictatorship, and uses those weapons to attempt to carry out an anti-woman, anti-socialist, Islamic counterrevolution in Syria.It is with such allies as genocidal Muslim Brotherhood led Turkey and Wahhabist Saudi Arabia that then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed the west's building of an international coalition fighting for "democracy" in Syria. With CIA aid, the ISIS, Islamic Front, Jabhat al-Nusra, and the Muslim Brotherhood led Free Syrian Army and their genocide were all natural offspring of imperialist intervention.Islamic counterrevolution, despite it often biting the imperialist hand that feeds it, is relied on by the U.S. imperialist government to pursue its policies in the traditionally Muslim world. In this, the U.S. presently mainly supports Sunni and Jewish religious extremists against all others, but is willing to employ Shi'ites as well, as it did in imposing a Shi'ite death squad government on Iraq. The reason the imperialists rely on religious extremism is because these forces can be used as a brutal club against secular, communist, socialist, and left nationalist forces that sometimes hinder western exploitation of the region's oil wealth and labor.Even U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has now admitted to the genocidal nature of ISIS, but without admitting the role of U.S. imperialism in creating this Frankenstein monster. It is due to U.S., French, British, Saudi Arabian, Kuwaiti, Qatari, and Turkish intervention that the genocidal and anti-woman forces of ISIS today control territories in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Yemen. This is a major cause of the refugee crisis.The west and its allies are guilty of crimes against humanity and has an obligation to Kurdish, Syrian, Afghani, and Iraqi refugees, not deporting them and selling them off to the brutal Turkish state. Leninist-Trotskyists demand: End the Imperialist Wars! Let The Refugees In!Lessons From German FascismAt the time when fascist Germany was building towards genocide against the Jewish people, in the United States the then Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party was unique in printing the horrors of Nazism and demanding that U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt allow Jewish refugees into the United States. Instead, Roosevelt sealed the fate of refugees by denying massive numbers entry into the United States. One stark example of what this meant in personalized human terms was that Anne Frank's family which was denied a visa by the U.S. State Department. Had they been granted that visa, Anne Frank might be an 86 year-old author living in the United States today.At that time, even the Zionist movement opposed Jewish immigration. For instance, at a British parliamentary meeting on January 27th, 1943, when the granting of immigration permits for hundreds of Jewish families was being discussed, a spokesperson for the Zionists announced that they opposed the motion because it did not contain preparations for the colonization of Palestine. The Zionist movement has always been far more interested in stealing Palestinian land than saving the lives of Jews. Today, the Zionists are also part of the general climate of anti-Arab hatred and war spawned by U.S. and European imperialism.Since 2011, the U.S. sponsored counterrevolutionary war in Syria has murdered hundreds of thousands of people and made millions of people refugees. U.S., French, and allied funding, arms, and training have been used to carry out genocide against Christians, Alawites, Kurds, Yazidis, and Shi'ites. These weapons and the civil war the U.S., France, and allies unleashed in backing the Muslim Brotherhood led Free Syrian Army and the Salafist Islamic Front also greatly strengthened the takfiris of ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra. No amount of western spin of reality can escape the fact that western intervention has been to back a misogynistic religious counterrevolution that is violently opposed to the secular, pro-woman, and semi-socialist governments of Bashar al-Assad and Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan). Likewise, no crime of either of those governments can justify imperialist intervention from outside to impose something far worse.Despite U.S. involvement in creating ISIS and the Syrian civil war, the Obama administration has only accepted 1,500 Syrian refugees since 2011. Obama has now announced that he desires to allow an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees into the country. This is a drop in the bucket. The United States is obligated to allow in far more refugees fleeing the wars, poverty, and genocide that U.S. and European imperialism have created. Likewise, EU moves to deport refugees to genocidal Turkey is a slap in the face and deadly threat to many victims of Turkey's wars and genocide.Refugees are not just coming from Syria of course. Refugees are flooding Europe from Asia and Africa as the European and U.S. sponsored radical religious counterrevolutions in Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria as well as the U.S. invasion of Iraq have spawned the mujahideen, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, ISIS, al-Nusra, and the death squad government of Iraq. Likewise, many decades of western pollution have brought global warming, drought, crop failure, starvation, and war to places like Sudan. In addition, the U.S. and EU sponsor the genocidal anti-Kurdish government of Turkey, the murderous anti-Shiite government of Saudi Arabia bombing Yemen, and the murderous anti-Arab government of Israel.Leninist-Trotskyists oppose the subjugation of all peoples and, while always taking the side of oppressed nations against their oppressors, see no particular people as progressive or reactionary. Under capitalism, the working class is oppressed and exploited everywhere and has reason for class warfare, rising up against capitalist exploiters and capitalist governments for socialist revolution. In the 1930's, we warned of the deadly threat of fascism and fought to the degree we could to prevent it in Germany. After the Nazis came to power, we opposed the Hitler-Stalin Pact and then supported the USSR's war against Nazi Germany after the Nazis invaded the USSR. Through all of this, we were unique in demanding countries allow Jewish refugees to escape. Today, while not reaching the same scale as Nazi genocide, the western sponsored counterrevolutions in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq do have similarities to the deadly executions and enslavement carried out by the Nazis. Leninist-Trotskyists continue our long tradition of demanding the west accept these refugees and stop arming and financing genocidal religious fanatics in the east.On December 22nd, 1938, Russian Revolutionary leader, Leon Trotsky wrote:"...Now it is the turn of France. The victory of fascism in this country would signify a vast strengthening of reaction, and a monstrous growth of violent anti-semitism in all the world, above all in the United States. The number of countries which expel the Jews grows without cease. The number of countries able to accept them decreases. At the same time the exacerbation of the struggle intensifies. It is possible to imagine without difficulty what awaits the Jews at the mere outbreak of the future world war. But even without war the next development of world reaction signifies with certainty the physical extermination of the Jews ."Palestine appears a tragic mirage, Biro-bidjan a bureaucratic farce. The Kremlin refuses to accept refugees. The anti-fascist congresses of old ladies and young careerists do not have the slightest importance. Now more than ever, the fate of the Jewish peoplenot only their political but also their physical fateis indissolubly linked with the emancipating struggle of the international proletariat. Only audacious mobilization of the workers against reaction, creation of workers militia, direct physical resistance to the fascist gangs, increasing self-confidence, activity and audacity on the part of all the oppressed can provoke a change in the relation of forces, stop the world wave of fascism, and open a new chapter in the history of mankind."The Fourth International was the first to proclaim the danger of fascism and to indicate the way of salvation. The Fourth International calls upon the Jewish popular masses not to delude themselves but to face openly the menacing reality. Salvation lies only in revolutionary struggle. The sinews of revolutionary struggle, as of war, are funds. With the progressive and perspicacious elements of the Jewish people rests the obligation to come to the help of the revolutionary vanguard. Time presses. A day is now equivalent to a month or even to a year. That thou doest, do quickly!"While the existence of refugees from the traditionally Muslim world, combined with job insecurity and fear of Islamic fundamentalism, is used by the far right to build their movements in Europe and the United States, it is the duty of the left to defend the lives of these people, including their children, without racist stereotypes. In the west, while opposing all religions, including widely held views of evangelical Christians who support U.S. imperialism, the murder of doctors who perform abortion, preach hatred of homosexuals, and promote the Zionist hatred of Muslims and Arabs as part of their belief that Israel will bring the second coming of Christ. These views, like much of radical Islam, have been shaped by the powers that be to defend capitalism and imperialism. It is the duty of socialists to oppose all such hateful superstitions that feed into the nascent fascist movements building in Europe and the United States. A clear line of demarcation for the internationalist socialist movement is our uncompromising defense of the rights of refugees.Today, most of the world continues to live under a capitalist system based solely on profit. It is a system incapable of caring about people or our environment. Any CEO who bases his or her policies on anything other than profit will soon lose their job. Same goes for the capitalist politicians of the Democrat and Republican parties. Arms production, imperialism, war, oil, and worsening global warming are all profitable enterprises. Likewise, it is a system less and less willing to pretend it cares about anything but profit in the face of the falling rate of capitalist profit. In the short run, some struggles against injustices can help, especially if they are based on the potential power of a fighting labor movement like the U.S. had in the 1930's, but ultimately almost all of our problems can only be solved through proletarian socialist revolution that establishes a planned socialist economy that can be geared towards meeting human and environmental needs rather than the profits of a few filthy rich capitalists.Working Class Solidarity Has No Borders!Murderous Imperialist Scoundrels, Let the Refugees In!End The Western Imperialist Wars Against The Kurds, Syrians, Iraqis, and Afghanis!End The U.S. Imperialist Economic Blockades of Syria, Iran, Yemen, Belarus, and Russia!End the Israeli War Against The Palestinian People!End the Israeli and Egyptian Economic Blockade of Gaza!For The Defense of Syria, Iran, Yemen, Hezbollah, Rojava, and Russia From Imperialist Attack!For the Creation of Kurdish and Palestinian Homelands, with the Right To return, As Part of A Federation Of Socialist Republics of the Middle East Created Through Anti-Imperialist Proletarian Socialist Revolution!For An End To U.S. and EU Imperialism Through Proletarian Socialist Revolution in the Imperialist Centers Of Europe and The United States!-Steven Argue for the Revolutionary Tendency
Cupid Strikes the Rebel Heart with a Win at Oaklawn: The Rebel Stakes has been a very strong race as a predictor of the winning going on to be a very good horse. In the past, not only have Kentucky Derby winners Sunnys Halo and Smarty Jones, but also Preakness winners like Curlin and Lookin at Lucky. Then, there are the Belmont winners, such as Victory Gallop. Wait a minute, that is all one horse! In 2015, American Pharoah debuted as a three-year-old in the Rebel Stakes. We all know he went on to win the Triple Crown, in addition to other top races last year. However, lets look at Bafferts 2016 Rebel, ironically named Cupid. The win gave the colt 50 points toward a start in the Kentucky Derby.

Cupid was making his stakes debut in the Rebel Stakes after breaking his maiden in his last start and third attempt. His running style changed from his maiden score to the Rebel Stakes, however. In his maiden, he didnt have the lead until the stretch, whereas in the Rebel, Cupid went to the front in the beginning and finished the race in the same order. So which style is his true style?

Cupid is a $900,000 yearling purchase, sired by Tapit. Tapit stands at Gainesway in Lexington, Kentucky for a career-high fee of $300,000. Tapit seemed to start a little later to the Kentucky Derby game this year. While he does have Mohaymen, Tapit colts are usually littering the points board by now, but instead, Uncle Mo has assumed that role, while Tapit now has two horses that are guaranteed a start in the Kentucky Derby while his colt, Creator, finished 3rd in the Rebel Stakes and will need more points to participate.

Cupid is out of a mare named Pretty n Smart, the dam of ten foals, ten of which are of racing age, either active or retired. One is a two-year-old of 2016. Pretty n Smart also foaled a son of Medaglia d Oro, named Indianapolis, a talented sprinter and winner of the listed San Pedro Stakes. He now races in Dubai. Cupid has a four-year-old full brother named Dream Team, who is also in Bob Bafferts stable. Dream Team sold as a yearling for $1,000,000, just a bit more than his younger brother. Pretty n Smart has had eight runners from her nine racing age foals (excluded the 2YO of 2016) and all eight were/are winners.

Pretty n Smart is a daughter of the very fast Beau Genius. In 42 starts, Beau Genius won 19 of those starts, including the Grade One Philip H. Iselin Handicap. However, after a very good season in 1990, where he won nine out of fourteen races, which included a streak of six races before he finished third in the Grade One Meadowlands Cup Handicap. As a stallion, he sired Irish highweight Belle Genius and sprinter Big Macher. As a stallion, Beau Genius left behind 19 crops with 41 stakes winners. Beau Genius as euthanized in 2014.

Cupid took the Rebel by storm, displaying his speed by taking the full field through 22.96, 46.81, 1:12.11, 1:43.84 for 8.5 furlongs.

Regular rider Martin Garcia said following the Rebel, When we hit the top of the stretch, he got lonely and he locked in on the other horse that was coming up on the outside. He responded one more time, Garcia said. He showed a lot of ability and we know he can run. He really proved today that he is improving. The distance doesnt matter, he can go as far as he wants.

Baffert was impressed with the colts run in the Rebel, saying, Thats what you want to see this time of year, them showing some grit and some guts. He looked fantastic in the paddock and the post parade. He was ready to run and he ran like he looked.

Cupid is likely to return in the Arkansas Derby for trainer Bob Baffert, owners Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, and Derrick Smith, and regular rider Martin Garcia, so long as he exits the Rebel in good order. He does not need the points from the Arkansas Derby, but will likely need to run to have a better shot and stronger foundation for his run in Louisville.

Rebel Stakes 2016 Cupid Replay:


The 2016 Fair Grounds Oaks Field Features Californian Fillies: The Grade II $400,000 TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks has been the most influential prep for the Grade I $1,000,000 Kentucky Oaks for more than a decade. Six of the last 11 winners of the 1 1/16-miles race have gone on to win its Kentucky equivalent, including Ashado, Summerly, Proud Spell, Rachel Alexandra, Believe You Can and Untapable. In 2015, Im a Chatterbox used the race as part of a powerhouse season that made her an Eclipse Award finalist for top 3-year-old filly. This year, with divisional leader Songbird dominating out west on her way to the Kentucky Oaks, two fillies who finished astern the champion last out head east from California to take on the top Fair Grounds fillies.

Land Over Sea will try to do what 2007 winner Mistical Plan did for trainer Doug ONeill and owner Reddam Racing when she breaks from the outside post eight under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. The multiple Grade I-placed daughter of Bellamy Road has finished behind Songbird in five straight races, including last out when second behind her for the third time in her seven-race career in the Grade III $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes on Mar. 5 at Santa Anita. A late-closing sort, she should appreciate the famously long stretch of the New Orleans oval.

A lot of the same can also be said for Agave Racing Stables Street Fancy, who won the Grade I $300,000 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos two back on Dec. 12. Eased last out in the Grade II $150,000 Las Virgenes Stakes on Feb. 6 behind Songbird, the late-running daughter of Street Sense will look to return to the winners circle for the powerful Phil DAmato barn. Jose Lezcano rides from post six.

Local stakes winners Venus Valentine and Stageplay head the Fair Grounds-based contingent. Owned by breeder Rosemont Farm, Tom Amoss-trained Venus Valentine shocked the masses when she ran down Midnight On Oconee in the Grade II $200,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes last out on Feb. 20 at odds of 74-1. A confirmed late runner with minimal early pace, the daughter of Congrats will break from post three under Corey Lanerie.

Stageplay was a disappointment when fifth last out in the Rachel Alexandra for owner-breeder Mike G. Rutherford and trainer Steve Asmussen as the 3-5 favorite. A two-time stakes winner, the attractive gray daughter of Curlin took the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes one race prior on Jan. 16 impressively under Florent Geroux, who rides her for the third consecutive time when they break from post four.

The new Asmussen filly on the scene is Winchell Thoroughbreds Adore, who was a smart winner last out when taking an allowance/optional claiming event on Feb. 21 at Oaklawn Park by four lengths. A winner of two of three career starts, the daughter of Big Brown has been training very well, including a bullet five-furlong work on Mar. 14 in 1:00.60. Julien Leparoux rides from post five.

Cottonwood Stables Midnight On Oconee has done nothing but run well against some of the best stakes fillies of her generation, yet has not gone off below 9-2 in any of her stakes tries. Second in both the Silverbulletday and Rachel Alexandra, the daughter of Midnight Lute was valiant in defeat in the latter after racing in proximity to a swift pace and then fighting the length of the stretch in a race that by all accounts collapsed in on itself. Trained by Larry Jones, who has won three of the last eight Fair Grounds Oaks, the consistent charge must be respected when she breaks from post two under James Graham.

Stoneway Farms graded stakes-placed Dream Dance looks to kick off her sophomore season in style for trainer Neil Howard when the daughter of Afleet Alex starts on Saturday. Disqualified from third last out in the Grade II $200,000 Golden Rod Stakes, the bay filly has been consistent against tough company and breaks from post seven under regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr.

Charles Fipkes Dallas Stewart-trained Northwest Tale rounds out the field for the 49th running of the Fair Grounds Oaks. A sharp winner going six furlongs in allowance ecompany last time, the daughter of Tale of Ekati was a well-beaten fifth in the Silverbulletday and must prove a propensity for route racing in order to compete at this level. Javier Castellano picks up the mount from the rail.

Source: Michael Adolphson, Staff Writer/Media Specialist Fair Grounds

Fair Grounds Oaks 2016 Post Positions & Odds

Race 9 4:27 PM CT

1 Northwest Tale 20-1 Castellano/Stewart

2 Midnight On Oconee 9-2 Graham/Jones

3 Venus Valentine 6-1 Lanerie/Amoss

4 Stageplay 5-2 Geroux/Asmussen

5 Adore 5-1 Leparoux/Asmussen

6 Street Fancy 10-1 Lezcano/DAmato

7 Dream Dance 8-1 Hernandez, Jr./Howard

8 Land Over Sea 5-1 Velazquez/ONeill
- She was allegedly abducted the later arrested by the police with 3 fake result sheets

The INEC officer, Mrs Ekwi Adebisa ( in black cap) being escorted out of the mile police station by police men. Behind her is the acting NDDC MD, Mrs Ibim Semenitari

An official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs Ekwi Adebisa, the ward 10, Port Harcourt LGA collation officer abducted last night has been found in Mile 1 police station in Port Harcourt.

Mrs Adebisa was allegedly found with 3 fake result sheets and attempted to switch them for the original before alarm was raised.

READ ALSO: SHOCKING: No column for PDP in 230 polling units result sheets  PDP

She was later said to have been abducted last night which led to the suspension of collation of results in the Constituency but this morning, she was found at the mile 1 police station where she was transferred to the state police force command.

Already, the state government have accused the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi of hiring the INEC officer with the plan to truncate result of the election.

The abducted then later arrested INEC officer, Mrs Ekwi Adebisa ( in black cap) .

She was first taken to Novotel Hotel where Amaechi and Dakuku Peterside were lodged and results doctored, the state government said in a statement made available to our reporter.

But immediately Governor Wike and PDP leaders arrived the station, more than 400 soldiers stormed the station alongside Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the NIMASSA Director General, Dakuku Peterside arrived the station and directed that the Mrs Ekwi Adebisa be released to them.

READ ALSO: SHOCKING: No column for PDP in 230 polling units result sheets  PDP

"Ward 10 is a PDP stronghold and the Constituency of Mrs Blessing Nsiegbe whose husband was murdered during Amaechi's administration. Her constituents trooped to the Mile 1 Police Station on hearing that Amaechi had arrived with 400 soldiers to release her from police custody.

"But for the presence of Gov. Wike at the Police Station, she would have been released to Amaechi and his 400 soldiers. Governor Wike was at the station to enquire about the woman's arrest," the statement added.

Amaechi, Dakuku Peterside and Ibim Semenitari and the AIG left with the Ward Collation Officer, Ekwi Adebisa.

Rivers governor, Nyesome Wike, Attorney general Emmanauel Aguma (SAN) at the Mile police station

Rivers governor, Nyesome Wike at the Mile police station

Source: Legit.ng
Super Nollywood actress, Uche Jombo-Rodriguez, returns to screen years after taking a brief leave. Legit.ngs Michael Abimboye caught up with her in Lagos recently for brief chat where she spoke about motherhood, her career and the current girl-child marriage.

Actress and producer, Uche Jombo-Rodriguez

You have been away from the scene for a while, what are you currently working on?

We are actually promoting a film by Omoni Oboli, wives on strike. It is about a group of village women who got together to protest about something they thought was wrong and their agitation was successful in their own little way. The women felt that it was wrong for a grown man to want to marry a child. They felt the child needed to be protected and when they voiced out, nothing happened so they decided to go on strike. There are other components in the movie that show that the movie is not fully comic in nature because it passes a strong message to the viewers.

I believe it is God that delayed the release of the movie till this time because we shot the movie in 2014. Childs right act and the protection of the girl child is something people are talking about especially because of the Ese story. The movie is opening peoples eyes because there are so many cases like that but they are swept under the carpet. The movie shows what women can achieve if they come together. It is an advocacy film with comic relief.

As a mother how do you feel when you read stories on child marriage?

Each time I read about such stories I feel broken. There is the need to protect the girl child in our country. Before I became a woman and a mother, I was a girl child. We dont need to tell anyone that a child must be protected. The girl child law is there and it should be implement and taken seriously in all states.

READ ALSO: SHOCKING: No column for PDP in 230 polling units result sheets  PDP

These children need to be in school. We owe it to the children to enroll them in school. That is my personal opinion. I dont think any right thinking person should have a contrary opinion.

Let me shock you, the senate recently dropped a bill that would enable gender equality. What is your opinion on this development?

I dont have anything to say to the senate yet because it is sad that they would drop such a bill. They owe it to the people who put them there to actually pass the right bill. I have always known that being a woman means that I should always work twice as hard and I have always encouraged other women to have this same mindset regardless of your profession.

Personally, I would want women to excel were men fail. I may sound biased but that is the only way to get ahead in this situation. If you do not pass a bill on gender equality it means that you are in directing telling me that I am a lesser being so I have to work twice as hard. If you have that mindset, you would know that it is an advantage being a woman, because you are a woman means you should succeed.

There was a tweet Chioma Chukwuka-Apotha posted where she claimed that people who she thought were her sisters werent, somehow you were part of the rant, was it for publicity stunt?

I have a publicist and I would want him to earn his pay, I would not make his work easier by creating a publicity stunt. I always tell people, if you are involved in the serious problems facing Nollywood, you will not have time for such rubbish. If you are a Nollywood investor who is thinking about how to sell your content and beat piracy or broaden our distribution network you would not think of such nonsense.

Having said that, it was a small misunderstanding blown out of proportion but I like that people saw it as a publicity stunt. That is probably a better version than what really happened. It was a misunderstanding. Chioma Chukwuka-Apotha had an agreement with somebody and it did not go as planned. She did not see herself in the situation she was supposed to be, she said something and someone else reacted and that was it.

How has your relationship been with Chioma Chukwuka-Apotha ever since then?

We have a very good relationship. I know that the Nigerian media wished we had a beef but the truth is that there is no time for that. There is really no permanent enemy in this industry. I really wish I had the strength for that but I do not. I dont have that much time on my hands.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Rivers Rerun: INEC official with 3 different result sheets arrested by police

Has it always been your dream to become an actress?

I wish I was one of those people that would say that they have always wanted to be an actress, but that was not the case with me. I am not one of those people that did not really know what I wanted to do in life. I would say my case was a typical example of opportunity meets favour and also being at the right place at the right time.

I went to deliver something for somebody around a place where an audition was taking place. I was mistaken for an actor and I was given a script to read. I read it and I was chosen but I was not paid a dime for the job.

So your first job was done for free?

Not just my first job, about five other ones I did after that were done for free.

At what stage did you begin to earn money from acting?

I guess I was just consistent. I was an underdog for a long time and what took some people about a year or two to achieve, it took me about six years to become a household name. The movie, games men play, shot me into the A-list level.

How has motherhood been?

It is an awesome experience. Nobody prepared me for the kind of love and affection I would have for my child. When I felt saw my child I thought he was switched at birth because he was too fair. When they first gave me my child I looked at him and I was dazed because he was literally white.

I wondered whether they had switched my child when my husband was not around but the nurse that was nearby seemed to have read my mind and she told me not to worry that my child would still turn dark after some days. They tell you about the love but nothing really prepares you for it, it is very overwhelming.

How did you cope with the changes in your body due to the pregnancy?

To me at that point, Mathews pregnancy was a miracle because I had given up about getting pregnant. When I realized I was pregnant, I was not really particular about the changes my body was going through; I was more or less scared. I lived in fear for about six months during pregnancy because I was scared of having another miscarriage so it was not really about how I looked. To be honest I really did not care about my looks.

Is that why you lashed out at a fan who made comments about your weight on your Instagram page?

I would not say I lashed out on anyone; it was more like a no time for nonsense reply. It is my page and I cant say I would not read comment that people post on my page because that is how I interact with my fans. If I go to a blog and read negative comments about me, I can blame it on myself. If you want to post a negative comment about me, go to a blog and do so and not on my page.

READ ALSO: Former INEC boss, Professor Jega gets new appointment, find out

For two weeks, this person persistently mentioned how fat I am anytime I post a picture as if I do not have a mirror or a scale at home. I know where I am coming from and how hard I have worked to improve on myself so I dont need such comments on my page. I have never been a slim person in my life.

The slimmest I have ever been in my life is a size 8 and I am a size ten right now so how is that a problem. I just need that to stop. If I am promoting a film I expect that you comment on my work, it is my page and I decide what goes on there. So it is not as if I lashed out at a fan, I would say that I did that to reset the persons brain.

Since you were born a fat person, did you decide to shed some weight because of your work?

Yes, at the beginning of my career I was a plus sized person but I decided to shed some weight because I knew I needed to stay trim and fit. I had to discipline myself. It was easy because I know my body type. The same way I tell people that when it comes to fashion, you dont have to dress because the item is invogue, dress based on your body type. That is what I do. I know my body type and I dress according to what suits me.

READ ALSO: Bloodbath in rivers rerun: 1 dead, others critically injured (Graphic photo)

Have you ever considered bleaching your skin?

No I have never considered such. I can never do such because I know how hard I fought to be where I am with my skin colour. Do you know how hard it was for dark skinned actresses to play lead role during the early stages of Nollywood? Then when we have now started playing lead role, I would go and bleach? That is like slapping the faces of people who gave me that opportunity. Back then it was very rare and difficult for dark skinned ladies to play lead role and it is wrong because it is misdirecting the younger ones. I can never bleach my skin.

So it was tougher for a dark skinned person to bag a lead role?

Initially in the beginning it was. I think Genevieve and Uche Osotule broke that jinx. At that time, that was the norm in Nollywood. They just preferred light skinned people but with time it was no longer about your skin colour but what you can put on the table. Before if you were fair in complexion, even if you cannot act, the role would be given to you and that is why I said that Nollywood is a revolving industry.

Source: Legit.ng
- The federal government urged the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, the nation's capital to dismiss the suit instituted by Nnamdi Kanu

- Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, along with other agitators instituted a suit against the federal government calling their release

- The detention of the Biafra agitators has generated mixed reactions among Nigerians

It was about three days ago, that the former Niger Delta militant leader Asari Dokubo, called on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to free the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, with two other agitators named David Nwawusi and Benjamin Madubugwu, went to the Court of Appeal challenging their detention in what they called, strange procedure.

The three Biafra agitators are facing a six-count treason charge. They asked the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, not to continue with their trial, until the determination of their consolidated appeal.

READ ALSO: Army investigating killing of pro-Biafra agitators - Buratai

The three men said that Justice John Tsoho did not accept hearing the trial. He only allowed the prosecution council to shield the identity of the eight witnesses, that would testify in the case.

Justice Tsoho at the same time, refused to discharge and acquit the three men, citing the prayer under section 351(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. 

The three agitators lawyer, Chief Chuks Muoma, SAN, opined that the trial judge, Justice Tsoho, made some mistakes, when having refused the application for the witnesses of the prosecution to testified behind screens, or masked, on February 19, suddenly varied the said order in the ruling delivered on March 7, 2016, on a mere oral application by the respondent. They said this was on what was in tandem with the mere oral application by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr. Mohammed Diri. 

In the DPP's submission, he said: My lord this is because they are already receiving threats from associates of the defendants that they will be dealt with. The witnesses said they love their lives and requested that their identities be shielded from people who are coming to witness the proceeding.

Source: Legit.ng
100+ positive hippie quotes about love, peace and happiness

Are you looking for positive HIPPIE QUOTES? This article contains hippie quotes to inspire and motivate you. You can share them with your friends and family.
Bloody hell.

At least 14 people have died and 43 have been injured after a bus full of university students crashed in eastern Spain.

The bus was returning foreign exchange students to Barcelona from a fireworks festival. It overturned near the town of Freginals, some 150km southeast of the Catalan capital.

Bus crash south of Barcelona kills some 14 people, including students returning from firework display  officials https://t.co/nBfOPEVsgM  BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) March 20, 2016

The driver survived the crash and has been taken to a police station.

BBC reports the exact cause of the accident is yet to be officially identified, but Catalonian Interior Minister Jordi Jane said the bus overturned after violently colliding with a guardrail.

The Catalan governments President Carles Puigdemont Casamajo has also declared two days of mourning after the accident.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims.

Source: BBC / Sky News.

Photo: Google Maps.
You're likely to hear them before you see them. They're alone and afraid. No mom in sight. The sound of kittens meowing.

These kittens were placed in two boxes and left on the side of a service road. | Tracy Parisi

With springtime just around the corner comes the warmer weather, the flowers, the showers - and, unfortunately, litters of unwanted kittens. It's the time of year when unspayed cats give birth. Rescue groups and shelters nationwide become overrun with litters of unwanted kittens who are often euthanized due to lack of space and not nearly enough people to foster and adopt them. "We are embarking on kitten season," Eric Brown, cofounder and vice president of Arizona's Homeless Animals Rescue Team (H.A.R.T.), told The Dodo. "The biological clocks of cats have realized that it has started warming up, and cats are now in heat or already pregnant. There is a 64-day gestation period. And we are almost there. There will be throngs of kittens any day."

These 13 kittens were placed in two boxes and left on the side of a service road. | Tracy Parisi

So what should you do if you find a litter of kittens? For starters, it depends on how and where you found them, whether their mother is around, and how old they are. Approximately 3.4 million cats enter shelters nationwide every year and 1.4 million cats are euthanized yearly.

Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Woman Tries Every Day For A Month To Rescue This Dog

The 13 kittens found on the side of a service road were rescued. | Tracy Parisi

H.A.R.T.'s mission is a method of population control called trap, neuter and return (TNR). This means feral cats are humanely trapped, sent to a veterinary clinic, and spayed or neutered. Each cat then has a tiny part of his ear removed while under anesthesia. Known as "tipping," this helps identify the cat as part of a managed colony. The cats are then returned to the community where they were found. Stray or feral? "When you think of your pet cat who is inside and the cat you see outside, you might think they are a different species, but they are still part of the domestic cat species," Kayla Christiano, campaigns manager for Alley Cat Allies in Bethesda, Maryland, told The Dodo.

Humane traps are used to capture cats for TNR. | H.A.R.T.

Feral cats are not socialized and won't make eye contact, and strays could be abandoned or lost but may make eye contact. Kittens in a box It can be very dangerous for a litter of kittens to be on their own, unless their mom is out for a couple hours with the intent to return. If you find kittens in a box, someone most likely dumped them there. If the kittens are found behind a bush, it's best to closely monitor them, and see if the mother returns. "Every kitten needs to be fed every three hours at the max," Brown said. "Mom must return every three hours to feed her babies. Like clockwork, her body tells her to do so. If momma doesn't return within that time frame something is wrong, and humans must intervene. She could be dead, injured or trapped." There's also the chance she abandoned them. The safest place for kittens is with their mothers. "If you don't see the mom, there's a couple different ways to tell if mom is around," said Christiano. If the kittens are clean and quiet, the mother is most likely coming back. However, if they are dirty and crying, the mother may not return. At that point, Christiano recommends taking them.

These kittens were humanely trapped. | H.A.R.T.

"Alley Cat Allies does not recommend taking neonatal kittens [under four weeks] to animal shelters," she said. "Most shelters and shelter employees are not equipped to provide round-the-clock care for these babies. They need care every two hours. "More than 70 percent of cats entering shelters are killed there," she said. "And that number rises to 100 percent when dealing with feral cats." Although public shelters aren't the ideal place to bring kittens, they can be a resource for support. Christiano suggested reaching out to ask if they know of any fosters who can help. You can also ask small, local no-kill rescues.

Young kittens are very vulnerable and need round-the-clock care. | H.A.R.T.

When dealing with kittens, especially neonatal kittens, remember that they are starting their lives, so they can go either way: feral or socialized. "If with mom and they are outside, they can be part of a TNR program. If not with mom, bring them in, and they can be adopted." Taking in the young kittens If the kittens were left in a box, take them. If there is no box and you need to step in because the mother doesn't return, find a box, gather up the kittens, and place them inside the box. The one thing you should not do is nothing. If left to fend for themselves, the kittens will die. First determine approximate age. One way to tell if kittens are under three weeks old is by eye color. According to Brown, all babies are born with blue eyes. If the eyes are another color, the cats are older than three weeks. "Older kittens are much more mobile, and have all their teeth and claws," he said.

You must be committed to the task if you bottle-feed kittens. | H.A.R.T.

You must keep them safe, even in a bathroom if it's for a short duration, according to Brown. Make sure to keep a litter box nearby. Next, assess whether they need to be bottle-fed, which can be a big undertaking. Reach out to rescues or your local humane society if you need guidance. If you take on the task, be committed. "You have to use goat's milk or kitten replacement milk, and bottle-feed every three hours," Brown said. "You have to stimulate them, and take a wet washcloth and stimulate their bottoms and their genitals in order for them to eliminate." According to Christiano, at four to five weeks you can wean them onto a little wet food, and mix that in with kitten formula. "They will need a little bottle or syringe, some heat sources, Snuggle Safe [a microwavable heating pad for pets], a larger carrier to retain heat, some bedding, and we recommend having a food scale on hand. It's important to weigh kittens daily."

Whatever you do, keep the kittens away from cow's milk. "Many cats, nine of 10, are lactose intolerant," Brown said. "Cow's milk causes indigestion and potentially death because it can cause diarrhea, which causes dehydration, which equals death in a cat." Brown also suggested goat's milk as it is the closest thing to cat's milk. "It's totally safe and nutritional." "The important thing to highlight is that most kittens found outside come from community cats," Christiano said. "If you notice kittens outside make sure you or someone you know is doing TNR with cats to prevent unwanted litters." Don't turn a blind eye If you've stepped in, don't turn away. "You have now become part of this rescue as a result of stumbling upon the situation," Brown said. "If you turn a blind eye you cause more of a problem. If you can't do something, alert somebody. "Keep them safe until you can find a solution," Brown said. "Just make some phone calls."

A kitten who was humanely captured | H.A.R.T.
This little lamb is growing fast, but she doesn't let that get in the way of anything. Like squeezing inside this cat bed. Who cares if your backside doesn't fit in?

Edgar's Mission

Or if there's only room for one leg?

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Edgar's Mission

She's a determined lamb - she'll find a way.

Edgar's Mission

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Edgar's Mission

Fifi the lamb is a 1-month-old Damara cross who was rescued by Edgar's Mission, an animal sanctuary in Victoria, Australia. Fifi's mother had gotten fatally tangled inside a fence, which left Fifi an orphan when she was only a few days old. Pam Ahern, the founder of Edgar's Mission, knew that Fifi would need lots of love and attention to survive without her mother. "Fifi was so small and young when she came to us, so it was important to keep her spirits up," Ahern tells The Dodo. "Just like a human baby yearns for contact and company, so do baby lambs." When Ahern had to work inside of the house, she put a baby diaper on Fifi and took her with her. While Fifi could have wandered into any room she wanted, she chose to stay right next to Ahern. "I was working about a foot away from her when the photo was taken," Ahern explains. "It was hard not to get distracted by a cute little lamb sleeping nonchalantly in a cat bed."

Edgar's Mission

Besides rescuing animals like Fifi, Edgar's Mission campaigns against animal cruelty issues like live export, an industry that sees tens of thousands of animals shipped from Australia to the Middle East and South East Asia where they're often slaughtered inhumanely. As Ahern explains, Damara sheep like Fifi are usually sent overseas as part of the live export trade. Luckily, Fifi will live a life full of love at Edgar's Mission. Besides Ahern, Fifi has made friends with just about everyone at sanctuary, including Ruby the dog.

Edgar's Mission

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the real owner of the cat bed also found a great place to curl up...

Edgar's Mission
Tourists take in the sites at Cathedral Square in Old Havana on Saturday as Cuba prepares for the visit of President Obama . (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Starwood Hotels & Resorts inked deals in Cuba on Saturday night that will give it the management of three prestigious hotels in Havana, the first foray by a U.S. hospitality company into Cuba in nearly six decades.

Coinciding with the arrival of President Obama for his historic visit to Cuba, the Starwood agreements mark the further erosion of the U.S. trade embargo and a step toward normalizing relations between the two longtime foes.

Starwood has already won approval from the Treasury Department for two of the three agreements, a breakthrough in the loosening of the sanctions that will allow Starwood to do business, upgrade facilities, hire local workers and artisans, and conduct transactions in U.S. dollars through American financial institutions.

Starwood chief executive Thomas B. Mangas said in an interview that it has been great to be at the forefront of this diplomacy and that we are very proud to bring our experience and to be a first mover into Cuba.

[The Cuba Obama will see is changing, but much remains the same]

Here are a few key moments in the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

The deals include the Hotel Inglaterra, a Havana icon that will become part of Starwoods Luxury Collection, and Hotel Quinta Avenida, which will become a Four Points by Sheraton hotel. Both will undergo renovations before opening under their new brands later this year.

Starwood also announced that it has signed a letter of intent, pending a license approval from Treasury, to convert the Hotel Santa Isabel into a part of its Luxury Collection.

Mangas said that the three deals were only the beginning and that they leave open the rest of the country. He said Cuba had huge attraction for U.S. consumers before the embargo started. I think it will have even greater attraction now. He said the Stamford, Conn.-based Starwood already does half its business outside the United States, including a strong presence in Latin America.

The deals come amid a flurry of activity for Starwood, which is the target of two competing takeover bids. On Friday, Starwood said it would accept a $13.2 billion, $78-a-share offer from Chinese insurance company Anbang. But Marriott, which first bid for Starwood, has until March 28 to sweeten its own $68-a-share, $11 billion offer.

Marriott has also made overtures to Cuba about entering the tourism market there.

Although European hotel chains have invested in the nation, Cuban officials believe that the arrival of competitors from the United States will improve facilities and service throughout the tourism sector.

[Starwood serves notice it might pull out of Marriott deal as Chinese firm ups its offer]

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Chief of Latin American Operations Jorge Giannattasio speaks to reporters, in Havana Saturday. (Desmond Boylan/AP)

Starwood is planning to make structural as well as service changes including upgrading bathrooms, buying new air conditioning systems, upgrading fire safety systems, and adding creature comforts in renovated rooms.

But Mangas said Starwood would not alter the style of the hotels. These are beautiful, iconic locations and buildings with a style and decor which is very indigenous, he said. Thats what our guests want.

Keith Grossman, senior vice president and deputy general counsel of Starwood, said in a statement that the company plans to cultivate local talent, provide career enriching opportunities, and locally source art, decor, food, and materials to ensure we deliver authentic experiences.

The Inglaterra, which opened in 1875, is a national landmark near the historic district of Old Havana in the heart of downtown. Once the renovations are complete, the hotel will offer 83 luxury rooms.

The Cuban partner is Gran Caribe, which also owns the Hotel Nacional, once a home to American mobsters and celebrities and designed by the architecture firm McKim, Mead & White, which also designed Gilded Age mansions and the original Penn Station.

Starwood will turn the Hotel Quinta Avenida in Havanas Miramar district into a Four Points by Sheraton Havana hotel later this year. The hotel will cater to business travelers with about 186 rooms and state-of-the-art meeting facilities.

The Cuban partner is Grupo Hotelero Gaviota. The Cuban military owns a large stake in the Gaviota group, an issue that gave the Obama administration pause. But the Cuban military has broad holdings, and avoiding it would severely limit U.S. investment and engagement.

Starwood also has signed a letter of intent with the Cuban company Habaguanex to convert the 19th century, colonial-style Hotel Santa Isabel, to a member of its Luxury Collection line. Overlooking Havana Harbor, the Santa Isabel lies in the heart of Havanas historic city center, with 27 rooms, including 11 suites. Former President Jimmy Carter has stayed there twice since leaving office.

Because Cubans live, work and go to school within the historic preservation neighborhood, the Santa Isabel and Hotel Inglaterra both contribute a small portion of their revenues to support clinics, schools and restoration projects. Habaguanex, the owner of Santa Isabel, falls under the umbrella of the office of the historian of the city of Havana.

Note: This story has been modified to correct the spelling of the Hotel Nacional and to identify McKim, Mead & White as the architecture firm that designed that hotel. A previous version stated incorrectly that it was the same firm that designed the Breakers Hotel in Florida.
The setting is London, November 1841, the beginning of the reign of Queen Victoria. A gruesome murder has taken place  a body, sliced with a wound to the belly, splayed across an old-fashioned printing press, covered with blood, terrible and black like ink, everywhere. Soon, more ink-stained victims show up, and the folks in the streets are beginning to wonder whether the supernatural is afoot.

In her dazzling novel The Infidel Stain, M.J. Carter deftly re-creates the squalor of the times, the smells of cesspools and horses, the rundown hovels crowded with too many children, and the gloom rolling in off the Thames. The crowded streets are rife with petty criminals, shiftless hoodlums, poor orphans selling apples and watercress, rag shops, brothels and pornographers.

The newly established police ignore the murder of the unfortunate soul. The local member of Parliament, Lord Allington  who, with his equally pious sister Lady Agnes, watches over the poor  decides to solve the mystery of the garish murder by hiring an inquiry agent, the forerunner of the private detective. He enlists as well the agents friend and comrade, a gentleman soldier recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan with the British East India Company.

This means the return of Jeremiah Blake and William Avery. The team was first introduced in Carters previous mystery, The Strangler Vine, where they had investigated the roots of the Thuggee crisis in India. Now back in London, the pair play off the conventions of the detective novel in delightful ways.

Blake is the Sherlockian figure, an opium-eater, radical in his sympathies, older and wiser, a master of disguise and deduction, who, like the writer herself, always seems to be a few feet ahead of the unfolding events. The more naive and conservative Avery, who narrates both novels, is Watsonian, slightly baffled by his friends acuity, and a stand-in for the reader scrambling to catch up to the plots twists.

The author M.J. Carter (Roderick Field)

Yet Carter has a special and contemporary talent for making the familiar strange. In the course of their investigations, Blake and Avery find themselves at a very specialized brothel, where the madam asks if, among other harrowing activities, theyd like to see the thrashing machine. Avery blushes and protests, but the more worldly Blake shakes his head and presses his inquiry into the murders. One rarely encounters such glorious euphemisms in Arthur Conan Doyle.

Blake and Averys investigations take many a dark turn. There may be a connection between the murders and the Chartists, the political movement calling for the right to vote for the common man (and for some factions, women as well). The Chartists are the stepchildren of the Infidels of the title, a commune of radical freethinkers who had been inspired a generation earlier by Thomas Paine and other Enlightenment republicans. In one particularly affecting scene, one of the Infidels, the very real historical figure named Richard Carlile, who had been a champion for freedom of the press, relates a deathbed story of how their revolution rose and fell. Carlile is one of several historical figures fictionalized in the pages, including Henry Mayhew, the editor of the satirical journal Punch, and Charles Dickens, who makes a cameo appearance dashing down the street.

It is all such fun and so richly detailed that one is drawn down Londons crooked lanes and rookeries without a backwards glance. Though, like the hapless Capt. Avery, one might need to consult a map or hire a guide to find ones way through the maze of streets. Carter has a rather smashing go at balancing the mystery with the history. An American audience might find this corner of Victorian England rather obscure, with its references to the Chartists and the Infidels  not to mention the anti-Corn-Law League and the prison at Coldbath Fields. But Carter does a remarkable job making London come alive in all its dreadful glory.

Yes, there is an intricate puzzle to solve and two engaging sleuths to lead us to its surprising denouement, but the real strength of the novel is Carters deeper inquiry into historical questions that resonate to this day. At its heart, The Infidel Stain reckons with the gulf between the classes, between the well-intentioned and the struggling, the haves and have-nots.

Keith Donohues most recent novel is The Boy Who Drew Monsters.
After reading the screenplay for Eye in the Sky, a thrilling, minute-by-minute account of a fictional military operation featuring three remote-controlled drones  a Predator aircraft armed with laser-guided missiles and two tiny surveillance vehicles, one disguised as a hummingbird, the other a beetle  filmmaker Gavin Hood had a powerful reaction. Oh, my God, Hood recalls thinking. Is this stuff real?

The answer, as it turns out: Pretty much. If some of the technology, which sounds like the stuff of science fiction, isnt in use just yet, Hood says its coming. Not only is it just around the corner, but our film is very soon going to be out of date.

In Washington recently to promote his new film at a preview screening  at which viewers were treated to a demonstration of a miniature military drone called the Black Hornet  Hood acknowledged that there is a tension between the films futuristic technology and its ripped-from-the-headlines verisimilitude. Against a backdrop of high-tech gizmos, the story revolves around the hunt for a fugitive Englishwoman suspected of working with the East Africa-based al-Shabab militant group. (That character is based on real-life terrorism suspect Samantha Lewthwaite. Actual Somali refugees who fled al-Shabab were cast as Kenyans in the film. Hood says he interviewed military intelligence officers and drone pilots for authenticity.)

The story, by Guy Hibbert, jumps back and forth between an al-Shabab safe house in Nairobi, where a suicide bombing is in preparation, and a British military base. From that command post, a British intelligence officer, played by Helen Mirren, interacts with a constellation of far-flung intermediaries: two drone pilots in Nevada; ground troops in Kenya; image analysts in Hawaii (who can, were told, ID a suspect based on a grainy photo of her ear); and cabinet-level observers in a London briefing room. Despite the films preoccupation with military jargon and tech-speak  You tell me the next time you take off my GBU-12s! Mirrens colonel barks, after learning that ordnance has been removed from her Predator  Hood insists he was not interested in telling a conventional war story  that is, one concerned with who wins the day and who loses, and how that is accomplished.

The more important question, he says, is How do we win the big fight?

Helen Mirren stars as Col. Katherine Powell in Gavin Hoods Eye in the Sky. (Keith Bernstein/Bleecker Street)

That question has long intrigued the 52-year-old Hood, a Los Angeles-based South African who was drafted by his countrys Marines at age 17 and subsequently trained as a lawyer. (He practiced for only 4 1/ 2 months before embarking on a successful career as an actor. Hood, who has a small part in Eye, says he got the idea for his directorial debut, the 1999 legal thriller A Reasonable Man, from a court case he heard about while practicing law.)

Hood says his legal background fueled his storytelling impulse, which has also produced the 2007 Rendition, a political drama about the practice of extraordinary rendition  that is, extralegal kidnapping and torture of terrorism suspects  by the U.S. government  and Enders Game, a 2013 sci-fi adventure about the morality of preemptive war.

In a sense, Hood says, all good drama is about people in conflict, and law is usually about people in conflict. I think the stories that I like to tell and find most interesting to watch are stories that prompt us to think, without clubbing us over the head.

Eye in the Sky has to do with collateral damage. As Mirrens character is about to give the order to release a Hellfire missile, a child (Aisha Takow) wanders into the blast radius of the target house. This projected field of destruction is known, in shockingly blunt military parlance, as the bugsplat. Although Eye in the Sky includes frank discussion of the value of one childs life as weighed against the 80 potential victims of a suicide bombing, Hood says the screenplay intentionally avoids characters with cavalier attitudes. The Creech Air Force Base bunker where the films drone operators (played by Aaron Paul and Phoebe Fox) work  and ultimately question their work  is, in some ways, the films moral heart.

The point of the movie, Hood says, is not to argue for a single point of view, but to generate a conversation about the cost of war. A single Hellfire costs $70,000; a Predator drone $28 million. According to Hood, though, Eye in the Sky is concerned with less obvious tolls, as measured by such things as civilian casualties, bad publicity and post-traumatic stress disorder among troops. (According to the U.S. military, PTSD is a growing concern for drone pilots.)

Hood worries that we may be winning the ground battle while losing the propaganda war. How many more terrorists are we creating, he wonders, when we inadvertently kill a child in the effort to stop a far worse calamity? In its essence, Hood compares Eye in the Sky to an elaborate version of the trolley problem, a thought exercise in which a train operator must confront an ethical dilemma: redirect a runaway trolley from one track  where several people would potentially be killed  to a second track, in which only one fatality would occur.

As [philosopher and political theorist] Hannah Arendt said, whenever you choose the lesser of two evils, dont forget: Youre still choosing evil, Hood says. What I am definitely not a fan of is this simplistic idea of good versus evil.

Hood argues that that idea is reinforced by a lot of mainstream movies. Ever since Star Wars hijacked the heros journey and said, The hero is good, we have to have an antagonist, he says. All the screenwriting books started coming out, talking about Have a hero, have an antagonist. But the heros not always good. This is not true. This is not even human.

According to Hood, it was something of a surprise to step back and realize that his last three films  Rendition, Enders Game and Eye in the Sky  could all arguably be called antiwar movies. Its a surprise, he says, for two reasons: that message was never his intent  I didnt do it consciously, he insists  and he isnt actually against war.

One thing I am not is a pacifist, says the filmmaker, who defines the term as someone who would say, I would never, ever pick up a weapon.  These days, his passion for battle manifests itself in making movies that argue for complexity and questioning the nature of, but not the need for, fighting. I am, Hood says, a reluctant warrior.

An earlier version of this story misidentified the actress who plays the young girl. This version has been corrected.

Eye in the Sky (R, 102 minutes). At area theaters.
Navy Cmdr. Aaron Rugh at the 2015 ceremony in which he became a judge for the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. (Natalie Morehouse/U.S. Navy photo)

The three officers instructed to decide whether Maj. Mark Thompson should be expelled from the Marine Corps for sexual misconduct had just heard opening arguments when the government called its first witness.

Aaron Rugh was the U.S. Navy commander who had led the prosecution against Thompson at a court-martial 10 months earlier. He would testify by phone.

Before this witness is called, I would like a proffer of relevancy, complained Maj. Joseph Grimm, Thompsons attorney. It is highly unusual for a former prosecutor to testify in a case like this.

Thompson had been accused of having sex with two female students he knew through the rifle team at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he taught history. At his 2013 court-martial, Thompson was acquitted of a rape charge but convicted of five lesser crimes. In March 2014, after serving two months in a military brig, he faced what is known as a board of inquiry, which would determine whether he should be kicked out of the Corps.

What Rugh  now a judge on the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals  told them that day has since come under intense scrutiny, which could lead to an internal investigation and potentially serious consequences.

Maj. Mark Thompson, who was convicted of sexual misconduct in a case involving two female students, at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was a history teacher. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

He testified that government authorities had interviewed family members of Sarah Stadler, one of the two accusers, about a key night in the case  a claim Stadlers mother and brother vehemently denied to The Washington Post.

The Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy wouldnt allow Rugh to be interviewed, and a spokeswoman has repeatedly declined to discuss the case because it is under appeal. But she strongly defended the judge Thursday.

Commander Rugh strenuously denies the allegation that he was untruthful during the board of inquiry, Jennifer Zeldis said. He has a strong reputation for integrity and fair dealing as a prosecutor, defense counsel and military judge.

In January, when The Post first informed the military that Rugh had been accused of lying under oath, Zeldis said Rughs testimony before the board was accurate to the best of his recollection at the time.

But he also made at least two other statements at the hearing that are now being challenged  one related to the location of witnesses at the court-martial, and another that referred to the nature of the text messages between Stadler and Thompson.

Rugh acknowledged to the board that he had not reviewed the case file before testifying.

Its troubling that Cmdr. Rugh was, in the kindest light, seemingly negligent when he made apparently false statements under oath at Thompsons administrative board, Rachel VanLandingham, a former U.S. Air Force judge advocate, said in an email. If true, such recklessness brings into question his fitness as a judge on the military court of criminal appeals on which he is sitting, and Im confident the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, who has a stellar record of integrity, will investigate appropriately.

After a flawed sexual assault investigation, a Naval Academy instructor tries to prove he has done nothing wrong. But did he? (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)

[A Marines Convictions]

Why Rugh testified in the first place has also raised questions. Four military law experts told The Post that prosecutors almost never do that.

In my own experience, I cant think of a time that Ive seen it happen, said Christian L. Reismeier, a retired rear admiral who served as chief judge of the Navy during his 31-year military career. Theres nothing that prohibits it. Its just unusual.

According to the testimony, Rugh wanted to address an aspect of the case not presented to the court-martial jury.

Stadler had alleged that she and Thompson had consensual sex about seven times over four months in 2011  including once when they were joined by a male friend of his, also a Marine. During the trial, she spotted that Marine, whose name she had forgotten. He was at the Washington Navy Yard to testify on Thompsons behalf.

Rugh explained to the board how Stadler had made the identification. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service later confronted the other officer, but he invoked his right to remain silent, and the query ended.

Rughs decision to testify, though, opened him to questions from both the defense attorneys and the three board members, who didnt hide their skepticism of Thompsons conviction.

They repeatedly pushed Rugh to describe the evidence that had proved Thompsons guilt.

One member, Col. Sekou S. Karega, specifically pressed him about the evening of Stadlers graduation. Stadler had testified that she and Thompson had sex that night for a final time before she left Annapolis to start her career as an officer. (After being reached by The Post earlier this year, Stadler discovered her old cellphone, which revealed that she and Thompson had seen each other the night after her graduation.)

Rugh told the board that Stadlers family, her brother, et cetera had verified that she had been with them at their rental house on graduation night before leaving, then returning later.

But in an interview with The Post, Stadlers mother, Laurel, called the former prosecutors statement a complete and total lie. She and her son denied that they had ever spoken to investigators about the case.

Both Stadler and the woman who had alleged that Thompson raped her said they were never notified about the board of inquiry, which allowed him to remain a Marine and also protested his conviction.

Stadler recently read a transcript of the hearing and said that Rugh told members something else that was inaccurate.

At the court-martial, most of the government witnesses stayed in one general room while they waited to be called, Rugh testified. But he said that the two women were placed in an entirely separate witness room because of some of the discomfort or embarrassment for them.

That wasnt true, said Stadler, who recalled being placed in a small room along with the other government witnesses throughout most of the trial. Two of those people confirmed to The Post that she was there with them.

It was awkward, she said. Youre sitting there just feeling judged.

Stadler said she twice spent time alone in another room: Once when she reviewed her old statements just before taking the stand and again later in the proceedings so she could make travel plans to leave the District.

During his testimony, Rugh was also asked if it was possible that the text messages between Stadler and Thompson were related to the rifle team and not a sexual relationship. At the time, none of the texts between them had been found.

Rugh repeatedly denied that they could have been, testifying that it is impossible within any kind of reasonable possibility that those text messages had anything to do with the shooting team.

But, The Post has since discovered, some of them did have to do with the shooting team  and other topics entirely unrelated to a sexual relationship.

Many of the more than 650 texts, however, did strongly imply that Stadler and Thompson were involved in an inappropriate relationship  directly contradicting Thompsons own sworn testimony to the board.

Thompsons criminal convictions remain under appeal. Rugh, who now sits on the appellate court that will consider Thompsons case, wont be involved because of his role at the court-martial. But military justice experts say that the allegations against Rugh are significant.

Professional misconduct by a judge advocate can lead to suspension or revocation of the right to practice, and for a sitting judge could lead to removal for cause if the charge is proven, Eugene Fidell, who teaches at Yale Law School, said in an email. A mere memory lapse could be asserted by the prosecutor, but he would have to explain under oath if an investigation is conducted.
Reaction was sharply divided over my column two months ago on Northern Virginia Community College student Sonja Andersons struggle to find good advisers and professors. Community college students and former students thought it was accurate. Their professors thought the opposite.

The problems of one student, said Charles Errico, a professor and assistant dean at the huge two-year school known as NOVA, do not represent those of the more than 75,000 who attend the school.

[Community college students deserve better than they are getting]

Sadly, he offered no data to illustrate that. The same can be said of the other faculty who defended their institutions. It is hard to get a grip on community colleges (and four-year colleges as well) because they rarely reveal the details of what they are doing about important issues such as shortages of academic advisers. They also resist independent attempts to assess how much their students are learning.

[Erricos letter: The opportunities that Northern Virginia Community College offers]

Fortunately, the Center for Community College Student Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin has been examining what is happening inside the two-year schools that educate more than 40 percent of the nations undergraduates. Its new 2016 national report is not encouraging.

The report cites research showing that when an advisor helps a student develop an academic plan, that student is more likely to succeed. Its survey of more than 63,000 community college students found that just 44 percent agreed with the statement an advisor helped me set academic goals and create a plan for achieving them.

Anderson told me that the advisers she encountered at NOVA were ignorant of key graduation requirements. For her first two years, she was not assigned an adviser, and she eventually had to find one herself.

The centers research shows NOVA is not the only campus having trouble getting a substantial number of its students prepared for work or four-year colleges. Most community colleges are short of funds, and they often get little attention  particularly from education writers like me.

Yet they are very important. Both of my parents attended community college. My brother worked at one for most of his career. Families and high school teachers trying to get struggling students into college know that the two-year schools are often their only hope. But the centers 2016 report reveals a troubling level of self-deception among students who reach community colleges. I suspect that is in part a result of their getting so little useful advice from college staff.

Sixty-one percent of students said they could attain their academic goals within two years. Seventy-six percent said they were on track to reach those goals. Yet just 39 percent of community college students get a certificate, an associates degree or a four-year college bachelors degree within six years.

The detachment from reality begins before students start their first classes, the center reported. Sixty-six percent said they were informed more than a month in advance that because of their poor academic records they had to take placement tests to get into credit courses in math and English at their community college. But 59 percent said they did nothing to prepare for those exams.

NOVA President Scott Ralls sent me a sensible statement saying he knows that the college has work to do. NOVA spokeswoman Kathy Thompson said the schools Quality Enhancement Plan is striving to retain students by establishing relationships, fostering connections with advisors and faculty, and teaching students how to plan and evaluate their academic performance.

It would help everyone if NOVA and other colleges had some numbers to buttress such hopeful statements. What percentage of new students saw an adviser last year and for how long? How many advisers do the colleges have compared with 10 years ago? How many will be hired in the future?

In fall 2015, Thompson told me, 33 percent of students involved in initiatives to improve student success received formalized advising. Im happy that NOVA is gathering such data. But it and the rest of the nations community colleges need to do much better than that.


Outgoing Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) waves from the gallery in 2015 as he waits to watch Larry Hogan (R) take the oath of office to become the 62nd governor of Maryland. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

This is the first in a series of profiles of the six candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to represent Marylands 4th Congressional District.

In the middle of his grueling 2014 gubernatorial campaign, Anthony G. Brown paused to bury his father, a Jamaican immigrant who had built a medical practice on Long Island.

Among Roy Browns belongings was a box of invoices with the payment lines blank and a note from a patient, thanking him for debts he had forgiven.

He was rewarded in the satisfaction of knowing that he made a difference in the lives of the people he touched, Brown recalled recently, his eyes watering as he looked away. Thats the kind of life I want.

There is little voters dont know about Brown the politician, who after years as a state delegate and lieutenant governor has the highest name recognition  and arguably the strongest governing credentials  of any of the six Democrats running to represent Marylands 4th Congressional District. (Several Republicans are also running, but the district is overwhelmingly Democratic, and whoever wins that partys nomination will be heavily favored in November.)

[For Anthony Brown, discipline and detail are key]

Ads from the governors race described Browns Ivy League education and decorated military career; his meteoric rise from first-term delegate to majority whip in the state legislature; and his deep dedication to public service.

But Browns stiff persona during that campaign meant few voters saw what supporters describe as his warm personal side. People wanted to touch and feel their governor, said former delegate Aisha Braveboy (D), a friend of Browns. I dont think the campaign gave people an opportunity to see who he was as a person.

Brown lost the governors race to Republican Larry Hogan by four percentage points, an embarrassing defeat in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2 to 1. A few months later, when Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) decided to give up her seat in Congress to run for Senate, Brown saw his chance for political redemption.

Sometimes in life you are going to get knocked down, Brown says, reciting words hed heard his father say. But you have to pick yourself up and stay in the fight.



Congressional hopeful Anthony Brown, right, speaks at a candidates forum in February. Terence Strait, another Democratic candidate, looks on. (Mark Gail/For The Washington Post)

At the start of the congressional race, Brown seemed less determined than some of his competitors, sending fewer emails and staying largely silent on social media. His fundraising was sluggish.

He has picked up the pace in the new year. But with just a few weeks to go before the primary, it is unclear whether that will be enough.

[Contest to succeed Edwards dominated by three veteran politicians]





The 54-year-old father of three says he is trying to reveal more about himself to voters in the district, which is anchored in densely populated Prince Georges County and stretches into more rural Anne Arundel County.

Weve been talking directly to voters, weve knocked on thousands of doors, made 20,000 phone calls, said campaign manager Derrick Green. When they talk to him on the street, some people have said Weve got your back this time. 

During a recent interview, Brown spoke extensively about his upbringing and his racial identity. He talked about his father being the result of a one-night stand in Cuba. He went into detail about the challenges his parents experienced as an interracial couple  a topic he was not willing to discuss when he was vying to become the first African American governor of Maryland.

As a politician of color, he says now, You have to step up and fulfill those expectations that you are going to be the advocate, the champion.

Earl Adams Jr., Browns former chief of staff, said the candidate seems like a totally different guy.

This is the Anthony Brown wearing out the shoe leather as if he literally just arrived in the district, Adams said. He wants people to get to know him.



In 2012, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, left, Gov. Martin O'Malley and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) posed for a photograph after signing the Civil Marriage Protection Act legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. (Linda Davidson/THE WASHINGTON POST)

Browns critics say he had few stand-alone accomplishments in eight years as deputy to then-Gov. Martin OMalley (D), and one glaring failure: He was responsible for overseeing the states implementation of President Obamas Affordable Care Act, including a deeply flawed sign-up website that crashed on the day it debuted.The state had to fire its contractor and painstakingly rebuild the system.

Brown is apologetic about the failure, but also says he delegated responsibility for the site and was unaware of the problems with vendors. He routinely tells voters he is not going to talk about what Ive done, but what I will do if elected to Congress.

When pressed, he says that he shepherded laws in the House of Delegates that boosted aid for veterans, led to tort reform and helped victims of domestic violence.

He also touts OMalley administration initiatives to legalize same-sex marriage, abolish the death penalty and tighten gun control.

Brown reminds voters it was the OMalley administration that placed a moratorium on foreclosures that helped many Prince Georges homeowners during the worst of the housing bust.

If elected, Brown says, he will focus on constituent services, securing federal dollars and contracts for local businesses and protecting programs such as Social Security.

Its less about the past and that the fact he ran for governor, Green said. Its more about the future and that people believe he will fight for them in Congress.

Next: 4th District candidate Warren Christopher (D).
David Trone has until next month to report how much of his beer-and-wine fortune hes spending in pursuit of Marylands 8th District Democratic congressional nomination. Until then, the first-time candidate is not saying.

Its going to be a very expensive race, he said over lunch at the Silver Diner in Rockville. Whatever it is will be too much.

Political professionals, including consultants for opposing campaigns, said Trone is mounting what might be the most expensive self-funded House race ever, probably spending north of $10 million in his effort to win a seat representing some of Washingtons wealthiest suburbs.

He has hired top-of-the-line consultants, launched a major television and radio ad blitz, and is landing glossy multi-page mailings on the doorsteps of likely primary voters almost daily.

With five weeks until the April 26 primary, Trones spending appears to have easily rocketed him past Marylands most recent self-subsidizing politician, Rep. John Delaney (D), the health-care financier who spent $2.3 million in 2012 to oust Republican incumbent Roscoe G. Bartlett.

David Trone, right, greets Kathleen Matthews, 3rd right, before a candidates forum. To the left on Matthews is state Sen. Jamie Raskin. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

[Are ghost corporations funding the 2016 elections?]

Little known in the district less than two months ago, Trone now appears competitive with the two front-runners: Jamie Raskin, a liberal law professor and state senator, and Kathleen Matthews, a former television anchor and Marriott executive who says she is willing to dip into her own fortune, if necessary, to keep up.

Its historic. Weve never seen anything like it, said Maryland blogger and political consultant Adam Pagnucco.

The willingness of candidates such as Trone to pay their own way raises questions about whether they are undermining a foundational idea in U.S. politics  that those who want to represent the people must first earn enough of their trust to win their donations. And it is an uphill path; between 2002 and 2014, House candidates who spent at least $1 million of their own money won office only 20 percent of the time.

Trone says taking money from others makes politicians vulnerable to pressure from lobbyists, PACs and other special interests. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he says its also a matter of time management, noting that members of Congress spend up to half of their time raising funds.

While Trone will take individual contributions of $10 or less, he is not actively soliciting money. If he is elected, he says, that policy will continue for as long as he is in office.

That approach could resonate with voters in this unusually angry campaign season, in which Republican mogul Donald Trump has elevated the cant-be-bought narrative into a dominant theme of his self-funded run for president.

David Trone, left, chats with fellow candidate Ana Sol Gutierrez during a campaign forum this month. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

If youre going to take dollars, every person [who donates] is going to have a right to get your ear. And that can take up a lot of time, Trone said. I dont think I need to hear from everybody just because they wrote me a check. All of a sudden, I have more time to get things done.

[Tensions rising as race tightens among Matthews, Raskin and Trone]

Trones deep pockets have elevated money to the top tier of issues in the 8th District, where nine Democrats are vying to succeed Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D), who is running for the U.S. Senate.

Raskin and Matthews have raised well over $1 million each and continue to seek donations large and small. But they are denouncing Trones Trump-like approach. Raskin ends virtually every candidates forum  and there are many in a primary electorate replete with PhDs, think tankers, congressional staffers and other members of the political class  by declaring that public office isnt bought, it is earned.

In an interview, Raskin said people are deeply disturbed about the levels of money being spent.

Matthews, who is also very wealthy, said she might put her own money into the race if she thinks it will make a difference. My plan is to raise the money, Matthews said. But I certainly believe enough in my own campaign that if it comes down to the wire I think it would be reasonable to put my own money in.

[Donations to Matthews from Hardball guests roil campaign]

Those who study self-funders say they can have a chilling effect on others of lesser means who might also want to run for office. In a world of super PACs, dark money and other torrents of unlimited cash, candidates with personal fortunes are one more reason to conclude competing is not possible.

It reflects the broader problem we have in congressional elections, where the amounts of money needed to seek office are increasingly large, said Anthony Corrado, a campaign finance expert at Colby College.

Big self-funders have been around U.S. politics for years. Michael Bloomberg spent more than $250 million to subsidize his three terms as New York City mayor. Jon Corzine dropped $130 million of his Goldman Sachs earnings for one term as a U.S. senator and another as New Jersey governor.

But for every politician who has won on his own dime, there are many who havent  especially those who have tried to topple incumbents. The top self-funder in a 2012 House race, for example, California businessman Bill Bloomfield (I), lost after outspending then-Rep. Henry Waxman (D) 4 to 1.

[A look at four other self-funders]

Self-funders tend to be first-time candidates whose lack of campaign experience leaves them prone to mistakes, experts say. Without the traditional grind of fundraising, they have fewer opportunities to sharpen their message and forge closer connections with voters.

According to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, candidates who use a mix of fundraising and their own fortunes are more successful than those who go it alone. Delaneys $2.3 million, for example, made up just 53 percent of his 2012 campaign treasury.

Personal money simply cannot buy a base of committed supporters or campaign skills that many politicians develop on the way up the ladder, writes Arizona State University political scientist Jennifer Steen, who wrote an influential study of self-financed congressional candidates.

After winning their first race, most self-financed politicians pay for their reelection campaigns the old-fashioned way  with other peoples money. Moreover, many self-funders can be more accurately described as self-lenders, who finance their campaigns in the form of loans that are later repaid by conventional fundraising. Trone swears he will do no such thing.

Theres no reason to take any money from anybody, he said, estimating that Total Wine & More, the national chain of big box stores that he co-owns with his brother, Robert Trone, will generate $2.5 billion in sales this year. Each year, I do better and the company does better.

Like many entrepreneurs who have had successful business careers, David Trone, 60, is itching for a new challenge. He believes he can use his business skills to unlock a dysfunctional Congress.

And although he has been a leading Democratic fundraiser, there is a thinly disguised disdain in his commentary about career politicians who depend on other peoples money to keep winning office.

Thats led to a lot of the problems we have right now, he said.

Trone said he believes that many self-funded candidates have done it for the wrong reasons or lack commitment.

The track record of self-funding candidates who had substance behind them and gravitas and a willingness to outwork everybody, theyve done very well, he said, putting Delaney in that category.

Among Trones expenditures are the highway signs supporting his campaign that are sprouting around the district.

This billboard is bought and paid for, the signs say in large letters. Your Congressman Wont Be.
Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Ann F. Kolker, cancer nonprofit founder

Ann F. Kolker, 75, a legislative and policy analyst who founded and directed the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance from 1998 to 2006, died Feb. 3 at her home in Washington. The cause was leukemia and ovarian cancer, said her husband, Peter Kolker.

Mrs. Kolker was born Ann Friedberg in Chicago. From 1978 to 1982, she was a legislative analyst with the National Womens Political Caucus, and from 1984 to 1998 she was a policy analyst with the National Womens Law Center. Later she did consulting with the National Cancer Institute and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network.

Thomas W. Carr, Washington Campus executive

Thomas W. Carr, 86, a former vice president of the Washington Campus, a 17-university consortium that exposes executives and students to the workings of the federal government, died Feb. 12 at a medical facility in Charleston, S.C.

Mr. Carr was born in New York City and was an Army officer for eight years before settling in the Washington area in the 1950s. He held government jobs, including director of the White House Fellows program, director of defense education in the office of the Secretary of Defense, and director of the National Advisory Council on the Education of Disadvantaged Children. From 1983 to 1992, he was vice president of the Washington Campus.

He moved from Washington in the late 1980s but continued working at his Washington Campus job from South Carolina.

Ellen D. Nesheim, compliance officer

Ellen D. Nesheim, 80, a compliance officer with the Food and Drug Administrations office of seafood safety for about a decade before retiring in 2003, died Feb. 8 at her home in Washington. The cause was end-stage dementia, said a son, Eric Nesheim.

Mrs. Nesheim, who was born Ellen Dick, was a sixth-generation Washingtonian and a member of the Association of Oldest Inhabitants of D.C. She was an assistant registrar at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in the 1970s and a legal secretary in the 1980s.

Stephen P. Gibert, Georgetown U. professor

Stephen P. Gibert, 91, a Georgetown University professor of government who was on the faculty for 48 years before retiring in 2003, died Feb. 1 at his home in McLean, Va. The cause was complications from lymphoma, said his wife, Cynthia Gibert.

Dr. Gibert was born in North Augusta, S.C. At Georgetown, he was the founder and director of the National Securities Studies Program. He had been an adviser to the governments of Thailand, Burma and the Defense Department and wrote nine books and monographs.

Lucille Husztek, cafeteria manager

Lucille Husztek, 94, a cafeteria manager at Woodburn Elementary School in Falls Church, Va., from 1958 to 1963, died Jan. 31 at her home in Annandale, Va. The cause was coronary artery disease, said a daughter, Diane Dunkley.

Mrs. Husztek was born Lucille Smith in Stokes County, N.C. She came to the Washington area in 1942 and during and shortly after World War II worked for the Army Signal Intelligence Service at Arlington Hall, helping decode Japanese messages. In the later decades of her life, she traveled extensively and lived in Annandale and Stokes County.

Michael L. Garbacz, NASA program manager

Michael L. Garbacz, 88, who retired from NASA in the early 1980s after having been program manager for the operational meteorological satellite program, died Feb. 15 at his home in Oakton, Va. The cause was complications from a stroke, said a daughter, Lisbeth Chandler.

Mr. Garbacz, a Chicago native, began his NASA career around 1960 and had been chief of the design and test practices of the Apollo program. Earlier he had worked for the Navys Bureau of Ships and the Army Rocket and Guided Missile Agency in Huntsville, Ala.

Leonard Lapidus, economist

Leonard Lapidus, 86, an economist who specialized in bank regulation and supervision, died Feb. 13 at his home in Chevy Chase, Md. The cause was Parkinsons disease, said his wife, Jackie Lapidus.

Dr. Lapidus was born in New York and was a banker there before moving to the Washington area in 1977 as a special assistant to the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Later, he was president of the Central Liquidity Facility at the National Credit Union Administration. From 1981 to 1994, he was in Boston as president of the Depositors Insurance Fund.

He returned to Washington in 1999 as associate director, financial institutions in the Treasury Departments office of technical assistance. He was a consultant to the Treasury Department on bank regulation and deposit insurance, advising government agencies in Colombia, Albania, Senegal, Romania, Bosnia, Thailand, India and Iraq.

William G. Fisher Jr., Navy captain

William G. Fisher Jr., 86, a Navy captain who in retirement was a business and site facilities manager at St. Agnes School in Alexandria and later Georgetown Visitation School in Washington, died Feb. 8 at his home in Vienna, Va. The cause was cancer, said a son, John L. Fisher.

Capt. Fisher was born in Portsmouth, Va., into a Navy family and grew up at Navy facilities around the country, including the Washington area.

He served almost 30 years in the Navy at various sea commands and in the 1970s as deputy commandant of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. He retired from the Navy in 1981 after having served as commanding officer of the Naval Recruit Training Command in Orlando.

Jean Berinati, homemaker

Jean Berinati, 91, a Washington-area homemaker who moved to New Mexico in 1981 and helped lead the transformation of a Santa Fe railyard into an arts and shopping district, died Feb. 6 at a hospital in Bethesda, Md. The cause was a heart ailment, said a son, John Buxbaum.

Mrs. Berinati was born Jean Rubin in Washington. She briefly worked for Vista, an anti-poverty program that is now part of AmeriCorps, as well as for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She also sold real estate. She returned to the Washington area in 2012.

Charles E. Falk,NSF official

Charles E. Falk, 92, a physicist who for 15 years shaped funding policies at the National Science Foundation, helping to determine where scientific grants and resources were directed, died Feb. 11 at his home in Bethesda, Md. The cause was complications from a stroke, said a son, Jeffrey Falk.

Dr. Falk was born in Hamm, Germany. At Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, he rose to the position of associate director and in 1966 joined the NSF as planning director. From 1970 until his retirement in 1985, he was the foundations director of science resource studies, developing indicators to track the impact and needs of scientific research.

 From staff reports
The Virginia General Assembly recently picked lawyer Petula C. Metzler to a new fifth judgeship in the court in Manassas. She is to begin a six-year term July 1. (Jerry Lloyd/Courtesy of Compton & Duling)

Prince Williams newest judge will also be the first African American to serve in the countys General District Court.

Virginias General Assembly recently appointed lawyer Petula C. Metzler to a new fifth judgeship in the court in Manassas. She is to begin a six-year term July 1.

Having an additional jurist is expected to relieve an overcrowded docket in the general district court, and Metzler, an associate with the Woodbridge-based firm of Compton & Duling, was hailed by legislators and lawyers last week as a thoughtful and considerate choice for the position.

Del. Richard L. Anderson (R-Prince William) said that there was pretty universal agreement among the legislatures Prince William delegation that Metzler was well qualified to move from a practice of mainly civil litigation and land-use law to the bench.

State Sen. Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) said Metzler brings a rare perspective to the bench, in that she is an Army veteran. Surovell is a lawyer who, like Metzler, is a member of the Prince William County Bar Association.

Shes a leader within the community and within the bar, said Surovell, whose district includes part of Prince William.

Jeani Wiethop, the Prince William bars president, said she got to know Metzler through her work with the organizations executive board. Metzler, who served as the countys bar president from 2012 to 2013, was both diplomatic and assertive in voicing her opinions in that setting, Wiethop said.

Metzler will be thoughtful, not impulsive, in rendering decisions, Wiethop said.

Shes a class act, she said.

Jason E. Hickman, Compton & Dulings managing member, said that one of the most important things a lawyer or judge can be is a good listener. And, as a judge, Metzler will be able to rule correctly because she can calmly listen to both sides in a dispute and determine the right outcome based on the law, he said.

Del. Jackson H. Miller (R-Manassas) also said that a general district judge can be the face of the commonwealth for many residents, the main Virginia official they might encounter in daily life if they are charged with a traffic infraction or misdemeanor offense.

Beyond the obvious benefit of simply making the court system more efficient, the fifth judges position should bring about two additional positives, Miller said.

A former police officer, Miller said the police departments in Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park could save on overtime costs if officers do not have to spend as much time in the General District Court, which handles cases from the county and the two cities.

In the current four-judge environment, officers too often are simply waiting around in the courthouse for their cases to be heard, he said.

Local companies also should benefit , Miller said. Whether they are dealing with landlord-tenant issues or disputes with customers, business owners could see legal matters resolved sooner, he said.

Its really great for the business community, said Miller, who introduced the legislation that expanded the Prince Williams court to five judges. That bill was approved in 2014, but the fifth judge position was not funded in the state budget until this year, which makes Metzler the first to occupy the slot.

Metzler declined to comment for this report, but Karl Brower, president of the NAACPs Prince William unit, said that minorities still are underrepresented in Northern Virginia courthouses.

Metzler will be the second African American judge overall in Prince William, but there is only one each in Alexandria and in the counties of Fairfax and Arlington, according to a report from an advocacy group called the Virginia Coalition for Racial Diversity in the Justice System. There are no minorities on the bench in Loudoun County, Brower said, quoting the report.
Drop, cover and hold for statewide tornado drill

The annual statewide tornado drill is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. Individuals, businesses and schools are encouraged to participate, Prince William County officials said.

The National Weather Service starts the drill by sending a test tornado warning at about 9:45 a.m., which will trigger tone alerts and messages on the weather radios of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Local radio and TV stations will then be prompted to broadcast a test message.

During the drill, participants should go immediately to a safe area  a windowless interior room, closet or hallway in the lowest level of your home, office or school  and take a drop, cover and hold position, officials said.

Seven tornadoes were recorded in Virginia last year and 12 in 2014, according to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. For information, visit readyvirginia.gov .

County school board passes $1.09 billion budget

The Prince William County School Board on Wednesday approved a $1.09 billion operating and debt service budget for the 2016-2017 school year.

The budget increases spending by 4.6 percent over the current year to cover the costs of educating more than 88,000 students, an increase of nearly 1,000 children, along with providing pay increases for more than 10,500 teachers and staff members.

About 150 teaching and instructional positions will be added with a focus on cutting core class sizes in grades 8, 10, 11 and 12, and adding teachers and professionals for students with special needs.

Funding of the package is built on projected revenue from the average 3.88 percent real estate property tax bill increase included in the countys approved five-year plan.

The advertised tax rate is the maximum increase allowable, but it can be lowered by the Board of County Supervisors.

The school board will present its budget to the supervisors April 5. The school board will make needed adjustments following the establishment of the tax rate. The supervisors must approve a final school budget by May 15.

Sign up for Miss Ability Pageant through April 7

Applications are being accepted for the Miss Ability Pageant, which will be April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Osbourn Park High School, 8909 Euclid Ave., Manassas.

Any student who has a disability, is between ages 10 and 23, and lives in the county or the cities of Manassas or Manassas Park may apply. The deadline to apply is April 7.

The pageant is organized by a committee of local educators and volunteers, and is hosted by the local organization, Didlake.

For information or an application, visit pwcs.edu.

College summer semester registration starts March 29

Open registration for Northern Virginia Community Colleges summer session begins March 29.

The 12-week semester starts May 16.

Students may register at any of the six campuses or at nvcc.edu.
Maryland

House passes bill to protect honeybees

The House of Delegates passed legislation Saturday intended to protect the states honeybees from a class of pesticides that has been linked to a dramatic decline in their numbers.

The House measure would restrict the sale and use of a type of insecticide known as neonicotinoids. It allows exceptions for individuals certified to apply the insecticide and for farmers.

Delegates voted 96 to 39 to approve the bill, which has been sought by Maryland beekeepers. A version of the bill has passed the Senate, but the measures would have to be reconciled before they could become law.

A 2015 survey showed that Maryland has had one of the largest declines of honeybees in the nation, with a 61 percent loss of colonies during the preceding year. Some studies have implicated neonicotinoids, but manufacturers contend that they do not harm bees when properly used.

 Baltimore Sun

VIRGINIA

Motorcyclist killed in accident in Alexandria

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.

 Tom Jackman

1 dead, 1 wounded in Pr. William shooting

One man was shot to death and another man was wounded Friday night in the Manassas area of Prince William County, county police said Saturday.

The names of the men were not released and no information on their assailant was available. Police said both men were shot near Blue Gray Circle, near Barron Park in the Bull Run neighborhood just west of Route 234, about 10 p.m. Friday. The surviving victim was found first, a short distance away in the 11200 block of Golden Leaf Circle. When police investigated further, they found the slain man near Blue Gray Circle.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Sgt. Jonathan Perok, a Prince William police spokesman, said investigators do not believe the shooting was a random act but had no further details about the incident.

 Tom Jackman

Woman brandishing gun replica is killed

Norfolk police say a 25-year-old woman was holding a fake handgun when she was fatally shot by officers early Saturday in Norfolk.

The Norfolk Police Department said investigators in the vice and narcotics division were conducting a surveillance operation when they came across a fight in a parking lot.

Police say the officers saw a woman brandish a handgun and threaten an unarmed man. The officers approached the woman, who refused to comply with their demands and made a threatening motion with the handgun.

India M. Beaty was fatally shot by the officers. An investigation determined that the handgun was a non-firing replica.

Police said the officers names will not be released until an investigation has been completed.

 Associated Press
HEALTH

CDC issues Cuba travel warning

The Zika virus is now being transmitted from mosquitoes to people in Cuba, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday, marking another advance in an epidemic possibly linked to birth defects and neurological disorders.

The travel advisory comes on the eve of President Obamas historic visit to the island nation. Hundreds of staff members, journalists, business leaders and lawmakers are expected to travel with the president.

The CDC recommended that pregnant women avoid traveling to Cuba, adding the country to a long list of nations and territories to avoid. The CDC also cautioned other travelers to Cuba to take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, including protecting themselves from mosquito bites and using condoms or abstaining from sex. The virus can be sexually transmitted from a male partner.

 Ana Swanson

CALIFORNIA

Employee sentenced in tainted beef scam

A Northern California slaughterhouse employee was sentenced to three months in prison for a scheme processing beef cattle with cancer.

Clothes are seen hanging on clotheslines as a Cuban military reservist fumigates a house as part of the preventive measures against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases in Havana. (Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

Felix Sandoval Cabrera, 56, was sentenced in U.S. District Court on Friday, federal prosecutors said. 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 Cabrera acknowledged directing other employees to carve USDA Condemned stamps out of carcasses and put heads from healthy cows next to carcasses of cows with signs of cancer.

The scheme led to a massive beef recall. Three other people, including the plants owner, have been sentenced in the case.

 Associated Press

TEXAS

Daughter of slain man also died of gunshots

A 14-year-old girl whose body was found in a grassy field in west Houston died of gunshot wounds, medical examiners said Saturday.

Adriana Coronado, whose body was found Wednesday, was shot multiple times; her death has been ruled a homicide, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said. She was last seen a week ago in Katy, the Houston suburb where she lived.

Investigators think she might have been with her father, Caesar Vladimir Coronado, when he was killed. He was found fatally shot Sunday about 80 miles north of Houston. His burned pickup truck was found 45 miles south.

 Associated Press

Brown investigating graffiti: Brown University is investigating anti-gay and anti-Semitic graffiti found Friday in a campus building that houses a Jewish fraternity and a fraternity with many LGBT members. President Christina Paxson said in an email to the Brown community that campus police will investigate the incident at Marcy House.

 From news services
The Supreme Court on Monday takes up a long-running political fight about whether Virginia lawmakers redrew the states congressional map to protect the commonwealths lone African American congressman  or to make sure he was not joined by a second.

The court will consider whether Republican lawmakers packed African American voters into Democratic Rep. Robert C. Bobby Scotts district to comply with the Voting Rights Act or to make surrounding districts more hospitable to white candidates.

A lower court ruled against the legislature last year, and the judges then created a second district designed for a black candidate. Voters in the states congressional primary go to the polls in June  about when the justices would seem likely to rule on this new plan.

The case presents what has become familiar litigation over how states divide up their residents into congressional districts, which is essential to the countrys politics and crucial to political parties.

But state lawmakers charged with the task compare it to walking a tightrope, or crossing a minefield, or preparing a meal for Goldilocks.

Under the Supreme Courts somewhat hazy guidance, state lawmakers must consider the race of those who populate each district to ensure minorities have a fair shot at being represented. But lawmakers fail if they let race become the predominate issue in drawing the lines.

You cant let the porridge be too hot, you cant let the porridge be too cold, said former Virginia delegate Bill Janis (R-Glen Allen), who devised the commonwealths congressional map. But they wont tell us what temperature the porridge has to be.

[Judges impose new congressional map in Virginia]

The Supreme Court will take another shot at that in the Virginia case. A panel of federal judges said the commonwealths plan veered from partisan gerrymandering aimed at protecting incumbents  for which the Supreme Court has shown a high tolerance  into racial gerrymandering, which the Constitution forbids.

In a sense, said Nathaniel Persily, an election-law expert at Stanford Law School, the Voting Rights Act is on a collision course with the Constitution.

The questions for Virginia and other states are, he said, how much can you think about race in construction of districts, and is the use of race in aid of partisan gerrymandering problematic?

The line is increasingly elusive, especially across the South, where blacks are presumed to be Democrats and whites are increasingly Republican.

Because of the high stakes, redistricting plans in more than three-quarters of the states have been challenged in court.

But wherever the line is located, Virginias Republican-led General Assembly crossed it, according to an amicus brief to the Supreme Court filed by the Campaign Legal Center and League of Women Voters, among others. The legislatures plan sanctions the impermissible use of race as a proxy to achieve partisan gains, the groups wrote.

Janis, along with current and past Republican congressmen who are challenging the lower courts decision, contends the plan adopted after the 2010 Census simply preserved the status quo by retaining the cores of the states existing congressional districts. To meet obligations under the Voting Rights Act to protect minority-majority districts, it increased the percentage of the black voting-age population in the 3rd District in southeastern Virginia, long represented by Scott.

Core preservation and incumbency protection were . . . the most important neutral principles and consistently applied to all districts, Washington lawyer Michael A. Carvin, representing the Republicans, told the Supreme Court in a brief.

The redrawing of Scotts district was neither race-based nor a departure from neutral principles, Carvin wrote.

But Democrats said that just a look at the bizarrely shaped district is enough to show other motives.

The district started north of Richmond, slid down the north shore of the James River, jumped over James City and formed a horseshoe around Newport News. That was only the beginning, as it included some towns and skipped others, until the black voting-age population of the district reached 56 percent.

Two residents of the district, Gloria Personhuballah and James Farkas, filed suit. They said the Republican-controlled General Assembly was not protecting Scott, who won his last race with more than 80 percent of the vote. Instead, they charged, legislators were making it easier to elect whites in surrounding areas by packing African Americans into Scotts district.

Drawing legislative and congressional districts is key to a partys continued dominance in a state. Republicans controlled Virginia when it redrew congressional and legislative maps after the 2010 Census. The party still controls the General Assembly, and eight of its 11 members of Congress are Republicans. This is in a state that hasnt elected a Republican to statewide office since 2009, where both U.S. senators are Democrats and where voters twice chose President Obama.

The judicial panel, on a 2-to-1 vote, found fault with the General Assemblys plan because it required that at least 55 percent of the voting-age population in Scotts district be black. The prevailing judges said there was no evidence that such a high percentage was needed to comply with the Voting Rights Act and that setting this figure was contrary to a Supreme Court decision last term that sided with challengers to Alabamas legislative redistricting.

[Supreme Court sends Alabama redistricting plan back for more work]

The Supreme Courts 5-to-4 ruling in the Alabama case said legislatures should not set arbitrary minority population goals for districts but instead look at what makeup is necessary to preserve the minoritys ability to elect a candidate of its choice.

This decision is one of several reasons to think Virginia Republicans have an uphill battle at the Supreme Court.

For one, there is a question about whether they should even be there. The Obama administration, backing Personhuballah and Farkas, says that because Virginia did not appeal the lower courts decision, it should stand. The Republican lawmakers do not have standing to challenge the ruling simply because it changes their districts, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. told the court in a brief.

The congressmen claim they are harmed because a new plan will move unfavorable Democratic voters into the districts they represent, thereby decreasing their chances of reelection, Verrillis brief states. The court should reaffirm that voters in our democratic system choose their representatives  not the other way around.

Another bad sign for the challengers is that the justices turned down Carvins request to put a hold on the lower courts plan to impose a new congressional map. The courts action followed the General Assemblys failure to provide its own remedy. Carvin argued that it would be wrong to allow the primary election to go forward when there is a possibility the new districts would be thrown out.

The new map shows changes in line-drawing can have a dramatic impact on a states politics.

The judges plan drastically reduced the number of black voters in Scotts district, which is still considered safe for him. It increased the number of black voters in the 4th District, which is represented by Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R).

So, Forbes announced he will instead run for the 2nd District seat being vacated by Rep. Scott Rigell (R).

The newly drawn 4th District is a better fit for state Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico), an African American who is chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus and ran for attorney general in 2001. McEachin filed paperwork to run for the seat and wasted no time in kicking off his campaign three days after the legislative session adjourned.

If the Supreme Court upholds the lower courts decision  and even a tie among the eight justices would do that  law professor Persily said Virginia might provide a real-life answer to theoretical musings about how changing district lines affects results.

The election is going to prove whos right, he said.
Protesters block a car on a street leading to a rally for presidential candidate Donald Trump in Fountain Hills, Ariz., on Saturday. (Patrick Breen/Arizona Republic via AP)

Donald Trumps rally in the Phoenix suburbs on Saturday was briefly delayed as dozens of protesters carrying signs that denounced racism blocked an Arizona highway leading to the rally site.

The route was first blocked by a pair of pickup trucks decorated with banners reading Comb Over Racism: Dump Trump and Shut Down Trump. Dozens of protesters then filled in the roadway, carrying signs reading Love Trumps Hate and Stand Against Racism. One homemade sign said, Combat White Supremacy.

As the trucks were towed away, protesters formed a human wall. Traffic finally resumed after officers began arresting protesters.

Later Saturday afternoon, scores of protesters temporarily blocked the entrance to the Tucson Convention Center, chanting Shut it down! and preventing supporters from entering a Trump rally there.

And in New York City, protesters from a wide range of left-leaning organizations organized a roaming protest Saturday targeting two of Trumps most prominent properties in midtown Manhattan. There were reports that the police used tear gas to prevent a group of protesters from moving past barriers near Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.

Social video captured protestors opposing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump marching through New York. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)

For yet another weekend, footage of anti-Trump protests is poised to dominate the news. Activists hope these images hurt the billionaire businessmans chances of becoming the Republican presidential nominee, but many Trump supporters say the pictures will only strengthen their candidates popularity ahead of Tuesdays primary in Arizona and caucuses inUtah.

Its a big spectacle, said Devin Wood, 32, a supporter of Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R). Wood attended a protest outside Trumps Friday night rally in Salt Lake City but worries that the real estate mogul benefits from the media coverage the protests prompt. I think the showman in him thinks any type of news or any type of exposure is going to help. He relishes in seeing this because I think hes a narcissist and he loves to see this whole hullabaloo just made up about him.

The anti-Trump blockade in Arizona on Saturday deepened Geneva Arthins admiration of Trump. She said she is convinced the same group of protesters has attended each of the candidates rallies and is being paid by Trumps Republican and Democratic opponents.

They are against Mr. Trump, said Arthin, 77, who lives in Mesa and has already cast her primary vote for him. And Mr. Trump is not afraid of them because they are afraid of Trump because they will lose their subsidies.

As police worked to unblock the highway, several thousand people waited in the sun for Trump to arrive at Fountain Park, known for a fountain that shoots up a tall column of water. News of the blockade popped up on cellphones and spread through the crowd.

The rally began nearly an hour late. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose jurisdiction includes Fountain Hills, introduced Trump and announced that law enforcement had arrested three protesters. Arpaio is a controversial longtime sheriff known for demeaning his prisoners and for using his office to target immigrants in the country illegally and to hasten their deportation. Arpaio has endorsed Trump and has appeared on the campaign trail with him several times.

We had a little problem  some demonstrators were trying to disrupt, said Arpaio, as the crowd booed the protesters. If they think theyre going to intimidate you and the next president of the United States, its not going to happen. Not in this town, Ill tell you right now.

1 of 35 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The great unsettling: Americas angry year View Photos Long-brewing storms have made the 2016 campaign a turbulent one, but it would be wrong to reduce the national mood to one emotion. Caption Long-brewing storms have made the 2016 campaign a turbulent one. 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 Wait 1 second to continue.

In the crowd was Courtney Enos, 20, a community college student from Mesa who got in line at 6:30 a.m. and had planned to shout at Trump, asking why he is not talking about issues important to Native American communities. But when she got inside, she lost her confidence  she was the only minority in a sea of white faces, and some of the men around her commented on how they wanted to physically harm the protesters who shut down the highway.

Honestly, for me, it was a little scary and nerve-racking, said Enos, who said she would have voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary but didnt register to vote in time. I was too scared to say anything, with the way people go after protesters .

Marla Becker, 64, a Trump supporter from Apache Junction, didnt make it to the rally in time to get a spot inside, so she watched from a nearby grassy hill, along with a group of protesters.

I was kind of nervous because I didnt want any ruckus to start, because when youre old its kind of scary when theres a ruckus, said Becker, a former Democrat. She plans to vote for Trump, and her decision was reinforced as she listened to the protesters. Its kind of irritating when theyre yelling and screaming.

Inside the Tucson rally, the demonstrations escalated after Trump took the stage, where he was interrupted at least half a dozen times. In some instances, the interruptions prompted physical altercations involving shoving and punching. At one point, at least a dozen protesters heckled Trump from behind the podium while holding Black Lives Matter and Dump Trump posters.

Trump took umbrage in another instance when a protester put on a white Ku Klux Klan hood and began shouting at the candidate. As the protester and a friend were escorted out, a man punched, threw down and stomped on the protesters friend. That man was taken away by police as well.

At Fountain Hills, Trump took the stage in one of his red ball caps that read Make America Great Again, and he kept his comments under 25 minutes, as people in the audience were turning red from the sun and a few were becoming ill. He hit on many of controversial stances that have sparked protests: building a massive wall along the Mexican border, stopping illegal immigration, barring Syrian refugees and banishing political correctness.

He also resumed attacking his Republican opponents, telling the crowd that Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) wasnt even born in our country and that Kasich is weak on immigration.

A few protesters were led out of the rally early during Trumps remarks, including four women with their arms linked and a man in a U.S. Army hat with a sign reading: Vets to Trump: End hate speech against Muslims.

A few protesters stood near the entrance to the rally. Among them was Jay Helser, 47, a small-business owner and father of five who made a sign showing an orange pig and Trump that said: Cute orange pig, Pompous orange pig.

The man personally offends me, said Helser, who lives in nearby Litchfield Park with his wife, who is from Mexico. He offends my wife  he offends her as a woman, he offends her as a Mexican American. He offends my kids, who are all half Mexican. . . . Ive never lost sleep before over politics, but I have literally had lots of sleepless nights over this man.

By the time the road was blocked, the rally was already packed and a long line of people were waiting to get in, so the protesters did little to prevent Trump from getting a full audience. Still, John Kavanagh, an Arizona state senator who supports Trump, told local NBC affiliate KPNX that he plans to introduce legislation first thing Monday to increase penalties for those who block traffic into political events.

These people are the fascists, and were going to crack down on them, Kavanagh said. Maybe President Trump will get a federal law, too.

For months, Trumps rallies have attracted protests, but the number and intensity have dramatically increased in recent weeks. Several high-profile eruptions of violence have attracted the condemnation of Trumps critics, who say he has set a tone at his rallies that encourages violence among his supporters.

At a campaign rally in Fayetteville, N.C., a Trump fan sucker-punched a protester who was being escorted out by police officers. In St. Louis, 32 demonstrators were arrested at the Peabody Opera House, where protesters interrupted Trump eight times inside while hundreds clashed outdoors. And Trump canceled a rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago because thousands of protesters had gathered inside and outside the venue, often violently clashing with Trump supporters.

The candidate has strongly pushed back on the suggestion that he is responsible for the incidents, even as he has played down their frequency. He and his supporters say that protesters are intentionally stirring up trouble and inciting aggression to hurt Trumps campaign.

Amy Muldoon of the International Socialist Organization, which helped organize the protest in New York, said it was important for her organization to protest, despite Trumps use of similar protests to leverage support.

What Chicago proved is that when people act in a united way, thats his weakness, Muldoon said. He feeds on division.

Bump reported from New York and DelReal from Salt Lake City. Niraj Chokshi in Washington and John Wagner in Phoenix contributed to this report.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un examines a rocket warhead that North Korea says could be equipped with a nuclear weapon. Some South Koreans are suggesting they should develop nuclear arms as well, in response. (Kcna/Reuters)

What would it take for South Korea to develop nuclear weapons? Its a fringe idea that rears its head every now and then here.

But North Koreas advances in nuclear weapons technology and the frustration over how to deal with Kim Jong Uns obstinate regime have led a small but growing number of prominent politicians and academics to wonder: Why not us, too?

The idea has influential backers in the Chosun Ilbo, South Koreas biggest newspaper, and in Chung Mong-joon, a scion of the Hyundai family and a staunch  and wealthy  advocate for South Korea having nuclear weapons.

And they have one main target in mind: China.

I dont think that South Korea actually wants nuclear weapons, said Park Syung-je, chairman of the Asia Strategy Institute in Seoul. Its a way of saying to the Chinese that if you dont cooperate on North Korea, then were going to get nuclear weapons of our own. 

While South Koreas government has been doing all it can to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear and missile tests, there is a limit to how much pain Seoul can inflict. Instead, all eyes are on China, North Koreas largest trading partner by far and the closest thing it has to an ally.

[South Koreas president vows all-out push to punish North for provocations]

There is a great deal of frustration here that China is the country that has almost all the leverage over North Korea, especially given the widespread view that Beijing, while angry, will never risk destabilizing its impoverished and nuclear-armed neighbor.

North Koreas nuclear weapons capability power is bound to grow, so it is important for South Korea to keep military and power balance between the two Koreas, said Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korea expert at the Sejong Institute, a think tank, and one of the most prominent advocates of South Korean nuclear weapons.

China would object to the idea of South Korea becoming a nuclear state, but it is important for us to find a point where the national interests of both countries meet, Cheong said.

China is already vehemently objecting to talks between Seoul and Washington over the deployment in South Korea of a sophisticated anti-missile system known as THAAD, for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense.

Thanks to its post-Korean War security alliance with the United States, South Korea is protected by the American nuclear umbrella. It declared in a 1991 deal that it would not manufacture, possess, store, deploy or use nuclear weapons and is a signatory to several nonproliferation treaties.

[North Korea says it has conducted a successful hydrogen bomb test]

But some politicians are openly wondering why South Korea shouldnt have its own weapons program.

We cant borrow an umbrella from a neighbor every time it rains, said Won Yoo-cheol, a lawmaker from President Park Geun-hyes ruling Saenuri party and its floor leader in the National Assembly. Its time for us to seriously consider an effective and realistic countermeasure for dealing with North Koreas nuclear capability.

This could take the shape of asking the United States, which pulled its nuclear weapons out of South Korea in 1992, to bring them back. Or it could entail South Korea developing nuclear weapons of its own, Won said last month.

In January, an editorial titled South Koreans Must Discuss Acquiring Nuclear Arms ran in the conservative Chosun Ilbo.

The U.S. has passed the buck for taming North Korea to China, and China is doing nothing. Seoul now faces a real need for public discussion of the development of its own nuclear weapons, the editorial said.

Then last month, the newspaper ran a detailed article in which nuclear experts said it could take only 18 months to turn plutonium from South Koreas nuclear power plants into a workable bomb. It would take time to construct a large-scale reprocessing facility, but it can be done [at a smaller scale] even now in laboratories, the paper quoted Kim Seung-pyong, a professor of nuclear engineering, as saying.

[South Korea, U.S. to start talks on anti-missile system]

The weapons advocates have a not-insignificant amount of public support. A Korea Research poll published last month found that 53 percent of respondents supported South Korea either developing its own nuclear weapons or considering doing so. Forty-one percent wanted a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

But the idea has not gained traction among senior politicians, and President Park has unequivocally dismissed it, saying that the whole peninsula should be free of nuclear weapons.

David Straub, associate director of the Korea Program at Stanford Universitys Asia-Pacific Research Center, said the public discussion has so far largely been a media phenomenon that has shown some South Koreans frustration with Chinas lack of action to punish North Korea. Speaking out publicly, he said, seems to be mostly an attempt to get Beijings attention.

And the Chinese, he added, are not stupid.

Still, American officials have long worried about an arms race in northeast Asia.

Japan has a plutonium reprocessing facility and could use it to develop fissile material for nuclear bombs in as little as three months. It wouldnt take much for South Korea, with its 24 nuclear power plants and its advanced technology, to get to the same stage. Taiwan might also join in.

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, during a visit to Beijing last week, expressed rare public concern over Chinas spent-nuclear-fuel reprocessing plans.

Chinas plan for a large-scale plutonium reprocessing facility certainly isnt a positive in terms of nonproliferation, Moniz told the Wall Street Journal.

Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center in Washington, interpreted Monizs words as a sign of concern about discussions such as those taking place in South Korea.

Its hard to believe that South Korea would ever go first [in developing nuclear weapons], Sokolski said. But its getting tougher and tougher to deflect this idea. I think theyre definitely all looking at each other.

Yoonjung Seo contributed to this report.
President Obama arrived in Cuba on Sunday afternoon, a journey of only 90 miles from U.S. shores that took more than half a century to complete.

Stepping off Air Force One under drizzling skies, the president held an umbrella over his wife, Michelle, as he was greeted by senior Cuban officials.

The Obamas, including the presidents two daughters and his mother-in-law, were met on the tarmac by Bruno Rodriguez, Cubas foreign minister, and Josefina Vidal, the head of the U.S. section of Cubas Foreign Ministry, as well as Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the senior U.S. diplomat in Cuba. The official welcoming session will take place Monday morning when Obama meets with Cuban President Raul Castro at the presidential palace.

[Obamas goal for Cuba trip: Become a source of support]

Obamas trip here  the first by a sitting U.S. president since 1928  comes amid high anticipation and anxiety on the island within both the Communist government and its political opposition. The government hopes the two-day visit will allow it to reap benefits without ceding control, while dissidents on the island want it to speed the pace of change.

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)

An affirmation of his larger foreign policy vision, Obama hopes that reaching out to Cuba will encourage a generational evolution in one of the United States most bitter and long-standing adversaries. Just hours before his arrival, there were familiar signs that change will not come easily.

As Sunday-morning Mass ended at Havanas Santa Rita church, several dozen women in white T-shirts filed out, assembled in rows and began walking silently down the street. A block away, hundreds of uniformed security personnel and plain-clothed men and women stood waiting.

They met at the corner in a melee of shouting and manhandling. The women in white went limp on the pavement, shouting Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! and throwing leaflets into the air. The security teams half-dragged, half-carried them to waiting buses.

[Timeline: A difficult history between U.S. and Cuba]

A number of men marching with the women were chased, thrown to the curb and handcuffed. As the buses drove away, the protesters lifted defiant fists through the windows while the plain-clothed crowd chanted This is Fidels street!

The Sunday-morning demonstrations of the Ladies in White dissident group are regular occurrences in Havana. The large size of the security force and the fact that the entire operation was conducted in front of international television cameras were not.

All the cross-currents and contradictions of Cuba and its changing relationship with the United States have been on display over the past two days. On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard fished out 18 Cubans trying to reach Florida on homemade rafts. They reported that nine others had drowned on the journey.

Late Saturday, the Starwood hotel chain signed a mega-deal with the Cuban government to manage three hotels on the island, the first U.S. entrance into the tourist business here in more than 60 years.

On Sunday morning, Cubans crowded around their televisions to watch a hilarious phone conversation Obama taped Friday with the islands best-known comedian.

[Did you or your family immigrate to the U.S. from Cuba? Tell us what you brought with you]

Hours later, the Ladies in White were attacked.

We want to see results from the U.S. opening, said Jose Daniel Ferrer, head of Cubas largest dissident organization, the Cuban Patriotic Union. But Obama himself has said not to expect spectacular results . . . and he has been exactly right.

Ferrer and several other dissident leaders who gathered Sunday morning  all of whom have been invited to a private meeting with Obama on Tuesday morning  argued among themselves about the pace of change and the intransigence of the government. They agreed that they are not expecting short-term liberalization. But, they said, the combined weight of the U.S. opening and the coming generational shift replacing Cubas aging leadership would inevitably bring down the system here.

Its already easier to criticize Raul than it was Fidel, Ferrer said of the current Castro president, and his brother and predecessor. The next will be easier still. Raul Castro has said he will step down in 2018.

In the long run, this could be like a poison steak for the regime, he said of normalization. It will taste good, but youll eventually get a stomachache.

The Obama administration knows that Fidel Castro is about to turn 90, and that Raul is only a few years behind, said Guillermo Farinas, head of the United Anti-Totalitarian Forum. A new generation is coming, with ever less moral authority to claim it is promoting a popular revolution that took place long before most Cubans were born.

Nearly a dozen dissidents are expected at the meeting with Obama. They have been told they will be picked up at their residences by U.S. officials and taken to the U.S. Embassy two hours before the meeting, presumably to avoid the past government practice of sequestering in their homes those it does not want meeting with prominent foreign visitors. At the embassy, they will watch and listen to Obamas broadcast speech to the nation.

Most said they were going to wait to hear what he has to tell them before deciding what they want to ask the U.S. president. Ten minutes will be enough for him to say a lot of things, Ferrer said of the speech, scheduled to last 40 minutes. Its a unique opportunity, he said. Every Cuban is going to want to see if he projects an image of non-

complicity with the government, if he will be transparent.

[What the Cuban government wants from Obama]

Far from Sundays protests, Obama and his family first traveled to the Melia Habana hotel in the upscale neighborhood of Miramar, where he met with the U.S. Embassy staff.

On his first day here, Obama tried out his Spanish. Que bola Cuba? he tweeted on landing, using a particularly Cuban Spanish phrase meaning Whats up? To the embassy staff, he said Como andan?  How are you doing?

The Obamas took a brief walking tour Sunday evening of Old Havana, the capitals 500-year-old historic quarter and a World Heritage Site. Images of their visit to its spiffed-up colonial plazas and colonnaded streetscapes are likely to stir up even more interest among would-be American travelers.

As they visited the Plaza de Armas with umbrellas under a steady rain, crowds nearby chanted USA! USA! Throngs of Cubans also watched as the family entered Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral to meet with Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who played a critical role in secret talks between the two countries. Afterward, the Obamas dined at San Cristobal, a privately owned restaurant.

The first familys tour was limited to the renovated part of Old Havana. The larger, unreconstructed part of the neighborhood, which tourists rarely enter, is filled with families living in crowded, crumbling tenements.

Local resident Alberto Moreno, 35, a cook at a brewery, said earlier in the day that he thought Obamas visit would show that Cuba is not the disaster that people in the United States think it is.

This will probably be the first country Obama visits where there is no one protesting him, said Moreno  and given that public demonstrations are banned, he is almost certainly right.

Obama seemed to have made a favorable impression ahead of his arrival by appearing in a skit with Cubas best-known comedian, Panfilo. In a split-screen video shot Friday, the two discussed his trip by phone, and the dimwitted Panfilo offered the U.S. president a ride from the airport and use of his double bed  warning Obama that Michelle would rest more comfortably on the side without a spring sticking out.

Havana resident Deroy Aponte, 28, who watched the video on Telesur, the Venezuelan network that is broadcast full time here, said hed never seen a powerful political figure do something like that. It made a big impression on me, he said.

[Obamas soft diplomacy in Cuba: A comedy skit]

The U.S. president seems to be open-minded, reasonable and someone capable of putting himself in others shoes, said Aponte, who works as a repairman for cigar-making machinery.

But for Americans wanting to visit Cuba, the contradictions are stark.

As the Ladies in White began their ill-fated march, several held a banner that read Obama: Traveling to Cuba isnt fun. No more human rights violations.

Read more:

Cuban Americans are split on the value of Obamas trip to Havana

Lobbyists descend on Havana for Obamas historic Cuba trip

Treasury eases restrictions on travel, other dealings with Cuba

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
SYRIA

At least 39 reported killed in airstrikes

At least 39 people were killed Saturday in airstrikes that targeted the Islamic States self-declared capital of Raqqa in eastern Syria, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently group, another organization that monitors the Syrian conflict, said Russian warplanes carried out the airstrikes, although the claim could not be independently verified. Russia has strenuously denied accusations by activists and rights groups that its air raids in Syria have killed scores of civilians and destroyed hospitals, schools and other non-military targets.

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin last week began drawing down his military forces in Syria amid a partial nationwide cease-fire, his warplanes have continued to bomb Islamic State targets, including in the eastern city of Palmyra.

The Islamic State is not included in the truce, which took hold Feb. 27 and has largely held despite serious violations, particularly by the Syrian government.

 Hugh Naylor

Sanitation workers have begun removing mountains of trash from the suburbs of Beirut in what residents hope marks the end of Lebanon's eight-month garbage crisis. (Bilal Hussein/AP)

GREECE

New migrant deal will be tricky, officials say

Government officials in Greece signaled Saturday that implementation of a migration agreement between the European Union and Turkey could occur only gradually, with key details still to be worked out on how migrants newly arriving from Turkey will be processed and returned.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with ministers and senior officials involved in the migration crisis after the deal was reached in Brussels to send back migrants arriving on the Greek islands to Turkey, starting Sunday. Hours before the implementation of the deal was due to start, it remained unclear how migrants would be sent back. Greek officials had previously suggested that the European border protection agency Frontex could escort chartered private vessels back to Turkey.

Yiannis Balafas, the deputy interior minister, said swift screening procedures in the Greek islands would require additional staff promised by the E.U. Greece is expecting about 2,300 European experts, including migration officers and translators, to help implement the deal.

 Associated Press

Brazilian senator says president tried to block probe: A senator accused of involvement in Brazils Petrobras corruption scandal said President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor were both aware of it and tried to block prosecutors from investigating, Veja magazine said. In an interview with Brazils best-selling weekly news magazine, Sen. Delcidio do Amaral said Rousseffs successful presidential campaigns in 2010 and 2014 were financed with money from the graft scheme. Amaral was the leader of the ruling Workers Party in the Senate and a close Rousseff ally until he was arrested last November on charges of attempting to bribe a former executive of state-run oil company Petrobras in exchange for his silence in the investigation.

Bangladesh seeks FBIs help to investigate cyberheist: Bangladesh has formally sought assistance from the FBI to track down the cyberthieves who stole $81 million from its central banks U.S. account, the interior minister said. 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 cyberheists in history.

Eight months worth of garbage is being removed in Beirut: Sanitation workers began removing mountains of trash from the suburbs of Beirut in what residents hoped would mark the end of Lebanons eight-month-old garbage crisis. As garbage began piling up in Beirut last year, protests formed. Since the height of protests in the summer, authorities managed to blunt public anger by ensuring that the streets of Beirut were kept relatively garbage-free. However, the trash was instead pushed to the citys periphery, where it piled up along roadsides and the banks of the Beirut River.
GUINEA

Officials fear spread of Ebola to Liberia

An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus is believed to have killed at least 59 people in Guinea and may already have spread to neighboring Liberia, health officials said Monday.

Health workers in Guinea are trying to contain the spread of the disease, which causes severe internal bleeding. In Liberia, health officials said they are investigating five deaths after a group of people crossed the border from Guinea in search of medical treatment.

The Ebola virus leads to severe hemorrhagic fever in its victims and has no vaccine or specific treatment. The new cases mark the first time in 20 years that an outbreak of the virus has been reported in West Africa.

Officials in Sierra Leone are also on high alert and have sent medical teams to the border with Guinea, though no cases have emerged so far.

 Associated Press

AFGHANISTAN

Pakistan accused in deadly hotel attack

Afghanistan accused Pakistans intelligence service Monday of staging last weeks attack on a hotel in Kabul in which nine people including foreigners were shot dead by militants.

Afghanistan usually speaks of unnamed foreign powers when it wants to hint at a suspected Pakistani role in an incident, but the statement by Afghanistans NDS intelligence agency pointed its finger directly at Islamabad. Pakistans Foreign Ministry rejected any responsibility for the attack. We reject the insinuation. The tendency to immediately blame Pakistan is unhelpful and should be discarded, it said.

Nine people, including three children, were shot dead after four gunmen managed to smuggle pistols past the Serena Hotels heavy security cordon on Thursday. The gunmen were killed by Afghan security forces.

 Reuters

SYRIA

Rebels seize crossing at Turkish border

Syrian rebels linked to al-Qaeda took control Monday of a key border crossing connecting Turkey to a Syrian province considered the heart of support for the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey has been a strong supporter of the opposition since the conflict began three years ago.

The offensive at the Kasab border crossing has been led by Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaedas official Syrian franchise, and the Islamic Front, a broad coalition of Islamist fighters that includes the al-Qaeda-linked group Ahrar al-Sham. On Monday, the official social media accounts of the Islamic Front released photos of its fighters taking control of the crossing, although reports of fighting continued.

The crossing provides access to the coastal province of Latakia, the ancestral home of the Assad family and its fellow Alawite Muslims. Three cousins of Assad were reportedly killed in the fighting. A Turkish fighter jet reportedly shot down a Syrian plane near the crossing Sunday.

 McClatchy-Tribune

Pregnant woman killed in protests in Venezuela: A pregnant woman was shot dead near Caracas and a soldier was killed in the western state of Merida, officials said, as the death toll from weeks of anti-government protests in Venezuela rose to 36 Monday. Francisco Garces, mayor of Guaicaipuro municipality near the capital and a member of the ruling Socialist Party, said the woman, 28, was shot Sunday during a protest. She was five months pregnant and reportedly was struck after she got off a public bus. Supporters of both sides have been among those killed in the nations worst unrest in a decade, sparked by protests against President Nicolas Maduro that began last month.

U.N. official says cholera still threatens Haitians: Sandra Honore, the top U.N. envoy to Haiti, told the Security Council on Monday that Haitis cholera outbreak is still the worst in the world. She told reporters that progress is being made and that of the 680,820 cases reported since 2010, only 6 percent arose last year  about 58,000 infections. The overall incidence of the disease has been reduced by half, she said, and the fatality rate is below 1 percent, which is the alert threshold defined by the World Health Organization globally. Cholera is thought to have been introduced by Nepali U.N. peacekeepers.

 From news services
John Kasich has a message for members of the Republican Party unnerved over the prospect of a brokered convention: Chill!

I dont think anybody is going to get there with the delegates that they need to win, the Ohio governor said on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday. So, lets just everybody chill out.



Kasich, with 143 delegates, trails GOP frontrunner Donald Trump (678) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (423) in the race for the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio  who suspended his campaign after losing the primary in his home state  has 169.

If no one reaches the 1,237-delegate figure, the nominee will be determined in July during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

We will go into Cleveland with momentum, and then the delegates are going to consider two things, Kasich said. No. 1, who can win in the fall  and Im the only one that can, thats what the polls indicate  and No. 2, a really crazy consideration, like, who could actually be president of the United States.

The delegates will take everything seriously, Kasich said on CNNs State of the Union. They will take a look at peoples experience and their electability. And thats fine. Whats everybody so panicked about this? Everybody needs to take a little chill pill, to tell you the truth.

I am not playing a parlor game, he said on NBCs Meet the Press. The convention is an extension of the process of nominating somebody. I was there in 76 when [Ronald] Reagan challenged the sitting president [Gerald Ford]. They didnt like him doing it either. But you know what? His vision, his message mattered. Listen, nobodys going to that convention with enough delegates. And at the end, do you know why Ill get picked? Because I can win in the fall. And secondly, because I have the experience and the record to lead this country.

Kasich called Trumps prediction that there would be riots if he doesnt get the nomination in a brokered convention outrageous.

Story continues

When he says that there could be riots, thats inappropriate, Kasich said on Face the Nation. While we have our differences and disagreements, were Americans. Americans dont say, Lets take to the streets and have violence.

The Ohio governor said he has no interest in the vice presidential nomination should he not emerge as the GOP nominee.

Under no circumstances, Kasich said on Meet the Press when asked if he would consider becoming Trumps running mate.

What about Cruz?

No. Im not going to be anybodys, Kasich said. Im running for president.

And if Kasich does become president, he wont be using as much confetti at the victory party as he did after his Ohio primary win.

Heres what happened, Kasich explained on CNN. [We] blew it the first time with a weak confetti shot. So, it was like porridge. He went from too cold to too hot. And all I can say is, I dont want that much confetti again.

(Tile photo: George Frey/Getty Images)


Cuba vs. Tampa Bay President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro attend an exhibition baseball game between the Cuban national team and the Tampa Bay Rays at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, March 22, 2016. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

President Obama embarked Sunday on a historic trip to Cuba, where a government that has vilified the United States for decades prepared a red carpet welcome.

The three-day trip, the first by a sitting U.S. president in 88 years, is the culmination of a diplomatic opening announced by Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014, ending a Cold War-era estrangement that began when the Cuban Revolution ousted a pro-American government in 1959.



Obama, who abandoned a longtime U.S. policy of trying to isolate Cuba, now wants to make his shift irreversible. But major obstacles remain to the full normalization of ties, and the presidents critics at home say the visit is premature. (AP)

See more politics-related slideshows on Yahoo Politics.
The plains Indians lived for untold centuries in the central part of the U.S. As settlers, trappers, traders and merchants began settling in the Indians' territory, conflicts between them began and grew worse as time went on, ending up with the Indian Wars. The U.S. government, in an effort to avoid conflict, signed treaties with the different tribes, but broke them all. The North brothers of Columbus are credited with helping win the Indian Wars. Many factors contributed to the eventual resettlement of the Indians to reservations.

In 1849, gold was discovered in California. Thousands traveled through Indian territory to prospect for gold. Then in 1862, the U.S. government signed the Homestead Act giving the settlers 160 acres of land for a minimal fee. This greatly accelerated the movement of settlers into the plains, causing more conflict. As the Indian conflicts grew worse, the U.S. government built forts and brought in the cavalry to help protect the railroad workers and settlers.

In 1863, the U.S. started building the transcontinental railroad between Omaha and San Francisco. The railroad employed thousands of men. To feed them, the railroad hired buffalo hunters to kill buffalo for meat. The most famous was Buffalo Bill Cody.

In 1868 the Treaty of Laramie was signed, giving the Black Hills to the Sioux tribes. In 1874, gold was discovered in the Black Hills. Lt. Col. George Custer led a force of 1,000 men to the Black Hills to see if the gold claims were true. There was indeed gold in the Black Hills, and thousands of prospectors poured into the area. There were bloody skirmishes and the Indian Wars increased. On June 25, 1876, Custer took a regiment of 210 men into the Black Hills to defeat the Indians. In the battle of Little Big Horn, the Sioux defeated and killed all of Custers men, now known as Custers Last Stand.

The Indians' livelihood depended on the huge herds of buffalo that lived on the prairie. They hunted buffalo when there was a need to provide their families with the necessities of life. The buffalo provided all their needs and they wasted none of it. A brave buffalo hunter had dignity and respect.

The railroad advertised and promoted hunting by rail where the buffalo could be shot from trains. This brought thousands of hunters to the prairie. Some salvaged the buffalo tongues and hides but most buffalo were left to rot where they were killed. An estimated 60 million buffalo in 1830 were killed off to near extinction, and by 1885, there were fewer than 500 left.

Gen. Phillip Sheridan said, Kill the buffalo till they are exterminated. This will bring lasting peace and allow civilization to advance. He knew that when the buffalo were gone, the Indians would not be able to survive and would be forced onto the reservations.

In 1857, the Pawnee Indian tribe ceded their territory, which was north-central Nebraska between the Platte River and South Dakota border, to the U.S. government. Nance County became a Pawnee reservation with headquarters at the Genoa Agency. The Pawnee lived on the Nance County reservation until 1875 when they were moved to a reservation in Oklahoma.

Frank and Luther North came to Columbus with their parents in 1855. The brothers were instrumental in helping the Army win the war against the Indians. Frank North was a clerk at the Pawnee Agency. He and his brother Luther lived among the Pawnee, learned their language and became their trusted friends. As the Indian skirmishes grew into full-scale wars, the tribes of the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho joined forces against the U.S. government. They made a very large fighting force. As with all people, these tribes wanted to keep their territory and protect their families.

The U.S. Cavalry was inexperienced in fighting the hostile tribes. Frank and Luther North were asked to recruit Pawnee scouts to lead the cavalry into Indian territory. The Pawnee scouts were very eager to help fight their age-old enemy, the Sioux. Their job was to scout miles ahead of the cavalry and report back to the generals where the enemy camp was, and estimate their size so the cavalry could make plans for the attack.

In 1867, Maj. Frank North, then 27 years old, led a battalion of four companies of Pawnees, 50 Indians to each company, to protect the men building the Union Pacific Railroad. Maj. North and Capt. North were in many of the same battles showing great bravery. The scouts called Maj. North Pawnee Chief.

In 1869, the North brothers with the Pawnee scouts guided Gen. Carr with the 5th Cavalry to Tall Bulls camp, hidden in the Sandhills just west of the Nebraska-Wyoming border. The battle of Summit Hill completely wiped out Tall Bull and his band, killing 52 warriors.

In 1876, the Sioux under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were again on the warpath. Gen. Sheridan ordered Maj. North to enlist 100 Pawnee scouts to serve against the Sioux. Maj. North and the scouts reached Fort Robinson on Oct. 22, 1876. After an all-night march they surprised the enemy camp near Chadron at daybreak and captured it without firing a shot.

Maj. North continued his career in Buffalo Bills Wild West Show. He was severely injured in 1884 and died in Columbus in 1885 at 45 years of age. Capt. Luther North died in Columbus at the age of 89 in 1935. Both are buried in Columbus.

By the end of the 19th century there were eight Indian reservations in Nebraska. Once on reservations, the U.S. government was to supply the Indians with all their needs. Government Indian agents and the Indian police were hired to carry out this task. Many of the agents were thieves and sold the supplies for their own profit. This left the Indians in extreme poverty and some died of starvation. The cavalry was used to suppress any uprisings.

After many years of fighting the white man, the Indians saw their way of life completely destroyed. Reservations stripped the Indians, a once proud, free-roaming people, of all their dignity. They fought bravely to protect their own, just as all people whose country and families are being invaded. It was a struggle they could not win. The cavalry had repeating rifles and cannons, and Indian scouts.

The house that Luther North lived in still stands at 2004 15th St.
Not many towns can boast of once having a famous overland covered-wagon trail as its main street. Columbus can.

During the heyday of covered-wagon travel west, the northern branch of the Overland Trail was, for a few blocks, main street (Seventh Street) Columbus. All told, of the 350,000 covered-wagon emigrants who went west prior to 1867, the northern route accounted for an estimated 100,000. From May 1856 on, that meant passing through Columbus on Seventh Street, the trail by then a wide, well-beaten highway.

The northern route of the Overland Trial had been blazed and used by Indians, explorers and fur trappers at first. Then in April 1847, Brigham Young led the first group of Mormon pioneers west from their winter quarters on the Missouri River toward the Salt Lake Valley of Utah.

The route they followed ran on the north side of the Platte River. They arrived at the future site of Columbus on April 21. The trail entered the future town site from the southeast, followed the higher ground just north of the Loup River, passed at the northern end of where the 33rd Avenue viaduct now is and continued on to the northwest because the Loup River was so swollen they couldnt cross.

Staying on the north side of the Loup they headed around the bend in the river in the Shady Bend area and continued on to todays Genoa-Fullerton area. There they forded the Loup and later established a ferry.

For the next 20 years, tens of thousands of Mormons rode wagons, pushed or pulled handcarts, and walked to Utah. For a time the trail was known as the Mormon Trail, however, emigrants rushing west to California for gold or land in Oregon soon outnumbered the Mormons and the trail became more commonly called by other names. It was called the northern branch of the Oregon-California Trail, the Council Bluffs Road, the Omaha Road, the Omaha-Denver Road, and the Omaha-Fort Kearny Military Road. After May 1856, by whatever name it was called, the trail for a few blocks was Seventh Street Columbus.

By 1848, the northern branch of the Overland Trail was one of five major approaches to Fort Kearny from jump-off points along the Missouri River. The other four approach routes were from Independence, St. Joseph, Fort Leavenworth and Nebraska City. Eventually, the north branch also became the Western Stage Company route to Fort Kearny.

The trail entered Columbus at about Fifth Street and 12th Avenue, went in a northwesterly direction until reaching Seventh Street and 15th Avenue, and then proceeded west on Seventh Street before either turning southwest and crossing the Loup by ferry boat (now the East Pawnee Park area) or going on northwest toward the Genoa-Fullerton area to ford or ferry the Loup there before turning southwest to the Platte.

Trail traffic was especially brisk during the gold rush to Colorado in the late 1850s. Two-way traffic moved both west and east. Many of the empty freight wagons returning east were hooked together in threes and fours pulled by several yokes of oxen.

Loaded wagon trains, traveling west, some as large as 100 to 200 wagons, carried people and all manner of freight ranging from mining equipment and food supplies to cargoes of liquor, champagne and frozen oysters.

The Columbus ferry across the Loup was a bottleneck and wagons lined up three-a-breast on Seventh Street waiting their turn to cross.

During the first six months of 1859 alone, the Loup ferry, just southwest of the brand new American Hotel, transported 1,087 wagons, 5,401 men, 424 women, 480 children, 1,610 horses, 6,010 oxen, 406 mules and 6,000 sheep. Wagon trains waiting to cross camped to the south between Seventh Street and the Loup River.

Columbus founders have often been heralded as forward-thinkers for establishing a town along where they hoped the future transcontinental railroad would run. Realistically though, they must have simply understood that a town along the Overland Trail might make for wonderful business opportunities. Indeed by the 1860s, Columbus was a major supply point and outfitter on the trail deriving much profit from wagon trains passing through. Many Columbus settlers built their dwellings right along the trail (along Seventh Street) and utilized them as both homes and businesses.

By 1864, Columbus had quite a reputation for its business dealings along the trail. So much so, that during a major Indian scare in 1864 when Platte County settlers rushed to Columbus and constructed a stockade for security, Columbus was dubbed Fort Sock-it-to-um.

As the years passed, emigrants heading for the Mormon settlement in Utah or to Oregon or California had given way to gold or silver seekers rushing for Colorado, Nevada or Montana. In 1864, it was said that wagon traffic out of Omaha heading west was one continuous string of wagons all of the time.

However, 1866 was the last significant year of wagon travel. The Union Pacific Railroad reached Columbus in late May and pushed on west across Nebraska. The days of the Overland Trail that had brought profit and excitement to growing Columbus and its first main street (Seventh Street) had passed.

References:

Curry, The History of Platte County, 1950.

Mattes, The Great Platte River Road, 1969.

Steinbrook, The Columbus Town Company, 2006.

Ware, The Indian War of 1864, 1911.

Reprinted from the March 2008 issue of the Platte County Historical Society newsletter.
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.
HARRISBURG  Pennsylvania voters accustomed to voting in presidential primaries that don't mean much could find themselves in the thick of the fight next month, as the nomination contests for Democrats and Republicans still have some life.

Pennsylvania primaries come late in the season  this year the election is April 26, after which only 12 more states will still have to weigh in.

Some notable facts about Pennsylvania primaries:

VOTER REGISTRATION TRENDS

At last count there were about 8.2 million registered voters, including 4 million Democrats, 3 million Republicans and 1.1 million others. Both major parties are down slightly from April 2012, when President Barack Obama was seeking a second term and Republicans were nominating Mitt Romney. Democrats are up from 3.6 million registrants for the April 2000 primary, when George W. Bush overcame John McCain, Steve Forbes and Gary Bauer to win the GOP nomination and Al Gore defeated Bill Bradley to become the Democratic standard-bearer. Republicans are down from 3.2 million in April 2000.

PARTY SWITCHING

Since the start of January, Republicans have picked up 82,000 voters who had been registered as Democrats, independents or some other party. Democrats have flipped about 62,000 from the other parties. The net gain for Republicans of nearly 20,000 represents about two-tenths of 1 percent of registered voters.

CLOSED PRIMARIES

Pennsylvania has a closed primary, meaning only those registered for a given party may vote to select a nominee. The last day to register for the primary is March 28, and the last day to apply for a civilian absentee ballot is April 19. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf implemented online registration for voters last year.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RULES

During the primary, Republicans will elect 54 delegates to their nominating convention in Cleveland, three for each congressional district. The ballot will not explain which candidate the delegates intend to support at the convention, and they are not bound to vote for any of them. The other 17 Pennsylvania GOP delegates will have to support the state's primary winner through the first ballot only  they consist of the state's three Republican National Committee members, 10 at-large and four bonus delegates chosen this summer at the state Republican Party meeting ahead of the convention. Pennsylvania will have a significant percentage of the country's unbound delegates, and could play an important role if there is a convention fight over the nomination. Retired neurologist Ben Carson, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush all dropped out of the race after the petition deadline, so if their supporters are elected delegates they will have to decide who to support.

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RULES

Democratic primary voters will select 127 delegates, allocated among congressional districts based on how much support they gave Gov. Tom Wolf in 2014 and President Barack Obama in 2012. The ballot will identify for voters whether the delegates support former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Twenty-one others, elected officials or party office holders, will be delegates but won't be bound to any candidate. The state committee will meet in early June to pick 20 pledged leaders and elected officials and 42 pledged at-large delegates and alternates. The total delegation will be 210 people.

EIGHT YEARS AGO

Pennsylvania's relatively late primary date has often made the state an afterthought in presidential campaigns, but not in 2008, when a quirk in the calendar and a still-contested race meant Obama and Clinton crisscrossed the state for six weeks, spending more time in Pennsylvania than in any other single state. Clinton won Pennsylvania by 9 percentage points, but of course Obama won the Democratic Party nomination and went on to beat McCain in the fall general election.

WHAT THE POLLS SAY

Donald Trump has consistently led the Republican field in polls in Pennsylvania, although the polling has been relatively light. A February survey by Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster found that of 371 registered Republican voters interviewed by telephone or online, Trump led with 22 percent, trailed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 15 percent and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 12 percent. Rubio, Bush and Carson got a combined 26 percent, while 25 percent said they had not made up their minds. The sampling margin of error was plus or minus 5.1 percent. On the Democratic side, Clinton has led Sanders in Pennsylvania polls. In the February survey, Clinton led 48 percent to Sanders' 27 percent out of 486 registered Democratic voters. The sampling margin of error was plus or minus 4.4 percent.

DONORS, PARTY LEADERS

A large proportion of Pennsylvania's Republican Party leaders and big donors had been backing candidates  notably Rubio, Christie and Bush  who have now dropped out. Some have gravitated to Kasich, such as former Gov. Tom Ridge, who initially endorsed Bush. Many are still trying to figure out who they'll support. Some are simply waiting to see how the rest of the campaign plays out. "That's where I am," said Chester County's GOP chairman, Val DiGiorgio.

CONVENTIONS

The Republicans will meet July 18-21 in Cleveland, the Democrats July 25-28 in Philadelphia.
Ola launched the Micro category a few weeks back, pricing it cheaper than its most affordable 'Mini' segment at about Rs 6 per km.

New Delhi: Taxi-hailing app Ola expects its newly-launched affordable service 'Micro' alone to overtake rival Uber in terms of number of rides in a month's time. Engaging in a war of words, the Softbank-backed company claimed that Micro, which is available in seven Indian cities, is on track to match the number of total rides of Uber in India within a month.

"In three weeks, we have put up a category (Ola Micro) which is already 50 per cent of all of Uber's daily bookings in the country. The rate at which Micro is growing, it will be larger than their entire brand within a month," Ola chief marketing officer and head of categories Raghuvesh Sarup told PTI.

Also, Micro in merely three weeks has achieved the same number of rides what Ola took around three years to achieve, he added. Ola launched the Micro category a few weeks back, pricing it cheaper than its most affordable 'Mini' segment at about Rs 6 per km. Micro is available across Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune and will be launched in other cities as well, Sarup said.

Interestingly, Uber President Asia Eric Alexander, in an interview, had said the company is on the verge of overtaking Ola in India. "In January last year, we were at five per cent market share. Now, we are right at the edge of 50 per cent. Within next 30 days, we would beat them (Ola). We will surpass them very, very shortly," he had said.

An Uber India spokesperson added that "the growth and momentum is phenomenal. We are incredibly excited to see the progress we are making in India." She highlighted that Uber's most affordable offering -- UberGO -- is priced at Rs 5 per km in several cities like Chandigarh. Sarup said Ola has achieved a ten-fold growth in the number of rides it performs on a daily basis across categories.

He, however, declined to disclose the number of rides that the Bengaluru-based company completes on a daily basis. According to sources, Micro already accounts for 20-35 per cent of Ola's own daily booking depending on the city.

"When we design a product, we keep in mind that its achievable and sustainable. It is the most affordable product in the market and it ensures that the driver partners also get more bookings. So, the economics work out," he added.

Ola claims it holds 75 per cent of the Indian app-based taxi-hailing market, with over 3.5 lakh driver partners on its platform across the country. Asked if the product will compete with its own Mini and autorickshaw categories, Sarup said every segment has a particular use case.

"If you look at Prime, it is targetted at those who want to get work done on the go and there is WiFi made available in the car. Micro, on the other hand, will help us get many first time users who are yet to use our platform," he said. Ola's solutions are 'Made for India' and it believes that this country needs hyperlocal, India-specific innovations, he added.
There are a number of banks which are very interested to come and work in India.

New Delhi: As many as 4-5 Pakistani banks are interested in setting up branches in India and are waiting for some movement in this area between the two countries, Pakistan's central bank has said.

"It is very unfortunate that there is no movement with regard to business and banking side between two countries. Once the environment is more conducive, I am sure we both will have opportunity to learn together.

There are a number of banks which are very interested to come and work in India," State Bank of Pakistan Deputy Governor Saeed Ahmad told PTI. He was recently on a visit to India for an event.

"We informally have been asked by four-five major banks but since there has been no opening up as such, so no formal application has come," he said when asked how many banks from Pakistan would be interested to have their operation in India.

In August 2012, both the sides had agreed to issue full banking licenses to two banks from each country. However, there has not been any movement on this since then.

Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha recently said in the Lok Sabha that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has informed of only two banks of Pakistan, Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd and United Bank Ltd, having applied for banking presence in India.

"I am sure that some of the Indian banks will be very keen to work in Pakistan," Ahmad said.

Many Indian banks had operations in Pakistan before the partition in 1947. Punjab National Bank had its registered office in Lahore before independence. Oriental Bank of Commerce was established in Lahore in 1943.

State Bank of India and Bank of India had their branches in Karachi and Lahore till 1965, when they were forced to close down following the war between the two countries.
Mumbai: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley would visit Australia later this month with a high-powered business delegation of CII and speak at the SP Jain School of Global Management in Sydney on on March 29. This will be Finance Minister's first official engagement in Australia.

The school is working in close consultation with the Indian High Commission and Consulate, the business school said in a statement. Jaitley's speech and the business delegation he will lead would be an emphatic assertion of India's keenness in engaging more strongly with Australian business and industry, it said.

The school is also working with 3 partners for the event: CII, EY and the Australia-India Business Council. SP Jain School of Global Management is an Australian business school with campuses in Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney.
TRAI in its spectrum pricing recommendations for the next auction had suggested a record base price of Rs 11,000 crore per Mhz on all-India basis.

New Delhi: The Department of Telecom (DoT) is unlikely to auction the entire spectrum in 700 Mhz as it feels telecom operators may not bid aggressively for the band due to high reserve price. Also, a DoT committee has found some anomalies regarding the base price suggested by regulator TRAI, which requires further clarification. According to a DoT official, the committee has already prepared its report, which will be discussed by the Telecom Commission in its meeting scheduled for March 28.

The official said DoT committee is of the view that all the available spectrum in 700 Mhz should not be put up for auction as it might not get sold. The DoT is soon going to write back to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for clarifications on a host of issues regarding the upcoming spectrum auction, the official added.

TRAI in its spectrum pricing recommendations for the next auction had suggested a record base price of Rs 11,000 crore per Mhz on all-India basis. Spectrum in 700 Mhz is considered more economical for providing telephony services compared to other bands like 900 Mhz or 1800 Mhz.

Analysts feel given the evolving ecosystem around the new bands and steep pricing, they expect limited participation from the telecom companies in the upcoming spectrum auctions. Ratings firm ICRA expects spectrum worth Rs 60,000-80,000 crore to be sold in this auction, which would add to the already sizeable debt levels of the industry.

TRAI has suggested a plan for spectrum sale, expected to be held in July, which has a potential to fetch Rs 5.36 lakh crore. It will be the biggest-ever auction in terms of value and is more than double the gross revenue of the telecom services industry.

Telecom service providers had a gross revenue of Rs 2.54 lakh crore in 2014-15. According to TRAI paper, the cost of delivering mobile services in 700 Mhz band is approximately 70 per cent lower than 2100 Mhz frequency, which is widely used for 3G services.
New Delhi: Jewellers on Saturday called off their 18-day old strike demanding roll-back of proposed excise duty on non-silver jewellery after the 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 1per 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. After long deliberations, all associations agreed to call off the stir," GJF Chairman Sreedhar G V told PTI.

However, the Finance Ministry on Friday said artisans and job workers will not have to pay this levy. 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 1 per cent excise duty on non-silver 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.
Mumbai: Domestic medical devices market is estimated to grow organically at 15 per cent to USD 8.6 billion by 2020 and industry estimates indicate a much larger potential to grow to USD 50 billion by 2025, says a report.

"The domestic medical devices industry is small, with a disproportionate reliance on imports and a complex regulatory environment. The market is estimated to grow organically at 15 per cent to USD 8.6 billion by 2020, significantly higher than global industry growth of 4-6 per cent," a report by Deloitte and NATHealth said.

The global medical devices and technology market is expected to grow to USD 520 billion by 2020 from an estimated USD 3.7 billion in 2014. Medical devices play a role not only in screening, diagnosing and treating patients but also in restoring patients to normal lives and in regularly monitoring health indicators to prevent diseases. With technological advancements, the role of medical devices is now expanding to improve quality of care across each stage of the healthcare continuum.

The industry is largely dependent on imports with most local manufacturers producing products in the lower end of the technology value chain, the report said. The country's healthcare industry is on a high growth trajectory having evolved significantly in the last decade. From the current levels, the industry is expected to reach USD 145 billion by 2018 and over USD 280 billion by 2025.

In this scenario, augmenting healthcare infrastructure due to increased demand and improved access is expected to provide the requisite industry growth. The current per capita spend on medical devices in India is significantly low at USD 3, compared to other economies such as USD 7 in China, USD 21 in Brazil and USD 42 in Russia.

The Government of India's 'Make in India' initiative presents a platform for the sector to revisit the operating model, identify key imperatives for growth and explore possibilities for creating a step change in the medical devices sector, the report said.

The Central government has in recent years, implemented several policy measures to address the challenges of medical devices industry. Some of these include, Draft Drugs & Cosmetics Amendments Bill (2015), 100 per cent FDI in medical devices under automatic route and 'Make in India' initiative for promoting indigenous manufacturing.
New Delhi: First the good news. It will now be easier to ascertain multidrug resistant (MDR) TB cases in just two hours. Ahead of the World TB day, Union health minister J.P. Nadda will launch a state-of-the-art cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) machines for faster detection of TB across India on Monday. Now, the bad news, in what could be a set back to the National TB programme, the Union health ministry, which was earlier aiming to introduce daily drug regimen for TB drugs, will not be able to do so due to an inadequate participation of pharma companies in its tender floated to procure drugs. As of now, under the TB programme, the drugs are dispensed every alternate day.

However, to make it easier for the patients, the health ministry had planned to introduce daily regimen, which will now get delayed. Officials say that the new regimen, if introduced, would have led to better management of TB cases and consequently helped in lowering the relapse cases.

Sources said that the delay has occurred since the government in their criteria for procurement of drugs had specified a long shelf life of three years, due to which only one firm could participate. It was then decided to float the tender again so as to have adequate participation. The government has also decided to tone down the shelf life to 24 months. The new regimen is now expected to launch by the end of this year. The government proposes to introduce the daily regimen in about 100 districts of states like Maharashtra, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Bihar. This will later be implemented across the country.

The intiaitve gains significance, as the findings from various studies have indicated that the existing (alternate day) regimen leads to increasing instances of drug resistance and relapse. Once the daily regimen starts, such cases will come down drastically. The patients will be followed up on daily basis and there will be no chance of treatment getting delayed, said an official. Barring India, 127 of 132 countries that started with intermittent treatment regimen have already switched to daily treatment.

The government is, however, looking forward to introducing 500 odd CBNAAT expert machines which experts feel will cover about 700 TB burdened districts.

The minister will also introduce third line Antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients on the same day.
Meet Sammy the seal, who jumps out of water at Howth harbour in Dublin, just to visit his favourite seafood restaurant everyday.

Sammy is regular visitor of The Lighthouse Seafood Restaurants. During his visit, at times he is presented with food, at times the owner tries to shoo him away or if he is lucky enough, then he is gifted with fish.

In the footage Sammy is crossing the street to go to the restaurant. The owner at first tries to shoo him away but later tosses the fish into the water and within no time, Sammy jumps into the water to enjoy his treat.

Click here to watch this video:
New Delhi: A 28-year-old man allegedly bludgeoned his two-year-old daughter to death with a rolling pin in northeast Delhi's Shastri Park area on Saturday.

The incident took place around 11 am when the accused Nariz Sheikh, a rickshaw puller by profession, was trying to sleep in his room and his daughter, Sauraiya, was crying for her mother who was not around, police said.

Sheikh got agitated over this and woke up, looking for his wife to take care of the child. When he couldn't find her, he returned and punched the girl on her abdomen and face, following which the girl started crying louder.

This infuriated Sheikh more and he allegedly attacked the girl with a rolling pin until she collapsed in a pool of blood, police said.

Meanwhile, Sheikh's nine-year-old son Rahul witnessed the entire act and rushed to their neighbour's house, narrating the incident and soon the police was informed.

"The accused has been arrested under charge of murder. The girl's body has been sent for postmortem examination and the nine-year-old boy's statement has been recorded," a senior official said.

Sheikh married Firdousa Begum around 10 years ago and the couple lived with their two children at a slum area in Shastri Park.

Some of the locals also allegedly thrashed Sheikh before handing him over to police.
The CCTV image showing the killer driving the scooter and Abhay riding on the pillion.

Hyderabad: Abductor Sheshu Kumars desire to become a film star led him to kidnap Abhay Modani and ask for a huge ransom.

15-year-old Abhay was kidnapped last week when he had gone to buy idlis. At night, the abductors demanded a ransom of Rs 10 crore. And despite the family agreeing to pay Rs 5 crore, he was killed. Abhays body was found stuffed in a carton outside the railway station.

Hyderabad police commissioner M. Mahender Reddy said, Sheshu and his friends Ravi and Mohan watched the Tollywood film Oka Romantic Prema Katha a few days before the kidnapping. The film gave them the idea to kidnap someone and make money.

Read: Brutal killing: Former employees kidnap, murder kid in Hyderabad

When they informed Abhay that he had been kidnapped, the boy gave them his aunts contact number and requested them to let him go. But fearing he may raise an alarm, they tied his hands and legs with packing tape and covered his mouth and nose with the same tape.

Sheshu Kumar, 20, from East Godavari, Pondara Ravi, 21, and N. Rammohan, 23, both from Srikakulam, had met in Ranchi in 2014 while they were working for a MLM company. Sheshu left the job as he could not make money and later worked at a sweet store in Adilabad for six months.

Read: Abhay Modani murder case: Kids identify suspect

Lifestyle made Abhay target

Abhays luxurious lifestyle made him a target of the kidnappers. Seshu used to often meet Abhay and other boys of Gyanbagh Colony. It was during these meetings that he observed Abhays rich lifestyle  though Abhay was studying SSC, he had a scooter at his disposal and a smartphone.

Read: Hawala angle to Abhay murder, three arrested

Abhay often used to say his father had lots of money. Hearing the claims, Seshu then thought they would get a huge ransom which he could use to learn dance and realise his film industry dreams, said city police commissioner M. Mahender Reddy.

Read: Abhay Modani murder case: Abhay pleaded for his release

Also, while the accused were shifting Abhays body to the Secunderabad they dumped his mobile and spectacles at Hindi Nagar.
The whole country seems to be divided by the recent police crackdown on a protest rally against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. Those who support the crackdown are calling the protestors anti-nationals" or "traitors. Those who oppose it are calling their opponents nationalists or goons.

While a lot of energy has been expended by both sides on calling the other names, the actual meaning of the names themselves have not been properly scrutinized. The word goon is simple enough, meaning bully or thug. Similarly, traitor is a word that merely means betrayer of a cause. To call someone anti-national is the opposite of calling someone nationalist. Therefore, defining nationalist would help to clarify the meaning of both this term, and its opposite.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary has two meanings for nationalist. The first is an advocate of or believer in nationalism. The second is a member of a political party or group advocating national independence or strong national government.

Nationalism has been defined in many ways. However, in popular usage, it tends to be linked to an aggressive and expansionist kind of nation that sees itself as superior to all others. The most common connection of nationalism is probably with fascism and Nazi Germany.

Oddly enough, the most aggressive country in the world at present is not seen as nationalist, though it is constantly engaged in wars around the planet, and claims exceptional status for itself. I am referring here to the United States of America. American nationalism, even when wrapped in the colours of its flag and backed by the biggest military-industrial complex in the history of the world, is seen as mere patriotism.

The difference between nationalism and patriotism therefore becomes moot. When does patriotism, which is presumably okay, become nationalism? Is it patriotism if Americans do it and nationalism if anyone else does it? We are always patriots; they are always nationalists?

A more fair demarcation is required.

I find the definition suggested by George Orwell in his Notes on Nationalism to be useful. Orwell wrote: Nationalism is not to be confused with patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a way that any definition is liable to be challenged, but one must draw a distinction between them, since two different and even opposing ideas are involved. By patriotism I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality.

He went on to point out that, Nationalism, in the extended sense in which I am using the word, includes such movements and tendencies as Communism, political Catholicism, Zionism, Antisemitism, Trotskyism and Pacifism.

In the Indian context, India is a state, but it is composed of a mosaic of many nations; it is diverse, not homogenous. There is no single language, religion or ethnicity that binds all its myriad peoples.

There are many kinds of nationalists in India including Hindu nationalists, who are forever keen to showcase Hindu supremacy. There is also Kashmiri nationalism there are many Kashmiris who would like to see a united and independent Kashmir, and this desire is rooted in a complex history. The Kashmiris have good reasons to be angry with India, and we need to acknowledge this.

Most Indians, I suspect, are not Hindu nationalists or Kashmiri nationalists. They may, however, be concerned about preserving freedom of speech on the one hand, or the unity and integrity of the country on the other.

Those are both laudable concerns. I dont see them as being essentially opposed to one another. People may disagree over extent of freedom of speech, but very few would actually call for breaking up this country which has already suffered Partition and knows well its horrors.

The courts will decide on the question of freedom of speech versus sedition. Once the JNU students' union leader is released on bail, there will be no substantial reason left to fight about.

If the battles of Left and Right carry on after that, it will be because people have allowed their good sense to be buried under hatred driven by ideologies and fuelled by politicians and sections of the media.
The first lecture will be taken by Partha Chatterjee. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Following conclusion of a month-long series of lectures on 'nationalism', the teachers of JNU, which is at the centre of a row over the Afzal Guru event, have now decided to hold a string of presentations on 'azadi'.

After a controversy erupted over the event on campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, JNU teachers had decided to hold open air nationalism classes to teach the hotly debated subject to the students.

"Now that the month-long nationalism lecture series has concluded and three of our comrades who were in jail in a sedition case for raising their voices are also back on campus, we will begin the 2nd lecture series," said Ajay Patnaik, President of JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA).

"The title of the series will be 'Azadi: Different Meanings of Freedom' beginning on March 21 and the first lecture will be taken by Partha Chatterjee," he added.

Following JNU Students Union president Kanhiaya Kumar's speech on his return to campus, an "azadi anthem" demanding freedom from various ills of the society including poverty, casteism, corruption and dowry harassment, has garnered huge popularity on campus.

The earlier series on nationalism saw eminent academicians including Romila Thapar, Harbans Mukhia, Tanika Sarkar, Jayati Ghosh, Prabhat Patnaik, Amit Sengupta, Mridula

Mukherjee, Makaranad Paranjpe and Apporvanand, among others, delivering lectures at the administration block, which has been the protest venue for students ever since Kanhaiya was arrested on February 12.

Some of the topics for the nationalism lecture series were Gender and Nationalism, Dalits and Hindutva agenda of nation making, Worldview, University and Nation; Political culture of fascism; Sedition and Nationalism; Uncivil wars: Tagore, Gandhi, JNU and What's left of the Nation; History and Nationalism: Then and now.

Read: Delhi court grants interim bail to JNU students Umar, Anirban

While Kanhaiya walked out of Tihar jail after getting bail on march 4, two more students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, were freed later.

Read: Kanhaiya Kumar gets interim bail, to be free today

The university, whose five-member high-level committee has found a few students, including the trio, guilty of violation of discipline norms, is expected to take a final call in the coming week on the 'quantum of punishment' for the students for their alleged role in the February 9 event.
Guwahati: Assam agriculture minister Rakibul Hussain here on Sunday accused the Income Tax sleuths and expenditure observer of the Election Commission of India of traumatising his minor son during an alleged politically motivated raid and search in his residence on Thursday.

Narrating the event as to how his minor son was taken one room to other during the search by IT sleuths, Hussain said, My minor son has not been able to sleep properly. The incident has created a fear-psychosis in his behaviour.

Accusing it a politically motivated raid, Hussain said, It was amusing to see that IT raid conducted in presence of expenditure observer of the Elections Commission of India took the signature of an officer of the Assam government accompanying the observer on duty as witness.

Pointing out the high-handed behaviour of the expenditure observer who personally supervised the search of IT sleuths, Hussain said, I have decided to take a legal course against the officers involved in the conspiracy with some BJP leaders.

The Election Commission of India however on Friday withdrew its expenditure observer Raghavendra Singh from his duties in Kamrup (metro) election district, who led the income tax department's search operations at the residence of agriculture minister Rakibul Hussain on Wednesday.

The commission said that the observer had "transgressed his jurisdiction by reaching at the spot himself and acted against the instructions of the Election Commission. The commission has also ordered departmental action against Singh, who is an officer of Indian Customs and Central Excise of Gujarat cadre. The commission also claimed that the income tax department carried out the search operation independently.

Hussain said, Some of our old colleagues are not happy with ruling Congress party and me. I want to tell them that they are free to settle their score with me but dont drag my family into it.

Hussain also pointed out various flaws in EC raid, which was converted into an IT raids later on.
New Delhi: The BJP passed a resolution hailing the Modi government for ushering in true panchayati raj by sanctioning Rs 80 lakh for every village and Rs 21 crore for small townships. The party claimed the Union Budget was dedicated to the rural poor, farmers and weaker sections.

While Mr Shah inaugurated the two-day national executive meet of the party Saturday evening, the Prime Minister addressed BJP workers at the office-bearers meet in the day.

For the BJP chief, who will be looking to bounce back after the partys back-to-back drubbing in the Assembly polls in Delhi and Bihar, nationalism is going to be the key mantra to win the coming elections.

Our aim should be that the party comes to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with a bigger majority, Mr Shah told leaders, according to a party statement.

With JNU emerging as the nerve centre of the debate on nationalism, Mr Shah attacked Congress scion Rahul Gandhi for going to the campus and not criticising anti-national speeches.

Apparently hinting at AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisis recent remarks where he had refused to say Bharat Mata ki jai, the BJP chief said that the slogan was neither the BJPs nor the Sanghs but was there even before the two organisations were formed and a large number of people sacrificed their lives shouting this slogan.

Earlier, while addressing the office-bearers meet, the Prime Minister advised leaders to hold weekly meetings with workers and cautioned them against alienating workers. The PM also asked party leaders to carry the national executive message to the state level and then to mandal level at the earliest.
New Delhi: Playing the nationalism card, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday made it clear that his party will not tolerate criticism of the nation. The BJP intends to bank on the nationalism plank during the crucial forthcoming state polls, particularly in Assam. The party also targeted the Congress and the Left for their criticism of the government over freedom of expression but failing to condemn anti-national activities and slogans.

Earlier in the day, in his bid to enthuse the cadre, Mr Modi asked party leaders to act as a bridge between the workers and the government. He told party leaders that it is their responsibility to ensure that the suggestions of the workers reach the government and also that the governments schemes should reach the people. The party also passed an economic resolution on the rural theme, which also attacked the Congress for pushing the country first into social cronyism and then capital cronyism. It hailed the Modi government for ushering in true panchayati raj by sanctioning Rs 80 lakh for every village and Rs 21 crore for small townships. The party claimed the Union Budget was dedicated to the rural poor, farmers and weaker sections.

While Mr Shah inaugurated the two-day national executive meet of the party Saturday evening, the Prime Minister addressed BJP workers at the office-bearers meet in the day.

For the BJP chief, who will be looking to bounce back after the partys back-to-back drubbing in the Assembly polls in Delhi and Bihar, nationalism is going to be the key mantra to win the coming elections.

Our aim should be that the party comes to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with a bigger majority, Mr Shah told leaders, according to a party statement.

With JNU emerging as the nerve centre of the debate on nationalism, Mr Shah attacked Congress scion Rahul Gandhi for going to the campus and not criticising anti-national speeches.

In JNU, slogans were raised to destroy India. Rahul Gandhi went there and said nothing about these slogans but instead tried to justify them on the ground of freedom of expression... The BJP welcomes any criticism of the party, person or government, but it will not tolerate criticism of the country. While the 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, Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, quoting Mr Shah.

Apparently hinting at AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisis recent remarks where he had refused to say Bharat Mata ki jai, the BJP chief said that the slogan was neither the BJPs nor the Sanghs but was there even before the two organisations were formed and a large number of people sacrificed their lives shouting this slogan.

Mr Shah also attacked the Congress, saying its main focus was to ensure that the Modi dispensation does not perform, as he hailed the government for providing corruption-free governance and dynasty-free leadership and giving stability and hope to people.

Hitting out at the Left and the Congress for their criticism of the government over freedom of expression, he said that supporters of Maoism and Stalin were talking about it and recalled the Emergency excesses to target the main Opposition party. Without naming any party, he also highlighted the attack on BJP workers in Kerala and West Bengal. The party has been accusing Left activities of attacking its workers in Kerala and the ruling Congress alliance of supporting these activists.

He also spoke about the OROP scheme brought in by the Modi government, saying it showed the partys commitment to the welfare of soldiers.

Mr Shah also spoke in detail about the various pro-people measures of the government, especially the Budget, which he claimed to be a game-changer in national politics. He also accused the Congress of obstructing the passage of the GST Bill for political reasons and its arrogance and took on Mr Gandhi over his questioning the governments work. He also said that India is scaling new heights under Mr Modis leadership and the countrys foreign policy has twin goals  trade and Indias prosperity. He also said that Mr Modis global popularity is supplementing Indias foreign policy and both defence and foreign policies are working in tandem.

Earlier, while addressing the office-bearers meet, the Prime Minister advised leaders to hold weekly meetings with workers and cautioned them against alienating workers. The PM also asked party leaders to carry the national executive message to the state level and then to mandal level at the earliest.

The economic resolution Gram uday se Bharat uday underlined the governments commitment to farmers by citing the new crop insurance scheme. It was proposed by Union minister Nitin Gadkari and seconded by Kisan Morcha head Vijay Pal Singh. The Prime Minister will give the valedictory address on Sunday.

Noting that the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh and 125th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar are approaching, Mr Shah asked party workers to spread their message to the masses. While Singhs sacrifices are exemplary, Ambedkar, along with Sardar Patel, were most responsible for the creation of post-Independence India, he said.
A file photo of the mangled remains of the Volvo bus after an accident at Gollapudi near Vijayawada.

Hyderabad: Osmania Medical College students are upset that compensation has not been granted by the college or the state government to students who were killed in a bus accident at Vijayawada.

Of two students injured in the mishap, Rajesh is still in coma while Sujith will take six more weeks to recover. They are both undergoing treatment in Vijayawada. Over 500 students, along with parents and OMC Alumni gathered at the auditorium demanding immediate compensation to the family members of the deceased students.

Dr Gopal Kishan, senior alumni of OMC explained, It is important that the government announce an ex gratia and job for the family members of the deceased.

Osmania Medical College students have demanded an immediate compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the families of the deceased. Dr S Shanker, junior doctor explained, The government has still not booked a case against Dhanunjaya Travels which is not fair. We want a judicial inquiry to be conducted. Also, we want the college to take responsibility for every excursion or visit carried out within the city and also outside. Responsibility must be fixed.

Dr M. Malathi, another junior doctor explained, Had there been a senior Professor in the bus the incident could have been avoided. The arguments between the students and the driver led to this accident. Hence for safety reasons, college administration has to come forward and take responsibility of the students.
Singh said alleged that the case is a "symbol of corruption" in the NDA Government. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Congress on Saturday demanded sacking of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, accusing him of awarding a single-bid contract of Rs 10,500 crore to a firm for Zoji La pass tunnel in Kashmir Valley in violation of CVC guidelines and called it a "symbol of corruption" in the NDA Government.

Party general secretary Digvijay Singh said that he is going to write to the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, Ministry of Highways and Road Transport, to particularly examine this case.

"I am told that the contract has since been cancelled and this means the Government has accepted that a contract was awarded against the rules," he told reporters, adding Gadkari should resign or he should be dismissed as a Minister.

Gadkari had earlier rubbished the charges of corruption and had said Singh's allegations were "completely false" as the Ministry followed a transparent e-tender system. He had also denied that his son was a director in IRB Infrastructure Developers, which allegedly got the contract.

Virtually daring Gadkari for a public debate, Singh said the Union Minister should come clean on the issue. Singh said alleged that the case is a "symbol of corruption" in the NDA Government.

A known detractor of Gadkari, the Congress leader also sought to raise questions about an OSD of the Minister. Singh wondered as to why the name of the OSD, earlier a Superintending Engineer in Maharashtra, has been taken out of an FIR in a corruption case in that state even when the "ACB Nagpur had found him guilty".

Singh alleged that instead of "crony capitalism", there is "crony nexus" between the engineer and the Minister "that stands established".
Bengaluru: Lambasting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over creation of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), JD (S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Saturday warned his protege-turned-foe that he would go down in the annals of history as the leader who murdered the institution of Lokayukta.

Addressing a rally of JD (S) workers here, the former prime minister accused Mr Siddaramaiah of deliberately trying to ruin the institution of Lokayukta in his own interest and that of his ministers. "The Janata Party established the Lokayukta to tackle corruption in a big way. But Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, suddenly seems to have become afraid of this institution which was created by the party he belonged to in the past and which gave birth to him as a politician. The creation of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) shows how much he is afraid of it."

Mr Gowda and Mr Siddaramaiah were part of the ministry headed by the late Mr Ramakrishna Hegde when the institution of Lokayukta was created to fight corruption in the government.

JD(S) state president, H. D. Kumaraswamy charged Mr Siddaramaiah with heading a government of looters. "Most of his cabinet colleagues are involved in corrupt activities. Several ministers have been caught being corrupt on camera. But despite this, he has choosen to constitute the ACB with the sole intention of killing the Lokyukta ," he regretted, adding, "The present government is so corrupt and inefficient that it can put anyone, including the looters of the past, to shame. I thought that the BJP government of 2008-2013 was the most corrupt and inefficient, but Mr Siddarmaiah's government is even more so.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked his party workers not to get distracted by irrelevant issues raked up by the opposition and said their sole focus should be to move ahead with government's mantra of development.



If tough nationalist discourse was the highlight of party chief Amit Shah's address and the political resolution adopted by the meeting, Modi chose to dwell on his government's works, saying the party has always taken up the cause of nationalism and now is the time for development.

Read: BJP will not tolerate criticism of the nation, says Amit Shah



"We should not engage in irrelevant issues. We should work on our agenda. Our rivals will try that we remain engaged in irrelevant issues and the government's work is not discussed among the people."



"We should move ahead with one mantra: vikas, vikas, vikas. This is the answer to our country's all problems and we are working in this direction. Change is happening and the wheel of progress is moving fast. The party and government are working shoulder to shoulder," Modi said.



Home Minister Rajnath Singh briefed reporters about the Prime Minister's address, which was not open to the media, and said Modi told the audience that a lot of work was done in the 22 months the party has been in power and no allegation of corruption has been levelled against it.

Read: BJP eyes for bigger majority in upcoming Assembly polls



In an apparent dig at opposition parties, Modi cautioned party workers against those who are not happy with the government's "unprecedented" development works, saying they will rake up futile issues to make things difficult for them.



"You should remain unaffected."



Asked about what Modi spoke on nationalism, an issue that has dominated the two-day meet, Singh said, "He (Modi) said nationalism is our strength... We have always done agitation on the issue of nationalism and moved forward. Now time has come for development. There is a need for development."



Highlighting the government's schemes, like providing LPG connection to the poor, electrification of over 6500 villages so far and disbursement of Mudra loans to lakhs of people, he asked party workers to reach out to the beneficiaries.



Earlier, moving the political resolution, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu hailed Modi as a "God's gift to India" but Singh insisted that it was not part of political resolution.



A statement from the Naidu's office had attributed the remarks to him in which he also called the Prime Minister messiah for the poor.



The party also announced that Modi will go to Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar's birthplace in Madhya Pradesh on his birth anniversary on April 14, a move also likely aimed at wooing crucial Dalit votes ahead of UP assembly election early next year.
This February 22, 2016 photo shows Maximus, a rescued hijacked Panama-flagged vessel at the Lagos harbour in Nigeria. During the rescue operation on February 19, 2016, Indian sailor Rohan Ruparelia was taken hostage by pirates. (Photo: AP)

Delhi: An Indian sailor, who was taken hostage by pirates nearly a month-and-a-half ago, has been rescued, External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

Capt. Ruparelia was taken hostage after his ship with 10 other Indians on board was seized by pirates off Ivory Coast on February 11, 2016.

Ruparelia's sister Zankhana, who had earlier criticised the external affairs ministry for not doing anything in the case, took to Twitter to express her gratitude to Sushma Swaraj for helping rescue her brother.

@SushmaSwaraj @MEAQuery-Thank u for all the support Mam.My bro Rohan is finally rescued from the Pirates. Jai Hind  Zankhana Ruparelia (@SisteronDuty) March 20, 2016

I am happy to inform the rescue of the 11th sailor Capt Rohan Ruparelia, Swaraj had earlier tweeted.

Merchant ship Maximus with 11 Indian sailors was hijacked by pirates.On our request the ship was followed by Ghana and Nigerian Navy./1  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 20, 2016

We were able to rescue 10 Indian sailors with the help of Nigerian Navy. However, the Captain was taken away by the pirates./2  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 20, 2016

I am happy to inform the rescue of the 11th sailor Capt Rohan Ruparelia. @SisteronDuty /3  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 20, 2016

While 10 Indian crew members were rescued by the Nigerian Navy from the vessel Maximus on February 19, 2016, Capt. Ruparelia was taken hostage by the pirates.

Later, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said with this, all 11 Indian crew members are safe and secure and are returning to India in batches.
New Delhi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Sunday said he has given directions to the state administration to ensure that incidents like the Latehar murder where the dead bodies of two Muslim cattle traders were found hanging from a tree are not repeated.

"The police have arrested some people in this matter. In Jharkhand, an act is also there that no one can take animals outside the state. The police are working to contain the situation. We have directed the administration to ensure that such incidents don't recur," Das said.

The bodies of two cattle traders, one of whom is a teenager, were found hanging from a tree in Jhabbar village in Jharkhand's Latehar district day before yesterday.

The police arrested five persons in connection with the case while three others are still absconding.

According to the police, their hands were tied and the bodies bore injury marks, indicating they were hanged after being beaten to death.

They were reportedly caught by a group of persons in the early hours, beaten to death and hanged.
Lucknow: A Bajrang Dal activist, Hemant Singh, has filed a fresh sedition case against JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar in Bulandshahar district for allegedly disrespecting the Indian Army.

The Bulandshahar Session Court will take up the matter for hearing on March 28. The case relates to the speech that Kanh-aiya made on March 8 on International Womens Day in which he allegedly claimed our soldiers rape women and commit atrocities in Kashmir and the North East.

The Bajrang Dal activist said in his petition that the remarks were highly insensitive and offensive. The activist told local reporters that the UP police initially refused to register his complaint and he had to approach the court for initiating action against Kanhaiya Kumar.

The petitioner has also submitted video clips of Kanhaiya Kumar making the objectionable false statements as proof.

It may be recalled that Kanhaiya Kumar 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.
Hyderabad: Complaints by patients forced to buy medicines from in-house pharmacies, delayed and improper diagnosis and doctors going on leave after surgeries were some of the major issues in 2015, according to the 8th Annual Medico Legal Review held in the city.

Experts said that there had been a 400 per cent rise in the number of cases being filed against doctors, according to the estimates evaluated from 2006.

Dr Sunil Khetarpal, member of the annual medico-legal review said, The number of cases is an indication that the doctor-patient relationship is at an all time low. At the same time, patients are aware of their rights and it becomes important for doctors to explain, counsel and also frankly tell them what their condition is.

Maximum complaints were about surgeons going on leave after conducting planned surgeries due to which post-operative care suffered. Patients complained of negligence as their post-operative care was improper and they developed infections as the treating surgeon was not available.

Advocate Mahendra-kumar Bajpai who deals with medico-legal cases said, Patients are now sensitive and they were very upset that their treating surgeon was not there and an assistant took care of them. Hence doctors need to communicate with patients. If they are planning a vacation then they can postpone a planned surgery as the patient can be asked to wait. Also, it was found that many surgeons do not want to lose their patient and for that reason they are not willing to refer patients to other surgeons or specialists. This is not right as the patient ends up losing precious time.

Also, cases of improper and delayed diagnosis has seen a rise as patients are now referring to the Internet for understanding the nature of the disease. Also, government doctors referring patients to private hospitals has come under the scanner of the National Consumer Forum as a pregnant women was denied treatment in an Army

Hospital and referred to a private hospital. The court took a strict view of how the nurses and para-medical staff guided the patients to a private hospital and demanded that the government pay compensation to the patient.

Advocate B. Srinivasan said, "The court has set precedents where it has taken a stern view on how patients were denied their rights. At the same time, frivolous cases filed to not pay hospital fees have been dismissed and patients have been warned.
New Delhi: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that it was the side-effect of his foreign visits that the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to remove Ford Foundation from the 'watch list'.

"It is the side-effect of the foreign visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the MHA has decided to remove the Ford Foundation from the 'watch list'," JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi said.

According to the sources, the Home Ministry on Wednesday wrote to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to remove the US-based international donor agency from a 'watch list' it was placed under last year.

In April 2015, the Home Ministry had put the Ford Foundation on its watch-list for funding activist Teesta Setalvad's NGOs, saying they allegedly didn't use the funds provided by the foundation for the stated purpose 'in violation' of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
Ooty: The elusive tiger at Wood-briar estate near Gudalur, 80 km from here, which reportedly killed an estate worker, was finally gunned down by STF on Saturday evening thus bringing the curtain down on its reign of terror over the last eight days. However, two cops were injured in the cross-firing at the spot.

For the third consecutive year, STF scripted success in bringing down a tiger as it had done in 2014 January at Kappachi, east of Doddabetta and in 2015 at Pattavayal in Pandalur.

As information of gunning down of the big cat spread, there was joy and a sense of relief in Wood-briar estate environs, dominated by plantation workers. The eight-year-old tiger struck there on March 12 night and killed Maghu Hora, a farm-hand, resulting in panic in the village.

Describing the event that led to the shooting of the tiger, Tejaswi, District Forest Officer, Gudalur division, said the tigers images were recorded in camera traps. It was seen moving amidst the lantenna bushes at Veerappanthottam in Wood-briar estate around 2.45 pm on Saturday by two teams combing the area.

The teams, included STF, armed reserve police and forest personnel. As efforts by foresters to tranquilize and capture it failed and the feline tried to attack the team members, STF opened fire killing the animal, he added.

The cut injuries in the left leg of the tiger and wounds on its back showed that it had been grievously injured either in territorial fight or when trapped in a snare. Thus it lost its ability to hunt and began to target humans and cattle. It killed one man and a couple of cows in the past one week. The scat analysis showed that it even ate a dog recently. said . I.Anwardeen, conservator of forests, Coimbatore circle. He said two policemen who suffered bullet injuries during the operation were rushed to Perinthalmanna in neighbouring Kerala for treatment.
New Delhi: Reports of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) introducing a form which requires authors of books to declare that the content they write will not be against the government or the country, resulted in the council getting flak from all quarters.

However, the council, on Saturday said the declaration form to be filled by authors under its bulk purchase scheme was only to ensure that the content should only create harmony and goodwill among various sections of the society and not otherwise.

NCPUL, which falls under the HRD ministry was reacting clarified that the said has been the practice for the last many years.

Last year a complaint was received by NCPUL that some content of a book under the bulk purchase scheme was not factually correct. Therefore, NCPUL, as a precautionary measure, modified the form with the objective that the content in government-sponsored books should only create harmony and goodwill among various sections of the society and not otherwise, the statement said.

It, however, said that in order to remove ambiguity, if any, in the form, the same will be considered in the next Executive Board Meeting to make it very clear that the intention of the government is not to keep in checkthe freedom of expression in any way.
Karimnagar: Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia on Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring in a legislation in Parliament for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.



"I am confident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fulfil his promise as well as his party's resolution for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and that he will immediately prepare a Central legislation in Parliament to this effect," the VHP International working president told reporters in karimnagar.



He was here to participate in a meeting of VHP volunteers.



"Somnath temple (in Gujarat) was built on initiative of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and with the consent of Muslims apart from a court verdict and wishes of the common people and then government," the international working president of VHP said.



He said the BJP had passed a resolution and made a promise for construction of Ram temple way back in 1997.



"The BJP has majority now and I hope Prime Minister will work for it (construction of temple)" he said.



He said VHP and the RSS are not working for strengthening Hindutva.



"Hindutva lies in hearts of all Hindus," he added.

Togadia said his organisation is working to eradicate untouchablity.



He said VHP has launched a programme to provide free medication and education to poor.



"A toll free number (18602333666) is put up. Poor Hindus can call this number and they will be provided with free consultation and treatment by private doctors in Hyderabad city the next day (of calling)," Togadia said.



Meanwhile, Togadia evaded a direct reply to a query on remarks made by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi wherein he refused to say "Bharat Mata ki Jai".



"We will react on it at the right time," he said.



Telangana state unit president of VHP Rama Raju and other leaders were present at the meet.
He said it would be difficult to keep both parties happy while rendering justice

Hyderabad: Cautioning judicial officers against rationalising their errors while delivering justice to the needy, Justice Anil R. Dave, the senior-most judge of Supreme Court, on Saturday appealed to judicial officers to think of themselves as agents of the Almighty who are answerable to their own conscience. Only then can they deliver quality and impartial justice, he said.

Inaugurating the two-day state-level conference of judicial officers of TS and AP here, Justice Dave said a judge as a human being could not do justice, the Almighty alone can do justice.

He said it would be difficult to keep both parties happy while rendering justice and added that it would be possible only when an alternative dispute redressal mechanism is adopted and disputes resolved through mediation or consultation.

Justice Deepak Mishra, another senior judge of the Supreme Court, told judicial officers to act independently and not pay heed to anyone while delivering justice to the needy.

Rationalise policies, say judges

Maintaining that the government was the biggest litigant, the senior judges asked the Chief Ministers of TS and AP, K. Chandrasekhar Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu respectively, who were present at the conference, to make rational litigation policies for their respective states to render justice and speedy disposal of cases.

Describing the subordinate judicial officers as captains of the Indian judiciary at the ground level, Justice Mishra advised them to stay focused in delivering qualitative and impartial justice and it could help them reaching high goals without their being any set targets.

Justice N.V. Ramana of the Supreme Court said the people of India had tremendous faith on the Indian judiciary and it was the time to find the root cause for the growing pendency of cases and resolve the problem by adopting latest technology and an alternative dispute redressal mechanism.

Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale of the Hyderabad High Court, in his welcoming address, explaining several initiatives taken in the past 1.5 years at the High Court and subordinate courts in both states, and said that their endeavor was to dispense justice without delay.

Justice R. Subhash Reddy, Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court and TS law minister Indrakaran Reddy also participated in the inaugural session.
Read about the state senator responsible for the lottery scholarship.

A south valley couple shares their experiences with living in a neighborhood that bares a disproportionate burden of industrial pollution.

A private prison for noncitizens has likely been providing inmates inadequate medical care.

New Mexico is home to the country's largest methane cloud, but new rules may help alleviate it.

Looks like the New Mexico Legislature is refusing to provide the Attorney General records for criminal investigation of a retired state senator.

But that's not the only questionable thing going on with our local and state officials.

The New Mexico Environmental Department disagrees with KUNM's continuing coverage of a plume toxic dry cleaning chemicals in the ground water in some downtown neighborhoods.
New Delhi: As it braces for the electoral battles in key states, the BJP on Sunday made it clear that while development will be its main poll plank, nationalism will set the tone of partys campaigning against its rivals.

Launching frontal attack on Congress, the BJP claimed that its opponent has become quite content in becoming the tail-ender of any alliance, while citing examples of states like Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. BJP president Amit Shah had set the tone on the nationalism issue in his inaugural address on Saturday when he asserted that his party will not tolerate any attack on the nation, not even through anti-national slogans.

Briefing about the political resolution adopted by the BJP national executive, Union minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said Indian Constitution gives freedom of expressing dissent and disagreement, but not the countrys destruction.

BJP silent on regional parties

The BJP remained silent on regional players, who play a dominant role in the poll bound states of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

The nationalism issue has come at the forefront of political debate post JNU row and Hyderabad Univeristy scholars suicide, with opposition slamming the ruling BJP of forcing its idea of nationalism. Parliamentary Affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu had moved the resolution and was seconded by national general secretary Saroj Pandey.When asked whether the row of Bharat mata ki jai slogan came up for discussion, Mr Jaitley said the party believes it is an issue over which there should be no debate.
Officials inspect the collision between the crane and bus at Ravindra Bharathi auditorium junction.

Hyderabad: Two students and the physical education director of CVR Engineering College were injured seriously and 20 others suffered minor injuries when a L&T crane rammed their bus.

The mishap occurred when the students were on way to Necklace Road to attend a 5K run organised by the college. Doctors said the condition of the injured Manjusha is critical while physical education director Sai Reddy and student Sushmitha are out of danger.

CVR Engineering College had been organising the 5K run since four years and this year the theme was Behave Human. Around 1,200 students were planning to take part in the run at Necklace Road.

The accident occurred at the Ravindra Bharathi auditorium junction. Due to the sudden collission the girls who were sitting in the front suffered injuries.

The injured students were rushed to nearby hospitals. P. Manjusha suffered multiple fractures while physical education director S. Saireddy suffered an injury on the head, left hand and left leg. Sravanti suffered a fractured leg.

Manjushas sis had died in accident

The seriously injured P. Manjusha, a first year student, is the eldest daughter of her parents. Her younger sister Meghana died in a road accident five years ago. Manjusha suffered injuries on the head and is on ventilator now.

Her mother Saritha was a teacher, while her father had a small business. The family was a happy one till Manjushas younger sister Meghana died in a road accident five years ago. The family is still recovering from the incident and this came as another shock to her parents as she was their only hope, said a neighbour.

Doctors said that the injuries affected her brain and she will be under observation for 24 hours.
Hyderabad: The Telangana government does not seem to be serious about taking long-term measures to conserve the tigers residing in the state's two tiger reserves  Kawal and Amrabad.

Last year, the Forest department had announced with much fanfare about sanctioning an armed Special Tiger Protection Force for Kawal and Amrabad tiger reserves by the central government.

However, in this years budget there is no separate allocation of funds for raising the STPF. The central government provides only 60 per cent of the funds required, with the remaining to be given by the state government.

The situation for tigers looks gloomy in Telangana as there is no mention of any allocation for Project Tiger in the 2016-17 budget against last years Rs 2.56 crore.

Maharashtra, Karnataka and Odisha have already raised STPFs for Bandipur (Karnataka), Tadoba-Andhari and Pench (Maharashtra) and Similipal (Odisha) tiger reserves. Recently, the Uttarakhand government too gave a nod for forming an STPF for the Corbett Tiger Reserve. STPF personnel are to be young armed guards trained by police special forces who will be allowed to work in the force till they are 40.

A Forest official said, Till now no meetings have been conducted to discuss formation of the STPF. The basic framework is not ready as to how recruitment is to be conducted, where the personnel will be deputed after they retire at 40 or about procurement of weapons and getting a nod from the home ministry for it. A strong political will is necessary.

Another major issue which has been pending for long is relocation of the villages located in the two tiger reserves.

A senior Forest department official said, Three villages in Kawal and two in Amrabad have given 100 per cent consent for relocation but the government has failed to provide them attractive financial and land packages which will encourage them to relocate, like in other states. The financial compensation needs to be increased from the present Rs 10 lakh per family.
Hyderabad: In yet another blow to the Nagari YSR Congress MLA R.K. Roja, the privilege committee of the AP Assembly on Saturday evening recommended a years suspension for her for abusing TD Payakaraopet MLA Ms V. Anitha.

The committee that met under the chairmanship of senior MLA Gol-lapalli Surya Rao recommended the action against Ms Roja which will be taken up by the House on Monday.

Ms Roja is already facing a one-year suspension of her membership for her unruly behaviour. And though she has obtain a stay order from the High Court on the suspension, the matter has been referred to a division Bench of the High Court, which is likely to come up for hearing Monday.

According to sources, the fresh recommendation of the privilege committee is totally different and it is for the House to consider whether to apply the one-year suspension recommendation in addition to the suspension she is already faced with.
New Delhi: Amid a controversy over the recent JNU row, BJP on Sunday said freedom of expression does not give a right to call for the country's destruction, with the issue finding a pride of place in the political resolution adopted at its National Executive meeting here.

The issue of nationalism continued to take the centre stage in the deliberations after party chief Amit Shah set the tone in his inaugural address on Saturday saying BJP will not tolerate any attack on the nation, with the dominant mood in BJP being to put the Congress in a corner on the issue.

Briefing the media on the resolution, Union Minister Arun Jaitley said freedom of expression and nationalism do necessarily co-exist and the Constitution gives full freedom for expressing dissent and disagreement, but not the country's destruction.

The Finance Minister, a key party strategist, also targeted Congress over its political strength, saying the main opposition party has "lowered" its stature and was "content to be a tail ender of any alliance" in states like Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Though issues of government formation in Uttarakhand, where Congress government is facing rebellion in its ranks, and Jammu and Kashmir did not come up for discussion at the meet, Jaitley said the resolution emphasised the party's commitment to the 'agenda of governance' in J&K.

Talks between BJP and PDP for reviving their coalition government in the J&K have fallen through but the saffron party has insisted that its doors are not shut on its former partner but it will have to stop putting more conditions.

"There was a time when the country was being governed without any sense of direction. There was uncertainty and lack of purpose. Now we have a government with a determined leadership, nationalist policies and progressive governance," Jaitley said.

The resolution also spoke about economically and socially inclusive policies of the government, its thrust on infrastructure development and good governance, he said.

Asked if the Executive also discussed the row over the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', Jaitley said the party believes it is an issue over which there should be no debate and sought to buttress his point by referring to yesterday's Indo-Pak match where spectators reportedly raised the slogan after India's win.

The party leaders also deliberated over the upcoming assembly polls in five states with Jaitley saying BJP will score a decisive victory in Assam where it has stitched up a large alliance and improve its presence in other states.

"Our strength has risen a lot in Kerala," he said in a special mention of the southern state where it hopes to consolidate a share of Hindu votes to make its mark.

Wooing Dalit voters who will be crucial in the UP assembly polls scheduled early next year, the resolution highlighted government's efforts like building memorials for Babasaheb Ambedkar in Maharashtra and London where he had stayed or how entrepreneurs belonging to weaker section being given loans under Mudra scheme to develop an institution of Dalit entrepreneurs.

The ongoing agitation over Jat quota in Haryana was not discussed at the meeting, Jaitley said.

On the Pathankot attack, the resolution praised the quick action to kill terrorists and contain damage.

The Naga accord and Indo-Bangladesh land transfer agreement and OROP deal for the ex-servicemen were also mentioned to highlight the government's successes.

Poverty alleviation was the focus of economic policies, it said, noting the high growth rate despite the global difficulties.

The declassification of Netaji files was also noted as a positive move by the Executive.

Asked about Uttarakhand crisis, Jaitley took a dig at the Speaker after his decision to consider the Budget passed with a voice vote despite a majority of MLAs saying on the floor of the House that they are against it.

"This is the first time such a thing has happened when a failed bill has been considered pass," he said.
In the past though the AICC appointed team had given reports against local leaders, but they still contested in the elections due to the backing of groups.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress leaders heartbeats have increased over the last several weeks. They need to get a nomination to contest elections first and then a favourable report on their prospects by the AICC-appointed agency.

AICC treasurer Motilal Vora has roped in an agency speculated to be the Hyderabad-based research organisation engaged in social and political research - Peoples Pulse.

KPCC leadership has got the report that a 50-member team from the independent agency is touring the state. A prominent Congress legislator said the Peoples Pulse had conducted similar surveys in Assam, Bihar, Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh.

We believe that it is the same agency which has come here. But we dont know anything more as they are undertaking survey discreetly without taking the local leaders into confidence to produce a reliable report on the chances of UDF returning to power, he told DC.

A top AICC leader said the outcome of the survey would be known early next month, and he doesnt know further details. He said the AICC leadership is hopeful of the UDF coming back to power but was worried about the bickering within the Congress.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran are at loggerheads over nominations. Mr Chandy should not have given sanction to the Karuna Plantations towards the fag end of his government. Similarly, Mr Sudheeran should have taken up the issue with Mr Chandy in private rather than going to town, he told DC.

But another KPCC office bearer said AICC had initiated similar surveys in the 2011 Assembly elections and also before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and nothing happened.

Though the AICC appointed survey team had given reports against local leaders, still they contested the elections due to the backing of groups. Take the case of V. T. Balram, Shafi Parambil and P. K. Jayalakshmy, who all had fought the elections under the banner of Youth Congress. Their names were not even on the initial list and due to the intervention of vice-president Rahul Gandhi, they contested and won, he told DC.
Hyderabad: Former Union minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday asserted that imposition of Uniform Civil Code was not feasible in India in view of its diverse cultures.

Uniform Civil Code will be a reform, but imposing it is not feasible in India. Attempts to impose uniformity in this plural country will simply not succeed, he said. Mr Chidambaram was speaking at a function organised by Manthan, a Forum for Public Discourse here after releasing his book Standing Guard, A Year in Opposition.

I began writing because I was practically unemployed. I am holding a mirror to the government so that it sees its face, the former Union minister said.

Welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech at the Sufi Conference in New Delhi, he said that the PM had however failed to tame his party leaders.

Attempts to impose dress code, what to eat, whom to love and marry will not succeed. You have to make a choice. Do you want civil code or double digit growth? I want Indias growth rate at 10 per cent... I want poverty to be abolished. Its a matter of choice, Mr Chidambaram said. He took pot shots at the PMs Swachh Bharat campaign, saying every change is not reform.

Sweeping streets of Hyderabad is necessary but its not a reform. You do it again tomorrow and the day after. Reform is something that fundamentally changes the character of a people and brings transformation. Hindu Law Bills were reforms, prohibition of bigamy etc too. We brought about transformational reforms and got rid of controls, he said.

Describing former PM P.V. Narasimha Rao as one of the most intelligent PMs, he said he did some some things right and some wrong.

Inaction during Babri demolition was a grave error. But his economic reforms were truly exceptional. He signed files pertaining to trade reforms in just three minutes. History has already credited him as true pioneer of reforms, Mr Chidambaram said.
New Delhi: The Harish Rawat-led Uttarakhand government has been asked to prove its majority by March 28, after nine rebel MLAs of the Congress sided with the Opposition BJP to destabilise the government. Alleging that the BJP indulged in horse-trading, the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of being infamous for forcible eviction of elected governments in the country.

The chief minister maintained that he was ready to prove his majority in the Assembly after the BJP asserted that it had the support of rebel Congress MLAs and should be invited to form government as the incumbent Congress dispensation had been reduced to a minority. Late on Friday night, nine Congress MLAs, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, along with senior BJP leaders, including national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, reached the national capital from Dehradun on a chartered plane. These MLAs are staying in a hotel in NCR and speculation is rife that a Union minister met them on behalf of the BJP leadership, which is busy in its national executive meeting. These rebel leaders are expected to meet Mr Shah.

Mr Bahuguna, considered Mr Rawats bete noire, is seen as leading the rebel camp. Mr Rawat had succeeded Mr Bahuguna.

Questions are being raised within the BJPs own state unit on this move when the Assembly elections in the state are scheduled early next year. Some BJP leaders termed it a desperate attempt by the party leadership to form government in a state where it faces a leadership crisis and is battling factionalism.

In a letter to the chief minister, governor K.K. Paul has asked him to prove his majority in the state Assembly by March 28. It was dispatched to the CM shortly before his appointment with the governor Saturday evening. The governors directive is being seen as a breather for Mr Rawat.

While the BJP claims that the Congress government is in a minority, the chief minister maintains that he still enjoys a majority in the House as none of the so-called rebel MLAs have quit the party or the Congress Legislature Party. He also said that five of the rebels were in touch with him. The Congress has 36 MLAs, including the rebels, 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.

Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal also 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 the BJPs no-confidence notice against him, Mr 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.

BJP state in-charge Shyam Jaju said the Rawat government has lost majority and his party has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government. He said the party is willing to parade the MLAs whose support it enjoys before President Pranab Mukherjee and insisted that Mr Rawat should immediately resign.

A three-member BJP delegation of former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Mr Jaju and Mr Vijayvargiya had met the governor Friday night. Nine Congress rebels had joined the BJP in demanding a division of votes on the states annual budget in the Assembly, which could have led to the governments fall.

Rebel Congress MLAs seen raising anti-government slogans along with the BJP were mostly those owing allegiance to Mr 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.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the BJP was resorting to such actions against the backdrop of the poll debacle in Delhi followed by Bihar which has convinced the ruling party at the Centre that it would not come to power in any state through popular vote.

In Dehradun, the chief minister said he was shocked by Mr Bahugunas 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, Bahugunajis behaviour was no less shocking, the chief minister said. Congress leaders have demanded that Mr Bahuguna and Mr Harak Singh Rawat be expelled from the party.

When asked for his comments, Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: If the Congress cannot take care of its government, it is not our fault.
Hyderabad: Uproarious scenes rocked the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Sunday after Congress MLA T. Jeevan Reddy rushed towards agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and threw on his table a report submitted by the Karimnagar collector over the severe drought condition in the district.

Mr Jeevan Reddy protested against the state government declaring only 19 mandals in Karimnagar as drought-hit while the entire district was facing severe drought. He said that Karimnagar collector submitted a report seeking declaration of 40 mandals as drought-hit but the government ignored it.

Political grounds, not scientific parameters were the basis behind declaring the drought-hit mandals. While the entire state is reeling under severe drought, the government declared just 231 mandals as drought-hit, Mr Jeevan Reddy alleged.The remarks evoked sharp reaction from the treasury benches.

Mr Srinivas Reddy said, A high-level committee comprising senior officials conducted a series of meetings to determine drought, based on rainfall during kharif and identified 231 mandals. The government approved this and declared them drought-hit. Neither the CM or ministers were involved in this and the government had not shown any bias against any district or mandal.

Read: Government left red-faced in Telangana Assembly

Mr Jeevan Reddy who was not convinced and lost his cool. He rushed towards the minister's seat displaying the Karimnagar collector's report, threw it on his table and asked him to read it.

Heated exchanges between TRS MLAs and Mr Jeevan Reddy followed and utter chaos prevailed in the House forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House, the first time in the Budget session.

Read: KTR steps up to counter parties Opposition

When the House reconvened, ministers K.T. Rama Rao and Kadiam Srihari raised strong objection over Mr Jeevan Reddys behaviour and demanded he apoligise. However, he did not relent and Congress MLAs later staged a walkout.

Uttam, Revanth meet OU students

TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and TS TD MLA A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday participated in a public meeting organised by the Telangana Vidyarthi Nirudyoga JAC at the Osmania University.

The two leaders spoke on various issues including unemployment among educated youth and release of notifications for one lakh jobs promised by the CM before bifurcation.

Delay in appointment of Vice-Chancellor for OU and other state government run universities was also raised at the meeting.
If someone held a knife to my throat, I would most certainly say, Bharat Mata ki Jai. Would I say it otherwise? Would you? How many of us shout slogans to declare our patriotism? Let me hasten to add  and its important to do so in todays climate of hyper-nationalism when you have to wear your patriotism on your sleeve, on your arm and your forehead  that I am as patriotic as the next man. In fact, I can confidently say that I am more patriotic in the real sense of the word than Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, who initiated this particular controversy, or Ashish Shelar (Bharatiya Janata Party),

Radhakrishnan Vikhe-Patel (Congress) and their fellow MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly who made a huge issue of it and got All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Waris Pathan suspended from the Assembly.

I am confident of this because I am an Indian who will respect someones wish to say Bharat Mata ki Jai or Jai Hind or Jai Bharat or Sare jahan se achchha Or not say it. I will assume, unless shown otherwise, that the man standing next to me is as patriotic as I am, without demanding that he proves it to me. I am more patriotic than them because I respect my countrys most important virtue, that it is a democracy.

So I will respect the fact that everyone has their own way of showing their love for the country, and that way does not have to conform to mine. I will also have the humility to admit that no one has given me the right to test other people on some hypothetical Patriotism Meter devised by sundry politicians and religious zealots.

Thats not all. My patriotism is so strong that I respect its secular foundations and want to ensure that our country does not go the way of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other similar countries overrun by religious fanatics. And I definitely do not want that my country will be populated by vigilantes who want to chop off peoples tongues or cut off their heads because then we are no better than the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Finally, my patriotism is strong enough to say that I will welcome criticism of the government, its policies and its functioning, and similar criticism of other institutions like the judiciary or universities or various religious/cultural organisations. Thats because this criticism comes not from any feeling of anti-nationalism, but because only criticism of bad policies and faulty implementation, and anger at injustice, ill-treatment of fellow citizens and discrimination of people because of caste or creed, can get rid of these evils.

These are all general points, and most of them, I hope, are blindingly obvious to you. But they are not even remotely obvious to our hyper-nationalists who seem to be in a kind of feverish competition to show each other that their brand of patriotism is greater than anyone elses. How else do you explain the scenes at the Maharashtra Assembly which suspended Mr Pathan? One newspaper has quoted Gulabrao Patil of the Shiv Sena saying to the two AIMIM legislators, Is desh mein rehna hoga kutton (dogs), to Vande Mataram kehna hoga I sincerely hope that this is a misquote.

To get to the basics, why this fuss about Bharat Mata? Is she part of Hinduisms original deities? In fact, she is the creation of a set of Bengali writers and artists in the late 19th century. The first reference seems to have come in a Kiran Chandra Bannerjee play in 1873. Later Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, in his celebrated novel Anand Math, took the idea further and brought in his hymn, Bande Mataram (or Vande Mataram). The goddess  and you must use quotation marks because she is the recent creation of a few writers  seems to follow in the Bengali tradition of worshipping Durga or Kali.

However, her first pictorial depiction by Abanindranath Tagore was very unlike the usual Durga and Kali figures. In a painting, he depicted her as a rather pious-looking lady, demure in her body posture and clad fully in a saffron sari. She could be any devout Bengali lady on her way to a puja, except that she has four arms, there are lotuses around her feet and a halo around her head. Since then, statues of Bharat Mata have come up in a few places, with the Indian flag in her hand, and a lion (depicting strength and power) standing behind her. Theres a statue of that description in Kanyakumari and at an Army base in Leh. The first temple to her seems to have come up in 1936 in Varanasi, while one opened in Hardwar as recently as 1983.

Its interesting to note that Rabindranath Tagore  whose patriotism even our most virulent fanatics will not dare question  wrote in 1937 to Subhas Chandra Bose when the latter was Congress president. The question of adopting a national anthem had come up and Vande Mataram was being considered. Tagores letter was unambiguous and strongly worded. The hymn can be considered a part of literature, he said, but not suitable as a national anthem of a secular country because it was a hymn to goddess Durga. Tagores views played a strong part in setting aside Vande Mataram from consideration as our national anthem.

You may not agree with Mr Pathan or his fellow MLA Imtiyaz Jaleel or the AIMIMs leader Asaduddin Owaisis refusal to say Bharat Mata ki Jai, but you can understand the refusal of deeply orthodox people from praising deities of other religions. (Incidentally, Mr Asaduddin is the moderate Owaisi  a Bar-at-Law from Lincolns Inn. His brother is the one whose speeches are highly inflammatory, so much so that they seem actionable).

What is truly frightening about the Maharashtra Assembly incident is that all political parties got into the act. The BJP and Shiv Senas attitude doesnt surprise us, but even the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party joined in Mr Pathans suspension. Where is all this taking our country? I have no idea, but I do know that wherever we are headed, it will not be a nice place.
RSS has recently claimed that it has been able to expand rapidly in last one year with 90 per cent of its shakhas having students and professionals below the age of 40 years.

Costumes and cosmetics do not change character. But in todays dumbed-down media and fashion conscious world a belief has been promoted that image can be manipulated and marketed. The CEO or Sar-Sangh-Chalak of the largest corporate-styled NGO known as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and his board of directors have decided to follow the trend and create a new brand image for the organisation, more known for its conservative world view.

Sociologists have been debating for long, the nature of dialectic between tradition and modernity. Finally, the debate reached the gates of the monastery forbidden like a medieval fortress. Like 36th chamber of Shaolin Temple, known for training in martial arts, the Chief of the RSS conferred with his cabal and announced that the uniform of the Swayamsevaks will undergo a change. The new costume of brownish full pants will bring the khaki half pants brigade in the 21st century.

The RSS was started, to be exact, on September 27, 1925, by just about five persons, who created the Hindu idea of India  Hindu Rashtra.

Their idea of the Hindutva has survived though the uniform has changed. Actually the Hindu Maha Sabha was created a decade before the RSS, in 1915. It was not started or led by V.D. Savarkar, as many people wrongly believe. Savarkar was in jail in 1915, undergoing life sentence in Andaman. He did not even know about the Hindu Maha Sabha till he came out of the jail and became its icon.

It is generally not known that Savarkar did not support the vague RSS idea of cultural nationalism or the Sangh notion of Hindu Rashtra. Indeed, he was hostile to the Sangh and the hostility survived till recently as the BJP candidates had to face the HMS candidates in many constituencies. But the Sangh has appropriated the Savarkarite politics and many Hindutva followers dont know or dont care about their differences.

Read: RSS faith is its strength

Savarkar did not support the idea that cow was sacred or mata  the mother. He did not support the ban on cow slaughter. In fact his arch enemy, Gandhiji advocated the ban on cow slaughter. The only common point, if any, between the RSS and Savarkar was that both hated Mahatma Gandhi. They were also jealous of Gandhiji, because the Mahatma called himself a proud Hindu and had a massive following among Hindus, which they believed was their constituency.

The only time perhaps the RSS and the HMS found themselves on the same page was when Nathuram Godse killed the Mahatma. Today, Nathuram is being made into an icon of sorts by both.

The RSS always suffered from a kind of inferiority complex because most of the Hindus either went along with the Gandhi-Nehru leadership or chose other ideologies and leaders. Their hatred for Gandhi-Nehru legacy has nothing to do with Indira or Sonia. That venom in their hearts and minds is almost 90-year-old and will not go away.

Mohan Bhagwat has been repeatedly talking about Hindutva and Hindu Rashtra without providing a clear vision or mission statement. They want to isolate the Muslims by pretending to bring in the fold the Hindu Dalits or the Hindu OBCs, but cannot reconcile with the idea of the reservations, which they always opposed and now take a flip-flop position to electorally win them and yet impose the Brahminic-Vedic idea of social organisation.

Now the RSS has come to depend on Modi and the NRIs for dollars as well as western respectability. But Modi's megalomania does not allow the political share to the RSS. So though the RSS and Modi share common hatred and much of the RSS agenda, often they appear to be married but living separately.

The marriage survives because both hate Muslims, both are jealous of the Nehru-Gandhi legacy, both are aware that they have no specific ideology, both lack mass support but have managed the neo-middle class and the NRIs, both have no moorings in the freedom movement, and both have no future except without tolerating each other.

The BJP-RSS ties survive because both hate Muslims, both are jealous of the Nehru-Gandhi legacy, both are aware that they have no specific ideology, both lack mass support but have managed the neo-middle class and the NRIs, both have no moorings in the freedom movement, and both have no future without tolerating each other.

However, neither humans nor political parties can live and grow in a political vacuum. Patriotic jingoism will not be able to keep even the middle class together. The corporate capitalism has no interest in cultural nationalism except to generate frenzy and promote their profits.

The middle class has become so greedy and aspirational that the xenophobic nationalism and hi-octane Hindutva will not satisfy their materialistic and consumerist urges. So the RSS may change their costume, but will not change their character. That template is 90 year old.

The dumbed down media will give headlines to the superficial makeover in image for a while but when the mirror cracks, images will go asunder. The RSS has no courage to look into the mirror because the mirror will not only show the new dress but also the same face!!

Genesis of RSS

Doctor Kesava Rao Baliram Hedgewar (Doctorji), the founder of Sangh, announced on Vijayadasami, September 27, 1925, We are inaugurating the Sangh today. All of us must train ourselves physically, intellectually and in every way so as to be capable of achieving our cherished goals.

The name

The name Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was selected for Sangh on April 17, 1926 in a meeting called for this purpose at Dr. Hedgewars house, from a list of four names  Jareepatak Mandal, Bharat Uddharak Mandal, Hindu Sevak Sangh, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Taking shape

Besides, daily meetings  Nitya Shakhas  were started at Mohitewada ground in Nagpur on May 28, 1926. Lathi-Danda was introduced in the shakha. New commands Daksha, Arama were used for the first time in shakhas. The tradition of commencing the daily activities with salutation to the Bhagawa Dhwaj and concluded with the prayer  prarthana  in Hindi and Marathi was instituted. First route march  patha sanchalan - was held with 30 participants.

Mission

The mission of reorganising the Hindu society on the lines of its unique national genius which the Sangh has taken up is not only a great process of true national regeneration of Bharat but also the inevitable pre-condition to realising the dream of world unity and human welfare. Our one supreme goal is to bring to life the all-round glory and greatness of our Hindu Rashtra.

Activities

Formal beginning of Sangh took place in Doctor Hedgewar's house in Sukrawadi of Nagpur.Training in drill, march etc was imparted on Sundays. Uniform for this training was Khaki shirt, Khaki shorts, and khaki cap.

Who are RSS members?

There is no formal membership procedure for RSS. Any one can join the nearest Shakha, basic unit.

RSS stand on various issues

Women entry in temples

Because of some unfair traditions, at certain places there has been a lack of consensus on the question of temple entry. Such sensitive issues should be resolved through discussion and dialogue and not through agitations

Selective quota

The provisions of reservation were for social justice. It is felt that this thinking (demand by affluent class) is not in the right direction. People of such (affluent) class should give up their right and should help the weaker sections of the society. Instead of that, they are demanding reservation for themselves

 Suresh Bhayyaji Joshi, RSS general secretary

On reservations

If we would have implemented this (reservation) policy as envisaged by the Constitution-makers instead of doing politics over it, then present situation would not have arisen. We believe, form a committee of people genuinely concerned for the interest of the whole nation and committed for social equality, including some representatives from the society they should decide which categories require reservation and for how long.

 Mohan Bhagwat, RSS chief

On JNU-nationalism

It was the result of a conspiracy and those who raised slogans in support of Pakistan and Afzal Guru are traitors and should be charged with treason. Students participating in such sloganeering must be dealt with strictly

 Dattatreya Hosabale, RSS leader

On homosexuality

Homosexuality is not a crime, but a socially immoral act in our society. No need to punish them, but this is to be treated as a psychological case

Dattatreya Hosabale, RSS leader
Reservations are not automatic

A Writ is a document under the seal of the court commanding the state to do something or not do something. The High Courts and the Supreme Court exercise the power to issue these highly prerogative Writs. Any applicant before the Supreme Court praying for a writ should satisfy the court that there is an infringement of a Fundamental Right and that the State has failed to discharge its constitutional or statutory obligation.

For example, in the Suresh Chand Case (on which the Supreme Court gave its judgment on March 11 this year) the petitioners approached the apex court under Article 32 to command the State to appropriately enforce a Constitutional mandate, contained in Article 16(4)A, 16(4-B): The relief in the present case, when appositely appreciated, is tantamount to a prayer for issue of Mandamus to take a step forward, by framing a rule or regulation for the purpose of Reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in matters of promotions, Justice Dipak Misra observed, and declined relief.

The judgment of the court is on settled legal parameters of judicial intervention. Art 16(4) provides for reservation in appointments and postings in favour of Backward Class citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the Services under the State.

A 50 per cent reservation is the outer limit. That does not mean that, if in a given case reservation did not cross the outer limit of 50 per cent, it should be considered as not adequately represented. The opinion of the State is a matter of subjective satisfaction which the State has to arrive at keeping in mind the nature of posts, requirements and other related factors.

No court will compel the State to act in a particular manner. Reacting to some blind demands four decades ago for setting up a Bench of the Supreme Court in the South, Justice Krishna Iyer remarked that a case should be made out first with facts and figures of the cases filed in the past, the cases that are being filed, the pending cases, and the number of cases disposed of from the Southern parts and the other parts of the country, to press the demand. In order to demand of the State through a court for affirmative action for Reservations in matters of promotion, a case should be made out before the State first, to satisfy the inadequacy of representation of the reserved categories in promotions and posts. The State should then be allowed to form its opinion.

Reservations are not automatic and are not matters of Right of a citizen. Nor is this an obligation on the State.

S.S. Prasad, The writer is a Senior Advocate at the Hyderabad High Court

Need is to ensure justice for all

Indian Constitution recognises that two sections of the society are the most suppressed and oppressed  the SCs and the STs, who have historically been excluded from the mainstream of the Indian society. In order to help them overcome the strains of past discrimination, these groups now have a reserved share of seats in Parliament and State legislatures. In spite of political reservations, reservation of seats in educational institutions and reservation of government jobs for SCs and STs, there is no considerable and positive impact on the poverty levels and social elevation of these communities all these years after Independence.

Reservation in promotions is dependent on the inadequacy of representation of members of SC and ST, subject to the condition of ascertaining whether such a reservation is required or not. In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that there could be no quota for SC-ST employees for top posts in public sector banks but reservation is permissible for the posts from scale I to scale VI. However, in view of injustice being done to these communities, there exists Constitutional arrangements for reservation in promotions so as to enable these communities elevate themselves to higher levels and share opportunities in the decision-making bodies of various departments, bank, organisations etc. There thus is scope for making suitable amendments under Article 16 (4-a).

It is evident that there isnt any adequate representation of SC/ST employees in the higher cadre posts. By not providing such reservation, the government will be failing in its duty to ensure social justice to all.

The judgment ruling out reservation in promotions shall have far-reaching adverse consequences on the SC and ST employees. It would block their opportunity to occupy higher cadre positions. The Confidential Reports system is already blocking opportunities for promotions for those from disadvantaged sections, amid feelings that they are discriminated against by their superiors. Political reservations are meant to bring the downtrodden people to the social mainstream, to be on equal footing with others, but there have so far been no special or additional grants under MPLADS to provide certain basic amenities to these neglected segments..

I strongly feel that there is justification for taking up the issue of reservation in promotions suo-motu on the part of the higher judiciary and ensure justice to the socially disadvantaged sections. Then only will real justice for the SC and ST communities, as was visualised by the father of Indian Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar, be done to them.

Prof A. Seetaram Naik, The writer is a Member of Parliament from Mahabubabad.
Obama is due to meet with some dissident representatives Tuesday, although the Cuban government has warned him that state-level discussions over internal politics are 'off the table.' (Photo: AP)

Havana: Cuban dissidents called on US President Barack Obama to tackle the Cuban government over repression and to urge "radical change" during his visit to Havana starting on Sunday.

Activists on the island, which has been under Communist Party control for more than five decades, welcomed Obama's visit, the first by a sitting US president in 88 years.

"It's an opportunity for the Cuban governing political class to understand that there is no place any more for the besieged fortress philosophy in which every dissident was classified a traitor," they said in a statement Saturday.

The dissidents called for Obama to promote change, notably a "stop to repression and use of physical violence against all political and human rights activists."

Obama is due to meet with some dissident representatives Tuesday, although the Cuban government has warned him that state-level discussions over internal politics are "off the table."

One prominent, illegal dissident group called the Ladies in White -- formed by wives of former political prisoners -- was planning to demonstrate on Sunday morning, hours before Obama's arrival. It was unclear whether they would be permitted to gather.

Cuba denies that it represses political activists.
Protesters shout as they are removed from the venue as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally. (Photo: AP)

Phoenix: Protesters blocked a main highway leading into the Phoenix suburb where Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump staged a campaign rally Saturday just days ahead of the Arizona primary.

Tempers flared at the rally itself, but without the violence that marred Trump's event in Chicago a week earlier. He never goaded the protesters as he usually does at campaign events.

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.

Trump was in Arizona to campaign ahead of Tuesday's primary in which the winner will take all 58 delegates at stake. Polls show Trump leading his rivals in Arizona, a border state where Trump's hard-line on immigration has drawn support from Republican voters.

Trump was introduced at the rally by Joe Arpaio, the tough-talking sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of Arizona's population. Arpaio has supported harsh measures to deal with immigrants living illegally in the U.S. He has forced inmates to wear pink underwear and live outside in tents during triple-digit Fahrenheit (temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius) heat.

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 at the party's national convention in July. They are hoping for a contested convention in which delegates would be freed to turn from Trump if he fails to win a majority on the first ballot. Trump has won 678 delegates in contests held thus far, according to a count by The Associated Press. Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates, and Kasich is in third with 143.

His rivals hope to offset a likely Trump win in Arizona on Tuesday with a strong showing in the Utah caucuses, where Mormons account for two-thirds of the state's 3 million residents. Limited polling shows Trump running second to Cruz, but ahead of Kasich, said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. The delegates will be distributed according to percentage of votes - unless a candidate gets more than 50 percent, which would give that person all 40 delegates.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and the Mormon faith's most visible member, said he intends to vote for Cruz in the caucuses, but stopped short of endorsing the Texas senator, an uncompromising conservative.

In Arizona, thousands of Trump supporters gathered for the outdoor rally in the Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills where Arpaio lives. Officers with the sheriff's department were posted throughout the park, on rooftops and on patrol.

Trump 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 of the U.S. Constitution which guarantees the right to bear arms.

Trump supporter David Nelson, 62, had to walk about four miles (6.5 kilometers) 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."

Standing in front of the tall, steel fence that divides the U.S. and Mexico, Sanders vowed to keep immigrant families together during a visit to Arizona.

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. 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.

Sanders accused Trump of using harmful rhetoric.

"I would hope that all of us are rightly appalled by the divisive, bigoted and xenophobic comments of people like Donald Trump," Sanders said.

Sanders vowed to expand two programs spearheaded by President Barack Obama which aim to protect immigrants in the U.S. illegally from deportation.

The Vermont senator has focused his campaign almost exclusively on Arizona in the past week as he looks to rebound from his defeat last Tuesday in five state contests to Hillary Clinton, which gave the former secretary of state an almost insurmountable lead of more than 300 pledged delegates. He was also scheduled to hold another rally late Saturday in Phoenix.

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.

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. Confrontations involving protesters, Trump supporters and police have become standard at Trump rallies across the country.

Later Saturday in Tucson, Arizona, dozens of protesters made their way into another Trump rally and interrupted Trump as he spoke. In typical form, Trump had the protesters kicked out, but urged the crowd of about 1,000 people to be nice to them.

Several thousand miles away in New York, demonstrators also took to the streets to protest the Republican presidential hopeful, marching with a heavy police presence to Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper where Trump lives. Demonstrators chanted: "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay."
Police sealed off the area and a forensic team was at the scene.(Photo: www.lfpress.com)

Istanbul: A suicide attacker detonated a bomb on Istanbuls main pedestrian shopping street on Saturday, killing five people, the citys 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 explosion.
At least five children and seven women were among the dead in ISIS's de facto capital in the north of the war-ravaged country, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (Photo: AP)

Beirut: A wave of Russian air strikes killed at least 39 civilians on Saturday in Raqa, the main stronghold of the ISIS jihadist group in Syria, a monitoring group said.

At least five children and seven women were among the dead in ISIS'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 ISIS'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 ISIS and to stop it from deploying reinforcements from Raqa to the Palmyra area," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

ISIS 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 ISIS 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 ISIS Fighters Killed'

On Saturday alone, at least 18 ISIS 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.
Sheharyars 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. (Photo: AFP)

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 said.

Sheharyars 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 Sikhs followed by Christians and Hindus, 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 sons 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% of the population.

Christians make up around 1.6% of Pakistans 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.
Pete Moss said: Exactly. That's the point. So what do you think about that? Click to expand...

The neocon meltdown over Donald Trumps astonishing success in the Republican presidential primaries has been one of the more delightful aspects of the 2016 presidential contest.



Writing in The Weekly Standard, [neocon] William Kristol denounced Trump as a proud defender of greed, an unabashed indulger in adultery, a wanton mocker of the meek (the losers) of this world. Brookings Institution scholar Robert Kagan took to the pages of The Washington Post on Sunday and likened Trumps imminent takeover of the GOP to when the plague descended on Thebes. Noted neoconservative scholar Max Boot also got his shots in, telling Vox that he is literally losing sleep over Donald Trump, and that he believes Hillary Clinton would be vastly preferable to Trump. And Boot is far from alone. On Wednesday he, along with dozens of neocon scholars, lobbyists, and former government officials, signed an open letter denouncing Trumps foreign policy as wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle. Trump, they charged, would use the authority of his office to act in ways that make America less safe, and which would diminish our standing in the world.

Hillary is a member of the Establishment Neoconservative Republocrat Party, like Romney, or Kasich, or Fiorina, but don't take my word for it.Fascinating read: Donald Trump Is Alienating Neoconservatives?and Antiwar Democrats Should Worry | The Nation
Salem is home to what may well be the largest collection of military uniforms in Oregon.

They stand in neat, orderly ranks, like a battalion at parade rest: more than 1,500 complete uniforms from every branch of the service, cleaned and pressed and restored to all their former glory.

But theyre not on display in a museum.

Instead, theyre hidden away in the attic of the local VFW post, where a small cadre of devoted volunteers labors to preserve a part of their states rich military heritage and hopes that, someday, the collection will move into more suitable surroundings.

Eventually we hope to have a place of our own, said Herman Mac MacDonald, the 86-year-old veteran who started the project. But we operate on a shoestring. If someone would like to donate a building, wed be happy to take it.

MacDonald served in Korea with the Marines and completed three tours of duty in Vietnam before retiring from the service with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He started collecting military uniforms in 1998 as part of an effort to educate young people in the Salem area.

I was talking to students at different schools, MacDonald said. They had no idea what the military was or the history of the military.

MacDonald decided he needed a prop  a uniform he could show the kids to illustrate what he was talking about. He found what he was looking for in an antique shop somewhere outside of Salem. Hes forgotten the name of the town, but he remembers the uniform in vivid detail.

It belonged to a chief boatswains mate by the name of Cook, U.S. Coast Guard, MacDonald recalled. I went in and told them what I was going to do, and they gave it to me at no cost.

MacDonald began taking the uniform with him on his classroom visits, along with a small placard with information about Boatswain Cooks service record. Soon people began to seek him out.

Its usually word of mouth, he said. People hear about it and then theyll call us.

Sometimes its a veteran or current service member who wants to donate one of his or her old uniforms. More often its a widow or surviving child of a veteran whos passed on. Theyre not sure what to do with the uniform, but they cant bring themselves to sell it or give it to a thrift store. It means something to them, and they want to make sure its properly preserved and treated with respect.

They just dont want the uniform to go into the Goodwill, said Jim Hardy, an Army veteran who helps take care of the collection along with ex-Marine Jerry Brixius and Air Force vet Tom Vanderhoof. Like MacDonald, they all served in Vietnam and belong to Post 661 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where they get plenty of help from other volunteers.

From donation to restoration

When someone calls with a prospective donation, one of the VFW volunteers will make an appointment to meet them at the donors home, where theyll typically spend one or two hours discussing the uniform and the veteran who wore it. The volunteer will gather as much information as possible about the veteran and, whenever possible, obtain a photograph of the service member.

Sometimes donors are reluctant to part with particular patches, medals or ribbons that go with the uniform, and thats OK.

If theyre undecided about something, we separate that out and let them keep it, Vanderhoof said. The family comes first.

Once a donation is accepted, the uniform is sent out to be cleaned and, if necessary, mended. An 82-year-old Salem woman named Mabel Valech volunteers her skills as a seamstress.

Occasionally a donated uniform arrives complete in every detail, but thats more the exception than the rule. Usually, some amount of restoration is needed.

We had one uniform come in and the gentleman only had his Ike jacket, Hardy said, so we had to scrounge up the shirt and the pants.

In many cases, they have the spare parts they need on hand. The group has a collection of 500 uniform pieces, stored in plastic totes full of mothballs in the VFW post basement.

If they cant supply the missing garments from their own cache, theyll order them from a military supply house.

The same goes for many of the other items that go into making up a military uniform: rank insignia, collar bars, medals, ribbons, unit patches and so on. The group keeps some spares on hand and can order others as needed.

To make sure each uniform carries all the marks of rank and distinction its owner was entitled to wear, the volunteers obtain a copy of the veterans discharge papers from the National Archives in St. Louis. The documents contain important details about a veterans service record, including date and place of induction and discharge, rank, military education and job specialty, foreign deployments and citations, badges and decorations received.

Together with the personal data provided by the donor, those details form the basis of a biographical record the group keeps on file for each uniform in the collection.

Sometimes the discharge papers provide the only available information about a uniforms owner. That was the case with one Marine vet who left the Corps after 24 years of service. When he died alone in a boarding house, no family members came forward to claim his effects, and his passing might have gone entirely unmarked if his landlord hadnt decided to donate his lance corporals uniform to the VFW.

We got real lucky with this one, said Vanderhoof, pulling the mans discharge papers from a manila folder. The group was able to obtain the document, a standard Defense Department form known as a DD 214, by matching the name and rank on the uniform the dead man left behind.

Nobody knew him; he passed away, Vanderhoof mused. (His landlord) wanted to sell the property, and they found all of his stuff in a closet.

Now the unknown Marines old uniform has been fully restored and added to the collection at VFW Post 661.

The collection

The collection resides at the top of a steep, creaky staircase in the VFW halls attic, and its difficult to take it in all at once.

Today, 18 years after Mac MacDonald acquired the first piece, the collection has grown to between 1,500 and 1,600 uniforms from all six branches of the service: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.

Each fully restored uniform, carefully cleaned and pressed, is draped over a sort of half-mannequin shaped like a human torso and covered in a clear plastic dry-cleaning bag. Pinned to the front of each uniform is a single-page biography of the veteran who wore it, usually accompanied by a photo.

Grouped together by branch, the uniforms hang in long lines on homemade racks pieced together from plumbers pipe, receding into the shadows beneath the eaves of the steep-pitched attic roof.

The variety of uniform types in the collection is dizzying: battle fatigues and full dress uniforms, flight suits and dinner jackets in all sorts of colors and fabrics. Roughly 90 percent of the uniforms were worn by Oregonians, and more than 300 of them belonged to women.

The oldest item in the collection dates back to 1915, a uniform worn by a U.S. soldier in the so-called Border War, when Pancho Villas irregulars staged a raid into New Mexico and Gen. John J. Pershing led an American expedition back across the border in pursuit of the revolutionary leader. Among the most recent are two sets of desert camouflage fatigues worn by an Army National Guardsman in Iraq.

The attic holds uniforms worn by four Army generals, a Flying Tiger, a B-25 gunner who flew in Doolittles Raid on Tokyo and three Japanese-Americans who fought for the United States in Italy during World War II. There are uniforms worn by two members of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division, the unit whose wartime experiences were chronicled in the TV miniseries Band of Brothers.

The collection holds the uniforms of Navy Cross winners, Distinguished Service Cross winners and an astonishing seven Medal of Honor winners, including one worn by Robert Dale Maxwell. A communications technician with the Armys 3rd Infantry, Maxwell was presented with the nations highest military decoration for his heroic actions during the Allied invasion of France in 1944, when he threw himself on top of a grenade to save his comrades. He recovered from his wounds and today is the nations oldest surviving Medal of Honor winner and the only one still living in Oregon.

Theres even a small assortment of foreign uniforms, from allies like the British and South Koreans to enemies like the Nazis and Vietcong.

Most uniform collections that size are in museums, said Gil Sanow, co-founder of the Association of American Military Uniform Collectors in Elyria, Ohio.

That is quite large for a private holding, said Sanow, whose personal collection once numbered 350 uniforms, including more than 100 attributed to Army generals.

Most people specialize, he added. Just by pure volume and all services, thats a fantastic collection.

Sanow was impressed by the attention to detail and commitment to authenticity the Salem vets showed in restoring the uniforms with complete sets of insignia, ribbons and unit patches.

One thing you have to understand is were not just talking about old clothes, he said. A military uniform is a time capsule.  Youre basically looking at a history of the owners career. It tells a story.

Its difficult to gauge just how the Salem VFWs collection stacks up against museum holdings. There are a number of uniform collections housed in institutions across the country, but as Sanow points out, many of them are devoted to a particular branch of the service or historical period.

The Smithsonians National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., has a wide-ranging collection numbering about 8,000 pieces, but not all of them are parts of complete uniforms.

By far the biggest institutional collection in Oregon belongs to the Oregon Military Museum at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas, which has about 1,300 complete uniforms from all branches of the service among its 14,000 artifacts, according to curator Tracy Thoenes. That collection spans a time period from the Spanish-American War to the present day, and all the uniforms have some connection to Oregon.

Those uniforms, however, are not currently available for public viewing. The Oregon Military Museum has been closed for a major renovation and expansion project since 2009. Thoenes said a fundraising drive to complete the work is about halfway to reaching its $16.4 million goal, and no reopening date has been set.

Looking for a home

The Salem veterans have no aspirations to rival the Oregon Military Museum, but they would like to have more room to store their ever-growing collection of uniforms and display them to the public.

But, as the Camp Withycombe project demonstrates, museum construction doesnt come cheap. And its not just about display space  much of the cost is tied up in ensuring the long-term preservation of the collection.

The most important thing is a storage facility that is temperature-controlled, humidity-controlled and secure, said Nicole Yasuhara, collections manager for the Oregon Historical Society Museum.

Time can take a terrible toll on textiles, noted Mary Gallagher, collections manager for the Benton County Historical Museum. To keep the uniforms from deteriorating, each garment needs to be wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and stored in an archival-quality box.

Storing that kind of material, exhibiting it, managing it is a very costly affair, Gallagher said. Not every organization can do that.

Money is one thing VFW Post 661 just doesnt have. The organization gets a trickle of cash donations to support the collection, most of which goes toward purchasing clothing items, collar bars, ribbons and other essentials to complete uniform restorations.

The Salem vets have made some efforts over the years to attract financial support for their cause, but theyre soldiers, not grant-writers. The realm of big-time fundraising is simply foreign to their experience.

We tried to get a building through the Oregon Legislature, Hardy said. We got axed and told to come back next time.

They could donate their 1,500-plus uniforms to a large museum, assuming they could find one willing to take them all, or break up the collection and piece it out to a number of smaller institutions. But that would entail giving up control of the uniforms and possibly seeing them dispersed all over the country.

Sanow raises another possibility: They could sell off part of the collection to help finance a building to store and display the rest.

A lot of people are interested in this stuff, he pointed out. It does change hands every now and then  sometimes for hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Thats not going to happen, Hardy insisted.

We dont sell, he said. We never sell anything.

Soldiering on

For now, the members of VFW Post 661 will keep doing the same thing theyve been doing since 1998: accepting donated uniforms, restoring them and displaying them to the public when they get the chance.

Despite the lack of a permanent facility, the group does mount temporary displays wherever and whenever it can. That includes annual uniform shows at the Capitol, the Oregon State Fair and the Marion County Fair. The biggest exhibit theyve ever done was a display of 125 uniforms that was on view in the Capitol for a full month in 2004.

But they also do smaller shows every chance they get. They travel up and down the Willamette Valley, sometimes with as few as a half-dozen uniforms, to set up displays at schools, churches, retirement homes  wherever theyre invited.

If you ask them why they keep on doing it, they have trouble articulating their reasons.

Thats like trying to explain religion and love, Vanderhoof says.

(But) I think its important that we keep the history alive and that we honor the people who did military service.  I just think its important.

Thats a big thing, Hardy adds. We forget about those people.

For Hardy, as for many military veterans, its important that their service receives some recognition from the public, and that their sacrifices are not forgotten.

My best friend died in Vietnam, Hardy says. I go visit his grave two or three times a year. After I die, maybe nobody will.

But they might come to a museum to look at some old uniforms, and think about the veterans who wore them.
Paris attacker evaded authorities for months

BRUSSELS  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.

"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.

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 yards from his parents' home, the place where he grew up. A2

NATION

Officer misconduct costs Chicago $662M

CHICAGO  In this citys troubled history of police misconduct, Eric Caines case may be unrivaled: It took more than 25 years and $10 million to resolve.

For decades, he maintained he didnt 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.

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 chiefs firing and thunderous street protests with calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuels 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. B8

COLUMNISTS

Mike McInally; A8

George Will; A8

Philip S. Wenz; C2

Carolyn Hax; C3

John Rosemond; C3
4 boaters rescued

in Newport mishap

NEWPORT  The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued four people from an overturned boat in Newport.

KIRO-TV reports that the 18-foot boat overturned Saturday morning near the entrance to Yaquina Bay.

The Coast Guard says the boaters were not wearing lifejackets.

A crew from the Yaquina Bay Coast Guard station responded, and took the boaters to back to the station.

They were treated for minor injuries and taken to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital.

Woman is facing

shooting charges

BEND  A Warm Springs woman has been charged in federal court with shooting her aunt and uncle multiple times at a home on U.S. Highway 26.

The Bend Bulletin reports that 24-year-old Rhyan Smith was charged with six counts of assault on Thursday in the shooting of Bernadette Smith and Zach Chambers.

Rhyan Smith went to the house where her father, aunt and uncle live on Wednesday.

Court records say she knocked on the door to the bedroom Chambers shares with his wife. After talking, Chambers started to shut the door but Smith started shooting. He was shot five times and suffered a broken leg. Bernadette Smith came out of the bathroom and tried to stop the shooting, but was shot in the arm.

Body of dead man pulled from river

PORTLAND  A person walking on a trail along the Columbia River in Portland spotted a body floating in the water and called police.

The Multnomah County Sheriffs Office river patrol responded to the 7:30 a.m. call on Saturday and located the body along the south shore near 158th and Marine Drive.

Deputies recovered the deceased adult male. He was not immediately identified. The body was turned over to the Multnomah County Medical Examiners Office.

Crews clearing slide from closed highway

EUGENE  Drivers heading to Triangle Lake this weekend will need to plan alternate routes as crews keep working this weekend to clear a landslide on Highway 36.

The Register-Guard reports the two-lane highway was blocked last Sunday when dirt, rocks and 100-foot-tall trees slid onto the road.

Oregons transportation department said Friday that there is no local detour.

Officials say 1,500 cubic yards of debris have been removed so far, and that they hope the highway can reopen Monday.

275 jobs lost in

call center closure

EUGENE  A Eugene call center will close May 19, cutting 275 jobs.

The Register-Guard reports the FirstSource call center opened in leased office space less than a year ago.

Spokeswoman Amy Fathers says employees were notified earlier this week and will be offered help finding positions both within and outside the company.

Fathers said in an email that one of its clients is making changes that have resulted in the centers upcoming closure.

That client is believed to be Verizon. Spokeswoman Heidi Flato said in an email that calls will be routed among other centers that assist its customers.

State Employment Department local labor economist Brian Rooney says the loss of 275 jobs is fairly big. An estimated 2,500 employees have similar jobs in Lane County.

Woman files $1 million suit over massage

PORTLAND  A woman who claims a massage she received last month was sexual battery has filed a $1 million lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

KOIN-TV reports the complaint was filed Thursday. It says the woman received a massage from Benjamin Collura at the Rivers Edge Hotel and Spa in February.

It says that after the otherwise dignified and professional massage, Collura sexually violated the woman.

Collura and his lawyer declined to comment to the television station.
A Thai soldier stands guard at Ban Kaen Kai operation base on the Mekong river at the border between Thailand and Laos March 3, 2016. Patrols on the Mekong River by the Laotian army and Myanmar police have subdued pirates who once robbed cargo ships with impunity. But drug production and trafficking in the region, known as the Golden Triangle, is booming - despite the presence of Chinese gunboats and Chinese armed police. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that Southeast Asia's trade in heroin and methamphetamine was worth $31 billion in 2013. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

"Golden Triangle" is source of most of drugs reaching China

THE MEKONG RIVER - 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.

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 militarisation of disputed islands in the South China Sea, known as the East Sea of Vietnam.

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 five 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 organised crime are rooted in the drug business, like human trafficking, money laundering and the illegal wildlife trade," he said.

A Laotian soldier walks up a stairway in front of an army patrol boat on the Mekong river port of Mouang Mom on the Laos side of the Golden Triangle, the border between Laos, Myanmar and Thailand March 2, 2016. Patrols on the Mekong River by the Laotian army and Myanmar police have subdued pirates who once robbed cargo ships with impunity. But drug production and trafficking in the region, known as the Golden Triangle, is booming - despite the presence of Chinese gunboats and Chinese armed police. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that Southeast Asia's trade in heroin and methamphetamine was worth $31 billion in 2013. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

CRAZY MEDICINE

China is a favourite 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, most of it from Myanmar, said the UNODC. 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.

A limousine waits for customers at the entrance to The Blue Shield casino operated by the Kings Romans Group in the Golden Triangle special economic zone on the banks of the Mekong river on the Laos side near the triple border between Laos, Myanmar and Thailand March 2, 2016. Patrols on the Mekong River by the Laotian army and Myanmar police have subdued pirates who once robbed cargo ships with impunity. But drug production and trafficking in the region, known as the Golden Triangle, is booming - despite the presence of Chinese gunboats and Chinese armed police. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that Southeast Asia's trade in heroin and methamphetamine was worth $31 billion in 2013. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

"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 neighbouring 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. - REUTERS

($1 = 6.4930 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Additional reporting by Jessica Macy Yu in Beijing; Editing by Alex Richardson)
March 20, 2016 | 04:14 am PT

The proposal for general education reform put forward by the Ministry of Education and Training contains few significant changes.

I do not think the proposal will help Vietnam improve its ranking in the World Economic Forums official list of education quality. Vietnams primary schools were ranked 91st out of 144 countries, and university education is currently 94th. The proposal on reform in general education drafted by the Ministry of Education and Training has proven that the authorities are not ready for a comprehensive and fundamental restructure of the education system.

According to the proposal, students in high school are placed into three ability-based groups including general, technology/technique and art or sports, which from my point of view is among one of the very few innovative parts of the proposal.

The change is not sufficient to bring Vietnam in line with education systems in developed countries. For instance, if a student is talented at art or sport and wishes to make it her career, what is the point of forcing that student to continue her education in academic subjects such as maths, physics, or biology until ninth grade? Not until 10th grade are students assigned to ability-based bands which, from my point of view, is too late.

In developed countries, students in secondary school are divided into separate ability groups. The education system of Singapore, for example, places students into four categories including Express, Normal Academic, Normal Technical and Vocational. The bands are also categorized as private-funded school, specialized and ability-based education. Germany puts secondary students into four bands including Gymnasium, Hauptschule, Realschule and Gesamptschule, some of which allow students to finish their academic subjects in ninth grade; for others, academic studies last through 12th grade.

When my daughter was half way through her secondary schooling in Vietnam, I moved her to Singapore to continue her education. The number of academic subjects she took in Singapore was half as many of those taught in Vietnamese schools. More importantly, she was allowed to choose the subjects that she wanted to learn, except for maths and English which were compulsory.

The idea that it is compulsory for all students to follow the same curriculum from primary school through secondary school without taking into account each individual students ability and their potential is, I think, so outdated.

Students should be evaluated based on their natural ability, intellectual capacity, and personal preferences. People have various relative strengths and weaknesses. It is like you cannot judge a fish by its ability to fly or a bird by its ability to swim underwater. So let the bird free to fly in the sky and the fish free to swim in the water.

Students should be placed into ability-based groups rather than subject-based courses as soon as they enter secondary school. We should have learner-centered education rather than teacher-centered learning. That is the educational trend of the future Vietnam needs to follow.

The education ministry has laid down the principle that nine years of general education ensures consistency in the delivery of the same learning program to all groups of students living in every local area throughout the country.

I have recently been to a primary school in the mountainous province of Thai Nguyen where all students are from ethnic minorities. The school headmistress revealed that most of her students had considerable difficulty with the general educational program because many fourth and fifth graders were barely literate in Vietnamese. However, she said, the school had no choice but to send failing students on to the next grade, otherwise they would drop out once and for all.

I can really sympathize with these teachers who have resolutely stuck to remote villages trying to convince students to come to school. However, because the educational program is too difficult for these students to comprehend, I dont see the point of keeping them staying on and teaching them things they find impossible to understand.

In many countries, the education ministry is only in charge of developing a standardized knowledge base or designing a national educational framework. Each local municipality is required to create their own school curriculum. Schools have freedom in their choice of textbooks and their emphasis on curriculum subjects. The education ministry has no say in the decision about what teaching methods should be used at each school.

The Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013  2025), supported by the OECD and UNICEF, which provides long-term policy direction, suggests 11 strategic and operational shifts, including greater autonomy on curriculum implementation and budget allocation for local communities and each school.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, the education ministry is applying the same curriculum to each and every student. All students study the same subjects with no differentiation in the level of complexity of the curriculum, which is like placing birds and fish in the same class and teaching them both flying and swimming.

The VNEN education project has been carried out nationwide by the Ministry of Education and Training since 2012. With a student-centered approach, VNEN is expected to encourage students to think independently and creatively. However, the project has a particular focus on the disadvantaged and ethnic minorities and only helps rearrange how classes are organized rather than fundamentally and comprehensively changing the teaching and learning systems in primary and secondary schools with curriculum reforms.

Meanwhile, there are currently several international schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City adopting either U.S or European educational programs which have been proven to be appropriate for Vietnamese students. Why do we persist in pushing the VNEN model which means the same educational program for every local community and every student?

Perhaps it is due partly to the principle of consistency in the delivery of the same learning program to all. Only after passing the 12th grade exit exam are Vietnamese students eligible to enter college. While in Germany, students can move up to higher education after they finish nine years of primary and secondary schooling. In Singapore, it is 10 years.

With regard to higher education, the ministry has proposed to shorten undergraduate degrees to three or four years in total, which is similar to the high-quality model of university education used internationally. However, the question is how to radically transform our high school education so that it is not just preparation for university entrance.

Vietnams current science, technology and innovation capabilities are weak, and national economic development is slow. The reason lies in our human capital. Only through radical and comprehensive education reform can Vietnam develop quickly and sustainably.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Japanese Minister

of Economy, Trade and Industry Motoo Hayashi (Source: VNA)

Phuc made the recommendation at a reception in Hanoi on March 19th for Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Motoo Hayashi.



Welcoming the minister and his delegation to attend the first meeting of the Vietnam-Japan Joint Committee on Industrial, Trade and Energy Cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Deputy PM expressed his belief that the meeting will be a success and contribute practically to the development of the bilateral economic and trade ties.



He asked Japan to help Vietnam develop the support industry, build a nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan, and improve the quality of its human resources.



For his part, Hayashi said he hopes that the two countries will intensify economic, trade and energy cooperation.



The two sides should early hold policy dialogues related to garment and textiles, introduce technologies to ensure safety for nuclear power plants, and focus on developing human resources, he suggested./.
The delegation at a working session with Roberto Salcedo Aquino

(Photo:VNA)

During the visit, the delegation had a working session with Roberto Salcedo Aquino, Deputy Auditor General of the Superior Audit Office of Mexico.



The two sides exchanged views on issues of common interest performance audit and public debt management as well as discussed measures to enhance cooperation, including the exchange of experience and experts and the organisation of training courses and seminars.



They also agreed to realise the common goals of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and support each other in international forums.



As part of their visit, the Vietnamese delegation on March 17th-18th visited the Mexican state of Puebla and held a meeting with representatives from the local Superior Audit./.
A Thailand-Cambodian border post (Photo:VNA)

he two ministers will meet in the 11th meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee, scheduled for March 23rd and 24th, the statement said.

The meeting will focus on three important topics, covering security affairs, bilateral relations, cooperation for development along the shared border, it said.



Cambodia shares more than 800 km of border with Thailand to the north and west.



The two countries have had sporadic border conflicts over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear Temple./.
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
Rescuers work at the crash site of the Boeing 737-800 Flight FZ981 operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, at the airport of Rostov-On-Don, Russia, on March 19, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua/RIA Novosti]

Officials and investigators are looking into the cause of a recent crash of a passenger jet at Russia's Rostov-on-Don early Saturday morning.

People continued to gather at the airport in Rostov-on-Don on Saturday to lay flowers in memory of passengers who were on board a Dubai airliner that crashed in southern Russia, killing all 62 on board.

Russia's Investigative Committee spokesperson Oksana Kovrizhnaya told a press conference there that they are looking at a couple of possible causes of the crash.

"The investigation is currently looking into two main versions for the plane crash - a mistake by the pilot due to the harsh weather conditions or a malfunction in the plane."

Kovrizhnaya said they have found two flight recorders and sent them to specialists for deciphering.

The remains of bodies have also been sent for identification tests.

A Boeing 737-800, operated by Dubai-based budget carrier FlyDubai, nosedived while trying to land in strong winds for the second time in the southern Russian city.

Most of the victims were Russian.

After visiting the crash site, Alexander Neradko, head of the Russian state civil aviation agency Rosaviatsiya, said traffic controllers should not be blamed for the crash.

"According to international aviation law, air traffic controllers regulate who takes off and who lands. And the aircraft's captain brings to bear his own experience, his own preparedness. The rules of any particular air company are not necessarily known to the air traffic controller. Therefore, our air traffic controllers were acting in full accordance with international rules and there is no reason to talk about any flaws in their work."

Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said the airport will re-open after the work of the investigation team is completed.

"After the arrival of specialists from the inter-governmental aviation committee, and following the work of the investigative committee, we can begin the clean-up of the runway at the Rostov-on-Don airport and (work towards) the restoration of (the airport to) its original layout and the possibility of (flights) landing (resuming) - but this will take about 10 hours."

It is said that several planes had trouble landing at the airport at the time of the crash, with one trying to land three times before giving up and diverting to another airport.

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.
The photo taken shows the visiting delegation to China from Harvard University. [Photo: ChinaPlusnews.com]

About 30 Harvard students visited the offices of the People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, on Friday, capping a China tour designed to give them an overview of the country's politics and economy.

They learned about the newspaper's history, visited its new-media center and studio before attending a seminar with editors and officials.

The group was led by a professor at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and it included students from various Harvard schools.

Their nine-day tour, which began on March 12, saw the students visit Alibaba in Hangzhou, the China Executive Leadership Academy in Shanghai, the Development Research Center of the State Council in Beijing and other government organizations and historical sites in Nanjing and Beijing.

The tour was organized by World Youth Development Forum, an organization working to influence worldwide elites' understanding of China.

Anjali Thakkar, a MD/MBA candidate at Harvard Medical School/Harvard Business School, said China was very different from what she expected.

Liu Xi, founder of World Youth Development Forum, said, "When I was at Harvard, I found the bias towards China was mainly based on incomplete information and so we wanted to invite them in to learn about a real China and to promote mutual understanding."
Chinese Vice PremierZhang Gaoli(1st L) addresses the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum 2016 in Beijing, capital of China, March 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) --China will step up supply-side structural reform in its 13th Five-Year Plan period, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said at the opening of the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday.

Vigorous efforts should be made to cut overcapacity, destock, deleverage, lower business costs and improve weak links, said Zhang.

He also demanded adherence to innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, the development concept mentioned in the new Five-Year Plan covering 2016-2020.

As the world economy is undergoing a weak recovery and the Chinese economy is facing downward pressure, China must take care to maintain appropriate economic growth and vigorously carry out supply-side structural reforms, he said.

He also stressed improving people's livelihoods and preventing risks to ensure a good beginning for the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

He told the opening ceremony that China is not only a beneficiary of globalization, but also an important contributor to world economic growth and stability. China's development will bring other countries greater market and more opportunities for investment, according to the vice premier.

Noting the Group of 20 (G20) summit will be held in China's Hangzhou this year, he called for joint efforts to promote the building of "innovative, dynamic, coordinated and inclusive" world economy.

Hosted by the State Council's Development Research Center, the annual China Development Forum is a platform for business and academic leaders to interact with China's top decision makers and economic planners.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (5th L, front) poses for a group photo with some participants of the China Development Forum 2016 before the opening ceremony of the forum in Beijing, capital of China, March 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 20

Trend:

Kazakh citizens, temporarily residing in Azerbaijan, began voting in election of members for the Kazakh parliament and local representative bodies, known as the maslikhats, Kazinform agency reported.

The polling station #212 opened in a new building of the Kazakh embassy in Azerbaijan situated at 14, Najafgulu Rafiyev st., Baku at 7:00 (UTC/GMT +4 hours) and the election started.

As of 9:00 (UTC/GMT +4 hours), some 17 Kazakh citizens voted, Baurjan Dosmanbetov, the head of the polling station #212, said.

The voting will last from 7:00 until 20:00 (UTC/GMT +4 hours).
As of 12 p.m., the turnout at the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan made 40.21%, representative of the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan Marat Sarsembayev informed, Kazinform reported.

Here is the information about the turnout in terms of the cities and regions: Akmola region - 48.45%, Aktobe region - 34.3%, Almaty region - 57.67%, Atyrau region - 45.2%, East Kazakhstan region - 45.83%, Zhambyl region - 47.41%, West Kazakhstan - 38.67%, Karaganda region - 41.57%, Kostanay region - 54.31%, Kyzylorda region - 43.28%, Mangystau region - 31.41%, Pavlodar region - 40.47%, North Kazakhstan region - 48.1%, South Kazakhstan region - 33.02%.

"In terms of the cities, 32.33% of the people voted in Astana and 15.45% voted in Almaty," L. Sarsembayev told.

The voting will be held from 07:00 through 20:00 (UTC/GMT +6 hours).

More than 9,800 polling stations have been created across the country for the elections.

Aside from that, 65 polling stations have been created at the country's diplomatic missions abroad.

As many as 234 candidates from the following six parties are running for the parliament: the ruling party Nur Otan (127 candidates), Ak Zhol (35 candidates), Aul (19 candidates), the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (22 candidates), the Nationwide Social Democratic Party (23 candidates) and the Birlik Party (eight candidates).

A total of 98 MPs are to be elected from these parties. Nine more MPs are to be elected from Kazakhstan's Assembly of People during a voting at the Assembly on March 21.

As many as 10,825 candidates are running for seats in the maslikhats. On average, three candidates are running for one maslikhat member mandate.

A total of 955 observers from other countries and international organizations, and foreign media representatives will work in Kazakhstan during the elections.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan issued a statement regarding the suicide bombing in Istanbul, Turkey, Kazinform reported.



"Kazakhstan strongly condemns March 19 terrorist act in Istanbul, which led to multiple deaths of people - nationals of various states. Kazakhstan provides all-round support to the Turkish authorities and expresses solidarity in their fight with terrorism.



Being a member of the global community, Kazakhstan expresses its concern over the situation in Turkey and strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stands for adoption of efficient collective efforts by the world community in order to root out this phenomenon. Kazakhstan believes that terrorism is a threat to the security of the entire world.



Based on the principles of international law and appropriate resolutions of the UN Security Council, Kazakhstan calls all countries of the world to take joint efforts under the UN aegis against spread of terrorism and extremism. Namely for this reason, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev put forward an initiative on formation of the Global Anti-Terrorism Coalition," the statement reads.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 20

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov approved the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking for 2016-2018, Altyn Asyr national TV channel reported March 19.

According to the document, the Turkmen ministries, departments, local bodies and public organizations were engaged in taking measures envisaged in the above-mentioned national plan.

The interministerial commission on ensuring Turkmenistan's international commitments in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law was engaged in coordinating the successful implementation of the measures envisaged in the abovementioned national plan.

The commission was also engaged in implementing the international obligations in the field of combating human trafficking.
Tehran, Iran, March 20

By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:

France's Total and Iranian oil industry representatives are in talks over the production of LNG in Iran.

Lately, the sides have been holding talks aimed at having Total invest in LNG projects in Iran, Fars news agency reported.

Iran is seeking to produce LNG with an eye to the European market. 31 percent of the world's gas is shipped as LNG.

Total's Middle East and North Africa Director Stephen Michael in September said that his company, as one of the top five oil companies in the world, is ready to undertake all sorts of projects from LNG to petrochemical and oil extraction at sea and land after sanctions on Iran are lifted.

Iran has started building three LNG production units in southern energy zone of Asaluyeh. While Pars LNG which is 50 through needs foreign investment to be accomplished.

Shell and Total had previously announced the costs of projects Persian LNG and Pars LNG so high that Iran would have had to sell them gas below $0.08 per cubic meter so that their production would be economical. As Iran disagreed to the price, the projects are halted now.

Persian LNG was intended to give an output of 15 million metric tons while Pars LNG's output was to be 10 million metric tons.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 20

By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has described the US government as Iran's "enemy".

"Openly speaking, when I say the enemy, I mean the government of the US," Ayatollah Khamenei told a crowd in Mashhad City on the occasion of the New Iranian Calendar Year, state-run TV channels broadcast live.

He further emphasized that the Iranian nation has no issues with the American people but the US administration is "the enemy of Iran".

Pointing to Iran's nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said that the US has lifted sanctions on paper, but has prevented effects being fulfilled.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the other side, under various pretexts and through deception, is not fully implementing its side of the deal such as removing all obstacles to Iran's banking transactions or unfreezing the country's assets abroad.

The leader further added that there is no guarantee that President Barack Obama's successor would fulfill the obligations regarding the nuclear deal.

The Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew is making ceaseless efforts in order to prevent Iran from benefiting from the JCPOA results, the leader added.

Ayatollah Khamenei also called for an increase in the productivity level in Iran, particularly in the energy sector, adding this can save billions of dollars.
President Hassan Rouhani and his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani on Sunday underlined strengthening firm friendship bonds between the two Iranian and Afghan nations and expansion of mutual cooperation and ties, IRNA reported.

In a phone call on Sunday, Ghani congratulated President Rouhani, and the Iranian government and nation on the advent of the new Iranian year of 1395 (started on March 20).

He emphasized the importance and grave role of Iran in the region and requested further expansion of the two-way ties and cooperation.

He also prayed God Almighty for health of Iranian Supreme Leader and President and wished Iranian government and nation success and prosperity.

President Rouhani for his turn congratulated Afghan government and nation and all the nations, celebrating Norouz, on the feast and emphasized all-out expansion of mutual cooperation in various spheres, strengthening friendship, and upgrading Tehran-Kabul cooperation and relations on bilateral, regional and international levels.
At least 13 Egyptian policemen were killed in the Sinai peninsula when Islamic militants fired a mortar round at a security checkpoint in the city of Arish, security and medical sources said on Saturday, The Guardian reported.

Islamic State claimed responsibility on several websites for the attack and Egyptian state media later confirmed it.

Ambulances were subjected to heavy gunfire as they attempted to reach the wounded, sources said. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a massive explosion and said the city's entrances and exits had been closed off by security forces.

Security sources said government forces later killed five of the militants who had carried out the attack.

Egypt is battling an insurgency that gained pace after its military overthrew President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist movement, in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.

The insurgency, mounted by Isis's Egyptian branch, Sinai Province, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and started to attack western targets in the country.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former military chief who led the overthrow of Morsi, describes Islamic militancy as an existential threat to Egypt, which is an ally of the United States. Isis controls large parts of Iraq and Syria and has a presence in Libya, which borders Egypt.
On Monday, when the official program of his visit begins, the US president is scheduled to meet with Cuban President Raul Castro to review progress made on the normalization of relations between the two nations.

US President Barack Obama has arrived in the Cuban capital of Havana with a historic visit in the wake of the Cuban normalization process.

While Obama's official program begins on Monday, March 21, he will have a cultural tour of the Cuban capital on Sunday.

Relations between Washington and Havana began to improve after Obama announced in December 2014 a historic change in US policy, including the loosening of restrictions on travel and trade.

Obama will be the first sitting US president to go to Cuba since Calvin Coolidge, 88 years ago in 1928.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the PKK and Daesh terrorist organizations are serving evil agendas of other forces by carrying out attacks in Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported.

In remarks made during a speech at an educational conference in Istanbul Sunday, Erdogan said: "When we think about why terrorist organizations such as the PKK and Daesh are targeting our country, we come across other forces and their intentions about Turkey".

He said that both terrorist groups had the same end goal and were helping "the dirty agendas" of such forces despite having different names and using different methods.

Daesh is suspected of being behind Saturday's blast on Istanbul's Istiklal Street, which killed four people including three Israelis and an Iranian.
Belgium's Ambassador to Turkey Marc Trentesau has been summoned to Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey the country's protest over the recent PKK tent incident in Brussels, diplomatic sources said, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also called his Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders Sunday over the incident, diplomatic sources added.

On Thursday, the Belgian government had allowed PKK supporters to pitch their tents near the venue of the Turkey-EU summit in Brussels.

Although flags of the terrorist group were removed ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's visit, they were put back up after his departure.

According to the sources, Cavusoglu in his conversation with Reynders called the situation "unacceptable" and emphasized the importance of removing the tent.

Turkish minister also said the display of PKK flags and terrorist posters is also unacceptable, adding the issue is not about freedom of expression but that it is a matter of "terrorism".

Cavusoglu said the PKK is a terrorist organization just like Daesh. He noted that Daesh is not allowed in Belgium in the name of freedom of expression.

He emphasized that PKK actions must be responded in the same vein as against Daesh.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also slammed the Belgian government Sunday over the incident. "They call it 'freedom of thought'. What kind of a freedom of thought is that?" Erdogan asked.

The PKK - also listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU - resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, around 300 members of the security forces have been martyred, and thousands of PKK terrorists have been killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.
Spain imports popular Chinese wine. (Photo : Getty Images)

Chinas Changyu Noble Dragon will soon be available in Spain as Marques del Atrio in the Rioja region reveals its plans to import the most famous wine in the East.



According to the Olive Press, Marques del Atrio, one of the biggest wineries in the Western country, is looking to bring the China's most popular wine in Spain.



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Made from a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Gernischt grapes, the Noble Dragon has captured the world with its unique taste in over 450 million bottles.



According to Reuters, the Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Co. Ltd., based in Yantai in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, is planning to venture into foreign purchases by expanding their reach in Spain after purchasing 35 million euro ($40 million) worth of shares in Marques del Atrio.



This means that the Chinese company holds 75 percent stakes in the Rioja-based winery.



"Our aim is for Marques de Atrio to be the number one Spanish wine in the Chinese market, the wine of reference," Changyu General Manager Sun Jian told Reuters via an interpreter.



Sun further explained that they are aiming to get distribution rights to more restaurants and hotels in the country and provide a new taste for the locals who are interested in tickling their taste buds with something new.



Marques del Atrio Chief Executive Jesus Rivero echoed this sentiment, telling China Daily that the partnership provides "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."



The Chinese winery is also probing opportunities in other countries all over the world such as Chile, Australia and France.



According to Reuters, 90 percent of Changyu's sales are from the domestic market, and the firm is targeting a 30-percent increase in its international sales by teaming up with Spain's Rioja.


File photo of the North Korean border (Photo : Getty Images)

China voiced its opposition on Thursday to unilateral sanctions against North Korea, saying it could raise tensions in the region, after the United States issued a new round of sanctions on the isolated country for its latest nuclear and rocket tests.



U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday imposed sweeping new sanctions, including banning anyone who does business in North Korea's financial, mining and transport sectors from the global financial system, in an attempt to further isolate North Korea's leadership.



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Anyone who violates the sanctions will have their assets frozen by banks, which observers see as potentially stifling North Korea's business ties with China and other countries.



When questioned on whether the sanctions could affect business links between Chinese banks and North Korea, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told Reuters that Beijing is "paying attention to" the situation.



"China always opposes any country imposing unilateral sanctions," Lu told reporters at a news briefing in Beijing.



"Under the present situation where the situation on the Korean Peninsula is complex and sensitive, we oppose any moves that may further worsen tensions there," he said, adding that any so-called unilateral sanctions "should neither affect nor harm China's reasonable interests."



Widely seen as North Korea's sole major ally, China disapproves of its nuclear program and has repeatedly called for the Korean Peninsula to be free of nuclear weapons.



While China has expressed its support for stronger U.N. sanctions against North Korea, it has said that repeated sanctions are not the solution and that only the return of Six-Party talks can resolve the dispute over North Korea's weapons program.



Washington's sanctions, which expand an already extensive U.S. blockade of North Korea, prohibit the export of goods from the United States to North Korea.



However, U.S. officials have previously said a blanket trade ban would prove ineffective without a stronger commitment from China.



North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Jan. 6, followed by a rocket launch on Februrary which the U.S. and its allies said utilized prohibited ballistic missile technology.



In response, South Korea and the U.S. are conducting what is reported to be their biggest ever joint military drills, codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, from March to the end of April.



South Korea Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the country's top envoy for the stalled Six-Party Talks will fly to China this week to discuss issues regarding North Korea.


Premier Li Keqiang announced that China is giving U.S. investors more access to the market as negotiations between China and the U.S. for the Bilateral Investment Treaty is ongoing. (Photo : REUTERS)

China is set to give U.S. investors more access to the market, as Premier Li Keqiang announced at a news conference after the conclusion of the annual legislative session in Beijing on Wednesday, March 16, the Global Times reported.



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Li made the remarks while China and the U.S. are under negotiations on a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), which experts observed as making a slow movement forward.



Li said during the news conference that the two countries' common interests are bigger than their differences, adding that China was the U.S.'s biggest trading partner in 2015, with bilateral trading volume reaching $560 billion.



The Chinese premier added that the process of increasing market must be reciprocal as the two sides are now striving to speed up the BIT talks.



According to the report, as of Jan. 2016, a total of 24 rounds of talks have been carried out by the two countries, since the Sino-U.S. BIT negotiations started in 2008.



Some observers criticized that progress have been slow, but experts said the process is gradual as it needs the efforts of the two sides.



"China will further open its market to foreign companies in the future despite the many challenges it faces during the current economic structural transformation," Huang Wei, director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told the Global Times.



Huang said that one of the efforts of China in the BIT negotiations is to increase access for U.S. investors, noting the "difference in the requirements for foreign capital access because the U.S. has a more open market than China."



Experts said that China's plans to launch a nationwide negative list for investment management by 2018 and the drafting rules for investment from foreign companies are parts of intensified efforts to regulate the domestic investment environment.



"The U.S. is expected to offer the same treatment to Chinese firms that seek business development in the U.S. as companies from other countries and regions," Huang said.



On the other hand, Zhang Ning, a research fellow with the National Academy of Economic Strategy at the CASS, said that the Chinese government is not biased against U.S. companies but welcomes them.



"From a regulatory point of view, the U.S. government does not hold any bias against Chinese investment, though in practice the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States seems to apply more stringent rules when reviewing investment from China, especially in the telecommunications, data processing and cybersecurity sectors," Zhang said.



"The question is whether the U.S. can open up to investment from Chinese companies," Zhang said, saying that concerning trading goods with China, the U.S. already has a mature policy.



"China's opening-up needs to take gradual steps based on its national conditions," Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said.



"The trade imbalance between China and the U.S. is due to China exporting more goods to the U.S., but is also in part due to U.S. limits on exports, such as high-tech products, to China," Bai noted.



In recent years, an increasing number of Chinese firms have entered the U.S. market as China is actively "going global," which has caused some concerns in the U.S., experts said.



Zhang said that the U.S. also treats with caution the investments made by Chinese state-owned enterprises.



Premier Li said during the press conference that the U.S. is aware of this and that the Sino-U.S. bilateral economic relationship has always offered mutual benefits.



A survey by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham China) released in January showed that despite the regulatory challenges they face, majority of U.S. companies remain optimistic about the market potential in China.



According to the report, 37 percent of the AmCham member companies expected the negotiations to be completed in 2018, while 36 percent saw BIT to be completed in or before 2017.



The 2016 China Business Climate Survey Report was based on a poll of AmCham China's member companies, numbering about 500, which was conducted in partnership with U.S.-based Bain & Company.


First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates International Women's Day At DC's Union Market (Photo : Getty Images)

Is the International Womens Day going the way of other major holidays such as Christmas Day, Valentines Day and Easter reduced to a commercial celebration of the event?



That observation is being raised by some Chinese NGOs as they point out that the day which was the result of a movement about 100 years ago against injustice on women is now lost on a lot of females. Instead, March 8 has become a day of shopping for some, based on a significant number of International Womens Day messages on social media that came from vendors of confectionery, makeup and clothes, reported China Daily.



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In Romania, a woman got angry with her husband for allegedly failing to give her flowers on International Womens Day that she drove a knife on his testicles on March 8. However, she denied that flowers were the reason; rather, they argued about him not helping in household chores that she grabbed his balls and ripped his testicles, reported IBT. In China, a mall in Liuzhou City held a bra unfastening contest.



It has similarities now to Christmas when people are preoccupied with shopping, while some groups ban the setting up of Nativity scenes in public places. Or Valentines Day being reduced to a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates and a date; and Easter, more known for an egg hunt.



Feng Yuan, co-founder of Chinese NGO Equality, lamented, For feminists or women (in China) who understand the history of March 8, the day is a symbol of womens rights, of equal rights, but for most others it is commercialized.



As Chinese women moved from homes to the workplace, President Xi Jinping acknowledged at the National Peoples Congress in Beijing on March 8 that now is a period that China needs so much the contributions of China.



However, because todays feminist has changed drastically from the 19th-century concept, with todays stereotype that of an angry middle-class woman with a high-pitched voice, in Australia, many shun using the word feminist which is considered a dirty word. Clare Wright, an Australian thinker, explained to those who attended the Bookworm Literary Festival in Beijing last week, It shows aggressive behavior, but these are the same women who have reaped the rewards of the feminist movement.






'Five Nights at Freddy's' movie adaptation currently in the works; 2016 release date set?

One of the Animatronic animals found in Freddy Fazbears Pizza house that harbors a dark secret and a murderous agenda. (Photo : Facebook/Five Nights at Freddy's 3)

Academy Award nominee film director Gil Kenan recently revealed that the highly anticipated movie adaptation of Scott Hawton's indie survival horror video game titled "Five Nights at Freddy's" (FNAF) is currently in development.







The arrival of "Five Nights at Freddy's" into the big screen has been driving rumor mill on what will the movie adaptation take after, leading fans to ponder whether it will showcase a niche of intense horror or not.



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Following the time when the production commenced in early 2015, film director Kenan has been teasing the on-going production's progress of "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie. That said, a standout amongst the recent updates' includes a photo of a mask that has all the earmarks of being a work in progress to become an animatronic character.



In addition, the director has additionally shared a photo of him with a life-sized teddy bear, which fans were quick to speculate that it doubtlessly has something to do with the movie adaptation, adding that the 39-year-old director will most likely bring the murderous animatronics into life.



As an attempt to do so, director Kenan revealed in his official Twitter account that the highly anticipated movie adaptation will highlight a real full-size animatronics that would make the setting all the more authentic and might create a scarier impact to the viewers instead of using a Computer-Generated Image (CGI).



In its report, The Hollywood Reporter revealed the names of the appointed producers for the movie adaptation. As per the publication, the movie will be produced by Seth Grahame-Smith, Roy Lee and David Katzenberg of KatzSmith productions.



"We're looking forward to working with Scott to make an insane, terrifying and weirdly adorable movie," said Grahame-Smith.



The indie-horror FNAF game creator will likewise be involved in the movie adaptation project to guarantee the film's over-all credibility. To date, no release date has been announced for the movie adaptation yet, however, rumor mill strongly suggests that the film could be out in theaters within this year.



Watch the "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie fan-made trailer below:






Ennio Capsa walks down the runway. (Photo : GettyImages/Jacopo Raule)

Costume National lost two of its designers on March 15. Ennio Capasa and his brother, Carlo Capasa, have left the Italian fashion house.



Costume National, the Italian fashion house that was founded by the two brothers, will be losing its founders, The New York Times reported. The brothers have said that it is a "bittersweet time" for them as they will end their journey in the fashion industry in a joint announcement.



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The fashion house was based in Milan but the shows were in Paris. It became famous by using a certain trend in a cool minimalist style way back in the 1990s. Their fashion design signature was a black trouser suit that has a rock and roll look.



Costume National had problems with finances in the recent years and it got worse when its former partner Ittierre declared bankruptcy. After that event, it accepted another shareholder, the Asian investment firm Sequedge last 2009. This year, the firm took the option that was part of the deal which was to buy out the Capasas after a certain time.



On March 14, the brothers decided to leave the fashion house since they did not want to become employees serving another person's vision. Carlo said that he had different ideas for their investor like retail growth and online strategy. He clarifies that there were no problems with their departure.



Ennio wrote in a statement obtained by Business of Fashion that he will announce his resignation as a shareholder and creative director of Costume National. He said he was hoping that this did not happen and that he fought against the issue and discussed that the emotions that he felt are complex and reminisces of the 30 years in the industry.



What Ennio said he only wanted was to create style and continue to evolve it while not following the trend at the moment. He added the he does not believe that fashion is over today and only the marketing wins over the people and he will remain committed in making his personal vision real.



Meanwhile, Ennio will leave behind a 50,000-piece archive, in his estimate, at Costume national. Until the Italian fashion house names another designer for them, the remaining team will have something to do in the meantime.



Check out the Costume National fashion show exclusive video below:






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.

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In a statement posted on Facebook, the spokesperson said that the Italian foreign minister spoke with his Egyptian counterpart over the phone late on Saturday

Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni has expressed satisfaction with Egypts cooperation in the investigation of Italian student Regenis murder, according to a Facebook statement by Egypts foreign ministry.

The statement by the foreign ministry spokesperson says that Gentiloni spoke to his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri over the phone on Saturday evening.

The ministers also reportedly discussed bilateral relations and the crisis in Libya.

Last week, Egypt's top prosecutor Nabil Sadek and his Italian counterpart met in Cairo to discuss the latest developments in the investigations.

The Egyptian government has not named any suspects in the murder of the 28-year-old PhD student whose body, which showed signs of torture, was found along a highway near Cairo on 3 February, nine days after he disappeared.

On 10 March, the European parliament urged Egypt to provide Italy "with all the documents and information necessary to enable a swift, transparent, and impartial joint investigation."

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The FlyDubai plane, which crashed Saturday, had 62 people on board, all of whom were killed

Egypt's foreign ministry spokesperson has expressed Egypt's condolences to Russia for low-cost airliner FlyDubai's plane crash in southern Russia Saturday that killed all 62 on board.

In a statement issued late Saturday, ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said Egypt extends its condolences to the Russian people and the families of the victims, saying Egypt stands by the Russian government and people in harsh times.

The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 55 passengers, mostly Russian, including four children, in addition to seven crew members.

Russia and FlyDubai are conducting investigations to determine the reason for the crash.

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Egypt's minister of military production Mohamed El-Assar traveled to Russia on Sunday with a high-level military delegation to discuss cooperation with Russian officials in the field of joint military production.

Strategic and military cooperation between Egypt and Russia has been on the rise since Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi took office in June 2014.

Moscow and Cairo have recently signed a number of agreements whereby Russia would sell jet fighters and other military hardware to Egypt.

In November 2015, Russia and Egypt also signed a deal to build a nuclear plant in Cairo.

Russian and Egyptian militaries have been coordinating their efforts in the fight against terrorism by sharing information, training personnel, and delivering specialised technology.



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The new buses will be introduced at a monthly average of 25 vehicles, according to the Cairo governor

Nearly 700 buses will enter the public transportation service in Cairo in 2016 at a monthly average of 25 buses, Cairo's Governor Galal El-Saeed announced on Sunday.

The governor said that 150 buses would enter the service starting April, and announced a tender for 300 buses using natural gas as fuel.

Governor El-Saeed also said in his statement that 1,350 new buses joined Cairos public transportation service in 2015.

The head of Cairo's public transportation authority has said in previous press statements that the Greater Cairo metropolitan area, which is home to some 20 million people, needs at least 10,000 buses to ease traffic congestion.

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Related At least 13 Egyptian policemen killed in attack on North Sinai checkpoint

Egypt's interior ministry mourns the death of 15 policemen who were killed Saturday in an armed attack on a police checkpoint in the North Sinai city of Arish, an official statement said on Sunday.

The ministry released in its statement the names of the the 15 policemen who were killed on Saturday when a mortar shell blasted through a police checkpoint in Arishs El-Safa neighbourhood.

The victims were two police captains, a first lieutenant, and 12 conscripts, according to the statement.

Ahram Online could not reach medical sources in North Sinai to obtain numbers for the injured.

Meanwhile, Egypt's North Sinai prosecution began on Sunday investigations into the attack.

The prosecution has inspected the site of the attack and will listen to the testimonies of eyewitnesses and officials in the checkpoint, judicial sources said.

The North Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group said in a statement published online that it deployed a suicide bomber who blew up a car at the checkpoint, before militants attacked the site, according to AFP.

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The US embassy in Cairo conveyed condolences to Egypt following the Saturday attack that left at least 15 policemen dead

The US embassy in Cairo issued a statement on Sunday strongly condemning the "heinous terrorist attacks" that killed 15 policemen in North Sinai on Saturday.

"The United States stands with the government and people of Egypt in their ongoing fight against terrorism, and in their pursuit of a stable, democratic, and prosperous country," the statement read.

The embassy has also conveyed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those wounded.

The attack, which involved militants launching mortar shells at a police checkpoint in El-Arishs El-Safa neighborhood, was claimed by the North Sinai-based Islamic State-affiliate Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis.

The group said in an online statement that a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb at the checkpoint before militants attacked the site, according to AFP.

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An Egyptian parliamentary delegation will head to North Sinai to review the security situation and the living conditions of citizens

Soliman Wahdan, deputy speaker of Egypt's parliament, told reporters Sunday that he will be at the helm of a parliamentary delegation that will visit North Sinai "soon".

"We will head to North Sinai very soon to review security and living conditions there because this is part of parliament's job, Wahdan said. We have to be there on the ground to see what is really going on in this part of Egypt."

In a plenary session two weeks ago, Egypt's parliament  the House of Representatives  approved three parliamentary delegation visits to five border governorates: North and South Sinai, Marsa Matruh, Aswan and the Red Sea. 

Wahdan said the visit to North Sinai will come only after this governorate's deputies in parliament give their own assessment of the security and living conditions there.

"A hearing session will be held first for those deputies to give us a comprehensive review of conditions in North Sinai," said Wahdan.

Parliament's secretariat-general told MPs last week that the visit to North Sinai would be postponed upon the request of the interior ministry.

"The ministry said comprehensive security arrangements should be taken first to guarantee that MPs conduct a successful visit to North Sinai," the parliament's secretariat-general said in statement. "As a result, the visit would be postponed until all the necessary security measures are taken."

Salama Al-Roqie, an MP for North Sinai, told reporters that the recent spike in terrorist activities in the governorate, especially near the capital El-Arish and the border crossing town of Rafah, forced the interior ministry to postpone the parliamentary visit.

"Now we are currently coordinating with security forces and the army to guarantee that the parliamentary delegation's visit to North Sinai be conducted as soon as possible, and that it also include the most restive parts," said Al-Roqaie.

Al-Roqaie, an MP affiliated with the Support Egypt parliamentary bloc, indicated that "until the security arrangements for the visit are completed, we probe the possibility of inviting heads of the main Bedouin tribes and government officials in North Sinai to come to parliament to give their evaluation of the situation there."

In a statement on Sunday, the parliament strongly condemned the heinous attacks that led to the death of 18 Egyptian policemen in North Sinai on Saturday.

"They were killed while they were performing their duty in safeguarding our country's homeland," said a parliamentary statement.

It stressed that parliament is keen that its legislative powers be used in launching a comprehensive campaign against terrorists, their movements and sources of funding.

"We and the state authorities must be one heart in confronting this big danger that has become a threat to the world," said the statement.

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Egyptian MPs accused Sunday US Secretary of State John Kerry of interferring in the country's internal affairs following his statements about "the deterioration in the human rights situation in Egypt," demanding that a strict ban be imposed on foreign funding of NGOs operating in Egypt.

In a statement Sunday, the Conservatives Party (with six MPs in Egypt's parliament) described Kerry's statement as representing "a flagrant interference with the internal affairs of Egypt" representing "a violation of the basic rules of diplomacy and international law."

The statement said that "instead of hailing Egypt's decision to reopen investigations into the illegal foreign funding of human rights NGOs, Kerry opted to take this as a deterioration in the human rights situation."

"The investigation should rather send a positive signal to American taxpayers that their government does not spend money on bogus human rights projects in foreign countries like Egypt," said the statement, adding that, "But it seems that Kerry works for political reasons rather than for the interests of the American people."

The Conservatives Party, led by oil business tycoon Akmal Qortam, stressed that it fully supports the decision of judicial authorities to reopen an investigation into the foreign funding of NGOs in Egypt. "This should be a transparent investigation to make sure that the money donated to NGOs is not spent on fake projects or spent in violation of this country's legal and constitutional rules," said the party's statement.

It added that "previous investigation showed that foreign funding for NGOs had become a source of profiteering and a fertile ground for corruption for a handful of activists who monopolise this activity."

"In light of the above," argued the statement, "we wonder why a high-ranking official like John Kerry rejects a transparent inquiry and why he is so angry that those who monopolise US funding of NGOs in Egypt for profiteering purposes could face investigation."

The Conservatives Party statement concluded that, "A strict overhaul of foreign funding of NGOs in Egypt is well recommended because it will make sure that this money is spent on concrete development projects rather than on foreign agendas."

Joining forces, the parliamentary bloc of the so-called "Guardians of the Nation" Party (with 18 MPs) accused Kerry of leading a concerted Western campaign aimed at destabilising Egypt.

"While we are standing up to the threat of terrorism, we should stand united against a concerted campaign coming from the EU Parliament and the US administration, with both insisting on spreading chaos in Egypt," said the party's statement.

Mohamed Usama Abul-Magd, chairman of the bloc, told reporters that the party is in favour of tightening controls on NGOs obtaining foreign funding. "The Americans are irritated because the NGOs and individuals they give money to, to spread an agenda of anarchy and chaos, are about to be exposed," said Abul-Magd.

Mostafa Bakri, an independent MP with fiery anti-American rhetoric, also joined the chorus, demanding that the NGOs law be amended to impose a strict ban on all sources of foreign funding for NGOs. "We have to close this door because NGOs with foreign agendas are like a dagger in the back of this nation," said Bakri.

Bakri accused US-funded NGOs of implementing the agenda of what he called "radical liberal" institutions "such as Freedom House, the National Democratic Institute, and the International Republican Institute," which "played a pivotal role in spreading chaos in Egypt in the last five years."

Amin Masoud, another independent MP, said in a statement Sunday that a parliamentary hearing session should be held next week to respond to American and European intervention in Egypt's internal affairs. "We should also open the file of NGOs obtaining foreign funding and make sure that a ban be imposed in this respect," said Masoud.

Chairman of the liberal Reform and Development Party, Anwar El-Sadat, however, begged to differ. In a statement entitled, "What does Egypt's new regime and its affiliated security apparatus intend to do?" Sadat accused Egyptian authorities of mounting a ferocious campaign against human rights activists and civil society organisations.

El-Sadat deplored that the new regime in Egypt has not yet learned the lessons of two revolutions in five years. "This regime should realise that arbitrary measures against human rights NGOs will cause the loss of many friends in America and the West," he said.

El-Sadat added that, "Those who allege that the West and America are currently involved in a conspiracy against Egypt should correct their positions." "The West is keen that Egypt turns democratic and stable and that it does not become another Syria, because the costs of a civil war in this country will become disastrous for the entire world," he said.

El-Sadat said he is in favour of a independent review of NGO activities in Egypt, "but I am totally against imposing any kind of bans on these NGOs."

El-Sadat also said he has high hopes that once formed, the Egyptian parliament's committee on human rights would conduct an open dialogue with human rights activists, to reach consensus on a new democratic NGOs law. "I think in this way we will be sending a positive signal to the outside world, rather than reveling in conspiracy theories," said El-Sadat.

Meanwhile, MP Ahmed Said told reporters Sunday that a delegation heading to Brussels to discuss human rights in Egypt with the EU Parliament will be widened to include 13 MPs rather than eight. "We are also currently investigating the case of the Italian student Giulio Regeni who was killed in mysterious circumstances in Cairo on 3 February, to give the EU Parliament a report about it," said Said. "We are reviewing a file about his life in Egypt, including his contacts and whereabouts," noted Said, who will head the parliamentary delegation visiting Brussels.

Said indicated that "MPs are also currently thoroughly reviewing the EU Parliament's statement about human rights in Egypt and we are preparing responses to it." "We found out that a large part of this statement was based on incorrect and inaccurate information," Said stated.

Said told reporters that while the investigation into the killing of Egypt's former prosecutor general took eight months, European MPs want a quick inquiry just one month after Regeni's death.

Said disclosed that the parliamentary delegation heading to Brussels will hold a meeting with officials from the foreign ministry and the National Council for Human Rights next Thursday to prepare the report about Regeni and the situation of human rights in Egypt in general. "We will also study the make-up of the EU Parliament and what lobbies adopt radical positions about human rights," noted Said.

Said indicated that he hopes the Egyptian parliamentary delegation's visit to Brussels will begin mid-April. "I received instructions from parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al that we should resolve our differences with the EU Parliament via dialogue rather than confrontation," added Said.

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The meeting will include ministers from Libya's neighbouring countries as well as representatives from the African Union, the Arab league, the European Union and Libya

Egypts foreign affairs minister Sameh Shoukry will travel Monday to Tunisia to attend a meeting of Libyas neighbouring countries on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crisis in Libya, state news agency MENA reported.

The meeting will include ministers from Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Chad and Niger, as well as representatives from the African Union, the Arab league, the European Union and Libya.

Egypts ambassador to Tunisia told MENA that the conference will be preceded by talks between officials regarding Libya.

Egypt has maintained that a political solution is the only way to resolve the civil conflict in Libya.

In August 2014, Egypt hosted a similar meeting of Libyas neighbouring countries and proposed that all Libyan factions disarm and rebuild the police and army institutions.

Last week, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told Italian daily La Repubblica that military intervention in Libya is "too risky" and that foreign powers should support the internationally-recognised government in the east of the country.

"If we give arms and support to the Libyan national army, it can do the job much better than anyone else, better than any external intervention that would risk putting us in a situation that could get out of hand and provoke uncontrollable developments," he added.

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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.

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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.

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Fire broke out on Sunday in the home of a key witness to an arson attack by Jewish extremists that killed a Palestinian family last year but he survived, police and residents said.

The home of Ibrahim Dawabsha is located in Duma in the occupied West Bank, the same village where a July firebombing killed an 18-month-old Palestinian boy and his parents.

Israeli occupation authorities were investigating the cause of the fire.

Dawabsha and his wife were awakened overnight by thick smoke, residents said. Dawabsha, a relative of the family killed in the July attack, was hospitalised for smoke inhalation, police said.

It was the latest incident in an almost six-month long surge of Israeli-on-Palestinian deadly repression met with violent responses by Palestinians against settlers and Israeli soldiers.

The current wave of protests by Palestinians and repression by Israeli occupation forces started in late July when toddler Ali Dawabsha was burned to death and three other Palestinians were severely injured after their house in the occupied West Bank was set on fire by Israeli settlers.

The recent surge in violence has raised concern of wider escalation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided.

Residents reported that a window was broken in the house, raising suspicions that Molotov cocktails were thrown inside -- as occurred in the July firebombing.

Those details had not been confirmed by the Israeli occupation authorities.

"All leads will be investigated," Israeli occupation police said.

The July 31 attack on a family home in the village killed 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha and fatally wounded his parents.

Five-year-old Ahmed was the sole survivor from the immediate family.

After spending months in hospital, he was flown to Spain last week to meet Real Madrid stars, including his hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

In January, a court charged two Israelis over the firebombing after slow progress in the case led to criticism from human rights groups and Palestinians.

The attack sparked global condemnation and drew renewed attention to Jewish extremism, including accusations Israel had not done enough to prevent such violence.

Settlement-building, racial discrimination, confiscation of identity cards, long queues at checkpoints, as well as daily clashes and the desecration of Al-Aqsa mosque, describe Palestinians' daily suffering.

The anger of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem has increased in the last three years after the Israeli authorities allowed increasing numbers of Jewish settlers to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque.

The surge in violence has been fuelled by Palestinians' frustration over Israel's 48-year occupation of land they seek for an independent state, and the expansion of settlements in those territories which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Palestinian leaders say a younger generation sees no hope for the future living under Israeli security restrictions and with a stifled economy. The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014.

*The story has been edited by Ahram Online.

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A Turkish Islamic State group recruit, Mehmet Ozturk, carried out the suicide bombing that killed four foreigners on a major shopping artery in Istanbul, Interior Minister Efken Ala said Sunday.

"The attacker has been formally identified. He is linked to the terrorist organisation Daesh," Ala told a press conference, using an alternative name for IS group.

Ala said five people had been arrested on suspicion of links to Saturday's attack on Istiklal Caddesi, a bustling pedestrian street in the heart of the city.

Three Israelis and one Iranian were killed in the blast.

Born in 1992, Ozturk came from Gaziantep, a city in southeast Turkey on the border with Syria, the interior minister said.

He was "not on our list of wanted persons," Ala said, defending the authorities against accusations of security failings following six major attacks around the country since July that have killed over 200 people.

Saturday's bombing came six days after a suicide attack at a busy square in the capital Ankara that killed 35 people. That attack was claimed by Kurdish rebels.

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Turkey has summoned the Belgian ambassador to complain about a tent that was set up by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near the site of the EU-Turkey Summit in Brussels this week, diplomatic sources said on Sunday.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu telephoned his Belgian counterpart to complain as well and request that the tent be taken down, the sources said.

The PKK, which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast, is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

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Kuwait will be hosting the upcoming round of negotiations on the conflict in Yemen, a Yemeni presidential source told Ahram Online on Sunday.

The talks were originally expected to be held in Muscat, Oman. The reason for the switch remains unclear.

The date of the talks is still unknown.

The source also said that the concerned parties, including Saudi Arabia, have agreed to participate in the upcoming talks.

United Nations special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed held talks in Sanaa on Saturday where he announced that the parties are preparing for a new round of negotiations.

These new talks come after negotiations between the Saudis and the Houthis were held earlier this month in Saudi Arabia.

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, all parties are reportedly committed to reaching a settlement.

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Hundreds protested Donald Trump in New York and blocked a major road Saturday in the southwestern state of Arizona, where a demonstrator was punched and kicked at a rally.

The latest attempts by opponents to disrupt the campaign of the top US Republican White House hopeful resulted in a handful of arrests, police and witnesses said.

In Tucson, Arizona a protester with a sign showing Trump's face and the words "Bad For America," was kicked and punched by a member of the audience while being escorted out of the venue by security, video posted online by NBC showed.

The network reported that the audience member was handcuffed and taken away before being charged with assault with injury, according to police.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, demonstrators who gathered at Manhattan's Columbus Circle, near one of the billionaire real estate mogul's luxury buildings overlooking Central Park, shouted the slogan "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay."

Amid a considerable police presence, protesters held up signs that read "Deport Trump" and "Build a wall around Trump."

Also spotted in the crowd were placards which read "Don't let bigotry Trump our constitution" and "Will trade 1 Donald Trump for 25,000 refugees."

At least one person was arrested on the city's famous Fifth Avenue during a brief skirmish that was quickly brought under control by police.

The demonstration was organized by a group called Cosmopolitan Antifascists, with others joining in.

Ordinary New Yorkers turned out for the event, concerned by Trump's status as the clear frontrunner for the Republican party's nomination ahead of November's presidential elections.

Trump "is racist, he is sexist, he is homophobic, he is Islamophobic, xenophobic, he is a fascist. It has serious implication for the future of America," Patrick Waldo told AFP.

"If we start closing our borders to some people based on their religious beliefs, that is completely unconstitutional... we start going to a World War II Germany kind of situation and I don't want that in my country," the 31-year-old historian added.

Trump has called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States, just one example of rhetoric by the candidate that has sparked controversy on the 2016 campaign trail.

"Everything he says is racist, is false. It hurts my feelings," said Nour Hapatsha, a 22-year-old Muslim born in the United States.

Some pro-Trump supporters also showed up.

"More and more, people who show their support to Donald Trump are intimidated," said one among them, Jim MacDonald.

"As frightening as this is, we are going to show that we have the right to show our support to Donald Trump whether it pleases the other side or not," he added.

Ahead of Trump's Tucson event, Arizona protesters blocked a major thoroughfare on the outskirts of Phoenix, in an attempt to prevent his supporters from reaching an area rally.

Trump was in the state ahead of its primary next Tuesday.

The estimated 50 protesters held a banner across the width of Shea Boulevard with the words "Dump Trump" as long lines of traffic backed up in the suburb of Fountain Hills.

Controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who openly endorsed and supports Trump, said he would do everything possible to ensure the event would go ahead -- and Trump subsequently took the stage.

Deputy Joaquin Enriquez told AFP that three people were arrested and that two vehicles were towed.

"These arrests were made because they were blocking a public roadway, not for protesting," he said.

Demonstrations and violence have broken out at several Trump events recently, with critics saying the businessman's inflammatory rhetoric and barely-veiled threats directed at protesters have been fueling an increasingly toxic atmosphere surrounding his rallies.

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The flight recorders from a passenger jet which crashed in southern Russia killing all 62 people on board are badly damaged and could take up to a month to decode, Russia's airline regulator said on Sunday.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, crashed on its second attempt to land at Russia's Rostov-on-Don airport in the early hours of Saturday morning. Most of those on board were Russian.

"The received recorders are badly damaged mechanically," Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) said in a statement on its website, alongside a photo of a crumpled recorder.

"Specialists ... have started the inspection, opening and removing the memory modules from their protective coverings for further work to restore the cable connections and prepare to copy the data," the IAC said.

RIA news agency cited an IAC official as saying it could take one month to decode information from the recorders.

Under international aviation rules, the investigation will be led by Russia's air safety investigation agency with representatives from the United States, where the jet was made, and the United Arab Emirates, where the airline is based.

Flydubai's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said at a news conference in Dubai on Sunday: "We have high confidence in the Russian authorities who are capable of managing local conditions for flights," he said. "We fully trust the Russian authorities in this."

Al-Ghaith said: "The airport was open. It was good enough to operate and good enough to land, as per the authorities."

"The weather conditions were good enough for the flight."

In Rostov-on-Don on Sunday, Russian workers continued to search the crash site in temperatures of minus 5 Celsius, sifting through snow-covered debris strewn across the airfield.

After laying flowers next to piles of candles, children's toys and photos of the dead, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said the airport would reopen on Monday morning.

"We mourn," read an inscription listing the names of all 55 passengers and seven crew who died in the crash.

Al-Ghaith said on Saturday it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, but officials have suggested it could have been caused by pilot error, a technical problem or strong winds at the airport.

Flydubai said it had not cancelled or delayed any flights because of the crash.

The airline said in a statement it was organising hardship payments to families of the victims amounting to $20,000 per passenger, in accordance with its conditions of carriage.

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The lawyer to top Paris attacks fugitive Salah Abdeslam launched a furious legal fight Sunday to avoid extradition after Europe's most wanted fugitive spent his first night in a Belgian prison.

Abdeslam is held in a high security jail on charges of "terrorist murder" for his role in the November 13 gun and suicide attacks on the French capital, which killed 130 people.

The Belgian-born French citizen, who was caught unarmed after being shot in the leg during a Friday police raid in Brussels, told interrogators he had planned to blow himself up at the Stade de France stadium in Paris but had backed out at the last minute.

A day after his capture, the 26-year-old was taken to a maximum security prison in the northwestern city of Bruges where police are eager to question the man who is the only survivor of the 10-man commando believed to have carried out the attacks.

His lawyer Sven Mary said Abdeslam would fight his extradition to Paris beginning with a legal complaint against a French prosecutor who divulged the details of the first interrogation with the suspect to journalists on Saturday.

"I don't understand why a prosecutor in Paris has to communicate at this stage on an investigation in Belgium," Mary told Le Soir newspaper on Sunday.

Abdeslam "is worth gold. He is collaborating, he's communicating, he is not using his right to remain silent," Mary said, urging patience.

Paris prosector Francois Molins on Saturday told reporters Abdeslam had played a "central role" in planning the November attacks, which targeted bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall and were claimed by the Islamic State group (IS).

His brother Brahim blew himself up in a restaurant in the east of the French capital, and Molins said Abdeslam had planned to do the same at the Stade de France before changing his mind.

Investigators believe Abdeslam rented rooms in the Paris area to be used by the attackers and a car, which he used to drive them to the Stade de France before heading to the 18th arrondissement in the north of the capital.

Days after the attacks an explosives-filled suicide vest was found in Paris in an area where mobile phone signals indicated Abdeslam had been.

Abdeslam was "directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and, unfortunately, the perpetration of these attacks," said Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when the raid took place.

French President Francois Hollande said shortly after his arrest Friday that he wanted to see Abdeslam transferred to France as quickly as possible to face prosecution.

Abdeslam's arrest in the gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels was hailed by European and US leaders, while French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said it dealt a "major blow" to IS militants operating in Europe.

But the minister warned Saturday that the threat level remained "extremely high" and said France was deploying extra police officers to its borders to step up controls following discussions with Interpol.

Abdeslam is behind bars in solitary confinement at the Bruges high-security prison alongside Mehdi Nemmouche, who carried out a fatal attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014.

Police have also detained a suspected accomplice, known only under the false IDs of Amine Choukri or Mounir Ahmed Alaaj, but at a prison near Liege in eastern Belgium.

Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man militant team that carried out the Paris attacks.

Two more suspects are wanted in connection with the killings -- Mohamed Abrini, who became friends with Abdeslam when they were teenagers, and another fugitive known only by a name used on false papers, Soufiane Kayal.

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 gunbattle.

Abdeslam's fingerprints were found at the scene of the first raid.

The police on Friday were also convinced they were on the right trail by the unusual number of pizzas ordered by a resident of the Molenbeek house, Belgian media said.

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Kenyan troops killed 34 al Shebab militants in two separate incidents on Saturday and Sunday in Somalia and two of its own soldiers were killed in an ambush, a military spokesman said.

On Saturday, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) killed 21 of the insurgents in the southern town of Afmadow in the ambush in which the two soldiers died.

David Obonyo, spokesman for KDF, said in a statement that on Sunday, Kenyan troops killed a further 13 fighters just north of Ras Kamboni, also in southern Somalia.

"The KDF soldiers pursued them following information of an intended probe attack. Following the incident, a middle level al Shebab commander has been detained, 13 militants were killed," Obonyo said, referring to a reconnoitre attack by al Shebab.

"Regrettably, KDF suffered two fatalities and five injuries. The injured were evacuated and are receiving medical attention," he said of the incident on Saturday. An improvised explosive device also damaged one of the Kenyan army's vehicles, he said.

He said from the two incidents, KDF troops had recovered 27 AK 47 rifles, five rocket propelled grenades, a pistol, two PKM machine guns and ammunition.

Somalia's government is battling to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation after more than two decades of conflict. Al Shebab ruled large parts of Somalia until 2011, when it was driven out of Mogadishu by African Union (AU) and Somali troops.

The militants, who aim to topple the Western-backed government, often inflate casualty numbers and downplay the number of their own fighters killed.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shebab's military operation spokesman, told Reuters on Saturday their fighters had killed 12 soldiers in the Afmadow attack.

In January, Kenyan troops as part of the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM) took heavy losses when al Shebab launched a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde near the Kenyan border. No exact casualty figure has been given.

Al Shebab said more than 100 soldiers were killed.

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Dozens of Egypt's public sector employees demonstrated on Sunday against the continuance of a salary scheme under the civil service law that was voted down by the parliament in January, reported Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

The law was passed last year with the aim of reforming Egypts administrative apparatus in order to encourage investments by curbing notorious bureaucratic inefficiencies and streamlining hiring practices and wage-structures in government institutions.

The current salary scheme is part of the state budget for the current fiscal year, which was approved by parliament, Tarek Kueib, spokesperson for a pressure group against the civil services law and head of the independent syndicate for property tax employees told Ahram Online.

"We did not participate in the protest because it is impossible to demand the revocation of the state budget in the last four months, despite the scheme being unfair to us," he said.

The government has prepared an amended civil services law which awaits presentation to the parliament.

According to Kueib, there are other three drafts for a law organising the state's workforce that were prepared by the pressure group and two political parties.

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Grand Finale, a performance by the Danish group Batida, will be staged at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on Tuesday, 29 March.

The event, organised by the Theatre is a Must forum, is about an orchestra that has been hired for a wedding party, but when the bridal couple is late the orchestra lives a life of its own, which is anything but boring but rather shockingly tragic, outrageous, and touching, reads the event press release.

Batida is a Danish touring company consisting of 10 musical actors with its own premises in Copenhagen. Since forming in 1985, the group has developed a theatrical form in which live music, movement and dance are vital elements.

Programme:

Grand Finale

Tuesday, 29 March, 7pm

Great Hall, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria

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

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In a bid to promote tourism in Egypt, especially in the Upper Egypt city of Minya, Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty inaugurated today the Tel Al-Amarna Visitors Centre.

The centre highlights the reign of monotheistic King Akhnaten, considered one the country's most important and fascinating eras in the span of ancient Egyptian history.

Eldamaty explained that the centre puts on show replicas of King Akhenaten's tomb, along with a collection of fully furnished palaces and houses of this distinguished era.

A collection of statues of King Akhenaten and his wife, Queen Nefertiti, are also on show, along with busts of their daughters. A three-metre tall statue of King Akhenaten is located in the centre's entrance gate, to welcome visitors.

"It is a very important project built by the Ministry of Antiquities," Mahmoud Affifi, head of the ancient Egyptian Antiquities Department at the ministry, told Ahram Online, adding that it will extend a hand to promote local and international tourism, as the centre displays a replica of Tel Al-Amarna town with its streets, houses, palaces and temples.

Wadalla Abu El-Ela, head of the minstry's Projects Department, explained that the centre is 10,000 square metres large and was built at a cost of EGP 44 million. It consists of a display area, a service building, a cafeteria, a library and a parking lot.

During the opening ceremony, Eldamaty said that work on the Aten Museum and Malawi National Museum are at full swing, and that news to the contrary is false.

It was published today that the Aten Museum, which highlights the history of the King Akhenatun era and his capital, Akhtaten, was subject to encroachment and construction work stopped.

Similar claims were made on the Malawi National Museum, which was subjected to looting and deterioration in 2013, during violence that followed the dispersal of sit-ins by supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi at Rabaa Al-Adawiya in Cairos Nasr City district and Al-Nahda Square in Giza.

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Xinhua, UNAIDS ink new agreement on global anti-AIDS cooperation

2016-03-20 07:22

GENEVA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua News Agency President Cai Mingzhao (L) and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe attend the signing ceremony of the UNAIDS and Xinhua strategic cooperation memorandum, in Geneva, Switzerland, March 18, 2016. 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. (Xinhua/Zhou Lei)

GENEVA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua News Agency and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) Friday inked a new deal to enhance global cooperation towards ending AIDS by 2030.

In a ceremony held in UNAIDS headquarters, Xinhua President Cai Mingzhao and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe signed the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The deal builds on the framework of cooperation outlined in the original MOU signed in 2011 between the two sides, while strengthening collaboration in areas such as social media.

The two sides will continue to work towards the common goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, through in-depth cooperation, consultation and exchange of information.

"To end AIDS requires the joint efforts from the international community. Xinhua will use today as an opportunity to firmly support UNAIDS in its fight against AIDS," said Cai in the ceremony.

Sidibe, who is also the Under-Secretary-General of the UN, said "combined with the power of media and communication, we could work together to build a legacy in promoting ending AIDS".

Established in 1994, UNAIDS is the major UN agency for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the epidemic.

Related:

Xinhua, UNAIDS join hands against AIDS

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China's state news agency, Xinhua, and the UN's anti-AIDS body agreed here Tuesday to boost cooperation on the global fight against AIDS.

Xinhua possesses enormous media resources and stands ready to play an active role in the UN's anti-AIDS and other causes, Xinhua President Cai Mingzhao said in a meeting with Michel Sidibe, executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).Full Story
Vice premier urges more afforestation for a greener China

2016-03-20 07:22

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Vice Premier Wang Yang on Friday urged the National Afforestation Committee to increase afforestation and green industries to underpin China's sustainable and healthy development.

In the next five years, China should do more to add green resources, strengthen ecological restoration and deepen collective forest right system reform, Wang said.

Green development is one of the five cornerstones of the country's new development philosophy for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) along with innovation, coordination, opening up and sharing.

China's forest coverage ratio had expanded by 1.3 percentage points as of 2015 when compared with five years ago. Meanwhile, the volume of growing stock had surged 10.3 percent.

Related:

China issues guidelines promoting green consumption

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Ten Chinese ministries on Tuesday jointly issued guidelines on green consumption, the latest move to boost green and sustainable development in a country battling to rein in pollution and waste.

The document, issued by 10 ministries including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance, aims to ensure that the country adopts a "green and healthy" consumption mode by 2020. Full Story

Commentary: China embraces green growth era with "greenest" blueprint

BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Lawmakers passed China's "greenest" Five-Year Plan on Wednesday, underscoring the nation's commitment to green development and ushering in a new age for its growth model.

The blueprint, which charts the course for China's development up to 2020, places heavy weight on green development, with 10 out of 25 priority targets related to the environment. All the 10 targets are binding and among a total of 13 that must be achieved by 2020. Full Story
Full text: Report on China's central, local budgets

2016-03-20 07:22

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Following is the full text of the report on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2015 and on the central and local draft budgets for 2016, which was submitted for review on March 5 at the Fourth Session of the 12th National People's Congress and was adopted on March 16:

REPORT ON THE EXECUTION OF THE CENTRAL AND LOCAL BUDGETS FOR 2015 AND ON THE CENTRAL AND LOCAL DRAFT BUDGETS FOR 2016

Fourth Session of the Twelfth National People's Congress

March 5, 2016

Ministry of Finance

Fellow Deputies,

The Ministry of Finance has been entrusted by the State Council to submit this report on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2015 and on the drafts of the central and local budgets for 2016 to the fourth session of the Twelfth National People's Congress (NPC) for your deliberation and for comments from the members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

I. Execution of the Central and Local Budgets for 2015

In the face of a complex international environment and the formidable tasks of domestic reform, development, and stability in 2015, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council have brought together and led all of the people of China in taking an active approach to economic and social development, adapting to the new normal in economic growth, and responding appropriately to all major risks and challenges. As a result, the economy has maintained a medium-high rate of growth, the economic structure has improved, reform has been deepened, opening up has been promoted, further improvements have been made to the people's quality of life, and social stability was ensured. Both the central and local government budgets were executed satisfactorily last year.

1. Implementation of the NPC's budget resolution

In accordance with the resolution of the third session of the Twelfth NPC on the report on both the execution of the central and local budgets for 2014 and the central and local draft budgets for 2015 as well as the review of that report by the NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, we have developed new ways to improve macro regulation through fiscal policy, made steady progress in the reform of fiscal and tax systems, and worked hard to bring about sustained, healthy economic and social development.

Rule of law has been strengthened throughout fiscal and tax work.

We made efforts to ensure that governments at all levels, departments, and organizations improved their rule of law awareness as they put into effect all of the requirements laid down in the Budget Law. We strengthened the development of the Budget Law's complementary institutions, soliciting comments from the general public on the draft revisions to the Implementation Regulations of the Budget Law, launching management regulations for special transfer payments from the central government to local governments, and revising management regulations for general transfer payments and other rules and regulations. We collaborated with the relevant NPC department on further clarifying the principle of law-based taxation in the Legislation Law, and drew up guidelines for implementing this principle. We also actively assisted legislative work, such as the preparations for enacting an environmental protection tax.

Budgetary work has been made more authoritative and consequential in all aspects.

We have tightened budgetary constraints and made sure that all expenditures are based on budgets. We further increased the detail of budget itemization, scaled down the amount of tentative budgets prepared by the Ministry of Finance for other governments offices or programs, and examined and approved departmental budgets in a timely fashion. We accelerated the work to break down and disseminate budgetary expenditure targets and intensified inspections of programs implemented by central government departments, therein achieving noticeably faster budget execution. We improved the regulatory system for budgets and made budget assessment an essential part of the budgetary management procedures. We introduced regulations such as the provisional regulations for performance target management of special transfer payments from the central government to local governments. The number and yuan value of central government department programs that received performance evaluations rose by 26.3% and 27% respectively, and the evaluation results were linked to the allocation of this year's budgets. We expanded the number of government departments whose budgets and final accounts are subject to NPC review, and for the first time, publicly released budgets for special transfer payments broken down by region and by program. We also carried out inspections on the disclosure of local governments' budgets and final accounts with a view to enhancing their fiscal transparency.

Proactive fiscal policy has been made more targeted and effective.

In responding to economic developments, we exercised targeted and well-timed regulation on the basis of range-based regulation and strengthened anticipatory adjustments and fine-tuning, ensuring that the Chinese economy operated within an appropriate range.

First, we maintained a necessary level of spending intensity. We increased the government deficit by an appropriate amount in the 2015 budget, and put to use funds carried over from previous years to increase the intensity of spending. We took a host of measures, such as thoroughly reviewing carryover and surplus funds and strengthening inspections and accountability, to put existing government funds to use for the purposes of ensuring the wellbeing of the people, strengthening points of weakness, and making development more sustainable. A total of 3.2 trillion yuan worth of bonds were issued to replace outstanding debt of local governments close to maturity, helping reduce their interest burden and debt repayment pressure and free up financial resources for the development of key programs.

Second, we stepped up efforts to reduce taxes and fees. We expanded the scope of certain preferential policies, such as those concerning corporate income tax for low-profit small businesses and the accelerated depreciation of fixed assets. We exempted small and micro businesses from 42 different kinds of administrative charges and canceled or suspended the collection of 57 kinds of central-level administrative charges. We lowered premiums for unemployment, workplace injury, and maternity insurance schemes, and expanded the scope of the policy of providing subsidies from the unemployment insurance fund to enterprises that maintain stable employment during structural adjustments.

Third, we strengthened the guiding role played by fiscal funds and fiscal policies. We made great efforts to promote the use of the public-private partnership (PPP) model, and we encouraged nongovernmental capital to enter public service sectors by providing investment and operation subsidies or through franchising or other methods. We moved ahead with pilot reforms of management over the use, disposition, and profit rights of scientific and technological advances made in central-level public institutions. We improved the policy of additional tax deductions for enterprise research and development. We selected the first group of demonstration cities to act as business start-up and innovation hubs for small and micro businesses.

Reforms of the fiscal and tax systems have been deepened.

We introduced a number of new reform measures in an orderly manner and improved mechanisms related to their implementation, ensuring that these reform measures took firm root.

First, we accelerated the reform of the budgetary management system. We transferred local educational surcharge and ten other items from the budgets of government-managed funds into general public budgets. We drew up management regulations for the budgets of central state capital operations, transferred more funds from such budgets into general public budgets, and established a mechanism for making transfer payments from the budgets of central government state capital operations to the budgets of local government state capital operations. We moved forward with medium-term financial planning. We made further progress in organizing and integrating special transfer payments, cutting the number of items from 150 in 2014 to 96 in 2015. We established a standardized mechanism for local governments to secure financing through bond-issuance, placed local government debt under budgetary management by category, and imposed ceilings for such debt. All local government bonds are now issued and repaid by their respective provincial governments. We enacted regulations and operational guidelines for the preparation of government financial reports, published basic principles on government accounting, and revised the general fiscal budget accounting system.

Second, we deepened tax reforms. We carried out research on a plan for implementing trials of replacing business tax with value added tax (VAT) in all sectors and a reform plan for taxing personal income on the basis of both adjusted gross income and specific types of income. We further expanded the coverage of ad valorem taxation, extending it to the reform of resource taxes on rare earths, tungsten, and molybdenum. We carried out research relating to the excise tax reform plan and improved excise tax policies. We intensified efforts to review and standardize fees and charges levied on businesses.

Third, we made steady progress in the reform of the fiscal system. We improved the mechanism for sharing the cost of export tax rebates between the central and local governments. We studied and moved ahead reform of the division of administrative authority and spending responsibilities between the central and local governments. As the tax reform progressed, we worked promptly to draw up a transitional plan for adjusting the division of revenue between the central and local governments.

Financial discipline has been tightened up.

We have been conscientiously putting into practice the CPC Central Committee's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct and the State Council's three-point decision on curbing government spending, rigorously controlling general expenditures, and have achieved a reduction of 11.7% in the central government's budgetary expenditures related to official overseas visits, official vehicles, and official hospitality as compared to 2014. We improved regulations on practicing thrift and opposing waste, strengthened the management of meeting venue selection, and made adjustments to standards for business travel and accommodation expenses of Party and government organization workers. We improved standards for basic expenditure quotas, moved faster to develop a system of standards for program expenditure quotas, and improved budgetary management of program expenditures. We launched a campaign to rectify the abuse of funds earmarked for agriculture, farmers, and rural areas, investigated relevant problems and punished those responsible, released representative cases of financial discipline violations, and further ensured that the management of funds is in line with standards and relevant loopholes are closed. We stepped up financial oversight and implementation supervision to ensure that our fiscal and tax policies were productive in promoting steady growth.

2. Budgetary revenue and expenditures in 2015

(1) General public budgets

Revenue in general public budgets nationwide totaled 15.221665 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.8% over 2014 (this figure for the year-on-year increase, including those below, have been adjusted to account for the inclusion into general public budgets of 11 items originally contained in the budgets of government-managed funds). Adding in the 805.512 billion yuan of utilized carryover and surplus funds and funds transferred from other sources, total revenue reached 16.027177 trillion yuan. Expenditures in general public budgets nationwide amounted to 17.576778 trillion yuan, up 13.2%. Including the 70.399 billion yuan used to replenish the Central Budget Stabilization Fund, expenditures totaled 17.647177 trillion yuan. Total expenditure therefore exceeded total revenue leaving a deficit of 1.62 trillion yuan, which is consistent with the budgeted figure.

Revenue in the central government's general public budget amounted to 6.923399 trillion yuan, which is 100% of the budgeted figure and an increase of 7%. Adding in the 100 billion yuan contributed by the Central Budget Stabilization Fund, total revenue came to 7.023399 trillion yuan. Expenditures in the central government's general public budget amounted to 8.073 trillion yuan, which is 99.1% of the budgeted figure and an increase of 8.6% (this includes 2.5549 trillion yuan in central government expenditures and 5.5181 trillion yuan in tax rebates and transfer payments from the central government to local governments). Adding in the 70.399 billion yuan used to replenish the Central Budget Stabilization Fund, central government expenditures totaled 8.143399 trillion yuan. The central government's total expenditures exceeded total revenue leaving a deficit of 1.12 trillion yuan, which is consistent with the budgeted figure. Central government debt had an outstanding balance of 10.659959 trillion yuan at the end of 2015, which meant it had been kept within the limit of 11.190835 trillion yuan budgeted for the year. The Central Budget Stabilization Fund had a balance of 115.637 billion yuan.

Figure 1

Revenue and Expenditures in the General Public Budget of the Central Government in 2015

Revenue in local governments' general public budgets came to 8.298266 trillion yuan, an increase of 4.8%. Adding in the 5.5181 trillion yuan in tax rebates and transfer payments from the central government, revenue in local governments' general public budgets totaled 13.816366 trillion yuan. Adding in the additional 705.512 billion yuan of utilized carryover and surplus funds and funds transferred from other sources, local government revenue totaled 14.521878 trillion yuan. Expenditures in local governments' general public budgets came to 15.021878 trillion yuan, up 13.2% (or an increase of 7.9% after deducting utilized carryover and surplus funds and funds transferred from other sources). Total expenditures therefore exceeded total revenue leading to a local government deficit of 500 billion yuan, which is consistent with the budgeted figure.

The following details the specific situation in regards to the execution of the central government's 2015 general public budget.

1) Main revenue items

Domestic VAT revenue was 2.099682 trillion yuan, which is 97.7% of the budgeted figure. This shortfall was mainly due to the continuous decline in the producer price index (PPI). Revenue from domestic excise taxes stood at 1.054216 trillion yuan, which is 94.1% of the budgeted figure. Revenue fell short of the budget primarily because the real revenue from higher excise taxes on cigarettes and refined oil products were lower than expected. Revenue from VAT, excise taxes, and customs duties on imports amounted to 1.507151 trillion yuan, which is 82.4% of the budgeted figure. This discrepancy was mainly due to the fall in both the prices and total volumes of imported commodities. Corporate income tax revenue was 1.763923 trillion yuan, which is 102.9% of the budgeted figure. Individual income tax revenue was 517.089 billion yuan, which is 106.2% of the budgeted figure. VAT and excise tax rebates on exports came to 1.286702 trillion yuan, which is 105% of the budgeted figure. Non-tax revenue totaled 699.691 billion yuan, which is 163.9% of the budgeted figure. This surplus was mainly attributable to an increase in the profits turned in by some enterprises directly under the central government and some financial institutions.

2) Main expenditure items

Central government expenditures amounted to 2.5549 trillion yuan, which is 102.1% of the budgeted figure and an increase of 12.8%. Of this amount, education expenditures came to 135.705 billion yuan, up 8.3%; foreign affairs-related expenditures stood at 47.834 billion yuan, up 32.8%; national defense spending was 886.85 billion yuan, up 10.1%; public security expenses amounted to 158.416 billion yuan, up 7.2%; expenditures on general public services reached 105.619 billion yuan, up 0.5%; and interest payments on debt were 286.69 billion yuan, up 11.3%.

Tax rebates and transfer payments to local governments from the central government came to 5.5181 trillion yuan, which is 98.7% of the budgeted figure and an increase of 6.7%. This includes 508.198 billion yuan in tax rebates, the same as in 2014; 2.84754 trillion yuan in general transfer payments, up 6.8%; and 2.162362 trillion yuan in special transfer payments, an increase of 8.4%, which was mainly due to the addition of one-time investments from central government reserve funds during budget execution.

(2) Budgets for government-managed funds

In 2015, revenue into government-managed funds nationwide came to 4.233014 trillion yuan. Adding in the 65.613 billion yuan carried over from 2014 and the 100 billion yuan raised by local governments through the issuance of special bonds, revenue related to government-managed funds nationwide totaled 4.398627 trillion yuan. Expenditures related to these funds amounted to 4.236385 trillion yuan.

Revenue into central government-managed funds totaled 411.202 billion yuan, which is 94.2% of the budgeted figure and an increase of 5.2%. Adding in the 65.613 billion yuan carried forward from 2014, revenue related to central government-managed funds totaled 476.815 billion yuan. Expenditures related to central government-managed funds came to 435.642 billion yuan, which is 85.7% of the budgeted figure and an increase of 7.5%. Of this, central government expenditures were 302.449 billion yuan and transfer payments to local governments amounted to 133.193 billion yuan. Revenue into central government-managed funds exceeded expenditures by 41.173 billion yuan, which includes 24.817 billion yuan carried forward to 2016; 9.454 billion yuan for statutory replenishment of the Central Budget Stabilization Fund from the portions of the carryover funds of individual government-managed funds that exceeded 30% of their respective funds' revenue; and 6.902 billion yuan in surplus funds from the five items to be transferred from government-managed fund budgets into the general public budget in 2016.

Revenue into funds managed by local governments reached 3.821812 trillion yuan, a decrease of 17.7%. This was mainly due to a significant decline in the revenue from the sale of state-owned land use rights. Adding in the 133.193 billion yuan in transfer payments from central government-managed funds and the 100 billion yuan raised by local governments through the issuance of special bonds, total revenue related to local government-managed funds was 4.055005 trillion yuan. Total expenditures related to local government-managed funds came to 3.933936 trillion yuan, which includes expenditures of 3.28953 trillion yuan related to the proceeds of selling state-owned land use rights.

(3) Budgets for state capital operations

In 2015, budgetary revenue from state capital operations nationwide totaled 256.016 billion yuan, and budgetary expenditures on state capital operations nationwide totaled 207.857 billion yuan.

Budgetary revenue from the central government's state capital operations was 161.292 billion yuan, which is 104.1% of the budgeted figure and an increase of 14.3%. Adding in the 14.398 billion yuan carried forward from 2014, total revenue stood at 175.69 billion yuan. Budgetary expenditures on the central government's state capital operations came to 135.967 billion yuan, which is 80.3% of the budgeted figure and a decrease of 4.2%. This shortfall was mainly due to slower than expected progress in the reform of collectively owned businesses operated by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and in the reform to relieve SOEs of the burden of providing water, electricity, heating, gas, and property management services to their employees' homes. Of the total expenditures on the central government's state capital operations, 123.537 billion yuan was spent at the central level, which includes 23 billion yuan brought into the general public budget and used for ensuring and improving the people's quality of life as well as 12.43 billion yuan used as transfer payments to local governments. A total of 39.723 billion yuan of budgetary revenue from the central government's state capital operations was carried over to 2016.

Budgetary revenue from the state capital operations of local governments totaled 94.724 billion yuan. Adding in the 12.43 billion yuan in transfer payments from the central government's state capital operations budget, total revenue stood at 107.154 billion yuan. Total budgetary spending on the state capital operations of local governments amounted to 84.32 billion yuan.

(4) Budgets for social security funds

In 2015, revenue into social security funds nationwide totaled 4.466034 trillion yuan, which is 103.6% of the budgeted figure. This includes 3.251848 trillion yuan from insurance premiums and 1.019815 trillion yuan from government subsidies. Expenditures from social security funds nationwide totaled 3.935668 trillion yuan, which is 102.3% of the budgeted figure. Therefore, social security funds were left with a surplus of 530.366 billion yuan in 2015, and the year-end balance reached 5.700233 trillion yuan after this surplus was rolled over.

3. Implementation of major expenditure policies in 2015

Promoting education reform and development

We supported implementation of the second phase of the three-year action plan for preschool education. We put in place mechanisms for guaranteeing compulsory education funding in rural areas as well as the policy of waiving tuition and miscellaneous fees for students receiving compulsory education in urban areas, benefiting approximately 110 million students in rural areas and 29.44 million students in urban areas. We implemented the quality improvement plan for modern vocational education and worked to reshape the vocational education system. We reformed the budgetary appropriation system for institutions of higher learning directly under the central government to guide them in improving their models of development. We worked to guarantee the educational rights and interests of special needs groups through our support for the development of special needs education. We improved government financial aid policies for students, such as study assistance loans and student grants, providing aid to approximately 7.75 million college students, 5.14 million regular high school students, and 2.65 million secondary vocational school students, as well as exempting 10.45 million secondary vocational school students from paying tuition.

Pursuing innovation-driven development

We deepened reform of the management of science and technology initiatives financed by the central government. By completing the optimization or integration of a majority of these initiatives, we were able to concentrate resources on major programs that embody national strategic intentions. We redoubled efforts to support science and technology activities for the public interest, particularly those involving basic research. We supported the implementation of major science and technology projects. We worked to ensure research institutions had the support they needed as they conducted research into their own choice of subjects, and improved the conditions for undertaking research. We launched trials of the insurance compensation mechanism for newly-developed major technological equipment.

Helping provide better social security and employment services

Basic pension benefits for enterprise retirees were increased to an average of 2,270 yuan per person per month. The minimum social pension benefits for participants of the basic old-age insurance for rural and non-working urban residents were raised from 55 yuan to 70 yuan per person per month. We moved forward with reform of the pension system for employees of Party and government offices and public institutions, establishing an annuity scheme for these employees while at the same time adjusting their basic salaries. We intensified efforts to implement the employment assistance initiative for university graduates as well as the scheme for guiding university students in starting their own business, and we also worked to strengthen the capacity of the government for providing public employment services. We gave stronger support to assistance efforts for subsistence allowance recipients, orphans, people with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups. We further increased subsidies and living allowances to entitled groups, and worked to ensure the proper delivery of pension and other benefits to retired military personnel who now receive their benefits from the government.

Deepening reform of the healthcare system

Government subsidies towards the new rural cooperative medical scheme and the basic medical insurance for non-working urban residents were increased to 380 yuan per person per year with a corresponding rise in the rates for individual contributions to 120 yuan per person per year. We raised per capita government spending on basic public health services from 35 yuan to 40 yuan per year, with the entirety of the additional funds in rural areas being used to purchase basic public health services from doctors. We carried out comprehensive reform of county-level public hospitals in all counties and county-level cities and expanded trials of the comprehensive reform of urban public hospitals to 100 cities. We continued to support community-level healthcare facilities as well as village clinics in implementing the system of essential medicines. We promoted standardized training programs for resident physicians. We also improved medical assistance programs and the system for providing assistance for emergency medical treatment in both urban and rural areas.

Promoting sustainable development of agriculture

We expanded trials for restoring and improving cultivated land contaminated by heavy metals and for comprehensively dealing with the over-abstraction of groundwater. We conducted in selected areas trial reforms of direct subsidies to grain growers, subsidies for purchasing superior crop varieties, and general subsidies for purchasing agricultural supplies with the aim of protecting the soil fertility of cultivated land and supporting appropriately scaled-up grain operations. We promoted the development of water conservation and supply projects, large-scale, high-efficiency, water-saving regional irrigation projects, and high-grade farmland. We made further increases to the amount of funding available for poverty alleviation efforts, facilitating the launch of a number of poverty reduction projects that produced outstanding results. We helped strengthen grassland ecological conservation and supported the implementation of a new round of efforts to return 667,000 hectares of marginal cropland back into forest or grassland as well as the expansion of efforts to bring a complete end to the commercial logging of natural forests. We launched key national water and soil conservation projects, bringing soil erosion under control across 6,570 square kilometers of land. We made coordinated progress in the trials related to comprehensive rural reform. We supported the work to determine and open up registration for contracted rural land-use rights.

Conserving energy, reducing emissions, and improving the environment

With a focus on key areas, we increased funding to deliver further results in the prevention and control of air pollution. We moved forward with trials to construct networks of underground utility corridors and build sponge cities, as well as with efforts to prevent and treat heavy metal pollution in 38 key areas. We launched trials to comprehensively improve the conditions around rivers on the geographical scale of each drainage basin. We moved ahead with key forest shelterbelts and other ecological conservation projects. We supported comprehensive environmental improvement efforts in nearly 20,000 villages and channeled greater effort into supporting the operations and management of rural environmental protection infrastructure. We worked to facilitate the development of new energy and renewable energy industries. With our establishment of a well-rounded system of supportive policies, the production and sales of new-energy vehicles last year rose by approximately 400% and 300% respectively. We carried out comprehensive demonstrations of achieving energy conservation and emissions reductions through fiscal policy.

Improving government housing support

We provided housing support through the provision of both physical housing and rent subsidies, and carried out trials of developing and operating public rental housing through PPP models. We supported the renovation of 6.01 million homes in run-down urban areas and 4.32 million dilapidated rural houses.

Giving impetus to cultural prosperity and development

We promoted implementation of national standards for the provision of basic public cultural services, accelerated the development of a modern system of public cultural services, and supported the construction of multipurpose centers for providing cultural services in communities. We worked to strengthen the protection of cultural heritage sites and traditional Chinese villages. We promoted the development of leading cultural enterprises and creative and cultural industries. We worked to strengthen the international communication capacity of key news media outlets and enhance the country's soft power.

For a detailed account of the budget execution related to the above items, please refer to the 2015 Nationwide Budget Execution Report and draft 2016 Nationwide Budget of the People's Republic of China.

Over the course of 2015, despite mounting downward pressure on the economy, subdued government revenue growth, and increased difficulty in maintaining a balanced government budget, our fiscal operations remained basically stable and we were able to effectively implement all fiscal and tax policies, providing strong support for accomplishing the major targets for economic and social development of the year as well as realizing a successful conclusion to the 12th Five-Year Plan.

Looking back over the last five years, it is clear that the reform and development of public finance work in China has reached a new level, and that its role as the foundation of the country's governance has been effectively utilized. We constantly deepened the reform of the budgetary management system, made systematic headway in replacing business tax with VAT and in reforming excise tax and resource tax systems, and achieved major progress in building a modern fiscal system over five years of continuous refinement. In exercising macro regulation through fiscal policy, we paid great attention to keeping market expectations stable, unleashing internal forces for driving economic growth, and promoting structural improvements, and helped achieve a better-quality, higher-efficiency, and steadily operating economy by relying more heavily on market forces and adopting more reform measures. The wellbeing of our people has seen continual improvements, and we increased spending in related areas while working hard to improve related expenditure policies and institutional arrangements, emphasizing their public nature as well as increasing their sustainability. We established a general institutional framework for the management of local government debt, developed a clear picture of total outstanding debt, and carried out the systematic replacement of a portion of outstanding debt to ensure better overall control of debt-related risks.

We owe these achievements to the sound policymaking and firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council; to the oversight, guidance, and strong support of the NPC, the CPPCC National Committee, and all of their members; and to the joint efforts and hard work of all regions, government departments, and all our people.

At the same time, we are soberly aware that there are still a number of difficulties and problems standing in the way of fiscal work. Among these are the increasing difficulty in maintaining a balanced budget and the inflexibility in the structure of expenditures. Debt pressure on local governments is mounting, instances of borrowing in breach of regulations or in disguised form are still occurring, and the prevention and control of potential risks is becoming exceptionally difficult. The capacity of certain departments and organizations to execute their budgets is still quite poor, and work on some major programs has not gotten off the ground on time or has progressed at an unacceptably slow pace. Furthermore, government funds can still be utilized in a more coordinated, secure, and effective manner. We view these issues as extremely important, and will take effective measures to resolve them.

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